Chapter 19: Family Ties





Hermoine heard about it after from Patrice. Professor Snape had fallen ill, and was now fighting for his life. Mrs Coeur would be taking over some of his classes, while Professor Dumbledore took on the rest. Though she despised the man, Hermoine felt sorry for him. Hermoine was slightly dismayed to find that Mrs Coeur would be teaching them. She still had not regained her trust of the teacher. Everyone else, however, was thrilled.

"Just think," Ron said, skipping exuberantly down the hall, "no more books, or anything! Just good old practical stuff!" Harry nodded. Patrice remained silent and stone faced, her mouth set straight. Hermoine had heard her cry herself to sleep the night before.

They entered Potions. Harry and Ron took their usual places, as did everyone else. Mrs Coeur stood at the front, a grim expression on her face.

"Please turn to page three hundred of your book," she said in a monotonous voice. Hermoine blinked, but did as asked. There was much grumbling, especially from Ron.

"We are going to follow Professor Snape's lesson plan exactly. If any of you have a problem with that, then I suggest you take it up with Professor Dumbledore," she added, narrowing her gaze on Ron. Ron shrank a bit under her bright eyes, and he hastily opened the book.

"Any questions? No? Good. Now. . ."



Hermoine cleared up her Potions things. Patrice lingered.

"What's up?" she asked Patrice, shoving her ingredients into the cauldron.

"Nothing. I just need to ask Mrs Coeur about something. Don't wait up." Hermoine shrugged. She packed up her things, giving Patrice a curious look, but she said no more. Hermoine shut the door, walked around the corner, and quickly cast a spell she had learned in the summer to focus her hearing into one ear, to make it stronger. It was a very useful tool for eavesdropping.

"Are you alright, Kalina?" Patrice asked. Hermoine frowned. Who was Kalina?

"I'm fine, Patrice. Really, I am. You should go back to your friends. After all, exams are coming up soon." She heard Patrice laugh bitterly.

"Do you really think I care that much? I'm too worried about you, sis." Hermoine's breath caught in her throat.

"Sis?" she thought. "As in sister?"

"Don't be worried, Patrice. I can handle this."

"But first mom, then your dad. . . ."

"Look, Patrice, I know you're worried, but you don't need to be. I'm your older sister, for goodness sake. You worry about you. Mom would be upset if she thought you weren't trying your best."

"Thank's Kalina."

Hermoine hurried away, and removed the spell. She dropped her cauldron on her floor next to her bed.

"Crookshanks why is it that ever time I get comfortable around Patrice I find out something more about her?" she asked her cat. Crookshanks purred, rubbing up against her.

"I guess you don't know, do you. Still. . . . Do you think she's a good person, Crookshanks?"

"Purr," was all her cat said. Hermoine smiled.

"You silly thing. I guess it's my fault for expecting a cat to talk to me." She scratched under Crookshanks's's chin.

"Hermoine!" called Patrice. "Can you come here?"

"Coming!" Hermoine called back with a sigh.

Hermoine came down the stairs. All was quiet in the common room, which was highly uncommon.

"Patrice?" she called. "Patrice, what kind of game is this?" She screamed as someone grabbed her from behind. A thick, meaty hand clasped over her mouth. She saw Patrice then, laying unconscious on the ground before a man clad in black. Hermoine fought against her attacker with all she had, but one of them cast a sleeping charm on her. Hermoine felt as if she were falling. She fought with all she had, but soon the darkness claimed her.



Her head was pounding, and voices swam around her. Patrice opened her eyes, and found it was dark. Hermoine lay unconscious on the floor near her.

"Hermoine!" Patrice whispered, crawling to her fallen friend. "Hermoine, get up!"

"Mneh?" Hermoine mumbled. "Uhg." Hermoine's eyes slowly opened. "Pat- Patrice? What happened?"

"We were jumped," Patrice replied. "Is anyone out there?"

"I am, my daughter." Patrice felt her insides rise up. She stood, and peered into the darkness.

Light flared, and Patrice stumbled back in surprise, blinded.

"Your stupid owl let me find how I might get in." Patrice blinked back the tears. She forced herself to look up at her mother. The familiar face looked at her passively. Patrice reached into her robes. Her wand was gone.

"You didn't really think that I would let you keep that, did you?" her mother asked.

"Let Hermoine go. She isn't part of this."

"Oh, she has been part of this since the beginning." Her mother gave her a small smile, devoid of any emotions. "She is a Mudblood, and must pay as such."

"You know I can't let you hurt her, or any one else."

"There is not much you can do, Patrice. Without your wand, you are nothing." She waved the wands before them. "Call your bird, girl, and have her fetch your father. I will let you go then." Patrice stood, blinking back the tears.

"Never."

"Oh? So you want to die?"

"My mother would never kill me." Patrice stared in her mother's eyes. She was heartsick to see that there was no spark in her mother's eyes. Her mother had given up.

"Well dear, I'm sorry you think that. I will do as the Dark Lord commands me!"

"Crookshanks," Hermoine mumbled, petting Patrice's robes. The girl was delusional! Patrice was going to need her help getting them out of there alive!

Her mother turned to leave.

"You do not have long to decide, Patrice. I will kill her. Even if you do not bring your father to us, her death will serve the same end." Her mother opened the door. There was a flash of fur and fangs, snarling and hissing. Two animals snatched the wands from her mother's hand. She screamed, holding her hand to her. The cat, Hermoine's wand in its mouth, padded confidently over to Hermoine.

Patrice looked at her friend. Hermoine was smiling deviously.

"Thanks, Crookshanks." She patted her cat on its head, taking the wand. Patrice reached down, and took the wand from the mouth of the dog. Her heart leapt into her throat. She steadied herself, letting her face show nothing.

"Hermoine, we need to get out of here. I've got the dog, you get your cat." Hermoine nodded. She scooped up her familiar, and the four of them ran past her mother into the corridor.

They hid in a narrow crawl space, huddled on their hands and knees.

"I can apparate here," Patrice whispered to Hermoine. Hermoine's eyes went wide.

"You're underage!"

"Not under the laws we follow. I'll take the dog with me first, then I'll be back for you and your cat." Hermoine nodded curtly, her eyes questioning. "Stay hidden. Don't go anywhere unless you absolutely must, understand?"

"Got it. Go!"

Patrice dropped the dog off in the empty shack.

"I'll be back," she promised the Animagus. He nodded, settling himself down on the floor.

She brought Hermoine and her cat to the shack. Then, exhausted, she slumped on the floor next to the Animagus.

"Patrice, where were we?" Hermoine asked, petting her cat.

"I know as well as you do. Your cat, I wager, would know."

"Crookshanks?" Hermoine stared at Patrice as if she had gone daft.

"It hasn't sunk into you yet, has it?" Hermoine's blank face told her she was right. "Crookshanks is your familiar."

"You've lost it."

"No, she's right," said a voice. Hermoine spun, a look of panic painted across her face.

Sirius Black took his true form.

"Sirius!" Hermoine exclaimed in a worried tone. "How do you know you can trust her?"

"Sit down, Hermoine. It's time you learned some things."









Hermoine had a head ache. It was enough that she had awakened in a dark room to a strange voice calling her name, yet now she sat with Sirius and Patrice, who looked like old confidantes. Crookshanks was curled in her lap protectively.

"Patrice, why is it that you always seem to know something I don't?" Patrice smiled, as did Sirius.

"Because knowing things is my job," Patrice replied. She shared a loaded glance with Sirius.

"All right, then," Hermoine huffed. "At least I know something you don't know I know." Patrice blinked at her.

"Come again?"

"Mrs Coeur is your sister." Patrice flushed.

"Yes.... Well, sorta. She's my half sister."

"Same mother?" Hermoine guessed. Patrice nodded reluctantly, sharing another loaded glance with Sirius.

"I think you should tell her the truth, Patrice. The whole truth."

"She's not taken the vows!"

"Then she will now," Sirius replied. "I am still a high-ranked Phoenix." He spoke a long string of odd words, and his baggy clothes became ornate robes. He looked regal, despite his tangled hair.

"Kneel, Phoenix Daughter," he commanded. Awed, Hermoine dropped to her knees. "Repeat after me. I swear on my magic and my soul."

"I swear on my magic and my soul," she repeated.

"That I shall never reveal the secrets of the Phoenix Order," he continued.

"That I shall never reveal the secrets of the Phoenix Order."

"That I shall seek to protect magic and muggle alike."

"That I shall seek to protect magic and muggle alike."

"From the darkness no matter the cost. On my soul, my life, my magic."

"From the darkness no matter the cost. On my soul, my life, my magic."

"Rise, sister Hermoine Granger, Phoenix Order, First Rank." Hermoine felt warm. She looked down. Her school robes had been transformed into long crimson robes that flickered like fire about her feet. She smiled.

"Amazing." The robes wavered, and transformed back into her school robes.

Hermoine looked over at Patrice. Patrice smiled at her.

"Have a seat, Hermoine. This may take a while." Hermoine sat back on an old chair.

"This is all very complicated," Patrice told her, "but please remember that we don't have a lot of time."

"Alright."

"Good. This all started when we were first years. That's when my power started coming to the surface, and when Mrs Coeur was approached with teaching at Hogwarts. She wasn't able to get away until this year. I came too, because she's my partner."

"Your partner?" Hermoine repeated.

"She and I are of equal rank and power, at least this year we are. Phoenixes operated in pairs when it is possible. So the two of us were send down here.

"But that's not all of it. In my third year, my father began to contact me in secret. Not even the Head of the Phoenix Order knew, and I never said a word. He taught me a lot about what I needed to do to protect the only one who could save us from Voldemort: Harry. Then, everything changed with the events of last year, with thee Tri-Wizard tournament. I was there. I have heard most of what happened. The Head of our Order decided then that more Phoenix members were needed to protect the students, and prepare them for what was to come."

Patrice sighed.

"Harry does not make it easy. He has been fighting protection at every step. Sometimes he does what he must, but other times he leads himself into greater danger. My father observed this, and begged the Head of our Order to let my sister and I watch over Harry and his friends.

"Now, the dark ones have my mother. She's not a Phoenix, and never knew I was. However, she knows who my father is, and knows she can get to Harry through my father."

"I still don't understand why they could get to Harry through your father," Hermoine told her. "It just doesn't make sense!"

"I am her father," Sirius said.