Disclaimer: I don't own anything at all . . . I probably never will. I'm depressed now.
A Sky of Lies
By Dragon's-Dreamss
Chapter 1
Odd
Deviating from what is ordinary, usual, or expected.
Strange or peculiar.
Hermione awoke to the matinal chirping of birds near her window. The sunlight shown through her room. She got up groggily and slowly put on her school uniform and robes. It was her seventh and final year at Hogwarts. She, of course, was at the top of her class. She had gotten the highest score in O.W.L.s out of everyone. The only scores that matched hers were Tom Riddle's, Severus Snape's, Albus Dumbledore's, and Grindewald's, the dark wizard before Tom Riddle became Voldemort. Last year Voldemort was still powerful. Now the attacks on muggles and muggle-borns were increasing every day. It was a dark time, but most could find happiness in friends.
As Head Girl she could wander the hallways at night and have access to the restricted section of the library. She stayed up late studying for the N.E.W.T.s. Her professors were giving her extra projects on the subjects because she had learned most of the information the others were learning. Ron and Harry always tried to make her play Quidditch or talk about it non-stop, but she ignored them mostly when busy. They wanted to just laze around all through the week. They wanted her to stop studying; after all it was only November. The exams were "ages away" as Ron put it.
Hermione looked at her muggle watch that she had charmed to work within Hogwarts. To her shock she only had five minutes until breakfast ended and then fifteen more to get to class. She had slept in that late? She quickly put up her hair in a loose ponytail and headed out of the portrait in front of her room. She began to run once she had picked up her books. Her feet clanged upon the stone floor. She reached the dungeons after passing a very tired looking Mrs. Norris and a very perky Peeves. Peeves had decided that it was his job to redo Hermione's hair . . . according to himself he was a fully qualified hairdresser. She barely got away from his snipping shears.
She turned the corner and nearly slipped on the slick stones. She pulled herself together and walked through the heavy door of the potions classroom. She quietly moved over to her seat, hoping not to be noticed. It was too late for her not to be. A silk voice resonated through the still air of the damp dungeon.
"Did you enjoy our beauty sleep, Miss Granger?" Hermione turned around to see a very pissed potions master with his black eyebrow raised questioningly and his black eyes glittering madly. She swallowed harshly and smiled a small pathetic smile.
"Take your seat already! You've held up the class enough already," Snape snapped. Hermione jumped, startled, and walked to her seat slowly. She set her books down and took out her Potions Text. She was lucky that he hadn't taken away any points from Gryffindor or given detention.
"And, Miss Granger?" Professor Snape asked.
"Yes, sir?"
"That will be twenty points from Gryffindor for being tardy to class," he sneered. At least he hadn't given her detention. "And a detention." Damn, she thought as the class watched Professor Snape flick his wand at the black board. Neat handwriting appeared instantly.
"You will be making this potion. It is the Vestigium Cognatus Elixir. Can anyone tell the class what it is?" he snarled. Hermione's hand went up immediately, while her classmates' hands rested in their laps.
"Can anyone other than the Gryffindor know-it-all tell us or are you just a bunch of dunderheads?" He snapped. Many of the students averted their gaze when he glanced at them.
"Very well, Miss Granger?" he gave in.
"The Vestigium Cognatus Elixir is a potion in which the family blood lines are mapped out. It is a very simple potion, but has a complex base. It is mostly made of Rictarus scales and dried Plarie plants. The Plarie plants trace and analyzed the blood of the person tracing. The name is Latin. It means to trace and having to do with blood kin-" She was broken off by her professor's sharp voice.
"Good job . . . you have just plagiarized one of the most skillful authors. Ten points from Gryffindor," he sneered, giving her his best scowl. Many of the Slytherins snickered. The Gryffindors glared hatefully at their snarky teacher. Hermione sat there staring at him with no emotion shown on her face. A few awkward moments went by in silence.
"What are you waiting for? Get to work!" he said, agitated. Hermione got her ingredients and sat back down. She did not have a partner, everyone else was taken. She first set up the small fire and set the brass caldron on it. She grinding her Rictarus Scales with a mortal and pestle. Soon it was reduced to a fine powder. She put it in the hot caldron along with dried Hellebore flowers. After a while her potion was a silvery brown colour. She had to add her last ingredient. Her blood. She took the small pin and pricked her finger. She winced at the small sting the needle had given her. She watched as a shining red drop of her blood dropped into the potion turning it a brilliant blue. Words began to appear quickly. Her charmed quill was runny across the paper like mad. After two minutes the quill flopped back onto the desk.
Hermione looked around the room before picking up the parchment. Not very many students had gotten past the third step yet. Harry and Ron were struggling to keep from laughing at Draco Malfoy who was being attacked by Pansy Parkinson. Hermione picked up the parchment. Her eyes scanned over the writing. It wasn't her family. Something must have been wrong, yet her name was at the bottom except there was no Granger. Interesting, she thought as she raised her hand high up into the air. She caught Professor Snape's eye.
"Yes, Miss Granger," he spat out looking at her intently.
"Something must have gone wrong with my potion, sir," she began as he glided over to her desk silently, "The names on here are not correct. Would you help me, Professor?" He looked at the paper and then did a double take. He reached for the paper quickly and began to read it.
"Odd, odd," he whispered.
"What's odd, if you don't mind me asking, sir?" She asked.
"I am going to keep this for a while. You are done," he said quickly. She looked at him perplexed as he sat down at his desk reading the paper over and over again. Something was wrong, but what?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Later that day Severus went up to Albus' office with Granger's family tree. It was very odd. He had to notify Albus. He came upon the gargoyle leading up to Albus' office. He mumbled, "Blood Lollies," and watched as the stone statue moved. He walked up the stairs, his black robes billowing menacingly behind him. He walked into the office. Many of the portraits were chatting happily; Fauxe was sitting on his perch as Albus petted his head.
"Ah, Severus, what brings you here?" Albus asked sitting down in his large chair behind his impressive desk. Severus sat down in a stiff wooden chair in front of the desk and set down the parchment. Albus in turn picked it up and studied it carefully.
"It is Granger's family tree made from the Vestigium Cognatus Elixir. I found something odd about it," Severus answered.
"It seems we have found her at last," Albus said smiling.
"Should I owl them?"
"Yes, that is a good idea," Albus said as Severus got up to go to the owlery.
"Shouldn't you tell Granger?" He sneered wanting to leave the old man's office before offered some sort of sweet.
"No, I don't think so . . . She should find out on her own," Albus replied, "Oh and Severus?" Severus turned around to see Albus holding a hand out to him with something in it.
"Lemon drop?" Severus rolled his eyes. He had almost made it out without being stopped.
"No thanks, Albus. Unlike you, I don't waste my days obsessing over muggle and magical candy," Severus snorted.
"But they are very good, Severus," he told him, "You should try it."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Meanwhile, Hermione sat in the library amongst many books. She had read most of the books in there. There must be one she hadn't read. She picked up all of the books in one arm and lugged them back to the shelf. When she returned to the little table her bag was on she saw a new book. It was very dusty and looked old. The blue leather cover smelt of mold, but as always a new book interested her. She picked it up. She found it to be very heavy. It had many pages and it was almost as thick as the "Webster's Third International Dictionary" that resided on her bookshelf at her house. She flipped it over to the title side. The title read:
The Royal Dynasty of Caelum
1756 –
The Rulers of the England Magical World
She opened the book slowly. Dust flowed into the air making Hermione cough. She ran her finger along the elegant cursive. The writing was in old English. The two thousand three hundred and fourth page caught her interest, something about a girl from the latest generation of Caelums.
Caol, the son of Ian and Sara Caelum, was born on February 5, 1951. He went to school in the most famous school in the Americas, Guatemala School of Wizardry. In 1973, Caol married Heather Potter, the sister of James Potter, the father of Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived. Caol was happily in love with Heather. In 1982 the daughter of Caol and Heather Caelum was mysteriously kidnapped. No one knows were she is today. She was born on May 3, 1977. Her name was Hermione Caelum. Caol and Heather now rule the Wizarding world, which are unknown to most muggle-borns and some wizards. They now reside in the hillsides of Toulouse, France.
It might have been just coincidence that their names were the same. It was strange. As Snape said it . . . odd. She glanced at her watch that her mother had given her for her birthday. She had ten minutes until dinner. She could still read, luckily. Who was this Hermione Caelum? Hmmmm. . . were her last thoughts before she fell asleep on the large book.
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A/n: So. What do you think? Answer the question by pressing the little button below the type. By the way, Caelum means sky or heavens in Latin! Bye for now!