In the waiting room, Hermione sat in deep thought about the strangers that
had just left. Ron waved a hand in front of her face, which resulted in
the female of the Gryffindor trio slapping his hand away absentmindedly.
"Hermione."
Still nothing.
"Herm!"
A vague flicker of recognition.
This called for the big guns. "Oh, goodness. You failed all the O.W.L's!"
After falling off her chair, she got up and glared at the youngest male Weasley before sitting back into her chair and going into deep thought. Ron shrugged his shoulders and left to watch Charlie and George play chess in a corner. It was Ginny who sat next to Hermione and quietly asked her what she was thinking of.
"I don't know, exactly." Hermione admitted, "But there was something about the way that girl cast her spell that has me perplexed."
"What has you puzzled, exactly?"
Hermione paused before answering. "I guess it was the way she moved her wand; it was unique yet I've seen it somewhere before." Hermione thought back to less than an hour ago and replayed the scene in her mind. The muggle-born was always observant with a strong photographic memory, perfect for spell memorization. But unlike with her studying where the answers still in the book, she had to rake through the jammed sections of her mind, but to recall such an insignificant thing at a school, for she knew it happened at Hogwarts, where waving a wand was as common as breathing, was a most difficult task. Her best chance, she assumed, was to think back to the Dueling Club, but even that was tricky as she remembered being stuck in a headlock for a majority of the class. Hermione was so deep in thought that she didn't notice Ginny speaking to her.
"What was that, Gin?"
"Oh, I said that maybe you should ask Percy or Bill or Charlie. I doubt Fred and George would know; they're not much for face-to-face confrontation." Hermione nodded at the suggestion.
"Good idea. Maybe Percy would know, as I assume that Charlie wouldn't duel that much, seeing as he works with dragons and Bill works with mainly curses and theory." With that, she got up and walked over to Percy who was scribbling across parchment with his quill. Probably working, Hermione thought with a small laugh. It seemed that the uptight Weasley was still the workaholic he was last summer. She wondered if he ever did anything that wasn't approved by his parents for it seemed that the title 'Perfect Percy' that the twins had bestowed on him suited him quite nicely.
When Hermione got closer to him, he noticed her presence and quickly muttered an ink-drying spell before shoving the piece of parchment in his cloak pocket. "Hello, Hermione. How may I help you?"
"I was wondering about wand waving techniques and Ginny thought that you might know something about them."
"No, I'm sorry. I don't know that much about them." At this statement, Fred, who had been eavesdropping, mock-fainted. Percy threw him a dirty glare but the prankster didn't notice as his eyes were closed. "All I do know is that a while ago, many wizards, purebloods, began adopting their own casting modus operandi and the methods were passed down from generation to generation." Hermione nodded at the information for it had helped a bit.
"Thanks Percy. I think I need to go to Diagon Alley, though, to fully understand it. Maybe Flourish and Blotts will have a book on it."
Percy pulled out a watch from inside the folds of his robe and glanced at it carefully. "Well, if you'd like, I could take you now. I need to go to the owl post office to deliver a letter anyway." Hermione nodded happily and stepped back so Percy could rise.
"Where's Hermes, Perce?" Bill asked thinking of his brother's owl.
"He's flying to Siberia. They seem to have a problem with inadequate dragon hide gloves. It's fascinating, really. The gloves seem not to be strong enough and burn rates are going through the roof!"
"Uh.that's great Percy." George said, while glaring at Bill for even bringing up the topic.
Percy huffed, knowing full well that George was mocking him. "Fine, don't see the seriousness now, but wait until you start handling dangerous ingredients and end up being six feet tall with hair spurting out of your nose!" He stomped off and left Hermione to scurry after him.
"Hmm.I wonder what ingredients cause that to happen.." George murmured to his twin, causing identical grins to break across their face.
**********
Allie had no patience for ministry workers, especially those in the social service division. In fact, she planned that should she ever become a politician, she would wipe out that section and make them devote their lives to custodial duties in places like the goblin bank or possibly one of their many tombs they've already plundered. Or even the troll sanctuary. She was sure that their waste was not being picked up adequately. She was drawn out of her thoughts by the unctuous voice of the ministry worker who was talking to her and her brother. Allie wrapped her hand around her wand a little tighter and smiled at the reassurance it gave her.
"I'm sorry, but as Mr. Malfoy has no living blood relatives, he will be placed under our care."
"I just don't understand why we can't adopt him." Randolph said, clutching his wand much like his sister was.
"Mr. Enoch, we both know how the wizarding world feels about adoption. It just simply isn't done."
"That is such bull shit!" Allie said, turning the man's attention over to her. "What about Harry Potter? He was adopted." She pointed out with a smug smile.
The smiled faded as the worker started to smirk in an eerie way. "The Dursleys were blood relatives." He stopped and began to shuffle his papers. "Now, it was decided that until Mr. Malfoy's sixteenth birthday he would be kept as a ward of the Ministry."
"I just don't understand why!" Randolph spat out in frustration.
"It was the Orphaned Code in 1547. The code still stands today and therefore is still valid for this case."
"That's the same code that also states that the Ministry shall gain half of the estate for expenses." The man's smile faded. "From what I understand, the Malfoy estate is rather large and that seems like a rather large sum for only a year." Randolph stated proudly. "I believe if we take this case to court we might gain custody of Mr. Malfoy, and seeing as their ancestral manor is located in France the trial would be held with the French Minister of Magic." Now the smile was gone completely and the man was looking slightly nervous. "And I seem to recall that Minister Dupont does not hold the English Minister in high regard after Fudge hit on her at the International Meeting last year." Randolph's smile was malicious as the worker tugged at his collar apprehensively and wiped beads of sweat off his forehead. The two siblings shared a secret smile and stood to leave.
"We'll be in contact, or at least our lawyers will. Good-day." With that, they turned to leave. She waited until they were outside the building before congratulating her brother. "Nice work in there."
"Thanks." They linked arms and began strolling down the street, hidden from muggles by a strong concealment charm cast by the ministry over the building. "Want to get some lunch?"
She glanced at her watch. "We ate two hours ago."
"How about a snack? Ice-cream, maybe?"
"Sure. Diagon Alley?" She said as her supposition. At the nod of his head, they disappeared.
**********
After stopping at the post office, in which Percy still hid his letter from Hermione and whispered the location to the owl, they had walked to the bookstore where they were both pouring over books.
When Hermione was little, she always craved knowledge and often sat surrounded by books. She was a slight recluse but her parents just always assumed it was just that their daughter enjoyed books, but that wasn't the case. Hermione used them as an escape for she was never the cutest girl or the most popular; her schoolmates regarded her as a know-it-all brushy haired girl and somewhat of a freak. So every afternoon, she'd hide out in the library and devour book after book. She never read the fairytales because she hated knowing that the princes only wanted the princess because of her beauty, something Hermione knew she would never possess. However, the Hunchback of Notre Dame was an exception and her all time favorite.
When she got to Hogwarts, she assumed it to be like her other school, but read everything so as not to be left out. Another reason was that she wanted people to flock to her, if not for her popularity then for her brains. And it had worked. Neville still came to her for homework and a couple Hufflepuffs did the same. Even Ron asked a couple times that first year for help on his homework. Harry, on the other hand, never did. Truth be told, Harry was her first true friend because he didn't ask anything of her, but she offered all she had which bound the three of them closely. And over time, her visits to library became less frequent. Well, she was still in there at least five times a week but only for the joy of learning and not an escape. But stepping in the library or even a bookstore always gave her a secret thrill.
She turned to watch Percy who was reading a Quidditch book surprisingly. Hermione never pegged him to be interested in sports, but supposed that even he had his own depths. Thinking back to last year, she thought she remembered a twin, Fred or George, reading a book of Magic Law. Then again, this could just have been to see what was considered legal.
Looking around, Hermione quickly spotted a book that might fit her needs. 'A History of Duels and Duelist.' Perfect, she thought as she sat down on the floor to read, as there were no chairs in the crowded shop. Scanning the table of contents she quickly found wand motions listed on page 257. Eagerly she flipped forward and scanned the little information they had. It was more precise and lengthy than Percy's information but of no real help except for the last line.
'To see wand movements of certain families, see The Big Book of Duels, by Hugh E. Gargantuan.'
"Perfect." She got up and made her way to the front desk asking where the book was located.
"The Big Book of Duels?" The old shopkeeper shook his head. "I don't believe we carry that anymore. It took up too much space. I could order it for you or you could try the specialty shop down at the end of Diagon Alley. It's fairly close to Knockturn, don't know if you'd want to head down there." He smiled kindly before moving to help another customer.
Hermione sighed and went to find Percy and explain the situation. After she finished, Percy set the book down and regarded her seriously.
"Well, what do you want to do then?"
"Could we try the specialty store?" She pleaded. "I really want this book." The older Weasley sighed before nodding and going out of the store. She skipped happily down the street with Percy walking briskly beside her. They were in such a hurry that they didn't notice the three people that were about to collide with them until it was too late. Hermione moaned as she felt an elbow in her back and a knee in her side. She felt the knee being removed and she was quickly helped to her feet. Looking to see who the others were, she saw the two from the hospital-Randolph and Allie, she thought-and the third was Oliver Wood who was lying on top of Percy in a rather compromising position. It seemed that both men had the air knocked out of them and were struggling to breathe before attempting to stand.
Eventually they caught their breath and Oliver stood up and dragged Percy up with him. "Sorry 'bout that Perce." Percy waved the apology aside and looked to see if everyone else was okay.
Perce? Hermione thought. She knew that only his family called him that and not even Harry, the honorary Weasley did. It then hit her that they were roommates for six years so they must have been close. How close, Hermione had no idea but she was learning a lot about Percy Weasley today.
"So, we meet again. I did say we'd be seeing a lot of each other." Randolph said to the group. "Where were you going at such breakneck speed?"
Hermione was slightly hesitant to tell them as something struck her as odd about them, but Percy had no such qualms. "Dueling specialty store at the end of Diagon Alley." The siblings nodded as one and then turned to Oliver, expecting him to reveal where he was going.
"I was actually coming to find you Perce." He stated blushing slightly, but it was a hot day so maybe it was just the summer heat. "I was walking around here and just got your letter, so I assumed you would be here." So that was the letter he sent, Hermione thought. "I got a few days off and thought it would be fun to hang out until I needed to leave again." Percy nodded and then turned towards the black haired duo.
"And where were you going?"
They shrugged in sync and Hermione noticed they were doing that a lot as if every move they made was choreographed. "Just killing time. We had nothing to do so we thought we'd work off our ice-cream calories." Allie answered. They then shared a significant look, which made Allie put her hands on her hips, and then made Randolph shrug and roll his eyes when she crossed her arms. Eventually he nodded and waved a hand as if to say 'go ahead.' Hermione wondered if maybe they were telepathic. The duo was an enigma and the bushy haired Gryffindor did not like being without answers. "Would you mind if we tagged along? I would like to stop by and grab a pair of gloves." Hermione shrugged and all five of them left to go to the shop.
On the way there, Percy and Oliver led, as the other three did not frequent Diagon Alley. They were having a hushed conversation that seemed to be very pleasant as Percy kept giggling.
Had everybody turned into a different person? People were getting more complicated and it was frustrating Hermione who had just wanted to find a book but instead ended up between two groups of people who were each holding private conversations with another and leaving Hermione out. It was irritating, to say the least, when the normally uptight Percy Weasley began smiling brightly as Oliver Wood replayed his last Quidditch practice. All right, so she was eavesdropping but she had no choice because it wasn't her fault they were talking at a normal speaking level where anyone could overhear. She decided to not pay attention to the discussion and decided to notice the discussers.
Oliver was, as always, cute and well built. In fact, Hermione once had a crush on him in second year, a secret that would die with her. He was more tan then she last remembered and definitely had a better body. It seemed that professional Quidditch had its advantages. He had grown older but had not lost the roguish boyish charms he always seemed to possess. He had light brown hair that did nothing to hide his blue eyes that burned with such intensity during Quidditch matches. And it seemed that the dedication that he used saved for the game was now directed to the person he was walking next to.
Speaking of that person, Hermione turned her attention to Percy. Quite frankly, the diligent Weasley was nothing special to look at. Sure, he had improved from the gawky fifth year student she first met but he wasn't gorgeous in her standards. He, of course, displayed the typical red hair though his was curlier like his mother's unlike Ron's or the twins that fell flat. He shed his horn rimmed for sleeker inexpensive frames that suited him better and showed off his intelligence. He had an angular face with prominent cheekbones that was of no surprise seeing that he lacked any meat on his slim body. But when he smiled, his rich brown eyes lit up and his mouth quirked into a soft smile that really was quite sweet.
'Oh goodness, I'm checking out Percy Weasley!' Hermione blushed and tried to divert that train of thought, but she didn't have to as they had already reached the shop and Oliver was holding the door open for them.
Walking in gave her the same thrill that the bookstore had. In the center of the store there was a dueling mat laid out with bookshelves surrounding it on all sides. A couch was directly behind it, Hermione assumed it was there in case someone fainted in a duel that might be held on that mat. Behind the shelves she noticed a small section for clothing with a pile of brown and black gloves that Allie left to go look at. Next to that was a wall lined with restoration draughts, healing potions and other helpful items for after the duel. On the next wall were wand supplies like polish and holsters made by Ollivander himself. Then on the wall right behind her, Hermione saw about a hundred pictures or portraits of witches and wizards, though the latter far outnumbered the former, all holding their wands and some type of prize. On the more recent ones, she could see trophy cups or bags of money but the prizes seemed to vary when you went back in time. Once she thought there was a man holding the head of another wizard but it was in the shadows and Hermione did not care to look. She surmised that it was a wall of duel winners before heading into a row of books; skimming each section for the one she was looking for.
After browsing through five bookcases she located her book at the very top of the shelf that easily reached twelve feet. Sighing, she grabbed a rolling ladder at the far end and dragged it to where her book was. There it was, The Big Book of Duels in its three thousand-page glory. She grabbed it and prepared to go back down when she noticed familiar voices coming from the other side of the bookcase. She climbed down a few steps until there was a hiatus in-between the books and she could clearly look down on the forms of Oliver and Percy who were leaning against the bookshelf on the other side and across from hers. They didn't notice her peeping eyes as they were too intently focused on each other. She strained to hear what they were saying.
"Have you told your parents yet?" Oliver asked gently, pushing away a stray curl that fell in front of Percy's eyes.
The redhead gave a dry laugh. "No, they don't even know I'm gay." Oliver sighed and leaned against their bookcase. Hermione gasped and leaned forwards on hers.
"Well, surely they must have some suspicion. I mean, you sleep at my flat or hotel room at least twice a week."
"You know the phrase 'ignore it and it'll go away?'" Oliver nodded. "I think it has become their motto. As for noticing my disappearance, last year they just assumed I was out with Penelope." Hermione stared slack jawed.
Percy had been cheating on his girlfriend? With Oliver Wood? Not that she blamed him, but still.
Percy started speaking again. "Then when I got my job they assumed I left for work really early and worked overtime. Or sometimes I locked myself in my room, asked not to be disturbed and just apparated to your flat. They always figured I was just working. It's funny that we worked so hard to make sure there were no cracks in our façades and now."
"Now all we want to do is make them." Finished Oliver as he looked over at Percy who was staring at his shoes. "I missed you." He whispered and raised a hand to stroke his cheek.
Percy looked up. "I missed you too. I'm sorry we can't tell my parents yet."
"So we wait a few more weeks or months. I'm not going to rush you." Oliver said as he took his free hand and grabbed Percy around the waist and pulled him closer. "I love you, Perce." He bent his head and pressed a sweet kiss on his lover's mouth. Percy sighed when they broke apart and buried his head in the crook of Oliver's neck.
He mumbled something that Hermione couldn't hear, but guessed that it was an 'I love you too,' seeing how Oliver's face lit up. Or maybe Oliver smiled because his boyfriend started pressing kisses to his neck because a second later he let out a soft moan and gripped Percy more tightly.
Hermione now felt like she was intruding and carefully climbed back down the ladder with the book she had been clutching to her chest. She made her way to the register and waited patient behind a witch who was purchasing gloves like Allie was. Speaking of Allie, Hermione glanced to the side and noticed her waiting by the door with a shopping bag in her hand, probably with the already purchased gloves. Randolph was nowhere to be scene. Changing her gaze, Hermione stared at the pictures on the wall and did a double take at the smiling face of Albus Dumbledore. Hermione hadn't known he was a dueling champion, though it wasn't much of a surprise; the man was brilliant. But from the looks of it, he hadn't been in a professional duel for a while, seeing as how the picture was at least 70 years outdated.
Scanning the pictures and looking for a familiar face or name, she spotted a Potter a few portraits away from. The picture strongly reminded her of Harry. However, instead of one wizard, the portrait held two: Mr. and Mrs. Potter, probably Harry's grandparents. It seems that they won in a double duel. Mr. Potter had brown hair that laid flat on his head and radiant blue eyes that smiled at his wife as he held her close. He had a sturdy frame with a square jaw that led Hermione to believe he was a kind but firm man. His wife on the other hand, was willowy with wavy black hair that fell down her shoulders. Her eyes were obsidian and her mouth was curved into a delicate smile. Overall, they made an attractive couple. She kept looking, as the lady in front of her was taking forever, and saw more familiar faces like Harry's father, Lucius Malfoy and even Professor Snape. She saw the younger potion master regard her with a sad stare before turning his head down. She didn't have time to find this odd as it was now her turn.
After paying two Galleons and seven sickles for the book, she stood at the door with Allie who was looking at her nails in a bored manner.
"Did you get what you wanted?" Allie asked.
"Yes. Did you find your gloves?"
"Yep, they're really nice. Where is everybody?"
"I think Percy and Oliver are looking for something." Hermione lied with a delicate blush staining her face.
"Like each others' tonsils?" Allie asked innocently. At Hermione's shocked face, she gave a short laugh. "I accidentally walked in on them, but they didn't notice."
"Oh. Well, you mustn't tell anyone."
"Don't worry. It's none of my business." They sat is silence for a while.
"You really shouldn't have threatened Ron today." Hermione finally said distastefully.
"Well he shouldn't have said that. I know you don't believe he should have either, seeing as you slapped him." Hermione had no comment. "Anyway, why did you go through all this trouble to find that book anyway?"
Unsure what to say, Hermione quickly thought up a lie. "I wanted to study wizard wand techniques. I think they're fascinating." At least it wasn't a complete lie.
"They're just a way for snobby wizards to show off their wealth and heritage. All those aristocrats spend so much time in the past reliving traditions that they never get to live their own lives. They're too busy living their families." Hermione nodded in agreement.
"Like the Malfoys?"
Allie looked up in surprise. "Not exactly. While people like Draco do have traditions to keep, he also has his heritage that prevents him from doing anything by the book. Not to mention the fact that Draco rebels often enough to insure that he wasn't the perfect Malfoy heir." She gave a sad smile. "I guess he needn't worry about that anymore." Before Hermione could say anymore, Oliver, Percy and Randolph walked through the bookcases smiling and joking.
"Everyone make their purchases?" Oliver asked. At the girls' nods, they all strolled towards the door. As they began walking back to the Leaky Cauldron so they could floo Hermione and Allie back to the hospital, the female Gryffindor paid special attention to Oliver and Percy. She noted how they seemed to walk more closely together than anyone else and how their hands bumped together as they walked and lingered just a little too long. How Percy's eyes would light up when Oliver called him by his nickname and how Oliver smiled more brightly whenever he made his boyfriend laugh. Her musings were brought to an end when they left the alley and stood in front of the fireplace. Randolph and Allie had already left and Percy looked like he wanted to stay.
"Percy, if you want, I could just go back and tell your family where you are and you could stay with Oliver to catch up." Both of their faces lit up at this suggestion.
"I didn't know you were staying at the Weasley's." Oliver said to Hermione.
"I'm not; the Weasleys and I are staying at St. Mungo's waiting for Harry to wake up."
Oliver's face took on a worried expression. "Why's he in the hospital?"
"Didn't you know?" Percy asked, "He was attacked about two weeks ago and went into a coma. He just woke up a few days ago and they say he's going to be fine." This seemed to ease Oliver's distress. "Would you like to go there?" Oliver nodded and Hermione could see how unhappy Percy was about having to share his brief time with Oliver. However, he gave a small smile a gestured to the fire. "Let's go." Hermione was first and as she traveled, she briefly thought to herself, 'What a full day of learning this has been.'
**********
Author's Notes: PLEASE READ!!!!!!!!!! The poll is still going on so please cast your vote. Right now I believe the standing is exactly equal, but I won't actually do any pairings until the next segment, just little hints.
In case anyone is wondering what will happen now that the fifth book is out already, I have decided to make it a somewhat alternate universe but I will still be taking several events from the new book and integrating them into my story. Mostly it will be the major parts: ministry denial, the new and evil DADA teacher, some of the characters, maybe the headquarters. But some things will change, like the adult Malfoy's are dead; so that's a no go with them ever appearing in the story. I probably won't make Percy as evil as he sounds in the book because he's one of my favorites. And I'm not sure about Sirius' fate because I rather like his character....so who knows? But thanks to all my readers for reading and reviewing, especially those who cast their vote.
"Hermione."
Still nothing.
"Herm!"
A vague flicker of recognition.
This called for the big guns. "Oh, goodness. You failed all the O.W.L's!"
After falling off her chair, she got up and glared at the youngest male Weasley before sitting back into her chair and going into deep thought. Ron shrugged his shoulders and left to watch Charlie and George play chess in a corner. It was Ginny who sat next to Hermione and quietly asked her what she was thinking of.
"I don't know, exactly." Hermione admitted, "But there was something about the way that girl cast her spell that has me perplexed."
"What has you puzzled, exactly?"
Hermione paused before answering. "I guess it was the way she moved her wand; it was unique yet I've seen it somewhere before." Hermione thought back to less than an hour ago and replayed the scene in her mind. The muggle-born was always observant with a strong photographic memory, perfect for spell memorization. But unlike with her studying where the answers still in the book, she had to rake through the jammed sections of her mind, but to recall such an insignificant thing at a school, for she knew it happened at Hogwarts, where waving a wand was as common as breathing, was a most difficult task. Her best chance, she assumed, was to think back to the Dueling Club, but even that was tricky as she remembered being stuck in a headlock for a majority of the class. Hermione was so deep in thought that she didn't notice Ginny speaking to her.
"What was that, Gin?"
"Oh, I said that maybe you should ask Percy or Bill or Charlie. I doubt Fred and George would know; they're not much for face-to-face confrontation." Hermione nodded at the suggestion.
"Good idea. Maybe Percy would know, as I assume that Charlie wouldn't duel that much, seeing as he works with dragons and Bill works with mainly curses and theory." With that, she got up and walked over to Percy who was scribbling across parchment with his quill. Probably working, Hermione thought with a small laugh. It seemed that the uptight Weasley was still the workaholic he was last summer. She wondered if he ever did anything that wasn't approved by his parents for it seemed that the title 'Perfect Percy' that the twins had bestowed on him suited him quite nicely.
When Hermione got closer to him, he noticed her presence and quickly muttered an ink-drying spell before shoving the piece of parchment in his cloak pocket. "Hello, Hermione. How may I help you?"
"I was wondering about wand waving techniques and Ginny thought that you might know something about them."
"No, I'm sorry. I don't know that much about them." At this statement, Fred, who had been eavesdropping, mock-fainted. Percy threw him a dirty glare but the prankster didn't notice as his eyes were closed. "All I do know is that a while ago, many wizards, purebloods, began adopting their own casting modus operandi and the methods were passed down from generation to generation." Hermione nodded at the information for it had helped a bit.
"Thanks Percy. I think I need to go to Diagon Alley, though, to fully understand it. Maybe Flourish and Blotts will have a book on it."
Percy pulled out a watch from inside the folds of his robe and glanced at it carefully. "Well, if you'd like, I could take you now. I need to go to the owl post office to deliver a letter anyway." Hermione nodded happily and stepped back so Percy could rise.
"Where's Hermes, Perce?" Bill asked thinking of his brother's owl.
"He's flying to Siberia. They seem to have a problem with inadequate dragon hide gloves. It's fascinating, really. The gloves seem not to be strong enough and burn rates are going through the roof!"
"Uh.that's great Percy." George said, while glaring at Bill for even bringing up the topic.
Percy huffed, knowing full well that George was mocking him. "Fine, don't see the seriousness now, but wait until you start handling dangerous ingredients and end up being six feet tall with hair spurting out of your nose!" He stomped off and left Hermione to scurry after him.
"Hmm.I wonder what ingredients cause that to happen.." George murmured to his twin, causing identical grins to break across their face.
**********
Allie had no patience for ministry workers, especially those in the social service division. In fact, she planned that should she ever become a politician, she would wipe out that section and make them devote their lives to custodial duties in places like the goblin bank or possibly one of their many tombs they've already plundered. Or even the troll sanctuary. She was sure that their waste was not being picked up adequately. She was drawn out of her thoughts by the unctuous voice of the ministry worker who was talking to her and her brother. Allie wrapped her hand around her wand a little tighter and smiled at the reassurance it gave her.
"I'm sorry, but as Mr. Malfoy has no living blood relatives, he will be placed under our care."
"I just don't understand why we can't adopt him." Randolph said, clutching his wand much like his sister was.
"Mr. Enoch, we both know how the wizarding world feels about adoption. It just simply isn't done."
"That is such bull shit!" Allie said, turning the man's attention over to her. "What about Harry Potter? He was adopted." She pointed out with a smug smile.
The smiled faded as the worker started to smirk in an eerie way. "The Dursleys were blood relatives." He stopped and began to shuffle his papers. "Now, it was decided that until Mr. Malfoy's sixteenth birthday he would be kept as a ward of the Ministry."
"I just don't understand why!" Randolph spat out in frustration.
"It was the Orphaned Code in 1547. The code still stands today and therefore is still valid for this case."
"That's the same code that also states that the Ministry shall gain half of the estate for expenses." The man's smile faded. "From what I understand, the Malfoy estate is rather large and that seems like a rather large sum for only a year." Randolph stated proudly. "I believe if we take this case to court we might gain custody of Mr. Malfoy, and seeing as their ancestral manor is located in France the trial would be held with the French Minister of Magic." Now the smile was gone completely and the man was looking slightly nervous. "And I seem to recall that Minister Dupont does not hold the English Minister in high regard after Fudge hit on her at the International Meeting last year." Randolph's smile was malicious as the worker tugged at his collar apprehensively and wiped beads of sweat off his forehead. The two siblings shared a secret smile and stood to leave.
"We'll be in contact, or at least our lawyers will. Good-day." With that, they turned to leave. She waited until they were outside the building before congratulating her brother. "Nice work in there."
"Thanks." They linked arms and began strolling down the street, hidden from muggles by a strong concealment charm cast by the ministry over the building. "Want to get some lunch?"
She glanced at her watch. "We ate two hours ago."
"How about a snack? Ice-cream, maybe?"
"Sure. Diagon Alley?" She said as her supposition. At the nod of his head, they disappeared.
**********
After stopping at the post office, in which Percy still hid his letter from Hermione and whispered the location to the owl, they had walked to the bookstore where they were both pouring over books.
When Hermione was little, she always craved knowledge and often sat surrounded by books. She was a slight recluse but her parents just always assumed it was just that their daughter enjoyed books, but that wasn't the case. Hermione used them as an escape for she was never the cutest girl or the most popular; her schoolmates regarded her as a know-it-all brushy haired girl and somewhat of a freak. So every afternoon, she'd hide out in the library and devour book after book. She never read the fairytales because she hated knowing that the princes only wanted the princess because of her beauty, something Hermione knew she would never possess. However, the Hunchback of Notre Dame was an exception and her all time favorite.
When she got to Hogwarts, she assumed it to be like her other school, but read everything so as not to be left out. Another reason was that she wanted people to flock to her, if not for her popularity then for her brains. And it had worked. Neville still came to her for homework and a couple Hufflepuffs did the same. Even Ron asked a couple times that first year for help on his homework. Harry, on the other hand, never did. Truth be told, Harry was her first true friend because he didn't ask anything of her, but she offered all she had which bound the three of them closely. And over time, her visits to library became less frequent. Well, she was still in there at least five times a week but only for the joy of learning and not an escape. But stepping in the library or even a bookstore always gave her a secret thrill.
She turned to watch Percy who was reading a Quidditch book surprisingly. Hermione never pegged him to be interested in sports, but supposed that even he had his own depths. Thinking back to last year, she thought she remembered a twin, Fred or George, reading a book of Magic Law. Then again, this could just have been to see what was considered legal.
Looking around, Hermione quickly spotted a book that might fit her needs. 'A History of Duels and Duelist.' Perfect, she thought as she sat down on the floor to read, as there were no chairs in the crowded shop. Scanning the table of contents she quickly found wand motions listed on page 257. Eagerly she flipped forward and scanned the little information they had. It was more precise and lengthy than Percy's information but of no real help except for the last line.
'To see wand movements of certain families, see The Big Book of Duels, by Hugh E. Gargantuan.'
"Perfect." She got up and made her way to the front desk asking where the book was located.
"The Big Book of Duels?" The old shopkeeper shook his head. "I don't believe we carry that anymore. It took up too much space. I could order it for you or you could try the specialty shop down at the end of Diagon Alley. It's fairly close to Knockturn, don't know if you'd want to head down there." He smiled kindly before moving to help another customer.
Hermione sighed and went to find Percy and explain the situation. After she finished, Percy set the book down and regarded her seriously.
"Well, what do you want to do then?"
"Could we try the specialty store?" She pleaded. "I really want this book." The older Weasley sighed before nodding and going out of the store. She skipped happily down the street with Percy walking briskly beside her. They were in such a hurry that they didn't notice the three people that were about to collide with them until it was too late. Hermione moaned as she felt an elbow in her back and a knee in her side. She felt the knee being removed and she was quickly helped to her feet. Looking to see who the others were, she saw the two from the hospital-Randolph and Allie, she thought-and the third was Oliver Wood who was lying on top of Percy in a rather compromising position. It seemed that both men had the air knocked out of them and were struggling to breathe before attempting to stand.
Eventually they caught their breath and Oliver stood up and dragged Percy up with him. "Sorry 'bout that Perce." Percy waved the apology aside and looked to see if everyone else was okay.
Perce? Hermione thought. She knew that only his family called him that and not even Harry, the honorary Weasley did. It then hit her that they were roommates for six years so they must have been close. How close, Hermione had no idea but she was learning a lot about Percy Weasley today.
"So, we meet again. I did say we'd be seeing a lot of each other." Randolph said to the group. "Where were you going at such breakneck speed?"
Hermione was slightly hesitant to tell them as something struck her as odd about them, but Percy had no such qualms. "Dueling specialty store at the end of Diagon Alley." The siblings nodded as one and then turned to Oliver, expecting him to reveal where he was going.
"I was actually coming to find you Perce." He stated blushing slightly, but it was a hot day so maybe it was just the summer heat. "I was walking around here and just got your letter, so I assumed you would be here." So that was the letter he sent, Hermione thought. "I got a few days off and thought it would be fun to hang out until I needed to leave again." Percy nodded and then turned towards the black haired duo.
"And where were you going?"
They shrugged in sync and Hermione noticed they were doing that a lot as if every move they made was choreographed. "Just killing time. We had nothing to do so we thought we'd work off our ice-cream calories." Allie answered. They then shared a significant look, which made Allie put her hands on her hips, and then made Randolph shrug and roll his eyes when she crossed her arms. Eventually he nodded and waved a hand as if to say 'go ahead.' Hermione wondered if maybe they were telepathic. The duo was an enigma and the bushy haired Gryffindor did not like being without answers. "Would you mind if we tagged along? I would like to stop by and grab a pair of gloves." Hermione shrugged and all five of them left to go to the shop.
On the way there, Percy and Oliver led, as the other three did not frequent Diagon Alley. They were having a hushed conversation that seemed to be very pleasant as Percy kept giggling.
Had everybody turned into a different person? People were getting more complicated and it was frustrating Hermione who had just wanted to find a book but instead ended up between two groups of people who were each holding private conversations with another and leaving Hermione out. It was irritating, to say the least, when the normally uptight Percy Weasley began smiling brightly as Oliver Wood replayed his last Quidditch practice. All right, so she was eavesdropping but she had no choice because it wasn't her fault they were talking at a normal speaking level where anyone could overhear. She decided to not pay attention to the discussion and decided to notice the discussers.
Oliver was, as always, cute and well built. In fact, Hermione once had a crush on him in second year, a secret that would die with her. He was more tan then she last remembered and definitely had a better body. It seemed that professional Quidditch had its advantages. He had grown older but had not lost the roguish boyish charms he always seemed to possess. He had light brown hair that did nothing to hide his blue eyes that burned with such intensity during Quidditch matches. And it seemed that the dedication that he used saved for the game was now directed to the person he was walking next to.
Speaking of that person, Hermione turned her attention to Percy. Quite frankly, the diligent Weasley was nothing special to look at. Sure, he had improved from the gawky fifth year student she first met but he wasn't gorgeous in her standards. He, of course, displayed the typical red hair though his was curlier like his mother's unlike Ron's or the twins that fell flat. He shed his horn rimmed for sleeker inexpensive frames that suited him better and showed off his intelligence. He had an angular face with prominent cheekbones that was of no surprise seeing that he lacked any meat on his slim body. But when he smiled, his rich brown eyes lit up and his mouth quirked into a soft smile that really was quite sweet.
'Oh goodness, I'm checking out Percy Weasley!' Hermione blushed and tried to divert that train of thought, but she didn't have to as they had already reached the shop and Oliver was holding the door open for them.
Walking in gave her the same thrill that the bookstore had. In the center of the store there was a dueling mat laid out with bookshelves surrounding it on all sides. A couch was directly behind it, Hermione assumed it was there in case someone fainted in a duel that might be held on that mat. Behind the shelves she noticed a small section for clothing with a pile of brown and black gloves that Allie left to go look at. Next to that was a wall lined with restoration draughts, healing potions and other helpful items for after the duel. On the next wall were wand supplies like polish and holsters made by Ollivander himself. Then on the wall right behind her, Hermione saw about a hundred pictures or portraits of witches and wizards, though the latter far outnumbered the former, all holding their wands and some type of prize. On the more recent ones, she could see trophy cups or bags of money but the prizes seemed to vary when you went back in time. Once she thought there was a man holding the head of another wizard but it was in the shadows and Hermione did not care to look. She surmised that it was a wall of duel winners before heading into a row of books; skimming each section for the one she was looking for.
After browsing through five bookcases she located her book at the very top of the shelf that easily reached twelve feet. Sighing, she grabbed a rolling ladder at the far end and dragged it to where her book was. There it was, The Big Book of Duels in its three thousand-page glory. She grabbed it and prepared to go back down when she noticed familiar voices coming from the other side of the bookcase. She climbed down a few steps until there was a hiatus in-between the books and she could clearly look down on the forms of Oliver and Percy who were leaning against the bookshelf on the other side and across from hers. They didn't notice her peeping eyes as they were too intently focused on each other. She strained to hear what they were saying.
"Have you told your parents yet?" Oliver asked gently, pushing away a stray curl that fell in front of Percy's eyes.
The redhead gave a dry laugh. "No, they don't even know I'm gay." Oliver sighed and leaned against their bookcase. Hermione gasped and leaned forwards on hers.
"Well, surely they must have some suspicion. I mean, you sleep at my flat or hotel room at least twice a week."
"You know the phrase 'ignore it and it'll go away?'" Oliver nodded. "I think it has become their motto. As for noticing my disappearance, last year they just assumed I was out with Penelope." Hermione stared slack jawed.
Percy had been cheating on his girlfriend? With Oliver Wood? Not that she blamed him, but still.
Percy started speaking again. "Then when I got my job they assumed I left for work really early and worked overtime. Or sometimes I locked myself in my room, asked not to be disturbed and just apparated to your flat. They always figured I was just working. It's funny that we worked so hard to make sure there were no cracks in our façades and now."
"Now all we want to do is make them." Finished Oliver as he looked over at Percy who was staring at his shoes. "I missed you." He whispered and raised a hand to stroke his cheek.
Percy looked up. "I missed you too. I'm sorry we can't tell my parents yet."
"So we wait a few more weeks or months. I'm not going to rush you." Oliver said as he took his free hand and grabbed Percy around the waist and pulled him closer. "I love you, Perce." He bent his head and pressed a sweet kiss on his lover's mouth. Percy sighed when they broke apart and buried his head in the crook of Oliver's neck.
He mumbled something that Hermione couldn't hear, but guessed that it was an 'I love you too,' seeing how Oliver's face lit up. Or maybe Oliver smiled because his boyfriend started pressing kisses to his neck because a second later he let out a soft moan and gripped Percy more tightly.
Hermione now felt like she was intruding and carefully climbed back down the ladder with the book she had been clutching to her chest. She made her way to the register and waited patient behind a witch who was purchasing gloves like Allie was. Speaking of Allie, Hermione glanced to the side and noticed her waiting by the door with a shopping bag in her hand, probably with the already purchased gloves. Randolph was nowhere to be scene. Changing her gaze, Hermione stared at the pictures on the wall and did a double take at the smiling face of Albus Dumbledore. Hermione hadn't known he was a dueling champion, though it wasn't much of a surprise; the man was brilliant. But from the looks of it, he hadn't been in a professional duel for a while, seeing as how the picture was at least 70 years outdated.
Scanning the pictures and looking for a familiar face or name, she spotted a Potter a few portraits away from. The picture strongly reminded her of Harry. However, instead of one wizard, the portrait held two: Mr. and Mrs. Potter, probably Harry's grandparents. It seems that they won in a double duel. Mr. Potter had brown hair that laid flat on his head and radiant blue eyes that smiled at his wife as he held her close. He had a sturdy frame with a square jaw that led Hermione to believe he was a kind but firm man. His wife on the other hand, was willowy with wavy black hair that fell down her shoulders. Her eyes were obsidian and her mouth was curved into a delicate smile. Overall, they made an attractive couple. She kept looking, as the lady in front of her was taking forever, and saw more familiar faces like Harry's father, Lucius Malfoy and even Professor Snape. She saw the younger potion master regard her with a sad stare before turning his head down. She didn't have time to find this odd as it was now her turn.
After paying two Galleons and seven sickles for the book, she stood at the door with Allie who was looking at her nails in a bored manner.
"Did you get what you wanted?" Allie asked.
"Yes. Did you find your gloves?"
"Yep, they're really nice. Where is everybody?"
"I think Percy and Oliver are looking for something." Hermione lied with a delicate blush staining her face.
"Like each others' tonsils?" Allie asked innocently. At Hermione's shocked face, she gave a short laugh. "I accidentally walked in on them, but they didn't notice."
"Oh. Well, you mustn't tell anyone."
"Don't worry. It's none of my business." They sat is silence for a while.
"You really shouldn't have threatened Ron today." Hermione finally said distastefully.
"Well he shouldn't have said that. I know you don't believe he should have either, seeing as you slapped him." Hermione had no comment. "Anyway, why did you go through all this trouble to find that book anyway?"
Unsure what to say, Hermione quickly thought up a lie. "I wanted to study wizard wand techniques. I think they're fascinating." At least it wasn't a complete lie.
"They're just a way for snobby wizards to show off their wealth and heritage. All those aristocrats spend so much time in the past reliving traditions that they never get to live their own lives. They're too busy living their families." Hermione nodded in agreement.
"Like the Malfoys?"
Allie looked up in surprise. "Not exactly. While people like Draco do have traditions to keep, he also has his heritage that prevents him from doing anything by the book. Not to mention the fact that Draco rebels often enough to insure that he wasn't the perfect Malfoy heir." She gave a sad smile. "I guess he needn't worry about that anymore." Before Hermione could say anymore, Oliver, Percy and Randolph walked through the bookcases smiling and joking.
"Everyone make their purchases?" Oliver asked. At the girls' nods, they all strolled towards the door. As they began walking back to the Leaky Cauldron so they could floo Hermione and Allie back to the hospital, the female Gryffindor paid special attention to Oliver and Percy. She noted how they seemed to walk more closely together than anyone else and how their hands bumped together as they walked and lingered just a little too long. How Percy's eyes would light up when Oliver called him by his nickname and how Oliver smiled more brightly whenever he made his boyfriend laugh. Her musings were brought to an end when they left the alley and stood in front of the fireplace. Randolph and Allie had already left and Percy looked like he wanted to stay.
"Percy, if you want, I could just go back and tell your family where you are and you could stay with Oliver to catch up." Both of their faces lit up at this suggestion.
"I didn't know you were staying at the Weasley's." Oliver said to Hermione.
"I'm not; the Weasleys and I are staying at St. Mungo's waiting for Harry to wake up."
Oliver's face took on a worried expression. "Why's he in the hospital?"
"Didn't you know?" Percy asked, "He was attacked about two weeks ago and went into a coma. He just woke up a few days ago and they say he's going to be fine." This seemed to ease Oliver's distress. "Would you like to go there?" Oliver nodded and Hermione could see how unhappy Percy was about having to share his brief time with Oliver. However, he gave a small smile a gestured to the fire. "Let's go." Hermione was first and as she traveled, she briefly thought to herself, 'What a full day of learning this has been.'
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Author's Notes: PLEASE READ!!!!!!!!!! The poll is still going on so please cast your vote. Right now I believe the standing is exactly equal, but I won't actually do any pairings until the next segment, just little hints.
In case anyone is wondering what will happen now that the fifth book is out already, I have decided to make it a somewhat alternate universe but I will still be taking several events from the new book and integrating them into my story. Mostly it will be the major parts: ministry denial, the new and evil DADA teacher, some of the characters, maybe the headquarters. But some things will change, like the adult Malfoy's are dead; so that's a no go with them ever appearing in the story. I probably won't make Percy as evil as he sounds in the book because he's one of my favorites. And I'm not sure about Sirius' fate because I rather like his character....so who knows? But thanks to all my readers for reading and reviewing, especially those who cast their vote.