The day passed quickly for everyone and soon it was time for everyone to leave. Since Hermione and Draco wasn't leaving until mid-August they didn't have to rush in the morning to check they had everything. Instead they just had to check everyone was ready for the coaches down to the station.
Hermione had many tearful goodbyes from Parvati and Lavender and even more emotional goodbyes from Harry, Ron and Ginny. She'd taken the liberty to wear a lot of wristbands to hide the symbols on her wrist since she'd probably end up being asked a lot of questions if anyone noticed them.
Hermione had Mina stay with her all day so she didn't go anywhere near the twins unless she went to see them herself. Even though she had forgiven her for the 'mishap' as Mina called it, Hermione still could not trust her on her own. Thankfully Nurse Pomfrey had insisted that she look after the twins while she attended to her duties as Head Girl.
As she watched the horse-less coaches take all the students back to the station, she felt a bit sad. They were all going to get on with their lives while she was going to go to Malfoy Manor, the home of the enemies' right- hand man. Of curse having the son of the devoted supported be the father of her children, well, she didn't mind it that much seeing as he was to become one of Dumbledore's spies.
That's where Draco was now. He was training with Snape how to send messages to Dumbledore and how to keep a blocked mind, for Voldemort was said to be able to search people's minds and had a tendency for the use of Unforgivable curse and truth potions. Frowning, she stepped away from the window, seeing the last carriage disappear from sight.
Mina stood next to her with a frown almost the same as hers as she watched the squid float on top of the lake. She sighed and muttered,
"There goes Terry, Blaise, Seamus and Justin. Why do I have such a liking for humans and not merman like myself." She sighed again, standing up like Hermione. Her now pink ringlets she now had bounced slightly with her movement.
Hermione raised her eyebrows at her and shrugged.
"No idea. I have never had four loves at the same time." Mina blushed slightly. It had become common knowledge that Mina had dated each other the boys at different times but had been found in broom closets with one when she'd been dating another. Hermione had found Justin and Seamus more appealing then Terry and Blaise. They both had a sense of humour and Mina laughed a lot more while dating one of them. With Terry and Blaise however she hardly ever laughed and Hermione rarely saw her apart from joint classes and passing in the hall and corridors.
Mina shrugged and followed Hermione down one of the halls.
"Where we going?"
"The Library." Came a somehow over excited voice. Mina sighed and stuffed her hands into her pockets and followed her half sister to the library.
When they got there, Madam Pince was arranging some books on one of the shelves. She nodded at Hermione but when she saw Mina she gave her one of her best glares. Hermione looked shocked at the librarian's reaction to Mina and looked questionably at Mina but she had already walked past her, dragging her with her.
When they reached the back off the Library, Mina let go off Hermione.
"Why did Madam Pince glare at you like that?" Mina blushed slightly before answering,
"Ah, well, um. I came here with Blaise once and we accidentally knocked over some of the bookcases."
Hermione raised an eyebrow at her.
"How could you pushed these bookcases over? I mean they are like solid."
"Yeah, well, Blaise can be really strong sometimes and a bit rough too." Hermione nodded. The amount of times Mina had been seen when she had dated Blaise, she had walked with a limp for days.
Hermione nodded and walked of towards the section she had come here for. Seeing Mina coming towards her, she gestured for her to go away.
"Find something that you want to read about. I need to read about my future job and fill my brain with even more knowledge." Mina snorted and walked away walking far away from Hermione though she was still able to see her.
"If you fill you head with any more knowledge, your head with end up exploding." She called back. Hermione shook her head and then focused her mind on what she was looking for. She was in the Mythology block off the library and had planned to look up the symbols on her wrist. She traced the spines of the books until she came to one called 'The Dictionary of Gods and Goddesses' (A/N: I know crap name. It's all I could think of!)
She opened it and looked over the first page. It looked like it had been used a lot over the last decade or so. Getting on with her job she turned to page A as that was where most of the goddesses she had talked too were.
The first name she came to was
'Aphrodite was the goddess of love and beauty, and the protector of sailors. She may have been the daughter of Zeus and the Titan Dione, or she may have risen from the sea on a shell. Her symbols include the myrtle tree and the dove.' 'Well that pretty much what they told me.' Hermione thought.
Next she found,
Astarte, the Greek name for Ashtoreth, the Phoenician goddess of the moon, fertility, and sexual love. In the Bible her worship is linked to that of the Canaanite Baal. The cult of Astarte, in various forms, was widespread in the eastern Mediterranean world. In Egypt she was identified with Isis, in Greece with Aphrodite, and in Babylonia with Ishtar. Her image is most frequently seen on ancient seals or relief's holding the sacred lotus in one hand and two entwined serpents in the other' 'Well they didn't tell me all that though.'
After that she found,
'Athena was the goddess of wisdom. She was also skilled in the art of war, and helped heroes such as Odysseus and Hercules. Athena sprang full-grown from the forehead of Zeus, and became his favourite child. Her symbols include the owl and the olive tree.' 'Again they told me that.'
Then she went ahead to D for Diana.
'Diana, in Roman mythology, the goddess of hunting, chastity, and the moon, identified with the Greek Artemis.' 'Well they definitely told me all that.'
Next up was,
'Hecate was a goddess of magic in Greek mythology. While her association with the dark mysteries of the Underworld places this goddess in the chthonian category (the word chthonian refers to the earth or Underworld), it is important to note that Hecate was also involved with several Olympian deities. She had affinities with Demeter and Artemis, and even Zeus, the ruler of Olympus, admired this chthonian goddess. The Greek poet Hesiod is one of our best sources for information about Hecate. In his Theogony, Hesiod claims that Hecate was the daughter of Perses and Asteria. Furthermore, the poet includes a long and detailed description of the significance of this goddess in his poem:
"...Hecate, whom Zeus honoured above all others; he gave her dazzling gifts, a share of the earth and a share of the barren sea. She was given a place of honour in the starry sky, and among the deathless gods her rank is high. For even now, when a mortal propitiates the gods and, following custom, sacrifices well-chosen victims, he invokes Hecate, and if she receives his prayers with favour, then honour goes to him with great ease, and he is given blessings, because she has power and a share in all the rights once granted to the offspring of Ouranos and Gaia."
(Hesiod, Theogony, 411-422)
And there is much more to this passage of the Theogony. In essence, the poem states that Hecate had a great deal of power to help those she favoured. However, it is important to remember that as a chthonian goddess, she also had the ability to punish. Indeed, this is where Hecate's role as a goddess of magic comes into play. In myth, for example, the sorceress Medea called upon the goddess for assistance in casting her dark spells.
Hecate was also associated with crossroads in mythology and legend, for it was believed that these areas were important in magical rituals.
In Roman mythology, Hecate was known as Trivia (the goddess of crossroads).
Hecate, in Greek mythology, a goddess with many functions but mainly associated with black magic--the patron of witches and sorcerers. At night she wandered with the ghosts of the dead, haunting graveyards and crossroads, where offerings were put out for her.
Hounds - It seems that women were the first to domesticate the dog, because dogs were companions of the Goddess in may cultures, long before gods or men appeared with canine companions. Dogs accompanied Hecate in Greece. Dogs were accredited for being able to see the dead (ghosts) and other spirits. The ancients were also very impressed with canine keenness of another sense, the sense of smell. Pairs of dogs ere stationed at the gates of death (as on the Tarot card of the Moon) to detect the "odor of sanctity" and decide whether the soul could be admitted to the company of the gods. Three-headed Cerberus guarded the door of Hecate's underworld.' 'Well that was certainly long.'
Next up on I was Isis.
'Isis, Ancient Egyptian goddess of magical power and divine mother, sister- wife to Osiris and mother of Horus. In human form she is depicted wearing either the throne-sign of her name or the cow's horns and sun disc on her head. Hathor, goddess of love and childbirth, is often assimilated with Isis. Her magical power is illustrated by her power to revive her dismembered husband. As divine mother she is depicted suckling the king who was seen as her son. The cult of Isis was widespread, although the centre may have been at Busiris in the Delta. Isis was worshipped throughout the western world, most notably at Rome in the first century BC, and she was identified with the goddesses Astarte, Minerva, Venus, and Diana of other cultures.' Hermione had no comment to make.
Last to find was,
'Venus the Roman goddess of love and beauty identified with Aphrodite in Greek mythology. Venus Verticordia was the goddess, worshipped by Roman matrons, who turned married women's hearts to chastity.' 'That was pretty much what she said.' Thought Hermione.
As she put the book away her wristbands fell down causing the symbols to show. As she pulled them back up she accidentally stroked the dog symbol.
'Hello.' A voice filled her head causing her to fall of the chair she had sat on.
"Who's there?" She exclaimed, looking around for the source of the noise.
"It's Hecate and I am not liking the fact that you are spinning around or I may just vomit inside your head." Hermione stopped and put a disgusted look on her face.
"Ewww." Hecate's voice disappeared for a moment then came back.
"Why did you call me then Hermione? I sense no danger anywhere in Hogwarts." Hermione furrowed her eyebrows.
"I didn't call you though I was just researching these symbols you have put on my wrist and then you came into my head. Why are they there anyway?" Hermione thought.
"We put them there when you came up to us so you can contact us when you need. We just forgot to mention it before you came back to earth."
"Oh, right. So are you going to go now because Mina's coming back." Hermione thought.
"Ahh, yes. Your half-sister you can trust her with the twins for she has become a spy for Dumbledore." Hermione mentally stared at Hecate but then she felt her presence leave her.
Mina came over to her and seeing that Hermione was slightly out of focus she waved a hand infront of her face.
"Hello?"
Hermione heard someone calling her and found Mina infront of her. She smiled at her and then followed her back out of the library where Mina earned herself another glare form Madam Pince.
Hermione had many tearful goodbyes from Parvati and Lavender and even more emotional goodbyes from Harry, Ron and Ginny. She'd taken the liberty to wear a lot of wristbands to hide the symbols on her wrist since she'd probably end up being asked a lot of questions if anyone noticed them.
Hermione had Mina stay with her all day so she didn't go anywhere near the twins unless she went to see them herself. Even though she had forgiven her for the 'mishap' as Mina called it, Hermione still could not trust her on her own. Thankfully Nurse Pomfrey had insisted that she look after the twins while she attended to her duties as Head Girl.
As she watched the horse-less coaches take all the students back to the station, she felt a bit sad. They were all going to get on with their lives while she was going to go to Malfoy Manor, the home of the enemies' right- hand man. Of curse having the son of the devoted supported be the father of her children, well, she didn't mind it that much seeing as he was to become one of Dumbledore's spies.
That's where Draco was now. He was training with Snape how to send messages to Dumbledore and how to keep a blocked mind, for Voldemort was said to be able to search people's minds and had a tendency for the use of Unforgivable curse and truth potions. Frowning, she stepped away from the window, seeing the last carriage disappear from sight.
Mina stood next to her with a frown almost the same as hers as she watched the squid float on top of the lake. She sighed and muttered,
"There goes Terry, Blaise, Seamus and Justin. Why do I have such a liking for humans and not merman like myself." She sighed again, standing up like Hermione. Her now pink ringlets she now had bounced slightly with her movement.
Hermione raised her eyebrows at her and shrugged.
"No idea. I have never had four loves at the same time." Mina blushed slightly. It had become common knowledge that Mina had dated each other the boys at different times but had been found in broom closets with one when she'd been dating another. Hermione had found Justin and Seamus more appealing then Terry and Blaise. They both had a sense of humour and Mina laughed a lot more while dating one of them. With Terry and Blaise however she hardly ever laughed and Hermione rarely saw her apart from joint classes and passing in the hall and corridors.
Mina shrugged and followed Hermione down one of the halls.
"Where we going?"
"The Library." Came a somehow over excited voice. Mina sighed and stuffed her hands into her pockets and followed her half sister to the library.
When they got there, Madam Pince was arranging some books on one of the shelves. She nodded at Hermione but when she saw Mina she gave her one of her best glares. Hermione looked shocked at the librarian's reaction to Mina and looked questionably at Mina but she had already walked past her, dragging her with her.
When they reached the back off the Library, Mina let go off Hermione.
"Why did Madam Pince glare at you like that?" Mina blushed slightly before answering,
"Ah, well, um. I came here with Blaise once and we accidentally knocked over some of the bookcases."
Hermione raised an eyebrow at her.
"How could you pushed these bookcases over? I mean they are like solid."
"Yeah, well, Blaise can be really strong sometimes and a bit rough too." Hermione nodded. The amount of times Mina had been seen when she had dated Blaise, she had walked with a limp for days.
Hermione nodded and walked of towards the section she had come here for. Seeing Mina coming towards her, she gestured for her to go away.
"Find something that you want to read about. I need to read about my future job and fill my brain with even more knowledge." Mina snorted and walked away walking far away from Hermione though she was still able to see her.
"If you fill you head with any more knowledge, your head with end up exploding." She called back. Hermione shook her head and then focused her mind on what she was looking for. She was in the Mythology block off the library and had planned to look up the symbols on her wrist. She traced the spines of the books until she came to one called 'The Dictionary of Gods and Goddesses' (A/N: I know crap name. It's all I could think of!)
She opened it and looked over the first page. It looked like it had been used a lot over the last decade or so. Getting on with her job she turned to page A as that was where most of the goddesses she had talked too were.
The first name she came to was
'Aphrodite was the goddess of love and beauty, and the protector of sailors. She may have been the daughter of Zeus and the Titan Dione, or she may have risen from the sea on a shell. Her symbols include the myrtle tree and the dove.' 'Well that pretty much what they told me.' Hermione thought.
Next she found,
Astarte, the Greek name for Ashtoreth, the Phoenician goddess of the moon, fertility, and sexual love. In the Bible her worship is linked to that of the Canaanite Baal. The cult of Astarte, in various forms, was widespread in the eastern Mediterranean world. In Egypt she was identified with Isis, in Greece with Aphrodite, and in Babylonia with Ishtar. Her image is most frequently seen on ancient seals or relief's holding the sacred lotus in one hand and two entwined serpents in the other' 'Well they didn't tell me all that though.'
After that she found,
'Athena was the goddess of wisdom. She was also skilled in the art of war, and helped heroes such as Odysseus and Hercules. Athena sprang full-grown from the forehead of Zeus, and became his favourite child. Her symbols include the owl and the olive tree.' 'Again they told me that.'
Then she went ahead to D for Diana.
'Diana, in Roman mythology, the goddess of hunting, chastity, and the moon, identified with the Greek Artemis.' 'Well they definitely told me all that.'
Next up was,
'Hecate was a goddess of magic in Greek mythology. While her association with the dark mysteries of the Underworld places this goddess in the chthonian category (the word chthonian refers to the earth or Underworld), it is important to note that Hecate was also involved with several Olympian deities. She had affinities with Demeter and Artemis, and even Zeus, the ruler of Olympus, admired this chthonian goddess. The Greek poet Hesiod is one of our best sources for information about Hecate. In his Theogony, Hesiod claims that Hecate was the daughter of Perses and Asteria. Furthermore, the poet includes a long and detailed description of the significance of this goddess in his poem:
"...Hecate, whom Zeus honoured above all others; he gave her dazzling gifts, a share of the earth and a share of the barren sea. She was given a place of honour in the starry sky, and among the deathless gods her rank is high. For even now, when a mortal propitiates the gods and, following custom, sacrifices well-chosen victims, he invokes Hecate, and if she receives his prayers with favour, then honour goes to him with great ease, and he is given blessings, because she has power and a share in all the rights once granted to the offspring of Ouranos and Gaia."
(Hesiod, Theogony, 411-422)
And there is much more to this passage of the Theogony. In essence, the poem states that Hecate had a great deal of power to help those she favoured. However, it is important to remember that as a chthonian goddess, she also had the ability to punish. Indeed, this is where Hecate's role as a goddess of magic comes into play. In myth, for example, the sorceress Medea called upon the goddess for assistance in casting her dark spells.
Hecate was also associated with crossroads in mythology and legend, for it was believed that these areas were important in magical rituals.
In Roman mythology, Hecate was known as Trivia (the goddess of crossroads).
Hecate, in Greek mythology, a goddess with many functions but mainly associated with black magic--the patron of witches and sorcerers. At night she wandered with the ghosts of the dead, haunting graveyards and crossroads, where offerings were put out for her.
Hounds - It seems that women were the first to domesticate the dog, because dogs were companions of the Goddess in may cultures, long before gods or men appeared with canine companions. Dogs accompanied Hecate in Greece. Dogs were accredited for being able to see the dead (ghosts) and other spirits. The ancients were also very impressed with canine keenness of another sense, the sense of smell. Pairs of dogs ere stationed at the gates of death (as on the Tarot card of the Moon) to detect the "odor of sanctity" and decide whether the soul could be admitted to the company of the gods. Three-headed Cerberus guarded the door of Hecate's underworld.' 'Well that was certainly long.'
Next up on I was Isis.
'Isis, Ancient Egyptian goddess of magical power and divine mother, sister- wife to Osiris and mother of Horus. In human form she is depicted wearing either the throne-sign of her name or the cow's horns and sun disc on her head. Hathor, goddess of love and childbirth, is often assimilated with Isis. Her magical power is illustrated by her power to revive her dismembered husband. As divine mother she is depicted suckling the king who was seen as her son. The cult of Isis was widespread, although the centre may have been at Busiris in the Delta. Isis was worshipped throughout the western world, most notably at Rome in the first century BC, and she was identified with the goddesses Astarte, Minerva, Venus, and Diana of other cultures.' Hermione had no comment to make.
Last to find was,
'Venus the Roman goddess of love and beauty identified with Aphrodite in Greek mythology. Venus Verticordia was the goddess, worshipped by Roman matrons, who turned married women's hearts to chastity.' 'That was pretty much what she said.' Thought Hermione.
As she put the book away her wristbands fell down causing the symbols to show. As she pulled them back up she accidentally stroked the dog symbol.
'Hello.' A voice filled her head causing her to fall of the chair she had sat on.
"Who's there?" She exclaimed, looking around for the source of the noise.
"It's Hecate and I am not liking the fact that you are spinning around or I may just vomit inside your head." Hermione stopped and put a disgusted look on her face.
"Ewww." Hecate's voice disappeared for a moment then came back.
"Why did you call me then Hermione? I sense no danger anywhere in Hogwarts." Hermione furrowed her eyebrows.
"I didn't call you though I was just researching these symbols you have put on my wrist and then you came into my head. Why are they there anyway?" Hermione thought.
"We put them there when you came up to us so you can contact us when you need. We just forgot to mention it before you came back to earth."
"Oh, right. So are you going to go now because Mina's coming back." Hermione thought.
"Ahh, yes. Your half-sister you can trust her with the twins for she has become a spy for Dumbledore." Hermione mentally stared at Hecate but then she felt her presence leave her.
Mina came over to her and seeing that Hermione was slightly out of focus she waved a hand infront of her face.
"Hello?"
Hermione heard someone calling her and found Mina infront of her. She smiled at her and then followed her back out of the library where Mina earned herself another glare form Madam Pince.