Here it is Chappie three! And the beginnings of a plot are emerging:-) Once again please leave feedback I'm writing this for writing practice so any and all comments are helpful.
Chapter 3: Greetings
"Hermione!" Her mother's voice floated up the stairs. "There is an owl for you! It's that white one." Hermione galloped down the stairs, and sure enough, there sat Hedwig perched on the back of one the kitchen chairs.
Her father was sitting directly opposite, glaring belligerently, he never really had gotten used to all the owls.
"Hedwig." Hermione greeted moving over to relieve the owl of the letter attached to its foot.
"A letter from your friends already dear! Why, they just can't get enough of you!" Her mother smiled indulgently, sipping at her coffee. Hermione smiled in a forced way back at her.
"Well, you know we're all really close." She said. "I'm just going to take this to the study to answer, come along Hedwig." The snowy owl hopped onto her outstretched arm and allowed Hermione to take her down a few hallways to the families' communal study.
Once there she set Hedwig down and hurriedly unrolled the parchment.
Dear Hermione,
I hope you made the trip home safely. When can we expect you here?
The Dursley's are driving Ron crazy, and the other way around of course!
Ron somehow keeps managing to make things explode, it was a washcloth yesterday believe it or not! We could really use you here.
Also, we have an idea as to where we can research the remaining Horcruxes, we'll need you for this one. There is the public Wizarding Library located at the Ministry of Magic. Thing is you need top grades and even better references to even make it in for a look.
I know kind of undermines the public part of the title doesn't it?
Thing is Ron and I won't make the cut, but you will, so could you apply as soon as possible, McGonagall will give you a reference.
Hope to see you soon
From Harry
P.S. I miss you too Hermione! Love Ron.
Hermione reread the letter a second, then a third time, her eyes lingering the longest on the two words at the end, love Ron.
Did he? She wondered, did she? It was all so complicated between them. It was if certain things had been said but not said and yet it felt as if they should be understood all the same. And yet whenever Hermione started to rely on that unspoken understanding something like Lavender came along and she was left more confused, and hurt than ever. Now Lavender was out of the picture of course and that left Hermione and Ron right back where they started.
Absolutely nowhere.
Except this time Hermione was even more reluctant to trust in any unspoken anything's in case she got hurt again.
It was all so confusing.
Pushing Ron to the back of her mind for the moment Hermione focused on the rest of the letter and bit her lip.
What was she going to tell them?
Well, she could certainly arrange the library visit, that was easy and it would be absolutely fascinating as well. So maybe she'd focus the bulk of her response on that subject? Then she could just slip it in on the end that she couldn't join them just yet, that she needed to spend some time with her parents first.
Yes, that would do for now.
Hermione tore off a sheet of notepaper from the desk and began hastily composing a reply. She assured Harry that she'd get right onto the whole library thing, said to say hello to Ron for her and mentioned that she wouldn't be joining them just yet.
Hurriedly folding the letter and placing it in an envelope, Hermione proceeded to attach the letter to a patient Hedwig's leg.
"There you go girl, back to Harry."
"Hooo" Hedwig replied before winging out the window Hermione had opened for her.
There, now she'd just have to see about making some enquires to the Ministry…
"Hermione!" Her mother called out again. "There is another owl."
Hermione's brow furrowed in confusion, a reply already? No it couldn't be she had only just sent Hedwig back."
Hermione made her back to the kitchen, listening to her father mutter and swear.
"Ruddy, birds, unhygienic it is…"
"Sorry Daddy." Hermione singsonged, walking back into the sunlit room. There was a second owl sitting on the kitchen chair. This one was brown and had the distinct look of a Ministry bird about it.
"What is it Hermione?"
"I'm not sure mum." Hermione took the letter from the birds leg, her eyes widening as she scanned the contents.
"Oh! It's about our new neighbours!" Hermione exclaimed.
"Why on earth is your ministry doing, sending us owls about our new neighbours?" Her father asked irritably.
"They're Wizarding folk." Hermione replied amazed. "The first, other than me of course, in this area, it says here that they're from France."
"Well Hermione you should probably go welcome them to the area. I imagine that's why your ministry sent you the letter." Her mother stated plainly. "It might be good for you to have some other magical folk in the area."
"I guess so." Hermione agreed, feeling much less enthused, after all with things the way they were in the magical world it hardly seemed wise to just be showing up at other strange witches and wizards houses.
Then again what self respecting Death Eaters moved into the middle of an all muggle community? Also the Ministry seemed to think they were okay, not that that was an iron clad recommendation these days.
"I might go around after breakfast." Hermione decided, sitting down with her parents to enjoy a nice Sunday morning breakfast.
Draco Malfoy wondered about his new home, his new muggle home.
It was better than he had expected, he had to admit to that much, it was large and muggle cleaning staff came once a week to keep it clean, so he and his mother didn't have to worry about that detail at least.
They did have to cook though.
Luckily his mother was somewhat fond of the pastime; it had been a hobby of hers.
So they wouldn't starve at least.
And the Muggle Acclimatising Advisor they had hired under their new identities assured them that the muggle town had a range of restaurants that delivered, if they were truly stuck.
Draco didn't know how he felt about this; surely the food couldn't be very good.
Then again everything else had proved better than expected so far.
Muggles even had some things wizards didn't.
Like, something called a 'television'.
It was a big black box that sat in the 'entertainment room' which came to life if you used a 'remote control'; it showed all sorts of moving stories.
Draco had to admit that it was rather fascinating, in a pointless sort of way.
He was trying his best to memorize all the unfamiliar muggle terms; he didn't want to sound like an uneducated idiot after all. He had heard the Weasel strutting around Hogwarts pronouncing muggle words in a loud incorrect manner, Granger and Potter had always politely snickered behind their hands.
But Malfoy's didn't make mistakes, and they certainly didn't mispronounce words that any idiot muggle would know.
There was also a large manmade pool of water in the backyard that he could swim in whenever he pleased.
It wasn't the same as flying, but it was something.
Draco could still fly, but only in one room of the house.
The magic room.
It was at the very centre of the house, away from any windows.
It included all three stories, stretching up into a vaulted ceiling which allowed for limited flying.
Within it were all the magical artefacts the Malfoy's had brought with them.
Stairs and balconies enabled access to the upper levels.
There were mainly books, potions supplies, brooms and a few rarer items.
Draco was sure he and his mother wouldn't know what to do without it.
To go completely without magic, Draco shuddered, it didn't bear thinking about.
He knew that both he and his mother would probably go in there at least once a day, just to immerse themselves in the feel of the world they had been forced to leave behind.
His mother was currently down at a muggle food outlet with their muggle advisor learning to shop for food the muggle way. It was the last day the advisor would be with them. They didn't want the woman to be around for too long, at the risk of drawing to much attention.
His mother had had a spell placed on her; it was supposed to give her the knowledge of how to drive the strange horseless carriage muggles called a car.
Today was her first and only practical lesson.
He hoped, rather doubtfully, that it went well.
Draco was just about to go to the entertainment room and try some more 'television' when the knock on the door came.
He froze, his mother wouldn't knock.
Don't panic he told himself, nobody would recognise you anyway besides muggles have people turn up on their doorsteps all the time don't they?
It's probably just somebody trying to sell something, that's the trouble with having no magical guardians, Draco scowled a pair of Shadow Hounds would have chased the loser right off.
Steeling himself Draco walked towards the front door, time to play nice with muggles he thought plastering a fake smile on his face.
He swung open the door and his polite greeting froze on his lips and his heart literally stuttered to a halt in his chest.
Hermione Granger stood on his doorstep.
Hermione was completely prepared with her welcoming speech, and opened her mouth to deliver it as the door swung open.
However before she could begin she was struck with a wave of vertigo.
The face of the boy at first seemed familiar, shockingly so, then the details swam and blurred leaving Hermione dizzy and confused.
And then, Hermione regained her balance along with the complete and utter certainty, that she had never seen this boy before in her life.
My god what he must think of me! Hermione thought mortified, catching the look of frozen politeness on the boys face. He opens the door and finds some strange silent girl gawking at him.
"Hi I'm Hermione Granger." Hermione blurted out, eager to get back to her aborted planned speech.
"I live next door." She gestured vaguely in the direction of her house. "I thought I'd come welcome you to the neighbourhood." When the boy just continued to stare Hermione hurriedly continued on.
"Not because I'm one of those weird overly friendly people or anything, its just… um… well the ministry sent me a letter you see and I'm the only other magical person in the area so I thought I'd come and introduce myself. You can come see me if you need any help, I've lived here my whole life you see, so I guess I know almost everything there is to know about the place!"
When the boy just continued to regard her, his grey eyes clouded with silent confusion Hermione found herself blushing and asking a very important question.
"You are er… magical folk aren't you?" She was silently panicking that she would have to cast her first memory modifying charm on a muggle, how embarrassing!
"Yes." The boy finally said faintly, a French accent colouring his words. "Yes we are magical; My name is Jeremie Cacher, my mothers name is Celine, thank you we will certainly come and see you if we need anything… Hermione?"
"Yes that's right, feel free to stop by anytime." Hermione said with one last strained smile before she turned, cheeks flaming, and dashed back in the direction of home.
Not too far away a small golden cup sat in a long forgotten cave surrounded by other ancient tressure.
It began to glow happily.
The time was coming, the cup just knew it.
Soon it was to be removed from this awful cave.
It had been very unhappy since it had been hidden here several decades ago.
It misses its lovely silk lined box dreadfully.
The cave was ever so boring, for all its pretty tressures.
The cup, much like its long dead mistress, had never enjoyed being alone.
But a change was coming; something had shifted in the currents of magic, something very small.
So small in fact, that the cup was certain that if it had not been hidden here, in this oh so magical of places, that it wouldn't have felt anything at all.
And maybe when they came, because the cup was sure it was a 'they', they would be able to remove the tainted thing that had clung to the cup for these last decades.
Yes, the cup decided, that would make the cup very happy, very happy indeed.
End Chapter 3.
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