A/N: Heeeere's the next chapter! Applause, Applause!
Despite the early hour, Oliver helped Hermione a great deal that morning. Locating the particular tomes she needed to examine would have taken her days in the Wood's large library. Oliver found two of them quickly and she set to work, while he located the third.
Oliver had cleaned off his father's desk for Hermione to use the evening before, and it was here she found herself reading the first of the two texts. Unfortunately, she was not having any luck locating the necessary information. Two hours passed before she lifted her head to stretch her sore neck muscles.
Hermione blinked several times as she stretched. Her eyes focused on Oliver standing in front of one of the windows, an open book in his hands.
"Having any luck?" she asked.
Oliver shook his head. "I know where I think it should be, but so far, nothing." He put the closed book on the shelf. "Time for a break, aye?"
Hermione smiled at him gratefully and nodded. "I could use something to tide me over until lunch. How are you at tea and biscuits?"
Oliver shrugged. "I am sure I could scare something up. I'll be right back." His reply was met with a nod and Hermione's face disappeared into the book again.
As he walked to the kitchen, Oliver thought back on the morning in contrast to yesterday. He was not experiencing the pain of his father's memory as strongly, for some reason. Having a focus was a large factor, but he was starting to suspect that it had something to do with the company. Having her in his house was beginning to feel quite comfortable, a complete contrast to the pure, almost violent, reaction he experienced at his place outside of London when she mentioned wanting to examine the Wood Collection.
As he prepared the tray, he thought on her attempts to soothe him yesterday. Again, struck by her caring and generous nature, despite her motivation for being at the estate, he wondered how she managed to be so filled with passion and compassion at the same time. 'Just another one of the many mysteries about Miss Hermione Granger,' he thought, as he walked back to the library.
He approached the desk to find her writing furiously. Her quill scratching across the parchment stopped abruptly as she referenced the book in front of her again.
"Find something?" Oliver asked, as he set a cup of tea on the side of the desk.
Hermione looked up at him with shining eyes. "Yes, I did. See these words here?" she asked pointing to a small line of words. Oliver tried to read it but it was obviously foreign.
He looked at her as she wrote something else. "Well, it is Latin, 'Lacuna Sapiens Magus', but I think the translation is roughly, 'Words of Wise Wizard', she said as she sat back, and her fingers began tapping her lips.
"What is this other line here?" Oliver asked, pointing below the one she had just translated. "Zamia ab aevum" he said slowly. Hermione leaned forward, her eyes following his finger across the page.
"Loss of age?" she said out loud, looking across the room absently. Oliver was leaning over the desk on his hands. He could see her thoughts in her eyes as she tried to decipher the meaning of the two phrases. Her eyes squinted as her jaw began to clench.
"Hermione?" he asked, brushing an errant strand of hair behind her ear. She leapt back into the chair.
She blinked and looked at him from somewhere far away. As she shook her head and reached forward to look at the book once again, Oliver wondered where she had gone just then. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly.
"Yes. I'm fine." She blew a harsh breath out. "Okay, so we have a title of a book that is supposedly the 'loss of age'. Now, that could mean the actual loss of age, such as a person's age. Or, it could mean the loss of age, meaning time."
"Could it possibly mean the loss of the age? Such as losing something vital?" Oliver asked, looking at Hermione. Her eyes lit up.
"Of course," she muttered. "If you put those two statements together, it would point to 'Words of Wise Wizard' as being a loss of the ages." Hermione began to write furiously again. Oliver watched her write additional notes as to the translations and page numbers of the text, and he settled in a chair next to the desk to drink his tea. After she finished writing, Hermione reached for the cup he had poured her and muttered a warming spell. She sat back with her tea and drank slowly. Her thoughts were drifting again as her eyes became unfocused.
Oliver cleared his throat. "Uh, Mione? Does this help with my book at all?" he asked, trying to draw her back from wherever she was disappearing to.
"Well, not particularly. But it does help verify that the other book I mentioned before is also referenced here," she said distantly. Hermione set her cup down and rose from the desk, stretching her legs and back. She closed the book in front of her and put it off to the side. "I'll be right back."
Oliver sat there drinking his tea, pondering what would distract her so. A few moments later, she returned with his mystery text in her hands.
Lying it down gently on the desk, she sat in her chair. Her eyes observed Oliver watching her closely and she cleared her throat.
"Do you think you could find the Gaelic writing in this again?" Hermione asked carefully.
Oliver set down his cup and stood to walk around to her side of the desk. He hefted the large book easily and allowed it open to a random page. As he turned several pages, the hand holding the bottom of the book gripped it tightly as the pages began to move of their own volition. He smiled as the pages stopped moving and set the book down again.
"There," he said, pointing to the ancient Gaelic lettering near the middle of the page. Hermione sat forward and read the passage. Or at least she tried to. Unfortunately, Gaelic was not one of the languages she was fluent in.
She looked at Oliver and he grinned. "Ah, it says, 'dearg an aghaidh geal'. Or in English, 'red against white'. There is another passage below it here," he said pointing lower down the page, "that states 'boireannach oibair airson firinn '. That I would have to talk to my mum about. I know that firinn means 'truth', but that is about it." His accent was melodious speaking the ancient language of the Highlands.
Hermione wrote all this down as he spoke, trying to calm her thumping heart. As she listened to his voice flowing over the last phrase, her heart began to beat abnormally hard and fast. As she finished, she reached to turn the page in Oliver's book and immediately found herself looking at the last page. Both quickly bent their heads to look at the only line written there.
'Ceart gradh cha dona, Ian aseugmhais ceann'
"Love?" Oliver said, looking at Hermione. Her brows rose in question as he said the word. "Love?" she asked.
"Gradh means love in Gaelic," he said slowly. Oliver stood up straight and walked back to his chair to sit down, as Hermione's eyes followed him. He steepled his hands in front of his face, thinking. Looking back at the book, she began to copy the passage, along with the words they had deciphered so far.
After setting down her quill, Hermione looked up to ask Oliver if he could go ask his mother about the translations, only to find he had left the room.
Oliver found his mother in the gardens, tending her flowers.
"Mum?" he called, walking towards her.
"Yes, dear," she replied, setting back on her heels.
Oliver took in her appearance. She was wearing some older clothes and a pair of well-worn gloves, covered in dirt. He smiled as he asked, "Why don't you use magic to do that?"
Kyla laughed floated on the fresh summer breeze. "Because, there is nothing more therapeutic for my soul than digging in the earth. To bring something to life with my tender loving care gives me great pleasure. Now, you didn't come out here to ask me about my gardening techniques. What is it?" she asked, raising her hand to him.
Oliver helped her stand, brushing the dirt off his hands after. "Well, we may have found something in my book, but I am not sure what it says. It is in the old Gaelic."
Kyla's eyes brightened. "That is wonderful! And, what do you mean, you're not sure? You lived here too. You know the language of the Highlands very well," she scolded with a smile.
"Well, I haven't read or spoke it in so long, I certainly don't want to make a mistake," Oliver replied sheepishly, kicking a stone with his foot. His mum could make him feel like he was 8 years old again too easily.
"Oh, Oliver, how you make me smile!" she said with a grin and hugged him. His arms wrapped around her tightly and he lifted her into the air, spinning slowly. She laughed while demanding he put her down before he hurt his back. He set her down easily, his sparkling eyes mirroring hers.
Hermione watched them from the kitchen, one hand over her heart, the other wrapped around her small waist. Seeing them like that warmed her to the core, and she wasn't sure why. She focused on the two people walking towards the house and stepped back to the counter, quickly finishing the tea she originally came in to prepare.
Once Kyla removed her shoes and gloves, the two Woods walked into the kitchen smiling, arms wrapped around the other's waists.
"Good morning, Hermione," Kyla said, relinquishing her son to walk over and squeeze Hermione's shoulders. Hermione turned and smiled as she replied, "Good morning."
"I hear you have gotten a lead on your research," Kyla began, walking to the fridge to remove a bottle of water.
"Yes, it is a very good lead. The translations will be a bit tough, but Oliver mentioned that you might be able to help with that," Hermione stated, as she took a drink of tea.
Kyla set her water on the counter. "Yes, I may. Just let me get started on lunch, and then I can join you," Kyla requested, taking some ingredients from the cupboard.
"Mum, why don't you let me do that?" Oliver asked, walking over to his mother. "I will let you know when it is ready."
"Oh, okay dear. Thank you," Kyla said, patting him on his shoulder. Hermione smiled her thanks to him as well, as she and Kyla left the kitchen. He nodded and began to prepare their lunch.
As they walked to the library, Kyla asked Hermione if she slept okay last night.
"Yes, the room is very comfortable. I awoke feeling very refreshed this morning," Hermione said, laughing suddenly at the memory of Oliver trying so hard to stay awake.
"What is it?" Kyla asked. Hermione relayed the events of that morning and Kyla was soon chuckling herself. "No, Oliver is not one to get up early, except by force or threat. I hope he isn't being a distraction from your work?"
"Oh, no he is being very helpful. His ability to locate the texts we need saves me a lot of time," Hermione defended.
"Good," Kyla said as they entered the library. "He can tend to act outrageously when he comes here, always making jokes and being openly silly with me or other guests. I suppose it is how he copes with his father's memory," she finished with a sigh.
Hermione settled down behind the desk and set her folded hands on top of her parchments. "If I may ask, how did he die?"
"To be totally honest, no one really knows. He was found just beyond the estate by one of the neighbors. There were no marks, no sign of struggle. His belongings were still on him, as was his wand. I'm certain you know what a Killing Curse looks like?" she asked. Hermione nodded quickly.
"Well, there was no sign of that either. It is to this day, still a mystery. I can only hope that it was quick and painless, for my darling Kenneth's sake," Kyla finished.
Hermione sat quietly as Kyla traveled back into her memories. Blinking a few times, she looked up and asked, "Are you close to your parents, dear?"
"Yes. I am muggle-born, so while they may not understand the magical world, they are very supportive of most of my endeavors," Hermione said, a smile on her face as she thought again how her mother fussed over her. "My mother is slightly over-protective, but I remind myself it is just because she loves me."
"Aye, yes. It is always a mother's prerogative to worry over her brood. I am certain Oliver will be okay in time. I only hope he doesn't miss out on all the wonderful things life has to offer."
Hermione smiled. Kyla's love for her son was almost tangible and inspired her to want that for herself when she had children. Hermione's eyes felt prickly and she knew that she needed to think on something else before the tidal wave crashed over her.
Kyla walked over to the desk. "So, shall we get to work?" she asked, seeing the shift behind Hermione's eyes.
Hermione nodded and showed her the excerpts she had copied down.
"I see," Kyla said as she read Hermione's neat penmanship. "Well, this one here," she said, pointing to the one Oliver had already translated, "is red against white, yes. This here is a bit more difficult." She studied it, sounding out the words silently. "Boireannach means 'woman', and 'oibair' means work or works. Translated, it could say 'Woman work or works for truth'."
Hermione wrote these down as Kyla translated each one. Her lilting voice was almost as magical as Oliver's, but without the resulting rapid heartbeat. 'That is odd,' she thought.
"Okay," Kyla continued. "This one here, why this is a beautiful quote. It means 'Right love not wrong, complete without end'."
"Right love not wrong, complete without end?" Hermione said out loud as she copied the words. "What could that mean?"
"I have my own theory, my dear; but it still is a powerful phrase," Kyla said wistfully.
"How so?" Hermione asked.
"Well, dear, how many people find the right love? Nowadays, many settle for what they think is the right love, much too quickly sometimes," Kyla said as she sat down. "Right love, true love, will be there in thirty, or even fifty, years, even more so than in the first year. Passion may rule the day, but right love, true love; that will last for eternity; hence the words, 'without end'."
"Can you read this here?" Hermione asked, showing Kyla the front title page.
"Textus Merlinus Caledonensis? Why, that says literally, 'Words Merlin Caledonian', or correctly, 'Merlin Caledonian's Word'. This is a book of the words of Merlin?" Kyla asked incredulously. The import of the name had sunk in.
Hermione shrugged. "It may be. I am not certain yet, which is the reason for this whole verification process."
"Oh, my dear. To find something of such monumental value would be-"
"The discovery of all time," Oliver finished, his arms across his broad chest. He was leaning against the doorjamb to the foyer, looking at his feet.
Kyla and Hermione looked to the door and watched him walk into the room.
"Dear, do you understand what this book could mean?" Kyla asked.
"Yes, Mum. Finally, Merlin's teachings would be available to study and learn."
"Do you think it is wise to have this book here?" she asked with a note of fear.
"Mum, no one but you, me, Hermione, and Evan, her boss, knows that I own it. Well, except for where I purchased it. But I paid in muggle money, so there is no trail to be found there," Oliver finished, his hands rubbing Kyla's upper arms soothingly.
Hermione stood up and asked a bit loudly, "Excuse me, but why would it be a problem to have this book here?"
Kyla and Oliver turned to look at her.
"Um, listen. Lunch is ready, so why don't we eat?" Oliver said, trying to distract Hermione feebly. He knew it wouldn't work when her eyes flashed.
"Oliver," she said, "I deserve to know what you are both so obviously worried about. If our safety is at risk, then I demand to know." Her volume had risen to a forceful level.
"Mum, would you excuse us please? We will be right behind you," Oliver said, kissing her on the forehead. Kyla looked back on the two of them squaring off across the desk as she closed the door to the foyer.
Hermione stood with her arms crossed over her chest. She glared at Oliver as he looked back at her with equal fire.
"Oliver, I really think-" she began, ready to give him a piece of her ample mind.
"Hermione!" Oliver said forcefully, causing her to jump. He took a deep breath. With a slightly calmer voice, he said "Please, sit down and I will explain it all to you."
A/N: And that is that. For now. HA I will accept your thrown mice and keyboards gratefully, as I know that is what I would be doing if someone stopped in the middle like that! I also would like you to know that all Gaelic and Latin words in this and future chapters were found atthe website on my profile page. A wonderful tool for any language they list. Try it!
Read and Review, and thank you for all your support! I must go cry now, as my driver just went to the garage with a blown motor! BOO HOO!
