Hope you read the authors note from last chapter.
Chapter 30
Betrayals
Hermione wasn't exactly comfortable being separated form Snape, as childish as it sounded, he made her feel safe, but she didn't protest when Lea led her away. The Temple (palace) was huge; the platform (the peak of the Demon World) was at least half a mile in length. The halls of the palace themselves were glorious, each hall, each room, was dedicated to one of the Elemental Gods, even the Water God was depicted as a founder of the World. In the top rooms there was no ceiling, if the room was set on the edge of the building there was no wall, revealing a beautiful view of the city.
"Lady?"
"Eh, Lea's fine, please, Ashitaka is all for the titles, but me…blah, anyway, what were you going to say?"
"Where are we going?"
"Well now," she turned down another hallway and the green décor of Earth changed to the silver for Wind, "you've been running around in those clothes for who knows how long and besides," she smirked mischievously, "you smell like a human."
"Humans have a different smell?" they turned down the Fire Hallway.
"Aiy, like death."
Before she could question that comment, Lea continued.
"Here we are,"
The room was of Wind decoration, pale silvers and blues, the roof opened up to the clouds.
"Come on now, Hermione Granger, we've got a lot to do," she waved her hands a bit and a basin of steaming water appeared, "hop in and scrub. Call me when you're finished, there will be clothes waiting and she left briskly.
………
After she scrubbed it became a very embarrassing task, she managed to pulled on the under garments, but after that she was lost.
Lea came laughing in, after pulling the silver tunic over her head; she laced up the sleeves and tied the light blue sash around her waist. The breeches were black and fit her perfectly, but it was the boots that stumped her, they slipped on like slippers, but then tied up her leg to her knee like ballet shoes, the shoes were silver to match her tunic.
"Don't worry, it might take you a while to get used to those, now," she pulled out a black belt, from it, was hanging a short dagger and a sheath to put her wand, "I don't expect you to be able to or have to use the dagger, but it sends lecherous men scrambling, now, for your hair," she ran a comb through Hermione's brown knots and then pulled it back into a tight braid, ribbon intertwined with the loops and on her head she placed a simple silver circlet.
"Lea?"
"Aiy?"
"Why are you wearing red if you are a Wind Demon?"
"It's traditional for a new leader to dress in clothes from other races."
"What about Elemental Demons?"
"Those bastards get to wear what ever they like, which really sucks, because Ashitaka, being as boring as he was years ago, still refuses to wear anything interesting, he just sticks with the plain old boring stuff."
They silently made there way back through the halls. Hermione liked the way she felt, she felt clean.
"The cities are coming alive," she motioned to the wall or what was supposed to be the wall. People were beginning to make their way up the 156 steps to the Temples, "I called for a meeting, they will know of Ashitaka's return."
It seemed funny to Hermione, as high up as she was, she was afraid, not like she would readily admit to be afraid of heights, but she seemed and felt safe here, she didn't have to worry about falling of the edge to the marble steps below.
She stared grimly at the people, they all looked human, except some had animal teeth or ears, and some (like Tal) had fish gills or animal tails. Children were laughing racing up the steps, parents were scolding and young lovers were holding hands smiling at each other, lovingly, "you are a very happy people aren't you?"
Lea looked at her, face unreadable, "we can't change things that have already happened. We all deal with it in our own way, many like Prince Ashitaka choose to hide him-self from the world, but not many people have suffered as he has."
They remained in silence.
"Come along then, Hermione,"
The two reached the Main Temple Halls where Snape was still speaking to some of the priests, "Prince Ashitaka," one of the priests was saying, "your trip, I'm sure, was long, go and rest while the town assembles there will be time for this talk some other time. No need to worry yourself now,"
Snape looked like he was going to argue, but he wisely kept his mouth shut. He nodded his head, respectably, "good day then, my lord."
Hermione tried to catch her potions professor's eye, but to no avail, he was purposefully avoiding her gaze.
"Hermione," Lea was standing at the top of the stairs the people assembled along the stairs. Lea raised her hands and the wind picked up carrying her voice across the groups ears, "People of the Four Worlds," she cried and the crowd fell silent, turning their gaze to her, questioningly, "you all know the story of Prince Ashitaka, how he exiled himself because of the betrayal of one of our own, but now," she stopped briefly, and turned to wink at Hermione, "for the dramatic effect," she whispered, "and now," she spoke to the people once again, "he has been tricked to return to us."
A soft murmur arose from the crowd and Lea let them speak before continuing, "Lady Elistratoral tricked his human master into betraying him so he came back to us, not knowing her plot for his death, but we have outwitted her treacherousness."
The crowd grew anxious, some, Hermione learned, already knew of her dethroning, others, which were obvious, did not, "I have taken over as Stewardess until Prince Ashitaka makes his decision about taking the throne that is rightfully his.
"And now a warning, there are pursuers in the Leaving Woods, and I strongly caution you to stay away, we do not know the full power of these people that come."
A cry from the crowd interrupted her, "what about the human girl?"
"Is she not a traitor?'
Lea sighed, "She has proven her loyalties to the crown and to our World, and she is no traitor. Only her race is."
She lowered her arms and the wind died down so it no longer carried her voice, "see, the drama was perfect."
Hermione laughed and watched the people disperse, "will they accept Prof- Prince Ashitaka?"
"Of course they will," Lea said, "they won't reject some one in the favor of the Gods."
"Favor of the Gods?"
"Yep, unlike humans, we can't 'breed', per say. If an English woman has a child with an English man they will have an English baby, correct? Here it's different, you could have a Wind Demon and a Dancing Demon then have a Fire Child. The Gods and Goddesses decide. This is what keeps the eternal balance of our world."
Hermione had no answer to that. It was a very odd belief, yet it made sense, "Lea? Prince Ashitaka said something about me being your apprentice, what was that about?"
"Ashitaka sees great magic in you, Wind Magic, but he also told me of your fear of heights. I figure the fear is your minds response to the untrained magic. I am going to train you or at least start to until you go back to Hogwarts."
Hermione scowled…Hogwarts, it wasn't the place she despised….just the people in it.
In the next few days they didn't have time to talk much. She was allowed to wonder the city, meet business owners, the townsmen, even the warriors were nice and spoke to her. She ran into Pinaku sometimes and they would give friendly greetings, but nothing else.
They're waiting.
She came to that conclusion when she first realized they all wore weapons, even the children carried what she learned were their training staffs.
They're waiting for the intruders…the Order. Hermione smiled to herself when she thought that. It would be a very interesting encounter.
………
"Professor, where are we going?"
"Ms. Granger, when I first knew they were following us," she didn't need to be told who 'they' were, "I assumed they would be at the City in a few days….I was wrong, and as much as I…dislike that particular group, I don't want them dead."
"Oh."
Hermione was then sent to the stables where a group of Demons fitter her with a horse, "Moonlight, even if you don't know how to ride, she's near impossible to fall off of," Darrow, a Bird Demon, handed her the white mare, "But be gentle with her. You can't fall off, but she can still buck you off."
There was a group of them who rode out the following morning, all armed heavily, dressed in simple tunics and breeches, all mounted on horses or some, like Darrow, took to the air in flight.
The group they sought was very easy to find.
………
"Didn't you hear it?"
It was the pull and creak of a bow string, the scraping of the sword unsheathing, and the silence of the woods that followed their attackers.
And there it was.
The arrow pointed right in between Dumbledore's eyes, another at Moody's temple, one pointing at each member, deadly arrows controlled by very deadly strangers.
"A human breathes so loud we could have shot him in the dark," his sword hung at his side as he stopped out from behind the trees.
His eyes, his demeanor, his whole presence was cold with anger, "take their weapons," he said calmly. More poured out from behind the trees, surrounding them, stripping them off all their defenses. And one face was familiar.
"Hermione?" the word left Harry's lips in a breath of shock as she walked up to stare at her friends.
"Wands." She said simply holding out her hands. They eyed her wand and then her dagger before handing them over.
Snape was given all the useless pieces of wood and they disappeared from view, "follow me."
After finding the road, the Demons mounted their steeds and rounded up the Order as if they were sheep and herded them back to the Cit of the Gods.
"Hermione?"
"Be quiet, Ronald," she snapped, "I don't want to hear any of your excuses."
Up at the front of the group Dumbledore wasn't having much luck either.
"Sever-Prince Ashitaka, you must listen to me,"
"I must do nothing, I am no longer your dog to order, Dumbledore, so if I were you I would keep your mouth shut," his voice left no room for arguments. Nobody did.
………
Hermione sighed softly after snapping at people she thought were her friends. She really hated doing this to them, but at the same time she felt they deserved it.
They did betray her and Professor Snape; they were as much of a traitor as they thought Professor Snape was.
But she almost did feel sorry for Remus; he was dragged into Dumbledore and Moody's mistake, even when he disagreed with it.
She sighed again, oh well, there was nothing she could do about it now, just sit and wait.
………
The looks on their faces when they entered the city was absolutely priceless. Their mouths were hanging open as they were marched (they abandoned the horses at the bottom) up the stairs.
The villagers were silent, surprisingly, as the traitors were led past them, but their eyes revealed their anger.
Once inside the Temple they were led to the Water Hallway where they were deposited in one room that was locked from the outside. Only Professor Snape and Hermione had the key.
………
"Aw, Ms. Granger, nice to know you're safe."
She stared at the Headmaster evenly, "Dumbledore," they all noticed the lack of respect in her voice.
She studied them, Lupin, Dumbledore, Moody, Harry, Ron; they all looked so dirty or maybe that was because she was and felt so clean.
"Prince Ashitaka," she made sure to use that name to remind them how they found out, "wanted me to tell you clean clothes and food will be provided in a moment and he also wished me to ask who is watching Hogwarts. He wants the remaining students safe." Her voice was an emotionless monotone. She refused to look at any of them.
"Professor McGonagall was sent back to Hogwarts. Please, Ms. Granger, do stay and chat."
"I have duties to attend to."
"What duties can you have, girl?" Moody growled from where he sat and a large conference table, "You're a human. They're liable to turn on you anyway."
"Demons aren't racist, if they are betrayed by one human; it doesn't me they are against all of them. Good day, sir." And she turned and left.
………
"You've got the drama down pat, kid," Lea was leaning against the wall outside the door when Hermione came out, "sooner or later you could almost be as good as me."
Hermione forced a laugh before looked down at the ground.
"What's wrong, kid?"
"It's just…I fell like I'm betraying my own people."
Lea smiled, "Relax, kid, in a few weeks you and that red-dead kid and the dweeby lookin' green-eyed one will be best friends again. They betrayed your trust as must as they betrayed Ash's. You just need some time to heal and then you'll be okay."
Hermione smiled.
"Come on, I think you need to take your mind of this. Besides, it's never too early to start your training."
………
"Ms. Granger, there is no argument; you are going back to Hogwarts."
"But, sir-,"
"No, Ms. Granger, you are not staying, you are 16 years old, you have a family and school to finish. You. Are. Not. Staying." She couldn't get over how much he sounded like a father there.
That 'argument' happened only minutes before the Order was led in. She stood by his side when he handed Dumbledore a map and a bundle of wands.
"If the map doesn't work, Ms. Granger knows the way."
"SO you will be joining us, Hermione?" Remus asked softly.
"Not by choice," she sent an annoyed glare in Professor Snape's direction, before walking over to stand next to Harry and Ron, still dressed in her Demon attire.
With nothing else to do or say they left. Hermione turned one last time to look longingly at the halls; she really didn't want to leave. Lea raised her hand and waved, mouthing something at her.
It wasn't until they were well on their way did she realize what she said.
It isn't over.
She knew what she meant.
End Chapter 30
Betrayals
Hope you read the authors note from last chapter.
