Chapter 2: A Journey to Destiny


.

The people passing stopped dead in their tracts.

You could hear a pin drop.

"Come on Mione," Ron whispered. "It'd be perfect. Us, married, living in a nice house with a few kids. You'd read books to them while I'd be coming home from work. Just say yes."

Hermione licked her lips and swallowed hard. Time seemed to stand still. She watched everyone hold their breath waiting for her answer. Their cheers sat on the tip of their tongues. Pure happiness. She looked down at Ron, his bright blue eyes gleamed with something—a tint of worry, but his smile was full of certainty.

He actually believed she was going to say yes.

"No"

His smile dropped and he leaned toward her. "What?"

She shook her head and spoke up "no Ronald, I-I am not going to marry you."

"Why not?"

She pinched the bridge of her nose and huffed. The crowd started to shuffle away. "Why not? You've barely spoken to me since we got out of Hogwarts. I only see you when I see the rest of your family, even then sometimes you're out with the other Auroras doing who knows what because you're not working." She placed both hands on her hips and stood tall, waiting for him to get up. "Not to mention the fact that Ron this is my life, I'm quite happy with it. I don't want a lot of kids and to stay at home. That's not the life for me."

Ron shoved the box back into his pocket and glanced at the space behind him. It was only Harry. "Come on 'Mione, I know we haven't been that close, but we know each other. It's supposed to be us." He held her hands and kept his voice calm and persuasive. "THE Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley. It's just…right. You're really going to give that up-and for what?"

Hermione snatched her hands back. "If this is supposed to be a jab at my magical creature campaigns, Ron, then this conversation is over." She turned on her heels for the door. He reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Wait Hermione that's not what I meant. I know you really care about SPEW, and maybe I can help! You're the brightest witch ever, and me being an aurora in the ministry has gotta help. Both of us is even better!"

Hermione scoffed and yanked back her arm. "First its S.P.E.W. not spew! And second, you don't think I can do it! Well, there is a lot you have seemed to miss these last years because I can assure you Ronald Billius Weasley— I can and I will!"

When she saw his baffled face she screeched and stomped on his foot. He hopped up and down as he held it tight. Finally, Harry intervened and helped him stand. With a last apologetic look, he apparated them away.

"The audacity of that man" Hermione groaned. "Can you even imagine? Me, the wife of that thoughtless brutish-errgh!" Luna stayed silent and let her continue to rant. "Thinking I need him—ha! Ronald Weasley's wife, oh what's her name again? Little Ron's wife!" She threw her hands in the air and stomped back into the book shop. "No, sir. Not me" she grit, slamming the door behind her.

She heard the door open slowly and glanced up at Luna. She picked her book off the counter and sighed as she ran her finger down its spine. "I don't want to be just another ministry wife, a pretty little face who no one takes seriously. Someone who's seen as odd to go on about the rights of the wizarding world."

Luna leaned against the door frame with a smile of pity. "Hermione, people will think you're strange regardless of if you're married. You're beautiful and well, look" she gestured toward her. Hermione frowned. "You know what I mean. That's not the reason you rejected him."

She looked down at her book and felt a tear slip from the corner of her eye. "I just want someone who wants me for me. Someone who wants me as Hermione, not Hermione Granger- the brightest witch of her age" she said in a small voice, "someone that understands me. Who will love me for who I am, Hermione… and all my flaws."

Luna came up to her side and patted her shoulder. "You will, someday. I think you made the right choice…Ginny was telling me that their mother has been pressuring him to marry. So, he's been saying that he was with you."

Hermione rolled her eyes and sat squarely in her seat. "Of course, he did!" She groaned again and looked at her book.

Rowena had gotten fed up with her family and had decided to investigate a problem in a village nearby. An adventure, maybe that's what she needed.

"Then come with me, I need to go investigate some creatures for the Quibbler. I was planning on going alone but it would be much better with you." Hermione blushed and furrowed her brows. "You said your thoughts out loud. We can go tomorrow if you'd like, it gives you time to pack."


.

.

They hiked a trail through the woods the next morning. It was a warm autumn day. The trees were a crisp red and orange. Hermione had taken to packing everything important for their journey. Once a few hours had passed, they came across a flat area of land in the middle of the forest. Luna looked around and examine the trees before nodding her head.

"Here, the new creatures are sure to be here".

Hermione opened her expanding bag and pulled out their tent. It built itself as soon as she set it on the ground. The girls walked through and started setting up their areas in the much larger interior. After they had it set to their liking, they met up in the center that they deemed the living room. It had a dark brown plush couch and two bean bag chairs.

Luna grabbed her unique owl glasses and sprawled across the couch to read the journal her dad had given her. Hermione followed their cat (of course they brought him) to the purple plush bean bag and sat down. She pet the white and gold cat and peered over Luna's arm to see the journal.

"Hey Luna, what kind of creature are you looking for this time exactly?"

The witch turned her head and sat up. "Dad lent me his friend's journal that describes a special kind of creature. I believe even muggles tell stories about it." Hermione turned her head to the side in curiosity. "It's called hinkypunk, a relative of the common 'will-o-wisps'".

"Fools fire?" Hermione asked in disbelief.

Luna nodded.

"But, science has proven that they didn't exist," she replied in her bookish tone. "It was merely a bioluminescence caused by the oxidation of phosphine, diphosphine, and methane, due to organic decay. Also wasn't it common in swamps or marshes?"

The other girl giggled. " Mione you act as though you're not a witch. You've seen ghosts, and cast spells with a wand, you think firey spirits are fake?"

Hermione turned pink and looked down. "Fair point…I just used to hear about them growing up as a child, it's like saying goldilocks is real and spoke to bears, or the pied piper, or Humpty-"

Luna had a blank stare as none of these stories were familiar.

The brunette resigned and shook her head. "Muggle stories to children, Hinkypunks continue."

"Wisps are very powerful creatures, so powerful that they do occasionally cross between the worlds and help muggles on their journeys."

"Those pathways are by marshes and swamps?"

"Correct. Hinkypunks are usually seen in dense forests or storms. Hinkypunks are very similar to wisps, except they're a soft pink, sometimes purple light and are only found in the wizarding world. Because they are found in the wizarding world, they are far more powerful and instead of guiding you to a destination, they guide you to a vital part of your life. A place that if you have never been, you would never have reached your true purpose." She finished softly.

Hermione stayed still as she took in the information of the creatures. It seemed far more serious than nargles.

"They're nocturnal so I won't be able to search for them until night." She sighed.

Hermione snapped out of her trance and nodded. "Alright well until then, I'll get started on dinner."

.

.

Hermione lay sound asleep in her makeshift room with Crookshanks junior tucked into her arm. Luna had moved to sit on the multi-colored rug in the middle of the couches and bean bags. She was tying a string around a set of sticks stuck with several different objects. Once she was done she set it by the entrance and waited. Ten minutes had passed on the clock before she started to dose off. Then she heard a soft voice.

She opened her eyes and a pink flame was at the entrance of their tent holding the treat she had left for it. She sat up slowly to not frighten it. CrookShanks Jr. Sat up as well and padded over to the side of the couch.

The voice was like the wind and a sire. It waited for Luna to get up and follow it. The cat meowed at the flame, then it started to move back. Luna grabbed the journal and her wand and ran after it into the night.

C.S. junior padded to the entrance of the tent and meowed at the trees hoping to bring that witch back. He took one small step forward, turning his head left and right not seeing the blonde girl anywhere.

"Crookshanks?" A bleary-eyed Hermione croaked.

The white cat whipped his head back and slowly made his way to the bed. Hermione's eyes were still closed and it took a while for the cat to jump up and paw at her. She groaned and swatted the paw away. C.S. Junior then lifted his paw and hit her eye…repeatedly. Hermione bolted up straight and glared at her cat for being so rude.

"That was uncalled for C.J."

The cat tilted his head toward the couch where the girl was not too long ago. Hermione's brows furrowed at the empty seat. "Luna," she called stepping into the center area. "Lunaaaa… Did you go out for a walk?"

Silence.

No alarm had gone off which meant her wards were intact. She looked at the open entrance to the tent and saw that it was completely blackout. "They're nocturnal" she whispered. With no hesitation, she put on a pair of hiking boots, grabbed her purse, wand, and shoved her mess of curls into a ponytail. "You coming?" she asked the tabby cat. He turned around and plopped onto the bed. She rolled her eyes and set out.

It took her eyes a few seconds to adjust to the darkness. She cast a Lumos charm and peered around her surroundings. How long ago had she left?


She waved her wand left and right, she heard a soft voice. Like a call from the wind. She stopped and held her breath. She heard it again, like a small siren. She swirled to the right and searched for the sound. At the bottom of one of the trees was a soft purple flame. "Fools fire" she breathed.

Just like Luna, the small flame called out to her. She hesitantly stepped forward. It didn't move. When she stepped forward again it shot up into the air, startling her. It seemed to blow out her wand, letting the fire be the only light other than a sliver of a moon. The fire floated back to the ground and started hovering forward.

Hermione gripped her wand at her side and followed.

After a few minutes of not being able to see anything, the hit a small patch of stones. Which is the forest was a bit odd. Smaller flames of pink appeared and lit up a path that the purple flame led. Hermione could see the trees thinning out, as they were exiting the forest.

Soon it was just tall grass on rolling hills. Eventually, they reached an iron gate. It was two times her size. She tried to peer through the gate, she saw a large shape – a building. The sun started to rise and exposed the front of the building. It was a huge house- a manor. It looked like something out of a storybook. Where the evil queen or monster lurked. It had vines cascading up the walls. And several statues all over the yard. The hinkypunk opened the gate and disappeared.

Hermione scrunched up her brows and went through the gate. "Hinkypunk" she whispered. She called out again but there was no sign of the small flame. If she was going to find Luna she had to trust that it brought her somewhere she's suppose to be. She kept her head on a swivel. Intently looking at the statues that shaped the path. Eventually, she reached a large set of double doors. Three times her size.

She raised her hand to the dark wood and knocked three times. After no response, she twisted the knob and pushed it open. "Hello? I'm sorry to bother you, I'm looking for someone." She called out.

The area was much dimmer than the rising light outside. She heard someone whisper from her left and snapped her head toward the sound. She walked aimlessly, hoping to find Luna. She marveled at the design; the dark brown trimming, marble columns, and the freshly polished floors. She passed by a lovely statue, that had been poorly maintained. She came closer to the statue and tilted her head. The face seemed vaguely familiar. The whole place felt semi-familiar. Instinct leads her to a staircase that led up to an old tower. It wasn't as pretty as the rest of the house. The bricks were a dark grey, thankfully the windows let in some light. The view was breathtaking. She allowed herself to smile at the roses and vines that climbed through the opening.

"Luna?" she whispered as she climbed the rest of the stairs.

"Hermione," she replied unsure, "oh Hermione! What are you doing here? How did you find me?"

Hermione smiled and ran to the cell bars. "Yes, it's me." She took in Luna's form. Her clothes were covered in dust and ash, and her shoulder had three big gashes. Hermione gulped and kept from tearing up. "Don't worry we are going to get you out of here."

"But how-how did you find me?"

Hermione searched the bars for a hinge or lock. "I followed the-wisp."

"The wisps lead you here?" She nodded back growing frustrated with her search. "Hermione, it's not safe here."

"I'm aware it's not safe Luna, that's why I'm trying to set you free! Now back up." She pulled out a toy monkey with cymbals from her purse and set it on one of the bars. She wound up the back and plugged her ears.

BOOM

She coughed and waved her hand to clear the smoke and looked at the bar. It remained intact and she groaned. "Hermione, it's enchanted, read that back wall."

Hermione turned around and squinted to read one of the cement bricks that was inscribed. It was in Latin and she sucked her teeth. It loosely said that once the door opens it never opens again. "Well that's rubbish" she huffed.

"Hermione!" Luna pulled her by her jacket, "listen, please. It's not safe for you here—"

"Why what happened? Why are you cut and who locked you in here?"

"A man—well actually a creature, it's a lot to explain but he's a death eater!"

Hermione furrowed her brows and backed up. "All the more reason to get you out," she said determinedly.

"Your friend is not going anywhere" a voice in the shadows growled.

Hermione whipped out her wand and pointed it at the figure. "Don't come any closer" she hissed.

She swore she heard him chuckle. "Are you daft? Your magic doesn't work here witch."

She shoved it back into her bag. "It doesn't matter, I'll still take you head-on. You're nothing more than a coward, fighting someone unarmed."

"I am no coward!" He roared.

She squinted at the large figure, taking a small step back. "Prove it then!" She paused. "Come into the light."

.

Fur. Fur was the first thing she noticed, a lot of it.

Feet-no paws. Large paws almost like a werewolf. His hands, like big bear paws with black hippogriff claws extending from them. Dark grey wizarding robes with gashes down the sleeves. His head- it was more than a foot higher than hers. He was almost like a lion, but there were two horns at the top of his mane. His fur was blond but his mane seemed almost white. Her eyes widened at the sight.


A/N: I am so sorry for it taking so long I had a WHOLE section missing- just POOF deleted. I had to remember all the crap I wrote and the motivation behind it. Horrible. Thank you for following and keeping up with it! Please leave more reviews as it does motivate me! I appreciate it! I hope you liked the chapter so far, just let me know. We'll definitely be seeing more Dramione in the next few chapters :) 😁


Sneak Peek of next Chapter:

"You'd be willing to sacrifice yourself for her? You'd be willing to take her place?"

"Hermione no!" Luna shouted behind the bars.

"Yes. Then you've lost nothing. You'll still have a prisoner."