Hello,

Here is a quick one. No I do not have a beta, apologies. Thank you for your comments and support.

~Alex

Practically a Wizarding Holiday

Hermione made it through to Halloween. There was a buzz about the castle she could not put her finger on, and on the day in question on her way to charms, she paused after transfiguration class. Minerva never called upon her even though her hand was the first to shoot up in style. When Hermione waited for her, she admitted that she was uneasy about the one-on-one moment with the puzzle before her.

"What is the deal with Halloween?" the girl asked as she stood with her bag over her shoulder.

"It's all Hallows Eve. I understand that where you come from, it might be a mystery, but it is the one time of the year where the vale between…."

"No, I mean, why are the kids awash with excitement like it's more than old traditions?" Hermione asked, cutting the professor off. Minerva looked at her and blinked.

"Of course, you are not brought up in the wizarding world. It was the day that Harry Potter defeated He-Who-Must -Not- Be Named. It has become a holiday of sorts. Think of it as a liberation day of sorts. Young Harry took the Killing curse, but something happened, and the man that went to kill him was defeated, and the boy lived," Minerva educated the girl.

Hermione stood there for a long moment and then sighed, shaking her head, and Minerva could have sworn she heard the girl mutter the words mortals under her breath. Then Hermione's brown eyes clashed with hers with a nod, then she turned to leave. She muttered one more thing loud enough that Minerva knew without a doubt what the girl said.

He didn't live.

Charms, Trolls, and Lies… OH MY!

Hermione liked charms class. She excelled in it. When the buffoon next to her began waving his wand around as if he was about to beat his feather into levitating, she had enough.

"Please stop," she gritted.

"What? Do you think you can do better?" Ron Weasley challenged.

"Yes, I can but try Levi OH sa, Not levi oh SAH," she tried to help calmly.

"You do it if you think you any better than me," Ron growled at her. He lifted her eyebrow, looking at him. The moron literally will not see reason. She sighed and took her wand in her hand, feeling the warmth of the wood, almost knowing she was about to use power.

"Wingardium Levi OH sa," she enchanted, and then the feather lifted from their desk, and with a flick of her wrist, she directed the item to zip around the room. It flitted about Flitwick startling to the minuscule professor. He clapped his hands with a smile.

"20 points to Gryffindor," he said with a smile watching the feather directed back to her on their table. She lifted her eyes back to Ron and smirked when he snorted and turned away.

Her victory was short-lived when the boy down from her, Seamus Finnigan, blew up his feather. She smirked as part of Harry's face was covered in soot from the minor blast. Harry turned to her, and their eyes met, and he smiled at her. She smiled back.

"Can you help us?" Harry asked, and Hermione began her pronunciation of the spell and how to move the wand much slower than their professor did. By the end of the class, Hermione gained another 30 points on getting her Lions to levitate their feathers. Unfortunately, she embarrassed the ass of their course.

On the way to their dorms to end their day and get ready for the Halloween feast, she heard Ron spouting off about her. She slowed as she listened. Harry walked up next to her, listening. He listened to the boy's words and placed a hand on her arm.

"It's not her fault she rose to your challenge and showed you up," he shouted at Ron.

"You have the back of a muggle-born witch with an attitude problem?!" the redhead argued.

Harry still had a hand on her arm. She tried to pull away, but he held her firm.

"We come from the same world. We didn't know any magic before we came here and because she studies, she is better than you. It would help if you listened to her," Harry retorted.

"She is nothing more than a muggle witch. I can spell cast circles around her!" Ron blustered with bravado drawing a crowd. By then, Hermione finally wrenched away from Harry. Before he could say anything to her, she sped off.

She hated being the center of attention like that. True, she had not shied from it since beginning Hogwarts, but that was too much. Besides, his hand on her arm confirmed it. He didn't exactly survive that encounter all those Halloweens ago.

It didn't take much for her to disappear. She needed to. She could hear the castle emptying into the halls to get the feast, but she didn't want to go. She was sure that Harry would try to sit near her, touch her. She could not deal with that now.

As she splashed water on her face and looked in the mirror, she looked at her arm where Harry grabbed her. It felt cold. Cold as death. It was an icy undertone that no one could detect unless they were dead or a soul collector who took the dead to their next destination. His hand felt like death had wrapped his fingers around her arm and squeezed. The longer he held on, the more the sensation shifted from that icy hold to that or a painful constriction. The amount of time he held her arm she felt should she bruised by the non-life that seeped from Harry. She had no idea how he had survived so long. She will have to tell Death.

One more shake of her head and a watery splash to her face, and she would be ready. Then there was a monstrous crash. She spun around. She was faced with a bleeding mountain troll. Hermione and the troll looked at each other as if they both realized that they should not be there. The troll seemed to sense she was not supposed to be there in that bathroom, let alone on that plane of existence.

Just as she was about to stroll around the troll, the bathroom door crashed open.

"Oh shit," Hermione said, and then the troll exploded. The club swung and took out the stalls, and Hermione hit the floor, covering her head. She looked up to find Harry and Neville in the bathroom. The club swung back clipping Neville after Harry ducked. Harry Climbed on the troll's back, and Harry shouted for him to stop. But it was too late. He was thrown from over the troll after she shoved the wand up the troll's nose. The boy hit the wall… hard, knocking him unconscious. Hermione slowly stood up and looked at the carnage in the bathroom. The troll once more stopped staring at her. She sighed.

"Ok big boy, you are going to have to hit me," she said softly, hoping it understood. Then with a roar, the club came across her. She put up a little shield and was hit into the wall. She grunted but stood breathing heavily.

"Wingardium leviosa," the club lifted in the air, and the troll looked up. Hermione released it and then knocked out the troll. She winced, seeing the wand still up to its nose, and turned to Neville and Harry. She gathered her power and woke the boys. She grabbed her arm as Harry and Neville sat up, holding their heads just as Professor McGonagall, Dumbledore, and Snape arrived.

"What happened here?!" Professor McGonagall shouted in disbelief, looking at the warzone of a bathroom.

"Harry and Neville saved me," Hermione spoke with a wince as she clutched her arm.

"Marvelous," Dumbledore whispered, looking at the two boys with a smile.

"How could Potter and a magicless Longbottom help you against a mountain troll?" sneered Snape.

"The troll knocked out Neville distracting the troll, so Harry could climb on its back to shove his wand up his nose. It swung and hit mess he was thrashing. Then the troll tripped on debris and hit his head," Hermione weaved her tale.

"Minerva get the children to the hospital wing, please," Dumbledore ordered as he looked about.

Minerva ushered the kids into the hall and led them to the hospital wing. They each took a bed as Poppy went to the kids and ran diagnostics.

"Unbelievable," the medi-witch said as she looked over the readout, "Only cuts scrapes and mild concussions. Miss Granger is the only one with a broken arm. I'll have them good as new in about an hour," Poppy reported.

Hermione watched the witch work, trying to avoid McGonagall's eyes. She could feel the older witch staring at her. By the time the boys were taken care of, Hermione had to swallow a foul-tasting potion. She groaned as she felt the bone snape back in place and she buried her head in the pillow, closing her eyes. She felt a hand in hers, and she opened her eyes to find green eyes.

"I know it hurts, but it gives it a few more moments. It will be over," the older witch said, and Hermione nodded, feeling sweat bead on her forehead from the pain.

"You lied, didn't you?" Professor McGonagall asked. Hermione didn't answer as one last wave of pain shot through her and then dissipated.

"Professor, those boys were very brave and saved my life," Hermione said weakly as exhaustion set in.

Hermione could still feel the weight of the woman's stare. She could feel her warm hand in hers. Hermione opened her eyes and looked into the older witch's eyes. She saw concern, but Poppy's pain potion was finally helping and made her lose focus. She closed her eyes once more and then opened them.

"You are quite beautiful," Hermione said softly, and then sleep took her.

Huh?

Once the Granger girl slept, Minerva took her to leave and walked to her quarters. She was on pins and needles, knowing that a visit from Andromeda would be forthcoming, and she was not disappointed. She was washed and, in her nightrobes, back in front of a fire with a glass of water in her hand. She was not about to have this conversation under the influence.

"She has good taste," came a velvet voice from beside her. Minerva turned, and on the other end of the sofa sat Andromeda. Minerva's shoulders tightened.

"I am afraid I have no idea what you are speaking of," Minerva gritted, clutching the glass.

"God, Minerva, even I had a fantasy or ten about you in my Hogwarts days," chuckled Andromeda with a scoff.

"Firstly, she is a first-year, and secondly a student, and thirdly, I know nothing of her," Minerva quipped back, trying to build her walls. Then there was a rich laugh from the woman beside her.

"you do realize you said nothing about her being a woman and her being MY child," Andromeda challenged her back

"I know nothing about your daughter. She is too much of a mystery, too many lies, and I know she lied to me this evening," Minerva gritted.

"Ah yes, you hate being lied to," Andromeda mused, smiling while staring into the flames.

"Who is her father?"

That question voiced between them was one of many Minerva wished she could take back. She wished she could remove that moment from history, but alas, she was never that lucky. She watched as Andromeda smiled softly, and her eyes seemed to glaze over as if she was not trying to remember a few years, but eons.

"He is a magnificent man, a savior, and the best friend I could ever have, even if we are at odds and haven't seen each other in a very long time," then Andromeda looked at Minerva, "He is the fairest man to walk the planet. I owe him my life," Andromeda spoke softly.

"Evidently, if you are willing to cheat on Ted," Minerva snapped.

"You have no idea what happened in the past, Minerva," Andromeda stood as the flames in the fireplace flared with her anger. Minerva watched as Andromeda walked to the door.

"Time to go," the brunette said, and then she paused, "I never cheated on Ted," Then Minerva's attention was redirected to the flames flaring once more, and when she turned around, the woman was gone.

Minerva placed the glass on the table, and she sat resting her elbows on her knees. Her thoughts were a whirlwind between Hermione telling her she was beautiful to Andromeda telling her she never cheated on Ted.

Her mind caught up with her. She never cheated on ted, but Hermione was her daughter, HUH!?