7. Things Take a Turn for the Worse!
Lucius Malfoy was a shaking wreck, and he knew his newest assignment wasn't an honour like his Lord claimed, it was a punishment. In fact, it was the worst thing he could imagine.
He was to lead the attack on Hogsmeade next to Bellatrix Lestrange, his insane sister-in-law. Only they would be unmasked because they were already wanted anyway, and it would be easier for them to shout orders. Naturally, he would be in even deeper shit if he failed to impress on this assignment. As it was, the shakes he was experiencing from Cruciatus exposure left him feeling far from his best. Truthfully, Lucius felt like shit and looked the part as well.
After this, there would be no claims of Imperius that could save him if the Dark Lord fell once more. It seemed as unlikely as it had before, but the man was clearly unhinged, so it wasn't impossible or even implausible for him to make a mistake big enough to get killed again. Immortal or not, their movement would not survive without a corporeal leader.
There were no goals in this raid besides to kill a few shoppers and shopkeepers and apparate away when opposition arrived. The same opposition that was currently elsewhere to combat the dementors according to the plan. What could go wrong, right? Except Lucius was dreading the day, because in his experience, the answer was anything and everything.
-..-
Screams announced the day was going to shit once again. I sighed and moved from the back of the shop to the front to see Death Eaters casting curses all over the place, wrecking Diagon Alley physically while firing curses at anyone in sight.
I had no appointments today, nor did I have to work, but I still felt better working on a wand in this shop even when it was my own project I was working on, so I was here anyway. Sadly, the runespoor teeth didn't work well with any of my wand woods, so my efforts were in vain.
I was Iris White now, not Harry Potter, but there was no denying it, I still felt the need to help. I summoned Dobby and had him bring me the invisibility cloak before hastily donning it and leaving the front door. There were dozens of Death Eaters roaming around, but three stood in a line firing curses at Fortescue's ice-cream shop, destroying everything in sight. Those were my first targets. I walked behind them and charged my magic before pointing my wand and forcefully splinching them, which was something I had discovered myself capable of when I experimented with wand-based apparition. All it took was to intentionally cast the magical cone to cover only half of their bodies, in this case, the upper half, and pour in a lot of power.
A loud crack rent the air, and everything stopped at the characteristic sound of apparition but overpowered by at least a factor of five. Of the middle wizard, his legs were sheared off at the knees, which was all that remained at this end of the splinching. The other two lost their outermost arms and left two uneven legs behind as well. They all dropped to the ground with a last twitch before staying silent.
I had to suppress my snort at the image and vanished the appendages without a shred of remorse. "Hey! Who did that?!" One DE shouted. "Who dares?!" Another agreed with bravado, but he was frantically looking around himself to find the culprit, obviously afraid.
My feet were silenced with a wordless spell, and I walked unseen toward the next wizard. I purposefully took his arm and only his arm in forced apparition, leaving him wandless and scared beyond anything he'd ever experienced. "WAIT!" He shouted in blind panic. "Don't do this to me!"
All eyes were on him now as I repeated my first trick and separated his legs from his body, before promptly vanishing the legs.
A crack sounded as one Death Eater vanished in apparition, leaving the rest to follow swallowing curses. "Shit, I'm out of here too!" One said before disappearing after the rest.
I made my way over to the shop and calmly entered before locking up and taking the floo home. Then I apparated to the stretch of trees where I had directed the apparitions to and found the last wandless Death Eater crying silently on the ground. The other three had managed to disapparate what remained of themselves, it seemed.
Some quick thought had me decide to keep my involvement silent, so I stunned him from behind and apparated him back to Diagon Alley for the Aurors to deal with when they finally got around to it. I made my way back to the shop and had Dobby pop the cloak back home before clearing my wand with cleaning spells, opening the shop again, and getting back to work.
I was quite proud of my work today and was actually wearing a little smile when the Aurors entered the shop. "Yes, gentlemen, how can I help you?"
"Miss White, we're here to ask about the attack earlier, did you witness any of it?" The first Auror asked.
"I only just arrived here by floo, I'm afraid. I did see some devastation when I unlocked the door, but a full attack, really?"
Auror two sighed. "Yes, Death Eater's, Miss. If you haven't seen any of it, we'll leave you be. I'm sure it will be in the Prophet tomorrow, for now we'll have to keep what we know quiet. You understand, I'm sure."
I shrugged. "Only if there was an investigation necessary. I hope nobody died, at least?"
Auror one looked at me shrewdly, but he shook his head. "Nobody died in this part of the Alley, Miss. I can't be sure about the rest. Thankfully, enough wards were up to allow people to escape before they were overwhelmed."
"Good to know. Thank you, Aurors."
"Right, bye for now."
My smile made its reappearance the second they left, and I locked up again, understanding there would be no customers today. Heh, this apparition trick might well turn out to be a favourite tactic of mine. It was certainly better and more definite than a disarming charm, that was for sure. Plus, splinching was mostly painless if treated quickly. The first three wizards had clearly managed to leave on their own power, so it shouldn't have hurt them too badly.
Sure, they were now permanently without legs and some arms, but that was the risk of being a terrorist, in my opinion. I was just sorry those first three still had their wand arms…
Yeah, better not to think like that, I did enough.
-..-
Lucius tried to regain his breath, but it was hard with all the by now permanent nerve damage he had sustained. Apparating away at the first sign of opposition had been part of the plan, but his Lord hadn't appreciated the fact that he had hid away for the most part and had been the first to arrive back at base.
Yes, naturally the part of the Alley that he had been assigned had been the one with the invisible wizard vanishing threat. Of course his luck ran that way… There had been no civilian deaths on his end, but his team hadn't gotten away unscathed, which was considered a clear failure of the mission. Bellatrix had done much better in both regards; she had only lost a single attack team member temporarily when he had been hit by exploding debris from friendly fire. She had then gotten away unscathed with the downed wizard, and the bitch had been by to gloat twice already.
His life was over, he was sure of it. Draco had been given an even more impossible task, and he also wore the Dark Mark, which meant Lucius had failed as a father too. To think he had actually brought his boy up to idolise the Dark Lord, what a fool he'd been! Narcissa was the one better off in their marriage, because she had actually left when it became clear they were knutless. Wherever she was now had to be better than what he was going through.
-..-
Gawain Robards was reading the report of the Diagon Alley attack and couldn't suppress a cringe. Forty-three minutes. Their response time had been insanely bad, worse than ever before.
They had been battling against dementors over in Aberdeen when the emergency call had been sent out and ignored, the statute of secrecy trumped the lives of the shopkeepers in Diagon Alley. Nobody liked admitting it but sending the dementors out to terrorise muggles had been the single most effective strategy the Dark Lord had ever devised. Worse than that even, was the fact that he had done the same in the last war, and the Ministry had decided not to do away with the monsters after the fact because they felt they had them under control. In hindsight, that had been another monumentally stupid decision, because they were most definitely not under 'their' control.
Whoever had stepped in and stopped the Death Eaters had his unconditional support, and he disliked intensely how much pressure he was under from his superiors to find the one responsible. What absolute rubbish it was to hunt down the only person to do right in this situation! Still, he had to work on it, so that was what he did.
He had some leeway in his direction however, because so long as he worked on the stated case, he was free to decide how he would go about it. In this case, he worked on identifying the 'victims' to find out what they had in common, so that he could track them down and warn them, before asking why the 'Vanisher' had a grudge against them.
It was all patently ridiculous of course, because all they had in common was their Dark Marks and hatred for everyone that didn't have them, and the grudge against them was likely to be someone rebelling to being hunted down and killed in the street. Gawain sincerely applauded their work, those Death Eaters who had lost their arms or legs were not getting them back, and that kept them from cursing others as easily at least until they got used to their peg legs. Still, without any signs pointing towards an identity of this Vanisher, it was all he could do to work the victim angle first, so his bosses couldn't fault his work either.
The fact that he learned more from his bosses on what happened than from the witness accounts told him there was at least one traitor in those ranks, but then he already knew that. There was little he could do about it, as the lowly Auror he was.
The Vanisher, and he really found the moniker appropriate given their modus operandi of forced apparition, left him a stunned Death Eater with only one whole arm and no legs, for which he was very grateful. What's more, he had been able to keep it between some colleagues he trusted, and that led to where he was now. Interrogating this handicapped idiot uninterrupted by shady Aurors or likely traitorous bosses.
"The signature is all muddied, but I'm sure we'll find your legs and wand arm eventually. The sooner you tell us everything we know, the sooner we'll go looking." He prodded the hysteric man.
"I'll tell you!" He decided without a second thought. "Lucius Malfoy was our raid-leader, and we were supposed to kill a few people and leave when any opposition arrived. Then out of nowhere three guys half disappeared, leaving body parts behind with a loud crack. It was almost like apparition, and we all turned to stare. Then I swear the limbs just vanished into thin air! No pop that time though, I think they were vanished instead."
"I saw nobody, even though I looked everywhere! Suddenly my arm was gone, my wand too! I started begging you know, please, don't do this, but he did, and suddenly I was like this, lying somewhere in the grass. Next thing I know I was stunned and woke up looking at you back in Diagon Alley."
Gawain believed him, which was good, he'd rather not have any hints as to who did this. "Tell me more about who was in this raid, and I swear we'll go looking for your body parts right after."
The man sang like a canary, and Gawain smiled internally. "Right, we'll go looking for the rest of you right away." Even though they clearly weren't going to find anything.
Two hours later, he stood in front of his boss who simply shook his head. "I can't use this, Gawain, none of it. They'll argue it was information gained under duress, even if the duress was not ours. You know they will."
The level of disappointment he felt left a bitter taste on his tongue. "You're kidding me, right? What the hell do you need to take action then? I'm pretty sure Malfoy's been proven Guilty a dozen times over by now. Why not just raid his manor?"
The man sighed exhaustedly. "Because we're pretty sure You-Know-Who himself resides there. An attack on their stronghold would wipe us all out and leave him to take over the country easily."
This was even worse. They had credible intelligence on the whereabouts of their headquarters and were doing what? Nothing, that's what! What was worse, he was probably right, they would lose the whole force in a direct attack like that. "Shit."
"Shit." His boss confirmed. "Trust me, I know how you feel. The Minister is an idiot, for all that he was an Auror himself, and his advisors are likely Death Eaters sympathisers themselves."
So, he was aware of that too. "Of course they are. And we're not likely to be able to get rid of them either, not with the Wizengamot as it is."
A nod was his answer, and Gawain almost gave up because of it. The people, though, still depended on the Aurors to at least uphold the statute, so that was what he was going to do. "We need a way to kill those dementors, or the statute is going to fall."
"Yeah, we do, I just don't know any way to manage that." His boss admitted quietly.
-..-
Albus Dumbledore was very aware of his coming end, and he was already planning how he would face it. Before that could happen, he first needed to remove Tom's safety net, and for that he was going to ask for help from the most unlikely creatures. The Goblin's surprising ability to take the soul piece - that they had immediately recognised - and move it to something else had surprised him enough to shake some deep-seated beliefs, and it taught him that other creatures might also have some ability he didn't even know of.
It was quite lucky they had that ability because it allowed them to keep to their treaties, after all, the cup was still in the vault. Yes, Albus could appreciate a good loophole as much as any other and was glad his desperation had led to some results.
"Finky, do you think you could find such an object if it was located somewhere within Hogwarts?"
The old elf nodded. "Finky be back with old head shiny soon."
Albus was almost crying as he saw the Diadem on his desk not five minutes later. "Thank you, Finky. Thank you so much."
Here he had been looking for ages, not finding anything, and a single question to a being he usually overlooked solved his problems in five minutes flat.
If only he had asked the goblins before, they might even have been able to get the Horcrux out of young Harry before his sad ending. If only… He forcefully reminded himself once again that it did not do well to dwell on the past and forget the future.
With this lucky break, only Nagini and Tom were left. He held up his cursed hand and smiled softly, it wouldn't be much longer. He actually longed for his eternal rest.
Draco should be the one to end his misery. Yes, it would make him trusted by Tom, hopefully enough to give him access to Nagini. Then, only Tom himself would be left, greatly weakened with only a sliver of soul left to him. Anyone could defeat him then!
This plan had a high likelihood of succeeding. He only had to convince young Draco Malfoy to put his life on the line in order to kill the snake. A pair of unbreakable vows should be enough to ensure his cooperation. His life in exchange for the snake's. The boy was horribly unsubtle, but he was the only option for a quick ending that still meant something.
His Order would be the back-up plan, he would have to tell the oldest and wisest among them the truth. Albus found himself dreading the mere thought of that and shook his head. Now was not the time to fall back into bad habits. The truth was a horrible thing and needed to be treated with caution, yes, but he'd let this be his last good deed. If his friends looked at him with disappointment then, he only had to live with it for a very short while.
That would be his cross to bear, for however short a time.
-..-
Lord Voldemort felt the weakness every second of every day now. It was like a hole had opened up inside of him, and the moment of realisation had finally come. His horcruxes were being attacked!
Some careful and quick questioning and apparition had confirmed his worst fears. Draco Malfoy confirming the Diadem wasn't where he left it was the final cherry on top. That left him only Nagini and himself as bearers of his soul.
Five out of seven pieces had been torn apart, and he felt foolish to have only realised it so late in the game. Dumbledore was responsible, no doubt! Severus' death left him without a reliable spy in Hogwarts or the Order of the Phoenix, but even Draco could report the self-satisfied air the headmaster exhibited often. With how the war was going, there really was only reason Dumbledore could feel satisfaction, he was the one responsible.
His timer was running out, even if Nagini still had a good thirty years in her, and his body was as ageless as he could get it. He was still aging. He was dying!
After so many years of assumed immortality, it felt like the deathblow it was, and for the first time in years, Tommy Riddle reared his despicable head and he feared!
To think his greatest fear had been Harry Potter for over a decade, while it had always been Albus Dumbledore who should have topped that list. Harry Potter had always only been a gnat, if a very annoying one, just like Iris White was now. They had never threatened his immortality. Only Albus Dumbledore had managed that.
Hatred poured from him as he thought about his old Headmaster, and he decided to get even while he still could. If he couldn't get the old man himself, at least he could make sure that the Order of the Phoenix would die.
"Wormtail! Take twenty men and raid the house that sheltered you for over a decade. It's time for blood traitor blood to flow!"
"Yes, Master!"
-..-
I gasped as I read the news.
Peter Pettigrew Killed at Burrow Raid, Four Weasleys Dead!
Black Conspiracy Uncovered, Fudge's Cover-Up?
Molly, Arthur, Ron, and Ginny were all dead, but they had taken Peter Pettigrew with them, along with someone called Scabior. The Prophet finally reported the incongruity in the Sirius Black case and ran with it. The Weasley tragedy was completely snowed underneath all that drama, and it called for heads to roll in the Ministry.
It was madness to ask for such a thing, and the timing was positively dreadful. I liked Sirius and hated what was done to him, but now was not the time! If the current Minister would be replaced by a Death Eater, which became increasingly likely as this was dragged on, where would we be then?
At least Fudge would never be accepted in any public capacity again, because it had been made clear most of this was completely his fault.
Lily's coming visit had been cancelled, because her family wanted her kept close. I could understand it, but I hated it at the same time. I was completely starved of human interaction, aside from the occasional shopping trip, outdoor lunch, or working with Garrick. This visit had been a lifeline that was now being snatched away.
Can you ask if I would be welcome for a visit, instead? I had written back, but no answer had been forthcoming yet.
The one bit of good news was the progress my trees were making. My frequent magical injections had greatly increased their magical presence and also sped up their growth, and now they felt just like the trees Garrick had shown me, except for the lack of Bowtruckles.
A few sample wands this project had given me were now being inspected by Garrick and he was very impressed, except when I handed over the ones with the odd wand cores I had tried. "These do not feel very harmonious, dear."
"Yes, I realise that." I could only agree. "I don't think these types of trees go with these types of wand cores."
His grin was almost boyish. "Heh, I think you are right. Perhaps you should try to extend your experiment to more types of trees to have a greater selection."
"I'll do that."
"Please do. I started out with similar experiments, but your ability to make trees magical should greatly increase your potential in this respect. If nothing else, you can try more things in the same amount of time."
True enough, and something I had already considered myself. I nodded, and that was that. Work went on, if in a slower fashion. There was no rush anymore, and Garrick loved discussing magical theory with me for my studies.
-..-
I was suitably nervous when I excited the floo at the Moon residence and greeted Lily's parents while she stood next to them beaming at me. "Hello Mr. and Mrs. Moon, I'm Iris White, it's lovely to meet you."
Mrs. Moon smiled reassuringly. "It really is, dear, I'm glad to finally meet you as well. Lily has been nothing but complimentary whenever you come up."
"Yes, and I hear you've got a good head on your shoulders." Mr. Moon agreed. "I don't mean what the Prophet reported either, though that still should be considered a credit to you, Miss White. Please, call me Tobias, and my wife Annette."
"Iris to you two then, Tobias, Annette." I nodded gratefully. My first impression was that they didn't dislike me, so far so good.
Annette smiled widely. "Come along then, we can have a spot of tea as we talk, Iris. Lily, why don't you take her to the sitting room while I ask the elves to serve us?"
Lily rolled her eyes, and I got the feeling the elves knew perfectly well they'd be serving us. She grabbed my hand and dragged me along as she babbled happily. "I'm so glad to see you! I hope your days haven't been too lonely?"
They had been, but I really didn't want to say so, so I talked around it. "Now that I see you, not anymore. How has your vacation been so far?"
"Good! My parents seemed glad to hear how well we've been doing, so they were happy for me to send an invite. The wards have been upgraded extensively and they didn't want to let me go. I'm glad you're here, Iris."
"I am glad to be here too, Lily." I grinned back softly. "So, what can I expect in a minute, some light interrogation, or do you tell them everything?"
Lily blushed, "I told my mother everything, but she will probably have more questions than my father will. Don't worry though, it will be just the usual stuff, what you think of me and stuff like that."
My lips twitched as I imagined how that talk went. "I'll try to keep my appreciation less graphic then, they don't need to know how much I love your butt and long legs, I think, or what I'd like to do with them."
"Oh, is that all that I am to you?" She smirked.
I shook my head and tried to look innocent. "Not in the least, dear, but I think I'd rather tell your parents how easy it is to get lost in your eyes, or that I routinely wake up and go to sleep thinking of you."
Her lips found mine instantly, and wrestled mine under submission, until a cough sounded to break us apart. "Come on, sis, what if it was our father who saw that." Lily's brother teased lightly.
"Marco!" Lily tried to suppress her smile and failed. "What, like you wouldn't have done the same if you had a girlfriend like Iris here."
Marco threw up his hands and grinned. "Well, I'm not saying you did something wrong, I just asked what if father saw you like that?"
"If I saw here like what?" Tobias asked as he entered the room with Annette, who was smirking at them.
Lily shrugged lightly. "Hugging, of course." She pulled me in close. "We love to hug, don't we, Iris?"
There really was no other way to answer, so I nodded with a blush. "Yes, it can be more intimate than a kiss, sometimes, and Lily really gives the best hugs."
Annette squealed softly as Tobias laughed. "Yes, she does, and I can't fault you for that, Iris. So, tell me, when did you meet?"
"Ah, at Fortescue's, actually. Someone reminded me of something that shocked me, Lily noticed and invited me to sit with her and her friends. We clicked during our talk and her friend hinted that Lily wouldn't mind a pen pal. I asked and she confirmed, which led to letters and finally invites to meet that turned into dates after we had our very first and very memorable kiss." I smiled unconsciously as I remembered the surprising sensation of that kiss.
Marco snorted. "Memorable, huh, that's one way to put it. I still remember all of my first kisses, so you're not wrong."
I blinked at his words and understood. "You've not found yours then?"
"Nah." He admitted. "I know I should be glad for it, but it's really off putting when you feel someone you've liked for a while would be toxic for you in the long run."
That would suck, yeah… "I can only imagine. I have a question though, does the other person experience that too? I don't think that would go over well, would it?"
Tobias answered immediately. "No, only when it's good and only when they're sensitive to magic in the first place. I suspected you felt it all when I heard you were apprenticing under Ollivander. You did, didn't you?"
"Yes. I felt my magic being pulled from my core through my hand and lips where I was touching Lily. The rush of warmth and affection, I guess, instantly convinced me it was a good thing though. I had only kissed two people before Lily, but that had certainly never happened to me before." I explained honestly. "I felt hopeful afterwards, and safe, when it came to Lily."
Annette sighed happily. "Lily described something similar, dear, and I know she told you what that meant. We're happy for you two, of course, and if things go as expected, we hope to welcome you to the family when you're ready."
My blush came back with a vengeance, and I felt Lily squeeze my waist in support. "Thank you, Annette."
"Yes, thank you, mum." Lily chimed in softly.
"So, Lily, about your wandless ability. If your tip in the paper didn't produce results, I assume there's little we can do to change that?" Marco asked.
I sighed, because even now, I could feel how weak his aura was. "I'm sorry, but no. Your aura doesn't extend very far from your skin at all, an inch at most, which would make it almost impossible for you to work magic without your wand."
Tobias' eyebrows rose. "And the rest of us, if you don't mind telling?"
This sucked, but I could hardly refuse. "Your magic is about the same, Tobias, or slightly less even. Annette's aura extends about triple that distance, and Lily's magic extends about two inches from her skin. But I'm sure both Lily and Marco's magic are still growing."
I could tell there were some uncomfortable conclusions going on, but what happened next was unexpected. Tobias sighed. "I knew it. You see, Annette here is the Moon of the family, and I was originally a Boderick, a true pureblood and inbred as you'd expect. Even at Hogwarts, I could tell the more 'pure' people were, the faster they tired when doing magic. It seems my theory was right, and Annette's blood has revitalised our children's magic."
They all looked rightly concerned, and I felt the need to say something. "I've also noticed that the healthier and stronger the witch or wizard, the stronger their magic is." Tobias was not fat or anything like that, but he clearly had little muscles to speak of, and I could tell the hint was received.
"What about you?" Lily asked finally.
I grimaced. "You don't want to know."
Marco snorted. "No really, we won't be offended or anything." The rest of the Moons nodded their agreement, and I could no longer back out.
"Just past Marco's chair." I admitted, which was about six feet away from my skin… Eyes widened as they absorbed that little nugget of information, and Annette giggled. "Have you ever felt Dumbledore by any chance?"
"Yes, he's about the same." Except I still wasn't done growing where he certainly was, but I didn't say that. "Dumbledore has a rigid control of his magic though, and tons of experience. I imagine the Dark Lord would be the same, so don't go thinking I'm in their league, or anything silly like that."
"Well, dear, that sure was unexpected." Tobias smiled a little after a moment had passed silently. "How's your work with Ollivander going?"
Grateful for the change in subject, I started talking. "Very well, Sir. According to Garrick, I could already take over if it was needed, I seem to have a talent for that kind of work. In addition, I've discovered something that will greatly aid my efforts at finding wand woods in the future, but that's something I'll keep to myself if you don't mind. I especially like the little excursions out in the woods and such, which is a much bigger part of the job than you'd expect."
The conversation stayed light from that point on, and I think I managed a good impression. Lily did find us a quiet spot on the grounds to kiss and grope each other a bit to our mutual appreciation, and I was going to be invited another day in the next week. By the time I left there, I was feeling a lot better.
-..-
Two weeks before the school year ended, Draco Malfoy murdered Albus Dumbledore in view of no less than four students belonging to Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff before promptly fleeing the school.
It was a very short explanation for the single moment that finally destroyed the last vestiges of peace in Great Britain, but it was basically what both Lily's letter and the Daily Prophet boiled down to.
Gone was the last person to give Voldemort pause, and gone was the slow cautious way the Death Eaters were taking over the Ministry. The next emergency Wizengamot meeting could mean no less, when they installed their puppet as the new Headmaster of Hogwarts, mere days after the old one was buried. The puppet was no other than Corban Yaxley, who Lily assured her was most definitely a marked Death Eater that managed to avoid Azkaban after the first war.
I was just so very relieved when I saw Lily again and held her tight, it had been too long.
Garrick and I each worked every morning, and we alternated the afternoons to cope with the influx of fresh customers, and my time was once again occupied with people, something I didn't mind in the least.
Outside of work, I often met with Lily, who had received permission to visit my house after Tobias had asked about the wards and been satisfied with my answers. This was a busy period, and it was bliss in my mind.
I was already dreading Lily's last year at Hogwarts and decided to do my exams during her schooling days to keep busy. I was far enough ahead on the coursework to make that an easy possibility.
Then my easy world was shaken up when Hermione of all people came in for a new wand, because her old one had stopped responding well after Ron and Harry's deaths, by her own words. I was surprised to see she meant it; my years of acquaintance easily saw it was the truth. Tears threatened to spill from my eyes as I told her to walk around the shop, and I silently offered her five wands to try.
She met her match on the third try, something I already expected, going by the strength of the connection. Hermione was actually quite the powerful young witch; I was not surprised to note.
"Miss Granger, I hope you don't get offended, but if you need a friend, I'd be happy to correspond with you over mail." I offered it sincerely. "I know what it is like to lose people too." This was not an easy offer to make for me, especially when it concerned Hermione who was highly likely involved in a plot to potion me into loving Ginny, who apparently hadn't even liked me as Harry. Thankfully for my peace of mind, she slowly shook her head.
"I'm flattered, really, but I don't even have an owl. Besides, I don't even know if I'm going to stay in Britain after I finish Hogwarts, if I even do that. My parents are set on leaving, you see."
That surprised me, but it really shouldn't. "Ah, they understand what it means then, for Corban Yaxley to be the new Headmaster of Hogwarts. I hate to admit it, Miss, but they are probably right to want you out of there. You are kind of famously muggleborn, if you know what I mean."
She scowled but nodded. "I'm aware. Thank you for your advice, how much do I owe you?"
"Seven galleons." I grinned. "You're just in time, because if you no longer attended Hogwarts, I'd have to charge you triple that for lack of the ministry subsidy that allows the trace to work."
She wasn't slow, as I knew she wouldn't be. "You mean if I pay you full price, the Trace wouldn't work?"
"That's not what I said, Miss Granger, was it?" I winked.
Hermione closed her mouth with a click and nodded. "I'll pay the full twenty-one galleons then. Thank you, Miss White."
"No problem, Miss Granger. I wish you the best." I assured her, and somehow, I found myself meaning it.
What an odd way to find out I had forgiven her over time. Forgiven her maybe, but I had definitely not forgotten.
