"You've got ten NEWTs? Really?" Bill couldn't get his head around it. "Why? What made you do it?"
"Molly and Arthur." George answered. "We weren't going to give them the satisfaction of calling us dropouts. We might have left Hogwarts, but we'd sat our first NEWT before the students did and we had a schedule of dates for all our other exams, too."
"Whoa…" Bill shook his head.
"Planning Billy, planning." George's look said he was chuffed with himself. "We might have had to mix them up a bit, but we got the quaffle through the hoop."
"Fred and George… ten NEWTs… I…" Bill was still stunned.
"Okay, enough of NEWTs and school. It's light enough, who's up for a swim?" Pads stood.
April roared into Tasmania with a massive storm of wind, rain and sleet. It was not all that dissimilar to Scotland in October, in fact.
The bus had become a sanctuary for the travellers, but all of them were stressed. As the days had bled into weeks and the weeks into months, the fears of not finding Hermione's parents grew. Or rather, the fear that they wouldn't be found soon enough to correct the obliviate used on them.
Obliviates removed memories. Everyone knew that. What many people didn't realise is that if treated within a certain length of time, the charm was reversible. And that time was running out.
Fast.
As each week passed, Hermione grew quieter, she took to spending more and more time in the bus, often sitting quietly staring out of a window, but she rarely left the bus. Kannan would frequently resort to stunning her and levitating her outside. He knew that it was fear that kept her inside, fear that she would never have her parents smile at her, hug her or call her name. But Kannan wasn't giving up on his friend, she'd been there for him since his very first trip on the Hogwarts Express, through all the horrors of his 'adventures' and into the hell that was the War. He was not going to loose her to fear, not now.
After a quiet word with Padraig and Bill, Kannan set George to watch over her. To see that she ate at least a once a day. To see that she slept or at least went to bed for a few hours each night. Luna was the one to see that she bathed and changed her clothes each day. Teddy babbled away at her, he was the only one that would get a smile from her, very little else could even catch her attention. Kannan watched her, he saw that on the rare times that she actively participated in life in the bus, she stayed near George. Apparently, the loss of Fred and the potential loss of her parents was forging a bond between the two, that the rest of them were not a part of.
In one of their late-night chats, Bill and Kannan speculated what that meant for the grieving young man and the witch. Would that connection be enough to keep Hermione with them, if they were too late to return her parents' memories? Would it survive, if they were found in time? At this point, all Bill and Kannan could do was hope.
Then… just when Kannan was beginning to think he'd lose his friend, finally some good news came.
Late one evening, in place of the weekly update from Merran, they received a visitor.
The knocking at the bus's door interrupted their game of Twenty Questions. It was Bill's turn and so far, they'd been making guesses for nearly ten minutes. So, the interruption wasn't unwelcome.
Neville was the one to turn the exterior light on and look at the painting that showed the exterior of the bus from different angles, a magical version of a security camera system.
The face of Liaison Merran was clearly visible. And after gesturing to Kannan, Bill and Padraig, Neville cautiously opened the door, standing back enough that one of the others had clear casting, if need be.
"Liaison." He greeted the man quietly.
"Trainee Longbottom. I hope I'm not disturbing you, but I have news and I felt it urgent enough, to present it in person." Merran replied.
"Liaison, I'm sure you're well aware of the mess the UK was in last year, you should be seeing as I, personally gave you an overview. So, you understand that security is a major issue? Knowing that… please tell me how I described the destruction of the last of Voldemort's anchors?"
"Ah. Let me see… Oh, yes. You swung at the snake, like you were de-gnoming the gardens. It then proceeded to explode into something more like what usually emerged from your cauldron in the bat's class. Mind, I don't understand the references, but that is what I recall." Merran finished with a quickly worded sentence.
"Excellent. Please come in, Liaison Merran." Neville grinned and opened the door wider. "Hurry now, don't want people to think you're freezing in this cold." After all they were in a mixed camping area, just a few miles from Cradle Mountain with all its walking trails.
"Oh, thank you. I do try to blend in, but sometimes blending's just not enough. This weather is truly foul." The wizard chattered as he entered the bus and shed his heavy winter jacket. "Oh, lovely… warm…" He sighed accepting a hot chocolate from Luna. "Thank you, Miss Lovegood."
"You're quite welcome." Luna answered in her usual airy voice.
"You mentioned news?" Padraig asked.
"I did, indeed. We've found the Wilkins's." He was met by a strangled silence. "They're in New Zealand." A sigh of relief went through the bus and Hermione slid towards the floor. George grabbed at her and ended up on the floor underneath her, pillowing her head and shoulders on his chest.
"Oh, good catch, George." Luna gave the redhead a smile.
"Thanks. Someone help?"
Kannan and Bill exchanged glances and shared a well-hidden smirk, before Kannan flicked a wand and levitated Hermione up onto the sofa.
"Thanks." George climbed to his feet, rubbing at his hip, where it had connected with the edge of a table as he'd gone down. A second smirk was shared between his brother and Kannan when he sat on the sofa's armrest and brushed Hermione's hair from her face.
"Please go on." Padraig said to Merran.
"Of course." Merran nodded. "There was some concern about whether we had the right couple, because just as with here in Australia, there were multiple couples arriving in New Zealand. Our problem was that the couple that left Australia, did so not by commercial traffic, but had signed on as cabin crew for a luxury private yacht. Where the yacht arrived was a small marina and the customs paperwork wasn't filed for a few days. My counterpart in Auckland put her best tracker on the case and… well… it took a while. New Zealand has more free camping areas than Australia does, given its size, but eventually they were found. We checked them against the images that Miss Granger provided and yes, it's them. This morning Airini, my counterpart, went to see them with intent to reverse the obliviates."
"Oh, gods." Kannan reached out and grabbed Bill's arm, this could be either the making or the breaking of Hermione.
"Miss Granger is lucky, very lucky. Airini said it was a struggle and if they hadn't been such strong people and Miss Granger so reluctant when she cast it, it might not have worked. As it was, it was touch and go, having the two of them together helped, though, one prompted the other with stories and anecdotes."
"It worked?" Padraig asked, bluntly.
"It worked. Airini contacted me just a few minutes ago, the Wilkins's have requested that all their documentation be reverted back to Granger and would like to be addressed as Monica and Christien Granger, in future. They do want see Hermione, however, they've asked for that to not happen before next weekend, as they are, quite rightfully, upset and don't want to take that out on her. Best give them a chance to come to terms with what happened before meeting up with them." Merran grimaced.
"Knowing Mione's temper? Yeah, that's a smart move." Kannan winced.
"In addition, I bear a bundle of letters from the UK, sent by diplomatic mail, Mr Longbottom. All have been scanned by our DMLE and other than one that has an 'recipient only' charm, none of them bear any magic. I'll leave them for you. If over the next week and a half, you'd make your way back to Brisbane, I can keep tabs on the Grangers and organise flights, accommodation and transport for you in NZ." Merran laid a bundle of letters on the nearest flat surface.
"That would be appreciated." Padraig told the wizard. "If possible, we'd like another bus like this."
"There is the chance that you may be able to retain this bus. 'Around the Bend' has connections in NZ and while I'm not certain, some of their buses are multinational, meaning that they can be shrunk and taken from one country to another. I am not certain, however, that this particular bus is one of them, but I shall inquire on your behalf. Shall we say next Thursday, to meet? Later in the evening. To fly out Friday morning? Depending on flights, of course."
"That would be much appreciated, Liaison Merran." Neville gave the man a semi-formal reply.
"Excellent" Merran pulled on his heavy jacket and reached for the door. "Oh. I almost forgot. A letter for Miss Granger, from her parents. Airini checked it but I dare say, you'll want to do the same." He reached into his trouser pocket and retrieved a muggle envelope and laid it with the bundle of letters. "I look forward to seeing you back in Brisbane, in much warmer conditions." With that Merran opened the door and was gone into the storm.
"Well…" Padraig huffed out on a big breath.
"Yeah…" Bill sighed.
"Shall we leave Mione to wake or should we rennervate her?" George asked.
"No. We leave her to sleep, she's not getting enough. Would you see that she gets to bed, please?" Kannan asked.
"Sure, I can do that." George answered.
"Great. Nev? What's in the letters?" Kannan turned to the trainee Auror.
"Couple for Bill, some for Mione, one for Luna, couple for me, one for Kannan and one for Pads. The last two are from Kingsley, neither are marked with Ministry seals." Neville held up the two parchment envelopes, each sealed with a geometric shaped seal, that Kannan recognised from the similarities it bore to Kingsley's indigo robes.
"Huh, okay. Well, why don't we read them and find out what's going on?" Padraig suggested. "Then some more hot chocolate while we discuss anything we need to?"
"Sounds good to me." Bill nodded and took the letters Neville handed him, leaving George's on the table.
Half an hour later, all the adults bar Hermione, sat in a rough circle, fresh mugs of hot chocolate in their hands.
"Anyone that wants to divulge, no one has to, but if you want to talk about it, go ahead." Padraig gestured.
"I will." Neville said. "Gran's informed me that my parents are now completely bedridden, dad's in and out of consciousness and the healers are talking of placing him in a magical coma. Gran want s me to think about letting them go. The empath-healers are reporting that they're starting to get more nerve degeneration and pain. I'll talk to Luna about it. Because I'm on duty, technically, St. Mungo's will set up an international floo-conference call to discuss all the options. I just have to nominate a time."
"Oh, Nev…" Kannan sighed.
"It's been coming for a while, Kannan, I just hoped it wouldn't happen yet. Also, Robards, the head of the Auror corps? He's been through the memories that we sent of my training sessions. He's promoting me to senior trainee and wants me to visit a Ministry, either here in Australia or New Zealand and have their corps test me. He seems to think I'm progressing faster than the other trainees." That last was said to Bill and Padraig. "Thanks guys. Otherwise, I'm to stay with you, until I receive orders recalling me."
"Good on ya, Nev." Kannan cheered.
"Milton, the Master of House Prewett wants to adopt George, Charlie and I back into the Prewett family." Bill said. "He still wants me to be his heir but wants to discuss it face to face. Charlie can't leave the reserve for more than a couple of hours, just yet. So, Milton's suggesting we meet in New Zealand, preferably somewhere close to the reserve."
"That's great, Bill." Padraig congratulated the curse-breaker. He'd been talking to the three ex-Weasley's and after a lot of debating with himself, had decided that Charlie would make just as good a head for House Black as Bill would, and that if Master of Prewett offered the heir position to Bill and Bill accepted it, he would offer the Black seat to Charlie. George would one day end up as the head of House Grimm as Kannan wanted nothing to do with being the head of any family. He'd been forced to be a leader during the war and wanted nothing more than to sit back and just live his life without the drama of leading a House.
"There's also a letter from Arthur Weasley." Bill paused.
"What does he want?" Kannan wasn't sure whether he felt curious or angry and his voice came out an odd mix of the two.
"He's explained why he followed Molly's lead and… I'm kind of impressed." Bill said the last bit a little fainter.
"Oh?" George raised his brows. "What does he say?"
"Molly wasn't happy with Fred and George's independence, even before they left Hogwarts she'd tried to speak to her father, but he refused to have anything to do with her. So, she went to Arthur's Uncle Gareth, who is head of house Weasley, he wasn't any more pleased than she was. Together the two were in the process of setting the twins up in contracts with Gareth's nieces on his wife's side, when the war escalated. He has guardianship of the girls and the contracts would have given Gareth, the twins' shop as bride-price. They were going to drug the twins to get them to sign the contracts and Fred's death didn't change anything but their timing. Hector, Arthur's brother overheard and told Arthur, he went to Milton Prewett and the three came up with the idea of disowning us from the Weasley Family, so Milton could adopt us back into the Prewett Family. When Molly lost her temper and threatened to disown them, Arthur went along with it and acted on the spot, he thought Milton had discussed it with us and we'd known what they'd planned, but Milton felt that it was better for us to not know, to keep our reactions genuine. Molly realised what they'd done and called Gareth, he tried to reverse it, but fortunately for us, Pads had already adopted us and there was nothing Gareth and Molly could do."
"Oh, man. I said it before, and I'll say it again. Weasley's are better at dramas than the Malfoys." Kannan whined.
Bill snorted. "That is so true. Anyway… Hector, Arthur and Milton talked it through with Gringotts and bluntly, they can only see one way to permanently stop Molly and Gareth."
"Why the heck does Molly want their shop?" Neville asked.
"She doesn't, she just wants to control them." Bill answered.
"No one controls the twins." Kannan laughed.
"No, but with Fred gone, she figured they'd have a better chance of controlling a grieving George." Bill added.
"Yeah, let's not let that happen." Neville shook his head.
"Agreed. Hector and Milton think the best option for us is to have already sighed other contracts, before we return to the UK." Bill shrugged.
"That could work?" It came out as a question even though Padraig nodded.
"Question is… What type of contracts?" Kannan asked.
"Given their ages? The only one that may work… and I say may… Is a marriage contract." Neville offered.
"No. The only way is to be bonded. Magically bonded. Otherwise Molly will try to potion one or both of them with a lust potion. If she could get Bill or George dosed, they will try and charge them with infidelity and seduction, to break the contract." Luna said.
"She would, too." Hermione stood in the door to her room. "Don't get me wrong, she doesn't want to hurt them, she still sees them as her children and only mother knows best."
"It's a holdover from Gideon and Fabian's deaths. She needs to control what we do and who we associate with. Always has." Bill nodded.
"Alright. How are we going to do this? I'm not going to lose my shop because of her need to control." George said.
"Charlie's fairly safe, as long as he stays in out of the UK. It's George and me that are going to be at risk." Bill said.
"But are you prepared to go as far as magically bonding with someone, just to keep out of Molly's hands?" Padraig asked.
"Yes." Both Bill and George nodded.
"Right, then. Who are we going to hook you up with?" Neville grinned.
"Preferably someone that would piss Molly off even more." Padraig added.
"Me. Me and Kannan. Me dumping Ron and marr-, sorry bonding one of the sons she disowned? That's going to boil her cauldron dry." Hermione answered, a slightly vicious tone to her voice. "And Kannan? Well, that's obvious isn't it?"
"She homophobic." Bill commented when he saw the blank looks.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding?" George huffed. "Geez, someone up there either hates her or hates us. She's homophobic and she's got three gay sons… or two now, I suppose."
"I'm bi not gay. Idiot." Bill said, smacking George upside the head.
"Oh, okay. Two gay sons and one bi son. My comment stands." George huffed and rubbed his head.
"You'd best talk to Milton before you make too many plans." Kannan warned. "He might have some other options for you."
"I'll write and tell him we'll be in New Zealand for a while." Bill agreed. "How is that going to work with me being adopted into the Grimm family?"
"Okay, let's assume that you take Milton up on his offer and become heir Prewett." Padraig said. "You bonding with Kannan is fine. I adopted you sideways from me. On a family tree you'd be connected to me by a broken line, which means that you weren't born into the family but brought in… adopted that is… by me. You have all the rights and responsibilities of a member of our family but without a blood claim-and-purge, you're still only classified as an adopted member. Not a blood member. George is a little different, he's connected to both Kannan and I, but still only as an adopted member. You or Charlie could bond with Kannan without any repercussions, but George couldn't. It's all about the connections. Legally, there's no restrictions, you're only an adopted member of the house, you share no blood with Kannan. So, it's up to you two."
"Will you think about it, Kannan? We work well together, and we already have an emotional connection. We could build something on that." Bill leant forward and asked quietly.
"Let's talk to Milton and we'll work something out." Kannan smiled at Bill.
"Hermione?" George asked, not really knowing what he was asking, just trusting that she would understand.
"Yes, George. I know. I wouldn't have suggested it, if I wasn't prepared to go ahead with it." Hermione answered. "But I'm not doing anything until I speak to my parents. How soon can I see them?"
"Ah…" Padraig grunted. "Merran said that…" He explained what Merran had told them earlier and watched as Hermione hummed in thought.
"Next weekend is still pushing. Mum usually takes a bit longer than that after big shocks and this is right up there with the biggest." She crewed up her nose.
"We can always give them the option of a few extra days, Mione. Bill needs to speak to Milton, Master of Prewett and then there's the possibilities of a blood claim-and-purge ritual." Kannan said. "We won't be certain until after they speak to Milton. And probably Gringotts, too."
"But for now, we're just going to head back towards Brisbane and meet up with Liaison Merran, again. Then make the move over to New Zealand. We can't do much else until we get there." Padraig said.
"Okay." Hermione was quiet for a few minutes. "I'm hungry…" She eventually said. "Can someone make me a sandwich? I'm not sure I could hold a knife, my hands are shaking."
"I can do that." George held out a hand and led the young woman into the kitchen in search of food.
"If we're heading out tomorrow, everyone needs a decent night's sleep. Kannan, Bill? That means no midnight gadabouts for you two." Padraig waggled his eyebrows, causing Teddy to laugh and reach for him from Kannan's lap.