Chapter 3 – Friends

Hermione really wanted to discuss the curse with the Monster, but apparently he was busy with something or other, so instead she sat down with the servants to try and figure out what they remembered from before the curse. Plumette remembered her middle name was Padma, but she was not sure of her family name. She could also remember a sister, but the name was lost to her. Mrs Potts was able to remember a husband and his name, Frank Bryce Potts. He had been a gardener at the castle, but he had died before the curse was cast. Lumiere could remember a cousin called Fergus, and he was certain Lumiere was a nickname Fergus has provided.

"In my youth, I had a habit of setting things on fire," Lumiere admitted. "That was why Fergus called me Lumiere as a jest."

However, he could not remember his given name. Cogsworth could remember only sporadic memories of his parents and the rest of the servants even less.

Hermione was asking questions and writing notes when the Monster came in. As one all the servants rose and greeted him. Hermione stayed seated and eyed him curiously.

"You," the Monster pointed at Hermione, "come with me."

"Why?" she asked remaining seated. He could have asked nicely, she thought.

"You agreed to comply when I required your assistance, so come with me now."

"I agreed to help, yes," she replied slowly rising, "but I said nothing about not asking questions."

"I don't like your questions, so stop it," he said considering the servants.

"Is that a demand or a friendly suggestion?"

"Would you comply if I said it was a command?"

"Probably not," she admitted and by that time they left the kitchen together.

The servants had been rapidly following the exchange between their master and their new friend and they were wondering why those two could not get along.

The Monster led Hermione along a corridor and down a flight of stairs.

"Before I make assumptions, explain yourself: what are you plotting with my servants this time?"

"Nothing," she replied frowning.

"Then why were you all together making plans just now?"

"Oh, we aren't planning anything," she answered smiling. "We were discussing their memories from before the curse."

"They can't remember anything."

"Sure they can."

"The enchantment removed their memories."

"Then the enchantment must be weakening."

"Explain."

"Plumette remembered a sister that she had not seen since before the curse. Mrs Potts could remember a husband called Frank, who had died…"

"It cannot be true," he murmured cutting Hermione off.

"Whyever not?"

"I told you already that the curse is my punishment. Therefore I can remember why the curse was cast and the time before it. The servants cannot because they are under an enchantment. If the curse was weakening I would feel it since it is linked to me."

"And to the rose tree?" she asked.

He didn't reply, but he made a sound she took as confirmation.

They walked on in silence, but before long she spoke up again.

"Where are we going?"

"To my laboratory."

"You have a laboratory?" she asked surprised. "Why?"

He looked at her as if she was stupid before he replied, "so as to safely conduct magical experiments."

"What kind of experiments?"

"It changes," he replied before grabbing her wrist and ominously adding, "but today I am doing experiments on you."

"What!" she cried in outrage and stopped walking. "Let me go!"

"No," and he just dragged her after him.

"Let go, you Monster!"

"It won't hurt," he said. "I just need to assess your magical potential."

"My what?" he asked surprised.

"How strong your magic is," he clarified.

"Oh? How are you going to do that?" she asked now becoming quite intrigued by the idea of magic.

"By having you perform magic of course."

"Really?" she asked with a big smile. Her excitement seemed to surprised him and he looked at her with narrowed eyes. His hand was still grabbing her wrist though she had long since stopped fighting. "How do you even know I can do magic?"

"I would never have permitted you to stay otherwise," he replied.

She thought back to the meeting in the basement. "The strange wind?"

"Of course," he agreed, "but then you didn't show any talent for magic and I was just about ready to give up on you when you punched your way through my ward."

"Your what?"

"Ward. A magical barrier protecting the castle from intruders, and as you can imagine it was placed after you and your father decided to waltz in and destroy my garden."

"Oh, the invisible wall! I thought it was something to keep me from leaving the grounds," she admitted. "It made me mad."

"Why would I make a ward to keep you here? You and your damned questions have made my life even more difficult since the moment you arrived."

"Then let me go," she said hopefully.

"Here we are," he said instead of replying.

He opened a door to a dark room, but the lights turned on as they entered.

"I love it when the lights do that!" she exclaimed.

"Turn on?"

"Yes, but in that I-know-what-you-are-looking-for way."

"What do you mean?"

"You know, when the lights know your way and you can just follow them."

"They lights don't work like that," he said looking at her. "They turn on only in the area you are located. They don't show you the way."

"But they do," she argued. "Do you even know your own castle?"

"Hmm", he replied noncommittally. "Sit down and touch NOTHING!"

He went to a cupboard and opened a drawer. From it he retrieved a handful of sticks, which he placed in front of her.

"What's that?"

"Wands. Try them and find one that works."

"Why? You don't use a wand," she said while looking over the sticks. To her they all looked the same.

"I don't have to. I can perform wandless magic, but you are unfamiliar with magic and need the help a wand can provide."

"So what do I do?"

"Pick one up, wave it and see what happens."

She did as he said, but nothing happened when she swung the first one, so he told her to try another. The same happened two more times, but when she picked up the fourth wand a warm feeling spread through her body and when she swung it, sparkles erupted from the tip.

"This one feels friendly," she said.

"Curious."

"What's curious?"

"These wands are all pre-used. It is rare to see a wand connect so well with a new owner."

"Whose wand was this?"

"The last person to wield that wand was my mother."

"Oh, should I try another wand instead then?"

"No, keep it. She's not going to need it anymore."

"Why? What happened to her?"

"She killed herself," he replied matter-of-factly. "Jumped from the tower."

"I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. She was a weak woman," he said without emotion, "but she was a strong witch. Now let's see what you can do with a wand. The wand will help you channel your magic, but it is not the most important part of casting spells. Intent is."

"Intent?"

"Yes, intent is how you broke through my ward. You didn't use a wand, but you were able to channel your magic due to your intent."

"So the strength of my wish will help the magic make it happen?"

"No, wishing in itself is not enough. Wishing can make magic happen, but it does not work all the time and the results might not be what you are wishing for. That type of magic is more accidental, but if you can channel your magic and focus your intent, you can learn to control magic and make it obey you."

"Control and obey? Those are not words I like to hear."

"If you cannot face the truth, then imagine I said that you can work magic and make it do as you wish," he huffed. "Now the wand will help with channeling your magic, but you must learn to focus your intent by yourself."

They spent the next few hours going over the basic principles of magic, and under his tutelage she was able to cast a few spells with the wand. She was most impressed by the Wand-Lighting Charm since she could use that to read books in bed at night.

He even provided her with books to read about magic, and she was pleasantly surprised to find the books a vast improvement to the book she had found in the library. These books explained magic, what different spells did, and also how to cast spells.

"Study these books wisely, but do not practise anywhere except in here," he warned.

"Why?"

"You are still very new to magic and I will not have you make mistakes, which might harm some of my servants, start a fire, or destroy half the castle. The laboratory is protected so any mistakes you make here, will not be able to spread beyond."

...

Over the next many days she immersed herself in reading the books and practicing the spells. She found it easiest to work in the laboratory since she could read and practise at the same time. The only sore spot about the laboratory was that the Monster was usually there too. Luckily, he was working in a different area. She would greet him with a smile, while he would acknowledged her with a nod.

Around lunchtime a little bell would ring, and she would look up surprised to see Mrs Potts and Plumette bringing lunch. Her excitement about learning magic often made her forget the time. She would eat lunch with the Monster, but they rarely spoke. For dinner she would eat with the servants and they would talk for hours. She felt bad for not spending more time investigating the curse, but the servants didn't complain and she really enjoyed learning magic.

One day she kept eyeing him as he was working. He had a caldron sitting over fire and he chopped, grinded, and cut things before he threw them into the caldron. She didn't know what he was doing, but that was not what was bothering her.

"What it is?" he snapped suddenly. "You have been staring at me for hours and it's getting on my nerves. Ask your questions."

"It's just that I read about this spell," she admitted, "but it is not working when I try to cast it. Could you help me?"

His expression softened extremely at her plea for help and he came over to her.

"Show me," he requested and she did. He watched her progress and quickly discovered the problem. "You should only stress the first syllable. Here, listen to me 'AH-gwa-men-ti' ".

That marked the day when she began to ask him for help about magic and how to cast the spells. He would often suggest small changes, which made the casting easier and better.

"Loosen your hold on the wand," he said one day when she was grabbing the wand so tightly her knuckles turned white. And another day he would suggest, "less swish, more flick."

A few days later she found she could not concentrate, so she put her book down and went over to his corner of the laboratory to see what he was working on.

"What are you doing?" she asked trying to peek into the caldron.

"I'm brewing a potion," he replied while plucking leaves of a small plant.

"What kind of potion?"

"An important one," he replied vaguely with a wry smile.

"Was that a joke?" she asked. "Did you just make a joke?"

"If you cannot tell, then I would hate to admit to it."

"Can I help making potions?"

"Brewing," he corrected. "It's called brewing potions."

"Oh, can I help brewing potions then?"

"Do you know anything about potions?"

"No."

"Do you know anything about cooking?"

"No," she admitted.

"So how do you expect to be able to help me?"

"Can't you teach me?"

"I could, but why should I?"

"Because then I would be able to help you with brewing potions," she tried to argue. He actually smiled at that.

"Fine," he said giving in. He held the plant up for her to see. "This is dittany. It's a very special plant. Are you familiar with it?"

"No."

"The leaves are used in healing potions." He plucked a few more leaves from the plant.

"Is that what you are making?"

"Brewing…," he sighed, "but yes. I am brewing a healing potion called the Essence of Dittany."

"What does it do?"

"There is a book in the library called Enquiry into Plants. In it you can discover more information about dittany and other magical plants used in potions."

"Enquire into Plants," she repeated to be certain and he nodded his agreement.

"Before you joined me I brewed the base of the potion," he nodded to the caldron. In it she could see a yellow substance. "The base is stable and can be kept for days, but once I start the next phase I have to be quick as to not ruin the potion. For the second phase I need the dittany leaves, salamander blood, honeywater, and pickled Murtlap tentacles." As he said the names he pointed to different vials and containers on the table. He kept explaining what he was doing, but he would not let her touch any of the ingredients.

After adding the salamander blood to the base and letting the dittany leaves soak in it, he had to let the potion settle for half an hour before the next addition. He spend the pause explaining why the Murtlap tentacles had to be chopped before being added, and she asked what a Murtlap even was.

Later the same evening as she lay in bed, she considered the day. She was surprised by how much time he had spent explaining the potion and the ingredients to her. After the first potion was finished he bottled it, and then he help set up a workstation next to his. As he was starting the base of another potion, she could follow along and make the base herself. If she was successful, which she was, she could finish the potion the next day under his guidance. She was so excited to be able to make a potion. No, brew a potion! A real magical potion! She didn't actually care which potion it was, just the fact that she would be able to brew and finish it. The potion was called Blood-Replenishing Potion and she had been reading up on it. It was a truly amazing potion that could help the drinker gain normal blood levels even after severe blood loss.

...

The castle relaxed into a new routine with Hermione spending her mornings practicing spells, helping the Monster with potions in the afternoons, before finally spending her evenings in the library reading. The Monster would often help her with the spells and he was often also to be found in the library in the evenings.

"What are you looking for?" she asked one evening as he was looking through multiple books. "Maybe I can help?"

"Maybe you can," he acknowledged. "I need to figure out how to cast a protective barrier or ward that will not be linked to the caster."

"How about using multiple casters? Then it would not be linked to anyone in particular."

"Ultimately it would not work because when all the casters are dead the barrier would fall. I need something that can last centuries."

"Can it be linked to the ground?"

Unfortunately not, the ground would change too much over time. I would link it to something more constant like the castle, but that is too big."

"So something constant but small?" she asked.

"Exactly," he said. "Something like…" he cut himself off, while his mind was formulating a new idea.

Hermione was watching him as he thought over his idea. From the way his forehead furrowed and his eyes not really watching the world around him, she knew he was thinking, but when a quirky smile started to form at his mouth she knew he had figured it out.

"What did you discover," she asked.

His eyes were glowing with excitement when he turned to face her. "So, the castle is too big, right? But the foundation is as constant as the castle, so linking the barrier to different stones in the fondation could work. The stones are small enough to carry the link and the foundation is constant enough to last many lifetimes," he exclaimed excitedly, before adding "however, it's not something I am familiar with casting, so I need to study some more."

"Let me know if you need my help," she volunteered.

"Thank you," he said. "First I will perform some experiments on my own, but I might require your help later on."

"Alright," she agreed and went back to her book.

...

As she was standing with her head over a cauldron working on a potion, she began to question the work.

"I read potions can be used for pretty much everything, but we are only making healing potions. Why is that?"

"We are making sure the castle has enough potions to last many years," he said, "and healing and medical potions are the most important."

"Why so many though?" she pressed. "Can't we just make a new batch in half a year?"

"I don't expect that to be possibly, so we have to make as many as we can now."

"But why not? I don't understand."

"I will not go into details now. Please, just trust me on this."

"Alright, if you say so," she agreed, but her mind was racing. What could possibly happen to cause him to not be able to make potions again? She had a bad feeling, but she couldn't place it.

"I want to teach you a spell," he said interrupting her thoughts.

"What kind of spell," she asked even though she knew he only suggested it to make her forget their previous conversation.

"It is called the Patronus Charm," he said. "It is a very difficult spell, but it is a strong defensive charm."

"Oh?" she asked fascinated.

"It conures a Patronus, which is a force of positive energy."

"How does it work?"

"It was solely used against dark magical creatures called Dementors, but it also works against wolves."

"Wolves?"

"At least the wolves in this forest. The entire forest is magical and so is every animal in it, which is why they are affected by the charm."

"Do you think I can really learn it?" she asked completely forgetting their previous conversation for the time being.

"Yes, I know you can."

"I suppose it would be a good spell to know then," she admitted. "The Patronus Charm, you said? I will read up on it later."

"Draw your wand and do as I say," he commanded. "Think of your most happy memory. It has to be a most joyous and delightful recollection. Do you have a memory in mind?"

She nodded in affirmation. She thought of her eighth year birthday when her mother and father had celebrated with her, and they had had such a wonderful day.

"Good, now draw circles with your wand like this," he showed the wrist movement for her to copy. "The incantation is Expecto Patronum. Remember to concentrate."

She tried to copy him, but the spell failed her time and time again. The best she got was some silver smoke in the last few attempts.

"Can't you show me what it is supposed to look like?" she whined.

"I can show you the movements, but only those pure of heart can cast it," he admitted. "You are doing very well. Even the silver mist is an incredible feat on your first day. The spell is difficult to learn, but don't give up."

She read about the spell that same night; 'The Patronus Charm is the most difficult defensive charm. The aim is to produce a silvery-white guardian or protector, which takes the form of an animal. The exact form of the Patronus will not be apparent until the spell has been successfully cast. One of the most powerful defensive charms known to wizardkind, the Patronus can also be used as a messenger between wizards.'

Over the next week she focused mostly on learning that spell, and finally one day a bright white and translucent otter appeared in front of her instead of the mist. She looked at the otter with a bright smile and it looked back at her with calm eyes as if awaiting a command.

...

"Em, I feel like I probably should have asked this before," she started, "but it just never seemed that important until now."

He waited for her to ask her question, but he looked at her curiously.

"What's your name?"

"My name?" he laughed. "That is your important question?"

"Yeah," she admitted.

"My name is Tom."

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Tom," she said offering her hand in greeting.

He reached across the table and shook her hand with a smile. "Likewise, Hermione."

...

Hermione was eating breakfast in the kitchen with Mrs Potts and some of the other servants, when Tom came into the kitchen.

"Here you are," he said. "I was looking for you."

"So early?" she asked putting her bread down.

"Is it too early?

"Can you give me five minutes to finish?"

"Of course, when you are done could you meet me outside?"

"Sure, I'm practically done now, so I'll just clean up and then I'll be there."

"I can clean up, dear," Mrs Potts said.

"No, you don't have to. It's not a problem for me," Hermine argued.

"I'm sure," Mrs Potts pressed. "You run along now."

"Thanks," Hermione called and got up.

"Thank you, Poppy," Tom said.

They left the kitchen together, but they didn't hear the servants whispering behind their backs. "Finally, they seem to respect each other."

"What are we doing today?" Hermione asked as they walked outside.

"I want to cast a ward on the castle and I need your help."

"Alright, so what exactly are we doing?"

"We are trying to link a ward to specific stones in the foundation."

"And what will the ward do?"

"It should effectively hide the castle from strangers."

"You mean like making it invisible?"

"Yes."

"But wouldn't people just walk into a magical barrier and know something was wrong?"

"I would also be adding a charm that repels anyone who has not already seen the castle."

"So no one from outside would ever find the castle."

"That is the general idea, but I need it linked to the castle and not to me."

"Why not having it linked to you?"

"Because I want it to last centuries."

They spend all of that day working together outside. First, they marked the best stones in the foundation, but the work dragged on. Often they had to go back and select new stones, when the properties were not good enough, because apart from being able to hold the magic for generations the stones also had to be placed evenly around the ground.

"We need six stones regularly placed around the grounds," Tom had said.

"Why six?"

"A higher number makes it more enduring, while a smaller number makes it flexible and stable. Six is the optimal number."

After finally decided on the six stones needed they called it a day and went inside for dinner. As they were eating Hermione decided to ask a question that had been on her mind for a while.

"Tom? I was wondering; why are you teaching me magic?"

"Ah, because you have a magical talent," he replied, but she pressed for a better answer. "It's quiet atypical for wizards to break through a ward as quickly as you. Also your way of getting through intrigued me. Usually someone would dissemble the wards, but you just forced your way through. It is quite fascinating," he said. "And I'm beginning to think your magic is fusing into the castle and those who live here."

"It can do that?"

"I believe so," he admitted. "Have you not noticed how the servants you spend the most time with are the ones who remember their past the most?"

"No, I didn't consider it. Does it mean my magic is weird?"

"No, but it means your magic is strong and being in the magical environment that the castle is, your magic is awakening."

"Is sounds dangerous!"

"If you stop using your magic it might be dangerous now that it is awake."

"So I need to keep using magic forever?"

"Yes, that is the price to pay."

"I think I can do that," she smiled, "but am I a danger to the others? I mean if my magic is spreading to them?"

"No, I actually think your magic is working against the enchantment."

"Against the curse?"

"Not the curse, no. I would be able to feel that, but my servants were not cursed. They are suffering under an enchantment due to the curse."

"I thought the curse and the enchantment was the same thing," she admitted.

"They are not. The curse was cast on me and only me, but the enchantment was placed on top and it is linked to the curse. The enchantment hides the servants by magic and makes them forget their pasts. It is to force them to remain here forever. If the curse breaks so those the enchantment, but the enchantment is affecting everyone who lived here when it was placed. Breaking the enchantment will not affect the curse, but it will free my servants from their suffering."

"It sounds complicated," she said.

"To express it simply; your magic is weakening the enchantment, which can help my servants. Your magic is not affecting the curse, which is linked to me."

"How can it affect the enchantment?"

"I am not quite sure, but I think your mere presence is weakening the enchantment."

...

The next day they met early to cast the ward spells. Thy would have to cast it from every one of the marked stones.

"I need you to hold the ward while I cast," he said. "Because it covers such a large area and since it has not just one linkage then each of the stones will not be able to support the ward alone. Until all the stones are connected the spell will fall apart. I need you to act as a locus for the spell until all the stones are connected to it."

"How?"

"Just stand here," he pointed next to the first stone. "I will start and end here. I will cast the spell and link it to you. Then I will connect the stone. Once that is working, I will move to the next stone and connect that until I am back here again. Finally, I will release you from the spell and the stones should be able to support the ward by themselves."

"I don't really understand it, but I trust you."

"When I link the spell to you, just focus on holding it. That is all."

"Alright, I am ready."

"Close your eyes," he said and she complied. "I'll start now."

He took a deep breath before putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Invisibilia castra," he chanted.

She could feel the magic respond, but she was unable to say if it was her own magic responding to the magic around her or if the magic of the spell was able to affect her so much.

"Validus sit magicae," he then said and the magic grew even stronger around her. "Coniunctum illa," and she could feel the magic settle in and around her.

This time there was no question about; her magic was responding and she felt giddy with all the magic flowing around her and through her. She moved her arm and felt the magic follow her movement.

"Be still," he whispered and she stopped moving. "Lapidem coniungere !"

It felt like someone was holding her hand and the magic settled between them stronger than when she was holding it on her own. She basked in the glory of the combined magic.

"You and the stone are connected. I'll continue on. Just focus on the magic and be still."

She registered his voice, but she didn't respond. She focused on the magic and on the words he had spoken. Invisible castle, she thought and felt the magic respond by twirling around her.

After a little while she felt that strange but pleasant feeling of someone grabbing her hand and sharing the magic, and she knew another stone was now supporting the magic also. Six times she felt a stone connect, and she knew the next step was to disconnect her from the spell.

The magic felt different now, but it was probably just because it was fully connected to all the stones. She felt a hand on her shoulder. The hand oozed of magic.

"Seiungo," he said and she felt the magic respond. But something was wrong. Before the magic had felt good and almost playful, but now it felt like something was ripping the magic in two around her and she felt a surge of magical backlash like a whip. It hit her straight on and she was flung backwards unconscious.

…

When she came around she found she was lying on a couch in the library. On the table next to her was a teapot and cup and she smiled when she saw it. Slowly she sat up properly and looked around. Tom was sitting at a nearby desk reading, but he came over to her when he noticed she had woken.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like I was hit by a rampant carriage," she admitted. "What happened?"

"It was my mistake," he said. "I hadn't realized that when connecting the sixth stone the magic would be unstable. The connection was meant for six links, but I forgot to consider the seventh link, you. With seven links the magic would automatically disconnect the weakest link, but all the links were equally strong; until I started to disconnect you, that is. Then the magic backfired and threw you from the connection as the weakest link."

"Oh," she said. "How did you figure it out?"

"I consulted a few books," he replied. "I'm terribly sorry."

"Don't be. It was an accident," she said. "Did the ward hold?"

"Yes, the ward is in place," he said smiling.

"That is good."

"Hermione, I should have said this a long time ago. I apologize for the way I behaved when you first came to the castle and for believing the worst of you and therefore trying to scare you."

...

As she lay in her bed that night she was considering how much her life had changed. When she entered into the agreement with Tom she had not imagined actually becoming friends with him, and that was what they were. She felt confident that he also considered them friends. He even answered all her many questions whether they were about spells, potions, or more mundane things like his name. There was such a big contrast between the man he was now and the monster that had locked up her father. That got her thinking about her father. Oh, how she missed him! She hoped he was fine and living a happy life. How she wished she could see him just once more or just hear how he was doing. If only she could communicate with him. Hadn't she read something about the Patronus Charm working as a messenger?

If she remembered correctly the Charm had two purposes; protection and communication. The Patronus could bring messages, could it also bring back messages? Could she ask it to bring a message to her father and then bring back a reply or would he not be able to see it since he was non-magical? Maybe she should ask Tom for advice in the morning before she sent the Otter out. He might have a few ideas.

When she entered the laboratory the next morning he was already working on potions. He looked up and smiled when she entered.

"Tom, I have been thinking," she said.

"That is a dangerous pastime," he teased.

"Is it possible to send a Patronus with a message for a non-magical person and then have it bring back a message."

"Your father?" he asked and she nodded. "It's not something I have ever heard of, but then again I haven't been able to cast a Patronus in many years, so I haven't experimented with it personally," he admitted.

"What do you think?"

"Truthfully, I don't believe it is possible. There are quite a few challenges to it like would your father even be able to perceive your Patronus? Would he be able to hear the message you sent? Would he even know how to override the message you gave the Patronus to deliver or would it just bring back your own message?"

"So there is nothing to be done?" she asked crushed.

"I wouldn't say that. The Patronus can still observe."

"How does that help me?"

"You can ask the Patronus questions."

"And it will reply?" she asked happily.

"I'm afraid it can't reply. The only voice the Patronus has is the message the caster gives it."

"Then what?"

"Yes-no questions," he suggested. "Require no voice."

"Oh, I think I get it," she said as she realized the merit of his suggestion. "But will it work?"

"I'm not sure. Why don't you try it here in the castle?"

"Good idea," she replied and cast the spell.

The otter sprang forth and she sent it to the kitchen. It came back after a while and looked at her. It did not speak, so she asked it questions instead to which it would nod or shake its head as answer.

"Is anyone in the kitchen right now?"

Nod.

"Who?"

No movement from the otter.

"Sorry, not clear enough. Is Mrs. Potts in the kitchen?"

Shake.

"Plumette?"

Shake.

"Lumiere?"

Shake.

"Cogsworth?"

Shake.

"This is not really working. If I send it to my father then I need to be better at asking questions," she said before cancelling the spell.

"Now you know it can be achieved," he said. "It is a start."

"I just need to figure out how to ask the proper questions," she said and he nodded. She wanted to know that her father was doing well without her.

When she was finally ready to send the Patronus to her father, she felt giddy. She would learn of how he was doing! She sent the otter on its way and waited anxiously for it to return. Tom tried to keep her mind busy by asking her questions, but she could not concentrate and by the time the otter arrived back they were both glad to see it.

"Did you find my father?"

Nod.

"Is he at home?"

Nod.

"Is he well?"

Shake.

"What?" she asked shocked. "Is he sick?"

Nod.

"Is he very sick?"

Nod. She stared in alarm at the otter. How could she ask what was wrong?

"Is he dying?"

Nothing; the otter just looked at her.

"You don't know?"

Nod.

"But, but…," she started shocked. "What is wrong with him?" she asked the otter her voice rising in panic.

"Hermione," Tom said coming around the table. "You need to calm down or you will lose your control over the charm."

"But my father is sick! He might be dying!" she cried turning to Tom.

As her focus shifted from the otter to Tom the charm failed and the otter disappeared. She didn't seem to notice however as her focus was on Tom.

"What is wrong with Father?"

"I don't know," he admitted putting an arm around her shoulders. She borrowed her face into his chest.

She didn't speak to him, but he could feel her body trembling in his arms. As he watched her he could see tears falling down her cheeks, and he knew there was only one thing he could do for her.

"Hermione, listen to me," he started. He gently lifted her head so she looked at him. "Go to your room, pack your belongings, and go home."

"What?" she asked uncertain.

"I will pack a bag of different healing potions for you. When you see your father, help him get better, and live your life with him."

"Are you letting me go?" she asked convinced she must have misunderstood.

"Yes."

"Thank you," she whispered, "for understanding how much he needs me."

Quickly she ran from the room. She didn't have many things with her when she arrived, so she packed quickly. When she made it to the entrance door he was waiting for her. He presented her with a bag full of carefully wrapped vials.

"I hope you will find something to help your father," he said. "The rest you can use as you see fit."

"Thank you," she said while taking the bag.

"Your horse is ready for you."

"Thank you," she repeated.

"Have a wonderful life, Hermione," he said and opened the door for her.

"Thank you for everything," she said before she walked out the door. Philippe was waiting just outside. After tying the bag to the saddle, she jumped on and set out. She glanced backwards once to see Tom sanding in the door.

This time the magical barrier did not stop her from leaving.

Tom kept looking in the direction she had left long efter she was gone from view.

"Master?" Mrs Potts called. "Will you and Hermione be having lunch in the laboratory today?"

"Hermione left," he said, "and she is not coming back."

"You let her go?"

"Yes," he admitted. "I had to."

"Why?"

"She was never mine to keep."

"You are in love with her, aren't you?"

"How could I possibly love her when I am heartless monster?" he asked curiously finally looking at Mrs Potts.

"I don't know how," she admitted, "but it is written all over your face. You love her and therefore you set her free. Maybe you are hoping she comes back of her own free will?"

"I would never dare to wish for such fanciful dreams," he said, "and it will not matter anyway; I will be dead before she has a chance to remember me."

…

Notes:

The explanation of the Patronus Charm is a direct quote from Pottermore