Happy Saturday! For those of you in the US, Happy 4th, be safe and stay hydrated. Everyone else, also stay safe and hydrated. Usual legal disclaimer: I own nothing. And want to thank you all for your support, you are lovely, lovely people.
Chapter 36 Greece
"So how big is the age difference?" Marcus asked.
"Thirteen years," Hermione shrugged.
Harry looked at Marcus, "Is that a big deal? A few muggles might raise an eyebrow, but most wouldn't be too fussed."
"Not too big, a few half bloods or muggleborns might voice an opinion, but who cares what strangers think?"
"Exactly," Hermione agreed. She turned to Harry, "Are you packed, yet?"
"Yep and anything I forget is my own fault and I will have to get or live without." He grinned cheekily.
"Narcissa has the portkey, and Remus will meet us at Malfoy Manor in about ten minutes."
"Locked and loaded," Harry saluted her and hopped up to collect his bag.
Marcus took advantage of his departure to pull Hermione onto his lap. "Message me when you get there safely."
"I will," she kissed him softly, "and I will message you every night."
"I love you," he told her softly.
"I love you, too."
"I'm going to miss you," he admitted in a quieter voice.
She kissed him again, "Two weeks will race by, I hope. But you know you're going to collapse after training every evening."
"I know, I know," he leaned his forehead against hers.
The clock chimed the hour. She kissed him soundly, "We have to go."
Marcus held her tighter, "I know, doesn't mean I have to like it." She snogged him until Harry returned.
"Mione, Remus, and Narcissa will be waiting."
She broke away from Marcus, "Yeah, yeah." She stood. "Let's go." She looked down at her boyfriend, "I'll message you later."
"Me, too."
Three bags waited next to the front door at Malfoy Manor. "Remus, I thought you and Teddy were going home every evening?"
"We are, one of those bags is for Teddy, the other two are filled with everything Cissa thinks she'll need during the day."
The witch in question bustled in, "And I'm not convinced it isn't enough. Oh, well. Thorfinn indicated the other members of your party are ready to go as soon as you lower the wards."
"We're ready if you are," Hermione shrank the bags and stored them in her beaded bag.
"Splendid, shall we?" Narcissa held out a statuette of an island with a cave opening in the cliffs. "Everyone grab hold, Isla de Ponza awaits."
Hermione gritted her teeth against the spinning nausea. She started walking through the air to help her landing. A soft warm breeze caressed her cheek. The scent of flowers wafted on that breeze mixing with the salty ocean smell. Nearby waves crashed against the cliffs and onto the white sand beach below.
Harry let out a whistle, "Wow, Hermione, this place is gorgeous!" They all looked about, admiring the view. A marble and sandstone villa stretched out in front of them. "Best working vacation ever."
"When have you ever taken a vacation, working or otherwise?"
"Camping is a vacation," Harry told her.
She stared at him in horror, "That farce absolutely does not count as a vacation in any shape or form." Harry simply shrugged. "No, just no." She stepped onto the veranda and changed the subject by calling for the head house elf, "Aurie."
A house elf dressed in a pillowcase toga instantly appeared, "Welcome, my lady, how can Aurie be serving?"
"Would you lower the wards so my associates can enter via portkey?"
"Certainly, my lady." When Hermione felt the wards shift she sent Peregrine a message on his coin that everything was ready.
Moments later Peregrine, Orene, and Thorfinn arrived. Hermione added the research group to the wards with her own little twist. She smiled to herself, saying nothing about it to the others. Aurie gestured to the luggage, "Shall Aurie take up the belongings, my lady?"
She removed the other bags from her little bag and placed them with the rest. "Yes, please. Remus and his son will not be staying overnights, but Teddy will be needing a room to use for nap time. Narcissa can help you with the details."
"As my lady wishes."
Thorfinn addressed Narcissa, "I will be returning with you most evenings."
She nodded, "Make sure either Remus or myself knows when so you're not accidentally left behind." She looked over to Peregrine, "Are you returning as well?"
"No, Yaxley wants daily reports, and Hermione has to approve them, it will be less time-consuming to work from here. And it grants more downtime."
Narcissa looked over to Orene. "Don't worry about me," she patted her satchel. "I plan to sleep as little as possible over the next two weeks."
"Orene, you know you have dibs on whatever topic and materials you want, right?" Hermione asked.
"Of course, but how can I choose if I don't know every possibility?"
Hermione shook her head, "Touche, just don't make yourself ill."
"I won't," the black haired woman promised.
"Aurie will arrange chambers for my lady and her guests. If my lady's chamberlain will follow." He looked expectantly at Narcissa.
She took Teddy from Remus, "That's us, little man. Lead on."
Another, smaller elf approached, "Greetings, my lady, I is being Calli. I is to be your personal elf." The tiny creature looked so proud of herself, Hermione loved her instantly. "How can I serve you?"
"We could use a tour, please." She told her. "How cute is she?" she whispered to Harry.
He nodded at her in agreement, "So cute."
Calli proudly showed them around the estate. A rough staircase cut into the cliffs leading down to the white sand beach next to the grotto opening. The marble veranda overlooked the cliffs and surrounded a sparkling swimming pool. White loungers offered sunny seating.
The veranda led into the house's social areas, a large sitting area, dining room, and spacious kitchen. Several elves paused their work to greet Hermione. Upstairs they encountered Aurie who pointed out the rooms designated for each person. He also directed Hermione to the master suite. A massive purple linen-covered bed dominated the room. A wardrobe, vanity table, and dresser resembled trees and flowering vines thanks to delicate carvings. Gauzy purple curtains fluttered in the sea breeze. Calli skipped across the room, "My lady has hers own balcony with a table for Calli's to bring my lady's breakfast. See?"
Dutifully, Hermione stepped out on the stone balcony. A round wooden table with three curved benches waited for plates of food in the morning sun. "I can't wait. Thank you, Calli." The house elf beamed proudly. Hermione took a moment to notify Marcus they arrived safely.
She returned the gold coin to her pocket and addressed the group, "Let's dive into the treasures, shall we?"
Over lunch, Harry asked the question that had been swirling in his head most of the morning. "Why do the elves here call Hermione my lady instead of mistress?"
Narcissa smiled, "They and their families have served Circe's descendants for generations. A witch of Circe's standing would have insisted to be addressed as my lady, hence the form address being taught down the generations."
"That makes sense, I suppose."
Remus, Teddy, Narcissa, and Thorfinn departed as the rest of them sat down for dinner. Orene read throughout the entire meal, flipping through the book eagerly. Peregrine drafted his report for Hermione's review. Harry smiled at Hermione across the table. "Anything catch your attention?"
"The theory behind the elemental magic in the family grimoires.
Those will be coming home with me."
"Because studying the theory gives you a base to make the magic more powerful."
"Exactly," Hermione grinned primly.
"See? I retained something useful," he joked. "I know you have Remus, and I'm along to keep me safe while the aurors report I'm no longer wanted for questioning, but can I do something to help?"
"You're going to help me explore the grotto."
"Awesome," Harry took a big bite of his lamb.
"I thought you might like that idea."
"I also like the idea of not having to listen to anyone having sex."
"Oh, is this a bad time to tell you Marcus is coming tonight?"
Harry stared at her in shock, searching her face in horror for any sign she was joking. Hermione cocked an eyebrow. "You're kidding, right? Come on, Mione, tell me you're joking."
Peregrine chuckled, "Relax, Potter, your room is across the house. They can't be that loud."
"You can if you cast a sonorous charm above the bed," Hermione informed them primly.
Harry sputtered as Peregrine laughed, "Warn me if I'm ever starting to hack you off." He shoved the parchment at Hermione. "For your perusal." She read it over and added a note of her own before returning it. He read it aloud, "'Hermione has them. They are hers. She does not share. Push it and she'll show you them up close and personal.' Good enough for me."
"This war needs to end before we start delving into destructive magic again."
"Fair," Peregrine began eating.
The next morning Harry joined Remus and Hermione in the library. Hermione set him to sorting her chosen books by element while she and Remus scoured the shelves for hidden gems. At the back of the library, Orene searched the stacks for something to catch her fancy. They worked in companionable silence for several hours before Aurie interrupted. "Pardons, my lady, there are visitors at the gates."
"And they are refusing to leave after you informed them we are not receiving visitors and want them to go away?"
"My lady is being so smarts. They insists they have business."
Hermione sighed, "Would you collect Thorfinn and Peregrine for me. Nothing like a show of force, let's go." She lead the other three from the library, casting a translate spell as they went down.
Outside the estate gates waited five wizards, dark hair gleaming in the sunlight. They perked up when Hermione paused just inside the wards on her side of the gate. She stared silently, waiting for them to state their business. Four heartbeats later the eldest smiled warmly, "Miss Lestrange, greetings! I am Christos Savvos, these
are my brothers and cousins: Georgio, Nikolaos, Hector, and Angelos. We are here because our many times grandfather left barrels of a unique magical nature and did not collect them before Elena Astraea passed childless, sealing the estate."
"Why were the barrels left here in the first place? And why weren't they collect right after she passed?" Hermione asked in perfect Greek. When Christos stuttered, she cut him off. "Present my associate with proof of ownership and the number of barrels within two days and we can discuss my storage fees."
"Fees?" exploded one of them. "For returning stolen property?"
"Prove it was stolen," she shot back. She whipped out her crystal wand. "I am not some idiotic child you can bully. Leave now. You have two days to prove ownership and amount of barrels." She spun around leaving five shocked Greeks behind her.
Just after lunch, they were disturbed again, this time by a handful of Greek aurors and a ministry official. Thorfinn spoke to them while Hermione left them cooling their heels at the gate. He tried not to laugh at their annoyance when she refused to allow them in. Again she forced the interlopers to speak first. "Miss Lestrange, the Savvos family claims you threatened them when they came to claim the stolen property. Mr. Rowle assured us that wands were only drawn when the wizards became belligerent, so we can ignore that." He gave her an indulgent smile. "That leaves the matter of the stolen items." The official looked at her expectantly.
"Prove it," she crossed her arms over her chest.
"What?" the man looked confused.
"Prove the barrels were, in fact, stolen. Prove that the Savvos family isn't just thinking they can take what they want through trickery and lies. As far as I am concerned those are my barrels and they will remain my barrels. Should that prove not to be the case I will be charging them a storage fee for leaving the property on my estate grounds." One of the aurors frowned and opened his mouth. "Threaten me in any manner over this issue, but especially in a manner that suggests I am wrong to demand complete strangers present evidence of their right to take my belongings, and I will close the estate, leave, and never return. Then I will release a statement to the international press explaining why the Isla de Ponza will remain closed to all intellectual pursuits for the next three hundred years."
The official reared back like she had punched him, "You wouldn't?"
"Try me. I will not be bullied. I will not be taken advantage of or swindled. The Savvos family has two days to prove ownership and quantity owned. Good day."
Thorfinn followed, "Damn, Flint said you were feisty, but that was next level."
"You and Peregrine find those barrels, replicate them and send the originals to Yaxley for identification. They want them badly, so we'll start looking at reverse-engineering them and flood the Greek market," she smirked.
"You are evil," Thorfinn regarded her in awe.
"I refuse to be the world's doormat."
"I see that, very impressive."
"The nerve of those people thinking they can intimidate me because I'm young and foreign."
"And female," Thorfinn added. She glared at him, cold fire flashing through her eyes. "Their mistake, not mine," he held his hands up in surrender. "I understand Corbin's obsession with making sure no one else steals you for their department."
"I have no intention of working for the ministry."
"I know, but if you do, Corbin wants it to be with him."
Her eyes narrowed in annoyance, "Don't you have something to be doing right now?"
He saluted her, "Yes, ma'am."
She penned a note to Rodolphus asking him to look into how anyone knew she was in Greece on the island, especially people like the Savvos family. Someone was spying on her and she did not like it one bit. She asked Yaxley to look into the barrels and let her know why they wanted them so badly.
He sent her three feet of parchment denoting the excitement over the barrels. They were ever filling and kept an internal chilled temperature. According to historians, a Portuguese wizard created them during the Age of Exploration. Most believed the method of construction was lost forever due to its lack of use with the invention of ice boxes and cooling cabinets. Anger flooded Hermione, somehow that family knew there were some there and preserved, and they planned to steal them from her.
Rodolphus, and by extension Lord Voldemort, promised to discover the spying method. Setting the matter aside she focused on her project. She returned to the library, Remus, Harry, and their sorting. Orene found a collection of personal journals covering the last descendants living on the estate. She would spend the remaining time making copies to handle. Then she would begin cataloging the library for Hermione.
Late that evening the Athens Gringotts requested an audience. Aurie escorted a flustered human and agitated goblin. "A thousand pardons, Miss Lestrange, it has been discovered that a human employee has been snooping to impress her boyfriend. She was most distressed that Elena Astraea's records show her purchase of the barrel. Her attempt to destroy them along with your father's inquires allowed us to piece together what was occurring. She will be demoted and reparations will be made," the goblin told her.
"Thank you. Next week Harry and I will be exploring the Grotto. Would you supply curse breakers and restoration specialists? I would be willing to consider us even."
Looking relieved the goblin agreed and handed her a certified copy of the purchase records, "Send word when you wish to begin." The Gringotts group departed in a lighter mood than they arrived in. Thorfinn summoned an auror and gave them a copy of the documents. One look at Hermione's face had him promising that the matter would be settled quickly with this evidence debunking their claims.
Hermione warded and concealed the bottom of the staircase to protect the privacy of the household. The large cavern curved in a circle. The sea came in spraying the rock ledges with salty water at high tide. "I have no idea how anyone lived in here, but she did," Hermione remarked, pointing out the fireplace markings and pottery remains.
"Very carefully, that's how," Harry told her.
The Gringotts employees looked around excitedly, "Please ensure nothing has been booby-trapped. Let me know if you find anything extraordinary," she instructed. "I want to preserve Circe's home and workspace as much as possible."
"We want to thank you for preserving our shared heritage, your family, and our culture," one wizard shook her hand.
"You're welcome. I know some of my conditions seem harsh, but I don't want treasure hunters and con artists descending and stealing that away."
"We're happy to hear that," another said.
Allow the Gringotts team space to work, Hermione and Harry explored the white sand beach outside of the grotto. One side of the cave opened directly out to the sea. The other led to the beach. "You should get a little boat, Hermione," Harry remarked tossing a pebble into the water.
She responded by kicking off her shoes and wading ankle-deep, "I like how the rocks form this little cove. Perfect for swimming."
"Like someone designed it."
"Give the contents of the library, someone probably did."
"Oh, yeah," Harry joined her in the water, "still nice."
"Agreed." Impishly, she kicked water at Harry, soaking his shorts.
"You realize this means war?" Harry bent over and sent a wave of water at her.
"Bring it, Daffy."
"I am not Daffy Duck. You take that back." For the next ten minutes, the teenagers frolicked in the water like they were eleven again. Laughing, they collapsed on the beach soaked to the skin.
"You're still Daffy," Hermione laughed.
"What I am is still covered in sand. It is everywhere. I'll be finding it for the next week," complained Harry.
"Oh, silly Daffy," she said as she pulled her wand. "If only we had a way to clean it up, you know, like magic." She laughed at his chagrin expression.
"It's nice to hear you laugh, you don't laugh enough, you never did."
"It's nice to laugh. It no longer feels like the fate of the world is on my shoulders. If I don't know what to do, it doesn't matter."
"Because I don't have to figure things out without any real information," Harry told her.
"Why the fuck couldn't he just tell you what to do and how to find the horcruxes? Why couldn't we tell anyone?"
"I don't know. And I don't think I care, either. That is over, we're moving forward." He squeezed her hand.
"Yes, yes we are."
On the last day of restorations, Georgio Savvos snuck in disguised as a Gringotts employee. When he tried to leave with one of the decoy barrels his face erupted in painful boils in the form of the word 'thief' across his face. Hermione refused to tell the aurors how to heal them, remarking that actions have consequences. She informed Gringotts that she saw them as the injured party and had her justice.
-oOoOo-
Gavin Robards stood in front of the assembled press in the atrium. He hated this part of the job. "Your attention, ladies and gentlemen of the press." More like vultures he thought. "I will be reading a prepared statement. There will be no questions. Yesterday, Harry James Potter was questioned in regards to the death of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. Thanks to Mr. Potter's testimony we now know the events of that evening and can close this case. Headmaster Dumbledore was murdered by Austin Gibbons during a scuffle on the top of the Astronomy Tower. He was hit by a curse that sent him hurtling off the edge unconscious. Gibbons also perished during these events. Mr. Potter is no longer a person of interest and is free to return to his life as desired. Thank you." Robards fled as fast as he could while looking
like he was not.
Arthur Weasley shook his head, the official story was that Harry was free to go, but the lad had not returned to the Burrow, meaning he was still being held somewhere against his will. Also concerning was the Lupins and Shacklebolt's lack of passion to find him. They didn't seem overly worried that the hope of the wizarding world was missing. Tonks had even pointed out that just because they didn't know where he was didn't mean he was missing in the dangerous way. He would reappear when he was ready and not a second before.
Ron did not take the news well. He raved and raged for an hour that this was Luna Lovegood's fault, calling her horrible names and making numerous threats about what they should do to make her talk. Arthur felt alarmed at his youngest son's words and the fact that his wife was not doing anything to defuse the situation. Ginny stared into the flames of the fireplace, distracted by her deep thoughts. The Weasley Patriarch's heart sank when he realized he had no clue how to help, and felt like his family was coming apart slowly at the seams.