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Chapter 11

Tuesday evening arrived quickly and despite that it had taken ages to find a muggle that Fred thought suitably "conveyed his presence" they were both waiting at the doorstep on Wingfield Avenue breathing deeply and hoping their plan would not fail.

The same frail woman from before opened the door. "I can't believe you actually showed," was all she said as she stepped aside without further greeting.

Hermione wasn't sure if that was a good sign or not as she led Fred into the house. They had decided his name would be James if anyone even asked, but judging by the buzzing and whispering that all seemed to be about her, she wasn't convinced it would even come up.

Premature balding guy entered then and by this point they had overheard enough chatter to know his name was Louis, and he was presumably the leader of whatever this was. The room immediately came to silence at his entrance and he immediately turned his attentions to Hermione.

"Well, you came," he said, observing her so closely that she was beginning to feel a bit exposed.

"I did," she said, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt.

"And where are the others? Those two fidgety ones from before?"

"They, um, couldn't make it tonight, but they relayed their message and here I am. What is it exactly that you want from me? As you might know, I created an organization called S.P.E.W. (the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare) back in my Hogwarts days and am strongly encouraged by what my friends have told me they heard at your last meeting."

She could feel Louis continuing to stare at her and was certain that any moment their cover was going to be blown. She did her best to remain as calm and confident as she possibly could under his intense scrutiny.

"We have indeed heard of your love for other creatures, Miss Granger," he said, "but my question is just how far does that love extend?"

"I'm not sure that I take your meaning."

"Do you recognize that enchanters- witches and wizards as you call them," he said in such a manner that she could tell that the words were difficult for him, "believe themselves to be far superior to any other species? Even other humans?"

"Well, I," Hermione began.

"And are you aware that there are many muggleborns, not unlike yourself, that are tired, no, sick, of this attitude of superiority?"

"I-"

"And are you aware that this same group of people would rather see the demise of magic altogether than continue living secret lives away from those whom we hold dear and feeling shamed for supposed "dirty blood" that runs in our veins?"

"What? Did you just miss the entire wizarding war and all the witches and wizards who sacrificed so much that muggleborns could feel safe? That the people who glorified "pure blood" would be defeated? We won! Voldemort was defeated. The wizarding world is finally starting to heal and return to the wonderful, peaceful place that we all know that it can be."

"As the daughter of muggles, Miss Granger," said Louis, "I must say I find your views to be a little disturbing. Where are your parents now, might I ask?"

"Well, that is…I'm not sure."

"So that was not them here the other night and instead you and Mr. Weasley in disguise?"

"How did-"

Louis waved his arm in indifference. "It doesn't matter how I know, but that I do. I suppose this is Mr. Weasley as well," he asked, his nose crumpled up in obvious revulsion. "Polyjuice potion, really? I would expect more from an enchantress as bright as yourself."

Fred who had managed to remain silent so far throughout this exchange could no longer hold his tongue.

"Who are you?" he demanded. "What is it that you want? To destroy our world? Why? Because you feel inferior for some reason? Guess what? You're always going to feel inferior, but it's not because you are muggleborn, it's because you are pathetic. Now, what have you done with my brother? Yeah, I know you know. Red hair, looks startlingly like me with the exception of the missing ear? Where is he?" He stood up to go searching for his twin when he was suddenly thrown violently back into his seat.

"Who am I?" Louis asked. "Who am I?" He laughed a little before continuing. "I am one of the most powerful enchanters in the world. Oh, yes, don't be fooled. Old Voldemort was no match for me. I have just been biding my time as he did a lot of the work for me. Now that he has the wizarding world at the weakest it's ever been seems like the perfect time to strike. What say you?" he asked, turning to address the others in the room who were nodding in agreement. "You see, muggleborns are extremely powerful. In many cases, such as that of the people in this room, much more powerful than pureblood enchanters. Our powers weren't just something we inherited, weakening as it went down the genealogical line. We are the first of our kind and we have the strongest powers. But with that power, comes a great burden. A burden we did not ask to bear. Our lives have basically been shut off from the muggle world where we no longer fit in. We are shunned by many of our magical counterparts. It is a lonely world, and one that we thought you, of all people, Miss Granger, might understand."

Hermione sat motionless, completely unprepared for the speech she had just heard. He wasn't wrong in a lot of what he said. She had lost her parents to the war. She had erased their memories in order to save their lives, but to her they were as good as dead. She no longer had any contact with any of the muggle world that she grew up in and for no other reason than she no longer fit in. As a witch, she could not ever fit in again. It was too great a secret to hide. And yet, she didn't really fit in the wizarding world right now either. She had spent her entire time in the magical community fighting Voldemort with Harry and Ron and now that time was over. As she had told Fred before, she was alone. She loved magic, but as much as she loved the experience, she missed the close relationships and bonding she had in the muggle world. She knew these people were radical, but a part of her couldn't help but appreciate the thought, the hurt, the feeling, behind what they were saying.

Apparently, her expanded period of thought spoke to Louis, or he was just that desperate for her help, but he decided to let she and Fred leave and give them time to think over what she had learned that night. It was a bold move on his part, knowing that she could descend the greatest witches and wizards alive on him at any moment, but for some reason he seemed to know she wouldn't do that. So, she grabbed a completely dumbfounded Fred by the hand and led him out, unable to speak to him or anyone for the moment. They both had a lot of questions and now was not the time to ask them.