"Albus..."

Professor Agilbert Fontaine pulled out a small mirror from a hidden drawer in his desk. He activated it by speaking the name of the intended recipient who possessed another such device; in this case, his Hogwarts counterpart, Professor Albus Dumbledore.

A moment later, the unmistakable visage of Dumbledore appeared in Fontaine's mirror. "Yes, my friend? Is there something I can assist you with?"

Fontaine sighed. "There is, Albus... something has just come to my attention this morning and I feel it necessary to share with you, as it potentially concerns one of your students... one of your finest students, in particular. Two of my pupils have had nearly identical dreams - one the night before last, and the other last night - and both have foretold the re-opening of the Chamber of Secrets. I do not believe this to be a coincidence, Professor."

The color from Dumbledore's cheeks drained, and it seemed that a few new wrinkles found themselves on the aged headmaster's already weathered features. "Can you tell me the names of the pupils that are having these visions?"

Fontaine nodded. "They are Kellen Grimseth and Harry Potter. I know the latter is definitely known to you, and it's highly likely that the former is as well. I don't know for certain, but I suspect that these two boys share a dyad of sorts."

"Yes, I'm familiar with both of those young men," Dumbledore replied. "Although it pains me to admit this, Harry is precisely where he belongs right now... there is a certain safety that Ilvermorny provides that I'm not as confident that Hogwarts can. Now Bertie, you also mentioned one of my pupils... who is the pupil in question, and what does he or she have to do with Harry and Kellen's visions?"

"It's Hermione Granger... one of the two young witches that visited Ilvermorny last April. She's friends with both of these boys, but she's especially close to Kellen. He is not a wizard that gets fazed easily, but I saw the fear in his eyes when he described his premonition... he truly fears for Miss Granger's safety, which is why he sought us out as quickly as he did. Both he and Harry saw her laying in the infirmary... petrified, by the basilisk which was set loose fifty years ago."

Dumbledore nodded slowly, as if reminiscing, though it was certainly a memory nobody in their right mind wanted to recall. "I quite vividly remember that incident, Bertie," murmured Dumbledore. "I was the Transfiguration professor when that happened... most unfortunate. Did either of those young men mention any other victims - petrified, or otherwise?"

Fontaine shook his head. "No, Professor. Not specifically, at least. They both said that there were at least a couple of other petrified pupils in the infirmary, but they didn't recognize those victims... only Miss Granger." He stroked his beard briefly. "Ahh," he exclaimed. "They both mentioned one other pupil, but neither Harry nor Kellen know her. They described her as a small girl with straight red hair... a first-year, most likely. She seemed to be acting strangely - under the influence of some dark, powerful force. She wrote messages in red lettering on the wall... red paint, perhaps blood..."

"The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir, beware," whispered Dumbledore. He smiled bitterly. "These were the words that were written fifty years ago, that corresponded with the first attack."

"Miss Granger is a Muggle-born, or as we say, no maj-born," replied Fontaine. "She's definitely susceptible to a second attack should one be imminent... and I have a bit of a proposal if you'll hear me out."

"I'm listening," Dumbledore murmured, still reeling from the shock that the Chamber of Secrets could be opened again at any point.

"I don't want to chance things, Professor," pleaded Fontaine. "I would like to provide Miss Granger, and perhaps her close friend, Miss Greengrass, refuge at Ilvermorny. You know they will receive a quality magical education here, and we would treat both those young ladies with the utmost respect and dignity."

Dumbledore nodded as he listened to his Ilvermorny counterpart. "I do not disagree with your proposal, Bertie... but I think we should take a wait-and-see approach. Allow me to amend your proposal, if I may..."

"What do you have in mind, Albus?" asked Fontaine.

"A transfer to Ilvermorny - even a temporary one - would in all good consciousness require parental consent. I will have both girls' house heads write to their respective parents to gauge their thoughts on attending Ilvermorny... they already have the advantage of having a bit of an established social network there, so fitting in won't be a problem, thankfully. On the other side of the coin... while I'm not meaning to dismiss those premonitions - and those are rare gifts your boys possess - I would prefer to wait for the first tangible sign of trouble before we spirit them away. I'm not inclined to believe that the basilisk would be set upon the castle without warning... the blood-red message, for example. Or perhaps an animal victim, but not human. Not right away, at least."

"I trust your judgement, Albus," sighed Fontaine. "You've witnessed the opening first-hand, fifty years ago. But when the time comes, I also trust you to do the right thing... I sincerely believe this is a matter of when, and not if."

Dumbledore nodded. "I will begin preparations for the school as a whole shortly. I will inform our Potions Master to begin the preparation of Mandrake Restorative Draughts... we can never be too careful. I will need to be discreet about this - if word gets out that we're preparing for a catastrophe, it would be utter chaos..."

"Very good, old friend," replied Fontaine. "If you need anything from Ilvermorny, you know how to contact me. Thank you for your time. May Merlin watch over you."


Several hours later, Fontaine contacted Professor McGonagall using the same mirror method.

Professor McGonagall did not look particularly pleased to be disturbed. She was in a nightgown and clutched a mug of piping-hot chamomile tea in her hands. "Oh confound it, Agilbert... it's after ten o'clock here in Scotland... what's so important that you had to reach out to me at this hour?"

"I apologize for disturbing you, Minerva, but I felt it necessary to wait several hours... I've already contacted Albus earlier today... but this is an important matter, as it concerns one of your students. Specifically in your house."

Professor McGonagall didn't even hesitate. "It's about Miss Granger, isn't it? What do you want from her?"

Fontaine sighed and told her the same spiel that he told Dumbledore. McGonagall gasped, and would have dropped her mug of tea if she didn't hold on to it with both hands.

"While the previous event happened within my lifetime, I was not yet of age to attend Hogwarts while it happened, so I don't have a first-hand account of the tragedy; but I assure you I am quite familiar with the details from a researcher's standpoint. You needn't convince me any further that Miss Granger is in grave danger; and I feel positively rotten for Mister Potter and Mister Grimseth as I know they won't be getting a wink of sleep until Miss Granger is under your care. While I trust Albus with my life, he doesn't have the... maternal instincts that I have. Simply put, he is not as protective of Miss Granger as I am. What happened fifty years ago isn't necessarily going to hold true if the chamber is opened, say next week - if it is set loose, it could petrify - even kill the poor girl. I would never forgive myself if that would happen." She began showing rare signs of emotion. "I adore that child like my own granddaughter, Agilbert. And as her head-of-house, I have to put her best interests above my personal wishes... and right now, she would be safer at Ilvermorny than here. I will write her parents right away."

"Albus said that he'd have you write to her parents about seeing how they'd feel about Miss Granger attending Ilvermorny, at least temporarily; it sounds like you're already one step ahead of him," chuckled Fontaine.

"We may not have the luxury of time for debating the pros and cons of each school, Agilbert," snapped McGonagall. "I'm telling the Grangers that their daughter is being given refuge at another magical school for her own protection. They can still write each other letters and a visit home for Christmas can be arranged if the threat at the school is still looming at that point."

Fontaine chuckled. "I like that in you, Minerva. You're not asking them, you're telling them and you don't give a damn what they think. That's very Gryffindor of you."

McGonagall let a small chuckle escape. "Albus will thank me later... he is wise, but he's not perfect. This way, there will be one less student's blood on his hands."

"And what of Miss Greengrass?" Fontaine asked.

"I care about that child, too," sighed the old witch. "She may be a Slytherin, but she is one of the kindest and most industrious students in her year. But I'm afraid that I don't have the same pull with her as I do for Miss Granger. Professor Snape is her head-of-house, and he doesn't take too kindly to other faculty stepping on his toes. The best I can do is try to reason with Severus myself; but the counter-point to that is Miss Greengrass is not Muggle-born, and therefore is not as in much danger as Miss Granger is. She is still in danger, yes, but not to the same degree."

"I don't know either of them very well myself, but from what I gather, those two little witches seem to be very close friends, despite their different houses and blood statuses. I would hate for them to be separated, hence my recommendation that they come together," Fontaine replied.

Professor McGonagall smiled. "It makes my heart leap for joy when a Gryffindor and a Slytherin student strike up a genuine, deep friendship. It's especially heartwarming when one of them is Muggle-born and the other is pureblooded. There is no jealousy between them, except for perhaps over exam scores or a handsome boy like Mister Grimseth."

"I'm very grateful you're taking this threat as seriously as you are, Minerva. It's not that I doubt Albus... it's just that he looks at things from a whole different perspective than you do. It's not right or wrong... it's just different is all. He can ensure a school's safety, but you can ensure a student's safety. And a school isn't a school without students," murmured Fontaine.

"I agree wholeheartedly," replied McGonagall. "I thank you for bringing the situation to my attention, but I'm afraid I must call it a night. I'll reach out with any updates concerning Miss Granger and Miss Greengrass."

Fontaine nodded. "Perfect, Minerva. Thank you for hearing me out. Have a restful evening."


The next morning at Hogwarts, the school owls delivered post. One of the owls delivered a most unexpected note to Hermione at the Gryffindor table. She opened it up tentatively, wondering what it was all about.

"Miss Granger,

Please meet with me after Transfiguration class today. I have something very important I need to discuss with you privately. Be sure to keep this to yourself as what we're about to discuss is extremely sensitive in nature. You know that I care deeply about you and only want what is best for you, so please just hear me out.

Sincerely,

Professor M. McGonagall"

Hermione was not sure what to expect when she met Professor McGonagall after Transfiguration that morning. Her heart raced as the students gradually made their way out of the classroom and into the hallway.

"I'd like for you to close the door, Miss Granger," trilled Professor McGonagall. After Hermione shut the door, Professor McGonagall then cast a silencing spell on the door to prevent eavesdroppers from gleaning any juicy tidbits. "Please, have a seat, dear," she added.

The Transfiguration professor saw the trepidation in the child's face, as if she was bracing for the worst. It was not going to be easy to explain to her top student, but she had to do it anyway.

"Miss Granger, last night, the headmaster from Ilvermorny, Professor Fontaine, reached out to me with a most urgent message. Your two friends from Ilvermorny, Mister Potter and Mister Grimseth, have each experienced two similarly horrific dreams in consecutive nights... we do not think these dreams are a mere coincidence, as both boys have given their accounts of their dreams and they are identical in nature, except for the level of detail they provided. I'll get right to the point and only tell you the most pertinent portions... fifty years ago, a monster known as the Basilisk was set loose by the chosen heir of Salazar Slytherin - the very founder of the Slytherin House. The basilisk has the capability of petrifying humans, animals.. even the undead through indirect eye contact... and it can outright kill Muggle-borns with direct eye contact. We have reason to believe that the chamber may be opening again soon, and as you are Muggle-born, we believe you to be in grave danger as long as you stay here... so we are arranging for you to be spirited away to Ilvermorny to continue your magical training until further notice. If you like it enough at Ilvermorny, you may remain full time, but you may also return to Hogwarts once we deem it safe for you to do so... I know this is very shocking and confusing to you, so I have provided you some reading material so you can be more familiar with the story."

She then gave Hermione a couple of textbooks. Tears welled up in Hermione's eyes... partially from confusion, partially from fear.

Professor McGonagall wrapped up Hermione in a warm embrace. "I'm so sorry, my child. I dread losing you as a student - even if it's only temporary - but your safety comes first. You're a wonderful student, and an even better young lady. You have friends at Ilvermorny that will look after you, and you already are familiar with many of the staff members there... in some instances, you may find them preferable to Hogwarts' teachers. I will be checking up on you as often as I can... I won't be able to visit in person very often, but I will be certainly owling you as frequently as I can. You will always be near and dear to me, Miss Granger, even if we're separated by an ocean."

Tears began leaking out of Hermione's eyes. "What about my parents? How will they take this?"

"I've already written your parents, Hermione. I'm afraid that I simply don't have the luxury of asking for permission... the chamber could open tomorrow for all we know. I have to get you as far away from here as quickly as possible. We will be leaving for Ilvermorny tomorrow morning, so please have your bags packed and ready by this evening. I don't want you to tell anyone what's going on, and if anyone asks where you're going, tell them that it's need-to-know only. If word gets out that the Chamber of Secrets is poised to be opened again, panic will overwhelm this school and that's the last thing we need."

Hermione was still fighting her tears. "What about Daphne? Neville? And Ron? And will I see my parents for Christmas?"

Professor McGonagall nodded. "They are all purebloods, so they aren't high on the list to be targeted by the basilisk. They aren't immune, but the basilisk is by nature, a beast that hones in on Muggle-borns. That being said, I am trying to get your friend Miss Greengrass to transfer with you, but as she is a Slytherin, I will have to work with Professor Snape before convincing her. I'm confident that I can get her to join you at Ilvermorny, but it might take some time... but as I said, she's not a Muggle-born so we can take more time with her." The corners of her lips curled into a small smile. "And I see no reason why you can't visit your family for Christmas. I'd imagine that they'd agree with me that your safety is most important, and if it means continuing your education abroad, they would understand. I'll gladly take any tongue-lashing they give me, but I will always be your advocate."

A/N: I know, this one is a bit different. I don't think I've written a chapter where none of the main characters aren't in it, so this is a first I think. And you know that Hermione is running the gamut emotionally... fear, anger, confusion for sure... and even joy for being reunited with her Ilvermorny friends.