A/N Okay guys so sorry it's taken me even this long to deliver the next installment to you. But as you know OotP just came out Friday and as of ohh, about 15 minutes ago, I finished it. Wouldn't have taken me two days but I had to go to work. And let me tell you, I absolutely loved it. For those of you who haven't read it yet, go and read it and tell me what you think. It's fantastic. JKR just gets more and more into her characters with each book. It's bloody amazing. All right then, read on proud reviewers and all other SS/HG peoples!!
I Can't Believe It
Chapter 3
By
Tigress Burning
June 17th, 2012
Hermione groaned as the third and hopefully last plane began to descend into Indiana at…she glanced at her watch once and then again in disbelief….at bloody four o'clock in the morning.
*~**Flashback**~*
They had landed on time in New York City, but when going to board their second plane at five thirty they had been informed in no uncertain terms that the bollocking thing was late. So they had been stuck in the most amazing city in the world /after London, of course/ thought Hermione, and she had begged Severus to take her to the Americans' version of Diagon Alley for the East Coast (the D.A.E.C.). He had finally consented, gracing her with one of his so rare smiles that had recently become so precious to her.
Later she would explain that her reason had been sound, Crookshanks had after all, recently turned gods only knew how old, as he could have been anywhere from two to ten when Hermione had found him that fateful day just before her third year at Hogwarts. Figuring it quickly in her head, Hermione deduced her old familiar would have now been in the range of fourteen to twenty-two.
*~**Flashback in Flashback**~*
He had retired this summer to her parent's house, her mum had been delighted and when asked, Hermione said it was alright that Crooks hadn't come home with her; he had been finding the many staircases of Hogwarts a bit difficult to negotiate these days. But when it came down to it, and Hermione had gotten home from taking him to her parent's house, she had immediately broken down into sobs the instant she saw Crookshank's food and water dishes lying on his mat in front of the fireplace. His bed had gone with him, but she could still see it in the corner and she could feel the thread that bound them together as witch and familiar.
The very next week, her mother's head had appeared in the fireplace looking alarmed, and Hermione just knew that something had to have been terribly wrong for her mum to use the Floo network. Apparently Crooks was not doing too well, her mum had said, and Hermione immediately felt for her link to him.
It wasn't there.
'He's gone, isn't he?' she had asked.
'Oh 'Mione, I'm so sorry, but he just refused to eat, I didn't know what to do, and then this morning he just walked out into the yard and wouldn't come back inside when I called him, he was just lying there in the sun, so I thought what's the harm at letting him lie.' Mrs. Granger was wringing her hands. 'And then I went out to get him for supper and he was cold. I didn't know what to do, I took him to the animal hospital down the lane but they said there was nothing they could do. Honey, I am so sorry, I know you loved Crookshanks dearly.'
Hermione had set down rather heavily upon her tapestried ottoman and replied wearily, 'He was more than that Mum, he was my familiar. He was my magical reservoir to nature, my partner.'
Hermione lapsed into silent grief once more, until her mother withdrew her head from the fireplace, disconnecting the call.
She sat there all day Saturday and Sunday, ignoring Dobby's requests that she eat something on the tray he had brought for her, and would have ignored Monday too, if it hadn't been for Albus, Minerva, and Severus all coming to her door at half past six in the morning and trying to withdraw her from her shell. Dumbledore had offered sweets upon sweets with Fawkes cheeping softly on his shoulder, whilst Minerva told her of the familiars she had lost, mourned, and replaced, and Severus just sat beside her, attempting to draw the pain from her body into his own with a carefully placed arm about her shoulders.
In the end it had been one of Hermione's students who had finally broken the depression that consumed her favorite teacher. Griselda Flempswort had carefully knocked on the door to Hermione's quarters and just as carefully opened and closed the door before making her way to a spot on the rug before Hermione. A rather small Hufflepuff second year, the twelve year old had held something out to Hermione, while speaking nervously.
'I know she won't be able to become your familiar, Professor, she doesn't exactly have the temperament that me dad breeds in his familiars-to-be, but she is clever, the smartest one in the litter me Mum says. She keeps me updated on them, you see, so when I heard, I owled her immediately and she Apparated here to bring her. Her name is Amaris.'
Hermione looked up into the deep green eyes of the tiny six week old kitten.
'Child of the Moon?' she had asked Griselda. 'That's a rather ostentatious name for a kitten to grow up into bearing isn't it?'
'Well, she's got the proudest breeding lines of our farm running through her, doesn't she? And she was the only kitten born under the moon, we found the mother quick and only Amaris had a natural birth, so it fit.'
'Well then, Amaris she'll stay.' said Hermione, while accepting the blue kitten into her arms. Gathering her student in one hand, and new pet in the other, Hermione led the way to the doorway, 'Now about the homework I assigned, I assume all of you have completed it?'
*~**End Flashback in Flashback**~*
As much as Hermione loved Amaris, she still needed a new familiar, and so this is what she had brought her husband, /temporary husband, damn it!/, into D.A.E.C. to look for. Having already exhausted all places wizard in England to find a new familiar, Hermione had decided to move on to America, which she felt sure would hold a new familiar for her. And what better way to discover him or her than while on a previous mission? This way she would only have to make one trip.
So while they were in D.A.E.C., they had decided to load up on supplies, shrinking their purchases small enough to fit inside their carry-on bags. Between them, Hermione and Severus had brought one suitcase and one carry-on apiece, then used a Shrinking Charm to make the rest of their belongings tiny, and placed those into the pockets of their suitcases.
They loaded up on supplies, Hermione on ink, sealing wax, and parchment, as well as three new quills; Severus much the same, although he passed on the quills as he had bought a Muggle calligraphy pen from one of the airport stores. Both refilled their potion stores, including several materials that were banned from purchase in Britain. Together, they found several books neither had read, all by American authors, and had bought most of those. To add to the pile, Severus had been forced to leave his family's owl in Britain and needed one for himself and Hermione's new family. He found one quickly, a handsome red Great Horned, which they named Rudyard.
It was as they were turning to leave the owl shop it happened. Just as before, she felt a prickling along her spine, ending at the back of her neck, and Hermione half-turned while still keeping one hand firmly locked in Severus'. Yellow eyes met brown as they stared the other down, and Hermione had never been so excited in her life. This time she knew what was happening, she knew what this meant!
/Well, it's about time!/ came a sarcastic, distinctly Brooklyn accented voice into her head. /Someone who finally can understand and get me out of this place!/
Hermione jumped as she looked across the store. A massive buff tabby cat was walking out from beneath the hanging cages of owls. Easily standing thirty-five centimeters tall (14in), and measuring nearly 60 centimeters (2ft) from tip to tail, the cat must have weighed over eleven kilos (25 lbs). /I don't think so lady, I weigh at least thirty pounds, not no measly eleven, though I don't know what the hell kilos are or for that matter, why I weigh more than 'em./ came the cat's voice again, and Hermione had the good sense to look at him this time.
/Look, the way I see it, you can hear and understand me, I can hear and understand you. You help me get out of my predicament, gimme a nice rub on the head, and I'll owe you one. Oh and by the way, the name's Roldan./
'Well Roldan, it obvious to me that you don't know what's supposed to happen now. You're my familiar, you're mine now.' Hermione said to him, ignoring Severus' confused expression.
'Hermione, what in the world is going on? Who are you talking to?' he asked, perplexed.
Hermione gestured helplessly at Roldan, who was currently sitting in front of them.
'My..famil..he's my..we've bonded.' She finished slightly out of breath as the excitement came to her in an immense wave upon her mind. /I finally, finally have a new familiar!/
/And what in the hell is a familiar and why are you calling me that?/ came the thought from Roldan.
/You are my familiar. As a witch I need an animal to channel my magic through. Most witches and wizards find their familiars early into their twenties. You'll be my second./
/I don't think so lady. You get me outta here, I'll be your long distance familiar, how 'bout that. I've got places to go, and girls to meet after all. I'm already two, I only have a couple good years left in me./
And then Roldan caught sight of Amaris seated delicately by Hermione's feet and abruptly changed his mind.
/Maybe I'll stay with you. Is she with you?/ he had asked. After confirming that Amaris did indeed belong to Hermione, Roldan agreed that he would do best if he came with them.
Despite severe protestations from Severus, Rudyard, and Amaris; Hermione purchased Roldan, placed him in a second carrier and marched her husband and all three of their pets back to airport to board their second plane.
Once they got there at eight thirty, the already bad day, slightly alleviated from the discovery and bonding between Roldan and Hermione, got much worse. Again.
The airport threw a fit that they had picked up two more animals during the layover, and Hermione knew she should have just cast a Silencing Charm over both cages and shrunk Rudyard and Roldan to fit in her carryon. At least Severus' own familiar, a raven called Aland, had decided to fly over himself. Knowing Aland, Severus felt he had probably concealed himself inside a plane coming to America and was probably already resting in their new quarters at the school in Indiana.
Hermione bickered with the man at the ticket counter as Severus stood behind her once more, silently daring anyone to look at her, not because of her beauty this time, but because she came across as the daft woman who had two cats and an owl sitting in the middle of an airport while she argued, rather loudly, with the ticketmaster. Finally, having paid an exorbitant amount in Muggle money, they left the counter feeling triumphant. That is until Severus had happened to glance at the ticket Hermione had thrust at him.
'Hermione, love? This doesn't have Indiana in the destination box. What's Chicago?' Only he pronounced to ci-ca-goo, instead of shi-ca-go, and Hermione had to look at her own ticket to understand.
'Oh, Fucking Hell!' At her exclamation, several people turned to look at them, and Severus felt alarmed as he looked into his bride's face. Was that vein in her forehead…actually ticking in time with her heart? As he pondered this phenomenon, he failed to notice that she was turning around to go back to the ticketmaster, no doubt to fully render him incapable of ever performing his job properly.
'Hermione, no, wait, just leave the git alone!' he exclaimed in protest as he ran after her, finally reaching her seventy-five feet from where the man was standing at his counter. Her right hand was repeatedly opening and closing over the wand that was not there, and Severus realized she was thinking of all the hexes, jinxes, and curses her near photographic memory could come up with.
'Hermione, he's not worth it, love, just let it go. We'll go to Chicago, and if I have to transfigure something for us to fly on, we'll make it to this Evansville place where the school is located,' he whispered to her while holding her close to his body, hoping the close proximity of their embrace would turn her thoughts to other things than homicide.
'He bloody tricked me Severus. He charged us twice the price and then put in another layover and plane ride. We have to fly for two hours to Chicago, wait for three hours and fly again to Evansville.' Hermione was practically crying as she revealed exactly what had happened, and Severus was outraged.
The pair had been informed of their mission a week before, been married five days later, as Albus had explained they had to have a viable marriage in case anyone in America actually checked their cover out. Then this morning they had to wake up at bloody two o'clock, had taken the Hogwarts Express to London and arrived at the airport only to discover the customs line was a mile long, finally made it through that, only to have to sprint to make their plane, Amaris's carrier swinging against her owner's legs with every step. After an eight hour plane ride, they had been told their second plane was to be five hours late, and they had had a long layover, culminating at the point were Hermione had underwent the exhaustive ritual of bonding with her new familiar (a process which gave immense energy at first, then depleted the strength of the pair to almost nothing). Now they were back at the bollocking airport, Hermione was sagging into exhaustion, Severus didn't feel much better to tell the truth, and that stupid git had taken advantage of his young wife.
Severus was murderous.
He began to walk towards the counter himself, with the man looking more and more frightened, until a small hand closed over his and he looked down at Hermione.
'Leave him Severus. You're right, he isn't worth it. Let's just go and board the plane.'
Severus had given into her, but not until he sent a mild curse that he did not require his wand for back towards the man. With all luck, he would wake up with a severe case of acne in an extremely delicate place. He had smiled at the thought and waved goodbye to the unsuspecting Muggle.
*~**End Longest Freaking Flashback I've Ever Done**~*
So now it was four thirty in the morning and they were unloading their luggage as well as two cat carriers and an owl cage into the muggy Indiana morning. A teenage American Indian girl with straight black hair to her waist came up to them and smiling rather widely, spoke.
'Great, this is so fantastic. So you guys are Severus and Hermione Snape right?' All this was said in one breath as the young witch tripped over both their names.
The two exchanged a glance before turning back to the woman in front of them.
'So you'll be our contact then?' asked Severus in his silkiest voice. Hermione giggled as she recognized the Voice that Severus used during all his first year Potions and now DADA's classes. No one could withstand the Voice for long. You were either running in terror, or quivering in desire by the time he stopped using it somewhere between the fifth and sixth years and even then, the girls (and some boys) still wished he would use it.
But this American witch seemed unfazed. 'Right! That's me. I'm the contact. My name is Angeni Running Water. I'm a ninth year at Foltonburg, and I'm here to escort you guys back to the school. Now is there any way that we can condense these suitcases into one? She moved out of sight behind the wall were they had placed their luggage and pulling out her wand, began to shrink the suitcases and carry-on bags all to fit in a small cloth sack. Severus released Rudyard, and Hermione knelt to release Amaris and Roldan from their carriers. They then shrunk the cages and placed them in the sack as well. Hermione shrunk the two cats to about the size of rats, despite the rather vocal protestations of Roldan, /What's up with this? Now I'm not even as big as I was when I was a kitten! Hey familiar lady! Turn me back into my proper tom size!/, and placed them into her deep robe pockets.
Angeni turned back towards them, and smiling her too wide smile again, handed Hermione the bag, which she now realized was actually made of supple leather. 'Awesome!! Okay so all we have to do now is transport to the school.' she said, leading the way over to several things lying on the ground. As Hermione and Severus got closer they recognized them as brooms.
'OH BLOODY HELL!!'
A/N2 To see my own feline familiar, Peppermint, go to my website and look underneath My Pets. Also, Griselda, Amaris, Rudyard, Roldan, Aland, and Angeni are my own creations, don't steal them please.
When I speak of Amaris being blue and Roldan being a tabby, blue means a type of colour on cats, while tabby is describing the pattern. Blue is a smoky gray with very light tips and it takes a lot of work to keep a cat's coat to remain blue the older it gets. Natasha, my ten year old domestic short-hair, who isn't on my website, is blue, although her coat color is easy to maintain. I lucked out on that aspect of her.
A tabby on the other hand is what Peppermint (my familiar) looks like, striped, although the striping can be any color. Roldan is buff, which almost like a golden butterscotch colour with his tabby stripes being a slightly darker shade.
Rudyard is a Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) which is the largest owl in North America. They are sometimes known as Cat or Hoot Owls. I chose a Great Horned for Rudyard, as they are one of the most intelligent and noble looking animals in the world, or so I believe. I also felt that since Voldemort is gone, Severus is trying to rebuild his life, and as he is married(!) to Hermione, he would want animals that do not remind him of his days as a Death Eater (i.e. snakes, spiders, fowl creepy crawlies). To this effect, I think that he would not begrudge Hermione her cats, nor anything else, as she is his first true friend and the one person he wishes to please above everyone else, even Dumbledore.
For Aland, I chose the Raven (Corvus Corax) as they are sweepingly dark, handsome, and glossy; which I feel fits Severus precisely. Ravens are extremely intelligent, and were often romanticized and criticized in folklore. Legends even say that the Raven used to be pure white with the most beautiful singing voice of any bird, until he stole fire from the gods and brought it down to men on Earth. As he descended through the clouds, the fire burned and blackened his beak, and the soot coloured his feathers black. The smoke entered his throat and roughened his voice until it was nothing more than a croak. When he landed and gave the fire to the world, none recognized him, none knew him, because he was ugly when once he had been beautiful. In punishment the gods turned the Raven black forever, and he was to keep his ruined voice and pass it down to all generations which would come after him. This is from the ancient Greeks, but there is another tale from Indian folklore that tells the story a different way. In fact, the Raven has always been a known figure in folklore and legend, as well as having many superstitions concerning them. I felt that this too, would fit Severus.
The animal's names and what they mean: Amaris- child of the moon; Rudyard- from the red gate; Roland- powerful, mighty; Aland- bright as the sun
The people's names and what they mean: Griselda-Stone Heroine; Angeni- spirit angel