A/N: I admit this went off in a totally different direction than I had anticipated, but it still serves. Actually, I'm rather thrilled by this new development.
But first, in which we learn a bit more about Yiayia...
Yiayia smiled at Hermione fondly before raking a ringed hand through her short curls, and Hermione was struck again by how close she felt to the witch across from her. While she was reasonably irritated that Yiayia had markedly shoved her down a pathway littered with the witch's own influence to arrive to her decision, Hermione also understood that she would have come to the same conclusion on her own… perhaps just via a different road.
What was it that Master Kallas said last night? "I am assured that despite the many potential pathways that one can take to arrive to a destination… both the Order and I are on the same path toward Light. I will never deviate from that…"
It seemed Yiayia was of similar mindset.
It felt good to have come to a decision regarding the Order of the Phoenix, and Hermione was confident that her choice would permit her the best of all possible worlds. She also hoped that she hadn't upset her master too intensely with her emotional tendency to vacillate… from the look on the witch's face when she had departed that morning, Hermione imagined that Master Kallas had been afraid she wouldn't return.
Merlin, you need to work on affirming your relationship with her… you can't just run to any old uninhabited island anytime you need to work through things. You need to talk with her...
Hermione supposed that they would also have to have the conversation that clearly outlined the parameters of their arrangement. Remaining in the dark on certain points would be one of the greatest challenges to their relationship, but Hermione imagined she could bear the weight of her master's agenda so long as she felt she retained enough autonomy to make choices regarding her own future.
She hoped that Master Kallas would be amenable to a discussion about it… and distantly, Hermione also hoped that her friends in Great Britain would agree with her choice and take it in stride…
Still caught in the whirling thoughts that surrounded her new decision, Hermione started as Yiayia shifted and began to speak.
"At the risk of dousing your newfound epiphany in a bit of dire extrapolation, I wonder if you remember the name of Theodotus Ambrozaitys?" Yiayia asked airily, sighing slightly before reclining back in the hammock with both arms spread across the macrame.
"Yes," Hermione frowned, reaching down to brush sand off one ankle as she recalled her conversation with Master Kallas from the night previous. "Master Kallas said that he was the Head Architect at the Sagrada Familia. She said that she suspects he was killed by foul play."
"Indeed."
Yiayia was silent for a moment, gazing down at her right hand quietly while her left hand adjusted the many rings absently. The sun had shifted slightly and the shadow from the outcropping of rock was beginning to wane. The day was growing rather warm.
"Architects have always held a rather odd place in Wizarding society, Hermione," Yiayia mused softly, "As you indicated toward the beginning of our conversation, the Guild is similar to a Society in its inner-workings, though it's a bit more open-ended. Perhaps more like an exclusive members-only club. Unlike Societies, we are not bound to our Masters when we train… our magic is a bit deeper."
"Deeper than bonding?" Hermione asked incredulously. What could be deeper than sharing emotions?
"You must think of Architecture as a discipline that goes beyond the building of physical objects in space," Yiayia purred, her eyes lidded in a way that suggested she was beginning to touch on something deeply personal.
"Anyone can dabble in the spells and enchantments to enlarge a living space, render a house Unplottable, or change physical constraints to meet the needs of its occupants. True Architects, Hermione, have the ability to create magic that has the potential to infuse a degree of sentience into the works - a form of self-awareness, if you will. Bringing life or a spirit into a space that will transform it from a physical husk into an energetic and unique place… an act that requires no small amount of coordination and energy, and the utilization of special skills that many in the general populace would find… troubling."
Hermione listened wide-eyed as Yiayia sat forward.
"This work is sacred, Hermione. It is never entered into lightly and the training is arduous because all Architects infuse a bit of their own magic into a finished product. And I mean that literally, my darling. A part of oneself is left behind in every new creation, and it is an act that both generates the spirit of a work… and replenishes the maker."
Unexpectedly, Hermione found herself thinking of horcruxes and she shuddered softly. Yiayia tsked softly.
"Do not confuse our magic with the Dark Arts, my dear. I see you have experienced the abominations of Soul-Shatterers. Architecture is the opposite. It is our task to create through pure joy and elation. Love, not desecration," Yiayia said firmly. "Though the manner in which the two perspectives are rendered is, admittedly, somewhat similar. To bring a spirit into this world deals with powerful energies. Soul magic."
"Necromancy?" Hermione breathed uncertainly. Yiayia tilted her head.
"A lighter form of it at times," she agreed. "However we primarily deal in Neuromancy… the process of distilling thought into form. Shaping reality through willpower and bending the world and our magic to fit the final image."
"That sounds incredibly powerful… and dangerous," Hermione said after a moment, attempting to fathom what such magic would look like. I suppose it reminds me of the Room of Requirement…
"Indeed."
"Is that why you're so good at wandless magic?" Hermione asked suddenly, thinking to the fact that she had never actually seen Yiayia's wand.
"Very astute," Yiayia smiled, wiggling her fingers suggestively. "My skills rarely require the use of a wand and I deign to use one except for detail-oriented work."
"And you haven't received any discrimination because of it?" Hermione asked in surprise. While Hermione knew that Uagadou specialized in wandless magic, she recalled that Master Kallas always carried her wand for the purpose of covering her own abilities from prying eyes. Europeans were rather close-minded about so called "alternative" forms of magic.
"Fortunately I am in a place in life where I tend to operate amongst those I know well, my dear," Yiayia replied. "However, yes… whenever I venture someplace new, I tend to bring my wand as a fail-safe. Though many still recognize my profession by virtue of the rings."
Yiayia held out her right hand for Hermione to view. Merlin… she has to have at least forty or more!
"Each ring represents a completed project," Yiayia explained, glancing at the glittering array fondly. "It is a both a subtle and obvious nod to my abilities. My friend Theo bought me my very first after we completed our first project together. Can't say we were ever very modest."
Yiayia chuckled as Hermione moved closer, fascinated by the strange variety of markings and jewels inlaid on several that must have symbolized specific projects. The effect was impressive to say the least.
"Merlin, Yiayia… this is a lot," Hermione breathed while the witch merely hummed in reply. From what she had read, Architects worked slowly… sometimes spending decades on a single project. The sheer number of rings on Yiayia's hand either betrayed how powerful a witch she was or that she had participated in a number of collaborations, allowing her to work more quickly. Somehow, Hermione found her intuition pointing toward the former option.
A moment later, she blinked as something else connected.
"You said Theo. As in… Theodotus Ambrozaitys?"
"Neh…" Yiayia said sadly, the Greek 'yes' sounding pained and quiet. Hermione's breath caught as one hand flew to her mouth, the other reaching out to cover Yiayia's hand with her own.
"Merlin, I'm so sorry for your loss…" Hermione said softly, watching sadly as the witch's face fell.
"Theo was one of my first friends," Yiayia whispered, patting Hermione's hand softly before pulling back a bit. "A true charmer… idiotic and arrogant at times, such as all men can be... but deeply loyal, courageous, and selfless in a manner that is rarely seen except by the truly good. He was an excellent Architect and an honorable man. I am fortunate that there are a number of his works still in existence that still contain his spirit."
Hermione felt an unpleasant jolt.
"Yiayia, you said that your work… replenishes the maker? Did you… mean?" Hermione trailed off with her tentative question, beginning to gaze curiously at the witch's youthful appearance. Her stomach flip-flopped as she considered the ramifications of her question. One dark brow rose.
"Yes, I did mean, Hermione," Yiayia said seriously, grasping her hand again and leaning forward. "And now you are privy to one of the greatest held secrets of my Guild. Something omitted from every book, undisclosed in every professional forum… a secret, my darling, that is known only to Architects and their closest friends and family."
Hermione gasped, suddenly uncomfortable with the amount of knowledge she had just been dealt.
"Wh-why tell me?" she whispered, unsure of how she felt. Are Architects immortal? What does it mean to be replenished?
"Because it will save you the unnecessary journey of discovering it for yourself later," Yiayia smirked, crossing her ankles demurely. "Undoubtedly our continued line of inquiry would have eventually crossed over into the territory of Guild secrets, and knowing you, I would have been hard-pressed to avoid your thorough research. I am simply cutting my losses by telling you a few things straight away."
"Are you immortal?" Hermione whispered, almost afraid of the answer.
She was relieved and only slightly embarrassed when Yiayia laughed.
"Sweet Circe, no! What a terrible trade-off that would be!" she chuckled. "No, my dear… the body you see before you has been replenished many a time but there are places it still betrays its age. No doubt you find difficult to look at it?"
"Y-yes… it's like, I can't quite see you," Hermione said in puzzlement, blinking to try and clear her vision. It was easier if she looked at the witch out of her periphery… the smooth olive skin and toned shapes seemed clearer. When she looked head on… the details seemed smudged.
Yiayia smiled sadly.
"Indeed. For I am not completely here in the physical sense. With each project I am sustained anew… the impact depending on the significance of the magic. My life is prolonged… but my body begins to lose its connection to the physical world. Each success means I am one step closer to returning to the energy from whence we all came."
"I… that…" Hermione didn't have words to express the horror she felt. To lose one's connection to the physical world? What about touch? Sensation? Connection with others?
"It's terrifying," Yiayia said simply, easily reading into the look on her face. "It took me a great long while to come to terms with it. It is one of the main reasons why there are so few Architects in existence. Many begin the training, but the majority leave before ever completing their first project."
"Is this what you really look like?" Hermione asked, again fearing the answer. Somehow her mind had created the image of a beautiful husk that would crumble away to reveal some sort of invisible being beneath. She shivered again.
"Yes and no," Yiayia replied with another smile. "It is what I believe I look like and what you believe I look like, therefore I am what we believe."
"That doesn't make sense."
"Of course it does, my dear. Our reality is what we believe it to be - that is the basis for all life and connection as we understand it," Yiayia replied, smoothing her short dress with a sure hand.
"But what are you?"
"If you stick around long enough, I'm sure you'll see eventually," Yiayia replied, sighing gently.
Hermione couldn't let it go.
"Can you feel? Does your body still process sensation? How do you Apparate?"
"I'm not an alien. I'm not a ghost. I'm a witch, darling. Same as you… only a bit older, wiser, and with a few uncommon modifications to my person," Yiayia said firmly, seeming to indicate the matter was closed. Hermione bit her lip, still off-put by this new information.
"I'm sorry, Yiayia… it's… that's just a lot," she murmured, suddenly ill at ease with the woman across from her.
A moment later Yiayia's hands were upon her, resting on her knees as Hermione stared… a strange flutter of anxiety in her chest.
"Touch my hands, Hermione," Yiayia commanded. Flinching slightly, Hermione placed her hands atop Yiayia's. They were strong… but fragile.
"Do you feel me?"
"Yes," she answered timidly.
"Touch my arms."
Hermione hands ghosted up smooth arms, feeling the warmth they exuded, the muscles and bones beneath. Her brow furrowed, she reached Yiayia's narrow shoulders.
"My hair…"
The dark curls were silky as they slid through her fingers, and Hermione started to breathe easier. Light hazel eyes stared at her kindly and she was relieved to see that the witch's face was clear to her vision… and that up close, she could see more fine lines upon the light skin… like the barest dusting of time.
"If you closed your eyes right now, would that make me any less real?" Yiayia asked softly.
"No," Hermione whispered, suddenly understanding what the witch meant.
"If I were Disillusioned and rendered invisible, would that make me any less real?"
"All right…" Hermione breathed, sitting back and running a hand through her own curls. "I get it."
She's real… she's still human… just… parts of her are not. It was still difficult to wrap her mind around, but Hermione felt reassured.
"I am sorry to have frightened you, my darling," Yiayia said apologetically, sitting back again and spreading both arms wide upon the hammock.
"However, I warn you that the higher you ascend in any discipline, the more you will discover such blurring between matter and energy. Only the most refined minds can fathom the limits of magic… it's terribly exciting once you get down to it."
Hermione fell silent, wondering what lay ahead of her in the realm of Transfiguration… or Potions, even. Would she ever get to those heights? More importantly, did she even want to?
"Let us return to matters of the immediate world," Yiayia suggested, waving a hand overhead. The simple reed mat above them knitted itself together more carefully and the small flecks of sunshine that had been poking through were quickly extinguished.
Hermione wet her lips and readjusted… sitting with her elbows planted on her knees as her toes continued to bury into the cool sand. Her right toe encountered something hard.
"Now… the matter of Theo and his untimely death. My friend was known for making spur-of-the-moment inspections in the middle of the night. One of his most notable and frustrating habits stemming from Grindelwald's War when he kept the nightwatch," Yiayia said, fluttering her hands as she spoke.
"It was apparently during one of these late night excursions that he was killed. Now. I want you to think, Hermione. Preliminary Auror reports indicate that Theo was killed upon impact when three of the spires fell upon him at the Sagrada Familia."
"I have a hard time imagining any wizard allowing themselves to be crushed by several tonnes of stone," Hermione replied immediately, frowning as she tried to imagine such a strange set of circumstances. "Why not Apparate away? Cast a Shield Charm? Levitate or destroy the rocks?"
"Good. The most obvious questions bear further consideration," Yiayia's gaze was shrewd even as Hermione watched her twist one ring with renewed vigor. "What else?"
"Was he alone?"
"There was no evidence of tampering, spells, or hexes in the vicinity nor any form of potion in his system," Yiayia replied evenly.
"So they don't know for certain," Hermione deduced, thinking hard. "It's possible that they tampered with the diagnostics… or that someone in the investigation is covering it up."
Yiayia raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a half-smile. She chuckled even as Hermione continued to think. Master Kallas said something about being killed for his research… what else?
"Dia said you were quick," Yiayia said, her voice laced with wry amusement. "I suppose I am a bit surprised that you aren't currently in training to become an Auror. Your deductive reasoning is excellent."
Hermione made a face and ignored the question. Her toes had uncovered the outline of a seashell.
"How long was your friend working on the Sagrada Familia?" she asked, still thinking about what could have forced a full-grown, likely powerful wizard, to remain in the pathway of certain destruction. If it wasn't a spell… then perhaps he stayed of his own volition...
"Theo stepped in around 1978 and took over the project in 1981, I believe," Yiayia replied watching Hermione's face carefully. The glare from the sun had grown rather intense and Hermione was staring down at her toes, digging around the shell's smooth exterior with absent-minded purpose.
"What was he doing before that?" she asked, already fearing the answer. Ascending toward those limits we just talked about? Maybe someone outside the Guild found out...
"That's the winning question, my darling…" Yiayia hissed, sitting forward and steepling her fingers. Her posture seemed agitated and jumpy, and Hermione glanced to her right, intuitively understanding that the witch had thought intensely on the matter… and that it was a highly emotional subject for her.
"Does Master Kallas know all of this?" Hermione asked quietly, certain that she already knew the answer but wanting to hear it anyway.
Yiayia looked at her in confusion before her elegant features smoothed.
"Of course," she replied, rubbing her thumbs together. "Though now that she's accepted the Order's mission to Guatemala, her attentions are understandably split until she carries out that particular task. In the meantime, however, I have decided to work with you," Yiayia replied, tilting her head slightly. Hermione sat back in surprise, brows drawing together.
"Why me?" Hermione whispered. "Why not Ana or Konstantinos or -"
"Because in the event that I carry out further research and investigation into this matter, it would draw far too much attention if I brought a member of my own family along," Yiayia said seriously. "It would be far easier to pretend that either you're my Apprentice, which wouldn't be such a stretch to imagine with your staggering intellect… or that I'm simply pitching in to help educate you on other facets of the Wizarding world as a favor to my niece. Which would be conveniently true."
Wow.
Hermione's eyebrows lifted and she dropped her focus back to the partially uncovered shell. The outer edge was smooth and white and she could just make out the hint of a beautiful pink and lavender interior still buried in the sand.
It's like you… you're not even fully uncovered and already she's trying to draw out your potential.
Part of her was flattered by the offer and admittedly already halfway hooked in wanting to discover what happened to Theodotus Ambrozaitys. What Yiayia offered had the chance to be practical experience in the art of gathering information… and an actual opportunity to pitch in and help undermine the mysterious threat that loomed upon the horizon.
But then, another voice whispered.
Or she's just using you.
Hermione's eyes narrowed and she set her jaw, looking back toward Yiayia with what she hoped was a solemn expression.
"Tell me more," she commanded seriously. The witch blinked, but then Yiayia's lips curled into a satisfied smile and she gave Hermione a subtle nod.
"You are learning how to play the game, Hermione," she said approvingly. "Good. Never assume that you can divine everything about others' motivations, no matter what you believe you understand about their words, emotions, or actions. However, you are still falling back on your fire. There are other methods of getting me to tell you what want you want to know."
Hermione waited, chewing on one lip thoughtfully as Yiayia fixed her with a sly smile. She was reassured that the elder witch was still continuing their lessons, and something in the woman's posture suggested that she was about to shift into a working lecture-mode, similar to Master Kallas.
While she trusted Yiayia implicitly in the same manner she did Master Kallas, Hermione was beginning to understand the subtle ways in which both witches worked. Anytime they shared information with her, it was because they had already calculated some sort of internal wager that telling her was more advantageous to leaving her in the dark.
They held their cards where they could see them. If Hermione was going to learn the art of gleaning information, then she couldn't constantly blow down the doors whenever she wanted to know something. She would have to use their skills against them and somehow make them believe that telling her would be to their advantage.
If you're going to practice your skills on anyone, Yiayia and Master Kallas are likely the most challenging adversaries you can get.
Smirking inwardly, Hermione filed that thought away for later. Her toe poked the shell.
They can help draw out your potential… but you have to do all of the digging yourself.
"I suppose I have two questions then, Yiayia," Hermione said eventually, schooling her features into something a bit more subdued and curious. "The first - how do you know that Master Kallas will approve of your plan? The second - where is it do you intend to start?"
"Better, darling," Yiayia replied, smiling at her fondly even as she sat back and pressed the hammock into a gentle rocking motion. "Much better. Here is what I propose…"
Hermione sat back and listened, aware that she was committing herself to an entirely new way of walking through the world. Surprisingly, she felt invigorated by the challenge.
If you succeed at this, you will be a greater asset to the Order… and you will learn things that can help protect the people you love. That is a worthy goal.
With one ear open to Yiayia's unfolding plan, Hermione distantly made herself a second promise.
Just don't lose yourself in the labyrinth.