I don't own Harry Potter

Chapter 4

Hermione Granger was a happy witch. She was on her third day of vacation in France and had somehow managed to convince her parents to let her spend the day in a magical bookstore while they caught up with old schoolmates. She was turning a corner in the shop with an armload of books when she ran into something or according to the voice apologizing someone.

As she bent down to pick up her dropped books she said "I'm sorry. I wasn't watching were I was going either." The hand that had been handing her a book stopped mid motion.

"Oh you're English! Do you go to Hogwarts?"

Looking up Hermione saw a beautiful girl a couple of years older than her. "Yes I do. I..."

"Oh that's wonderful! I will be starting there this year and now you can tell me all about what it's like and I will have a female friend there also. My papa got transferred to England for work and my boyfriend goes to Hogwarts. But he is ever so much a boy and sometimes it would be nice to talk to a girl. Oh I'm Anya and you are?"

This was all said quickly but this Anya had a large smile on her face. If Hermione was being honest she sometimes wished for a girl she could relate to because Anya was right Harry and Ron were boys. "I'm Hermione Granger it's nice to meet you."

Anya grabbed the last book and stood. "Let's pay and go across to that restaurant. My aunty owns it and we can have tea and biscuits while we get to know each other."

Hermione looked out the window to see the restaurant in question across the street and then eyed Anya. It was still a public place and this was France not England. "Ok that sounds lovely."

Walking into the restaurant they were greeted by a woman that was almost too beautiful to be real. She kissed Anya's cheeks before ushering them into a room at the back of the restaurant. This Woman seemed to glide not walk. "Thank you Aunty may we have tea please."

The women smiled and turned to Hermione and clasped her cheeks in her hand "So beautiful and brave you will do amazing things young one. You must follow what is in your heart. It is hard especially for those with such intelligence. The heart sees what the mind cannot." With a kiss to each cheek the woman said "Welcome to the family child" and glided out of the room. Hermione didn't understand why this women would say that to her and looked to Anya.

"That was my mother's sister Alais. What year are you in at Hogwarts and what house? I shall be in the house with my boyfriend. If it's not the same we must make plans to meet. We could study together also. We can have so much fun! Tell me all about it!"

As she sat with Anya Hermione started telling all about Hogwarts from the moment she stepped foot in the castle till the last day of term this year. It felt as though a weight was lifted off of her Anya never seemed to judge her or even ask questions and yet she was listening to everything Hermione said at the edge of her seat. Hermione was never able to tell her parents everything for the simple fact they wouldn't understand half of it and would most likely insist on pulling her from Hogwarts. The thought of leaving Hogwarts wasn't an option for her. Harry needed her.

She looked up when Anya stood next to the table and pulled her wand. Raising it she stated "I Anya Lea Smart do swear on my life and magic that I mean no harm to Hermione Granger or Harry Potter. So mote it be." A blue light flashed through her and then she stated"Lumos" and the tip of her wand lit.

"What's going on? Why did you give a wizards oath?"

"Hermione I really want to be your friend and I need you to trust me. My father is a pureblood whose family originally came from England. They left a long time ago after not agreeing with the society there. My mom's family is from France they are all magical but not all humans. In France that is fine. You know what England is like. The real issue though is gifts. Magical gifts the children in my family are all born with due to our inheritance. We are all powerful and intelligent especially the females. I have several gifts one that allows me to see glimpses of the future. Divination is a wooly branch of magic and if you don't have the gift you can't be taught to do it. When I was a little girl I saw a little boy in England. This boy was my future and so I wrote him a letter and we have been pen pals since. For the last two years the future has been changing wrongly. It is being manipulated by someone and it is making everything awful. Many will die before their time including my other half. I have spent the last two years working with the other females in my family so we could figure out who was causing such a bleak future and how to fix it. Hermione it all started changing on Harry Potters' eleventh birthday. The things he will be forced to do and see are cruel and inhumane, including watching my boyfriend die in front of him. My original goal was to save my love but it's bigger than that. We must save many innocents including Harry Potter and I need your help."

Hermione was in shock and could only ask one question "who?" The answer was even more shocking.

"Albus Dumbledore."

The only thing Hermione could say was "No Dumbledore loves harry!" Anya looked at Hermione and cocked her head to the side.

"Oh I see. Please Hermione come with me." She stood and held her hand to Hermione. Remembering the oath she hesitantly placed her hand in Anya's and followed her to a door in the back corner of the room. They walked down a simple stone hallway and entered a large room. Torches and candles lit all over the room that had symbols etched into the walls, floor and ceiling. Anya led her to the very center of the room that had a circle of different stones marking it. "I need you to stand in the center. This is our ritual room and these are runes. This shouldn't hurt but I will need to prick your finger."

Hermione held out her hand still slightly dazed and watched as Anya pricked her finger and allowed four drops to fall into a bowl with more symbols on it. Anya walked to the four corners of the room and started chanting holding the bowl. When she was done she picked up a large candle and handed it to Hermione. She enchanted loudly "dimittere in ligat in hoc bellator pythonissam." Anya then poured the blood into the candle flame.

Hermione felt like she was in the middle of a tornado the wind was coming from all directions. The flame of the candle seemed to follow the wind she could feel the heat but it wasn't painful as it wrapped around her. It ended quickly and Hermione fell to her knees tired and out of breath.

She looked up at an Anya and strange patterns and coincidences she hadn't noticed before begin to emerge. How had three first years managed to get through traps designed to stop Voldemort? Why the giant chess game the only challenge Ron was useful for. For that why were they friends with Ron? He could give Draco Malfoy a run for his money as world's biggest git. Why was Harry forced to spend time at his relatives? It was obvious looking at him something wasn't right there. The revelations about Dumbledore were probably the most shocking for Hermione. She gasped out loud when she realized he couldn't be trusted.

"What did you do?"

Anya looked at her with a sad smile. "You have had blocks and enchantments placed on you. I'm not sure what they all were for but I asked the four winds and the fire to release the binds of this warrior witch and they have. Now let's go shopping and we can talk some more."

Hermione wasn't sure about the gleam in Anya's eyes. "Shopping? Where?"

Anya grabbed Hermione's hand pulling her out of the room and down the hall. "Oh Hermione it will be so much fun and very educational. " Anya stopped and hugged her "We are going to the sexual store."

"What!"