Chapter One
No longer at home
Song: Home by Breaking Benjamin
Extract from History Of Magic: Merlin's Order
Due to the very secretive nature of Merlin's Order of the Dragon, it is not known as to where exactly the order was to meet. It is highly speculated that after the downfall of Camelot, Merlin was eager to keep the magical kingdom alive and performed several highly ancient and very hard charms that ensured that Camelot would never be seen by the muggle world.
Some have theorised that Camelot was in fact moved from its original resting place while others believed that Camelot itself was the castle and simply vanished upon the death of King Arthur.
It had been so long since seventeen-year-old Hermione Granger felt that her body wouldn't revolt against the waking of her mind. Even in her dreams her mind wouldn't allow her to find that exclusive rest.
She had trained her body to react to even the slightest movement and she was proud at the time because she was ready to fight for her best friend. Not fighting the urge to drag down a deep breath, Hermione found that for the first time in a long time she was able to fill her lungs and revelled in the feeling of being able to fill her lungs until they strained against her ribs.
The war had taken so much from her and now she was able to reclaim one little part of her.
The sigh escaped her lips as her eyes slowly opened, scanning the ceiling in a lazy manner before she allowed her eyelids to slip close for a moment before the world beyond her came crashing down.
The breath she had been so easy to draw before now came in quick pants. Her head swum as she bolted upright and started to assess the room she was in. she was laying on a bed that had seen better days but it held no resemblance to the ones Harry, Ron and herself had used during their dangerous mission to destroy Horocruxes.
Hermione bit back the whimper at the thought of her friends and slowly lifted her feet from the bed. The heavy stone block walls glistened in the only source of light from the ornate window. A few candles floated around but not nearly enough to a light the small room. Hermione's eyes skipped over the rickety table and chair, finding nothing of use upon the table.
Her breath hitched when she saw the door and for a brief moment hope flashed throughout her and she half hoped that she would find herself in some forgotten part of Hogwarts. The moments before darkness stole over her came flooding back and the tears prickled at her eyes, her body move despite the tremble that wanted to move through her bones and muscles.
Her fear was palpable at the thought that she hadn't awoken from her torture at the Malfoy Manor, not in time to help Harry, but instead, she was now within the depths of the Manor and the madness was no longer beyond her mind but within. She wanted to laugh, a crazed cackle similar to that of the woman who craved her arm like it was nothing more than a piece of wood to whittle away.
She didn't realise she was shaking her head until the tears that were spilling down her cheeks were flung onto her hands. She stood staring at the door pleading that she was not still at the mercy of a mad woman and a small part of her darkening her soul with the thought that if she was that her death would be close at hand.
Her fear nearly undid her when the iron handle began to move, jiggling at first then turning until a pop echoed around the room just as Hermione's seemed to speed up its fast tempo in her chest.
A surge of panic flooded through Hermione when the door opened and a head of blonde hair appeared, her mind revolting at the notion of her the torture she may face but the gentle round face of a sixteen-year-old girl and the dazzling pair of blue eyes caused the fear to be replaced with confusion as a dreamy smile alight the girls face and she swayed into the room.
"Hello, Hermione. I'm so very happy to see you finally woke up, I assured mister Murdoch that the spell wouldn't hurt but he was very troubled by it. I assured him that the Vilas would never let any harm come to you, that they only led you into a good sleep to heal" the words the blonde spoke registered within Hermione's mind but she couldn't and wouldn't get over the fact that Luna Lovegood was stood in battle-torn clothes with the sunniest smile upon her lips.
"Luna?" The Ravenclaw tilted her head and in an impossible manner, her smile grew brighter, chasing away a small nugget of panic still clinging to Hermione's chest. At least with one friendly – albeit dreamy- fellow student she had half a chance against whatever came at them. And Luna had been fairly well focused in the battle.
Before Hermione could muse over the fact that she knew that her previous thoughts of being stuck back in Malfoy Manor Luna's words came tumbling to the forefront of her mind.
"Vilas? Mister Murdoch? Luna what is going on" Hermione felt her forehead pucker and almost blushed when Luna peered closer at her furrowed brow before the blonde witch bounced on the spot and absently played with a thread hanging from her jumper.
"Fairy sister's- usually they live in the Alps... very beautiful and very helpful in aiding to help people get better. You are very lucky as they don't often help witches this far away" Luna's voice was like bubbles as Hermione attempted to keep up. Her eyes darting to the door in the hopes that Luna would navigate quickly through her scattered thoughts.
"Mister Murdoch?" Hermione quickly jumped in when she saw Luna ready to carry on about her magical creatures. The Blonde at least just pursed her lips a little before the smile was back and she was swaying to some music only she could hear.
"Is a very accomplish Wizard... he was the one who brought us here" the frown on Luna's face was mirrored by Hermione at the girls words.
"At least he used the right words to bring us here... I think the magic was the real power behind it" a horror-stricken look crossed Luna's face and she quickly shook her head.
"not that he isn't wonderful... a little harsh almost like a goblin but very nice. He offered a wonderful arrangement of tea and sweets" Luna hummed as her hands came before her and Hermione frowned, once more looking around.
"Neville seems to enjoy the plants Mister Murdoch has grown here... they are very magical and pretty" Luna rambled on about how they caught the sunlight or maybe it was they looked like sunlight Hermione didn't know because only one thing about that sentence grabbed her attention.
"Neville?" Hermione whispered and Luna nodded eagerly, her hands clasping together in front of her as she bounced again.
If Neville was here then it was only feasible to believe that perhaps other students- namely her friends- might be beyond the room they were stood in and she was so hopeful to find out what was going on, why the world had shimmered before her eyes and why she had awoken in a strange room when she should be racing to find her friends.
"Could you take me to mister Murdoch?" Hermione was hopeful only grew more so when Luna smiled brightly at her and nodded so eagerly that Hermione was sure the blonde haired girl would hurt self. Hermione quickly grabbed the girl's hand and squeezed, all the hope surging through her was escaping through her tight hold on the girls hand.
"Besides the others should be up now! I believe the Vilas work is done" Luna chirped and spun her heel dragging Hermione out of the room into a brightly lit corridor that caused Hermione to wonder briefly if they were not at Hogwarts after all.
That notion flew from her mind when Luna dragged her by some windows and nearly hand her arm wrenched from her shoulder when Hermione show the magical land laying before her.
The green hills rolled as far as she could tell and glancing down with a thick swallow she saw that she was on the second floor of a home that led on to a vibrate green forest that almost seem to mock the image of the Forbidden Forest Hermione held in her mind.
"Hermione?" Luna quizzed before Hermione allowed herself to be dragged around a corner to find an ajar door, hushed voices slipping through until Luna shoved the door open and Hermione stumbled into the warm sitting room, eyes darting around looking for something familiar before spotting three heads she knew.
"Thank you Luna" Hermione let her hand slap by her side when Luna flounced off to settle herself into a muted blue wing backed armchair while a tall middle-aged man stared at Hermione who managed to rip her eyes away from the three boys- men- sitting before this stranger.
"Miss Granger you no doubt have questions" Hermione bristled at the tone of arrogance but instead of voicing her irk she simply folded her arms. If she didn't think it too childish she would have turned her nose up at the man.
Instead, she glared.
"Miss Luna no doubt inform you that I am Murdoch. That is all I am... Murdoch and she no doubt told you that I brought you here, which is the truth- except it wasn't by magic" Murdoch seemed to be amused by that, his dark green eyes flickering over those present.
"At least not by my magic alone... that magic was cast years ago, long before any of you was born. I only had to activate the right words when I knew you were all ready to come here" Murdoch stated catching the confusion sent to him and returning it with a smirk that Hermione could only muse on as one that would beat a Malfoy's.
Hermione swallowed hard when her eyes darted to the blonde in question only to find his grey eyes staring at her.
"Where is here?" Neville questioned, his tone was no longer that of a boy afraid of his own shadow nor was it that of a man who had done something heroic only hours or perhaps days ago. Hermione frowned at her thoughts.
She didn't know how long they had been there... she knew nothing of what happened to her friends.
Her panic nearly caused her to miss the response but then again the response brought forth a new set of problems.
"Here is Camelot!" Murdoch smirked, his eyes glinting in the light before the heavy drapes all seem to snap under some heavy weight and revealed the green lands surrounding the home.
Green lands that seemed to bring a whole host of mythical creatures that were never to be found back home.