Author's Note - Haha, okay so it's been a while since I last updated… Sorry about that! But when writer's block hits, it hits hard! I've been trying to incorporate a lot of different ideas as well as wrap up the story, so it's taken a fair bit of manipulating! Hopefully the end will be in sight soon, so to everyone who has read this far: You are amazing! :D
Chapter Fifty Four.
Alice laid her stomach on the guest bed as the Goblin Physician tended her various wounds. He was a gnarled old thing, but with such a whispy voice, kind eyes and knowledgeable hands, that he rarely scared people. Well, maybe sometimes.
Her Uncle Jareth and Aunty Sarah sat on stuffed chairs that faced her as they discussed the recent events.
"We'll have to take this up with the High King and Queen, this is bordering on treason!" Sarah exclaimed; her slight American accent that she had clung onto spitefully becoming more prominent.
Jareth shook his head, "No dear, this is treason, no two ways about it."
"How are Mum and Dad?"
"Your Mum's almost awake, she didn't take as much of the curse as your father did."
Alice smiled and hummed a bit; she couldn't really remember her parents that much, her older sister had practically raised her after they had been comatose. At least she faired better than Neville and his parents, it was unlikely that they would get better any time soon… And that poor couple that her sister had initially told her were their parents right next to them… It was the right thing to do, Alice supposed, to have at least a semblance of parental figures that weren't currently Sleeping Beauty in a supposedly mythical land…
The Goblin equivalent of a nurse rushed into the room hurriedly, "Your Majesties! The Heir… The Heir and his spouse are awakening!"
Alice ignored the Goblin Physicians shouts as she scrambled up from the bed, ignoring the pain her wounded back and wings gave her, stumbled a bit as she made her way to the door, before she sprinted down the corridor to her parent's room.
Followed closely by her Aunt and Uncle.
And that Goblin Physician who was still shouting at her to rest.
While Alice knew if one of her patients had done that she'd be pissed off too, but right now she really couldn't care less.
She made a mad dash for the door and yanked it open, the utterance of her parent's titles dying on her lips as she stared at what lay before her within the room. Too surprised to protest, Alice was pulled away from the door and it was firmly closed behind her. Numbly, Alice was pushed down the corridor back to her guest room by the irritated Goblin Physician and Nurse
As she was herded into her room, she stared up at her Aunt and Uncle in shock.
Sarah looked on guiltily as she heard a soft, "Why? Why did you - ?" before Alice disappeared again. She glanced up and saw her husband's stern face before sighing. Knowing it was a façade and that he cared as much as she did, if not more…
Hermione groaned blearily as she registered a darker shadow passing over her eyes. Wearily opening her eyes, she flinched back suddenly when she realised what it was.
She was looking into the eyes of an old Beggar Woman.
Grreeaattt… If Alice didn't want to kill her before for not listening to her advice (which, usually, you know, she had solid reason not to, her advice was typically along the veins of Harry and Ron's… mixed with Luna's… and a bit of Dobby and Hagrid's thrown in too…), then she probably did now.
"Hello deary… I was wondering if you had any food or water to spare?"
Hermione licked her parched lips nervously, "Ah… No, I'm sorry… If I did, I would share it with you, it's just that - "
"But what's that in your hands precioussss?" The Beggar Woman's eyes glinted dangerously as her gnarled old hand pointed at Hermione's.
Hermione looked down in surprise to see a full, lush, deliciously tempting pear sitting innocently in her hand.
"Oh." She uttered softly.
"So, what do you say, dearesssst? Shall we sssplit it?" the Beggar Woman asked greedily.
"NO!" hissed Hermione, clutching the fruit to her chest. She registered deep in her mind that this possessiveness wasn't voluntary, that she really shouldn't want to eat this fruit: she was hungry, but now that she'd met the Beggar Woman, she did want to stay on her good side and besides, one piece of fruit shouldn't be good enough to make her stay in the Underground forever…
Hermione's mind was quickly analysing the differences between this possessive and surprisingly swift involuntary movements and the sluggishly sleepy movements of the imperius curse. Obviously, this was a different type of magic, probably fae, but as they had been no books that she had found on how to counter fae magic, except to avoid it at all costs, Hermione soon found herself in a very… odd position.
"Are you sure deary?" the Beggar Woman rasped, eyeing Hermione with an odd glint in her eye. Hermione was so disconcerted when she had the slightest feeling of Déjà vu… She was sure that she'd seen those eyes somewhere…
"No! I mean yes – I mean… Do you know how I can get home?" Hermione asked in desperation.
The Beggar Woman leaned on her cane, looked Hermione in the eyes and stated simply, "Yes."
Hermione's countenance brightened, "Really? Can you tell me?"
"Tell you what?"
"How to get there."
"Where's 'There'?"
"Aboveground!"
"What about the Aboveground?"
"I want to know how to get there!" Hermione cried in frustration.
"That's nice dear. Now, are you going to share that fruit or not?"
Again Hermione felt that possessive pull that made her hands tighten involuntary around the pear and pull it to her chest.
"Noo…' She ground out, fighting to keep the word in and not offend the old lady, 'But, why won't you tell me how to get Aboveground?"
The Beggar Woman cackled loudly, showing her toothless gums, "Choose the right words, deary and you may know all you want."
Hermione stared at her oddly, she reminded her eerily of Alice in a way… She was sure she'd heard Alice ask that of her before…
Suddenly calm, Hermione turned to the Beggar Woman with clear eyes and said clearly, "How do I get to the Aboveground?"
The Beggar Woman's face lit up and she straightened her bent back slowly. Hermione blinked a couple of times as she thought in place of the old woman there was a regal and elegant young lady, but it was just a trick of the light, because when she blinked, it was the old Beggar Woman again.
The feel of her wizened old hands that suddenly clasped themselves around Hermione's arm amplified this fact.
"Hey! What –?"
But before she could finish, the old lady had vanished… and taken Hermione with her, leaving only her cackling laugh behind.
When Hermione opened her eyes, she found herself in the middle of a grand throne room… with the old Beggar Lady nowhere in sight. Neither was anyone else for that matter. Nor any doors…
Looking around curiously, she could barely disconcert whether the room was made of polished stone or was actually the inside of a giant tree with it's insides polished and lacquered. In any case there were huge windows incased within the walls, with black twisting vines in between the panes… much like the very window now residing in the Hogwarts Hospital Wing… The first type of magic Alice had shown… And it had been fae. Why hadn't she been able to pick up all those nuances? The ways her seemly simple magic had given her different results from the rest of them…
"I don't see why we had to come Jareth!" a forceful and female American voice came from behind Hermione.
She whirled around, but still found herself all alone in this room void of any living thing and entrances.
"Sarah, you should know by now that when Mother calls, we must answer." Came an amused and distinctly male English lilt.
"Humph." Came the annoyed sound from the female.
Hermione still couldn't see them, but she could hear their footsteps coming even closer.
"I wonder what Granny wants though…"
That voice! That New Zealand accent curried with Australian!
Hermione cried excitedly, "Alice! Alice is that you?"
The voices and footsteps stopped suddenly and Hermione had a horrible feeling that maybe it wasn't her...
This was quickly dissipated when she heard an answering cry, "'Mione!" and the sound of running feet. This was also supported when she heard the other therefore unknown voices calling out for her to stop running. Yep, that's Alice.
Hermione stared at the place where she could hear the footsteps coming from, waiting to see where and how they would emerge. Instead, she heard from behind her, "Hermione? Why are you -? Why are you here? I thought you'd be home by now!"
Hermione blushed pink as she took Alice's outstretched hands into her own and mumbled as she scrubbed her toe against the polished floor.
Alice tilted her head, "Hermione? What did you just say?"
Louder she said again, her face bright red, "I said! That I fell… asleep… in the shade… and a… beggar woman… found me…" Hermione's voice grew smaller as she stuttered out her explanation, especially as she saw Alice's face fall in disappointment as each word forced their way out. This was worse than facing Professor McGonagall for breaking school rules or worse! … With an E on her test papers… 'Exceeding Expectations' indeed! Anything less than an 'O' was unacceptable!
"Hermione… I told you - "
"I know, Alice, I know! I just thought that it wouldn't hurt…"
Alice sighed and the imposing male's voice broke through, "You didn't eat any food though, did you child?"
Hermione bristled and turned to face him, standing tall she looked him in the eyes and as she spoke, she fought off the blush of attraction, "Of course not. Even the most foolish of muggles know not to touch Faerie food!"
The handsome male's eyebrows twitched in amusement as he glanced at the woman beside him who fidgeted uneasily. "Indeed."
Alice gasped, "Oh! That's right! Hermione, this is Uncle Jareth and Aunty Sarah!' she leaned in close to whisper in Hermione's ear, 'She married him because she bet him at his own game… and ate a Fae peach."
Hermione paled and stuttered, "Well! When I saw all muggles! I mean foolish muggles – Um…"
Alice's Aunty Sarah waved her embarrassment down, "Don't worry dear, I've gotten used to the fact that a simple thing like that lead down to my downfall!"
Jareth frowned at his wife, "Hey! That's not fair!"
Sarah drolly replied, "I believe you once told me that 'Life isn't fair'."
Alice interrupted, "Um...right... Anyway... This is Hermione, Draco's fiancé."
Suddenly Sarah cooed excitedly, her eyes lit up like a kid in a lolly shop, "Oh! Really? Where's the ring?"
As Hermione showed it shyly to the excited muggle-turn-fae she noticed out of the corner of her eye that both Alice and Jareth had suddenly tensed and were warily eyeing something.
Sarah must have noticed as well, because she suddenly straightened and turned around at great speed. Hermione now saw what had gotten them so worked up.
She reached out and blindly clasped Alice's hand and whispered, "That's her! The Beggar woman!"
Alice nodded slowly, "That's also Granny… Queen Titania…"
The old Beggar woman cackled slowly. As her cackling went on, it smoothed out into honeyed tones and her body transformed as well. That glimpse of that regal woman that Hermione had seen wasn't an illusion, it had been her slip-up into her more common form.
"Hello Children."
The three faes bowed formally and Hermione hurriedly copied their elaborate greeting.
Queen Titania's bright greeny yellow eyes focused on Hermione and it clicked. Alice's eyes. They were the same colour… They reflected the hair on their heads and they were the same colour. The old Beggar Woman's eyes had so confused her because in the back of her mind, she thought it was Alice!
As she glanced at the New Zealand Fae beside her she could see the small differences, the Queen's were cold and calculating like that of a battle hardened warrior, whereas Alice's held the tender compassion and determination of a Healer.
"So, young Witch. You have found your way into the bosom of the Fae fold. How is that so?"
"I… Excuse me? In what way - ?"
"You are affianced yes? To Draco Malfoy?"
"Yes."
"He has a high position here, being a born fae of the Wizarding world. A rather rare occurrence, as rare as your muggles becoming wizards."
"Then… wouldn't that make him an… outcast?"
The Queen eyed her solemnly, "No my dear, because quite like yourself, his parents and grand parents had been born without the fae powers."
"Wha - When - Why?" Hermione stuttered in astonishment.
"His Great-Grand parents dared to try take the seat of power!' Titania thundered, 'And for that generations were to be punished! But my son decided to befriend them, treasonous as that is! I overlooked that, but when he helped them and turned the Draco boy into a fae, I decided it was best that his children grew up without that presence so betraying!' The Queen slowly sat back down and her temper damped a bit, 'Then the boy decided to come 'visit' his surrogate Grand-mother… and he grew on me. That was when it was decided that he would marry into a high-born Fae family. But that all changed when you entered the picture!" The Queen's eyes burned into Hermione as she continued. People in positions of power love explaining things to people 'beneath' them, always have and always will.
"You had captured his love, something thought almost impossible for Faes,' here her eyes flicked quickly over to the Fae couple standing protectively behind her, 'And you had to be tested."
"By wiping my memories of him?"
"Oh, that was the simple task. Sooner or later someone would figure out how to lift it for you, or you would yourself."
Titania's accusing eyes landed on someone different this time. A guilty looking Alice who suddenly decided that the décor of the room was fascinating.
"No, the tasks came when it was time to see how far you would go to protect someone."
"Not Draco? Wouldn't you want to see how far I would go for Draco…?"
"No precious, it was to see how far you would go for someone with whom you didn't love, because if you would do everything for them, you would do anything for the one you loved."
Hermione gulped. This all seemed so much more than a simple test. Suddenly, facing McGonagall seemed so insignificant against Queen Titania.
The Queen's eyes softened as she whispered, "But… you failed."
Hermione's breath caught in her throat, "Wh - What?"
"You were doing fine, until you began to second guess the one who you were supposed to save. Little Alice knows so much more about the fae world than you could ever hope to understand, yet you still placed little value in her words."
Vaguely Hermione could tell that it was only her and the Queen in the room now, the other three faes had all disappeared.
"NO! That's not true! I trust Alice absolutely!" Deep in Hermione's self, she felt a tiny twinge of doubt.
"Yet when she warned you against the trees? The Shade? Sleep? When she told you the only way home, you still had to get verification of the knowledge?"
Hermione shook her head viciously, "No! That's not it!" Even as she cried that out, she could feel herself being pulled into the air, the feeling of gravity disappearing.
The Queen shook her head, "Such a pity."
Just as Hermione's head filled with fog, she heard a familiar voice shout, "NO!"
Hermione woke with a start. Luna leaning over her head curiously.
"Hermione? Are you okay?"
Hermione looked around desperately, before realising she was in her bed at her family's mansion, "Oh, I'm fine… But Luna, where's Alice?"
Luna cocked her head to a side, "Who's Alice?"
Hermione panicked, "Oh no! Not this again! I've got to find - "
"Relax Hermione! Relax! It was just a dream!"
"Wha – No Luna, really!"
"Hermione, it was just a bad dream brought on by your stress of planning Emily's birthday party! Nothing is going to go wrong today!"
What? Emily's Birthday…?
"How long did I sleep? Is it her 21st already?" Hermione panicked.
Luna laughed, "No silly! You didn't sleep the whole year away! It's her 20th, remember?"
Hermione slowly smiled, "Ah, of course. Her 20th. How…silly of me."
Luna patted her comfortingly, "Okay 'Mione, I'll leave you to get ready. Harry is going to be over soon to help us get ready. Ron and Padma are coming over soon as well."
Hermione nodded, "Yeah, okay… I won't be long."
Luna beamed and bounced her way out of the room, grabbing the arm of her stoic tall boyfriend Blaise, who had waited in the corridor for her.
"Emily's 20th birthday?' Hermione mused quietly, 'But… That was when the Marriage law got sent out… And no Alice either… why can I remember her then?"
The party was in full swing; Emily was happily dancing with her new fiancé and Hermione decided it was high time she found Harry. He was just heading for the refreshments table when she accosted him.
"Hey Har?"
"Yeah 'Mion?"
"Do you know anyone… who's about,' Hermione squinted her eyes as she thought quickly and indicated a height, 'yay tall, got fluffy blonde hair and greenish yellow eyes… Female, of course and is rather… queer? Luna queer, I mean."
Harry looked at her side long. "Other than Luna? No. But… that description reminds me of,' he sighed wistfully, 'her."
Hermione rolled her eyes and mentally facepalmed herself. Of course Harry would remember Alice, but only as the mystery nurse. No help from that quarter.
She swiftly left Harry to his sappy musings, disappointed and glad. Glad that Harry could still be a sappy romantic even after everything he'd been through, but obviously disappointed that if anyone would remember Alice, it would be Harry. Hermione paused suddenly as she recalled someone else. Draco. Her fiance. Someone she was supposed to forget, but at that moment all her memories of their love cascaded in waves around her. She wondered how'd she pull this off. Pretend that she'd still forgotten? Or come running into his arms, declare that she remembered how to love him? Yeah, no, way too much melodrama there. Maybe she should just start from the beginning, when everyone had met at Hogwarts.
Hermione's step faltered, 'what if it really had been a dream? What if she and Draco had never been in love? What if Alice had just been a dream herself?'. Breathing in deeply, Hermione knew the prize would be bigger than the fall.
Hermione rushed out of the party that night before one of the most important things that would happen could get there. The Ministry's Marriage Law Patronus.