Disclaimer:
Everything and everyone you might recognize from the Harry Potter books and movies belong to JK Rowling and the various Clans… I mean businesses who have bought or licensed whatever rights off her. No profits is made from this story. And if someone gives me evens so much as one penny, I hereby swear I would forward it to Ms Rowling. Or her UK agent or publisher, at least.
.:/*\:.
Hermione was barely out of Gringotts when a bright flash blinded her. Instinct had her turning her head away. From her perch on Hermione's left shoulder, Silfkil screeched in indignation. The young witch quickly put a hand on her new friend's back, smoothing her ruffled feathers.
"My, my, Miss Granger. I didn't think we would find you here."
Hermione very nearly groaned out loud when she recognized the voice of Rita Skeeter. Blinking the last of the black spots from her vision, she straightened to see the so-called reporter standing in the middle of the steps leading to Gringotts. The witch had her ever-present quill hovering by her head, already writing furiously on a piece of parchment. The Gryffindor chose to remind herself that she was Apprentice to two Masters, and she needed to look good on their behalfs.
"Miss Skeeter. Good morning. Is there something I can do for you?"
If the older witch was taken aback, she didn't let it show. "I have it on good authority that you need to empty your Gringotts account right now. Is that what you were doing here this morning?"
Hermione gritted her teeth, and forced a smile.
"I'm afraid that you have been misinformed, Miss Skeeter. I was here on orders from one of my Masters."
"You're no Apprentice," the older witch spat at her.
"I am apprenticed to Master Babbling, at Hogwarts, and Master Hagdar, here at Gringotts," Hermione explained with a much more genuine smile now. She so loved to be able to ram these facts down the beetle's throat. "Master Hagdar requested that I trade for a messenger bird to make communications easier since I will still be living at Hogwarts for the coming year."
"You're lying," Skeeter said, loud enough that several people in the alley stopped. "Everyone knows you've got to repay for the damages you've caused to Gringotts back in May. See?"
Skeeter extended a copy of the Daily Prophet, showing the front page reading War Heroine or Simple Vandal. More passersby stopped and Hermione shook her head and sighed. She knew many would choose to believe whatever the rag printed, never mind how many times they had been proved wrong. Skeeter took a step forward but stopped short, looking behind Hermione. The younger witch turned round to see that one of the Gringotts' Goblin guards had stepped forward.
"Apprentice Imrae, do you require assistance?" The Goblin sneered in Skeeter's direction, his pointy teeth effectively pushing back the onlookers.
The Goblin's pin seldra showed an upright sword behind a shield, and his rank stone was red. Unsure, Hermione shook her head.
"No, Master. I'm sure that Miss Skeeter will be on her way as soon as I have answered her questions."
The Goblin nodded but stayed right where he was, just a step behind Hermione. The older witch sneered in his direction, but the nervousness showed through the gesture.
"You're her Master then?"
In Hermione's mind, the Goblin's sneer at her question was almost worth the whole encounter.
"Your ignorance would be laughable if it weren't so offensive. I am Hiskut. Young Imrae is Ukerim. Our Clans are brethren, so I suppose you could say we are cousins. Now, I would suggest you let the young apprentice get on with her day. I am told she is quite busy. Apprentice Imrae, I think your friend is waiting for you."
Hermione turned to the Goblin, who waved to the side and Hermione saw George coming their way.
"I am her Runes sponsor, actually, Master…?"
"Latofsi."
"Master Latofsi," George repeated with a bow in the Goblin's direction. "I am George Weasley. I was wondering if you would pass a message on to either Master Hagdar or Master Ragnok. I'm afraid I might have offended the Ukerim when I offered to sponsor Imrae's Wards apprenticeship…"
"The Ukerim have often dealt with Udur. I'm sure they will not have been offended. But I will attempt to pass on your message, Master Weasley."
George glanced at Hermione, who nodded imperceptibly at him. "I thank you, Master Latofsi. Apprentice Imrae, please follow me. I have received a message from Hogwarts regarding your Runes apprenticeship that we need to discuss."
Hermione nodded and turned to Skeeter with a sugary-sweet smile, knowing that the Alley's rumor mill would stop her from spreading her lies this time around. "Miss Skeeter, my apologies but I'm afraid I must leave. You may contact my masters to schedule an interview if you so wish." Hermione turned to the Goblin. "By your leave, Master Latofsi."
The guard nodded once and Hermione returned the gesture before she quickly followed George back to his shop. They made their way to the flat above and George pointed his honorary sister to one of the armchairs by the fireplace. To Hermione's surprise, Silfkil was happy enough to settle on the owl perch that George kept by his own chair. The falcon shook her feathers and accepted a frog leg off George, but only after receiving a nod from Hermione.
"Clever bird. What's its name?"
"She is called Silfkil. Silf for short."
"And in Gobbledegook it means…"
"Silver sky," Hermione translated with a smile. "And silver for short."
George nodded as he summoned his tea tray and started to fix them each a cup.
"So, did you really receive a message from Hogwarts?" Hermione finally asked with a smile.
"I did, actually," George confirmed. "It was pure luck I was coming out to get you. The Headmistress sent me a message explaining what she would need from me. She might have mentioned that you'd be around. She said to tell you she'd open the Floo for you if you want."
Hermione couldn't help but chuckle as her brother's grin grew as he handed her cup over.
"By the way, you can tell the Headmistress that I agree to her conditions."
"And are you going to tell me what they are?"
"No, sister mine. That is for me to know and you to never find out."
Hermione huffed mightily and turned her nose up before taking a dainty sip of her tea. George's grin grew and Hermione soon was having troubles not matching his expression. "What do I need to do now, George?"
"Nothing. At least, nothing about me. McGonagall has told me a bit about what Hogwarts would need so I've made arrangements."
"And you're not going to tell me," Hermione said.
"I don't have to, Hermione. I'm your sponsor. My job is to make sure you get to study for your apprenticeship without having to worry about money. Besides, you already know that I will expect payment, eventually."
"Yes, in the form of me helping out develop more Weasley Wheezes products."
"Exactly," George smiled.
Hermione just shook her head and quickly finished her cup of tea. "I need to get back to the school. Places to be, people to see, and all that."
As soon as she stood, Silfkil flew to Hermione's shoulder, settling onto the padded shoulder guard.
"That is one very clever bird," George repeated.
"Goblin-trained," Hermione said by way of explanation.
She took a pinch of Floo Powder and threw it in the fireplace, ready to make her way back.
.:/*\:.
Hermione had lost no time once back at Hogwarts. After thanking the Headmistress for letting her use the Floo and passing on George's rather cryptic message, she'd made her way back to her quarters. Her lunch had consisted of a sandwich that she'd swallowed in a total of five bites. Curious about her morning encounter with Master Latofsi, she'd looked up his Clan as she ate. She'd found that Ukerim and Hiskut had been founded by brothers, back when the Goblins still had an official King.
A smile on her lips, the witch had given a quick polish to the armor Hagdar had sent her and put it on. She'd then un-shrunk her gifts for the Merpeople and had written a quick message for Professor Firenze, requesting for him to meet her to talk about meeting the Black Forest herd. Silf had dutifully taken the message and flown off to the Forest so fast that Hermione was sure the message would be delivered even before she'd gotten to the Lake.
And so, Hermione now stood in front of Black Lake, clad in black leather armor, with her hair tied back in a plait to show off her gleaming seldra. The water lapped at the shore as the young witch watched and waited. It didn't take long for several figures to half-emerge from the lake. Hermione straightened and bowed slightly at the group of six Merpeople in front of her. The selkies waved her forward and Hermione walked into the lake as she was bid. She attempted not to stare at the green hair, grey skin, and yellow eyes. These were after all a people who had consciously chosen to take on the classification of beasts rather than go against their beliefs. One of the Merpeople swam a bit closer and tilted their head slightly.
"I am Loxias. We have received your Patronus message and are wondering what we can do for you."
The Merman spoke in an accented English that managed to sound both guttural and musical. His deep voice had Hermione guessing he was male. Loxias's skin was a very light grey, almost white, and his yellow eyes and seaweed-green hair looked even darker because of it.
"I am Hermione Imrae Granger, of the Ukerim Clan," Hermione said with another bow. "As is the Old Way, I wish to request permission to cross your lands in peace if it becomes required by my masters, Professor Babbling of Hogwarts, and Master Hagdar of the Ukerim of Uzugarg. I bring a gift of food, that you may know my intentions are true."
With a flick of Quebracho, a large basket of fruits and vegetables levitated to the Merpeople. Loxias looked at the basket with what Hermione interpreted as surprise and he waved one of the other selkies forward. She saw them look at her seldra. They then exchanged a few words in their own language and Hermione gritted her teeth against the screeching noises. Three swam forward to take her offering while one disappeared under water with a splash.
"My apologies, Imrae. I know that our language is not pleasant to human ears."
And here is another nation that will apparently call me a Goblin messenger of the gods, Hermione thought.
"No need to apologize, Master Loxias."
The selkie made a sound, between a hacking cough and a wheeze, which he quickly covered behind his webbed hand. The Merman was close enough to human that Hermione recognized the expression on his face as a smile, although it was a rather frightening sight - just like a Goblin smile was for those who weren't used to it. And the young witch was honest enough with herself to know she wasn't yet used to it.
"Forgive my laughter, Imrae. But humans showing us respect is a rather rare sight."
"I suppose I'm not quite human anymore," Hermione said as she touched her seldra, "but I'm sure neither my human nor my Goblin masters would be happy with me disrespecting an envoy from another nation."
Loxias smiled again. "I shall tell you something, Imrae. The Merpeople only place their Chiefs and their King above all else. I am no master, to you or anyone. I am just Loxias."
"Loxias, then." Hermione nodded.
"I cannot ever recall a Goblin coming to us," Loxias continued.
"I suppose my situation is quite unusual," Hermione agreed. "And I certainly do not wish to offend."
"Oh, the Black Lake pod has long made peace with the fact that some humans are happy pretending we are just beasts."
"Conveniently forgetting that your people chose that classification for themselves, just as the Centaurs did, when the Ministry of Magic was arrogant enough to decide who 'deserved' rights close to equal as that of humans."
Hermione finished with a shake of her head, forever amazed at the attitudes of wizards. She knew that many Muggles were still the same when it came to skin color. But at least, Muggle civilized behavior was evolving towards fairness for all. She would like to believe that, if the magical races had been known to Muggles for those centuries since the International Statute of Secrecy, they would also be well on their way to being accepted as equals. She looked down as Loxias chuckled.
"Ah, now I know where I heard your name. The former Headmaster spoke quite fondly of you and your future." Hermione frowned in shock and Loxias smiled before he continued. "Professor Dumbledore was a frequent enough visitor. Being one of three selkies who speaks English, he often discussed his students with me."
"I thought Professor Dumbledore could speak Mermish," Hermione pondered out loud.
"He could," Loxias answered, "and quite fluently at that. But I was always eager to speak your language and he was happy to humor me."
A loud splash sounded and Hermione looked up to see several Merpeople coming to shore. One of them swam ahead of the others and came to a stop right beside Loxias.
"Imrae, allow me to introduce you to Chief Gelasius. My Chief, this is Hermione Imrae Granger Uruk-Ukerim."
"Yes, come to ask permission to swim our waters should the need arise. I am just wondering what an Udur is doing at Hogwarts."
"Training in Runes, actually, Chief," Hermione answered with a smile.
"I see. Well, we have nothing against Goblins, to be sure. And so I will allow your presence in the waters of Black Lake as and when you need to. I would request that you let us know if you need to come near the village. We have defenses that might harm you, and we would not like to see you hurt."
"I will. Thank you, Chief Gelasius," Hermione said with a bow.
The selkie inclined his head in return but then looked behind the young witch and made that hacking, wheezing sound that Hermione had just learned to recognize as a Mermish laugh. At that same moment, Silfkil returned from her little trip to the forest. She alighted onto her witch's shoulder, turned her head and bobbed it up and down several time as she spread her wings slightly. With a frown, Hermione turned to see a group of Centaurs observing the meeting from the edge of the Black Forest.
"Welcome, Calath. And welcome to yours too."
One Centaur stepped forward and Hermione bowed slightly and stepped aside. She had not planned to see the Centaurs right now. Remembering that the last time they had met the Centaurs had not been happy with her, she'd wanted to learn more about their culture first. The Centaur was probably the largest she'd ever seen, with the possible exceptions of Bane and Magorian. He had deep red hair and a red chestnut body that shone in the afternoon light.
"Greetings, Chief Gelasius. I was not expecting this meeting." The Centaur inclined his head at the selkie but then turned narrowed eyes on Hermione.
"Let me introduce you, my friend. This is…" Gelasius began to explain.
"Hermione Granger. Yes, I know of the little witch."
Hermione winced but Gelasius laughed, surprising both members of the different species.
"I would not call a Goblin a witch to her face, my friend. She might be tempted to let you taste of her blade, or have you not noticed her armor or her seldra?"
The Centaur pranced back slightly and Hermione kept her eyes to the floor and her empty hands in evidence, not knowing what else to do.
"Do not worry, young one," Gelasius said with another laugh. "Calath may be no friend of humans, but even he would not attack without reason. And contrary to the Merpeople, the Centaurs do trade with the Goblins."
Hermione frowned, as she had already been told the Ukerim had never had any real contact with the Black Forest herd.
"As I was saying," the Chief of the Merpeople continued, "this is Hermione Imrae Granger Uruk-Ukerim. Imrae, this is Herdleader Calath. He watches over Black Forest as we watch over Black Lake."
"Greetings, Herdleader Calath," Hermione dutifully said as she bowed to the Centaur. "I'm afraid I find myself without a suitable offering for this meeting."
The Centaur inclined his head minutely to her, but said nothing more.
"Did you have need of me, my friend?" Gelasius asked.
"I was coming to ask if we could trade for some of the medicinal algae. I'm afraid we will run out before we've managed to get everyone back on their hooves."
And for the first time Hermione realized that, to her knowledge, no one had even asked how the Centaurs had fared after the Battle. They had taken part in the final charge, after Harry had pulled his 'returning from the dead' act. And given how they'd charged into battle against the Death Eaters, with only their bows and their hooves against the Death Eaters' spells, they had to have injuries among their ranks. Firenze had been injured even earlier in the battle, having taken part from the start, and he had been taken back by his herd in the wake of the Final Battle.
"That's never a problem, my friend," Gelasius nodded and two of his guards dove back underwater. "You know that we can't use those algae, and if they are of use to you, we're happy to give them to you."
Hermione scrambled in the back of her mind for what she'd learned about Centaurs in her Care of Magical Creatures classes. Their physiology was different than humans, so much so that most healing spells would not work on them - if not make things worse. Potions had effects, but Centaurs were susceptible to some herbs that were safe for humans, and vice versa.
"If I may, I would like to offer my aid, in whatever form you might deem fit," Hermione finally said with another bow in the Herdleader's direction.
"Your help would be greatly appreciated," a feminine voice said from behind Calath.
"Nyferial!"
Hermione watched as a white Centaur approached, ignoring Calath's reprimand with a smile in Gelasius's direction.
Cremello, that's the term for it, Hermione thought as she watched the first female Centaur she had ever seen. Nyferial had bright blue eyes, and her coat was more of a very light cream color while her mane and tail were truly white. She approached Hermione and bowed her head to her with a smile.
"Forgive Calath, Imrae. I think he sees the human before the Goblin. Do you happen to know of the Uruk-Hiskut?"
"The Hiskut are long-term allies of the Ukerim," Hermione said with a smile, suddenly glad she had taken the time to read as she ate.
"We trade for steel and food with Hiskut," Nyferial explained. "Maybe we would be able to talk with Ukerim as well."
"I'm sure my clan would be happy to trade."
Nyferial smiled and gestured to the few Centaurs still in the forest. Hermione turned in that direction to see that one of them was Firenze. The palomino Centaur limped slowly in their direction.
"It is nice to see you again, young Hermione."
"Hello, Professor. How are you feeling today?"
"Still under the protection of Medea, but I will hopefully soon be able to walk through the Forest unaided. You requested to see me, though…"
Hermione winced, turning to Calath and Myferial before looking back at Firenze. "I wanted to ask what presents to bring the Centaurs in the name of my clan."
And Nyferial and Gelasius both laughed, her tinkling and his hacking merging into a strangely soothing sound. Even Calath seemed to smile ever so slightly at her contrite tone.
"Well, I wouldn't worry about it anymore, Imrae," Nyferial finally said. "I think you have fulfilled your duty to your Clan. I grant you the right to tread our lands, on the condition that you remember that we share the forest with others and we all need its bounty to survive. Take what you need, but no more unless you speak with one of us first."
"I will, Nyferial," Hermione smiled at the herdmare. "Thank you."
"Now I think that someone is waiting for you, young Udur." Hermione turned to see the dark shape of Professor Snape standing not far from the entrance to the Castle. He was too far away to hear anything at all, even with the use of magic. But he was still watching the proceedings with what looked like, from here, the same attention he would give a dangerously bubbling potion.
"I suppose I should go back before he decides that something is wrong," Hermione said before turning back to Calath and Nyferial. "Would you let me know if the Centaurs of Black Forest need anything? I feel I should get you something to make up for the fact that our first meeting did not go according to tradition."
"We will let you know in short time," Nyferial assured the young witch. "I'm sure the Centaurs need something either you or the Ukerim in general could provide."
Hermione bowed to each of the Centaurs in turn before they walked away. She then turned to the Merpeople. "I would extend the offer to you and yours as well, Chief Gelasius. Please let me know if there is something I or the Ukerim can do to help."
"I or Loxias will be in touch if we need to trade," the selkie Chief assured before he went back underwater with the rest of his people.
And with a slight nod to herself and a pat on Silf's back, Hermione made her way back to Hogwarts. As she approached the entrance, Professor Snape stepped forward.
"Are you all right?"
"I'm perfectly fine, Professor. I am a Goblin, and the Centaurs and the Merpeople have nothing against my adopted clan so I'm pretty safe in the Forest and the Lake."
Hermione smiled and shrugged at her Professor. The Potion Master reached to stroke under Silf's beak, and amazingly enough the bird let him.
"A strange owl you have here, Miss Granger."
Silf's indignant screech had Snape taking his fingers far from the falcon's reach just in time. The professor smirked at the silver bird of prey and Silf bobbed her head at him, hak-haking as she went. For her part, Hermione stifled a laugh and gave the falcon a little pat.
"You'd better get used to it, Silfkil," the witch told the bird. "That's just about how nice Professor Snape gets on his good days."
"Silfkil? I assume it means something."
"Silver sky," Hermione smiled as she rubbed her avian companion. "Is there something I can do for you, Professor?"
"Actually, it's more what I can do for you. Given that everyone else is still rebuilding, I have been detached to ensure that you will pass your Runes NEWT."
Hermione looked at her Professor, torn between asking her question and not wishing to be rude. But Snape saved her from the potential argument.
"Yes, Miss Granger. I do know enough about Runes to get you through that test. I took it myself, years ago, and I'm told the curriculum between now and then has not changed much."
"In that case, Professor Snape, just lead the way!"
The younger witch followed the dark wizard to one of the classrooms on the first floor, and they spent the rest of their time until dinner doing a mock exam of sorts, with Snape firing all sorts of Runes-related questions at his student, ranging from runic history to common translation problems, to known advantages and disadvantages of certain alphabets in particular situations. After all was said and done, Professor Snape appeared quite confident in her runic knowledge. So much so that he started quizzing her in Charms, Defense, and Potions. As they were getting ready to start on another topic, a loud pop announced the arrival of a House Elf.
"Hello, Shiny," Hermione said when she recognized the Elf that the Headmistress seemed to have detached to her favorite lion cub. "Do you have a message for us?"
"The Headmistress is asking if you'se and the Dark Professor will be eating dinner with the rest of them?"
The Elf's ears quivered, her eyes fixed on Snape as she delivered the message. She blinked back to the kitchens, or wherever her next task was supposed to take her, as soon as she finished the last word, obviously unwilling to risk the dark wizard's ire. Hermione turned to the older man just in time to see him fighting off a smirk.
"I suppose I should take you to the Great Hall before Minerva starts to think that something untoward might currently be happening."
Hermione laughed, just thinking about what her Head of House might conjure up in her head.
"Does she even remember that she was the one who sent you to me?"
"One does wonder at times," Snape drawled in his best you're-a-moronic-imbecile-and-I-should-chop-you-up-for-ingredients voice.
Hermione fought another laugh and suddenly remembered that she had an errand of her own.
"George has asked me to let you know he would like to talk with you. Whenever is most convenient for you."
"And I suppose Mr Weasley did not tell you what it was all about?"
"No, he didn't. But if I had to hazard a guess," Hermione said as her laughter died and her mood turned somber, "he's wondering if you would be available on a freelance basis to help him out at the shop. Fred was the main brewer, I think. And the main herbologist."
Snape nodded slowly. "I will see if I can force Minerva to let me go out tomorrow morning."
"Tell her I'm willing to accompany you," Hermione tried to grin to get the mood back. "You can always dump me in the bookshop or in Gringotts and fetch me back when you're finished."
"A very tempting proposition, Miss Granger. Almost… Dare I say it? Almost Slytherin of you."
"I try," the younger witch said with an arrogant smile that didn't fit the laughter sparkling in her eyes.
The Professor and his student then slowly made their way to the Great Hall, all the while discussing more about Potions and Defense.
.:/*\:.
Author's Note:
Thanks a lot for all your wonderful reviews. You guys are keeping me writing in the dark marketing times I find myself in… I have so much going on right now, that it will probably be 6 to 8 weeks before I can post another chapter, but rest assured I'm not giving up on the story!
Everyone turned off by selfish self-promotion, back away now…
Would any of you guys be interested in beta reading an original story I'm thinking about? Simply put, it's a mix of fantasy and thriller (not a slash-thriller, think more spy-thriller in a modernish fantasy setting). I'm still planning the story and everything around it, so we're a good few months away from even a first draft, but I was just wondering if anyone was interested at all.