Disclaimer: Not mine, don't own it — I wish! Unfortunately, Harry Potter belongs to JKR and not to me; I'm just playing in her sandbox.
Author's Notes:
» Hermione changes her name during the story. However, to make it easier to understand, I'll continue to refer to Hermione by the name we all know. The only times her new name will be used is when she introduces herself to new people, or when someone is speaking to her and addresses her by name.
» This story is has been written in full and will be posted at the rate of approximately one chapter a week.
» Thank you to atokkota for her support and feedback.
.o.O.o.
CHAPTER 3
Back in Britain, on the day Hermione had left, the subject of Hermione had been raised again, this time by Minerva, after the meeting with her, Kingsley, Severus and Harry was over. "I'm worried about her, Harry. Haven't you noticed how withdrawn and unhappy she is?"
"Well, perhaps if she'd make an effort to get up and go out with Ron and spend time with his friends instead of sulking in the flat all the time, she might not be so withdrawn!" he snapped.
"Interesting choice of words there, Potter. His friends. Is Miss Granger expected to go and watch Messrs Weasley, Thomas and Finnigan get drunk at the pub until all hours every night? You do realise, don't you, that as a Healer, even a trainee, she can't afford to be tired and hungover at work or she might accidentally kill someone? Hell, even Weasley can't afford to be tired and hungover every day or he'll be thrown out of the Auror training programme," Severus commented bitingly.
Kingsley nodded. "Harry, Ron actually is on the verge of being thrown out the training programme due to his poor attitude. He continually arrives late and leaves early, he's lazy, sloppy, disrespectful, arrogant and egotistical. There's no place for ego in an Auror, Harry. You have to be able to rely on your partner and every single trainee apart from you has requested not to be paired with him because they don't feel they can do that. I have his trainers complaining to me about him on a daily basis. I know that the three of you played a very important part in the war but you weren't the only ones fighting, you know, and Ron's no more special than you, Hermione or Neville Longbottom, no matter what he may think."
Minerva took up the baton again. "Harry, there's something badly wrong with both Hermione and Ron and we're very worried."
Harry sighed and walked over to the fireplace. Throwing some floo power into the fire, he called out "Ron's flat!" and stuck his head in the flames.
"Ron's flat?" murmured Kingsley, exchanging a meaningful glance with Minerva and Severus. "I thought both Ron and Hermione lived there?"
"Supposedly," drawled Severus, his usual impassive expression deserting him and a worried look entering his eyes.
In the meantime, Harry was trying to contact Hermione through the floo. "Hello, hello?" Harry called, once Ron and Hermione's living room came into view. "Hermione? Are you there?"
"What's all the noise about?" grumbled Ron grumpily, as he ambled out the bedroom in his boxers.
"Hey, Ron. Hermione came round my place earlier but I couldn't talk to her then, so I sent her away. Can I have a word with her?"
"What did she want with you? Was she going to complain about me again?"
"I don't know what she wanted, Ron. I couldn't talk to her then. Where is she? Could you get her for me?" said Harry in frustration.
"She's not here. She upped and left."
"Why? Is it anything to do with the fact that Romilda Vane is standing behind you half naked?"
Ron scowled unpleasantly. "Look, I don't know where the stupid bint is. I kicked her out. She should be grateful to me for teaching her a lesson because no one else will interested in her until she learns her place!"
"Teaching her a lesson? Learns her place? What the fuck do you mean by that, Ron?"
"Just what I said, mate!"
"You'd better not have hurt her, Ron, or we will never be mates again, be very sure of that." Harry broke the connection and sat back on his heels looking shocked. Quickly he recounted the conversation for the benefit of the others and then began to shake as realisation hit him.
"She came to me for help and I didn't let her in! Kreacher!" he called.
The elf popped into the room and Harry frantically began to question him. "Did Hermione say where she was going, Kreacher? Was she all right?"
"Missy Hermy didn't say where she was going, Master, but she let Kreacher heal her before she left," the elderly elf explained.
"Heal?" Harry went white.
"What was wrong with Miss Granger, Kreacher?" Kingsley interjected calmly. Inwardly he was appalled and very worried, but the last thing they needed right now was for Harry, who was very much a creature of emotion, to explode.
"Missy Hermy had a black eye, a cut lip, bruises on her throat, a cracked rib and a mild concussion," Kreacher listed all Hermione's injuries.
"And you say you healed her?" Severus asked, to make sure.
"Yes, Potions Master Snape. Kreacher healed Missy Hermy and gave her elf protections," he nodded.
"We need to find her!" Harry jumped up and whirled around towards the door.
"Wait a minute. WAIT!" Severus snapped, as Kingsley grabbed Harry and held him back. "Where are you planning to look? Do you have any idea where she might have gone?"
Harry deflated noticeably. "No," he said in a small voice. "Apart from here, there's only the Burrow, I think, but I can't imagine she would have gone there under the circumstances. Perhaps her parents but I don't know where they live. She doesn't talk about them."
Severus raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"What?" demanded Harry.
"Are you really that much of an imbecile?" Snape demanded scornfully.
"Severus," said Minerva wearily.
"Potter," Severus said, pinching the bridge of his nose as he visibly tried to rein in his temper. "The Obliviation was irreversible. Miss Granger knew that before she performed it but did it anyway to keep her parents safe. Did you really think an Obliviation of that magnitude would be a simple matter to reverse?"
"But… but she never said," Harry stammered.
"She didn't tell you during the war because she needed you to be focused and not feeling guilty but, after the war, did you ever ask why she hadn't gone to retrieve her parents?" Minerva queried.
"I didn't think," Harry whispered, shamefaced.
"Precisely. You didn't think. Just like you didn't think that perhaps whatever was wrong with Miss Granger and Mr Weasley's relationship wasn't entirely Miss Granger's fault, if at all."
"Kreacher," said Minerva, interrupting Severus' tirade before he could work up a full head of steam. "Can you find Miss Granger?"
"No, Mistress McGonagy. Kreacher can no longer trace Missy Hermy's magic. Missy Hermy would need to call Kreacher before Kreacher can find her."
"Perhaps she's at work," suggested Kingsley. "She's been spending a lot of time there while Ron goes out and gets drunk every night," he added pointedly.
"It'll be more discreet if I go. Anyone who sees me there will think it's to do with the supply of potions," suggested Severus. "Besides, I doubt she'll want to see Potter right now."
He flooed to St Mungo's and made his way over to the Welcome Witch, who he noticed was a former student of his from Slytherin.
"Is Trainee Healer Granger on duty?" he demanded.
The witch checked her records. "No she left early today, Professor."
"In that case, I need to speak to her supervisor."
"Why? What has the Mudblood done wrong? If you want to make a complaint, you can do it through me," she said eagerly.
"First of all, Miss Bullstrode, if you ever repeat that foul epithet in my presence again, I can assure you that you will most certainly regret it," he hissed menacingly and the witch reared back in fear. "Secondly, I have no intention whatsoever of making a complaint against Miss Granger. Thirdly, the reason I wish to speak to her supervisor is none of your business. Now point me in the direction of her supervisor immediately!"
"Healer Pye in the Dai Llewellyn ward," she squeaked.
Severus stalked off and managed to corner Augustus Pye. "I'm looking for Hermione Granger," he said.
"Oh," replied Healer Pye. "I'm afraid she quit, Professor Snape. Rather suddenly, too. I just got an owl from her a short while ago informing me that she was resigning with immediate effect."
Severus pinched the bridge of his nose again. "And she gave no prior indication that she was unhappy here or thinking of leaving?"
Healer Pye regarded Severus for a long minute. "Come with me," he said, gesturing for Severus to follow him.
Severus raised an eyebrow but did as requested. Augustus Pye ushered Severus into an office, where he shut the door and warded it so that no one could interrupt them. He then added silencing charms for good measure, much to Severus' surprise.
"I shouldn't really say anything but I like Miss Granger. I think she has a lot of potential and it's a shame to see that go unrealised. Unfortunately, despite the recent war and Miss Granger's role in it, she was still looked down upon. Many of the patients refused to be treated by her because she is Muggle-born and, for that same reason, there were very few members of staff willing to take her on as a trainee. Personally, I think the Muggle world has much to offer and I was delighted to be her supervisor but I know that she found it frustrating that attitudes towards her still haven't changed. Very few Muggle-borns manage to make it all the way through Healer training — they see little point in continuing if patients refuse to be treated by them — so while I was disappointed that she resigned, I wasn't surprised, and I wish her luck in her next endeavour."
"Would you mind if I saw her letter of resignation? She didn't discuss her intentions with any of her friends and she seems to have disappeared. I'm sure it's only to lick her wounds while she debates her next move but Minister Shacklebolt, Headmistress McGonagall and I are worried about her."
"I'm afraid I can't show you the letter, Professor Snape, and I've already said more than I should have, but I can tell you that the letter came with an owl from the owl post office, if that is of assistance to you."
"Thank you, Healer Pye. That is indeed of assistance." Severus bade the other man farewell and flooed from St Mungo's to Diagon Alley. Unfortunately, the employees in the owl post office could do no more than tell him that Hermione had sent an owl to Healer Pye at St Mungo's, which he already knew, and at what time. Exiting the store, he glanced over at Gringotts.
'If she chose to move out of Weasley's flat, she would need somewhere else to live, which means she would need a deposit,' he considered. However, knowing that the goblins would not give out information to him freely, he put that to the back of his mind, resolving to discuss with Kingsley and Minerva the best way to approach the goblins. 'Perhaps Bill Weasley could help?' he pondered, as he strode into the Leaky Cauldron to floo back to Grimmauld Place.
"Uncle Sev! Come and help us celebrate!" came a well-known voice.
Sighing he made his way across the bar to his godson, Draco Malfoy. "And what exactly are you celebrating, Draco?" he asked the blond man, who was sitting with a couple of his friends from school. "At least Goyle and Zabini are sober," he thought exasperatedly as he took in the state of his godson.
"The Mudblood's gone!" Draco exclaimed.
Seeing that Draco was in no fit state to explain that statement, Severus looked at Blaise Zabini with a raised eyebrow.
"Draco claims that he overheard Granger closing her vault at Gringotts and transferring it to her Muggle bank account," Blaise explained.
Casting a silent, wandless, Notice-Me-Not charm, he bent down until he was nose to nose with his godson and snarled to the drunken, young man. "Do not call Miss Granger, or any other Muggle-born, that word in my presence, Draco. Miss Granger is worth a hundred of you. She fought and bled for our world. She has always strived to better our world. What have you done, hmm, Draco? Apart from squealing that you'll run to your father if anyone so much as looks at you cross-eyed? What have you done for the betterment of our world or even merely for the betterment of your family? Nothing, would that be correct? Since you finished Hogwarts, what have you actually achieved apart from drinking away your inheritance? And don't try and tell me it's because you had such a hard time during the war. There are many others who had just as hard a time, if not worse than yourself, but they haven't let it break them. I'm ashamed of you, Draco Malfoy, and I suggest you get up off that worthless backside of yours, sort yourself out and stop behaving like a useless wastrel."
Draco gulped in trepidation and Severus back up, satisfied that his words had been heard. "That applies to all you… gentlemen," he drawled sarcastically, looking at Draco's companions, before swirling around and heading back to the floo.
In the meantime, Minerva had suggested to Harry that he try to owl Hermione. "You could send her a message begging forgiveness and asking her to come back."
"Yes! I'll do that!" he cried, running over to the desk at the side of the room and scribbling quickly on a piece of paper. A moment later, Kreacher appeared with a Great Grey owl, which had in fact been a gift from Hermione.
"Thank you, Kreacher," said Harry. "Jasper, will you take this to Hermione, please?"
Harry fastened the letter to the owl's leg but Jasper did not move. "What's wrong, Jasper?" he asked, his voice shrill with worry. "Go on. Take it to Hermione."
The owl just sat without moving and Minerva and Kingsley exchanged concerned looks.
"What is it? Why won't he take the letter?" Harry demanded.
"Hermione might have charmed herself so that messenger birds can't find her," Minerva explained.
"Might have?"
"It's the most logical explanation," said Kingsley with resignation.
At that moment, Severus returned and explained what he had learned.
"The goblins aren't going to tell us anything unless Hermione had been convicted of a crime, and even then it would only be if they felt like helping us," observed Kingsley ruefully.
"So what do we do next?" demanded Harry.
"We look in the Muggle world. I'll see if I can find anyone discreet with the skill to do that," said Kingsley.
"'That's it?" Harry asked incredulously.
"Unless you have any other suggestions," said Minerva dryly.
"Harry, we're not giving up on this but for all we know, Hermione will turn up safe and sound tomorrow. We'll look for her but, right now, I'm not prepared to make Hermione's disappearance public. If, as Severus suggests, she's merely gone away for a few days to lick her wounds and regroup, then I doubt she'd appreciate it if we did. I think we owe her that consideration. We should wait a day or two before we start stirring up a storm," Kingsley consoled the messy-haired younger man.
"Harry, in the meantime, why don't you contact some of her other friends — carefully! — and see if she has sought refuge with them? Miss Lovegood, perhaps?" Minerva suggested.
"All right," he agreed disconsolately.
Severus and Minerva departed back to Hogwarts and Kingsley to the Ministry. Kingsley had indicated that he would join the other two shortly so, upon arrival in Minerva's office, she called for tea and sat down with Severus to await his arrival.
Severus pinched the bridge of his nose. "The other reason why the owl would not take the letter would be because Miss Granger is… no more."
"I know. I just hope she hasn't done anything drastic," said Minerva, worry written clearly across her face.
"I doubt it. She would not otherwise have transferred her money to her Muggle bank account. She has no one in the Muggle world to leave her money to. She would have been more likely to have left it for the betterment of house elves or to Hogwarts if she had no further use for her money. I think Draco is right and she has left the magical world. I can hardly blame her, under the circumstances."
Twenty minutes the floo flared and Kingsley arrived, looking sombre. "According to magic, the name Hermione Jane Granger no longer exists," he announced as he sat down heavily in a chair. "She definitely hasn't died; there would be a record of that. I would say that she has magically changed her name, except there would be a record of that, too. I'm not sure what's happened to her."
"Are you sure there would be a record? After all, Sirius Black spent twelve years in Azkaban for murdering Peter Pettigrew and Pettigrew was alive all that time," Minerva reminded him.
"That was because all records to do with Sirius, Pettigrew, Harry and his parents had been sealed by Albus to try and keep Harry safe. So, while there actually were records showing that Pettigrew was in fact alive, no one was able to see them. The goblins may have been aware he was still alive but I doubt anyone asked, and they wouldn't have volunteered the information," replied Kingsley.
"So what do we do now?" ask Minerva regretfully.
"We try to look for her in the Muggle world. The Auror Office has connections with the Muggle police. I'll ask them for recommendations regarding a private detective who could search for us. I can't ask the police force themselves, as no crime has been committed," said Kingsley thoughtfully.
"I also have some connections in the Muggle world," interjected Severus. "Not very respectable connections, but they may be able to assist in ways that more reputable sources might not."
With that, the three most preeminent members of the British wizarding world parted company, each returning to their own abodes where they all worried about Hermione Granger and where she might be. As the days passed, Kingsley and Severus used their connections to try and find the young witch but to no avail. Their investigators did manage to trace Hermione's bank account with ease, however, Todd Fox had moved too swiftly and too cleverly for them and, while they could tell that her account had been closed, they did not manage to follow the movement of the money into the account of Nonie Gale. Kingsley, Minerva and Severus remained optimistic that Hermione was still amongst the living but gradually began to lose all hope of ever finding her, unless she herself chose to be found. However, Harry, wracked with guilt over the way he had dismissed his best friend, put the vast Potter fortune behind the search and instructed the investigators to keep looking. The investigators had no leads but every six months or so would return to the case and try again to find her.
.o.O.o.
Back in Toronto, Hermione had decided to take a brief holiday before moving on to her final destination. She had not had a proper holiday in years and this was the perfect opportunity. She also wanted to grieve for the loss of her friends before she began her new life with a clear head. Hermione's rational side kept telling her that she in fleeing Britain she had over-reacted and that she was being paranoid in her extreme care not to be found. However, her emotional side kept remembering the words Ron had spoken to Romilda, after kicking her out the bedroom that day.
.
"What if she reports you for hitting her?" Romilda asked.
Ron snorted. "I'm a trainee Auror and a war hero. No one's going to take her word over mine."
"Everyone thinks she's a war hero, too. And the Minister and the Headmistress are both very fond of her," Romilda warned.
"And I'm a Pureblood man. If that Mudblood bitch does try to press charges against me, she won't get anywhere. She'll be laughed out of court and I'll make sure she regrets even trying."
.
Hermione still could not believe Ron had called her a Mudblood. A bitch, yes. That suited the spite and loathing he had shown towards her that day. However, he had always been the first to protest the use of the word Mudblood.
'I wonder if something happened to him during the war to make him change so drastically? The brains that attacked him at the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, perhaps? Or the locket Horcrux? That always seemed to affect him more than it did Harry or I. I suppose Harry was used to dealing with a Horcrux, given that he'd had one in his head since he was fifteen months old, and I had Occlumency shields. Ron always was quick-tempered and had his own prejudices but he was never this… this nasty,' she thought. 'Well, it's no longer my concern. My priority is the baby growing inside me. He or she is more important to me now than anything or anyone else.'
Hermione spent two weeks in Toronto, trying to come to terms with the changes in her life, before moving on. Once she had bought her new wand, she completely avoided the magical world. She explored the city and reaffirmed her Muggle roots. She also did some research into her options, given that she had stopped her Muggle education at the age of eleven and had no qualifications allowing her to work in the Muggle world. She knew she could ask Todd to fabricate some for her but holding the certificates in her hand would not compensate for the lack of knowledge. She therefore decided to sit the GED (General Educational Development), or high school equivalency tests.
The first thing she did on her arrival in Montréal was look for a cheap, furnished apartment to rent. Once she had signed a contract on a small, basic but clean one-bedroom apartment, paying her deposit and first month's rent in cash, she went with proof of her address in hand to a local bank to open an account. When that had been done, she began the process of closing Nonie Gale's bank account in Britain and transferring the funds to Canada. She made arrangements for the utilities, including the phone line, to be transferred to her name as of that day and then, that done, she went to the supermarket for groceries. When in Toronto, she had purchased some basic kitchen supplies and bed, bath and table linen, all of which she had shrunk and placed in her beaded bag. Hermione placed wards on her apartment to prevent the use of magic registering and unpacked and resized everything magically. Once everything was in order, she sat down over a cup of coffee and the job adverts in the local newspaper.
Circling a few ads that appealed to her, Hermione began making phone calls. To her delight, she was invited to an interview for a position as shop assistant in a rare and antiquarian bookstore. Ever the bookworm, Hermione made a point of arriving early, so that she would have plenty of time to browse the stacks before her interview. When it was time for her interview, she reluctantly dragged herself away from the bookshelves and announced her presence to the owner of the shop, a man who appeared to be in his late forties.
"Xavier Bellamy?" she asked. "I'm Nonie Gale. I have an appointment for an interview."
"Of course," he replied, amused at the stack of books she had placed on the counter. "I see that you're something of a bibliophile."
"Oh, yes," she gushed and the two of them spent the next twenty minutes happily discussing books.
As the conversation began to wind down, Xavier smiled at Hermione. "How could I possibly offer this job to anyone else?" he asked. "It's made for you."
"Thank you so much!" she exclaimed happily.
Xavier showed Hermione round the shop from an employee's perspective and explained her duties to her, arranging that she would begin working the following day. As they talked, Hermione mentioned that she had been unable to finish her schooling due to personal circumstances, and that she intended to gain her GED. As there was no testing centre in Québec province, she would teach herself and would then need a few days off to sit the actual tests in the nearest testing centre. Xavier was happy to encourage her to improve herself and the conversation segued into the educational opportunities available for her. Hermione was keen to read for a degree in Classics at McGill University, even though she knew she would only be able to do so part-time, and she was particularly excited to learn of the industry-specific courses offered by the Rare Books School in the United States⁴. Xavier had employed a number of students over the years and was perfectly willing to fit her shifts around her studies.
Hermione left the shop feeling light-hearted and optimistic for the first time in a very long time. Hermione had only chosen to become a trainee Healer because it was expected of her to choose a profession where she would be doing good and because her parents were dentists and so, by also choosing a medical, or healing, profession, she felt closer to them. However, she had never been happy working at St Mungo's and the opportunity now to be herself completely and to choose a profession based solely upon her own interests was a tremendous relief to her. At Hogwarts, Hermione had always been happiest in the library and the idea of a career as a rare and antiquarian bookseller, where she would be surrounded by books and could even one day be her own boss, was irresistible.
Over the next few months, Hermione enthusiastically settled into her new life. She completely avoided the magical district and instead immersed herself once more in Muggle life. She loved working at the bookshop and Xavier was revelling in having an employee who had such respect for books and who was so keen to learn all he could teach her. She was also studying for her GED, which she intended to take before the baby would be born in October, and Xavier fully intended to write a recommendation for her when she completed the tests and was ready to apply to University. He had already told Hermione she would be welcome to bring the baby to work with her and had made plans to cordon off an area of the office for the baby. Hermione had registered with a Muggle doctor but had chosen not to find out the gender of the baby, wanting to be surprised.
"I'll love this child no matter what — I already do love him or her unconditionally — but I can't help but wish for a mini-me rather than a mini-Ronald," she ruminated. "A little boy or girl with my curls, who loves books and reading."
As her due date approached, Hermione became very antsy, a mixture of excited and apprehensive. Xavier had introduced her to his wife and when they learned how alone Hermione was, they had unofficially adopted her. Xavier's son, Marc, was serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force and did not get home to visit his parents very often, so Xavier and his wife were happy to have Hermione to spoil. Xavier's wife, Constance, had insisted on becoming Hermione's labour coach, for which she was very grateful. Hermione, who was missing her own mother terribly during her pregnancy, clung to Constance, who was only too happy to mother the sad, young woman who was all alone in the world. Of course, Hermione missed her parents every day but right now, while she was expecting her first child, it was even worse than normal.
Hermione was ready to sit her GED exams in the middle of July and travelled to the testing centre in Toronto by train. Even though her pregnancy was not yet too far advanced for her to fly, she did not want the hassle of air travel. It was much easier to board a train than a plane and she would have plenty of time to peruse her study notes on the journey. Arriving in Toronto stress-free but slightly tired, she booked into her hotel for an early night, wanting to be refreshed for her exams the following morning.
Three days later, she was ready to return home. She had given herself enough time not only to sit her exams but also to visit the magical district again. She did not want to form ties with the magical community in Canada at this time and so had not visited the magical district in Montréal, however, there were some things she wanted to purchase — potions and ingredients mostly — and so she had decided to do that while in Toronto, where she was only transient. She had also paid a visit to the magical bookstore, to pick up a book on magical pregnancies and a magical baby book, something she regretted not having done when she was last in Toronto. Her pregnancy may be reasonably advanced but it was not yet too late to read up on what to expect with a magical pregnancy and a magical infant.
Stopping at the news stand, she picked up a copy of the Daily Prophet and glanced at the cover. In the bottom corner, there was a small picture of her, with the caption, 'War heroine still missing.' As she scrabbled to find her money purse in her handbag so that she could pay for the paper, she heard a quiet voice in her ear.
"Apparently, Miss Granger has been missing since early March. Her family and friends must be worried about her."
Looking behind her, she saw Boyce Curran, the wandmaker who had made her beautiful, new wand. "That's assuming she has any family or friends who would actually worry about her," she replied curtly. Meeting his knowing gaze, she stared challengingly at him until he nodded once and turned away. Hermione was grateful that she would be leaving Toronto that day, although for some reason she felt that she could trust him not to give away her whereabouts.
.o.O.o.
⁴ rarebookschool dot org