A/N: The scouting program of the Department of Mysteries comes from Kaskait. The pixie problem in Ottery-St-Catchpole is based on a legend about the town of Ottery-St-Mary, on which the town near the Burrow was based.
Oh, if you're wondering where Harry is... According to the fine folks at the HP Lexicon, Chapter 37 of OotP takes place on Midsummer Eve, so he's having a full day being angry with Dumbledore, learning of the Prophecy, etc.
Chapter Seven
Strange Little Girl
"A baby has brains, but it doesn't know much. Experience is the only thing that brings knowledge, and the longer you are on earth the more experience you are sure to get."
-L Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
If Hermione Granger was certain of one thing, it was that God had a wicked sense of humor.
She'd always been... different, as far back as she could remember. She never felt she really belonged in the world she was born into. She never quite fit in, no matter how hard she tried, always too curious, too thoughtful, too... whatever to belong. Then, there were the... things that tended to happen around her, unusual things, things for which there were no logical explanations. And, Hermione always wanted logical explanations.
Her best friends for years had been books.
She was an avid reader. She read anything and everything, absorbing books like a sponge. Her favorites, for a time, were fairy tales. Her parents would read her bedtime stories, and she would be fascinated by the far off magical lands, with their heroes, princesses, and monsters. Being such a smart girl, she learned to read, very quickly. Her parents bought her the Oz books by L. Frank Baum, knowing she'd love them.
And love them she did. While she had no one her age she could really consider a true friend in the real world, she found one in the books' heroine, Dorothy Gale, a girl that, like Hermione, was clever, curious, and, in so many ways, alone. Hermione imagined herself accompanying Dorothy on her many adventures to the Fairylands, meeting all the friends Dorothy met there. Dorothy had to return home to her family, of course, and so did Hermione.
Then, one night, everything changed.
Hermione was seven, reading the sixth book in the series, The Emerald City of Oz. She'd just finished the chapter where Dorothy decided to bring her family to Oz, and live there permanently, with Ozma. Hermione sighed, happy for Dorothy.
"If I could only visit you there," Hermione whispered.
A rather intense storm had suddenly risen that night, Hermione remembered.
That was about all she could remember.
The next morning, she woke up with absolutely no interest in continuing with the books. The very idea she found utterly repulsive. This was just as well, because her books had disappeared.
Fairy stories were behind her, now. No, she had no interest in that silly nonsense. What was important was the real world, what could be seen and touched and explained. Nothing else mattered.
Only problem was, strange things still happened around her, things that had no logical explanation.
An explanation finally arrived when she was eleven, though it was hardly logical. A letter arrived for her one day delivered by, of all things, an owl. It was an invitation to attend a school for magic, called Hogwarts. Strange...
Even stranger, her parents didn't seem remotely surprised. They told her someone would be visiting that would explain everything. That someone was a witch, who her parents introduced as Professor Minerva McGonagall.
A real witch.
Hermione found it all hard to believe, even after a demonstration. The evidence before her was conclusive, however. It did explain the strange things she'd experienced. Hermione was informed that she, too, was a witch, and that there was a whole culture of people like her. She'd attend Hogwarts and learn how to use her gifts.
She learned that there were some families that had been witches and wizards for many generations. Hermione realized she'd be quite behind many of the other kids. So, she did what she'd always done, and read up as much as she could. By the time she was to start her first term, she knew more than most of the other new students, even those from magical families.
She also learned of the House system at Hogwarts, four houses that were centered around specific traits. Her parents suggested she'd be a natural Ravenclaw, given her intelligence. However, the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, had been a Gryffindor, the house that valued bravery above all things. She had read a bit about Dumbledore, his reported brilliance, his heroism during a war against the dark wizard Grindelwald, and decided that Gryffindor must be her house.
Students were sorted by a talking hat. The hat was about to put her in Ravenclaw, when Hermione insisted on Gryffindor.
It was in Gryffindor that she finally made real friends, two boys named Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. Ron was from a very large family, and felt insecure about measuring up to his older brothers, three of which were there at Hogwarts. Harry was rather famous, due to an incident when he was a year old. A dark wizard had sought to conquer the wizarding world. He was known as Lord Voldemort, though most feared to use his name. He had systematically slaughtered all who opposed him, until he came to Harry's family. He killed the baby's parents, but something strange happened when he tried to kill the boy. His curse backfired. A war that had been raging for ten years ended, just like that. Or so it seemed...
As Hermione learned during that first year at Hogwarts, Voldemort wasn't quite dead. Not only wasn't he dead, he was looking to regain his power, and was rather fixated on Harry. Hermione, Harry, and Ron would wind up spending much of their school years fighting Voldemort's various schemes. A lot happened along the way.
For one thing, she met the Weasleys, Ron's family. She quite liked them, which was a good thing because of something else that happened. It seemed she had gained the attention of the Department of Mysteries.
It was before the start of her third year at Hogwarts that Hermione received a surprise letter from Professor Dumbledore, requesting a private meeting to discuss her future career. She'd hadn't thought, at such a young age, about possible career plans as a witch. As far as she knew, no one planned their careers that early. She was very curious, and a meeting was arranged.
"Have you ever heard of the Department of Mysteries?" Dumbledore asked her.
Of course, Hermione had already learned as much as she could about this most mysterious of Departments in the Ministry of Magic, the Government of magical Britain. Problem was, there wasn't much available for her to learn. The Department of Mysteries lived up to it's name. Even most within the Ministry didn't know what they did.
So, she was very surprised when Dumbledore began telling her, a thirteen year old Hogwarts student, about it.
The Department of Mysteries was the intelligence community of the wizarding world, their activities kept secret from the general populace. Those who were part of it were called Unspeakables. They studied the most ancient and mysterious of magics, the magic difficult to understand and almost impossible to control. They studied the darkest magical beings, and worked to keep them in check.
"But, isn't that what the Aurors do?" Hermione asked.
"The Aurors are our most elite law enforcers, yes. But, there are more dangerous things than dark wizards out there."
"More dangerous than... You-Know-Who?"
"Yes... As dangerous as Lord Voldemort is, there are things beyond even him."
"Then, why aren't we told about them?"
Dumbledore sighed, his eyes, for a moment, those of someone who had seen too much over his long life.
"You've seen how Lord Voldemort frightens our people into a panic just with his name. Imagine how people would react to knowing there are far more dangerous things in the world. There is so much of our history most are better off not knowing."
Hermione had noticed a distinct lack of a sense of history in the wizarding world. Sure, they learned History of Magic, but she always knew something vital was missing, not to mention that it was taught in such a manner that few would retain what they were told in Professor Binns's classes, even if they managed to stay awake through them. Now, it was like a door opening, an opportunity to truly learn, to understand. But...
"Then... Why are you telling me all this?" she asked.
"The Department of Mysteries needs the best minds to run it," Dumbledore replied. "They seek potential candidates, early. I've convinced them that you should be considered."
"Well... It's a bit early for me to choose a career..."
"Many who've been part of the scouting program have chosen other paths. I did, myself. But, even those who've chosen another path have found what they learned very beneficial."
Hermione noticed a slight twitch when Dumbledore said that. She had a very good idea who another candidate was. Still, she was curious. This could be a once in a lifetime opportunity.
"What do I have to do?" she asked.
"You have to earn twelve OWLs. Then, high scores on your NEWTs. After that, there's a vigorous screening process."
OWLs, Hermione knew, were the tests taken during a Hogwarts student's fifth year, followed by NEWTs in their seventh.
"But, how can one possibly take twelve OWLs, let alone pass them? There's not enough hours to take that many classes."
Dumbledore smiled, and said: "As it happens, the Department of Mysteries has a method of doing just that."
"I don't know... That's a lot of classes..."
"It's one of the most important callings in our world. The Department of Mysteries usually scouts the Ravenclaws. But, it would be good to have a Gryffindor there..."
Well, that convinced her.
"Also, Miss Granger, you can tell your family nothing. The less muggles know, the better."
She'd noticed she'd been a little distant from her parents, lately. They were what wizards called muggles, non-magical folk.
The method of fitting all the subjects she'd require was called a Time Turner, which allowed her to be in two classes at once. She had to be very careful no one but those who absolutely had to know were aware she was doing this. She couldn't even tell Harry and Ron. But, as usual, there was Voldemort related danger, and she had to reveal the Time Turner to Harry so they could save the day, once again.
She returned the Time Turner after that adventure. She was worn out. She just couldn't keep up the pace, handle the pressure. She'd even stormed out of Divination, one of the subjects the Department of Mysteries required. She wouldn't be able to get those twelve OWLs.
She spent the next Summers with the Weasleys, only seeing her own family as briefly as possible, feeling little in common with them. Ron's father, Arthur, worked for the Ministry and had an obsession with muggle gadgets, though he couldn't comprehend the functions of most of them, or even their names. Molly was the Mother Hen. Ron had no less than five older brothers, and one younger sister, Ginny. Ginny Weasley had one mission in life, and that was to marry the famous, and quite rich, Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived. Ron found this rather annoying, but Hermione thought it was cute. Ginny would grow out of it, Hermione was certain. Harry, for his part, was oblivious.
Life seemed so simple, then. There was good, there was bad, and you did the right thing. Simple. Everything just needed applied logic and morality. Or, so it seemed.
Hermione's viewpoint began to change during her fifth year at Hogwarts. Voldemort, after years of trying, had finally been restored to his full power. The Ministry of Magic refused, for a full year, to acknowledge it, until Voldemort invaded their very headquarters. Instead, they tried to suppress anyone telling the truth about the matter, sending Delores Umbridge as their enforcer, their Inquisitor.
Hermione hadn't expected the Spanish Inquisition. When she said that, only a few other students in her circle laughed. It seemed she still didn't fit in, as most of her fellow students at Hogwarts weren't familiar with muggle comedy shows. Even Harry, due to a very abusive and neglectful upbringing by his muggle aunt and uncle, didn't recognize it. Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan did, with their much more supportive muggle backgrounds. The other...
Hermione didn't like Luna Lovegood at all, at first.
Luna was a Ravenclaw in Ginny's year. At last, a girl who, like herself, had a brain and interests besides gossip, fashion, and boys. Unfortunately, Luna made Hermione feel uneasy.
For one thing, there was the girl's eyes, large, silver, moonlike, reflective, never seeming to blink. Whenever Luna talked to you, she maintained eye contact, and Hermione felt the girl was looking right into her soul. There was an old muggle saying that the eyes were windows to the soul, and Luna seemed to make that literal. She had a slight Irish accent, and an ethereal way of speaking, like she was constantly floating. She even carried herself that way, physically. It was... Hermione looked for the word, but it seemed just out of reach...
The girl seemed absolutely daft, thinking the strangest things. She heard a great deal of gossip about Luna from Ginny, none of it good. Now, granted, Ginny's negative comments probably had a lot to do with Harry's interest in the Ravenclaw, but Hermione felt almost compelled to insult Luna to Harry, as well. Harry took exception, given that Luna was one of the few people supporting Harry during a Ministry smear campaign that was going on at the time. The Ministry just didn't want to acknowledge Voldemort was alive and at large, and Harry was inconveniencing them a great deal by talking about it. Ron and Hermione had been involved in Harry's adventures, so they knew Harry was telling the truth. Luna hadn't, but believed him, and openly supported him when few others would.
So, why was Luna bothering her so much? She was eccentric, sure. She was what they called an "outside the box" thinker. She cared little about what others thought of her, a determined individualist. She was driven by a deep faith. She was everything Hermione was not...
Or everything Hermione kept herself from being.
That was part of it, Hermione knew. But, it wasn't quite everything...
No, there was something familiar about Luna Lovegood, her eyes, her dreamy nature, something...
Why couldn't she remember?
What especially got to Hermione was the creatures Luna would insist existed, with names like the crumple-horned snorkack and the blibbering humdinger.
"Luna," she told her during one of their arguments on the subject, "you're believing in things that sound like they're from fairy tales!"
"There's a lot of truth in fairy tales, you know," Luna said, smiling serenely.
"Look, I loved fairy tales when I was little, but you have to put that nonsense aside!"
Oh, I'm not saying the fairy tales have everything completely accurate. Stories go through a lot of changes as they're told and re-told. But... Fairy tales, fables, myths, legends, parables... They're all true. Some are even factual."
"Wait... How can they all be true if only some are factual?"
"There's a higher truth. What is the story really saying?"
Hermione now had a headache. Bloody Ravenclaws...
"You're muggleborn, aren't you?" Luna asked.
"Yes. What does that have to do with anything?"
"What would you have said if someone had told you dragons and unicorns existed, before you got your Hogwarts letter?"
"Look... This is different!"
"How so?"
"I know dragons and unicorns exist! I've seen them!"
"And when you see the crumple-horned snorkack?"
"I'm not GOING to see the crumple-horned snorkack, because it doesn't EXIST! Ron's from a wizarding family, and HE says they don't exist."
"He'd also tell you the duck-billed platypus doesn't exist."
Well, yes, Hermione had to concede that one. Still, between Luna and her creatures, and Ginny still doing her Snow White impersonation, she was sick of fairy tales. She considered it fortunate that the Weasleys didn't have muggle things like VCRs. She didn't think she could stand Ginny singing "Someday My Prince Will Come."
Hermione would learn that Luna was quite brilliant and capable before the year was out, though. It was Luna who figured out how she, Harry, and the others would get to the Ministry of Magic for what they thought was a rescue mission, and proved an able fighter against the Death Eaters, better than Hermione, herself, she had to admit. She'd been part of the group Hermione had helped Harry put together, first called the Defense Association, and then Dumbledore's Army, formed in response to Umbridge forbidding the students to learn how to defend themselves. Even the mass breakout of Death Eaters, from the wizard prison, Azkaban, including Voldemort's most devoted supporter, Bellatrix Lestrange, couldn't make the Ministry acknowledge reality. DA was something of a junior Order of the Phoenix, Albus Dumbledore's underground organization carrying on the fight against Voldemort, since the Ministry was unwilling, and when they were willing, unable, to do what was necessary to save their world from the Dark Lord. The Ministry was weak, and foolish. Hermione was always willing and able to do what was necessary. Marietta Edgecombe learned that, the hard way, when she betrayed DA to Umbridge. Hermione had cursed the contract they had all signed, in case anyone were to betray them.
Looking back, Hermione wondered why no one ever called her to task for that bit of dark magic, or even considered that she had a knack for it. Well, Cho Chang did. But, who listened to Cho? After all, Cho was preventing Hermione's friend and Ron's little sister, Ginny Weasley, from achieving her main goal in life, having the great Harry Potter. Hermione's sympathies had been entirely with Ginny. Not the greatest ambition for someone with Ginny's potential, but not everyone could be as ambitious as Hermione Granger. Umbridge and the Ministry's machinations had just proven what Hermione had suspected when she learned of the enslavement of house elves. There was something rotten at the core of the wizarding world. It was truly no better than the muggle world it felt so superior to. It was worse, in a lot of ways. Hermione, though, would change it, that much she knew. Umbridge would be the first against the wall when the Revolution came.
Luna was the only one to get that joke. Hermione should have realized, then, that Luna would be one of her most beloved friends in the world. Luna wasn't mad, really. She just thought differently. Luna would open Hermione's mind to a new world of possibilities, and would eventually show her new worlds. Luna was someone Hermione could talk to about anything. She never judged you. She would even keep the coin, as a memento, that Hermione had enchanted to burn as a means of alerting the DA members that a meeting had been scheduled.
Hermione didn't know, at the time, how ironic it was that she created that method.
After the raid at the Ministry, they could no longer deny that Voldemort had, indeed, returned. Umbridge was removed from Hogwarts, but Hermione had already eliminated her as an immediate problem. She didn't kill the toadlike woman, just left her in a state it took her time to recover from.
She met another person, that year, that would become a key figure in her life, Nymphadora Tonks. Tonks was an Auror, hunter of dark witches and wizards. Given her background, it was either that or be a dark witch. Tonks was a Metamorphmagus, possessing the rare ability to change her appearance, at will. She'd sport all sorts of different hair colors, though her favorite was pink. Her father was a muggleborn wizard, Ted Tonks, and her mother the notorious Andromeda Black-Tonks, a woman who would have the worst of reputations if it wasn't for her two sisters. They made Andromeda look good by comparison, but, only by comparison. Tonks was a member of the Order of the Phoenix, and had been part of the team that rescued Hermione, Harry, and the rest during the Department of Mysteries raid.
She didn't like people to call her Nymphadora.
On Midsummer's Eve, Hermione was in the hospital ward, due to severe injuries suffered from a curse during the raid. The prognosis was she'd need bed rest for a few days, and lots of healing potions. She'd still need those for a few weeks after she was released, but she would make a full recovery.
It didn't make the present any less painful, though.
Ron and Ginny had just been released after being treated for their own injuries, and promised to visit in the morning. She was reading when she had unexpected visitors: Professor Flitwick, Neville, Luna, and Tonks.
"Hello, Hermione," Luna greeted. "Professor Flitwick, Neville, and I were coming for a visit, and we picked up my favorite Auror along the way."
"Wotcher, Hermione," the beautiful pink haired Auror in question said. "Thought I'd pop by the school, check in on ya..."
"Thanks, all of you." She looked at Neville. "I'm sorry I had to break our plans for today."
"We'll make it up, later," he replied. "There's someone I want to introduce you to."
Luna whispered something in Tonks's ear. Tonks looked astounded.
"Afal?" she asked.
"Uh huh," Luna answered.
"Well... I'm impressed, Neville."
"So was she."
Neville blushed. Hermione knew she missed something.
"Ahem," Flitwick interrupted. "Miss Granger, we've brought with us a very rare and special cordial that will have you up and around in no time."
"Madame Pomfrey said it would be days before I'd be up."
"As I said, a very rare and special cordial. I assure you, it will work."
Luna said, "You have the word of a trusted Hogwarts Professor, you know."
"And with that," Flitwick said, "Mr. Longbottom, I think we should let these young ladies get to their business."
Luna explained, "We'll need to apply it directly to the wound, so she'll need to be undressed for it."
"Oh!" said Neville. "Well, we'll... see you later, then."
After Neville and Flitwick left, Tonks closed the privacy screens around them, then set up silencing charms as to not disturb any other patients. Luna took a vial out of a pocket. Tonks then sat on the bed and began removing Hermione's hospital gown.
"I'm sorry to be such a bother, Tonks..." said Hermione.
"Call me Dora. My friends do. And it's no trouble at all. Just don't call me Nymphadora. That's reserved for family, mainly because they ignore my requests, otherwise."
Luna said, "I think it's a pretty name, 'Gift of the Nymphs.'"
"Yeah, but people get the wrong impression of the word 'nymph.'"
"They think of me?"
"You know what I mean... Though I'm sure you have a stronger than normal sex drive."
"No more than you, dear..."
"Be that as it may... How about we get to our patient, here?"
"Of course..."
Luna sat on the other side of Hermione from Dora, looking sadly at the wound, a slash from just below Hermione's breasts to her navel.
"I told you it was bad..." said Hermione.
"Nothing this won't fix, have faith," Luna said softly. "You'll feel a burning sensation for a moment, but Lucy's Cordial is a healing fire..."
She poured drops along Hermione's wound, and it burned briefly, but only briefly.
Then, she felt the healing. Something passed over her... She felt calm, at peace. She closed her eyes, letting the feeling wash over her. The pain was gone. She felt like she was floating. She felt... good.
Then, Luna's voice said, still softly, "You may open your eyes now, Hermione."
She did, and looked herself over. The wound was gone, completely. Not even the hint of a scar.
"I..." Hermione began. She sat up, shocked, and turned to Dora. "Look!" she commanded, her hands motioning up and down over her nude body.
"It's... amazing," Dora said, looking Hermione up and down.
Hermione turned to Luna and jumped in her arms, hugging her tightly.
"Thank you..." she said.
"My pleasure," said Luna.
"Where did you get that stuff? Can Hogwarts be supplied with it? Madame Pomfrey could certainly use it."
"I'm afraid I'm only borrowing it, and will have to return it. It's from an Otherworld, you see."
"Another world?"
Dora said, "An. Otherworld."
"Oh," Hermione said in understanding, "the Fairyland."
"A Fairyland," Dora corrected. "There's more than one."
"How many are there?"
"A lot," Luna answered. "Some are fairly new, like Wonderland."
"Wonderland? It's real?"
"Oh, yes. Didn't you know? I thought everyone knew about Wonderland."
"They do, but... I thought it was... fictional."
"The Ministry made certain that the muggles thought that, when they couldn't prevent it's existence becoming known."
"Ah... Is Neverland real, too?"
"Of course," Luna said, smiling. "That's where my first boyfriend was from."
"Your first boyfriend?" Surely, she couldn't be talking about...
"Oh yes. I was very young, at the time. Wonderful boy, very heroic, always looking for adventure... But he just wouldn't grow up." Luna paused, before continuing. "Harry reminds me a lot of him. But, he still has time."
"So you've seen some of our magical species... in their native habitat, I guess you'd call it."
"Yes, and many of them are quite different in their homeland. In the Goblin City, goblins tend to randomly break into song, for example. The brownies are brownies, choosing to help a household because they like to, not magically compelled to harm themselves for even thinking about disobeying the people who have enslaved them. And gnomes... They're much bigger in the Fairylands. Quite nasty, some of them. They've been especially troublesome in Oz, for example..."
Oz...
"Wrackspurt have you, Hermione?"
"Hmm?"
"You zoned out for a moment," said Dora.
"Oh... I'm OK... I'm back."
"Good," said Luna, "because I'd hate for you to miss anything. Where were you, momentarily?"
"I'm not sure..."
Luna gazed deeply into Hermione's eyes, as if looking for something.
"Hmm..." she finally said. "I suspect you've fallen victim to a Ministry conspiracy."
"No, I'm sure I..."
Dora said, "Let me have a look..." and also gazed deeply, then looked to Luna with a concerned expression. Luna nodded, some sort of silent communication between them.
"What?" Hermione wondered.
"We'll talk about it, later. I need to look into some things."
"Has somebody tampered with my mind?"
"I'll find out what's going on, trust me. We'll get to the bottom of this. I'm good at my job."
She did trust Dora, she realized.
"You've inspired Harry," Hermione told her. "He wants to be an Auror."
"Does he, now? Cool... Nice to know I've inspired somebody... What do you want to do?"
"I'll probably work for the Ministry..."
Luna said, "That's not what she asked. She asked what you wanted to do."
Dora nodded in confirmation, and added, "Throwing Career Day discussions with you Head of House out the window, what would you like to do if you could pick anything?"
"Well... I was part of the Department of Mysteries scouting program, for a while..."
"You, too? I wasn't really interested."
"It didn't work out for me... I wasn't able to get the number of OWLS needed..."
"Which one gotcha? Arithmancy, Ancient Runes..?"
"Divination."
"Ah... Yeah, Trelawney knows her stuff, but is rubbish at teaching it. Do you like the other subjects?"
"Oh, yes! Ancient Runes and Arithmancy are fascinating! OK... What I'd really like to do? When I found out about Nicolas Flamel, I wanted to be an Alchemist."
Luna said, "She's also quite good with Transfiguration and Potions."
"Hmm..." Dora said, thoughtfully. "Sounds like you'd make a great Alchemist."
"Unfortunately," Hermione said, disheartened, "there aren't any good training programs for that. I know. I've looked."
"So it's something you'd be interested in doing?"
"Yes! But Professor McGonagall said I should set more realistic goals."
"Like working for the Ministry?"
"Yeah..."
"Hmm..." Dora looked like she was contemplating something, then came to a decision. "Well, you know the story of Nicolas Flamel, right?"
Of course, Hermione knew. During her first year at Hogwarts, she had to research his life because she, Harry, and Ron had gotten caught up in Voldemort's attempt to steal the Philosopher's Stone, which Dumbledore had hidden at Hogwarts. Upon reflection, the defences Dumbledore came up with for it weren't that good, considering three First Years were able to get past them. Still, Harry saved the day, and Voldemort's plan was thwarted. Dumbledore had the Philosopher's Stone destroyed, after. Hermione was, thinking back on it, wondering why, if Dumbledore was going to have it destroyed, anyway, why he didn't just do it in the first place and keep the students out of danger.
"Yes. He came into possession of The Book of Abraham the Jew. He and his wife studied it, eventually translated it, and learned how to make the Philosopher's Stone."
"And the Book, itself?"
"The legend says that it falls into the hands of the person destined to receive it."
Dora paused before saying, "Suppose I were to tell you I happen to know the person who has the Book, now?"
"Are you sure? The actual Book of Abraham the Jew?"
"Authenticated by Nicolas Flamel, himself. I knew Nick and Perri. I miss them."
Luna said, softly, "I miss them, too. They were very nice."
"Nicest people you'll ever know," Dora agreed.
"Wait," Hermione said, shocked. "You both knew the Flamels?"
Luna replied, "We've both known a lot of interesting people. I hope to introduce you to some of them."
"I'd love that... But, the first person I want to meet is who has that Book."
Dora said, "I'll see what I can arrange... But it'll have to be during Holiday. And you'll have to keep this secret. I'm only telling you because I trust you."
Luna said, "She can be trusted to keep a secret, if she knows how important it is."
"Yes," said Hermione. "I won't tell anyone... But why is it so important?"
Dora replied, "Certain people... They don't like the fact that the Book exists. They don't like the idea that anyone could possibly make the Philosopher's Stone. You have to keep this secret both to protect this person, and yourself."
Given what happened to Flamel's Philosopher's Stone, Hermione had a good idea who those certain people were.
"Do you need me to swear some kind of magically binding oath?"
"No... I'm going to trust you."
"Thank you... I mean it..."
And she did, not only for the offer, but the trust.
Luna said, "I can teach you a few exercises... breathing, meditation... that will keep a Legilimens from picking that up in a conversation. Now, if the person's digging specifically for it, they'll find it, but it's a start, and should keep the secret safe from casual scans."
"Thanks... Maybe you should teach Harry some of that."
"I intend to."
"So," Dora said, "feel up to learning how to breathe?"
Before she could answer, she heard a familiar voice.
"Hermione, you awake?" Harry asked.
Harry came into view, removing his invisibility cloak.
"I thought I'd... Oh God!"
He ducked behind the screen. What was... Then, Hermione remembered she was still naked.
"Oh! Um..." she said, scrambling for her gown.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
"Just... hold on a moment while I get something on..."
Dora and Luna were too amused.
Dora said, "And speaking of people who'll need to learn how to breathe..."
Luna called, "It's safe now, Harry."
"Um, are you sure?"
Hermione, trying her best to keep the embarrassment out of her voice, said, "Yes, Harry, I'm covered up."
Harry returned, looking as embarrassed as Hermione.
"Um... I..." said Harry.
"She's fully recovered from her wounds," said Luna. "But you saw that," she added with a teasing smile.
"Yeah," Harry replied. "From what we were told, I expected a huge wound, but you look great... Um, I mean..."
"I agree!" said Dora with a grin. "Her skin is just so smooth, don't you think? Doesn't look like she was cursed, at all. You could go over her skin inch by inch and you'd never figure out where she was injured."
Hermione grumbled, "Luna. Dora. One day I'll get even with you both."
"Now now..." said Dora. "Harry's had a lot of major experiences in his young life, most of 'em bad... Why begrudge him having such a positive one?"
Hermione was released from the hospital wing the next day. Madame Pomfrey couldn't explain the remarkably fast recovery, but it was obvious she no longer needed to be there.
Dumbledore wanted to speak with Hermione about the raid on the Ministry before she left for the Summer holiday. Before the meeting, she did the exercises Luna and Dora had taught her, so the Book of Abraham the Jew and anything about Alchemy wouldn't be in her thoughts.
She noticed his office had been straightened, but had just undergone some minor damage. Someone had visited that had been very angry, she deduced. She had a very good idea who.
"Lemon drop?" Dumbledore offered.
"No, thank you."
Much to her surprise, when she recounted the events of that night to Dumbledore, he was... less than pleased about hearing of Luna's heroism.
Dumbledore said. "You shouldn't have allowed her to go with you."
"She's as brave as any Gryffindor..."
"But, she's not a Gryffindor, Miss Granger. She's a Ravenclaw. Never forget that."
"What does it matter? I was almost sorted into Ravenclaw, myself"
"But, you chose Gryffindor. That makes all the difference."
"I don't understand."
"It's our choices, Hermione, that show us what we truly are."
"And Luna chose to fight alongside us, when she had nothing at stake... Just because it was the right thing to do."
"Have you ever heard of the Doctrine of Predestination?"
"No."
"It says that Man can never be deserving of salvation. It can only be given by the Grace of God. Therefore, God has already chosen the Elect and the Damned. You are either born among the Elect, or you are not."
"I... can't accept that, Professor."
"But you must. Here, the Sorting is done by the Sorting Hat."
"The Sorting Hat that wanted to put me in Ravenclaw, and I'd bet it considered Gryffindor for Luna."
"Possibly. But, you chose Gryffindor, while she chose Ravenclaw. You made that choice because you are truly one of the Elect. Miss Lovegood choosing Ravenclaw shows that she is not. Whatever she may seem to be on the surface, never consider her as you would any Gryffindor. Your house is your family, and she is not your family. Ravenclaw House has a history... They're more subtle than a certain other house, but you're as likely to find dark witches and wizards there as you are in Slytherin. And Luna Lovegood's family, in particular... Her paternal great grandfather is Gellert Grindelwald. And her mother..."
"But, Professor... I've seen some of my fellow Gryffindors... Well, a lot of them, actually... Behave in ways that are less than... good. Some of the things they've said and done... I've even done some things that are... a bit questionable."
"Only for the right reasons, Hermione. I assure you your actions have been for the greater good."
Maybe, Hermione thought, but there was no justification for some of the things her fellow Gryffindors had done, often the very same actions they were so quick to condemn those of other houses for. She was beginning to understand Professor Snape's hostility towards her house, and why her fellow Gryffindors treated Cedric Diggory of Hufflepuff being chosen by the impartial Goblet of Fire to be Hogwarts' representative in the Tri-Wizard Tournament as a crime against nature.
"And another thing you should know about Miss Lovegood," Dumbledore added, "she's a Legilimens. Your thoughts aren't safe around her."
Well, she knew that. So was Dora.
A Legilimens could read emotions and memories. Hermione had noticed that Luna always seemed to know what was going on with Harry, and how best to reach him when nobody else could, even her. She hadn't thought before the visit to the hospital wing about how Luna always maintained eye contact with whoever she was talking to, eye contact being a part of Legilimency.
"I'll take that under advisement, Professor," she replied.
What she didn't say out loud was she knew that Dumbledore, himself, was a Legilimens. So, if they weren't to be trusted...
After the meeting with the Headmaster, she sought out her friends. Neville seemed in a very good mood, like nothing in the world could get him down, despite the horrors he'd just endured and his damaged wand. The experience must have really boosted his confidence, Hermione thought. She spoke to Ron, who was very happy she was up and about faster than expected. He'd more or less recovered, too. Next up was Harry.
She saw Harry and Luna. They were talking, and whatever it was about was apparently what Harry needed. As Luna left, Harry looked like a bit of the weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Hermione also noticed how Harry looked at Luna as she was departing... The boy was enchanted, and not in the magical way, just the way boys are normally enchanted. But, Hermione thought, Luna was a Ravenclaw, so she should excel in Charms.
Hermione steeled herself and approached. She and Harry needed to deal with the awkwardness of her... naked thing.
"Hello, Harry," she said, nervously.
"It's good to see you're OK..." Harry said, equally nervously.
"Yes... We... need to get... my naked thing... out of the way so we're not always... awkward with each other."
"Um... I'm very sorry... I should have knocked... or something."
Hermione nodded. "It is just the human body... You saw me naked. That's all."
"Yes."
"We're best friends... So..."
"Yeah... I still should have knocked, though..."
"Yes... You should have. But what's done is done, and it's not like it was anything serious. No matter what Dora said about it being a... major experience for you."
"Dora?"
"Tonks."
"Ah... Well... She wasn't wrong, there..."
"Hmm?"
"Now, don't take this as a come on, because I don't want to mess up our friendship... It's the most important thing in the world to me..."
"It is?" Hermione was touched. She never knew that.
"It is. But... If I were to die tomorrow, and all things considered, I could die, any time... I'd go having seen something truly beautiful."
"Don't say that, Harry! Yes, we're in danger, but I'm going to keep you alive... Wait, did you just say seeing me naked was... beautiful?"
"I can't keep putting you in danger! You almost died the other night! And yes, you naked was the most beautiful sight I've ever seen."
"Harry, we've gone over this! We're in this, together! So are Ron, Luna, Neville, Ginny, and a lot of other people! You're not alone! And you just haven't seen any other naked girls to compare me to."
"Tonks seemed impressed with you naked."
"Well, I'm sure if you saw her naked, you wouldn't be as impressed with me."
"I'd still be impressed. Not that I expect to see Tonks naked... You just don't stumble in on beautiful naked girls on a regular basis."
"Well, Harry, dumb luck seems to follow you, so you might."
"Now you may have cursed me... Or blessed me... Whichever... Why do you think I'd want to see her naked?"
"You're a teenage boy. Of course, you want to see her naked."
"Well... OK, you have me, there."
"Or maybe a certain blonde Ravenclaw? I saw the way you looked at her as she was leaving, Harry," she teased.
"She helped me come to terms with something very important... about what happened to Sirius. She's... pretty wise about a lot of things.."
"And has that whole wood nymph thing going for her..."
"Look... I know you don't like her much, but..."
"Harry... Luna and I have talked... I understand her a lot better, now. Not completely, of course... But, I don't always understand you, either, and you're my best friend," she said with a warm smile.
Harry returned the smile and said, "Mutual."
"Best friend, or not always understanding me?"
"Both."
"Good. I like being mysterious."
"A puzzle to solve."
"I thought I was the puzzle solver around here."
"You're rubbing off on me."
"Good. Maybe it'll improve your study habits."
"Speaking of which... Just before I stumbled onto the most beautiful sight I've ever seen, Tonks was saying something about teaching you how to breathe?"
"Mm hmm... I'm learning Occlumency. It turns out that there are better ways to teach it than invading someone's mind and screaming at them to block their thoughts..."
The next day, Hermione had a pleasant surprise when she saw Dora walking the halls.
"Hey!" Hermione said, "It's good to see you! What brings you here?"
"I suggested there be an Auror checking in here, looking out for the kids in case someone wanted to retaliate against Harry and his friends. Madame Bones approved... She's got a niece here, y'know... And she was part of that group you guys put together."
"You know about that?"
"Fudge tried to use it against Madame Bones as leverage... Didn't work. He really should have known better... Nice trick, by the way, cursing the parchment everybody signed to prevent betrayal. Mum was impressed. She said she wondered why the Dark Lord didn't think of that."
Hermione didn't like the idea of one of her actions being compared to Voldemort's.
"Mum also said to tell you that next time, inform people that there will be consequences for betrayal before they sign. It's more ethical, and they'll be less likely to betray you. If you're gonna be a master Alchemist, ethics are important."
"Yes... Of course."
"You wanna exchange phone numbers? Keep in touch? Maybe do something this Summer?"
"You have a phone number?"
Dora rolled her eyes. "We're not all Luddites. Dad's muggleborn, remember?"
"Can phones work in a magical household?"
"If you know how to make 'em work, yeah."
"You should tell Mr. Weasley about it."
"Maybe sometime... But I'd rather the Weasleys not know my Summer plans."
"Why?"
"I'm... kinda planning on sneaking Harry out of that house so he can have a little fun, and I don't want anyone tattling to Dumbledore."
"My lips are sealed."
"Oh, you need to remove that curse from the Edgecombe girl."
"Marietta betrayed us."
"Did you ever ask her why?"
"Cho told us she was under a lot of pressure from her mother... But, as Harry told Cho, Arthur Weasley works for the Ministry, and you didn't see his kids babbling to him..."
"Did Arthur ask them about it? Directly? I can only imagine what Molly would have said."
"No, and they would have just told them to stop putting themselves in danger, not told the Ministry..."
"Mrs. Edgecombe wasn't one of Dumbledore's supporters. Oh, and not supporting Dumbledore doesn't make someone a bad person. A lot of people just don't trust him."
"Why?"
"Well, he's got a past... And it's not like he doesn't keep a lot of secrets... It's enough to make people skeptical."
"But, he's Dumbledore!"
"Would you really want that to be your entire argument to convince a skeptic?"
No, Hermione had to admit that wouldn't work well in a debate. Nevertheless...
"Then Marietta should have just... lied."
"Some of us have difficulty just plain lying to our parents. I never could."
They exchanged phone numbers, Hermione agreed not to tell the Weasleys or anyone else about Dora's plot to provide Harry some fun, and she removed the curse from Marietta.
The train ride back to London was a bit eventful. Draco Malfoy and his goons, Crabbe and Goyle, attempted to ambush Harry, only to be hit by a variety of hexes from members of Dumbledore's Army that left them feeling sluggish. Literally.
Ginny announced she had picked Dean Thomas as her boyfriend. Ron didn't seem to take that well, and not so subtly hinted that Harry should date her. Hermione wasn't sure if Ron wanted this because he considered Harry safe for Ginny to be with, or he genuinely thought his sister would be a good girlfriend for Harry, or he wanted Harry's attention away from a girl he was interested in and was willing to pimp out his own sister to insure that. Whatever Ron's reason was, Harry was ignoring it.
Probably best never to mention the whole naked incident to Ron.
At Kings Cross Station, Molly Weasley pulled her aside.
"We need to talk."
"Sure. What about?" Surely, she didn't know about the naked incident...
"Dumbledore told us Luna Lovegood went with you to the Department of Mysteries."
Uh oh... Hermione knew she'd have to defend Luna, again.
"She has some unusual ideas, sure, but she's the nicest, most loving person..."
"She's half Sidhe."
Well, that explained a lot. Hermione had read about the Sidhe, the Fairy Folk, when she investigated the history of house elves. There were so many stories about them, both good and bad. She thought of Luna's eyes... Just like the wandmaker, Mr. Ollivander's, Hermione suddenly realized. And, like Mr. Ollivander, Luna had an Old Magic feel to her, something ancient and... primal. Luna reminded her of a wood nymph. Now, Hermione understood why.
From what she'd read, the Sidhe had divided themselves into two Courts, the Seelie and Unseelie. The Seelie was the more benevolent of the two, and had many fairy creatures in it's Court, including fauns, pixies, and brownies. The Unseelie Court was hostile to humans, and their Court included many dark fairy creatures, such as goblins, the very goblins that now ran the wizarding bank, Gringotts.
"Is Luna's family Seelie or Unseelie?" she asked Molly.
"Seelie, but don't let that fool you," Molly replied. "The Seelie Court gives the Ministry all kinds of trouble. The truce we have with them stops them from abducting people outright like they used to. But, if somebody happens to stumble into their lands, or they decide they've been invited..."
"Invited?"
"They have a pretty loose definition of what they consider an invitation. That's one problem with the Statutes of Secrecy. Muggles don't believe the Fae exist, so they sometimes don't watch what they say. And nobody can watch what they dream. They still like to take people to their lands and make them theirs. Once they have you, and decide to keep you, they'll enchant you. The Ministry sometimes can put a stop to an abduction if they get there in time. Means a lot of memory charms, though..."
Hermione suddenly had the strangest feeling... It was that something familiar she felt from time to time that she could never place.
"They also get nasty when they're offended," Molly continued. "In Ottery-St-Catchpole, they still talk about the pixie attack hundreds of years ago. Wizards had to drive them off, and the Fae who sent them. They were driven into the woods up north from there. Most of us know not to go anywhere near those woods. But guess where the Lovegoods live. Xenophilius Lovegood was enchanted by one, years ago."
"Luna's mother..."
"That would be her. Morgan was her name. Her daughter looks just like her."
"Look... I got to know Luna pretty well..."
"You think so? The Sidhe have a charm about them... Maybe not like their Veela cousins, but they can put their fairy charms on you and convince you they're the best people in the world. Blood will out. She'll show her true colors, someday."
Hermione had always trusted Molly's judgement. She'd always trusted Dumbledore's. But, the time had come where she knew she had to trust her own judgement more, no matter how much she respected these two. They were just plain wrong about Luna.
"I like her. Harry likes her."
"Does he?" Molly asked, her eyes narrowing.
"Let's just... agree to disagree for now, please? Everyone's waiting for us."
So, they joined the rest. Several Order members were there, including Dora, scaring the hell out of Harry's abusive relatives.
The day after she'd settled in at home, Hermione received a call from Dora.
"The master Alchemist I told you about would like to meet you. I'm sending you her book... Not the Book, just one she's written. Call me back when you've finished it, and let me know if you still want to do this."
The package arrived delivered by a large black owl.
It was an advanced copy of a book Andromeda Black-Tonks was publishing through Quibbler Press, her autobiography, Unchained. It would be as controversial as the woman, herself. They were already going to have to change the original cover to get it in the bookstores, depicting Andromeda as her mythological namesake, chained, as in the paintings, nude to a rock.
Hermione was enthralled. The woman had led quite the fascinating life. Hermione found it hard to connect the young girl described in the book with the notorious Bellatrix Lestrange that she had encountered. The photos of the sisters when they were young were striking, the girls so... innocent. One major surprise was who took those photos. It seems, in addition to being the Dark Lord, Voldemort had quite the talent for photography.
The memories of Voldemort were quite the eye opener. Hermione had always seen him as simply a monster, but now she had to see him as Andromeda did, a man who had the greatest of potential, but who couldn't overcome his demons. He taught her so much, including, unwittingly, how to break from him. So, the Dark Mark was Bella's idea. Interesting...
She wrote about her cousins, Sirius and Regulus, including Sirius's brief career as a rock star. Harry would have to read that. She wrote of her close friends Xeno and Morgan Lovegood. Hermione could see so much of both of them in their daughter, Luna. She'd wished she'd been able to know Morgan, as she was magical, in every sense of the word.
And, of course, there was Ted, the love of Andromeda's life. She wrote of the rocky road of their courtship, how they started off truly hating each other, or, at least, that's what they thought. She wrote of the night that changed her life, the night she truly realized the magic of the world, the night Morgan took her to meet her family, the Sidhe, the Fairy Folk. Andy and Ted would marry in their realm, and their child was conceived and born, there. But, that had some obvious effects on Nymphadora.
She wrote of her alchemical transformations, and her philosophies. She wrote her controversial theory on wizarding genetics and her views on the wizarding world, and how it must change. She wrote about how this got her blacklisted by the mainstream wizarding press, prompting her, Ted, and the Lovegoods to form their own publishing company, Quibbler Press, where the blacklisted would have their voices heard.
Hermione called Dora, and told her she wanted to meet the woman. A date was set.
At worst, she'd get to spend a day with Dora. That was worth the visit, alone. At best...
Hermione had found her mentor.