Since it was Sunday, Draco was still in his slumber, Hermione woke up and swiftly apparated into the Leaky Cauldron. Though it was just morning, there were people sitting down at the tables, some of them brought along their children, who were playing with Chocolate Frog cards and chess.
"Hermione," said a voice.
Hermione turned and saw Harry smiling at her. Beside him was an old woman, despite her age, she looked as good as anyone else.
"Harry!" exclaimed Hermione.
She raced towards him and she said,
"It's so great to see you again."
"I've brought you a special helper."
Hermione looked at the woman. She was a woman with bright blue eyes, her clothes were clean and straight as if just bought and ironed a couple of seconds ago. Looking ancient, Hermione felt a great respect for her and did not want to cross her.
"Hermione, this is Olivia Walker, ex-Auror, her husband was one of the Aurors who captured Rosier and Wilkes."
Hermione eyed on her with surprise.
"You look exactly like your mother," said Olivia quietly and the three sat down.
"You know my mother well."
"So well that she even called me 'her best mentor'."
"Mentor?"
"Your mother Helia was a bright lady," said Olivia. "Beautiful, talented, and almost perfect. Though born in a Slytherin family, she was sorted into Ravenclaw. Her results of O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. were outstanding and beyond anyone's imagination. At the age of fourteen, she made her first Felix Felicis."
"The Liquid Luck?" asked Harry.
"It's hard for anyone to brew it as it requires much skills and extraordinary ingredients. Yet she managed to make one and get away with it, with points awarded by Slughorn."
"You have really inherited the genes, Hermione," said Harry. "You can make Polyjuice Potion when we were just Year Two."
Olivia's eyes shone on Hermione.
"Polyjuice Potion?"
"Well…it's just that we needed it to get rid of the Basilisk," explained Hermione.
"Wait," said Harry. "If you are a pure-blood like what the Malfoys have mentioned, why would you be petrified at that time? That makes no sense."
"Remember the Hufflepuff called Sally-Anna Perks? She was there standing somewhere near me, then she went off with her friends, escaping just in time."
"That's way too lucky!" said Harry.
"Anyway, how did my mother married a Slytherin and a Death Eater? Normally Slytherins would not want to marry people who are from other houses, I think," said Hermione and she looked at Olivia.
"At that time your father was not yet a Death Eater when he married your mother. But it was not love that bounded them, she learnt to love and eventually had you, naming you Athena."
"The books recorded that my father was caught by Aurors in 1980, that would be quite…ludicrous if he just joined the Death Eaters in such a short period of time, unless he was forced to."
"He claimed to be completely willing to devote himself to the Death Eaters. I can still remember that night when me and my husband were out for the capture of your father and the other Death Eaters," said Olivia quietly. "Rosier was easy to track down, but your father was a man of wits and cunnings. By the time we got him, Helia got out of the room with you in her arms. She knew exactly what happened as she saw us. Your mother had once been an excellent Auror…yet she could not even protect her husband from the Dementor's Kiss."
"How come she did not flee from him or do something to stay away from him?"
"The unbreakable vow tied them together, and refusal of obedience means more than just punishment."
"Who told you that he was a Death Eater?"
"A whistleblower."
"Whistleblower?"
"The whistleblower gave the names."
"I thought Death Eaters were quite united," scoffed Hermione.
"Nothing can be absolutely united in this world."
"So what happened to my mother?"
"Passed away soon after the incident."
"So I landed on my Muggle parents' hands out of nowhere?"
Olivia lowered her head and said slowly,
"I was the one who put you in the orphanage."
"Why did you do that?" asked Harry, agitated.
"My mother."
Olivia nodded.
"Your mother ordered me to keep you away from our world until you have turned eleven. But what has happened before your mother's death was quite unknown."
"Is there any method?"
"Not total mystery, we still have the indirect evidence."
"Indirect evidence?"
"Would you mind if I bring you to a special place?"
Hermione glanced at Harry and he shrugged. They followed Olivia to the small area behind the Leaky Cauldron and apparated to a large manor, just like the Malfoy's Manor, with front yard and extensive lawn, only that it did not have the abhorrence that she knew in the Malfoy's Manor.
"Is this my—"
"Yes, it is," replied Olivia. "Never expecting yourself having such a large place to live?"
"But it looks so…new…"
"The house will never get old or dirty, so will the yard."
Hermione went up to the door and took out her wand. The door knob bulged and Hermione was awed by the space inside. It was exactly like the Malfoy's Manor, only it was much brighter and colourful.
"When Muggles come, they will only see a normal village house," said Olivia, leading them to the stairs.
Hermione walked upstairs and entered a room on the right. There were magic toys everywhere and the bed was large enough to hold three people. She opened the drawers and took out the leathered albums, flipping over the pages, Helia Wilkes had almost had almost the same face of Hermione's. The baby in her arms was waving happily, there was the father standing beside them, locking them in an embrace.
"My parents…" whispered Hermione.
"My parents' photo album is exactly like this," said Harry. "Looking at old photos makes me feel their words. I know they are always with me, guiding me."
"Surely I feel nothing about them…"
"I am sure you will feel it sooner or later…"
"What is it like to have a Death Eater father?"
"Probably Malfoy can answer."
Hermione gave a weak smile, as her fingers touched the photos, she could feel her heart pumping vigorously. She could feel life.
"If only I can talk to them," said Hermione.
"Do you know what makes me able to have a Patronus?"
"A happy memory that is strong enough to have solid form," replied Hermione. "What's your happiest?"
"Just my parents talking to me. Though it seems boring meaningless, that's already the happiest memory I ever have."
"I don't even remember their voice, they're just nothing more than a piece of history."
"You will soon recall a few scraps of memories, just let time pass."
"I can't even use my original wand, what else can I do?"
"You can read and do many things, you are always the best witch in Hogwarts, you never fail in any tests and always maintain as the top student. Furthermore, I believe that wizards and witches working in Wizengamot are all intelligent and can do great things."
"That means nothing to me now, I am just no more than a constrained puppet."
"If you only your parents have a Pensieve."
"I wish they have, but the Death Eaters usually put things in their brain even there's no space left for storage of memories."
Hermione went out of the room and saw Olivia downstairs, with her eyes closed as if she was feeling the breath of the manor. Hermione went down and stood beside her, waiting for her words.
"How time flies…twenty-five years…" said Olivia and she opened her eyes. "Perhaps I will have to bring you to the Gringotts vault some day."
"Vault?" asked Hermione, glancing at the stairs as Harry came down.
"The Wilkes vault was untouched for years, what lies in there remains as a history, until that day you obtain that key. But rest assure, the key is in my safe hands."
"Wait," said Harry. "If Hermione has the vault, why didn't Dumbledore tell her to get that vault and tell her everything?"
"Dumbledore has his own reason. You were the spotlight of those days, everyone was talking about You-Know-Who—"
"Voldemort," said Harry. "Anyway he's dead and you can say his name out. There's nothing we have to fear about."
"Those days were most undesirable, there were Death Eaters everywhere and they could take away your life with no reason. You had to watch your beloved ones getting tortured, one died after another, right in front of you. The Dark Mark was injected into your arm with force. The Aurors got them and the Dementor's kiss was performed every day. No matter how you tried to persuade the Ministry, people would not trust you, even when they knew you were innocent. I can still remember that day when I saw my colleagues got pulled into the Azkaban and the dementors sucked their souls out. The body was piled aside, waiting to get buried or reduced to ashes."
"I can imagine that," said Hermione.
"Good that he has become history," said Olivia and she massaged her temple. "You two are very lucky, indeed."
"But the memories are still there," said Hermione, looking into Olivia's blue eyes.
"Yes, undesirable memories…"
She went outside to the yard, Hermione looked at Harry helplessly, then she went outside for Olivia, Olivia was standing at the centre of the yard, looking into the thin mist.
"Did my mother leave me anything? I don't mean those, I mean memories."
"There's her locket, but I believe it was somewhere hidden in the house."
"If it was not the whistleblower and the Death Eaters, my father will not be a Death Eater, my parents will be totally different, I would not be in Gryffindor but in Ravenclaw or Slytherin. I would be teaming up with different people, things would be totally different."
"We have to go," said Olivia. "Time is dying out."
"Will I be able to visit here again?"
"You are the owner of this house, I don't see why you cannot come here again."
Olivia snapped her finger and she vanished into the mist within the blink of the eye. Harry gave her an assuring look and they apparated away.
"Where have you been?" asked Draco nervously, holding Hermione's hands as soon as she appeared into the room by apparation.
Shocked by his sudden passion, Hermione withdrew her hands and stared at him, wondering what on earth he was up to. Surely, he could not be just pretending to be worried?
"Father has been asking about your disappearance."
Hermione knew he could not be just that simple.
"This is nothing related to you," said Hermione. "I can go anywhere within my reach."
"Someone says that you are with that Potter."
Hermione glanced at the walls.
"You spied on me, didn't you?" asked Hermione.
"Look, I just don't want to let Father questioning about you because of that Potter, get it?" asked Draco. "If you can, keep yourself away from him, it's us who are couples, that Potter—"
Hermione stormed out of the room, ignoring every word he said.
The exciting part lies in the next chapter, be sure to stay updated if you think you are interested. Those who are having a pure and innocent mind should be ready.
Anyone paying attention to Junior Eurovision (JESC) this year? I just love 'Планетата На Децата-Bulgaria', 'Мечтатель-Russia', 'Прийде Весна-Ukranie' and 'Свет у мојим Очима-Serbian', it's not just about does that rock or not, it's about the vision, the Bulgarian ballad is really a touch of the heart, and Krisia's voice is really magnificent, that's why I love her singing 'My country, My Bulgaria' and 'Mila Rodino'. 'Dreamer' is a good ballad, and Alisa's voice is gentle, but people seem not taking a great liking. Ukraine's one sounds a lot like Disney, and I can see the hope within wars and ashes. Serbian one, okay, I just think the voice is lovely. I hope Bulgaria can win. What's your favourite?