Chapter 21

When she came down to breakfast the next morning, she could smell the pancakes wafting through the house along with the promising aroma of coffee. She rubbed her eyes as she emerged from the stairwell, to be met by Harry and Ron, arguing over whether the bacon needed to be cooked longer or not.

"Smells pretty done to me," Hermione commented, and the two turned sheepishly to look at her.

It didn't last long as a triumphant look crossed Harry's face, "I told you! If we left it up to you, we would be left with nothing but charred food this morning."

Ron looked horrified at the prospect, but crossed his arms in rebuttal, "Fine, Potter. I suppose you're right," Ron teased. "Does that mean we can eat all of this now?"

She laughed, as she waved her wand so the table would set itself and the three of them would be able to eat.

As they sat down, Harry looked up at her, "How are you doing, Hermione?" he said softly. "I talked to Draco earlier, and he filled me in on everything. I'm sorry I wasn't here for you, but we were called in at work since this was the second natural disaster to hit within the month. They wanted to see if we could pin point the source of magic in case the Italian government called us in to work with them."

"I'm fine," she said with a small smile, "A bit shaken up over the entire thing, but hey, what's a date night when you aren't fighting some sort of tornado or the other?"

"And what about Oliver?" Ron asked her gently, as he placed on some food onto her plate. "We also heard about him."

"I don't really know what to say," she admitted feebly; which was true. Despite how fine she had been about it last evening, the thoughts had echoed in her head throughout the night, making it very difficult for her to get much sleep. "I still don't really know how to react to all of it, you know. Like on one hand, I'm glad I figured out now that he was the kind of person who probably would diminish my capacity and constantly be questioning the kind of person I was. I mean can you imagine what would happen if he found out about Scorpius? He would probably dump me on the spot because of who his father is. But at the same time, I don't know how I didn't see it coming. Men like him hate it when women push themselves to be the best because they are afraid it diminishes their capacity as men and makes them feel small. He hated that I wanted to save all those people because he thought I was seeking out the spotlight. But it really bugs me, was that before the entire date, he seemed to be like a perfectly charming gentleman, who didn't care for such things. I thought we actually had a chance together."

"He's an arse," Harry said, wrapping an arm around her, "As intimidating as it is that Ginny might curse me if I screw up, I love how fiery she is, and how she fights for what is right and what she wants. I would never change that about her, even if I wanted to."

Ron nodded, "I still respect that about you, Hermione. Not only as my ex, but as my best friend. Forget what that loser said. You deserve so much better than him."

"But what if I won't find that," she could help but whisper, as her earlier insecurities settled in. "The two of you are both so happy in committed relationships, but what if I'm just not meant to be loved? There are so many people out there who have nobody despite being romantics. There are wonderful people out there who deserve to be with someone, yet they aren't. Look at McGonagall."

"She was in love," Harry said quietly, "Twice. She loved a muggle man but didn't want to give up her life for him, and she loved a wizard who she married. Hermione I know that there are so many people out there who went to the grave alone, but that doesn't mean they were unworthy or undeserving. Maybe you've already met the man you were supposed to marry, or maybe you'll bump right into him in the near future. But I promise you no matter what, Ron and I will always be here for you, by your side. And if no man appreciates just what a fantastic person you are, then it's their loss."

She cracked a small smile at that as she began to eat her food, feeling slightly foolish in her feelings. But despite everything that was happening with her romantic life, it didn't stop her from feeling extremely lucky to have her friends by her side, helping her out.

"Where are the kids?" she asked the two, sensing the quiet for the first time since she woke up.

"Playing some sort of game or the other with Draco in the backyard," Harry shook his head, and Hermione understood. While she and, to some extent, Harry had played muggle games in their childhood, she had been amazed to learn the pure depth of wizarding children's games. And while not all of them involved magic, the ones that did were rather incredible. They could build imaginary worlds with toys and immerse themselves in them to pretend to be whomever they wanted, and she felt a slight pang of jealousy that she never got to enjoy such things in her childhood. She could tell that Harry felt the same way, in terms that he should have been able to have grown up with such things, had Voldemort not gone after his family.

"Hermione, I know officially we aren't allowed to question you about the tornado, but we need to still get you to answer questions about it to see if we can figure out how it came to be," Ron said as he went to grab a few more pancakes.

She nodded, "I know. It might help to talk it out so we know where to go from here."

"Did you see where it came from?" Harry asked, summon a quill and some parchment to right her answers.

She shook her head, "It came from the south, but that was all I could tell. I had my back to it, and only noticed it when Oliver pointed it out to me. But it was tearing apart the town, seemingly heading toward us."

"Did you sense anything when you saw it?" Ron questioned.

"I could feel a magical resonance coming from it. It definitely wasn't a natural occurring tornado, I can tell you that much."

"Was anyone acting suspicious around you before then?" Harry asked, scribbling down her prior answer.

"Not that I could tell. I didn't sense anything before, so I don't think the person who cast it was in my area, and after everyone seemed more concerned about leaving or getting to shelter. We were the only ones who stayed, much to Oliver's chagrin."

"How did you finally get rid of the tornado?" Ron asked.

"My magic alone wasn't enough, but through several wands, the casting of a tearing apart spell was used to break it down. Meaning however it was cast, if it wasn't by multiple people, their magic was greatly amplified somehow."

"Do you know of any objects which could be used to accomplish that?" Harry asked, from a non-interrogation point of view.

"I don't know, I'd have to look into it," she admitted, "But something I have been thinking about was that they had to get their hands on this object somehow. And unless they had an incredible inheritance waiting for them, it wasn't legally obtained."

Understanding dawned on their faces, as Harry responded, "The Gringotts break in," Harry replied astounded.

She nodded, "We know from the memories that there were several attacks like this, so I think what we need to do next is figure out what kind of objects can amplify power and be used to bring nations to their knees. We also know it's probably some sort of staff, so I was going to look into it today see if I could find any leads or the other on it."

Ron agreed, "I can try and help you. Harry and I can go down to the Auror research facility and use their library to see if we can find anything. If we see anything remotely related, we'll copy the page and bring it to you."

She smiled, "Look at the two of you, volunteering to read! This is definitely a nice change of pace from when we were twelve."

Ron grinned at her, as Harry rolled his eyes, "Finish your breakfast, Granger," Harry teased. "Or next time the two of us might not be so inclined as our efforts went unappreciated."

She lightly shoved her friend, who laughed in response before turning her attention back to the food on her plate.

Hermione slouched down in her chair from exhaustion. She had been at work for several hours already and despite knowing she still had several hours more for her shift, she just really needed a break.

She picked up the paper which had been dropped off at her desk earlier that day, leaning back, as she began to read.

England No Longer Alone in Unnatural Attack

Jane Epson

While England was hit several weeks ago by an earthquake, it seems as if we are just the first in line for such a catastrophe. Sources report that Florence, Italy was hit last night by a tornado. While there have been several reported events in the country over the past decade, none were of the level that erupted last night.

Reports show that on site also was Hermione Granger and Oliver Wood, who joined the Italian Aurors in bringing down the tornado. While Miss Granger has been known for her heroic actions in the past, it seems highly coincidental that the tornado happened to strike the same location she was that night. So is someone out to get the war heroine, or does she know far more than she is letting on about who really is in charge of these chaotic incidents?

Italian authorities are trying to keep the event under tight wraps, like our own government, in an attempt to calm the public. However this reporter still wonders just how we are supposed to stay calm when this is the first in a series of events. If we are facing a new threat, do we not deserve to know what we are up against?

While interviewing several Ministry employees in a quest to obtain more answers, I have learned that they are very diplomatic in their answers in an attempt to quell the public's desire for knowledge into what is occurring.

'While we are facing trying times, we must remember that the Ministry only wants to keep the general public safe,' Percy Weasley, Assistant to the Minister says, 'We have faced two wars in the past, and came out stronger than ever. We must have faith in ourselves and in each other. If we fail to see the goodness and light in our peers, we can be guided to a world filled with misfortune and destruction. It is important now more than ever to show that we can rise above these rough times as a society to once again come out on top.'

That was a political answer, if there ever was one. All other sources have claimed similar facts. In light of last night's attack, I have to point out that it seems as if we are no closer to obtaining answers and learning the truth of the attacks that occurred. If we cannot trust our own government, then who can we trust?

When I write to you again my readers, I pray that we shall have more answers so we do not descend unto a world of mistrust and misfortune.

Hermione closed her eyes. She understood why they were frustrated, she really did. But telling them the truth would only send the world into a greater panic than it already was in. Besides, countries kept secrets from their people all the time. There was all the espionage that occurred during both the world wars, the Turing Machine, and who knows what else. Sure, it wasn't right that a few select individuals tried to keep things from the general masses, but telling them could endanger her family, and that was a risk that she definitely was not willing to take. Not just for Scorpius' sake, but for Hugo and James, something she knew the others felt the same way about.

Something else that bothered her was the fact that the paper cited her being there as a potential reason for the attack. She frowned to herself as she realized that there could be a sliver to truth to the report, but it bothered her, knowing that if it were true, then she was in part responsible for the events that had occurred.

It hadn't been something which they considered, as she had yet to find a single source of a connection to the other side of this, yet she knew she was now inadvertently connected due to the children coming back. And if the person responsible for the attack even suspected that she had something to do with it, then it could have been the reason for the tornado being set off last night.

However it begged the question of why wait until she as on foreign soil. Was it so that she would be less likely to have assistance right away? Or simply to also invoke fear in another country as well to spread their power and message further.

Or was all of this just one large coincidence as they had initially thought it to be. She felt her brows scrunch up as the gears inside her head turned louder as she tried to make sense of all of this.

"Think any harder and your head might explode, Granger," an unfamiliar voice said, causing Hermione to break out of her train of thought and look up in surprise to see who the invader of her personal alone time was.

As she did so, she saw Zabini standing there, leaning against her door frame with a smirk on his face.

She beckoned for him to come inside, and he did so, shutting the door as he sat in the chair across from her. He leaned back in his chair and placed his feet on her desk; something which a dirty glance his way remedied.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him in a somewhat blunt tone.

"I wanted to see how you were doing," he said as he crossed his arms, "And catch up with my favourite Gryffindor."

"We literally just met yesterday," Hermione pointed out, which was true. Despite attending the same institution for seven years, the two of them never had any reason to interact, so yesterday was the first time they had ever spoken.

He grinned, "I know, but there's something inside of you that I like, Granger! A spark of temper and attitude! It's easy to see why exactly Draco is so taken with you."

She sputtered at that, "What do you mean taken. The two of us are barely friends as it is, let alone anything more than that. You're definitely misreading all the signs, Zabini."

He gave her a look to suggest that he didn't quite believe her all that much, but didn't push the subject.

"So did you come all the way here just to see me?" she asked, knowing it was highly unlikely.

He shook his head, "I'm meeting my girlfriend for dinner, but she doesn't get off for another ten more minutes so I decided to come see you in the meantime to give me a way to pass the time until then."

She smiled at that, "I didn't know you were seeing someone! Who is she?"

"Daphne Greengrass. She's a mediwitch on the third floor," Zabini said with a smile at the mention of her name, "We've been together for nearly three years now."

"That's incredible!" Hermione said with a grin. "What are the two of you planning on doing tonight, if you don't mind my asking?"

"I've cooked dinner for her," he said secretively, "But she had no idea. She thinks we're going to The Leaky Cauldron, somewhere she absolutely despises, but puts up with since it's a quick meal. I'm going to tell her we need to stop by my place to pick up something, and then we'll be on our way."

"Look at you, closet romantic," she teased him, feeling oddly at ease with the father of her son's, friend. "She's a lucky woman."

"Thanks," he said softly, "I'm thinking about asking her to marry me soon, but we never really talked about having a family together, you know?"

She nodded, "I do. Maybe the two of you should talk about it, to know if you're both on the same page in terms of what you want in a relationship."

"Sounds like a very smart idea, Granger, though I don't know why I'm surprised," he teased. "So I'm going to depart a bit of wisdom on you before I go to meet my girlfriend. Despite what stupid ideals you and Draco have decided about the future of your relationship, you shouldn't let it define what you want in life. The two of you fell for each other once, and maybe that was for a reason. Give him a chance, and you might be far more compatible that you think."

She shook her head in disbelief as she bid her new acquaintance farewell, as his words echoed through her brain. Despite what the two of them had agreed on earlier, it seemed as if everyone around her seemed to believe that they were making a mistake in their choices.

As she looked at the time and realized her break was over, she stood, and pushed out all of those thoughts out of her mind, deciding that for now her only focus would be on her job, her family, and whatever the hell seemed to be attempting to corrupt the world.