A/N: Please forgive the time between updates but since I've started school again it can't be avoided. I'm very sorry my loyal readers but school takes up a lot of time but I will post updates whenever I can. There is a companion to this called "Welcome to the New World" if anyone's interested. Be warned, it's a work in progress.
Hermione was lost, both inside of her own mind and inside of the Pettigrew house. Both were a labyrinth. She had decided to take a walk and let everything that Galatea had told her sink in. Walking and thinking led her to a dusty and closed off part of the house. Her curiosity got the best of her and she opened the nearest room. It took a little trying but eventually she got the door opened, clouds of dust swirling around her.
"Maybe Portia has a point about hiring more staff…" said Hermione as she surveyed the room. It wasn't snooping if the inhabitants were long gone, right?
"Girl's room." Muttered Hermione as she took in the baby blue color of the walls and furniture, a girls color before pink displaced it in the muggle world in the 1940's. There was a box upon the nightstand that declared it the property of Emmeline Pettigrew. A black curtain was hung over a portrait on the wall. Hermione suddenly felt like she was desecrating a tomb. She turned to leave and her dress got caught on a dollhouse.
"Peter, Margie, get out! This is my room!" screamed the curtain covered portrait. Hermione took a startled step back and tripped over the dollhouse.
"I-I'm sorry!" said Hermione as she got to her feet. She frowned when she saw the rip in her dress. She didn't exactly have the bottomless wardrobe the Pettigrew girls did.
"Who are you? You sound funny." Said the portrait
"I'm Her-Hermione Granger…Crouch." Said Hermione
"Granger? Don't know that surname. Crouch sounds familiar though, draw my curtain so I can get a good look at you." Said the Portrait. Hermione went across the room and pulled the heavy velvet rope that controlled the musty black curtain.
"That's better." said the portrait. It was of a blonde little girl, no more than ten, dressed in a black silk dress with a hoop skirt that extended her dress far beyond the width of even her shoulders, long pantalets with lace and designs could be seen from under her dress.
"Well, I suppose I can't be offended by the staring seeing as how I am a portrait now after all." Said the portrait
"Oh, I'm sorry." Said Hermione
"Quite alright, I'm Emmeline Pettigrew, by the way." Said Emmeline with a curtsy that sent her hoopskirt flying up in an adorable way.
"Hermione Granger-Crouch." Said Hermione trying not to laugh. This girl looked like a young Portia, complete with the adorable face Portia put on when was frustrated by something.
"I know, you said that already. I'm allergic to the light, not deaf." Said Emmeline
"You're like Persephone?" asked Hermione before she could properly stifle herself.
"Which one? I've got a cousin Persephone from my great aunt, a Greek Persephone in the family by the marriage of my third cousin Arthur, and a great, great, aunt Persephone who went a little mad. Of course, all of this information may be a little out of date." Said Emmeline
"Margaretta and Templeton Pettigrew's daughter." Said Hermione taking in the room a bit better. The window was obviously just a picture as it was showing a rose garden with a unicorn, there were heavy black curtains all over the room, and a few dusty paraffin lamps.
"Eww….Margie and out brother? I knew always knew she was mad…" said Emmeline with a smirk
"Um…I think they're half siblings…" said Hermione wanting nothing more than to go out that door and have another nice, intense conversation with Galatea Black.
"Oh, cousin Templeton, then. Well, they deserve each other." Said Emmeline in a snotty tone. Hermione chose to remain silent.
"What are you doing in my bedroom then? You're not dressed like help, more like a floozy than anything with your tight dress. I can practically see your legs." Said Emmeline. While motioning to her long, wide hoopskirt.
"No, I'm not a servant. I'm-" said Hermione before she was cut off suddenly.
"No, don't give it away yet! I've been stuck behind that curtain for Merlin knows how long." Said Emmelie
"Alright." Said Hermione humoring the girl in the portrait.
"You're foreign?" asked Emmeline. Hermione nodded yes.
"You're…from Ministry territories?" asked Emmeline. Hermione nodded yes again.
"You're…marrying into the Pettigrew family." said Emmeline
"No." said Hermione
"Hmm…you're a distant cousin then?" asked Emmeline
"Well, all magical people are related so in a way I am." Said Hermione
"To what degree?" asked Emmeline
"Very distantly." Said Hermione
"You're…not a squib then I'm guessing." Stated Emmeline
"No." said Hermione
"I knew it, they usually do away with their squibs in Ministry territories." Said Emmeline. Hermione frowned as she thought of Neville Longbottom, thrown from a window as a child.
"I'm a…half blood." Said Hermione, the word still foreign on her tongue. Emmeline clicked her tongue disapprovingly.
"I hate that word. It makes no sense, really. What's the other half of your blood? Pumpkin juice?" laughed Emmeline
"Well what's your word for someone with one wizard parent and one muggle one?" asked Hermione
"We don't really have one seeing as how the only muggles here are the ones who sired magical children. Well, the mothers anyway. Margaretta did some digging in the Palace of Records before they kicked her out and she found out that wizards like to make babies with muggle women and then disappear for some reason." Said Emmeline
"Do you have any children?" asked Hermione without thinking, not wanting to go anywhere near that particular subject.
"How can I? I died when I was ten." Said Emmeline sadly
"Oh, I'm sorry. I-I didn't think." Said Hermione
"I've been dead for a long time, I think, I dunno. Portraits don't really feel time. I'm not even Emmeline, I'm just an imprint of her. Not even a ghost…" said Emmeline
"I'm sorry." Said Hermione
"Wow, you really are keen on repeating yourself aren't you?" asked Emmeline sarcastically
"Well, what else can I say to someone in your situation? I've never really interacted with the portrait of a dead person before, let alone a dead child." Said Hermione with a huff
"How about we finish our game then?" asked Emmeline
"That's alright." Said Hermione
"You're a guest of someone…important…the Lady of the house?" said Emmeline
"Yes, I suppose Portia is the Lady of the house now." Said Hermione
"Ooh, I know her! The little blonde girl that was here earlier? Though I suppose she's a woman now." Said Emmeline
"Well, she's only fifteen." Said Hermione
"Wow, did her mum die? Is there more dragon pox out there?" asked Emmeline
"Not really. The disease is still around but it's not the plague it was when you were alive…I'm guessing?" asked Hermione
"Yeah, there was a plague then. I guess you want to know if I died from it?" asked Emmeline
"I-I no, that's far too personal." Said Hermione
"Well considering the fact that I haven't had company in many, many years I'm going to spill my metaphorical guts to you." Said Emmeline
"Why can't you travel around the house like the other portraits?" asked Hermione
"Because this part of the house is of the dead and sealed off. I'm amazed you found your way here." Said Emmeline
"Well, the door to this part of the house was stuck but I got it opened." Said Hermione
"I guess they didn't keep the wards around here up then if someone with no relation to the house managed to get in here." Said Emmeline
"Why is it warded? So the children don't go messing about?" asked Hermione
"So the children don't go messing about, so the servants don't steal us blind, and so we don't upset people. It's strange, isn't it? Interacting with a memory." Said Emmeline
"It is a bit…odd…but then again many things in the wizarding world are." Said Hermione
"Not to those of us who were born into this world. For me it is the muggle world which seems odd. Not that I've experienced it outside of books." Said Emmeline
"Because of your light allergy?" asked Hermione
"I could have gone about at night, and I did explore the grounds, but travel was out of the question. Between the ball of death in the sky and the stench of death all around I was pretty much stuck." Said Emmeline
"Persephone can go about in the sun…" said Hermione
"I suppose they've finally devised treatments then? Good for that Sephie girl. Templeton has problems with the light too but not nearly as bad as me. Margie was always a bit…well mad…though…but she hid it well." Said Emmeline
"Mad?" asked Hermione, a rant on her tongue about how they called her daughter Galatea mad as well as many other people who shook the wizarding world up.
"I think she killed me." Said Emmeline
"What do you mean? Did-did you catch dragon pox from her?" asked Hermione
"No, I didn't die of dragon pox. I went exploring through the servant passages in the walls, no windows or strong light there you see, when I found myself stuck in a room without curtains. Now, sometimes I did sit in the sun for up to a minute just to feel it, it is a human need after all. Well I did that and when I went to go back in the servants passage the door was stuck with some sort of magic. I-m magically weak, may people here are, so it took a while to get back in the dark. I died not too long afterwards." Said Emmeline
"But why do you think it was your sister who killed you?" asked Hermione, her thirst for knowledge overriding her sense of tact and grace.
"Margie talked a lot about how she was going to be head of the house of Pettigrew. She's younger than me but not by much. One day a golden compass and a weird trinket with a phoenix on it arrived in the post for her. The next day she was…strange…and started spending more time with little Peter. She never liked me and after my so called accident she and Peter were whisked away to India. That's the last I saw of her." said Emmeline
"I-I've got to go." Said Hermione as her head filled with thoughts, fears, and ideas, each more grand and terrifying than the last. She needed time to order them, to collect herself and figure out what she got into.
"Wait, we still haven't finished our game." Said Emmeline childishly
"My name is Hermione Granger-Crouch and I am here as a guest of the Lady of the House, Portia Pettigrew-Potter daughter of Peter and Addie Pettigrew and wife of Harry Potter. Her mum and dad are alive but in India and she's going to be having a son, Pietro, soon." Said Hermione before turning around and taking her leave.
"Cassandra." Said Emmeline as Hermione left.
"What?" asked Hermione
"The little blonde girl was named Cassandra Crouch." Said Emmeline
Hermione said nothing, she simply left. When she had wanted to join them, these people who were her friends, she had been seduced into their world. Now their world seemed like the rest of the wizarding world, dangerous and frightening under the fanciful trappings. When she was eleven the trappings had been god-like powers and an entirely new world of knowledge to fill her head with but now the trappings were knowledge, ability, and companionship. Companionship came above all else for her at this point in her life. she had known it only from Ron and his family before this, a place where she was babied, belittled, but accepted. A place that she could never go back to.
"It's all the same." Muttered Hermione as she made her way down a servant's passage. She wanted to join them to be their friend and a part of what they, or more specifically Galatea, were doing. After entering the wizarding world at eleven she soon saw through the tricks and trappings of a world where people flew on broomsticks and mail was delivered by owls. She saw a world where, for who she was, be it muggle born or insufferable grade grubbing know it all, she would be disliked and even hated. If it wasn't for the friendship of Ron, and later Ginny and the rest of their family, she would have gone back to the muggle world where at least she had prospects in her adult life.
"Keep going, keep going…" muttered Hermione. When in doubt, when stressed out, she learned. She filled her head with knowledge so she could block out all else. The weight of what, exactly, Galatea did, coupled with the fact that her mother may have killed one or more of her own siblings. She wondered, vaguely, if she should go back to the Weasley family.
"Out of the question." Said Hermione verbally banishing the thought as it entered her mind. No…she had steered Ginny to the book, to the potion…she was at fault for what had resulted. Her parents were out of the question as well…
"Wonderful." Said Hermione remembering her loving, wonderful parents. Regardless of who sired her, or under what circumstances, these were the people who loved her, who raised her. They had no idea who she really was, where she came from, and she wasn't about to go opening up that can of worms. It hurt her to think of her mum…and her being the result of that. She hated the Crouch name but she needed it for the doors it opened for her…in this world she was nothing. The Crouch name, the Pettigrews, Blacks, and Potters could make her something. Something…beyond a grade grubbing know it all.
"Cold." Said Hermione as the flesh of her arms began to prickle and cold invaded her summer outfit. Only now was she aware of the ache in her feet, the dust on her dress, and the fact that the stairs went no further. A heavy metal door was in front of her with a sign proclaiming it the ice room and a newer sight proclaiming this the future sight of the Pettigrew family pool.
"Portia, you and Harry can't deny each other anything, can you?" Said Hermione with a small smile. She recognized the looping script and underneath the sign was a drawing of a green, pink, and blue female stick figures along with a red male one in the water. There was also yellow one with a book off to the side. Upon the door there was also a piece of paper, in smaller blockier print that proclaimed the writer's worries about where, exactly, the ice was going to be kept. The door swung open and almost hit Hermione in the face.
"Excuse me ma'am, begging your pardon, ma'am." Said a servant as she left the ice room, her face pale and her nose and cheeks rosy from the cold. In her hands was a bucket of ice with some sort of inscription on it. Hermione could feel the magic coming from the words.
"I'm sorry, am I not meant to be down here?" asked Hermione now conscious of the fact that this was the domain of the servants of the house, not the guest, and she must have seemed ridiculous in her dusty dress and now messy hair.
"No ma'am, you are free to travel the house as much as you so please." Said the servant having visible difficulty holding the bucket of ice.
"Here, let me help you with that." Said Hermione reaching over to help carry the bucket. Fear and confusion crossed the servant's face as she took a step back in the enclosed space of the servant passage.
"Oh no ma'am, I can carry it myself. I wouldn't want you to think me slothful or anything." said the servant. Hermione decided to change the subject, an art she was quickly becoming the master of.
"What's your name?" asked Hermione. The servants looked happy at this change of subject. The last thing she needed was to lose this job because the house thought her to be slothful. Once you were fired from a house no others would take you and the new influx of muggle borns and the fact that the old families were leaving for the colonies was making work hard to come by in a good house. She would not lower herself to working with the newly forming middle class of artisans, healers, and other professions. There was a certain amount of prestige that came from working in an old house for a noble and ancient family.
"Winnie, ma'am, Winnie Rochester." Said Winnie trying to give the best respectful curtsy she could.
"Have you been a servant for long?" asked Hermione grateful for something to take her mind off of her swirling thoughts.
"My whole life. My mother was a maid overseer and my father was a carriage driver for the Fromage family back in France but we relocated here after the troubles ended." Said Winnie
"You mean the first Voldemort war?" asked Hermione
"No, the dragon pox epidemic, after the world war but before the Voldemort war. Killed almost a third of the population, I reckon. That's not with the war casualties but more outsider muggle borns and their families filled in the population, even though they stopped a lot of immigration." Said Winnie before they reached their destination, the house kitchen.
"Oh!" gasped Hermione as the door opened. The heat hit her like an invisible wave, followed by the noise, and ended by the smell. It was…not good but not bad either. The smell of spicy curries, sweet cinnamon, rich chocolate, and all manner of seafood filled the air as many servants slaved over massive black stoves. It was overpowering.
"Sorry ma'am." Said Winnie as she went about her work. Hermione looked around in awe, was this all just for the family? The family and the servants?
"I don't care if you can't serve curry with spotted dick it is Galatea's birthday dinner and by Merlin we're going to serve all her favorites!" Said Portia as she stood on a stool in the middle of the room. The servants all gave each other weary glances. The newer, younger ones would complain later when the family of the house was not around for they had never been through one of Addie Pettigrew's meltdowns.
"Yes, ma'am." Said a heavy set servant before going back to work. Portia looked pleased with herself as she surveyed the kitchen. Her kitchen. She smiled and took a swig of something from an ornate flask before she spotted Hermione.
"Hermione, what are you doing here?" asked Portia stepping down gracelessly from her perch.
"Nothing, just looking around. Am I not meant to be here?" asked Hermione. So far no area of the house had been explicitly labeled off limits to her.
"No, you can go where you like. My home is your home for the time being." Said Portia fearful that she had offended her friend.
"Oh, thank you…what's going on? I didn't know you personally oversaw these things." Said Hermione still transfixed by the kitchen. Knives chopped on their own, their thumping mixing with the mechanical whirring of all manner of cooking devices. Her learning told her that the servants were mostly squibs and people with weak magic. It was a duet of the old wizarding world and semi-modern world Portia had been born into. Upon closer inspection she saw some modern stainless steel hand operated appliances.
"Only when it's important and this is very important." Said Portia, ignoring a slight twinge from her belly. Maybe piling more food in wasn't the best idea…no, it would pass by then.
"Galatea's birthday, that's what. I'm going to have the kitchen make all of her favorites and a few of mine too. Do you want anything?" said Portia
"No, I'm fine. Is the kitchen usually this…busy?" asked Hermione sweating through her dress and layers of underwear. Portia looked perfectly fine, maybe from spending so much time in India.
"I wouldn't know, I'm just giving direction." Said Portia
"How can you stand this heat?" asked Hermione wiping a glowed hand across her brown. Portia leaned in conspiratorially.
"Magic." Whispered Portia before breaking into a fit of giggles.
"Oh, right. I'm sorry I didn't-" said Hermione before Portia put a finger over her lips to silence her.
"No, it's quite alright. Mum taught me this spell when we were living in India. This one won't interact with the standard magic in our clothes but be careful of anything else you have going on." Said Portia
"Of course." Said Hermione as Portia retracted her finger. Suddenly her face let up as an idea sparked to ignition within her mind.
"Come, let us leave this dreadful place." Said Portia grabbing Hermione's hand and pulling her from the room. Hermione allowed herself to be dragged away through the main kitchen door and down the spacious hallway.
"Where are we going?" asked Hermione holding her dress up with her other hand as not to trip.
"Galatea likes muggle things." Said Portia as if that explained everything. She dragged Hermione up the grand staircase, the newly installed plush carpeting muffling their footsteps.
"She does?" asked Hermione. If anything Galatea seemed to like old, arcane, things. Things which used the old magic she was so fond of using. If anything it seemed that Persephone liked muggle things more.
"She won't admit it but she does. They fascinate her, she says. Sometimes she even goes into the muggle world in disguise like an espionage matinee." Said Portia stopping at the landing of her floor to catch her breath. That did nothing for the pain in her stomach. She drank from the flask of potion at her side in an effort to drown out the pain growing within her.
"We're going into the muggle world?" asked Hermione with wide eyes and a hitch in her chest. She wasn't sure if she wanted to go back to the world she was born into so soon. Since the age of eleven it had become more and more foreign to her. Objectively she knew that four years was not a very long time at all but seeing as how she was almost fifteen it was just over a quarter of her life.
"Yes, to get Galatea a present and maybe even do a little exploring ourselves. London, or perhaps even New York City in America." Said Portia excitement spreading across her face like the spots she was concealing. Hermione shook her head in disbelief.
"London or even New York City? Portia…don't you think…?" asked Hermione not quite sure how to respond. Portia was her friend. Portia wanted to be with her. Portia wanted to spend time with her and didn't tease her or put her down or anything. She knew that Portia and the rest of them had their ways of traveling vast distances in the blink of an eye. She knew all these things but she was still apprehensive.
"I know Galatea said she doesn't want presents, she says that every year and always has, but we have always gotten her presents and always will." Said Portia with conviction as she dragged Hermione into her room. Harry was gone someplace.
"Portia, I haven't got much muggle-" said Hermione as Portia rummaged through a trunk before producing a small pile of muggle notes in many denominations. They were held together with paper like that had come from a bank…there must have been thousands of pounds there…
"…money…" said Hermione as Portia shrank them down and put them in her shoulder bag.
"I got some of our notes changed into theirs a while ago. Don't worry, I'll get you. I'm getting something on Harry and my parent's parts anyway. They don't usually get her things because they listen to her when she says she doesn't want presents. How could someone not want to receive a birthday present?" said Portia
"I know Persephone won't be joining us for obvious reasons but what about Harry?" asked Hermione. Portia shrugged her shoulders before going to her wardrobe. Stuck to the wood of her wardrobe was a note written in Harry's hand.
"According to this he's gone to visit someone and doesn't know when he'll be back. At least he's not doing his moping around here thing…" said Portia as she rummaged through her wardrobe before pulling her wand out and summoning a small pile of clothes.
"Moping?" asked Hermione as she looked around Portia's bedroom. Harry could not have been gone long, his side of the bed was still unmade. It looked almost comical, one side of the bed precisely made and completely undisturbed due to some simple magic and the other side a complete and utter mess. A bit like the wizarding world itself really.
"Yeah, he's been pretty gloomy today. He didn't even get out of bed this morning. He's like this sometimes, I just wait it out." Said Portia
"Why? Did something happen?" asked Hermione fearing for a moment for her place in the house. She knew that it was selfish of her but when the fights within the Weasley family, usually about money or their black sheep Percy, got to be too bad she was often sent home early. Early and alone with only her books and her parents. No friends, only public access telly which she didn't have much patience for anyway, and longings for the school year to begin for company.
"Because of that Ginny girl. I honestly don't know why he's upset. People get slipped potions all the time. This won't come back and bite him in the arse like it did Sirius Black. Not that I'm saying Aunt Margaretta slipped Sirius Black a potion or anything because mother assures me it was some sort of love affair and she wouldn't lie about such things. I hear she used to be quite the looking before the ravages of age took hold and all. Anyway, the child won't inherit anything from the house of Potter and has no claim on the family. We had to get married rather early but it had to happen eventually and who better to marry then your best friend?" Said Portia unbuttoning her dress and kicking it across the room.
"Um…what are you doing?" asked Hermione as Portia untied her petticoats and let them fall to the floor. The large bump of her stomach was clearly visibly now, under her loosely tied corset.
"Disguising myself to better blend in with the muggles." Said Portia as she stepped into a long black skirt. She dug through the pile of clothes and pulled out a blue button down blouse. She looked…younger…like that. Younger and much more muggle like, like one of those very religious people who Hermione had seen sometimes.
"You look…" said Hermione. The word adorable came to mind. She had let her hair down and removed the cosmetics from her face. Usually she looked like someone who was trying to be an adult, now she looked fifteen. Fifteen and very, very, pregnant.
"I know, I know, but I hate the underwear and I'm much too old to be showing my legs. Besides, people will assume many things but not that I'm a witch." Said Portia
"It's just that you're so young and so…well…you're having a baby." Said Hermione
"Yes, and I'm sure I'm not the first person to do so." Said Portia running a brush through her hair. Sometimes she wished it was socially acceptable to cut it. Some people were giving themselves bangs but Portia didn't want to make her hair uneven. Sure she could grow it out with magic but she'd have to find a person for that and even then magic done to affect the growth of any part of the body was risky business. She knew of several girls who had gone bald where their bangs were after trying to magic them back to match hair length.
"I just meant that in the muggle world most people wait until their late twenties or early thirties to have children and…you look so young…it may draw attention." Said Hermione hoping she didn't offend Portia in anyway. Portia shrugged.
"They can think whatever they want, I don't care. Here, amongst my social peers I do but out there it doesn't matter. Here I'm Portia Potter with the weight of all that entails but out there I'm just another person out of millions just going about my day. It's freeing, in a way, I suppose." Said Portia going quiet at the end as she sat down on her bed.
"Alright, I understand." Said Hermione deciding not to push the subject any further. She sat down next to Portia took her hand in hers reassuringly as she had seen Portia do for others many times.
"Do you ever wish you were younger?" asked Portia
"We're already pretty young." Said Hermione
"No, I mean…do you ever wish you could go back to when things were simple? To when life made more sense and your biggest problem was what ribbon to wear in your hair?" asked Portia
"I do sometimes long for the simplicity of childhood, yes." Said Hermione agreeing with Portia to agree. Sure she had less responsibility but also less freedom and people were much crueler. But it was better because when she was younger she could simply go home to get away from the cruel taunts of the other children…
"Sometimes…sometimes I wish…no I wonder…what life would be like if I was…if I wasn't…if Galatea wasn't who she was…I know it's mad…" said Portia
"What do you mean?" asked Hermione
"I wouldn't be the lady of the house if I hadn't married Harry and I wouldn't have married Harry if we hadn't been at Hogwarts for that stupid tournament and we wouldn't have been in that stupid tournament if it weren't for Galatea's…Galatea-ness." Said Portia
"But you seem to enjoy being the lady of the house, don't you?" asked Hermione
"I do, I do. I can do whatever I want, change the house however I see fit, go wherever I want but it's a lot you know. I…well I miss my mother and father and brothers and sisters. I just wish I was Portia Pettigrew again and sometimes…sometimes I wish that I didn't have a little person inside of my who I will be charged with keeping alive and I wasn't going to…to…a lot of stuff." Said Portia
"I know what you mean, in a way. Sometimes I wish I wasn't who I was." said Hermione vaguely. Portia cocked an eyebrow.
"Utterly brilliant?" said Portia seriously. Such blatant praise brought a flush to her cheeks.
"No, a Crouch." Said Hermione quietly. Portia's expression turned to one of puzzlement. Crouch was a good wizarding name. Being a Crouch was much better than being another muggle born nobody. Who wouldn't want to have a name that opened more doors than being a muggle born could close?
"Why wouldn't you want that name? Over in the Ministry territories it's a good name. You could be someone with a name like that." Said Portia omitting the fact that soon there would be no more Ministry territories if Galatea was going to play her cards right.
"Because I never asked to be a Crouch!" said Hermione losing herself. She never wanted that to happen to her mum. She refused to believe that her mum would cheat. No, there must have been some magic, some horrible scenario that resulted in Hermione's existence.
"I never asked to be a Potter. It's still a good name." Said Portia still trying to see what exactly Hermione was so upset about.
"You like Harry don't you? You wanted to make Pietro, didn't you? Pietro is coming into this world wanted, isn't he?" said Hermione with tears stinging the corners of her eyes.
"Yes, if I didn't I would have done something to circumvent our marriage contract. I'm not entirely happy about how fast my life has changed but Harry isn't cruel or anything like many other husbands are. It is a bit strange to couple with someone who was raised as your brother but I try not to think about it." Said Portia
"Well I wasn't! Portia, why can't you understand this? My parents would not have wanted me if they knew what happened." Said Hermione
"Do you know what happened?" asked Portia
"No, but I can't imagine it was good. My mother would never cheat on my father so something terrible must have happened to make me." Said Hermione
"So? You can't control that, Hermione, and beating yourself up won't change what happened." Said Portia
"I'm not trying to change what happened because I know I can't without erasing my own existence. I just…I don't want my mum to suffer." Said Hermione
"How can she be suffering if she can't remember what happened?" asked Portia
"I don't want her ever to have suffered." Said Hermione resting her head on Portia's shoulder. She smelled like lilacs.
"I don't want my mum or anyone I love to suffer either. Galatea says that the past is in the past where it should stay and trying to change it will only result in the destruction of the universe. Not that you want to change it or anything like that." Said Portia
"I just…I feel like when I use the Crouch name I profit from her suffering. Like sometimes I should just leave that world…and enter yours." Said Hermione. The muggle world was out of the question, she was too far behind and attempting to get explain where she had been would cause problems. If she claimed to be home schooled she would still need to pass her tests and while her knowledge was great she still could not do as well as she could on the muggle equivalent of OWLs and NEWTs.
"I don't care what family you come from. Others will, Merlin knows others will, but I don't. As far as I'm concerned you're my brilliant, big haired friend who I haven't known my entire life." said Portia
"Is that a good thing?" asked Hermione
"Merlin yes! I know people, lots of people, but pretty much every friend I have in the world resides in this house. Mums and dads don't count and neither do siblings. It's just that from the day I was born I was presented with family members and told that these would be my friends…not that I don't like them or anything." Said Portia
"At least you had friends." Muttered Hermione remembering the exclusion she faced as a child. She didn't understand the other children and they didn't understand her.
"You have other friends, at Hogwarts. I saw you with them." said Portia
"I don't know if Ron and I are friends anymore. I mean, after all this and what happened with Ginny…" Said Hermione playing with the fabric of her dress.
"Well if he is your friend that's good and if not you still have me…and the others too of course." Said Portia giving her hand a squeeze and holding her gaze for just a moment too long.
"So…you said something about going to London or New York?" said Hermione
"Right, I did. I think that London would be better, we don't have to change our money that way and the Yanks are obsessed with their borders so I would be best not to arouse suspicion overseas. That is, unless your idea of fun is foreign constables and their justice system." Said Portia
"I can assure you that it's not." Said Hermione throwing a bag over her shoulder and moving to stand next to Portia. From her sleeve she produced a peculiar looking pocket watch.
"Good, to London then." said Portia and with that they disappeared into a ball of flames. The world seemed to burn away from Hermione, all of creation seemed to burn away. Everything that is, was, or ever would be seemed to exist in that second, that second in which they burned the world away around them. The floor gave way but they still stood until the world became reborn from the ashes. It could have been a second, a day, or an hour. Time had no more meaning as the world became again and Hermione found herself in a store room of sorts.
"Hermione, you're breaking my hand." Said Portia. Hermione looked down. Portia's hand was indeed caught in Hermione's vice like grip. She let go immediately and Portia began to massage her hand.
"What was that…?" asked Hermione reeling from her journey
"This thing? Galatea made it from pieces of the phoenix gate I think or something. I know it breaks down the walls of time and space letting us travel in the in-between but I'm not sure of the exact mechanics of it." Said Portia
"Where-where are we?" asked Hermione
"The Leaky Cauldron's storeroom, in London, I didn't want to frighten any people so we had to be somewhere empty and this was the only place I could think of." Said Portia
"That's alright." Said Hermione regaining her senses
"It's amazing, the first time always is." Said Portia before taking Hermione's hand and leading her out the door. The smell of smoke assaulted their senses as they entered the dingy tavern. All manner of witch and wizard was there and Portia did not want to attract the attention of anyone. Any one of these people could be followers of the Dark Lord and she was not in the mood for a confrontation.
"Come along." Said Portia quietly to Hermione. Why anyone would want to frequent such an establishment she could not understand. Soon they were bathed in the sunlight and noise of muggle London.
"It is a little jarring. Wouldn't you say so?" Said Hermione as she took in the world she had been born into. There was always a short adjustment period she felt when returning to the noise and bustle of the muggle world. There was even a time she preferred the wizarding world to the muggle one. That time had long passed.
"Well don't show it, that's what I say." Said Portia as she began walking. Unlike the Weasley's, the only other wizards Hermione had been to the muggle world with, Portia walked around as if she was meant to be there. She didn't stop and gawk at all manner of thing. No, she just looked like another person trying to make their way through this world. Hermione caught up to Portia and allowed her to lead. She had no way of knowing where Portia was leading her to or if Portia even knew her way around but she trusted the other girl.
"So, what are you going to get Galatea?" asked Hermione making conversation
"Books for her and Timmy as well some muggle gadgets, she's quite fond of those. Oh, and batteries. We could always use more batteries." Said Portia
"Do you know where you're going?" asked Hermione after they had been walking for some time. The Leaky Cauldron became a speck behind them as they travelled deep into muggle London. Thankfully Portia's belly attracted more looks than their long skirts.
"I've been to London before; I know where the shops are. We could take an automobile but I honestly prefer to walk. Maybe I'll lose some of this baby weight." Said Portia before a sharp pain made its way through her body. She took another swig of potion from the flask in her bag and the pain dulled. It dulled but did not disappear.
"Are you alright?" asked Hermione
"I'm fine, really, just some pains. I'm sure it is nothing serious." Said Portia trying to convince herself more than Hermione.
"I just mean that you don't look alright. I mean, you're having a baby and all…" said Hermione
"I haven't injured myself at all and I'm pretty sure he's not coming." Said Portia as they entered a book shop.
"How can you be sure? My parents had a woman go into labor while having a cavity filled and they said it wasn't like in films with screaming and thrashing. In fact, my mum said that she was in labor with me for hours before she had to go to the hospital." Whispered Hermione as they browsed the shelves together.
"Because I think I would notice if a person was coming out of me. Besides, if I was having a baby I'd be lying on the ground screaming like mum always is when it happens." Said Portia
"Alright, I'm just worried about you." Said Hermione
"Well, you don't have to. I can take of myself, I'm not a little baby anymore." Said Portia defensively. She picked up a random book and began to flip through it somewhat aggressively.
"I'm sorry, I never meant to imply that you were." Said Hermione quietly, conscious of the other people in the bookstore. While they were alone in the aisle people passing by would stop and take a look. She even heard someone mutter about religious nutters.
"No, I'm sorry for biting you head off like that." Said Portia putting her arm on Hermione's shoulder. They shared a look before coming to the mutual and silent agreement to keep on shopping. Eventually Portia began to get the feeling that something was wrong.
"Hermione?" asked Portia quietly as they walked through the self-help section, a few books balanced in the crook of Hermione's arm.
"Yes?" asked Hermione as she picked out the last of her gifts. Harry definitely needed this book since the wizarding world apparently had no psychologists.
"We need to go home, soon, very soon." Said Portia. This pain in her stomach was not caused by her terrible yet delicious diet. No, this was something else.
"What's wrong?" asked Hermione. They had been browsing for a while now and Portia had looked like something was bothering her. Hermione chocked it up to something innocuous since Portia said the baby was fine. She was in a position to know, being the pregnant one and all.
"…you were right and I was wrong." Muttered Portia under her breath. Hermione leaned in closer to hear, due to the fact that she was not gifted with bat like hearing.
"Portia? What was that?" asked Hermione. Portia gave her a long look and let out a huffy breath. Why did she have to rub it in?
"You were right and I was wrong, happy?" asked Portia. Hermione grabbed her hand.
"The baby's coming? Now?" asked Hermione trying to keep the panic out of her voice. Panic wouldn't help the situation at all as it seldom helped any situation.
"Yeah, so go pay and meet me in the bathroom." Said Portia feeling the muscles in her abdomen move in a way they had never moved before. It was not a good feeling.
"Right." Said Hermione in her most calm voice. This was not good. How long did it take for a baby to be born? She had read that it was different for every woman but the first stage of labor could last hours. So could this line. Why was she still in line? Right, the gifts. Portia said to pay first and she was the pregnant lady after all. Portia was her age. Portia was going to be a mum. She was so deep inside of her own thoughts she didn't notice that it was her turn.
"Next!" said the shop girl with more than a little annoyance in her voice. Hermione shuffled over to the cash register, her mind still going a mile a minute.
"Sorry." Said Hermione. The girl rolled her eyes and began to scan the books. Hermione quickly counted her money and handed it to the employee. The paying procedure seemed to take hours as Hermione remembered everything she had ever been told or read about childbirth.
"Your receipt." Said the shop girl practically waving the little piece of paper in Hermione's face.
"Thank you." Said Hermione taking her receipt. As soon as the cashier called out next the lights in the bookshop went dead. Hermione was taken from her thoughts as the building unceremoniously went dark.
"We'll have this problem sorted shortly." Called an employee over the rising tide of complaints. Hermione looked around the crowd and spotted a familiar looking brown haired boy accompanied by a black haired girl. Something about them was off…
"The bathroom's down that way." Said the boy, his green eyes meeting her brown ones. His very familiar green eyes…the shape of his face…
"Good luck." Said the girl in an accent Hermione knew. She brushed a lock of black hair from her face and behind her ear.
"Do I know you?" asked Hermione
"Go, before the power comes back on." Said the girl
"Wait, why are you here?" asked Hermione. She had been to the future, she had seen Celeste Black. These…these were Portia's children. These were Portia's children there in the present.
"Go, before the cameras see you going into the bathroom but don't see you coming back out. They already saw mum." Said the boy
"I-I have so many questions." Said Hermione
"Now." Said the girl in a tone that left no room for discussion. Hermione crossed the bookshop as fast as she could making a beeline for the bathroom. She tried the door but found it locked. A quick alohamora fixed that little problem up fast.
"Portia? Portia?" called Hermione after locking the bathroom door. It would do no good.
"In the big one." replied Portia from the handicapped stall. She clutched her abdomen, not knowing what to do. She wanted her mum. She knew that her anxiety must have been making it worse and she tried to calm herself down.
"Are you alright?" asked Hermione before mentally kicking herself. Of course Portia wasn't alright. She didn't look well either, her face was pale and she was sweating buckets.
"Just peachy keen, thanks for asking. Yourself?" Said Portia through gritted teeth. Hermione almost physically kicked herself.
"Sorry." Said Hermione sheepishly.
"Enough apologizing!" said Portia kicking the plastic dividing wall between the stalls. Hermione resisted the urge to apologize again.
"Portia, out there I saw-" said Hermione before Portia cut her off.
"Let's go home, yeah? I'm not feeling all that well right now." Said Portia her voice breaking. She didn't even wait for Hermione's replying before grabbing her and disappearing into a ball of flame. That bathroom door never did get unlocked.
Harry was in a mopey mood. Well, that was one of the many names Portia had for it. He just didn't want to get up that day. He had to, he knew he had to, but he didn't want to. He didn't want to get up much these days. Sure, he could fake it well enough and eventually faking it did lead to making it. Sometimes he was genuinely happy and other times he was just putting on a show.
"Can't sleep." Said Harry. He was lying in his big bed with the covers on over his eyes. Portia had tried and failed to rouse him from his bed. He loved her, he really did, but sometimes he wasn't sure what kind of love it was. It didn't matter; she was having his baby now. So what if she had once been his sibling? They had no blood relation and he was supposed to marry her at some point in his life anyway.
"Forget this." Said Harry as he sat up. He reached for the glasses on his nightstand and the world came into focus. He did usual morning stretch and emerged from his bed, his feet sinking into the plush carpet. He pointedly avoided looking at the clock, fearful of the late hour. He was still unhappy but he was not going to be lazy and unhappy. He got dressed and decided to seek out Galatea, maybe she knew what to do. She knew a lot of things, she had all the time in the world to know them. He left his room with his back to the clock and hurried through the house to where he thought Galatea would be. He was right, she was in the nursery with little Celeste.
"Yes?" asked Galatea not looking up from what she was doing. She had a blanket thrown over herself and was fiddling with something underneath it.
"Can I ask you something?" asked Harry. Galatea gave him an annoyed look. Couldn't he see that she was busy?
"Are you physically capable of speech?" asked Galatea. The lump under the blanket gave off a high pitched shriek.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize that you were-" started Harry before Galatea cut him off.
"No, it's fine. She's just a little fussy right now." Said Galatea. She fumbled around for a moment and then removed the blanket from herself. Celeste looked at Harry with as much curiosity as a week old infant could muster.
"Galatea, have you ever felt, well, sad?" asked Harry. Galatea cocked an eyebrow. Celeste smiled and kicked her little feet.
"I'm just as human as you are, not matter what some people say." Said Galatea shifting her daughter's tiny weight in her arms. She was a little heavier than Timmy had been.
"No, that came out wrong. I mean have you ever felt like there was something eating you up inside and you just didn't want to do anything." said Harry trying to get some sort of wisdom from his older cousin and friend.
"You mean like how it feels to be near a dementor?" asked Galatea
"Yeah, just not as bad." Said Harry sheepishly. He looked down, unable to meet Galatea's gaze. He made eye contact with little Celeste. She smiled at him again. It was good that she was done being fussy. It was good that she was still young enough that she could be happy
"This is because of that Ginny girl isn't it?" asked Galatea exasperated. Yes, what she did was wrong but it was all taken care of. He would never have to see or hear from her or her child again for the rest of his life…and being a wizard it was going to be a long life.
"Yeah, it is. Galatea I-" started Harry
"It's been taken care of, Harry, it has. You're not the first person that this has happened to and you won't be the last." Said Galatea
"That doesn't comfort me." Said Harry
"What, you want me to lie to you? This sort of thing happens all the time in all places. People like us with money and influence have things that people like her want. She decided to get a little piece of what we have for herself. Don't worry, that child will not be her meal ticket." Said Galatea
"I'm not worried about that. I'm not worried at all. It's just that…well…she…I didn't want to." Said Harry rubbing his sleeve across his eyes and knocking his glasses off.
"Like I said, you're not the first person this has happened to." Said Galatea fixing her daughter's mitten. She had almost gotten it off that time. She knew that Harry was bothered and upset but he couldn't spend the rest of his life mulling over this. It happened and it couldn't be undone without upsetting a lot of things.
"And I said that it didn't comfort me to hear that." Said Harry putting his glasses back on. He looked at Celeste again. She was rubbing a mitten clad hand across her white hair. She made him feel better just with her presence.
"What do you want me to tell you, Harry? That I know how it feels? Well, I don't. I have no idea what you're going through. I can only tell you that you have to make peace with this somehow or you'll drive yourself mad." Said Galatea
"Can't we undo it? Make it so that it never happened?" asked Harry before he could stop himself. Galatea was grateful that she was holding Celeste because at the moment she was liable to aparate over to him and smack him over the head with her wand.
"You know full well that we only do things that we know are safe. That's why we return everything we take. That's why we never save anyone, past or future. That's why we don't know the minutia of everything that will happen. We don't want to go about altering things, especially big things like new people entering the world, because it can backfire in ways we can't even imagine." Said Galatea. Celeste picked up on her mother's tone and began to fuss again.
"Why is it so important that this happens to me?" asked Harry, his voice breaking in the middle. Galatea put on her best mothering look.
"Because it just is, Harry, and you have to accept that." Said Galatea
"I refuse to accept that. I am not one of your children, Galatea, I want an actual explanation." Said Harry. Galatea sighed and looked to the ceiling for strength.
"Hermione is important. Her memory is like a steel trap." Said Galatea
"What does Ginny Weasley violating me have to do with Hermione?" asked Harry
"We cannot let the Order of the Phoenix get to her. She was originally allied with the Weasley family, who is allied to Dumbledore. By creating this rift between her and Ronald Weasley we get to her and add her to our group." Said Galatea
"I still don't see what this has to do with me." Said Harry
"Are you listening? This creates a rift between her and Ron. We need to get her on our side. You want to make a better world don't you?" asked Galatea
"Yes." Said Harry after a beat.
"Good. With her we can make a world worthy of us, of our people. A world where the wizard and the muggle can come together and do things worthy of both magic and technology." Said Galatea, a wistful look in her eyes. It would be beautiful.
"And alchemy." Said Harry. Galatea shook her head.
"No, no more of that strange alchemy we discovered. Nothing good will come of it." Said Galatea
"What do you mean?" asked Harry
"I mean what I just said, nothing good will come of it. Leave it at that." Said Galatea
"I won't." said Harry planting his feet firmly on the ground like a small child. He did not want any more things kept from him.
"Why, you are awfully willful today, aren't you?" asked Galatea in a blatant attempt at changing the subject.
"I learned from the best. No, what happened, or happens, or will happen, or whatever?" asked Harry making direct eye contact with Galatea.
"Everything goes to hell, that's what will happen. Someone will fly too close to the sun and the consequences will be severe for everyone in the world. Things will happen, bad things. Terrible things." Said Galatea
"What happens to us?" asked Harry quietly. Galatea wanted to tell him that his future was set either way, that some things were inevitable, that there was a slim chance of things staying the same. She decided to stick to her future, not his. She would enjoy the time she had with him until she would have to let him go.
"I get everything I ever wanted…but I lose everything I had." Said Galatea holding her daughter close.
"But, aren't we working towards what you want?" asked Harry softly
"No, we're working towards what's best for everyone. Would you crown me queen?" asked Galatea in all seriousness.
"I…well, not queen." Said Harry trying to find a nice way of saying that he wanted no business in crowing her anything. He would make the world a better place for everyone but he would not put everyone under Galatea's rule.
"There, case closed. Now, as a solution to your current problem I'd suggest that you make peace with yourself mentally and also with this girl for the sake of your sanity. Either that or take up some good old fashioned alcoholism." Said Galatea in a tone that clearly conveyed the fact that she wanted to be left alone now. Harry obliged her.
"Make peace…make peace…." Muttered Harry as he walked back to his room. He omitted the mentally part and decided to think about how he would make peace with this girl who had violated him all those months ago. He also wanted to see his other child, but he wouldn't admit that to himself. No, he just needed to get this dementor off of his back. Suddenly, he knew exactly what he needed to do. He rushed to his room and threw on a disguise. He covered his scar with some of Portia's cosmetics and colored his hair blonde. The boy in the mirror looked like his childhood self. He took the platinum pocket watch and focused on St. Mungo's hospital, somewhere hidden and alone, at that moment in time. Then he disappeared. A few minutes later Portia and Hermione arrived.