Bound.
Chapter Two: Two For One, Part One.
When Hermione next woke up she realised she was in the Medical Wing. She felt like she had been run over with a truck, or at least this is what she imagined it felt like, but she knew she had no time to just be laying around. She had a lot of things to do and none of it would wait for. Especially since with a glance at the clock she noticed she had slept in until ten o'clock in the morning. She had even missed breakfast!
Growling in fustration, she swung her legs over the bed and stripped off the hospital gown. Within seconds she had her clothes on and teaching robes on over the top of it. Her outfit consisted of a pair of old, faded blue jeans that were fraying at the end, a pair of white trainers that were as equally old and worn, as well as a faded red jumper over a simple white short sleeved t-shirt, all of which were old too. The only things that were anywhere close to new was the plain white, full brief style knickers and matching bra that wouldn't be out of place on a middle aged or even elderly woman. None of her outfit did anything for her figure or her age, and yet Hermione was very comfortable in all of them. It kept her warm, at the end of the day she didn't want to have to work to attract a mate. They, or he, should want her for who she was not what she looked like in her opinion.
Snatching up her wand from the bedside table and her bag from the floor, Hermione strode out of the Infirmary with purpose in every stride.
She went straight to her quarters, putting her bag and wand onto her bed before going into the kitchen. The second she put a cat bowl out onto the work top and opened a can of cat food, Crookshanks appeared at her heels meowing for his breakfast. He was being louder then usual, which she guessed was his way of showing his anger for not giving him tea the night before.
With her familiar fed, Hermione gave her robes a sniff and decided they didn't smell too bad. Putting some bread into the toaster, she then went into her room to unpack her bag and find what she needed for the day. With the Marriage Law taken care of she stacked the books she had been researching it onto her desk. She would have to return them to the library promptly. Hermione then grabbed the books she had to help plan her classes and put them neatly into her bag along with pen and parchment. She then grabbed the books from her shelves that was all about Wizarding Culture (well as much as she could find anyway, she knew she had to be missing a lot) and their traditions as well as rituals, along with books on Wizarding Law both old and new. She put those into her bag as well, sprayed some deodorant onto her robes, then grabbed her wand and left her chambers just as quickly as she had stepped into them.
She barely gave the other Professors a glance as she strode from her chambers directly to the library. She had always done her best thinking there, and so that was where she would go to work. There had to be some way to get the Malfoys to help with this reform. Maybe she should just blackmail them but then she'd always feel a little guilty and dirty. Maybe it had felt amazing to punch Draco Malfoy back at school, the end of the war had made one thing clear to her; violence, blackmail, and other things associated with the previous only led to more of it. She was a good person, and if she wanted to make positive changes she had to do this in an appropriate and legal manner. She could not have this project come back to bite her in the ass. It had to work.
Hermione went to the back of the library to her usual table, dumped her bag into a seat beside her, and then proceeded to take out the entire contents of her bag arranging them on the table before her. She got straight down to work and soon enough the world around her ceased to exsist.
Halfway through the day, at about one o'clock in the afternoon, Hermione heard a sudden shout of her name.
She blinked a few times as she looked up surprised to see Minerva running towards her. This was becoming an all too familiar scene and Hermione had a feeling this time she wouldn't enjoy what was about to come. She found herself feeling weary, and she wasn't sure why.
"Hermione! We have to go, now! Apparently the Resurrection Stone isn't the only thing that can bring back the dead!"
She told her firmly, slight fear and anxiety edging her tone. It was enough for Hermione to stand up quickly, grab her wand, and then follow Minerva as she ran out of the library. Confusion however soon began to fill Hermione as she jogged after Minerva who had just ran out of the castle and was heading for the castle gates. Where on earth could they be going?
The second both were outside of the gates Minerva grabbed Hermione's arm and with a stern look apparated the pair of them to where they needed to go.
The first thing Hermione saw when they arrived at their destination was water and a stone bridge.
"Hogsmeade? Why are we here He- Minerva?"
She asked, glancing at the older woman only to see she had quite a pale face and looked rather sick. Curious, Hermione turned to see what she was looking at and immediately wished she hadn't.
Two skeletons were hovering in the air, and anyone could feel the powerful, ancient magic that surrounded the pair. Hermione mentally noted it must be some form of protection, but not only that it seemed to be regenerating the skeletons. Infact both of their left feet were covered in tissue, muscle, veins, and skin. This regeneration was slowly proceeding up the ankle, and Hermione guessed eventually it would cover the entire body.
"What happened?"
Hermione whispered, her voice a mixture of fear, horror, and awe.
"Jacoby Buckshore, the owner of that new Apothecary down the road, he was walking on the bridge when the river, out of the blue, spat out these two skeletons in the air. They then moved in mid-air to hover over the bridge and since then haven't moved. They just stayed there, regenerating. He's put a charm on them so no one can see them but us two, and cast a spell on himself so he won't remember any of this unless we specifically ask him about it."
Minerva told her, unable to take her eyes off the two skeletons.
"You don't think its...?"
Hermione whispered, unable to finish her question although Minerva knew exactly what she couldn't say.
"Yes. Its just too much of a coincidence that these two appear shortly after you do that spell. We'll have to get them back to Hogwarts and into a private room somewhere before the charm wears off. Hopefully, also, before they are full regenerated. It would be best to have that kind of conversation in private."
Minerva told her, stepping into the authoritarian role easily. Hermione raised an eyebrow in question when her employer simply stared at her.
"Since they are for you I assume only your magic or your requests to said magic surrounding the pair will get them to move."
The older woman told her, causing Hermione to blush as she realised she should have known that. Brightest Witch of her age, indeed!
"Right." She began before turning back to the skeletons, "Um, could you please follow us back to Hogwarts?"
To both of their surprise the magical bubble holding the two skeletons moved up and down as if agreeing to the request. Whilst both were indeed shocked by this, Minerva was the first to do something. Hermione watched wide eyed as the older woman disappeared with a crack, leaving her with the pair of regenerating skeletons. When she did that spell she didn't think this would be the result. Sighing in fustration, Hermione too then disappeared with a crack. When she reappeared outside the gates of Hogwarts she not only saw Minerva there but the two skeletons as well.
"Bloody hell!"
She cursed, shocked they could transport (because who knows how they got there) so fast. Placing a hand over her racing heart, she soon turned and followed Minerva onto Hogwarts' grounds. Hermione did her best to ignore the following skeletons as she made her way across the grounds and through Hogwarts' castle whilst following the Headmistress. To her surprise though they ended up at her quarters. Hermione came to a sudden halt.
"You can't be serious?! I can't keep them in my quarters. Its mine! I've never lived with a boy other then Crookshanks. I'm not going to start with two regenerating skeletons - who I might add I do not know! We have no idea who they are, how they died, what age they died, nor what age they'll be when they come back to life! Its insane. Not only that but I suspect they'll be naked. Naked!"
Hermione ranted, waving her arms in large gestures as she spoke. To her fustration Minerva simply chuckled before walking away, leaving Hermione with the said skeletons which to her annoyance had stayed hovering right beside her. She turned to glare at them in annoyance.
"You won't go anywhere else but my quarters, will you?"
She asked the magic, and to her annoyance the magic bubble moved from side to side in a very 'no' gesture. Hermione could have sworn the air crackled with some kind of smugness, but she decided to put it down to being tired as well as her magic still recharging. That couldn't have seriously happened. Sighing, Hermione turned to the portrait she used for her door, a painting of a river with a playful otter swimming in it, and stroked its back as she spoke softly;
"Home, sweet, home."
Stepping back, the portrait swung wide to allow the trio entrance into the abode. Before Hermione could even tell the magic where to go it simply went straight to her bedroom. Eyes wide, Hermione hurried after it only to find the two skeletons now laid on her bed, with the things that had been on her bed now on the floor. Not only that but the skeletons had regenerated up to both sets of knees. The rate of regrowth was getting faster. Was it her presence?
"You can't be serious! Thats my bed. You can't just stay there. I have to sleep, and they'll stain it. Regrowing has to be a messy business. Besides, I don't even know what wounds you had when you died! What if the wounds are still there when you're done? This is insane. I just wanted one soulmate. Just one so I wouldn't have to forget about magic and shunned from this world, or having to marry some idiot that wouldn't know how to have an intelligent conversation!"
She ranted, but the skeletons and ancient magic simply ignored her. Clearly nothing she said or did was going to change anything.
Finding this all too overwhelming, and entirely fustrated, Hermione stormed from her chambers with only one place in mind.
She was going to the library, she would finish her day's work, and hope to god by the time she went back to her quarters everything would be back to normal.
Author's Note: Wow. I must say I did not expect to get many reviews, let alone a whole flood of them for this story! It still amazes me now how many of you are interested in this story. Thankyou so much for all the reviews, favourites, and followers!
Kezz1 - Thankyou. I hope it has a great middle & ending too.
Minyonette - I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I hope you enjoyed this one too.
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MissBaker9065 - Thankyou. I hope I'll fulfill the potential this story already has.
Nikyta - Yay! I hope you continue to love it.
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HermioneFelton - Thankyou honey! I enjoy them too, although I haven't found I really liked yet (especially with one where its Hermione & Men, and not a male character & women with Hermione as one of them) so I decided to write my own. lol.