Chapter 2 It's in the Blood
The doors slid shut whisper-quiet, and the elevator began its ascent. Ron and Harry looked at each other with raised brows, as they could barely tell they were moving. Muggle elevators were certainly better than the ministry elevators. It was a smooth ride, but then muggle elevators only went up and down.
Hermione bounced on her toes, not looking at Harry or Ron, her movements nervous and edgy. The office building was pristine and the elevator, which smelled like the inside of a new car, exceeded anything Harry could have imagined. He knew Hermione was successful, but this was impressive.
They had to decide what they wanted to do after the Battle of Hogwarts. Harry and Ron became Aurors for the Ministry; bypassing the usual requirements for certification since they brought down one of the greatest dark wizards of all time. Hermione, always wanting to help the lives of those around her, surprised everyone and went to a muggle medical school, after which she did her residency at St Mungo's.
She used what she learned from both institutions and focused on pediatric cancer. She made such great strides in outcomes for her young patients that she opened a private clinic with a state-of-the-art research lab, where new potions and potential cures were being developed.
With a muted ding, the elevator doors slid open to a large reception area.
"Granger Weasley Clinic. How may I help you?" A young witch was answering incoming phone calls while simultaneously responding to owl messages relayed from another part of the building and sent up in a vacuum tube.
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Granger, Mr. Weasley, and Oh! Harry Potter!" she greeted them, then flushed with embarrassment at her momentary loss of professionalism.
Hermione motioned for Harry and Ron to follow her to her office, which looked out at the ever-growing skyline of London. A leather sofa stretched along one wall, above which framed diplomas hung next to the kids' crayon drawings. A pair of soft black leather chairs sat in front of her oversized glass desk where an enormous computer and multiple monitors were surrounded by family photos.
Harry settled into one of the black leather chairs and resisted the impulse to take off his shoes and rub his bare feet on the plush gray carpet. Ron settled in the chair next to him, while Hermione settled into her office chair, her elbows resting on the desk and her head cradled in her hands. She pulled her hands down her face, momentarily stretching her skin before she dropped her hands onto her lap. She finally made eye contact, her gaze shifting from one to the other, worry etched on her features.
"I'm not sure where to begin," she sighed. "Being muggle-born, I always wondered where my magical abilities came from. Did you ever wonder, Harry, about your mother?"
"Yeah, I wondered, especially after I learned about her from Snape."
"Did your aunt know of anyone else in your family?" Hermione shook her head. She didn't expect or wait for an answer since Harry and his aunt weren't on speaking terms. "My parents couldn't recall anyone on either side of the family with magical abilities. But the fact is that genes cannot skip generations. They don't disappear and reappear in later generations."
"And?" Ron asked.
"And the expression or manifestation of genes, called traits, those may skip generations under certain circumstances. For example, red hair is a recessive trait that can skip generations. I decided to see if I could find and identify, the gene that gives us our abilities. And I found it, more easily than I expected."
"That's great Hermione, right?" Ron looked at her proudly.
"Yes. Sort of."
"What can be the harm in it? It's a big discovery, isn't it?" Ron questioned.
"Have you ever heard of CRISPR?" Hermione continued, certain neither had. "It's a molecular tool that uses a guide molecule to find a specific region in an organism's molecular code. An enzyme can cut and replace, allowing for an actual edit of the DNA. This is all new technology, but it's being tested on humans right now to see if they can combat diseases like cancer."
"That's amazing, Hermione, but how exactly does identifying the magic gene become dangerous?" Harry asked impatiently.
"Don't get me wrong, it could be used for good. The genetic code could be fixed so there are no more squibs. But, in the wrong hands, it could be manipulated to create extremely powerful witches and wizards. In the wrong hands, they could create an army that would be impossible to defeat."
