Hermione:
Ron and Harry wouldn't go near her or McGonagall until Hermione had sufficiently covered McGonagall in the cotton-linen given to her. At this point, it seemed ridiculous as McGonagall had saved their lives. Still, she made sure she was covered so nothing but her face and neck were showing.
Hermione was trying to straighten McGonagall's hair as Ron and Harry appeared. The leader of the group of men who rescued them joined them.
"Are you Odysseus?" Hermione asked.
He nodded. "I am."
"Aren't you a legend?" Ron said. "What are you doing appearing alive and saving our arses?"
"My men and I only appear alive. We were doomed to sail these seas as we tried to make our way home. Now we roam the seas looking for lost magical souls to rescue them from death."
"How do you speak perfect English?" Hermione asked.
"We speak the language of those gasping for help."
"What now?" Harry asked.
"We know where you were going and in three hours, will deliver you there."
"Do you know, what it will take to heal my grandmother?" Hermione asked.
Odysseus looked at McGonagall.
"That was some powerful magic she performed. It will take time for her to recover. You will get better answers on land."
"Thank you, sir," Hermione said.
"It is an honor to deliver you from death."
At that moment a thought hit her across the fate.
"Minerva!" Hermione shouted. "Minerva, the Roman version of Athena, the goddess of wisdom!"
She slapped Harry and Ron on the shoulders. Ron glared at her.
"It has been staring at us the whole time!" she said.
"But McGonagall is Scottish," Harry said.
Odysseus smiled. "You're getting closer and closer to the truth about magic."
"Would someone just spell it out?" Ron said. "I'm tired of puzzling stuff together!"
"Answers without learning do not create the wisdom to fully understand the wisdom of what is answered."
"Are you sure you're not part centaur," Ron said.
He smiled. "I need to direct my men."
The three of them sat on the ground. Their clothing had dried a little, but they were shivering slightly.
"What do you suppose is waiting for us in Alexandria?" Harry asked.
"Answers, hopefully," Ron said.
Hermione checked McGonagall's pulse. It was the same. She wiped a strand away from her face.
"Important ones at that," Hermione said.
…
Hermione woke to someone nudging her. It was Harry. He pointed across the boat.
She gasped. There was a magnificent, tall lighthouse.
"I thought it had been destroyed," she said.
The trio helped each other stand up. Looks of wonder filled their faces. Building made of marble and sandstone shined brightly in the sun. Statues dotted the coast. A few people dressed in Grecian garb could be seen walking along the docks. Hermione thought she even spotted a centaur.
The boat pulled into a dock. A woman with dark skin and curly hair, dressed in a white one-shoulder robe secured with a gold sash was waiting for them. Two women wearing veils stood at her side.
"Tend to McGonagall," she said in accented English.
The women gracefully leaped onto the boat. The men put a board across the ship for Hermione, Harry, and Ron to cross.
The woman curtsied. "You have been through much. I am Anat. You are safe here."
"We've heard that before," Ron said.
Hermione nudged him in the ribs.
"There is reason for concern," Anat said. "Safety is not completely guaranteed anywhere. I offer the best protection Alexandria can offer."
"Thank you," Hermione said.
"Follow me," she said. "You need sustenance and clothing."
"What about my grandmother?" Hermione asked.
"The greatest healers, in Alexandria are tending to her. I will keep you informed about her condition."
They walked through a market where there was a woman with three eyes selling produce to a centaur.
After they walked past them, Harry whispered: "I've never seen centaurs out in the community."
"They are not treated with respect where you're from so they choose not to converse with you. Things are very different here," Anat said.
A pair of house elves, dressed in Grecian garb with jewelry, were smoking long pipes billowing blue smoke.
"Very," Hermione said.
"Try not to stare so much," Anat said as they walked down another street. "It is a bit of a shock I know, but all beings feel welcome here because we do not see the presence of one another as oddities."
"Understood," Hermione said.
They entered what looked like a piazza. Anat knocked on a door. A dark-skinned woman with her hair in a series of graying dark braids, wearing a lilac Greek dress, appeared.
"Hello, auntie," she said. "Our company is here."
She regarded them with a concerned look. "The winds spoke the truth. I am Soraya. Come and rest."
"The winds told you things?" Ron said.
"Magic does not need a wand to function here," Soraya said. "We hear things from the sea like your radios."
"I know you have many questions," Anat said. "But you have been through so much today already. Take some time to rest and eat. I will be back in the morning."
"Thank you," Hermione said.
"You three deserve all we can give," Anat said as she departed.
"The boys will have to take turns showering," Soraya said. "Hermione you will have your own shower."
"Are we expected to dress like you?" Ron asked nervously.
Soraya smiled. "I have male clothing of the current fashion. It will automatically shift to fit you when you put it on."
"I have my clothing," Hermione said and indicated her bag and McGonagall's strapped around her.
Harry shivered.
"Let's get you three cleaned up."
…
Hermione covered every mirror in her room and the bathroom. She did not trust the witch to not want to have another chat with her.
There was a red short-sleeved Greek-style gown on her bed. She tried it on and the silky texture felt sensational! This was going to be fun.
She found the boys in what looked like a living room. Ron gave her a look she had only seen a few times before.
"Do you think they'll let you bring that home with you?" he asked.
"Yes," Soraya said as she stepped forward and smiled. "I figured you might like to have some fun."
"Thank you!" Hermione said.
A harp was playing in a corner where there were bowls of soup on the table. It was very tasty and full of vegetables.
"So, what do you do here?" Hermione asked Soraya.
"This is a special guest house I oversee," she said. "Back in the day, I was a curse breaker. I worked with your brother Bill briefly during my last year when he just started. He is a very polite young man."
"I will be sure to tell him that," Ron said.
"What do you know about nymphs?" Harry asked.
"You're going to find here, there a lot of beings Mr. Scamander and his peers never got around to cataloging. Through no fault of his own as unlike some zoologists, his curiosity was purely intellectually-driven."
"Does that mean some of the creatures, the Lovegoods obsess over are real?" Hermione asked with a level of incredulity.
"They are not entirely real and not entirely false," Soraya said.
Hermione worked hard not to roll her eyes. Harry smiled.
For dessert, Soraya presented plates of fruit for each of them. There were grapes, strawberries, and cantaloupe. It tasted amazing.
"Thank you," Ron said. "This has been delicious."
"I know it is early, but none of you have slept well recently. I suggest you retire now. I have a nightgown made from similar fabric."
"That meal was heavy enough," Harry said stifling a yawn.
"Bring the nightgown too," Ron said under his breath.
Hermione stepped on his foot as an answer. Ron stifled a snicker.
…
There was a pale pink gown for her today. She could get used to dressing like this.
There was a plate of pastries waiting for them. As they ate, Anat appeared.
"Your grandmother woke briefly last night. She was very thirsty and asked if you three were alive. Once we got some restorative potion in her, we assured her you were alive. She fell back asleep with a stronger pulse. We expect her to recover fully in another twelve hours."
"Thank you!" Hermione said and hugged Anat.
"She is strong. She will be okay."
"Any idea how she learned how to turn into a whale?" Ron asked.
"There is an elite sea-based wizarding academy that offers summer classes. That is probably where she learned it."
"I've never heard of it," Hermione said.
"Some schools are more secretive than others," Anat said.
They finished eating and Anat gestured for them to follow her.
She led them down a different path. Hermione wondered if this was what paradise looked like. Different creatures were walking alongside humans and beings with antlers and animal faces. Exotic smells came from different carts. Witches and wizards were dressed in cloaks, high-end muggle streetwear, and clothing of different muggle cultures. It was a magnificent place.
Up ahead there was a massive sandstone building with gold columns and triangular crystal windows.
"The library," Anat said.
Hermione wondered if she was starting to drool.
They climbed the steps and Anat opened one of the massive wooden doors.
Tears formed in her eyes as she stepped forward. Thousands of scrolls and books lined a multitude of shelves. Witches, wizards, and magical beings were all quietly examining texts. Occasionally scrolls and books flew from the shelves.
Ron folded her into a hug. She hugged him back. This was beyond special to be here.
"We've had people faint in delight."
She turned around a brown-haired man with horns and hooved feet wearing a plum gown appeared.
"I am Pronomus, not the famous one, but related. Yes, I am a Satyr. I am the head librarian."
Hermione curtsied.
"It is an incredible honor to be here, sir," she said.
"You haven't even seen a twentieth of the place. Come along," he said.
He galloped on his hindlegs faster than them. Everywhere Hermione looked, there were moving murals on the surfaces not covered in shelves. They passed a massive reading room with tables as long as the house tables in Hogwarts. The red carpet they walked on dampened the sound of their footsteps. Workers dressed in blue knee-length gowns with silver sashes nodded at Pronomus as they walked past. They passed a massive room that reminded Hermione of an aquarium where merpeople were reading tablets.
"Merpeople read," Pronomus said irritably as he watched how they were staring. "English humans are raised to think they are the center of the universe. No wonder that way of thinking will lead to the near-destruction of the planet in another fifty years."
"What?" Ron said.
"I'll tell you more the next time you visit," he said. "Come on."
Hermione noticed that Anat was smiling at them.
Pronomus opened a door on the side of one hallway and gestured for them to come in. It was a massive circular chamber with scrolls lining it. The dimly lit chamber had a purple hue to it.
"Congratulations," Pronomus said. "Not many witches and wizards like you ever get this close to knowing the secrets of magic. But in defeating one of the darkest wizards to curse our times, you three have earned this right. Nothing will ever be the same. Are you ready to learn the truth?"
"Names," Ron said thoughtfully. "Names have magic, don't they? Minerva McGonagall is known for her being super strict, but also super-smart. Does she have any of the magic of the goddess of wisdom?"
Harry and Hermione stared at him and then at one another. Why had neither of them put the dots together like that?
"Very good, Mr. Weasley," Promous said. "You are very close. Not quite right, but closer than anyone would have thought you could get."
"I chalk it up to being around Hermione," he said and held her hand.
"I'll take the credit," she said with a smile.
Pronomus clapped his hands and looked at the ceiling.
"In ancient times, gods ruled the land. All sorts of gods of different shapes ruled the world. We only have records for those who wish to be recorded. Some gods like those in the Americas still prefer to keep themselves as is their right."
The ceiling filled with different figures and faces. Men with curly beards and women with long locks of different colors.
"Humanity began to change. The need for singular gods grew and technology for global oppression was developing rapidly. As innovation changed the world, distrust among humans over something as trivial as different skin color grew. Then, on the day known among Christians as Pentecost, the different powers of the gods among the world were distributed and magic, its current form was born."
An image of a dove filled the ceiling.
"Jesus is why we have magic," Harry said slowly.
"Why do you think Hogwarts celebrates Christmas?" Pronomus asked.
"What about the Jewish people?" Hermione asked. "And the countries that don't believe in Jesus?"
"Pay attention to the words. Magic existed before the Jew was put on a cross. Only certain people had access to it. People who cavorted with gods or sacrificed their humanity could access magic. Many other moments could have been Pentecost, but this was the one that stuck because of how the followers used it as a form of oppression across the globe. Powers that only belonged to gods and goddesses were bequeathed to humanity."
"What about the resurrection and second coming?" Hermione asked.
"So, someone was paying attention to church. Jesus is a being of power. You will find people interested in whether he was the first wizard, but that is not relevant to how to understand magic."
"Where does the red witch fit into all of this?" Harry asked.
Shadows of the Red Witch in different cultures appeared.
"The red witch is a fallen goddess," he said. "Her eyes were pecked out by one of the first birds to ever exist as punishment for wanting to cause destruction just as humanity was emerging from the mud. Other gods through time and across the globe have derided her singular desire to cause suffering. Even Satan grew tired of her games and quests to hurt innocents. That is why the name she was given upon the birth of her existence will never be found. She is merely the magical woman in red."
"What about the muggle comics?" Ron asked.
Images from the comics appeared.
"That is mainly the witch having fun messing with the muggle content creators. There are truths hidden in them about her desire for children. She has the power to rewrite DNA, but to do that she would have to sacrifice her quest to only cause pain. The interesting thing is how the muggles want her to be a hero because they recognize how that kind of power could be a force for good."
"But she has a brother in the comics," Ron said.
"There is a duality that exists in the world. There is no known opposite of the red witch. But that does not mean it doesn't exist."
"So, do gods still exist?" Hermione asked.
"In cultures where they are still worshiped, they exist to a degree. People who believe in gods still have access to the magic distributed from Pentecost. I have information on every culture in existence, but I do not think it is my place to share their secrets. To access Native American texts about their religious practices, you need special permission."
"Should we be taking notes for McGonagall?" Ron asked.
"She is learning this through the air," he said. "I put a windchime in her room that is transmitting the story to her subconsciously. Though as smart and wise as she is, I am guessing she has pieced some of this together already."
"I think that is enough for today," Anat said.
"Do sit and think about what I have said," Prononomus said. "We'll meet again tomorrow so I can answer any other questions."
He disappeared through another door.
"I have a feast ready for those tired brains," Anat said.
Harry, Hermione, and Ron exchanged looks. They truly did need time to absorb the secrets of their existence.