I had some misconceptions about Portuguese and Latin American Spanish. These have been corrected thanks to help from a Brazilian guy I work with.
Hermione didn't socialize much over the weekend, choosing instead to memorize the pathways to her classes. The campus was so big that even with her issued map she got turned around. The biggest help was that no two buildings looked the same, so at least she wouldn't go into the wrong one come Monday. Even so, she absolutely loved the place. It was so interesting and by the looks of the club posters going up on the bulletin boards, there would never be a dull moment.
Sunday afternoon, Hermione was circling the Astronomy Tower trying to find the entrance to the library. The map said it was here, but the area didn't have a sign. A super tall girl approached her.
"Hey," she said in Portuguese. "I don't recognize you. How'd you get in?"
"I'm new," Hermione replied in Spanish. "I came here from Hogwarts."
"Oh, transfer student," said the girl, nodding. "I'm Aldina Barreto, one of the Head Students. You seem lost."
"I am," said Hermione. "I'm new here and I'm trying to find the library. The map says it's here…"
"The map is correct," said Aldina with a nod. She led Hermione around the tower until they reached the side closest to the entrance to the top of the tower. She knocked three times and the stones parted revealing a new staircase. "Handicap entrance is by the administrative building. You're a Cursed Sanchez, aren't you?"
"Y-yes," said Hermione, following her down the stairs.
"There's a whole group of curse afflicted kids here," Adlina continued. "Blood curses, family curses, cursed by cranky fairies. They're usually outcasts, but since Doña Claudia doesn't abide by bullying, you'll just get ignored. Most people are nice or apathetic, but you get your bullies here and there. If it can't be proven, you'll be assigned someone who'll watch out and snitch for you."
"But I was told snitches get stitches," said Hermione, touching her shoulder.
"Maybe back we're you're from but here? We settle grudges after the new year with a good duel or fist fight. Got that from a town in Peru. If you can't fight, the dueling club has champions you can choose. My favorite was always Esperanza. Girl can crush a watermelon between her thighs and she was always the Champion for the trans kids. Like me."
"Wow… the beef duels sound amazing. I kinda wish Hogwarts had that."
"Yeah, there's no place like Castelobruxo," said Aldina. "Anyway, here's the library."
They reached the bottom step and Hermione could have cried with glee. Spanning the underground was a massive library stacked with more books than Beast's castle. More books than anyone could read in one lifetime spanned multiple levels and, rather than torches, the library was lit with bubbles of light. There were also study tables with lamps and posters for tutoring on the board next to the check out desks.
"The lower you go, the more advanced the books," said Aldina. "Anything in particular you're looking for?"
"Well… I found a cursed object in my brother's house," she said, twisting her ring. "I don't exactly know what kind of curse it is and wasn't even sure if this library would have that sort of information."
"Cursed objects will be on Level three," said Aldina. "That's upper years five and above only unless you have clearance from a teacher. Doña Claudia doesn't believe in censoring, but she does think that there's a certain age where you're ready to learn things."
"Wouldn't that potentially lead to students using the knowledge for nefarious purposes?" Hermione asked curiously.
"Well, yes," Aldina conceded, "but that also means that people going into law-enforcement, curse-breaking, and science will know how to counteract that knowledge." She smiled. "It's better to be prepared than not know and have the bad guy get their knowledge from somewhere else, saco?"
"That makes sense," said Hermione, turning her attention back to the books. "How many can I check out at once?"
"It depends on the section," said Aldina. "You can choose ten books from the first two levels, the next two only five, and the levels below that only two. If you hoard books, especially when there are essays due, that number will go down until you can prove that you'll be respectful."
"Can I check a book out now?" she asked, nearly drooling.
Aldina laughed. "Sorry, Sanchez. Library isn't officially open until the first day of school tomorrow, but you can sit here and read. Get out of the sun. There are reading sections scattered around."
"What time does the library close?"
"Ten on weekdays, midnight on weekends. I wouldn't go into the lower level sections until tomorrow, though. The librarians can be strict."
"Oh, I know about strict librarians," said Hermione. "Madam Pince from Hogwarts always claimed the perfect library was one with no people."
Aldina smiled.
"I'll leave you to it."
"Thank you, Aldina."
Hermione put on her headphones and perused the selection, mostly making a list of books that looked like an interesting read. Luckily, all the books had multiple copies in multiple languages. From heavy tomes to graphic novels that demonstrated potion recipes, Hermione's list grew until she had well over a hundred. So many books, so little time to read. Honestly, if she had her time-turner, she would have used it to go to class and live in the library just so she would have the time to read them all.
Maybe Cedric would be able to invent a revolving bookshelf so Hermione would have a place for all her books. She turned to say as such and remembered for the hundredth time that he was half a world away; her heart ached at the thought. She looked around for one of the elusive librarians, but found no one, so she dug her mirror out of her pocket.
"Show me Cedric."
It immediately showed her his new room, she could just see him writing out something in a planner or a notebook at desk.
"Cedric," she whispered as loud as she dared and tapped on the mirror which somehow caused the other one to fall over.
It was picked up a moment later and she saw Cedric's face.
"I wondered when you would find the library," he said. "Is it big?"
"Huge!" she gushed and went to the railing to show him. "It must be three—no—four times bigger than the Hogwarts library. It's all underground so it acts as a preservation system. The people I've spoken to so far are nice and, oh, Cedric I wish you were with me."
He smiled sadly and sighed. "Well, winter holiday will be here before we know it and the both of us are going to be busy, we'll hardly notice."
"You're telling me." Hermione sat on one of the ladders. "I'm double-blocking classes. I don't quite know how it is going to work yet, but I hear it's intense. It also looks like I might be able to find out more about that locket I found in the floorboards."
"And the diary?"
She pursed her lips and looked around. "I don't know… I can't make any sense of the code. Maybe there's a book in here that will help."
A bell-chimed and Hermione sighed.
"I have to get to dinner. I'll probably spend tonight preparing for class tomorrow, but I'll call you soon, okay?"
"Alright. I love you."
"I love you, too."
Hermione blew him a kiss and put the mirror away. She looked around the library once more then left to get to dinner. They were having asados, barbecued meat, to celebrate everyone's return to school. It was delicious and Hermione went back for seconds. She had a lot of fun chatting with her family and meeting their friends.
"So, Galaxy, how you liking Castelobruxo so far?" Bembe asked.
Hermione looked up. "Are you talking to me?"
"He has nicknames for all of us," said Noa with an eyeroll. "None of them clever."
"Yeah, Noa is 'Wheels' 'cause that's how she get around, Luiz is 'Shrimp' because of him small size, Kyoko is 'Salsa', and you are 'Galaxy' because Noa said Star Eye is off limits."
"Why is Kyoko 'Salsa'?"
"Because I tried to sneak a jar of salsa into Creatures for the bowtruckles," Kyoko muttered. "It attracts them. I just didn't know Castelobruxo had so many of them!"
Noa, Bembe, and Luiz laughed at the memories. Hermione smiled lightly.
"As far as nicknames go, it isn't the worst one I've had," she said.
When Hermione finished her dinner, she bid goodnight to everyone and left with a small crowd that was heading back to the dorms. She listened to her music on the way and studied the way the wards were constructed. She wondered where the anchor stones were. Perhaps underneath the library or maybe beneath the Headmistress' office. Not that she was likely to see them in this place. It was only by curiosity and luck that she saw the ones at Hogwarts.
In her room, Hermione prepared her uniform and books and things for class tomorrow. She was a little nervous and put on her necklace to help calm her nerves a bit more. She changed into her pajamas, removed most of her jewelry except for two rings, the larimar and Cedric's, and went about her routine. Once her nightly routine was completed, her teeth brushed and flossed, her face washed, and her hair neatly tucked in her satin wrap, she climbed into bed, said her animagus chant, and closed her eyes. No way would she fall asleep, but she could at least rest and meditate.
It would be good enough.
~o0o~
Hermione's alarm went off at 8 and through the crack in her balcony door, she could hear other alarms. She stared at the pictures she taped to the ceiling for a long moment before dragging her butt out of bed. If she wanted breakfast before the line, then she needed to get moving before everyone else.
Humming to herself, she dressed in her uniform, laced up her gladiator sandals, put on her favorite jewelry, and made sure her hair looked good. She decided to put on the gold colored eyepatch. After one more bag check, she kissed Crookshanks goodbye and left the balcony door open so he could have some room to roam. Maybe visit the other pets on their balconies.
Paula left her dorm at the same time and the pair walked to breakfast together.
"I'm sure you wish Esperanza was here, huh?" said Paula.
Hermione wiggled her hand. "A bit. I don't think I would have gotten through fourth year without her."
Paula nodded.
"You were always close with her. She sees you as another sister and protected you as such. Esperanza was raised to prepare as a Sanchez Matriarch. Tía Manola is next and she'll finish training Esperanza when it's time. The Matriarch is typically the oldest woman, but in our family she's the woman who keeps everyone together, makes sure things run smoothly, things like that."
"But that might change," said Hermione. "What if she follows Viktor to Bulgaria? I mean, his career is there."
"He won't be a Seeker forever," Paula reasoned. "Quidditch Players usually quit by their late thirties, sometimes sooner due to injury, sometimes later due to stubbornness. The oldest Quidditch player was seventy-six and he died on the pitch. So now they cap it at fifty-five."
"So you think they'll get back together?"
"I think they're crazy about each other, and I think Esperanza deserves the most happiness out of all of us. Especially, after what she's been through. But I think she needs to be the one to make the first move. If Viktor chases her, all she'll do is run. I think he knows that and that's why he left quietly."
Hermione hummed and squinted at the rising sun reflecting off the pyramid. "Is it always that bright?"
Paula chuckled. "Better get used to it, cousin. Luckily, it's never as hot inside as it is outside thanks to geothermal cooling."
For breakfast, Hermione had cereal and prepared a stock of fruit and protein bars in her bag. She would need her strength today, she knew that much.
The others arrived to breakfast in their own time. Hermione noticed that nearly everyone was sleepy, but hardly anyone had the morning angries of kids who had to get up too early. It was actually rather odd to be starting class so late, but Hermione knew later in the semester she would be glad for it.
Besides, having dinner at five always left her feeling hungry at bedtime anyway. Seven was much more reasonable and students had to be in their dorms by eleven on weekdays, so after class and dinner, clubs could still happen. Hermione wished these were the type of academic changes Hogwarts was making.
After breakfast, she, Noa, Bembe, Luiz, and the older triplets went to the main pyramid. Bianca and Josefina diverged to get to Pyramid B. It was determined that it would be easier to keep core classes in one pyramid, divided by group. Group A was blue stone at the base and gold on top, Group B looked to be made of green glass and black stone, and Group C was red stone with mosaic images. Hermione hadn't realized how big the step pyramid actually was until she was at the base. She had to lean back just to see the top.
Some kids ran up stationary stairs, while others took the escalator type stairs. Noa went over to a slow moving slope. It had perfect spaces to keep her chair steady while they went to the top. Hermione quickly stepped on the escalator and tried not to think about how high they were going. She just gripped onto her backpack and stared straight ahead.
The classes were all grouped together in what was determined the best order. The Potions and Alchemy classrooms were at the top so that the fumes would have a place to exit and if there was a fire, there were emergency slides at every window all the way to the base. Even here, Hermione could smell the ingredients, though it wasn't as stifling as the dungeon back at Hogwarts.
When they reached the top, Noa took one of the elevators and everyone else took the stairs down. It wasn't very far, once they were on the second level from the top, the rest of the way was a steady ramp. There must've been some magic on the doorways so wheelchairs wouldn't get caught, yet the classrooms were perfectly level.
They didn't have to go far for their first class. Each classroom in this pyramid were lecture hall style. Hermione sat in the front row between Bembe and Noa and readied her notebook and pen.
"Who's the new kid?" someone whispered.
"I heard she's another Sanchez."
"Cursed Sanchez? That family is growing every day."
Hermione looked over her shoulder. "Didn't your mama tell you it's rude to talk about people behind their backs? At least speak up so we can all be in the loop."
Several people giggled. Noa half-smiled at Hermione.
Señora Alvarez entered the classroom. She was middle-aged, wore a low bun, green robes, and a sunny expression. "Good morning, class."
Most of the class got to their feet. "Good morning, Señora Alvarez." They immediately sat down.
Señora Alvarez flicked her wand and stacks of the syllabus passed themselves out.
"Please read this in its entirety tonight and fill out your planners," she said. "Open your textbooks to Chapter One and prepare to take notes. Unit One is going to be a quick review of what you have learned last year and how that will apply to your spells this year. This will only be a week and then next week we'll begin Unit Two which will focus on enchantments on objects."
Hermione scribbled down notes as fast as she could and began to wonder if she needed her Dicta-Quill, when Señora Alvarez stepped away from the chalkboard.
"We will test these spells on Friday," she said. "There will be a quiz and each of you will perform five random spells for me, so be sure you know all of them. See you Wednesday."
And just like that, she exited a door near the windows. Moments later, a man entered the room. He appeared older than Señora Alvarez and dressed in a linen suit.
"Good morning, class," he said.
Once again, the class stood and replied, "Good morning, Señor García."
He, too, passed out a syllabus and launched right into lecture on revision of transfiguration techniques. It was much different than Professor McGonagall's method.
He asked lots of questions to test knowledge and whenever Hermione raised her hand, more than half of the class raised theirs to answer, so she hardly got called on.
"Be sure to study up because next week we will go into Vanishing and Conjuring spells. All your homework assignments are on the syllabus. I will accept late work, but please be aware that every day you are late, two points will be deducted. You are dismissed."
Hermione packed up her things quickly and hurried after her cousin to Arithmancy and Ancient Runes which was the fourth level down.
Same routine. Syllabus, lecture, test on Friday. Homework is on the syllabus.
Finally, the lunch bell tolled and everyone stampeded to the Mess Hall. For lunch, the first level was strictly for disabled students, so Bembe and Luiz booked it upstairs to one of the other lines while Hermione and Noa got to line up on the first floor. Hermione just got whatever her cousin got and they sat at the same table.
As she ate, Hermione read through her syllabi. Charms had six units. Unit 1 was review, Unit 2 was enchantments on objects, Unit 3 was on household charms, Unit 4 was on human enchantments like bodily modification, healing, and the like, while Units 5 and 6 were on offensive and defensive spells respectively.
Transfiguration had seven units. Review, Vanishing, Conjuring, Advanced Switching Spells, Animal transfiguration, Human Transfiguration, and defensive spells.
Arithmancy had only three units: Review of Numerology, Spell Deconstruction, and Spell Creation. Ancient Runes had eight units: Hieroglyphics/Hieratic, Sanskrit, Cuneiform, Glagolitic, Aramaic, Ugaritic, Jiaguwen, and Atlantean. Each unit would cover how those ancient writing systems would affect magical crafting and spellwork. If she wanted to there were electives that delved deeper into those writing systems.
Just about every night she would have reading and homework.
"Heads up," said Emilia. "Señor García likes to give pop quizzes for every single reading. They don't count as much, but they accumulate and Señora Alvarez prefers practical quizzes throughout the unit and written exams at the end of each unit."
"Hmmm, you think?" Hermione shook her hand out and went back to filling out her planner. Better to do it now rather than fill it out tonight and waste precious time studying.
"It's a lot," said Bianca. "That's why I'm taking Group B classes. Save myself the headache."
"I can handle it," said Hermione. "If I can handle twelve classes plus my GCSE, I can handle this. What do we have next? Potions and Alchemy?"
"Yeah, it's the only class we're not allowed to eat in," said Noa. "We're probably just going to do the safety lab again and class will end early. We review it every year. Now, Potions and Alchemy alternate class because two hours for potions is better than just one."
"We never had a safety lab at Hogwarts," said Hermione. "I mean, I know the fundamentals thanks to Chemistry, but… yeah."
"Even though you have your planner, I would keep the syllabi somewhere safe," Paula warned. "Anything can happen."
A glob of sauce fell on her planner. "Right."
Lunch didn't feel like an hour and much too soon they were rushing back towards the pyramid.
"Do we get detention if we're late?" she asked.
"Doña Claudia doesn't believe in detention," said Bembe. "If you are in trouble, you choose between volunteer work, study hall, or meditation. Unless it's something really bad like assaulting another student, in that case you don't get a choice."
"I'd like to say no problem," said Hermione, "but my anger tends to get ahead of me. Usually, though, I don't strike unless I'm hit first."
"Well, that's different," said Noa. "Bullies and victims don't get the same punishment. And certain things will get you straight up expelled."
Hermione knew exactly what and bit her tongue to keep from blurting it out. They knew, she knew. It wasn't going to be a problem.
They entered the Potion's lab, which looked similar to Mama Hana's lab, except it had tables interspersed throughout the room that sat four people. Each one was equipped with a drain for spilled potions. Hermione noticed that there weren't as many students in this class. Probably about fifteen of them when there were thirty in the other classes.
"Most people take these courses separate," said Noa. "I'd rather get all my credit hours out of the way, so my final year I can take whatever I want."
That sounded good to Hermione.
A young witch who looked hardly out of school entered the classroom. She had long, dark hair and a scowl. A twinge of fear pinged Hermione's chest. She hoped this wasn't another Snape.
"Buenas tardes, class," she said coolly.
"Buenas tardes, Señora Díaz," the class chorused.
Señora Díaz passed out the syllabus.
"Before we begin today's lecture," she said, expression unchanging, "I'd like to learn a bit about you. It's important to me that we build a connection, because I want you to know that if you ever need help, you can come to me. If you think that a recipe isn't turning out right, you can come to me and we'll figure out a better method. I love proving old men wrong."
The more Hermione heard, the more she was reminded of Noa. Straight-faced, calm, neutral, but still carried an air that said "mess with me and I'll kick your butt." Hermione looked at her cousin and saw the girl rapt with attention.
"So," Señora Díaz continued, "let's go around the room and you can tell me your name, the hardest potion you've ever brewed, and one of your favorite things. I'll go first. I'm Vanessa Díaz, the hardest potion I ever brewed was Felix Felicis and my favorite thing to do outside of class is jewelry-making."
Hermione raised her hand to volunteer to go next. Señora Díaz nodded at her.
"I'm Herminia Granger-Sanchez," said Hermione. "The hardest potion was a Polyjuice Potion my second year at Hogwarts and my favorite thing outside of class is photography."
Everyone raised their heads.
"Polyjuice?" Señora Díaz repeated. "I didn't realize Hogwarts did potions that advanced. Especially for second years."
"Oh, it was outside of class, señora," said Hermione. "I brewed it in a haunted lavatory. It was successful."
"Why would you do that?" someone asked.
Hermione paused. "Er… fun?"
"Well, if you ever want extra lessons for potioneering, I would love to mentor you," said Professor Díaz. "Moving on."
Hermione wondered if she should have lied. Some people were giving her looks. Why should she care though? She didn't care. She wasn't here to make friends, she was here for protection and to learn more than she ever could at Hogwarts.
Hermione and Noa split when it was time for Capoeira. Bianca met up with her and they walked down to the classroom together. It was set up more like a gym with hard floors covered with mats. There were fourteen others in the class, all sitting down in a circle.
Also in the gym were several dance teams including the samba class.
"Do we need to change?" Hermione asked, sitting down.
Bianca shook her head. "Nah, Shakira, our instructor says when we're out in the real world, we won't have time to change clothes."
"Is this like normal Capoeira?" Hermione asked.
"Eh… a little." Bianca wiggled her hand. "It's like the original one created by African slaves, a fighting style disguised as a dance, but this one involves a staff and even wandless magic. There are entire shows and competitions based around this, but it's also useful in real life. Most wizards are caught off guard when they find themselves in a dance battle."
"Hello, everyone," said Shakira, entering the class. She was petite like a gymnast and had fire engine red hair. "Welcome, Herminia. I assume you have background in fighting, otherwise Doña Claudia would not have let you enroll without the prerequisite."
"Yes," said Hermione. "Taekwondo."
"Ah, very aerial with lots of kicks, perfect for Capoeira. Okay, class, time to warm up!"
Hermione hadn't had a workout like that in a long time. It would probably take a month, but then she'd be back to the level she was back in third year. Luckily, Shakira provided them with plenty of water and a reasonable amount of breaks.
After class, she was so tired she had considered skipping dinner. It would've been a bad idea and she needed to keep her momentum up if she was going to get her homework done. She couldn't fall behind for a moment.