Monday morning before class, Hermione stared at the runes on her arm. They weren't actually visible, hidden by her bracer, but they were there all the same. She could see their magic. She knew that she was able to sense more within the castle, but actually seeing the memory Harry was watching in the Pensieve was too strange. Or rather… she experienced it through Ogden's eyes. She didn't tell Harry what she saw. It was too weird and she wasn't sure she'd be able to experience it again. He was filling her and Ron in on what she didn't know and that was that Merope was Voldemort's mother. She had drugged Tom Riddle Sr. with a potion and that just unsettled Hermione.
"I guess if she hadn't known anything different then she wouldn't see anything wrong with it at first," she said.
"What do you mean?" Harry asked.
"What, you think her father and brother were happy being celibate while also turning their noses up at anyone who wasn't the purest of bloods?"
Ron and Harry looked sick at the thought and Hermione decided to move on.
"I'm not saying she was guiltless, it's still a horrific thing to do to force someone to be with you. I'm only saying that she didn't have the best role model growing up and once she was away from it all, she probably started thinking more about her actions."
"Do you think she could've saved herself from dying?" asked Harry.
"No. I think it's amazing she was able to have a baby at all, much less a healthy one." Hermione tapped her pencil against her notebook. "With the amount of inbreeding that went on within that family tree, it's more a family tumbleweed is what it is. Remind me to tell you about Charles II of Spain sometime. I think he was more inbred than this family though, he didn't even have any blood. They're about as inbred as the Pharaohs of Egypt."
"How inbred were they?" asked Ron.
"Well… for some dynasties: daughters of the king weren't allowed to marry below their station, so their only options, if foreign princes were deemed unworthy, were their brothers or their own fathers if they didn't have a cousin."
Harry made a face. "Anyway… Senior left Merope while she was still pregnant. Dumbledore thinks she couldn't bear drugging him anymore and was hoping that it had become real."
"I don't blame him for leaving," said Ron.
"Nor do I," said Hermione. "He had every right to go back home and he had no obligation to care for Junior."
"Dumbledore thinks Vol—"
"Taboo."
"—Junior might have turned out better if he was raised by his mum."
"I don't believe that," said Hermione. "She might not have been as bad as her father and brother, but Merope still had a very screwed up upbringing. I doubt she could have prevented any of that washing off on Junior."
"So, what, he was inevitable?" asked Ron.
"Maybe he was." Hermione shrugged. "People like Junior aren't born, they're made. Maybe he has some predisposition that makes it easier for him to go down that path. There are a couple studies that theorize children born from love potion unions have lower empathy and a higher disregard for consequences, but like… there's not enough cases to really confirm that and plenty of people are like that, but don't grow up to become wizard Hitler."
"Which one is Hitler again?"
"Grindelwald's No-Maj counterpart," she said. "Except instead of No-Majs he mainly targeted Jews, Romani, and homosexuals by playing off of nationality and white supremacy and you know, nobody else does anything when they believe the "right sort" are the targets. Don't get me started on the eugenics programs they got from the Americans. Eugenics is when you try to wipe out a people or even a specific trait. Like… say wizards wanted to make sure Squibs couldn't happen, so they'd try to figure out the "cause" of them being born and then try to stop them from being born at all."
"That's awful."
"Yes, it is."
"Do you think V—Junior will get started on that stuff?" Harry asked, looking distressed.
"I don't know. I know he wants to separate himself from anything non-magical, so maybe he won't make concentration camps, but I also don't think we could rule it out entirely." Hermione heaved a sigh. "We can talk to Sirius about it, but I don't see us being able to say, 'Excuse me, Mr. Riddle, sir, are you the type of bastard to imprison people in camps or do you just kill on sight?' anytime soon. So we'll be vigilant about it, but for now, we should focus more on picking up weaknesses and artifacts of note."
"Like the ring Marvolo was wearing," said Harry.
"Right. Do you remember anything notable about it?"
He screwed up his face, trying to think. "Mm… it had a crest on it. Pev… something… but I couldn't tell you what it looked like or the importance of it. Just that it was really old."
"I don't recall any Pev-something when I was looking into Gaunt's ancestry," said Hermione. "Maybe the ring was from a friend or a cousin married a Pev-something and then the ring came into the family heirlooms. Or there was a broken engagement."
"Or they stole it," said Ron.
"Or the Pev-something lost it in a game of Poker," said Harry.
"See if you can find out more about the Pev-something," said Hermione. "Books, what they're famous for, whatever. Ask Professor Lupin to help you. I'll look into it too, but Dumbledore doesn't want me meddling."
"He doesn't?"
"But you're the Queen of Meddling," said Ron. "And I mean that in the most complimentary way possible."
"I know, but I think he's worried I'll jump to a conclusion and distract us from something important."
Harry stared at her. He knew she wasn't telling the whole truth, but the bell chose that moment to toll, signaling them to get to class, thus saving her from having to come up with an explanation. She couldn't tell either of them. Not right now. It wouldn't end well for anyone. He quickly forgot to even push the issue as they were hit with a truckload of work. Seriously, who regulated the lesson plans? Hermione was certain more than ever that if they could have more than two lessons per week they wouldn't need to cram so much. It was like preparing for a final exam every week. She was already used to the work from being in Group A at Castelobruxo, but to give this pressure to everyone it was no wonder so many sixth and seventh years were in the hospital wing for calming draughts.
How had Cedric managed this, his business, the Triwizard Tournament, and Quidditch?
Maybe he hadn't.
The biggest stressor on anyone was trying to get nonverbal spells down. The teachers weren't even giving much instruction on how to perform them aside from "figure it out."
"How do you do nonverbal, Nia?" Hannah asked during Charms. Her face was flushed from effort and everyone around them were wearing interesting expressions as they tried to cast without speaking or mouthing the spell.
"Well, I started before I even came to school," she said. "Practicing here and there with small spells while working my way up. They do that at Uagadou and a few other major schools. I think the problem a lot of people run into is that they think more about the intended effect rather than the actual spell itself. The mind moves so fast, it's easy to flub over the words. Frankly, I think nonverbal should be introduced around second or third year with simple spells." She wagged her finger and the tip lit up like E.T.
Hannah bit her lips and set her wand down. She wagged her finger, furrowing her brow in concentration. For a good few minutes, she looked as if she were trying to scold someone while under the silencing charm. Then her finger tip lit up and she shrieked in surprise.
"Epa! You did it!" said Hermione.
Neville, who had been watching, snapped his fingers and barked out a laugh when his thumb lit.
"Very well done," said Professor Flitwick. "Not the spell we're working on, but wandless and nonverbal success should still be rewarded. Go on and take five points for each of your Houses."
"How do you turn it off?" Neville asked to the amusement of the class.
"Nox," said Hermione.
"Oh, yeah." He snapped his fingers again and the light went out. He was carrying himself differently. He was still a bit shy but he didn't seem self-deprecating.
The rest of the class gave up on trying to cast their spell nonverbally and were instead clicking or wagging fingers to cast lumos. Those who got both fingers were holding them behind their friends' ears.
"Excuse me, Filius, I need to speak with Miss Abbott."
Hermione looked over at Professor Sprout and felt a sense of dread. Hannah seemed to feel it too, because she grew very still. She looked at her friends and hesitantly went out into the hall. Everyone was really quiet and still. The last few charms puttered out as they waited.
"NO!" Hannah screamed.
Neville and Susan were the first out the door; Hermione, Padma, and Daphne were not far behind. Professor Sprout stooped over Hannah's crumpled form, eyes moist with tears for her student. Susan knelt beside her and rested her cheek against Hannah's back. Hermione knelt down on her other side and rested a hand on her shoulder. Hannah wailed and tore the lapel of her robe before burying her face in her knees.
"Who was it?" Neville asked.
"Her mother," said Professor Sprout. "Unfortunately, we can't floo her home. The Ministry received word of a threat to compromise it and all networks are shut down until they can ensure it won't happen. The Knight Bus is down too. In her emotional state she shouldn't side-along and I don't see us getting portkey permission by tonight. I just… it seemed wrong to not let her know."
"I want to see my daddy," Hannah sobbed. "I want to go home! I want to go home!"
"I can get you there," said Hermione.
"Miss Granger?"
She looked up at Professor Sprout.
"I have a car," she said. "Someone can come with us as an escort. Preferably Tonks. I can get her home."
Professor Sprout hesitated. "It could be dangerous."
"Oh, I passed Driver's Safety with flying colors."
"I meant you never know who is out there. You could be attacked."
Hermione pointed to her eye. "Too late."
"Please, Nia!" said Hannah. "I want to go home!"
"I will go speak with Dumbledore," said Professor Sprout.
When she was gone, Hermione shook her head.
"Speak with Dumbledore, he's not gonna let us go." She snapped her head towards the class. "As you were!"
They fumbled around and pretended to be busy. Hermione sighed, bumped her head against Hannah's shoulder, then stood up.
"Susan, I need you to go pack a bag for Hannah. You know her best, so you'll know what she needs. Daphne, Padma, go see if the elves can pack enough food for three, it's going to be a long drive."
"Four," said Susan. "I'm going too, I…" she shook her head, her words catching. "She's all I've got."
Hermione nodded. "Okay. Food for four. I won't take any more."
"What can I do?" Neville asked.
"Stay with Hannah. Just… be her rock, make sure you get her down to the front of the school. I'm going to go see about us getting an escort." She took off at a run. They didn't have much time, especially if there was the chance they would get barred from going.
She was out the doors by the time the bell tolled and went straight for the front gates of the school. She lost her loafers along the way, but her feet were too calloused for her to feel anything sharp beneath them. Thankfully, Tonks was there, patrolling.
"Tonks!" she called. "Hey. When's your shift end?"
"About five minutes," she said. "Why? What's wrong?"
"I know you're probably exhausted, but my friend Hannah just learned her mum died, and due to the Floo network and Knight Bus being down, I was going to drive her. I need an Auror escort."
Tonks nodded. "Okay."
Hermione found her shoes and returned to the front of the school so she could set up her car. She clicked the fob twice and Bug grew to full-size. Good thing she filled up with gas before leaving.
"I need you, Bug," said Hermione. "We're going on a little road trip, okay? Time is of the essence."
The driver's side door opened and "You're My Best Friend" played on the speakers. Hermione chuckled and patted the hood.
"Okay, okay, I love you, too."
No more than ten minutes later, Neville was half-carrying Hannah to the car. She was weeping quietly and trembled as she got into the backseat. Susan put their trunks in the boot and Hermione got the basket of food from Padma.
"Hey, the first meeting of the Multicultural club is tonight," said Daphne.
"Oh, shoot, I forgot," Hermione sighed.
"Well, if you want, I can take it over," she said. "Sukkot is coming up, maybe I can talk about that."
"Oh, would you?" said Hermione. "That'd be great. I promise, I won't be a total flake."
"I know," said Daphne. "This is more important."
People had begun to gather in the windows to watch what was going on.
"Miss Granger!" Professor McGonagall ran down the steps of the castle. "Miss Granger!"
"I've made up my mind, professor," said Hermione. "I'm bringing Hannah home."
"I know," she said. "Professor Dumbledore was hesitant, but Pomona and I convinced him otherwise. You have an escort?"
"Here I am!" Tonks puffed. "Wotcher. Sorry. My replacement was running late, but I'm good to go."
"I'll be as fast as I can," said Hermione. "It's to Ireland, probably be about eight hours one way if we don't stop too much."
Professor McGonagall patted her shoulder. "Be safe."
"I will." Hermione turned to Daphne and Padma and squeezed their hands. "I'll be back in a few days."
She got into the driver's seat. "Where are we going?"
"Midrath, Ireland," said Susan. "It's between Rathgreat and Rathlittle."
"Okay. I'm going to point us to Glasgow first," said Hermione. "Get us out of range of Hogwarts' unplottability radius. This will be the toughest leg of the journey, so don't worry if it seems we're getting turned around. The school is constantly moving and so the roads will be too."
"Is there a road out of here?" asked Susan.
"Yeah," said Tonks. "It's not really well used, but it's there."
Hermione tapped her compass. "Point me to Glasgow, Scotland."
The needle spun and she started driving. It was as hard as she thought getting out of Hogwarts range. A lot of the roads blended and moved, but eventually they were free and the compass stopped spinning wildly, settling due Southeast. Hermione finally came upon a road labeled A83. It twisted and turned and was a beautiful mountain road with great views. Hermione didn't point the views out. Instead, she stopped at the first rest stop they came upon so everyone could use the loo and get out some of the dinner the elves packed. Hermione went inside to get them drinks and buy a road map.
"Where you headin' dressed like that?" the man at the counter asked.
Hermione looked down at her brightly patterned shirt and back at him. "A funeral."
"Aye, right, a funeral."
Hermione looked at the Power Horse energy drink. "How many of these can I drink before it impairs my driving?"
"I won't sell ya more than two."
"Fair enough." She bought two and went back out to the car. "Hannah, you need to drink some water, okay?"
She hiccoughed and nodded. While they ate their early dinner, Hermione read the map to see the best way to go and marked the landmarks with a pen.
"Okay," she said. "I'll be able to get us to Cairnryan by tonight, but I don't think we'll be able to take a ferry until morning. I know you want to get home, Hannah, but I don't think I can apparate us from Cairnryan to Larne. It looks to be a thirty mile gap."
"It's okay," said Hannah softly. "I appreciate you getting me there at all."
"Did you want me to mend your robe for you?" asked Tonks.
Hannah shook her head.
Hermione sipped her energy drink and patted her dash.
"Let's go, Bug."
The radio flipped through stations, stringing along a line of gibberish.
"She's ready." Hermione checked her rearview.
Once they were on a road for ten miles, Hermione pushed in a tape. It wasn't anything too upbeat, but it wasn't too sad either. She wasn't even sure who she was playing, she just needed the background noise.
"There's a roundabout coming up to keep on A77," said Tonks after a while. "A couple of them looks like."
"Okay. Once we're on there, it's a straight shot to Cairnryan." Hermione pushed her hair back and sighed.
Nobody spoke until they were on the road. Susan dozed in her seat, resting her cheek on Hannah's shoulder. Hannah stared out the window, twisting a sweet wrapper in her hands.
"Nia?"
"Hm?"
"You lost your mum, right?"
"Yeah. I was four. It was icy and they were doing construction on the road. Someone hit us and we went out of control. Hit and run. The impact broke her neck and I would have drowned if Amos Diggory hadn't jumped in to rescue me. Sometimes it feels faraway, but when the anniversary rolls around…" she shook her head. "People will tell you it gets easier. I guess for some it can feel that way, but it's more like… more like the button that makes you sad is pressed less often. I think what makes me more sad is that my Papí didn't even know what happened to me and Mrs. Smith from the orphanage actively blocked my family from finding me. I don't know what her deal was and it's been so long I don't think she could even tell me if I found her and asked."
"Do you think she still watches over you? Your mum?"
"I think so. Papí said that shortly after she died, he had a dream about her telling him to check on my cousins. Saved their lives. And then another saying not to lose hope in finding me. Maybe they were just dreams with a coincidence and his own subconscious comforting him, but isn't it just as meaningful? To know someone so well that you know what they'd say to you?"
"Mm… If there is an afterlife, I hope it's nice," said Hannah.
"My family believes that telling stories and remembering people is what keeps them alive in our hearts."
"I'd rather have her alive so I can hug her myself."
"I know."
Tonks didn't say anything, just staring down at the map or through the windshield.
It was incredibly late by the time they made it to Cairnryan. They'd stopped a couple times for toilet breaks and when they reached the city, they managed to find a place to crash for the night. They'd have to double up in beds, but Hermione didn't care. She was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. She dreamed awful things. Most notable one was she standing in a room with Cedric, screaming and clawing at him to look at her and all he did was shove her off him and turn away. She couldn't even see his face.
When she woke up at dawn, the four of them grabbed breakfast at a café. Hannah mostly poked at her eggs, Susan ate everything on her plate and half of what was on her best friend's.
"I'll be right back," said Hermione. "I'm just going to that pay phone over there." She paused. "If there's danger, we should have a signal."
"Like what?" Tonks asked.
"Erm… Oh!" Hermione held up her hand with her thumb tucked over her palm and her fingers together. She folded them over her thumb. "It's subtle, but if we are in danger, we don't want to alert the enemy."
"Good thinking," said Tonks. "I'll keep my eyes on you."
Hermione nodded and dug the change out of her bag before going to the phone. She stepped inside the booth and placed the coins in and dialed the number for Grimmauld Place. It rang three times and Sirius answered crankily, "This better be important."
"It is," said Hermione. "Are you able to apparate long-distances?"
"Nia… yes, I can."
"How far?"
"From here to Hogwarts if I need to."
"In about five hours I'm dropping my friends Hannah and Susan off at Hannah's house in a hybrid village called Midrath, which is in County Dublin, Ireland. Can you meet us there so Tonks can get some rest? I feel bad keeping her on guard duty for so long."
"Oh, yes. Of course."
"Great. Bring a change of clothes, I don't know how long I'm going to stay, but my parents would have a cow if I was left without a chaperone."
"I understand. Should I bring anyone else?"
"No. Hannah's mum died, I'm just making sure she gets home safely since the Knight Bus and Floo Network are compromised."
"Alright. I'll see you then. You said Rathgreat?"
"Midrath. It's close to it."
"Ah, yeah. I'll be there."
"Great. Thanks."
She hung up and returned to the table.
"Who'd you call?" asked Tonks.
"The Ghostbusters. There's something strange in this neighborhood."
They didn't get it and she didn't explain, instead telling the truth.
"I called Sirius," she said. "You've been at it for a long time, Tonks, so he's going to meet us in Midrath and relieve you so you can get some proper rest."
"Oh, thanks. I'm fine though."
"It's still several hours to get to Midrath." Hermione looked at her pocket watch. "Our ferry is leaving soon. We should queue up."
The ferry ride took a couple hours and Hermione used it to doze. Hannah and Susan sat on a bench outside, heads ducked together and Tonks stood watch where she could see as much as possible.
Before long, they were in Larne and Bug was weaving easily in and out of traffic. As the area became more familiar, Susan and Hannah directed Hermione the correct way, if only for something to do. They knew she could easily use her compass or her map, but really, it was better with someone calling them out.
Soon, they were upon a village and Hannah broke down into fresh tears. It was a nice place. Lots of trees and buildings with character. Susan finished giving the directions and Hermione turned down a lane to get to the house. It was a good-sized house surrounded by gardens. It could cozily fit a family of six.
Hermione removed her eyepatch and looked around the area.
"There aren't any wards around the house," she said. "I see energy signatures inside, but I'm not sure what's human or not. Tonks, when Sirius gets here we should set up some wards."
"Agreed."
The four of them got out of her car.
"The… the luggage," said Hannah shakily.
"Don't worry, I'll bring it in once you're with your dad," said Hermione. "Okay?"
"Thanks," Susan said and supported Hannah up to the house.
Hermione settled in on Hannah's other side and knocked on the door. The energy signatures moved within the house towards the door. It opened a crack.
"Yes? Who is it?"
"Dad?"
"Hannah? What are you… how did you get here?"
"Nia got me here." Hannah took a deep breath. "What did you call me when I was little?"
"Bumblebee," he said. "What… what was your first pet?"
"A mouse named Miss Kitty. You thought it was funny."
The door opened. Mr. Abbott was a plump man with sandy hair. His stubbled face looked tired, but his eyes were wide and shining with tears. It did not go unnoticed to Hermione that the person next to him was staying out of sight.
"Daddy!" Hannah ran into him and hugged him tightly.
He closed his eyes and kissed the top of her head.
"Mr. Abbott, I'm Nia," said Hermione. "I'd like to see Hannah and Susan settled before I go."
"No! Er… no… it's quite alright. Some friends of mine will be by soon with food. I think it best we have our aninut. The funeral is in the morning…"
Hannah stilled and stuck her hand back, tucking her thumb in and slowly curling her fingers over it. Tonks and Susan subtly slid their wands into their hands.
"Well, at least accept this gift of mine," said Hermione.
"Gift?"
"It's a… DUCK!"
Hannah dragged her father to the ground as Hermione kicked the door. Her boot left a small crack in the wood.
"OW!"
"Run, Hannah, RUN!" Mr. Abbott screamed.
Hermione jumped over them into the house and waved her hand. "GRAVITAS NULLAM!"
Three people in Death Eater masks raised up to the ceiling. They held fast to their wands and yelled curses, but their spinning and the sudden change in gravity caused them to veer off course.
"Expelliarmus!" Susan yelled. "Expelliarmus! Expelliarmus!"
Wands spun away. Tonks waved her own wand and the three Death Eaters shot across the room and stuck to the wall.
"Are there anymore?"
"No," said Hermione, looking around the house. "There's only these three."
"Dad?" said Hannah. "What's going on?"
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm so sorry. I hoped that sending in a false threat for the Floo Network would keep you safe at Hogwarts."
"I'm calling this in," said Tonks. "Nia, Susan, don't take your eyes off them."
"No problem." Hermione set up her video camera over her shoulder then stepped into the parlor with her hands at the ready. They crackled with the lightning charm she had on her lips. "Susan, let's see who's behind the mask."
"Revelio!"
The three masks disappeared showing two men and one woman who all barely looked a few years out of school. Hermione only recognized the one in the middle as Stan Shunpike, the pimple-faced conductor of the Knight Bus. He had a welt on his nose from when the door hit him.
"No Dark Marks," Hermione noted. "What sort of game are you playing at?"
They glared at her, tight-lipped.
"Not talking, huh?"
"We don't socialize with monster-shagging Mudbloods," Stan spat.
Hermione drew her goblin-crafted knife and spun it easily around her hand. What would they do in the movies? That's right, violate the Geneva convention.
"You know… I'm new to this whole knife-throwing thing," she said. "I've been practicing, but… only having one working eye, it's so hard to hit the target." She held the blade in her fingers and hurled it at them where it stuck next to Stan's ear. "Damn… I missed."
She retrieved it and pointed it at Stan's bobbing Adam's apple. She wouldn't actually harm him with it while he was incapacitated like this, but the goal was to intimidate and interrogate.
"See… you came here with the intent to harm my close, good friend and I simply can't abide by that. Tell me, did you kill her mother?"
Stan was visibly sweating now.
"Say nothing, idiot!" the girl hissed.
"Have you ever played the game 'This Little Piggy'?" Hermione asked, making her eyes wide and crazy. "It's my favorite."
"We didn't kill her mum!" Stan cried. "Honest! That was higher level! We was just s'posed to hold the man hostage! Threaten his daughter! They're a Sacred Twenty-Eight! Purest bloods, not blood traitors yet!"
"Indoctrination, is that what I'm hearing?"
"Don't say anything else!" the other man yelled.
Hermione stomped over to him and hissed smoke out the corners of her mouth. She intended fire, but her adrenaline was already ebbing and she needed to keep her knife steady.
"You sorry, pathetic excuse for a person!" she snarled, pressing the blade against his cheek. "Fancy yourself a Death Eater do you? WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE?!"
"I-it's to prove we're worthy of the Dark Mark!" he wailed. "Lots of people are doing it! Drawing purebloods and well-bred half-bloods home! Threatening them, keep them from fighting back! Eventually, they'll be used to rebuild."
"Oh, ew!" Susan groaned.
Hermione looked down and jumped back realizing he had soiled himself when she nicked him with the blade.
"Oh, that is nasty," she said and waggled her blade. "Who are the others?"
"Don't know!" said Stan. "We're only put in groups of two or three! We get our orders by protean charm!"
"Well then… that's all I'm going to get out of you, I think." Hermione brought her video camera down and ejected the tape. "Got that Sirius? Tonks?"
"Every word," said Sirius, having just arrived during her interrogation. "I'll be sure to show the Auror department the footage you got too. Can we bring you in for every interrogation, Nia?"
"They were just easy pickings," said Hermione, sheathing her knife. "All talk and no guts. At least now we have a pattern to some of these deaths and can take action to prevent others like it from happening."
"You're dead, mudblood," the girl growled. "I'll kill you myself!"
"Take a number, why don't'cha?"
Hermione left the room and collapsed on the stairs once she was out of their sight, her knees shaking horribly. Aurors came and arrested the recruits, taking statements from everyone, and Sirius promised to bring in the footage and show them how to watch it. He and Tonks stayed behind.
"Are you going to be okay?" Sirius asked Mr. Abbott. "We can station a couple Aurors here."
"Actually, I think… after the shiva, we might visit Susan's family in Australia," said Mr. Abbott. "An extended stay. I also have a cousin in Canada who might put us up."
"Until then, we'd better make sure you stay protected." Hermione hauled herself to her feet. "Best place is bedrock."
"There's concrete in the cellar," said Mr. Abbott, though he didn't seem to understand exactly what she meant.
Hermione nodded and went downstairs with Sirius and Tonks. She let them dictate what they would set up and she used her own magic to arrange them into a strong structure. It was tricky since it was now clear that recruits were a larger threat than realized, but they could still set up anti-Dark Mark wards. If Voldemort thought simple recruits couldn't handle the Abbotts, then he might send some Death Eaters with experience next.
"We should arrange a guard for the funeral," said Hermione. "Hannah needs to be allowed to grieve, she shouldn't be looking over her shoulder for threats."
"Hey…" Tonks rested a hand on her shoulder. "You handled yourself great. If you hadn't been here, who knows what would have happened?"
"I know but…" she shivered. "The thought that I could have lost another friend… What if I had made the wrong move? What if I had gotten Mr. Abbott killed right in front of her? That sight doesn't leave you, Tonks. It sticks with you."
"It was the best move for the moment. You caught those bastards off guard and now Hannah and her dad are safe. Look, I'll volunteer for security, and if they no longer feel safe here, I'll take them to my mum and dad's. There's only one person in this whole world Bellatrix Lestrange fears and that's my mum."
"Why?"
"My mum is her sister."
"Ah."
As Mr. Abbott had stated, friends and family did come by to sit with all of them and feed them. Hermione hated to think what might have happened to these people if Hannah had just been able to go straight home. Or would she have been gone and these people would have no idea what had happened? It was no use dwelling. What happened, happened, and they would just have to keep moving forward. Hermione stayed the rest of the day and the night so she could recover from the magic she used.
The following morning, she hugged her friends tightly.
"Contact me if you need me," she said, handing Hannah a small notebook the size of her hand. "Or if you just want to talk."
It worked the same as the notebooks she made for herself and Cedric. Ron had helped her with the rune set up. She intended to pass them out for the holidays.
"Thanks, Nia." Hannah grabbed the sides of her head and pressed their foreheads together. "You're a really good friend."
"So are you. Stay safe."
"You, too."
Hermione gave them both another hug and went out to her car with Sirius. She sifted through her cassettes, finally deciding on "Dreaming of You" by Selena. She put it into the deck, tapped her compass to get her to Glasgow, and drove.
Sirius was quiet until the tape had to start over.
"The first fights are always hard," he said. "I remember my first battle against Death Eaters. Granted, I don't think I was as intimidating as you."
"What, never made a twenty-something piss their pants?" she asked.
"Not until I was well established," he said and chuckled, immediately sobering. "I did cry though. After. I realized how unprepared we were. Sure, there's duel training, but you're never really… prepared for a fight. How much can happen in the span of a few minutes. Peter had gotten hurt. Not badly, but it still scared all of us. Our mortality."
"I'm not losing another friend," said Hermione. "I don't care what I have to do."
"Nia, you can't save everyone."
She set her jaw. "I can try. Get your feet off the dash unless you want to lose them."
Sirius planted his feet on the floor, but remained slumped in the seat.
"Sirius, can I tell you something without you acting?"
"I don't understand."
"I mean, if I open up to you about something, will you just listen and do nothing about it? If you do something, it could make my job a lot harder."
He stared at her for a long moment. She didn't stare back. She had to keep her eyes on the road.
"Cross my heart," he said.
"Dumbledore tried to obliviate me."
"He… what? Are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure. I know what the spell is. It's just lucky for us it didn't work. I don't know how it didn't. My amulets or… anyway, he doesn't want me involved in the horcrux hunt. The information he is giving Harry is, so far, proving useful. I have a way of looking in so I can make notes and draw my own conclusions. It looks like I might find out how many horcruxes there are and what they are. A few of them anyway. If she's willing, I need Ms. Black to find out what she can about Peverell. Peverell and a ring."
"Yeah, I'll pass on the message." Sirius kept staring at her. "You're taking this strangely calmly."
"The other option is to lose my mind."
"Fair point."
Hermione gripped the steering wheel.
"I know why Dumbledore didn't advocate for me even though he knew me better than Severus," he said when they were sitting on the ferry. "I never played his game. Always questioned him. Someone like me, who has been manipulated their whole life, can learn the signs. I don't think he anticipated me getting full custody of Harry, and since then Harry has been slipping from him."
"Sirius… do you think we might have to push him out of the picture?"
"That's a very dangerous thing to say," Sirius said sharply, then took a deep breath. "I don't see that being possible. If he dies suddenly or disappears, we'd be made before we can even cover our tracks. No. Keep doing what you're doing. We'll worry about him later. We have no choice."
Hermione hummed.
"Can you play 'Missing My Baby' again?" he asked.
"Sure."
Hermione made it back to Hogwarts in time for D.A.D.A. She thought about skipping, but it was better to just get back to it. Besides, Daphne and Padma would want to know if Hannah and Susan were okay. She only made a short stop to fill in the fading runes on her arm. She wanted to know exactly what was going on in this school.
When she entered the classroom, everyone stopped to look at her.
"Granger," said Snape. "You're late to class. That's detention."
"That's what?!" Hermione felt her temper rise.
"No exceptions. It is my class and I can decide what rules to set regarding absences and tardies."
"So, driving a friend home to get to her mother's funeral counts as an unexcused absence does it?" she challenged. "Getting attacked by Death Eater recruits and winning is just absolutely unacceptable to you, is it?"
"Mind your temper, Granger."
Hermione rolled her thumbs over her knuckles, trying to calm down.
"Sir, I have had a— a very harrowing th-th-th—" She snapped her fingers. "Three days! Sh-surely you c-can all-allow s-s-s-some leeway!"
"I don't have to do anything. M-M-Miss G-G-G-Granger."
Hermione stiffened.
"Oi! Leave her alone!" Neville shouted.
"Fifteen points from Gryffindor, Longbottom."
"How dare you?" Hermione growled. "Know what? I quit. If— if you ju-just gonna stand there and make fun o' me, I'll learn how to defend myself w-wuh-without you. You ain't got nothin' I haven't already s-s-s-seen or ex-s-s-s'perienced for myself!"
"Is that a challenge?"
"No!" She refrained from stomping her foot like a child. "I've got nothing to prove to you. As I am no longer a student in your class, I'm not late. I'm not serving your detention."
Before he could anger her further, Hermione spun on her heel and left the classroom to go down to her common room. She paced around it angrily muttering to herself. How dare he? How dare he? She didn't care what he had to offer or if he was a double—or triple—agent. His loyalties to both Dumbledore and Voldemort enabled him to be a twisted, bitter person with nothing better to do than bully children.
Hermione raged quietly to herself until the bell tolled. Before anyone could come in to see her going berserk, she grabbed a cushion off one of the couches, pressed her face into it, and screamed.
~Meanwhile~
Snape had a little break and decided he would spend it reading in the teacher's lounge. He had certainly shown that Granger who didn't leave well enough alone. Perhaps now she'd learn to keep her trap shut.
"How dare you…"
He smirked and looked over his shoulder to give her another well-deserved detention, only to find nobody there.
"How dare you!"
He looked up and saw all the portraits glaring at him as if they'd like nothing more than to crawl out and cause him serious harm. The torch flames flickered and turned black at the center creating a new level of darkness in the windowless corridor.
"Bitter…"
"Horrible…"
"Low-life!"
Feeling a twinge of fear, he picked up the pace and the portraits' eyes and insults followed. A disembodied scream rattled him to his core and he faced a mirror. His own reflection, now grotesque and bloated as if he'd been dead for a long time, stared fearfully back.
Then, as suddenly as it started, it stopped. The flames were back to orange, the portraits returned to their idle chatter, and his reflection was merely that. A reflection.
What had happened?
Back in the dungeons, Hermione giggled and shrieked as Artemis the dog licked her all over her face. The owner, Gracie, sat in a chair and read a book, allowing her dog to be on break.
"Ooh! You are such a good dog!" said Hermione in a high voice. "Get a load of that dog!"
Artemis' tail wagged furiously.
"Feel better?" Daphne asked, amused.
Hermione wiped her face on her sleeve and grinned.
"Yeah. Hard to be upset when a puppy is giving you kisses." She hugged Artemis and got to her feet. "Okay, let's get to Arithmancy. Thanks a bunch for letting me borrow Artemis, Gracie."
"Sure, no problem."
Hermione was feeling more normal by dinner. At least, she was able to compartmentalize and focus on the present moment, which was eating and chatting with her friends. Padma was going to sit with her after dinner and help her catch up on the homework that she missed.
"Miss Granger?"
"Sanchez y Granger," Hermione corrected. She was being more than generous by cutting out the Lotulelei part of her name, but only because Papí said she didn't have to go by it. "Please, they're both a part of my identity."
Professor McGonagall didn't correct herself. "I'd like a word with you about your behavior today towards Professor Snape."
"Professor Slughorn is my head of house, why isn't he here talking to me? Besides, I was standing up for myself."
"You disrespected a teacher!"
Hermione gripped her spoon. "He made fun of my stutter!"
"That's no excuse."
She flinched and stared down at her bowl of soup, feeling small. There was never a good excuse, was there?
"Professor, I don't understand why I'm being punished," she said stiffly. "I said I would return as soon as possible and I received a detention for being late to class after an excused absence? That just shows he was waiting to punish me further! I apologized for the spectacle my first day back, what more does he want?"
"You still need to show proper respect," said Professor McGonagall. "You should have come to me or Professor Dumbledore and allowed us to handle it."
Fat load of good that would do. Why did she have to sit there and take abuse? Be a good little girl and let people bully you! Don't be an inconvenience for others.
"I'm still dropping his class," she said. "I'm not going to sit there and be harassed. When is my detention?"
"Tomorrow, with Mr. Potter before dinner. With the house-elves." She tapped her fingers against her arm. "I will speak to Severus about his treatment towards students."
How about punish him instead? Hermione said nothing and stirred her soup, appetite lost. She wanted nothing more than to hurl it at the wall, but that would just create work for the house-elves. Her respect for Professor McGonagall was crumbling.
Some things just never changed.