After her birthday, Hermione didn't allow herself another meltdown and she certainly didn't wash off the runes. She was resting too much. She allowed herself too much spare time. She threw herself into school work, training, socializing, and study. Every Saturday, she hosted double-features. She charged two sickles, everyone got popcorn, and half went to the house-elves since they made the concessions, passed them out, and cleaned up afterward. Hermione sent a quarter to the S.A.M.B. divisions and kept the remaining quarter for herself since she was doing the work setting up everything and making sure that she was selecting things that would allow them to keep having the movie day. It was probably selfish, but she couldn't have a job to make money now, could she?
Harry was concerned about Dumbledore's constant absence from the school. That some people might see it the same as Hogwarts being undefended. The truth was, he was there most of the time, he was just too ill to show himself. He only left once in a while. To do what, she wasn't sure nor did she care. What she did care about was that it was well into October and he hadn't had another session with Harry.
Hermione decided that if they didn't have another lesson by the end of the year, she would reveal everything to him and deal with the consequences so that they could start preparing by themselves.
It almost seemed unlikely that they would be going to Hogsmeade at all, but thankfully the trip would remain right on schedule. So the first couple years wouldn't feel left out, Hermione taught Professor Burbage how to work the projector and gave her a stack of movies to show all day in the Great Hall.
At breakfast, Harry was telling her about a new spell he had accidentally cast on Ron and Ron seemed to find it pretty funny as well.
"Did you know what it did before casting it?" Hermione asked.
"No. I didn't even mean to cast it, I just said 'levicorpus' in my head and it worked! Maybe I'm not hopeless at nonverbal after all."
"…Harry. How could you not know what it does? It levies your damn corpus!"
"Hey, Granger," said Zacharias Smith. "Want to meet up at Madam Puddifoots?"
"No! Piss off!"
"I thought Blaise was teaching you how to be composed," said Ron, looking amused.
"Yeah, but when it comes to boys asking you out, you have to shut them down hard from the get go," she explained. "Otherwise, they keep asking."
"Harry!" Ginny called, hurrying towards them. "Here, I'm meant to give you this."
She handed him a scroll, which he immediately unfurled. "Ah, good. It's Dumbledore's next lesson."
"When is it?" Hermione asked.
"Monday."
Hm… she had prefect duties. She'd ask Shaylyn if she could switch. Or she was supposed to be patrolling with Padma, maybe she would cover for her.
"Want to join us in Hogsmeade, Ginny?" she asked.
"Nah, I'm hanging with Dean," she said. "See you."
Hermione raised an eyebrow at her. Was she really that scared about what people would think? Mm… it wasn't really her business, but she was getting the feeling that Luna was getting jealous.
"We should probably line up," she said aloud. "I bet it will take forever to get past the secrecy sensors."
"But we're leaving the castle," said Ron.
"You think Filch cares about that?"
"Point taken."
While they were in line, Hermione let Daphne and Padma cut so they could leave together. Padma was bundled up in multiple layers like Hermione, Harry, and Ron, while Daphne looked snug in a fur cloak with matching hat and muff all dyed a classy shade of purple, making her look quite a bit like a princess.
"Nice outfit," said Hermione.
"Thank you, it was my great grandmother's," she said.
"Fox?"
"Mink. I'm wearing wool underneath for extra warmth."
"Ah, yeah, Esperanza said she'd been looking for a mink coat since the mountains get really cold in Bulgaria. Cause faux fur is unethical. Plastic, see."
"Hands where I can see them," said Filch.
Daphne held up her hands.
"If he starts frisking us, I'm filing for harassment," Hermione muttered.
"Oi, watch it!" Daphne snapped, yanking her skirt closer.
"What are you hiding there, missy?"
"My knickers!"
"Ah." Filch cleared his throat and waved her along with the Secrecy Sensor.
Hermione held out her arms. He did know he just had to wave it over them like a metal detector, right? She was sure he did, but just wanted a chance to bop him on the head. The sensor probe went off around her eye.
"What are you hiding?"
"Mr. Filch, sensor probes sometimes go off over cursed injuries," she said. "Wave it over Harry's scar, you'll see I'm telling the truth."
Giving her a skeptical look, Filch smacked Harry in the head with his secrecy sensor. It went off and she wasn't sure who was more surprised, him or Harry.
"Hmph! Fine. Move along. You're holdin' up the line."
Hermione moved on and shuddered as the wind picked up. "It's October! Why is it already snowing?"
"Dementors," said Padma. "They mess up the climate."
"Ugh." Hermione rubbed her hands together.
"Forget your gloves?" asked Harry.
"No, I just couldn't fit them over my splints and I didn't think to buy mittens. I'll get some in town."
"Why don't you just take the splints off?"
Hermione stopped dead and slipped a section off her pointer finger, which promptly warped and dislocated.
"Oh—" Ron ran and puked into a bush.
Hermione worked the splint back on.
"Here," said Daphne, handing over her muff. "I'm wearing cashmere/wool and leather gloves anyway."
"Ooh, fancy." Hermione was warmed by the muff and rubbed it against her cheek. "So soft!"
Luckily, Hogsmeade was within walking distance this year. Which was probably a good thing. She wasn't sure the thestrals could walk in this. Hell, the carriage wheels would probably get stuck.
"I need to replenish my candy supply," said Hermione. "Honeydukes has the best saltwater taffy. They also don't source child slave labor for their chocolate."
"Who uses child slave labor?" asked Daphne, horrified.
Hermione jumped into the footsteps of the students who managed to leave the castle before them like a child splashing in rain puddles. "Nestle, Hershey, Mars, Cargill, Lindt, Godiva, Ghirardelli, and that's just the companies off the top of my head that make chocolate. Honeydukes made it into a magazine for using ethically sourced chocolate in all their chains."
"They're a chain?" said Harry.
"Yeah, but the one here in Hogsmeade is the original and has the most variety. They have non-magic stores in London, Dublin, and Brussels."
"Huh… is that why you dressed like Willy Wonka today Nia?" asked Padma. "To raise awareness for ethically sourced chocolate?"
"Nah, I just really like this outfit and the corduroy skirt is really warm. You wouldn't think you could mix orange, turquoise, scarlet, aubergine, and emerald into one outfit." She jumped onto a low wall and posed. "But I make it work. And they look amazing with my shoes."
She clicked the heels of her two-toned oxford heels.
"They're really cute, Nia," said Char as she passed.
"Thank you!" Hermione jumped back down.
"Notice how Cho has been coming around?" Harry muttered.
"Yeah," said Ron. "Maybe she's still sweet on you, Harry."
"Like I'd give her a chance again," he said. "She dumped me and she betrayed the D.A."
"She didn't betray the D.A.," Hermione huffed.
"Well, she still hangs around Marietta and the association…"
She rolled her eyes. "Because they're best friends and the most important thing to have in times like these are friends." She pulled Daphne and Padma closer. "Come on, the taffy is calling me."
They managed to get inside Honeydukes, which was warm and smelled wonderful.
"That's more like it," said Ron, inhaling deeply. "Let's just stay in here all day."
"Harry, m'boy!"
Professor Slughorn eased his way through the aisles towards them, a shopping bag swaying from his arm.
"You've missed the last couple meetings," he said, wagging a finger.
"Yes, well, Quidditch practice, sir," said Harry, glancing at Hermione. She raised an eyebrow. "Er… perhaps the next one?"
"Oh, of course, of course, Harry. How does Monday evening sound?"
"Er… Monday is no good. I've got a private lesson with Dumbledore." Harry cringed and actually looked sorry, but mostly towards Hermione. "Perhaps the one after."
"Ah, bad luck again. Of course, don't let me keep you from your time here." He shook his bag of crystallized pineapple. "I was just getting a treat for myself while doing my holiday shopping. My favorite, you know. And it's better to get your shopping done before the price hike."
"Is crystallized pineapple any good?" Hermione asked.
"Yes, quite delectable," he said. "They've got quite the assortment of fruits along the back wall. Have a good day all."
When he left the shop, Ron snorted. Hermione rolled her eyes and turned to the sugar-quills. They had a deluxe pack that would last hours.
"They can be fun, Harry," she said. "Gwenog Jones visited last time. Oh, you should have seen Ginny, I thought she was going to swoon. They actually got on well, I think she might actually come back just to watch her play. Scout her out."
"Ginny? Scouted?" said Ron, paling.
"Well, she is good," said Harry.
Ron turned more sour than the sherbats chittering in the candy animal display.
"Notice how Slughorn calls Nia by her last name?" said Padma. "He only ever calls any of us by our first names. Guess he sees you as an equal."
"Spinning my web," said Hermione, picking up a cotton candy web. "One strand at a time."
"Suppose you like going to those meetings," said Ron. "Get to hang out with your boyfriend."
"Blaise and I went on one date," Hermione scoffed. "I'd hardly call them my boyfriend. They're handsome and we have good talks, but there's no spark, you know?"
"I meant Cormac. Word is you two are his absolute favorites, even leaving Harry behind! You two could be King and Queen Slug!"
"If you say so, but I accept nothing less than the title of King."
Daphne and Padma giggled and Ron finally cracked a smile. Daphne stopped in front of the kosher section, grabbing her favorite bubble monsters before poking through the rest of the selection. Hermione tucked a pack of sugar quills under her arm and moved around to the salt water taffy the next aisle over.
"What's the fixation with Cormac anyway?" Hermione asked.
"Word on the street is he fancies you," said Ron. "Claims that you'll be going out any day now."
"And you believed him?"
"Did I have any reason not to?"
"Mm, maybe a couple months back, but I've learned the hard way to be picky about the guys I let take me out." She wiggled her fingers. "I would never go out with McLaggen. I've said it before and I'll say it again: dark-haired Seekers, Magical Beings, or nothing."
"Sorry Nia, I'm not pureblooded enough to date my own sister," said Harry.
Hermione threw her head back and cackled while Ron doubled over, the tension broken. While Harry and Ron checked out other stuff, Hermione and Padma went over to the crystallized fruits. They agreed to split a box that promised prepackaged assortments.
"Where do you want to go next?" Harry asked after they checked out.
"Three Broomsticks?" Padma suggested.
"Yeah, I could go for a butterbeer," said Ron.
"Me too," said Hermione. "Daphne?"
"Certainly."
They stepped back out into the bleak streets. It wasn't much different from Diagon Alley. Most people kept their faces bowed to the wind. The colorful paint of the shops were covered by the wanted posters. Hermione pointedly kept her eyes on her shoes. She refused to look at his face.
The Three Broomsticks was nice and warm with plenty of people chatting lively over the music. For a change, elves from Hogwarts were in the mix wearing thick cloaks over their tunics. About ten of them were sharing stools at the counter and sipping non-alcoholic drinks while they chatted with each other and other patrons. It was a nice sight to see.
"I'll get the first round," said Daphne.
"Thanks, Daph," said Harry. "Let's go sit over there."
They took a round table near the jukebox, which was playing some crooner song. Hermione looked over at Madam Rosmerta and frowned. There was something floating around her head. She couldn't see it well through the magical signatures of passing people and it seemed to flit around. Wrackspurts maybe?
Daphne glided towards them, carefully holding their tankards. Harry jumped up to help her, setting them down. They were able to shed some of their layers in the warmth of the inn.
"You like ginger in yours, right Nia?"
"Yes, thank you." Hermione pulled her butterbeer close and sipped it through a straw. "I'm surprised there aren't any Halloween decorations."
"It does feel like a liminal space, doesn't it?" said Daphne. "The weather has been so strange and with everything… I almost forgot about Rosh Hashanah and then Yom Kippur the next week. I was lucky Astoria reminded me about fasting. And we couldn't even celebrate Sukkot like we normally do. I didn't think I would miss sleeping outside so much."
"Maybe we need to force it," said Padma. "You know? Celebrate out of spite not out of an attempt for normativity. Diwali is coming up, right Harry?"
"Er… I don't know," he said.
"Oh… I'm sorry. I assumed… never mind."
"What's a liminal space?" Ron asked.
"It's a transition between two destinations," said Hermione. "Thursday is a liminal space because it doesn't hold the same weight as the beginning of the week, but you're not quite at the weekend yet and so it's just… it exists and you never quite know what to do."
"This conversation is a liminal space," said Harry.
"Your f-face is a liminal space," Hermione said and sighed. "The stutter ruined the effect. I think Padma is right. We just need to… force it. Maybe not on Halloween, Harry's got his bad luck that day. What did you say was up, Padma? Diwali?"
"Mmhm. Festival of lights."
"Is it anything like Hanukkah?" asked Daphne.
Hermione listened to them compare notes over their two holidays and then debated about whether or not they could open it up to everyone due to a lack of people to celebrate at school. There was enough for a minyan, but there weren't many Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, or Buddhists.
"I didn't think witches and wizards really were religious," said Ron.
"You celebrate Christmas," said Daphne.
"So?"
Daphne and Padma rolled their eyes.
"I need some tunes," said Hermione, getting up. She was about to put a coin in the jukebox when she remembered what Cedric had done. Did it still work?
She browsed the selection then punched in the combination. Her heart swelled as it worked just fine without payment. He never changed it back. The current song ended and the one she chose began. She bobbed her knees as the intro to "Bennie and the Jets" crescendoed.
"You're gonna hear electric music solid walls of sound!" Hermione sang and spun towards her friends.
"I don't know her," said Harry as she danced towards them.
Daphne smacked his arm and grinned at her friend. Hermione took Padma's hands and pulled her out of her chair to dance. It wasn't choreographed or even good moves so much as just letting the music move them. Hermione picked up her butterbeer and sipped it, vibing with the music while Padma and Daphne danced together.
"Come on boys," she said. "I know you feel the groove. Oh, Harry and Ronnie, have you seen them yet? Oh, but they're so spaced out. B-B-B-B-Bennie and the Jets. Oh, but they're weird and they're wonderful."
Harry chuckled almost to himself and got up. Ron took a bit more wheedling, but was a bit more keen when Lavender and Parvati had come over to join them. Just as the song was ending, Hermione punched in "Take On Me" and bounced looking dramatically over her shoulder when the keys came in. A move that made her friends laugh. Not many more people joined them in their little dance crowd, but plenty were dancing in place while they talked with their friends. Luna and Ginny had jumped in copying Hermione's movements.
After a while, they decided to head back to the castle to see what movie was playing. A sentence they had never expected to say but was kinda nice to say nevertheless.
As they packed up, Hermione did a double-take at Blaise. They had something funny flying around their head. It almost looked like gnats, but then she saw little pink tails swirling behind them. She snatched at one and all of them disappeared. They blinked, shook their head, and looked at her inquiringly.
"Howdy," she said and made a finger-gun at them. "Bang."
They huffed through their nose. "You're weird."
"At least I'm not boring, che?" She put her eyepatch back on and hurried after her friends.
As they headed back to the castle, Hermione walked next to Daphne and Padma while Harry and Ron lagged behind wrapped up in their own conversation.
"I think I might actually want to warm up for a bit," said Daphne. "Any chance we can continue Star Trek in the Common Room?"
"I think that can be arranged," said Hermione.
Up ahead, Marietta and Char seemed to be arguing. A particularly strong gust of wind blew their conversation back.
"Leave it alone!" Marietta begged. "You don't know where it's been!"
"I have to, Etta, I have to deliver it!"
Hermione furrowed her brow and took off her eyepatch. The funny things were flying around Char's head and in her arms was something dark and pulsing, suffocating multiple energies that almost looked like magical cores.
"PUT THAT DOWN!" she screamed in vain and shot ahead.
Unable to hear her, Marietta and Char began to fight over the package. Marietta stumbled back into a snow drift as the parcel ripped and the item, a book, dropped to the ground. A sound like a vacuum wound up and Char screamed; her body warped as she was sucked in. The book smacked shut and Hermione pounced on top of it just as it was about to open again.
"CHARMIAN!" Marietta screamed. "Open it! Get her out! Get her out!"
"I can't or we'll all be sucked in!" said Hermione, using her entire weight to keep the struggling book from opening. "Accio duct tape!"
A roll shot out of her bag and she looked to her friends. "Help me bind this thing!"
Harry and Ron ran over and held it shut while she wrapped the entire thing in tape until not even the binding showed. Padma and Daphne kept close to Marietta who was sobbing uncontrollably. Hermione knelt down in front of her.
"Where did you get this?" she asked.
"I-I-I don't know," she wailed. "Ch-Char j-j-just had it and I told her… I told her… my best friend!"
She pressed her face into her knees and sobbed. Hermione rubbed her back and looked at Ron.
"Get a teacher. Any teacher."
"Right!" He turned and ran.
Hermione held out her hand and Harry gave the book to her, looking relieved that he didn't have to hold it anymore.
"Marietta, take a deep breath," she said. "It's going to be okay. I can see her signature, Char is still alive. Do you have any idea who might have given this to her?"
"N-no. I don't know!" Marietta shook her head and sobbed. No use interrogating her further.
Ron came rushing back with Professor Flitwick.
"Miss Sanchez," he said, wiping sleet from his glasses. "I can't make heads or tails, what's happened?"
"I have reason to believe that Char Cho-Chang was imperiused to get this book into the castle." She held it up. "Whoever did it… I don't know who it was meant for, but I can't imagine the culprit would think it would get past the secrecy sensors."
"I see, well, come on. All of you. Let's get this to Professor McGonagall."
Padma and Daphne helped Marietta stand and supported her as they walked the rest of the way to the castle. The girl sobbed and Hermione was worried she was going to start hyperventilating, but didn't say anything.
Hermione ran her hand over the back of the book, feeling all the signatures like beating hearts.
"Not now, Mr. Filch!" Professor Flitwick snapped when the caretaker ran towards them with the probe. "I can vouch for all of them. Come along. Quickly."
The laughter of students echoed out of the Great Hall while a garbled voice told a fast-paced anecdote, no doubt accompanied by visual jokes or slapstick. It soon faded as their group went up to Professor McGonagall's office. She looked up from the papers she was grading.
"What's happened, now?"
"Well…" Harry began and faltered. "Er… Nia?"
"Okay, so we were at the Three Broomsticks, right, and I noticed this funny magic flying around Blaise's head. I tug on it and they were broken from a trance, looking like they don't even remember how they got there in the first place."
"And who is they?"
"Blaise."
"And who else?"
"I'm using a singular they because that's what Blaise prefers, do you really think pronouns are the most important part to get hung up on?"
Professor McGonagall pursed her lips and waved her hand.
"Anyway," Hermione continued. "Me, Harry, Ron, Daphne, and Padma were walking back to the castle when I see Marietta and Char up ahead arguing. I heard Char say, "I have to deliver it" and so I took off my eyepatch and I see the same spell around her head that was around Blaise's and some dark magic in her arms. She and Marietta started fighting and the book fell open and Char got sucked in. Harry and I taped it shut because the clasp broke and now we're here with you. Now, I can rescue Char if you get me a coven."
Professor McGonagall blinked. "A coven—"
"Oh, yeah, I think the spell was the imperius curse. With consent, I would like to see it cast so I can confirm."
"I'm not… Miss Granger, are you certain?"
"That it was the imperius curse? Yeah. Desperation to finish task, can't be snapped out unless by magic, and memory loss of the incident. It fits. I'm also certain that I can save her."
"You can?" Marietta whispered. "Then… then do it! Save her!"
"I need a coven first, but I learned the spell."
"Miss Granger," Professor McGonagall interrupted. "This is a lot of information to take in, but perhaps it might be better to let professional unspeakables handle the book."
"Why? So they can stick it on a shelf and ignore it for months or even years?" Hermione retorted. "I know the exact spell, I was taught the spell at Castelobruxo and I've practiced it successfully. I can show you the video if you want or, better yet, we can call my Tía Manola and ask her to vouch for me."
She didn't know why she was so desperate to save Char. The thought of her absence just filled her with anxiety. Perhaps it was Hogwarts' anxiety.
"Please, Professor," said Hermione. "I can do it, but I need a coven to support me."
"Minerva," said Professor Flitwick. "We know of the troubles the Ministry is experiencing. Do we really want to risk Miss Cho-Chang being trapped indefinitely?"
Professor McGonagall hesitated and sighed, "And you know for a fact that she's alive in there?"
"Yes. I can see her magical energy," said Hermione. "There are nine others in this book and I can free all of them."
"Please…" Marietta croaked. "I want my best friend back."
Hermione felt tears lodge in her throat at that declaration.
Professor McGonagall looked at them all, then nodded. "Very well. You said you need a coven?"
"Yes. At least nine, but more is better. Divisible by threes are best. I think the teachers of Hogwarts will be our best bet because you all know and trust each other. You have a bond that will create a strong circle. I also need a room with a flat floor or even just a round dais. I can make one if I need to."
"I know who cursed them!" Harry blurted.
Professor McGonagall turned to him. "Who?"
"I think… I think Draco Malfoy did it."
"That is a very serious accusation."
"Harry," Hermione sighed. "We've talked about this."
"No. You've talked!"
"Well, Mr. Potter, Draco Malfoy was serving detention with me today as he was late on an assignment," said Professor McGonagall.
"But he could've imperiused Blaise to imperius Cho! Or gotten someone else to do it!"
Hermione shuffled her feet and hugged the book tightly as if it might fly open in spite of the duct tape. She didn't want to give weight to what Harry said, but Draco was talking about a secret mission, he did have a Dark Mark, and he had access to Blaise who was at Hogsmeade and would've had the skillset to imperius Char. But if they were wrong…
"Harry," she said. "Go to your room."
"What?!"
"Go to your room!" she repeated. "Your guardians are in there. Lay in your bed. Meditate. Practice Occlumency. See if you feel the same in an hour. If you do, then I'll shake Draco down myself, but for now let's focus on the facts instead of our jellies. We have a cursed book, we know two students have been imperiused. I can't trace where and whoever did it would have known to cast other spells so it wouldn't show up on a spellcheck."
"Come on, Harry," said Ron, putting an arm around him. "Let's go. Leave her to her heroics."
Hermione was stung by the nasty look her brother sent her, but until she was certain Draco was cursing others, she couldn't go throwing around accusations. Especially if he wasn't behind it and everything was just happenstance.
"Okay," she said. "Daphne, Padma why don't you take Marietta to the dorms? You can show her a movie or two, keep her mind off things while I take care of this. We'll do it right away, I don't want someone higher up to overturn everything."
"Stop by the hospital wing first," said Professor McGonagall crisply but not unkindly. "She will give you something for your nerves and I'll send Professor Flitwick to fetch you after we're done. Now, Miss Granger, where shall we form this coven?"
She looked as if she couldn't believe what she was saying, enabling a student to demand a coven.
"I think Duelling Room One would be best," said Hermione. "It's big, its got space for a platform. Know what? Bring Aurors and Madam Pomfrey, too," said Hermione, pacing back and forth. "There's no telling who these other souls are, what state they will be in, and if they'll attack upon exiting. Let's begin in… two and a half hours. I can arrange the platform, that will give you time to collect everyone. We'll need chalk, gemstones… I've got those in my bag… sugar. We need sugar. This will use up a lot of magic, so we'll need a trolley of food to shock our systems and I bet these people will be hungry."
"You frighten me sometimes, Nia," said Padma.
"Yeah, I know. Still want to be my friend?"
"Duh." She and Daphne left with Marietta.
Hermione went with Professor Flitwick to the dueling hall where he helped her reconstruct the platform to a round one ten feet in diameter. Hermione sat down in the middle of it and brought out her notes, poring over them and writing out the right spellwork to open the book yet not open the book.
I know what you need, a voice whispered in the back of her mind.
"All right." Hermione poised her pen over a blank sheet and closed her eyes. Her hand moved on its own and she didn't open her eyes until it stilled. She looked down at the runic circle. It was similar to the one used for horcruxes and the music box her aunt talked about, but the differences would up their chances for success.
"Got it," she said and rose to her feet. She went over to her beaded bag and removed her coat so she could roll up her sleeves. After tying her hair back, she brought out her horcrux hunting kit and the chalk from that. Professor Flitwick monitored her as she carefully drew out the circle, measuring the angles with her protractor. When she had finished that and was laying out the crystals in the spaces, her coven and others started filing in.
"Hello," said Hermione. "Professor Flitwick, please show everyone the spell we will be performing while I finish this up."
"Certainly."
"Miss Granger, don't you think this is better left up to adults?" Professor Snape sneered.
"No," she said matter-of-factly. He was a sad little man, she was not going to give him the satisfaction.
"Just because you took a class in voodoo does not make you an expert," he said. "You will end up killing everyone in this room."
"First off, it was a seminar on candomblé jéjé. Secondly, the vudú my family practices is a syncretized version of Catholicism, our African slave roots, and our Taíno religion, which we had to adapt when colonizers committed genocide on us. We go to church on Sundays and have an altar of deities and ancestors whom we pray to and look to for guidance. Your ignorance of the diaspora just furthers the agenda of Western Wizards who believe that there is only one way to perform magic and all other methods are barbaric. There may be differing methods from my Taíno and Hawaiian ancestors, but there is very rarely a blend within our religions and the magic involved is for ritualistic purposes.
"This method I am using calls for runes of Atlantean origin, which predates the Proto-Sinaitic alphabet commonly used in Ancient Runes. These days, runic classes focus on all ancient writing systems as they can all be used for different magics. Third, if you don't want to help then leave, but in this case more will be better. We need at least nine. That's three times three. It's a good strong number. Just as good as seven, but more is better when it comes to these things."
"She's right, you know," said Professor Babbling.
"This spell looks legitimate, Severus," said Professor Vector. "I think Miss Sanchez y Granger is right, if we go into this doubting, then there will be a higher risk of failure."
Hermione took out the vial of basilisk venom and closed the box, stashing it safely away in her bag where it couldn't be stolen or rifled through. She set up her video camera on the top of the bleachers and made sure it was recording.
The Aurors seemed confused that they were doing nothing except watching and the Curse-Breakers that had somehow had time to get there were even more so.
"We should be doing this," said one. "We're more experienced!"
"Look," said Bill. "If Nia says she can do it, then we should trust her. Fleur does, so I do too."
"I know for a fact my cousin has more experience with this than you do," said Cecilia.
Hermione looked over at her cousin. "Hola Ceci. You want in on this?"
"Nah, I don't know anyone in your coven," she said. "I just volunteered to come so nobody here tries to vulture their way in."
"I appreciate that." Hermione turned to her teachers. "Do you have the spell memorized?"
"Yes, Miss Granger," said Professor McGonagall. "You are certain that it is this simple?"
"The circle I made carries the brunt of it," she explained, pointing to the runes and the crystals. "These handle the bubble of protection, push out magical interference, this one boosts our power by combining it and creating a free flow of energy so that if one person can't contribute as much it doesn't matter. It's a parallel circuit as opposed to a series circuit."
"So that if one of us falls out, the rest can still continue," Professor Vector concluded.
"Exactly." Hermione climbed onto the platform, making sure she walked between the lines she drew. "Everyone here?"
Professor Snape sat out, which left her with the remaining nine teachers. Hagrid had been placed in charge of monitoring the students so they wouldn't come in here and interrupt or try and spy on what was happening. Nine was fine. Nine was a good, strong number.
"You don't need to be in the circle for this to work," said Hermione, placing the book in the center of the circle. "Please stand equidistant apart, as close as you can to the platform, you can line up to a crystal if that will make it easier, I do have nine sections. When I give the signal, join hands and start chanting. The first line seven times in a row, the second line three times, and then start over. We keep this on a constant loop until I get everyone out." She looked at her teachers. "I am trusting you with my life."
She took a deep breath and poured a drop of the basilisk venom onto the book. It ate through the duct tape, then the binding, and the candles around them flickered as the vortex opened in a vain attempt to draw her in. Hermione raised her hands and they all began to chant.
The circle glowed and the vortex halted. When they were repeating the first spell, it seemed like nothing else would happen. Then, Hermione noticed a bubble swell up. As it ballooned, she stepped back and continued muttering her own separate spell under her breath. Screams erupted from within the bubble and she plunged her hand in just when it looked like it might pop. Another hand grasped onto her wrist and she used all her strength to pull them out. She didn't look at them, she couldn't tell age, gender, or any sort of defining characteristics about them. She only shoved them off the platform into the crowd that surged forward before plunging her hand back in.
She brought out another and another. Eight… nine… the circle was wavering from the chaos and distraction. One more.
"LAST ONE!" she yelled and yanked the last person out. "BREAK IT!"
Something snapped and she toppled backwards off the platform and onto a cushioning charm with Char wrapped up in her arms. Cecilia took over and sealed the vortex with a piece of duct tape. Aurors and Curse-Breakers were chattering over each other while Madam Pomfrey was distributing blankets and calming draughts to several adults and a young child who were most definitely the ones from the book. Hermione hoped that was all of them and that she wasn't leaving some poor No-Majs trapped inside. Though… perhaps the ones that did were already dead. Things that killed No-Majs often preserved wixen. She wasn't sure which was the worst option.
Hermione pushed herself up and looked down at Char.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
Char's teeth chattered and tears flowed freely down her cheeks.
"You s-s-s-saved m-me."
"Of course." Hermione got up and helped Char to her feet. "Come on, let's get you taken care of."
The victims of the book were all sitting on the bleachers, all of them surprisingly alert and unsurprisingly confused. They chattered over each other and everyone attending them chattered over each other back. Hermione stuck her fingers in her mouth and whistled sharply, causing them to fall silent.
"I understand you are all very confused right now," she said. "All of you were trapped in that book over there. In my attempt to rescue my friend Char, here, I also rescued you. Is there anything you can tell me about your time inside the book? Or how you got there in the first place?"
"Not much, Miss," said a girl about her age. "My name is Moira Darthmore, I was at the Black residence in central London to discuss my arranged marriage to Phineas Nigellus. My betrothed and our fathers were discussing my dowry when I grew tired and explored the library. I selected this strange diary and was able to open it with a simple Alohomora. Then, I was in this strange place. It was like I was in a fog. I heard other voices and often brushed hands with other people, but I could not speak to them."
Hermione took a deep breath. Phineas Nigellus Black… she had been trapped for over a century.
"I am so sorry," she said. "To all of you… I never considered…" She bit her lip. They would have to hear it sometime. It was best to rip off the band-aid. "I fear many of you have been trapped in that book a long time. The year is 1996."
Jaws dropped and faces fell.
"I'm sorry," she said again. "I'm sure it will take some time to adjust."
"We have been trapped all this time…" said a woman with hair done up in a tight bun and ringlets falling over her ears. Hermione would have placed her clothes during the Regency period. "And only now have been set free."
"Well, the spell to achieve this is recent," she said truthfully. "About… ten years old and the book keeping you captive was probably sitting on a shelf since… I dunno…"
"I was taken in 1973," said a tall, regal man. "I was working at Borgin and Burkes and dropped the book while cleaning."
"Alright, then," said Hermione. "If we trace back to its purchase then we can find who did this and hopefully they'll be rich enough to financially compensate all of you for trauma and to aid in helping you adjust to this new society."
While they had the audience and the camera was recording, Hermione got everyone's names and the year they remembered leaving behind. Killian Depraysie had been there the longest since 1753 and was physically 35 years old. The one who had been there the shortest, besides Char, was Magnus Tierney, 1973, age 37. The youngest physically was Earthan Knotley, aged five and he didn't know what year he was from but he was supposed to have his breeching soon and his aunt promised him a bedtime story. He liked that his dress matched Hermione's candy striped blouse and had taken to clinging to her leg while she discussed what to do with everyone. The oldest physically was Artemise Guelimja, aged 64, from 1936. She had been going through her late uncle's attic when she opened the book thinking it was an old journal.
"I think a lot of these people have relatives," said Hermione to the cluster of adults. "They might be willing to give them a place to stay, but I still think we should look into some sort of financial compensation or a program to help them adjust to society. I mean, everyone has been in there for decades. They never aged, they have no idea what's going on. We have to help them."
"I agree," said Tonks. "That Moira lady… she would have been my three times great gran if she hadn't been taken."
Hermione nodded. "And you just know that You-Know-Who might prey on them. Get them to be sympathetic to his cause. They're lost, confused, out of their time…"
"We will keep them under observation at St. Mungo's," said a wizard. "For about a short time until we can be sure they are not suffering from side effects from being trapped for so long and that should give us time to track down relatives, find living arrangements."
"Good." Hermione nodded and told them all as such.
"You must be an amazing witch," said Derrick Crane, aged 17, 1899, with wide-eyed awe. "Are you a high-official? Head of the Curse-Breaker Division?"
"They oughta vote you as Minister," Bellona Frost, aged 29, 1819, agreed.
"Don't let my hair fool you, I'm only seventeen," said Hermione, pleased that they thought her so capable. "Look, I just wanted to help and I'm really busy with school, but I'll check in with all of you, make sure you're getting the help you need. Again, I'm sorry to have put you in this situation."
"Thou did not put us in this wretched book," said Killian Depraysie. "Thou art a noble and good lady. Your deeds should be praised for all to see."
"Yes," agreed Cornelius Shackleton, aged 43, 1801. "My dear lady, you must be from a noble and prominent family."
"Just resilient," said Cecilia. "Like lobsters."
Hermione didn't want to know these people. She knew many of them would likely scorn her the minute they found out what else she fought for. Still, she would have to make sure they got the help they needed so they wouldn't be recruited like the likes of Voldemort. He would very easily prey on them and trick them into doing his bidding. Some of them might not need much persuasion. Still, she didn't discriminate who she was going to help and would let her actions speak for themselves.
"I think we oughta get all of you to St. Mungo's," she said. "I will be remaining here at school, but as I said, I'll keep in touch."
Earthan took the most convincing, but latched onto Cecilia when she morphed her features into something amusing. Hermione took her camera and switched it off, plunking down on a bench. Char, who hadn't said much of anything since she was pulled out, sat beside her.
"Thank you," said Hermione, looking up at her teachers. "For trusting me."
"You spoke the truth, Miss Granger," said Professor McGonagall, dabbing tears from her eyes. "Many of those rescued were old students. Some of them our peers."
"Yes," said Professor Slughorn, nodding. "And Derrick Crane… why… we were schoolmates, he and I. Everyone thought he ran away from home, yet all this time… We were the dearest of friends and I was saddened to have never heard from him again. He had so much potential to do great things, but not much support at home."
"I'm sure he would be happy if you remained his friend," said Hermione.
"Yes… We were quite close." Professor Slughorn swallowed hard. "Forgive me, I think I will retire to my quarters."
Hermione was completely drained. She used a lot of magic in that spell.
"I need to eat something," she said. "Keep my blood sugar up so I don't faint. Oh… somebody better tell Marietta we were successful."
"Is she alright?" Char asked, finally speaking. "How long was I in there for?"
"Just a few hours." Hermione took her hand and squeezed it. "She's alright. Just rattled. Tell me, do you remember who gave you the book?"
"No. Not at all, I'm sorry."
"Don't be, just thought I'd check. You were imperiused. I suspect that someone had been imperiused to imperius you to cover up the trail." Hermione tipped her head. "Oh dear… I wonder if Madam Rosmerta was imperiused. That would explain the… We should have someone check on her."
"I will arrange it," said Professor McGonagall. "Get some rest Miss Granger. Can you make it to your dormitory?"
"Yes, señora."
"Very good." She hesitated, then nodded firmly. "A hundred and fifty points to Slytherin. I will make sure your heroics are public knowledge this time."
If she must. Hermione just nodded and gathered her things. "I'll send you a copy of the footage I recorded and Tonks, I'll send one to you to give to your department head."
"Thanks," said Tonks, cracking a grin. "Slow down, Nia. You're making us adults look bad."
"Well, I'll probably keep on this fast track until my thirties where I suffer a complete mental and physical breakdown. Going down in flames while living off the coattails of my success yet never achieving anything else of note for the rest of my life, self-medicating my trauma with alcohol and valium and slowly fading away into obscurity as younger and more charismatic people take my place."
"Eh, don't worry. That's not going to happen," said Tonks.
"Pity."