Chapter 31 – Over the Rainbow

17 April 2010

The Leaky Cauldron

Room 16

Diagon Alley, London, England

Hermione Granger

"I's brings Young Mistress breakfast. Hester knows when Young Mistress arrived Home, yes she did. I knows you need home cooked meal to begin your day."

I lift my head from my bed where I cried myself to sleep last night. Fuck, I wanted Draco. I needed him so fucking bad, but logically it doesn't make sense. No matter how much I want him, no matter how much I need him, he'll never chose me. Fuck! Why does he make me so stupid?

I open one eye and look at an elf in a bright pink sun dress with a My Little Pony on it and a straw sun hat with her ear popping out of the sides through cut out holes. "Hester, why are you here?"

She puts a tray next to my head and says, "I brings Young Mistress breakfast. You need home cooked meal while you are home."

MISTRESS?! "Hester, I thought you were a free elf. I can't own a House Elf!"

She huffs and then laughs, "Wizards are so silly. They gets everything all wrong. Wizards never own House Elves. We are not House Elves. We are simply elves. Wizards never owed us. Elves always owned wizards, silly girl. You are Hester's to care for."

What?! "Hester what do you mean, I always thought elves were bought and sold by wizards. I was enraged by that form of slavery."

She nods, "Is why wizards are silly. Elves 1500 year agreement for protection from wizards ended a decade ago. Elves always free, wizards try to renege on agreement. Council won't let them. Yes, theys put stops to the bad wizards."

I get up and kneel in front of Hester and hug her. "I'm so happy to see you Hester."

She squeezes me tightly and says, "Hester has missed Young Mistress. Hester receives updates from daughters Nina and Lola. They take care of Potters. I's proud of you. I take you home. You want to go to castle or manor?"

I smile, "I have only been to the Manor once, and last time I was at the castle it was empty."

She smiles, "Must be emptied for silly Wizard's war. Hester cleaned Castle. Hester has Castle to new glory for Young Mistress to come home. Castle safest place in England. I takes you there."

I smile, "I have to go to Gringott's today. How about I come tomorrow? My friend Sasha is here with me. I'm not sure she is up yet."

Hester pops away and comes back. "Mistess' friend is occupied with nice wizard. He belongs to Jazzy. Jazzy is Hester's brother. I comes back tomorrow to take young Mistress home."

I smile, "Hester, you brought me a lot of food, would you like to share my meal?"

Hester smiles, "Young Mistress kindest still. Hester will eat fruit while you eat creature food. Good elves eat only from the land."

I take the tray and set it on the small table and we sit down. I hand her my bowl of fruit. "Hester you mentioned a council, what council?"

She looks up at me with a puzzled look, "The Magical Being Council. We have elves, goblins, centaurs, fairies, leprechauns, giants, selkies, merpeople, vampires, and werewolves on Magical Being Council. Humans slaughtered many creatures and beings they didn't understand. Goblins angry at humans for how they treat the land. Merpeople can transform to human form on full moon like werewolves. Werewolves are newest members to council. They have only existed 3000 years. Elves existed since beginning of time with goblins. Humans not allowed. Humans bad to land and overpopulate. They kill beings and creatures. Wizards were given gift, but exploited gift and enslaved creatures, so council decides punishments for humans."

Interesting, "Hester why are you telling me about this council?"

Hester looks confused, "Young Mistress is descendant of The Morrigan. The Morrigan was Celtic goddess of war. She fought hard against invasions from humans. She helped magical creatures. Hector Dagworth-Granger last magical descendant, now young mistress takes role on council. Only human allowed."

The Morrigan? "Hester I thought The Morrigan was a mythical Irish Goddess."

Hester huffs, "We's all mythical, Young Mistress, no less real. Mistress Ophelia didn't know legacy would pass to you. The Morrigan is Dagworth. I's fix it. Young Mistress needn't worry. Hester takes care of Young Mistress now. Goblins do blood test with young Mistress today. They bring you to the knowledge you need. Council wants you. You fight bad wizards, you try to protect elves, you have pure heart. Council needs human approval to make changes."

I down a replenishing sleep potion, and take a gulp of coffee. "Hester, may we table the discussion of this council until tomorrow? I can't process this right now. The Morrigan means "Great Queen", so you are telling me I am a descendant of this great queen."

She nods, "I's do say that. Humans lived on The British Isles for 40,000 years before Humans banned from British Isles 11,000 years ago. All magic is born in British Isles. Humans returned after a millennium. Magical beings recognized The Morrigan descendants. We put descendants through trials of worth. The Morrigan is now symbolic to great queen. The Morrigan is not dark witch. The Morrigan is a great warrior. She fought many battles and transformed to a Raven to protect battlefields. Her descendants are called The Morrigan. The Morrigan represent wizards on council. Only human allowed for 30,000 years. Your seat should have been given to you upon 21 years. You is 9 years late. Council meets on full moon, and next meeting is 14 of May. You must attend. The Morrigan has big decisions to make."

I close my eyes. "Yes Hester. We will discuss this more. I didn't know, I'm sorry if I disappointed the magical beings. This is a lot to process for 6:45 in the morning. How have you been?"

She frowns, "Hester has been sad. Mistress Phea was ill for a long time. She died on day Master Hector died. She was sad without Master. Hester take care of her. Hester feels guilty. I's visiting my daughters on day Mistress died. Mistress sneaky and died when Hester could not stop her."

I feel sorry for Hester, she clearly cared for Ophelia. "Hester, do you really believe you could have stopped Ophelia from doing anything? You mustn't blame yourself."

Hester nods, "I's do. She was mine to protect. Hester not there to protect Mistress Phea from herself. Wizards too silly to take care of theyselves."

I take her hand, "What do you mean by she was ill?"

Hester sighs and says, "She use too many potions and used time-turner to care for her son. Aged her beyond years and magical core dwindled to nothing."

I frown, "She used the time turner to care for my father?" That's how she knew I could use it for training, she raised my father and led a double life. Fuck!

Hester says, "I's take good care of Richard when she not there. He was such a smart boy."

I take Hester's hand and say, "If her magic was gone, she would have died. Witches and wizards need their magic to survive. I'm so sorry she didn't allow you to care for her. If she took her own life she died on her terms. I'm sorry you feel guilty, but I don't blame you. I don't hold you responsible for a decision she made."

Hester cries, "Young Mistress is so kind. I thought Young Mistress would be angry with Hester."

I stand up from my chair and squat next to her, "I could never hold you accountable for her decisions. You took care of her for as long as she allowed."

She hugs me, "Thank you, Young Mistress. I's happy you don't blame Hester."

"I could never blame you for something so out of control as Ophelia." I smile at her and she smiles back.

"Mistress walked a grey life, but she loved purely. She loved Young Mistress fiercely." She hugs me again and gets up and says, "I's take you home tomorrow." She popped away.

I spent the rest of the hour getting ready, and at 7:45, I hear a knock on my door. I take in a deep breath. Draco…

I open the door with a smile, "Hello Draco, come in I'm waiting for Sash to get ready. Have you had breakfast? We could head down to the pub to get something while we wait."

He smiles, "I've had some coffee and toast. I don't really eat much in the mornings."

I grimace, why is the atmosphere so awkward, "I don't either. Hester showed up with a full English this morning at 6:30."

He nods, "She always woke me up early when I stayed with Phea. She's very persistent."

I laugh and Sasha and Theo come through the connecting door. Sasha grabs my tray and plops on the bed and Theo walks over to Draco.

Sasha asks, "Mi do you have any replenishing potions? I grabbed the wrong ones. If you need Wit Sharpening potion, I got you!"

I reach into my bag, pull out two, and l hand one to her and Theo.

Theo smiles, "Thanks Granger. I am going to head into the office. When you start exploring vault 1109, please, please let me come. It's amazing!"

I look at him confused, "How do you know about one of my vaults?"

He smirks, "Remind me to tell me the story of the Hermione Granger Act." He walks over to Sasha and pulls her out of my bed and bends her back and kisses her goodbye.

She looks at Draco, "I'm so glad your friends aren't douchebags like you!"

I shake my head, "Let's get this over with."

Draco holds the door open for us and we walk out. Draco places his hand on the small of my back as we head down the hallway. Once we get to the stairs he takes the lead. I recall this being an outdated custom, so if the woman falls down the stairs the man can catch her. In Eighth Year, I asked him why and he shrugged his shoulders and said it's something his mother ingrained in him. After I told him how offended I was by it he told me the reason. I thought it was quite chivalrous of him. Draco Malfoy, always the gentleman.

We head out the back door and Sasha is walking in front of me as a shield, and Draco is to my right. As we head down Diagon Alley we were not stopped. Soon we are at Gringott's.

It looks exactly the same. However, I feel every eye on me as we walk through the bank. I look at a couple of the goblins and they both slightly bow their heads. Is what Hester said true? How do I handle such a responsibility? I guess Kings said I was still a citizen of the United Kingdom, but I'm unsure of the legalities if I need to make a major decision that effects the wizarding society here. I need to table that.

Draco addresses the head clerk. "We are here on behalf of Hermione Granger. I'm unsure if Ragnok is her personal banker, or if she needs to speak to someone else."

He looks to me, and says "You are Hermione Jean Ophelia Dagworth-Granger?"

I smile and say, "I am."

He looks at me and says, "Very well, Ricbert will see you shortly. Please follow me. We follow him to the back of the bank and walk up one floor of stairs. We are lead to an office with a glass wall that looks down to the ground floor of the bank."

We take a seat, and after ten minutes Ricbert walks in the room and takes a seat at his desk. "He says, Miss Granger. It would be wise if we met alone."

I look at Sasha and Draco, "I understand." I look to Sasha and Draco and say, "Do you mind waiting outside for a few minutes?"

They both leave. Ricbert comes back over and hands me a small straight pin. He takes out a piece of parchment. "We have changed our policies for identification in part thanks to you Miss Granger. We now only identify the wizen population through blood. I need you to stick your finger with that pin and drop three drops of blood on this parchment. Here is a bandage to place on your finger. Wand Magic is banned from being used in Gringott's now."

I nod, "I understand. I do apologize again for my actions during the war."

He eyes met mine for a moment, "Drazilean, the dragon you escaped on was my pet. I miss him greatly. He is safe at the dragon reserve now. He was well trained and not as abused as you perceived. I mourned him, but now he is well taken care of and free. I cannot speak for all of my brothers, but you fought a great war and saved many lives. I forgive you, but goblins never forget."

I smile, "I understand, and thank you for you forgiveness. It means a great deal to me."

He nods. I take the straight pin out of it's plastic wrapping and prick my finger and drop three drops of blood on the parchment. I watch as the blood swirls around and acts as the ink for a list of items.

We wait a few minutes, and when the paper is complete he says, "The secret of The Morrigan is sacred. You will have access to The Morrigan vault, but you must go alone. No other human may know this secret, you are only allowed to tell your life mate since this too will effect your future children. As I am on the Magical Beings Council, I was assigned to guide you. Since you have others with you, we can proceed another day. The Morrigan is in honor of the great Irish queen who lived for 500 years 37,000 years ago. She had one offspring who left The British Isles to explore. He had many chidren. His descendants did not come back to The British Isles for 27,000 years. A trial of worth was given to his descendants to determine who the true Morrigan would be. The Morrigan represents human interests on Magical Being Council. You have already proven your worth when you advocated for elf rights. Elves nominated you as the true Morrigan. Remus Lupin, the werewolf on the council at the time, seconded the motion, and the Centaurs validated the claim. You are a descendant of our last Morrigan. You fought against the evil wizards. You were remorseful to the goblins for your actions against us. The position is yours."

I nod, "I thank you for the honor. I've always wanted magical beings to have fair rights. It was a dream of mine to work with the Ministry to fight for magical beings. That dream was taken from me, but I do feel truly honored. Thank you Ricbert."

He chuckles, "Don't thank me. I am simply the messenger. We have a lot for you to learn, but today we will save the discussion. You don't act as surprised as I thought you would. I assume Hester visited you this morning."

I smile, "She did."

He shakes his head. "She told the council you belong to her. Magical Beings such as elves and goblins are unable to leave the British Isles. Our magic is connected to the land. This is not true of other magical beings. I am glad you came back. Now when you are ready to visit alone, we will go to The Morrigan vault. Let's bring your friend and mate back and we shall go over your parchment."

I get up to call Draco and Sasha in, they appear to be have been arguing. Those two are going to send me to an early grave. We walk back in and sit down. Wait…did he say mate?

Ricbert hands me the parchment.

The parchment reads:

Hermione Jean Ophelia Dagworth-Granger

Other names: Hermione Jean Granger and Mia Jean Granger

Current Address:

XXX E. 93rd Street

New York City, New York 10128

United States of America

Other Properties:

Dagworth-Granger Manor Sussex, England

Dagworth Castle Cornwall, England

The Dagworth Villa, Maldives

Avery Vineyard Tuscany, Italy.

Granger Cottage, Totland Bay, Isle of Wight, England

Caisleán Draíochta Rúnda, Darryleary, Co. Cork, Ireland

Vaults

3

8

126

144

187

236 – 500,000 Galleons

237

325 – 13,913,324,571 Galleons, 6 Sickels, 4 Knuts

785 – 8,218,654,590 Galleons, 12 Sickles, 9 Knuts

851

943 - 18,792,432,900 Galleons, 11 Sickles, 2 Knuts

1109

1460 – 637,971 Galleons 3 Sickles 4 Knuts

1609

1611

1940

2007

Assigned Gringott's Curse Breaker – W.A. Weasley

Estimated Worth – Undeterminable

Other Vault Access

1787 – DG Potions and Holdings payroll account– 15,871,905 Galleons 3 Sickles, 5 Knuts

1788 – DG Potions and Holdings, Other 1,765,649,311

1823 – Black Family Vault (Sirius Orion Black via final will and testament) – 250,000 Galleons

111 – Malfoy Family Vault – 4,643,727,765 Galleons

1822 – Black Family Vault - 3,781,900 Galleons 3 Sickels, 5 Knuts

When I read about the Black Vaults, l tear up. Sirius named me in his will? "Ricbert, pardon me, why was I never informed of the Black Family Vault left by Sirius Black?"

He walks over to a filing cabinet and takes a moment to review a document. He brings it back to his desk. "It was stipulated in the will you may only gain access once you receive at least 7 Outstandings on your N.E.W.Ts, and can not be read aloud during the will reading."

I nod, "I understand." He couldn't leave me anything without raising questions. It was very sweet of him. "Why is the estimated worth of my vaults undeterminable?"

Ricbert, seems to be contemplating an answer, "There are items that do not have monetary value in a great many of the vaults. Here are keys for the last five vaults. All other vaults are blood warded."

I nod, "What is the second Black Family Vault?"

Draco clears his throat. "I added you to both of my vaults, if something happened to me you would inherit all of it."

I look at him for a moment. I really want to punch the fucking ferret in the nose right now. Why would he leave me all of his fucking money? I shake my head and then glare at him, "You and I are having a discussion later."

He smirks and nods.

I grab the keys and ask, "May we go to vault 2007, today?"

He nods and says, "Follow me."

Sasha nudges me and whispers, "You have 41 billion galleons Mia."

I nod, "I don't know how to process this yet."

We follow Ricbert to a side door in his office, and enter a cart and we are taken to vault 2007. Ricbert hands me another straight pin in plastic and a bandage. I prick my finger and place my hand on the vault and it takes a few minutes to open.

Sasha, Draco, and I enter the vault. Inside there is a bookcase and a few pedestals. The first pedestal has a note addressed to me with a piece of parchment, quill, and ink. I pick up the letter and inside the envelope is a letter and The Resurrection Stone. I take out the letter and begin to read:

1, March 2010

My dearest Hermione,

There is so much to tell you, and so many things I wanted to share. There is a chest in my desk at Dagworth-Granger Manor that has a great many of my memories you should see. It will explain why I never contacted you.

However, if my plan worked, my godson, Draco Malfoy would have already shown you these memories and that is what brought you Home. If you look to your left you will find a bookcase of my journals. Please read them. I want my granddaughter to know me. I have also left all my memories to you and they are located in my office at DG Potions. The cabinets are blood warded, but a drop of your blood at the key hole will open the cabinets.

Hermione, you are part of a long legacy of witches and wizards. You can trace your roots to the dawn of man. The Dagworth and Grangers were the most powerful witches and wizards for thousands of years. They owned a vast amount of land all over the world. Hector sold a large percentage of properties in the 1950's for development. We incorporated what he didn't sell into Dagworth-Granger Potions and Holdings, however most of the rents are paid into our personal vaults. DG Potions and Holdings only gets a small percentage of the rents.

When I met Hector I was smitten from the beginning. His mother Pearl invited my mother and I to tea when I was sixteen, I was extremely nervous. It was like being invited to tea with the Queen herself. The Dagworth-Grangers were the absolute top of wizarding society for centuries. Hector joined us for tea, and I knew I would spend my life with that man. He was eight years my senior. He was my soulmate. He encouraged me to be myself in a society full of restrictions. He was my best friend. Though it's been almost 38 years since he was killed, not a day goes by I do not miss him with every fiber of my being. You remind me so much of Hector. He would have loved you so much. You are both very logical, but very humble, loving people. My only hope is you are as forgiving as him so you won't live a life without your soulmate.

I owe you so many apologies, my dear. I am so sorry I took that blasted oath to not reveal who you were. I would have made the changes to our society regardless. I am sorry I spent so much time with you without revealing to you who I was and who you were to me. Mostly, I apologize my meddling in your life caused you to believe for one second you were being used for the greater good. You were never a weapon, my love. You were precious to me from the moment I laid my eyes on you. I did what I could to make sure your education was the best I could provide. Your thirst for knowledge, surpassed all of my expectations.

I have a great many sins on my plate, but you must know I did everything to protect you. I love you so much. I am so incredibly proud of the woman you have become and the things you have done to change our world.

I'm not going to live much longer. Your father was right, there are side effects to using so many de-aging potions. My magical core is too weak to make a trip to New York to tell you myself who you are. I used a security team for a decade to help me apparate. My magic is nearly gone now.

The parchment will release you from your silencing charm. Your secrets are now yours to tell. You only have to sign your name. If you sign it a second time it will release silencing spells on others who share your secrets. You may decide if you want those released as well. This is now your story.

I love you my sweet girl and when you are ready, I left you a little present to contact me.

With all my love,

Your Grandmother, Ophelia

P.S. I have laid out some items for you in this vault that I specifically wanted you to have.

My 17th Century Teaset (This is the real teaset and not the transfigured one I left to Narcissa Malfoy. This teaset is simply a muggle teaset that was a personal gift to the Dagworths from Catherine of Braganza of Portugal whom married Charles II.)

Sirius Black's favorite leather jacket. I made sure to keep it and I thought you would want it or want to give it to his godson.

The white gold, sapphire and, diamond tiara I bought for you the day after you were born. Your father said I couldn't gift it to you until you were thirty. As you are now thirty, you may have it.

The diamond set Hector purchased and hid in his desk with a card for our 75th wedding anniversary. It includes a necklace, earrings, bracelet, and a ring. I never wore it, it hurt too much to know I never received it from My Love. He died two years before our 75th Anniversary. I would have gifted them to you on your wedding day.

Three photograph albums all of you from birth until you were 18.

One scrapbook of all the articles written about you. (Even the shite)

Three photograph albums of your father.

One photograph album of your mother and father's wedding.

A chest full of old photos of family and various people. I labeled most of the photographs.

Hector's pocketwatch I gifted him for our engagement, he was never without it.

There is a box with various letters. I thought with your curious mind, you would like to read them.

There are other various keepsakes that you may find interesting in this vault. They are all labled.

In the jar in the back of the vault is a beetle. There's a stasis charm and replenishing lettuce. You may do with it as you see fit. As I'm now dead there isn't anything they can do about it. I warned her to stop the harassment of you. She chose to ignore me, and when I purchased The Daily Prophet , I gave her a new home. If I were you, I'd keep her here, in the dark forever. If you decide to be kind, I know you are quite talented with memory charms.

The other two jars are the remains of Antonin Dolohov and Wulfric Mulciber. They hurt my granddaughter, and would not apologize, so I gave Ford, the Thunderbird, a nice meal that he shared with Buckbeak.

P.S.S. The vaults have all been cataloged and you will find a list of contents inside each vault. All glass cases require a drop of blood to open them. The Dagworths were quite unscrupulous with their treasure hunting. Everything in the vaults are the real items leaving everything in the outside world replicas. Some items I do not know where they are from or what the story is behind some of these items. I'm sure there is a spell in vault 1109 that you can find to help in this matter. (Look for Revelio charms.) Some of the masterpieces need to stay out of the public eye. That is why Dagworth Castle was so full. I never had guests there. All paintings have strong stasis charms placed on them. Dagworth Castle is the safest place in the world. The property is covered in ley lines. It is protected by elf, fairy, and goblin magic on top of the usual wizarding wards. Only invite your most trusted people there. The land is blessed with ancient magic.

P.S.S.S. Your entire family history has been documented in two locations. Dagworth Castle has a secret library. The entrance is in the library of Dagworth Castle, point your wand to the sconce to the right of the fireplace and say "Magicae Deorum" the book case will shift and lead you to the family library. The Library at Dagworth-Granger Manor is similar. To the left of the fireplace, point your wand to the bookshelf say "animus est maior quam tuum." On the desk of this secret library is another list of things you need to know.

At the bottom of the parchment it looks like something was added as an afterthought.

I love you so incredibly much. I hope you learn to forgive those who have hurt you. It's always been you, he never stopped loving you.

Love,

Grandma

I didn't read the letter outloud. I squat down to the floor to collect myself still holding the letter. I feel Sasha's hand on my back comforting me and I realize I crying. The guilt I'm feeling is overwhelming. I feel I turned my back on her. I don't understand why this guilt is crushing me. I stand up and head back to the pedestal and pick up the quill and dip it in the ink. I sign my name. I feel the magic releasing me. I look at Sasha and smile, then I sign my name again. Now everyone is released from Ophelia's silencing charms. I then fold the letter and place it back in the envelope and put them in my beaded bag.

I look at Sasha and say, "Ahhhh! Before my Fourth Year Ophelia, who said her name was Viola Davies had me sign a parchment to silence me. I was tutored at Dagworth Castle for three years by using a time-turner that I used all through secondary school and college so I could complete all my Masteries and my No-Mag Masters degree. I still use the time turner on long days at work so I have a semblance of a social life. Fuck! That felt good!"

She laughed, "That's how you completed 5 masteries? Fuck! I thought you cloned yourself and found a way to merge the information. I'm so disappointed there's no clones, but it explains so much! Thank fuck!"

I walk over and collect the photo albums and put them in my beaded bag. I pick up the jacket and sniff it. It still smells of cigarettes, firewhiskey, and too much expensive cologne. Sirius. I smile and put it in my bag.

I look at Draco, and say, "She left me a situation in the back of the vault."

We walk over to the back where the jar is, he picks it up and the beetle is going crazy in the jar. He looks at me, "Is this who I think it is?"

I nod. "Any ideas?"

Sasha leans in and looks at the jar, "You weren't bullshitting that story? Fuck Mi. We always thought maybe you exaggerated some of the crazier shit."

I look at her, "You did?"

She shrugs, "Some of your stories are hard to imagine. Like, where were the fucking adults? Surely the young adults should have been more involved. Where were the 20's-something people during this war? I mean you talk about people who fought the first war, and people who you went to school with, but there are two decades of fully grown adults who should have had more responsibility than a bunch of fucking kids."

I shrug, "They were around or stayed neutral. Many had small children to protect. I really don't know. We don't have a Special Unit of Magical Marines that swoop in and fix everything here, like Americas do."

She scrunches her nose, "That should really be the next discussion you have with that Kingsley dude. I'm just saying, 100 men with MK-16's could have done wonders with your dark wizard issue."

I smirk, "Duly noted, Sash. I didn't exaggerate, though, for the record."

Her eyes bug out, and says, "Jesus H. Christ, Mia!"

Draco scoffs, "You thought she was lying to you all this time?"

I turn to Draco and take a step in his space and sternly say, "Stop! I only talked about the past when I drunk entirely too much tequila. It's not that far fetched to think I was exaggerating, Draco. She had a happy childhood and normal teenage experiences we were robbed of. Don't get all Malfoy and Ferrety with her. It's hard to relate to the choices that were forced on us as children when we should have been gossiping and worried about trivial things like boys, dances, and school."

Sasha sniffs, "I'm sorry, Mia. I didn't really doubt you, but the things you talked about were outrageous, and I just never thought they could really be that bad."

I hug her, "I know. I didn't even think anything of it. I know you, I love you, and I know you love me. I never expected you to relate to the crazy shit I've been through. Now back to topic…what do we do with her?"

Draco sighs, "We could take her out into the country, wipe her memories, and wait for someone to discover her."

I nod, "How much should I erase?"

Draco thinks a moment, "Well, Theo wouldn't hire her. I don't know where she lived. She had no family. She was single and her parents died in the first Wizarding War. She was presumed missing, or traveling. Rita Skeeter has not been heard from since 1999. I think if you wiped her memories back to the beginning Fourth Year or even 1993, she wouldn't have any memories of you. We could set her free near Stonehenge. It's not far from Malfoy Manor. It could be an unsolved mystery of where she's been. You could also create a silencing spell and make her sign a parchment to never tell where she's been or who found her."

I nod, "I should have never told Viola what I did to her in the first place. I think the best solution would be to wipe her memories and let her loose in the country. Stonehenge may have muggle surveillance, and it's not wise to drop her there. There are a couple of locations that are very remote that will work. They were contingency locations while I was on the run during the war. I never told Harry of these options so he won't fully suspect me. I need to read up on memory charms before I do this. We should leave her in here until I'm ready. I want it to be undetectable."

Sasha says, "Mia I can wipe her memories. My masteries are in charms and transfiguration. If we do a complete wipe of her memories for the last 16 years it shouldn't take long. Especially since she has been in the dark for so long. I know you could do it better than me. You always doubt or question yourself."

I put the jar with the beetle in my beaded bag. "We can discuss it later. I think I would like to see one of the other vaults to see what I'm going to need to do. Let's go to vault 144. Bill warned me about these vaults under 500."

Draco nodded, "Some are about the size of the Room of Hidden Things."

I grimace, "That's what I'm afraid of."

I grab all of the items on the pedestals and the journals and we head to the door. Ricbert is waiting for us. I ask, "May we go to vault 144, please?"

Ricbert nods and we all get in the car to ride to the vault. The ride is terrifying, and I unconsciously grab Draco's arm and hide my eyes in his shoulder. Fuck, he smells amazing. I hear Sasha asking questions to Ricbert.

"How long did it take to build all of these vaults."

"How old are you?"

"How long is this track? It appears to go for miles."

"How long have you worked for the bank?

I'm doing everything in my power to prevent an anxiety attack. This track is worse than flying. I hate it. Fuck, he smells so good.

We finally arrive and Ricbert hands me another pin to prick my finger, and I place my hand on the door.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but it wasn't quite like the Room of Hidden things, but there was a ridiculous amount of items in this vault. The vault is filled with tall glass vitrines. Some are as tall as twenty feet. The ceiling is a replicate of The Sistine Chapel. The room is brightly lit and the cases appear well lit as well. I pick up the catalog of items that is close to the door. It's a room of magical items. The first thing I see on the list is The Mirror of Erised. It's the mirror Harry told me about in First Year.

Sasha looks over my shoulder, "Holy fucking shit Mia, we'll could spend all day in here and never get through the first page. How do you plan on going through all this in a week?"

I feel the tears in my eyes, I'm so overwhelmed. "I don't have a fucking idea. Let's walk around a see if we can recognize anything. If these are magical items, we may find something useful. I just want to see if my theory is correct."

Sasha asks, "What theory?"

I smirk, "Come on."

Magical duplication, they could copy the magic attached to the items as well. Ophelia said these were the originals. I pick an aisle and head towards the back of the room. As I'm headed down an aisle I hear, "Ahh yes, Cheerio. Who are you, my dear?" I look for the source of the voice, and see a portrait to my left leaning against a case. It's of a man dressed as a medieval knight. I look at him, and respond, "I'm Mia Granger."

He pulls out his sword, and frowns, "Why are you only a Granger and not a Dagworth-Granger?"

I'm taken aback, "My father dropped the Dagworth when he entered muggle schooling. He was a squib."

He smiles, "I see, you must be my great-granddaughter, jolly good. I am John Dagworth-Granger."

I smile, "I'm not sure, if you were my great-grandfather. You seem to be dressed rather uncommon for the 19th century."

He laughs, "I found this armor in a storage room at Dagworth Castle and decided I needed to be painted in it. I look rather regal, do I not?"

I laugh, "Yes sir, you do."

He makes a smug face. "I think my daughter-in-law was rather tired of me. She's very temperamental, that one. I would much rather be back at the Manor. Could you please take me home? I don't really like the dark all that well, and Hester keeps the dust away."

I look over to Draco, "Do you mind carrying this painting to the entrance? He's rather large. I'll call Hester to pick it up."

Then I hear a pop. "You's call for Hester, Young Mistress?"

I twirl around, and see Hester standing there. "Hester? How did you get in here?"

She smiles, "Elves' magic different from Wizard's magic, Young Miss. I can move in and out of your vaults because I takes care of you."

If I didn't know most elves had such pure hearts, this would be concerning. "Hester what do you know about this vault, it wasn't left to me in Ophelia's will, but was listed as my vault."

Hester looks around and gestures to the painting, "Tis Master John's vault."

The painting interrupts, "Ahh, yes my dear, this vault was passed down to the heirs of the Dagworth estate. Since we combined fortunes in the 18th century, this is the secret Dagworth vault. We didn't want the Grangers with their ridiculous morals standards questioning our bounty."

Hmmm. "Hester can you please take this painting back in the Manor?"

She smiles, "Master John banned from Manor because he sings to Mistress when she gets angry. She tells me to burn him, I placed him in here. Master John he was kind to Hester. I takes him home." With a pop she disappeared with the painting.

Sasha bursts out laughing, "OH MY GOD. I love your grandmother. I just keep picturing this little old lady yelling at a painting for singing to her. I should teach him the song Ten Feet Tall and Bulletproof, so he can sing to you when your pissed off. Like, seriously pissed, like when your face gets red, your fists are all balled up, and you're stomping your feet like a toddler. Holy fuck, that would be hilarious."

I hear Draco laugh behind me. I ignore them and I continue my journey to the back of the vault. We take our time and look at a great many things. There are other pieces of artwork, such as the 16 foot tall Statue of David, paintings, very familiar paintings, and other items I'm unsure of their history. There are so many items in this vault. I reach the back of the room and in a glass case is what I thought I'd find. The Ravenclaw Diadem, the Gryffindor Sword, the Slytherin Locket, and the Hufflepuff Cup were all displayed along with other items. There was an large ruby necklace, with a masculine gold chain, a pointed hat printed with Runes and embroidered with silver thread, a jeweled chalice in the shape of a butterfly, and gold chainmail bodice. There are dozens of other items as well.

Sasha gasps, "Those are Ilvermory items. The Wampus heart; for courage, the Pukwudgie chalice; heals the soul, The Horned Serpent's Capuchon; for wisdom, and The Thunderbird's Bodice; for adventurers. The legend behind the bodice is it belonged to Zeus himself and protects one from elemental magic. Fuck Mia why would they be here?"

I shake my head, "See the top four items, the diadem, the cup, the sword, and the locket; all but the sword are supposedly destroyed. I destroyed the cup myself. You said the chalice heals the soul? What do you mean heals the soul?"

Sasha sighs and seems to be thinking, "It's said if you drink wine from the chalice it will cure anyone from mind inflicted ailments. It heals the soul." I smile.

I look at my watch, it's 11:35, I dig inside my pocket for the last straight pin I used and stick my finger again. I place my blood on the glass case and the glass disappears and I grab the chalice and place it in my beaded bag. "Let's go, we have work to do."

Draco speaks up, "Mia…."

I smirk, "Come on Draco, I have to meet Neville for lunch.

I head out of the vault hearing Draco and Sasha whispering. " What the fuck is she up to? I know that look!" "I don't know." At least I know they are following me. We reach the exit and I tell Ricbert, "Thank you for all your time, Ricbert. I believe I am finished for the day. I will be back Tuesday morning to visit all the vaults to get a better idea of what is in each."

He nods, and says, "As you wish Miss Dagworth-Granger."

We leave and I head straight to The Leaky Cauldron. I head up to the bar and greet Hannah, "Hi Hannah may I please have a bottle of your best Elven wine, Please?" She hands me the bottle, I pay her, and I place it in my bag. I look at Draco and Sasha and say, "I need to meet Neville. Why don't the two of you take Theo to lunch and meet me back here at 2pm?"

Draco sighs, "Mia, what are you doing?"

I smile, "Neville and I are having lunch. So I can show him the Deluxe DigiGro. Is two o'clock good for both of you to meet back up to deal with the bug issue?"

Sasha says, "Of course. Douchbag and I can get through two hours without killing each other, I think."

Draco groans, "It's fine. Theo won't let her kill me. He calls me his emotional support animal. I'm not sure what that means, but I pretty sure he'll stop her from killing or maiming me."

Sasha scoffs, "We'll see."

I hug Sasha and take a little too long hugging Draco, and head upstairs.

I get to the top floor and knock on the only door. Neville answers with a smile, "Hi Hermione. It's good to see you. I have the thing on the roof, would you like to eat first."

I sigh, "Neville, do you trust me?"

He gives an odd look and then says, "I will always trust you, Hermione. You have never given me a reason to doubt you."

I nod, "Thank you. Can we go on a field trip?"

He looks puzzled, but says, "Of course."

"Good, ready to side along?" He nods, and I take his hand. I picture the building, take in a deep breath, and disapparate.

When I open my eyes I see the correct building and look to the confused face of Neville. "I will explain, but I don't want to get your hopes up in case this doesn't work. Will we be able to be in a private room with your parents?"

He just stares at me for a moment, "Yes, they should be finishing their lunches. They are able to feed themselves now. There have been great advances with a new potion Draco has been developing."

I smile, "That's amazing. Let's go see them."

He leads me into the Janus Thickey Ward. He speaks to the nurses and we are lead into their shared room. His father and mother are sitting in wheelchairs next to each other staring at the wall. They are holding hands. I dig in my bag and pull out the wine and chalice. I magically remove the cork and pour the wine into the glass.

I look at Neville, "I don't know if this will work, but I remembered something I read a long time ago, and thought maybe it was worth a try. Do you still trust me?"

He has tears in his eyes, and nods. I grab his hand, "This will not hurt them, I promise. Try to see if your mother will drink it." He takes the chalice from my hand and squats in front of his mother and helps her slowly drink. She drinks about half and then Neville goes over to his father and gives him the rest.

I take the chalice, Scourify it, and place it back in my bag and we wait…

After a few minutes I kneel in the middle of them, and grab on to their joined hands. I take a deep breath and think if this works, my friend can have the one thing he always wanted. I think of all my memories of Neville as I sing.

"Somewhere over the rainbow Way up high There's a land that I heard of Once in a lullaby"

I see the scared little boy on the train looking for his frog and how I spent hours helping him look for it. I see him trying to stop us from sneaking out after curfew. I see us playing hours of Exploding Snap. I see him dancing with Ginny at the Yule Ball. I remember how insightful he was while we were studying. I remember him bravely standing up to Voldemort and killing the snake. I remember how his confidence soared in Eighth Year, his laid back attitude, and him hexing Ron when Ron said something mean. I remember him smoking in Harry's backyard, and the first time I greeted him after a decade, he picked me up in a hug and twirled me around.

"Somewhere over the rainbow Skies are blue And the dreams that you dare to dream Really do come true"

He told me once the only thing he ever wanted his whole life was a hug from his mother and handshake from his father. He wanted to thank them for his life. He visited them weekly on breaks and he could never tell them he's grateful to them. He loves them. I remember thinking how much crueler it is for them to live this life instead of dying. I felt like a monster for thinking that, but it seems cruel to have parents, but never really having them even acknowledge you.

"Someday I'll wish upon a star And wake up where the clouds are far behind me Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That's where you'll find me" (Footnote 1)

Then I see it, Alice Longbottom blinks her eyes, and looks around. She looks at me and asks, "Who are you?"

I smile and start to answer, but Neville comes over and squats in front of her next to me and says, "Mum?"

She looks at the grown man next to me smiles, and asks, "Neville?"

That is when, Neville Longbottom for the first time in 28 years receives a hug from his mother. Five minutes later, he also gets a handshake from his father.

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Footnote 1: Songwriters: Harold Arlen / E Harburg

Over the Rainbow lyrics Emi Feist Catalog Inc.