Edited 6/29/23: Minor Grammar/Spelling.

2/2!

Enjoy!

Monday, June 29, 1998

Hermione brushed the skirts of her robes down again and gripped Ginny's arm. Her morning sickness hadn't been too bad, but she wasn't going to hold her breath. When they arrived at Euphemia Rowle's home, she had to suppress a shiver. It was not the most beautiful home she'd ever seen. It was very…grey. And that was putting it kindly.

As they followed Pansy and her mother up the walk, Hermione leaned in to Ginny, "I'm glad our house doesn't look like this."

Ginny just grimaced at her but nodded. When they entered the doors, it was more of the same, dark and dreary. They were led to a parlour by a grey house elf where they were greeted by the hostess who was wearing a grey set of robes.

"Lady Rowle," Daffodil Parkinson greeted, kissing the older woman's cheeks, "Pansy and I wanted to introduce you to Lady Myuh Nott and Lady Ginevra Prewett Nott."

"It's a pleasure," Hermione greeted and had to bite back a grin at the woman's pinched face.

They were led into a parlour that had a few other ladies sipping tea, Hermione settled next to Millie who looked like she was sleeping with her eyes open next to her mother.

"Good afternoon, Mills," she said softly.

"Oh Circe, I'm glad you're here," Millie said with a sigh. "Mother has been droning on and on about Daphne's fortuitous engagement."

"How does Daphne feel about it?" Hermione asked, thinking about her conversation with Narcissa from a few days earlier.

"Oh Daph's chuffed," Millie smirked, "she's always wanted to be a Mum and Alexander is quite handsome. Plus she's never been exceptionally interested in a relationship, so it gets her out of that. They're quite good friends already, both have an interest in Herbology and he's also quite good with children. They'll never be in love of course, but both are quite alright with the prospect."

Hermione sat thoughtfully, "That's actually quite nice. I know my marriage isn't quite traditional but I always felt a bit bad for people who were to marry someone so much older."

Millie chuckled, "I wouldn't be happy with it, but it works for them."

Hermione heard a mournful cry from the other room. Showtime. She gasped, "Is that an Augurey!?"

"It is, dear," Euphemia puffed up proudly. "Would you like to meet him?"

"Oh, I'd be honoured," Hermione cooed while standing. Ginny rolled her eyes good-naturedly. Hermione followed the older woman into the smaller room off the parlour.

The greenish-black bird was standing proudly in its gilded cage, crying. Hermione went to stand in front of the cage. "I've read so much about them, but they're not native to Martinique, so I've never seen them. They're so mysterious and have so many legends around them!"

"It's always wonderful to meet another Augurey fan! Uric the Oddball is my favourite," she said conversationally.

"Uric the Oddball?" She asked. "I don't know about him, we have different legends." Hermione internally cheered when Euphemia perked up, at her lack of knowledge and patted herself on the back for finding some stories that enslaved people passed down about "Birds of Death."

"Uric the Oddball once owned fifty pet Augureys," she started, "On one particularly rainy day, they all cried at once, leading Uric to believe that he had died and was now a ghost. This led to him giving himself a concussion by trying to walk through walls."

Hermione chuckled, "That's much lighter than the stories from Martinique."

"Do tell," the woman said, sitting and patting the loveseat next to her.

Hermione sat and sobered, "Of course Martinique was an island populated by the Taino for thousands and thousands of years. When the French came with my ancestors who were stolen from the Homeland, they brought Augureys on the boats to warn from storms. My ancestors believed they were harbingers of death as someone almost always died after they crowed."

Euphemia was sitting on the edge of her seat, "Augureys being harbingers is a well spread rumour."

"They never lasted long on the island as they're not built for the heat. When an Augurey died the body would be given to the enslaved people and they would have a festival where they celebrated the death of their loved ones. The celebrations have evolved over the years, but the Magical Peoples celebrate during some of the High Holidays with a burning of a winged effigy."

"You've really sparked my interest in other cultures and their myths about Augurey. He's unusually attentive to you," Euphemia noted after a few moments of silence.

"I've always had an affinity for misunderstood creatures," she said quietly watching the bird flutter his feathers. "Their feathers are terrible for quills aren't they?"

"Yes but the Hogwarts Quill that records acceptances is rumoured to be from an Augurey you know," Euphemia said as she began to lead Hermione back to the assembled ladies.

"Fascinating, I wonder how they managed that?" Hermione asked rhetorically.

"The Founders were some of the most ingenious Witches and Wizards to ever exist," said an older woman from the corner.

"Too true," said the woman next to her.

Hermione settled next to Ginny who had moved next to Millie. "Did you have a nice time?" Ginny asked with a small smirk.

"Yes, it was fascinating. I haven't ever seen one in person-" Hermione started.

"Lady Nott has such respect for Magic and creatures, you should speak with her about your Charity," Hermione heard Euphemia telling a middle aged witch next to her.

With a pleased smile Hermione spent the rest of the afternoon flitting between groups and rubbing elbows with the other neutral Purebloods.

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think or if you have any thoughts about what might happen next!