A reprieve, because, honestly!
In desperation, because things were piling up far faster than she could take in, let alone react to. That.
Hermione sent in her progress so far in her research on the Deathly Hallows. She included her "guesses" about the stone and the wand, and her information on Harry's cloak. She included her belief that taking a Hallow from a Peverell heir like Harry was a curse waiting to happen.
She admitted that research on Horcruxes would have to wait for Sirius Black to be free, but she hinted that she'd be able to prove their existence to him when the time came. She guessed they'd realise the Black family library would be needed.
Xeno had been so excited, he was going to come back early, in a few days. Even better, he'd sent coded messages to Pandora. And when you considered how a normal letter from Xeno went, Hermione thought, it was probably impossible to detect a coded message in there somewhere.
This had forced Pandora's hand, and she'd obviously decided to postpone her experiment involving time and space and mortal wounds. Luna was making a point of hanging on to her and being adorable, Hermione knew that because she wrote that in plain English. Hopefully, her mother would be able to resist the lure of dangerous magic until Xeno could countermand her or at least protect her. Hermione figured that not having only Luna there to help her mother was one of the reasons she'd died, after all.
Even better, Luna had done her own research, and now Hermione knew about what had happened to Selene Trelawney, all those generations ago.
Luna had invited her over when Pandora was out, and shown her a portrait she'd found of Selene before she was in her teens. It was eye-opening. She had glasses like Harry, and blonde hair and wide, somewhat bulging eyes like Luna, but otherwise, she was exactly like Hermione, pre-life-change. And that meant that the beauty she saw at the Curio Shop had had a life change of her own!
Her hair was, of course, bushy. Her teeth? Bucky. And being a Seer, loony went without saying.
She wondered if the next step wasn't to have Harry ask his dolls about her, but her time with Luna was short. Luna had written down some notes, and Hermione came home with them. She also felt renewed. Luna Lovegood had become a kind of little sister in the very short time she'd known her. After Harry Potter, she'd probably been the most abused child in the books, and even though Hermione kicked herself every day for being able to do so little, she felt that any time spent trying to help the Lovegoods was not time wasted.
Selene was my great-great-great-grand-auntie. Her name was Selene Luna kóri tis Ekoúmpas. Im copying it from Mamas notes. It was in her time then that kóri tis Ekoúmpas women including Selenes sister started taking mens names like Trelawney. She used her sisters last name to hide that she was from the line of Cassandra - Kassandra kóri tis Ekoúmpas of Troy, who actually went by Alexandra when she was brought to Greece.
Our family says by the time Cassandra was born the family divination was kind of weak. The Greeks claimed Apollo gave her a chance to be a python-ess in Troy and make a new Delfi but Priam Vanaks refused to let her so she and Troy were cursed. But they also said all her children died so I dont believe them.
I think really she was just not believed and us Lovegoods know what thats like. Still being a Seer in the modern world would make you a target for greedy people.
A lot about that curiosity shop is a mystery in plain site. I guess its like kings cross station. The non-magickal people know about it but its mostly hidden. There are exits that go to certain times and theyre limited.
Our familys heard of two. In the basement there is a connexion to Selenes time. In the storage room is a mail box that can get things from a future time. I think thats where you get your information because you havent shown any sign of having the inner eye open so youd know that better than us.
I dont know what will happen when the curio shop reaches that mail box time but maybe nothing. Maybe it will start sending out things from a mail box so they can arrive in the other one. Maybe therell be two way stations in the past instead of one. Its all pretty exciting dont you think?
The reason people like Mr Dumbledore buy things there is that it was said it occasionally gets things sent from other places where different things happened according to my mama. My father says its possible that it just got magickal rare goods over the cincheries and became a hub. So keep an open mind. You and Harry seem to be invited to be their customers thats a big deal!
Anyway Selene died when she was about the age you describe her as now. Mama says she went in to the basement to go home and someone followed her. I think it was one of the Malfoys probably Lucius. Theyre related to us Lovegoods and Trelawneys so maybe that let him do it. Anyway he hurt her before he killed her whoever he was. And it must be sex stuff because no one in the family will say what was done. He also robbed some pretty important stuff. Maybe he used some sort of ritual weapon, too. Selene never had anyone. I guess that makes your divination stronger? Anyway our guess is that after that it was a lot easier for the killer to lead everyone around by the nose and you know how much a Malfoy would want that.
Im not getting all sad but its really the family tragedy and thats what makes my mama so crazy. This is her only chance and shes the only person in the history of our family that can change things. I didnt want you thinking she was reckless or didnt care about me and my papa.
Mama thinks with the right kind of strong magic she could undo what the man who killed Selene did because it would be undoing him twisting time. Shes usually right but my father says shes not thinking at her best right now. Im doing my part by clinging to her and being as adorable as possible. Not ashamed she needs to remember we are as important as a family tragedy.
Warning Selene wont help just make her sad.
Please help us and good luck!
How on Earth? thought Hermione. As if I could not warn her! Well, she wouldn't make Selene sad, deliberately, but she was going to have to push a few boundaries to fix all these problems. As long as talking with Selene about certain things didn't mean she was banned from the shop. Okay, push boundaries an inch at a time. And maybe just convey to the curio shop-girl that she was on her side?
And, really, she wasn't yet ready to help, was she? Getting a small reprieve was a huge triumph, if you looked at it correctly.
