Chapter 37: Hermione Xmas Spirit

The Malfoy Manor,24th December 2010, 1800 GMT

Hermione looked at Pansy and smiled.

"Pansy, are you sure? Historical research is one thing but we also need Scientific Accuracy."

Pansy nodded, "I was sure from my end a week back. The past week has been to ensure just the scientific part of it. With the help and input of Athena, Veena, Adena, Penelope and Luna, I had ordered a series of chemical aging analysis. The object is indeed about 12000 years old."

Hermione looked extremely satisfied as she looked at Natalie, "Natalie, please communicate with Nathan and ask him to come here, immediately."

Natalie smiled in gratitude. It was an unspoken rule between them that unless Hermione specifically indicated otherwise, Natalie would spend 10 minutes with Nathan before proceeding with work.

After 15 minutes, Nathan asked her to meet at the golf resort.

Hermione's message was short and crisp, "Ask Ander to meet me one on one, at this venue, in any form he wishes. My security team will be there but they will mute the interactions. Let him know that this is a purely personal meeting in tune with Christmas Eve spirit and has absolutely no other agenda. If he does not trust me, he can bring his own security group, but they must mute this interaction likewise."

Nathan bowed to her with a smile and disappeared.

The entire group of Order of Phoenix, DA and her core team were all at the Manor, preparing to undertake a Christmas Eve Feast.

Hermione announced to her core team, "I am meeting Ander one-on-one for something absolutely personal, but my security team will be there on mute. If you can wait for half an hour, please do so. I would love to have this feast together."

It was indeed a feast fit for Kings and Queens. There was turkey, roasted vegetables and baby potatoes, fish sticks, yule log and triple color mousse with brandy.

Ron snickered, "Hermione, I know that your impression of us coincides with unruly kids but even so, this is a bit extreme. It goes without saying that not just us, every person in this room will await you to commence this feast together, no matter how long this meeting takes."

Hermione smiled at them and proceeded to the rolling lawn outside the premises of the Malfoy Granger Manor.

There was an eerie light emitting from the night sky but that was fully blinded out by the light coming out from the invisible force presence of the arriving Dark World members. Hermione could easily make out the field of Ander from the golden hue.

Hermione smiled at the light, "Merry Christmas Ander and your team as well."

A macho voice called out, "Merry Christmas, Hermione! I am curious to know what can be a pure personal meeting agenda between 2 rival camp heads."

Hermione's smile widened, "Perhaps Nathan did not give you the full message. I specifically mentioned Christmas Spirit. When we include that in the mix, for the next day and half, we are not rivals, simply 2 human beings. After that we resume rivalry, that too only because You and your team are afraid to come to the negotiation table. Leaving that aside, why I called you here has nothing to do with our professional status. I have a gift for you."

Ander responded, "We are worthy rivals, Hermione. We would love to lose a few battles against you to elongate the war but I don't think you need any of our magnanimity. In fact, even at our full power, you have the complete power to ruffle OUR feathers. Leaving those points aside, I am curious about this gift."

Hermione smiled and held out her hand and placed the gold wrapped package in front of the light, so that Ander could hold it.

Ander was silent for a few minutes as he explored the gift, after which his voice wobbled.

He looked at Hermione directly, making his face visible in the light, and once again Hermione in-took a sharp breath at his handsome features.

He asked Hermione, "Is this really what I think it is?"

Hermione nodded, "Yes, this is a handwritten letter by a Royal Female Head of State. It has the Atlantis SEAL and is just more than 12000 years old. There was only one female Head of State, so it is indeed your fiance. It had been an extreme challenge to assemble this. Atlantis is only known to private collectors and I had to assemble this piece from 8 different extremely secretive Muggle and Magical Collectors and then painstakingly assemble them as one piece."

Ander nodded, "It is indeed hers. This is Phoebe. I can recognize her writing at any moment in my life. However, why did you take so much of an effort for me? Frankly, I must admit that in the entire Dark World, we don't even have a single gift that is anywhere close to its Value and Impact."

Hermione smiled, "That is perfectly fine, Ander. We don't give gifts to get something back. As to why I took this effort, the minor reason is Christmas Spirit, which I already told you. The bigger reason is to remind you that we leave our legacies on the basis of our choices, not our positions or any external benchmarks of society. Phoebe had it in her power to behead you but she took a long term view and transformed you. That is why even after 12000 years, she still rules your Heart."

Ander nodded with tears,"She will rule my heart until I decide to end my gift and give away my Philosopher's Stone to someone else and I lie on my deathbed. Interestingly, at that time when she made this decision, I was not immortal. Her decision made me wish to serve her responsibly for the rest of my mortal life and I began my studies with the Shamans."

Hermione smiled,"Had she decided to behead you, we wouldn't be having this dialogue now. Enjoy your gift and always remember, you always have a choice and a voice. Merry Christmas. I must now go back to my own family for the Christmas Eve feast. Bye for now."

Ander waved her goodbye and said, "Someday I wish to make a similar positive impact in your life as you just made in mine. You were always inspiring but today, you have become my personal hero. Hermione, I need you around. Either as rivals or as a saint, you give me the highest dose of dopamine on a daily basis than what I have experienced in Aeons. Bye for now."

Hermione wanted some alone time and asked Pernie and Patrick to get her a Mousse Sundae to the golf club. Ander Apparated back to the Central Chamber below Atlantic Ocean, lit in violet and gold. Immediately Ander and his team were surrounded by the anxious Dark Committee.

The second in command spoke up, "My sources tell me you were in great danger when you met Hermione? I expected you to be wiser! Why did you go there in the first place?"

Ander looked at his aide with eyes full of compassion, "I am touched by your concern. We have to go when our greatest rival personally invites us. As to danger, there was indeed danger but it was nothing remotely physical. I was in mortal danger of losing my identity and principles in front of her brightest light of kindness and selflessness."

The 2nd in command smiled, "Hermione does tend to have that effect. Her intelligence, research and arguments were so elegant, I have no regret in offering her Dark World physical immunity. Let us forget about Hermione now and focus on the feast. If we can believe our sources, we will have plenty to worry about her in the near future, for our own sake. What did she say that aroused Deep Hidden emotions of humanity within you?"

Ander smiled and started to speak.

Hermione Apparated back to the Manor dining hall with her team. Once there, she had one of the strangest experience of her life. 25 adults almost tackled her to the ground and by turns wept on her shoulder, which included her Husband Draco and best friend Harry. Even Ron, Athena and Adena, who hardly displayed emotions, cried on her shoulders. Others, including Veena and Lucas, were already emotional wrecks.

It was Harry who finally spoke up, "I feel privileged to be your best friend, Hermione but as a human being, I feel privileged to be born in your era. It seems you raise the bar with every single decision you make. By giving Ander a token of his love, you have immortalized love. Every person, irrespective of other labels, who has ever loved, would feel elevated by your gesture. Your action has caused emotional waves in all 3 worlds: Good, Middle and Dark. It was in perfect harmony with the Christmas Spirit.

By the way, our moles are working perfectly. They let us know, word by word, all discussions at different levels in the Dark World. We are in for interesting times ahead."

Hermione knew that it was not so simple. Dark World had all the brain power and physical might to come up with a response. However, at that moment, it was not important. All she wanted to do was enjoy the Christmas Feast with all her loved ones.