Author note: This is something I came up with as I'm trying to get back into writing shape. I hope you will enjoy it.
Disclaimer
Summary: There is likely a universe somewhere where I didn't push Sirius and took that curse from Bellatrix. I will leave musing about what may have happened then to others. I have too much to do with living with the consequences of my bout of Gryffindor recklessness… and adapt to what I found beyond the Veil. Hermione-centric AU.
Fandom I do not own anything of:
- Harry Potter
Acknowledgments
You will find references to several fandoms, but they are more things that are either mentioned by the characters or just an inspiration for the appearance of a certain character (more about this at the end of Chapter 1).
I readily admit that starting to read the excellent "The Weaver Option" by Antony444 inspired me in starting this fic.
Rating: FR18/M
Hermione could not help but scream a bit as she felt herself being launched forward at an unreasonable speed. Unfortunately, she had lost her wand, so she just tried to protect her head from the inevitable collision with the rapidly approaching ground. She was startled as she saw movement so fast it was blurry and arms holding her gently, having completely absorbed the shock. She could, however, not prevent another scream as the gentle hold made her injured right arm move.
She looked at her saviour. She looked a bit older than herself, though still on the young side of twenty. She had perfect milky skin and gorgeous straight raven hair and was dressed in an elegant red evening dress. The girl walked quickly, but with feather-light steps that made Hermione barely feel any movement as she carried her. She lowered her delicately on some kind of cushioned bench. It was then that Hermione started to notice everything that was wrong with the scene, starting with the girl's scarlet eyes.
She was in something that looked like a history museum, with various archaeological artifacts presented to the public. Among those, she could see an upright oval of stone and metal whose inner space glowed ominously with ghostly green light. Before she could even think about the mess this would put her in regarding the Statute of Secrecy – or how such an artifact had ended in a muggle museum – flying robot gargoyles formed a box-like perimeter around the stone gate and extended their arms. Bluish radiance sprang between them and Hermione could just feel that an insanely powerful ward had been put in place around the artifact.
"A multiphasic shield, good," said the pale girl in strangely accented French… which allowed Hermione to realize that she had vampiric fangs.
"Unsurprising given the war," said a handsome bald teenage boy in the same language while handing the vampire girl a small box with a red cross.
"Thank you, Etienne," said the vampire while taking the box. "Hello," she added, looking at Hermione with a gentle smile. "I'm Alice Tepes, and you?"
"Tepes? As in…"
"We're related. So…"
"Sorry, Hermione Granger."
She noticed that Alice had opened, or rather unfolded the box… and that it wasn't a box but some kind of apparatus that immediately made her think of a Star Trek tricorder. Alice passed it on her body and Hermione could see that the vampire looked very worried.
"Hermione, I need to cut your shirt. You're not in good shape and I really don't like what I can feel in your right arm."
Hermione gulped and nodded. Her portal travel shenanigans had started when she received a curse from Bellatrix Lestrange on that arm, lost her wand and stumbled through an ancient arch of stone British wizards called the Veil of Death. She had little doubt that what the dark witch had used on her had been particularly nasty. She could currently barely move, and she could not deny that, now that she thought about it, there was something she could feel creeping from the place the curse had hit her, likely aiming for her vital organs.
She distractedly saw that Etienne was talking with people who looked like security guards, preventing them from disturbing the vampire. She also noted that the guards' chief was canine humanoid with a head reminiscent of a golden retriever. As for the small crowd of people looking at the incident, it looked like the museum was hosting an event, maybe the vernissage of a new exhibit, but again, she was well into space opera territory. The species of the well-dressed individuals were very diverse, including outlandish aliens like a floating, bioluminescent human-sized medusas or a spider-like being in an environment suit. Her attention was soon brought back to her right arm as Alice cut the cloth with a stiletto knife she retrieved from her boot. She saw the vampire clench her jaw at the sight of black, necrosed flesh under the shirt… and of course, the necrosis was spreading fast enough for it to be visible.
"I see you fought rather disagreeable people. I'm going to use my powers to stop the spread until we can get you professional help. Do you agree?"
"Yes."
"Good. Bite on this. This is going to sting," she replied, giving her a rolled piece of her dress she had cut in one expert move with her knife.
Hermione bit the fabric while she saw that Alice was biting her right index to let her blood flow. She felt an instant of recoil at the thought of having vampire blood touch her flesh, but she quashed it. Without her trip through the Veil, she would maybe have had enough strength to fight that curse, but right now… right now, she knew that she was dying. There was no way that she would let herself go. She had too much to do for that. Going back to her friends, taking her revenge on Bellatrix, and so on. She was currently more than pissed enough to consider embracing undeath if it meant that she could accomplish her objectives.
She welcomed the searing pain as she felt Alice trace runes on her cursed arm with her blood. As the pain receded, the feeling of dread and creeping cold also stopped. In fact, she was pretty sure she could feel Alice's magic in her body, like a warm blanket around her own magical core. Looking at her, Hermione saw that the vampire girl was looking a little gaunt and tired but was also smiling to her reassuringly as she leaned a on her to put a hand on her brow.
"Here… do not be hasty," whispered Alice in her ear. "Take your time and rest. I feel your desire… but do not let my blood change you out of spite or despair. Later, we can talk again if you want to become one of us. Know that I see how bright your soul shines and that I will gladly welcome you in the family if that is your choice."
Hermione nodded weakly as she watched Alice rise gracefully and put her long hair back in place. The wounded witch had a weak smile as she thought about the so-called Purebloods of Wizarding Britain and how lame and boorish they looked compared to what her Hogwarts books considered a 'dark creature'.
"Thank you for your patience, esteemed guests, while I attended to this incident," said Alice to the crowd. "It seems the Derkans still have some lovely surprises for us. Ah! Enzo! Ensure that Mademoiselle Granger is granted all…"
Hermione lost the ability to understand Alice's words as she closed her eyes, the last shreds of her energy abandoning her. She slipped into a comfortable unconsciousness, feeling protected by the vampire's magic.
Hermione woke up groggily and took in her surroundings. She was in a comfortable bed in a room with cream-colored walls. There was a window on her left that let some light filter, but she quickly averted her eyes from it as the light dazzled her.
She briefly wondered if what she dubbed the Star Trek Museum had been a dream, but quickly realized that the shiny thing that dazzled her was the reflection of the light on a grey surface… and this time her thoughts went to Star Wars. The problem was that the surface beyond the window made her think of the Death Star's exterior. There seemed to be a full city there, going further than her viewpoint allowed her in all directions and she could also see a blue, white, and green planet… not as far away as Earth seen from the Moon from what she remembered of the famous picture. Of course, she could also see space vessels coming and going.
"Well… I think I'm supposed to say I'm not in Kansas anymore," she said with a little laugh.
She was still definitely not fully healthy, but she already felt that she was recovering. She was naked in a bed in what she guessed to be a hospital room, given the monitoring equipment attached to her bed. Her right arm was bandaged, and she had a little smile as she saw how. In this case, it wasn't more science fiction stuff, but linen strips that smelled like aromatic herbs and were painted with hieroglyphs. Unsurprisingly, they were laced with powerful magic.
Let's see… prayers against evil? Another one for good health? Right, Egyptian magic often has a religious component, she thought, drawing on what she learned in her Ancient Runes classes. Alice… I still feel her magic in me.
She passed her tongue on her teeth, feeling relieved to find them no sharper than usual. Still, she remembered what the vampire had told her, and she had to admit that she was maybe a bit tempted.
She said her name was Tepes and interrupted me with 'we're related' when I was about to mention Vlad… where in Merlin's name did the Veil send me?
"Oops," she said as she felt a need starting to rise, indicating that she had completely woken up. "How do I call a nurse…"
"Can I do something for you, Miss Granger?" said in English a cultured male voice coming out of some loudspeaker.
"Eh…"
"My name is Galen. I am the artificial intelligence in charge of patients in this hospital."
And back into Star Trek territory… why Eng… right, I used that, so he – or is it 'it'? Need to find a way to ask without sounding impolite – used it back.
"Sorry, it's the first time I speak with a sentient computer," she replied, composing herself. "I need to go to the toilet."
She had a million questions to ask, but she wanted to take care of this first. If she started to talk, she was sure she would forget about it.
"There is no harm, Miss Granger. You are well enough to get up, let me assist you."
Hermione saw a floating robot deploy from a compartment in the ceiling, likely a drone that the AI operated remotely. It flew silently to a wall cupboard on the left of her bed and took out a bathrobe and slippers. The teenage witch felt a little self-conscious about her nakedness but decided to just ignore it, convincing herself that she had nothing that would interest a computer that way.
"Sir, I have a question," she said, using formality to keep a better control on herself. "Is me being naked in bed a common procedure here?"
"Yes, nudity is standard," replied the AI while the drone helped her to put the bathrobe on. "We didn't have any information about your preferences during your admission, so we applied the default procedure. I will have a nightshirt put at your disposal for the rest of your stay. Please follow my drone, it will lead you to the bathroom."
"Thank you."
"You are welcome, Miss Granger."
He said nudity and not nakedness and likely deduced what I wanted just because I asked the question and used naked… different culture, likely being nude is socially acceptable in more circumstances than back home, maybe even normal at beaches and pools. The people in the museum were dressed in a variety of styles from what I can remember. I need more information about this place… because I have no clue how long I'm going to be here. I hope Harry and the others are all right.
As much as she worried about her friends, she pushed the thought away. There was nothing she could do for them right now and she had to focus on her own survival. Following the drone, she saw other people in the hall, some humans, and others not. Patients like her were wearing the same bathrobes while visitors were a lot more diverse in their clothing. Most people seemed to talk in French, but sometimes used words she didn't recognize, maybe borrowed from some alien language. Something was nagging her, however. As she reached the bathroom and quickly listened to the drone's explanation on how to use the washlet that replaced toilet paper, she thought she had nailed it.
Having used the bathroom, she took advantage of the mirror next to the sink to open the bathrobe and look at her own body. She considered herself to be in not too bad shape, maybe a bit on the skinny side. She knew that she could be pretty but rarely put the necessary effort for it. Compared to the humans she had seen in the hall, however, she felt very plain. All the humans she had seen here had been athletic, beautiful and at most middle-aged. She also had a hunch that the people were mostly here because of injuries.
And I realize that I didn't ask some needed questions… let's go back to my room and speak with Galen.
As she arrived back, she noticed that a cream nightshirt had been deposited on the bed, whose sheets had been replaced. Another piece of the puzzle assembled as she realized that she had been away for ten minutes at most. She more and more thought that she was in the kind of civilization that valued efficiency and practicality. She liked that of course, but she had also learnt from her Hogwarts experiences that there was a point where it could become too much.
"Sir, I have a few questions."
"Of course, Miss Granger."
"Let's start with the obvious. Where am I and how long have I been here?"
"You are on Troyes and currently admitted at the Bio-Hospital Serket. You were brought here from the Kerner Museum on orders from the Duchess Alice Tepes fourteen days ago. Due to the nature of the arcane agent affecting you, we have kept you in an artificial coma to facilitate your treatments. The curse in your arm was neutralized and we repaired the damage to your arm and organs. As the medical checks revealed that, apart from your arcane abilities, you are an unaugmented human, we also had to take some preventive measures, like reinforcing your immune system."
"How reinforced?" she asked, following a hunch.
"Immunization against a selection of diseases you can encounter here on Troyes. This is not ideal, but Her Grace ordered that we do not resort to cybernetic or genetic augmentation without your agreement."
Why my immune… right. American First Nations and the Europeans. I have no defences against space flu. What else… place is called Troyes, likely after the French city as it seems it's the main language here. Thankfully, I speak it rather well. Science fiction stuff like cybernetics is mentioned off-handedly… maybe why everybody looks fit and beautiful here. Of course! The nudity thing! I bet the fact's everybody augmented means there are a lot less body image issues here. Don't like it? See our offers and we'll change it for you. What else… a vampire and magic in the open. No Statute here. Even more: Alice is a Duchess. How much power does she have? Just hope I'm not in some kind of space grimdark dystopia like in Dad's favourite minis game.
"What is my legal status here? You see…"
"I'm afraid your arrival at the Kerner Museum was reported by the media, given that the Duchess patroned the vernissage you literally crashed in, so some precautions had to be taken to ensure your privacy. More generally, people from far away arriving due to arcane accidents are certainly not frequent, but there were enough cases for a jurisprudence to exist. You would have normally been granted refugee status until the situation could be fully assessed. In your case, Her Grace granted you her protection. This simplified legal matters and allowed me to enable sufficient security protocols. Given your clothes and the fact that you spoke in Old English in your sleep during your transfer to the hospital, the information that you likely come from Old Terra has leaked. Without ducal protection, guaranteeing your tranquillity would have been more problematic.
She briefly thought that what Galen had just said hinted at Alice having far more power than British nobility in the late twentieth century. All of that had been washed away by two words, however.
"Old…Terra? What's the current year?" her sense of wonder being swept away by rising dread.
"In our calendar, 3017. In the Gregorian calendar you are likely more familiar with, 4990. This is not a straight addition as the Standard Human Calendar uses a 360-day year with 12 months of 30 days instead of the length of Terra's revolution around Sol. May I ask what the year was when you left Terra?"
She could now hear the theme of the old Doctor Who show. She crashed on the bed and started to sob as she realized that her chances of going back had just plummeted. She doubted that she would find a blue police box with a nice Time Lord any time soon.
"1996," she replied with a sniff. "Why… why the calendar change?" she asked, unable to resist her curiosity even if her intuition was already screaming at her that she was going to hate that response even more than the last one.
"Terra became unsuited to human life following an arcane incident in the year 2015-2017 of the Gregorian calendar. This event is usually recorded as Judgement Day. Shortly before leaving the Sol System, the survivors decided to use the old 2017 as the Year Zero of the new calendar… I am sorry. I realize the distress this may cause you."
"Thank you… I think I need to rest now," she said while she removed the bathrobe and put on the nightshirt.
"Of course. The control panel on your bedhead allows you to control the lights and opacify the window. Rest well, Miss Granger."
Hermione got under the sheets and quickly manipulated the controls to put the light out and opacify the window. She wept a little more but put the thought away. She would need to look at historical records, understand what this Judgement Day was about and what happened after that. As for going back…
The whole question is if I spent three thousand years in stasis in that grey void or if I time travelled here. I know the result is the same, but it the latter may mean there is a chance of going back to the twentieth century. The Time Turners won't go that far but maybe… or maybe I will have to just mourn and build myself a new life here.
As she felt exhaustion again catching up with her, she had a thought for her parents. She had a good idea of what would… what had happened. The Obliviators had likely rewritten their memories, convincing them that she had died from some mundane cause, maybe even erasing all traces of involvement with magic in their lives. She wept some more at that thought and drifted into sleep.
A good night of sleep later, Hermione felt a lot better as she finished eating breakfast sitting at the table next to her hospital room's window. She was currently looking at the 'landscape' while drinking tea. She had chatted a bit with Galen before breakfast and asked for some information about the 'space station'. While technically correct, calling the Ring of Ravenne a space station was also a huge understatement. It was an artificial planetary ring hosting six billion of people, a megastructure that had pushed the boundaries of what she thought humanity capable of realizing.
The thing that had really left her flabbergasted were the dimensions of the Ring: It was set on Troyes's geostationary orbit, which gave it an inner radius of 43'332 kilometres. Its average width was 102.3 kilometres and its average thickness 12.6 kilometres. Galen had told her that the 'city' was set between the inner surface and several levels in the thickness of the ring, with some vast environment chambers being dedicated to agriculture or even having lakes. Other sections of the Ring were heavily industrialized, for example with the extensive shipyards, the spaceports or the factories that used raw materials coming from the moons of Troyes VI, the Ring being situated around Troyes II.
He even went as far as reassuring me that the Ring had been built to become an 'eye of the storm' in the planet's radiation belt… a planet they removed all traces of colonization apart from some scientific outposts and a memorial at the colony ship's landing site, because the whole planet is a natural preserve. Granted, conditions are like the Cretaceous there, so not the best for human life. Still… they dismantled a bloody moon and took three centuries to build that thing! And of course that's only the beginning, because Troyes is a major world of the Gallia Imperium, usually called Gallia by the foreigners and the Imperium by the natives… and Merlin! Galen just gave me the cliff notes version but…
From what she had understood, the colonists had established a Republic at first, but they had struggled with Troyes's environment and there had been a beginning of civil war for resources… until a powerful witch called Carine Bonaparte appeared, united the factions and gave people a dream to achieve with the Ring.
And of course, the new Bonaparte became the First Consul of the Republic and later crowned herself Mage-Empress. Oh, and tiny little detail: she's still on the throne three thousand years later and still looks like she's in her twenties. Granted, she is not as interested in conquest as her glorious ancestor… but I don't think that Napoleon would scoff at an immortal Bonaparte ruling thousands of star systems and a population in the trillions. Interesting detail, as Troyes II is a sanctuary world, the capitol was moved to a planet they just had to call Paris… I need to check more about how it works. What I got so far is that the Imperium's territories have a large degree of autonomy and that Alice both reigns and rules on the Duchy of Troyes.
She wanted to cry more but resisted the urge. Her eyes were puffy enough and it wouldn't change the stark reality: she was stranded three thousand years in the future. All that she had known was just ashes on a dead planet half a galaxy away. She knew that breaking down and waiting for death to claim her, in the hope that she could rejoin her friends in the afterlife would be easy… but it wouldn't be her. There was a reason the Sorting Hat had put her in Gryffindor.
"I'm so sorry I couldn't help more," she said softly, looking at the darkness between the stars. "Mom, Dad, Harry, Ron, Luna, Ginny, even you Sirius… I'm sure you would tell to live and find happiness in this new world. So, I'll do that… yes, I will write it all down. Make sure this bit of the past is not all ashes on Old Terra."
She heard a buzz coming from the table. An uncovered part of the table now looked like a computer screen and displayed an announcement about a visitor. She remembered that Galen had told her that an arcane specialist would come to take off the bandages on her arm. Having thought about it, she actually liked how the people here used that word instead of magical and could guess why it happened. Once wizards and scientists had to talk and work together, magical had likely been considered too confusion prone. Arcane had therefore been precisely defined in the Imperium's vocabulary. It meant you were talking about a specific form of energy and techniques to manipulate it. By extension, an Arcanion was a being with innate arcane abilities.
Hermione verified on the table's terminal that Galen had not sent her a warning about a journalist or some other unexpected visitor and tapped the screen in the area indicating that she was visible. A twenty-something vampire woman with Middle Eastern features entered, wearing a lab coat embroidered with hieroglyphs over a white spandex jumpsuit, a doctor bag in hand,
"Good morning, Miss Granger. I am Amenirdis Dimitrescu, a Healer part of clan Tepes," said the woman in French.
"Good morning, doctor," replied Hermione in the same language as she rose. "I heard you are here for my arm?"
"Yes, but before we go further…"
Amenirdis opened her bag, and a little bat climbed out of it. Hermione briefly wondered if it was some kind of familiar when the animal suddenly morphed into a familiar vampire girl dressed in a white suit with a black shirt, a red tie, and a white trench-coat.
"Hello Hermione," said Alice as she stretched. "Sorry for the subterfuge but getting somewhere without being noticed is a bit complicated for me."
"Your G…" started to say Hermione as she began to make a short curtsy.
"No need for protocol, Hermione," cut the young vampire with a kind smile. "I get more than enough of that… at work," added the duchess with a tired sigh. "So, just Alice, please. I know we have a million things to talk about, but let's handle the medical stuff first."
"All right… Doctor Dimitrescu, I was wondering about why you used Egyptian magic, but with your first name and your caftan… are you Egyptian?"
"My ancestors were, and we managed to keep a good part of our traditions through the Exile," replied Amenirdis. "I'm originally from House Imhotep and married in House Tepes. I suppose I won't surprise you by telling you that my birth House is known for its architects and healers. Alice arranged for you to be sent here because she knew I would be the one treating your curse. So, how are you feeling?"
Hermione felt more questions adding to the stack she had already put together in a corner of her mind. She knew the name Imhotep not only because he was known in muggle history as a famous architect and physician but also because he was mentioned in wizard texts as one of the pioneers in healing magic. The big question for Hermione was how his name could become the one of a vampire clan… she shelved the thought to focus on the current issues.
"Recovering is the best way I can describe it. I was still not that well when I woke up from the artificial coma, but after a few hours of normal sleep, I'm a lot better. I cannot feel the curse, but I don't know if it is completely gone or if the bandages are suppressing it."
"It should be the former, but we are going to check it."
"Should I lie down?"
"That would be better. This will help ensuring you do not move while I work."
"Understood," said Hermione as she went to lie on the bed.
She watched attentively as Amenirdis retrieved surgical tools that seemed to be made of ancient bronze from her bag and started to cut the linen strips while chanting in Ancient Egyptian. Hermione focused, hoping to understand some of it, but just recognized 'Aset' and 'Djehuti', remembering having seen in Ancient Runes that Isis and Thoth were in fact the Greek names of the two divinities.
As the strips came off, the young witch looked at her arm. She felt an intense relief as she saw unblemished skin instead of the dark putrescent wreck her arm had been turning into at the museum. In fact, she had expected scarring and there was nothing… except a small blood red dragon tattoo, right at the place where the curse had hit her.
"So that you know, Alice saved your life with the seal, though cutting your arm would have worked as well. My bandages then worked to unravel the curse while your flesh was regenerated. The dragon now…" said Amenirdis while looking at Alice with a raised eyebrow.
Hermione looked at the duchess, who seemed utterly embarrassed. It was easy for the witch to understand that this mark was something the two vampires knew very well and that had a specific meaning.
"Eh… I can explain! I mean, I'm sorry about this! The blood I used for my emergency seal reacted to me taking responsibility for you. I can remove it! It's just… I wouldn't mind if you kept it," said Alice, just before she blushed hard as she thought about what she said. "I mean, I like boys! I…"
"Before my dear liege digs herself into an even bigger hole, let me explain," interrupted Amenirdis. "Hermione, blood marks started as a way for us to mark a mortal and tell other vampires 'Don't touch, she's mine.' I know it's easy to make associations with slave brands, but you have to take our predatory nature into account. It made the marks a sad necessity. Anyway, this is not relevant anymore as usages changed in the last three millennia and those now usually mean that a vampire really likes the marked person."
Hermione blushed at the thought that she now had on her arm the vampire equivalent of a hickey. She understood better why Alice seemed all panicky. She was betting that putting such a mark on someone without consent was a big no-go.
"Alice… I think we both prefer boys, so why…"
"Sorry… Amenirdis, can you finish? I would prefer Hermione and I to be alone to discuss that."
"Of course. Hermione, your arm is physically healthy, but there are some arcane consequences. Your mana pathways have changed, and you will have to retrain to regain full arcanist ability. Are you normally using a focus?"
"Yes, a wand… I lost it anyway," replied Hermione.
"It actually makes things simpler. Your old focus would likely not have been a good match anymore."
"I will provide a replacement," said Alice. "Amenirdis, no need to wait for me. I'll leave through the Catacombs."
"The Catacombs?" asked Hermione.
"The Ring is old and… let's just say there is a maze of corridors and officially disaffected areas between the Ring's main zones. People call it the Catacombs. It's… not the best part of town, but I know my way there for reasons I'll explain later," said Alice with a shrug.
"All right," said Amenirdis who seemed not phased at all at the idea of the duchess taking a stroll through the local slums. "I will see to the paperwork to confirm that the arcane part of Hermione's treatment is finished. May your nights be pleasant."
"Thank you, Doctor Dimitrescu."
"You're welcome," replied the vampire healer with a smile as she left.
"Galen, privacy mode, please. Authorization Alpha-forty-two-Tango-Goetia," said Alice as the door closed. "Erase all surveillance in this room since Amenirdis's arrival."
"Acknowledged," replied Galen.
"Galen is legally obligated to monitor all patients. It's normally not a problem as his records are sealed except for medical officials or if a judge delivers a proper warrant. Right now… we need to speak about a few rather sensitive things, so…"
"You used your authority as the duchess to disable the surveillance… this is about me coming from Old Terra?" asked Hermione as she rose a bit to sit on the border of the bed.
"In part. First, I need to tell you a few things about me so that you have some context. For starters, I'm twenty, not some old bat in a young body. I have been on the throne for four years and, to be honest, the succession was a bit messy, which is why I ended on it at sixteen. My predecessor, Radu Tepes was… a monster. Granted, we vampires have kind of different standards about that, but there were clear rules set by our ancestors on how to have harmonious relationships with other branches of humanity. Radu was interested in that. I'll pass the details, just know that people died so that he could sate his dark appetites."
"The Imperial authorities didn't react?"
"As long as the tithes are paid in time and you don't start consorting with foreign powers, there is a lot a Star Lord can do without attracting imperial ire, because each domain has a large degree of autonomy. My unlamented cousin was clever enough for that. He took care of internal opposition by killing the members of our clan who could rise against him. My parents and me were very hight on that list. To give you more context there have been some dynastic trouble a thousand years ago and my branch of the family was put aside while Radu's branch came into power. When the minor nobles and the corporations started to look for a ducal replacement to support, getting rid of my branch for good became a political necessity for him. He killed my parents, but I managed to flee in the Catacombs and hid there for a time with the help of the locals.
"Luckily for me, my cousin became so mad that he made the mistake of coming in the Catacombs personally. He found me and started to gloat how he would rape me and keep me alive as he devoured me… he never realized that he was exactly where I wanted him, because I knew I had to put him down like the rabid beast he was. I killed him and claimed the throne, backed by several minor noble Houses and Trojan corporations. Now people see me as the light of a new…"
Hermione didn't exactly know why she had risen to hug the young vampire, but she had a few hunches. The girl's situation reminded her of Harry of course. Both had their parents killed by a bad guy and been forced to deal with the killer and the expectations of others. Also, the young duchess was crying but still powering through it, reminding her this time of herself. As she felt the young duchess hug her back, Hermione knew that Alice was starved for affection.
She… I wonder if she has any real friend. Thought the young witch.
"Thank you… sorry, the last days have been a bit stressful and it's not easy to be yourself when you have a public image to maintain. I am also sorry to say that between your origins, your way of arrival and the fact I was involved in saving you, you already entered the dragon pit. What we need to discuss about are your options… and how the mark I gave you plays a role in that."
"I understand. The hospital… I didn't see much security. Galen?"
"Galen and obscurity," replied Alice as she broke the hug and they both went to sit around the table. "Various celebrities use this hospital when they want discretion and there is a protocol to admit people under fake names… and, yes, it's legal under a Privacy Protection Act passed by one of my predecessors. Galen and Amenirdis are the only ones from the hospital who know your real identity and again, you need a warrant to get the Galen's records. For all the others, you're Marie Latour, born on a small colony called Stallion mostly known for cattle raising and coming to study here thanks to an imperial scholarship. Anyway, the problem we have is what happens when you leave the hospital. I cannot in good conscience just let our social services handle you like a normal refugee. You would be kidnapped and sold to the highest bidder in a week."
"I suppose you have solutions," said Hermione, feeling suddenly cold.
"Yes. The first one is to make you disappear. I provide you with a full fake identity, the hospital changes your appearance, and we smuggle you out of Troyes to another part of the Imperium. However…" said Alice, wincing as she pronounced that last word.
"What you can do outside of your duchy is limited, right?"
"Yes. If I ask one of my allies to help you, we're back to square one. We would have to set you up in a rather low-key place like an agri-world and you will have to live keeping a low profile."
Hermione frowned. It wasn't that living a calm life in some rural place was that abhorrent to her… the problem was that it was fleeing. In her mind, a tactical retreat when there was no chance to win was fine. It was just the time of finding a better strategy to counterattack. Fleeing and hiding all her life, in constant fear of being discovered, that just wasn't how a Gryffindor behaved.
Alice is not liking it either… yes, that's not her main plan. It's a choice she knows she has to offer but not what she wants.
"What about the option you want me to keep the mark for? In the option you mentioned, it would be a hindrance… I think I see. You are going to offer me protection as your vassal."
"Almost," replied Alice with a grin. "I'm going to offer to adopt you in the family and make you my little sister."
Hermione knew that she was currently doing a rather good moonfish imitation with the way her brain just short-circuited thanks to the outlandishness of the offer. Given what Alice had told her of her succession issues, this would make her first in line to inherit the duchy… a duchy that stretched over several star systems and had billions of subjects. She slapped lightly her cheeks and looked at Alice with inquisitive eyes.
"I'm going to need quite a few explanations, because the number of potential strings makes me feel like a medusa rather than a puppet…"
"That's fair. Ask and I will reply as well as I can."
"First, you're obviously not without allies in your family, given how Amenirdis behaved."
"The Dimitrescu are not direct family, but a vassal family part of the Tepes clan. I like them and we have a degree of familiarity because they were part of those who helped me against Radu. Due to how our family magic works, there are some things they cannot help with."
"The boy from the museum?"
"Etienne Areios is the second son of the Marquis of Sparta. Like most important noble kids living in the same region of the Imperium, we met as part of state visits and played a bit together while younger. Now… I know I can trust him to be a perfect gentleman in public, and yes, I admit that I wouldn't mind a date with him. Unfortunately… politics. No way to meet without a chaperone unless I promise to negotiate a betrothal… emphasis on negotiate."
"I can see how it would be a mood-killer… am I right when I think that one of the reasons you want me is because I'm a complete stranger to Imperial politics?"
"You are right, but that's not all. To be clear, I won't ask you to become a vampire but be aware that if you need to succeed me, you will have to do it because of the family magic thing I mentioned. Given the circumstances, I would also need to be the one to turn you. As you have my mark already, we can do that without me biting you, however, by using a ritual. We can even set it up as a dead-man switch to turn you the moment I die. There will definitely be a target on your back, but not much bigger than it already is, and you will have more possibilities to fight back as my sister. Your presence will also allow me to stop pretending I'm not seeing a few disgusting things concerning what's left of Radu's branch."
Hermione winced. She could see that Alice had not been able to make as much clean-up as needed after the succession, likely because she needed to keep an heir. Adopting her meant that she wouldn't need those people anymore.
"The… non-problematic members of your House would accept me as heir?"
"Oh, believe me they will… once they realize your lineage," said Alice with a feral grin as she took a small binder out of a – likely magically expanded in Hermione's opinion – pocket of her coat. "I suppose the name Wilhelmina Harker is familiar to you?"
"I read Dracu…" stopping mid-sentence as she saw the laminated picture Alice was showing her.
The picture was old and in black and white, in a style from the end of the nineteenth century. The problem was that Hermione had already seen that picture, or more likely another print of the same original… in her mother's family album. It was the portrait of a woman that looked a little like Hermione and that the young witch knew as Willie Harker, her maternal great-grandmother. She had died in an accident in 1902, leaving her husband James and son Quentin.
"Are you meaning my great-grandmother on my mother's side is Mina Harker?" she asked, shaking as she pointed at the picture.
"Yes, and thanks, your exact position in the family tree was the only thing missing. When my blood touched yours, I had a serious hunch that we were related. I had the hospital run a few genetic tests and I was able to confirm that we're descending from the same woman. To summarize, Willie Harker faked her death in 1902 when Vlad's blood in her became too strong and she became Mina Tepes. She stayed away from Britain after that and likely never knew that you were a witch."
"What about the book? You kept the story but changed the names to preserve the Statute of Secrecy?"
"Sort of. Several events are wrong or missing as well. The book was a piece of disinformation created to make any problematic event linked to vampires look like the rant of some too enthusiastic reader."
"From the books I read, and I mean serious wizarding lore, vampires live only two hundred years, like wizards. What about the Dracula Mina met?"
"The Dracula who wooed our common ancestor was definitely Vlad Tepes, former voivode of Wallachia. The information you mentioned about vampire lifespan was correct in the twentieth century… for most vampires."
She re-opened the binder and unfolded a picture of a very old document with thirteen wax seals attached to it. Hermione focused to decipher the medieval Latin used in it. She noted that it was a treaty signed in Prague in 1487. She recognized one of the seals as similar to the small dragon on her arm and…
"Merlin…" she said with wide eyes as she understood the essence of the pact described here.
The treaty was between twelve vampires and Nicolas Flamel. The vampires guaranteed protection for life to him and his wife Pernelle. In exchange, the alchemist would give them an agreed amount of Elixir of Life and to keep the secret of the pact, its reasons, and its consequences from the wizards.
"What happens when a vampire drinks the Elixir?" she asked, looking at Alice.
"Mutation. Funnily enough, vampires react a lot better to the Elixir than baseline humans or wizards. They only need to take it once to change for good. The twelve vampires became the New Blood, a new vampiric race with a much longer lifespan and more magical power, which finally fully replaced the Old Blood after the Exile. Back on Old Terra, the Twelve Primogens mostly kept to themselves, not wanting to attract the attention of the wizards. They founded their own clans, attracting secondary families… and started to intrigue against each other almost immediately. During the nineteenth century, Vlad Tepes was involved in a conflict between the Tepes, the Kyteler and the Mendozas. Agreeing to be the 'hero' of the book was a concession my ancestor did as part of the peace treaty, as was leaving Mina with Harker for a time."
"I see. I have another question about vampires. I understand there is no Statute of Secrecy anymore and the fact you're one seems to be public. People don't mind?"
"No, and for two main reasons. First, we don't stand out that much in a galaxy with so many strange species. Even the blood… lots of carnivorous sapients and we can just clone what we need, so no need to treat us differently legally speaking. Also, the augmentation technology available in the Imperium allows for a lot, so people asking to become one of us… at least for my clan, it's mostly because they want to marry into the family.
"The second reason is historical. We will talk in detail about Judgment Day another day as it would take hours, but the main point is that arcane beings were instrumental in cobbling together starships to evacuate Terra. Arcanists and scientists worked together to patch the 'holes' in the pre-Exile technology with arcanotech. Thanks to that, the survivors managed to build the Arks, ships which could transport tens of thousands of refugees in cryosleep and had faster than light propulsion.
"Those were huge achievements, but several problems remained. The experimental FTL was just reducing an impossible journey to a several decades-long one given the target star system. The passengers and the crew would have to sleep for most of the trip to spare the life support and that's where the limitation of the experimental cryosleep capsules kicked in. You need three days to get in or out of one safely. Also, hyperspace was a brand-new field, and no computer of the time could navigate it. That's where the vampires volunteered to crew the Arks. We can enter or leave torpor – this is how we call a pseudo-death state – in a minute, and we can use Divination to foresee the best trajectory in hyperspace.
"To be honest, my ancestors had to improvise a lot and learn on the job. The Arks' Navigators soon had to focus a lot more on keeping their own ship safe than keeping formation. Each of the six Arks ended in a different place in the galaxy which is why you will find the expression Human Diaspora in many texts. Mina Tepes learnt a lot from the experience of her Ark's journey and founded what is today the Imperial Guild of Navigators and the College of Navigation, both of which have their seat here in Troyes and are patroned by my House."
Before the whole mess with the prophecy at the Department of Mysteries, Hermione would have been very sceptical about using Divination for something as important as starship navigation. She had since then realized that her views were biased because of a certain teacher. Moreover, she had a good hunch of how it happened. From what Alice had mentioned, wizards and muggle scientists had to work together to build the Arks. She was betting that one of the latter, having read novels like Dune where psychic powers were used for interstellar navigation, had asked if magic would allow to do the same.
"What about Vlad?"
"He died during an arcane war in the twentieth century. Sadly, the details are lost. All I know it that a wizard called Grindelwald was involved and someone called Dumbledore offered his condolences to our common ancestor."
"I see," she said, thinking that she could likely contribute to fill some historical blanks there. "By the way. the navigation computer problem is not solved yet?"
"Only somewhat," replied Alice with a snort. "They work if you follow a well-mapped route at a snail's pace… I mean one or two petametres per day. Right, pre-Exile astrography," she added as she noticed that Hermione was frowning. "One petametre is one thousand billion kilometres or roughly a tenth of a Terran light-year. We preferred to go full metric as it's more neutral. To come back to my comparison, a good Navigator on the same ship can make the 427 petametres from Troyes to Sparta in two days."
Hermione could not help but smile. Alice's pout as she finished her sentence was just too cute.
"Another matter we need to discuss is augmentation," said Alice. "Did Galen mention it?"
"Yes. How… standard is it?"
"Most people in the Imperium have at least some basic augmentations. To mention the important points, a much better immune system and natural healing abilities that let a normal human live up to roughly four hundred years, a smart metabolism which means you won't have to worry about your figure and conscious control of your fertility, including no periods. Note that you won't be able to turn your fertility on before you're twenty-one, but I don't think that's really a bad point. Ah, yes, all those augmentations will become part of your heredity."
Hermione had to admit that this was very tempting, though she had to wonder about the social consequences of that kind of treatment, not even talking about the fact they were making it hereditary.
"I suppose in my case you're covering the cost," she said, suddenly worried about potential debts.
"Actually, nothing unusual, just how healthcare works in my duchy. Treatments to restore health are free for my subjects, meaning my government uses tax money to pay for them, of course. The basic augmentations I mention are covered as well. For me, it's simply good practice, as the augmentation prevents healthcare costs down the road. Further than that, there are the mods. That's the common name for advanced augmentation. You have things that are just aesthetic or other that are more extensive, like getting gills. Some will be biotech while others will be cybernetic or a mix of both. It's not free but companies will usually pay for it if you need something for work, for example a neural computer interface."
"I see. Is basic augmentation mandatory?"
"No, but… to be honest, a lot of companies in the Imperium would hesitate to hire an unaugmented human, unless she has talents they absolutely want. Most unaugmented humans either live in mostly self-supporting communities on colony worlds or are foreigners who don't intend to settle here, like diplomatic personnel. Yes, I'm talking about people coming from the nations founded by the other Arks… but I suggest we talk about that another time because I can already see you asking a myriad of questions, and I would like to do that in our library so that I can show you stuff about it."
Hermione nodded. She had learnt a lot of things during this discussion. She rose and went to stand in front of the window. She looked at the Ring. There was one thing she still needed to ask.
"Do you think… there is a chance I could go back to 1996?"
Alice came next to her, their shoulders almost touching.
"I checked what I could in the last two weeks… and it doesn't look good. I found references to time travel arcanotech on Old Terra, but it was very limited, and we don't have any document about how they were built. What I found is that several arcanists after the Exile tried to find a way to go back and prevent Judgment Day. They all failed, most of the time with horrible consequences. There is a lake on Troyes that's actually a crater formed after a town exploded from such an experiment," she said, pointing at the planet that could be seen through the window. "The Mage-Empress forbade all further research on time travel after that, arguing that there was no resource to waste in making more disasters.
"The same goes for the few Navigator tales about an hyperjump ending with a backwards timeshift. They are always accidents and the only ones that ended well were at most for a few hours. For the others… we usually realize that some old space junk is a from a ship that disappeared recently. I know you're going to ask why, and the answer is no clue. Some say there is something watching and given the Imperium's recent experiences…"
"The war Etienne mentioned?" asked Hermione, remembering a comment made by the boy at the museum.
"Yes. There is a classic of Ancient Literature that's often done in school. It says something like 'they delved too greedily and too deep…'"
Hermione could not help but smile as of course she knew that line. The Dracula book being still known three thousand years later by the Tepes was completely understandable, particularly with the background Alice gave her. This one now… she tried to imagine what Tolkien would think of the Lord of the Rings becoming a classic of Ancient Literature, that his work would become a new Odyssey for the people of the fiftieth century. Still, as amusing as the thought was, she also knew what that quote was about.
"What did you awake?"
"The stone oval you came through, it's a Derkan Gate. They were an interstellar civilization that was wiped out five million years ago. Not very big, just a few systems, but they were masters of arcanotech using portals to travel. They opened a rift on… a place of chaos and madness beyond time and space and they died sealing it. A mining company drilled straight through the seal on Koriana VI. I'll let you read more about it, but it has been very hard, and it cost the Imperium a lot to end it. We were luckier than the Derkans because we had more resources, and we could learn from their ruins. We still had to Hellstorm several planets… to come back on the topic of time travel… Hermione, I will respect your choice, but think about it: do you want to spend a lifetime searching for a way knowing what I just told you?"
Hermione looked at Alice. The vampire looked genuinely worried about her. The young witch let her tears flow and hugged back when the vampire took her in her arms.
Imperium, Mage-Empress, Chaos, Hellstorm a planet… sound more and more like a less grimdark version of Dad's favourite minis game. Also, there is an Imperial Ban on time travel research… which I can understand given what happened to those who tried. What if… the Time Turners. The rules Professor McGonagall told me about, the limited timespan, the fact Harry and I did not really change anything, we were just the reason why some events we already knew about happened… if my hunch is right, the wizards who created the Time Turners knew something. I need to research a bit more… but she's right.
"Alice… one last question," said Hermione as she broke the hug. "You're ready to give me a lot… I know we're related, but you don't know me… Alice?"
The vampire was again looking quite embarrassed, but Hermione could also see determination in her eyes.
"The mark?"
"A bit, but nothing bad, really! I can't read your mind or anything like that! It's just, you can feel my mana, right? And you have some feelings attached to it, right?"
"Your magic? Oh. It's the same for you… actually better because you learnt to read those feelings?"
"Yes, that's part of it… but that's not all. You're… Hermione, you're the reason I'm still alive," she said, taking the young witch's hands in hers as she looked straight into her eyes. "You remember what I said about Navigators and Divination? We're quite good at it and most Tepes nowadays have at least some degree of innate seer abilities.
"A few years ago, I started to dream about a girl called Hermione Granger. I got glimpses of her life. I laughed a lot when I saw her punch some blond jerk. I wanted so much to be able to hug her when she cried after those two boys yelled at her while she was just prudent with an arcanotech broom possibly gifted by an enemy… and time and time again, when I doubted, I asked myself: what would Hermione do? Hermione, it's thanks to you that I found the courage to fight for my life when a part of me just wanted to fold and rejoin my parents in Hades. Because I knew you would… and because my gifts were telling me that our timelines were converging. I couldn't die without having met you."
Again, Hermione thought about what Alice had mentioned about something watching for time travel transgressions and about the reality of prophecies like the one involving Harry, which again pointed at the possibility of some kind of Time God. What if her coming here was not chance, but destiny?
"Merlin…" said Hermione while feeling more tears coming.
"I didn't give those details to anyone. As far as my advisors are concerned, I had a vision of you becoming an asset for the duchy and I'm scouting you… they will be a little surprised with me adopting you, but with you being a descendant of Mina, they will accept it. You're already family. I'm just making it official. The question is: do you want to be my sister?"
Do I? I don't think I feel deceit coming from the mark… but Voldemort used his link with Harry to fool us all. Nah. Alice is either the best actress in the galaxy or… no, definitely no. She's… a little like if Harry and I had a daughter, I think. I like her… and I think I'm here for a reason. So… yes.
"Okay… how long will the augmentation treatment take?" she asked.
"Four days for the setup. You'll sleep through it. After that, your body will need two months to fully adapt to the change, but you don't need to stay in the hospital for that and Amenirdis can do the follow-up you'll need at home. So, it's a yes?"
"Yes. I accept to be augmented, and I accept to become your sister. As a human for now."
"Thank you! I promise you won't regret it!" replied Alice while hugging her again.
Very reckless of me… is this how Harry feels when he jumps into something based on a gut feeling? Maybe it doesn't feel that bad…
"Now, before we fill the paperwork for your augmentation, let me show you a few mods I think you will be interested in. I made a budget for that," said Alice with a radiant smile as she opened the table's terminal and started to navigate through the menus of the hospital's services.
Hermione smiled as she shook her head and grabbed a chair to sit next to Alice.
Hermione was floating, one submerged, perfectly still body among the thirty-two in that dimly lit tank. She was nude, if one omitted the white mucus film covering her hair and body, and her eyes were closed. She was breathing peacefully as she slept in the tank's warm embrace, a respirator covering her nose and mouth. Like all the bodies in the tank, she was carefully watched by the schools of robotic fishes that swam slowly between them and intervened here and there. Those were just overseers used by those monitoring the many processes happening to the patients in the tank. The real actors were smaller than the average human cell and the white film on Hermione's body was the proof of their work, made of processed nutrients and organic waste.
She started to drift, escorted by some of the fishes. This was no random movement, but something precise as her unconscious form moved gently toward a hatch on one side of the tank. It opened as she approached, revealing a smaller rectangular tank. The fishes stopped their escort as she passed the hatch which door closed silently behind her. Bright white light bathed the small tank, and robotic arms came out of the walls, their ends covered in sensors. For a minute, they danced around her until, maybe satisfied, they retreated into the orifices they sprang from.
The top of the small tank opened, revealing a haze of green light and Hermione started to rise slowly, her body soon traversing the radiance. The white film on her skin and hair immediately decomposed, its fragments floating away in the fluid surrounding her. She soon reached the surface of the liquid and slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze was still unfocused, betraying the many drugs still influencing her. She continued to rise in the air, held by gravity manipulation fields. Below her, the door to the small tank closed, and she floated delicately to another area where new robotic arms cleaned her and retrieved the respirator.
She stretched in the air, her thoughts now clear enough to remember that she had been floating in that tank for the last four days. The shadow of a smile passed on her lips as her clouded mind thought that she was now Hermione 2.0. The gravity fields continued to move her, and she had another random thought, wondering how much this technology owed to spells like Wingardium Leviosa. She could feel the cotton-like fog leave her mind and she made sure not to resist when the gravity fields positioned her vertically to make her go down a shaft that she guessed to be the augmentation facility's exit.
As she felt gravity start to augment bit by bit, she passed her right hand on her leg and smiled as she found no body hair at all. Permanent body depilation was a mod she had very gladly added to her budget. The Polyjuice cat incident she had gone through during her second year at Hogwarts had left her with quite an aversion for body hair. The mod even made sure that her body became fully adapted to the lack of leftover fur, as if she had been born that way. The only hair she had left was on her head.
And added perk on that package, I won't need deodorant anymore, because I now have the genes and skin makeup that makes sweat non-smelly. Could use a bit more muscle, but I'll work on that. Will be a lot easier with my new metabolism… speaking of metabolism, that toxin scrubber Alice insisted I add looks very efficient already and it's only part online. I bet those drugs would have put me out for hours before… and not being able to get drunk anymore is not a downside in my opinion.
As the door opened, she could feel some doubts and a feeling of horror about the decisions she had taken in the last few days. She quashed them. Yes, she knew that what she had done was daring, but she considered herself to be in an 'adapt or die' situation. The technologies used on her body were not some experimental, mad science stuff with horrific drawbacks. Augmentation had been used in the Imperium for a thousand years, so she had not taken any medical risk.
She exited the augmentation facility's airlock. She had a look for the other people floating in it. She knew how wrong that scene would look for some people from the twentieth century. The idea that the body could be improved to suit one's needs certainly wasn't new, it was after all the concept behind the mere idea of physical training. Considering the human body as a mere raw material you could use to build something better was another matter that could easily become a road to hell. Hermione had her doubts, but the civilian applications of the technology she had seen seemed moral to her, at least if you approached the matter from a consequentialist perspective.
Another topic to research: how is religion coping with this technology? Alice mentioned Hades and I heard several references to the Egyptian gods, either by Amenirdis or the fact this hospital is named after the goddess Serket. Did the old gods make a comeback?
Forcing herself out of her contemplation, she looked at the – thankfully female – doctor looking at the screen of a computer terminal. Hermione noted that she looked human, maybe Greek or Italian in appearance and with a strict poise that made her think of the Professor McGonagall.
Remember Hermione. You're nude, not naked. When in Rome and all that, she thought as she walked toward her, focusing not to cover herself with her hands.
"Hello Miss Latour," said the doctor, using the fake name under which she was admitted. "I am Elektra Diodore-Asclepius-6 and I have overseen your augmentation on this day."
"Thank you doctor," she replied quashing any 'fish out of temporal water' question she had about a family name including a number. "Anything I should know about the augmentation?"
"Everything is within the expected parameters. I will transmit your dossier to your doctor who will proceed with the required complementary injections according to your adaptation schedule. Welcome to Troyes, Miss Latour."
Right, I remember, Galen said something about most of his organic personnel being bioroids, which is a short for bio-android. Well, looks like instead of meeting the Vulcans, the Imperium built its own…
"Thank you and goodbye, doctor."
"Goodbye, Miss Latour."
Hermione proceeded out of the augmentation unit and entered a locker room. She took a minute to pose in front of the mirror, smirking at her reflection. The most striking change was her hair. She had made sure that the extensive conditioning she had done for the Triwizard Tournament Yule Ball would become her natural, making them straight and silky. Her face likewise had now some of the little enhancements she had used for the ball as built-in features. It was nothing outrageous that would make her unrecognizable to people from her old life, but she knew that it would help her with not feeling too plain compared to the transhuman beauties she would see every day in this place.
Now, to shower or not to shower, that is the question, she thought, looking at the shower room adjoining the lockers. I know the tank left me completely clean, but it would be nice to feel hot water… no. What I really want is to go outside… well as much outside as you can here without having to put a spacesuit on. Let's see… this one.
She aimed for the locker bearing her name and put her right palm on the identification plate. As planned, Alice had arranged for clothes and some other necessities, while her old stuff would wait for her in the ducal palace. Hermione quickly put on the underwear, feeling it self-adjust to her size with delight. She put on a blue jumpsuit, a brown, well-used leather jacket and brown boots adapted to trekking.
Alice had told her that she would select things fitting her 'legend', the word having to be understood as 'fitting her cover story'. Officially, Marie Latour was a small-town girl from a colony world who had been granted a scholarship to come study at the College of Navigation. Her admission at the Serket Bio-Hospital was for an augmentation upgrade covered by her scholarship, so that she had all the implants she would need as a Navigator. The artisanal leather jacket, while expensive on Troyes, was not very remarkable from afar and fitting for someone coming from a colony known for its cattle raising and all connected crafts.
The last item in the locker was a watch-like bracelet that she put around her left wrist. She gave it a few seconds to recognize her magic and unlock, then tapped it to activate it and saw with pleasure the screen and keyboard deploy on her forearm. As she was waiting for her augmentation tank to be ready, Alice had briefed her on a few things for the moment she would wake up, including how to use the Imperium's version of a portable phone. She had also told her about a quite interesting anecdote on how scientists and arcanists used the principles of conjuring spells to create the virtual matter technology used by her communicator's deployable screen.
I like their vocabulary for magic, but it will need a bit of time before I use it naturally. Arcanotech and not charmed items. Arcanist for any spellcaster, no matter the species. Arcane for magic in general, arcana for spell… and arcanion for any magical being, including wizards. Alice didn't mention if there were arcanists who were not arcanions… and one more question to the stack.
Hermione verified her messages and saw that Alice had sent her a notification about how her exit from the hospital would happen. She frowned as she noticed that the idea of using her cover and exit through the main gate had been scrapped. Alice mentioned that it wasn't a real security problem, but that some journalists had managed to determine where she was. Alice had therefore arranged with Galen so that she could leave more discreetly. Hermione nodded. Given her experiences with Rita Skeeter, she certainly wasn't giving any interview outside of a severely controlled environment.
"Hello Galen. I hear there is a change of plans?" she said, knowing that the AI would hear her.
"Hello, Miss Granger. I'm afraid so. Some journalists managed to deduce that you were in this hospital, though I am confident they do not know under which name. I have therefore arranged the matter. Put on the earbud from your communicator so that we can communicate discreetly. For now, go the gravity shaft and then down to level three. Stay in manual mode."
"Understood," said Hermione as she detached the item from her bracelet and put it in her left ear. "Thank you, Galen."
"This is nothing, Miss Granger. I do not appreciate the media impinging on the privacy of my patients," replied the AI, sounding slightly irritated.
She quickly adjusted her communicator's controls to link with Galen's communication channel and closed the screen. She exited the locker room and soon arrived at a ten meters diameter circular shaft that opened in the ground and ceiling of the floor.
Thankfully, I'm a witch. A twentieth century muggle would be a lot more frightened; she thought as she just stepped inside the shaft, making a 'thumbs down' hand signal twice. She immediately started to float downwards, gaining in speed as she kept an eye on the numbers painted on the wall between the floors.
She remembered her first experience with public gravity shafts, as she went from her hospital room to the augmentation unit. On one side, you went down and on the other you went up. The nearest to the centre you were, the faster you went. It was a lot safer than it looked, as a semi-sapient AI monitored everything. You could either tell it where you wanted to go when entering the shaft or use scuba diving hand signals to indicate ascend, descend, or stop. The computer then adjusted your trajectory accordingly.
Main advantage, you don't have to wait, you just hop into it like you would on a mechanical staircase. Main drawback, if the system fails, everybody falls… well that was the case in old mechanical ones as well and they added safety systems. Likely the same here.
She saw some other people using the shaft, including a levitating bed with a patient on it. Soon, the floor numbers reached the single digits, and she made first a thumbs up sign to tell the shaft to slow down, then a flat hand gesture to indicate that it was her floor. She stepped outside when the gravity fields deposited her at the shaft's limit. She could see that the level was mostly doctor offices and there were several patients waiting for a consultation on chairs set next to the doors.
Some things do not change…
"Take the hall to the right and find a white metal door with a green circle and a keypad, this will get you to emergency stairs that will allow you to bypass the lobby. Enter the code 5871 before opening," said Galen's voice in her ear.
Hermione nodded and soon found herself in an apparently empty part of the hall.
"Stop," said Galen. "Enter the room on your right and wait."
She quickly followed the instructions and found herself in an unused consultation room. She thought she heard some steps in the hall and could easily guess what had happened. Galen was monitoring every movement in the halls and made sure that she was not noticed. She could not deny that she was maybe a bit excited by the 'spy movie' feeling this had.
"All clear, go," said the computer.
She opened the door silently and went back in the hall, looking for the emergency stairs. She soon saw the green circle and walked briskly. She typed the code, wondering why an emergency door needed one and then realized why when she saw 'Door under alarm' noted in French in the green circle. The code wasn't to open the door. It was to open the door without triggering the alarm. She quickly started to climb down the metallic stairs beyond the door.
"How far?" she asked softly.
"Go down to level S2. Type the same code before exiting."
She nodded and walked, noticing that the distance between level one and zero was maybe three times the one of the standard floors. She typed the code to exit the stairs and was unsurprised to find herself in some technical area.
"There is an airlock at the end of the left corridor. Do not worry, it does not open on outer space. It just exists for the same reason the engine rooms in ships are divided into airtight compartments. In this case, it marks the boundary between the hospital and what the Ring's inhabitants call the Catacombs. You use the code VALJEAN to exit. An envoy of your benefactor is waiting for you on the other side. I'm told you will know what to do then."
"I do, thank you Galen," replied Hermione, remembering the reconnaissance codes in Alice's message.
"You're welcome. It has been a pleasure having you as a patient, Miss Granger. Godspeed."
"Goodbye, Galen."
The communication cut and Hermione quickly went to the airlock.
"And now, let's find this 'Eponine," she whispered with a smile, remembering the Les Misérables inspired codes in Alice's message and typing the name of the novel's protagonist on the airlock's keypad.
Author's note: Alice's appearance is based on 'Girlycard', the girl shape of Hellsing's Alucard. The name Dimitrescu was chosen for an in-story reason linked to its etymology and is not an indication of a Resident Evil connection.