"So where's this bird of yours?" James teased, his eyes straying to the empty seat that Peter used to occupy.
Unseen Remus grimaced, his eyes also on the chair. "She's in her house as far as I know."
"Avoiding us?" James probed lightly.
Remus' eyes flew to his, finding Lily and Sirius both eyeing him with the same searching expression. "No?" he ventured, not sounding at all sure.
"Remus," Lily growled.
He sighed, "It's complicated."
"Complicated," she retorted, "You've all but moved in with her! And we haven't met her, not really!"
"Yeah so…that's…that's…" he scrambled for a reason, "Professor Croaker is limiting who she's meeting."
He noted with faint amusement that all three of them wore the same expression, their eyebrows arched in surprise. "Why?" James demanded.
"I can't tell you. Vow. It's…linked to ending this war."
"How bloody involved can she be! She just turned up." Sirius exclaimed exasperatedly.
"Seriously, can't tell you. I'll…I'll…see if I can sort something soon." he eyed them, "But maybe not all of you at once. I ah…fuck," he froze as something occurred to him, a genuine jolt of fear shooting through him, "She hasn't even met my parents. My mum is going to be furious!"
"You're all but living with the witch!" Lily howled, throwing her hands up in frustration.
"I know!" he groaned, "but it's all been rather quick and…"
"She…she knows, doesn't she?"
"Yes," he pulled a face, "Did they not say? She's responsible for the job. The Department of Mysteries is not under MInistry purview and therefore do not need to adhere to their laws."
"Because that's not terrifying," Lily muttered. "How did she know?"
"She ah..had a professor who was a werewolf," Remus muttered, shifting uncomfortably, "She recognised the signs."
"How?" James demanded, "It's not…
"I don't know," Remus cut him off, "I didn't exactly ask for details, she blindsided me with a bloody job!"
"How's it going? The job?" Lily changed tact quickly, sensing that if they kept pushing Remus was going to push back. He so rarely did it which only made his defense of this witch all the more intriguing.
Against his will, Remus smiled, "It's…fascinating. And…nothing at all like I expected."
"But you're enjoying it?" she checked.
"Yes. the magic they get to play with is…beyond all imagining. Even if Professor Croaker keeps threatening to lock Hermione and I in a room."
"Why?"
"Oh…ah…the whole soulmates versus mates thing. He wants to observe us." they all looked alarmed at that, but he waved them off, "The witch would eviscerate him if he tried. She's terrifying."
"And Snape?" James checked trying and failing spectacularly to sound casual.
Remus sent him a knowing look before shrugging."They're friends apparently."
"How?"
"Something to do with finally having someone who matches her intelligence." he muttered, "And he…well. I've seen them together. He cares for her. It was...disconcerting but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense." He stopped talking when he realised they were staring at him in disbelief. "Look she's keeping him and I very much intend to keep her so I'm going to have to work on integrating myself with Snape. Currently he very much has the advantage and I imagine he'd win if I was ever stupid enough to force her to choose."
"Snape?" Sirius repeated. "Your mate would choose Snape? Greasy…"
"Didn't she already have this conversation with you?" Remus interrupted exasperatedly.
Sirius flushed an angry red, but it was James who spoke, "You trust her?"
"Unquestioningly." he admitted meeting his eyes steadily.
"Why?" Lily demanded.
"I can't tell you yet," he admitted. "It's…complicated."
"So you've said," she retorted, clearly unimpressed.
Remus was silent for several minutes clearly weighing up his next words. "If…if the truth got out…she'd be dead."
"What?" Lily paled looking at him in confusion.
"They'd torture her for information." he forced his voice to remain steady, the fear of that happening making him want to vomit. "Information she wouldnt fucking give them. And eventually, when that sunk in, they'd murder her."
Lilly reached a shaking hand out towards her husband, "Who is she?"
Remus shrugged, shoving down the urge to check Hermione was safe, "She's my soulmate, and I understand you dont know her, but surely that has to count for something?"
"Course it does," James agreed, looking shaken. "Mum ah…she said to get to know the witch too. I don't know what she said but apparently she made an impression."
Remus hummed, "Give her time. Its…things are…difficult. I know your mum invited her to dinner."
"She said no," James replied pointedly.
"I know," Remus agreed. "She…she needs to work up to it."
Three confused faces stared back at him as he offered a weak smile in return before very obviously changing the subject. They let him, but they all knew that the conversation was far from over.
"So shopping," Alcie bounced into her room like a hyperactive Puffskein.
"Apparently," Hermione mumbled, looking uncomfortable.
Undaunted by her decidedly lacklustre response, Alice grinned. "Great! Cassie and Mary are desperate to meet you."
"Mary?" Hermione hedged.
"Mary MacDonald." Alice prompted. Hermione hummed, trying to place the name, knowing she'd heard it somewhere. "Not a name you recognise?"
"I…I've heard it but I can't place it." she admitted, giving up, knowing it would come to her eventually.
"Well, blank slate then," Alice replied bracingly, "And you met Cassie at the wedding and then again at Order meeting so…"
Hermione sighed heavily, eyeing Alice's outfit, "This is going to be awful isn't it?"
Alice snorted, "Nonsense, it's going to be fun! And didn't you promise me a…Bob?"
Hermione snorted entirely against her will, "I did do that." she agreed.
"Well then." Alice grinned, "Let's go!"
Mary Macdonald was nothing at all like Hermione had been expecting. Bubbly, bouncing and so stunningly beautiful that Hermione would have felt inadequate if she hadn't just been so bloody nice.
"I'm so excited to meet you!" she grinned, grasping Hermione's hands tightly. "Liss and Cassie refused to tell me much of anything!"
"Mary!" Alice groaned, shooting Hermione an apologetic look. "Didn't we mention not overwhelming her?"
"Nonsense!" Marry scoffed, letting go of Hermione's hands to hook her arm through hers. "I've been in need of a new best friend since that bitch Beatrice Smythe enticed Betram into a broom cupboard."
"Hermiones already got a new best friend," Alice countered with a slightly wicked grin. "She and Snape are really close."
"Snape…Severus Snape?" Mary peered down at her, "Are you sure, sweets? He was a bit…um…intense at school."
"I'm quite fond of him," Hermione offered blandly.
"Fond of Snape." Mary repeated as if the concept was utterly foreign before rallying. "Well then. Clearly there's something redeemable about him."
"His dance moves," Alice supplied, completely deadpan.
"His…what?" Cassie screeched.
"Didn't Alice tell you? We took him dancing," Hermione kept her face neutral through sheer force of will wanting to laugh at the stunned disbelief on both witches' faces.
"You took Snape dancing. Mother of Morganna." Cassie breathed. "We're doing that again soon, right? Gods I desperately want to see that!"
"I don't know if he'll agree," Hermione hedged.
"Like you wont make him," Alice scoffed. "That wizard adores you."
"Something you'd like to share with the class Miss Longbottom?" Mary probed.
Hermione shot a confused look at Alice, who shrugged, "I thought she'd realised."
"Realised?" Mary repeated, frowning.
"Sirius summoned Hermione, remember?"
"At Lily's wedding," Mary agreed.
"For…" Alice prompted.
"Oh! Remus ,oh of course! And you've accepted that?"
"It's rather hard to argue with," Hermione replied dryly.
"Merlin, and Remus is alright with you being friends with Snape? There were issues when we were at school."
"I'm aware," Hermione agreed, "And if we ignore the fact that Remus appologised to Severus for his behaviour at school, he still knows better than to attempt to forbid me from anything."
"Yes, he always was the more intelligent of the four of them," Cassie agreed as they stopped outside a shop. "Now as enlightening as this conversation has been, this is my favourite shop, five outfits each. Go!"
"Five!" Hermione protested.
"Five," She agreed, "Two day, two night and one you just love."
Hermione froze as the rest of them scattered, her eyes taking in the unbelievable seventies fashion as she attempted not to just laugh. Merlin she'd seen pictures of her mother in some of this stuff. Venturing in cautiously, she rifled through the clothing, trying to picture herself in any of this.
"Not that," Cassie commanded, appearing beside her so quickly Hermione wondered if she'd apparated. Forcefully, Cassie removed the top from her hands, scrutinising it. "Or not that with those jeans you have in your hand."
She disappeared for several minutes, coming back with a cropped top with puffy sleeves that made Hermione shake her head automatically and a little red corduroy mini skirt that she held up against Hermione's body thoughtfully. "Yes. This top with those jeans. And that other top with this skirt.
"I can't wear that top." Hermione mumbled.
"What? Of course you can."
"Cassie. I can't."
"Why?"
"Everything alright?" Alice appeared, her arms full of clothing. "Oh I like that."
"Then tell her she can wear it!" Cassie pouted.
"I cant!" Hermione repeated.
"Why?" Alice frowned, aware she was missing something obvious but not sure what.
"Scar," Hermione mumbled not looking at them.
"Scar," Alice repeated softly before understanding dawned. "Oh, oh fuck, right."
Cassie's eyes darted between them, "Scars that bother you or scars you think bother everyone else?"
Hermione's eyebrows rose almost against her will. "Well I…" she frowned, turning that over inside her head. She didn't like the scar exactly but it no longer bothered her the way it had when she'd first gotten it. If anything she used it as a reminder to work harder, to ensure she never ever felt as outskilled as she had that night. "It leads to questions I can't answer."
"I imagine it does," Cassie replied gently, "But if it doesn't bother you, then tell them to mind their own damn business."
Giving a resigned huff of laughter, Hermione accepted the top Cassie held out. "Fine."
"Good. now Liss is good to go, Mary has half the shop. You have two outfits. Scram!"
Twenty minutes later they found themselves in a changing room that Hermione had been faintly horrified to realise was communal.
"First outfit ladies!" Mary commanded, wriggling her way into an impossibly small minidress in a vibrant mustard that suited her dark skin beautifully.
"The length of her legs is patently unfair." Alice groused, pulling a floaty floral maxi dress.
Taking a deep breath, Hermione pulled on the jeans and the top that she still wasn't sure of.
"Well now I know I was right," Cassie smiled smugly, in a similar outfit. "That was made for you."
She caught Mary's eyes drifting questioningly to the scar that travelled across her body but she didn't question it. "Right next!" she called with a grin instead, clearly deciding that someone would tell her in their own time.
An hour later, the purchases in numerous bags they had yet to shrink, Hermione contemplated the fact that female friendships had never quite been this easy. She'd always thought it was her that was the issue but maybe it hadn't been, maybe Lavender and Parvati had just not been the right fit for her and their differences had just been exacerbated by forced proximity and her dormmate's clear similarities. Or maybe, she had been at least part of the issue and the war and growing up had forced her to remove the stick from her arse. With a wince, she acknowledged that that had probably helped.
"Drinks now!" Mary demanded, guiding them into a tiny hole in the wall of a bar, greeting the barman like an old friend.
"Still ok?" Alice murmured, scanning her face.
"Surprisingly," Hermione agreed, accepting the drink she was handed, deciding not to question it.
"Now! The lovely Remus," Mary plopped down next to her, "Tell us everything."
"Oh! Oh! No first, we were meant to get a Bob!" Alice lamented.
"Bob?" Cassie frowned.
Hermione choked as she tried to swallow and laugh at the same time, "Battery operated boyfriend," she supplied.
"Oh dildos!" Marry crowed after a beat of silence. She was loud enough to make half the bar turn to look at them.
"I think traditionally dildos dont vibrate," Hermione mused, making the rest of them laugh as the other patrons returned to their own conversations.
"Oh Merlin!" Mary grinned, "but…battery operated? They dont do those do they?"
Hermione froze, trying to work out what to say, "Oh I thought I'd heard of a company making them," she tried to keep her tone casual.
"Who?" Mary looked intrigued rather than disbelieving, which was a relief.
"Ann Summers?"
The other witch pulled a face, "I've heard they're really seedy." she shuddered. "No, muggles are still a bit uptight about that but there's a wizarding brand set up a few years ago."
"There is?" Alice demanded.
"Yes, Sarah Collins and Maraget Haston. They're still quite small, not a lot of people know and it's not exactly the thing you advertise in the Prophet."
"No," Alice murmured.
"Witch weekly though…" Hermione suggested completely straight faced. Alice and Mary froze before catching the glint in her eyes and the way she was fighting a smile before they let out loud boisterous laughs.
"Oh Merlin, they'd scandalise the older witches! Augusta subscribes to Witch Weekly!" Alice wheezed.
"Or rock their entire world…." Mary retorted with a wicked grin.
"Is someone going to explain!" Cassie demanded.
"Oh. Penis' for your pleasure without being attached to a man," Mary waved her off ignoring her spluttering. "I can send an owl."
"Yes!" Alice replied immediately.
"Do I need to have the clit chat with my cousin?" Hemione checked, "I don't want to but I will if I have no choice."
"The clit chat…" Alice flushed scarlet."Oh. I mean. No. No, we're good."
"Thank all the gods," Hermione muttered, "Because that would have been absurdly uncomfortable…and also likely rather funny. I might just do it the next time he pisses me off regardless."
"Oh I knew I was going to like you!" Mary laughed. "Right, drink up. We'll go and send that owl and grab another drink in the Leaky."
"Yes, Boss!" Cassie saluted.
Ignoring her, Mary turned to Hermione, "And then you and I are going to set a date for lunch. Liss says you don't really know anyone and you work too hard."
Hermione rolled her eyes, "I gather you work hard too."
"Well yes, but I do shifts and Healer Marcheline is a doll and ensures we take breaks. Something about Healing apprentices not burning out lest none of us make it."
"Not a philosophy Saul subscribes to."
"Is he awful?"
"No, he's actually rather funny. Completely insane and altogether brilliant. And unfortunately not at all able to counteract my workaholic tendencies. I'm half convinced he requests meetings with various people just so we're forced to stop occasionally."
Marry let out a delighted laugh, "Oh I want to meet him then! Insane and brilliant is a wonderful combination."
"You'd know," Cassie quipped. "Come to the next meeting and he'll be there. You can see Severus Snape acting like a real human too…and James and Sirius trying to behave litke real adults." She grinned at Hermione suddenly, "You really have made things much more interesting, you know."
"I'm so glad to be of service," Hermione drawled at the same time Mary exclaimed.
"Damn it! I'm on shift for the next one!" She pouted. "I'm going to demand Dumbles makes the one after it on my day off! I want to see that! Now come on, we've orgasms to order!"
"Ah Princess!" Fabian grinned, "You came back!"
"I did," she agreed blandly.
"Moody send you to duel someone?"
"Pretty much." Hermione agreed.
"Well then, "Me or my twin?"
Hermione considered them. "Both."
"Both?" Fabian stared at her in surprise.
"Yes. Both together."
"Kinky, Princess." Fabian teased, quickly regaining his equilibrium, making her roll her eyes.
Walking past him casually Hermione sent a wandless silent stinging jinx at his arse, making him yelp and round on his twin who had his wand in hand.
"What was that for!"
"It wasn't me!" Gideon protested hotly.
"Of course it was! Princess isn't even carrying her wand!"
Gideon's eyes narrowed, "Princess doesn't need a wand, do you witch?"
"I couldn't possibly say," Hermione demurred with a smirk.
"Oh that little…" Fabian growled.
"Witch?" Gideon offered with a laugh. "Come on brother, let's go and show Little Miss Nightmare that we're still a force to be reckoned with."
Hermione faced them wondering if it was a monumentally bad idea. She needed to test her skills, but Merlin knew the twins were formidable, and she was handicapped by her previous reliance on Ron or Harry to have her back. She had managed to hold her own most of the time dueling them one on one but two on one, especially these two, was an entirely different ballgame. It was something she had been aware she needed to practice now she was feeling healthier. Taking a deep breath, she centred herself; if she couldn't do this, there was no way she was surviving Death Eaters. And she very much intended to survive.
Expecting the first hex when it came, she dodged, noting the way Fabian was holding a shield over them both, leaving Gideon to fight her. She could work with that. Knowing they'd be expecting her to aim for Gideon, she held her wand tight, trying to remember Professor Snape's lessons as she shot a bombarda at the floor in front of their feet, knocking them off balance, disarming Fabian with an overpowered expelliarmus from her wand-free hand in the chaos. She heard the clatter of wood and his curse, signifying her success as she silently accioed it in the confusion. Not being able to see from the dust, she didn't dare fire anything at Gideon, not sure that she wanted to expend the energy when she wasn't sure she was aiming in the correct place.
"That wasn't nice Princess," Fabian growled, sending a wandless light green light signifying a severing charm hurtling towards Hermione, she barely blocked it as they advanced, both of them layering spells as they pelted her, sending her backwards. Knowing what they were doing, and getting out of it, proved to be two entirely different beasts. Making a split-second decision, she took the hit of another diffindo to her left arm, sending a flock of angry canaries at Gideon to distract him before turning her focus on Fabian, allowing him to catch her again so she didn't need to split her focus between spell and shield charm before she stupefied him, whirling to face a snarling Gideon, confiscating his wand in his fight to remove the birds. A quiet Ventus knocked him off balance, allowing her to bind him, cancelling the birds.
"Bloody hell you're vicious," he panted looking most put out.
Hermione shrugged, "I'm sure you say that every time we duel. And I won't win against Death Eaters if I'm not."
He pulled a face, "Fair point. Although now I feel l need to up my game, you're up 5 to 2."
Cancelling the ropes she helped him to his feet, wincing when her ribs pulled, one of them had caught her with something that she was sure had broken it earlier.
"We both know an awful lot of it is luck on the day," she muttered, "I just happen to have been luckier than you recently."
"True enough," he sighed, accepting his wand before reviving his twin. "Makes you wish the side effects of constant Felix Felicis weren't so horrid."
With a rueful smile, Hermione closed the cuts leaking blood onto her robes. "Anything else?" Fabian checked, running an assessing eye over her while summoning the ditany.
"I think one of you broke my ribs," she muttered.
"Ouch, let me see," Gideon commanded.
She transfigured her robes into a top and skirt, raising the hem to expose the ribs that were already beginning to bruise. "More than one I think," Fabian commented, dropping dittany onto her cuts before tending to his own.
She let out a loud yelp when Gideon jabbed his wand at her side, sending her ribs sharply back together. "Pain potion, Princess," he grinned, dangling one in front of her.
She scowled, snatching it from him and draining it. "Someone needs to make that taste better," she shuddered.
"Definitely," Fabian agreed, "Maybe get your pet potions prodigy onto it."
"I just might." she agreed, "Now are you both ok?"
"All intact," Gideon agreed, dropping dittany onto the beak and claw marks left by the canaries.
"Right then, showers, bruise paste and then please, for the love of magic, say we can get lunch?" Fabian begged.
"Sure." Hermione agreed, "it's on you though! I won!"
"Cheeky witch," he muttered as he followed her out.
"Ah you're starting to like me though."
"Or we're terrified of you and want you onside?" Fabian batted his eyelashes making her laugh.
"Nah, I'm a delight."
"You're something, "Gideon muttered, throwing an arm around her shoulders, "Lunch on Fab? He lost first!"
"Uncle Hector?"
Hector's head rose to meet his niece's eyes, grudgingly grateful to the boy who appeared to be living in his house that she looked something closer to healthy. She'd been here two months now and her birthday was rapidly approaching; the thought of it made him anxious in a way he hadn't voiced to anyone but his wife. Two of the same person existing seemed like asking for trouble, but Saul had assured them it would be fine. Still, he wasn't sure he'd believe it until both versions of his niece were here and remained unscathed. "Hermione?"
"I…would it be possible…"
He frowned at her stammering, utterly unused to her being anything other than direct. "Hermione, breathe. Whatever it is, it can't be that bad."
Unseen, Algie entered the room, glancing between them. "Everything alright here?"
In a sign of how rattled she was, Hermione jumped. "I want to see my grandparents," she blurted.
Hector and Algie's eyebrows rose in unison, "I don't think….I cannot quite imagine…" Hector blew out a breath, trying to corral his thoughts. Whatever he had been imagining, this hadn't entered his head. Belatedly, he realised it should have.
"The first time my parents hear about magic shouldn't be when this version of me is eleven!" she begged, "It's not fair! And I know that we're looking at making muggleborn's lives easier but she's me, and I know what our life looked like. I don't want…if there's a chance to change eleven years of feeling different and out of place, surely I owe her that?"
"Merlin's sack, Algie muttered, looking at his brother, "I can't argue with that. Are there…well what I mean…" he paused, trying again, "Two of the same person…."
"Oh, I asked Saul," Hermione dismissed, "He thinks it'll be fine because she'll have no knowledge of being me, and we're at very different stages. No ones going to think they're insane and I'm hardly going to curse a baby I know is me and a baby isn't capable of cursing anyone so…."
"Right," Hector blew out a breath. "I…right. Lenny might…"
"Take it really badly?" Hermione finished with a defeated sigh. "I know. But Gran probably won't. And she's all we need onside to get to mum and dad."
Nodding slowly, clearly against his better judgement, Hector folded. "When?"
"When are you due to see them?"
"Tomorrow," he admitted reluctantly.
"Then tomorrow. Before I can talk myself out of it."
The next day found her pacing. "We do no need to do this Hermione," Hector offered softly.
"We do," she contradicted, "I do."
"Ok," he breathed, "I…if you need to leave…"
"I know," she agreed with a grateful if slightly pained smile.
"Where is your wizard today?"
"Work, Saul has him training with the Aurors. Its standard apparently, to ensure dueling is up to scratch in case anyone attacks the department. I just thought Uncle Alastor was being over cautious making me train with them. Apparently not though. We've occlumency testing too, not that I'm hugely worried about that. And then withstandding torture at some point soon." she shuddered, "Saul wants us to do that together."
Hector swung to look at her horror plain on his face, "What?" he hissed.
"We keep many secrets," she reminded him. "It's…sensible, unfortunately."
"You are a traumatised war veteran!"
"All the more reason to know my triggers and how to work around them. Shall we go?"
He stared for several seconds before offering his hand with a muttered, "Going to have a word with Croaker," before they disappeared with a sharp crack.
He paused when he reached the door appearing to war with himself before he raised his hand and knocked. Hermione stood at his side, forcing everything behind her shields as she tried to prepare herself for what was coming.
"Hector!"
Only the grip she had on her uncle's arm prevented Hermione's knees from buckling at the sight of her grandmother, younger than she had ever seen her smiling out from the opened door.
"And…?" she paused clearly waiting.
"This is Hermione," Hector offered. Elspbeth's eyebrows rose, her eyes raking over Hermione, the question clear on her face "Once we're inside Beth," Hector corralled gently.
She stepped back silently, her eyes never leaving Hermione's face, "You look like my Sarah." she murmured.
Hector almost winced as Hermione's fingers dug into his arm in response.
"You're here then," Lenny groused as Hector followed Elspbeth into the sitting room, "And you brought…" he frowned. "Who the bloody hell is that?"
Hector sighed, choosing his words with care. "This is Hermione. She ah…she came to us almost two months ago. A….ritual gone slightly sideways."
Lenny's face clouded at the mention of magic, but Elsbeth stilled his tongue with a hand on his arm, "What sort of ritual?"
"A soulmate one," Hector replied. "It…well. It brought her rather than just revealing a name. Stupid kids thinking they can play with ancient magic."
"Why are you telling us?"
Hermione's face was sad as she met her grandmother's eyes. "Uncle Alastor insisted on a heritage test," she whispered. "Couldn't just take my word for it. Paranoid arse."
She watched with a detached sense of reality as both her grandparents froze. "Uncle Alastor?" Elspbeth whispered.
Hermione hummed, "I didn't know of course, not originally. I met Uncle Alastor originally at fifteen. It was…rather a shock to be honest to hear that you came from a magical family. Mum and dad had no idea. I didn't know until I ended up here that you both did."
"Who the bloody hell are you claiming to belong to?" Lenny demanded.
"Mums due a girl soon isn't she?" Hermione replied softly. "She'll have her in two days. The nineteenth"
"Get out," Lenny spat, his face furious. "Expecting us to believe this shit!"
"No." Hermione stood, her expression matching his, the familial resemblance so striking that even Hector drew in a sharp breath. "You will damn well shut up and listen to this you ridiculous old man! Because I bloody refuse to have this version of me grow up the way I did!"
"Who do you think you are!" her grandfather stood, towering over her.
"I'm your granddaughter." she spat, "And merlin knows right now I'm not altogether fond of that fact, but it doesnt change that I am. You know what I remember of you?" she mused, almost to herself. "I remember a grandfather who told me I could be anything I wanted to be. I remember a man who used to take me on these stupidly long walks and then let me ride on his shoulders when my legs got tired. He encouraged me to be myself and when the bullies were at their worst, he used to hug me tightly and tell me that one day I'd find my people, that there was nothing wrong with me. But I also remember the rants that didn't make sense, the inexplicable anger at times, the way he'd sometimes look at me with a mix of disappointment and sadness when he didn't realise I was aware, the way he started pulling away when I was around eight or nine. And I understand that now. You knew long before Professor McGonagall appeared at our house that I was a witch. And you didn't mention it, neither of you did. I understand that not having magic in a world that looks down on you for it must be shit, mainly because ive just fought a fucking war because I do have magic but my parents don't but you punished me for it long before the pureblood arseholes ever did."
Somewhere in the back of her mind, she realised that her grandmother was sobbing, but it was her grandfather's ashen face as he stared at her that held her focus. "You will not do that to her." she growled lowly, "I will not let you. I…it hurt in ways I can't even begin to explain to you." She shrugged suddenly, looking exhausted as the fight drained from her, "but what was one more person who believed I wasn't good enough?"
"Of course you're good enough," Hector interjected sharply, glaring at his brother as he reached for his niece, pulling her to him in a move that had Leornard scowling.
Hermione gave a mirthless huff of laughter, "No I wasn't. Too magical to be muggle…or squib I suppose, too muggle to be a real witch. "
"You are a real witch!" he argued, "Merlin's arse, witchling, I've seen you wield your magic."
"Why didn't Alastor tell us?" Elspbeth whispered, "you said…you said over two months…."
"Would you have believed him, Gran?" she asked tiredly.
Her acknowledging smile was sad before she stood, reaching out a shaking hand to her granddaughter's cheek. "You look so much like your mother."
Hermione hummed, "I've always been told I look more like you."
The woman gave a choked sob before she pulled her to her feet and wrapped her in a hug so tight that Hermione felt her ribs crack. It was one of the best feelings she'd had in years, the comforting scent of Youth Dew that she always associated with her Grandmother, leaving her sobbing into the familiar embrace as grief hit her hard.
"Oh, oh my girl, it's alright, it's going to be alright," Elspbeth crooned, rocking her on instinct.
Hector's hard eyes traveled to his brother who was watching his wife and granddaughter with a broken expression on his face.
He finally found the courage to speak when Elspbeth had convinced Hermione to sit down, her arm banding tightly around her waist as if she was going to disappear. "I'm sorry," he rasped.
Hermione's red-rimmed eyes shot to his, "For?" she checked warily, her body held tense.
"i….I'm sorry for making you believe you weren't good enough. I…I would…I …Sarah allowed it?"
Hermione shrugged a flash of pain shooting across her face, "It was subtle," she murmured, "Just…a gradual withdrawal, but I noticed. The year I turned eleven….you were so tense. And the minute mum mentioned boarding school you…clammed up and refused to look me in the eye for months. I didn't understand."
"Well, we're not having that," Elspbeth interjected briskly, her eyes on her husband, the warning in them clear. "For either of you. Goodness it's…so strange to think of there being two of you."
"I know," Hermione mumbled.
"Do you…your parents…" Elspbeth stumbled over her words, "Do you want to meet them?"
"I don't know," Hermione whispered. "They won't be mine. They'll be hers and I'm…I'm glad, she'll get to keep them. But they won't be mine."
"Oh, oh my lassie." Elspbeth tightened her arm as her granddaughter all but collapsed in on herself. "There is no right answer, but you could be…the best mentor the other you could have." She gave a sudden laugh, "Although we'll be discouraging them from naming this you Hermione. That would be too confusing I think."
"You said you fought a war," Lenny spoke suddenly. Blowing out a breath, Hermione nodded. "But you're…you're…"
"It started when I was twelve," she whispered, "And it had just ended when I was…called here."
"Who called you?" he checked curiously, trying not to give in to his horror at the thought of a twelve year old in a war.
"Oh Sirius Black for one of his friends."
"A soulmate ritual though," Elspbeth mused, "A rare thing. What's he like, this…I assume he's a wizard?"
"Yes," against her will she smiled, "He's…he makes me feel whole in a way I wasn't sure i'd ever feel again. I sleep without nightmares when I'm with him. I haven't slept without nightmares in years. He's…modest. Unbelievably skilled, patient…with a hidden streak of mischief he likes to pretend he doesn't have."
"Sounds like love."
Hermione froze, "Love?" she squeaked.
"Is it not?" Elspbeth demanded.
"I…It's…we've…"
Hector snorted, "I can't say I'm thrilled with the way things worked out but he's a good lad. Clever. He's an Unspeakable alongside our girl here. And he's…good for her. Will your other young wizard accept him, do you think?"
"Other young wizard?" Elspbeth checked incredulously
"If you mean Severus, you should be more worried about Remus' virtue than mine." Hermione retorted dryly. "And I believe they've agreed to try. It's hard. They have quite a difficult history that I keep meaning to hex Remus for, but I'm likely keeping them both so they're going to have to learn to get along."
Hector blinked, "He ah…he and Remus were…"
"Together?" Hermione laughed suddenly, "Gods no! You heard Sirius at that meeting though. Remus, James Potter, Sirius and the rat made Severus' Hogwarts years hell. He says Remus didn't often participate, but he also didn't stop it so… Remus has apologised, again apparently. Recently. I'm hoping he manages to not need to apologise again or soulmate or not, I'll be forced into a decision neither wants me to be."
"Ah," he hummed, "And does he have a wizard he has his eye on?"
"Are you matchmaking Uncle Hector?" Hermione checked with amusement.
He shrugged, "it's always amusing. Now I might have recommendations."
Hermione laughed, leaving both her grandparents with faint smiles as they watched some of the tension finally leave her face. "He wont tell me! I've tried."
"Unfortunate," he mused, "Our Benjy's ah…."
"Gay," Hermione supplied.
"In my day that meant happy," he grumbled. She rolled her eyes making a go on gesture impatiently, "Benjy might just lighten him up." Hector muttered, "Fabian's also into wizards, he gets through them quite quickly mind. If he's into older wizards, your Aunt Augusta's friend, Griselda Marchbanks, her sons just broken up with his betrothed. Sammy's a nice lad."
"I'll be sure to pass it on," Hermione agreed with a slight smile. "Actually if you could mention it, he'll hate it. I can't wait!"
Lenny frowned, "The lads your friend?"
"Of course he is," Hermione agreed, "And occasionally he needs to be shoved out of his comfort zone lest he get lost inside a cauldron. It does him good to be discomfited every now and then."
"Do we get to meet either of them, dear?" Elspbeth checked.
"I…if you want." she hedged.
"You bring both those wizards for dinner. I'll do a proper roast."
Hermione gave a quiet huff of laughter, turning to squeeze her grandmother tightly, "I've missed you so much."
Silently Elspbeth squeezed her back.
"You'll come back then?" Hermione stiffened as she looked over at her grandfather as they stood to leave over an hour later, trying to read his face. "It's a bit lonely on some of those walks Elspbeth sends me on to get me out from under her feet."
Hermione swallowed audibly, silently nodding her head. "I'll come back."