And I'm back!
This one had to pried out of me with rusty impliments of torture. I had found myself somewhat lost after Harry/Holly suddenly got everything they had wanted in the last roll.
[014]
"These are much better than pumpkin pasties." Luna said before happily taking another bite of the faux hotdog I had conjured into existence. She smiled as the savoury juices of the wiener mixed with the sweetness of the caramelized onions and the sharpness of the mustard.
I smiled at the way her filled cheeks gave her a squirrel-like appearance and studiously ignored the side eye we — well, just Luna really — were getting from the crowd around us as she partook in the glorious muggle snack.
These weren't just the sorry limp hotdogs passed off at sporting events, with my new ability to conjure just about anything I could imagine or remember I used the most premium of ingredients.
I took a bite of my own German styled hotdog and relished the flavour, glad that my practice at conjuring foods had paid off.
Quality bratwurst that I recalled from the German butcher I once frequented in another life, crusty long rolls from an Italian bakery that closed down when I was seven and that Vernon hated because it wasn't run by 'a proper English sort,' sweet caramelised onions that had been carefully brought to the edge without burning — a skill I had picked up over years of cooking for ungrateful pigs — and the sharp tang of American style mustard simply because I preferred it to the English or French varieties. These weren't just hotdogs; they were works of art!
It might be the habitual starvation that the Harry part of me had been subjected to over the course of his life but the ability to create any food I could imagine ex nihilo might just be my second favourite ability I'd picked up from my recent Genie transformation. The first was of course, despite the lack of opportunity to put it into practice it in the eleven days since gaining the ability, the intrinsic shapeshifting that came with being an entity of magic.
My form was mutable to my will. I could change shape with greater ease than slipping between outfits. It was therefore quite annoying that me default shape was feminine.
According to my understanding of my nature, my default form should be something akin to nebulous magical smoke. The only thing I could think of that was affecting me so was that the Half-Veela perk was enforcing a female base form even if it didn't actually stop me from changing form into anything I could think of.
The point was, over the last week and change, I had only been able to show off my new male form on a few rare occasions and never with enough time for Luna and I to explore that form intimately. Luna's dad was a pretty carefree bloke but he had a sixth sense about boys around his little moonflower… or maybe he could tell through the wards? Crafty bastard.
Still, it wasn't all disappointment. With my Genie transformation I gained a certain intrinsic understanding of my own nature. As a Genie, I wasn't now just a human wielding magic nor was I a creature of magic, I was now magic incarnate and my abilities had grown in leaps and bound to the barely educated teen I was before.
Power flowed through me because I was power given form… or well, semi-phenomenal, nearly cosmic power given form, at least. Luna, Xenophilus and I had spent the time before the world cup putting my magical ability through its paces and there didn't seem too much I couldn't do, at least in comparison to a regular which or wizard. I was strong and my magic now flowed to my will with the ease of waving a hand.
Still, I wasn't as powerful as the Genie seen in Disney's animated movie Aladdin and instead held the powers of the lesser version from the animated series. Which wasn't much different from a properly educated witch or wizard with a few notable exceptions.
Much like any other witch or wizard, I could transfigure objects and living creatures into different forms. I could also conjure objects or creatures to act in accordance with my will and lastly, I could affect the properties of an object or creature much the same as a magical could with charms. The main difference between the Geni and witches and wizards that I could determine was that my transfigurations, conjurations and charms were permanent in nature.
Wizarding magic, in all ways, was ephemeral. Witches and wizards, used their magic to force reality to conform to their desire, at least for a time. Their magic was an impression of the witch or wizard's will upon the world around them yet eventually reality would reaffirm itself as the impression faded away.
You see, ordinarily, spells will revert over time in accordance to the amount of magic put into the spell, the amount of resistance inherent in the spells target and the specifics of the spell used to achieve the effect. This held true for transfigurations and conjurations most prominently as while there were multiple rules and exceptions to the art, one truth was constant: Transfigurations and Conjurations always returned to their nature, either back into the object they were originally or back into the nothing from whence it came. Charms were much the same, they eventually faded like the colour of a photograph but they lasted the longest of all the wanded magics, sometimes lasting so long as to seem permanent.
That said, all wizarding magic could be re-enforced to a certain degree of permanency with runes, rituals, sympathies and potions. Runes that reinforced an effect by drawing in ambient magic, potions that changed the very metaphysical nature of a thing, sympathetic bindings of the spell to another source of power and rituals that communed magic itself to simply ignore the rules. Magicals have had centuries to hone their arts and find loopholes in creating long lasting feats of magic after all.
In contrast to the temporary nature of wizarding magic, Genie magic was permanent in nature unless changed by an outside force. Where wizarding magic forced a change on reality, Genie magic rewrote reality completely. Genies changed the fundamental nature of existence around them and because of this, the magic of a Genie could not be simply undone though it could be changed or destroyed.
In simple terms, I could transfigure a stone into a loaf of bread that would, in complete disregard for Gamp's exceptions of elemental transfiguration, be completely edible. It would not be a stone in the shape of a loaf of bread but truly bread in reality. It would not revert with time but simply turn stale and rot unless it was consumed whereby it would nourish the one who consumed it.
This meant that a witch or wizard could not simply just undo my transfiguration, they would not be able to end the spell because there would be no spell still in effect. The stone was now bread it wasn't a stone pretending to be bread and no finite incantatum would ever be able to effect it.
However, that did not mean it was immune to magic. My experiments with the Lovegoods had proven that a witch or wizard could still vanish the bread or transfigure it into something else with ease. They could even transfigure it into a stone of the exact same dimensions as the stone it once was. Yet, in its nature, it would then be a loaf of bread pretending to be stone and not reverted into a stone. It was convoluted and appeared to be a simple difference in semantics but it was not. It was a fundamental difference in the nature of the magic.
I was giving myself a headache thinking about it. Look, simply put, my magic kicked wizard magic in the nuts and then laughed as it lay on the ground in the foetal position because my magic didn't play around, it rewrote reality to my whims… or at least it tried.
There were still some restrictions but they had more to do with the scope of my power rather than the nature of it. 'Semi-phenomenal, nearly cosmic power' meant that I couldn't change reality on a grand scale. I was forced to personally direct it because I did have any type of omniscience backing me up.
But at least I wasn't bound by those pesky rules of the lamp. I could kill as much as my psychopathic heart could desire, which was a relief given that I was in a world with literal murdering, rapist, bigoted magic nazis.
Theoretically, I could also create love and raise the dead but I didn't actually have the power to do it right. It took more than semi-phenomenal, nearly cosmic power to achieve such feats which sucked. Luna's face when I tried and failed to bring back her mother was something I wished I had never had to see.
"Oh! It looks like they're preparing to start." Luna said having finished her hotdog and was licking the remnants of mustard from her fingers.
Her words startled me back into the moment and away from the melancholy the memory of my failure had sparked. I couldn't help but smile at the small blond who was filled with so much love and resilience. I glanced around while absently conjuring a napkin with a small flick of my finger and passed it to Luna who grinned gratefully at me before wiping her hands.
Such an overt use wandless magic might have drawn the attention of the crowd around us but Silent Stalker was at work ensuing people weren't really paying attention to what I was doing. Why it didn't work on Xeno was still a mystery but he just seemed to know when Luna and I were up to no good. Did you know that the owner of the wards can determine which doors are locked and unlocked within their domain? I didn't but now I do.
We were seated in the press area of the ostentatiously golden Quidditch stadium, only a level down from the Minister's private box where I knew the Potter's were seated. On either side of us sat witches and wizards with quill and paper in hand, or in some cases floating just near them as they muttered quietly to bound dictaquills. They had their eyes everywhere as they recorded the feel of the crowd, the quality of the stands and the movement of the personal on the grounds as the event was prepped to begin.
Other than Luna and I, Xeno was the one exception to the air of serious professionalism that permeated the present press. He, instead of waiting eagerly for the game to begin, was drilling a poor wizard from Turkey for answers on the location of the elusive Bastebeast. A creature that, if I was overhearing correctly, lived in abandoned ovens and spat gravy at anyone who dared disturbed their rest… once again I grew concerned for Luna's welfare with her father.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! WELCOME, ONE AND ALL, TO THE FOUR-HUNDRED AND TWENTY SECOND QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP!" A loud voice suddenly echoed around the stadium and the crowd went wild in their boisterous cheering. "AND NOW, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE… THE BULGARIAN TEAM MASCOTS!"
If possible, the crowd went even more wild and the journalists around us leaned forward in eager anticipation, quills and cameras at the ready. I knew what was coming and still I could feel the very air change with their approach.
"Oh! Veela!" Luna giggled and clapped her hands.
On the field, glass stairs and platforms rippled into existence as a hundred Veela glided onto the field and up the newly conjured platforms with their skin glowing like moonlight and their hair flowing like spun white-gold. They danced and twirled with inhuman grace, leaping from glass stage to glass stage in a beautiful yet daring choreographed display.
The crowd hollered and yelled, gasped and cried at their three-dimensional dance… or more likely at the heady pressure of the allure that they were emitting. The stadium thrummed with the magic, a silent siren's call to love them, lust for them, submit for them. It was glorious and it was insidious.
This was a power of obsession. A power of wonton lust and abandonment of will. Even with my Mental Fortress tattoo I could feel the weight of allure pressing against me. Soft whispers to submit, to love, to lust, to lick, to nipple and fuck. This was a power that would have weak men on their knees, tongues out and needy before their mistress and loving every moment of it.
A quick glance at Luna saw her watching the show with joyful exuberance and blushing attraction yet none of the slack jawed obsession that I could see already on the faces of the men around us. Some of that could be that Luna was female, some could be the love we already shared, a love I could feel like a golden anchor against the pull of the Veela. Yet most was likely the softly shining rune on her temple, an echo of my own Mind fortress traced on her brow in moonlight and morning dew. It was nice to know that my attempt to replicate my own protections was working, though only time would tell its effectiveness against more over forms of mental influence.
Still… as the sway of the crowd turned from boisterous to belligerent, joyful to dangerous, I couldn't help but become annoyed at these women for purposefully trying to sway my emotions and those of the rest of the crowd. The Veela danced, wrapped up in their own power and sense of control as they ignored the call to end the display. Around me, wives, sisters and the mentally strong where holding back others who had already succumbed to the seductive whispers of the allure while the Bulgarian officials' players were attempting to coral the Veela back to their places with limited success.
I knew from experience that the allure wasn't always easy to control, that it slipped out when one was distracted. Yet this purposeful expression of the ability was laced with derision and pride and wonton contempt. These Veela were drunk on their ability to hold sway in the hearts and minds of those around them.
Deep within myself I felt something stir as the shouting and cheering grew in fevered pitch. My own Veela nature ruffled its metaphorical feathers in aggravation that these Veela dared to control me. Me! Their Queen!
I didn't see Luna take a startled step away from me as my magic flared and I stepped closer to the railing that separated myself from the field far, far below. She reached out a hand as if to pull me back only to hesitate at the look of annoyance on my face where she had expected blank desire. Her eyes widened as I changed, long white feathers pluming withing my black curls like a crown, my eyes becoming deep and dark orbs of verdant green and my skin aglow with storm light and silver.
My own allure rippled outwards in a targeted thrust at the Veela who ignored the call to stop. It cut through their paltry aura of desire with a spear thrust of domination and slammed against them with all the gentleness of a backhand.
As one, the Veela stopped dancing. Eerily still they stared wide eyed in my direction, knowing my location even if they likely couldn't see me through Silent Stalker. I increased my magical pressure, my allure a soft caress and a firm and guiding hand on their heads as I pressed down. Knee before your Queen my allure breathed into their ears and as one, in a single graceful act, they all came to their knees.
Go, await my call. My allure didn't actually use words but carried with it desire. I dismissed them with all the authority of a Sultan commanding his harem to await his pleasure in his chambers and they followed that command with bowed heads and blushed skin.
"Holly" Luna's hand touched my arm and she jerked it away as pure lustful passion burned on my skin.
I blinked and supressed the Veela fire that was burning in my breast. The feathers in my hair retreated and my eyes returned to their normal intensity. My mouth was suddenly dry as I realised what had just happened. What the fuck was that?
"Luna? Did I just out Veela the Veela?" I asked as I turned to her with worry in my eyes.
She nodded.
"Well… that happened." I glanced around as the surrounding dazed journalists but it seemed that despite the magic I had been releasing, my sort-of invisibility had held strong. Whatever I had just done hadn't been an attack on the Bulgarian Veela and in truth it had felt more like a reprimand from an angry mother than something malicious.
"Whatever that was… it was really hot." Luna said with flushed cheeks. She wiggled her thighs together. "I'm really wet now."
God bless this child.
"WELL… THAT WAS CERTAINLY SOMETHING, WASN'T IT?" Bagman's amplified voice echoed through the Areana from the VIP box above us. "WILL THE IRISH TEAM MASCOTS BE ABLE TO MATCH THAT DESPLAY OF PASSION?!"
A stream of green sparks through the air and the musical clinking of golden coins falling on the masses heralded the arrival of the Irish team's leprechaun mascots.
Seriously… Lust and Greed. It's like the organisers of the game were actually trying to start a riot in the stands. I wrapped an arm around Luna's shoulders and she leant into my touch as we both watched the crowd go rabid in their desire to snatch up the fake gold. I didn't have any hidden leprechaun queen-ness within me to coral in the short green bastards and at this point I didn't want to.
The pregame entertainment was half the fun after all.
"You were right." Luna commented as we followed the press of people out of the stadium and back within the campground where the celebrations were already in full swing.
"Hmm?" I hummed and dodged around wizard in a large green top-hat who was already obviously intoxicated. "What was I right about?"
"Victor Krum taking the Snitch and yet Ireland still winning." Luna responded with a concerned look on her face. "We have discussed that the differences within the world you knew of and our own causing a deviation of the time line and yet this seemingly coincidental even played out in an almost deterministic fashion."
I blinked. That was a very coherent observation on Luna's behalf. At times I had to kick myself that underneath the whimsy and joy there was still a Ravenclaw.
"And yet there are still many differences. The Potter's live, Wormtail is dead, Sirius is not imprisoned and most important of all, I have a twin and a sister." I noted as we filtered through the colourful tents towards where the Lovegood tent was set up.
"True, but the fact that a seemingly random event still held true means that much of your predictions could also hold true."
I considered Luna's words. "Are you worried that there still might be an attack by Death Eaters tonight?" I asked in a hushed tone.
Luna nodded. "There were so many differences between the two realities and yet there is still so much the same."
I reached over and took Luna's hand in my own. Pulling our entwined hands up between us I kissed her knuckles. "There's also much different in between me and the Harry of those stories I once read. I have many advantages that he didn't have… that we have." I brushed my thumb over the replicated rings that adorned Luna's hand.
While Luna was no slouch with a wand and was surely capable of defending herself from attackers even without my help or the presence of the rings. I didn't trust the Magical Government not to try and fling mud at an underage witch who defended herself from 'upstanding members of society.' The magical rings offered her a wandless — and thus Traceless — defence against any attackers.
Luna and I continued to walk hand in hand in our own little world until a voice called out to us.
"Luna! Holly! How great was the match?" Rose's voice carried over the sound of the merriment that was happening all around the campgrounds.
I looked up, only slightly surprised to see the group of teenage witches as wizards waiting for us before the Lovegood tent. Rose stood out in her fiery haired glory but she wasn't alone. Jimmy stood awkwardly next to her trying to look casual as he glanced in my direction. Another redhaired girl stood at his side, a look of annoyance on her face as she glared between me and my brother. Her hair was more coppery in comparison to Rose's darker locks and her eyes were a bright, warm hazel despite the cool look she was giving me. The scattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks were attractive against her pale English skin.
Next was a male red head with a passing resemblance to the one giving me the evil eye. The pair of them together pretty much confirmed my assumption that these were Ginny and Ron Weasley. He had hair a little more orange than his sister's and his freckles were more numerous giving him a red-cheeked appearance. It wasn't helped that he was also quite red-faced and was staring with a slack jawed glazed look in his blue eyes.
I'd spent so much time utilising Silent Stalker in public or around the Lovegood's that I had almost forgotten how some people reacted to even the trace amount of allure that escaped my control. I clamped down with renewed force on the ember that constantly burned within me and tried to hold the seductive magic tighter within. I looked away from the poor boy lest me attention cause him to start drooling.
And so my eyes were drawn to the last figure standing on the opposite side of Rose. I felt my own face heat up a little in recognition of who could only be the one and only Hermione Granger. She looked different from the actress that played her in the movies in my last life yet she was just as attractive, if not more so. Her hair was a wild yet stylish mess of dark brown curls which framed an aristocratic face. Her dark brown, almost black eyes sparkled with curiosity and she watched Luna and I approach. I had the feeling I was being judged though I knew not the criteria or if I was passing or failing in my assessment. It was intimidating and a little hot.
Luna had mentioned exchanging letters with Rose to organise meeting again here at the World Cup but in all honesty, I hadn't paid it much mind. I had been much more concerned about learning magic and then understanding my new Genie abilities… that and I might have been avoiding thinking about my siblings too much. So sue me, it's a complex emotional issue.
"I did Rose. It was fascinating watching how the lesser flames bowed to their Queen before the quiet first champion of the frozen castle proved that his luck against that of the leprechauns was just a foreseen moment of fate." Luna replied in a way that was very much Luna.
Rose smiled, either understanding, ignoring or maybe just accepting Luna's Luna-ness. She then turned to me. "What about you, Holly? Did you enjoy the match?"
"Sure, it was interesting even if I'm not the biggest fan of the sport."
"How can you not be a fan of Quidditch?" Jimmy asked in a way as if I had just said I hatted puppies and kittens.
"Y-yeah." Ron mumbled an affronted agreement that was overshadowed by the fact that he hadn't looked me in the eyes since we had arrived. And no… he wasn't looking at his own feet.
I shrugged and Ron's and Jimmy's eyes followed the movement. "I just don't really see the point of the Seeker. From what I can tell; games like the one we just watches are the exception to the rule. In ninety percent of cases the team that catches the snitch wins regardless of the skill of the other players."
"What?!" "It's a lot more nuanced than that!" "That's not how it works!" "It adds to the excitement!" Jimmy, Ginny, Rose and Ron loudly objected over the top of each other. The shock of my pronouncement having actually kindled some thought back into Ron's brain and brought some heat into Ginny's gaze. Jimmy just looked so disappointed in me while Rose looked to actually be enjoying the moment.
I inwardly sighed. Two sets of life experience and I still maintained my habit of putting my foot in it when meeting new people.
A quiet giggle from Luna and muffled snort of agreement from Hermione gave hope that I had some people on my side, even if they remained silent to my punishment of having the dramatic appear of the Seeker position explained to me in great and extended detail. Traitors.
Still in heavy debate, the group of teenagers made their way into the interior of the Lovegood tent where Luna, with the help of Pixie, had arranged for drinks and snacks to be arranged for this planned afterparty.
They had the tent to themselves for the night given that Xeno was last seen heading in the direction of the Veela campgrounds and the Potter parents were attending yet another ministry event at one of the large circus sized tents closer to the stadium.
So they did what all teenagers did when left together without supervision and raided Xeno's well stocked bar for drinks.
Hermione leant back against the drinks bar with a sigh of relief as the party quieted down as the night stretched on. She might relish having friend now but there was a part of her that would always be uncomfortable in these sorts of social interactions. Still, the time spent fooling around with her peers, eating overly sugared foods and drinking Luna's father's pilfered alcohol — in moderation of course — had been enjoyable even with the presence of Jame, the prat.
Speaking of the annoying prankster, she watched as Ginny lead a grinning Boy-Who-Lived out the tent flap with huff of amusement and rolled her eyes wishing the younger girl well. All it had taken was James making eyes at a Veela for Ginny to finally make her move.
Her eyes landed on Ron who was passed out on a couch after a shot too many of fire-whisky and she couldn't supress the shake of her head at the consequence of his braggadocio. Nothing like Professor Lockhart, the boy was all talk with nothing to back it up. Not to mention is severe lack of anything resembling social manners, or intelligence, or fortitude or…. Well, perhaps she should stop at that.
Many magicals were like that, she reasoned, filled with hot air and grandiose claims yet in reality weren't able to back up their claims. In the moment, this was Ron being unable to hold his liquor but on a whole Hermione felt this grievance on a larger scale. Her mind recalled the promises of community and acceptance, of innovation and intellectualism that came with the Professor who delivered her Hogwarts acceptance letter. That was a lie.
Professor McGonagall had bewitched her sense of wonder and curiosity when she turned her teacup into a kitten four years ago. Even now, the memory of seeing proper magic for the first time filled her with a sense of joy. Yet the Transfiguration Professor's impressive spellwork had been a smokescreen to the problems of the magical world. So startled by the reality that magic was real, neither herself or her parents had thought to ask the hard questions about the magical world's state of affairs or how it remained hidden. Racism, stagnation, corruption and favouritism were just some of the dirty stains that hid behind the veneer of wonder and the sparkle of magic.
Even here, at what was supposed to be one of the largest gatherings of international witches and wizards, Hermione could see the rot at the core of the wizarding world. Her seat in the Minister's box had only been granted through her association to Rose and the Potters. The seats around her filled with those that had the ear of the minister or at least a tight grip on his coin purse.
Even the surrounding upper section seats were filled with those that had money and or political power. Those that had bribed, blackmailed and traded favours with their connections within the ministry. The crowded masses below and the select elite that lorded over them from above was an allegory for the dynamic of how magical Britain worked and as a muggleborn she was already assumed to be at the bottom of the hill… well, near the bottom. Those without magic at all were treated worse.
She shivered as she remembered the vacant gaze of the muggle site manager who ran the campground. The thought of the callous disregard for the sanctity of his mind made her slightly ill. That the ministry allowed it rather than just purchasing the land or arranging for him to be away for the duration of the cup made her angry and scared. How many times had the obliviates been called upon to deal with accidental magic during her childhood? How many times had she or her parents been violated by an uncaring or callous government official?
She swallowed the rising bile that threatened at the back of her throat. Her mind was her sanctuary, her pride. The Memory charm scared her worse than even the unfogivables. People were a collection of experiences, to remove any was to kill them even if only slightly.
Professor Lockhart was right, only power and how you used it, either magical, financial or political, could secure your independence. Only power could guarantee she remained herself.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Holly asked as she seemed to appear out of nowhere with two chilled glass bottles in hand, one of which she offered to her.
Hermione took one of the bottles. "Penny? Not a knut?" She asked with a cocked brow and took a sip from the brown glass bottle, relishing in the crisp tartness that cut through the lingering sweetness from the butterbeer she had consumed earlier. The cool fizzy liquid easing a tenseness in her shoulders she hadn't even realised she was carrying. "Is this cider?"
"I was muggle raised, didn't even know about the magical world growing up." Holly answered and grinned as she took a deeper sip of the drink. "And yeah, apple cider with a hint of Royal Je- Honey. Pixie's been making it on her off time and it's more refreshing than butterbeer I find."
Hermione's eyes widened for a moment. She had assumed that Holly, being part Veela, was pureblood. Not that she had been prejudiced against her or anything like that before now.
She'd found that most of the food in the wizarding world was heavy and rich yet not overly varied and that many of the beverages were a much too sweet — tea and water excluded of course.
She took another sip of the cider, this was good. Tart yet not sour, it filled her with an unexpected warmth and seemed to clear her head somewhat despite its alcohol content.
"I still can't really stand Pumpkin Juice, it's awfully thick and cloying. I don't know how people drink it without liberally watering it down. I miss my sugar free soft drinks." Her dentist parents would never have allowed her to have full sugar soft drinks but they allowed her to indulge in the artificial variety.
"I know! The Lovegood's are pretty good in that regard. They make their own cordials from dirigible plums and something about the floating fruit makes it naturally effervescent."
"Oh, I'll have to ask her for a cutting of the plums and the recipe." Hermione was already thinking of ways to grow a small plumb tree in her dorm room. Anything was better than pumpkin juice.
"I'm sure she would be happy to help." Holly smiled.
Hermione grinned back, amused that she was actually enjoying the conversation and finding Holly easy to talk to. Sometimes only other muggleborns — or in this case, muggle raised — understood the little things that were difficult to get used to in the magical world.
"Speaking of Luna, do you know where she's disappeared to?" Holly asked, looking around the tent with an anxious expression.
"Rose dragged her off to the Potter campsite to pick up more drinks." Hermione replied knowing that Rose just wanted an excuse to talk to Luna alone about her relationship and the possibility of it expanding.
"Ah." Holly nodded in understanding and Hermione had to wonder what on earth the dynamic was there. Did she know of Rose's plans? Was she OK with them? How would that even work? Would they date on alternate days or all together?
Her traitorous mind conjured images of all three of them in a twisted knot of limbs and heaving flesh beckoning her to a much too large bed and she had to shake her head to dispel them. Stupid hormones, stupid puberty. She'd be much happier when this whole developmental stage of her life was done.
They continued to talk about small things, trading quips and jokes about the magical world or discussing various branches of magic that interested them. Hermione found herself enjoying the discussion, surprised with how inciteful Holly was even if she seemed to lack a traditional grounding in the theory of magic. Though, she guessed growing up homeschooled in Australia would mean a lack of access to a proper library.
Throughout their conversation, Hermione noticed Holly becoming more and more agitated that Luna had not yet returned and it was as Holly glanced once more at the entrance to the tent as if to catch the young blond returning that they first heard the shouting.
"Shit." Holly cursed under her breath. "It really is happening."
"What was that?" Hermione asked as she tilted her head to listen to the distant sound of screaming not having heard Holly's muttered comment.
"Something bad." Holly hedged. "You need to get to the forest; you'll be safe there."
Hermione frowned in confusion, a state of being she very much disliked.
"Safe?" She turned to look at Holly to ask more questions only to pause what else she was going so say as Holly did something with one of the rings on her finger and a small glowing silver runic circle formed in the air above her hand.
'I've never seen magic like that before?' Hermione thought to herself, excitement at seeing something she didn't know battling with frustration of seeing something she didn't know! Her fascination with the new magic had to suddenly take a back seat as from the circle the sounds of frightful screaming and hastily shouted spells intermixed with the sound of heavy breathing and muffled explosions.
"Luna?! Where are you? Are you and Rose safe?" Holly demanded.
"-ellegra! Stupify! Holly? Oh, yes, I'm fine. Rose is currently — MOTHERFUCKING BOMBADA! — Rose is currently well, also." Luna's reply was interrupted by the sound of Rose casting the exploding hex in the background but they understood the message. Rose and Luna were currently fighting someone.
Holly was already moving to the entrance to tent, sweeping the material aside and suddenly the distant screams and shouting was much more apparent as the muffling charm that was woven into the wizarding tent was disturbed. Families were rushing hurriedly by, some carrying or dragging their frightened children by the hand. To the south, the sky above the tents glowed an eerie orange with occasional flashes of brighter multi-coloured light indicative of fire and spellwork.
"Are you able to get out of there?" Holly pressed, stepping out of the tent and into the night air that smelled of smoke and fear.
"I'm afraid that may be a bit difficult- Stupify! Stupify! Testilla Tortus! Stupify!" Luna began only to be cut off as she launched a series of stunners and a Testicle Twisting jinx at her assailants. "Sorry, as I was saying, that may be a bit difficult. James Junior and Ginevra are here also and in a spot of trouble and I wont leave Rose here alone nor will she leave with me."
"What about their emergency portkeys?" Hermione asked suddenly.
"Oh, Hello Hermoine." Luna jovial tone belying the sense of urgency of the situation. "We've both tried our portkeys but they appear to be blocked."
"Shit!" Holly swore. "Alright, keep fighting and I'll be there soon."
Holly touched the circle again, causing it to shrink to the size of a small coin which she then somehow brought to her ear where it stayed in place. Hermione could still hear the much-reduced sounds of Holly and Rose fighting through the small magical circle and realised it was acting like a magical earpiece.
She turned to face Hermione. "Get to the tree line, you should be safe there. I'm going to go get Luna and the others."
Hermione caught her arm as she turned to leave and hissed. "Like hell I'm running away, Luna and Rose are my friends too and I'm not abandoning them."
Holly stared at her with her intense green eyes for a silent moment as the sounds of fighting and screaming inched ever closer. Her gaze pierced through her appraisingly, reminding her of Professor Lockhart when he evaluated her performance. Hermione gulped; her mouth suddenly dry.
Whatever she saw must have impressed her enough as Holly nodded. "Alright. But hold on tight."
"Wait? Hold on to whaaaaaaah!" Hermione screamed as Holly seemed to evaporate into smoke and, in the same moment, a strong arm wrapped around her waist and Hermione suddenly felt herself flung into the air, her question trailing behind her in an extended scream.
Heart thumping, Hermione opened eyes that she hadn't realised she had clamped shut and had to resist squeezing them tight again. The campgrounds were laid out like a multihued checkerboard below and she could see people streaming around tents like ants.
"Luna's over there." A hand stretched forth and pointed to where she could see tents were burning harshly in the night and the sound of screams were concentrated. Even from this distance she could see dark figures exchanging shellfire, silhouetted against the orange flames.
Swallowing the taste of bile that was threatening at the back of her throat, she followed the outstretched arm back to the owner and the one holding her aloft.
Holly was no longer Holly… or maybe she was more than Holly. Composed of smoke and magic, her eyes burned like green embers. Over her face was the shadow of another face, masculine yet delicate, though both visaged extruded strength and power.
"Beautiful." She breathed before shaking her head. Not the time. She had friends that needed rescuing.
A scream, cut through the night as they flew with haste over the campgrounds toward their friends. The sound of it carried pain, desperation and an echo of the screech of an eagle.
A shudder ran through the arm that was holding her aloft and Hermione noticed Holly flinch at the sound before a look of fury crossed her face.
"They are mine!" Holly bellowed into the night and with a twist that had Hermione's stomach metaphorically drop to somewhere near her ankles, Holly spun and suddenly there were two of her.
Another Holly now flew next to them. The Holly carrying Hermione nodded to the new Holly who nodded firmly back before departing in another direction with great speed. Hermione caught the flash of fiery wings sprouting from the departing figures back before the new Holly was gone from her sight.
"How…" Hermione began but then clamped her mouth shut. There would be time enough for answers later and they were getting close to the epicentre of whatever was happening.
Down below the burnt remains of the Potter tent could be seen surrounded by dozens of black-clad masked and hooded figures. They were concentrating spell fire on two points where coloured streaks indicated someone was fighting back against them.
As some of the smoke cleared, Hermione could make out James and Ginny taking cover behind a raised mound of earth, occasionally throwing stunners back at the encroaching ring of Death Eaters to little effect.
A flash of red and the sudden explosion that knocked a few of the Death Eaters off their feet drew her attention to the side where Luna and Rose were fighting a smaller group of Death Eaters that had split away from the main group. They appeared to be trying to force their way towards James and Ginny but were struggling against the greater numbers and the training of the dark cloaked figures.
Holly growled at the sight and twisted once again. Hermione ignored the vertigo that ran through her this time and saw the third Holly that split from the one holding her tightly angle away from them towards where James and Ginny were while they maintained their descent towards Luna and Rose.
Hermione gripped her wand tightly as they closed in, now swooping only just above the still standing tents. She readied herself to cast against the pureblood scum who were attacking her friends and so was in the perfect position to see Rose stumble and trip as she successfully dodged a mustard yellow curse but also see the sickly streak of green light that erupted from one of the attacker's wands streaking directly at her.
There was no way that Rose would be able to dodge.
Hermine tried to scream out in desperation, in the hope that the spell would miss, that someone would stop it, that… that something would save her first friend. When suddenly her mind was filled with an endless sea of stars and the crash of waves within the storm. Stars filled the night, cascading across the sky and in the centre of it all stood Holly like a shining pillar of stone. The world turned and turned anew. Shadows of what is and was and is to come mixed together in violent symphonies.
And time slowed down as green struck.
"NO!" Holly roared!
And chaos descended.
I was not planning of ending with a cliff-hanger but the stars insisted on it. Sorry.