Hermione woke up the next day anxious and excited. She had a general plan laid out; Harry came up with a way that her loved ones wouldn't necessarily be missing those years she wasn't with them. It helped to remind herself that soldiers of old would sometimes only receive letters from their family once a month, if that, and she was training to be a soldier.
She had packed her school bag with clothes and nightclothes, parchment that she had initially purchased for the rest of her notes for the year. Which she bashfully admitted was enough to fill 3 thick books as she always over prepared. She had her pens, quills, and inks; that had a wonderful array of colors courtesy of Luna. Thankfully none of them in obnoxiously neon colors that she had seen when looking at stationary in the muggle stores. She acknowledged that they would be good for art, and had gotten them for her blonde friend for Christmas.
The hazel eyed witch had decided that aside from bare essentials that she would have to trust Thimi and whomever the other elf was to take care of the rest. She even decided to wear a casual black robe under her cloak to avoid any undue notice, and yoga shorts under that. After Ogden she decided it was a safe precaution. They were black, light and breathable, and very soft. She had decided on bicycle shorts, until her mother had shown her the yoga shorts.
Hermione fingered the bicycle shorts hanging on the rack and hummed while trying to make a decision. She was looking for a pair of shorts that would be comfortable as daily wear for under her robes. She had quickly rejected the idea of wearing windbreakers, they made way too much noise.
Hermione had picked up a pair from its hanger and was moving to place it in her basket when she felt her mother tap on her shoulder.
"Hm?" the witch queried looking at her.
"Why don't you try these on and compare them," Abagail suggested, "I'll hold your basket."
"Okay. Thanks," the younger woman replied, taking the other shorts.
After some shuffling through the chaos that was last minute Christmas shopping, Hermione managed to get to the dressing room.
"How many?" the clearly burnt-out employee asked in tired French.
"2," Hermione responded, also in French as to be polite.
The employee handed her a card with the number two on it.
"Bring anything you don't want up here," she stated.
"Okay, thank you," the witch answered as she found herself an empty dressing room.
After trying on both she decided that she preferred the ones her mother had picked. While the bicycle shorts were comfortable, it was something she would have been more than eager to take off once she was done for the day. Whereas the shorts her mother had picked she could see herself wearing to sleep if she needed to. Both fit her legs snuggly, one more than the other, but the pair her mother picked hugged them gently.
She sat down and stood up in them, paced the small area, and even lightly stepped onto the bench, to see how they fit through the activities. The pair she had initially picked got a little tight when she rose her leg, and fell a little when standing up after sitting. Clearly one was the better choice, and she was glad she had her mom with her.
"I won't be taking these," Hermione announced as she came back to the employee.
The employee barely responded to her as another customer came by to try on clothes.
"I like the ones you picked," Hermione stated once she reached her mother.
Abagail smiled, "They're yoga shorts. They're meant for comfort while being active. They even have mini versions. You should get both, they're over there," her mother said pointing to a rack not too far from them.
As the witch went to do so Abagail called out, "After this we have another stop."
Hermione was curious, "Where to?"
"That would be telling," Abagail said with a mischievous smile.
Once they had finished, they met back up with the boys; Leeroy, Harry, and Sirius. Severus had looked pained at going to any store so close to the Holiday. So they left him at home to brew with Thimi.
"Next stop?" Leeroy asked.
"Next stop," Abagail answered with that same mischievous smile.
They all loaded into the car and took off to their next destination. They pulled into a strip mall and quickly found parking. Harry and Hermione were able to quickly tell why. All the shops here were different kinds of services; massage therapy, dentistry, a dance studio, a dojo, and a tattoo parlor.
Harry looked at Hermione with a grin, "Luna has rarely ever been wrong."
Hermione made a face at her brother that expressed how unimpressed she was by his teasing.
"Luna is the clairvoyant friend, right?" Leeroy inquired.
"Yeah, I already know what I'm getting," Hermione admitted with a flush with embarrassment that she was doing her best to stamp down.
"I'm getting my ears pierced," Harry stated.
"Of course you're only getting piercings. You're both still too young to get actual tattoos," Abagail teased with a cheshire grin.
"Do you want to do this together or separate?" Leeroy inquired.
"Do you want me to be there with you?" Harry asked quietly.
Hermione bit her lip thinking before nodding, "Yeah. There's nothing I have that you haven't seen that isn't my butthole."
"You've seen Hermione naked!?" Sirius cajoled loudly, clearly startled by this information.
"I snuck into her room before she left for Bulgaria. She responded really quickly and rolled out of bed and had her wand on me in seconds." Harry admitted bashfully, "If I was some sort of intruder, I would have been a smear on the wall. It took her a second afterwards to remember she was naked. That's when I came out to her. It was not my finest moment."
"Wait. Why aren't you surprised?" Sirius asked Leeroy and Abagail.
"We're in France, we go the nudist beaches all the time. Besides I know a lot of siblings who have seen each other naked or in states of undress. I know my sister and I've seen each other naked many times. Seems only natural," Abagail answered calmly.
"Harry told me," Leeroy answered with an easy smile, "Which means you get to stay in the car with me."
"What? What if I want to get a piercing too? So, I can say I got one with them?" Sirius challenged.
"Because if you wanted one, you would have already gotten it," Leeroy answered simply.
"What if I want an earring?" Sirius questioned petulantly.
"Then get out the car with them and expect to not be in the room when Hermione gets hers," Leeroy responded.
"That would be cool. Then you can get a dragon fang earring like Bill," Harry said.
"I think Bill's would still be cooler," Hermione quipped.
The siblings laughed as Leeroy and Abagail shared a glance and a smile. It was nice to hear and see them. They loved their kids dearly and felt it greatly in that moment.
The 4 entered the tattoo shop with a little bell alerting the workers that they had clients. A woman covered in tattoos and piercings greeted them.
"Hey. What can we do for you?" she asked in English.
"I made an appointment, under the name Abby. We're here to get piercings," Abagail answered, "What gave us away?"
"Him," the tattoo artist remarked pointing with a jerk of her chin towards Sirius. "They're at least 16 and you're their parents?" she inquired.
"I'm just the godfather," Sirius piped up, "Their dad is in the car."
"Yes," Abagail answered with a quirk of her lips. She knew Hermione was an adult, and would be more so soon. However, on paper in the regular humbug world, she was17 and still needed parental permission.
The tattoo artist looked at Harry and Hermione.
"Do you know what you want?" she asked them.
"I want earrings," Harry stated.
"I want nipple piercings," Hermione followed.
"I want one earring," Sirius piped in.
"Well Mom, is that okay with you?" the tattoo artist quizzed Abagail.
"It sure is! How much will it be?" Abagail replied with an impish smile.
"$75 for the teens, $15 for the man child. My name is Cosette, and first you have to sign some paperwork, then we can get you back there." The tattoo artist now known as Cosette stated as she moved to grab some paper.
After a few minutes of reading and signing papers, they were able to go into a back room. The walls were covered in pinup art and skulls as well as some pop culture things.
"We'll do the earrings first," Cosette asserted as she put on latex gloves and got the jewelry and sanitation set up.
After a few moments, making sure everything was right where they wanted them to be, and having the procedures done, Sirius and Harry were proud to show that they had earrings.
"Wow that hurt less than I thought," Harry commented surprised.
"Just a pinch, right?" Cosette cajoled teasingly.
Harry laughed, "Yeah."
"Do you want them in here while we do your nipple piercings?" Cosette asked.
"He can be in here," Hermione declared pointing to Harry, "He cannot," she said pointing to Sirius.
"You heard the lady, go sit in the waiting room," Cosette affirmed.
Sirius raised his hands in surrender and went to go look at himself in the mirror in the waiting room, checking out his new earring.
"Now. It's gonna feel like a big pinch, the anticipation hurts more than the actual piercing depending on your sensitivity," Cosette warned her.
Hermione nodded, "I'm a bit sensitive, but not as much as when I'm on my period."
Cosette conferred, "They'll make them a bit more sensitive then. And you'll feel like a rockstar!"
Hermione grinned at that. She had never felt anything remotely close to a rockstar. Cosette grinned back easily.
"Are we doing bars or hoops?" she asked.
"What do you recommend?" Hermione inquired.
Cosette nodded in approval, "Hoops are better for easy cleaning while they heal, but it's up to you. Are we doing vertical or horizontal?"
"Horizontal," Hermione answered confidently.
"Horizontal it is babes," Cosette said with an easy grin.
Setting everything up and making sure they were perfectly symmetrical took a few minutes, but once Hermione was happy with the placings she was asked to lay down on the table.
"These placements look okay?" Cosette asked.
Hermione inspected them very carefully, "Yes."
"Okay. I'll go on the count of 3." The tattoo artist informed her as she grabbed the piercing clamps and piercing, "Deep breath. 1, 2, 3!"
"Bitch!" Hermione yelled.
"Alright, one more to go, you ready?" Cosette probed.
Hermione nodded, "Let's go."
"Deep breath. 1, 2, 3!"
"CUNT!" the witch swore loudly.
"Alright, you did very good. They look great. Now check them out," Cosette encouraged the witch with a grin.
As she stood to look in the mirror for the final okay, Hermione was amazed by how much extra confidence they gave her. She was very excited and happy with her new piercings.
"We happy?" Cosette prodded.
"Very! They look great!" Hermione declared exuberantly before turning to her mother with a grin, "Thanks, Mum!"
"First Luna, now Mum. Don't expect any piercings from me any time soon," Harry quipped teasingly.
His sister laughed in response and shoved him playfully before looking back in the mirror, moving her breasts this way and that, loving the way the jewelry shined.
Thankfully Thimi had taken her anxiety to heart when it came to the stress Harry would be under due to all the emotions he would be experiencing on her end in the room. The lovely little house-elf had brewed him a calming drought that he could take before they left the house.
She took a deep breath and looked around with a wave of nostalgia knowing that she wouldn't see her room for some time. With a rueful smile to herself she left the room.
"Hey," Harry greeted her lamely.
Hermione chuckled and quickly ensconced him in a big tight hug.
"I'll miss you; I love you, and I'll see you soon," she uttered softly.
"Hey now, I'll see you in an hour and we're going there together," Harry grinned cheekily.
"You prat," she replied before pulling back and grabbing his hand.
"Let's go," she announced, dragging him behind her.
When they reached the entrance hall, they saw that Sirius and Severus were ready and waiting for them.
Hermione immediately opened her mouth to apologize but was cut off.
"Don't worry, you're not late. We just woke up extra early to go over details amongst ourselves before we left," Sirius said.
"Where's Ella?" she wondered instead.
"She went on ahead so it didn't look suspicious," Severus answered.
Hermione nodded in response.
"Ready?" Severus asked her.
"As I'll ever be," she replied with a small grin.
"We decided that you two go ahead and meet Ella and we'll be around for your first hour," Sirius added.
The curly haired witch nodded in acceptance.
"I went out and bought you a few journals. I figured two of them could be used as letters to your parents as they won't be able to reply as we can," Severus admitted, as he gently passed her the stack of journals, "And it'll be easier to keep track of your notes while studying."
A light blush managed to flush itself onto her face. While she should be used to him being considerate of her and taking care of her, it still caught her off guard. The feeling it gave her however always filled her with warmth.
"Thank you, master," she said with a small smile, "I suppose I should quickly run back upstairs as I packed all the parchment I have."
"Just give it to, Harry. He can put it in your room," Sirius chimed in.
Hermione looked at her brother who nodded, "Yeah, I can do that."
"Thanks," she replied as she started to get the parchment from her bag.
"No problem," he huffed a chuckle as he took the large stack from her.
"Did you keep any for the letters to us?" Sirius cajoled.
"Of course I did," the witch snapped with her nose slightly in the air, "Who do you take me for?"
"No one but yourself," the wizard replied with an easy smile.
Hermione nodded at the response before looking at Severus.
"Shall we?" he asked with a slight quirk of his lips.
"We shall," the witch said as her heart fluttered.
It was nearly the same feeling she got when she was first going to Hogwarts, only this time she didn't need to worry about making friends. The bubbly excitement that warred with anxiety at the idea of a new adventure.
They walked up the steps of Gringotts and quickly headed to the queue.
"Next!" called the goblin teller.
Hermione stepped up confidently, Severus once again slightly behind her.
"Name?"
"Well met, teller. Hermione Granger, I'm here for my appointments," she stated.
Every goblin had quickly become aware of the witch. Two respected goblins had spoken of her off hours. One was enough to pique curiosity, two however make her interesting. While their ears perked up, they made sure to stay on their own tasks.
"Well met, Apprentice Granger, I will have someone escort you and your master to your destination," the goblin declared with a cautious respect.
"Gnack!" the teller called.
A goblin was there in moments, a small sneer on his face.
"Escort Apprentice Granger to her appointment," the teller told Gnack.
The sneer lessened, "Come, Apprentice Granger, Master Snape."
The duo nodded and followed the goblin. They went through what felt like a maze, passing many doors and walking through many halls. They stopped in front of a set of double doors made of bronze with goblin knots. One door had an axe while the other had a sword, they both clashed where the doors met.
"Elder Oak is ready for you," Gnack told them as he opened the doors.
Hermione walked in with a nervous determination. Once she spotted the respected goblin she put a fist over her heart.
"Well met, Elder Oak. I hope I don't disappoint you," she stated coming to stand in front of him.
"We shall see, Apprentice Granger," he said calmly, "We will spar and I will decide whether you were worth the time."
Severus stood near the door, Gnack on the opposite side.
"We will spar for 30 minutes, as that will give me a decent insight as to your level of prowess, if any. I won't use any weapons, you won't shift," Elder Oak stated.
Hermione nodded in agreement and understanding.
"Begin!" he called out.
Hermione quickly covered the ground between them and let out a flurry of punches with her index knuckle slightly out so they hit harder.
Elder Oak blocked most of them, gauging her. He missed a punch though and took it in the face, his nose crunched under the weight, blood now leaking from it. Even after, the witch continued to attack him. He swung back with a punch of his own.
The witch dodged it fluidly, and swung a kick at him in return. The goblin was caught unaware, thinking she only knew how to punch properly. He grunted and attacked with a series of his own blows. She dodged most of them and blocked the others, using his movements against him.
Elder Oak lunged at her, with intents of grappling with her. The witch dodged and managed to kick him in the back of his head as he went past her. The goblin managed to tuck and roll before swinging back up.
He looked at the witch and kept his face straight, even as he wanted to smirk a little. Elder Oak and Hermione closed the distance and began again. They each traded blows, Hermione took a heavy punch to the side of her stomach and grunted, but kept going. Elder Oak then tried to sweep her legs from under her. He was surprised when she deftly jumped over him, her feet towards the ceiling in an arc in an unexpected aerial cartwheel. However, he didn't let the surprise catch him completely off guard as he managed to block the kick that had come from behind him in a quick turn.
Elder Oak pushed her leg away from him and went to punch her in the stomach, only for her to block. He was pleased that she was indeed physically fit, and even broke his nose, something that hadn't been done in some years. He was enjoying the sparring match. He had made the easiest rookie mistake of underestimating her. Not because she was a woman, but because she was a witch. Wand wielders seldom took arms anymore, preferring to duel only with magic.
They continued to exchange blows even as she started to breathe more heavily, she never let up. He continued to attack her, landing more hits as time went on. However, he was pleased that she didn't stop, and instead hit harder.
Elder Oak went to elbow her after a feigned punch and moved towards her center. In response the witch kneed his arm, deflecting the attack. She followed up with a scissor kick, getting him in the chin.
The sound of his teeth clashing made her sneer. A mix of wanting to wince as a dentist's daughter, and staying focused on the fight.
The goblin grabbed one of her legs and pulled it, making her land on her butt, and had his fist come down and hit her face. Hermione grunted and grit her teeth for she reached for him and pulled him down, rolling so she was on top and wailing her fists on him to pay him in kind. Elder Oak managed to get from under her, just in time to see she had recovered first and launched herself at him like a feral animal, her head colliding with his already broken nose.
With a deep grunt Elder Oak swung and managed to grab her by the back of her neck and threw her a bit away from him. He then jumped toward her, his fist just barely touching her throat as she managed to dodge last second.
"Time!" Gnack called.
Hermione breathed and let herself fall fully onto the floor. She carefully controlled her breath, trying to get her breathing back to normal. After a few moments she sat up and then maneuvered herself to sit on her knees.
"How did I do, Elder Oak?" she inquired her breath still somewhat heavy, her face and hair covered in sweat.
He smirked at the witch, "You did well. I will be training you in polearm and knives."
She grinned at him and firmly placed her fist over her heart, "Thank you, Elder Oak. I'm glad I met your approval."
"I'll have a healer meet you in front of the designated room. I appear to also be in need of professional healing," he said with a raspy chuckle.
"I know I'm not allowed my wand in Gringotts, but would you allow me this one time to fix your broken nose?" Hermione asked with a slight plea.
It surprised Elder Oak before he smirked, "For what it's worth, I appreciate the sentiment. You will be allowed your wand in the Aίthousa όras. I will meet you there on my own time."
"Yes, sir," Hermione replied with a smile, "Is that the real name of the room I'll be in?"
"It is. It's Greek; means Time hall," he answered.
"Is that what I should call it?" she prodded him politely.
"No, Time room or Time hall. While it is in Greek tongue, only those worthy are allowed to know its true name," he answered with a slight smirk, "One cannot always find what they seek without the proper name after all."
Hermione nodded with a tired smile before she stood up.
"I have to say, your head is much harder than it appears," Elder Oak said with a light huff, almost a laugh.
"I must agree. The first time I tested her fighting skills, she broke my nose with her head," Severus conferred, still standing by the door.
Elder Oak chuckled, "It seems Apprentice Granger has a habit of breaking noses. I had wondered if she would hold back, and I'm glad she didn't."
"Gnack, escort them to the Aίthousa όras. I'll be there with an approved healer," he commanded.
"Yes, sir," Grunt replied quickly, "Apprentice Granger, Master Snape, follow me."
Hermione was quick to follow the other goblin along with her master. They seemed to be going further into the building, much further from the entrance. Gnack stopped in front of a door, one that looked like the rest and opened it for them. They continued to follow their goblin escort and were minorly surprise to see it was an entrance to another cart track.
This one looked more like the modern rollercoasters, Hermione noted, as it had many carts attached to it.
"Enter," Gnack called, letting them into the first cart.
Once they were in and seated, Gnack drove the cart, the track went on three sharp curves and two deep dives. Severus was surprised that his witch was enjoying the cart ride in a way that he knew she didn't experience with brooms. Hermione however had a secret, she loved rollercoasters. She had heard about the carts in Gringotts and how they were 'unsafe' according to other people. At first it made her nervous, but as long as she was able to hold on to the front part of the cart, she enjoyed the turns and dives. She trusted Gringotts more than she did a broom. They couldn't afford for their clients to die on their way to their vaults.
When they stopped, they lurched forward a bit. Gnack quickly got out and opened the cart for them. They got out and continued to let Gnack lead them where they had to go.
Severus and Hermione noticed that it was decorative in a deco art style. The tiles in the floor were various colors or marble and quartz in a gorgeous moving mosaic of goblin warriors subduing a dragon, like knights of old in church windows. The colors were just as vibrant as they would be in the sun.
"Gnack, how will Elder Oak be able to regularly spar with me while I'm in the Time Hall?" the witch puzzled.
Without looking back Gnack replied, "He and a healer will be in there with you for the full duration. You will have separate sleeping quarters and food. Elder Oak is used to training many warriors in the Aίthousa όras."
"I mean no offense, time magic is always tricky so I'm merely curious," Hermione admitted.
Gnack merely nodded his head, "It would be impossible to do daily training constantly going in and out at the right times. The trainer wouldn't be able to recuperate properly, even with a healer and potions. It's more efficient if the trainer stays."
"Have there ever been instances of trainers switching every other year?" she asked.
Gnack looked at her through the corner of his eyes, "It was attempted. The way Elder Oak tested you, each warrior would need to be retested with each entry. The practice was quickly replaced with the one we have now."
It took them a few minutes to get to their destination and Hermione was bursting with excitement and curiosity.
"Excuse me if this comes off as rude, but how old is Elder Oak?" Hermione asked carefully.
Gnack was surprised at the witch's genuine interest, "Elder Oak is 130, Elder is an honorary title as well as respect for our elders. Elder Oak achieved his by exemplary discipline as a warrior and to our heritage and culture. However, he is young comparatively."
"I know he trains other warriors, but how often does he use the room?" the witch wondered.
Gnack smirked, "Elder Oak trains the trainers. The trainers then go in batches."
"Is Elder Oak a prodigy?" she contemplated.
"Of sorts. Elder Oak has dedicated his life to his people," Gnack replied.
Hermione nodded feeling that she was treading a fine line.
As they turned a corner, they saw Cedrella along with Arthur and Ginny. Cedrella noticed them first.
"There she is," Cedrella sang in a light melody.
"Morning, Ella," Hermione greeted, "Ginny, Mr. Weasley."
"Morning, Mia/Hermione." The father daughter duo replied.
Severus merely nodded his greeting, and got nods in return.
"Is Narcissa running late?" Severus drawled.
"Of course I'm not, Severus," Narcissa claimed with a slight sniff turning the corner from the opposite way along with her goblin escort.
"Cissy! You made it," Cedrella cheered as though they were meeting up for a mere group errand.
"Of course I did. I get to teach Apprentice Lady Granger. That alone is an honor," Narcissa expressed with a coy smile.
"Lady Malfoy," Arthur nodded at her.
"Mr. Weasley," she nodded, "Please introduce me to your daughter," Narcissa said imperiously.
"This is my daughter Ginevra, she's the youngest of my seven," Arthur stated a proud grin, "Ginny this is Narcissa Malfoy, nee Black. She's Tonk's aunt."
"Ginny," Ginny remarked with a slight curtsey and a neutral expression.
"Well Ginny, I am glad to know that at least 6 of Arthur's kids have high prospectives. You do your family an honor," Narcissa expressed.
Ginny faltered for a moment not expecting praise from Narcissa. She had prepared herself to be shunned and tolerated at best. Scorned for being a Weasley.
"Thank you, Lady Malfoy," the redheaded witch quickly replied.
"Master Snape, Mr. Weasley, please be seated," Gnack dictated.
The wizards quickly made their way to the prepared chairs. Severus was glad they weren't regular wooden chairs that he used in his office to make the students uncomfortable. They were more modern in style with a plush seat.
"Call the elves who will be in the room with you," Gnack instructed.
"Dolly, Sunny," Ella called.
Hermione paused slightly stunned. She hadn't prepared to be without Thimi for seven years thinking she would be with her. She knew it would only be seven hours for them and wouldn't hurt Thimi at all. The witch resolved to hug Thimi and to buy her a few more presents to show how much she missed the little house-elf.
Severus noticed that Hermione wasn't paying complete attention to the proceedings that she normally would. She was observing it fascinated, but there was something else he couldn't put his finger on it.
"Well met, Apprentice Granger," a new goblin said, their voice had a soft jazzy undertone.
The witch looked at the new goblin who was accompanied by Elder Oak. They were dressed in a charcoal gray wide flowy sort of garb. The cowl on the garb covered most of their face, the tip of their nose and their mouth were the only things visible on them. They also walked with a gnarled short staff, almost like a cane, but Hermione could feel the magic from it. She even noticed the polished clear quartz that looked as though it was balancing on the swirled end of the handle.
Hermione quickly took in everything about the new goblin, listening to the guidance of the ley lines, even as she answered in turn, "Well met, Honored Healer."
"Oh ho, the tales aren't tall when they come to you," the healer quipped with a grin, "Let us not fuss and begin. Once we're in I will show you around the Hall, then you will be given your uniform to change in."
"Uniform?" Ginny asked.
The healer quickly turned to look at Ginny and sized her up, "The young apprentice will also be learning the ways of martial fighting. She is to be dressed properly. I was informed you will be given pureblood etiquette during this time block."
Ginny looked at Hermione in amazement.
"Come now, ladies," the healer said leading the way into the room.
Once they were all in the Aίthousa όras the healer kept walking.
"This is the main room where you will be for most of your stay. It is here you will learn and train," the healer stated not pausing for them to look around, "While you're in here you are allowed to use your wands, however you will be held to our laws should you break one. You are to never point it at myself or Elder Oak without explicit permission each time if any. Accidents happen and those will be viewed on case-by-case basis."
They were brought to the next room. "This is the Mess Hall, across you will find one set of toilets."
They kept following the healer. "This is where you will sleep, attached is an open bath. You will be provided wash tubs, new towels, and soap. Wash before you relax in the water. We do not want to clean filth out of the hot spring. Across the hall is the second set of toilets. Elder Oak and I will have separate sleeping quarters. However, if there is a need, I am but a yell away."
Hermione turned to look and noticed Elder Oak wasn't with their little group.
"Elder Oak is not to enter this space unless it is dire. As a male it isn't done," the healer informed.
That tidbit surprised Hermione and Ginny.
"Then are you a girl?" Ginny asked curiously. Hermione's eyes were alighted with similar curiosity even if her expression was slightly aghast.
"I am indeed a female, young witchling. However, I will still have my own sleeping quarters as is my right as a healer," she answered.
"Is there something we can call you?" Ginny ruminated, "Honored Healer is a bit of a mouthful."
"You may simply call me Healer," the goblin suggested.
"No, that's too long to go without hearing your name," Ginny said factually.
"Healer Storm," Hermione verbalized.
"Ahh did they tell on me?" the healer goblin said wagging her finger at the young apprentice with clear humor.
"They did," Hermione admitted with a sheepish grin.
"I am indeed Healer Storm. You may call me Healer or Healer Storm," Healer Storm affirmed.
"Now, you will have training in the morning and again in the evening. You will be expected to wear the uniform. They're neatly folded over there. You've been given three, and you will be expected to hand wash them yourself on wash day. While you have elves here, I still expect you to clean up after yourself in some manner," Healer Storm stated.
"Of course, Healer Storm," Hermione answered quickly.
"Of course, I cannot punish you for their own free will to go behind my back and do a better job than you. Still, I expect effort."
"Yes, Healer Storm. I could do no less," Hermione answered genuinely.
Healer Storm turned away with a huff, "See that you do, young Apprentice."
Once she left the room Cedrella grinned at her.
"She likes you," Cedrella said.
Hermione smiled back feeling extremely self-consciously, "I expect such from my master, so I'm a little off kilter to see it also coming from our supervising healer."
Ginny looked at Hermione, "What did she mean by 'they told on you'?"
"Ginny, leave it. She's not to answer until you're able to fully occlude," Cedrella reprimanded with an undertone of finality.
"What? I thought I was just learning how to respect magic." Ginny replied feeling wrong-footed.
"You are here mainly for that, but in the meantime, you will also be taking occlumency lessons. I taught your father and uncles, and your brothers Bill, Charlie, and Percy, the twins were learning from me through letters, but I hadn't been able to check if it was actually working until I saw you for Christmas." Cedrella replied.
"When did they learn?" Ginny asked.
"I taught your brothers the basics before they left for Hogwarts and finished after they took their OWLs. The twins were almost self-taught, in a way, but I did manage to teach them the basics. I didn't like that your mother didn't let me teach you younger kids like I did the older ones. Especially since she doesn't know how herself. She leaves herself open to be read by the likes of Dumbledore just walking into a room," Cedrella disclosed with a light sneer of distaste.
"What Dumbledore wouldn't –" Ginny started.
"Dumbledore does," Hermione cut in firmly.
"He wants to know everything as quickly as possible as you know it and doesn't like to wait for answers. Usually, he doesn't have to do more than a surface scan, like skim reading a book," Cedrella said.
"Then what are the meetings for?" Ginny implored, looking warily at Narcissa.
"They're mostly for show. Dumbledore wants to win the war and keep things as they are. He's had a decade to change things, and he did nothing but twiddle his thumbs. Allowing the likes of Fudge and his under toadies to make prejudiced laws without doing more than token protests," Cedrella answered.
Narcissa nodded, "While he pretends to like muggles, he tolerates them because they can produce muggleborn, giving us new blood for stock. His sister was attacked by muggles for her magic and traumatized her so awfully that she became an obscurus. She killed her own mother with accidental magic. Dumbledore, being the eldest, had to take care of her and his younger brother. He complained bitterly about them holding him back and their mother dying. He does cater to purebloods in action though."
"If you were to speak of Dumbledore's father, he was put in Azkaban for attacking the children who attacked his daughter. He put the Statue of Secrecy on the line for his revenge. Dumbledore wanted to do away with it, but eventually he saw the necessity. He speaks of freedom and tolerance while he ties the noose," Cedrella stated.
"Does Dad know?" Ginny pressed.
"I've told your father. While we both agree with Dumbledore's lip service, he tries to do what he can by being close to him. As a designated Light family, it would send alarms if he wasn't friendly with him. He has you and your brothers to worry about first, and you're away 10 months of the year with Dumbledore in control," Cedrella answered.
"It's something you need to keep in mind. You Know Who is obviously just as bad, killing whole families and ending lines that don't agree with him isn't something that exactly says 'keeping tradition and blood pure'. It's destroying families and making lines extinct to the point we have more muggleborn as magic finds new lines without any guides," Cedrella said grimly.
"The Dark Lord was very convincing. It wasn't until they had his magic under their skin that his trusted followers realized it was an all or nothing commitment. Most things are in our world, but I think they thought it was like being knighted since he called his Death Eaters the Knights of Walpurgis at first," Narcissa acknowledged, "Thankfully as a born Black, I owe fealty to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black first and foremost. I am first a Black and at the end a Black. The fact that Bellatrix went ahead and took the mark still makes me a little sick."
"Then why are you still there with him? Why teach your poncy son blood purity tripe?" Ginny demanded.
Narcissa raised a brow at the young witch's sass and impudence, "While I believe that purebloods do belong on the upper crust of society, it is because most of them Respect magic. They know what to do in case of emergency with their magic. It is easier to ask their closest family if there is a serious problem or if their magic was just settling in a child. You can't do that with new blood. They figure everything out on their own, they heed no warning about their magic since they don't know what to heed. They can't teach their children what to heed should their magic envelop the child. They're obscuri waiting to happen. No offense meant Apprentice Lady Granger."
Hermione nodded, "At one point I would have been offended, and that is the reason that we're having these lessons. But I do think that it depends on the muggleborn. I haven't had any issues listening to magic, my affinity is quite happy with me."
Narcissa nodded approvingly.
"Put your things down by your beds and come to the main hall, we'll begin lessons as soon as you're there," Narcissa bade after she placed her own bag on a bed.
"Wait, I want a bath first. I just sparred with Elder Oak," Hermoine piped up.
Narcissa looked at the younger witch and nodded. It had slipped her mind that the younger witch had fought the goblin before being brought into the room.
Hermione quickly put her bag down on the bed with the uniforms folded on it. Hermione paused for a moment before she pursed her lips.
"What's up?" Ginny asked, noticing her hesitation.
"I don't know if I should try on the uniform now or later," Hermione muttered.
"Put it on now so you don't have to later and then you'll be used to it later," Ginny suggested.
Hermione grinned at the other witch and gave her a wink, "You're so smart, Gin."
Hermione grabbed a change of under clothes before making her way to the open bath. She was greeted with a wave of steam as she opened the light sliding door. The hot spring was rather large, half of an Olympic sized pool.
'That's the real treasure here,' Hermione thought.
She knew hot springs were a large luxury and one they didn't have England. Or maybe they did and goblins had control over them since they were underground.
The curly haired witch quickly pulled off her clothes, piled them neatly by the door, and sat on one of the stools reaching forward to grab a wash tub. She put her hair up and quickly washed before rinsing off, knowing she'd be able to soak later. Once she was clean, she got up and quickly threw on her undergarments before grabbing her clothing pile and walking into the sleeping quarters.
She put the pile of dirty clothes in an empty hamper by her bed before dressing in her new uniform. Hermione was amused that it was what she would call classic fantasy medieval. A dark brown form fitting leather of some sort, incredibly supple pair of pants that slightly flared out on the bottom and a soft, cream colored, linen top with flared sleeves. She was glad that her uniform shoes were dragonhide ankle boots and fit just as well as her knee high dragonhide boots.
"Wow Hermione, you look fit in that," Ginny said stunned.
"Gin," Hermione glowered as she made a disapproving face, "There's no need to lie. I know the uniform probably looks great. It feels great. But there's no need to lie."
"H-huh?" Ginny stuttered temporarily shocked, "Hermione I'm not lying. Yes, the uniform is fit, but you fill it out. If goblin women wear that when they train, I can understand why The Goblin Nation doesn't want them working with the common wizarding folk. If they fill those uniforms out as well as you, they might have another reason to hate wizards, y'know?"
A dusting of pink bloomed on Hermione's face before she nodded. The witch didn't say anything else after that and left the room.
Ginny stared at her friend for a bit before she rushed to catch up.
Cedrella was surprised to see Hermione already in the goblin uniform, but pleased at the younger witch's decision.
"Hermione, good, let's not waste any time. I'm glad you took a quick bath, you'll be able to soak later," Cedrella declared with a grin.
"Apprentice Lady Granger," Narcissa said, "Miss Weasley, let's sit down and begin."
"Lady Malfoy, we'll be seeing each other every day for seven years, you can call me Hermione," the young animagus mused.
"I'll be seeing you for at least a year, you can call me Ginny," the redhead chimed with a head tilt and her chin slightly up.
Overall, the action made Ginny seem extremely confident in herself, and Hermione knew it wasn't a show. Ginny was confident and self-assured, witty, and cunning. She would have easily been great in Slytherin trait wise, but her ability to assert herself while being personable at the same time? Gryffindor, Hermione was sure.
"You may call me Narcissa while we're here. Once we leave however, I would appreciate you adhering to formality when speaking to me," Narcissa articulated.
The two Gryffindor witches nodded.
"Okay," they agreed.
As that was all Hermione had to say for the moment, she sat down in tandem with Ginny.
"Early mornings Hermione will have staff lessons, after breakfast will be lessons on respecting magic, after lunch Hermione will have weapon lessons, Ginny you'll have occlumency lessons, and after dinner we'll have pureblood etiquette lessons. I know Hermione will have bruises on her bruises, so her morning bath will be quick, and evening bath will be soaking and after etiquette lessons. You will however be sent to a sink to at least wash your face and arms beforehand," Cedrella stated firmly.
"Ella, I still have to spar without weapons regularly," Hermione announced, "I thought I would be sparring during the evenings and taking a good bath after that."
Narcissa and Cedrella looked at each other before looking back at Hermione.
"Etiquette lessons will only be an hour or two, Hermione. We know you'll both need time to read the books we brought and write your letters," Cedrella explained gently, "Your days are already full, I made sure to schedule down time. The time here would be wasted if you came out with a severe case of burnout."
Hermione blushed and replied, "Okay, I wasn't sure."
Both elder witches smiled at her in a motherly indulgent fashion.
"When Respecting Magic you must remember: Respect, Responsibility, and Resourcefulness," Cedrella started, "Respect the natural world around you, respect other forms of magic and cultures around you, and respect the gifts you've been given."
"You are responsible for every piece of magic you cast, you must own it and your choice of actions as well as the consequences. There is a chance you may correct a mistake, but the more serious the choice the less chance there is to correct," Narcissa professed solemnly, "From there you must remember and learn to be resourceful."
"Resourcefulness isn't just finding substitutes for things or being able to buy things, but coming up with solutions too. By enriching your life, you open yourself to enriching everything else in your life. That means more than finances. Your quality of friends, education, health, and understanding all help improve or reflect your quality of life," she continued.
"Families are neither more blessed or better than another, but one should always be proud of the magic that chose you. Magic is not simply a tool it's a force of life on its own. It has its own rules as it is part of the weave of the world. While we encourage you to listen to magic and your instincts it is also best to look at things objectively. There are times magic will try to coax you into poor decisions," Cedrella remarked.
"Since we're daughters of the proud Ancient and Most Noble House of Black, our magic is considered dark magic. Dark magic sings in our blood, but as dark magic is a seductress to many, it is more of a mistress to us. We are taught how to listen to magic as well as heed our intellect of what is too far for different situations," Narcissa stated, "Bellatrix is a prime example of what not to do. As intelligent she was, she didn't bother to restrain herself when casting dark magic. She saw the abyss and jumped into it with open arms while laughing."
"Part of your responsibility training will be learning restraint, something that will couple wonderfully with occlumency lessons," Cedrella added, looking at Ginny, "While I'm sure you both have a great amount of restraint, considering who your bothers are, it is still important."
Ginny was having minor revelations during their introduction to Respecting Magic. A lot of it was instinctual for her, but she was very glad to be getting proper lessons that she knew other purebloods had before Hogwarts.
"We've brought books we expect you to read and study in the evenings," Cedrella stated.
"When calling upon higher magic it is tradition to hold both palms up either in front of you or as though you're holding a large folded blanket. It allows for your magic to be taken and given as needed. It is only to be done during certain times of the year as it allows Magic to know we acknowledge and respect when it is at its peak during the seasons. We give offerings from nature. Earth, water, fire, air, and metal are all elements of nature. Most people assume metal and earth are the same, but there are nuances," Cedrella stated.
"What are examples of each element that are acceptable at an alter?" Narcissa quizzed.
Hermione and Ginny both raised their hands.
"Ginny," Narcissa nodded.
"We use plants, usually herbs, for earth. Mead or another alcohol for water, unless you have access to a spring. Air you use your breath. Fire you can light a candle or incense," Ginny said.
"Good. It is typically better received if you've made sure they're better quality. You will typically notice that your offering has been taken well by the sped-up petrification of the living elements if any. Typically, this could be a fruit petrifying throughout the day, or your herbs drying out faster than if you didn't," Cedrella explained, "However Magic will always look upon an offering and judge you by your means. So, if it's poorer quality, but offered in earnest, you'll be blessed just as well as if you gave the highest quality money can buy."
There was a soft gong sound that was heard throughout the Time Hall.
"Ah, that must be lunch," Cedrella voiced with a smile.
They made their way to the Mess Hall, and they noticed they had lunch all set for them as though they were at a restaurant. For Cedrella and Narcissa, it was normal. Hermione noticed that their goblin cohorts were sitting a bit away from them, but not enough to be rude.
Once Hermione had finished and stood up to go wash her plate, she was followed by Elder Oak.
"Apprentice Granger, once you've finished cleaning up after yourself, meet me for your first knife lesson," he told her calmly.
Hermione nodded with a hint of anxious anticipation cycling in her stomach.
"This will be your blade; it is a dagger. A dagger is a knife," Elder Oak stated as he handed her a sheathed blade and holster, "The difference being that a dagger is sharp on both sides."
Hermione noticed the holster and quickly put it on. Yet she hesitated with what to do with the dagger itself.
"Keep your weapon in its sheath for now and put it in the supplied holster," the goblin instructed, pointing to the holster on her thigh.
"First lesson is learning your weapon, safety, and maintenance. Then we will work on drawing your blade in a variety of different forms and some attacks. Once you're able to be trusted to not accidentally dropping your blade when pulling it out, we will begin with sparring. You have the benefit of it being one-on-one training, so it is all your speed," he said, "We will repeat these lessons with a polearm in the morning. You will first learn with a common staff with a balanced weight on the end where the sharp point will be. We will typically end the day with hand-to-hand sparring, we won't today though."
Hermione nodded in understanding.
"As I typically train more than one person at a time, I require at least a grunt of acknowledgement. I can't always see when someone nods or shakes their head," he added.
Hermione grunted in response, earning a grunt of approval from Elder Oak.
"As you may have noticed our Honorable Healer Storm is not present this lesson. She won't be until I believe you're ready to hold your weapon properly," the goblin stated, "Now, I have a dummy knife here that you will practice maintenance and care on, so you don't fuck up the one you've been given."
Hermione grunted, feeling like she was training under Barty and Moody again. Only this time she had to get used to grunting, something she was taught was rude in early childhood.
'It's just another culture's etiquette I have to learn.' She thought with conviction.
She just hoped that she didn't mix them if she had a sluggish day.
GONG
Hermione groaned before pushing herself up. She had struggled getting to sleep with it being a new place and not having Crookshanks to snuggle with or wake up to. She missed her familiar, and it was only the first night. Thankfully she could feel Harry though, that gave her comfort.
Ginny was in the bed over, her hair all over the place, as she rubbed sleep out of her eye.
Hermione went to take care of her morning ablutions before she made her way to the main room to begin her polearm lesson.
"Morning, young apprentice," Elder Oak greeted, "We will first do a series of stretches to be sure you're awake and won't pull a muscle."
Hermione found it easy to grunt in the morning as she wasn't ready to begin speaking anyways. She was sure it was probably what would be 5am, if her internal clock was right. The witch easily followed the stretches Elder Oak was leading her through and counting aloud. She was relieved that none of them felt like they were stretching, it meant she was in tiptop shape. Still, it was only possible because of daily stretching.
"We will begin with getting used to the weight's distribution, while you learn how to care for both the shaft and the head. You will eventually become good enough to practice with different heads. If you do well you will leave with your own halberd," he avowed with a smirk.
Despite the earliness, the witch was very intrigued in getting her own halberd. She had planned to buy her own dagger once she left training, not assuming they would give her one for anything but training, buying a halberd however would be much harder to explain. She grunted firmly, earning a pleased smile from the goblin.
"You're going to learn how to use your weapons, and unlike in muggle society, I will be teaching you to use both hands equally. You may still favor a hand, but you will be taught to use both fluidly so you're not helpless if someone were to paralyze one of your arms," Elder Oak informed her.
He moved to a wall and grabbed a staff and halberd, bringing both to back with him. He placed the staff in front of her and she took it in her right hand, earning a nod. The goblin moved a good distance away. Hermione was happy that the wood was smooth with no splinters, not that she expected that, but it was one less worry for her.
"Now we're going to go through forms, I will show the first time, you will follow in the second. Eventually you won't need the demonstration and will know what to do," he said firmly.
"KIYA!" he yelled with a growl as he swung his halberd down, making sure it didn't dip lower than his midsection.
He looked at Hermione with expectant eyes, his expression very much like Barty and Moody. The weight of expectation was familiar to Hermione and she fell in like a second skin.
"KIYA!" she yelled with bass in her voice.
The staff was surprisingly heavy, and she almost dropped it, the staff falling more down than he displayed.
"Again!" he called with a stern look.
"KIYA!" she yelled again, trying to copy his demonstration. The staff still felt weird and heavy, but she would get used to it. She got used to moving caldrons without a wand, she would get used to a staff's weight too.
With that he took the beginning position again, Hermione following, and they began training. Hermione would sometimes stumble forward, off balance, but would quickly get her bearings back and continued without any complaint. Something Elder Oak was very pleased with.
Elder Oak was great in judgement when it came to training others. They continued for 30 minutes before he stopped.
"Now we will care for our weapons. Look for splinters, cracks, dents and knicks. They are different in each weapon. Sand, grind, or sharpen if need be. Oil it, polish it, put it away with the respect it is due," he growled as he walked over.
"We will look over it and maintain it together until you can be trusted to do it alone, you may ask questions while we're doing this," he said as he stood in front of her.
The goblin reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a small brown rag and a tin of oil.
"Let's sit and look over both weapons together. We will start with the staff, and then move on to the halberd," he beckoned her, taking a seat.
Hermione quickly sat with her legs crossed, like him, and placed her weapon in front of her, the weight still a bit awkward.
Elder Oak then began to teach Hermione how to care for both staff and halberd in a gruff but personable manner. He would also point out tidbits, tips, and what not to do. Hermione soaked it all in, listening and watching with rapt attention. The goblin was then very glad he decided to train her himself; her eagerness was like a tankard of water. Training others who trained the warriors was a good profession, he liked it, however he was so used to the typical goblin warrior persona: ready, stern, gruff. It was like teaching a youngling the treasures of the Earth that they guarded so zealously, the fascination and the eagerness was like a balm that he didn't know he needed. He would teach her how to be gruff though, he had seven years.