Chapter Text
Hey hi and hello to all my readers! I have been on hiatus for a long time from writing. I have been reading story after story all over the internet and still I could not get this idea out of my head. It took brief inspiration from an old story I wrote many years ago and has grown to be so much more! I wanted to have it mostly written before I posted so that I did not leave my wonderful readers with a WIP forever. Chaps 1 to 18 are written and I am diligently working on the last two to three! This week you get two chapters and will post once a week.
Huge shout out to my amazing alpha the wonderful Nova5621 (FFNet) / karasunova (AO3). She has helped me so much with everything in this story and through the twists and turns of my crazy muse! Thanks to my awesome beta, The Muse of Apollo, for helped to clean everything up and get that grammar going!
Also huge thanks to ChristinaPotter09 and MrsRen for your feedback on the beginning/middle drafts of this story and for teaching me so much about how to write better! Last shout out to the Harmony and Co facebook group… this and the writers group have been so helpful and such a great place to share in this fandom and Harmony ship together!
Presenting to you Sanguinis et Vincula Magicae - The Bonds of Blood and Magic.
Chapter 1
The sun-kissed brunette walked down the block, a breakfast burrito in hand as she took in the magnificent view. She stopped in front of her bookstore to enjoy her last bite and watched the boats go by on their way to Sydney Harbor. Hermione had owned the Hidden Codex bookstore for the last four years. It grew from a small magical bookshop to one of the most popular for both the Magical and Non-Magical community. It stood magnificently on Queenscliff Head in Freshwater Australia, a quick fifteen kilometers from Sydney.
Hermione breathed in the salty air, a smile forming on her face while the wind blew her hair around her. Her hair had tamed with age and all her beach time caused it to turn a golden brown. She ran her fingers through her hair and threw out her trash before walking into the store.
“Good morning, Janice.” Hermione waved to her assistant manager as she walked behind the counter and put her purse into the cubby hole. Her phoenix tattoo that went down her arm winked at her and blew her a kiss, the deathly hallows symbol floated through the flames. She shook her head and tried to focus on her day ahead -- Saturdays were always busy.
A few hours passed as Hermione assisted customers. Hermione’s mind was spacing out all day, she couldn't keep her focus. It was mid-afternoon and the doorbell rang as a familiar customer came in.
“Hey, Hermione, “ Lisa exclaimed as she walked into the store. She was a force to be reckoned with and very particular.
Janice grinned at Hermione and ducked around the corner. “I’ll go stock the shelves.”
Hermione laughed and walked out from behind the counter to greet Lisa. “Good afternoon, Lisa. How can I help you?”
Lisa might be particular, but she was loyal and always purchased at the Hidden Codex. Hermione had dealt with more demanding clients than Lisa, who just wanted what she wanted as soon as she asked for it.
“Well, I am looking for the Margaret Fulton Cookbook. Do you think you have it?”
Hermione’s eidetic memory went to work and she nodded. “Yes we do. I can grab the book for you.”
“Your brain is amazing, Hermione. If I didn't know better, I would say you use magic.” Lisa laughed as she looked at all the trinkets by the cash register.
Hermione laughed along and moved into the stacks of books. Oh, if only she knew.
Hermione took a shortcut through the shelves of books lining the magical history section on her way to the cooking section. Her eyes glanced over the one copy of Hogwarts a History: Voldemort Battles Anthology. Her mind went to the invitation to the fifth-anniversary celebration which remained unopened on her desk. Every year of the anniversary had been a different experience for Hermione.
The first anniversary was raw and was spent reliving intense flashbacks from the day. Thankfully her therapist was right by her side because of how traumatic that day had been for her. By the second anniversary, she was able to handle it on her own with no flashbacks. She held vigil by the fireplace for the day, crying and remembering all that had happened. She spent the third anniversary with her parents at the Sweet Shoppe, the emotions from the day no longer overwhelmed her, and she could function on a “normal” level. She and her parents ended the night with a bonfire on the beach, in memory of all those lost. She continued the same tradition in the fourth year, except she spent the day at the Hidden Codex. On today, the fifth anniversary, she had been torn on if she should go back to England. Time had won over. She had not read the letter yet, now she was spending the day in Australia.
Lisa broke Hermione out of her thoughts by saying across the store, “Oh, Hermione you will never guess. Little Sammy is going to be participating in a cooking competition in a few weeks. She is trying to create some new recipes and thinks this book may help her and we all know Margaret Fullerton is the Queen of Aussie cooking. Oh, I am just so excited.”
“That sounds like such a great opportunity.” She found the book and walked back to the front. “You’ll have to tell Sammy to make me that carrot cake again, it was sinfully delicious. If Sammy wasn't in school I think my parents would snap her up to bake at the Shoppe.”
Lisa beamed with pride.“That’s sweet of you to say. She may just take you up on that offer during the summer. She is showing off her cooking skills tonight at the dorms and of course, invited her mom.” Lisa handed Hermione her credit card.
“Have a great day.” Hermione tucked the receipt into the cash drawer and walked to the back of the shop, exhausted.
“Janice, I’m going to go for a walk and clear my head.” Hermione said, poking her head into the back office. “I’ll grab some treats from the Shoppe. Hold the fort down.”
“Yes, boss.” Janice waved her off.
Hermione stepped outside of the book store and walked toward the beach. She put her sandals in her purse and felt instant relief as her feet were caressed by the sand and water as the waves rolled in. Hermione kicked up the water and splashed down the beach as she walked. The ocean had a calming effect. So much had changed in the last four years, her mind went back to the catalyst that had brought on that change.
~~~~Flashback to June 3, 1998~~~~~
Hermione felt even more disgusting than she ever thought she could feel in her life after cleaning out the Chamber of Secrets. Hermione stepped into the shower and stood under the steady stream of hot water washing away the day. Her mind wandered about everything that happened. She scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed her skin, hair, and every part of her body.
The basilisk had been rotting for over six years. They were securing and fortifying the castle as they rebuilt it. The Chamber was high on everyone’s list as it would be used as an emergency shelter for all students and staff if anything happened to the castle. They would turn the once ominous chamber into a liveable area.
Hermione, ten Potions Masters, and a group of thirty volunteers with strong constitutions went down the staircase to the Chamber in the morning and didn’t return until dusk. Hermione had taken the group down into the Chamber herself, using Pensieve memories from Harry and Ron. They left last week to start their Auror Training while Hermione stayed with the rebuilding squad until she and Sirius could find her parents in Australia. Her plan had been to go back to Hogwarts to finish her seventh year.
Over the last month, Hermione had grown more restless and her plans for the next year were becoming murkier. Hermione had always had a plan, finish off Voldermort, go back to Hogwarts to finish her 7th year, and then on to the Ministry to help those disenfranchised. But this idea to spend the rest of her life fighting the Pureblood mentality was draining her. She wanted to do something different but what… she did not know.
Moaning Myrtle's bathroom had been a casualty of the Battle, with only rubble and a gaping hole left to show for it. The ghost had not returned to the castle. They turned part of the bathroom into a classroom, while the part with the Chamber entrance was turned into an atrium with a staircase and a skylight.
They first gathered everything from the corpse that could be salvaged, led by the Potions Masters, which was thankfully a good majority of the squishy parts. Then the entire group manually cut the bones, skin, and other parts apart and stacked them to be carried out. Magic could not be used as it could ruin some of the basilisk’s magical properties. It was backbreaking work, but they were all used to it by now.
The Battle of Hogwarts left scars on the castle and destroyed almost every usable space. Everyone contributed to help rebuild Hogwarts from students who fought in the war to professors to members of the public from around the country. It seemed the Wizarding community used the rebuilding as a form of therapy, they used magic and muggle masonry and other tricks to rebuild the beloved castle. There were many tears mingled with hope for the future as brick by brick went up.
Hermione got out of the shower after an hour of scrubbing the smells away and she finally felt clean. Hermione wrapped a towel around her hair and body before walking out of the bathroom.
She turned toward her bedroom and ran right into Sirius Black. “You sure smell less like death, Grangey.”
She lost her footing and Sirius righted her again with a smile. Hermione slapped Sirius with a laugh. “What’s up, Blacky?”
Hermione and Sirius had become fast friends. Life was hard and coming back from the Veil made Sirius appreciate life. Sirius brought humor and sarcasm into everything he did. Hermione was drawn to that, as she needed a friend that would just make her laugh. She was sometimes way too serious and he was sometimes way too loose. They balanced each other out and through that their friendship grew. They were both feeling the loss of Harry from their lives at the house since he went away to Auror training.
“So, I have news,” He pushed her towards her room and closed the door once she was in the room, “First get dressed, little sis, and join me in the study.”
Hermione dressed as quickly as she could. Sirius was acting unusually serious, which he never liked doing because life is not a double entendre. She threw on her favorite pair of sweats and a t-shirt and ran to the study on the first floor.
“So, Sirius, why so serious?” Hermione smirked.
Hermione watched him drag his fingers through his hair, “We did it, Hermione. We found your parents.” Hermione stood there dumbstruck. “Your last suggestion of using a magical detective agency that had a muggle counterpart worked. So now we can go get them and try to get their memories back.”
Tears sprung to Hermione’s eyes and Sirius led her to the couch and wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she openly sobbed. After a few minutes, Hermione started to calm down. “Sirius, did you reach out to the mind healer too?” She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder.
“Yes, he is on his way to Australia to check them out before we arrive. This is good news, right?” Sirius was concerned by the sad look on her face.
“I am happy Sirius, we can leave soon and find my parents. I am so grateful. But you know what I realized today,” he shook his head, “I don’t want to go back to Hogwarts…”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~ End of Chapter 1 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hey readers, so this is the shortest chap, chap 2 will come in a few days! Hope you enjoyed! I know there are more questions right now than answers and that is the fun of all of this! Please leave a review if you enjoyed this first chapter!