Chapter Text
*R&R**R&R*
Hermione Granger looked over the letter she finished writing. Not thinking anything else needed to be added to the very short missive, she signed her name and felt the sense of something being wrong. She sighed and hoped she would understand the odd feelings soon. Maybe she was just overworked, her best friend Harry had been telling she needed to take time off for years now. Never believing she had the ability to taken major time away from her job, she’d never gone anywhere since she started four years earlier. Three months earlier, the Minister told her she needed to take at least two weeks, if not three off. He gave her a list of dates not in conflict with other approved holiday requests.
Believing two weeks would be perfect, Hermione reviewed the dates and found herself drawn to one of the options. As her finger continued to hover over the date, she didn’t notice the smile on the Minister’s face. The time between then and now moved faster than Hermione expected and now the day was on upon her. As far as her friends were concerned, her vacation would begin tomorrow when she and her three best friends would head to Australia. Harry arranged an international portkey as soon as Hermione mentioned it. Although she noticed how Ron and Ginny didn’t seem pleased with the location, but Harry made them agree to the trip. “If Hermione is actually going to take the vacation we’ve been begging her to take for years; then we go with her wishes.” The look in the eyes of the Weasley siblings made Hermione wonder again what could have happened to put such a look of loathing there. She admitted to having very few memories from the time of the war.
She vividly remembered everything until the Department of Mysteries battle and then nothing until about a year after the war was over. Harry explained her being hit by an unknown curse during the fight at the Ministry and while they were able to save her, the apparent side effect was memory loss. Harry filled her in on their sixth year, she remembered all her coursework, but that was about it. When everyone got very frustrated at her asking questions about it, Hermione eventually stopped. The questions still floated in her mind and every so often would surface, it happened they surfaced again and hadn’t slipped away yet.
Harry talked about their seventh year and just glossed over it. They were looking for the horcrux Voldemort created and ended up being on the run for the entire year. When Hermione would ask about details, Harry would say they weren’t important and if he could forget he would. Ron never said anything about their time on the run. Hermione found that curious because he did enjoy talking about the important role he played.
Shaking her head at the odd thoughts, Hermione looked one final time at her sparse office and made a final sweep of it. Since selecting the date of her vacation, she started to feel it was time to move on. Her job was boring. She remembered during her fifth year thinking she would look into the process to become a mistress of potions or charms. Both subjects were her favorites and seemed to be topics that would compel her to continue her learning for her entire life. But somehow, and she didn’t quite remember how, she ended up working at the Ministry in some desk job. Her responsibility was tracking the floo network. Mind numbing was the only term she could use to describe her day to day work in polite company. In the quiet of her apartment; however, the most mild was a bloody awful and ranging to the fucking fuckiest fuckhole of a job.
Once Hermione realized how much she truly disliked her job, she began taking her personal items home. No one noticed. Two months after removing the last memento from the wall behind her desk and no one mentioned anything about it. It wasn’t as if she had a lot of visitors, but Harry would stop in a couple times a week. She could have sworn Kingsley noticed but, he never said anything. As the Minister of Magic, he was quite busy. Ron would simply show up and demand Hermione take him to lunch.
Ron tried for years to get Hermione to date him. She didn’t understand why, they were only friends. Well, if she thought enough on the relationship, they were acquaintances with a mutual friend in Harry. Ginny was someone Hermione wouldn’t socialize with, if not for Harry. It seemed Harry was the lynchpin in what other’s saw as her primary relationships. Somedays Hermione wondered why she was still friends with any of them. They hadn’t changed since school. The Weasley children acted as if every person other than their small group of friends were somehow conspiring against them. Ron claimed his inability to get a promotion was because the Slytherin who ran the department was acting on Voldemort’s orders. Hermione tried to get him to move on but nothing helped.
It took years, but slowly she realized Ron needed to blame others. It was his coping mechanism. He’d never been responsible and before getting this job, Molly handled everything. Now that she couldn’t do that, the only way to validate his failings was to blame someone else. In their own ways his brothers were all quite successful. Ron wasn’t, his entry level job was the highest position he was ever going to achieve.
Ginny was never expected to do anything by her mother. Molly instilled in her daughter the desire to marry someone who would take care of her and therefore allowing Ginny the luxury of spending her days with no responsibility. Hermione suspected Ginny didn’t want many children and would have someone else raise what offspring she have. Nurturing wasn’t a term used to describe Ginny Weasley.
About a year prior, all the quidditch teams from the professional leagues in the UK and Ireland banded together and organized open try-outs over the course of a couple weeks. The league hoped to find some new talent from the multitude of recreational league teams dotting the towns, villages and countrysides of the countries. The hope was to inject some fresh talent to the professional ranks and give the teams an additional avenue to identify new players. With only a few magical schools large enough to have multiple quidditch teams, it was never easy to identify those with true talent. Additionally, the truly talent received offers from not only the local leagues but also the international teams looking to strengthen their benches and pull interest from the countries of their stars. The plan worked quite well and there were now a dozen individuals considered upcoming stars after being discovered during the try-outs.
Ginny and Ron both knew they had what it took and refused to listen to their family when they bragged about how easy it would be. Ron’s tryout ended with him being laughed off the pitch. Ginny received an offer as a backup reserve chaser. Both took offense, as they were, in their own minds, the best amateur players available. Ginny didn’t take the offer and in the end ruined any chance she may have had to land a starting position in the future.
While Ginny complained bitterly about not being given her due, she also appreciated not having to practice. It was something she didn’t like at school and didn’t see the point now. So she lived with her parents and continued her efforts to get Harry to propose to her. Harry, in Hermione’s opinion, was artfully avoiding the marriage discussion by continually having Ron around. Since before the war, Harry wanted to be an Auror. Hermione knew Harry was good at defense, but seemed to struggle with the more complex spells and charms used in battle. Being able to call forth your patronus as a student was impressive, but not understanding human transfiguration, protective enchantments not subject to simple cancelling spells, or the ability to identify if a liquid was a poison or not made Harry a liability for the auror corps. As it turned out even with Kingsley as the Minister, Harry simply didn’t have the required qualifications for the role. One of the points securing the election for Kingsley was promising to follow the established job requirements.
Hermione vocally agreed with the stance and swore she wouldn’t accept any position beyond what others her age and experience would be offered. After publicly stating her intentions and receiving overwhelming support from the populous, Harry did the same. He never expected to actually have to earn his position as an auror. He was currently a MLE officer with an assigned beat route. He lamented how great of an auror he would be and privately complained about what Hermione did. He blamed her for his predicament and not his refusal to finish his schooling.
Again shaking her head, Hermione returned to the present, it was time to go. She grabbed her bag, cloak and letter before locking her office. It appeared she was going for lunch; however, she wasn’t coming back. She left the Ministry of Magic and turned towards Gringott’s. On reaching the desk, she requested the goblin responsible for her vault. Before going to work that morning, she deposited everything she owned, save a few items should they be need that day. Now those things were added to her vault and she withdrew a bit of money.
The goblin respected the way the witch treated him and as such, he swore to protect what was hers. She listed the Minister as her next of kin, in case something happened to her. Finally, she gave the goblin the letter and requested it be delivered to the Minister of Magic the following morning. From there, Hermione headed to the nearest apparition point. She left without looking back at her, now, former life. With a quiet pop, Hermione appeared just outside of Hogsmeade, she wasn’t sure why she needed to go there. She didn’t remember the last time she was here, which means it was during the lapse in her memories. The young woman slowly walked into the village and tried to figure why she thought, no why she knew she needed to be here.
Madam Rosmerta was a bit shocked to see Hermione appear. In fact, Rosmerta didn’t actually expect to see the woman that day but following instructions, Rosmerta carefully approached the war heroine. “Hello Hermione, how are you doing?” Hermione turned to see the still attractive older woman. Hermione only remembered Rosmerta as the owner of Three Broomsticks. They’d never spoken, so Rosmerta’s apparent friendly nature was a bit surprising.
“I’m doing well Madam Rosmerta. Actually, I’m not sure why I’m even here.” Rosmerta’s smile exploded, the letter was right and it was time to make sure she fulfilled her promise from all those years ago. Motioning to the pub, the two women entered and went straight to the backroom.
*R&R**R&R*
Draco Malfoy sat on the warm beach and looked at the small clock in his hand. The hands were very close to reaching the spot marked as return. Hermione gave him the clock as one the very last things she did before he lost her. She knew Draco would miss her and charmed the clock to click backwards to a point in the future. It was impossible for him to determine when she would return, so each day he anxiously looked to see how close he was to holding her again.
It had been almost four years and vengeance would be his. If he was honest, vengeance would be his wife’s, but Draco would certainly do whatever to assist her. She had been taken. They both knew it was going to happen and the brilliant woman made sure she had a way to return to him. He rubbed the hidden tattoo and felt their shared connection strengthening.
The heroes from the war made his life miserable, luckily the Ministry knew of Draco’s sacrifices both before and during the war. His wife documented everything he did and ensured the evidence would be confirmed as legitimate and presented for use at the end of the war. All of them knew Draco, if only because of his last name, would be on trial.
Draco’s memories replaced the view of the beach and the sea. He remembered how the Ministry did him a favor when Kingsley Shacklebolt was elected after the war. Kingsley acted as Draco’s contact within the Order. And was, surprisingly, Draco’s second loudest supporter. No one could replace his wife in that role. Since it would have been strange for Draco and Kingsley to speak, a liaison was assigned to Draco. Draco laughed when she walked into the room. Her warm eyes and smile were all Draco needed to confirm the correctness of his decision to become a spy.
Draco was forced to take the mark, everyone knew with Lucius’s failure to bring Voldemort the prophecy and Harry Potter coupled with the disaster that was the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, Draco would be used as the scapegoat. Narcissa hadn’t been as lucky. Draco was thankful his mother was only murdered. It could have been much worse for her. Draco took the mark and returned to school with a mission. This mission was not Voldemort’s decree, Draco wanted vengeance on those that killed his mother. Obviously Voldemort and the filth that still resided in his home were on the top of the list. But surprisingly to some, Lucius was a close second. On the first day of school, Draco knew the Gryffindor idiots were planning on following him. As Gryffindors subtlety wasn’t a talent, and those two in particular had the stealth of a drunken troll.
Draco also knew, the girl who saved their asses more often than not, did not agree with their plans. A couple weeks into the school year and during one of trio’s spats Draco found his chance, Hermione Granger sat alone in the restricted section of the library reading up on memory charms. Surprised when she started to cross reference the charms with memory potions, Draco slipped behind and gazed over her shoulder.
The charm she was trying to create would be incredibly complex. There wasn’t a way to cancel it but it would naturally wear off over time. The time was based on a potion she also seemed to be trying to create at the same time. It could be brewed for any length of time, the arithmancy formula scribbled on the top of the page proved it would never be permanent. Draco knew the witch was smart and more practical than one would expect. That was why he chose her to make his plea. “Granger,” Hermione looked up to see Draco Malfoy standing next to her. She hadn’t sensed his approach which was unusual. She was becoming quite jittery with the impending war. Draco sat and looked at the young woman waiting for a response.
“May I help you?” Hermione wasn’t sure what Malfoy wanted but since he wasn’t taunting her and in fact looked quite apprehensive, she didn’t immediately retort with a sarcastic remark. The look of apprehension was fleeting, but enough for Hermione’s sense of compassion to have her responding with genuine concern. Draco, on the other hand, wasn’t exactly sure how to begin.
“I know you have no reason to trust me. Before I begin, have the Healers been able to cure the curse from the Department of Mysteries? I think I know what he used and if you want, I can have Severus brew up the potions.” Hermione was a bit more shocked. Whatever Dolohov threw was silent and no one could quite come up with the exact curse and more importantly, brew with the correct potion cocktail to cure the lingering side effects. She absently rubbed the scar on her chest and shook her head. “If I may ask a few questions, we can determine if my theory is correct.” After about twenty minutes Draco sighed and slid a piece of parchment to Hermione.
As she read the curse description, she realized it is was spot on. This was the curse and Malfoy was willing to help, “I don’t want to be rude, but why you are helping me?” Draco’s sigh was resigned and he began to roll the sleeve of his shirt. On seeing the mark and still tender flesh, Hermione reached across the table and grabbed his hand. “If you are, then why?” Draco just shook his head.
“I’m not. Not really; after the Department of Mysteries, Voldemort was livid. He killed my mother outright and I thought he was going to kill me as well. Instead he tortured me as soon as I arrived home. I don’t know how long it went on and when I thought it was the end, he branded me and tasked me to kill Dumbledore. Maybe had he not murdered my mother, I would have thought about it. But now? Why should I help him or my father? I don’t really believe anymore. You proved who your parents are don’t make you better than anyone else. My father proved a historic name doesn’t make a role model. I don’t want to kill Dumbledore because of Voldemort.” The vitriol in Draco’s gaze was intense, “Dumbledore was the reason I was sent home, he somehow got the Ministry to remove me from the castle and ship me home. Otherwise, I would have remained secure here. That’s why I want to kill him. I sense he knows I blame him and won’t accept me as a spy.”
Hermione nodded along, something happened over the summer and Dumbledore became quite intent on the events he planned to happen actually happening. Hermione suspected it was something to do with the task he passed onto Harry recently. She heard a few whispered conversations and didn’t like how secretive everyone was acting. Of course you didn’t want to yell from the rafters but others were aware of something going on.
Harry’s nightmares were bad the prior year, but after the battle at the Ministry, they intensified and it didn’t appear Dumbledore was helping him. Harry couldn’t sleep at night so she and Ron took to sitting with him while he caught naps whenever he could. More than once he mumbled horcrux in his sleep. What little she could find on that word left her scared. “You’re probably correct about Dumbledore. If you’re on the outs with Voldemort what information can you get?” Hermione’s practicality again surprised the young man seated across from her. Instead of some emotional response, she looked at the situation to decide what he could do.
“I may be here, but with Father in Azkaban and Mother dead, I’m now the head of the house and the Manor responds to me. After seeing my mother’s dead body and surviving that night; I began to charm the Manor. As those creatures leave certain areas, the Manor blocks them from entering again. I have offered freedom to the elves; however, they wish to stay and help. Even my blood purist family has moved against the Dark Lord. They don’t like the fact he isn’t a pureblood.”
By this time, Hermione knew about Voldemort’s parentage, but believed it was a well guarded secret. At surprised look on her face at his knowledge, Draco continued. “No, we all know. They’ve always known he was a half-blood. I guess he was charismatic and said all the right things at first so people like my grandfather happily followed. Now he is just to bloody powerful and his followers are only now realizing their mistake and can’t get out.” Draco shrugged before continuing. “Between the portraits and the elves I’m kept abreast of every plan and thought that happens in the Manor. I know the Dark Lord is the reason Potter isn’t sleeping. The boy needs to learn occlumency, but he’s fighting Severus on it. I also know the Dark Lord doesn’t know why they have the connection. The difference, he is using it to his advantage right now and Potter is allowing it.”
Hermione knew Harry wasn’t trying as hard as he could when Snape was training him. Harry complained about it, but more importantly, he thought the dreams would lead him to the answer of beating their enemy. Hermione was beginning to believe Harry’s refusal was based on Dumbledore. It seemed like their illustrious headmaster wanted to know what Harry was seeing but didn’t want to tell the boy to stop his lessons. “Why does Harry have to learn it?”
“As I said, the Dark Lord has some connection to Potter, he doesn’t even understand it. But he can influence what Potter dreams and sees. I think it could go both ways, but the Dark Lord uses occlumency to keep Potter out while Potter has no defense.”
“Do you know it? Can you teach me?” Hermione realized the importance of keeping people out of your mind and if this was the trick she needed to learn. Draco agreed and the pair decided to meet up as much as they could. It was good for Draco as well, if he was going to pull off being a spy, he needed to keep everyone out. Silently the pair agreed to trust each other.
It was a week later that Draco provided the first bit of intelligence to Hermione and he was officially made a secret member of the Order. Kingsley was the only person, besides Hermione, to know of it. In his first couple of months of membership, the information provided by Draco gave the Light the edge in quite a few battles and saved dozens of individuals identified to be killed. Hermione’s role was to take the information and make passing comments or inquiries to Kingsley.
In mid-November, Hermione was waiting for Draco to get free of his friends, and decided to study horcrux. It turned out, much to her displeasure, a horcrux could be anything. If that wasn’t bad enough, more than one could be made and without knowing how many there were, it would be near impossible to ensure they had them all before confronting Voldemort. Hermione let out a growl of frustration as Draco appeared. “What caused such a ferocious sound?” Draco dropped smoothly into the seat opposite Hermione and she silently slid the parchment with her notes in front of the blond boy. He glanced at the books surrounding the girl and nodded. He almost seemed not surprised, after a few minutes he started to scribble words on the parchment.
Diary.
Ring.
Necklace.
Diadem.
Cup.
…
Snake.
Returning the parchment to Hermione, he tapped the dots. “I suspect there is another one. The three that are marked off are gone. He only knows about the diary’s destruction. It is what Potter destroyed unwittingly second year in the Chamber. The Dark Lord was furious when he found out.” Draco shuddered remembering how the family suffered for that failure by Lucius.
“The cup was Helga Hufflepuff’s, it was given to my Aunt Bella for safe keeping. Since Bella is technically a felon, she can’t access her vault. Mother, as her only living relative, was given power over all of Bella’s property when she was sent to Azkaban. When Voldemort killed my mother, I inherited everything mother had, including Bella’s vault. I removed the cup. It’s been destroyed.”
“Thank you Draco.” The blond shrugged not used to receiving praise, but he squeezed Hermione’s hand in gratitude of her acknowledgement.
“The ring, that was Dumbledore. Severus filled me in. Apparently it was a Gaunt —” Hermione made a little noise. Seeing her questioning look Draco nodded, “Pureblood family, sacred twenty-eight and almost totally dead now. The only living member is responsible for the items on that list.” Hermione blinked and realization dawned. “Yes, it’s the tie to Salazar Slytherin, but that’s actually not the important bit. The ring on the list was a Gaunt family heirloom and was cursed to kill whomever wore it. When Dumbledore put it on this summer he was cursed, but the ring and therefore the horcrux was destroyed.” Hermione was shocked and understood why Dumbledore’s attitude changed. Hermione didn’t want to linger on what Dumbledore’s plan were before slipping the ring on his finger.
“So there were least six, but you suspect a seventh. Is there a way to figure it out?” Standing, Draco nodded.
“Do you have to be anywhere in the next hour?” Shaking her head, Draco reached toward to the girl who may hold his chance to make it through the war. She grasped his proffered hand and didn’t let go after standing. With a quick flick of his wand, her notes, books and parchments were packed away and her bag was in his hand. “We’ll go the back way out of here.” Leading Hermione toward the stacks, Draco went deeper into the restricted section before veering into an even darker corner. Suddenly torches lit and Hermione saw a door. Draco opened and quickly looked around before beckoning Hermione to follow, “He won’t be pleasant. Let me talk first, he isn’t loyal to the dark. Hasn’t been since we were toddlers.” With that Draco knocked on the door.
Slipping out of his memories, Draco sighed and focused back on the clock in his hands, only an hour passed.
*R&R**R&R*
Ron Weasley paced outside of Harry’s apartment. It was the day he was dreading, the day the group vacation was scheduled to start. He told Harry to be home by lunch. They’d take the afternoon off to get some food and relax before the portkey activated that evening. Ron wasn't only upset about the vacation, but still outraged with Harry’s refusal to live with Ron.
Harry was his best friend so they should live together. Molly agreed and Ron couldn’t figure out how Harry kept putting it off. Sighing Ron thought of all the ways they could enjoy the pleasures of their fame. The wet blanket to Ron’s plans always seemed to be Hermione. Since they had to save her from the troll first year, she was always included in their adventures. Hogwarts was the best when Hermione wasn’t around. Those months in second year when she was out of the picture were great. Unless Harry was lamenting how sad he was. Ron knew it was just for show, Harry didn’t really care about her but had an image to maintain.
Ron and Harry didn’t need Hermione during school; though she certainly clung to the boys. Since she clearly needed to be with them, Ron didn’t understand her refusal to date him. He wouldn’t marry her, no, he could do much better than her, but could you imagine the publicity of them as a pair? Ron salivated at the thought. Sighing he looked down the hall and again cursed Harry for not allowing him through the apartment’s wards. While he wasn’t excited about the hellish trip to the other side of the world, at least he would be away from his mother for a couple of weeks. The woman would grate on Merlin’s last nerve. Ron never wanted to go to Australia. It was all Hermione, it always was. Even though she didn’t say it, she wanted to go to find her parents.
None of them mentioned the missing muggles since Hermione and her memory lapse. Now that she wanted to go, everyone had to agree. Hermione always got what Hermione wanted. It was really that Hermione didn’t want Ron that annoyed the ginger headed boy the most. Honestly, he didn’t want her either, but by Hades, no one else was going to get her. That’s why he didn’t mind when the decision was made she’d be safer without her memories. Luckily for them, Hermione was nothing if not thorough. Her notes on the charm she used on her parents were detailed enough to allow them to turn the tables and use the charm on her. After the charm had been set, it aggrieved Ron to learn he never stood a chance with Hermione. Again, not that he really ever wanted to be with her. As soon as the memories they needed to be gone were erased, she returned to the mousy little bookworm who never gave Ron a second look. He kicked Harry’s door, just as Harry appeared.
“Why are you kicking my door?” Harry was a bit disappointed when Ron failed to secure Hermione’s hand. He knew all Hermione wanted was to be married. It was what all girls wanted, at least as far as he could tell. It was all Ginny or Molly could talk about. And other than the Weasley women and Hermione, what girls were in Harry or Ron’s lives? None. They were still a bit nervous around girls. It didn’t take long for the shiny newness of being the Boy-Who-Lived-Twice to wear off. Ron’s notoriety wore off first, quickly followed by Ginny. Both were glory whores. Harry could still draw a crowd, but he too was losing his star power.
The fifth anniversary of the last battle passed a couple weeks earlier and as it neared The Prophet did a number of articles detailing what the heroes of the war were doing. The articles on Harry and the younger Weasley children were not flattering. Many people questioned the perception of Harry as a role model. The article detailed Harry’s complaints about not being given his position in the auror department, his refusal to return to school to take his final year and a few of his less than stellar moments as a MLE officer.
He was lucky the story left out the part about his stalking dark families. The articles on the Weasley children were even less glowing. The articles gave a scathing commentary about Ron and Ginny’s actions after the quidditch tryouts; as a result the paper was full of editorials on the fact they, Harry included, weren’t meaningful members of society. It seemed, the only one of the Golden Trio with any staying power, was Hermione. After initially planning returning to school, she changed her mind and decided to spend the first six months after the battle studying and preparing for her NEWTs. After speaking with some of the professors, it was decided the students who should have sat for their NEWTs that spring would be given the time and resources to learn what they needed without having to return to Hogwarts. Many of the students took the option as the castle held too many bad memories.
Even after all that, Hermione ended up returning to Hogwarts anyway. She claimed it was in order to get away from the publicity. Hogwarts held its painful memories, but she was focused on facing them and moving on with her life. She used the time to study and at the end of the year, she sat for her core NEWTS plus Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. The article reminded everyone how she earned an O in all the courses and tied the highest ever score in Potions.
Her job at the Ministry seemed below her but she did it dutifully. At least the paper said so. Harry knew Hermione’s staying power was because she never did anything. Ate, slept, worked and read; that was Hermione in a nutshell. A very boring nutshell; which is why he was glad she had finally agreed to a vacation. It had been almost four years since his best friend returned. And they were finally going to celebrate.
“About time, let’s go eat,” Harry shook his head, Ron really hadn’t changed.
“Fine let me grab my bag. We can grab something eat and then get Ginny. Afterwards we can go to Hermione’s and spend the night until the portkey is ready tomorrow.” Ron scowled, he thought it was today. Not wanting to get into that fight, the ginger nodded once and apparated from hallway. It didn’t dawn on either of them having dinner with a friend before their trip would have been the polite thing to do. Or to let the friend know you planned to spend the night at her place instead of just showing up was not only polite but expected. After picking up a still scowling Ginny, the three former Gryffindors arrived at Hermione’s door. After knocking for a good twenty minutes the group gave up and left a note. She was probably still in the office trying to get some work done.
None of them really knew, nor did they care, what Hermione did. She was in her little office happily shuffling paper. After the trio left, Hermione’s neighbor opened the door and sighed. The poor girl really had to get new friends. The neighbor called the building manager and told him there was a note on the empty apartment across the hall from him.
The next afternoon the trio realized Hermione still wasn’t at home. The note was gone but still no answer to their knocks. They weren’t sure what to think, Ginny glared at the door, “Hermione already paid for the vacation, we’ll go and whenever she realizes she messed up we’ll let her know how rude and inconsiderate she is." They each grabbed a corner of the out-dated Prophet and with a tug to their stomaches they were sent half a-world away.
*R&R**R&R*
Hermione spent the night in one of the spare rooms Madam Rosmerta rented. The room was small and gave her the quiet she needed. Hermione sat until late in the night reading a set of letters Rosmerta gave her. She was leery of the package and the wand neatly packed therein. The wand appeared to be almost an exact match to her own. This wand, the new one, was also hers but unregistered. The letter, which she appeared to have written four years ago, explained why Hermione might be feeling off recently.
Hermione,
This is admittedly an awkward letter to write and I’m sure to read as well. It’s been four years since I wrote it. I’m not completely sure on how your memories will return. Based on conjecture during the creation, we believe you should have started to feel off. Maybe like things don’t feel quite right. Thoughts that seem odd and disconnected to whatever you were doing.
If everything went as expected, your memories should start to return in the next few days. In that time, it is imperative for you to remain safely away from those who you may still view as your closest friends. Until the memories have returned, I can’t tell why it’s important. Once you remember, you will understand.
The memories might be triggered by someone or something. I don’t know exactly how to stage an apparently random meeting or event at the moment. It’s something I’ll work out, I’m not worried. Those who are our actual support will be ready to help. There is very little I can do for you at the moment except give you this letter and the package.
The package contains a new wand and it should be used instead of the one you’ve always had. This wand, the new one, is unregistered and cannot be traced. As you know, registered wands are easily be traced by individuals in the DMLE. If there is any suspicion on your memories returning, I don’t know how they will react. But I know they will force their desires on individuals who will go along because of who is asking the favor.
For Godric’s sake and your own safety, use the unregistered wand until you have time to get your life back on track. To get you to where it should have been by now.
-H
Hermione fingered the wand and felt a connection. One that told her this wasn’t the first time she touched the new wand. After reading the letter a few more times, she placed it and the wand to the side. There was a second letter again in her own handwriting, addressed to her. The second letter was a clue and it was triggering a memory from the beginning of her sixth year. She was sitting in the library studying memory charm theory and her wondering if the addition of time specific potion would increase the efficacy of the charm. If the theorem was right, the caster would identify when the memories should return.
She wanted the charm for her… she couldn’t remember the reason she wanted the charm but the memory clearly revealed the charm could be made for any finite length of time but it would be strongest if set for four years. Four years, what was so important about four years? Four years ago was the first memory she had. Could someone have used her work on her?
In her memory, the part she couldn’t quite remember, she knew there was someone else there. Someone who was important to her regaining her memories and more importantly, regaining who she was. She focused on the memory and hoped if she was in the same location maybe more of it would return. With that determination, Hermione closed her eyes and got a few hours of restful sleep. Her dreams were of her on a warm beach and laying next to blond man.
*R&R**R&R*
Kingsley Shacklebolt received a letter first thing in the morning. A smile spread across his face as he read the contents. He happily pulled a file from his drawer, Hermione Granger. With a laugh, Kingsley marked through her name and replaced Granger with her actual last name. After that adjustment, the file was closed with her resignation letter attached to the folder. The filing room received the single folder and the woman in charge of filing didn’t look at it twice. With a flick of her wand the folder was sent to the M cabinet where is slipped in the top drawer. Hermione Granger no longer existed in the Wizarding world.
Kingsley confirmed Hermione’s friends, he thought that term loosely, took the portkey and went about the rest of his day. The week prior he contacted his Australian counterpart, and through some negotiations made it impossible for the trio to obtain a new portkey to return home. Unless they traveled by muggle means, the trio would be stuck Australia for the next fortnight and until their pre-established portkey activated. It gave Hermione more than enough time to do what she needed to do.
*R&R**R&R*
As the sun reached its daily apex over the Adriatic Sea, Draco stood from his spot on the beach and turned toward his house. This was a daily activity for him. The hand on the clock were even closer than he expected them to be this morning. Draco pushed his toes into the warm sand before trekking back to the house. They’d been to this village once before and the circumstances were less than happy. Hermione decided they needed to associate this beautiful place with a better memory. They decided to be married on the beach and spend their limited honeymoon there as well. Hermione had a distant relative who left Novi in the late nineteenth century and emigrated to Great Britain. The man married a girl he met there and their family remained in Britain.
Even with the upsetting nature of their initial visit, Hermione and Draco decided to build their dream home overlooking the beach where they married and the sea. When the pair weren’t enjoying the physical side of their relationship, they spent their time drawing and redrawing what they wanted in their home. The actual house ended up being larger than the original plan, Draco didn’t want to risk being idle. He swore to not seek vengeance and to honor his oath, he kept himself busy.
Draco entered the home through the large French doors accessing the beach and ascended to the upper level. The upper level housed the majority of the living area. Over the years, Draco relocated the vast Malfoy library from Wiltshire to the idyllic village home. As the library shelves began to fill, Draco realized he needed to expand the home. It now extended into the hill and was the largest home in the Vindol Valley. Not that anyone knew or could actually see the house. After extending the upper house into the hills, Draco decided to do the same with lower level and used the extra space to create an extensive potion lab. It reminded him greatly of the potions classroom at Hogwarts. With the lab built directly into the hill, the home would be shielded from any explosions and the temperature would remain stable regardless of the outside conditions. It really ended up being a perfect location.
Kitmu, the head house elf, appeared in front of Draco with a small glass of wine before popping back to his duties. Draco sipped the sample and determined this year’s vintage would be exceptional. The wine was made by the local elves and tasted better than anything he found in the wine cellar of the manor. The winery was part of the land Draco purchased and profits from wine sales were funneled into his passion, the potion company his wife longed to run. Other than not seeking vengeance, Draco swore to making the potion company a success and have it ready when she returned.
Glancing once more at the small clock, Draco sighed and placed it on the shelf where it sat for the last four years. She would be home soon.
*R&R**R&R*
Severus Snape stood at the doors of Hogwarts waiting for Hermione. Rosmerta told him of Hermione’s appearance and how everything was going as the letter stated. Severus asked the bar matron if she expected anything else. Shaking her head no, the couple snuggled deeper into their bed and fell asleep. The next morning, Severus dressed in a manner similar to his time as a spy and the last time Hermione remembered him. It’d been years since he donned the all black ensemble and it felt both comfortable and restricting. The role this outfit portrayed was no longer who the man was. However, this was the role he needed play at the moment. Severus’s mind drifted back to the day he realized, or more rightly, remembered just how brilliant the muggleborn was.
Severus awoke with a start. His last conscience memory was hearing about the Department of Mysteries, no it was ensuring Draco wasn’t murdered. He couldn’t save Narcissa his arrival came much too late to save her life. He was able to ward her body to ensure no one harmed it. Severus swore to help Draco survive. Draco, what happened to Draco? Why was Draco at the Manor? Hogwarts was still in session. The memories were things he knew happened, but now he had more context and the details more clear.
His concentration broke when he felt movement to his side and looked to see Madam Rosmerta laying next to him. He stared at the woman who he had always thought of as very beautiful. He had a small crush on her since starting his teaching position at the school. Looking at the sleeping woman triggered a flood of memories for the man. Draco was almost killed by Voldemort the night of the Narcissa’s death. And without Severus, he would have been.
It was Severus who suggested Draco be marked and given a task. The extra time would allow him to formulate an escape plan for the both of them. Shortly after the events of that night, Severus was informed of Albus cursing himself with the ring. Using a bit of gray magic, Severus slowed the progression of the curse. At least that’s what he told the old man. They both knew Albus was going to die one way or another. It was Albus who decided the Malfoy boy, as that was the only way Albus referred to Draco, would be a good candidate to actually end his life. Albus admitted to knowing the boy would blame him for getting branded. As the headmaster put into motion the events allowing Draco to return the Manor before the end of the school year.
With the mark the boy would probably be tasked with something impossible, like killing his headmaster. Albus was pleased Lucius’s failure would end up completely destroying the Malfoy family. Albus, never realizing how much Severus hated him, never occluded his mind when the two were alone. It took much self-restraint for Severus to not kill the older man after seeing what evil little plots the old man regularly conjured.
In the time between saving Draco and the start of the school year, Severus worked out a rough plan to ensure Draco didn’t actually have to kill Albus, but would mean the end of Severus’s own life. It was probably for the best. What Severus hadn’t expected was for Draco to work out a plan for himself. And for his plan to be far better than anything Severus came up with. Severus’s plan was turned on its head the afternoon Draco knocked on the door to the private quarters of the head of Slytherin with the muggleborn beside him. After informing Severus of their allegiance and Hermione’s desire to learn occlumency, the trio hatched a new plan which would ensure everyone survived. The most important thing for them all was how to get rid of Voldemort.
Severus wasn’t surprised to find out Hermione was aware of the horcrux and he wasn’t sure when to acknowledge where his loyalties lay. After Draco led the initial discussion and Hermione explained how and what she knew, Severus vowed his loyalties to them. In the end, those two would ensure Severus gained his vengeance for Lily’s death. Hermione, seeing what she needed to do, made the same vow and bound herself to Draco and Severus. Draco, happily agreed, in his mind he already made the vow and if it saved his Godfather, he need not give it a second thought.
After the vows, Hermione went into her suspicions. Draco reiterated what the elves and portraits told him and how he believed there was an unknown horcrux. Severus admitted to knowing about the unknown horcrux and believed Albus was the only one who knew of the unintentional horcrux. After a few minutes of the vague conversation, Draco gained enough to know his suspicion on the identity of the horcrux was more than likely correct.
Hermione sat stunned after learning Harry Potter, her best friend, was a horcrux. Nothing in what she read discussed a living being one. She noticed the inclusion of the snake on Draco’s list and didn’t have the time to extrapolate it to humans. In a very concerned voice she asked how to destroy a horcrux in a human. The destruction of a non-human horcurx was difficult, but not impossible. After discussing the options, Severus showed the teens where he stored the basilisk venom. They also decided the two inanimate objects, the diadem and necklace, would be their first priority. They would deal with the snake and Harry later.
It took the trio almost two solid years before the four remaining horcurx were destroyed. And even with that success, the final battle was exceedingly difficult. As it neared the conclusion, Severus didn’t believe he was going to survive. In fact, Voldemort finally realized Severus’s duplicity and sent the snake after him. The memories of the attack were blurry, but someone stood next to Severus. He couldn’t see but heard quiet whispers as the person stuffed bezoar in his mouth, then poured a vial of some potion down his throat and dripped tears from a phoenix on his wound. After grasping for a breath; Severus and the mystery person apparated to a private hospital in France where Severus received treatment and rehabilitated.
He chuckled a bit at the memories of his rehabilitation. The year following the end of the war was the start of the best things in Severus’s life. Hermione helped him rediscover his love for teaching and that eventually led him to Rosmerta. After recovering from the onslaught of memories, Severus received a letter from Hermione. The letter, handed to him by a very happy Rosemerta, reminded him they decided to place him under a memory charm to ensure he survived the war. If Voldemort saw how deeply Severus’s betrayed him, Voldemort would kill him instantly. Neither Hermione nor Draco wanted that to happen. As a group, they decided to alter Severus’s memories instead of just removing them.
This modification to the plan allowed Severus to remember and be an active participant those last few weeks before the final battle. Since no knew how long it would actually take for the battle to occur, the charm was set for an initial time of eighteen months. If nothing happened by the time it expired, they would reevaluate the plan. Hermione went on to explain where Draco was and Severus should contact him.
The last bit of the letter explained how Hermione would probably be under the same charm, but not by her hand. If all went as she planned it would another three and half years before she would regain her memories. She left herself a scavenger hunt of clues and she would return to Hogwarts needing his help to regain her own memories. Included in the letter to Severus, was another letter and small package addressed to Hermione. Unsurprisingly Hermione appeared almost exactly when the letter predicted. He was pulled from his memories as the head of Hermione Granger popped over the horizon. He noted a slight skip to her step as she made her way to the gates of the school.
A blank expression fell over the man’s face, a look any student who was there before the final battle would remember.
*R&R**R&R*
The first full day of Hermione’s vacation started with the sun shining in the room. She felt refreshed, rested and ready to tackle the mystery in front of her. After washing and getting dressed, Hermione gathered her things and met Rosmerta in the pub. Since it didn’t open for a few hours, the pair sat at the bar and ate breakfast before Hermione left to walk to Hogwarts. It was a path she remembered well and in addition to trying to learn what happened, she was pleased to be back on familiar ground.
Rosmerta smiled and hugged the woman before allowing her to go. Hermione found a long lost skip to her step as she drew nearer the school. Standing in the door, as Professor McGonagall did at the start of each year, Severus Snape stood gazing at the former student. Hermione approached her former professor with a bit of apprehension. Her last memories of the man were of a stern professor.
“Good Morning Professor Snape, I’m pleased you’re here. A bit surprised to be sure, but pleased. I wasn’t sure how I would access the school since it’s out of session.” Remembering his letter, Severus acknowledged Hermione as she would remember him. Aloof and a bit intimidating were the nicest of adjectives that could be used. “Anyway, I was wondering, assuming it is allowed, if I could see the library?” Hermione bit her lip as she waited for the stoic man to respond. With a nod, the man spun on his heel and entered the school with his robes billowing behind him. Not wanting to be left behind, Hermione quickly followed and realized he was headed in the direction of the library. Hermione assumed she would not have free rein and just hoped her memory came back quickly.
For Hermione, entering the library felt a homecoming of sorts. Standing in the doorway, she let the scent and atmosphere of the place wash over her allowing the comfort she missed to seep back into her bones. She didn’t actually realize she started walking, it remained that way until she found herself deep in the restricted section, at a table, before she noticed she moved at all. Sitting in the chair she flashed back to her memory from the night before.
Severus, not wanting to interrupt, stood to the side and watched as Hermione closed her eyes. He could only imagine what she saw. In one way, he hoped it was Draco. His Godson only agreed to the plan because Hermione knew it was the only way. Both he and Draco would have been fine with just leaving and not dealing with any of the mess, but that would never work for one of the Golden Trio. Hermione, again, proved her understanding of the magical world correct. He fingered the letter as the girl let out a gasp and a few tears escaped her eyes.
Hermione remembered trying to figure out a way to keep her parents safe from Death Eaters. In that same moment, she realized she hadn’t thought of her parents for almost four years. Tears leaked from her eyes as remembered them. Hermione’s memory showed her starting her research in memory charms during the start of sixth year. During one of her research sessions, Draco Malfoy appeared. This was Hermione’s the first complete memory in the time between the Department of Mysteries and the one year anniversary of the end of the war. The memory very clearly detailed how she was told of Narcissa Malfoy’s death and Draco’s branding. Because of his mother’s death, Draco turned from all he knew and swore he to help the Light win.
Hermione reached her hand across the desk, much as she had done when Draco showed her the brand. When she opened her eyes she expected Draco to be sitting across from her with his smirk. Instead it was Severus. Hermione’s disappointment in Draco not being seated across from her flashed in her eyes. Even as she tried to mask it, it was too late and Severus noticed it. He, in turn, snorted and handed Hermione her next clue, the letter he held for the last three and half years.
“Draco wanted to be here, but it’s not yet the right time. You made him swear to wait for you to return to him. Otherwise he would have been stalking you for the last four years. You need to remember more and then you’ll find him. He’s waiting for you.” With that Severus stood and left the witch to her memories.
*R&R**R&R*
Harry Potter, Ron and Ginny Weasley were miserable. Apparently the portkey was set to activate when the trip was over and not before. Nothing Harry could do would get the Australian Ministry of Magic to authorize a new one. The trio were stuck and without Hermione, none knew how to obtain muggle passage back home. They arrived at the hotel to find no reservations under Hermione’s name. In fact, there were no reservations under any of their names. As it turned out, Hermione hadn’t scheduled the vacation. They would have realized it if they looked at the itinerary. The front desk clerk at the hotel patiently explained the terms draft and amount due were signs the agent hadn’t finalized the trip.
On contacting the travel agency, the representative stated the itinerary was requested but rejected due to a change in plans. With no reservations, Harry dipped into his personal vaults to pay for their rooms. The Weasley siblings had no savings to their names and expected Harry to take care of the cost of the trip. They rationalized it wasn’t their idea why should they be expected to pay for anything.
Ron almost ended up in jail for threats against the Australian Minister when he yelled about not knowing who Harry Potter was. The Australian Minster laughed and said everyone knew who Harry Potter was but, it really didn’t matter. The Minister reminded them as citizens of Great Britain no one got special treatment. Therefore they were required to follow the established agreements between the Ministries, including the reasons allowing for the issuance of emergency portkeys. Ron pulled his wand and was on his knees before a hex could form. The Australian auror assigned to the Minster was the quickest draw in the hemisphere and didn’t flinch when she assessed the threat. The Australian Minister told the trio to leave his office or they wouldn’t need to worry about a portkey because they would be arrested. Thinking it would be best if they left, Harry dragged the other two out of the office.
It never dawned on the trio to send a note to Kingsley requesting help or wonder where Hermione was. They were too wrapped up in their own lives to think much about anyone else.
*R&R**R&R*
After setting the clock on its shelf, Draco made his way into the dining room and smiled at the two people already at the table. They seemed as nervous and excited as Draco was. “Have you heard anything Draco? Do you know if she is coming out of it?” Jean Granger was an attractive woman at fifty years old. She had a few extra stress wrinkles, not that Draco would mention it, but after all they experienced it was expected.
After helping Severus with the potions to get over the curse Dolohov threw at Hermione, Draco gained a bit of trust from her. In fact, she confided her concerns about her muggle parents and what she was trying to accomplish with her research. Draco knew there were plots targeting muggles, especially those close to the Light side. But the elves had yet to confirm the Grangers were on the list. He was a bit reticent in confirming her suspicions without proof, but if anything happened to her parents, Hermione would’ve been inconsolable.
After telling her muggles were targeted but nothing yet on her parents, Draco assisted in helping with the charm. While he was good in potions, his real passion was charms. As Draco waited to receive confirmation on Hermione’s parents being targeted, he felt it was important for her to know muggles were definitely in danger. It wasn’t until the day they discussed horcrux and brought Severus on board that Draco learned of Jean and Rich Granger’s addition to the targeted list.
The acknowledgment of her parents being in very clear and present danger caused Hermione to spend more time developing the potion. Once they worked out both the charm and the potion formula, Severus snuck the two out and assisted in placing the charm on her parents. That process took the pair a good couple of months, just before the Christmas holidays they had a working potion and charm. After informing her parents of what was really going on, Rich Granger wanted to take his wife and daughter and run.
After recovering from the hit Jean gave him on the back of his head and the verbal dress down his daughter gave him, Rich conceded defeat. Draco explained what the Death Eaters would do and how painful their deaths would be. The purpose of the pain would be to make it obvious to Hermione and cause her as much heartache as possible. Realizing there was nothing they could do, Rich and Jean agreed to have their memories temporarily removed. The couple wrote a letter to themselves and after discussing where to go, Rich reminded Jean of her great-grandfather and how he used to describe the village where he was raised.
While Severus warded the house, Hermione packed everything important to the family. After providing Severus with an exact location, he created a portkey. No one asked how he was able to do it. They arrived in the sleepy little town and found the tourist center. With a fierce hug for each of her parents, Hermione handed both a vial. As her parents drank, Hermione and Draco placed the incredibly complex charm over them. Their memories would return in two and a half years. Everyone hoped it would be long enough. If the memories were to return on their own and neither Draco nor Hermione were around, the couple would remember to remain where they were and someone would come when it was safe.
The Starsons established themselves as recently relocated and wanting to establish a dental practice where they could be the most helpful. The small villages away from the tourist center lacked adequate dental care and the couple happily found themselves accepted. They traveled three days a week to the various villages throughout the Vindol Valley.
After reaching the limit of the potion, the charm started to fade. Draco spent time each day in whatever village the Starsons were visiting. He made sure they each saw him and after a week, Hermione’s mother (still known as Katherine) noticed the blond man. She vaguely recognized him. The second time she saw him, she had a distinct memory of him standing next to a brown haired girl who was crying. Both held sticks in their hands. The girl resembled someone Katherine dreamt was their daughter.
That night Katherine, now knowing her name was Jean, remembered everything. The next morning she saw Draco at the coffee house and hugged him. Rich’s memory returned as soon as Draco stepped into the home. Both wanted to see Hermione and Draco explained why they would have to wait for that reunion. Jean was livid her daughter’s friends would treat her in such a manner for such a selfish reason. However, Rich wasn’t surprised. He watched the children his daughter claimed as friends and realized early on they were using her. In a different world, he knew she would never have befriended them and the reverse was probably the same.
After reading the letter from their daughter, all anger left as she laid out her plan for vengeance. Jean and Rich happily began to work on their parts. Jean seemed especially pleased her tendency to be a touch vindictive was instilled in her daughter. Draco would tell Rich and Jean the stories of Hermione’s exploits during their school years. Most of the stories he told would include some variation of the disclaimer, this was the official story but I’m pretty sure Hermione will disagree with something I’ve told you.
“Severus contacted me. Apparently Rosmerta gave her the wand and the first letter with the what Hermione hoped would trigger a memory last night. I would expect her to go to Hogwarts today. I believe Severus is going to offer her a room to spend the night there.” Draco left out he thought she would appear tomorrow. Tomorrow, as he had done every morning, Draco would be on the beach. Tomorrow was special in another way. It would be their fifth anniversary. Leave it to his wife to ensure she gave him the best anniversary gift she could.
Thinking about the missing anniversaries, Draco came up with a plan to surprise his wife. “If you both would like, I think we should get some nice clothes. I believe there will be a reason to celebrate soon.” The couple smiled, they were used to the Slytherin way of doing things. Both knew he was planning Hermione’s return and they would be present for it.
*R&R**R&R*
It was a few hours later when Severus returned to the library to find Hermione unmoved. The man laughed at the emotions flying through her eyes. Hermione jumped at the noise and smiled. This time, she stood and hugged the professor. “Thank you for saving him. I know I did this before, but it feels like the first time. I am just so grateful for you.” Severus wrapped his arms around the girl and hugged her. It didn’t matter she was an adult, he still saw the young first year who needed to prove herself to everyone.
“No Hermione, you saved him. Albus would never accept him as spy and he had his own plans related to Draco. I am confident that if not for you, both he and I would have died in the war.” The woman now lost all composure and sobbed. She lived without Draco and couldn’t imagine a life without the possibility him. “Come now, the elves have made us some lunch and after what you’ve experienced today, I think you should stay for the evening. Tomorrow will come before you know it.”
Hermione nodded, in the memories flooding her that morning, one was their wedding. If she hadn’t been crying still she would have laughed when she realized the date. Draco was probably laughing as well. With the majority of her memories returned, Hermione noted some holes, but her letter said those would fill in as time passed. After eating dinner and thanking the elves profusely (who were worried she would try and free them), Hermione learned all about Severus. Happy to find out her professor fell in love and married, she remembered how Rosmerta was reintroduced after Severus’s release from the hospital. Neither Draco nor Hermione wanted him to live alone.
Making a deal with Rosmerta, she agreed to allow Severus to live above the pub until school resumed that fall. Hermione smiled widely when the man admitted to only allowing the relationship to grow because he swore to Hermione he wouldn’t try to muck up his life again. Hermione also discovered, based on a few cryptic comments Severus made, she had done something to help ensure he survived the battle. As the afternoon drew to a close, he directed Hermione to a room in the dungeons. Entering it, Hermione remembered it being the room she and Draco spent plenty of time enjoying. Leaving Hermione to more of her memories, Severus stood in the doorway.
“Hermione, there’s one more item I need to give you. I’m not sure if you’ve remembered its significance yet. So don’t drop it when you arrive.” Severus handed over a stone, it was larger than a pebble and fit nicely in Hermione’s palm. She didn’t recognize it, but there was something familiar. There was a pull in both her memory and magic about it. “It will activate tomorrow morning at seven. I don’t expect you to oversleep but I promised Draco I’d remind you.”
Hermione gazed at the item and knew in her heart it would portkey her to Draco.
*R&R**R&R*
Hermione stood at the edge of beach and stared lovingly at the man at the end of the path. Walking slowly toward him, she didn’t notice the other person or portrait standing next to Draco. She thought of her parents and how they should be here too. She knew they were safe after Kingsley checked on them and until the charm faded their memories remained out of reach. She wasn’t going to allow her anger over the future tarnish this day.
As Hermione reached the place where Draco waited, he stepped forward and the pair took the final few steps together. It was symbolic for them. Kingsley stood as the officiant with the portrait of Narcissa Malfoy watching from the side. The ceremony itself was very short and extremely binding. The oaths shared and promises exchanged ensured no matter what happened to either in the future, their magic would ensure the pair eventually reunited.
As Hermione woke the next morning, in the familiar Hogwarts bed, she knew exactly where the portkey would take her. The stone was part of their marriage ceremony, when they bound themselves to the other, their blood spilled unto this stone. It was not only sentimental to the couple, but also magical. Unsure if Severus was awake or not, Hermione called for a house elf. She didn’t know if he was still at the school or if he could even hear her. Not a heartbeat later the small elf stood proudly (if not a bit excitedly) in front of his mistress.
“Yous be calling?” Kitmu had been reminded by Draco to not tell Hermione anything about the past. Hermione, very specific when she explained everything to the elf originally, couldn’t contain her own feelings of happiness. Being Draco’s personal elf and then adopting Hermione, Kitmu understood the reasons. He didn’t like them, but he’d been told to not interfere so he didn’t. At least he didn’t interfere in anyway they would know. There may have been an additional few protection charms and wards on his mistress, not that Kitmu would ever say anything.
“Oh Kitmu, it is so wonderful to see you.” Hermione hugged the small elf whose ears started flapping in glee. Draco’s hugs were more pats on the back, while Hermione allowed all her love to flow into hers. Kitmu patted her lightly on the back. “Do you know if Severus is awake? I’m not sure if I should see him or if there is breakfast. The portkey…”. Kitmu raised his hand and snapped his fingers. A light breakfast with tea and pumpkin juice appeared in the room.
“Master Severus and Madam Rosmerta are at their home in Hogsmeade. He said for you to go and you will all meet up later.” Hermione smiled as she ate her toast and sipped her tea. She was even more pleased to taste just how perfectly Kitmu made her tea. While Hermione ate, Kitmu laid out an outfit for her. She noticed the lack of shoes and looked to the elf. He smiled an elfish grin and shrugged. After Hermione finished changing, Kitmu gathered her dirty clothes and other items before blinking away. Glancing at her watch, Hermione knew it was about time for the portkey to activate.
With one final check she had everything, well everything Kitmu hadn’t grabbed (which was just her, the portkey, and her unregistered wand), Hermione gripped the stone and blinked away.
*R&R**R&R*
Hermione squinted as the sun shone over the hills. She felt warmth on her toes and wiggled them. Sand. She was on a beach. As she turned she realized she was on the same beach as her memory and Draco, again, stood waiting for her. This time, in addition to Kingsley and the portrait, there were two couples in attendance. One couple was muggle and weeping in happiness. The second couple was magical and Hermione saw them the prior couple of days. Finally, there was a wizard with a camera. He began to happily click away.
Hermione stood for a moment and looked at everyone. Rich Granger, nearest to where Draco said Hermione would appear, reached for his daughter’s arm. “I couldn’t do this the first time, so Draco thought it would be a good idea to have a do-over.” With watery eyes, the daughter nodded enthusiastically and with her father, she walked toward her husband.
*R&R**R&R*