Chapter Text
Platform 9 ¾ was bustling with students and families at the start of the term. Parents and family seeing their young ones off to a magical boarding school in the middle of nowhere in Scotland. Well maybe not the middle of nowhere. There has to be some significance to its current location, compared to others. Maybe I am overthinking it. That has been happening a lot lately.
Staring at the Hogwarts Express, it just dawned on me, how our lives have so quickly changed due to circumstances. It’s hard for me to see all the happy kids, when you know that there are darker threats that hide around the corner. Is that what growing up is? It reminds me of when I first boarded this train. A young girl who barely knew anything about the world she was about to step into. Those days are long gone. Now, it was just another year in Hogwarts, where we’ll see another professor come and go. Something feels.. Off about this year. I can’t place my finger on it.
“Oi! Hermione! You coming?”
Snapping out of my reverie, I looked over to Ron, who was halfway on the train. Shaking my head at his impatience, I grabbed my trunk and trudged over to the train. Noticing my movement, he added, “were you in one of your Ravenclaw mind thingies?”
“It’s not a mind ‘thingy’, Ronald. I was just, dwelling on the past.” It never surprised me that Ron has to try and simplify things he doesn’t understand. He’s a good friend and all, but he does irritate me sometimes. I can only imagine how often he would push my buttons if we were in the same house.
The day we became friends was the day that I wished trouble didn’t follow them. After a couple of months in first year, I was still friendless. Apparently surpassing everyone else in your year, even your housemates, made you an outcast. It was not a feeling I was unfamiliar with, but I was hoping that I would be able to make friends in a new school. Especially in the house of intellectuals. That changed after a troll was released in the school while I was in the girls restroom crying. The two knuckleheads, Ron and Harry, showed up in the knick of time. They felt guilty over what happened in Charms and came to warn me about the troll. Since that day, we have been best friends. Even if I want to knock them over the heads for their stupid heroics. Typical Gryffindors.
He shook his head and said, “sure it was. Anyway, Harry and I are going to go hang out with Neville and Seamus. You can join if you want.”
I thought it over for a moment. I fought over the shudder at the thought of the boys arguing over quidditch teams and other ridiculous things for the entirety of the train ride. “I think I will go find Ginny and Luna.”
Looking disappointed he said, “uh, yeah. See you on the carriage?”
He didn’t. No, he did. He forgot. Why am I not surprised by this? “Well we do have the Prefect meeting before we arrive at Hogwarts,” I deadpanned.
It’s always amusing watching the light turn on in his head. It was Like he turned the power to use his brain on. A look where he stared at you for a moment, blinked, then smiled as he just realized he knew a secret. “Oh right! Yeah, see ya then?”
Chuckling at his not so smooth recovery, “Yes Ron, see you then.”
Ignoring the slight pep in his step as he turned to continue down the train, I started to look for Ginny and Luna. The first time I met Luna was one just as memorable as the boys. It was second year before the Chamber of Secrets was opened. I had noticed that several Ravenclaws were snickering while holding shoes. A little bit of sleuthing, I found out they were bullying a first year. I couldn’t stand by that. I was not going to let someone else endure what happened to me in my first year.
In the end, I returned Luna’s shoes to her and the bullies might have had their hair care products replaced with something more, sticky. The bullies ran from the showers with their hands stuck in their hair, screaming for help. Returning the shoes to their rightful owner, Luna and I became friends. There were many things she mentions that I had to overlook, for my own sake, but we became fast friends.
“Looks like the wrackspurts are hovering around your head, Hermione.”
Thou shall speaketh, thou shall receive. “Hey Luna.” Turning around and waving my hand around my head nonchalantly. She had her head popped out of the cabin. Must have passed them when I was lost in thought. Again. She tilted her head slightly and smiled.
“Come in! It is just Ginny and myself. I was just telling Ginny about the adventure my Father and I went over summer. Did you know that moon frogs only come out when you have danced under the new moon?”
“I did not,” responding to her as I followed her into the cabin. Once I placed my trunk in the space provided, I sat down across from Ginny, who was feigning her attention about the topic.
Luna plopped down next to Ginny and started to play with her cork earrings. “They were quite fascinating. They glow, you know. Like the surface of the moon they come from.”
“Really? That is rather interesting. Does it matter what type of dance you perform?”
“Depends on the time of year, from what Daddy says.”
The conversation continued on for a bit before we settled into a lull. I pulled out one of the books I nabbed from the Black family library. I imagine that if it was anyone else in this cabin, there would be an uproar over this book, but Ginny always kept secrets. I think it was the fiery anti authoritarian side of her.
The first month of summer break was rather stale. As much as I love my parents, we have been slowly growing apart. I have not been as, honest, to them about what has been going on at Hogwarts. Bringing myself up to tell my parents proceeded to get harder as the years went by. How could I tell them that my best friend seems to always find someone who wants to kill him? That while I have tried to stay out of the heroics that Harry and Ron go through, I still end up tied into it. I was honest for the first year, but after being petrified in second year, I couldn’t tell them. They would take me out of Hogwarts. The closeness I once had with my parents had been growing colder. It mostly consisted of simple talk and about my academics. I was barely able to tell them about the Triwizard Tournament last year, and to get extra money for my dress. Let alone who I was going with.
Staying with the Weasleys was a reprieve from the weight on my shoulders. What made it better was that we were moved to the Black’s family home. It was one of her most interesting introduction to the more.. Darker side of magical society.
“Come along now,” Mrs. Weasley said as she was ushering us down the road. She had apparated us to the edge of a borough in London. She said we were going to a safe place that will keep us protected. She was not wrong about that. The Burrow seems to only have a scathing of protection compared to Hogwarts. Not a lot of places could stand up to the wards that Hogwarts has. It made me wonder about other wizarding homes. The Burrow was the only one I have seen so far.
As we moved at a brisk walk, I started to count the house numbers. 9, 10, 11, 13. Wait. 13? That didn’t seem right. The space between the two numbers began to waver and small purple fractals appeared. Before I was able to focus on the fractals that were appearing in the area between number 11 and 13, Mrs. Weasley said, “Alright dearies, pass this paper along and read it. Make sure everyone gets a turn!” The paper was passed to each Weasley and then eventually to me. Opening up the piece of paper, I read what was on it. 12 Grimmauld Place. A shift of magic ahead of me, directed my eyes. The mysterious place between 11 and 13 shifted, revealing a new house. Number 12. We all moved towards the house, Mrs. Weasley opened the door and allowed us to enter.
Immediately I felt a strange, familiarity wash over me. I felt the wards allow us to enter, but it was different compared to Hogwarts or the Burrow. It felt cold, dark. It was not the warmness one gets when cozying up next to the fire like the Burrow’s wards do. Despite the coldness, it was comforting. I have felt this before. In certain, darker parts of Hogwarts, this same sensation wavers in the air.
My concentration on the wards was broken by a shrieking noise. “HOW DARE THERE BE FILTH IN MY HOME!”
“Quiet you old crone! Before I burn the wall you are on! I might not be able to take down your portrait, but the wall can be!” yelled a voice, Sirius, as he walked out of the side room with his wand pointing at a portrait on the far wall. He motions toward the sheet on the ground and covers the portrait of, what is presumed to be his mother. After congratulating himself, he noticed us staring at him in disbelief. He introduced us to his house, but I ignored it to focus on the tiny fractals that were slowly growing around the covered portrait.
This occurrence has been growing more recently. It was not uncommon for me to see them when I was younger. They became more common last year. Fractals slowly appearing around magic and magical objects, the purple hue becoming more vivid. I had been meaning to research it, but with the Triwizard Tournament and keeping Harry alive, I could not find the time.
“We have been able to clean out several of the bedrooms. There is still more to clean, but it’s a start,” Sirius continued his tirade. We were shown to various bedrooms, Ginny and I sharing a room.
For the next two weeks involved a lot of chores and a lack of research. I was eventually able to escape the monotony of cleaning, which left me alone in the Black family library. Sirius had tried to stop me from getting inside, citing the need to purge dark books from it. I was able to easily undo his lock and sneak inside. That same cold sensation was permeating the air enveloping me. The walls of the room contained shelves of books. It might not be the Hogwarts Library, but the knowledge contained on these shelves are one of a kind. One to the Black family. There were a couple of chairs and tables scattered around. After reveling in the ward encompassing me, I moved towards the books, searching for any that pique my interest. The fractals were coming quicker and made it easy to discern which books were cursed. It was no surprise that the majority of the books were on dark magic. The Black family was known as a dark family.
Carrying over several books, I settled into the musty chair and started satiating my never ending thirst for knowledge. It was some time later that I felt, rather than heard, a snap of magic in the corner of the room. Looking up from the book, I saw a rather old and pitiful creature. A house elf. One who initially had a scowl, which slowly went away as the house continued to stare.
“Yes?” I said in a neutral tone.
“My apologies miss. I had thought one of those blood traitors had dared touch the sacred Black library.” The house elf looked around the room, as if to see if anything was amiss, then continued, “my name is Kreacher, would the miss like anything?”
Pondering over the question, I responded, “no thank you. Though, could you alert me if someone is coming or looking for me?”
Kreacher perked up and said, “most certainly miss!” and with a snap of his fingers and a magical pop, he was gone. Shrugging at the interaction, I went back to the book. I continued this for several days before Harry had an incident with the dementor and was rushed to 12 Grimmauld Place. It became much harder to come to the library after that, but Kreacher was able to retrieve books and pointed me to a safe place to read them.
The Weasley’s and Harry, became more interested in what the Order of the Phoenix were planning. I saw very little need to get involved in that business. We were students and should focus on our studies, not running around trying to be heroes. Yet, no matter how many times I try to reiterate that to the boys, they continue to dive head first into it. Stupid Gryffindors. It was fun to watch them try to use the twins' new invention to listen in on the meeting, and fail miserably.
Putting my research on hold, I looked into helping the hearing that was stacked against Harry. It reminded me of the case we built for Buckbeak. Hopefully we will be able to help Harry as much as we did for Buckbeak. The research I did was enough to convince the Wizengamot that the entire process was a sham and allowed Buckbeak to be free. But not without repercussions. Buckbeak was unable to remain in Hogwarts. What that hearing truly showed was that Lucius Malfoy was threatening the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. Lucius has not been doing any threatening since. He lost a lot of clout and was kicked off several boards that he was a part of. Buckbeak became invaluable when we had to save Sirius. If only Sirius would allow me to help him be free from the Ministry. The offer has been given many times, but he continues to deny. His response? It makes him more alluring, but it helped keep the heat off of Dumbledore and Harry.
Because of this, I was allowed to enter the library without sneaking in. With explicit warnings to not touch any of the dark books. Sirius even went through and pointed each one and was slowly placing them into a pile to get rid of. It was rather adorable to think he was removing them for good. Kreacher would silently grab some of the books and place them into my trunk. Never told me about any of this, just noticed the books laying in my trunk. Sneaky elf, placing them when I wasn’t around to see him do it.
Through all my research, I was able to pinpoint it was a pathetic hearing. I noticed that the time they gave them seemed off and said to be there early. Not only that, I gave them several points to address in Wizengamot. Cause the ministry to be on the back foot. Have them account for all the dementors on that day, have any witnesses be there. Make them use Veritaserum and a pensieve. Use all possible avenues that can be used to prove Harry’s innocence.
From what I heard, the ministry was stumbling for answers. They could not account for all the dementors on the day, even though they claimed they always do. Veritaserum and pensieve proved to the Wizengamot that Harry was innocent, with a resounding vote in favor for him. According to Harry, the Minister and his undersecretary were scowling at him as he left.
The days after the hearing were trips to Diagon Alley and to Hogwarts Express. Looking up from my book to the rolling countryside, I saw my purple eyes stare back at me. They were always an oddity in my life. My parents say I was unique, that I was born with royal purple eyes. Well I was already unique since I can use magic. But that doesn’t explain the purple eyes. My research claimed that I have Alexandria’s Genesis, a mutation that can occur 6 months after birth. Confronting my parents about it, they remain steadfast that I was born with them.
The sound of knocking broke my attention to my strange eyes to the cabin door. Outside the door is none other than Daphne Greengrass. The blonde ice queen of Slytherin. At least that is what everyone only knows her by. The day I set up the inter house study group was the day I met Daphne. She came off as a cold and indifferent bitch to most, but she is quite the opposite. She was quite intelligent as well. You would not want to get on her bad side if you want to keep all your digits. We became close friends, despite being in different houses. Though Ravenclaws and Slytherins often seek each other's council, they never went beyond that.
Close enough that she asked me to be her date for the Triwizard Tournament Yule Ball. That was a surprise. I had come out to her at the end of third year. Due to the time turner and puberty, I found out I preferred girls. At that time, Daphne and I were good friends and had confided in each other. Her with the pressure she feels about being in a pureblood family of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, and me with pressure of a new world that is slowly distancing myself from my parents. She was often scared of mingling with me, a muggleborn, but that changed in fourth year and the Yule Ball apparently.
It made me realize just how pretty she was. Beneath the icy exterior was someone who truly cared about others. Someone who worked her way through the pressure and to stand proudly on top of those she defeated. She can extrude confidence and knows how to hide when she needs to. Not only that, she has beautiful blue eyes that pierces into your soul. Her intelligence was my favorite quality about her. She was probably the only person in this school who can match up to my wit. We haven’t talked about us since the Yule Ball, only a few letters here and there. I was helping Harry with the tournament and I was not able to corner her about it. I wished we had kissed in the gardens, but Snape and Karkaroff ruined that moment with their argument.
The argument Ron and I had about dates was intense. He would not believe me that I had a date for the ball. Instead he kept trying to take me, as a last resort. The image of his open slack jaw mouth when I walked in with Daphne on my arm will forever be memorable. The next day I officially told them that I was a lesbian. Even with an explanation, Ron still doesn’t quite grasp it. His longing stares and hesitations are not as subtle as he thinks they are. Just another objective that needs to be addressed this year.
Waving Daphne in, she quickly opened the door and closed it. Putting up a couple of wards, ones that I recognized as a Silencing and a Disillusionment. Probably to prevent others from seeing who was in here. “Hey Hermione,” she said as she turned around with a smile as she sat down next to me. She looked over to Ginny and Luna and continued, “Hi Ginny, Luna.”
“Hey”, ”Hello Daphne,” both girls responded. Ginny kept glancing between Daphne and I a knowing grin before she focused on her discussion with Luna. turning my attention back to Daphne, I noticed her staring at me with a bright smile.
Smiling back, “how was your break?”
“It was intriguing to say the least. Especially the court hearing for your friend Harry,” she said flippantly. She must have been at the hearing. Probably with her father as she’s the heiress to house Greengrass.
Raising an eyebrow, “oh? And what was so interesting about it?”
“Well.. Harry’s defense seemed ironclad from where I was standing. The Minister and his toad of an undersecretary could not get an upper hand. Who by the way, wears way too much pink,” she paused, looking to the side feigning interest. With a smirk growing on her lips, she continued, “it reminded me of the Buckbeak hearing from third year.”
Playing along, I said, “interesting. Makes you wonder who did all the planning and research for both of these hearings.”
“Indeed,” she responded. Dropping all playfulness, she said, “how are you not in Slytherin?”
“You mean besides the fact that I’m muggleborn?”
“That is still a ridiculous notion. You could easily out maneuver the majority of the house.”
“I do have other qualities than just my cunningness,” I smirked back at her. Two could play this game.
She stared at me, blinking, before catching on. She smiled back at me, “fair. One would have to forget your never ending thirst for knowledge, logic, and wit to see your cunningness.”
We both laughed and continued our conversation about the hearing. Giving me a new perspective on it. Ginny and Luna eventually joined the conversation. A couple of hours later and I had to leave to go to the Prefect meeting. Daphne followed me. Saying she had to go back to her cabin with her sister. When we departed, she smiled back at me. A smile of my own grew on my face before I continued to the Prefect cabin.