Chapter 6
April 2001
Hermione didn’t know what to do with Lucius Malfoy's gift? Curse?. Did he want her to read it? The logical answer would be yes. Or is it her internal bookworm and curiosity playing with her mind and begging her to devour the book front and back?
She should leave it in a vault, underground, away from people, right?
What if it was enchanted? Cursed? Would her hand fall off if she touched it ?
“It looks clean Hermione” said Bill looking at the charts filled with runes over the book, the blue tinge of the graphics reflected in their faces “it is completely harmless to any human or creature, no matter sex or age, it is even inoffensive to muggles”
Right
“To Give you that, Hermione, even temporarily is no laughing matter. The Grimoire of an established family is the sacrest of their secrets, not even the parallel branches should touch it, some families don't even allow it to be seen. The families who talk about them or exhibit them are more than frown upon” Andromeda sighed “ it’s taboo”
Ron and Ginny who sat on the love seat next to her shared a look. So that's why they’re being morose.
This reunion was smaller, Kingsley currently unemployed is paying back favors to Hermione helping her with the current dilemma, Harry, Ron and Ginny have practically camped with Hermione here in the library since the revelation of The Veil scheme™, as they were calling it.
They invited Andromeda and Luna who both shared a PhD on the subject of Narcissa Malfoy. Bill who was now sitting on the arm of the armchair came to help in case the Grimoire was a trap and cursed.
“He is entrusting you with everything his family represents, centuries of history and tradition. Also,If he wanted to hurt you he could have done it asking you to repay the life debt he recognized upon you” Andromeda finished.
“Why recognize the life debt in the first place?”
“Maybe because of the Ritual” Luna said.
Again with the Ritual and The Veil Scheme™, no matter how Hermione wanted to move on and research for Narcissa’s future projects, or find out how was she thinking to exterminate a third of the Wizarding population, they couldn’t advance past The Ritual.
“You think he wants me to prepare to bring him back from The Veil? But why me?”
“I don’t think that’s it” added Kingsley “ If he thought you were capable of bringing back someone your obvious choice would be Sirius, also that doesn’t explain why he recommended you to get more Grimoires”.
“There must be something else, giving away his family's magics makes me feel like he was honest about meeting his end” Andromeda said nonchalantly.
As if she wasn’t talking about her brother’s in Law border line suicidal thoughts.
“I think you should read it”. Kingsley and Andromeda turned their heads with a crack looking astonished at Bill. “The last scion of a Noble and Ancient House of Magic, recognized you as his equal when he recognized the life debt and gave you the secrets of his House. This means something Hermione, and the note about being ready, he suspects something, he’s giving you clues. Your boss gave you permission to work from home for the next few weeks isn't that right?”
“Yes” a wide eyed Hermione murmured “She told me my productivity hasn’t been affected and that they’re moving things around in the other divisions with the change of government and all that rut, so they don’t need me in the office”
“There you go. Stay and read it, look for clues, and if this is in fact a conspiracy theory as you call it, and no one is coming for the muggle borns then there was nothing to worry about and you learned new tricks”.
Andromeda and Kingsley clearly disapproved but they didn’t have anything else to advise.The three of them left after that with promises of keeping an open communication channel in case there is anything to worry about concerning muggle-borns. They learned from Kingsleys mistakes, and agreed to meet weekly to share information.
After dinner, Harry insisted on movie night to take a break, Hermione didn’t look like she was recovering from her last crash and this new information promised to bring her down. These last two weeks she has visited Hogwarts four times, her parents house twice and Bill and Fleur have been getting ready to receive her any night soon when Bellatrix came calling in her dreams.
He chose the Mask of Zorro with the excuse of being easier for Luna to follow because of the lack of technology and the hope that Ron won’t be snoring in the first 10 minutes. Also it was his guilty pleasure and Hermione enjoyed teasing him for it. He clicked play and without delay Hermione had already a small smile on her face and started teasing him for his crush on the actress and his dream of sword fighting.Hermione was his sister in everything but blood and to be there in difficult moments even if it was for her to tease him was his honour.
After the movie in a more relaxed state Hermione asked “Luna, what do you know about the Ritual?”
“I read it in my family’s Grimoire, and I’m sorry Hermione but I cannot tell you. My family’s magic involves talents of aura reading and sight, and to protect the secret, the Grimoire is enchanted for the reader to only speak half truths and riddles if they risk relaying that information to someone out of the family. And I know how you hate it when I do that”.
Hermione smiled, the first warm smile in what felt like weeks. Luna was giving her something closer to bad news than no news at all, but in moments like these, when she remembered how hard it was for them to see eye to eye at school, and how they learned to understand each other, she appreciated the friendship they shared.
Maybe I can visit in the name of Lavender next, maybe even without crying. They hugged Luna and Ron goodbye next to the Floo in the parlor and were ready to go to bed.
Harry and Ron, even Ginny at this point, understood what was going through Hermione’s head when she hugged Luna for a moment too long. “I know you hate it when I do this sis, but I flooed Angelina after dinner, I made an appointment for you, for Ginny and one for me, I think we need it”
Angelina Johson went into mind healing after Hogwarts. She also studied psychology in muggle university so she was great at understanding Harry’s and Hermione’s backgrounds and references, also the lifestyle they had before discovering magic.
The days after the final battle were hard and difficult to all, Hermione was dealing with the hard truth that finding her parents in another continent was next to impossible, the Weasleys were grieving Fred, He was grieving Remus and the end of the Marauders, he thought it was normal, the lost eyes, the triggering sounds, the shallow faces, his whole generation looked the same until help came from the most unexpected of places.
A couple of months after the last funeral, he went to visit Dudley. Their goodbye was one moment of comfort he kept reproducing in his head, so he went to the address he found. Dudley was in great health and greeted him with a half hug and a relieved face. He was looking healthy, happy, and unburdened. He was studying to become a baker, to Vernom’s disgrace.
“ I found a job at a baker’s and started my classes. I took a course in psychology at school too. I still feel so ashamed Harry, how could it take me so long to realise that the way we treated you was wrong?”
“I talked a lot with my professor, she helped me a lot and recommended a therapist , i’ve been going twice a month”
“I don’t speak much with mum and dad, I was horrible to you Harry but they were the adults in our lives, they were responsible for your wellbeing, and treating you like that without you asking for it? gods, you were in nappies and they already hated you.
He understood many things since that conversation. That they needed therapy was an understatement, if Dudley needed help for Harry’s life at Privet Drive then his own need for help was blatantly obvious, only with his childhood he needed years of it, let's add the horrors he faced every year at Hogwarts and actually dying and coming back to the living to the list. Hermione was a shell of herself, she started styling her hair pinned to her skull so she didn’t feel the physical reminder of Bellatix’s curls hanging over her face, Ginny suffered so much from the Cruciatus curse during her sixth year that there was a moment she couldn’t keep her grip on her broom from the spasms of her hand. Her physical health was a small peek into her mental health. Ron joined the therapy club too, his insecurities almost cost them their survival during the hunt.
“I don’t like it when you do it, but I think I really need it, thank you, for the movie too” she gave him a peck on the cheek and went to her room.