1 - Hermione
Chapter 1
Hermione
Running away was the best choice Hermione had ever made.
As soon as she had dissapereated away from Hogwarts she landed at shell cottage to gather the last of her belongings she'd left there before their latest heist. She dashed up to the bedroom she had been using to recover and plan their trip to Gringgotts with Harry and Ron. She tapped the bedframe with her wand and took stock of the potions she had brewed while they were there. One dose of Pollyjuice remained, perfect.
'Accio Hair,' she muttered, pointing her wand at her open beaded bag. A small vile of human hair zipped through her bag and into her hand. She took the stopper out and added a light brown one to the potion in the small flask. She watched as the potion went from grey to light brown, and she downed it.
She winced as she felt the uncomfortable feeling of her skin morphing, shifting slightly in tone to a paler white. Her hair now shoulder length, straight and sandy brown. Just like the muggle she had stolen the hair from in a grocery store almost a year ago.
Hermione closed the secret cupboard in the bedframe, but only after she had grabbed the remaining potions and shoving them in her beaded bag. She rushed out of the house and back out to the beach where the wards ended and she could disapparate with a loud crack she vanished.
She reappeared at the edge of the Blackhoof Inn in London. She wanted to avoid going anywhere that anyone may recognize her even in her disguise, the seedy pub was the back entrance to Knocktern Ally. Unlike the Leaky Cauldron, the Blackhoof Inn was known for shady figers and a general disgression for those who chose to rent out a room, be it for an hour or a month. She walked through to the enterance to the shop fronts of the various morally questionable businesses. She never though that she would ever find anything Mundungus Flectcher said useful but when they'd been planning thier trip to the ministry months back, she had picked his brains about various illigeal yet helpful resources. He'd been the one to suggest that they should plan a trip to knocktern to secure things like unregistered port keys muggle passports and illegal wands and weapons. He'd also suggested that they pawn off old Black heirlooms down here, but Harry had said a firm no to that idea, he claimed it was too easy to trace back to him as he had been the one to inherit them, dispite that fact that Dung had already pilfered a bunch of the old crap.
She was here now, in front of the shop with the black cat sitting out front. She opened the door, which rung a tiny bell above it, and an elderly woman stood up behind the counter that stretched across the entire length of the shop.
'What brings a young witch to Madam Carina's pet? nothing good, never is anything good.' the old witch cackled.
'I was told this was the place to go if I needed a way to leave the country on short notice without a trace?' She said, approaching the counter, looking at the various marble and pearl like items encased below the dirty glass surface.
'Needing a quick getaway she is saying... but she must have heard of the vanquished dark lord... and yet she runs... never good pet, never good is it.' She said with a wicked smirk that sent chills through Hermione's spine.
'Please, I have gold. I have items worth more than gold too, name your price and I'll pay it. I just need a way out of here.' She said, opening her bag to retrieve some gold or a destroyed horcrux she still had hold of.
She wishes to pay pet. she must not know how Madam Carina works. no no pet. mustn't give it away.' She muttered and sat back down.
'I'll give anything, Really I will. name your price.' Hermione demanded, aware her hour was quickly ticking by.
'She demands it pet, guess we should tell her, burden though it is.' the woman sighed and stood again. 'Madam Carina takes a capture of your consciousness from the worst moment of your life. not a memory no, a copy of your psyche eternally stuck in the worst moment you have ever had to live through. Madam Carina doubts the witch will still want to pay pet. Madam Carina can see it in her face.' she was pressing an old and bony finger on the glass of the counter. Hermione grimaced, what she had assumed were various shaped and colored pearls was in fact tiny living conscious memories. She could see the wailing faces, swimming beneath the haze of white and grey. She took a step back in utter horror.
'See pet, no one ever wants to pay at Madam Carina, not once they know the real price pet, no no no.' the witch chuckled and sat back down.
'Dammit Dung,' Hermione sighed before she stepped back toward the counter. 'I'll pay it. I know my worst memory I can handle it.'
'Says she can handle it, let us be the judge of that pet.' The witch said as she withdrew her wand and pointed it at Her. 'Crudeila'
Hermione was not where she expected to be, she was in her bedroom, her muggle bedroom.
'Hermione, Tea's ready.' Her mother called.
'coming mum!' she called back, holding back the tears that threatened to fall.
Not this not again, she couldn't do it a second time, she could barely do it the first time.
She left her room, beaded bag in hand, all her muggle possessions that she wanted to keep tucked safely inside. She landed at the bottom of the stairs to see her parents sitting on the couch, back to her. Making as little noise as possible she lifted her wand, pointing it at the,m and whispered the incantation.
'Obliviate'
she was glad they had their backs to her, she knew that right now their eyes were hazed over white while the memory of their only child scrubbed its self from both of their memories. Hermione turned and with tears freely flowing down her cheeks she whispered another spell this time pointing her wand at the pictures in the room
'Obliviate Objectum' she scanned the room with her wand arm and flicked it at every picture, award, or any other signs she had ever lived here and watched as they removed her from them. She may as well have never existed.
'Wendle, do you remember what we were doing with three cups here?' Her mother asked her father.
'I'm sure it was for... for...' he tried to form the words but nothing came to it. Hermione sighed and wiped the tears from her face, attempting to smile brightly.
'It was for me. I'm Heather your travel agent, just here to confirm all the details for your trip to Australia next week.' She smiled as she walked around the couch, taking her mug and sitting in the old armchair her father used to sit in to read her bedtime stories.
'Yes, Australia just like ... who suggested this again Helen?'
'I can't recall dear, maybe it was a pacient at the clinic.' Her mother said with a pleasent smile.
Suddenly Hermione was back in the shop, horrified as a marble-sized pearl floated in between the witch and herself. Hermione wanted to be sick, a version of her was now stuck reliving the worst day of her life forever and she had allowed it to happen. this would never end for a version of her now.
'A big one for Madam Carina, yes pet a big one, not many have such burdens like that.' The witch cackled as she let the marble-sized memory land gently in her palm. She lowered her palm which passed through the glass with the memory still on it, her hand continued to go through the counter till it was back at her side and the memory now sat encased in the grimy glass enclosure alongside all of the other moments from other patrons.
'now for her prize, this one is a big one pet, i think we can give much more than she originally requested.' The old woman said and with a small flick of her wand, she summoned a small velvet pouch. Hermione caught the pouch as it zipped past the old witch towards her.
She opened the pouch to find it was full of silver marbles. she looked at the witch horrified.
'This isn't a bag of those' she asked pointing at the case of worst-lived moments.
The witch cackled again 'No, no, it is a bag of Merlin Maiks, place one underfoot and crack it, it will take you wherever you need to be. best be careful though, unpure thoughts will cause unpleasant results.'
Hermione nodded and left the shop without another word, but she could hear the witch cackle and muttering to herself as she left the shop, the bell dinging again on her way out.