The Vulture's Nest
The Order of the Phoenix had reactivated. It was nearly the end of summer, and the news of Voldemort’s return had spread like a wildfire in the Wizarding world. The now identified Barty Crouch Jr had infiltrated Hogwarts and had manipulated the Triwizard tournament so that Harry would participate and get to the final task. The Triwizard cup, turned into a portkey, had brought Harry Potter to the Little Hangleton graveyard, where Peter Petigrew tied him to Tom Riddle Sr’s tombstone. Unexpectedly, Cedric Diggory came along with Harry, and he was quickly, mindlessly executed. Harry’s blood was forcibly taken and profaned in a ritual that would return Voldemort to his greatest strength. Right in front of his eyes, the dark wizard’s new half-human, half-snake body emerged from a cauldron. He used this new body to pierce Harry with wide opened red eyes. He touched his scar with his long cold finger, and it hurt like a Cruciatus curse. He summoned his followers, who Harry recognized. And he tried to kill Harry, once again. Harry was forced to duel Voldemort and was able to escape death miraculously, since ghost figures in the form of his loved lost ones appeared around them and helped him distract the enemy. In the last second, Harry was able to grab Cedric’s body and the portkey. The rest, everyone had seen.
Harry had twisted Voldemort’s plan to kill him, but there was something that could not be undone. He was back. Stronger and deadlier than before. He was unavoidable. Everyone had heard this story. Yet, the Ministry had decided to twist the terrible news into a false rumor. The papers had antagonized Harry into an attention seeking liar, and Dumbledore was going down with him for believing and defending his story. People were especially skeptical with Harry’s explanation of his escape. Hermione thought that, if they had investigated just a little, they would’ve come across the Priori Incantatem. The wands pertaining to Harry and Voldemort had a special connection. Their cores were both feathers of the same phoenix, and their confrontation had triggered a Priori Incantatem effect. That meant that their wands had started to echo their previous spells. Voldemort’s previous spell had last occurred when he killed Harry’s parents, so that was why their ghosts had suddenly appeared and had been able to protect Harry.
A whole lot of people found that Harry’s story was too difficult to believe. Terror and uncertainty lead everyone to be in denial, and it was easier to focus their distress and anger towards Harry than believing him. Hermione had seen it coming, it was a pattern that always repeated itself. Even if the truth was too obvious, people generally would choose to look aside. Now, she had not expected that the Ministry would turn against Harry and feed the population those terrible rumors.
To make things worse, Harry had been caught using magic in front of muggles. The Ministry had sent him a letter to notify him that he was expelled from Hogwarts for underage magic. Fortunately, Dumbledore had managed to get Harry a disciplinary hearing the 12th of August, so that his actions would be fairly judged. Meanwhile, they had been living in Grimmauld Place, also known as the House of Black. These were the new headquarters of the Order.
Hermione had learned quite a few things since her arrival: Voldemort was discreetly building an army, and the Order was having trouble finding new allies. There were several reasons for this, such as the Ministry’s clear will to discredit Dumbledore and Sirius' terrible reputation as an alleged murderer. She had also learned that cleaning a pureblood family’s abandoned mansion was even more tiring than reading Rita Skeeter’s stupid made up articles.
This whole situation had created a lot of division. It was its main purpose, of course. You could be on Harry’s side or on the Ministry’s side. The Weasleys had suffered the effect directly. Percy had been promoted to Cornelius Fudge Jr’s assistant, and he didn’t believe that the minister was using him in any way. The rest of the family had a problem with that, and the conflict escalated so much that Percy ended up cutting off all contact with their parents and siblings. So that was Hermione’s first hand example of how much harm the lies were causing.
The Order had a lot of meetings, but the adults banned the students from hearing most of them. They had also learned that Severus Snape was a member of the Order, since he had assisted some of those meetings. Harry didn’t bother to hide his skepticism and mistrust. The same happened with Ron, Fred and George.
The twins had just gotten their Apparition license, which had led them to behave even worse than before. Mrs Weasley was sick of all their jokes, but Hermione was really grateful for their mischievousness. They made their days brighter, even if they were all living in a dark house under dark circumstances.
Hermione was also grateful for having Ginny. She felt like she could have more mature conversations with her. Harry was nervous enough with everything that involved him, and Ron… she couldn’t reckon ever talking to him about her deepest worries. She knew it would be uncomfortable and both of them would want to get out of the room.
Sirius had made a strange comment one time. He had said that Voldemort was trying to retrieve a weapon, something that he didn’t have last time. The rest didn’t let him specify what it was and Molly sent the teenagers to bed right after. That small piece of information had Hermione rolling on the mattress for hours.
When the 12th of August arrived, the Order decided to rest until Harry and Arthur Weasley came back from the hearing. Hermione dedicated most of her time to finishing a book that had caught her attention in the house’s library. It was Ancient Enchantments: Forgotten Secrets of Wizarding Ancestry. The book covered topics such as tracking one’s magical lineage. It also listed some long forgotten enchantments which, who knew, maybe could be of use.
When she found herself with nothing to do, she remembered that the drawing room on the ground floor, which was the one they used for meetings, was free. The room had a wall piano that Hermione had been eager to play, even though she was convinced it would be out of tune. She quickly went downstairs and entered the empty room. Placing herself in front of the instrument, she took out her wand and casted some superficial cleaning spells, just to get the dust out of the way. The piano had a beautiful ebony color, and even though the design was a little peculiar, it still looked pretty much the same as the pianos she knew from the muggle world.
She tried to play and was pleasantly surprised to find that the piano sounded good. She played several scales to make sure, and when she was satisfied, she started playing the first movement of Sibelius Violin Concerto. She had made the piano arrangement herself during the first weeks of the summer, not only as an exercise, but as a way to let her brain and heart rest from all that was happening. Hermione didn’t want to get obsessed with the threats ahead, since they would arrive anyway. She couldn’t afford going crazy before the real mess started. For now, as far as she knew, the school year would take place with no special differences, and so would her piano studies. She would get the best of it.
She had been playing for a few minutes, enjoying the sound of the instrument. She loved how concentrated she needed to be, and how much control she had over what she was doing. Hermione believed there was no better display of knowledge and mastery. People could admire you for being brilliant in school, but they didn’t really care about it. However, when someone was a musician, people found it special.
Hermione, however, didn’t play in front of anyone if it wasn’t extremely necessary. She didn’t think she was good enough, and she didn’t think people around her understood. Especially in the Wizarding world. She was even more strict with her musical abilities than with anything that had to do with school. Learning history, making potions, performing spells… those matters were mechanical, objective, she could cover them easily. Music was different. Music challenged her, and music made fun of her. She had to grasp the beauty of it, she had to train both her sensibility and her technicality to understand how it worked. It was a language which combined both the foundations of poetry and math. She loved the complexity of it. And she often hated herself for not being able to grasp everything it had to give.
She was so deeply immersed that a little shout escaped her mouth when George apparated right next to her.
“God, George! Why would you do that!”
“Oh, good! I even made you let out a muggle expression”
“Now I’ll have to start over!”
She was aware of how upset she sounded, and she felt embarrassed. George stopped laughing at her.
“Sorry, Hermione, just wanted to see what you were doing. One gets so bored and depressed among these walls…” he ran a hand through his hair, as if he was in great distress. Hermione chuckled lightly “Didn’t know you played the piano”
“I keep it sort of private,” she answered slowly “I’ve been studying since I was five”
“Really? You mean, like, formally studying?”
Hermione nodded, giving him a soft smile.
“I take it very seriously, just as my education at Hogwarts”
George looked at her with wide eyes and leaned on the wall.
“Really?” He said again “And how do you manage it? Is there someone at Hogwarts teaching you?”
“I wish. I’m self taught most of the time. I can only go to classes on Christmas and in summer. That’s when I take my exams”
“Then, there’s a piano in the castle? I have never seen it”
“Yes, Dumbledore showed it to me in my first year and has let me study with it ever since. It’s in the Muggle’s Studies department, but it’s never used. I believe it was a donation. It must mean that muggle pianos are different”
George frowned, looking at the piano.
“Well, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a muggle piano. What’s the difference?”
Hermione remained silent for a few seconds, observing the instrument.
“They look the same, but this one seems to be able to self tune. It’s been abandoned for so many years, yet it sounds brand new. Muggle pianos need to be maintained in order to keep their sound”
George nodded.
“That makes me wonder if the creator of the piano was a muggle or a wiz..”
“He was a muggle, as far as I’m concerned,” Hermione interrupted “Bartolomeo Cristofori. He invented it in around the year 1700. In fact, I believe almost every instrument we know has its origin in muggle culture”
“That’s interesting,” George raised his eyebrows “I think it makes sense. At least, I don’t think I know many people that are interested in music around here”
“Exactly, practically no one minds it. And that’s why music is not a career option in the Wizarding World, unless you are very rich,” Hermione said, letting out a sigh “It’s understandable, though. Wizards have different sensibilities. We’re creative in ways that muggles can’t be. But that deprives us of creating things with our own hands. A piano that always works despite it being misused seems convenient, but the pianist who owns it will never know how to tune it,” Hermione shook her head “And not all pianists know how to tune a piano, you usually hire someone else to do it… But if the piano never sounds wrong, you will not even wonder how it’s done. You won’t mind letting it rot in a corner, either”
George nodded slowly, eyes locked on the floor. They spent a minute in silence, and then Hermione started to feel uncomfortable.
“What are you thinking about?”
“I was just counting…” George answered, looking at her with a funny smile “I believe I know four songs in total. And one of them is the Hogwarts hymn”
They both laughed at the realization.
“Terrible melody, by the way,” she said “For some reason I’ve always hated it”
“Merlin, I thought it was a really great tune,” George said in a frustrated tone “I guess the best song I know is Happy Birthday”
“Fair enough. Although that’s the song that muggles always sing out of tune”
“What? Don’t all muggles know music?
“Don’t all wizards get an Outstanding from Snape?”
George rolled his eyes, amused.
“Play something,” he said, suddenly “So I’ll know five songs”
“What? Now?”
“Yeah. Educate me in the fine arts. I want to know how muggle music sounds like”
Hermione didn’t expect the request, but she liked it. She wondered for a few seconds what was the best option and played random notes on the piano due to nervousness. Since it was George who was asking, she saw fit showing him something popular and easy to memorize.
“Alright,” she fixed her posture and placed her hands on the keyboard “I believe you’ll like it. This one’s called I want to break free. It’s from a band called Queen. Their singer died a couple of years ago… Well, it talks about self liberation and… desire to be who you are freely”
Hermione started playing the chords. She kept it as simple as she could, because she just wanted George to learn the vocal melody. Hermione didn’t have a great voice, but it still sounded good, so she hoped he would be enjoying her version.
George quickly caught on the rhythm and started tapping the floor with his foot. He sort of followed the tempo, which made Hermione smile.
Three minutes later, she finished the song. She found George’s wide smile when she looked at him.
“That’s definitely the best out of the five songs,” he said, raising his eyebrows again “You’ve made my day. Play it again, I want to learn it”
Hermione nodded, placing her hands on the right keys again.
“It’s a repetitive melody, you’ll get it eas…”
“Mudblood!”
Both wizards jumped as a strangled voice shouted from the door frame. When they turned their heads, they faced a freaked out Kreacher. He was hunched over, trying to hide his head between his shoulders, as if he wanted to become a ball of crumpled parchment. His little eyes were fixated on Hermione, and his glare was filled with disgust and anger.
“Mudblood playing master Lysandra’s piano. She has no right to touch anything. She must not be here. The blood traitors and their mudblood friends have no place in this house. How dare you!"
“Merlin, Kreacher, you almost gave us a heart attack,” George mocked him, leaning on the wall again “You should knock next time”
“Don’t make fun of him. He doesn’t know any better” Hermione defended the old elf in a low voice.
Kreacher heard her, and her words only infuriated him more.
“Filthy mudblood talks about what Kreacher knows. Kreacher knows the true blood purity and the noble traditions of the Black family. Mudblood knows nothing. She just pollutes our world with her existence. She dares to talk about Kreacher and walk around the noble House of Black. She doesn’t belong here. She’s scum!”
“That would be enough, Kreacher,” Sirius made his voice heard from the hallway. Kreacher looked in his direction and snarled quietly “I’m losing my patience with you. I won’t remind you again, stop bothering the people in this house. Except Snape, you can insult him a little when you see him. But no one else. Understood?
Kreacher shrugged his shoulders even more, as if it was physically painful to obey.
“Yes, master Sirius”
Glancing at Hermione and George one last time, Kreacher disappeared taking slow steps. Right after, Sirius made his appearance. He was smiling widely.
“I’m glad someone’s giving some use to that old thing! And what a delightful use!” he said. Hermione answered with another smile, feeling somewhat embarrassed. Sirius quickly changed the topic “Harry’s about to arrive. The time of his hearing was changed at the last minute, so it ended earlier than we expected”
Hermione frowned. They changed the time at the last minute? They were doing everything they could to get a minimal excuse to expel Harry. The minister really had to be desperate, he needed Harry far from Hogwarts. He sure didn’t want the boy who had seen Voldemort come back tell the other students that Voldemort had, in fact, come back.
“They’re shameless,” George said, crossing his arms “Did he win?”
“I think so,” Sirius said. Hermione found it difficult to hide her excitement “But let’s wait until he and Arthur arrive. They’ll tell us”
Sirius left, and George seemed to be about to do the same, but Hermione stopped him.
“George, wait. Uh… Just one thing”
“What is it?”
“I still want this to be private, so could you not talk about it? At Hogwarts, I mean. Could you not bring it up?”
George smiled softly and gave her a thumbs up.
“Of course! And by the way, Hermione…” he approached the door and looked at her one more time “I’m Fred, not George”
She frowned, confused, and he winked at her before leaving.
In a matter of minutes, Harry and Arthur arrived home. Harry’s relieved smile already told them all that they needed to know. Everyone gave him a strong hug, and then proceeded to interrogate him about everything that had happened. Molly rapidly shut them, saying that Harry had already faced a hard evening and that he needed some rest.
Later that night, he told everything to Ron and Hermione.
“Seriously, they wouldn’t even let me finish a sentence,” Harry said, sitting with his legs crossed on the bed “I don’t know what this would have ended in if Mrs Figg hadn’t witnessed anything”
“Well, it wasn't a coincidence that she was there, right?” Ron said. He was laying on the floor “Dumbledore sent her to look after you”
“Yes, that’s what I understand”
“Then, it was meant to be like this. He knew someone would try to harm you” Hermione said. She was sitting on the other bed, with her legs hanging on the side.
They stayed silent for a moment. Then, Harry spoke again. Hermione sensed his hesitation.
“Percy was there,” Ron immediately turned his neck to look at Harry, but he remained inexpressive “It was like he refused to look at me”
“What did he vote for?” Ron asked in a monotone voice.
“I didn’t see” Harry confessed. Ron waited, in case Harry would add something else, and then locked his eyes on the ceiling.
A few days later, the Hogwarts letters arrived. Harry’s, of course, was among them, which brought everyone more satisfaction than ever. If it was even possible, Hermione felt like her heart would break her chest when she opened her own letter.
Miss Granger, we hope this letter finds you in the best of health and spirits. We are pleased to inform you that you have been selected to serve as one of the Gryffindor House Prefects for the upcoming academic year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Almost at the same time, she learned that Ron had also been selected. Molly Weasley looked like she would explode at any moment. She wouldn’t stop crying and saying how proud she was.
“A prefect! I can’t believe it! Another Weasley! Oh, this is so good! All my boys are prefects…”
“Guess we’re just adopted” George whispered to Fred.
“Yes. In fact, we have different mothers”
“Life coincidences are magical…”
Mrs Weasley hurried everyone to get properly dressed. She was so excited that she had decided to go to the Diagon Alley and get Ron a new broom. Ron wasn’t complaining. Moreover, he looked like he was having the time of his life.
They bought everything they needed for the school year. Hermione mainly purchased the books she needed, such as Advanced Potion-making, Ancient Runes, and other books that she knew she would find useful for some of her subjects. She thought that was all she would buy, but she found herself entering a small second-hand shop. She didn’t remember it if had always been there, but at that moment she felt like something was pulling her in from the inside.
When she entered, she realized the shop wasn't small at all. Her eyes couldn’t even see the back wall. Hermione took a few steps, and her nose was immediately invaded with the strong smell of old paper and wood. She needed a few seconds to get used to the thick air, so she stood there, looking around. There was an immense amount of different objects piled up on tables. Some of them were so big that they reached the ceiling. Said ceiling was also difficult to see, since it was covered by hundreds of lamps, all of them different in size, shape and color. The floor was also hidden by big worn rugs which overlapped each other.
Hermione headed for the closest table, trying not to feel overwhelmed by everything that surrounded her. She immediately glued her eyes on every object that was in front of her, not believing what she was seeing. Beautifully crafted antique quills, a silver goblet with an emblem that read Fidelitas et Magia, a stack of old faded parchment with handwritten notes and spells…
Wherever she placed her eyes, there was something captivating. She was about to pick up the silver goblet. It probably pertained to an ancient wizarding society… Hermione began to wonder why the place wasn’t popular, and why she was the only customer inside. The moment she touched the goblet with her fingers, she got the answer.
“Don’t touch!” a female voice spoke really close to Hermione’s ear. The young witch jumped and almost dropped the goblet, and a pair of bony hands quickly took the object away from her “Not for sale!”
Hermione turned and faced a tall, strange woman. She was skinny, bald and had really small gray eyes. Hermione realized almost instantly that those eyes weren’t looking at her, or at anything. The woman was blind.
“I’m sorry… I thought this was a second-hand store?”
“It is” the woman said. She looked very old, but her voice was sweet and young. Hermione got a glimpse of her teeth, and saw they were rotten.
“Then… Can I keep looking around?” Hermione asked, carefully.
“Don’t touch”
“Right…”
The woman stayed in front of Hermione for a couple of seconds. Then, she left and disappeared among the piles, keeping the goblet close to her chest. Hermione let out a breath, releasing the tension. Now she knew why the shop wasn’t very crowded. She would’ve thought of leaving the place if it wasn’t so interesting.
She continued walking around and observing, now keeping a certain distance. She thought she would just take a superficial look at everything and leave, but she saw something that made her eyes sparkle.
“Is this…?” she whispered to herself, getting closer to the object.
Right in front of her, there was an ornate, round music box. It was entirely made of wood except for the lid, which was made of white porcelain. The polished mahogany wood had complex and delicate drawings carved on all its surface, and right above the keyhole, there was a sentence written in golden letters: Music chooses.
Hermione fought hard not to stroke the porcelain lid. It featured a finely detailed phoenix in flight, its wings outstretched as if soaring through the air. The colors were so vivid that the painted feathers seemed to shimmer. Hermione caught on the detail that the phoenix’s eyes followed hers.
She had never seen something similar in the Wizarding world. It was too beautiful to be true. Hermione wondered how it worked, it sure had some magical surprise in it. She kept moving her hand closer and further away from the precious object, leading with the temptation to pick it up and run out the shop.
She ended up taking her wand out and placing it on the keyhole. She didn’t know if she was meant to open it that way, but she wanted to try.
“Alohomora”
Just as the lid started opening slowly and Hermione’s pupils widened, she felt fingers digging into her shoulders. Hermione gasped.
“I. Said. No. TOUCHING” the woman screamed, angry. She shook Hermione’s shoulders and pushed her away from the table. Hermione tripped a little, but she quickly talked to the woman. She needed to try.
“Please, Madam, could I purchase this music box?”
The sinister woman closed the lid of the music box and left her protective hands there. She turned her head towards Hermione’s direction. Her eyes were lifeless, but she somehow managed to shoot a menacing glare.
“Not. For. Sale”
“But it has to be for sale! This is a store, you sell these things”
“Not this one!”
“Then what do you sell?” Hermione asked, starting to feel upset. She picked up a random book that was close to her “What about this? Is this for…”
“DON’T TOUCH”
The woman screamed and ran towards Hermione, willing to grab her neck. Hermione screamed back, scared, and dropped the book on the floor. The woman focused on picking the book up, crying out insults and cursing her, as if Hermione had killed her pet. The young witch ran as if her life depended on it and left the store. Even in the crowded street, she didn’t stop running until she found her group. Ron was showing his new broom to Harry when Hermione arrived.
“Hermione, what’s wrong?” Ginny asked, worried. Hermione was hugging her and breathing sharply.
“I entered that second-hand shop… And the woman there… She was out of her mind…”
Everyone looked at her with surprised and confused faces.
“What do you mean? What shop?” Molly Weasley asked, worried. Hermione pointed back to where she had come from.
“There, next to the store with the purple awning”
The twins immediately raised their eyebrows and opened their mouths in an “o” shape. They looked at each other, amused. Ron was holding his laughter too. Hermione frowned in response, staring at them. At least Harry looked as clueless as she was.
“Hermione, you entered the Vulture’s Nest!” Ron said, trying not to laugh at her friend “No one goes in there! The woman who owns it won’t sell anything, she only attacks customers”
“I once heard that she captured a first year boy and now his bones are for display in the shop” George said. Hermione quickly tried to remember if she had seen bones.
“Stop that,” Ginny said, placing her hand on Hermione’s shoulder “Of course, that’s not true. But yes, she’s known for being crazy and aggressive”
“Oh, Hermione, dear,” Mrs Weasley approached her and placed her hand on her free shoulder “Did she hurt you? She better not have laid a finger on you”
Hermione replayed everything in her head, and her ears started burning.
“She tried… But why does she have a store if she doesn’t sell any of the products? And a store in Diagon Alley, nonetheless,” she crossed her arms and shook her head “Why is she allowed to be here?”
“No idea,” Ron said “She has been there forever. She probably has a lot of money, or has important family members in the ministry”
“How is she?” Fred asked, still smiling “Is she really bald? And ugly? And blind? And…”
“Yes, she is,” Hermione cut him. She couldn’t stop frowning “I’m so frustrated. That shop had the most amazing things. Do you know how hard it is to come across antiques like those? It was like being in a museum…”
“Well, she’ll die someday,” George said “Maybe you can replace her”
Ginny shot a murderous look at his brother. Right then, Arthur Weasley got out of the store next to them.
“Well, everything’s paid. Shall we go?”
Two nights before school started, Harry, Ron and Hermione were talking again. This time, they were playing cards on the floor.
“I really need us all to arrive to Hogwarts,” Harry said, sounding tired “I don’t feel safe outside the castle”
“I believe we all share the feeling,” Hermione said. She was shuffling her cards “Dumbledore will be there. As for now, it’s the safest place on Earth”
“Yeah… Really safe, Voldemort has attacked Harry three times, but yeah,” Ron raised an eyebrow “I don’t want to imagine what will happen this time”
“I don't know,” Harry said, leaning back “We’ll think about it when things start actually happening. Hermione, by the way, will you continue with your piano thing?”
Hermione nodded.
“Yes, I plan to. Why?"
"Nothing, I believe it's good"
"I'll have an important test on Christmas, so between that and the O.W.L.S, I believe I'll live full time in the library"
As she finished her sentence, Hermione pulled out a card that made an ax noise. Suddenly, one of Ron’s cards self-destructed, tearing itself in pieces. Ron let out a long sigh.
"Honestly, Hermione, I don't know how you do it"
“You’re just bad at this game”
“Yeah, well, I’m not talking about the game…”
Suddenly, Harry sat straight again and looked at his friends. He looked as if he was going to say something important, so Hermione and Ron put down their decks.
“This year, we need to pay special attention to Malfoy”
Hermione frowned, trying to understand.
“How so?”
“I told you,” Harry was very serious “Lucius Malfoy was in the graveyard that night. Voldemort summoned him. Draco must be certain that Voldemort is back, just as certain as us”
“And you believe he’s gonna try something?” Ron asked, confused.
“I don’t think he will,” Hermione said “He probably has very little information. His father’s the Death Eater, not him. Not yet, at least. He’s just fifteen”
“Fifteen or not, he’ll be in Hogwarts. Voldemort can make him useful”
“Mate, Voldemort himself has entered Hogwarts,” Ron said, referring to his previous point “He has directly attacked you and has failed. What will Malfoy do? Stupefy you?”
“Voldemort is back, let’s grasp that,” Harry repeated, running out of patience “His attempts will be stronger this time, he’s not weak anymore. It wouldn’t kill us to be cautious”
“Well, alright,” Hermione conceded. She didn't want Harry to get upset “However, we’ve always tended to observe him. If he does something strange, I’m sure we’ll notice”
“Just don’t get paranoid,” Ron added “You’ve got enough on your plate, Harry”
They spent the last days preparing their things. Hermione kept thinking about how things would be this time. Last year had been crazy enough, Harry had been slowly trapped in Voldemort’s hands right in front of everybody’s eyes. Now that he was actually back, one could only begin to imagine what he would do.
She remembered what Sirius had said about Voldemort’s weapon and gave it a lot of thought. Could they try to guess what it was? If so, would that give them some advantage? She had a feeling that, the moment they arrived at Hogwarts, answers would knock on their heads.
First chapter! I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did writing it. English is not my first language, so there are probably a lot of mistakes. A very long story is about to begin, stay with me in this difficult but amazing journey.
Love, Violeta