The Witch the Snake and the Werewolf
AN:// Hermione’s parents where never given names so I made them up. Ethan Rayne and Rupert Giles are characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and by no means my own; they belong to Joss Wheadon. The rest of the characters that are not recognizable are solely my imagination. The power of Regulus Black was not discussed so I filled it in to fit my story. There is no actual rape in this chapter but there is a conversation about it in this chapter. If this bothers you than you best skip over Stevie and Ethan's conversation in the middle. The betaing duties have been taken up by India Inverse in this story.
Remus’s heart broke in a million pieces when he realized that she remembered nothing of the life that they shared. He could smell the scent of Jasmine coming from upstairs and voices talking on a telephone. He also smelled someone else outside for a moment before they left. He then turned his attention to the man that meant so much to Hermione. He obviously was a wizard by the way he handled a wand. There was something so familiar about him that he could not place, something other than the dream he’d had last night.
Hermione gave a look to Rupert and said, “Mike is upstairs, for Merlin’s sake! Put it away.” Then she turned to him and said, “You did not answer my question, Professor. What are you doing here?”
Looking for my wife “Ginny Flooed us all about your collapse and disappearance. We all went in different directions to try and find you. I volunteered to look in your familiar places in the Muggle world. I was lucky in my first guess,” he replied, trying to keep the hurt, longing, and shock out of his voice. He saw this Rupert give him a strange look before he put his wand away.
“Does Ginny know why I collapsed?” asked Hermione.
Remus looked at Rupert before he shook his head no.
“Come in and have some coffee, Professor. I am sure that Mike would not mind.”
“Remus, Hermione. I have not been your professor for years,” replied the werewolf.
Mike had come back down with a look of annoyance and worry, an expression often used with her younger half-sister, Charlotte-Jacinta, commonly known as Chuck. She appeared startled for a moment before returning to her cool, hospitable demeanour.
“I am sorry about this, Mike. A friend of mine from Oxford came to check up on me. This is Remus Johnson. Remus, this is my solicitor and friend Michaela- Angelika Po.”
“A friend of Remi’s is a friend of mine. Besides, this house is technically still yours. Come on into the kitchen and have some breakfast with us,” replied Mike as she motioned Remus into the kitchen.
Remus levitated an eyebrow at her nickname but said nothing. He just followed Mike into the kitchen.
***
Hermione watched as Remus went into Mike’s large, Spanish styled kitchen, sat down at the table and watched her friend curiously as she made him breakfast. Out of nowhere she felt a sliver of jealously at the idea of Remus looking at someone else. Where on earth did that come from? Then she realized she was still in her robe with a man in the house. Rupert and Mike were family; she did not feel uncomfortable half-naked around them. She should have felt strange around Remus, but she didn’t. Hermione mumbled something about getting dressed before she practically ran to the room she used growing up. Mike kept the walls blue, and the paintings that Morgan painted for her were still there. The double bed remained and the closet was still the walk-in kind.
The paintings of the Greek gods always gave her comfort, knowing that something else was looking out for her. With how ill she was at the time she accepted all the help that she could get. She was diagnosed with cancer for the first time when she was eight. She fought it again when she was ten. There was no medical explanation for her miraculous remission when she had reached the most serious and fatal stage of her cancer. Hermione shuddered at the terrible name that tore through her body. She could only guess
that her power manifested itself somehow. It really did not matter in the end, she survived and was able to live a full life.
The brown haired girl noticed that her doll collection and wig collection were no longer there; neither was the home entertainment system there in front of the bed.
Dear, sweet Morgan. He was such a comfort to her when Hermione was ill with cancer. Morgan was a man of many talents and he used them to help her through one of the darkest times in her life. He would sing to her when she was afraid, help her make dolls when she was bored staying in bed for most of the day. He even made her wigs when her hair fell out from all the treatments that she had. Morgan was one of the few who made her feel pretty when her skin was sunken in, she had dark circles under her eyes and was bone thin. He was one of the few that stuck by her to her perceived last days. Her family and friends stopped visiting her, unable to handle the situation, even her mother and father. Her father already lost a child, and it was hard for him to see it happen again, her mother inconsolable at the loss of her only child.
Only Morgan, Max, Hermione’s distant cousin Vincent Gregory; Mike; Mike’s mother, Erika Torres; Mike’s half-sisters, Frederica Ishii-Komboyshi, commonly known as Fred, Jaqulina-Regina Radcliffe formally Torres-Navarro, commonly known as Reggie; and her best female friend, Sophia Giles, commonly known as Stevie, stayed with her in those terrible days.
She sighed. It was over now, there was no point in dwelling on dark times.
The clothes that she had arrived in were lying on the bed where she left them when she’d taken a shower that morning. She went to them and examined them closer. A lovely silk, white blouse and a tailored skirt and jacket suit of lavender awaited her. The bra and underwear were the lacy, frilly kind that she never really wore with a white slip. The shoes were lavender sling-backs that complemented the outfit perfectly.
Hermione hardly ever dressed up like this on a daily basis; she preferred casual, comfortable clothes and sensible, comfortable shoes. Her underwear was simple cotton; she never believed in such things. Then it dawned on her. She did these things to please a man. Her hand subconsciously went to the scar that was on her neck. Idiot! How could she be so stupid not to recognize a mating mark right away?
Remus could not have found her so quickly based on the little information he told her friends she said about herself. The feeling of jealously made sense now; she instinctively did not want her man near someone so beautiful as Mike, even if she was devoted to her husband, Cameron Po, and was not the sort to prey on friends’ partners.
She really did not know how she felt about that. Knowing Remus, he would never force her to do anything she did not want to do. He would even say that he was unworthy of happiness. Remus. His first name sounded so strange to her lips yet felt so natural at the same time.
On the other hand, it was slightly off-putting to have what she considered friendship with a man one day and be so close as mating with him for life the next day. Along with mating came some sort of connection, from what she remembered reading in school. Most of the time what she remembered could help her in some way, but in this case she could remember nothing.
No witch or wizard actually took the time to care to learn about their culture or what was true or not in their myth. Could he feel her? Hear what she was thinking? Or sense her thoughts or fears? Her thoughts were interrupted by the soft knock on the door and Mike’s voice. “Remi, can I come in?”
“Of course, Mike,” she replied automatically.
“Are you alright? You left so suddenly.” Hermione sighed and sat on the bed.
“I am sorry, Mike, I did not mean to be rude...”
She stopped for moment and started again.
“I am sorry, Mike. I was not truthful with you when I came here. A car did not hit me.
I don’t know why I lied to you. I am afraid, and I don’t know why. I panicked when I couldn’t remember what was going on, so I said the first thing that popped into my mind.” Mike sat down next to her and pulled her into hug.
“It’s alright, love. Everything will be all right. Max is a good doctor; she will figure out what happened. You will be right as rain in no time at all.” She paused then asked, “I am curious about one thing, though. How did you manage to get a hold of Rose?”
“I woke up in some sort of hospital. As strange as it sounds, Rose was there lying next to me. Morgan made her for me. I just could not leave her there.”
“I see.”
“I am sorry to ask you, Mike. You have been wonderful to me. I just don’t feel comfortable with wearing those clothes.”
“I understand. My sister Reggie left some things here when she stayed for a time. She is about your size. However, you might have to roll some things up a bit. She is rather tall,” she replied with a small laugh.
Hermione smiled. “Thanks, Mike.”
“Max said she would come back today to check up on you.”
Hermione sighed. ”If she thinks that is the best thing; so be it.”
Mike smiled a sad smile. The older woman knew how much doctors, especially psychiatrists, frightened her because of her past terrible experiences. It took a lot of hard work on Max’s part and on her twin Miranda’s, commonly known as Randi, who was a psychiatrist, to make Hermione trust them.
“Max asked me to keep an eye on you so I am afraid I might be a touch irritating,” said Mike with a smile.
“I am sorry, Mike, I have not asked about Cameron and the rest of the family. How are they doing?”
***
Giles saw Mike leave to check upon Hermione after finishing cooking Lupin breakfast. Mike was a loving and caring person, so much like her late mother Ericka. Giles sighed and sat down on a chair. He could still remember how the house used to be when the Grangers lived here. Mike kept it similar to how it was but altered it with touches of her unique heritage. As a visitor walked in they were met with a foyer and a staircase to the left to go upstairs. To the right was a sitting room. Next to it was formal dining room, and lastly was the kitchen he now sat in with Lupin. Upstairs, the first door to the left was a study; straight ahead was the full guest bathroom. To the right was a room that Dom converted to a sewing room. Then there was a long hall that had two guest bedrooms, the master bedroom, and the last room to the right, also on the large side, was Hermione’s bedroom. Pictures of Dom’s large family covered the walls both upstairs and downstairs.
He did not know why he did this to himself; Dom and Brad were gone. The unique Italian china, Victorian antique furniture and comfortable leather chairs are no more.
Mike and Cameron slept in the master bedroom and Chinese, Spanish and Irish antiques fill the house now. The Bowens were no longer the focus of the photographs; they were in the background as family friends. The Torres and Po families were the focus now. The study was converted to room of meditation, the sewing room was turned into a type of den, and Hermione’s room was used as a guestroom.
His expression must have reflected his morbid thoughts because Lupin looked at him strangely.
“I owe you an apology, don’t I?” started Giles.
Lupin put his hands up to stop him. “It is what I would have done in your place. You don’t have to apologize.”
“I’m sorry. I am not being good company, am I? I don’t know if you met the Grangers. I always seem to think of them when I come here.”
“No. I never met them. I’ve only heard of them. They seemed like decent people,” replied the man in front of him.
“We are alone now so there is no reason for pretense. You are the one that she is engaged to, this RJ Wolfe, yes?”
Lupin seemed calm, but he could see the surprise and worry in this statement. Lupin was always cool, handling himself well under pressure. He always admired that about him from their casual friendship all those years ago. He always regretted having to erase his memory; he could use his friend now. To Lupin they just met at wandpoint, hardly a good start to a friendship. If he ever found out about that night, how Remus felt about him would be the least of his worries.
“How did you know?” asked Lupin, not making an attempt to deny it.
“I was a librarian once. It was part of the job to, pardon the pun, read people.”
Rupert patted his shoulder sympathetically then asked, “Do you have any idea what could have happened to her?”
“No one knows what happened, not even the healer. She came home and was changing into her comfortable cloths when I found that she had collapsed. No explanation, no warning, and no known reason for it.”
“Did anything happen to her that day that was unusual at all?”
“She visited a prisoner in Azkaban that was not part of an assignment that the Minister of Magic sent her on. She was fine, and then she was not.”
“Was she pale, eyes open but unconscious?” asked Giles in a knowing tone.
“Yes, exactly it,” replied the werewolf.
Giles sighed and rubbed his eyes. “I am not an expert on the subject, but if I had to guess what happened was not magical but psychological; a type of mental breakdown, possibly catatonia. We will not know until Hermione is given a full examination by her doctor.”
“Are you finished with breakfast?” Giles asked out of the blue.
“Yes,” answered Remus, obviously confused at the change of subject.
“Follow me to the den; there is something I need to show you,” he replied as he guided the confused werewolf to the room where he motioned Lupin to sit while he removed a photo album from a shelf and sat next to him.
“I am Hermione’s godfather, and I love her very much, but I fear I can’t help her this time. If what I suspect is true my mistakes could be part of the reason she is ill. Therefore trying to help her will do more harm than good. She has a large family on her mother’s side, decent people, and they care for Hermione, but for many reasons can’t take the time to do whatever needs to be done to help her. The Grangers are dead, or indisposed. It is up to you to do what they and I can’t do.”
He opened the book “I trust Mike and her sister, Fred, Max and her twin, Randi Blackburn, but they know nothing of our world. There are few that do who would do what it takes to help Hermione. I will show you pictures of those that can be trusted to figure things out and help her.”
He opened the book to a man with long black hair and eyes. He had a tattoo of a dragon that covered his entire left arm. “This is Vincent Gregory, who prefers to be called Gregory only.”
He flipped to a young man in his early twenties with brown hair and bluish-green eyes with a cleft in his chin. “This is Hermione’s cousin, Reily Carrington.”
He flipped to almost the end of the book to a young woman with blond hair and gray eyes, a young woman with black hair and eyes, a young woman with brown hair and green eyes and the same young man with brown hair and hazel eyes, a young man with green eyes and black hair. “These are my stepchildren, Leonora, Sophia, RhiannonRae, Rhadamanthys and Reginald, known as Leni, Stevie, Rae, Ryan and Ned.”
He flipped to another familiar face of the previous night, the boy with blue-black hair and dark blue eyes. ‘This is Shawn King, another cousin.”
He flipped the pages again to a picture of two women, one with brown hair and soft brown eyes with a dimple on her left cheek and one with black hair and amber eyes. Both appeared about 5’10 feet tall. “This is Beatrix Cory-Charles and Antonia Harris, also cousins, and as the Bowen tradition goes they too have masculine nicknames: Georgie and Toni.”
Remus looked on without a word, memorizing their faces and names for future use.
“Max, Hermione’s doctor, will come again today with her sister, Randi. I expect to consult on the case. Mike told me that Max suspected that the problem was not physical. Randi is a psychiatrist; talking to her would be the next logical step.”
Giles could see the mild shock in Lupin’s eyes as he felt the tear prick his own “Mike called me here to be Hermione’s support and peace keeper when her surviving family is informed. I can’t be here, Remus. I can’t look in their eyes and know that I am the reason that she is ill. At the core these are good people, but their differences of opinion and beliefs have divided them. From what Hermione has told me of you, you are the voice of reason among your friends…”
Remus put a hand on his shoulder and replied, “Say no more. I will be here for her like I always have been.”
“Thank you. Now I must go. Please tell Hermione and Mike I said goodbye.” At Remus’s nod he got up.
“Wait, Rupert. What was it that was done that hurt her?”
Rupert stopped for a moment then turned. “You will find out soon enough. I just hope the damage is not permanent,” he replied in a mournful tone and left before Remus could ask him anything else.
***
Stevie Giles was pacing back and forth in her flat, waiting for news.She was deeply disturbed when she received the call from Fred that Hermione had returned as suddenly as she left and was strangely ill. That was disturbing as it was, but the fact that Max could not find any explanation disturbed her even more. Max could find out anything that the body did; it was what she was good at. It could only mean that Hermione succumbed to her greatest fear: a mental breakdown.
Her morbid thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door; a family member must have news. She was surprised, however, when she opened the door to Ethan Rayne. He put his hand out to stop her as she instinctively tried to close the door on him.
“Now, Stevie, is that any way to treat a friend who has come over for a visit?”
Stevie narrowed her eyes at him and said, “You are no friend of mine, not after what you did to Hermione. Now get out of here before I call the police.”
“I am not leaving here until I talk to you. I could stand here and shout it out, but I think that it would not be a good idea, considering the neighbors would think us both mad for speaking about wizardry,” replied Ethan in a low serious voice.
Stevie gave him a look that could kill before she stepped aside and let him in.
Ethan followed Stevie through the small kitchen to the den and sat down when she did on a small couch.
“I came here for Hermione to make it better.”
“You came here almost two years later to, what, confess that you raped Hermione?”
Ethan rose and appeared to want to throttle her at the mere suggestion that he would do something so horrible.
“That is a very serious accusation, Sophia. Never utter it again or I will not be responsible for my actions,” he said in an ice-cold tone.
He took a deep breath, sat down and continued.
“You are the most reasonable member of the Giles family, Hermione is your best friend and you know your way around the wizarding world. I need your help to set things right. Circumstances forced me to leave her before I was able to completely cure her of the curse that is slowly eating away at her. Modern medicine can’t help her, even if it comes from someone as well meaning as Max.”
“I will not deny that I had a relationship with her. However, I swear on your mother’s grave she was of the age of consent, and I never touched her against her will. When she said no I respected it like I always respected her.”
“I volunteer at a woman’s shelter, Ethan. I see how rape victims react, and she reacted the same way. “
Ethan sighed. “She was never raped, but there was an attempt that traumatized her greatly.”
“Do I know him?” asked Stevie quietly.
“Yes, you did, but I swore to Hermione that I would never say who it was.
The man was a decent man who was not in control of his actions. To admit that he did such a thing would devastate his family, and Remi, being as selfless as she was, did not want to put his family through it. “
“Imperious curse?”
Ethan smiled a bittersweet smile. “Got it in one. You are still one of the sharpest witches I ever taught. Yes, it was, and the person, being a Muggle, could not resist it.”
“It does not make any sense. Why would a wizard, obviously one with dark knowledge, visit a world that they despise?”
“I never was able to find out, and if Hermione knew she could not tell me. I can think of two reasons that would make sense. The first is revenge for not divulging valuable information that the wizard needed. The second is to traumatize her so much that she would not be there for her friend Harry.”
“Harry...Dear Circe. Harry Potter?”
“Yes, THE Harry Potter is one of her friends. You know how knowledgeable Hermione is, how devoted she is to her friends. I wager all the tough spots he was able to get out of had to do with her.”
“Why didn’t she tell me?”Asked Stevie in a hurt tone.
“Stevie, she told no one about this, not even Mike or Fred. She knew what a danger it would be if anyone knew of the wizarding world. Ripper and I know because we are from that world; we saw what was done, what could be done.” Replied the wizard in a semi soothing tone
“If you were innocent of hurting Hermione, you did not act like it. You ran, let us believe that you where dead. These are not actions of an innocent man.”
“Your step-father is not a god. He makes mistakes and is capable of misunderstandings He saw the signs of fear and disgust at a relationship that she was forced into by blackmail. He realized that I was having a relationship with her and assumed that it was I. In his mind I am sure he saw it as rape. The man was rough with her but it was not such a thing in the technical sense. Ripper came to my home drunk and furious and would not listen to the truth of any of it. He took one of my knives and stabbed me in the stomach.”
He lifted his shirt to reveal a scar on his stomach.
“It was a terrible wound and would have killed me if I didn’t get help from an old friend. Unfortunately, because I was wounded, I was not able to explain or see what was done to free her or if it was done properly The friend was slightly overprotective, I was not able to get away until two days ago.”
“Do you have any proof of this?”
“Do you have any proof of rape? There is a test, one that could prove without a doubt the truth. Hermione, even afraid, would have been brave enough to take it. She is the bravest girl I have ever known.”
Stevie sighed; she was not too stubborn to hear the truth in his words. If she was raped she would have taken the test, and Mike would not rest until it was brought to trial.
Ethan took a vile of liquid from his pocket. “I do not expect you to just take my word. Do you remember what this is?”
“My last trip to the wizarding world was not that long ago those are memories”
replied Stevie irritably.
Ethan smiled a strange smile. “Yes my memories of what happened all those years ago. I swore I would never utter a word and I won’t. My memories will be the answer for Remi’s life is at stake. There is an Auror named Shacklebolt from what I understand he survived the war. He has dealt with memories and altered memories; he would know the difference. ”
He gave it to her and began to leave.
“Wait, who was it that hurt her?”
“No need to worry about him, love; he is gone. What we need to worry about now is finishing what was started for Hermione’s sake.” Then he left without another word, leaving a troubled witch behind him.
***
Sirius Black was lying on his bed waiting for Rae to give him his breakfast. As he lay there his mind began to wander as it normally did when one stayed in the same place for a long time. It was over four years now since his death and subsequent resurrection. He remembered very little of those first months. They said that he was wild, barely able to function as a human being. He remembered the touch of a man that looked like him, and a wizard he called Ethan carrying him to the room where he now lay. It took about a year for his speech to return, another year for him to remember his name, another year to remember that he was a wizard, another to remember his loved ones and his family and that the man that had been caring for him was his presumed dead brother.
RhiannonRae Blackburn came to live with them in the summer of 97. He must have terrified her in the state he was in. However she never showed her fear and cared for him when Regulus returned to the Muggle world.
She fed him, bathed him trimmed his nails and beard and kept him company. Rae introduced him to the telly and movies and books that he’d never read before. She was a sweet girl but secretive about her life. He could not be upset with her; he was hardly truthful about his name or origin. It was obvious to Sirius that Rae, as she liked to be called, was going by a name that was not her own to escape something in her past that terrified her. All she would say was that she and her twin brother were the youngest. She had an older brother, two older sisters and that her parents were dead. Neither Sirius nor his brother pressed the issue; she was a good servant and asked no questions about their origin.
It was strange to go by a name that was not your own; sometimes it was hard to remember who he was. Samuel Brown was a part of him now, an identity that was hard to get rid of. It was a name Regulus gave him to fit his own identity of Randall Brown.
It was obvious that they were brothers; they looked very much alike: both tall with black hair and aristocratic good looks. The Blacks were his family by blood but it was never family in the truest sense. As far as he was concerned his only family was his cousin, Andromeda Tonks, and her daughter, Nymphadora, a witch that inherited a unique talent for being able to change into another human form regardless of gender or age. A witch or wizard that could perform this was known as a Metamorphmagus. It was a gift that she shared with Sirius’s brother, Regulus.
He had almost forgotten that Regulus had this ability; he seldom used it. However in exile it was a useful tool indeed. It was a good thing that Sirius had remembered about magic before seeing Regulus change one day; otherwise he would think that he was losing his marbles, as the Muggles would say. There had been no love lost between the brothers growing up, and he felt a strange pang of guilt and regret when he received the news that he had died. Sirius did not really know what he felt about Regulus now. The animosity was gone; the hate in his tone every time Sirius talked with him was out of habit alone. He no longer saw the boy Regulus had obsessed with being a Death Eater and finally became one.
Maybe it would have to do with the mysterious woman he knew when Regulus was younger, a relation of Rae’s. Regulus never said why he plucked the girl out of millions who applied for the position, many with actual experience and skill. Sirius later saw Regulus stare at her and her green eyes. Regulus hired Rae for this woman out of debt or love; Sirius could not say. Sirius only heard her name when Regulus was asleep. “Dru.”
Love can change a person. He saw it when James fell in love with Lily and when Lily finally loved him back. The ‘spoiled, arrogant berk' became an honorable, selfless man who gave his life for his son.
Sirius could feel his strength returning; it was only a matter of time before he would be able to return to his beloved godson. But what of Rae? What would happen to her when the reason for her being here was gone? He had become very fond of her and cared for her deeply. Did she have a home to go to?
His desperate thoughts were halted by the woman in question coming in with his breakfast. “Good morning Mr Samuel.”
He smiled at her. He would find a way to take care of her if it was the last thing he did.
***
Tonks was on her way to the kitchen for breakfast after a long night of searching for Hermione. It was just before daybreak before they received the message from Remus that he had found her and she was safe. Tonks was relieved that she was alright, but she still could not help feeling that the danger was not completely over with. As she walked in she saw Draco looking over a Muggle address book. There was a large envelope used for Muggle mail next to him on the table.
He looked up at her and smiled sheepishly like he was caught doing something he should not be doing. He sighed then confessed to what he had done.
Tonks put out her hand for the address book so she could look at it herself. Some names she knew: Susan Bones, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Katie Bell, Viktor Krum, Cho Chang, Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Lavender Brown, her own, Ginny, Charlie and Fleur Weasley
Others she’d never heard or seen before:
Charlotte-Jacinta Anderson/ Bramwell Crane
Griffin/Caroline Bowen
Basil Tyler-Bowen/Zoe Tyler-Bowen
Boragard Blackburn
Reily Carrington
Morgan Collins-Blackburn
Beatrix Cory-Charles/Cory Charles
Dr. Maxamillianna Blackburn-McKay/Brain McKay
Dr. Miranda Blackburn
Francesca-Martina Torres-Gallo
Leonora Giles
Reginald Giles
RhiannonRae Giles/Randall Brown
Rupert Giles
Rhadamanthys Giles
Sophia Giles
Vincent Gregory/Daniella Oyama-Pezzini Gregory
Fredrika Ishii-Kombyoshi/Haru Kombyoshi
Antonia Harris/Gorden James
Gerladina Bowen- Harris/Quentin Harris
Shawn King
Michaela-Angelika/Cameron Po
Mackenzie Po
Victoria Po
Ethan Rayne
Jaqulina-Regina Torres-Navarro Radcliffe
“Did you say Rhiannon Blackburn?” came a voice at the kitchen stairs. They both turned to see Harry Potter coming down with a perplexed look on his face.
“Yes, that is it,” replied Draco.
“That was Hermione’s godmother and adopted aunt. I don’t know why he would mention her; she died our fifth year at Hogwarts,” replied the boy.
“What is that?” asked Harry pointing to the envelope.
“It was in the room; I found it with the address book.”
He turned it over, and the wedding ring on the locket, charm bracelet, Muggle banking book and set of keys came out.
He looked at the envelope, still perplexed. “Well I know why Hermione went to see Lestrange; his name is placed as the return address. Hermione being Hermione, she went ask him what he knew about it. What would Rabastan Lestrange, a wizard, be doing at a Muggle post office and how on earth did he manage it when he has been in prison all this time?"
“What is a return address?” asked the younger Malfoy
“Something Muggles do when sending the letter. If it gets lost or the person does not want to accept it, the mail gets returned.”
Tonks could see that Draco was troubled about something so she asked, “What is it, Draco?”
The blond sighed and said, “It what was how Rabastan said it rather than what was said that bothered me. He sounded worried for me and afraid. Not very much in this world frightens my uncle. That and interest for someone that he would normally leave for dead has me concerned.”
Before anything more could be said Ginny Weasley walked in with a sombre face, hardly able to stand. Tonks went to her, guided her to a chair and sat down next to her. “What is it Ginny? “
“The hospital Flooed with a message for Remus.” Her lips where trembling badly like she was fighting the urge to scream and cry “They asked me to tell him unless we can figure out what is wrong with Hermione she would be dead within the year”
Remus’s heart broke in a million pieces when he realized that she remembered nothing of the life that they shared. He could smell the scent of Jasmine coming from upstairs and voices talking on a telephone. He also smelled someone else outside for a moment before they left. He then turned his attention to the man that meant so much to Hermione. He obviously was a wizard by the way he handled a wand. There was something so familiar about him that he could not place, something other than the dream he’d had last night.
Hermione gave a look to Rupert and said, “Mike is upstairs, for Merlin’s sake! Put it away.” Then she turned to him and said, “You did not answer my question, Professor. What are you doing here?”
Looking for my wife “Ginny Flooed us all about your collapse and disappearance. We all went in different directions to try and find you. I volunteered to look in your familiar places in the Muggle world. I was lucky in my first guess,” he replied, trying to keep the hurt, longing, and shock out of his voice. He saw this Rupert give him a strange look before he put his wand away.
“Does Ginny know why I collapsed?” asked Hermione.
Remus looked at Rupert before he shook his head no.
“Come in and have some coffee, Professor. I am sure that Mike would not mind.”
“Remus, Hermione. I have not been your professor for years,” replied the werewolf.
Mike had come back down with a look of annoyance and worry, an expression often used with her younger half-sister, Charlotte-Jacinta, commonly known as Chuck. She appeared startled for a moment before returning to her cool, hospitable demeanour.
“I am sorry about this, Mike. A friend of mine from Oxford came to check up on me. This is Remus Johnson. Remus, this is my solicitor and friend Michaela- Angelika Po.”
“A friend of Remi’s is a friend of mine. Besides, this house is technically still yours. Come on into the kitchen and have some breakfast with us,” replied Mike as she motioned Remus into the kitchen.
Remus levitated an eyebrow at her nickname but said nothing. He just followed Mike into the kitchen.
***
Hermione watched as Remus went into Mike’s large, Spanish styled kitchen, sat down at the table and watched her friend curiously as she made him breakfast. Out of nowhere she felt a sliver of jealously at the idea of Remus looking at someone else. Where on earth did that come from? Then she realized she was still in her robe with a man in the house. Rupert and Mike were family; she did not feel uncomfortable half-naked around them. She should have felt strange around Remus, but she didn’t. Hermione mumbled something about getting dressed before she practically ran to the room she used growing up. Mike kept the walls blue, and the paintings that Morgan painted for her were still there. The double bed remained and the closet was still the walk-in kind.
The paintings of the Greek gods always gave her comfort, knowing that something else was looking out for her. With how ill she was at the time she accepted all the help that she could get. She was diagnosed with cancer for the first time when she was eight. She fought it again when she was ten. There was no medical explanation for her miraculous remission when she had reached the most serious and fatal stage of her cancer. Hermione shuddered at the terrible name that tore through her body. She could only guess
that her power manifested itself somehow. It really did not matter in the end, she survived and was able to live a full life.
The brown haired girl noticed that her doll collection and wig collection were no longer there; neither was the home entertainment system there in front of the bed.
Dear, sweet Morgan. He was such a comfort to her when Hermione was ill with cancer. Morgan was a man of many talents and he used them to help her through one of the darkest times in her life. He would sing to her when she was afraid, help her make dolls when she was bored staying in bed for most of the day. He even made her wigs when her hair fell out from all the treatments that she had. Morgan was one of the few who made her feel pretty when her skin was sunken in, she had dark circles under her eyes and was bone thin. He was one of the few that stuck by her to her perceived last days. Her family and friends stopped visiting her, unable to handle the situation, even her mother and father. Her father already lost a child, and it was hard for him to see it happen again, her mother inconsolable at the loss of her only child.
Only Morgan, Max, Hermione’s distant cousin Vincent Gregory; Mike; Mike’s mother, Erika Torres; Mike’s half-sisters, Frederica Ishii-Komboyshi, commonly known as Fred, Jaqulina-Regina Radcliffe formally Torres-Navarro, commonly known as Reggie; and her best female friend, Sophia Giles, commonly known as Stevie, stayed with her in those terrible days.
She sighed. It was over now, there was no point in dwelling on dark times.
The clothes that she had arrived in were lying on the bed where she left them when she’d taken a shower that morning. She went to them and examined them closer. A lovely silk, white blouse and a tailored skirt and jacket suit of lavender awaited her. The bra and underwear were the lacy, frilly kind that she never really wore with a white slip. The shoes were lavender sling-backs that complemented the outfit perfectly.
Hermione hardly ever dressed up like this on a daily basis; she preferred casual, comfortable clothes and sensible, comfortable shoes. Her underwear was simple cotton; she never believed in such things. Then it dawned on her. She did these things to please a man. Her hand subconsciously went to the scar that was on her neck. Idiot! How could she be so stupid not to recognize a mating mark right away?
Remus could not have found her so quickly based on the little information he told her friends she said about herself. The feeling of jealously made sense now; she instinctively did not want her man near someone so beautiful as Mike, even if she was devoted to her husband, Cameron Po, and was not the sort to prey on friends’ partners.
She really did not know how she felt about that. Knowing Remus, he would never force her to do anything she did not want to do. He would even say that he was unworthy of happiness. Remus. His first name sounded so strange to her lips yet felt so natural at the same time.
On the other hand, it was slightly off-putting to have what she considered friendship with a man one day and be so close as mating with him for life the next day. Along with mating came some sort of connection, from what she remembered reading in school. Most of the time what she remembered could help her in some way, but in this case she could remember nothing.
No witch or wizard actually took the time to care to learn about their culture or what was true or not in their myth. Could he feel her? Hear what she was thinking? Or sense her thoughts or fears? Her thoughts were interrupted by the soft knock on the door and Mike’s voice. “Remi, can I come in?”
“Of course, Mike,” she replied automatically.
“Are you alright? You left so suddenly.” Hermione sighed and sat on the bed.
“I am sorry, Mike, I did not mean to be rude...”
She stopped for moment and started again.
“I am sorry, Mike. I was not truthful with you when I came here. A car did not hit me.
I don’t know why I lied to you. I am afraid, and I don’t know why. I panicked when I couldn’t remember what was going on, so I said the first thing that popped into my mind.” Mike sat down next to her and pulled her into hug.
“It’s alright, love. Everything will be all right. Max is a good doctor; she will figure out what happened. You will be right as rain in no time at all.” She paused then asked, “I am curious about one thing, though. How did you manage to get a hold of Rose?”
“I woke up in some sort of hospital. As strange as it sounds, Rose was there lying next to me. Morgan made her for me. I just could not leave her there.”
“I see.”
“I am sorry to ask you, Mike. You have been wonderful to me. I just don’t feel comfortable with wearing those clothes.”
“I understand. My sister Reggie left some things here when she stayed for a time. She is about your size. However, you might have to roll some things up a bit. She is rather tall,” she replied with a small laugh.
Hermione smiled. “Thanks, Mike.”
“Max said she would come back today to check up on you.”
Hermione sighed. ”If she thinks that is the best thing; so be it.”
Mike smiled a sad smile. The older woman knew how much doctors, especially psychiatrists, frightened her because of her past terrible experiences. It took a lot of hard work on Max’s part and on her twin Miranda’s, commonly known as Randi, who was a psychiatrist, to make Hermione trust them.
“Max asked me to keep an eye on you so I am afraid I might be a touch irritating,” said Mike with a smile.
“I am sorry, Mike, I have not asked about Cameron and the rest of the family. How are they doing?”
***
Giles saw Mike leave to check upon Hermione after finishing cooking Lupin breakfast. Mike was a loving and caring person, so much like her late mother Ericka. Giles sighed and sat down on a chair. He could still remember how the house used to be when the Grangers lived here. Mike kept it similar to how it was but altered it with touches of her unique heritage. As a visitor walked in they were met with a foyer and a staircase to the left to go upstairs. To the right was a sitting room. Next to it was formal dining room, and lastly was the kitchen he now sat in with Lupin. Upstairs, the first door to the left was a study; straight ahead was the full guest bathroom. To the right was a room that Dom converted to a sewing room. Then there was a long hall that had two guest bedrooms, the master bedroom, and the last room to the right, also on the large side, was Hermione’s bedroom. Pictures of Dom’s large family covered the walls both upstairs and downstairs.
He did not know why he did this to himself; Dom and Brad were gone. The unique Italian china, Victorian antique furniture and comfortable leather chairs are no more.
Mike and Cameron slept in the master bedroom and Chinese, Spanish and Irish antiques fill the house now. The Bowens were no longer the focus of the photographs; they were in the background as family friends. The Torres and Po families were the focus now. The study was converted to room of meditation, the sewing room was turned into a type of den, and Hermione’s room was used as a guestroom.
His expression must have reflected his morbid thoughts because Lupin looked at him strangely.
“I owe you an apology, don’t I?” started Giles.
Lupin put his hands up to stop him. “It is what I would have done in your place. You don’t have to apologize.”
“I’m sorry. I am not being good company, am I? I don’t know if you met the Grangers. I always seem to think of them when I come here.”
“No. I never met them. I’ve only heard of them. They seemed like decent people,” replied the man in front of him.
“We are alone now so there is no reason for pretense. You are the one that she is engaged to, this RJ Wolfe, yes?”
Lupin seemed calm, but he could see the surprise and worry in this statement. Lupin was always cool, handling himself well under pressure. He always admired that about him from their casual friendship all those years ago. He always regretted having to erase his memory; he could use his friend now. To Lupin they just met at wandpoint, hardly a good start to a friendship. If he ever found out about that night, how Remus felt about him would be the least of his worries.
“How did you know?” asked Lupin, not making an attempt to deny it.
“I was a librarian once. It was part of the job to, pardon the pun, read people.”
Rupert patted his shoulder sympathetically then asked, “Do you have any idea what could have happened to her?”
“No one knows what happened, not even the healer. She came home and was changing into her comfortable cloths when I found that she had collapsed. No explanation, no warning, and no known reason for it.”
“Did anything happen to her that day that was unusual at all?”
“She visited a prisoner in Azkaban that was not part of an assignment that the Minister of Magic sent her on. She was fine, and then she was not.”
“Was she pale, eyes open but unconscious?” asked Giles in a knowing tone.
“Yes, exactly it,” replied the werewolf.
Giles sighed and rubbed his eyes. “I am not an expert on the subject, but if I had to guess what happened was not magical but psychological; a type of mental breakdown, possibly catatonia. We will not know until Hermione is given a full examination by her doctor.”
“Are you finished with breakfast?” Giles asked out of the blue.
“Yes,” answered Remus, obviously confused at the change of subject.
“Follow me to the den; there is something I need to show you,” he replied as he guided the confused werewolf to the room where he motioned Lupin to sit while he removed a photo album from a shelf and sat next to him.
“I am Hermione’s godfather, and I love her very much, but I fear I can’t help her this time. If what I suspect is true my mistakes could be part of the reason she is ill. Therefore trying to help her will do more harm than good. She has a large family on her mother’s side, decent people, and they care for Hermione, but for many reasons can’t take the time to do whatever needs to be done to help her. The Grangers are dead, or indisposed. It is up to you to do what they and I can’t do.”
He opened the book “I trust Mike and her sister, Fred, Max and her twin, Randi Blackburn, but they know nothing of our world. There are few that do who would do what it takes to help Hermione. I will show you pictures of those that can be trusted to figure things out and help her.”
He opened the book to a man with long black hair and eyes. He had a tattoo of a dragon that covered his entire left arm. “This is Vincent Gregory, who prefers to be called Gregory only.”
He flipped to a young man in his early twenties with brown hair and bluish-green eyes with a cleft in his chin. “This is Hermione’s cousin, Reily Carrington.”
He flipped to almost the end of the book to a young woman with blond hair and gray eyes, a young woman with black hair and eyes, a young woman with brown hair and green eyes and the same young man with brown hair and hazel eyes, a young man with green eyes and black hair. “These are my stepchildren, Leonora, Sophia, RhiannonRae, Rhadamanthys and Reginald, known as Leni, Stevie, Rae, Ryan and Ned.”
He flipped to another familiar face of the previous night, the boy with blue-black hair and dark blue eyes. ‘This is Shawn King, another cousin.”
He flipped the pages again to a picture of two women, one with brown hair and soft brown eyes with a dimple on her left cheek and one with black hair and amber eyes. Both appeared about 5’10 feet tall. “This is Beatrix Cory-Charles and Antonia Harris, also cousins, and as the Bowen tradition goes they too have masculine nicknames: Georgie and Toni.”
Remus looked on without a word, memorizing their faces and names for future use.
“Max, Hermione’s doctor, will come again today with her sister, Randi. I expect to consult on the case. Mike told me that Max suspected that the problem was not physical. Randi is a psychiatrist; talking to her would be the next logical step.”
Giles could see the mild shock in Lupin’s eyes as he felt the tear prick his own “Mike called me here to be Hermione’s support and peace keeper when her surviving family is informed. I can’t be here, Remus. I can’t look in their eyes and know that I am the reason that she is ill. At the core these are good people, but their differences of opinion and beliefs have divided them. From what Hermione has told me of you, you are the voice of reason among your friends…”
Remus put a hand on his shoulder and replied, “Say no more. I will be here for her like I always have been.”
“Thank you. Now I must go. Please tell Hermione and Mike I said goodbye.” At Remus’s nod he got up.
“Wait, Rupert. What was it that was done that hurt her?”
Rupert stopped for a moment then turned. “You will find out soon enough. I just hope the damage is not permanent,” he replied in a mournful tone and left before Remus could ask him anything else.
***
Stevie Giles was pacing back and forth in her flat, waiting for news.She was deeply disturbed when she received the call from Fred that Hermione had returned as suddenly as she left and was strangely ill. That was disturbing as it was, but the fact that Max could not find any explanation disturbed her even more. Max could find out anything that the body did; it was what she was good at. It could only mean that Hermione succumbed to her greatest fear: a mental breakdown.
Her morbid thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door; a family member must have news. She was surprised, however, when she opened the door to Ethan Rayne. He put his hand out to stop her as she instinctively tried to close the door on him.
“Now, Stevie, is that any way to treat a friend who has come over for a visit?”
Stevie narrowed her eyes at him and said, “You are no friend of mine, not after what you did to Hermione. Now get out of here before I call the police.”
“I am not leaving here until I talk to you. I could stand here and shout it out, but I think that it would not be a good idea, considering the neighbors would think us both mad for speaking about wizardry,” replied Ethan in a low serious voice.
Stevie gave him a look that could kill before she stepped aside and let him in.
Ethan followed Stevie through the small kitchen to the den and sat down when she did on a small couch.
“I came here for Hermione to make it better.”
“You came here almost two years later to, what, confess that you raped Hermione?”
Ethan rose and appeared to want to throttle her at the mere suggestion that he would do something so horrible.
“That is a very serious accusation, Sophia. Never utter it again or I will not be responsible for my actions,” he said in an ice-cold tone.
He took a deep breath, sat down and continued.
“You are the most reasonable member of the Giles family, Hermione is your best friend and you know your way around the wizarding world. I need your help to set things right. Circumstances forced me to leave her before I was able to completely cure her of the curse that is slowly eating away at her. Modern medicine can’t help her, even if it comes from someone as well meaning as Max.”
“I will not deny that I had a relationship with her. However, I swear on your mother’s grave she was of the age of consent, and I never touched her against her will. When she said no I respected it like I always respected her.”
“I volunteer at a woman’s shelter, Ethan. I see how rape victims react, and she reacted the same way. “
Ethan sighed. “She was never raped, but there was an attempt that traumatized her greatly.”
“Do I know him?” asked Stevie quietly.
“Yes, you did, but I swore to Hermione that I would never say who it was.
The man was a decent man who was not in control of his actions. To admit that he did such a thing would devastate his family, and Remi, being as selfless as she was, did not want to put his family through it. “
“Imperious curse?”
Ethan smiled a bittersweet smile. “Got it in one. You are still one of the sharpest witches I ever taught. Yes, it was, and the person, being a Muggle, could not resist it.”
“It does not make any sense. Why would a wizard, obviously one with dark knowledge, visit a world that they despise?”
“I never was able to find out, and if Hermione knew she could not tell me. I can think of two reasons that would make sense. The first is revenge for not divulging valuable information that the wizard needed. The second is to traumatize her so much that she would not be there for her friend Harry.”
“Harry...Dear Circe. Harry Potter?”
“Yes, THE Harry Potter is one of her friends. You know how knowledgeable Hermione is, how devoted she is to her friends. I wager all the tough spots he was able to get out of had to do with her.”
“Why didn’t she tell me?”Asked Stevie in a hurt tone.
“Stevie, she told no one about this, not even Mike or Fred. She knew what a danger it would be if anyone knew of the wizarding world. Ripper and I know because we are from that world; we saw what was done, what could be done.” Replied the wizard in a semi soothing tone
“If you were innocent of hurting Hermione, you did not act like it. You ran, let us believe that you where dead. These are not actions of an innocent man.”
“Your step-father is not a god. He makes mistakes and is capable of misunderstandings He saw the signs of fear and disgust at a relationship that she was forced into by blackmail. He realized that I was having a relationship with her and assumed that it was I. In his mind I am sure he saw it as rape. The man was rough with her but it was not such a thing in the technical sense. Ripper came to my home drunk and furious and would not listen to the truth of any of it. He took one of my knives and stabbed me in the stomach.”
He lifted his shirt to reveal a scar on his stomach.
“It was a terrible wound and would have killed me if I didn’t get help from an old friend. Unfortunately, because I was wounded, I was not able to explain or see what was done to free her or if it was done properly The friend was slightly overprotective, I was not able to get away until two days ago.”
“Do you have any proof of this?”
“Do you have any proof of rape? There is a test, one that could prove without a doubt the truth. Hermione, even afraid, would have been brave enough to take it. She is the bravest girl I have ever known.”
Stevie sighed; she was not too stubborn to hear the truth in his words. If she was raped she would have taken the test, and Mike would not rest until it was brought to trial.
Ethan took a vile of liquid from his pocket. “I do not expect you to just take my word. Do you remember what this is?”
“My last trip to the wizarding world was not that long ago those are memories”
replied Stevie irritably.
Ethan smiled a strange smile. “Yes my memories of what happened all those years ago. I swore I would never utter a word and I won’t. My memories will be the answer for Remi’s life is at stake. There is an Auror named Shacklebolt from what I understand he survived the war. He has dealt with memories and altered memories; he would know the difference. ”
He gave it to her and began to leave.
“Wait, who was it that hurt her?”
“No need to worry about him, love; he is gone. What we need to worry about now is finishing what was started for Hermione’s sake.” Then he left without another word, leaving a troubled witch behind him.
***
Sirius Black was lying on his bed waiting for Rae to give him his breakfast. As he lay there his mind began to wander as it normally did when one stayed in the same place for a long time. It was over four years now since his death and subsequent resurrection. He remembered very little of those first months. They said that he was wild, barely able to function as a human being. He remembered the touch of a man that looked like him, and a wizard he called Ethan carrying him to the room where he now lay. It took about a year for his speech to return, another year for him to remember his name, another year to remember that he was a wizard, another to remember his loved ones and his family and that the man that had been caring for him was his presumed dead brother.
RhiannonRae Blackburn came to live with them in the summer of 97. He must have terrified her in the state he was in. However she never showed her fear and cared for him when Regulus returned to the Muggle world.
She fed him, bathed him trimmed his nails and beard and kept him company. Rae introduced him to the telly and movies and books that he’d never read before. She was a sweet girl but secretive about her life. He could not be upset with her; he was hardly truthful about his name or origin. It was obvious to Sirius that Rae, as she liked to be called, was going by a name that was not her own to escape something in her past that terrified her. All she would say was that she and her twin brother were the youngest. She had an older brother, two older sisters and that her parents were dead. Neither Sirius nor his brother pressed the issue; she was a good servant and asked no questions about their origin.
It was strange to go by a name that was not your own; sometimes it was hard to remember who he was. Samuel Brown was a part of him now, an identity that was hard to get rid of. It was a name Regulus gave him to fit his own identity of Randall Brown.
It was obvious that they were brothers; they looked very much alike: both tall with black hair and aristocratic good looks. The Blacks were his family by blood but it was never family in the truest sense. As far as he was concerned his only family was his cousin, Andromeda Tonks, and her daughter, Nymphadora, a witch that inherited a unique talent for being able to change into another human form regardless of gender or age. A witch or wizard that could perform this was known as a Metamorphmagus. It was a gift that she shared with Sirius’s brother, Regulus.
He had almost forgotten that Regulus had this ability; he seldom used it. However in exile it was a useful tool indeed. It was a good thing that Sirius had remembered about magic before seeing Regulus change one day; otherwise he would think that he was losing his marbles, as the Muggles would say. There had been no love lost between the brothers growing up, and he felt a strange pang of guilt and regret when he received the news that he had died. Sirius did not really know what he felt about Regulus now. The animosity was gone; the hate in his tone every time Sirius talked with him was out of habit alone. He no longer saw the boy Regulus had obsessed with being a Death Eater and finally became one.
Maybe it would have to do with the mysterious woman he knew when Regulus was younger, a relation of Rae’s. Regulus never said why he plucked the girl out of millions who applied for the position, many with actual experience and skill. Sirius later saw Regulus stare at her and her green eyes. Regulus hired Rae for this woman out of debt or love; Sirius could not say. Sirius only heard her name when Regulus was asleep. “Dru.”
Love can change a person. He saw it when James fell in love with Lily and when Lily finally loved him back. The ‘spoiled, arrogant berk' became an honorable, selfless man who gave his life for his son.
Sirius could feel his strength returning; it was only a matter of time before he would be able to return to his beloved godson. But what of Rae? What would happen to her when the reason for her being here was gone? He had become very fond of her and cared for her deeply. Did she have a home to go to?
His desperate thoughts were halted by the woman in question coming in with his breakfast. “Good morning Mr Samuel.”
He smiled at her. He would find a way to take care of her if it was the last thing he did.
***
Tonks was on her way to the kitchen for breakfast after a long night of searching for Hermione. It was just before daybreak before they received the message from Remus that he had found her and she was safe. Tonks was relieved that she was alright, but she still could not help feeling that the danger was not completely over with. As she walked in she saw Draco looking over a Muggle address book. There was a large envelope used for Muggle mail next to him on the table.
He looked up at her and smiled sheepishly like he was caught doing something he should not be doing. He sighed then confessed to what he had done.
Tonks put out her hand for the address book so she could look at it herself. Some names she knew: Susan Bones, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Katie Bell, Viktor Krum, Cho Chang, Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Lavender Brown, her own, Ginny, Charlie and Fleur Weasley
Others she’d never heard or seen before:
Charlotte-Jacinta Anderson/ Bramwell Crane
Griffin/Caroline Bowen
Basil Tyler-Bowen/Zoe Tyler-Bowen
Boragard Blackburn
Reily Carrington
Morgan Collins-Blackburn
Beatrix Cory-Charles/Cory Charles
Dr. Maxamillianna Blackburn-McKay/Brain McKay
Dr. Miranda Blackburn
Francesca-Martina Torres-Gallo
Leonora Giles
Reginald Giles
RhiannonRae Giles/Randall Brown
Rupert Giles
Rhadamanthys Giles
Sophia Giles
Vincent Gregory/Daniella Oyama-Pezzini Gregory
Fredrika Ishii-Kombyoshi/Haru Kombyoshi
Antonia Harris/Gorden James
Gerladina Bowen- Harris/Quentin Harris
Shawn King
Michaela-Angelika/Cameron Po
Mackenzie Po
Victoria Po
Ethan Rayne
Jaqulina-Regina Torres-Navarro Radcliffe
“Did you say Rhiannon Blackburn?” came a voice at the kitchen stairs. They both turned to see Harry Potter coming down with a perplexed look on his face.
“Yes, that is it,” replied Draco.
“That was Hermione’s godmother and adopted aunt. I don’t know why he would mention her; she died our fifth year at Hogwarts,” replied the boy.
“What is that?” asked Harry pointing to the envelope.
“It was in the room; I found it with the address book.”
He turned it over, and the wedding ring on the locket, charm bracelet, Muggle banking book and set of keys came out.
He looked at the envelope, still perplexed. “Well I know why Hermione went to see Lestrange; his name is placed as the return address. Hermione being Hermione, she went ask him what he knew about it. What would Rabastan Lestrange, a wizard, be doing at a Muggle post office and how on earth did he manage it when he has been in prison all this time?"
“What is a return address?” asked the younger Malfoy
“Something Muggles do when sending the letter. If it gets lost or the person does not want to accept it, the mail gets returned.”
Tonks could see that Draco was troubled about something so she asked, “What is it, Draco?”
The blond sighed and said, “It what was how Rabastan said it rather than what was said that bothered me. He sounded worried for me and afraid. Not very much in this world frightens my uncle. That and interest for someone that he would normally leave for dead has me concerned.”
Before anything more could be said Ginny Weasley walked in with a sombre face, hardly able to stand. Tonks went to her, guided her to a chair and sat down next to her. “What is it Ginny? “
“The hospital Flooed with a message for Remus.” Her lips where trembling badly like she was fighting the urge to scream and cry “They asked me to tell him unless we can figure out what is wrong with Hermione she would be dead within the year”