Hermione's New World

AN: Once again, thank you for all the reviews...please keep them coming. I can\'t tell you enough how much they inspire my muse, and I get working on these chapters much faster than normal. I also must say that I didn\'t anticipate my muse getting so carried away with Hermione\'s mom coming to Hogwarts...please bear with me and I WILL get back to more Hermione and Charlie...you\'ll probably catch some drama coming up by the time you finish this chapter ;)


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Chapter 11: Midnight Engagements

Arthur made his way up to his room, not noticing one of the doors opened quietly as he passed.

He found Molly waiting for him, and she was obviously a bit upset that her youngest son had made a fool of himself…again.

“Has everyone else gone to bed yet?” She asked her husband.

Arthur smiled. “No, Hermione and Charlie are still up. I thought I would leave them alone.”

“Oh? But they just met.” She said speculatively, but seemed uninterested in the news. She was sure that Charlie was only being polite. And she was still holding on to her youngest son’s hope of winning Hermione’s heart. Besides, Charlie had a new girlfriend, if her assumptions were correct.

Arthur charmed off the lights after dressing for bed and pulled back the covers to his side to join his wife.

“It may not have been long since they’ve met, but I’m sure they want to know each other a little better.” He said with a smile on his lips that went unnoticed by Molly, who usually was the more observant one of the married couple.


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Meanwhile…

“Well! I never!” A voice said, to their surprise as they jumped apart. Hermione and Charlie turned to see a set of eyes grinning mischievously at them.

It was Fred. Suddenly George appeared from behind.

“And mother thought you met someone, didn’t realize it was someone we knew oh, so well!” George remarked.

“Fred, George…” Charlie started to say. Hermione was blushing too much to say anything.

“Oh, and what would dear Icle Ronniekins have to say had it been him to find you two looking so cozy together!” George continued.

“One might think they’ve met before!” Fred chirped in. “I think what we have here is an excellent opportunity to…”

“Stop it!” Charlie snapped. “Don’t even finish that sentence! If you even attempt to use this information against Hermione or myself, I will hex you in ways even you two have never imagined!”

Fred and George started to laugh. It had been a long time since any of their siblings had threatened them with such determination.

“Well, at least give us the dirty details…” George started to say, but let his brother Fred finish “or at tell us how you met. Surely it was not just here!”


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At Hogwarts

It took nearly an hour for Severus to start coming around and feeling normal. Of course, Remus and Tonks had no idea that part of the reason he took so long was the surprise of seeing Hermione’s mother in his own private bedchambers.

Surprisingly, Rosalyn had been able to help after all. Severus had several wounds that normally would have required Madame Pomfrey to heal, but no one was able to go bother the woman. She had already been up three straight days helping wounded aurors at St. Mungos, and had only returned a few hours earlier to say that she was still needed but would return once again to Hogwarts by the time students were to arrive tomorrow. Rosalyn was able to find supplies, or request spells, that helped the wounds stop bleeding and start to heal.

Although Remus and Tonks had no idea the connection between the potions professor and Hermione’s mother, they did notice something was happening between the two. When Rosalyn had applied pressure to a wound on Severus’ leg, just above his knee, his eyes had widened and he had shifted uncomfortably. Remus shot a glance at Tonks. They had already spoken to each other about the way Sirius looked at the muggle woman.

A knock on the door startled them from their thoughts. Rosalyn continued her work while Remus went to answer the door.

“Albus?” They heard him say.

The headmaster entered and made his way to scene. “Severus, I knew you had returned. I just came to see how you are feeling and if there is any news to report.”

Severus quickly glanced at Rosalyn, then turned to the Headmaster once more.

“I will go get some more tea.” Rosalyn announced, knowing that she was not privy to hear information involved in the Order.

“Thank you, Rosalyn.” Albus said as he sat near Severus.

As soon as she was out of the room Severus spoke quietly to Professor Dumbledore, not caring if Remus and Tonks could hear or not.

“The Dark Lord is angry, of course, about the recent attack. He is suspicious about how the aurors turned up and were unable to complete the mission.”

Dumbledore nodded, knowing he meant the attack on the Grangers.

Severus continued. “He doesn’t suspect me, only the incompetence of the deatheaters assigned. I can tell he is planning something else, but didn’t say at the meeting. He just cast a bunch of torture spells on us all and then left. However, he does want me and Lucius to return in two days…alone.”

There was a pause as the Headmaster thought of the news. Rosalyn then appeared with some more tea, having learned how to mix the remedy watching Tonks earlier. She set down the new pot next to Professor Snape.

As Severus took a sip he wondered how she had made it so…perfect. For a first time, and a muggle no less. His face scoured. Of course, she’s Hermione’s mother. He had already figured his daughter’s unusual intelligence came from both parents, so it really shouldn’t surprise him too much.

Dumbledore broke the silence. “Remus, Tonks, I need to speak to you both about another matter right away. Will you come to my office?” He then turned to Rosalyn, giving her a small wink. “Severus, will you be well enough to escort Mrs. Granger back to her quarters? Or should I send Tonks back to retrieve her?”

“I’ll come back anyway.” Tonks interrupted. “I’m sure Severus needs his rest. His ‘dunderheads’ are returning tomorrow, after all.” She laughed, then led the way out followed by Albus and Remus.

After a few minutes of silence as Severus drank his tea, he looked up to find the woman remaining in his chambers watching him speculatively.

“Are you uncomfortable? Being left alone with the greasy bat of the dungeons is something most find not easy to do…especially someone they have not met before.” He said, trying to find out if his memory charm all those years agohad worked sufficiently.

“But we’ve met before. Perhaps not introduced properly, but we have indeed met.”

And awkward silence followed.

“You did what I asked that night. You gave me…Hermione.”

Severus nodded. He was suddenly not feeling well, but it had nothing to do with what the Dark Lord had done to him and all the other Deatheaters earlier.

His voice became barely above a whisper. “Then this surely cannot be easy for you. Why have you stayed? And why did you first stay to help me?” Severus asked.

“I’m not heartless.” She answered with an air of confidence…or forced bravery, as Severus guessed. “You were injured, and I wanted to help. It’s my nature. Besides, I…” She paused, wondering if she should tell him what Albus told her earlier. Not wanting to break the Headmaster’s confidence, she opted for a different reply as she went to sit beside him. “You saved me that night. Yes, you violated me but had to…you also made sure my husband’s life and mine were spared. From death…and torture, as well. Hermione has told me about the Deatheaters. The memories only returned when we…my husband and I were attacked.”

As she finished rambling Severus found his eyes had somehow locked with hers. “I am sorry.” He spoke softly. He wondered why he was unusually nice to the woman, but since finding out Hermione was his daughter he had realized that he didn’t always want to be so cruel to others. And this woman was his daughter’s mother, after all, because of him.

“Mrs. Granger…”

“Rosalyn. My name is Rosalyn.”

Severus turned is mouth into something between a smirk and a smile, but quickly it disappeared as he become more somber. “Rosalyn, I only remembered the incident a few days ago myself. I could not live with the memory and become a spy to the Dark Lord had I kept the memory. It was too dangerous.”

Rosalyn nodded. “Well, at least we have that all out in the open. I mean, if I am to live here and all for awhile. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable around me, nor I you.” Suddenly a confused look appeared on the woman’s face as she realized what she had said.

Severus, too, was surprised by her statement. He decided to pour himself another cup of tea, and purposefully did not let himself become affected as she asked to and then attended to his few wounds again.

The rest of their time alone was spent in a somewhat comfortable silence until Tonks returned to retrieve Rosalyn, and the two made their way back to their shared quarters around 3am.


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The Next Morning…

…was one full of chaos as the returning Hogwarts students got ready to leave. Charlie and Hermione had said their special goodbye the night before, after Fred and George finally left them alone. Charlie had promised to visit Hermione on the first opportunity, most likely the first Hogsmeade day. He also said that he would buy a new owl, just for Hermione so that no one would recognize his own sending letters to her at school.

“Hermione, are you ready to present yourself as Head Girl?” Mrs. Weasley said proudly as she poured Hermione some more hot chocolate.

“Oh, yes. Malfoy may be Head Boy, but I am sure we’ll work well together.”

Ron snorted. “Like ferret will make a good school leader.” Obviously he was envious that Malfoy was going to share a set of rooms with Hermione, while he was not.

“Hermione,” Harry broke in, “Just make sure he doesn’t try anything or gives too many points to his own house.” Harry was sure Malfoy would be just like professor Snape, handing out point to Slytherins while taking points from other houses, especially Gryffindor.

Just then Charlie broke into the conversation. “I’m sure Dumbledore wouldn’t have picked him if he thought he would. When I was in sixth year, the boy that made Head was a Ravenclaw and a complete git. However, when he became Head he was completely different. Never noticed him give out or take any false points.”

Hermione smiled in appreciation at Charlie, which didn’t go unnoticed by Ron…or Harry. The other Weasley children held back their own smiles at what Charlie said…and Ron’s reaction to Hermione’s smile. Fleur and Molly were oblivious to the whole scene, while Arthur just kept reading the morning edition of the Daily Prophet.


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On the train Hermione was immediately summoned to the Head’s compartment, where she met up with Draco.

“Granger…” He said when she entered, then waited for her to close the sliding door behind her.

“So…did you manage to spend you last night of freedom with you special friend, or did you visit the Weasel’s monstrosity of a shack?” He said in a joking sneer.

Hermione laughed. She felt oddly comfortable around him since their talk a few nights earlier. “Both. Although I must correct you on your definition of the Weasley Home.”

Draco raised his eyebrow.

“And you?” She asked. “Were you with your special friend? Your OLDER girlfriend? What was her name, Kathryn?”

“No, Kaitlyn. And yes I did. We shagged all night long.”

Hermione rolled her eyes. She did NOT want to hear about Draco’s love life in detail. “Well, I guess since you told me your little secret, I’ll tell you mine. Regan, as it turns out, is a Weasley. And he was there during my trip to the Burrow.”

“The what? Never mind, I don’t want to know. A Weasley?”

Regretting what she said next, Hermione blurted out “He’s Ron’s second eldest brother, Charlie.”

Draco suddenly stiffened.

“What?” She asked.

“Nothing…nothing at all. Just surprised at the coincidence.” Draco’s mind was suddenly whirling. He had heard Kaitlyn mention Charlie Weasley before…