Albus was expecting the two scrolls that were delivered this morning, he wasn't expecting what they contained. Not only were they refusing the jobs he offered, both also resigned from their current posts at Hogwarts. He couldn't understand how they had not only resisted his compulsion charms, but actually resigned too. The fact that one might be related to the other never occurred to Albus, that his scheme could possibly be discovered didn't even cross his mind.
With over half his staff now gone, he was left with no other option but to approach the Ministry. Albus hated going to Cornelius, hat in hand, and asking for help. He was all out of options though, other than do the researching and interviewing himself. That was never going to happen, Albus had far more important things he needed to spend that time on. There were a few people he could contact, and he would certainly do so, but replacing the staff he had lost before the first of September wasn't going to happen without help.
As he flooed from his office, it didn't even register with Albus that he had put those two scrolls in his pocket.
....
Emma was being helped down to the terrace for breakfast, she was still shaky on her feet. Taking Dan's arm actually felt nice. Instead of confronting those feelings though, Emma deliberately switched her attention to who was holding her other arm.
"Hermione, I'm not really happy with you being involved in these dangerous missions. I'm also not convinced there needs to be a big rush to get it done today."
"Mum, Harry and I are stronger together - and he's not going without me. We're not exactly going alone. Remus is an expert in defence, Sirius was an auror in the last war, Amelia is head of the Aurors. We also have Bill Weasley, who does this for a living, he's a curse breaker with Gringotts - think Indiana Jones with a wand instead of a whip. When the Quibbler is published on Thursday, you have no idea the outcry these revelations will set off. If we go for a horcrux today and the other tomorrow, we should be able to spent the rest of summer concentrating on getting the institute up and running - and our training."
"Can anyone do this training?" Both Granger ladies looked at Dan, shocked by that comment. Dan though was just getting started.
"I don't ever want to be helpless again. I can't use a wand but I could pull a trigger. If a knife to the throat kills these bastards, a bullet to the head should have the same result. We're never going to be safe until this is over. Can Harry get me a gun, and the training to use it?"
Emma squeezing his arm was surprising enough but she then took that response in a totally surprising direction. "I agree with your father, and would like to take part in this training too. If it's a choice between pulling a trigger or one of my family suffering the pain of that curse - you better believe I'll pull that trigger. Anyone who could deliberately inflict that amount of pain on another human being doesn't deserve to live."
They had been worried about peoples' reactions to their hard stance on Death Eaters, yet here was her mild-mannered parents adopting the very same attitude. A totally shocked Hermione could only mumble that Harry thought that was a great idea, and he was already speaking to Remus about it.
This saw Dan shaking his head. "You have no idea how jealous I am of what you two share."
Hermione's idea was currently on their back-burner but here was something she definitely wanted to encourage. This would also have to be something her parents walked into with their eyes wide open though, not like her and Harry putting on those rings and only then discovering the consequences.
"Having Harry's constant presence with me is wonderfully reassuring. Like everything else in life however, you only get out what you put in. We want this to last the rest of our lives together so we're constantly working on this bond to try and improve it. I'm opinionated, Harry's stubborn - but there's nowhere to go and sulk when we disagree over things. We have to face any problems and find solutions that work for us. When I saw you lying convulsing on our floor, my mind just shut down. That affected Harry too, and could have gotten all of us killed. That's why we need training, we need to get better..."
Smiling as Harry mentally agreed with her before passing on the latest news, Hermione then answered their earlier question. "Remus is sometimes forced to find work on the muggle side, and has trained as a bodyguard. He's apparently very good with handguns, and has contacts that can easily get them for both of you."
While delighted to hear that, Emma had another question for her daughter. "Why would Remus be forced to do that?"
"Oh, didn't we tell you? Remus has lycanthropy, he was bitten when still a little boy."
Both her parents stoped and stared as if Hermione had announced the Moon was made of cheese. "Yes he's a werewolf, and no, he's not dangerous. On the night of the full moon, Remus drinks a potion to let him keep his mind before locking himself in a specially prepared safe room."
"He's such a lovely man, I'm finding that hard to believe."
"Remus is a lovely man, Mum, except for one night a month. Please don't treat him any differently now you know. Magic can be a wonderful thing, but there is a dark side to it too. I'm hoping we can show you the good side while your here."
"I've always wanted to see you pull a rabbit from a hat."
Now recognising her father's use of humour to lighten situations, Hermione played along. They were passing a hall table that had a decorative vase on it. Using her ring was almost second nature now as she transfigured the vase into a top hat. Both her parents were gasping at that feat when Hermione then transfigured the hat into a white rabbit. She picked the rabbit up and handed it to her flabbergasted father. "Will that do?"
With her father left shocked into silence, it was left to her mother to comment. "Hermione, that was amazing."
"No Mum, that was magic!"
They then moved on to join everyone for breakfast, Dan now having the white rabbit carefully cradled in his free arm. While Dan was amazed at the magic his daughter had just performed, he thought the most magical sight was Harry and all their friends greeting Hermione when they arrived for breakfast.
.....
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