Nova gave a dry chuckle. "Welcome to the real magical world — where bloodlines, power, and gold decide who lives and who dies."
There was a long pause.
Then Harry frowned. "But the cost… it's too high. Fifty hundred thousand to a million galleons? My trust vault doesn't have that kind of gold. And until I reach adulthood, I can't access the main Potter or Black family vaults."
Nova raised an eyebrow. He knows about the family vaults? Maybe the canon Harry Potter knew too — it just wasn't mentioned. Or maybe he's not the Boy-Who-Lived in this timeline, so they didn't bother keeping him ignorant. It didn't matter.
John, meanwhile, had started muttering under his breath, doing mental math. "Fifty thousand to a million… and if a Galleon's worth about five pounds… that's…"
His eyes widened slightly.
"Two hundred and fifty thousand to five million pounds. Bloody hell," he whispered, stunned.
Mrs. Granger frowned. "We don't have that kind of money."
Hermione looked at her father, then at Nova. "There has to be a more reasonable way to protect ourselves without turning into... murderers. Right?"
Harry leaned forward, elbows on the table. "How much would it cost for just… disabling him? Public humiliation? Getting him arrested or ruined politically?"
Nova shook his head. "Disabling him won't work — his wife would just keep sending assassins. Public humiliation won't change the target on your back until you've got that Black family ring on your finger. Arrested? He weaseled his way out the last time, even with Death Eater charges. He'll just throw enough gold around, and the Ministry will change its tune."
Nova's words left a heavy silence in their wake.
Hermione sat back, arms crossed tightly over her chest. "So… arrest won't work. Public exposure won't work. And disabling him would just shift the problem to someone else."
John exhaled slowly, his jaw clenched. "Bloody hell, it's like trying to kill a weed by trimming the leaves."
Mrs. Granger, quiet for most of the exchange, finally spoke — her voice soft but brittle. "And what if he tries again? What if next time, he sends something worse than werewolves?"
Harry's hands curled into fists on the table. "He's not going to stop. Not unless someone makes him."
Hermione looked up at him, her face pale. "But how do we make someone like Lucius Malfoy stop? He's connected, he's rich, he's protected by a system that favors him."
John leaned forward, looking at Nova now — not with suspicion or awe, but with something closer to urgency. "You said you don't take contracts. Fine. But you clearly know how this world works… better than we do. You've seen what people like Malfoy are capable of."
Harry nodded, locking eyes with Nova. "We need help. We need advice. If we keep trying to play fair, we'll lose."
Hermione hesitated, then gave a reluctant nod. "I don't like this… but we're out of options. Nova… is there anything you know that we don't? Anything that could give us even the smallest edge?"
The room fell quiet again.
Four sets of eyes watched him, Nova leaned back on his chair.
This is going better than he originally planned.
In truth, he'd intended to help Potter from the very start — without payment, without any contracts. After all, Lily Potter had paid everything and more for her son's protection. It was a debt already owed.
But if he offered help for free now, they'd start asking questions — about his motives, about his past. Maybe even start thinking he was some kind of mercenary or secret serial killer.
And that Granger girl… Nova's gaze flicked briefly to Hermione. She has serious potential. Disciplined, sharp, and already thinking far beyond her age. With the right guidance, she could become a world-class researcher… or something even more dangerous.
He needed to build something from this moment — something that gave all of them an advantage. And he had the perfect idea forming in his mind.
After a moment of silence, he finally spoke, his tone steady.
"Well then… let's create a contract."
Nova offered a small, almost amused smile. "Let me explain what you'd be getting first. Protection — not just from Lucius Malfoy, but from anything else that might come for you. Magical Britain… is heading toward another war."
John Granger blinked. "War? What do you mean, war?"
He looked between the teenagers and Nova, confusion and unease growing in his voice. "Hermione told us there was a war, something that ended over a decade ago. You're saying it's starting again?"
Hermione's eyes darted toward Harry, uncertainty flickering across her face. "Are you saying… there's another Dark Lord rising?"
Harry frowned, glancing at Nova. "Is there someone… dangerous enough to start something like that?"
Mrs. Granger had gone visibly pale. Her hand reached instinctively for Hermione's arm, fingers curling tightly around it as if to anchor her in place. Hermione didn't flinch, but her expression mirrored Harry's — serious, confused, and uneasy.
Nova exhaled softly, then gave a dry smile. "That's… a rather dangerous piece of information to have slipped out. Let's just say I'd appreciate it if none of you asked about it — or repeated it — to anyone else. Some things have a way of attracting attention just by being spoken."
The group fell into silence again, processing the implications. Harry's jaw tightened slightly, but he nodded. Hermione crossed her arms, brows furrowed deep in thought.
John Granger spoke next, breaking the silence. "If there's another war coming," he said slowly, "then the logical thing is to leave, isn't it? I mean — there are other magical communities, other schools. Safer places, surely."
His voice was calm, but firm — a father trying to find the best way to protect his daughter, no matter how little he understood of this hidden world she'd become part of.
Harry's lips parted as if to speak, but hesitated. Hermione, however, answered first, almost instinctively.
"We can't just leave Hogwarts."
Her voice was quiet, but carried conviction.
"It's our school," Harry added, nodding. "We've got friends there. And… I can't just run away from everything. Not again."
John looked torn. "This isn't about pride, Harry. It's about survival. If that man — Malfoy — has already tried to kill you, and there's talk of war…"
Hermione opened her mouth to argue, but before she could say anything, Mrs. Granger cut in — her voice unexpectedly firm.
"That's enough."
The command in her tone silenced both teens instantly. She didn't raise her voice, but the authority in it left no room for debate. Her eyes locked on her daughter's, steady and unwavering.
"You're children. Brilliant, yes — resourceful, I'll give you that. But you're still children. And if there's even the smallest chance that what Nova says is true, then you are going to listen, not argue."
Hermione swallowed hard but nodded once, her expression chastened.
Harry glanced at Mrs. Granger, then looked away, jaw clenched but respectful.
Nova mentally cursed himself. He had let too much slip. The last thing he wanted was for Hermione to flee Britain because of his loose tongue — he needed her here. He wanted her working for him, not hiding in another country.
Suppressing a sigh, Nova leaned back and said casually, "You could take Hermione with you, sure. But you don't have the authority to take Harry. And even if you tried, Dumbledore wouldn't allow it. He probably sees Harry as a spare hero — just in case Neville doesn't make it."
Harry's brows pulled together sharply. "What do you mean by that?"
Hermione also frowned, her eyes narrowing in confusion and concern.
John frowned and asked, "Why did you mention Harry and Neville specifically? They're just children — not people who can end wars. I've heard about Neville from Hermione, the so-called Boy-Who-Lived. But he's what? Fourteen years old?"
Nova just smiled. "That's not something you all need to know. All I can say is that the reason I mentioned both Harry and Neville together is very important. It's also the reason their families were attacked. And I won't talk about it — so don't bother asking."
Hermione's lips parted slightly, her mind racing with unspoken questions, but the warning in Nova's voice made her hesitate. Harry's gaze dropped to the table, his jaw tight, hands clenched into faint fists — not from anger, but the weight of something he could sense but not grasp.
John opened his mouth again, but Mrs. Granger gently touched his arm, shaking her head. Her expression was tight, eyes flicking between the teenagers and Nova, wary and protective.
Suddenly, Hermione spoke — firm, clear, and without hesitation.
"If Harry's not leaving, I won't either."
Her parents turned to her instantly. John looked torn between pride and frustration, while Mrs. Granger's brows drew together in a mixture of maternal worry and disbelief.
"Hermione," her mother said softly, "this isn't about loyalty. It's about safety. Yours."
But Hermione's chin lifted. "I know. And I'm still staying."
Harry glanced at her, startled, then offered a small, grateful smile. He didn't say anything — he didn't need to.
John Granger let out a sigh, rubbing his forehead. "You're both just children… and yet everything in this world keeps dragging you into danger."
Mrs. Granger looked at Harry — the boy she had come to see almost like a second child. He was Hermione's first real friend, and more than that, he was kind, loyal, and deeply protective of her.
She and John had already discussed it in private — if the future brought Harry and Hermione closer, they'd welcome him as a son-in-law without hesitation. He was brave, yes, but also broken in quiet ways that only someone like Hermione could truly understand.
Now, watching the two of them stand together so resolutely, her heart ached with worry… and a reluctant pride.
x------x
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