Born From Madness (Harry Potter Fanfic)

6

Hermione couldn't help but think about the words Ollivander had said to her. His voice was filled with a hint of amazement but also with a touch of fear as if mentioning her ancestor had been forbidden to speak about. Hermione was lost in her little world, wondering who her ancestor could have been when she heard her name being called out. She turned to see her Grandma scurrying over to her with a crate in hand with a big orange fluff ball of a cat. 

"His name is Crookshanks. Poor thing had been in that shop for years. Now that we have everything, I think it's about time we head for home? I think you're parents may need a moment to process this world a bit." Grandma explained as she handed the crate to Hermione. Hermione's mouth twisted up in a grin as she listened to Crookshanks purr at her. While they were walking through the alley way, Hermione couldn't help but find herself asking. 

"Grandma who was our first ancestor?" Hermione asked her. Grandma Elka stiffened as she appeared like Hermione had dropped a bomb on her. 

"I'm not entirely sure who she is for certain, but rumor is she was one of the first Muggle-Born witches who have came to the wizarding world. She was famous for being just as brilliant, even more brilliant, than the founders who've made Hogwarts. She was completely on their radar for most of their lives... closer to some more than others. Why do you ask?" Grandma Elka mumbled the last bit. Hermione felt herself beaming. Her ancestors were just like her. They strived for knowledge, strived to be brilliant as she did. It made her feel like she had people to understand her. 

"Ollivander told me how my wand is similar to hers by having so many woods and cores and he stated to me that I might be expected to do great things just as she did."  Hermione claimed to her Grandma. Grandma Elka nodded as she grinned slightly. 

"You're already great enough, Hermione." Grandma Elka stated to her, lightly kissed Hermione's forehead. 

On the way home, Grandma Elka had to drive home since her parents had a bit too much to drink. Hermione sat in the front seat with her Grandma while her parents were in the backseat, still trying to convince themselves that they hadn't seen what they had saw. As they drove back, Hermione proceeded to read through some of her novels that she purchased. One of which was a book written about famous villains throughout Wizarding History. Her eyes ran over the pages at speeds that people think she was merely skimming. 

She proceeded to slow down when she read cases that interested her. Such as the cases of Barty Crouch Jr., who was trialed for the brutal torment of two aurors for a Dark Lord by his own father who believed the mere words of a man (Igor Karkaroff) avoiding his death bed and Sebastian Scabior, who was a mere seventeen year old rumored to murder a kid in his seventh year of Hogwarts. She paused a moment upon reaching the case of Fenrir Greyback. It wasn't just the case behind it that interested her but a certain person in the photo. It was taken from behind so she couldn't really see the face of Fenrir except for a side glance of his face but she got a good view of the jury. One member stood out to her. The woman looked like a young version of her Grandma Elka when she was in her mid-twenties. At first Hermione thought it was Elka herself, but written on the side was the name of Rose Nylund. 

"Grandma this woman looks a bit like you?" Hermione pointed the woman out. Grandma Elka peered over at the photo. 

"Oh, that's your Great Grandmother Rose Nylund. She's sitting beside her friends, Dorothy, Blanche, and Sophia. Lovely gals they were." Grandma Elka claimed to her, "I remember that trial being written in one of her diaries. Your Grandmother Rose stated how it was one of her worse trials she had been on." 

"Why's that?" 

"Well... if I remember what she written right... it was difficult for her not to feel pity for him even though she knew he was guilty." 

"What do you mean?" 

"You see, Fenrir is a werewolf. Werewolves like Muggle-borns and squibs and whatnot, aren't exactly well liked in the Wizarding World. So Rose knew the reason Fenrir might have been driven to do such horrible acts was because the wizarding world was cruel to him and so he figured the best way to get back at it was to make a werewolf army and take over. That trial was due to the death of two muggle children. See, Fenrir would turn the children into werewolves then take them and raise them the way he wants them to be. It was believed he did it to experiment and see if he could turn muggles into werewolves. Rose knew he did the deed and was in fact guilty." 

"But it says here he was found not guilty." 

"That would be because Fenrir was clever. Most wizards think werewolves are dumb but not Fenrir. He was smart... extremely smart one can say. He tricked the jury into thinking he was nothing more than a homeless muggle man and had no idea what they were doing or where he was. Of course all evidence was in his favor! Given he seemed like he hadn't bathe in years and had torn clothes and didn't have a wand. Truthfully, it was believed he had left his wand with his pack when he proceeded to do the experiment. Since it was proven later he was one hell of a duelist." 

"So he got away with it?" 

"Yes and no. He did with that trial, however after an incident, he was trialed again and found guilty." Grandma Elka stated to her. Hermione opened her mouth to speak but her Grandma Elka patted her lap. 

"How about talking about some more cheerier subjects dearie? Don't focus too much on the bad things." Grandma Elka advised her. Hermione nodded her head while she went reading, feeling like there was something no one was telling her as she felt the desire to find out.