Hermione Granger and the Theft of Magic

Chapter 10: The Ladylike Art of Thrashing

[A/N: Thank you to Calamity Owl for beta-reading this chapter!]

At precisely 5:00 p.m., Harry's floo roared to life and Nev jumped out of it. He'd traded his gloves and apron for a stylish crimson and black acromantula silk waistcoat and gave Harry a firm handshake. "It's good to see you, mate," he said. "I figured there was no chance at all that Sue would be here on time, so this was a safe time to show up."

"Well played," Harry said.

Nev cocked his head at the closed doors between the living room and the floo room. "I don't think I've ever seen you close those doors," he said. "What's up?"

"It's a long story," Harry said, "and I was hoping-"

The rush of the floo behind them cut him off, and they both took a step away so Sue could hope out. She'd dressed in a brown gold skirt, white blouse, and golden-colored half-length cape over the blouse, and took a moment to smooth everything out and tuck an errant strand of hair back into her braid crown before hugging Harry and Neville. "It's good to see you both," she said. "It's been too long since all three of us hung out."

"Definitely," Harry said. "I'm sorry it's not entirely for social reasons this time. Sue, do you remember the muggle woman I've been having lunch with?"

Sue's eyes narrowed. "Harry, what did you do and how many people am I going to have to Obliviate?"

"None," he said, "because it turned out she wasn't a muggle." He pulled open the doors to reveal a nervous Hermione. "Nev, Sue, this is Hermione Granger. Hermione, these are my oldest friends. We all would have met when we were 11, except someone bound Hermione's Magical Core to hide the fact that she was a muggleborn witch."

Nev's jaw dropped, but Sue's only reaction was to slip into "Auror mode." "Does she have any memories of it?" she asked. "Have you identified any spell residue? Do her parents-"

"No leads yet," Harry cut off the line of questioning. "Let's all have a seat and I'll explain everything."

By the time Harry and Hermione finished explaining their adventures, Nev and Sue were both shocked and horrified. "Do you want me to talk to Auntie?" Sue asked. "She'd love to get her hands on whoever did this."

"Not yet," Harry said. "They don't know she's in our hands yet. If they find out, McGonagall is worried the Conservative Purebloods will try to bind her for being over eighteen with no O.W.L.s."

"Ugh," Sue said. "I understand her concern. Nev, we wouldn't have the votes to stop that, would we?"

"Doubtful," he said. "There are too many Pureblooded arseholes in the middle, too. I don't think I could wrangle enough of their votes to be confident."

"I'm sorry," Hermione said, "but who's your aunt? And Neville, do you work for the Wizarding Parliament?"

Sue smiled. "My aunt is Amelia Bones, the current Minister of Magic, and she sort of owes her position to Harry. And Nev here doesn't work for the Wizengamot; he's a hereditary member as Lord Longbottom. I'm also kind of in it right now, since Auntie needs a proxy for the House Bones seat while she's the Minister."

"Oh!" Hermione's eyes widened. "Harry, are you ever going to tell me when I'm interacting with a Peer, or are you just going to keep letting me be rude?"

"No," Sue said, "he isn't."

Nev snorted. "It's hard to stand on ceremony with someone who remembers you as a snot-nosed Firstie. Besides, he doesn't make us call him 'Lord Potter,' either."