The Rebirth

The Answer

Hermione woke early that morning. She had slept well – looking beside her, she realised Ron was too. He wasn't frowning in his sleep, as he usually did when he was worried about something. She got up, careful not to wake him.
Harry and Ginny had taken the spare bedroom, where Harry was peacefully sleeping and Ginny was – "Oh! Morning." Hermione whispered, startled to see Ginny sprawled out across the floor, papers scattered around her like confetti.
"Work called, had some stuff I needed to finish for them so-" She gestured tiredly to all the papers around her.
"It's a little early to be working Ginny, you need to rest. Especially with what's been going on-"
"But that's precisely it Hermione. I don't know about you and your cushy ministry job, but I can't just take days off work and it be ok. I'm drowning in paperwork and missed practices, whilst you all act like we're kids again, taking the weight of the world. I just can't do it, ok?!"
Hermione was taken aback by her anger – she hadn't even thought about how Ginny was feeling about this whole debacle, let alone thinking that it would be difficult for her to manage with her own work.
"Ginny I'm sorry, but we didn't ask for this to happen. Our lives have been on pause too – I'm sorry I didn't ask you if it was difficult, I've just been so caught up in trying to fix this that I – I've been selfish, and I'm sorry. But hey, look what we found out yesterday! We're getting closer to ending this, I just know it."

"For all our sakes, I hope you're right."

---
It was now afternoon, and everyone was up. Ginny, after much reassurance from Hermione, Ron and Harry that it was ok, had gone to work for the afternoon. The trio sat at the coffee table, discussing their next move.

"What if we somehow get her to tell us? I mean we do have the advantage – she doesn't know what we know."
"It's true," Harry nodded in agreement. "She won't think we have any way of stopping her, that is if she's got it all planned out.
"She has, because it's her purpose. Look at this – it's from the book Neville gave us." Hermione showed them a page full of scribbled handwriting. "It's an excerpt of a letter from one of the first people to ever create a hybrid species. Read it."

Dear Jackson,
You won't believe it. I've finally cracked it, everything that we were trying to figure out – I've done it. I created the plant, and the last step was simple. The purpose of the plant is created once it's born, chosen obviously by its creator. All you have to do?
Whisper it to the concoction.
Once you've done that, it will stop at nothing to cure the disease, kill the enemy – do anything it's told to do. Nothing will be able to stop it – think of how much it will help! We just need to make sure that it doesn't get into the wrong hands; think of the damage it would do.
I know we've been waiting for this day, and it's finally here. Soon, we'll be on our way to do better, greater things for the wizarding community.
All the love, Jennifer.

"So Ivy's purpose was whispered to her? By Bellatrix?"

"Ron, focus on what's important here – that letter basically summarised that we can't do anything to stop Ivy: how was that supposed to help exactly, Hermione?"
Harry was surprised to see Hermione laugh.
"Read the next page, dingbat."
They turned the page, where there was another letter.

To Jennifer
it's Jackson. I'm afraid that I recreated the concoction on my own, and, although amazed with the results, I fear what the consequences may be: don't tell me you haven't thought about it. Some dark wizard or witch get their hands on this, who knows what they might create? We need to put an end to this, else I fear we have brought a curse to the world, not a cure.
I wished for this to not happen, but unless we can find something to stop this species – whether it be plant or human, I just cannot continue with our experimentation.
I pray you help find something to stop the purpose of these species, because only then will we be safe to introduce this to the world, knowing that if anything were to ever get out of control, we could put an end to it.
All the love, Jackson.

Another letter was below it – they read on.

Dear Jackson
sorry you haven't heard from me for a while – it was a shock at first, that you were so determined to put an end to our experiment, after all we had done. But I understand, and you'll be pleased to know that I've found out how to do it, based on muggle psychology – the concept of the placebo. A simple sugar pill given to a muggle, who are under the impression it will help their, headache for example. Some muggles believe it, and so their headache disappears. It's the same idea Jackson!
You have to make them believe that they've completed their purpose, because only then will they go back to a natural species – they have to believe it, or complete it. So whether it's for the good or the bad, we can control it.
All the love, Jennifer.

"Amazing. Who are these people?"
"Jennifer and Jackson Miller. The first couple in all wizarding history to create hybrid plant and animal species by potion, all born with a purpose," Hermione proudly pointed to a photograph below the letters, of a smiling couple, arm in arm. "And they've just given us our answer on how to destroy Ivy."