POV Hermione Jean Granger
Hermione remembered the moment when there had been a lot of cursing outside the door, the sounds of milling about, hurried gathering, and a few minutes later everyone could hear some particularly harsh cursing that would have made her blush a few days ago, but not now.
Now she felt something in her crunch and then, accompanied by a painful crack, began to fall back into place... almost as it had been before. The "almost" was the important thing. The girl had never complained about her vocabulary, but now she found it difficult to put into words what she felt inside, and not just felt, she knew it in some part of herself that she had never even realized. At one point, someone tried to enter her cell, but the door was shrouded in an impenetrable blackness that no magic could penetrate.
This unleashed a new torrent of curses, but they retreated, commenting in their voices on what they would do to the prisoners when they were done with the Aurors. Young Miss Granger was as frightened then as she had been the entire time she had been here, but she had managed to adapt a little, just a little, but it had been enough to discover the source of the darkness that shrouded the door.
The source was herself, or rather, she suddenly found the air around her heavier and the darkness thicker, and it was from the surrounding darkness that tentacles reached out and enveloped the entrance. Hermione only noticed this fact, but she was not worried, she was even happy: if these were her new powers that had appeared along with the changes in her, then so be it, the main thing was that she now had a tool for self-defense.
She was determined to get a good look at her newfound powers when she got out of here, and she was sure she would. Somehow, there was not even the slightest doubt that they would come for her.
However, the stress and fatigue had weakened her will and she had almost become hysterical. If it hadn't been for Martha and her daughter Lana, the girl would probably have been in tears and shivering, but the two of them, despite their obvious exhaustion, shared with her an unusual, palpable warmth.
She hadn't quite figured out how she felt about the world around her and the people in it, so she didn't try to decipher what she felt from Martha and Lana, but it felt good, so she didn't bother with details. When the doors opened and the chamber was flooded with soft light, the girl felt the hope of salvation, but she was in no hurry to show this emotion, because everything could be different.
After all, it was possible that the villains who had kidnapped her were the ones who had broken through the darkness at the door and now wanted to find out who had created the obstacle.
However, she could not detect the presence of a physical "Patronus" who also began to caress her, and then her small but desperate dream and hope came true — they really had come for her. And the witch was not at all surprised that there was only one familiar face among the rescuers, although she had assumed that one of the Hogwarts professors should have appeared here.
And then something like a medical examination began: people were lined up and examined very quickly, then divided into groups that quickly disappeared, flying away with the help of Portkey. Hermione herself was examined, then wrapped in a large, warm robe and given potions, ending with a cup of hot chocolate.
It was the most delicious cup of hot chocolate the young witch had ever had, and it became one of the memories she later used to create her Patronus. The girl was not interested in why she was not sent to the first group, because Sora was also here, although he did not do any magic, but he watched everything that went on.
Hermione didn't know how much time had passed, but at some point a woman came up, trying to stay close to Sora, and they looked alike, especially with their eyes, so she came up to her, gently hugged her shoulders, warning her in advance about the transfer, and then the girl's feet left the ground. Traveling to the Quidditch World Cup with a Ministry Portkey was much more unpleasant compared to the artifact the woman had used.
Comparatively speaking, the Ministry Portkey was like an old subway car in quality, while the current artifact was like an executive class private car. It didn't have those creepy, wrenching sensations, nor did it feel like being pushed through a torrent of water. It was just that at some point the world around her literally turned gray, then everything disappeared behind a sphere of impenetrable silver glow, a few seconds of fairly tolerable rocking, and then her feet hit the hard floor and the world became colorful again.
Hermione swayed, but the woman held her up easily, and in general she had an impressive power, both magical and physical, and the girl wouldn't have been surprised if Sora's relative had picked her up without any trouble. She was very tired, she wanted to eat and sleep, and she wanted to have a good bath, and it would be even better if someone helped her, and the girl would just bask in hot water with salts and foam.
The witch did not even want to think about how the woman guessed the desires and thoughts of the teenager, she just enjoyed the care and attention, she was slowly led to the exit of the spacious building without windows, but brightly lit by magical lamps.
They were already approaching the exit when a blue cloud of smoke suddenly appeared a meter away from them, from which Sora himself literally emerged, and now, when his face appeared in the morning light, the girl realized that the Japanese himself was very tired, and he should have gone to rest himself. But not only did he not go to rest himself, but he delayed her rest greatly. By the way, the girl did not even think about why she was not sent to Hogwarts, since they were apparently not there at all.
The further development of the events even dispelled the sleepiness, because Hermione had never seen an argument between two people, especially relatives, one of whom could not speak — at most through panting and coughing to squeeze out a few words. But this did not prevent the boy and the young woman from expressing their feelings and defending their own opinions.
And the more time passed, the more emotion appeared on the faces of both interlocutors. At first, they had been very well-behaved, and nothing but polite interest could be seen on their faces. Now Sora was extremely annoyed, as was the woman, but she still had impatience and an unshakable confidence in her own righteousness.
Hermione would be lying if she said that she wasn't interested in her own rest, which the Japanese woman was trying to defend. Sora, on the other hand, was obviously stubborn for a reason, but due to his condition he couldn't explain all the reasons clearly.
In the end, when the man's previously wide-open eyes turned into two narrow slits, his eyes glittering with cold amethysts, and his lips tightened into a stubborn line, he grimaced and pulled one of his paper amulets out of his inner pocket (actually, the amulet was not in the pocket, but in a sewn-in artifact that created an expanded space).
Then he whispered something softly, waved his hand over the paper, and a small ball of salad light flew into it, inexplicably from where it had come. Sora studied the soft glow of hieroglyphs and patterns on the paper for a few seconds, then he stuck it to his own throat, drank some potion, writhed heavily and looked at the woman again. Coughing, he spoke.
— I will regret this... ahem... but I have no choice. — Sora's voice was still hoarse, but at least he was coughing every time now, and there was no blood to be seen. — Did it ever occur to you that I want to... ahem... examine Hermione for a reason? — and that expressive look teachers get at school when a child does something obvious to everyone, realizes it, but refuses to admit it.
— That's why I insist you let her rest! — the woman insisted. — Your exams can wait! The girl has gone through something you wouldn't even wish on an enemy... — the woman thought suddenly, frowning slightly. — No, it's not enough for enemies... but for a young girl, it's a terrible stress, and it's not clear how it can affect her!
— Here! Listen to yourself! — The guy raised his voice slightly and coughed, new red marks appeared on the handkerchief. — The sooner we diagnose the damage, the easier the treatment will be!
— A day won't make any difference. — The woman shook her head confidently.
Chapter 276 Consequences (POV Hermione Jean Granger) (Part 2)
POV Hermione Jean Granger
They were just approaching a beautiful mansion, built in a mixture of oriental motifs and new-fangled "modern" with glass and metal. The front door slid aside and two girls and a slightly older man appeared on the threshold. One of the girls, with long and thick hair, beautifully styled and decorated with ribbons and bells, quickly jumped up to them and immediately bowed.
— Welcome home, Master! Junko-sama! Guest of the Lord! — The teenage girl smiled broadly in a friendly manner, openly delighted at their arrival. Hermione had never seen real servants before, but she had never thought that servants could be so happy to see their masters return. — Should they arrange breakfast? Or tea and goodies? Or anything else? — The girl said enthusiastically, making people smile.
— This is Momo-chan, this young witch's name is Hermione Jean Granger. — The girls exchanged smiles and nods. — And she has sworn an oath of service to the Hoshino family.
— I see, Master. — The girl nodded seriously, giving Hermione a strange look. — She will grow up to be a strong witch and bring much good to our family. Master is wise to be ahead of the others! — Momo smiled and looked at her master with great respect.
— Sora, who is this girl for you? — Hermione, who had not yet had time to fully understand her newfound abilities, was cautiously interested, but already she somehow realized that this girl was something "different," that there was something wrong with her.
— Momo-chan is our Zashikiwarashi. — For a few seconds, Sora obviously expected a reaction to his words, but the girl continued to look at him questioningly. Obviously, he was counting on the girl being familiar with the concept. — Zashikiwarashi are the guardian spirits of houses, they protect the house from all sorts of little evil things and take care of the inhabitants in their own way.
If there are wizards living in the house, Zashikiwarashi can physically manifest in the world thanks to their magic, and if the relationship between the family and the spirit is good, the housewife may agree to do some work around the house. — The boy paused briefly to place a hand on the slightly faded seal at her throat, which (inexplicably) regained its bright glow, and continued. — Please do not confuse the zasiki varasi with the local house elf — they are completely different creatures. In every sense.
Hermione nodded at the words, reluctantly comparing the house elves she had seen, ugly, low creatures with huge ears, noses and bulging eyes on skinny bodies. Not to mention their strange behavior and thinking. It was really sacrilege to compare a house-elf to this beautiful and energetic girl who obviously had excellent taste in outfits, jewelry and hairstyles.
— Hermione and I will be busy now, but feed your mother. — With a sly glance in the woman's direction, which everyone noticed, he looked back at Momo. — Let her keep her mouth shut and not be a nuisance while we're busy. — He didn't hide the grin. Hermione even thought they would continue to argue, and they did.
They bickered for the next few minutes while Momo introduced Hermione to Kiriko and Stanley, who, upon closer inspection, had cat ears and real tails on his head. The continued bickering of the relatives allowed
Momo to explain to his guest the meaning of the term "bakeneko," and then why the handsome young cat could not hide his distinctive features in human form, unlike Nanao. Hermione found out who Nanao was just a few minutes after entering the house, when a girl of astonishing beauty walked down the corridor, paying no attention to anyone, but sleepily disheveled, and wearing short shorts and a tank top that literally showed off her large breasts and shapely legs.
Hermione felt a pang of envy, for even her mother, a recognized beauty, had noticeably smaller breasts, and the curve of her hips and waist was not as perfect and expressive as Nanao's. In fact, the Bakeneko's beauty was a bit too perfect, as if she'd stepped out of the pages of a comic book, where everything was about perfect blondes with big breasts and so on. The cautious question was answered: Nanao was not another fiancée of the master of the house (Hermione was already aware that Sora had more than one fiancée) or a mistress, — at this point the girl even sighed in relief, but Momo continued, knocking the ground out from under her feet.
The girl said that the Lord's official mistress was away on important business at the moment, but promised to be back soon. What followed was a strange conversation in which Miss Granger discovered many new things, including things she had not wanted to know. At one point, Sora abruptly broke off the conversation with her mother and took Hermione somewhere deep inside the house.
The woman kept up with them, and somewhere along the way another girl joined them. Also very pretty, with dark, clear skin and coal-black hair. Unlike the others, she was extremely quiet, not even saying hello to anyone, and Granger only became aware of her presence when she noticed the dark-haired girl out of the corner of her eye.
They came to one of the farthest rooms, passing through several rooms and halls, and everywhere there were only sliding doors, and even more beautifully decorated with patterns and views of nature in an oriental style. Hermione had seen works of art like this before, when an exhibition of oriental culture had come to London, and she had been there with her parents before she entered Hogwarts.
One more thing: everyone had changed into slippers and Sora, Momo and Kiriko were barefoot. When they entered the room, or rather a small hall, the head of the house looked around, nodded, and a few more... no, Hermione couldn't tell at first glance how many amulets her master intended to use, but there were more than a dozen pieces of paper, that was for sure.
The pieces of paper floated through the air as if each one knew its place and wanted to take it as soon as possible, except that they were folded into a strange figure of an octagon with another octagon twice as small inscribed inside and a circle twice as small as the second figure. Each time the paper took its place on the floor, glowing lines were drawn from it, bending in patterns and hieroglyphics.
In a few minutes, a distinctly oriental ritual circle was completed before the audience, gently shimmering with several colors that did not mix, but kept their coloring only in a certain sector of the figure. Sora, who had been studying his work, was silent for a few minutes, then turned to her, even opened his mouth, but closed it abruptly, examined the girl from head to toe, shook his head sadly, and... sent Hermione herself, as well as Momo, who was supposed to help the girl quickly, to the bathroom.
The girl had mixed feelings about the last episode: on the one hand, she should have been offended by the way her appearance was judged, because it wasn't her fault that she looked so inappropriate, but on the other hand, she was grateful for the fact that she was given twenty minutes to take a bath.
The bathtub itself was not what she was used to: not stone, large, but not uncomfortably so. The whole interior was made of fragrant wood, which, as soon as the steam appeared, immediately filled the room with an amazing atmosphere and aromas. I wanted to spit on everything and fall asleep, sitting in the polished wooden bowl, feeling how the water in the bathtub, obviously with the help of magic, seemed to flow like soft waves, casually massaging the body. It felt so damn good.