Chapter 121: Will Bonding time ever stop?
“This is genius!” Alt-Hermione exclaimed as she closed the book she was done reading. Suddenly she was hit by the realization. “Oh My God! I can’t believe I just called a textbook on divination genius!”
“Harry, did she just say Divination was Genius?” Alt-Ron said his spoon of cereal was hanging in the air, eyes fixed on his female friend.
“Oh, so I didn’t imagine it?”
“You prats!” she chastised her best friends with an amused chuckle.
“Okay, everything is alright. It's her.” Alt-Ron joked, then put the spoon in his mouth. “I’m curious though, what’s in it about divination that made you change your mind about it?”
“Everything!”
“Not really helping, Hermione.” Harry was reading his own textbook on ancient runes.
“Professor Potter explains that Divination is not just charlatanism. There is a good amount of science involved in it even if you don’t have the gift of the third eye.”
“Really? Science?” Now, Alt-Ron was intrigued. “What does science have to do with predicting the future?”
“Everything! Like you’re not actually predicting the future. Here take a look at the first chapter it’s-”
“Hermione,” Alt-Ron gave him a deadpan look. “It's 8:00 in the morning.”
“Come on, it’s a short chapter, three pages and it’s very easy to understand! There are even illustrations to explain!”
“Give it up, mate. You know how she is.” Harry said with a knowing smile.
“Argh, fine! Give me that!” Alt-Ron made the universal gesture of ‘Gimme’ with his hand and began to read when he got the book while finishing his breakfast.
“What about you, Harry? Ancient Runes?” Alt-Hermione called him out.
“Yeah. Rose lent it to me.”
“That’s nice of her but why the sudden interest?”
“Remember the day she arrived and she took me away so we could get to know each other better?”
“Vaguely. I remember my other self dragging me away too, mostly.”
“Well, while we were talking she was… very open and blunt about her questions. Real personal but not in a mean or judgemental way. She was just curious. Her way to break the ice, I suppose. Anyway, I wasn’t really comfortable so I changed the subject to what she was doing. Drawing circles and runes and symbols. I mean, she was writing something to remove the Horcrux from my scar while making sure I would live, so I got curious about what would happen. Turns out the runes I asked about were in fact alchemical symbols.”
Alt-Hermione did a double take on that information. “She’s versed in alchemy?”
“Yeah and she’s really good. She explained to me that runes were like… commands which tune magic as you want it and the alchemical symbol were like… the thing that actually does the process?” He wasn’t sure his explanation was clear.
“That’s about right for the runes. As for the alchemical symbols I don’t know.”
“Then she drew a circle, placed three runes in a triangle shape on it. I think it was Bakano, Jera and Fuhu? Fahu?”
“Fehu.” She corrected him.
“Yes, that one. Then she drew the symbol for earth then the one for water. She put a seed in the middle of the circle and told me to pour my magic in it. I did. And the seed bloomed into a white lily! That was brilliant!” He said with excitement.
“She made a seed bloom? That’s curious.”
“I know. She said that alchemy was controlling the elements and that if you can control the elements you can control the world around you. Ancient Runes are there to help you do things more complicated. And… I don’t know. Beyond being really cool I just… I felt like when I’m practicing for DADA, if that makes sense?”
“It does. It means you’ve an affinity for ancient runes. Everyone has a subject which-”
“Blimey!” Alt-Ron interrupted suddenly. He raised his head and looked at her. “I understood everything and it finally makes sense.”
“See! I told you. Genius!”
“Morning!”
The golden trio turned their heads to the entrance of the room to see Rose coming in followed by Draco and Hermione and wished them a good morning back.
“So, what did you think?” Hermione asked her alter.
Her alt was honest. “Absolute. Genius.”
“And that’s not the best of the series!”
“What series?” Draco inquired as he poured himself some orange juice, then to Rose who had pushed her glass in front of him.
Hermione’s answer was immediate. “Professor Potter’s Textbooks for dummies.”
“Wait, there is a whole series? But I thought this was it for divination?” Alt-Hermione was confused.
“Oh, it is. But Professor Potter wrote other textbooks for other subjects.”
“Which one?”
“All of them.” Rose cut in, putting down her empty glass and nudging Draco for a refill.
It wasn't Alt-Hermione who shouted in shock but Alt-Ron. “You mean… All the subjects taught at Hogwarts?”
“B-but! He would need to have a mastery in each subjects to-”
“He does and so does my mom. Thirteen each and soon fourteen.” Rose answered casually, stealing a piece of bacon from Draco’s plate.
“Rose, make your own breakfast and stop stealing my food. We’re not eight anymore.” The answer he got was Rose sticking her tongue out.
On the other side of the table Hermione was patting Alt-Hermione’s back gently.
“There, there. It’s alright. It’s alright. Breath, take a deep breath.”
“Thirteen!”
“I know, I know. I got the same reaction.”
“How do you get thirteen masteries?!”
“Professor Potter said the same way you get one. Hard work, dedication and time.”
“I can’t even imagine ever getting one so thirteen? Blimey, your parents are insane, Rose.”
“They’re eccentric, yes. Aunt Bella is the one insane.”
“What about you?” Harry inquired. “Are you going for it too?”
Rose laughed at that. “No. I’m not even going for thirteen NEWTs.”
“Why? It’s obvious you’re pretty smart since they let you make the ritual circle to remove the Horcrux.”
“My Dad didn’t really care about them. He passed them because he wanted to teach. My Mom, because she wanted to prove herself and the bigots that she may be muggle-born but that she wasn’t less than them, or perhaps showing them they were the lesser ones. Me? I’m more practical. While I am very curious about everything, I don’t spend time on subjects that won’t be useful to me once I’m out of Hogwarts.”
“Make sense, I suppose. What do you want to do?”
“Playing seeker for the Harpies or if Viktor ever leaves the Magpies, for them.”
“Viktor as in, Krum?” Alt-Ron was suddenly very interested. It was quidditch after all. “He’s playing for the Magpies? No way! Why would he?”
It was Draco who told him why. “Uncle turned the Magpies into the most successful Quidditch club in the world. He played as a seeker for them for twelve years. Won the league as many times. Won the European league nine times and the World Cup thrice.”
“Shut up! We won the world cup thrice?!” Alt-Ron turned to Harry with the seriousness of McGonagall. “Harry, let’s go live in their world.” Harry couldn’t help himself from snorting.
“Anyway, during the triwizard tournament, Fleur, Viktor and I bonded. It helped that dad was our DADA teacher and had a special regimen during practical day. At the end of the year, dad told Viktor he could get him a tryout with the Magpies.”
“And Krum beat all the other candidates.” Alt-Ron said sure of himself.
“Pretty much. So there, that’s it about Quidditch. If it doesn’t work out or after I retire, I want to explore the world. Find new magics or forgotten ones, find new species… or simply knowledge. And for that, I don’t need Divination and Astronomy beyond OWL level if at all so I dropped them.”
“What about you? Draco, Hermione?” Harry inquired.
“I’m going to study under Aunt Andromeda to become a solicitor.”
“Minister of Magic.” she said proudly and a bit of a daring attitude to contradict her.
Surprisingly no one did.
“Well… If anyone can become Minister of Magic, that’s one Hermione Granger, no matter the world they are from.”
“Ronald, you really think so?” Alt-Hermione was moved.
“Of course. I mean if Fudge could get the job… You? That’s a no-brainer.”
“The difficulty to become Minister is the political connections. But that comes with time.” Hermione pointed out.
“That’s why I want to become a solicitor in the first place. I like the law of course but if I’m good, then I’ll get plenty of clients and plenty of connections.” Draco explained.
“Yes,” Hermione agreed. “That’s also why I’ll be working under Andromeda too. That way I’ll be acquainted with her people even if distantly. I’ll also be well versed in the wizarding world laws which as the Minister would be a great boon. In our world Fudge broke the law every time he felt like it because in his mind he was the Minister so he could do whatever he wanted. He stayed so long in power partly because of that.”
“He got what he deserved in the end.” Rose frowned as she glared at Draco for slapping her hand away from his plate.
“Azkaban?” Harry was hopeful.
Rose nodded. “Azkaban. And a punch to the face from Dad.” she grinned.
“Blimey! I wish I could have seen that.”
“See what, Ronald? And Morning to all of you.” Rick entered the room drenched in sweat. It wasn’t quite yet 9 in the morning and yet it seemed as if he had been up for hours and was just taking a break instead of breakfast.
“You decking Fudge, sir.” Alt-Ron answered.
“Oh! That. I’m not going to lie, that felt good.”
“I can imagine. He had been bad mouthing you, Aunt Lily and Rose for a year.”
“Oh, no, Draco. The reason it felt good was because I was still running on the adrenaline of fighting Voldemort and was frustrated because he had run away.”
Harry was more than attentive now. Rick had presented a duel against Voldemort as if it wasn’t a big deal. “Are you stronger than him?”
“No, not even close. He has more power and is way faster. We fought thrice and everytime he outclassed me.”
“How did you defeat him then?” Alt-Hermione wondered.
Rick tapped his temple with index finger. “Smarts. The first time I duelled him I used the surrounding environment against him. Transfiguration if done right is a dangerous tool in your arsenal during a duel. You may not really attack your opponent directly but you can create an opening. I transfigured the grass he was on into climbing vines. He was distracted and I took his off-arm off. The second time, I had Bella by my side. She was on the offensive and I was playing defense, again with transfiguration. He used Fiendfyre and I made it disappear. He was absolutely livid.” Rick chuckled at the memory.
Alt-Hermione was curious. “How did you do that? Fiendfyre is not supposed to stop burning until everything is gone.”
“Yes, I always wondered how you were able to do it.” Hermione pondered too.
“I did exactly that. I didn’t leave anything for the fiendfyre to burn by transmuting the oxygen into the air into CO2.”
“Oh! You did the reverse of what I did against the Iron Belly!”
“That was wonderfully smart, Rose. Of course I would pick it up. Finally the last time… I used a spell I created for something else.”
Rick pulled his wand out, because he knew the golden trio was about to ask about it, and used his Philo spell. The usual red wolf burst through its wand and trotted around, touching everyone with its wagging tail and stopping next to Rose.
“That’s… love?” Alt-Hermione was short circuiting. “But that’s impossible! You can’t create love.”
“That is correct. I’m just sharing what I feel. I use the spell while feeling Agape. It’s a selfless, universal love. An empathetic, selfless love for others that includes a love for nature, strangers, and the less fortunate. It’s altruistic. What I gave to Voldemort was Storge, the family love. Since this idiot used Rose’s blood to resurrect-”
Alt-Hermione cut him off on the spot. “The spell targeted the blood but since it’s part of Voldemort it hit him full force.”
“Yes. That’s the power he knows not. That broke him and took the fight out of him.”
“We’re doomed then. I’m kind of out of parents to use the spell.” That was said in such a broken and defeated tone, Rick was sympathetic.
“Oh, Harry, anyone who loves you can use the spell.” Rick contradicted him. “The feeling just needs to be strong. I’m sure either Hermione or Ronald could defeat Voldemort by using it. The love of a sibling, the love of a best friend. Those are powerful types of love. Even your own love for your parents will work. Their bloods flow into your veins but also in Voldemort’s. That’s the beauty of love: it can be shared but never divided. Voldemort stands no chance. With all the people around you? He will eat so many Philos in the face, I wouldn’t be surprised if he off himself.” Rick chuckled and made everyone laugh. “Come on, I’ll teach you all the spell this afternoon. The theory is relatively the same as the patronus; it’s just you focus on love instead of happiness. I’m sure you’ll get it all in no time.”
The good atmosphere was broken by a loud boom that came from inside the Manor. Immediately, Rick was on his feet and moved. He followed the smoke, meeting Sirius, James and Albus in the first floor corridor. Wand raised for an attack, they heard coughing then two silhouettes that exited a thick cloud of smoke.
“George, Fred?” Rick was confused but still alert. The twins were singed from head to toes and had long platinum blonde hair, all frizzled.
“We got-”
“Pranked, sir.”
“Your twins?”
“They’re good.”
They grinned like loonies. They were less bothered of having been pranked and more interested in having competition.
“Oh, nonononono. No! No prank war!” He turned to Sirius and James. “That’s valid for you two!”
“Aww! Party pooper!” Sirius whined like a six year old.
James had something to say too. “Come on Rick! The pranking tradition must continue!”
“““Yes!”””
Turning around he saw not only the weasley twins but also Sage and Camelia and the two Remus. All agreeing for the idea of a Prank War.
“Joined the dark side, Rick. We have cookies.” Sirius said with a grin, while putting his hand around Rick’s shoulder.
“Help me, God. Help me.”
Defeated, Rick turned into a crow and flew away from all the madness.