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Chapter Eleven : A Surprise Visit
***************************************************************************************After a long week of education, homework and getting adjusted to a new sleep schedule, finally it was the weekend.
I had particularly been looking forward to the end of the week, because it was the day I would be calling my family, via the bracelet Loki and Tony had given me. Today was also a test, to see if their efforts had paid off. If they had, this could be revolutionary and could change the Wizarding World as to communication.
I got up early for a Saturday, and went to breakfast in the Great Hall with Harry and Ron. We chatted while discussing the day's plans, I told them of my plan to contact my family to whom they were most eager to talk to. I felt the bracelet vibrate and, pressing the lit-up bead, accepted the call. The bracelet produced a small hologram, about a ruler length in width and height. I smiled widely as the famililar face of Tony came into view. He grinned. "Hey kid!" He yelled, loud enough to attract the attention of the others, who ran over.
"Hermione!" came the numerous greetings as everyone clambered to get into the frame.
"Hey guys! Merlin, I'm so glad this works! How are you all?" I asked, radiating with excitement.
"We're all just dandy, kid. We really miss you, it's been so quiet without you." Clint spoke, pausing for a few seconds as he reconsidered his statement. "Alright, so it's not been THAT quiet, but you get what I mean!"
"How have things been at school, Mia? Loki said you had concerns about a new teacher? Umbritches or something?" Bruce asked. My friends and I snickered at the nickname for the pink hag. I opened my name to reply but was interrupted by a sickly-sweet voice called from the staff table.
"Hem Hem. Miss Granger? What is that... contraption you have currently in your possession?"
I glanced at my friends and my family, who had grown silent with the new voice, and now had serious expressions on their faces. I motioned to them to wait one moment and turned to answer. "It's an invention my Uncle Tony made fo me. It allows me to contact him from here to his home in New York. I'm talking to my family at the moment."
"Miss Granger, I'm sure by now, you are well aware that the Wizarding World has magical means of contacting your loved ones? More... superior methods, dare I say?"
I frowned. So she was a bigot as well. This lady was becoming more unpleasant by the minute.
"Professor, are you insinuating that because a Muggle inventor made this, it is therefore inferior? Because that would be incredibly prejudiced, as well as untrue. We all know how much you dislike lying, after all." I retorted, raising a single eyebrow for intimidation purposes.
Aunt Nat had trained me, after all.
She said nothing, but pursed her lips and continued eating her breakfast. I looked out of the window and saw sunshine. "The day beckons. I think I'll go to the Black Lake for a bit. See you guys later." I told my friends before walking out of the Great Hall.
"MY NIECE IS BLOODY AWESOME! Did you see the look on her face?! She looked like she was sucking on a wasp!" Uncle Clint cackled, while the others looked both proud and amused at Clint, who had fallen off the sofa, still laughing. I giggled.
"Thanks guys. As you may gathered, that was Professor Umbridge, the new D.A.D.A teacher for this year. If you think that little speech she just did was bad, you should have heard her at the Start-of-Term Feast. She even interrupted Dumbledore, and NO-ONE does that. EVER. I did some digging, and found out she's the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister, which means she's working directly under Fudge."
"Nice find, that's interesting to hear. Sounds like the Minister is trying to spy on Dumbledore, And from what Loki's told us, it sounds like he thinks old Dumbles is a threat, possibly trying to lead a rebellion and seize control. Though why he thinks school children would be part of that, I don't know..." Tony pondered, trailing off.
"Speaking of Loki, I don't see him with you, is he ok?"
"My brother is in good health, Lady Hermione, he is merely resting. He has a surprise for you later on today, but needs to conserve his energy for it." Thor said while the team smiled. I felt suspicious as to what they were planning, but let it go for the moment.
"Alright then... well, tell me what you all have been up to! Had any interesting missions lately?"
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The next three hours went by in a blur, and all too soon it was time to say goodbye. My friends had come by to say hello and found themselves invited to the tower over the summer. Tony and my Uncle had taken a particular liking to the Weasley twins, and I wondered whether the Tower would still be standing when they came around, and feared for the inhibitants should they cross paths with Loki. I bid my family goodbye, with pangs of homesickness as the hologram faded. It was at times like this I felt the distance from them was even greater.
After eating dinner in the Great Hall - of which my friends tried to cheer me up - I retreated to my dormitory and sat on my bed. I suddenly got the feeling that I wasn't alone, which was peculiar, seeing as I hadn't heard the door open and the room was empty when I had walked in. I looked up to see Loki sitting on my bed. I walked over to my wardrobe-
Wait. LOKI?
I gaped at him for a moment, before coming to the conclusion that I must be hallucinating. I rubbed my eyes and looked again. He was there still, and looking amused at my actions. "Yes, it's me." He said. But I still wasn't convinced. Just to see if it was an illusion, I threw a small object by my bedside and to my shock and delight, he caught it!
Which meant...
"You're really here! But how? No-one can apparate into Hogwarts?" I exclaimed, smiling. He chuckled.
"Lady, you seem to forget I am not just anyone. I am a god. No mortal wards could deter me. I hear you were asking after me? You wouldn't be missing me, now would you?" He smirked.
I looked down. "I...did miss you. All of you." I admitted quietly.
"Well, if you are truly feeling homesick, I suppose I could pop in from time to time?"
"I'd like that. So, what have you been up to?"
Loki caught me up on some of the team's exploits, as well as some of the missions he had been on with them. "We think by December, we should have found my scepter, and I believe you will be back in time to come along if you would like?" He offered. My head shot up as I looked at him in excitement.
"I get to come on a mission? An actual mission?"
"We still need to bring your uncle around to the idea, but for the most of the team, they've agreed it would be a good learning experience."
We chatted well into the night, the moon shining high and bright by the time I walked down the stairs to the Gryffindor Common Room. Harry and Ron were sitting on the armchairs next to the fireplace, and looked over as I made my way over to them.
"Mione, where have you been? It's almost 11! We've been worried sick." Ron whispered loudly.
"I needed to clear my head. I must have lost track of time. Sorry for making you worry." I apologised. We walked over to the armchairs and sat down. A silence fell among us. I opened my mouth to break the silence when something interrupted me.
"Harry?" The fire seemed to faintly wheeze. We slowly approached the fireplace. "Harry, are you there?" The voice seemed familiar, but it took one more repetition of Harry's name before I realised who was speaking. "Harry, it's Siri- I mean Snuffles!" We abandoned all caution and kneeled in front of the roaring fire, which had grown in size to accomodate the face of Sirius Black, which stared back at us.
"Sirius! What are you doing here?"
"I had to see you. When your last letter mentioned Umbridge, I just had to talk to you. Listen. That woman is bad news. She is a pureblood supremacist and a firm believer in the old ways. She is predjuiced and ruthless. Not only was she in Slytherin, but she was also a suspect in a few murders a couple of years ago. She has climbed her way to power, without a single thought or bit of regret for who gets hurt along the way. You need to promise me you will be careful around her. No matter what she says about anything that may upset or anger you, you must not give her the satifaction of rising to the bait."
Harry looked a bit sheepish as he informed Sirius about what had happened in D.A.D.A this week. "It's a bit late for that. Hermione and I have a detention tomorrow. She was spouting lies, saying that C-Cedric's death was an accident, and basically said that I was nothing but a liar. Hermione even walked out of her class!"
Sirius looked over to me with wide eyes. "You? Hermione Granger walked out of a class? Bloody hell, this woman must be bad. I'm not trying to say don't stand up for yourselves, or the memory of Cedric, or anyone else she chooses to disrespect. Just don't go deliberately antagonising her. Merlin knows she would love to get you in even more troub-" He cut himself off as he left the Floo, his face disappering as a fat hand, covered in gaudy rings suddenly came through the flames, scrabbling around, as if trying to grab something they could not see. We waited for a few minutes with baited breath as the hand continued to grasp at empty air. Eventually, it seemed the person at the other end had given up and pulled their hand away.
I let out a relieved breath.
"Umbridge must be monitoring the Floo System. We can't contact Sirius that way again. Why don't we arrange to meet him at the next Hogsmeade visit? I could even try to bring some food from the kitchens and we could have a picnic? It must be so boring and dull being locked up in that dreary old house. Some fresh air will do him a world of good."
"I think he'd like that. I'll tell him in my next letter. Good thinking Mione. Now, I think we should probably head to bed, I might fall asleep here otherwise."
We bid each other goodnight and went to our separate dormitories. I went to sleep quickly, dreaming of the good times to come, and a certain trickster God, whose company I was beginning to enjoy immensely.