Chapter IX

Two horrible lonely days went by and there was still no sign of him anywhere. All she knew was that Salazar Slytherin was an extremely busy man at the moment, as Helga had so eloquently informed her. She failed to see Godric, Salazar and Rowena as neither attended breakfast, lunch or dinner. Hermione's thoughts often drifted towards the blonde-haired man and she wondered if he was busy with Arvain. Deep inside, she knew the answer to that but she also knew that something else was keeping him away from her; most likely the riders that she had seen that other day. They had arrived late in the night and their arrival had appeared to be most urgent.

Her days at the castle were odd to say the least. She could not help but to feel uneasy as everywhere she went there was an intense feeling of being constantly watched. So she kept herself guarded at all times, one could not be too careful. Students would often look at her, curiosity embed on their young faces, no doubt in her mind that they were incredibly curious to know who she was but none had the audacity so far to approach her, which she was highly thankful for. Still, the staring bothered her and so she decided to stick to her room for now.

On the third day Hermione did not leave her room not even for breakfast. Not that anyone will notice, she thought bitterly as she sat by the window.

With a long-suffering sigh, the bushy-haired witch placed a blanket in her lap and turned away to contemplate the wonderful sight outside. It was such a beautiful day; the green background that surrounded the castle was greener than ever and so she stared, allowing her mind to drift away. She suddenly wished that she could share the beauty of this timeline with both Harry and Ronald. A small smile appeared on her lips as the boys would with no doubt drag her for countless of adventures.

She missed them dearly, but for some reason, ever since she arrived in this timeline there was this overwhelming feeling slowly but surely taking over her being. A freeing feeling that grew inside her with each day that went by. In her own time, she often felt caged, like a bird whose wings had been cut, damaged beyond repair and limiting her. But here, that awful sensation all but disappeared and now she felt that she could soar as high as she wished to. It was hard to explain but the feeling of liberation was too strong to ignore and so she chose to revel in it instead.

There was a sudden knock on the door which startled her from her reverie. Blinking, Hermione slowly stood up and placed the blanket on her bed. She bit her lower lip gently as she walked towards the door, "Who is it?" she asked, making use of her Latin. Her heart skipped a beat as she hoped for the one familiar voice. However, the voice that followed was not the one she wanted to hear. It was a man's voice. It was loud and smooth with a friendly tune to it.

"A friend," came the cheerful reply which filled her with both curiosity and disappointment.

She bit her lower lip and felt somewhat hesitant in opening the door but soon she shook her head and thought she was being silly. There was no motive for her to think that everyone was out there to get her and she could really use a distraction. Her world certainly did not revolve around Salazar! Inhaling deeply, she opened the door and her gaze fell on the man before her. A smile quickly manifested on the man's face making it impossible for her not to notice his impeccable white teeth. The man was a lot taller than she was but then again so were all men that she had encountered so far. Really, she wondered what all men ate in this timeline to make them so incredibly tall. His hair was dark brown and reached his shoulders.

"Ichabod Ravenclaw."

Hermione blinked at the sudden introduction and then blinked once more. Ravenclaw!? This man was related to Rowena Ravenclaw?! She had yet to set her eyes upon Rowena Ravenclaw herself but the prospect of meeting someone by the same surname was just as exciting. A smile quickly made its way onto her jovial features, "I am-"

"Yes, yes." The man interrupted her, his smile turning into a wide grin, "You are Hermione from the notorious Granger's house. You hail from Prussia and your family has ties to the Slytherin's, yes?" he added with great fake enthusiasm, "I heard all about you. Everyone has."

She frowned as she looked back at him, her mind still wrapped around on the man's words when out of nowhere he trusted something into her hands. She lowered her head and looked at the object she was holding; an old book. The book was heavy, probably the heaviest book she ever held in her hands before. Its cover was made of leather and it was ornamented with gold leaf which immediately let her know that this was a book of extremely high quality considering the times they were currently living in.

"I am sure you will find that book very easy to read," Ichabod added, "Go on! Give it a try!"

The bushy-haired witch felt somewhat uneasy to accept such a high esteemed book. Not only because she knew it to be precious but because she also had a sense of self-preservation. She did not know this man and she could not afford to trust any objects given to her, especially by strangers. Just because he claimed to be a Ravenclaw it did not mean that he was her friend or someone to be trusted. But then again, she doubted that he would attempt to harm her. This man was well aware that she was Salazar's guest and that alone gave her comfort and confidence that she was safe.

At last, Hermione pushed all of her insecurities behind her back and slowly opened the book. Her fingertips brushed through the extremely old pages and she fought the urge to bring the book up and sniff it. She carefully flipped the first page. Her eyes stopped on the elegant handwriting and before she knew it, she was finishing reading the first paragraph. She blinked and quickly looked up, the book almost slipping from her hands as she came to look back at Ichabod, a dumbstruck expression on her young features.

"How is this possible?" she asked, her entire being now filled with excitement. The book was clearly written in no language that she recognized and yet, the words stuck firmly in her mind and she could clearly associate every word to its meaning. This right here could be her salvation. It would allow her to learn the language in a time record.

"It is the most wonderful thing, is it not?" he questioned, offering her his handsome smile, "This book has been enchanted to help one learn a foreign language. I happen to have several others in my possession. It will be a great help… in order to make your story more… believable."

Wonderful, he said? This book was more than wonderful; it was more than words could ever express. This would give her the chance to be able to fit in. Hermione pressed the precious book against her chest, "You know then?" she asked, wondering how this man knew. Salazar did not trust Godric with her true story but he trusted Rowena's sibling? Had she just walked into a trap? No, it did not feel like a trap.

"Yes, well… your story is not quite convincing." He paused and winked at her, "Salazar has confided in me with your little secret and I hope to prove it to you, Hermione Granger that you can trust me to keep it safe."

Hermione nodded slowly but for some reason she felt a little shiver. As she glanced up back at him and their eyes met, she could not help but to find Ichabod Ravenclaw to be a man who is not only charming with his words but also extremely intelligent and dangerously so. She knew that she should be thankful for the wonderful gift, but she had the awful feeling that he would ask her for something in return when the time was most convenient for him.

"Thank you," she muttered quietly as she tried to figure out more of his character.

"Oh, it is nothing, really." He said as he moved a hand to the back of his neck, "I hope you will accompany me for dinner tonight? You will have plenty time to read and then we can put your new founded words to use."

Hermione carefully closed the book and stood up. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and then opened them again. She still could not believe it; all the new knowledge that was forever imprinted in her head. The book's tale spoke of old Kings and Queens, their lives at court filled with intrigues and war and silly superstitions. A muggle book, enchanted. A smile illuminated her face as she could remember every single word and knew its meaning. She could now make good use of the vast vocabulary that she had just learned. The prospect of having more enchanted books to read made her feel overjoyed.

Standing up, she blew at the candle next to her bed. She readjusted the skirt of her green dress and made sure that her hair was not a mess. Once she was mildly satisfied with her appearance she walked out of the door. She was nervous; there was no need to deny that. But still, she carried herself with elegance and held her chin high as she walked into the noisy and crowded Great Hall. She fixed her gaze on the professors table, trying her hardest to ignore the students staring. Her gaze met Helga's and then Frederic's. The other professors did not even raise their heads in acknowledge, it was as if she was invisible to them; or below them. Not worth their while. She noticed that once again, Salazar, Godric and Rowena were missing but this time a new but yet familiar face was at the table.

Ichabod Ravenclaw grinned widely at her and she happily returned it.

She could not help but to feel extreme grateful to the man as she approached the table and quickly took the empty seat beside him.

The room was dimly lit by a few aromatized candles. The single occupant in the tiny cot whimpered as he shifted in his sleep. Salazar looked away from the potion he was brewing and stared at Arvain. A small frown marred his face when he thought back how futile his interrogation had been. Arvain had no memories of the time he spent in the forbidden forest. He had been hoping to quench his curiosity – how Arvain knew that Hermione did not belong – but it seemed that the answer was lost to him, for now.

A sigh escaped him as he looked down at the crushed snake fang. He carefully dropped the small powder in to the cauldron and frowned as his thoughts unwillingly shifted to the young woman he had not seen in two days.

He knew that she must be feeling quite alone on her own; that even though the Castle had been her home in the future, now it must just be cold stoned walls. She was surrounded with strangers in a time she knew nothing about. Sure, he knew her to be quite a capable witch. But loneliness could be worse than an unforgivable spell. That much he knew…he knew it well.

There was a light knock on the door. He was suddenly pulled away from his own thoughts and looked over his shoulder and raised a brow at the sight of Godric.

"Let me save you the trouble. Apologies not accepted," Salazar added as he turned his attention back to the potion.

Godric crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the doorframe. "Have you any idea of what it might be?" he asked, not really bothering to acknowledge Salazar's statement.

Salazar shook his head, "I do not know…" he replied, "I cannot find the source of the dark magic. It might be… something else entirely… something we have never encountered before."

"The council has yet to reply to Rowena's calling," the dark-haired man added, "Maybe they can aid us in discovering what hides in the forest."

Salazar waved his wand up and tapped it against the cauldron and then turned around to face his friend. "Maybe." He said as he looked at Godric.

"Maybe they can also… have a small conversation with Lady Granger." Godric added, staring intently, hoping to read something in his friend's expression. Yet, Salazar's features remained void of any emotion; - unreadable.

"Maybe." He replied simply, remaining calm. Godric was just testing him, to see if he would break under the pressure. Still, a part of him didn't want any councilmember sniffing around. Only the Gods knew what would happen if word of Hermione's circumstances reached the Merlin's Order.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hello everyone! It has been ages. I know. First of all I would like to start apologising for disappearing. Life happened. But I stumbled across this word file and decided to publish a new chapter. I would also like to apologise to my dear beta Tsukuyomu whom I asked to beta for me again... what last year? Maybe two years ago... and then I disappeared without a word. I'm really sorry dear.