Once again, I do not own them.
Later that day, Hermione Flooed to Diagon Alley. The weather in London was not as wet as in Scotland, but it was cold nevertheless. Hermione shivered against her winter cloak, wishing for the warmer weather of Washington.
The Alley had changed due to damage in the war. New buildings replaced the centuries-old structures on the main street. Knockturn Alley no longer existed – Aurors and Death Eaters had battled there for over a week, and had ruined many of the buildings, as well as killing, accidentally or not, many shop owners and residents.
The main potion of Diagon Alley, from the entrance at the Leaky Cauldron to Gringotts, had been widened, giving it a more planned look. Olivander had returned and reopened his shop. Hermione stopped, and went into the small store. Her wand had not worked the same since the Final Battle, but as she worked in potions, she did not need a new one. Nevertheless, Hermione decided to see what Mr. Olivander had to say about the subject.
"Ms. Granger, I had not expected to see you again. The last I heard, you were living in America."
"I'm only back for a short time. I was wondering if I could ask you a question."
"Of course, I am here to serve." At this statement, he made a small bow.
"During the Final Battle, something happened that changed how my wand worked. I don't know what happened, but my wand is not nearly as powerful as it once was."
"It is not uncommon for powerful witches and wizards to change wands several times. Minerva McGonagall, for instance, has used fifteen different wands in her lifetime. Albus was buying wands long before I sold them, but I sold him one a year. Would you like to see if a new wand would better suit your needs?"
"Yes, thank you."
Mr. Olivander pulled many boxes off the shelves. "New wands for adults are complicated. Your magical repertoire is much larger than that of a first year student. You are a Potions Mistress?"
"Yes, but I don't use my wand much for brewing."
"You are one of Severus' students."
"'No foolish wand-waiving'. Of course."
"Be that as it may, your wand is not determined solely by your occupation. Try this one."
He handed her an ebony wand that was quite thick. Then, he passed her a short, thick maple wand, then a long, thin, and springy oak wand. After nearly an hour of trying, Mr. Olivander took a box from the very back of the store.
"Perhaps you are aware that the use of the parts of human-like creatures in a wand creates a powerful wand. Mermaid scales, vela hair, and pixie's wings all make for temperamental wands. In the hands of the right witch or wizard, however, these wands may work far better than any plant or animal based product. This wand has a core containing a tail hair from a centaur. I need not tell you that centaurs are intelligent. Try this."
He handed her the wand. She tested it with a simple Wingardium Leviosa. The box lifted off the desk effortlessly. She tried a few, more complex spells as well. After ascertaining the wand's quality, Hermione turned and smiled at the shopkeeper.
"It works then, does it? Let me see your old wand for a moment." Hermione handed it over.
"This wand is in fine condition. I will pay ten Galleons for the old wand, which will bring the cost of the new wand to 25 Galleons and four Sickles."
Hermione gave him the money, bid him a good afternoon, and left the store. She wandered the street a bit longer, but Flooed back to Remus' flat when the weather turned cooler.
She re-entered the apartment to find the Lupin family sitting in the family room. After an exchange of pleasantries, Hermione sat and related the events of the day.
"Centaur hair? That's really powerful. In some countries those wands are illegal to purchase, because they are so powerful. I'm surprised the Dark Lord did not change wands after his rebirth." Tonks shuddered at the thought.
"He tried," Snape said. "He had Olivander captured in a raid, but he could not work for us as we needed him."
"How did he stay alive, then?" Tonks asked. "Very few have defied You-Know-Who and lived to tell the tale."
"He supplied wands of lesser strengths. He claimed the centaur herds had moved on, which they had. The colony at Hogwarts was too well protected. The Dark Lord tried, but was unsuccessful. I do not think a new wand would have much altered the Dark Lord's power. The wand may choose the wizard, but the wizard's strength determines the operational standards of the wand."
"Have you ever changed wands, Remus? I'd actually never heard of this happening," Hermione admitted.
"It is not entirely rare, but, then again, it is not extremely common. Changing wands signals a change in power, due to circumstances, not just learning. Yours could have changed during the Battle or maybe something else triggered it. It really just depends on the witch or wizard."
"But you've never changed wands. Have any of you?"
"Ms. Granger, I am surprised your Master did not explain such things to you. As you learn to work with potions, a part of your innate magical ability comes out. You use your hands, not your wand, to determine an element's viability. The emphasis on innate, or wandless, magic often leads to a deepening of your power. Most Masters change wands after their training is complete."
"So this is not unusual?"
"For us, no."
At dinner that evening, the conversation flowed freely among the adults.
"What keeps you in America, Hermione?" Tonks asked.
Hermione smiled. "It's certainly not the greatness of their tea." At this, Snape smirked in her direction. "No, actually, I have a good job, a nice condo, and a Ministry research grant. The weather is far more agreeable in Washington than it is anywhere on this island. The prejudice against Muggleborns and women is much less, partially because the Native Americans were very open to new sources of magic, and partially because many witches and wizards came to America fleeing persecution from other wizards or from Muggles.
"But the Salem Witch Trials…" Tonks interjected.
"The Salem Trials never touched any truly magical person. One unfortunate Squib, yes, but the rest were all Muggles."
"Did you live near the Green Lady?" Kevin asked.
"The 'Green Lady'?" Hermione turned to Remus for clarification.
"The Statue of Liberty, at least, we think," he said.
"I didn't live that close to New York. It's a few hours away, if there's no traffic."
"What's traffic?"
"It's where so many cars are on the road that people don't move. How can he live in the city and not have seen a traffic jam?"
"Not all of us are as integrated into the Muggle lifestyle as you are, Hermione," Tonks admonished.
The dinner progressed, and lasted so long the children began to fall asleep at the table. Hermione volunteered to help clear the table with Remus, as Tonks took the little ones to their beds. Hermione steeled herself for the conversation she needed to have.
"Remus, you knew that Ron and I were married. Something has been bothering me since I left. After Ron and Ginny died, Harry, I guess the word is propositioned, me. I thought he and Ginny were happy together."
"It was much the opposite. In public, they were the poster couple. In private, there was much more than met the eye. Harry felt trapped. Ginny felt abandoned. Harry was not with her during her pregnancy; he didn't sign the birth certificate until after the baby's death. At one point, right after the child's birth, I believe, he told Ginny that he would not give the child his surname.
"Then there were rumours of infidelity on both sides. Ginny was said to have been at Neville's the night before he and Luna married. Harry rekindled his flame for Ms. Chang while he was at Headquarters. She became pregnant with Harry's child a few days after Ginny told Harry she was pregnant. Harry doubted he was Ginny's child's father.
"They were too young to be in such a relationship," Remus added gravely.
"That's what I know now. Remus, did Ron ever cheat on me?"
"Do you want the truth?"
"He did, didn't he? Who was she?"
"Lavender Brown."
"So, what basically happened is that every member of the DA screwed every other member while I sat faithfully at home waiting for Ron to come home. Gods, what I fool I was."
"You must understand, Hermione, that Ron loved you. He just couldn't show it to you as he wanted. Hell, none of us knew what to say at that point. It was easier to communicate through sex than through words."
"But he could have communicated through sex to me. I was his wife, damn it!"
"He didn't think, Hermione. None of us thought. We just did. We knew we could very possibly not have lived to see the next day, so we lived as much as we possibly could.
Hermione walked out of the kitchen, shaking her head. "How much more of my life haven't I been informed of?"
"There will always be things others will know we will not know, Ms. Granger. Everything is dictated by chance. It was chance that caused you to learn of your husband's infidelity. It was chance that you left for America. Everything is chance, or the result of chance."
"That's not a very scientific belief, Master Snape."
"On the contrary; when one believed everything to be chance, there is no problem in believing that bad things will happen. In fate, different choices lead to the same results. That is the illogical statement, from a scientific point of view."
"Perhaps so. Is it chance that I want to leave here and never return?"
"Ms. Grander, I make this offer not in an attempt to seduce or harm you, but rather as a gesture of understanding from one who has been tossed by the waves of chance many times. I am temporarily relocating back to my house at Spinner's End this evening. You are welcome to join me there."
"Thank you, yes. I have done what needed to be done for Remus. I do not know how much longer I could stay here. Harry might come around again." She sighed as she put her head into her hands. "I don't think I can deal with him again."
"As you should not. He insulted you and your honour. He shamed the name of your husband. It is only natural that you would desire revenge."
"Where is my Gryffindor braveness? I am not brave enough to confront him. I'm more of a Hufflepuff."
"You are, at this moment, the epitome of a Ravenclaw. Realizing a confrontation would be detrimental is not cowardice. Rather, it takes intelligence and bravery to make that choice."
"How ironic is it that I am being assured of my Gryffindor-ness by a Slytherin."
"There is a reason the Founders Four combined to create the school. A school of Hufflepuffs would not accomplish anything because they would all worry about offending one another. A school of Ravenclaws would be nearly impossible to run, because every person would have his or her own ideas that he or she believed to be superior. A school of Gryffindors would result in many students incapacitated due to their desire to show their bravery. Slytherins would all be dead within the week, because of all the alliances they would make. The opposing Houses balance one another. Albus, though he was a Gryffindor in his school days, embodied all the traits of the four Houses, as do we all. We just have them in varying amounts."
"I find it hard to believe, Master Snape, that there is even an ounce of Hufflepuff in you."
Authoress' Note: Studies have shown that the rate of extra-martial and unprotected sex goes up in times of war, particularly among soldiers. The 'last-day mentality' often results in rape, unwanted pregnancies, and STDs among soldiers and the civilian population.
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