Times of Trouble

Hermione dropped her load of dirty laundry in the hot, soapy water and stopped to catch her breath as she rubbed her aching lower back. She was so tired. She could barely stand.

"Stop lazing about, girl! Go get another load!" A cruel voice called out.

Hermione hurriedly moved away from the hot tub glaring at the heavily muscled matron, Madame Shaker, who had given the order. As she crossed the large, hot room, it was all she could do not to drop to the floor. Only fear of another whipping, like the one she'd gotten for the letter a month ago, kept her on her feet.

As soon as she stepped outside the bitter cold slapped her in the face making her catch her breath and break out into a harsh cough that left her bent double, barely breathing.

"That sounds quite nasty. Has it been looked at?"

When she regained her breath she looked up through her matted and tangled hair to see who had spoken. As soon as she saw him she lost her breath once again.

"Harry?" she gasped.

He shook his head, "No, but I know him. In fact, we're related. You must be Hermione then?"

She nodded up at him mutely. The resemblance between Harry and this man was uncanny.

"Well, I'm glad I found you. You wouldn't believe how hard it was to get Selwyn to let me see her little program here. Took some talented lies combined with my bloodline and position as an Auror. And even then she won't let me out of her sight." He glanced over at sharply dressed witch talking with the man that drove the dirty laundry wagon.

As if she knew she was being talked about, Janice Selwyn glanced over at them. The sharp-faced woman frowned and said something to the driver before striding towards them.

"Girl, are you bothering Auror Potter? He's a very important man with no time for squib girls."

Hermione looked down at her feet and shook her head. She hated acting subservient to this woman. But what else was she supposed to do? Her wand was hidden in her mattress upstairs. Also, if she left now she wouldn't be able to help the other children. What would they do without her? Who would cast warmth charms on their blankets? Or keep the infections away from their wounds?

No one, that's who.

"Oh, don't worry about it Mrs. Selwyn. I was just going to ask her if she knew anything about John Pierce." Auror Potter turned back to Hermione. "Now, girl, do you know anything about John Pierce?"

Hermione shook her head, "No, sir."

He gave her a quick pat on the head. "Ah, well, maybe one of the others will know. You can return to work."

"Yes, sir," she said with a quick bob of her head before hurrying over to the laundry cart. The whole way across the courtyard she could feel Selwyn's eyes boring into the back of her head.

Hours later Hermione lay in the dark on her lumpy bed and watched the other children slip into nightgowns and slide under their thin blankets, shivering the whole time.

There was a little Samuel Blishwick, freely given to Selwyn after he failed to get a Hogwarts letter. As a parting gift his father had blinded him – courtesy of the family ring and a backhanded slap. The poor boy only spoke in his nightmares.

Across the room was Kathleen MacMillan. Her parents died when she was a baby and she was raised by her grandparents. When she got no letter they decided to beat her, hoping she'd burst out with magic. Instead, she'd nearly died. After she'd recovered enough from the beating she ran away. She'd walked and hitchhiked all the way from Aberdeen, Scotland to London in search of her uncle. Unfortunately, when she showed up at the Ministry Selwyn found her first.

Kathleen had been here for two years already and her back was nothing but a mass of scar tissue. Not a month went by that she didn't escape, only to be brought back and whipped until she couldn't stand.

Every other child in the room had a tale nearly as tragic. As the importance of blood grew, the treatment of non-pure or non-magical children fell by the wayside.

When Selwyn had found Hermione in the Leaky Cauldron she'd planned to escape into the wilderness as soon as she found the chance. Once she'd seen these children though, she'd decided to stay.

They needed her.

And to hell with not changing the past.

Harry and Neville had already changed a lot, at least according to Harry's letter. What would one more change do? Especially if it helped these innocent children?

Once the room was quiet Hermione slipped her hand into the mattress and pulled out her wand. She gave it a few waves under the blanket. Her charms were simple, but they made such a difference. The thin blankets were now as effective as any blanket found at Hogwarts.

No one would freeze to death tonight. Not like they used to.

Smiling, Hermione slipped her wand back into her suitcase and flipped onto her back.

Then she froze.

A weird rustling noise had just come from her hair.

Cautiously she reached up and ran her hand through her filthy, tangled hair. There, hidden under one of the worst tangles was a piece of paper.

Hermione slipped out of bed and went over to the moonlit window to read it.

Hermione,

We're getting you out of there. We really don't care what you do, but you need to create a disturbance – something big that will give the magical law enforcement cause to enter. Maybe some magic? No one knows exactly what goes on at Selwyn's Squib Training Centers. But Marcus Potter (the man you met today), is sure it's not good and that the majority of the magical community would not approve. Please create the disturbance soon. We really need to talk.

Harry

Hermione nibbled on her bottom lip. A disturbance? A magical disturbance? She couldn't do anything that might injure the children. Also, she couldn't use her wand. That would create all sorts of questions.

But…

Hermione grinned.

What if she didn't use a wand?

She'd read some about wandless magic before, and the key was focus. After all, that's what a wand did – create focus. Just like spell words. Accomplished wizards could do silent spells. Extraordinary wizards could do wandless magic – as long as it wasn't anything delicate.

It would take her some time, but that was okay.

XXX

Hermione was frustrated. She'd been practicing wandless magic for three weeks now and all she'd managed to do was make her pillow float a few inches off of her bed.

She gave the big pot of laundry in front of her a strong stir, splashing boiling water everywhere.

A heavy arm came out of nowhere and hit her on the side of the head, throwing her small body several feet across the room.

"You clumsy bitch! How DARE you burn me!"

Hermione tried to focus her eyes as she felt Madame Shaker grab the front of her dress and pull her off the ground.

"Gareth! Get the cane! This little brat needs a lesson!"

She screamed, "NO!" and began kicking and punching Madame Shaker, trying to get free.

All that got her was another slap on her ear.

When the world stopped moving a minute or so later she was tied to the post in the middle of the room.

Then the cane came down on her back and she screamed. Several blows later she heard Gareth say, "Melissa, I think teh gurl gots enough."

"Shut your flytrap, Gareth. I'm in charge here and you know I don't accept disobedience."

Through a haze of pain Hermione saw one of the children move out of the crowd. It was little Samuel.

"Stop."

There was a gasp from the other children. Samuel only talked when he slept, and then his voice was full of terror and pain.

Now though, his voice was strong and firm.

"What. Did. You. Say?" Madame Shaker's voice was suddenly very hard and cold.

"I said stop."

"Why?" Her voice was suddenly very dangerous.

"You'll die."

Hermione wished she could see Samuel's face.

Madame Shaker let out a bark of laughter, "The only one that's going to die here today is you. Gareth, tie him up!"

While Samuel was tied up Hermione was given another few hits. After the second one she passed out from the pain.

When she came to again she saw Samuel's crying, pain filled face across from her. He let out a scream as the cane landed on him again.

Hermione lost it.

Power flowed through her veins as her entire being focused on one thing: ending Samuel's pain. Pain he was enduring because of her.

The ropes holding her hands turned to ash in a second. She stood up, too focused to sway as pain swept over her body. Blood rushed in her ears as the explosions began.

She'd never felt such power before, and she didn't think she'd ever feel it again.

Smoke and steam filled the air as she tore the laundry down.

Hermione was never quite sure what she did that day, but when it was all over the laundry was a pile of ash, the children were all safely in the center of the courtyard, Madame Shaker and Gareth were tied up like trussed pigs, and her wand was safely in her pocket.

Then the cavalry came.

So many wizards arrived that the place was a sea of robes, every single one bearing a badge from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

Hermione felt herself start to collapse, but found herself caught by someone. She looked over to see Kathleen. There was a look of awe and wonder on the girl's face.

Kathleen helped Hermione over to the other children, who were being asked questions by the Department Head. Before Hermione could reach them she felt someone grab her shoulder and swing her around.

Hermione screamed in pain as cruel fingers dug into her damaged skin. Her scream was cut short by a sharp slap to her face.

"You little brat! You did this! You destroyed all of my good work! Just wait until I get it back running again! You'll never see daylight again!"

Hermione cradled her stinging cheek as Janice Selwyn screeched at her.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Selwyn, but I'm going to have to ask you to unhand that child."

Auror Potter had arrived.

"This child is under my control! I can do with her as I see fit."

"No, you can't."

"What?!"

"Auror Potter is correct," the Department Head had joined them.

"MacMillan, surely you know the law. The Ministry gave the care of all squibs abandoned by their families to do with as I see fit. This girl was cast aside by her family. I took her in and cared for her."

"Actually, the Ministry gave you the care of abandoned squibs so you could prepare them for life in the Muggle world, which doesn't seem to be what you were doing. But," he held up his hand to stop her from speaking, "we'll deal with that during the investigation and following hearing. As for this girl, she's not a squib. She caused all of this destruction with magic."

"NO! She couldn't have!"

"Oh, but she did. Now, Auror Potter, would you escort Miss…"

Hermione focused her swirling vision on MacMillan and opened her mouth to give her name. That proved to be a mistake. A wave of dizziness and pain swam through her just before she lost every bit of gruel she'd eaten for breakfast.

Once her stomach was empty she closed her eyes and held tightly onto the strong arm of Auror Potter. She didn't dare talk, not when she could barely hear or speak.

Dimly she heard Kathleen say, "Her name is Hermione Granger."

"Ah, thank you…" MacMillan's voice trailed off. "Kathleen, is that you? What are… No! Mother and Father…they LIED to me?! I thought…"

Hermione cracked her eyes open just enough to see MacMillan sweep Kathleen into a hug.

When he let go of Kathleen he cast such a murderous look at Selwyn that Hermione shivered.

"You said she wasn't here…"

Selwyn gulped and then apparated.

"Follow her!"

MacMillian's shout was so loud that Hermione gasped in pain, clutched her head, and let the blackness wash over her.