RP: Found and Lost
Date: Thursday, July 6, 1998
Characters: Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Wendell & Monica Wilkins [NPC]
Location: Cairns, QL, Australia
Status: Private
Summary: Hermione goes to remove the enchantment that she cast on her parents
Completion: Complete
It was Wednesday evening at home. That’s why sleeping had been impossible. Well, that and anxiety over what had to be done this morning. Hermione preferred the former explanation, though, because the other made her feel cowardly, which wasn’t a good feeling at all. Despite being scared, a part of her was really glad to be getting this over with. For a little more than a year, there had been nagging doubts and worries about removing the enchantment on her parents and facing up to what she’d done. When they had been hunting Horcruxes and living in danger, it had been easy to focus her attention elsewhere. If she died, after all, she wouldn’t have been in this position now.
Now, there weren’t any such distractions, and she knew that it was time, even if she was scared. For the last couple of weeks, she had practiced what she’d say to them. There were notes at home tucked into books with explanations or reasons as she tried to anticipate any possible reaction. Now that she was here and knew where they were, all those well-rehearsed speeches had left her mind. All she could think about was explaining how she’d lost their home, how their business had been rented to others, and how they’d lost over a year of their lives because she wanted to protect them.
Of course, after finding them so easily last night, she felt more convinced that she’d made the right choice. While they had no idea that they were in hiding, the fact that they’d been listed in the telephone directory seemed like an indication that they’d not have been able to stay in a secure location. They were too stubborn, it’s where she inherited it, and they had never seemed to understand the danger that wizards could present, even when she’d told them about various things involving Harry and the magical world. It wasn’t a justification of her actions, she knew, but she did believe she’d done the right thing, in the end.
She had left Harry and Ron back at the hotel, which, despite its name, hadn’t been exceptionally comfortable at all. It was going to be awkward enough to approach her parents as a stranger without having two men with her. Anyone when faced with three strangers wouldn’t be open to conversation, so she was going to do this on her own. Once her parents were released from the charm, she’d ring the hotel to let the boys know they were safe to join them. Right now, she wished they’d come with her because she was getting more nervous with every step she took.
When she reached the address listed for Wendell and Monica Wilkins, she was surprised to find herself at a trendy condo a short walk from the beach. It wasn’t at all like their home back in England, which had been older and intended for a family. This building wasn’t meant for families at all. There were no yards or trees, just potted greenery that was tossed around the place strategically. It was horrid, and she checked the slip of paper twice before resigning herself to the fact that this was where they lived.
It didn’t improve much when she entered the courtyard and looked around for the appropriate number. It was just after seven, as she hoped to catch them at home before they went into work, and the area was quiet. She would have expected more activity as people prepared to go to work, but maybe no one around here worked early. Regardless, it unsettled her as she walked around until she found their unit. Instead of going straight to the door, she lingered in the courtyard and just stared at the door.
Finally, before she lost her nerve or listened to the doubts in her mind, she walked over to the door and rang the bell. It didn’t take long before the door opened, and she found herself staring at her mum. She blinked, again feeling as if she’d somehow entered Wonderland, because her mum wasn’t tan and didn’t have light streaks of blonde in her hair as if she were twenty instead of in her forties.
“May I help you?”
The voice was her mother’s. Hermione felt a sense of relief as she heard it, resisting the urge to step forward and embrace her mum. Monica Wilkins didn’t know her from Eve, so she couldn’t hug her. She shifted and glanced past her mum, wanting to see a sign of her father but she just saw brightly colored walls and a painting of tropical fish.
“I think you must have the wrong flat,” her mum said curtly, obviously not pleased that Hermione hadn’t spoken yet.
“I’m sorry,” she said softly, focusing on her mum once again. Don’t you remember me? Can’t you see you in me? Where‘s Daddy?
“Good day.” Her mum started to shut the door.
“No, wait.” Hermione stepped forward and saw a flash of fear on her mother’s face, which caused her to draw back. “I’m not here to hurt you.”
“I think you should leave before I’m forced to ring the constable,” her mum said bluntly.
“It’s just---I knew you in England.” Hermione bit her lip as she thought quickly. “I was in the area on, uh, holiday with friends, and I thought I’d stop by to say hello. My name’s Hermione Granger.”
“I don’t know anyone with that name.” There wasn’t even a spark of recognition. The charm had obviously done as intended, but Hermione had hoped---it had been foolish, of course. “You must be mistaken.”
“I must be.” Hermione sighed and glanced down. It was time to remove the charm, though she would have preferred doing so inside instead of on the doorstep, but she didn’t really have much of a choice. She had to act fast or the door would be closed. She squared her shoulders and withdrew her wand from her pocket.
“Wendell, ring the police.“ Her mum stepped back and started to close the door as her father suddenly walked up behind her, drying his hair with a towel.
“What’s wrong, Monica? Who are you?” he demanded as he moved in front of her mum as if she were dangerous and intending to harm them.
“I‘m your daughter,” Hermione whispered, tightening her grip on her wand before she raised her arm. She closed her eyes and focused, murmuring the words necessary to release the charm. When she opened her eyes, she expected everything to be okay. They would remember her, and then she’d start explaining. Instead, she opened them and saw her father glaring at her and her mum looking scared.
“We don’t have a daughter,” her father said angrily. “Monica, get back inside. Girl, leave now or we’ll be forced to ring someone.”
“What?” Hermione looked from one to the other. “No, this isn’t right.” She waved her wand and said the words more forcefully, releasing the charm. It didn’t change anything. She tried again and again, but they looked more angry and scared, and it just wasn’t working. When the release words didn’t work, she finally tried Finite Incantatem, but it didn’t do anything either.
Before they could threaten her with ringing the police again, she stumbled back from their doorstep and stared at them in shock. It hadn’t worked. Why hadn’t it worked? She knew the release words and had practiced the wand work and pronunciation for hours. The charm should have ended. They should remember everything about themselves. They should remember her.
Something was wrong. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. Maybe she hadn’t said it correctly. Maybe her movements hadn’t been precise. There had to be an explanation. She’d go to the hotel and review her notes, then she’d figure out what had gone wrong so she could come back and fix this. She looked at her parents and blinked away tears as she put her wand into her pocket. “I’m sorry,” she whispered again before she turned and ran.
She ran as hard as she could, wanting to get away from them, needing to get to her notes. If she was more familiar with the area and hadn’t been so upset, she’d have Apparated, but she couldn’t risk splinching herself. Her emotions were all over the place, and she couldn’t get the vision of her mum’s terrified face out of her mind or stop hearing her father‘s voice as he said they didn‘t have a daughter.
When she finally reached the hotel, her legs hurt, her clothes were damp from sweat, and her eyes were red from crying, but she didn’t care. She went straight to their room, not even smiling politely at the desk clerk as she hurried past, and only stopped to collect herself when she was standing in front of their door. After a brief moment, she realized that it was pointless to try calming down, and opened the door. She had to find answers, had to figure out what she’d done wrong, had to go back and make it better.
Characters: Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Wendell & Monica Wilkins [NPC]
Location: Cairns, QL, Australia
Status: Private
Summary: Hermione goes to remove the enchantment that she cast on her parents
Completion: Complete
It was Wednesday evening at home. That’s why sleeping had been impossible. Well, that and anxiety over what had to be done this morning. Hermione preferred the former explanation, though, because the other made her feel cowardly, which wasn’t a good feeling at all. Despite being scared, a part of her was really glad to be getting this over with. For a little more than a year, there had been nagging doubts and worries about removing the enchantment on her parents and facing up to what she’d done. When they had been hunting Horcruxes and living in danger, it had been easy to focus her attention elsewhere. If she died, after all, she wouldn’t have been in this position now.
Now, there weren’t any such distractions, and she knew that it was time, even if she was scared. For the last couple of weeks, she had practiced what she’d say to them. There were notes at home tucked into books with explanations or reasons as she tried to anticipate any possible reaction. Now that she was here and knew where they were, all those well-rehearsed speeches had left her mind. All she could think about was explaining how she’d lost their home, how their business had been rented to others, and how they’d lost over a year of their lives because she wanted to protect them.
Of course, after finding them so easily last night, she felt more convinced that she’d made the right choice. While they had no idea that they were in hiding, the fact that they’d been listed in the telephone directory seemed like an indication that they’d not have been able to stay in a secure location. They were too stubborn, it’s where she inherited it, and they had never seemed to understand the danger that wizards could present, even when she’d told them about various things involving Harry and the magical world. It wasn’t a justification of her actions, she knew, but she did believe she’d done the right thing, in the end.
She had left Harry and Ron back at the hotel, which, despite its name, hadn’t been exceptionally comfortable at all. It was going to be awkward enough to approach her parents as a stranger without having two men with her. Anyone when faced with three strangers wouldn’t be open to conversation, so she was going to do this on her own. Once her parents were released from the charm, she’d ring the hotel to let the boys know they were safe to join them. Right now, she wished they’d come with her because she was getting more nervous with every step she took.
When she reached the address listed for Wendell and Monica Wilkins, she was surprised to find herself at a trendy condo a short walk from the beach. It wasn’t at all like their home back in England, which had been older and intended for a family. This building wasn’t meant for families at all. There were no yards or trees, just potted greenery that was tossed around the place strategically. It was horrid, and she checked the slip of paper twice before resigning herself to the fact that this was where they lived.
It didn’t improve much when she entered the courtyard and looked around for the appropriate number. It was just after seven, as she hoped to catch them at home before they went into work, and the area was quiet. She would have expected more activity as people prepared to go to work, but maybe no one around here worked early. Regardless, it unsettled her as she walked around until she found their unit. Instead of going straight to the door, she lingered in the courtyard and just stared at the door.
Finally, before she lost her nerve or listened to the doubts in her mind, she walked over to the door and rang the bell. It didn’t take long before the door opened, and she found herself staring at her mum. She blinked, again feeling as if she’d somehow entered Wonderland, because her mum wasn’t tan and didn’t have light streaks of blonde in her hair as if she were twenty instead of in her forties.
“May I help you?”
The voice was her mother’s. Hermione felt a sense of relief as she heard it, resisting the urge to step forward and embrace her mum. Monica Wilkins didn’t know her from Eve, so she couldn’t hug her. She shifted and glanced past her mum, wanting to see a sign of her father but she just saw brightly colored walls and a painting of tropical fish.
“I think you must have the wrong flat,” her mum said curtly, obviously not pleased that Hermione hadn’t spoken yet.
“I’m sorry,” she said softly, focusing on her mum once again. Don’t you remember me? Can’t you see you in me? Where‘s Daddy?
“Good day.” Her mum started to shut the door.
“No, wait.” Hermione stepped forward and saw a flash of fear on her mother’s face, which caused her to draw back. “I’m not here to hurt you.”
“I think you should leave before I’m forced to ring the constable,” her mum said bluntly.
“It’s just---I knew you in England.” Hermione bit her lip as she thought quickly. “I was in the area on, uh, holiday with friends, and I thought I’d stop by to say hello. My name’s Hermione Granger.”
“I don’t know anyone with that name.” There wasn’t even a spark of recognition. The charm had obviously done as intended, but Hermione had hoped---it had been foolish, of course. “You must be mistaken.”
“I must be.” Hermione sighed and glanced down. It was time to remove the charm, though she would have preferred doing so inside instead of on the doorstep, but she didn’t really have much of a choice. She had to act fast or the door would be closed. She squared her shoulders and withdrew her wand from her pocket.
“Wendell, ring the police.“ Her mum stepped back and started to close the door as her father suddenly walked up behind her, drying his hair with a towel.
“What’s wrong, Monica? Who are you?” he demanded as he moved in front of her mum as if she were dangerous and intending to harm them.
“I‘m your daughter,” Hermione whispered, tightening her grip on her wand before she raised her arm. She closed her eyes and focused, murmuring the words necessary to release the charm. When she opened her eyes, she expected everything to be okay. They would remember her, and then she’d start explaining. Instead, she opened them and saw her father glaring at her and her mum looking scared.
“We don’t have a daughter,” her father said angrily. “Monica, get back inside. Girl, leave now or we’ll be forced to ring someone.”
“What?” Hermione looked from one to the other. “No, this isn’t right.” She waved her wand and said the words more forcefully, releasing the charm. It didn’t change anything. She tried again and again, but they looked more angry and scared, and it just wasn’t working. When the release words didn’t work, she finally tried Finite Incantatem, but it didn’t do anything either.
Before they could threaten her with ringing the police again, she stumbled back from their doorstep and stared at them in shock. It hadn’t worked. Why hadn’t it worked? She knew the release words and had practiced the wand work and pronunciation for hours. The charm should have ended. They should remember everything about themselves. They should remember her.
Something was wrong. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. Maybe she hadn’t said it correctly. Maybe her movements hadn’t been precise. There had to be an explanation. She’d go to the hotel and review her notes, then she’d figure out what had gone wrong so she could come back and fix this. She looked at her parents and blinked away tears as she put her wand into her pocket. “I’m sorry,” she whispered again before she turned and ran.
She ran as hard as she could, wanting to get away from them, needing to get to her notes. If she was more familiar with the area and hadn’t been so upset, she’d have Apparated, but she couldn’t risk splinching herself. Her emotions were all over the place, and she couldn’t get the vision of her mum’s terrified face out of her mind or stop hearing her father‘s voice as he said they didn‘t have a daughter.
When she finally reached the hotel, her legs hurt, her clothes were damp from sweat, and her eyes were red from crying, but she didn’t care. She went straight to their room, not even smiling politely at the desk clerk as she hurried past, and only stopped to collect herself when she was standing in front of their door. After a brief moment, she realized that it was pointless to try calming down, and opened the door. She had to find answers, had to figure out what she’d done wrong, had to go back and make it better.