Hermione woke slowly, as if dragging her consciousness up through yers of freezing water. The world was muffled, her body heavy, her skin cold in a way that felt unnatural. She could hear the distant, rhythmic beeping of magical diagnostic charms. The faint scent of antiseptic and starflower root filled her nose.

  It was the hospital wing. Again.

  Her eyes opened to a too-bright ceiling, the ward's enchanted skylights glowing softly with filtered moonlight. Her magic felt sore. She hadn’t even known magic could feel.

  She turned her head slowly, the movement requiring more effort than it should. A tray sat nearby with potions—Calming Draught, Pepper-Up, Magical Core Stabiliser. All half-used. All recently administered.

  Memory came back in fragments. The duel. Snape. Magic pouring through her like a tidal wave. Rage. Ice. The word she'd spoken.

  'Stop.'

  She hadn't meant it to be a spell. It wasn’t supposed to do anything.

  But it had.

  Hermione’s breath hitched. She remembered the magic recoiling—Snape's spells freezing mid-air, then disappearing like mist in sunlight. Her limbs trembling, her mouth dry, her chest burning from too much power. Then darkness.

  She shifted slightly under the bnkets. The sheets had been yered with heating charms; warmth seeped into her skin, but still her fingers tingled with cold magic. Her own magic, changed again.

  A book rested on the bedside table. Bound in forest green dragonhide, titled: The Theory of Magical Echoes and Fae Interference. Dumbledore’s handwriting was visible in the margin, a note stuck in the centre: Page 217 – Core Dispcement Events.

  She tried to call for Madam Pomfrey but all that came out was a dry gasp, however it seems as though the wards had called her now, she was awake. "How are you feeling, Miss Granger? Or do you prefer Dagworth-Granger? Professor Snape tells me you had some... preference when you first started." She asked as she handed Hermione a gss of water.

  Hermione greedily drank the water. Her throat was parched—more so than she could ever recall. "Granger is preferred, although I'll answer to either, no point hiding from who I am I guess."

  Madam Pomfrey nodded. "Miss Granger it is. Now, how are you feeling? You gave us quite the scare. And before you ask—your duel with Professor Snape was five days ago."

  Hermione mulled these words over, she was not an idiot, it was obvious the headmaster had worked out what she had invoked, and how she had done it. You can't call upon the power of the Fae unless you pay a price, or are a member. The book he left her told her all she needed to know. "Can you ask Headmaster Dumbledore to come speak to me, I imagine we have things to discuss."

  Madam Pomfrey raised an eyebrow at this, she had clearly expected a response to being passed out for 5 days "After I finish my checks, I can let him know you're awake, I'm sure he will want to speak to his apprentice."

  This caught Hermione off guard "I beg your pardon, I am no one's Apprentice"

  Madam Promfrey chuckled "I think he has a rather different opinion than yourself on that front, after Professor Snape regaled him with your duel, he cancelled all your csses and gave you that title."

  The nurse left Hermione to her own thoughts as she went to inform Dumbledore of her awakening, she noticed the cards and flowers by her bed, notably the one from Daphne was sappy and promising vengeance upon Snape if she didn't wake up safe and sound. She chuckled, only Daphne could deliver a get-well card promising pain and death.

  She noted however, there was a rather rge volume of cards and gifts, including a toilet seat? How did they get that past Madam Pomfrey. Ah, the Weasley Twins, huh guess that joke to Ginny in the books wasn't such a joke now.

  She y back in bed, she hadn't had a chance to just rex since she came to this world, the constant quest to gain power, the scheming, pretending to be a Pureblood to then find out she actually was one? She had tried to not get attached to people, she had tried very hard, even acting aloof and uncaring where possible, but these bloody children just kept pulling at her heartstrings, how was she not supposed to love these people who threatened death on people who hurt her? Just another thing to protect she guessed.

  She didn't have long however to be lost in her own thoughts, as Dumbledore entered through the heavy door to the hospital wing. "Miss Granger, it is heartening to see you have regained consciousness, how are you faring?"

  Hermione considered pying 'the game' half-truths and distrust, but honestly, she was tired of it. "Like Shit, sir."

  "Hmm, I seem to have gone temporarily deaf in my old age, but I am gd to see you awake, have you had time to enjoy the book I left you, I trust it has answered a few questions you may have"

  She sighed, "No Sir, I've been id here, feeling sorry for myself and realising I've been a bloody fool. I'm completely out of my depth, so, I'm going to trust you, despite my better judgment."

  Dumbledore hummed to himself "Yes, it is unfortunately, the consequence of Destiny, or Great Purpose, one tries to protect children from having to bear this weight, to let them live as children whilst they can, although you have rather doggedly rejected this idea and shown me and every student in this castle, just how far you've pushed."

  Hermione heard his words, she wanted to reject them, she was an adult, wasn't she? But that little voice in the back of her mind 'you're not though, you're 13'. Had she regressed to a child with just her memories, her very soul? That may expin some of her decisions, in hindsight, they were childish. Some of them anyway.

  "Perhaps" she conceded "now what is this about me being your apprentice? I never agreed to that"

  "Miss Granger, let us not kid ourselves, you are, without question, so far beyond anything we teach here at Hogwarts that it is pointless keeping you in those csses, especially considering you have done so with naught but self-study." he deadpanned "Not to mention, the Fae Magic you wield, not borrow."

  She stilled, she knew this conversation was coming, but it didn't stop the panic rising up.

  He continued "Few know this, but the Dumbledore Family Magic, is grounded in Fae Magic."

  Hermione's head snapped to Dumbledore "What?!"

  He chuckled "Yes, a rather uncommon retionship, not the same as yours, but simir. Your magics I believe are linked to Winter, whilst mine are linked to Summer, I believe Miss Lovegood has revealed to you her ties to Summer as well."

  She stared at him, jaw dropped and completely shocked at this information. "That's why you don't give straight answers to people."

  His eyes twinkled at her as he replied "Ah, I had surmised you had inherited that aspect as well, yes we are both under the same Geis, luckily, being in Politics makes people expect me to not give straight answers, but now you know this, you can be sure of my words."

  He drew himself to his full height "I Albus Dumbledore, will not share your Fae heritage so long as you do not share mine, Miss Granger."

  Hermione felt the vow settle into the fabric of reality, her eyes widened at the realisation, she hadn't been able to feel that previously, just that Magic Accepted things for her, that would need to be researched.

  "Now then, there is also something else I wished to discuss with you, why do you have a Snake Familiar that seemed insistent on guarding the hospital wing? I'm pretty sure that the list of approved pets didn't include snakes."

  Hermione stilled, subterfuge? Pointless he knows she's like him and anything but the truth would be seen through for what it was. "Angitia, she's my familiar, she is not well so please tell me you have not harmed her." She knew Angitia was still suffering from the chaotic magic she absorbed to save her, although Angitia had been very recluse since then and barely spoke to her.

  His beard twitched with amusement "No Miss Granger, she is quite all right, I did however move her to somewhere more comfortable, I did not detect her illness however, would you share what happened with me?"

  He had sworn not to share the information, but that didn't preclude him from using it. Trust or not trust... right now, she was a powerful witch, or they at least believed she was, she had a snake familiar and Dumbledore had revealed how alike to Tom she was, it was obvious he couldn't her carte bnche trust, so she would need to be one to extend the olive branch. "I can, however, I feel I should share something with you first, one of my secrets, I would ask for another vow not share that as it would endanger my family, and I can assure you, any threat to my family, will be met with my full wrath"

  Dumbledore stared at her, as if assessing her worthiness then he drew his wand, not the one he used in public, but the Elder Wand, her eyes grew rge seeing him withdraw this "Ah, so you know what this is then?"

  Hermione just continued to stare "Yes."

  He stared at her again "Interesting, well, sadly I cannot give you another vow, not at my age, however, how about a secret for a secret, you are aware of what would happen if everyone knew I wielded a Hallow, will that suffice?"

  She watched Dumbledore, she had not expected for him to trade secrets, she was also caught off guard about magical vows being problematic with age, was it due to how they used your magic? She knew he could not lie however, so that would suffice "Yes, I want to preface my next words however, I stand for nothing that bastard believed in ok?" he nodded to her, she took a deep breath to steady herself "I am Heiress Slytherin, or at least, I am potentially so, Tom is my... first cousin three times removed, his mother had a squid sister, who is my maternal grandmother, Estel Gaunt."

  She was staring at her knees while in the bed, not sure why she felt such guilt at admitting the familial retion to that monster, it wasn't her fault they shared blood "And that includes the family traits of Parseltongue."

  They sat in silence at that revetion, neither sure how to move the conversation forward until they heard a startled bang as the door to the hospital wing was smashed open and into pieces as Angitia barreled into the room, but not at her normal size, she had again grown to monstrous size again and rushed to protect her master.