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Chapter 32 - Human Rights Talk or Medieval Barbarism

Returning to Grimmauld, I discovered a whole camp in the house. That is, I meant to say, the Order of the Phoenix, albeit considerably thinned out. Rita missed the moment of settlement because she was characteristically disappearing on her journalistic business and had gone off on another assignment. But when Molly Weasley decided to undertake cleaning (why, the house is clean now, if only because there's a small child) and throw out all sorts of dark artifacts, Mrs. Black was home and clearly explained to the overly active guest that this is called theft, and that Molly isn't the mistress here. Rita actively helped from the wall, Walburga. Perhaps this is the first case when Lady Black is shouting for a good reason. What kind of thinking does it take to so brazenly play hostess in someone else's house? I even regretted that I didn't have popcorn. Molly and Walburga took decibels, Rita took formulations. A notable scandal ensued. Molly lost and indignantly retreated to the fireplace, taking her brood with her. True, Ron asked to come back in two days. This is only for the better, he doesn't let Harry go crazy, who isn't allowed out of the house for security reasons. Sirius also demands from me that I not go to Diagon Alley alone anymore. And one meeting with Death Eaters is more than enough. But he lets me go to Muggle London calmly. I think he would let Harry go there too, if not for Dumbledore.

In the morning I go downstairs to drink coffee and hear the continuation of a conversation:

"... we didn't chase you around school enough, Snivellus!"

Damn! But strategically retreating is no longer possible, Snape noticed me in the doorway.

It seems he's about to kill someone, Sirius for his too-long tongue or me as a witness. Although I practically didn't manage to hear anything.

"Good morning," I say sourly, before Black could blurt out anything else.

"Good morning, Hermione," he winks at me, "are you going to lecture me again about how we, four bastards, bullied poor students?"

"We both know that lecturing you is useless."

"That's not like you... I think you don't like Snivellus either, admit it?" Sirius even jumped in his chair.

"You're an idiot, Padfoot. Why are you setting me up like this?" I got angry.

"How am I setting you up? What's wrong with you, Hermione?!" he really doesn't understand. Definitely an idiot.

"You're your own master, but I still have to study under the professor. What did I ever do wrong to you?" especially if you remember how Neville suffered in canon after Lupin's setup with the boggart.

"Congratulations, mutt, a schoolgirl half your age is twice as smart as you. Something to be proud of," Snape contributed his bit.

"I'm going to drink coffee," I announce for some reason in an angry tone and walk around both men.

In the kitchen, Kreacher slips me a pastry with my coffee. Here's someone I've made unprecedented progress with in relationships, it's him. From "filthy mudblood" to "guest of the House of Black."

Besides helping with the locket, Kreacher sees my merit in the fact that Sirius married a pureblood and finally reproduced. And I also turned in Mundungus to him when he was stealing silverware. Elves are terrible in anger. The silver was confiscated, and Fletcher was thrown out by a snap of Kreacher's fingers: "Thieves have no place in the house of the most ancient and noble House of Black!"

Now I'm a guest, and Kreacher feeds me pastries. Too bad with people my relationships never improved so radically. If there's antipathy with someone, that's how it stays.

Dumbledore himself came only once and didn't find common ground with Rita. She tried to wound him, and he talked to her as if she were three years old and all her stupid pranks only amused him. Mrs. Black put the question bluntly. And if Dumbledore doesn't care that he's not welcome in the house, some Order members are more sensitive people and refused to stay in such an inhospitable place. And some are also ill-mannered - I mean Moody - who threatened to throw the hostess in Azkaban for her reporter tricks. Naturally, Sirius couldn't ignore attacks on his wife, and a scandal ensued instead of a meeting. Because of such a "cozy and understanding" atmosphere in the house, Dumbledore still had to move Order meetings to Hogwarts, which I was glad about, and Harry was indignant because they don't take him to Hogwarts and eavesdropping is problematic. Interesting, didn't he try asking Sirius? His godfather would surely tell his beloved godson the most important things.

By the way, Mrs. Black also contributes to the common cause - by the fact that in this world she doesn't print lying articles about Harry. Other journalists still print them - nature abhors a vacuum. But theirs comes out somehow sluggishly and without spark. Maybe people don't even believe them.

A couple of days later I go down to the kitchen in the morning and see Rita, who is having breakfast while simultaneously mentally dictating text to her Quick-Quotes Quill.

"Rita," I called.

"Rita!" oh, the patient responds, "you're eating an eclair together with the napkin!"

"Hmm, and I was wondering why it chews poorly," Rita "culturally" spits the eclair-napkin lump into her plate and shares news, "imagine, dementors were seen in a Muggle district. And not just seen, they attacked an underage Muggle! I urgently need to finish an article for an emergency edition."

I go cold. Harry is here, which means...

"What was his name?" I ask quickly, "what happened to him?"

"The dementor sealed a kiss, poor child," Rita is clearly more inspired by this news than worried about the child, "and the name..." looks at her notes, "one Piers Polkiss. Why?"

"I was just scared for some reason, in case it was someone I know..."

Well, shall we chalk this up to your account, Hermione? You're seemingly not guilty and have nothing to do with it, but you're always seemingly not guilty and have nothing to do with it, and because of your interference in events, something possibly worse than death happened to a child. By force of will I make myself stop these reflections. I wish Rita luck with her article and run to write to Aunt Amelia. Why, why didn't I remember this earlier? Even before first year I wanted to acquire portkeys, but I had to go to the Ministry for them. And then I forgot. Fool!

Amelia understood my panic, especially after the case with dementors in the Muggle town, and in a couple of days sent three portkeys. She made me an official reusable one, to their house with Susan, and for my parents she selected from already existing one-time ones to Cornwall, near Truro. Official portkeys for Muggles cannot be purchased at the Ministry of Magic. Ah, it's good to have connections! Too bad such a key can save a life only once, but on the other hand, if my parents need it, it means right after that we need to get out of the country, spitting on everything.

Harry, learning about Piers, wanted to go to Little Whinging to see how his aunt's family was doing. Not that he seriously worried about them, but the last couple of years their relationship wasn't so terrible that he didn't care at all. Sirius wouldn't let him out, and I didn't want to go where there had been dementors, what if they returned? In the end, Black had to go himself, he returned with a story that the Dursleys had moved, and the fourth house on Privet Drive was for sale.

***

August was coming to an end. Sirius and I had almost perfected our bomb, having blown up a couple hundred prototypes in the training room before that. I solemnly presented him my expensive supposed purchase - a microscopic vial of basilisk venom that can destroy even the most powerful charms. One last test remained, and we could assemble it. We laid in a bigger time reserve - a whole three days.

Yesterday evening my parents brought home good news - they signed a contract, they managed to profitably sell their clinic, which will continue working in the same mode, but with a slightly different staff. The new employees called my parents' old clients, informed them that their medical records were transferred to other doctors and promised a small discount for the stress of changing doctors. The new owner of the clinic didn't want to lose clientele, so he organized everything so that the dentistry didn't even close for a day.

My parents are now more than well-off people. Although, you could say that about our family before, but now they could do nothing for at least several years without losing their standard of living. But that's unlikely, they'll get bored quickly. And they plan to get jobs in France, in which case the employer helps with residence permits and health insurance - this is much more convenient than dealing with all this independently.

A crazy idea came to my head to drop out of Hogwarts right now, without getting my OWLs - well, let them break my wand, and I'll be an "outlaw" in the magical world of England. I can find another wand, and I'll be living in France anyway. Of course, I was mentally preparing for another year at Hogwarts, but I didn't know my parents would be so successful with the sale. There's no longer any need to stay here. Now we just need to pack things and load them on a barge.

Strangely enough, my parents had doubts. Moreover, Miss Bones promised them another more or less calm year, and they didn't want to cut corners. Dad remembered the law that requires all wizards of England to study at least five years at Hogwarts, and became interested in what repressions might follow. And he wasn't theoretically interested, he asked Amelia to explain to him. He really had to set me up like that. And Aunt Amelia, as a representative of the law, was very much against me breaking it. My argument about Hagrid, whose wand was broken and left alone, impressed no one, since Hagrid remained in the magical world. Alas, Amelia's gift of eloquence is more developed than mine, and no wonder, she's worked with people all her life, and with the most diverse and difficult ones. And she's also an authoritative adult for my parents, unlike their beloved teenage daughter.

Time to use heavy artillery - I'll tell Aunt Amelia about Dumbledore, Snape made me take an oath about him, but he didn't even think about his own actions. But it's better to start alone with Miss Bones. Dad, if he finds out that something bad threatens me or Mom, won't go to sort things out, but will grab us in his arms and take off somewhere far away. But if he finds out that the bad thing not only threatens but has already partially happened, there's a probability that father will want revenge. He'll start asking Amelia how to find that old pervert, and the young one in black too, if that comes up too. And this could end very badly.

I ask Aunt Amelia to talk alone and lay out everything about Dumbledore in detail.

Oh, I don't like her look.

"Hermione, dear," Amelia takes my hand, "I know you strive to learn and understand the wizarding world. You study laws, traditions. This is very commendable, but nevertheless, you continue to judge our world from a Muggle point of view. And when you draw conclusions about what's allowed, what's not allowed, and what's generally criminal - you judge precisely by the Muggle world. But the wizarding world is different, understand!"

She sighs heavily.

"You're not the only one, many Muggle-born Aurors reason the same way, although they've lived in magical Britain longer than you. They finished Hogwarts and Auror academy, the Muggle world has long become foreign to them, but they still orient themselves by it. They reproach the magical world for being medieval. And then, instantly forgetting their own words, they're surprised that there are unfair laws here and might makes right - as if it was somehow different for commoners in medieval times. They say something about child protection and international human rights conventions... Or remember how your father, having already familiarized himself with magical laws, was amazed by the horrors of Azkaban! He sincerely doesn't understand how you can treat even criminals like that. And for us it's just as strange to hear that criminals have some civil rights."

I sit silently. Houston, we have a problem. It seems we're in deep shit.

"Hermione, I understand that Dumbledore's action outraged you, but not one wizard will see anything wrong in it," she says slowly, with emphasis on every word so it definitely gets through to me, "think yourself, what prevented him from taking another oath from you? Nothing. You don't consider our headmaster a fool, do you?"

"No, I don't," I put all my antipathy to the bearded bastard into these words.

"That's right. He may be eccentric and pretend to be an unworldly oddball, but he's definitely not a fool. Fools don't occupy such positions. And he didn't take another oath from you because he knows no one will condemn his actions. This isn't an exception to the rules, this is the way things are. Quite recently in wizarding families children could be punished with a light Cruciatus. Wizards of my generation still remember such methods of upbringing. Although Merlin spared me," she adds with a smile. But then becomes serious again, "after the law about the three Unforgivables, raising children like that also became illegal. So instead of Cruciatus, beatings returned. However, placing a week-long Silencio on a disobedient child is the way things are."

"That's terrible!"

"It's just different thinking, Hermione. Don't judge wizards by your standards. Many of them are good parents and love their children. Perhaps it's because for wizards most health problems are solved simply and quickly. So they fear less for their children. Remember the Beauxbatons champion Miss Delacour. Her father holds a high position in the French Ministry, and most likely, he'll be the next Minister. Do you think a Muggle minister would allow one of his daughters to participate in a trial where the probability of dying is so high? And would he allow his second daughter to be used as a hostage?"

"I didn't understand that moment with hostages at all! The champions at least decided to participate themselves - well, except Harry. But no one asked the hostages at all."

"Dear, all the hostages were underage. Therefore they asked not for their consent, but their guardians'. The children themselves can't make such decisions. But believe me, there's nothing reprehensible here. England, as the tournament organizer, wouldn't risk its reputation unnecessarily. You know what losing the cup cost us. Foreign reporters were present at the tournament, everything was in view, everything that could be interpreted against us would be so interpreted. What am I saying, the article in the Prophet was written by your acquaintance Miss Skeeter... that is, now Mrs. Black. Honestly, Hermione, I don't understand how you can communicate with her?" Amelia asked with dislike, "brazen, shameless, unprincipled..."

"Rita has other qualities..."

"Even she, known for her scandalous articles, found nothing to complain about in the second task. And her article was mainly about young knight Potter, who saved a foreign hostage too."

Aunt Amelia catches her breath, collecting her thoughts.

"Dear, you're surprised by what the headmaster did, but a secrecy oath is a trifle, any wizard can have a couple dozen of them hanging on him. And Dumbledore, as your guardian, can force you to give much more serious oaths. You studied this question. He can conclude a marriage contract with whomever he chooses for you. And that's for life. Even in the Muggle world quite recently parents could forcibly marry off a daughter or orphan ward. And no one asked the girl's opinion. At the same time, parents or guardians could sincerely believe they were acting only in her interests, she's just too young, doesn't understand. Well, she doesn't want to marry a rich old man, so she'll endure it and learn to love him, but she'll never starve, won't work hard, will live in a good house and bear children that her husband can guaranteed feed. In the magical world parents or guardians also decide such questions for children. Sometimes they're guided by the children's interests, sometimes they sacrifice them for the clan's interests. Do you think only among commoners do girls sometimes resist? Do you think young witches are never dragged to the altar for the ritual? And then the contract magic takes over. I won't escalate, this doesn't happen often, purebloods are initially raised in rules of obedience and know from childhood that parents will choose their husband. And parents try not to allow disgust between potential spouses. But it still happens..."

To tell the truth, this lecture just killed me.

"It's hard for me to accept this, Aunt Amelia," I answer honestly, "it's one thing to read about medieval times, but quite another when it concerns you personally."

Bones winced:

"Actually, that's not a very correct comparison. But yes, perhaps it will be easier for Muggle-born to understand our world if they remember medieval times and consider that human rights then corresponded to their time."

"Being a woman in medieval times was terrible."

"Well, in the world of ordinary people - yes," Amelia smiled, "but believe me, you're very lucky to be a Muggle-born girl. Boys in the magical world are married off just as much without their desire, and in this regard you're equal. But only boys can be challenged to a duel at any moment for certain words or actions. And not necessarily for real offense. It's not customary to challenge women to duels. Even if there's a conflict between two women, they prefer to sort it out by indirect methods. And, as a rule, a woman fights in a duel only if she herself threw down the challenge."

"And if a guy declines a duel?"

"You can't just decline. Most likely, you'd have to make public apologies, and in many cases pay some fine. Not very tempting, especially considering that you don't need a particularly serious reason to challenge to a duel. For an underage wizard his guardian can fight. Therefore Muggle-born Hogwarts students will never be challenged to a duel to the death. No one wants to die from Dumbledore's wand. But when a Muggle-born wizard becomes an adult, he has to answer for himself. And as a rule, Muggle-born have less magical power and skills than purebloods. Don't think duels happen every day. No one wants to look for potential problems unnecessarily. Just know, wizarding laws don't protect from this at all. So be glad you're a girl," Amelia finished the briefing.

Yeah, here's your code of laws. I read and read, but what's the use? The laws themselves exist, but explanations are sparse. Probably for wizards this is self-evident, so half the information simply isn't in the books. About permitted duels was there, but that you can't decline a duel without losses to yourself, not counting reputational ones, nothing was written.

Brilliant me. I read all about guardians being able to arrange marriage contracts, but somehow failed to work out that magical force could be used to make me swear binding oaths at the altar. So much for all that book learning.

"Do I have any chances of changing guardians? I asked the goblins, they said - engagement or if one of the wizards becomes my magical godfather..."

"You see, you know everything yourself... But if you decide to move in this direction, I advise looking for a fiancé - that's more likely than finding an adult wizard who wants to be your guardian so much that he'd agree to become a magical godfather, that's a very big responsibility... Sorry, Hermione, I can't," Amelia reacted to my pleading look, "I just can't, there are reasons. I think you could ask Sirius... but is there a point? He's still Dumbledore's man. For you almost nothing would change."

"Aunt Amelia!" I say pleadingly, "but what should I do now? It turns out Dumbledore can do anything to me, and I can't do anything about it?"

"Don't worry so much," she says soothingly, "I also have many complaints about the headmaster, but still he's not famous for excessively cruel treatment of Muggle-born. And he usually concludes marriage contracts with his wards' consent. After all, wards are most often quite willing to integrate into magical society through marriage. Just don't try to fight the headmaster by force, he'll crush you. Be more flexible. If you don't interfere with him, he'll allow you to keep most of your freedom. You only have a year left. After OWLs you'll leave if the situation in the country doesn't improve. Well, or you'll leave in the middle of sixth year, after coming of age, if the headmaster finds your presence at Hogwarts fundamental."

In the end, my parents and Miss Bones settled on me having to get my OWLs, and after exams I'll join my parents in France. If the country is very alarming, then Amelia promised to take care of my safety from Hogwarts to the meeting place with my parents.

***

On August thirtieth, Sirius and I assemble the final version of our bomb. Today he's taking it to Gringotts. I remind him not to forget to instruct the goblins about what conditions it should be stored in the vault - supposedly it's better for the artifact.

Alas, even when choosing maximum damage area, there's no guarantee the cup will necessarily be damaged. Maybe it's surrounded by something on all sides. But there's nothing to be done about it, we did everything we could, the rest isn't in my power. And I'll go to Gringotts to my representative, I need a multi-currency wallet.

Griphook sold me a wallet for fifty galleons and told me how to find the bank branch in France. He also informed me that you can also travel through goblin tunnels under the English Channel on carts, but the journey is long and I should think in advance about what I'll take from this vault to my French one, which he strongly advised me to open if I'll be spending a lot of time in France.

When I said goodbye to my representative, Sirius was already waiting for me near the bank entrance - true to his decision not to let me and Harry go to Diagon Alley without adults - and Apparated me home.

My parents are already actively packing things, good for them, they're going to France. And thanks to Amelia I'm facing that damn castle again. This year my school assignments will be carried by Justin's owl.

Everything is going not as I want.

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