Behind Hermione stood a pale-faced man, wearing that same haughty smirk that had terrified her in a recent dream. His long black hair fluttered slightly in the wind, and he held a wand in his hands. Hermione regretted leaving her wand at home; not that she could likely compete in magic with an adult wizard anyway. Besides, until now, she hadn't seen the point in carrying it – using magic outside school was strictly forbidden.
Turning to face the stranger, Hermione tried to steady herself. 'This is just another nightmare,' she reassured herself, 'I just need to wake up and he will disappear.' She tried to stand, but the pale-faced man flicked his wand, and she collapsed to the ground as if her legs had been cut out from under her.
"No need for that, Miss Granger," he said in a high, surprisingly pleasant voice.
"How do you know me?" Hermione couldn't help but ask. "And what do you want from me?!"
She wanted to shout it, but her voice came out strained and barely audible. The pale-faced man slowly approached. Her nightmare was repeating itself.
"You're not real," Hermione muttered, clinging to her comforting thought, "This is just a dream."
She pinched herself to prove it wasn't real, but the pain was real. Plus, her leg, awkwardly twisted during the fall, was starting to hurt badly. Meanwhile, a mix of surprise and mockery appeared on the stranger's face.
"A dream?" His eyebrows shot up. "I assure you, this is not a dream. Everything is happening for real, and I am very real too."
"But in reality, people can't just freeze and not move..." Hermione argued in a slightly trembling voice, pointing to the people around them.
"Really?" the stranger replied with an ironic smile. "Though I can understand your belief in that misconception. Even in the magical world, very few know this spell."
He looked at her again, and Hermione thought she saw a flicker of pity in his eyes, but it might have been just her imagination.
"But who are you?" she shouted, still not wanting to believe what was happening.
"That doesn't matter at all..."
"Then what does?" Hermione asked, fighting her rising fear. "Why all this?"
The pale-faced man's lips twisted into a smirk again. He pointed his wand at her and said calmly, "Now we come to the main point..."
"You want to kill me?" Hermione stammered fearfully.
Her heart started pounding again like in her recent nightmare. Despite the cold weather around her, she felt very hot and suffocated.
"Kill you?" She thought the stranger pondered for a second. "I suppose you could call it that, though I can reassure you—you won't die today. For now, I need you alive."
"Today? What about tomorrow?" Hermione blurted out in despair. "What did I do wrong?"
"Ha-ha..." His smile twisted into a cold grimace. "Good question," he said, then continued in an icy voice, "You did just one thing wrong—you were born into a Muggle family."
Now, there wasn't a trace of friendliness in his voice or gaze, not even the fake kind that had sometimes appeared before.
"Though, I must note," he continued, pointing his wand at her chest, "even this has its advantages."
"What advantages?" Hermione shouted, still trying to stall, crawling away from the pale-faced man.
"Believe me, in time you'll find the answer to that question," he said coldly, then suddenly shouted, "Accio, amulet!"
The amulet on her chest started thrashing violently, trying to break free through her clothes. Hermione clung to it like a lifeline. For some reason, she felt she had to keep the amulet at all costs, as if her life depended on it.
However, it wasn't easy. Hermione heard her clothes starting to tear at the seams as the amulet pulled her toward the pale-faced man, even lifting her off the ground. Impatience flashed across her enemy's face. He made another motion with his wand, and her hands were forced behind her back, while the amulet thrashed with doubled force. The end was near...
"Finite Incantatem!" a voice suddenly called out from behind Hermione.
Her amulet immediately calmed down, and she fell back to the ground, painfully hitting her elbow on the ice. The pale-faced man looked past Hermione. Genuine surprise showed on his face, and he pointed his wand at someone behind her. Hermione quickly glanced back, but there was no one there; she only caught a glimpse of a strange fading glow that quickly disappeared.
Pop! Pop! Pop! Loud pops started echoing around them, and people began to appear, all holding wands. The pale-faced man made a quick, untraceable movement and vanished. Immediately, the usual noise of the Christmas market returned.
Stunned by everything that had happened, Hermione watched in bewilderment as the wizards who had appeared out of nowhere saving her from danger, began moving around. Most of them wasted no time heading toward the Muggles, who stopped and stared at them and at Hermione lying on the ground.
"Obliviate!" she heard the memory charm being cast.
Wincing in pain, Hermione rubbed her bruised elbow and looked around. At that moment, one of the wizards approached her.
"Miss Granger, right?" He extended his hand to help her up.
"Yes," she said, still a bit dazed by the attack and the rapid events.
Trying to stand, Hermione suddenly yelped and fell back, clutching her leg. The pain was sharp and piercing.
"Is something wrong?" the wizard asked, looking at her with concern.
"My leg... I think I twisted it when I fell," Hermione replied, wincing in pain.
"If you don't mind, I could try to help. I'm not an expert, but I know a bit of healing magic," he offered with a note of sympathy in his voice.
Hermione nodded, extending her leg toward the wizard. Concentrating, he whispered a spell, made a gesture with his hand, and the pain in her leg began to subside. Seeing the grimace of pain fade from her face, the stranger smiled.
"I'm glad you're feeling better. By the way, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Kingsley Shacklebolt, I'm an Auror from the Ministry of Magic."
"Nice to meet you," Hermione replied, still a bit distracted. "Hermione Granger."
"I know who you are, Miss Granger. It seems you were the target of a magical attack, which is quite unusual," he said, looking at her intently. "Can you recall what might have triggered the attack? Have you seen the attacker before?"
"No... yes... I mean..." Hermione tried to gather her thoughts. "I mean, I don't know who he is or what he wants, but I have seen him once before at the Leaky Cauldron. He was there with someone else... I'm not sure, but..." she continued, stammering a bit as she tried to convey her memories, "when my parents and I first came to that pub, I heard someone complaining that the Ministry of Magic was dragging Muggles there... I think it was him."
Mr. Shacklebolt frowned.
"Hmm..." he said thoughtfully, looking at Hermione. "Such hatred towards Muggles could be a motive, though tracking down these pureblood supporters can be very difficult..."
The Auror fell silent, and at that moment she heard her mother's voice. Looking around, Hermione saw Emma Granger hurrying toward her with a worried look. Behind her, the rest of the family was making their way through the crowd near the ice rink.
"Is there anything else you want to tell me about the attack?" Mr. Shacklebolt asked quickly, noticing her family approaching.
Hermione was about to mention the amulet but suddenly realized they might take it away. Just a minute ago, she had fought for it, feeling that her life somehow depended on it. After a brief hesitation, she shook her head no.
Doubt flickered in the Auror's eyes, but glancing again at Hermione's approaching parents, he said, "Well, Miss Granger, I won't keep you any longer, especially with your family almost here. I strongly advise you to stay home for the rest of the holidays or until we notify you that we've caught the attacker. Your home will be under our watch to prevent any further incidents until you return to Hogwarts. Be careful and take care of your leg; it's not fully healed yet."
Mr. Shacklebolt gave a slight nod as a farewell and went to join the other Aurors, who had finished dealing with the aftermath of the attack and were waiting for him. Hermione turned to her mother, who was hurrying toward her.
"Here you are, Hermione!" her mom said with concern, stopping beside her. Then she added, watching Kingsley walking away, "What happened and who are these people?"
"It's all right, Mom," Hermione smiled at her. "I just tripped and fell. You know I'm not good at ice skating. That man is a medic; he helped me with my leg. I think I twisted it."
"A medic?" said John Granger a bit skeptically as he approached and glanced toward where the Aurors had been standing just a second ago.
However, there was no trace of the mysterious group that had caused his concern. John continued to look around for a while, trying to spot the suspicious individuals, but to no avail. Meanwhile, Emma was more worried about her daughter's condition. Though when Hermione stood up, her mom saw she could stand on her leg and her worry eased a bit.
"Maybe we should head home?" Emma suggested. "Especially since Robert is cold and starting to get fussy."
"Yes, of course, Mom," Hermione agreed and, limping slightly, walked home with her family.
On the way, the fortune-teller's words suddenly resurfaced in her memory: 'You will face difficult trials, and they will begin much sooner than you can imagine.' She felt a bit uneasy. 'Could that old charlatan really have some power of foresight? And what did her words mean? Maybe the amulet is the thing that I got and could lose? It would be a shame to part with it, but it wouldn't be a catastrophe. Or am I missing something?' she suddenly thought. 'Because during the confrontation with the pale-faced man, it seemed very important to keep that amulet...'
***
In the following days, Hermione didn't leave the house. Outside, she quickly spotted the Aurors who, although changed shifts, behaved in similar ways, and to Hermione stood out from the rest of the people. However, no one else seemed to notice them. Most likely, they had distraction charms cast on them.
In any case, the Aurors didn't leave the area around Hermione's house. Apparently, the attacker had not yet been caught, and the danger to her still remained.
Her parents and relatives from Coventry went on trips almost every day and constantly invited Hermione to join them. Especially little Robert begged her to come along. However, she stubbornly refused to go anywhere, hiding her disappointment under the guise of being a diligent student.
"I have a lot of assignments... I need to get them all done. Besides, my leg still hurts a lot, and I can't walk for long."
"No problem, if you get tired, you can just sit and rest," her mom urged. "At least you'll get a little break from studying."
Her mom's voice was full of genuine concern and a bit of confusion about why her daughter kept refusing. But Hermione insisted on staying home every day. In the evenings, during dinner, she listened to their exciting stories, smiling and nodding, but inside she felt envious. The Christmas holidays were quickly coming to an end, and she was still buried in her books instead of spending time with her family...
When everyone finally gathered at home, Robert didn't leave Hermione alone. He constantly asked her to play with him, and she decided from the first day that she wouldn't refuse her little cousin this. They played with the train set, sent armies of toy soldiers into battle, and raced toy cars across the floor, making fantastic jumps over imaginary ravines.
In the yard, they built a real snow castle and named it Hogwarts, after Hermione's school. This amused Robert greatly, and he quickly populated the castle with princesses, knights, and wizards in his imagination. Then he started begging Hermione to make up stories about the castle and its inhabitants. So now, every evening before bed, she told him fantastic tales about wizards, magical creatures, and other wonders happening in the castle.
"...And then the friends ventured into the heart of the forest and saw a magnificent unicorn. The clearing was all aglow..." Hermione was telling another bedtime story.
Robert listened with his mouth open, catching every word and imagining the magical scene. Hermione didn't notice her Aunt Katharine enter the room. She stopped and listened to the story as well. When Hermione finished, her aunt clapped her hands.
"Wow! If it didn't sound so incredible, I'd think you were recounting something you experienced yourself. What a marvelous story!" she exclaimed.
Hermione blushed a bit, and Robert joyfully confirmed:
"Yeth, all of Hewmione'th thtowieth awe tho intewethting, and I weally like them. It'th a shame we have to leave tomowwow. Can we stay longew?" He looked hopefully at his mom, but she shook her head regretfully. "And motht of all, I love the thtowieth about funny little Neville and hith thilly fwog. They'we my favowite!" he added enthusiastically and immediately started begging Hermione to tell another story about Neville.
The next day, after the relatives left for Coventry, an unusual quiet settled over the house. There was no news from the Aurors, so Hermione couldn't let herself relax. The attack at the fair left too many questions, too much uncertainty, and the fortune-teller's prediction only added to her anxiety. Hermione still hadn't decided how to feel about it; the fortune-teller was such a contradictory figure. However, she had fully recalled the prediction and often, while sitting with her textbooks, pondered its meaning, trying to decipher the hidden message.
***
On the last evening, Hermione stayed up late in the living room with her parents. They were very interested in Harry and Ron and what the three of them did in their free time. Her mom and dad knew about the magical nature of the school, and she happily shared her experiences with them. However, she didn't mention Voldemort or the attack at the fair. There was no need to worry her parents, who couldn't help with those issues anyway. In the end, as always, her mom told Hermione to write to them about everything, and they all went to bed.
Before going to sleep, Hermione decided to go through the two remaining books she had brought with her, hoping to find something about Nicolas Flamel. She started with 'Great Potions Masters.' Hermione wasn't surprised to find Professor Snape's name there. However, to descriptions like 'one of the best' and 'brilliant,' she would have added a few more: 'malevolent,' 'nitpicky,' and 'dangerous.' Not finding any mention of Flamel in the book, she moved on to the next one— 'Beware: Dangerous Amulets! A Guide for Aurors.'
This book took much more time. She had to skim through information about each amulet, looking for the wizard's name. Some amulets caught her interest, like the Obscurilux Amulet.
In the picture, the amulet looked like a small flashlight. It widened from a narrow handle into a bell shape, with a crystal mounted inside. Below the drawing, it said:
'Obscurilux Amulet. Extremely dangerous! The core uses a rare energy-emitting crystal called Obscuril. These crystals are believed to have come to Earth from the Moon. The amulet also requires a conductive material that converts the emitted energy into a form of intense moonlight.
In the Middle Ages, amulets of this kind were used to detect werewolves. They were indeed effective, but often led to tragic consequences. Werewolves under the influence of this amulet's moonlight gained monstrous strength and attempts to subdue them often resulted in many casualties. According to the Magical Council decree of 1896, the production, storage, and use of this amulet is strictly prohibited! Violating this law leads to immediate arrest and imprisonment in a high-security wizarding prison.'
There were many similar examples of amulets, almost all ending with the same warning about arrest and long imprisonment. But there was no mention of Nicolas Flamel. To Hermione's frustration, wizards weren't mentioned at all in this book. Already quite tired, she was about to put the book away and go to bed when on the next page, she saw a picture of an amulet that looked remarkably like hers. The illustration depicted the amulet in minute detail: shape, color, size, even the fine patterns on it were identical. But the most important thing was that in the picture, the amulet was glowing...
Under the drawing, it said:
'Sky Vortex Amulet. Extremely dangerous! Uses a very rare energy-absorbing crystal called Magnelite. These crystals can occasionally be found in the crater of an active volcano. The second ingredient required for creating the amulet is a conductive and energy-concentrating material called Astralite.
The Sky Vortex is not only complex to produce but also in its effect. In the first stage, this amulet tunes to the magical abilities of the wizard, helping to unlock their full potential—this is necessary for the amulet's maximum effect in the second stage. As the wizard's potential is unlocked, the amulet establishes an unbreakable bond with its victim, which continues to function at any distance. The strength of the bond between the amulet and the wizard can be determined by the glow within the amulet—the brighter the glow, the stronger the bond.
In the next stage, the amulet starts absorbing magical energy from its victim until they are completely stripped of their magical abilities. The color emitted by the amulet indicates how much energy the owner has lost. The closer the color is to a golden hue, the fewer abilities the victim has left. The process of absorbing a wizard's abilities can take from several months to two years and is extremely dangerous, as the victim often loses not only magical energy but also its own life.
This amulet was used in the Middle Ages to strip magic from guilty wizards. There were also unconfirmed rumors that, in later times, a method was found to extract the energy stored in the amulet to enhance one's own abilities. According to these rumors, this was how the infamous dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald achieved his power.
According to the Magical Council decree of 1843, the production, storage, and use of this amulet is strictly prohibited! Violating this law leads to immediate arrest and lifetime imprisonment in a high-security wizarding prison.'