Disclaimer: Familiar themes from the Harry Potter series belongs to JK Rowling. This story is inspired by A Discovery of Witches, first book of the All Souls Trilogy, by Deborah Harkness.


"As far as I can tell there are only two emotions that keep the world spinning year after year... One is fear. The other is desire."
- Deborah Harkness, A Discovery of Witches


Chapter 1

The wind whipped through her hair as she jogged down the cobblestone pathway by the side of the River Thames. The morning light was barely passing through the trees and the grass lining the path was wet with dew. A soft breeze created a rainfall of red, orange, and yellow leaves around her. Oxford in the autumn was beautiful, and Hermione was more than happy she was back at the university town for her research.

She stopped for a moment to catch her breath and gazed across the river. It was still early, barely seven in the morning, so there wasn't a lot of activity by the riverside. She spied another runner on the other bank and a crew rhythmically gliding over the river's surface on their sculling boat. She smiled as she watched their early morning practice. Her thoughts were taken back to her crew days during undergrad. She remembered the morning practices well, their coach eager to get them out on the water before it got too crowded. She had stopped rowing competitively but she still enjoyed being on a boat by herself. The rhythm of the oars hitting the water was like a second heartbeat she had grown to know.

She glanced at her watch and made the decision to head back to her rooms. She had made plans with her friend and fellow historian Lavender Brown to meet for breakfast at nine. Lavender had surprised her yesterday when Hermione gave a lecture on her latest paper. She and Lavender were classmates back in Cambridge who turned to eventual colleagues. While Hermione focused more on the history of science, Lavender's focus was classical history. Competition came easily between the two women but they enjoyed each other's companies and grew to be good friends. Yesterday during her lecture was the first time she and Lavender had seen each other in years and Hermione was eagerly looking forward to catching up with her again.

Hermione grabbed her ankles and bent her knees in a stretch to prepare for her run home. She steadied her heartbeat and broke into a sprint along the riverside. Pat, pat, pat. She timed her breathing to her feet hitting the ground. Running was her escape. All her thoughts and problems left her mind as she ran.

She inhaled sharply in surprise when she stepped on a loose rock on the path.

Hermione felt herself being propelled forward by her speed and prepared to brace her fall by putting her hands out front. She squinted her eyes and prepared for the pain when a soothing warmth encased her hands. Her body stopped moving forward rapidly and she felt herself being lowered to the ground gently. Her palms hit the stone of the path and she opened her eyes in disbelief.

Her arms were encased in a soft glow that was slowly fading. Sparks of yellow light left her fingertips and she fisted her palms to try and hide them. Crap, she thought, and she frantically looked around to see if anyone had noticed what happened. No one was around her and Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. Carefully standing back up, she brushed at the knees of her leggings and hid her still sparking hands in the pockets of her sweater. With a sigh, Hermione decided that it would probably be best if she just walked back home.


Vaults & Garden was abuzz with activity when Hermione entered right at nine o'clock. She quickly scanned the crowded cafe and spotted the bright, honeycombed head of Lavender sat by a table next to a large window. She grinned and headed towards her direction.

"Lavender!" Hermione exclaimed in greeting. Lavender Brown's head jerked upwards from her book and a radiant smile graced her features. The beautiful blonde stood from her seat and enveloped Hermione in a hug.

"Hermione! How wonderful to see you!" Lavender said and kissed Hermione on the cheek. She gestured for Hermione to sit before taking her own seat and putting her book away inside her tote. Hermione followed her lead and placed her book bag by the foot of the table. "How long have you been at Oxford for? You should've told me you would be here! We haven't seen each other in years!"

Hermione laughed and answered Lavender. "I was here about… a week ago? I've been so busy preparing for that lecture yesterday that everything else slipped from my mind! I'm sorry for not contacting you."

Lavender only smiled and grabbed Hermione's hand. "Don't worry about it, Hermione. I'm just glad you're here. And I heard that Dean Chester offered you a position in the faculty? Is that true?"

Hermione smiled brightly and nodded her head. "She mentioned it, yes. My work will be evaluated in three months' time before the year end. That means I need to polish up my research before then!" She exclaimed, and tilted her head towards the bag carrying her books and laptop. "I need to head to the library after this to get some work done."

Lavender only shook her head. "You are always working, Hermione. Look, if you are free tonight, the coven is meeting for the autumn equinox."

Hermione's smile faltered at the mention of "coven" and "equinox". Her eyes quickly looked around their table to see if anyone had heard Lavender. The blonde noticed her unease and sighed. "Hermione, are you still not practicing magic?"

Hermione looked down and gazed at her hands. She was reminded of what happened that morning and clenched her fists.

Yes, she was a witch. Although it was a part of her that she rejected. She was made an orphan because of magic.

Creatures lived amongst humans. Witches and wizards, vampires, werewolves, centaurs, goblins… these creatures and more live in the mundane world, hiding in plain sight for fear of being identified and persecuted. Witches and wizards stick close to each other in covens and there were many magical communities spread around the world where they and other magical beings could let their powers run free and unrestricted. But different creatures rarely interact with each other. There was simply too much politics, tension, and conflict between the different kinds that it became widely accepted that creatures stick with their own. And these conflicts almost always attract human attention.

Hermione's parents were found to be witches and killed. She was only nine when it happened. Her parents were professors so she was used to their academic travels. It was just a normal Thursday evening when her parents left her in the care of her Aunt Olivia and her husband Richard to give a lecture at one of the universities in Brazil. They lived in Brighton, a seaside city south of London. Their family home was close to the beach that she heard the waves crashing against the boardwalk as she hugged her parents goodbye. The night before, Hermione's mum enchanted her favourite stuffed animal to read her favourite bedtime story every night with her own voice while they were gone. They promised her that they would be back in two weeks' time as she kissed them on the cheek and told them she would miss them. She remembered waving goodbye as the car drove out of their driveway after which her Aunt Olivia ushered her inside with a promise that they would call her parents every night if she wanted.

And the calls did happen and Hermione and her parents would talk about their day from either side of the equator. Until one night when they didn't pick up their phone. And her Aunt Olivia, who was also a witch and a good one at that, turned to her crystal ball to check on her brother and his wife.

Hermione remembered that ball crashing on the ground and shattering to pieces when Olivia knocked it over in horror at what she saw. Richard came rushing into the room just as the house phone began to ring. He picked up the phone and a minute later his face was drained of all colour. It was the British consul in Brazil informing him that Sebastian and Eleanor Granger were dead. They visited a small village in the south of Brazil where they were mobbed and persecuted for apparent witchcraft.

Hermione buried her parents a week later. Her teddy bear stopped reading her bedtime story a month after that, its magic all faded. Soon after, nine-year-old Hermione Jane Granger rejected anything magical. Magic was what got her parents killed and she would have no part of it.

Try as she might to be normal though, her teenage years was peppered with many magical mishaps. She refused to go to a magical school, so her Aunt and Uncle tried to teach her themselves. But her magic was fleeting and uncontrollable. One moment she would be magicing her hair straight or changing its colour from its usual brown waves yet she couldn't even make her wandtip glow. She was already aversed to magic and so her seemingly lack of aptitude for the craft only widened the chasm between her and it.

From then on, Hermione simply learned to hide her magic. She busied herself with school which she did excel at and chose the path of the academics after her parents. She finished her undergrad, obtained her Masters, worked on her PhD alongside penning multiple books, and now she was back at Oxford for the next step of her carefully laid plans for her career.

She met Lavender's gaze who was looking at her worriedly and shook her head. "I don't… I don't use magic, Lavender. I can't really control it." She whispered.

Lavender's brows furrowed and encased Hermione's hands with hers. "Hermione, the coven can help you with that. Come tonight and I'll introduce you to everyone." She urged.

Hermione bit her lip and shook her head. "No thanks, Lavender. I choose not to use magic."

Something in Lavender's eyes flashed and she squeezed the brunette's hands. "But magic is a part of you, Hermione. You're a witch. You can't hide that."

"Magic was what got my parents killed, Lavender," Hermione said in a whisper, her voice hard. "I just want to be normal." She said resolutely.

The waiter came for their order and interrupted their conversation in time. The women broke apart and named their breakfast of choice with a strained smile on their faces. After the waiter had gone, Hermione and Lavender looked at each other in an uneasy truce. The blonde broke the silence with a soft sigh and clasped Hermione's hands again. "Alright, I'm sorry. I won't mention it again. Just know that if you ever need any help with magic, you can come to me. I'm your friend, Hermione."

Hermione nodded her head slowly and forced a smile to her face. "Thank you, Lavender," she said. She and Lavender had known each other for years, but they had always viewed magic differently. Lavender thrived on casting spells, making potions, and divination. She had gone to one of the very best wizarding schools in the world before deciding to pursue a career outside the magical community. She was a good witch who seemed to be climbing the ranks of the Oxford coven. Hermione was completely different.

Their food arrived and the women lost themselves in conversation, staying far away from magic as much as possible. They talked about their careers. Lavender told Hermione her struggles at getting professorship at the university. Hermione gave Lavender an overview of her last few years spent at Harvard before she decided to return to England to continue her fellowship at Oxford. The tension brought up by the mention of magic was gone as the two women reminisced over their undergraduate days in Cambridge.

Hermione glanced at her watch and was surprised to see that it was nearing noon. They had been at the cafe for almost three hours and had lost track of time. Their empty plates have been cleared and their coffee mugs sat empty. "Lavender, it was great catching up with you but I should really head to the library to get some work done!" Hermione said.

Lavender had also noticed the time and gave a smile. "Mind if I join you? I have some papers to mark and work to get done as well."

Hermione considered it for a moment and nodded her head. She had wanted to be by herself, but she had also missed Lavender's friendly company these past few years. They settled their bills and grabbed their bags, and together they headed out of the cafe and towards the library.


The Bodleian Library was an impressive structure of stone and marble. It was the second largest library in Britain and was home to some of the oldest and most valuable texts in the world across many different fields of research. Hermione was very familiar with the library, having done research for some of her published books there. The Bodleian felt like home and Hermione savoured the sight and smell of the stacks as she entered the atrium.

Lavender saw one of her colleagues and told Hermione she would rejoin her afterwards before walking across the floor. Hermione nodded and headed towards the call desk to request for the texts she wanted to peruse.

"Hello, Doctor Granger!" Anna, one of the desk staff, greeted Hermione. Hermione smiled at the familiar face and approached the counter.

"Anna! It is lovely to see you," Hermione said. She leaned across the counter and gave Anna a hug. Anna was one of the Bodleian staff who took requests for the rare texts stored in the vaults and not easily accessible by the public. She and Hermione had grown close as Hermione researched materials for her books.

"I've got one of your books I need your signature on," Anna said with a wink. "I'm assuming you're here for yet another research project?"

Hermione only laughed. "You know me too well," she said. "I've got the list of manuscripts I was hoping to look at today."

"Give it here and I'll deliver them to you. Your usual desk is empty, so go on in and I'll come by with these in a bit." Anna said. Hermione grinned widely and handed the other woman a list of three books she was eager to see with a huge thanks. She hauled her bag higher on her shoulder before heading towards the main research hall.

Large wooden stacks made of polished mahogany and filled to the brim with books lined the tall walls. Long desks made of the same material filled the centre of the room. Hermione walked to the desk at the very back of the room and situated herself right at the middle of the table. She always sat here since she liked having a view of the whole room and felt safer that there was never anyone behind her. Call it her witch's instinct to always be so guarded.

Hermione placed her bag on the floor next to her and retrieved her laptop from within. She placed the device in front of her and turned it on. Next she grabbed her notebook and pen and placed those next to her laptop. She drew a book stand closer to her vicinity and turned on one of the lamps that littered the desks. She was ready to begin her research.

Not a moment later, Hermione spied Anna enter the hall with her arms filled with books. Anna walked past the other patrons and stood in front of Hermione. "Here are your books, Doctor Granger." Anna whispered with a smile. "As usual, just return them to me once you're done."

"Thank you, Anna!" Hermione said softly. Anna smiled again before turning and walking towards the front of the room to assist another researcher looking quizzically at the stacks.

Hermione turned her attention to the books. There was no better word to describe them than old. These books were ancient, with their thick spines and distinctive bindings. Their pages were rough and Hermione could see metal clasps on leather straps holding the books close.

Hermione gently lifted the book on the top of the pile and placed it carefully on the book stand. This was the smallest book on the pile and also the oldest book on her request list. Between the leather straps, faded italicized script held the title of the book.

Chymische Hochzeit Christiani Rosencreutz

On her laptop, Hermione quickly typed her notes. "Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz… German… leather bound and locked with two metal clasps."

Her fingers traced the leather straps before she slowly and carefully undid both of the clasps. She held the thick cover between her thumb and forefinger and slowly lifted. The book opened with a sigh. Hermione inhaled the familiar scent of an old book before she looked at its contents.

The first page was faded and made of thin and yellowing papyrus. The first spread had no text but contained an intricate drawing of a man dressed in kingly golden robes and crown standing on top of a golden sun. His left arm was stretched out, palm open, and perpendicular to his body as if waiting to be held. Hermione's fingers quickly drifted across her laptop keys as she took note of the drawing.

Carefully Hermione turned the page and beheld the next leaf. The verso page was blank, but the recto page contained another drawing. This one was all silver and depicted that of a woman in flowing robes and silver crown standing on top of a silver crescent moon. She had flowing hair down to her waist and her right arm was also outstretched, the palm also opened. Hermione carefully flipped between the two pages she just saw and noted that their palms would have met at the centre if not for the empty page. The drawings' faces were forlorn and sad as if a great chism separated them from being with each other. Hermione was in the middle of typing her observations when something on the page caught her eyes.

She blinked once. And then twice. And her eyes widened when she saw words and letters materializing on the once blank verso page behind the golden king. Her hand touched the page and suddenly… her heart thumped. Her blood pounded in her ears. She gulped and breathed heavily as she felt her blood flowing through her veins and heard her blood singing. Quickly she withdrew her hand and looked wildly around the hall. Everyone else looked fine. But then again… everyone else was also human.

Her eyes drifted to the page again and she gasped when the words started moving. Her hand moved on their own accord, hovering over the page, barely a centimetre above the papyrus. Her fingers lightly brushed against the leaf and the words flew from the page and onto her fingertips. She stifled a gasp with great difficulty. She saw the words, intelligible in their current form, flitter across her palms before disappearing into her skin. Eyes wide at what was happening, Hermione stood quickly from her desk and knocked her chair back against the wall.

"Shh!" Another patron in the hall chastised her. Hermione's mind was reeling that she paid them no attention.

She saw Lavender walking towards her, the blonde's eyes also wide with fear, and she stood in front of Hermione's desk. As if by instinct, Hermione slammed the book shut and laid her hand on top of it.

"Hermione!" Lavender whispered furiously. "Did you feel that? My blood... it's… it's…" Lavender trailed off, not knowing how to describe what just happened. Her blue eyes glanced around frantically and landed on the book. Her eyes widened as she felt the magic and the power emanating from the text. "Hermione… that book… it's enchanted."

Hermione glanced at the book underneath her palm and regained herself. Without a word to Lavender, she redid the metal clasps, scooped up her things back into her bag, and held the manuscripts close to her chest. "I'm sorry Lavender, but I… I need to go." With a nod of goodbye, Hermione quickly walked out of the hall leaving Lavender staring after her in stunned silence.

Hermione passed by the call desk and gave a weak smile to Anna. The librarian was surprised to see her so quickly and was even more surprised when Hermione deposited the three texts onto her desk. "Doctor Granger, you're done already?"

"Yes, thank you Anna," Hermione said weakly. "I'll see you later." With a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, Hermione turned and walked out of the Bodleian Library. Anna only stared after her in confusion before picking up the books and pulling up the cart to return them to the stacks deep in the library's vaults underground.

The librarian in the stacks returned the books to their proper place, and as the Chymical Wedding slid into its home on the shelf it disappeared into nothingness.


He was minding his own business when he almost doubled over in surprise at the ringing in his ears. He was halfway through a lecture when his heart started beating so fast that he had to cut his lecture short. His students gave him curious looks as he made his way out of the lecture hall. Professor Potter was not known to let students out early. In fact, he had built a reputation around campus to fill every minute of his neuroscience lectures that students would still be scrambling to finish their notes as the next class was coming in.

Harry James Potter stepped out onto the quad of Queen's College and breathed deeply. The ringing had stopped but his heart was still pounding. He looked around with sharp eyes and saw no one else looking as alarmed as he was. His phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it out and held it to his ear.

"Harry," the voice of Luna Lovegood drifted to his ears. Her usually calm voice was laced with confusion. "Did you feel that?"

Harry nodded to himself. "Yes," he said, his voice edged with apprehension.

"Our blood reacted to something, Harry," Luna said, voicing Harry's own thoughts. "The humans didn't feel any of it."

His sharp green eyes scanned his surroundings. There were a couple of undergrads tossing a frisbee on the quad and a group of tourists followed behind a woman as she pointed to the different buildings along High Street. Vendors lined the streets and it looked to be a normal autumn day with the one o'clock sun high in the sky. When his eyes couldn't see anything odd, Harry strained his ears.

Vampires have really good senses, and when he let his control go his ears were immediately bombarded with all manner of noise and conversation within a one mile radius. He heard the description of Queen's College the tour guide gave her charge. He heard a baby cry in its pram and the wheels of the carrier hitting the cobblestoned road. He heard conversations in different languages all around him and he quickly discounted the sounds one by one as he searched for anything that could tell him what might have happened just minutes ago.

"Andrei! Attrape ?a!"

"Queen's College was built in…"

"H?r auf zu weinen…"

"Hermione! Hermione! What happened in there?"

Harry's eyes squinted at the direction of the Bodleian. "Luna, I'll call you back," he said and hung up without waiting for a reply.

As he walked towards the Bodleian Library as fast as was possible for a human without drawing attention to himself, Harry strained his ears to pick up any sounds from this new voice.

"Hermione!" He heard the woman's voice yell again. "Hermione, wait for me!"

Across the street he saw a thin and beautiful woman with long blonde hair chasing after a brunette. That must be Hermione, Harry thought, as he looked at the brunette who was walking away from the Bodleian Library as fast she could with her head down. Harry's green eyes could see her knuckles clutching the shoulder strap of her bag with such force that they were turning white.

The fair headed woman finally caught up to Hermione and grabbed her shoulder stopping her from going any further. "Lavender!" Harry heard Hermione exclaim as she was jerked to stop. Her head sprang up and Harry heard himself gasp as his sharp eyes saw her features from his place across the street. Wavy brown hair tumbled from her head and framed a beautiful face. She had arched eyebrows, freckles peppering the skin around her nose, full lips, and the warmest brown eyes Harry had ever seen. He wondered just how much more beautiful they were if he could see them up close. Shaking himself from his surprise, Harry strained his ears to listen to them again.

"What happened, Hermione?" Lavender asked again. "You felt it, I know you did! Something made our blood sing, and I think it was that book!"

At the mention of a book, Harry's eyes widened and he had to resist the urge to step forward and walk closer to them.

"The book you had… it was enchanted. I could feel its power from across the room. Surely you felt it too, Hermione? How did you get it?" Lavender continued prattling on.

Witches, Harry thought, his suspicions confirmed. They were witches. And whatever that was - this book? - that affected him and Luna also affected these witches.

Hermione finally spoke, her soft and shaky voice reaching his ears. "I just requested for it," Hermione said, voice laced with apprehension and confusion. "There was nothing magical with the Chymical Wedding when it was delivered to me, until…" Hermione trailed off and bit her lip.

Lavender looked at her, hanging on to every word. "Until what, Hermione?"

Hermione shook her head and inched her bag further up her shoulder. "I'm sorry, but I need to go Lavender. I'll see you later." Hermione gave Lavender a quick hug and walked briskly across the street. The blonde witch simply stared after her with her brows furrowed. She looked as if she wanted to run after Hermione but thought better of it. She shook her head at Hermione's direction before turning and walking away.

Harry's gaze followed Hermione's body as she walked down the street until she was out of his sight. The name of the book kept ringing in his ears.

The Chymical Wedding.

Chymische Hochzeit.

He was plenty familiar with this book because he had spent hundreds of years looking for it. But he never found it. And now this witch had simply requested for it and it had emerged from the shadows? He needed to know more.

Harry turned his back from the street and walked towards his lab. He needed to tell Luna what he found out and he needed to know more about this witch.

Hermione, Harry thought, who are you?


Author's Note: I am very much aware that I probably shouldn't start a new fic since I haven't updated SF in months, so please don't shoot me! This plot bunny was just too hard to resist.