45 The True Value of Ancient Blood

Mitchell was stunned as he kept his eyes wide open on the photo.

The photo appeared to have been taken in the Quidditch locker room. In it was a girl not much older than they were.

The girl had long black hair that reached her waist that matched her sparkling black eyes. She had delicate and beautiful features with Asian features along with some mischievous undertones. Her figure was slender and somewhat outlined by constant exercise.

The photo was quite normal at first, however, everything changed when it was moved.

Showing how the girl began to undress with slow movements, leaving with nothing more than a bra and skirt; stopping just as the latch on the bra popped open and the girl turned her face as if something had drawn her attention in the direction of the camera.

Mitchell: "...Wait, wait, doesn't she look like the woman Trudor drew?". Without taking his eyes off the photo, Mitchell asked hesitantly with cheeks almost fuming.

Bloom: 'Wow, it really is'. Bloom commented in amazement as she took a closer look at the photo.

Hearing her words, Extimum also fixed his gaze on the face of the girl in the image and checked that it was indeed. Previously, he hadn't paid much attention to the girl's face in the photo, in fact, he hadn't looked more than twice at the photo itself.

Extimum: "Oh, it seems so… do you want the picture?". Extimum answered selflessly.

Mitchell: "Yeah...wait what? No, no, besides, it was you who won it-".

Extimum: "Just take it, I don't really care. I accepted the photo mainly because I was curious about what it was and well, as you saw, the suspicions towards Steve weren't badly unfounded. So, you can keep it".

Mitchell:" *Ahem*, It's okay". Mitchell put the photo away surreptitiously and tried to compose himself quickly when he saw that they were approaching where the others were.

Steve: "Oh, Mitchell, you're right on time. I was just telling Padma and Luna that you're scared of goats".

Mitchell: "What? Of course not, I already told you those things aren't goats".

Bloom: 'You dodged a bullet there by getting rid of that picture'.

Extimum:' Hmm? Where did you learn that expression? Are you reading non-magical literature? '.

Bloom: 'I don't really know where I got the book from, but now that you mention it, they never mention wizards or magic itself in the book".

Suddenly, the once bustling place calmed down.

A bright and slightly blinding lumos rose through the room to a considerable height, drawing everyone's attention while drowning out the voices of the students.

Flitwick: "All right, everyone, follow me into the great hall for lunch".

Professor Flitwick's voice echoed through the common room with a simple amplifying spell.

Shortly after, all the students in the common room, plus a few coming out of their dorms, followed Professor Flitwick as he led the way into the great hall.

.-.

Night had fallen and under the light of the stars, two students slipped out of the castle until they reached a cabin on the outskirts.

Harry: "Are you okay, Hagrid? Did you hear about Hermione?". Sitting in a large armchair, Harry asked a bit dejectedly as he looked at a flustered Hagrid.

Hagrid: "Oh, yeah, sure I heard it!" Hagrid responded somewhat perturbed, but his concerns seemed to lie elsewhere despite his clear regret at the situation.

Ron: "Are you sure you're okay, Hagrid?" Watching Hagrid's nervous hands move so awkwardly, coupled with his distracted gaze, Ron could not help but ask.

However, the answer to his question never came when they were interrupted by the sound of knocking on the door.

**Knock Knock**

Seeming to sense his fears incarnate, Hagrid became even more alarmed, spilling the snacks, he was serving Harry and Ron.

Ron and Harry noticed it too, but ran to hide behind the invisibility cloak.

With the new rules in place, it wouldn't be good for them to be seen here, and even without them, it would still be troublesome.

After seeing that Harry and Ron had gone into hiding, Hagrid calmed down as best he could as he grabbed a crossbow that was kept nearby for his safety and went to the door to open it.

Dumbledore: "Good evening, Hagrid".

Recognizing the two individuals, Hagrid sighed as he lowered his crossbow and ushered them into his hut.

With the door open, the two individuals slowly entered the cabin. It was Dumbledore followed by another man.

He was a short, stocky man with dishevelled gray hair. He was dressed in a pinstriped suit, red tie, long black cape, and pointed purple boots. He was holding a lime green derby hat under his arm.

Ron: "That's Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic! My father works for him." Ron almost cried out in surprise to see such a character here; however, he managed to catch himself as he received a not-so-gentle punch from Harry.

Hagrid seemed aware of his guests motives, so his face quickly darkened at the sight of them.

Fudge: "Bad news, Hagrid, really very bad. I had to come. There have been four attacks on Muggle-borns. The Ministry has to intervene."

Hagrid: "I would never..."—He directed an imploring look at Dumbledore—"You know I never would, Professor Dumbledore, sir..."

Dumbledore: "I want it to be clear, Cornelius, that Hagrid has my full trust". Dumbledore said, frowning at Fudge.

The two wizards could be considered to have a good friendship and he felt that Fudge's actions were no different from slapping all his good will.

Fudge: "Look, Albus…" Looking clearly uncomfortable at the look on his face, Fudge continued, "Hagrid has a record. The Ministry has to do something… The school board has been in touch... And we must do something to try to calm them down.".

Dumbledore: "Still, Cornelius, I insist that kicking Hagrid out isn't going to solve anything." Although Dumbledore's face and tone did not change, something in his eyes seemed much more annoyed and indignant.

Fudge: "Look at it from my point of view. They are putting pressure on me. I have to prove that we did something. If it's proven that it wasn't Hagrid, he'll come back and that's all there is to say. But I have to take him. I have to. If not, I wouldn't be doing my duty...". Seeming to catch Dumbledore's much sharper gaze, Fudge responded nervously as he fiddled with his hat.

Hagrid: "Take me? Take me where?". At the mention of taking him somewhere, Hagrid looked like he was finally going to panic.

Fudge: "It will only be for a short time. This is not punishment, Hagrid, more of a precaution. If we catch the culprit, you will be let off with a full apology". Not daring to look directly at the intimidating half-giant, Fudge answered.

Hagrid: "Won't it be Azkaban?" Hagrid asked hoarsely.

Before Fudge could respond, there was a loud knock on the door again.

Dumbledore, being the closest, walked over and opened it.

Behind the door was Lucius Malfoy, who did not hesitate to enter the cabin.

**woof woof**

His presence seemed to displease Fang, who began to throb as soon as it saw him.

Lucius: "Ah, you are here, Fudge! Good, good..." Lucius spoke complacently after walking in and looking around at everyone present.

Hagrid: "What are you doing here? Get out of my house!". Like his dog, Hagrid quite disliked Lucius's presence and asked with great displeasure and a hint of anger in his voice.

Lucius: "Believe me, good man, it does not give me any pleasure to enter this... have you called it home?"— A clear contempt could be noticed as he looked around the place and asked rhetorically—"It just so happens that I needed to talk to the headmaster and with Minister Fudge, and I've been told I could find them here".

Dumbledore: "And what exactly do you want from me, Lucius?" Great discomfort and sparks of anger were beginning to show in Dumbledore's eyes, but he still spoke politely.

Lucius: "Ah, Dumbledore, although I have business with you as well, but since I'm already here, I might as well take matters in order"—Taking his complacent gaze from Dumbledore, he glanced at Fudge—"I'm afraid you won't be able to take my good half-giant friend here... Or at least not to its original destination. You can find more details about it in this document".

Fudge was astonished by his words and went over to take the document and look at it, while Dumbledore and Hagrid were still processing the words that Lucius just said, they were amazed at such a development of events.

Fudge: "Did something like this really happen?". Fudge uttered in amazement as he read the letter, however he put it away with suspicion as he felt Dumbledore's piercing eyes close on the contents.

The letter basically said that the previous case Hagrid was charged with had been reopened for re-investigation, added to a strict request that he not be taken to Azkaban and only be detained in the ministry since such an act was found too exaggerated for simple suspicions of a possible innocent.

Suspicions that could end up damaging the public image of the ministry, since a simple apology would not be enough to justify the stay of an innocent magician in a prison as terrible as Azkaban.

Of course, what surprised Minister Fudge the most was not only the fact that this new request and order to reopen the case were endorsed by the Malfoy family along with other families, but also by the somewhat more discreet seal, but much more significant on parchment.

It was an inconspicuous but well decorated and flickering S, as if it were a flickering shadow of a candle, vaguely giving off a dark and dignified feeling if watched for a long time.

Fudge: 'To think even the Shadowless family has their eyes on this. No, it would be more accurate to say, that it is because the Shadowless family paid attention to this that the other families followed suit'.

Fudge didn't give much thought to the fact that it was only the family seal and not the head of the house's signature. He thought that as always, the Shadowless family just wanted to make their opinion clear, but was not actively intervening in it yet.

It wasn't as if just anyone could use the Shadowless family's seal right?

Well, to an extent, Fudge was not wrong, but it was a different case for Extimum. Since he basically lived alone, he had long ago explored the main office of the mansion and obtained a signature seal from the family by chance.

So as long as his father was not asked directly, it would be difficult for them to know his ignorance of the subject and much more since the seal generally symbolized that it was something they supported, but that it was not a priority.

For such a distinguished and influential family, not just any case could really draw their attention to direct action.

On the other hand, Extimum as an heir did have certain rights, however, that was only limited to certain things and he couldn't just bring up things like this, not least, without being part of the Wizengamot.

However, that was not for the others to know, much less now, that he had the help of the Malfoy house.

Hagrid: "I don't want your charity, Lucius-".

Lucius: "Charity? No, no, no. Make no mistake my good half-giant friend, the last thing someone like you would get from my earnest charity. In fact, we could say you're lucky instead".

"They say that the brightness of gold shines even in the darkest and most remote places as long as there is a small spark of light. That a little of that brightness has reached you can only be considered luck".

Dumbledore's anger subsided considerably and he began to regard Lucius's words with a new light in his eyes. It was a pity that Fudge had prevented him from seeing the contents of the letter; otherwise, he might have had some inkling of the facts.

Lucius: "Now then, back to the more formal and relevant matters. I must say, I am surprised that today is the bearer of both good and bad news. And I feel compelled to add, Dumbledore, that is really a regrettable thing". As he spoke, Lucius pulled a scroll from his coat.

"But the school board has thought it's time for you to drop out. Here is a cease and desist order, and here are twelve signatures. I am afraid this matter has gotten out of hand. How many attacks have there already been? And I think there were two more this afternoon, right? At this rate, there won't be any Muggle-born students left at Hogwarts, and we all know what a great disservice that would do to the school."

Fudge: "What? Wow, Lucius!"—He said with great alarm in his voice—"Dumbledore dismissed... No, no... The last thing I want, right now...".

Lucius: "The appointment and dismissal of the headmaster is the responsibility of the school council, Fudge. And since Dumbledore has failed to stop the attacks...". Lucius replied calmly, as if he had already expected this response from them beforehand.

Fudge: "But, Lucius, if Dumbledore hasn't been able to stop them, who can?" Now beginning to worry and seeing the possible problems that could befall him, especially for him, Fudge asked.

Lucius: "That will be seen. Either way, it is something that is already decided." Lucius couldn't help but let a nasty smile spread across his face as he finished speaking, clearly aware of the implications.

…

.-.

That same night, Extimum Room.

The rest of today had been mostly boring for most of the students at Hogwarts and except for those who had activities that could be done indoors, the rest had no choice but to settle for chatting with the people around them or finding a new hobby different from the usual.

In Ravenclaw house, it had not been much different, but perhaps because they had a private library, the stress of lockdown had not been so noticeable for the most part.

Extimum spent the rest of the afternoon with the others, before retiring to his room early after dinner.

Where he spent late into the night researching space magic.

Between his advances, he had managed to fully understand the essential inner workings of the apparition spell.

The spell basically covered the people in the area of effect and then compressed the space in that specific place, until it seemed that the people disappeared.

Subsequently, that reduced space broke the layer of the void and traveled through it to the place of destiny imagined by the magician, where the space decompressed again.

The reason why the apparition was dangerous was because, if one of the people was not completely within the area of the space being compressed, the parts that were excluded could be directly cut off by the space.

And on some occasions, even in unknown results that could occur when being in a middle point between being compressed by space and not being.

Also, if after entering the void, one of the people separated and exited the compressed space, they would not be injured because they would still be covered by a layer of the spell.

However, they would briefly wander through the void until they found themselves ejected by it at any random location related to the original path.

The difficulty of such a spell lay mainly in two points, the first being that a certain level of power and experience was required to complete the process of compressing space and breaking the void.

While the second was that, the magician should already have a good ability to mentalize an image in their mind, so that the journey through the void would find the expected place.

Of course, being able to mentalize the place correctly included being able to not only project, but also maintain the projection of said image; otherwise, it wouldn't be strange if they ended up somewhere else.

Extimum believed that with his abilities, in a year or two he should be able to pull off a perfect apparition or in a pinch, he should be able to force an apparition if he combined the magical power of his mage lineage along with that of his heavenly fox bloodline.

Bloom: "Hey… Extimum… will she sleep with us?".

Taking his eyes off the papers on his desk, he glanced at Bloom, who was pointing at Hermione who took up at least half the bed.

Extimum: "I think there is enough space, the bed is big enough".

Bloom: "Well, yeah, but, I mean, she's basically a statue right now. Isn't it a little weird sleeping next to a statue? Even if I know she's petrified Hermione, it just feels weird".

Extimum: "Didn't you sleep with a doll when you were little?".

Bloom: "...You know that's not what I mean".

Extimum: "Okay, just don't look at her, she'll sleep on one side of the bed and we'll sleep on the other, plus I'll be with you, so it'll be easier to ignore her".

Bloom: "Okay…" Although she spoke like this, Bloom still stared at the petrified Hermione.

Seeing her like this, Extimum also looked at Hermione. He hadn't really given it much thought when he brought her in, but to some degree, it was perhaps… a little unsettling?

He didn't have much to say about it, for him, she was still Hermione.

Putting down his pen on his desk, Extimum decided to call off his study for today. In any case, it was still Easter and he should take advantage of the last few days for something other than studying.

Taking Bloom who was sitting on the back of the chair, she headed towards the bed.

Given the time, both he and Bloom were already wearing comfortable clothes to go directly to sleep, so it was only a matter of lifting the sheets a little and getting inside.

Once under the sheets, his tails soon spread over the mattress, while two in particular took different routes. One of them moved up his body to cover Bloom, while the second reached out to wrap around Hermione's waist.

After settling down, Extimum lightly waved his hand, turning off the torches and fell silent to get ready to sleep.

Bloom: "Extimum".

Extimum: "Yes?".

Bloom: "Did you sleep with a doll when you were younger too?"

Extimum:"…".

.

.

Bloom:' Extimum… Extimum, wake up! '.

Extimum:"Wha-".'What's wrong?'. Narrowing his eyes, Extimum glanced warily and surreptitiously around his room as he quickly shook himself out of the stupor of sleep.

It was early, but not too early. Judging roughly from the sun shining through the windows, he'd say it was around 8am, but he didn't understand why Bloom would wake him up so early when they'd both been up late and there were no classes today.

It was especially so, because ever since Bloom had learned that she could sneak into the kitchen to get food from the house elves at any time, she had become much more relaxed about getting up early.

However, what really caught his attention and limited his annoyance was actually that Bloom was talking to him through their mental link and not as usual, even when they were alone in his room.

Unless… they were no longer completely alone…

When his thoughts got there, Extimum fixed his gaze and all his attention on the still figure of Hermione.

Bloom: 'She moved, I'm sure of it. I think he has recovered'.

It seemed that his thoughts had aligned perfectly with the situation. However, it still needed to be confirmed, so he stealthily moved the tail that had wrapped around Hermione and applied a bit of pressure.

And, he felt it...

The touch was no longer solid and stony, instead, he felt the softness of the flesh and how it softened under pressure, accompanied by a slight body heat.

In fact, he did not have to wait too long, when he saw how Hermione's hands began to shake subtly.

Keeping her hands outstretched in that position would definitely be exhausting.

Extimum: 'Did you see her looking this way?'.

Bloom: 'No, but she could have done it before I woke up. I only discovered her because I saw her move when I was about to get up to go to the bathroom'.

Extimum: 'I think she's definitely already looked, otherwise, why is she trying so hard to pretend she's still petrified the moment she saw you move?'

Bloom: 'You're right, but then, that doesn't mean she saw…'.

Extimum didn't answer that question, but it wasn't necessary.

It was impossible that she hadn't noticed the tail around her waist and even if she had mistaken it for a scarf or something else, just one look at Extimum could change that thought.

In his sleeping position, Extimum was partially covered by a sheet, while his tails spread around him, one of them was even on his chest wrapped around Bloom's body.

Even ignoring that, Extimum's fox ears were clearly visible on his head.

Extimum: 'Then let's see how long she can keep pretending'.

The tail that was gently wrapping around Hermione's waist suddenly tightened and then dragged Hermione's body right up beside it.

Hermione's performance was really commendable. Her hands only trembled slightly and she managed not to let out a sound or blink as her body was dragged away.

Once close, he straddled her and looked her straight in the eyes searching for any hesitation. Throughout all of this, he had kept his fox ears and only kept the tail that he was holding on to Hermione with.

Hermione, however, froze in place and seemed determined not to break her performance.

'Hard to the end huh…'.

Extimum: "I think we should clean up Hermione's body. Don't you think so Bloom? After all, she will be petrified for a while and the best thing would be that when she recovers she will not find herself dirty".

** Ti li lin **

Immediately sensing Extimum's intentions, Bloom nodded as a soft chime-like sound escaped her mouth, similar to how she normally acted.

Extimum noticed how Hermione's emotions began to stir at his words; however, she still did not seem ready to react.

Without saying anything else, Extimum got up from the bed and dragged Hermione's body with his tail in the direction of the bathroom.

Extimum: "Oh, that's right! Bloom, you must have more experience, help me take off Hermione's clothes".

** Ti li lin **

Hermione: "W-wait, wait, I can do it myself".

Unable to continue her act, Hermione said immediately as she noticed that they were quickly approaching the bathroom and Bloom was already starting to pick up her clothes.

Extimum: "Okay, you can take it off yourself". Extimum nodded in agreement, but his steps didn't stop on his way to the bathroom.

Hermione: "What? No, I mean I can take a bath myself"-

Extimum: "Oh, you should have been more specific with your words". Extimum made a clear expression that it was Hermione's fault.

Just a step away from the bathroom door, Extimum finally stopped and turned to look at Hermione. With the end of his words, it was as if the previous casual atmosphere transformed into a much more oppressive and intense one.

Extimum: "However, what should I do with you?"—While speaking, Extimum gradually shortened the short distance that separated them—"You've seen too much…".

Hermione was startled, aware that she had broken her performance in the excitement and momentum of the moment.

Hermione :"Could you…could you let me go?". Hermione swallowed hard and answered between doubt and nervousness.

With Hermione inches from him, Extimum could almost see her mind racing trying to think of something.

The ease with which he had been able to confuse her told him clearly that she must not have woken up long ago, so her mind was still disoriented by the experience she had lived in addition to what she saw when she woke up.

Extimum moved closer and closer, tempted by the same tension in the environment that he himself had created and the vulnerable sight of Hermione.

Hermione shivered slightly at the feel of his breath on her skin. While her mind wanted to withdraw, her body seemed ignorant of her desires and stayed there.

Extimum: "It would be very dangerous... Why should I do it, knowing what you've seen?"

The air felt hot and Hermione's rationality almost seemed to desert her when she felt a light touch on her neck, making her answer weakly from her mouth.

Hermione: "Because…because we're friends?".

The voice was weak and soft at this point, but as soon as her words fell, it was as if suddenly, the entire atmosphere of tension and warmth had been removed.

Extimum: "Yes... We are friends". Finishing his words, Extimum withdrew and released his tail's hold on his as it also disappeared behind his back.

"Go ahead and take a bath first, when you get out we can talk things over more calmly. There should be a clean set of clothes in there for you to wear while your current clothes are washed".

Without saying anything else, he stepped aside, leaving the path to the bathroom visible, while subtly indicating for her to enter.

The sudden change caught Hermione a little off guard and made her feel a little strange, almost as if she had done something wrong.

Therefore, after giving Extimum a long look, she walked to the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

Extimum just followed her figure with his eyes until he saw her close the door and then he went to his closet.

Bloom: "Are you okay?". Subtly sensing the sudden change, Bloom could not help but ask.

She knew that all of the above was simply Extimum's way of bullying Hermione, but still, she felt that something had been different.

Extimum: "Of course, why wouldn't I be?".

Downplaying all of the above, Extimum snapped his fingers, while it seemed that his entire figure was fleetingly enveloped by a gale and after his disappearance, he looked fresher and cleaner.

Opening his closet, he took a quick look and selected his clothes for today, while directly removing the only piece of clothing that covered his body, his pants.

Bloom: "Kyaa! What are you doing all of a sudden?" Bloom covered her eyes with her hands as she watched him stand completely naked in front of her.

Casually putting on his clothes, Extimum replied while raising one of his eyebrows and looking in her direction.

Extimum: "Mm? You know, you'd be more convincing if you weren't looking through your fingers. Besides, I don't think it's anything you haven't already seen, you even stared at me the other time."

"And it's not like I haven't seen you naked before, right? Even before you got your memory back, I used to bathe-".

Bloom: "Don't say it!". Seeing that she had been caught and even Extimum mentioned such embarrassing events, she flew to hide inside the wardrobe out of embarrassment.

It wasn't her fault that last time she'd been so shocked to see him suddenly undress in front of her that she'd froze and taken in the whole sight.

Extimum: "Don't run away, come here".

Finishing putting on his clothes, she reached out his hand to the closet and searched briefly before catching Bloom who was trying to sneak away.

Bloom: "Ah! Let go of me". Bloom struggled weakly in Extimum's hands.

Straight up ignoring the overreaction, he pulled her close and then planted a kiss on her cheek that immediately stopped all movement.

Bloom: "Hmm ~ x_x." Bloom moaned weakly and then dramatically pretended to pass out in Extimum's hands.

Seeing her fall "unconscious", Extimum blinked strangely at the sight. It was hard to take her seriously when she had "passed out" with her tongue hanging out, which made for a cute and funny sight.

Extimum:" hehehe *sigh* What are you doing?".

Bloom: "Releasing our stress and shame?".

Extimum was about to respond, when the sound of the door lock being released was heard.

**Click**

The sound was followed by the opening of the door.

Seeing her leave, Bloom immediately flew to sit on Extimum's shoulder, clearly grateful to be able to escape her embarrassment.

Extimum also turned his attention to the figure of Hermione emerging from the bathroom.

Her hair was slightly damp and she was wearing a white shirt along with long black pants, both were clearly a few sizes larger than her own, but it didn't affect too much, added to the fact that her pants were held up by a belt.

Extimum took the chair from his desk and pulled it over to the bed, taking a seat on it as he gestured to the bed in front of him at Hermione, a clear indication to take a seat.

Hermione immediately caught the hint and walked over to sit across from him.

The clothes that he had previously had been deposited in a dirty clothes chute. She had been a bit surprised to see it, it was usually found outside of every bedroom, but the Extimum room had one in its bathroom.

After sitting across from each other, they sat in silence, while Extimum gave her a little more time to collect her thoughts.

Honestly, he had thought she would take her time in the shower to collect her thoughts, but it seemed like she had just had a quick bath before heading out.

Hermione also welcomed the moment of silence, even taking the time to look not so subtly at Extimum's back and head.

Extimum: "You should have already suspected or known after the things you have seen and have happened between us, but I am not quite human".

Hearing him talk about "the events", Hermione couldn't help but remember what had happened in the hospital wing that time.

On that occasion, she seemed to have had a faint memory of something similar, however, thinking of that occasion, her mind ended up drifting to other memories and her body couldn't help but suffer a faint shudder along with a vague phantom feeling similar to the one she had been feeling for the last few days.

Her shudder, however, did not escape Extimum's eyes who looked at her attentively, making him frown slightly at such a response.

However, before he could say anything else, Hermione spoke up.

Hermione: "It's not what you think, I just remembered something else. But then what are you?" Seeming to have immediately seen Extimum's thoughts, Hermione clarified to prevent him from misunderstanding.

She did not want to cause any more misunderstandings.

Seeing Hermione's expression relax, Extimum decided to ignore it for now and continue.

Extimum: "I am half human and half celestial fox". As he made mention of the latter, nine platinum-colored tails with faint and intricate purple markings extended from his back, while his fox ears also appeared momentarily on his head before tucking them back into hiding.

Hermione looked carefully at the tails that sway gently as if the wind itself were swaying them with a certain natural rhythm and the ears that had appeared briefly.

She was not too surprised at this point, but it was still an amazing sight.

She had never had the opportunity to see anything like this beyond the books, the closest thing would be when she suffered the aftermath of Polyjuice Potion, but that had been ultimately unnatural and completely different.

It was not only the tone of the image, but also the feeling it provoked, which made it so different and natural.

She was almost tempted to reach out and touch one of the tails, but was able to stop herself in time, feeling that it would be inappropriate.

Although, to her surprise, one of them actually reached out and touched her hand before she could withdraw it completely.

It was soft, comfortable and perhaps a little warm; she was almost lost for a moment as she played with it, until she heard Bloom coughing loudly breaking her out of her light reverie and excitement.

Hermione" *Ahem* Sorry, I think I let myself get a bit". Feeling Bloom's gaze on her, Hermione coughed in embarrassment.

Extimum had only limited themselves to observing Hermione's reaction, finding it a bit curious and reassuring in the face of certain ideas that vaguely floated through his mind.

Extimum: "Okay, so far, that seems like a pretty natural reaction. However, let us get back to the important stuff. You must be a bit disoriented, but it's only been a day since you were petrified and-"

Hermione: "Wait! What? One day? How is that possible? I thought Professor Sprout's mandrakes would still take a while to ripen".

Extimum: "And it still don't-".

Hermione: "But then how could I be unpetrified and why-?".

Hermione was about to continue her outburst, when her words were suddenly caught in her throat, when she caught the cold look Extimum was giving her along with a slight smile.

Extimum: "As I was saying. The mandrakes haven't matured yet, but that doesn't mean you can't get them outside, right? And yes, I know that it's not easy to get mandrakes outside if it's not in their growing maturation season, but leaving those minor issues aside-".

Hermione: "Those are not minor issues…" Hermione's voice trailed off as quickly as it started as she felt a sudden chill and fell silent.

Bloom: "I think you should bite her, that always works to calm her down when she gets like this".

Hermione: "What? Who? Who said that?" Hermione jumped from her spot and looked around the room alertly, searching for the source of the unknown voice.

Extimum: "Yes, but then it would also be hard to say if her mind would still be fully aware of everything we talk about later".

Bloom: "Hmm, I hadn't thought of that".

Hermione's eyes widened in surprise and looked directly at Bloom who was resting on Extimum's shoulder.

Hermione: "You… did you speak?"

Bloom: "Yes".

Hermione did not say anything else and instead took a deep breath and sat back down on the bed.

Extimum: "That was more effective than expected... well, you are the only one who has been depetrified at the moment and you are currently in my room".

Hermione: "I understand, *sigh* Well, I'll go meet the others, they must be worried". Hermione still had many questions, but she felt like she wanted to go outside first for a breather.

However, as she was about to get up, she felt something wrap around her waist and not let her go.

Extimum: "You can't leave".

Hermione: "What? Why?"

Extimum: "Well, I already went to the trouble of kidnapping you, how can I let you go so easily?".

Hermione frowned slightly, but her mind could not think too hard when Extimum spoke again.

Extimum: "You know, it's a little offensive that you actually believe that".

Hermione: "I-I'm sorry".

Bloom: "But... Isn't bringing her here in some way a kidnapping?".

Extimum:" Discretion, Bloom, Discretion."

Bloom: "Hmp".

Observing their interaction, Hermione felt inexplicably more relaxed and could not help but notice with interest the way Extimum and Bloom communicated so casually and freely.

She had not seen Extimum act like this before. Although he was also more casual with his friends, she felt that with Bloom he seemed much more free from apprehension and even a bit more expressive.

Extimum: "Actually, Hermione, there's a reason why you can't go out. Perhaps you are wondering why you are the only one depetrified? The answer is that I already had the mandrake extract before and after I found out what happened to you, I stole you from the infirmary and brought you here to depetrify you".

"I'll leave the details about how I did it, but what, if I can tell you, is that there is currently another very realistic Hermione taking your place in the hospital wing".

Hermione: "Okay, ignoring the fact that there's another me. If you had it, why didn't you give it to the school so they could destone the others first? Or…don't you have enough to go around?" Wisely deciding to temporarily ignore her surprise and intrigue that there was another Hermione in her place, she asked what confused her the most.

Extimum: "There is enough for everyone".

Hermione: "So…"

Extimum: "Because I'm selfish. I certainly have enough, but tell me what if a lot more people had been petrified? What if a single serving wasn't enough to depetrify someone? It's not like I'm being cruel either, after all, the school It also has its own means, which will only take a little longer, but, you're different".

Hermione: "Different… How am I different?" Hermione's brows furrowed in contemplation as she asked.

Extimum: "You are different, because I can see them petrified, but not you".

Hermione: "W-what?" Hermione's eyes widened and a slight blush crept up her cheeks as she was caught off guard by Extimum's words.

Extimum: "Isn't it obvious? You are important to me, as are our friends. If Harry or Ron, Mitchell or Padma were petrified. If things started to spiral out of control and escalate to such levels, I wouldn't have enough extract of mandrake for all students".

"However, some of my immediate concerns have already been removed, so I was thinking of handing over most of the extracts I have to the infirmary to treat the few current students anyway. However, before that, you should not be seen outside. I don't think I have to tell you why, do I?"

Hermione was processing every word and although she had calmed down, the slight blush had not completely disappeared from her face as she nodded in agreement to Extimum.

Hermione: "I understand, but where am I going to sleep then?".

Extimum: "In that bed."

Hermione: "And you?"

Extimum "In the same bed of course".

Hermione: "What? But…"

Extimum: "Didn't we sleep together before? It won't make a difference".

Hermione: 'Of course there will be a difference, before I was frozen in a statue, but now…'.

Hermione really wanted to share a bit of her mind with him, but she knew he had already done enough for her and this was, after all, his room, so asking for more was pretty inconsiderate.

Extimum: "However, this is also a very good opportunity, you can meet and talk with Bloom, so you won't be bored. I'll take care of everything else, like food and that you don't fall behind in your studies".

Speaking up to here, Extimum took Bloom and handed her over to Hermione for her to take.

Hermione took Bloom a little hesitantly, she still had her doubts, after all, to her, Bloom was just an ordinary fairy, but now she seemed very different and she was afraid that it would be another Extimum-level surprise.

Bloom: " I can't help but feel like you're giving me over to her like I'm some kind of cat". Although she was very serious, she clearly stuck out her tongue at Extimum to show that she was joking.

Extimum: "Okay, it's a little late, I'll go get us some breakfast. You can talk to each other in the meantime".

Extimum left the room soon after. Breakfast time had already ended a while ago and since she hadn't gone with everyone else, she would have to sneak into the kitchen while covering herself with a cloak of illusion.

Hermione: "So… you've been able to talk all this time?"

Bloom: "Yes."

Hermione: "But why didn't you speak up? Why did you hide it? Pretending to be a common fairy… You are a fairy right?".

Bloom: "*sigh* Yes, I'm a real fairy, maybe much more real compared to the others you've seen. As for why I didn't speak before... It's kind of complicated, how much do you know about the great ancient families?".

Hermione: "Do you mean the sacred twenty-nine?".

Bloom: "Bah, what sacred twenty-nine? Can they even be considered ancient families versus real ones?"

Hermione blinked like an owl at Bloom's display.

Not every day a girl who was barely 8cm tall scolded you with so much attitude, besides, what other ancient families were there? Such a question briefly ran through Hermione's head until she decided to speak.

Hermione: "So what great ancient families are you talking about? I do not know of any others. Or maybe you're talking about very old families that are now extinct?"

Bloom: "Ugh, well then, what do you know about the Extimum family?" Bloom flopped onto the mattress, finding that it would take a while to get Hermione up to speed on the situation first, before she could really explain her situation.

Hermione: "The Shadowless family? Hmm, well, I know they're part of the sacred twenty-nine and they're one of the most influential families in modern times. I know they have several shops in Diagon Alley and quite a bit of political influence. Other than that I've read and heard all kinds of rumours about them".

"Things like they are very mysterious and a lot of their activities are hardly known about, some say that despite their facade they are actually a terrible dark family, although it sounds more like gossip. I really do not know much about them. Last I heard, it seems like everyone is pretty wary of them and even trying to curry favour with them".

"But what does all this have to do with my question?".

Bloom: "It has a lot to do with it, but before I tell you, let me explain what the great ancient families are. I learned this mostly from the mouth of Extimum and although it is not something of a secret, I hope you can be discreet with such information".

Hermione nodded in agreement, beginning to wonder at her words.

Bloom: "Currently there are only nine great ancient families left. They are called great ancient families because their existence dates back to almost time immemorial, if it had to be said, they could be considered the first families of the human magical civilization, although of course, in those times there were many more, but what stands out about these nine is that they still exist today".

"Going into detail about each one would be too long, but basically they are: Shadowless, Oset, Mòshuǐ, Eisenfaust, Mallku, Urma-rosie, Oqiul-rău, Óneira and Caerimonia".

"The nature and origin of each of these families is different, so they are generally not named in the same realm, however, despite the differences, these nine are actually very close and have multiple generational connections, either friendly or antagonistic".

"They could be considered the families with the purest lineage and the greatest magical heritage in the current world. However, here comes the main point, all of these families have a very important ritual that they perform at least once for every generation, it is a pretty sensitive subject, so I can't tell you what kind of ritual it is".

"However, one of the main ingredients is Ancient Blood Essence. As its name says, Blood Essence is something very vital to every being, and there are only two ways to obtain it. The first is to take it directly from the heart of each being while their heart is still beating and the second is to refine large amounts of normal blood".

"The purer and therefore older the blood, the better effects it provides to the ritual. That is why beings with great ancestry are protected by ancient families, they protect them and as payment they obtain large amounts of blood among other necessary things for the ritual".

"And my blood… if it were used, it could be worth thousands in quantity and thousands more in quality, but how much essence blood do you think I can produce before I die? Or have a fate worse than death?"

Hermione's face paled slightly as she vaguely understood what that fate might be based on Bloom's words.

Hermione: "But… you said it yourself, they can't get much from you and there are many and you're just one, why would it be dangerous if them to know of your existence when you're worth so little in the wide range of things?". Hermione immediately grasped where Bloom's whole story was leading and asked the key question.

Yes, why would a single fairy with an ancient lineage be so valuable? It's not like there were no other alternatives. And the answer is…

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