What Comes After SPEW

[DORIAN HOWARD]

After a year, Dorian had grown better used to his prosthetic arm. Nothing strange, after such a time. He was now able to grab objects without dropping or breaking them and, provided that he could look at the hands, could shake that of another person without crushing the fingers. Still, to say he grew to accept his state would be lying. He was still very conscious about his new condition. He was reminded of it every night when he had to remove the arm and apply some cream on what remained of his elbow. Magic was great in the sense that the hand looked as realistic as possible and could do a lot of the movements a normal hand could, but it was still a fake one. The texture was different, the feeling when touching it was not the same.

He groaned as he moved his arm. What he hated the most out of it all was when he felt pain in it. He felt as though his brain was mocking him. How could his arm itch and hurt when it was no longer there? And, somehow, he believed that the meeting he just left helped dampen his mood further.

How unbelievable was it to hear that Dorian was working at a retirement home for wizards? Taking care of people was clearly not something you would expect out of him. Even he would admit to that. But he was able to talk to those people, have them somehow relate to his condition. And all he needed to be at the center of those people's world was a little bit of attention towards their stories of ancient times. Or assure the grandmas they still looked fabulous. One of them died and left a bit of money to him in her will. It was what the meeting was about. Her children were not having it. But, tough luck, he would be leaving with the money anyway. He was glad of this but hearing what they said of him while keeping a straight face and not losing his composure proved to be hard.

He felt like he needed a drink after that. Or something. Just not going back home to his place and be all alone. He had to change his mind. Such was his thought as he walked down the street and encountered HERMIONE GRANGER . He groaned. Now, he knew he asked for a distraction but fate didn't need to further torture him today! Didn't he have enough? There was no way for the young witch to not have noticed him. Would she simply walk by, or inquire on his health? He was certain she didn't care. Had she not been one of those who gave him crap for looking too down at school when Lalia was kidnapped? Or kept pushing him about that stupid movement of hers for the betterment of house elves? She never truly cared for him. But there was no way she did not see him and he didn't want to add to the list of flaws she no doubt gave him, so he figured he might as well greet her. Then, surely he could find a bar or a place or a person that would be of better company to him than bossy little Miss Granger.

"Well if it isn't Hermione Granger in the flesh. What have you been up to since Hogwarts? Still trying to save the world when it's not just a tiny part of its population?" That was a tad more sarcastic than he meant it to be. Or was it? It wasn't like she didn't know him in any other way than this. He simply wouldn't have changed much in her eyes, something he already expected her to believe.

[HERMIONE GRANGER]

Quite honestly, while the SPEW was in her mind, it wasn’t a high priority as much as she would have wished it to be at the moment. Her worries were on her parents and she would often stay in late for that reason. She wanted to track them down, but she wasn’t sure she had enough resources to find them. Sure, she had her friends who were trying to help to and figure out a way to find them as well as Draco did but it wasn’t enough. She wished she could pinpoint them already and then find a way to give them their memory back.

She needed to find someone who could track people or read more about it. She had just come back from Flourish and was walking on her way home. If anyone would say that she was taking a break was wrong, she never was and it was for that reason that Draco was watching over her like a hawk making sure that she had at least the minimum and ate food while she had her nose stuffed in her books researching on the subject.

She was startled a bit as she wasn’t focusing on her surrounding, as she heard the familiar voice of Dorian Howard. It ought to be because he was in Muggle London and he was a pureblood wizard but she thought it was odd to see him in there. She heard his sarcasm but wasn’t exactly ready to deal with that. “Dorian.” She said greeting him. It then occurred to her that he could know someone, exactly for the fact that he was a pureblood. She had thought to ask the Weasleys, mostly to Molly and Arthur how they did that clock since it would tell where everyone in the household was. It could give her an indication of where to look for. “Do you know by any chance someone who can track people?” There, might as well know right away before she’d have another breakdown.

[DORIAN HOWARD]

Dorian could hardly fall on wors person. Hermione was, in his eyes, the kind of person who gave tough love to her friends. Considering he was not, he didn't want to think how she would trat him. She may have some respect, but would likely dismiss his bravery as just a natural thing to do. Sure, it was natural for her. But did she ever believe that he would join the fight? That he would save someone at great cost? Then again, she may not find his sacrifice this big. He didn't know whether he was being too hard on the girl and her way of thinking but he still remembered how he apparently overreacted when his best friend got kidnapped. Maybe it was best then that he left out the part about the kidnapper being a lover of his.

Hermione did that him off guard there. She didn't seem as responsive as he normally would have suspected her to be. None of her sass came his way. Just his name, said on the tone of someone saying things in front of them without really paying attention to them. But even more surprising was the question she had in store for him. "Depends, what poor soul are you trying to torment this time?"

This was a spark of the old Dorian coming right back, thinking only of how he ended up in her little 'save the elves' club because he offered her a chance to talk to pure-blooded families. But he realised the tone she used, and just how unlikely it would have been of her to ask his help in any circumstances. It was why he got serious all of a sudden and frowned before adding: "Who are you looking for?"

[HERMIONE GRANGER]

To say that Hermione was losing it was an understatement. She had a lot on her mind and was starting to freak out at the idea of not being able to find a way to track her parents back so she could give them their memories. This was so much to handle for her and despite the fact that her friends did all they could to help her on the matter, that didn’t help her to be at ease and relaxed. Knowing she would get scolded for beings stressed out again she agreed on chatting with Dorian. What worse could happen? She could always see if he had a way of tracking people; he did come from a pureblood family and who knows what sorts of secrets about wizards he could tell her. She mostly wanted to know of the ones that interested her in her researches though.

She bit her lips as he questioned her, sounding like before and it started sinking in her that she might have taken the wrong decision by asking him such a thing. She couldn’t back down anymore though, since she had done so and would have to tell him what she had to do to her parents to keep them safe from Voldemort. This was such a bitter way to part from them but it had to be done, for their safety.

“My parents. I had to obliviate them for their safety and I discovered they moved to Australia, I need to find a way to track them down so I can give them their memories back.” She let out. At least, he seemed to be understanding.

[DORIAN HOWARD]

She gave him no snark for his remark. Something was wrong with her, for sure. Hermione always had a thing to reply to you, even if it was just a 'you're not worth it' before leaving. You can't just mess with a Lion, well Lioness. Particularly the Lionesses.

Hermione explained what she meant, who she was talking about. Dorian frowned. "Your parents? Muggles, right?" He was not saying it to insult her. He never said anything regarding her blood before. She lost her parents, she said. In their eyes though, they might not even have known they lost her, if what she said was to be believed. He believed it. Anyone else, he might think such a spell would be too elaborate to remove that much, but it was Hermione he was talking about. He expected her to know a way. "If they're muggles, shouldn't you ask muggle... what's it called, police? Find someone from Australia to ask if they couldn't search for them?" He was not quite sure what she was hoping wizards could do then. Dorian had no idea if they could track her parents that easily, with them possessing not magical abilities. He doubted you could track people victim of the obliviate spell. "If you want to ask wizards, it would be on a way to regain memories. I didn't know you could do that. I suppose I can still ask at work, maybe someone would know." They were all a bunch of older people forgotten by their families, mot of them wishing to be useful one more time before the end of their life. Maybe someone knew how to track a person, or get memories back.

[HERMIONE GRANGER]

Hermione had thought a lot about the possibilities of how she should find her parents. She looked for both ways, muggle and wizard however, the possibilities of finding it the wizarding way seemed to be the easiest. She nodded her head as Dorian asked if her parents were muggles. They were, and while she could go for the police as Dorian told her, it was more complicated than that. How was she supposed to tell them that she erased their memories and wanted to find them back and have them believe in her? “It’s not as easy, how am I suppose to explain to them I want to find them back because I erased their memories?” She asked him back.

“I have been searching ways and intend to go to Australia once I have enough content to know where to find them.” She admitted. Luckily, Harry was helping with her on the matter and so were Ron and Draco. She just needed to find a better idea of where they were because let’s face it, Australia was a large country and it was like finding a needle in the hay.

“If you can ask them, you work with old people, right?” At least, it was what the rumours had said back then and she never really tended to stay in touch with these.

[DORIAN HOWARD]

Yes, explaining that way especially to muggles, would be weird. They wouldn't believe her, no doubt, if they did not punish her for wasting their time or sending her to get some medical help. "A private then? Not like they need too many details, you can just say they're distant relatives or something, or that you're adopted and you think they're your biological parents." They would need money thought, ot that Dorian knew too well. They barely ever talked of that on shows. Dorian had watched a bit of muggle television while living on his own and some of the stuff he watched fascinated him. He thought those things were possible. And it was weird she had not thought of it. Or maybe she did. He could not believe someone with her intellect didn't think of it, especially being a muggleborn herself.

Going to the country only once she was cetain they were there was sensible. Ortherwise she may just go there for nothing, if it turned out they weren't there. He approved of that logic, thought it was natural of her. Turned out even during emotional moments she was able to think things through, unlike so many people.

He was surprised she knew this. "So you've heard? I didn't know it was that big of a deal." That some pureblood artistocrat-like wizard knew, he could somewhat believe. He doubted his parents would tell it but they came from the same social circle. Or someone whose relatives was in that home he worked for. Neither fit Hermione though, so he wondered how she knew. At least she didn't sound too much like she could not believe it and questioned this, or judged. "Some used to work for the Ministry and the like, so maybe they know a few things the younger generation forgot about. I can check." He still thought she would have a better chance with muggles but this was not something too complicated or demanding for him.

[HERMIONE GRANGER]

Hermione was aware of the possibilities that were ahead of her to find her parents she just wasn’t sure which way would be best. Besides, she didn’t feel like asking for money out of Draco or Harry to help her find her parents. It would be too much to ask them that since Draco bought the house of her parents so they could live in it. She didn’t want to owe him more than she did right now. She had too much pride for that and she had a feeling that Dorian would understand, no? “I did consider it but I need money, I checked the prices they offered for such a task and it’s not going to be cheap.” She was hoping that the magical alternative would be cheaper for her. If it wasn’t then she would have to go with that option either she liked it or not.

She nodded her head. “Even if I don’t listen to rumours much they ended up to my ears.” She told him. She wasn’t judging him for that, in fact, it impressed her that he was doing that for the old. She never knew of his inner motives, of getting the attention, and would have talked him out for that but since he was offering help, she wouldn’t ditch on it.

“Please, I appreciate it very much.” After all, she felt like she was out of resources and it annoyed her greatly since she usually wasn’t. She was the one who helped her friends and didn’t quite like being the one who needed the help yet. She would have to ask Ron too as he also knew a lot of the magic world. Asking purebloods was her best bet for what she was looking for, after all.

[DORIAN HOWARD]

Dorian could understand how one's pride made you reluctant to ask for money, but mostly because the people with money he could ask some from were the kinds that would demand all sorts of things in exchange. He was referring to his parents but there were otehrs as well. You don't get rich by giving to everyone who asked you to. Dorian had no idea Hermione knew closely families with enough money to help her though. "Ah yes, and I suppose you don't have a lot of people close to you you can ask for help?" Was she asking him? He thought Hermione would have been more direct than that if that were the case. Besides, she had too much pride to ask him. She would have to be truly desperate.

Plus, if she heard the rumour about him working at a retirement home, she had to believe he wasn't rich. The fact he had been cut off in the past had to be known and who was to say how much people knew of him being back within the family. It had to be known, since he agreed to attend some events with his family, but he would rather not and often used his arm as an excuse. If he couldn't, then he at least had Adele so he wouldn't last out of them. He didn't want to say it to Hermione, she might like it, but he grew to dislike and judge the people he used to roam with for their attitude. "Now I,m scared what else you might have heard if you don't listen to rumours much." He was tempted to ask her if that surprised her, if she believed it. But she was too deep in her problems to care for that kind of pleasantries and he didn't want her to lose her temper on him.

"You are aware though that it may be impossible to revert the spell?" She had to have thought of the possibility, if she didn't want to entertain it for the moment. But maybe it was best she came prepared, just in case. Her only choice might very well be to know how her parents were doing without ever having contacts with them. "But you're a stronger witch than I thought. I had no idea you could remove an entire person out of someone's memory. A child no less. That's like... part of your entire being for as long as that person existed." She might not want to hear that but maybe that was also the key to them regaining their memory, if such a thing was possible. Maybe she couldn't fully remove the memory of having a child.

[HERMIONE GRANGER]

Hermione wasn’t asking for Dorian’s money, she was only asking him for his knowledge of the magical world. She was a muggle-born after all and she didn’t know all of its secrets just yet as much as it displeased her. She would have to ask to Malfoy and Ron too if they knew anything. Harry wanted to help and was trying to pin point her parents with her but he was raised with muggles, just as she was so she wouldn’t ask him that. She would ask him even less of his money even if she was aware that he would, same would go on Malfoy. “I’d rather be independent on the financial aspects of my life.” She told him. “I’m going to ask to my circle of friends who are purebloods, in case they have anything they know about what I’m searching for.” She added. However, she didn’t feel like asking to strangers about it. It wasn’t like talking about the SPEW. It was about personal business she wasn’t willing to share with a lot of people.

His words had her to smile a little. He certainly didn’t change but his joke was welcomed. It’s not like she had found a lot of time to laugh even if the darker times were over and behind her. She had helped Harry fight the Dark Lord and went through a lot during the war, however she felt like she was the most helpless and was having a hard time to smile and have a good laugh. It probably worried her two best friends too and she couldn’t blame them for that. “Don’t worry, I didn’t hear anything bad.” She added.

She nodded her head, as she remained serious over the situation of her parents. “Everything in time, I want to at least know where they are.” It would also give her an excuse to travel to Australia if only it was to make sure her parents were safe and happy... “It was not easy but it had to be done.” She said to him as it downed her mood once more.

[DORIAN HOWARD]

Dorian wouldn't have been against asking money to certain people. It only depended on the cost of such a favour. Then again, pride could come in and prevent you from doing that. It could happen with him also. He certainly had a high sense of the self. She wanted to be independent though. It was, at least the excuse to not ask for money. "Independance works as long as you can afford it. But I suppose you can make sure to know how much it will cost first before asking for such a favour." He still believed a muggle in this case would be more useful, since she was looking for muggles. Their methods differed from the wizards but he thought they might have a better shot on this one.

Of course, when it came to meet with them and bring their memory back, that was a whole other matter. Muggles would be useless there. But Dorian never heard of someone recovering memories lost. Then again, he never cared to search that detail. He was certain Hermione was far more knowledgeable on the matter. She must have already read every book at Hogwarts, the book store and maybe the ministry if they had any, on it and ways to reverse it, if such a thing was possible.

She claimed not having heard any bad rumours on his account. "Now I know you are pulling my leg. Bad is what they do best." Dorian was not about to make a bad pun with his arm instead, as it was still a delicate subject for him. "I'm almost offended they couldn't come with something. But I supposed I stopped being interesting a long time ago." After all, he was no Harry Potter. Who would care what happened to any of the many others who fought at the Battle of Hogwarts who had not been directly responsible for the death of the Dark Lord?

She at least seemed aware of the possible reality to forever be a stranger to her parents now. He nodded though. He could understand the need to at least know where they were and that they were safe. He might not have that kind of inclination towards his parents, but he was not in her situation. He would have preferred to know where Adele was, for sure, even without being with her anymore. He still couldn't believe she chose to stick around. He felt like she was making a mistake sometimes. "I suppose so. I don't know how much they would have been willing to bother chasing down your parents, but there was a possibility," he admitted. After all, he didn't hear Ron's family had been in danger. That might make her regret her gesture and why she was so willing to find them again.

[HERMIONE GRANGER]

Hermione nodded at Dorian as he talked to her about Independence workers she might have to dig through this though he seemed to know a lot on the matter. “Have you ever required such services before? You seem to know a lot about it.” She commented not judging him on the matter. Maybe he could give her pointers on where to look otherwise, she might have to go through the internet and see if she could find anything on there. Being a muggleborn also had its good sides. It was weird though that she was able to talk to him and ask help from him at the moment but he did seem to have changed a lot after the war and she approved of it.

She had obviously started her research on the possibility of reversing memories of people. Now it wasn’t a matter of that but a matter of finding a way that could help figure out where the heck her parents had been now that they were in Australia. Luckily, they had found clues on the country; they just needed clues on a town and preferably their address but it would be harder than she thought it could be.

She smiled at him and shrugged a little. “That’s better they stop finding you interesting no? There are noisy news reporters who would sell their souls to bash people.” She said referring to that dark Skeeter. Luckily she had gotten her and she had stopped after that but one never knows when she would go back to her old habits and hopefully, she wouldn’t be the target of the rumours again.

“You’re right, they might not have but I didn’t want to take chances; I was working with Harry to help defeat Voldemort they might have used them to make us give up and I wouldn’t have forgiven myself it had happened.” She only thought of the worse case scenarios back then and didn’t want to take the chance. Especially with her current affiliation and the ways she had helped Harry. They could have tortured her far worse than what they had done when they caught them. She sometimes still had nightmares about this.

[DORIAN HOWARD]

Hermione questioned him about the price of favors. At least it was what he got from her, claiming he sounded like he knew a lot about it. "Granger, I'm amongst the elite of the purebloods. How do you think that works? It's all a matter of what you can get from others and how much it will cost you. There's no real friendship, just calculation." Of course she wouldn't get that. Surely there was something similar in the muggle world, but she was not from that part of the social ladder. What part was she? Dorian had no idea how that worked for muggles. "You cannot ask for a favour without knowing how much they will ask for it and how much you are willing to pay back. Otherwise you are in a position of weakness. Now, it would be different for you, because they are you friends and willing to help, but that's a lesson you might want to remember for the future, just in case." True, she was asking him for some help too and could believe it applied to him as well. Luckily for her, Dorian failed to see what Hermione could give him. He doubted demanding she at least saw him as one of the people who fought in the war and gave a lot for it would change much. That wouldn't stop her from telling him not to be brooding if she caught him on a bad day. She fought and sacrificed more after all.

"I'm not interesting enough for those reporters. If you had the skeletons I have in my closet, they would go wild." That was frustrating a bit for a guy like him who loved attention so much, but he was also glad it was not known. He didn't need people to bring out the fact he was bedmates with the girl who kidnapped and tortured his best friend, Harry Potter's girlfriend at the time. Harry... a lot of things they might say on his account would come back to him instead. Another reason why Dorian would rather not be in any news. It was annoying enough to be referred only as 'this person's spouse', but his link with Potter was much mroe thinner than that. How humiliating was it to be interesting only because of a vague acquaintance of yours you barely ever spoke to? "Rumours within the ministry though, now that's something that might happen more. But I'm not working there anymore..."

He nodded, getting what Hermione was talking about. Being with Potter was a liability and if she was ready to take the risk for herself, she wanted to minimize it for others. "Must have been hard on that Weasley boy also. It's easier to be suicidally brave when you have little to risk." Dorian himself didn't get involved until those close of him put themselves in danger. Before that, he was ready to do like everybody else and submit tot he new regime in hope of not getting punished.

[HERMIONE GRANGER]

Hermione couldn’t say she knew a lot about the elite of the purebloods as he said and thus, even if she had a relationship with Draco. She did wonder if it was actually true, that there were no real friendships, it sounded rather depressing and it might be the truth on some kids but there ought to be exceptions right? “Of course, but I don’t talk to these people, you do.” She said and failed to see what business she would have to do with them. The only link she would have might be with Draco’s mother and then again, she wasn’t sure if he was inclined to see such a meeting happening.

In a way, she envied Dorian for ‘not being interesting enough for the reporters’. She had been part of the papers before and didn’t like that idea at all, in fact, she despised it when it was to spread fake news.

She nodded, agreeing with that. “It must have but he has a family that cares for him and it helps.” She said as she thought about Molly and Arthur, they were so kind and nice to everyone and even opened their door to her and Harry. She felt at home whenever she spent time at the Burrow and talked to Ginny nights long.

[DORIAN HOWARD]

Dorian was almost surprised Hermione did not get all up on his face for talking to her that way as he explained how the elite of the wizarding world was all about favours and manipulation. He seemed to recall a time when she would have been annoyed by his tone and attitude, almost as much as the attitude of that said elite he mentioned. Yet she did no such thing. Not even a remark for calling her Granger. She too grew up a lot thanks to the events of the last few years. Or she had too much on her mind to care about correcting some arrogant elitist. He shrugged at her counterargument but also conceded it to her. "Aren't you a young Ministry upstarts now? If you have not yet, you'll soon rub elbows with them," he pointed out. He dealt with their elders, she would with their working relatives.

He was glad she also decided to just forget about asking for his help after he explained to her how you should always be ready to pay the price when asking for a favour. In a way, her little request would entertain him, and he desperatly lacked entertainment. He was no longer important, if he ever really had been, he had no court of his own. He needed something more than Adele praising him whenever he could do a task like he used to and Lalia telling him things would be all right.

He frowned at her mention of family. "Isn't it all the more a reason why Weasley would have worried then. or are you referring to Potter here?" Ron must have been even more worried than Hermione about his family. They were even easier targets if they chose to target them. As for Potter... Dorian thought the boy was rather selfish. He didn't think the boy thought about consequences, ever, until they came at his door and threatened his friends. He should know, he was a self-centered person too. Yet Potter was always liked by everyone. It made Dorian wonder why, as it was not just his status as a hero. he supposed it was where they differ in personality.