The Grey

Chapter 8: Repercussions

A/N: Thank you to the lovely BirdieMing for her beta work!

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I like the muted sounds, the shrouds of grey, and the silence that comes with fog.

-Om Malik

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May 2022

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Hermione rubbed her eyes as she stumbled into the living room. Harry was there already and in deep discussion with Sirius about the upcoming Quidditch season. She waved at them before she went to make coffee for the three of them. She and Sirius had been up late again the night before, discussing the Grey and the newest translations Sirius had made in the grimoire. They had finally decided it was indeed the Unseelie King's grimoire and that clearly he pulled a few cosmic strings in order for it to fall into Hermione's hands. She was still reluctant to summon him, hoping she could figure out exactly what was going on before getting to that point.

After her shower, she joined Sirius and Harry in the living room where Sirius was telling Harry about his dream-walking.

"Did you see my parents?" Harry asked. Hermione couldn't decipher the look on his face, confusion, and maybe something more.

"Do you think if I dream-walked with you, I could see them too?" Harry asked. Hermione thought he looked excited. Hermione was about to counsel him otherwise when Sirius beat her to it.

"I do, but dream-walking isn't safe. Especially in the Grey," Sirius said. "There's something wrong with it."

"The Grey?"

Hermione sighed and sat down next to Harry. "The Grey is where Sirius and your parents are at. It's not quite the afterlife. It's not Beyond the Veil, nor is it the Void, but something else entirely. We don't know what it is, or how it came to be, but it seems like it somehow falls under the purview of the Unseelie King."

"The Unseelie King?" Harry asked dubiously.

"I know. It sounds insane, doesn't it?" Hermione laughed softly. "But it's true. The Unseelie King is who sent Sirius back to the land of the living. He made Sirius my magical guardian, and it's the Unseelie King's grimoire that landed in my lap at work. We just don't know what the Grey is, how it came to be, or what to do about the fact that it seems to be failing somehow."

"Why not ask the Unseelie King?" Harry asked.

"That's what I've been saying!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Because! The Unseelie King is a god, you realize that? He's an all-powerful being that nobody on this earth could possibly understand. I get the arrogance that runs through the Potter and Black veins, but I'm not so arrogant to think that I can call a god to come and do my bidding."

"Okay, setting aside the Unseelie King issue for now, who else is in the Grey? How many people? And can you interact with them?" Harry asked.

"Loads," Sirius replied. "I know quite a few of them, but then it's strange, there are people I would expect to see and don't. Like how Remus is there, but Peter's not. Nor is Dora."

Hermione watched as Harry's face scrunched in confusion before a dawning horror came over him.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Nothing," Harry said quickly.

"Harry! If you know something or suspect something, you have to tell me!" Hermione said.