The Forgotten Zabini

XIII

Aediva sucked in a breath. "This evening?" she asked in a squeaky voice. Hermione immediately went into damage control mode. "Oh, no, it's... we can wait, it's quite alright, I really don't mind, I know it's rushed..." Aediva stopped her with a hand. "No, no. It's just... I didn't think you were ready. But if you are, then yes, of course! Let me just..." Aediva's cheeks were flushed in anticipation and she spun around in different directions before walking towards the back wall. "Where is it..." she muttered. Blaise looked at Hermione with wide eyes. "Are you sure?" he whispered, while Aediva strangely scrutinized the wall.

Hermione had never felt more sure of anything in her life. "Yes," she said, nodding in emphasis. Blaise still looked shocked but didn't prod more. Meanwhile, Aediva was touching the gold moldings on the wall, stalling on a particular rose. She pressed it and the wall sprang at her touch. A drawer slid open out of nowhere, the outline invisible when pushed in the wall. Hermione and Blaise gave each other a surprised look and turned to see what was in this drawer that appeared out of nowhere. Aediva turned around, holding an ancient-looking book. She cradled it like a child and blew on the cover, releasing a thick layer of dust.

"It's the ancient familial spellbook! The one rumored to have burned in the infamous fire of the San Gimignano estate, in 1526," Blaise said in an amazed voice. Aediva laughed airily. "Yes, the rumors were quite wrong. This old book had been removed from the Regno delle Vette Castle near the ancient town of San Gimignano just days before the tragic fire destroyed much of the property. Some say it was a miracle it survived- much of ancient Zabini spells were written in here- but I believe it was just a good case of timing. It lived in a Gringotts vault up until the first human world war. From then on, it was hidden in this very room," she explained.

Blaise hadn't seemed to recover from this news yet as Aediva approached with the sagging book. Once upon a time, it must have been gloriously decorated, but now the pages were yellowed and brittle, the cover's colors faded and pale. Aediva gently placed it on the coffee table in front of Hermione and Blaise and began very slowly turning the pages, counting the numbers under her breath. Hermione thought her mother was insane. Every page was blank, with nothing written on them. Just yellowed, wrinkled paper, page after page of it, yet Aediva seemed to know what she was doing. On the 34th page, she stopped and brandished her wand.

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"Sequenti pagina secreta inpositis," she whispered. Colors flew onto the page like splotches of ink, revealing medieval period writing, drawings, and details. It reminded Hermione of the Marauder's map, the way an incantation was said and the pages came to life. Aediva looked up at Hermione, staring deep into her eyes. "Are you sure? Once we do it, it cannot be reversed. We can wait a few more days if you would like..." Hermione shook her head vigorously. "I... don't know why, but I feel the incessant need to do it as soon as possible. How can I truly feel at home if the features I have aren't mine?" she asked quietly.

Aediva nodded solemnly and beckoned Hermione to stand. "Now, I've never done this before, which means it may not work, but... well, let's see how this goes. Stand there, dear," she directed, telling Hermione to stand in front of a large, ornate mirror on the right wall. With a shaky breath, Aediva rose her wand, the book in her left hand. Blaise sat on the arm of a chair, eyebrows in a deep frown. Aediva steeled herself and began to say the long incantation. "Inlectus tollendam esse intra se carmen." Hermione took a deep breath and gave a reassuring smile to Blaise. "In re incerta periit, et occultatum est tutum," Aediva continued, her forehead wrinkled in concentration.

Hermione began to feel a strange tingly sensation spreading through her limbs. It wasn't unpleasant, but it increased the second Aediva finished a new phrase. "Invenio igitur tanquam vultu misitque sub amnem." Whisps of gold flowed from the tip of Aediva's wand and began to surround Hermione who looked on in awe. "Verum cum suis rediit locum mutare," Aediva continued in the same soothing voice. She looked like she was about to drop with exhaustion, beads of sweat accumulating on her forehead. Meanwhile, Hermione felt like she was in another world. The gold whisps had surrounded her, blinding her yet giving her clarity she had never had before. Images flashed by, instantaneously and quick, pulling her away from the present. "Et libera dimittere," Aediva said in a gasp before Blaise caught her as she collapsed.