Chapter Twelve
**Hermione's POV**
Hermione had stayed in her cabin for three days now, reading over everything with a frown. Winky having takin over operating the ship and keeping us on course for our next destination was a huge help.
Even more mysteries, and far more questions, she was taking notes and developing a timeline of events, but it was difficult with such limited information she had been getting second hand.
Such as the Fall of Valyria, these warlocks hinted at something foul being fought, and it taking the full might of the magicians and dragon lords of the time to stop whatever it was.
In the end, they stopped part of it, but not all a simple delay, she didn't know what they were fighting but she didn't believe it was over by a long shot.
The Targaryen family being connected in a way she couldn't fit, perhaps being the last of the dragon lords. Unfortunately for them it seems someone or something is trying to end the last of the dragon lords for good based on the records and stories she had learned.
But she just didn't know for what purpose, what was there end game in all of this?
It seems for four hundred years, world organizations have been aiding in the downfall of the last dragon lords. There was documentation of evil magic, and human politics being used during the dance of the dragons pitting brother against brother, this event practically had the dragon race go extinct from all the accounts. How could such a magical and power beings like the dragons fallen so far, there was simply not enough information here.
Whatever the situation was on this planet, something or someone really wanted Dany dead. The warlocks either wanting to turn her into a perverse version of themselves or as a magic tap they can suck dry when ever they needed a fix. Assassin's sent since childhood her brothers slow but steady pace to madness and then trying to make sure she never had a child. This was obviously targeted but Dragon magic was not so easy to defeat and would not go down without a fight.
Well, she had made a unbreakable vow and she always did her best to keep her word, plus she was really starting to like the Dany.
It seemed she was probably going to be spending the rest of her life on this planet she might as well at least try to improve it since she couldn't help her original one.
She might even call her friend, but for the moment, she was her student and she had to focus on teaching her how to be a good and kind type of ruler, since she was determined to sit on that ghastly iron chair.
Hermione would not let this girl make stupid mistakes if she could help it. Already she could see the difference all the girl needed was a firm but guiding hand she did not push Dany nor did she give her the answers to the problems she tested the girl on. She just let the girl try to figure out the problems then would show her better ways in which to accomplish the same task. She did tell Ser Jorah that she would fight if necessary, but she would only interfere when magic was involved.
Well, and maybe to heal people, or help out here or there, and of course to defend the helpless and the weak, but that's it. Winky had talked her into at least giving a hand more then I was planning....wait when did Winky become so good at presenting logic against me?
She had let Dany know that she would not become a tool to answer all questions for this girl who wished to be queen. Not only would no one respect her reign but everyone would believe Hermione was the true one on the throne and Dany was just a puppet, and lets face it no one wanted that.
If she wants it, she can get it herself. *I'll help, but I won't do it for her,* she thought and nodded to herself.
Winky had been a godsend with helping Hermione organizing everything that was *acquired* during there stay in Qarth. Not to mention reminding Hermione when to eat and remember to sleep. She was starting to go back to her old ways of needing to solve this mystery, her brain just couldn't rest until she was sure she could get nothing further with what she had. That obsessive tendency made for a great student, but made it extremely difficult finding friends.
She had started teaching Dany the importance of economic security and trade last night. The girl seemed to pick things up like a sponge starving for water, Hermione was thrilled to have another girl that wished to learn as much as she did, but even Dany could not keep up with the little witch's enthusiasm and would often go to bed with a headache.
She could read and write and was well versed in the languages used throughout the world, well the common ones spoken at major ports, that is.
Hermione had given Dany a book on dragon raising *From Egg to Inferno, A Dragon Keeper's Guide* plus and a copy of *Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them*. It was one of her favorites when it came to the beautiful creatures, and a few of the ones Hagrid had shown her that actually were misunderstood, thou it did seem that quiet a few magical creatures loved Brandy, who knew that magical creature liked getting tipsy.
She had never truly known how wise those words were till he started showing her some of the creatures she had been terrified to meet, Hagrid would probably be jealous that she was helping raise 3 baby dragons.
She found was using a lot of that knowledge these days, the poor Dragons were half starved when she arrived now were growing very quickly and even breathing fire now.
Hagrid's rogue Niffler had stolen so much gold and silver from the city, the poor creature couldn't even move, Winky had said she found the poor dear trying to crawl onto the ship before we left..
Granted, Hermione hadn't found the poor little creature till after they left. It seems poor Winky was trying to hold back a now overflowing vault of gold from the tent, trying to hide the little demon's thievery.
Winky believed Hermione had enough on her plate and was trying to take care of the situation herself, Hermione just sighed.
"Great. The first city on this world I visit, I end up getting two of their leaders killed, blowing up a thousand year old landmarked building, and now robbed the city blind."
She just sighed again to herself knowing she had to tell Dany and Ser Jorah, her now remembering when Ser Jorah found out with Dany present.
He said, "it seems you might make a better pirate lord then the one we met.".
Dany laughed so hard after hearing the story from Ser Jorah, and the rest of the Dothraki soon joined in the teasing till Hermione had decided locking herself in her room was the safest option for the meantime.
She had asked Dany if she had planed on how she would negotiate with these slavers when they reached Astapor, and she told her she was running through options in her head and would decide later.
Hermione decided she wouldn't push the issue, either the girl succeeded or she failed but she would learn regardless.
She was busy in her tent as silly as a tent looked setup in an expanded cabin. She had been busy when not learning and teaching making potions to help the Unsullied regain at least a part of them that was taken away, if they wished, at least. Ser Jorah had explained one of the reasons the Unsullied were such fierce warriors, "In war innocents are killed woman raped children slaughtered, but the Unsullied have had all that drive cut and driven out of them," I of course was appalled when he explained what he meant by cut out of them and wished to help, I could not give them the years back but maybe I could help make them whole again.
It wasn't a complicated potion, the problem was she just didn't have enough to go around. If only she could get that stupid cup of Helga Hufflepuff working again, The enchantment able to make an almost unlimited supply of the potion for her. Till then she would keep growing the ingredients in here little indoor garden and make as many as she could. She figured she would be able to make at least 1000 doses within the first year at least.
Reading up on the history of the potion had been an eye opener. It seems like there was an epidemic of cheating husbands at one point, to which was put a stop to very quickly when wives started using the Severing Charm for... let's say, disciplinary purposes. Ser Jorah noticeably flinched when I explained what I was doing one night.
Cursed wounds took a lot of specialized knowledge, but apparently, this happened enough for them to find an easy solution, granted the Unsullied did not have cursed wounds to her knowledge but they were very old, and she would have to do the more complicated potion due to the age of the wounds.
Necessity, the mother of all inventions, she guessed.
She thought this while shaking her head in disgust at these men, remembering her experience with Ron. That humiliation almost broke Hermione completely to the point she have give up on love in general and dicided to take fate into her own hands.
She cast a True Love spell once when she broke up with Ron officially and moved out of the Weasleys home.
Because if the man she dreamed of doesn't exist and will never exist, then she will never again have a broken heart.
One main characteristic was he would hold firm and be honest, that he would keep true to himself even if it cost him his life. But she knew deep down no man could ever hope to match what she was willing to give to a partner.
She shook her head, the slight stinging of her covered wound bothering her more and more on this world.
Once again, she found herself contemplating far off things most recently. And she noticed things about her magic that she was now sure started long before she arrived, she just was not sure what it all meant.
She wished the painting of Dumbledore would answer her, or Harry could at least talk to her and comfort her, him being the only other one with a cursed wound that even after the Horcrux left, still bothered him occasionally.
She must have angered him months ago when he stopped appearing in his frame, tutoring her on magic personally. She did not understand what she had done wrong and even asked the Professors if she had done something and wished to make amends if she could.
The other professors simply said he was a busy portrait and also probably needed rest because he had to be very active to help the new Headmistress with all the new changes happening, and that they knew for a fact that Albus was not angry with her, in fact the opposite, but she had not seen Dumbledore since.
Professor McGonagall had been withdrawn a lot lately as well, not having had time to spend with her or the staff. And she was looking sad and tired more and more recently, I did my best to try to assist everyone but my helping out just seemed to bring the mood down for reasons she just couldn't figure out.
Hermione understood that with all the deaths and trials, healing was taking its time, and sure if she had been just a little better then like she was now she could have done far more, instead of trying to keep Ron's Jealousy to dictate her actions, she would no longer pretend to be just as good as her friends. Harry had been excited when we dueled and got stomped in seconds, he actually laughed at me and said the world had better watch out the next merlin was around. I missed Harry, of all my friends he was the one who never broke faith and helped out when ever he could.
Plus, Professor McGonagall told her that there was trouble lately in much of the magical world not just England, Hermione had been instructed to stay within the castle grounds the last year which suited her just fine. She also took a break from reading those godawful articles in the Daily prophet about her, she just gave up reading the paper in general.
The professors were probably protecting her from the politics of those old fossils.
Her thoughts were brought back when she heard the yawn of the little cream and gold dragon Viserion as he slept on a pillow set up for him. The dragons were growing extremely quickly, but she noticed that Viserion was starting to quickly catch up to the larger Drogon.
She felt that she had the starting of a connection with the little dragonling, almost like a pet bond but...more. Dany seemed to have a connection to all three which would not be good for her mental health, but her connection with Viserion was fading, and growing stronger instead to Hermione.
It was almost as if the connection with magic helped them grow quicker, which would explain how the gold one was catching up very quickly.
But poor little Rhaegal didn't have a proper pairing, he was still growing and fast but not as noticeable, and even seemed a bit lost and just followed whatever his brothers were doing.
She then considered if finding this lost family member might be helpful to the poor dragon, but she didn't have time at the moment to be worrying about some random prince running around.
Apparently, the entirety of Westeros was in some civil war over who would be king, at last count, there were four or five up for the job.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on your point of view, Dany didn't have any allies or an army as of yet.
Hermione believed that Westeros for the next few years was going to be a meat grinder, and she wanted nothing to do with the five different idiots fighting over the throne.
Best to build up your army, let the idiots wear themselves out, then come and bend them over your knee and teach them the error of their ways.
The smart ones would come running, and surrender without a fight hoping to get in good with the new ruler. The idiots would resist, of course, and she would try her best to keep the death toll to a minimum but she would leave that up to Dany when the time came.
She just hoped she could talk her out of stupid plans that would cost people their lives.
Meanwhile, they would be in Astapor in a week's time the ships supernatural progress and speed evident with being 3 days ahead of schedule.
And she was currently tracking a target heading toward Astapor, the dot making progress on the map towards there destination.
Sometimes the enemy really did make it too easy.