My Cousin Might be a Psychopath | Hermione

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James was concerned. What he had witnessed, merely 48 hours ago... it still made him uncomfortable. Yes, the Heliopath group was prone to more aggressive actions against the continuing threat of Elaine and her Purifiers, but Azkaban... the relic... the prisoners... It was Heliopath's fault. All in a desperate charge led by Victoire... James' cousin. Yes, he had shown up late to that debacle, but from his perspective, Vic's actions had led to a scenario somehow worse than Dragons. 

That is what brought him here: the home of his Aunt Hermione, for advice. She was also Vic's aunt, though James wasn't about to make the trek out to visit Fleur and Bill just now. Also, he knew his aunt would probably have a better perspective on the situation, being the Minister of Magic and all. After looking over his shoulders for the umpteenth time, he finally approached the door and knocked. 

"Aunt Hermione?" he called. "Do you have a few minutes?" 

@hermionejean

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Hermione had a massive headache, bordering on a migraine really. She had received word that Azkaban prison had been broken into, and a precious relic that had been hidden there had been completely destroyed. While it was a good thing that Elaine and her followers hadn’t been able to get their hands on the relic, the coup had caused a mass breakout of the prison. People who had committed atrocious, unspeakable crimes were now loose in the city of London and beyond. People who Ron and Harry had worked tirelessly on putting them away for good. Perhaps the Ministry should have learned its’ lesson back in the Second Wizarding War, when the dementors caused a mass breakout during her fifth year at Hogwarts. Azkaban was always viewed as impregnable, but it obviously wasn’t. Even with the removal of the dementors, it appeared there was no true way to one hundred percent keep the prisoners jailed forever. It didn’t help that she had a sinking feeling as to who may have been involved, other than the Purifiers. Evidence showed signs of battle, and as the prisoners obviously didn’t have wands, there could only be a few explanations. The guards had all been murdered, their deaths swift, so she wasn’t quite sure they were the ones battling the Purifiers.

Hermione was startled from her deep train of thought by a knock on the door, a familiar voice calling to her. James? What could her nephew want? Sighing deeply, she stood up, groaning at the motion and walked to the door. “Come in James,” she said tiredly, standing to the side of the doorway to let her nephew in. “How is Ariadne? Is she well?” she asked as she led the way back into the sitting room.

@rivjames

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James conjured the best smile he could muster when his aunt answered the door. She was tired.... He was tired. The Ministry had to be a complete mad house at the moment. Perfect time to talk about family, right? Right? He knew he had to say something. He needed to talk this out with someone. Really, James would have gone straight to his dad about this, but that hadn't been an option for a while. He really wished his dad was around.

His Aunt let him in, asking about Ariadne.

"She's well," he answered, peering cautiously out the door as it closed. He didn't know what to feel or focus on right now. James absentmindedly continued, "Might be working on something for her soon, but more on that later..." he trailed of as they passed a window. "Work's been good for us both."

James sighed as they got to the sitting room. "Forgive me if I seem uneasy, but I've grown beyond concerned, and I really need to talk to you. Things have been crazy these last few days, and I know you're probably busy, but I need to talk to you about Vic. I'm starting to think she's gone too far."

@hermionejean

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Hermione raised an eyebrow at James’ quip about Ariadne. Working on something for her, was that right? That could only mean one thing; she knew the young Lestrange had moved into the Grimmauld Place with James, and after that marriage was the next logical step in a relationship. Well, that or a dog she supposed, but she didn’t really see Ariadne as much of a dog person. Still, James seemed to want to keep those details under wraps, so she didn’t press him any further.

She took a seat across from James, worry lines creasing her forehead. James was definitely agitated about something, and she wondered if it had something to do with the breakout from Azkaban just a few days ago. The Ministry had not yet discovered the people behind the breakout, and it was easy enough to assume that Elaine and her Purifiers had done the deed. However, it seemed odd to Hermione, as none of the imprisoned were devoutly loyal to the young girl, so why would she break them all out? Then James mentioned his cousin Victoire. “Going too far? Please explain what you mean,” she said, surprised to hear her name uttered from James lips. James and Victoire had been on the same side of the schism when the Order broke apart, and had always gotten along quite well. What could she have done to cause James Potter of all people to be wary?

@rivjames

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Perhaps James had said too much about the Ariadne thing... Aunt Hermione was every bit as smart as his dad used to tell him and them some. He wanted to smile or grin or pull one of his usual acts, but today was not the day for it. 

"I think it's clear Vic didn't take the splitting of the Order as... calmly... as others did," he offered. "Even among her own ranks. The last year, though my involvement has been light, has been a ride of concerning irregularity. Months of quiet followed by bursts of action. A school-days friend that follows her ideals more closely told me that they blew up a warehouse, but may or may not have one-hundred percent confirmed it was owned by, operated by, or containing Purifiers." James shook his head, long given up trying to make sense out of that one. 

Of course, James was still in favor of the daring heroics, the shooting first and asking questions later. In his experience, it got results more consistently. He still was loyal to the cause of Heliopath, but he had to admit he was starting to have questions. His wilderness sabbatical had refocused a great many things in life. "I still admire Vic's tenacity and willingness to get things done now instead of a business meeting later, but there was something different about the Azkaban incident." 

"I got Vic's call to be there just after learning of the Dragons attacking Hogsmeade. I was in the middle of a thing or five... Got to the prison toward the end of things... just when the s**t-" James stopped himself, remembering whom he was talking to. "-I mean crap hit the fan. The magic around the place was stifled, and there were definitely shady figures present running and fighting without it." James closed his eyes to better remember the scene. 

"People I didn't recognize were running off with some kind of object or another between them, but I saw Heliopath intervene before I caught up. Vic's people stopped the object from leaving the prison. I watched them destroy it... and then the magic came back and all hell broke loose."

James sighed impatiently. "There's a pattern, no? Is she starting to cause more problems that she solves?"

@hermionejean