Chapter 20

Chapter 20 – Ron gets ugly

Dinner with Lucius on Thursday had been a nice respite from her evenings of working late and then going to the library. It had been cathartic to talk to someone about what was going on with Ron and the divorce, but even more therapeutic had been the debate over Filmore Stevens' theories. She thought she had even convinced Lucius to give Stevens' theories a second look, something she would have thought impossible a few months ago. She smiled at the thought of Lucius Malfoy giving a half-blood's Muggle based theories serious consideration.

Hermione forced her thoughts back to Ron. Last night she had decided that if she didn't hear from Ron today, that she would go over and visit him tomorrow so they could discuss the documents. In her mind, it was all rather straightforward, and she had a hard time believing that even he needed this long to go through everything.

She heard the familiar tapping at the window that indicated the owl delivering of the Daily Prophet had arrived. After paying the owl and taking the paper, she dropped it on the table while she made her tea.

When she picked up the paper and flipped it open, she dropped her tea cup, mortified by what she saw as she stared at the front page in horror. Aside from the fact it was one of the most unflattering pictures of her she had ever seen, the headline proclaimed, 'War Heroine Defies Wizarding World and Demands Divorce!' The sub-heading read, 'She feels that motherhood and raising the next generation is beneath her.'

Hermione didn't have to read the byline to know who the author was, but her eyes were drawn to the name all the same. Only one person could write something that sensational. Hermione seethed as she read the article. Ron had aired all her dirty laundry, doing everything he could to make himself look like the victim. She still couldn't believe he had gone to Rita Skeeter. She thought of outing the woman as an undocumented Animagus, but something told her Ron had used his influence the Ministry to cut a deal with her so that Hermione could not hold that over her.

She threw the paper to the floor before she finished the article and incinerated the paper. She now dreaded going to work and penned two letters: one to work requesting the day off so that her presence was not disruptive to the company and the second to her solicitor asking what he recommended for damage control. She then disguised her appearance and went to the nearest Owl Post Office to send the letters. She was beginning to think that she might want to actually look into getting her own owl. Maybe this weekend.

Then she returned home to wait.

It wasn't long before there was a knock at her door. "Who is it?" she asked tentatively, almost afraid to touch the latch. She knew that her flat was warded against intruders, but she wouldn't have put it past Ron to let people know where she lived.

"Lucius. May I come in?" came his muffled voice.

She threw the door open and pulled him into the flat. "What are you doing here?" she asked as she checked to make sure that no one was skulking around.

"I saw the paper this morning and thought that you might want someone to talk to. How are you?" he asked, clearly concerned about her well-being.

"Outraged! I can't believe he would do that," Hermione said as she paced restlessly.

"It is childish, but he is doing that to protect his reputation. By laying the blame on you... Well, it makes him look like the victim," he replied. "I did warn you that wizarding divorce tended to get quite brutal."

"But that..." She pointed at the pile of ash on her kitchen floor. "And to use Rita Skeeter of all witches!" She shook in anger.

Lucius gently took her arms in his hands. "She is the perfect person for this. I've not told you this before, but the last news worthy wizarding divorce, the one I told you turned vicious, that was my sister. In the end, she was forced to leave the country, and no one in my family has had contact with her until recently. My father, her ex-husband and his family did the same sort of thing that Weasley is doing. I fear that it will not get any better, but can and will only get worse."

There was a scratching at her window. Hermione wondered whose owl it could be. She felt a bit uneasy when she saw that it was not Pigwidgeon, but an unfamiliar owl, and it seemed too early to expect a reply from her solicitor. She opened the window anyway and moved aside as the owl quickly deposited a Howler before leaving. One thing Hermione knew about Howlers, especially having dealt with quite a few in her life time, was that keeping a Howler bottled up only made it worse. She flicked her wand at the envelope and watched, in a state of dread, as the envelope rose up to eye level as it opened.

"YOU FILTHY MUDBLOOD! YOU DEFILED ONE OF OUR FINEST PUREBLOOD FAMILIES AND ARE NOW DISHONORING THEM WITH DIVORCE! IF YOU DON'T LIKE OUR WAYS, GO BACK TO YOUR MUGGLE WORLD!" it shouted before bursting into flames.

He gave her a sympathetic look. "Do you have somewhere else you can go?"

"My parents' house," she replied quietly, not really wanting to inflict any of this on him.

"Pack your things. I have a small, heavily protected cottage where you will be safe. There is no need for you to be subjected to a bombardment of hate mail," he offered.

"Thank you. I don't know what to say." She felt a little uncomfortable accepting his help, imposing on him, but it did not look like she had any choice since she did not want to subject her parents to the stream of Howlers she was sure to receive. "Though I sent an owl to my solicitor this morning and am expecting a reply," she called out as she went to the bedroom to quickly pack her belongings. She returned to the living room and packed her books.

Lucius arched an eyebrow and chuckled at her. "I will see that that owl, along with any from your husband, are allowed through the protections. Are you ready?"

"Sure, but you can't Disapparate from here. Let me take us someplace safe and then you can take us to the cottage."

"Of course," he replied.

As she took hold of his hand and thought of one of their camping areas from their time on the run, she could hear another owl scratching at her window and was glad to be leaving.

Lucius looked around the trees. She smiled when she realized that he might not recognize where they were. "This is the Forest of Dean, it's near Gloucester," she said, still holding his hand. It felt nice in hers – reassuring and strong – something she desperately needed at that moment in her life.

"Ah, not far from our destination then." He patted her hand reassuringly before Disapparating them to their final destination. "Here we are."

Hermione was shocked. "This is a small cottage?" she asked as she stared at the large, grey stone edifice before her. From the front she counted eighteen large windows perfect for capturing natural light. Like most old country homes, it appeared to have three floors. From the number of chimneys on the roof, she guessed there had to be at least twenty rooms.

He laughed softly. "Well, when compared with the manor. It's not been used for a number of years, but it will be adequate for your needs."

He led her up the box hedge lined path to the door. She was struck by the perfectly manicured lawn that extended a good quarter mile from the 'cottage' to the trees. The foundation at the front of the building was lined with a neatly tended flower bed. On the corners of the building she could see ivy creeping towards the roof. He opened the door with a tap of his wand and, as a gentleman would, allowed her to enter before him, something Ron usually seemed to forget to do. Lucius' next words brought Hermione out of her gaping stupor.

"I know that you do not fully approve of the use of house-elves, but it will be easiest to have one of them to prepare the cottage for you. If you wish to do the cooking yourself, I can arrange for some Muggle money so that you can use the market in the local village."

She looked around the 'cottage'. It was decorated more like a hunting lodge, yet elegantly tasteful and luxurious. The large entry had a grand staircase that turned twice in the shape of a C as rose to the first floor. In the center of the C was a magnificent bronze statue of a large Chimera; a grim-eyed goat with massive horns, a lion's jaws and mane, massive front paws and cloven hind feet like a dragon, and a tail that ended in a snake's head with its fanged bared to strike.

To Hermione's left, she saw a parlor and what appeared, by the presence of a grand piano, to be a music room beyond that. Turning to her right, she saw what was sure to be her favorite room, a library. She couldn't see what was beyond the library, but she knew there had to be one more room. From where she was standing, she couldn't tell what rooms were on the back of the house, but this was a far grander residence than she had expected.

"Allow me to help you get settled," he offered, drawing her attention from the bronze sculpture.

"But surely you have work to do." She still felt guilty about imposing on him as she followed him into the drawing room. Her eyes could not stop taking in her surroundings and admiring the artwork: there were portraits galore and statues and busts in nooks lining the walls or on plinths.

"My dear, I own the company. I can do whatever I wish. Now, let's get this place ready for you to live here. Katta!" he called out.

"Yes, Master?" squeaked a house-elf that popped in out nowhere.

Hermione was pleased to see that Katta's garments were better than Dobby's had been under his Malfoy service. Her tea towel was clean and neatly pressed, looking almost brand new.

"Katta, this is Miss Hermione. She will be staying here, and I need you to get the cottage ready for living. And you are to treat her as a member of the family," Lucius said politely.

"Yes, Master, Mistress," Katta said with a bow to each of them before scurrying, Hermione assumed, to remove the protective sheets from the furniture.

Lucius turned to her. "Katta will see to whatever you need, and she will also protect you as I told her to treat you like a member of the family. You may use her assistance as much or as little as you wish. I will ask that you please do not try to give her clothes, though," he said the last with a crooked smile, alluding to her days of trying to liberate house-elves.

Hermione blushed. She had given up on that after the hat incident at Hogwarts. Hermione watched as Katta happily and efficiently folded then vanished the sheets with a pop and set a duster about cleaning the furniture while she hurried to the next room, getting everything ready for Hermione's stay. She could tell the elf was exuberant to have someone to take care of, and she wondered if the Katta lived here all alone the way Kreacher had. "No, I wouldn't do that. I know it would insult her."

"Thank you. Is there anything else I can do for you?" he asked gently.

She looked around and saw that Katta was happily polishing the Brazilian Rosewood furniture. "I don't think so. I suppose I'll get settled in and then... Well, I don't know." She was completely overwhelmed by what was happening.

"The property is walled off and you will be safe while you remain within those walls. The property is also warded against outside intrusion. There is nothing preventing you from coming or going, though I think understandably you will want to avoid wizarding enclaves for the time being.

She couldn't believe how much he was helping her. "Lucius, thank you. I really needed a friend today, and you were there for me."

He bowed slightly. "It is my pleasure to help you. I have seen firsthand how brutal the wizarding world views divorce and how unrelenting in their opinions the public can be, and I don't want to see your life destroyed." He held her gaze for a few moments before Disapparating.

Once he left, she decided to explore. Moving to the back of the 'cottage', she saw the room to the left of the stairs was a dining room that could easily seat twenty. Behind the stairs was a small room decorated with green walls and a couple of small tables with chairs set on either side. There was a door that led to a large terrace that overlooked a very traditional English garden with box hedges planted in decorative patterns with rose bushes and statuary inside the patterns. While the house may not have been used in recent years, someone, or more likely some house-elves, were still taking care of the property. Continuing through the Green Room she saw a billiard room and another drawing room that led to a very formal bedroom at the front of the house, which looked as though it was fit for a king. Hermione recalled her history and recalled that in many old country manors they included state chambers that would indeed be reserved for the king. She found it a bit odd that not only would a Malfoy have built a house with a royal suite, but that it would have been kept as such for all these years.

Having finished her exploration of the ground floor, she moved up the stairs to the first floor, she once again admired the artwork. Most of it was landscapes of a non-magical nature with a handful portraits interspersed. There were more nooks holding vases and busts. The right of the stairs had four bedrooms, two on the front and two on the rear. Each was decorated in a different color: green, blue, burgundy and white. Moving to the opposite side of the house, there was a smaller sitting room and another drawing room on the front of the building with a large master suite taking up the back of the house.

At the second floor landing, she turned right and saw the two bedrooms on the back of the house were set up dormitory style with bunk beds and writing desks – presumably used by children if there were a large number of guests. There were several other smaller rooms, which were either empty or stored dusty furniture and other boxed belongings. Of course since this was a wizard's house, there would be no need of servants' quarters. She was completely overwhelmed by what she was seeing. This was the type of building where she felt you should be walking on cheap carpet that lined the halls and looking over velvet ropes at the rooms, not freely wander about.

She moved back to the white room. It was the least masculine of the rooms and the only one without trophy animals on the walls.

"Katta," she called out quietly and the elf was instantly at her side, making her jump slightly.

"Yes, Mistress? How may Katta serve you?" the house-elf asked eagerly.

Hermione forced herself to not preach to Katta. "I'll be using this room, but you don't have to make up the room right now," she said, not wanting to stop Katta from her other work.

"Yes, Misstress. Katta will fix the room after Katta is finishes with the kitchen. If Katta may ask, what is Mistress's favorite colors?"

She could only presume that it was for the room. "Oh, I don't know, blues, reds, I've never really thought about it. Nothing too bright though."

"Yes, Mistress. And what about food? What is Mistress' favorite foods? Is there anything Mistress does nots like or something Mistress would prefer?"

A part of Hermione liked the idea of not having to cook, but she felt a little guilty about using the services of a house-elf. "No, nothing in particular, though I may cook some of my meals."

Katta's ears sagged and her smile faded in disappointment. "Oh. Yes, Mistress. Katta will stocks the pantry. But if there is anything Mistress needs, please lets Katta know."

As she watched Katta disappear, she was still amazed at how eager house-elves were to serve and the disappointment they showed when they were denied that chance. She would never understand the mindset of the house-elves.

With nothing else to do, she turned her attention to unpacking. Since she really did not own many clothes, it did not take her long. There were a couple of empty shelves in the room, and she unpacked her favorite books.

When she was done, she decided to explore the garden and take a walk around the property and pulled out her heavy cloak since there was a definite chill to the air, foretelling autumn's arrival.

As she was heading back to the house, she saw an owl approaching her. She knew that it could only be from her solicitor, Ron or Lucius. As she was in the open and there was nowhere for the owl to land, she extended her arm. As soon as she took the letter, it flapped off.

Looking at the letter, she saw it was from her solicitor. She quickly opened it and was utterly depressed by its contents. He offered no advice for countering the media blitz and actually suggested she give up on the divorce as the paperwork had not actually been returned to him.

She balled the letter up and threw it to the ground. After the fact she realized that she should hold onto the letter to show Lucius. She picked it up and smoothed it out as much as possible before stuffing it in her pocket. She then heard her stomach rumble and realized that it was time for lunch. Without work, she had lost track of the time, and it was still at least a fifteen minute walk back to the cottage.

She turned to hurry back and laughed out loud as she realized that she was now referring to the grand home as a cottage. As she opened the door, she was assaulted by a most wonderful smell.

"Welcome, Mistress. Katta makes a hearty soup and bakes fresh bread for you," the elf said proudly as Hermione followed her nose to the dining room. "May Katta takes your cloak, Mistress?"

"Thank you Katta," said Hermione as she handed Katta her cloak. "It smells wonderful."

After her invigorating walk and the hearty soup, Hermione moved to the comfortable looking couch by the fireplace in the drawing room, enjoying the fire that was blazing away in the hearth. It wasn't long before she fell asleep.

Hermione stirred and opened her eyes slowly when she realized that she was not alone in the room anymore, and momentarily panicked until she remembered where she was. Still groggy from sleep, it took a while to focus on the tall figure in the room, until Lucius' long blond hair and his elegantly cut grey trousers and steel-blue robes came into view. "You gave me a fright," she said as she struggled to sit up.

"I beg your pardon. I did not mean to startle you. I came by to check in on you and found you napping," he replied politely, sitting down on the chair opposite the sofa.

She loved how he was so considerate about her feelings. It was just so wonderful for someone to say those sorts of things, and it made her blush. "I've probably slept too long as it is," she said as she checked the clock and saw that it was after three. She had definitely slept too long.

"I presume that you have settled in?" he asked.

"I chose the white room – no animal heads," she admitted and blushed.

One side of his mouth drew back into an amused smile. "Katta will remove the offending décor, but really, you'd be more comfortable in the master suite with your own private bath. I'll have Katta move your things, and if there is anything you need don't hesitate to mention it. She's a very efficient house-elf and highly accommodating."

Hermione hated the idea of costing the elf extra work, but refrained from saying so least she offend Lucius's hospitality. But clearly he wanted her in a more spacious room. "I really appreciate you doing this for me. I'm going to see if I can find a new place soon." She still felt a little guilty about accepting his help, though she knew that she had nowhere else to turn to at the moment.

He leaned forward and placed his hand on her knee. "Hermione, I don't think that you will be able to find a safe place right now. Stay here for a few weeks until things calm down."

"I just don't want to give Ron any more ammunition, which is what's going to happen if he finds out I'm staying at your cottage," she replied pointedly.

He frowned at her. "Well, then, I will have Reg draw up a tenancy agreement for your stay. I will ensure that it is a price commensurate with your previous residence since that is the amount of space you will be occupying here. Then there should be no question about the arrangement."

She wasn't sure he was right about the no question part – if Ron or Harry found out, they'd be furious, and it would give Ron one more thing to blab to Rita Skeeter. But, on the other hand, she knew that leasing a room should remove any thoughts of impropriety. "Thank you," she replied. "I'm glad that you could understand my concern. Oh, and since you're here, I received this from my solicitor. I wanted to show it to you, to see what advice you can offer." She pulled the letter out of her pocket and handed it to him.

She waited patiently, ignoring the lump in her stomach when his brow creased as he read it, but when he looked her in the eyes, she was surprised by the seriousness of his expression. "Please, use Reg. He can truly help with this."

She sighed, knowing that it was impossible. "Lucius, I can't afford someone like him. I make decent money, but not that much."

"He will prorate his fees for you, taking into account how much you can afford," Lucius explained.

"Based on your recommendation?" she asked pointedly, wondering if that was what he meant. Surely a solicitor of his caliber didn't work on a sliding fee scale.

"I am a very good client," he said with a confident grin. His smile relaxed away as he took on a serious expression once more. "Hermione, you need the best lawyer you can get to help you fight this battle. That would be Reg. And solicitors of his caliber do take on cases at less than their full rate. As a hero of the war, no one would find it odd that he agreed to take you on as a client."

She leaned back against the couch. Ron was going to be difficult – he was already making things hard on her, and her solicitor was practically useless. She realized she had no choice anymore; she needed a good solicitor who would help her. "You're right, aren't you?" she said sadly. "I have to, don't I?"

"I'm afraid so. I'll inform him you would like him to take your case, and the two of you can meet as soon as possible."

She looked at him in shock at his pronouncement. "On a Saturday?" she asked.

"You don't have time to wait until Monday. And as I said, I am a very good client. Please, let me help you. I don't want to see the same thing happened to you that happened to my sister, and that's precisely what's happening right now."

His tone was earnest, the concern was very clear in his voice. She could not resist the imploring, intent look he was giving her. "Lucius, I don't know that I can ever thank you for what you are doing for me."

"Please, don't concern yourself with that. Let me make the necessary arrangements, and we can discuss them over dinner. I'll return later," he said as he smiled warmly at her before rising from his seat.

She could not help but return his smile as she watched him exit, admiring the confidence of his stride, utterly grateful for his kindness and friendship. Now that she was rested from her nap, her mind was working better. She needed to write Ron the letter regarding the lease on their flat. It was clear that she would not be returning there, so if he wanted to keep the premises, he'd have to carry the rent alone.

She recalled seeing a desk in the library and walked across the hallway to see if there was letter writing material. On the desk was an elegant quill and ink set. Opening the right hand drawer, she was quite pleased to see plain parchment. She tapped the quill thoughtfully on her lips as she tried to determine what to write. Since he was already being petty and vindictive, she knew she had to make it as neutral as possible.

Ron,

Hermione

She looked thoughtfully at the letter for several long minutes. It was only three sentences, but she still was not sure about it. Finally she decided to change the last sentence to read, 'Please send all correspondence to my solicitor, Mr. Reginald Forsythe.'

Feeling much better about this version, she sealed the letter so that only Ron could open it and took advantage of the beautiful tawny owl Lucius had lent her. Having already walked around a fair portion of the grounds and not knowing when Lucius would return, she decided to use this time to look over some of the notes she had been collecting for her work on the dragon pox elixir. After retrieving the notes from the master suite, she went to the parlor where she could see the front door and began spreading them out on the table.

"Just can't get away from work, can you?" asked Lucius from behind her.

She jumped, not having heard him arrive. "You have got to stop doing that!" she said as she held her hand over her heart.

"My apologies. It's raining outside, so I Apparated directly into the family entrance," he explained as he handed his cloak to Katta, who had appeared at his side with a pop.

She found that odd because the characteristic pop of Apparition was something that she normally noticed. "I didn't hear you."

"Ah, yes," he said as he sat in a very relaxed manner in the chair across from hers. "Apparating silently is a little trick I've picked up over the years."

She knew that it was possible because Dumbledore had done it. "You'll have to teach me that little trick."

"Perhaps someday," he replied evasively.

She knew that Dumbledore had dabbled in the Dark Arts. "It's not Dark magic, is it?"

He chuckled softly, reminding her of how much she still did not know about the wizarding world. "No, my dear," he replied softly. "But just as not everyone can Apparate, not everyone who can Apparate can do so silently. Due to the complex nature of the magic involved in silent Apparition, it would be best to do so when the distraction of your divorce is over."

"Oh, of course," she replied, disappointed in his response.

"And speaking of which, Reg has agreed to meet with you this evening. He should be here shortly."

"A house call? You must be a very good client, indeed." She knew that she should not be surprised by the amount of influence Lucius wielded, but she was. Around her, he acted like any other wizard, no pretenses or public persona, and it was quite easy for her to forget how powerful he really was, even when she was ensconced in his disused country house.

"And because I know your work is important to you, I have arranged for the Floo here to be connected to the office. Your destination will be Webtree Hall. That will protect you from anyone trying to accost you on the way to and from work."

"Thank you." He continued to think of all the things that she had not considered. She definitely valued his friendship.

"Though I daresay no one would fault you for taking a leave of absence," he offered.

"Aside from the fact I haven't earned any vacation time yet, I'm not going to give Ron the satisfaction of becoming a complete recluse," she replied defensively.

"As I had expected you to say. And one other bit of business." He pulled a document out of his pocket. "This is a standard tenancy agreement, and I think you will find everything in order. Well, mostly standard. It's open-ended and I am not going to require a deposit from you. I know I can trust you to respect my property."

She read it and saw that it was a he had said, and she felt no compunction about signing it. She did notice that it was not in his name, but under the name of Spinks and Spungen LLC, presumably one of his one of his more discreet holding companies. He was obviously trying to minimize his involvement in her life, and she was glad to see that. "I'm glad that's out of the way," she said as she signed it and handed it back to him.

"I wish that it were not necessary," replied Lucius. He took the parchment from her and returned it to his pocket.

There was a knock at the door, and Katta appeared to answer it.

Lucius rose to his feet. "Reg, thank you so much for coming over this evening," he said cordially as he shook the older wizard's hand as Hermione walked over to stand beside him.

"Given the situation, it was imperative, Mr. Malfoy," Reg said, returning the handshake and then handed his damp cloak to Katta.

Lucius gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "I'll be in the other room," he said softly before leaving.

Once Lucius was gone, Reg moved into the parlor and said, "Mrs. Weasley, I am so sorry we had to meet under these circumstances. I took the liberty of requesting the divorce filing from your previous solicitor, which Mr. Weasley has not yet signed, correct?"

Hermione quickly gathered up her notes, and Reg started spreading pieces of parchment on the table before taking a seat in a chair.

Hermione took the chair across from Reg. "Not to my knowledge."

"Good, good. That will work in our favor. I submitted a petition to invalidate that document as you have secured new counsel, so if he tries to file it now, it will be rejected," replied Reg professionally.

"So, is there something we can do so that I don't look like the anti-wizard villain?" she asked cautiously, afraid that the damage was already done.

"There is always something that can be done. It's a matter of will and influence, and I have both. Now, I know you said you didn't want to hurt or embarrass your husband, but he has shown that he will not pull any punches. I will do what I can to protect his reputation, but I will need your permission to act in your best interests," Reg said seriously.

She knew that Reg was correct, that the time for being nice was over. She nodded. "Do what is necessary," she finally relented.

They spent the next two hours going over every detail of her married life and strategizing how to counter Ron's accusations and to win the media war. While they were working, Katta served them a dinner of tappas.

Hermione was mentally exhausted by the time Reg excused himself to meet with his contacts at the Daily Prophet and The Mopsus Augur. Hermione thought maybe she'd also contact Luna to print her side in The Quibbler. She slumped back in her chair as Lucius returned to the parlor. He walked over and laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder, and she reached up and placed her hand over his. "It's just beginning, isn't it?"

Lucius smiled sadly at her. "I'm afraid so. What you did today took a great deal of courage." He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"I couldn't have done it without your help. I still can't believe Ron did that to me. I know you said it would disgrace the family, but this..." She just did not know how to put it into words.

He moved behind her chair and began rubbing her shoulders. "You are strong and you will survive this."

"Mmm... That feels so good." She hadn't had a good shoulder massage in a long time, and it made her realize how tense she was.

"Get some rest, my dear. I'll check on you tomorrow," Lucius whispered in her ear.

When he stopped rubbing her shoulders, she wanted to tell him not to stop, but she was very tired and now feeling very relaxed. "Good night, Lucius, and thank you."

He took hold of her hand in both of his. "It was my pleasure," he responded and gave her hand one last gentle pat before releasing it. He smiled warmly at her before Disapparating.

His smile had made her heart flutter. She tried to blame it on being exhausted, but she was not sure that was the only reason. It was foolish to 'feel' anything for Lucius, and she tried to push that from her mind, but she had not wanted to let him leave. Not just because she really did not want to be alone, but because she enjoyed his company.

A/N: As always many thanks to my wonderful beta, beaweasley2. She is also the steward of the idea of the Chimera statue. Here is a picture of the statue.

As always, I appreciate every review that you dear readers leave. I will apologize if future chapters come a little more slowly as we have caught up to everything that has been beta read and there is some serious editing coming to future chapters and brainstorming has led to new plot developments that lead to a much richer story than the bare bones, written in 30 days original version. Your patience is appreciated.