Severus went flying through the air even as Hermione fought to react quickly enough to minimize the damage. He hit the wall with an audible "thump" as she reached wandlessly for her magic and tried to ground it out into the stones of the castle.
There was a deafening crack and an explosion of blinding light that made Hermione close her eyes tightly. When the light diminished once more, she opened her eyes to find that everyone else was staring around the room in varying degrees of shock.
Many of the stones in the wall, ceiling, and floor had cracked end to end.
There was another flash of light, and Fawkes arrived with a cry of distress. The phoenix alighted on her shoulder, and it was only then that she realized that she was shaking.
Berit, he said, sounding thoroughly distressed, what has happened?
She didn't even know how to answer but tried to force out words that made some sort of sense. He … forbade me to speak of what I am.
Fawkes turned unerringly towards Severus and let out a cry that wasn't the sort of sound she had ever heard from him before. It wasn't gentle, mournful, uplifting, or soothing. This was a cry of anger, and it actually caused Severus—despite the fact that he looked as though he'd nearly been knocked unconscious by his impact with the wall—to scramble further away from the phoenix.
The phoenix's anger served to ground her, and she faced off from the Slytherin, trying to ignore the rest of the group of shell-shocked people in the room because she couldn't possibly deal with them as well.
Her voice shook with suppressed emotions, thick with tears and anger. "Don't you ever try to control me like that again. This is my life, and you have no right to interfere."
She was breathing heavily and knew, suddenly, that she had to get out of the room. She didn't think that it could handle another explosion like the one that had just occurred—and she was certain the people couldn't.
Whirling for the door, she found that it had melted out of the way to permit her departure. It was a door, she distantly recognized, that wasn't supposed to do that. Fawkes dug his claws lightly into her shoulder.
This way, Berit.
It didn't hurt so much to think if she simply followed the bird's instructions, so that's what she did.
It took her a moment to ask, The others?
They won't bother you out here, he answered immediately. Harry's made sure they don't follow.
Fawkes had to think her in a bad way indeed if he was calling Harry by his real name.
It was only when they hit the edge of the Forest that she realized that they'd left the castle. Castina was waiting for her. At some point in the future, she would no doubt have to be horribly embarrassed by the number of people who had witnessed her breakdown.
She didn't even feel up to transforming, which was a first, but Fawkes and Castina seemed to understand this without her needing to say. Castina knelt down.
Come here, child.
Hermione wasn't a child anymore. She was a stupid, bloody Pure Adult, and that was what had caused this mess in the first place. But she felt a bit like a child at the moment, and she found herself curling up in human form next to the unicorn, resting her head against the whisper-soft flank and giving in to her tears. Fawkes settled himself on Castina's back and trilled a soft song that was exactly what Hermione needed to hear. It was very soothing, and her eyes drooped closed without any direction from her.
When Hermione opened her eyes, it took her a moment to orient herself because she was seeing from the sides of her head; while she had been sleeping, she had apparently shifted into unicorn form. This should have been alarming, but she found herself feeling curiously calm after the storm of emotions from earlier. Her magic or her body had apparently known just what she needed, and so she had been given the opportunity to experience some peace and quiet while she basked in light outside.
Both Castina and Fawkes had remained with her, and she appreciated their show of loyalty. And their protection, given that she didn't normally sleep in the Forbidden Forest, especially on the ground and un-warded, where anything could find her. It was full dark now, just past midnight.
How many times have you had to reassure Harry that I was fine? Hermione asked a bit timidly.
Fawkes sent her a mental snort. Only a dozen or so. But he's been quite calm when he's told the others you're fine.
Which others? she asked pointedly.
Boy-bird's mate, Golden Wolf, and Skin-Changer, Fawkes answered.
Great. Remus and Tonks would definitely want answers.
No one else? she asked, just to be sure.
Your mate was not welcome and would not have stayed. Shiny One had to go back to London.
She forbore asking if Kingsley was "shiny" because of his bald head. It seemed like it would be better not to know if Fawkes's mind really worked like that. Of course, he was Albus's familiar….
Very well, she said, giving in to the inevitable, rising and changing back into her human form. I can't stay out here all night.
You could, you know, Castina answered immediately. We would be happy to have you.
She smiled at her herd mare. I know. But I don't think Harry would put up with it.
This wasn't really an answer, and they all knew it.
Be well, Berit, they said in unison.
Thank you, she answered before she turned, Masked herself, and began to make her way back to the castle, Fawkes perched once more on her shoulder.
They'd made it about halfway across the grounds when she inquired, What did you tell Albus you were doing all this time?
He felt the magical discharge and the castle's distress. He understood that I was going to look after it.
I appreciate that you kept him from coming, she said honestly.
His tone was one of wry amusement. I knew it would not assist.
Decidedly not, and it was already embarrassing enough that she had simply bolted after wreaking such havoc. Severus was the only one who'd seen her lose control like that before, and she still wasn't sure if everybody could see the golden glow of her magic or if that was just her. It was entirely possible, given her magical abilities, that he hadn't even realized what had happened the morning he had thrown her out of bed.
Today, though, it was impossible to miss the damage she had caused, and he must surely have realized how close he'd come to being permanently damaged himself. It was rather disconcerting to imagine what the magic that had broken all those stones could do to human bodies. All of them who had been in that room had seen what she was capable of, and she really didn't want a confrontation with them.
Still, it wasn't as though she could put off seeing these people for too terribly long given that they lived in the same building or visited on a regular basis, and time wasn't going to make the problem go away. She owed them all an explanation, especially Tonks and Remus who still might not know why she had been so upset.
It infuriated her that Severus could make her so angry, make her lose control as she had done. She'd thought that she had herself mostly under control, that she'd been dealing with his rejection and everything that came with it, but the events of today had been a pretty clear indication that she was not nearly as rational about it or as reconciled to it as she wanted to be.
She'd spent most of the evening trying to be pretty damn conciliatory towards him. Despite the fact that he spent most of his time being a complete arse, she had tried to keep the peace and not let Harry overreact in his presence. But then Severus had actually had the gall to lay a hand on her and chastise her about an aspect of her life that was absolutely none of his business. He hadn't wanted a thing to do with her ever since he had taken her virginity and the power that came with it, and now he was trying to control her.
It was he who'd as good as declared his involvement with her; why else would he have tried to stop that announcement? She just knew that he was going to blame her for anyone finding out. It made her want to stamp her feet or do something equally childish—and she'd already had the equivalent of one tantrum today.
This was not exactly mature and collected behaviour, and that only made her more annoyed.
I can feel you stewing over there, Berit.
And she was broadcasting again. She tamped down on her emotions, cutting off that upper registry that Fawkes had no doubt been reading like a book.
Do we have to turn around and send you back out into the Forest? he asked.
She smiled at him, tension easing in her slightly. If I went out every time I was upset with Severus, I'd have to start living out there. It's better that I try to get these thoughts out of the way as we head in; I suspect Harry's going to be upset enough for the both of us inside.
No doubt, the phoenix agreed.
They re-entered the castle.
She drew a deep breath. All right. You can go back to Albus now.
Are you sure? he asked. I don't mind staying.
You can't follow me everywhere I go, she answered firmly, although the fact that he was willing to do so was reassuring. I need to face this on my own, I think, and Albus will be anxious for news.
Not that I'm going to tell him anything.
She smiled again, sending her appreciation more in a fleeting impression of emotion than words. No, she agreed. But he'll want to hear you prevaricate.
As you say, Girlicorne. I am a thought away if ever you need me.
She bundled all her gratitude and love into one word: Fawkes.
The phoenix was gone in a streak of crimson; since it wasn't an emergency or Hermione having a mental breakdown, he flew through the castle the ordinary way. Hermione began to make her solitary way through the dungeons, still Masked to prevent anything unfortunate from happening; the last thing she needed to make her night complete was an ambush from the Slytherins or a run-in with Severus.
The former, at least, was moderately less likely than it had been; since Pansy had declared the defection of the upper year of Slytherin, there hadn't been much in the way of nasty incidents. Everyone seemed to be behaving and attempting cordiality, but Hermione didn't really want to test anyone's limits if she was found wandering in the dungeons alone at night in a less than optimal state.
She'd intended to go straight back to the common room where she knew that everybody was waiting for her, but she found her steps slowing as she neared Room One, and without really thinking about it, she entered the room that she had left so precipitously earlier in the evening.
The room was untouched, and she wasn't certain if that was because no one had attempted to fix it or because no one had been able to do so. It looked broken and wrong and it was that, even more than Severus's likely reaction if it was still in this condition the next time he wanted to train, that made her want to fix it right now.
She pressed up against the nearest wall, letting the stones take her weight as she rested her forehead against the cool surface and laid both palms across the two nearest cracks. Lowering her shields enough that she knew Fawkes, at least, would be aware of what she was doing, she closed her eyes and sent her most sincere feeling of apology and sorrow to the building that had been home for almost seven years.
Dipping down into her magical core, she amassed a ball of that golden energy and slowly and carefully fed it out through her hands and into the castle. She felt the stone heat slightly beneath her fingertips and waited until it felt as though all the magic she had released had swirled away and was no longer right beneath her hands. Then she opened her eyes.
She smiled at the sight before her. The stones in front of her looked perfectly solid. In fact, if she wasn't mistaken, they looked in better condition than they had earlier in the day before this debacle had occurred. Pulling back from the wall and turning round to survey the whole room, she found that her magic had been put to good use and her intent had been more than met by the castle; everywhere she looked were clean and whole stones.
She thought her gratitude at the castle, wondering as she did so why it had taken her so long to realize just how sentient the castle was. The more time she spent in close proximity to it now, the more convinced she became that its sentience was quite advanced. It didn't speak—so far as she knew—but it had quite a well-developed understanding of its inhabitants' emotional needs.
She could almost swear that for a brief instant, the room responded to her, pulsing with a magic that was not her own, but then the flicker was gone, and she was left in an ordinary room.
As she surveyed the results one last time, she realized that the magic she had fed back into the stones had even been used to reinstitute the cushioning charms she had placed there at the beginning of the year.
Feeling much better for what she had just accomplished, she left the room with a last caress to the stones of the wall nearest her. She made herself continue to walk resolutely down the corridor, not allowing her feet to lag as she realized that the only other place to go right now was back to her quarters.
She could go on patrol, and it was more or less the time for that sort of activity, but if Harry, Draco, Remus, and Tonks were all sitting and waiting for her, it really wouldn't be polite. Harry would understand where she had gone and why she had gone there, but there wasn't really an excuse for wandering around the castle for a few more hours; she had kept them waiting long enough.
The gargoyle melted away at her approach, and she stepped through the doorway, unMasking herself as she crossed the threshold, the gargoyle re-forming behind her.
Harry looked up instantly, though she had made no noise. Draco, who was more attuned to Harry than he would likely want to admit, immediately noticed the Gryffindor's change in attention, and he looked from Harry to Hermione.
Remus and Tonks had at some point wisely settled down to do some grading, and they were seated together on the floor by the fire. They looked up as one a moment later, and since they were both trained in defence, she didn't suppose that was terribly surprising, either.
"Hello, everyone," she managed with what she thought was a pretty even and normal-sounding tone.
Harry rose immediately, crossed the room, and pulled her into a hug.
"'Mione," he said, sounding desperately relieved. "You all right?"
"M'fine," she managed, muffled against his shoulder. "M'better."
He pulled back so that he could look her in the eyes and apparently gauge the sincerity of this statement. He gave a slight nod and kept a hold of her arm to pull her further into the room. Remus and Tonks had risen to their feet and were looking at her intently, and she couldn't decipher the expression on Draco's face as he slowly rose to his feet as well so that he wasn't the only person sitting down.
Silence descended for a long and awkward moment.
"You know," Draco drawled in the tone of someone who'd just worked something obvious out, "I always thought Harry was the unstable one with the uncontrolled magical outbursts, but now I see that it's a Gryffindor trait in general."
As Harry started to protest on her behalf, Hermione laughed, feeling more at ease now that she knew that Draco was willing to continue insulting her just like any other Gryffindor. Business as usual.
"What little control I managed was a little tardy," she agreed honestly.
He grimaced faintly. "I didn't much fancy my chances against magic that can do that to an entire room in an instant; the thought of Draco pieces is curiously unappealing."
She smiled faintly at him, adding earnestly, "I'm very glad I didn't hurt any of you. That was never my intent."
"I still think you should have squashed Snape like a bug," Harry groused darkly. "Nobody would have minded."
"I would have," she answered quietly.
He gaped at her. "You can't possibly—"
"Not want anyone's blood or injury on my conscience?" she interrupted slightly curtly, as she knew exactly what he had intended to say, and she most definitely did not want to go there right now. "I most certainly can."
His ire vanished as precipitously as it had arrived. "Oh. Right."
"He, er, is all right?"
She so should have asked Fawkes this so that she didn't have to embarrass herself now. But all Fawkes had said was that he wasn't welcome and wouldn't have stayed, and that didn't mean he wasn't ... bleeding from some horrible head wound or concussed or something.
"Fine," Harry said to her relief. "Well, you know, walking and talking, if you consider that fine, although he—"
It looked as though Draco got Harry in the side with his elbow at the same time that Remus pulled her into her second hug of the night. She hugged him back, pleased that she was receiving comfort rather than a lecture for putting everyone in danger and then running off.
She was pretty sure she hadn't wanted to know how Harry's sentence was going to end.
"I'm sorry," Remus said as he let her go.
She frowned. "I think that's supposed to be my line."
He smiled slightly at that, but shook his head. "I know what happened was a result of my questioning. I hadn't realized why Harry was steering the topic of conversation away from you or what would happen when attention refocused on you."
She shook her head. "You couldn't have realized; you didn't know all the facts, and at worst, what happened tonight was really only a catalyst." Possibly the straw that broke the camel's back. "I'm just pleased you're all okay. Besides," she said with a smile, "you must have gathered that I was trying to tell all of you anyway. So it came out a little differently than I'd intended; you still got the important information, right?"
He nodded, a smile twitching at the corner of his lips, golden eyes bright. "Right. I haven't seen Severus that out of sorts in a long time."
Harry's face darkened, and she knew which event he was now thinking of. She hastened to speak again.
"Do I need to elaborate, or did you completely grasp what I was going to say?"
Remus smiled again. "That display of power rather gave it away, and I can connect the dots eventually, although I must confess that it's quite embarrassing that it took this long."
"I agree," Tonks said. "The number of comments I've made about your strength and this sudden increase in your magical power, you'd think that I'd've considered…. But I remember you being tested by the Ministry; Kingsley was quite clear that the two of you weren't virgins."
Hermione and Harry smiled.
"That's a secret for another day," Harry said with a laugh.
"Making sure no one knew but the two of us was the most effective way to protect ourselves." Hermione took over the explanation. "Now that the secret is being … selectively disseminated, we wanted you to know. We both trust you will be able to keep it."
"Of course," they agreed solemnly.
"I admit to being slightly confused," Remus added with a bit of hesitation. "Why did Severus already know?"
She exchanged looks with Harry. Apparently, Remus had not inferred the finer details of her not being Pure anymore. Harry gave a shrug to indicate that it was her life that was being discussed.
Tonks was regarding Hermione with a knowing look in her eyes, and as Hermione watched, her hair went jet black with emerald green tips. Tonks had been doing more training sessions with them than anyone else.
Or maybe she just got the appeal of an older man. Remus looked between Tonks and Hermione.
"What?" he asked.
Tonks looked at him, looked back at Hermione, and shook her head. It looked as though she didn't feel this was a piece of news that she would be the one to share, either. Hermione appreciated that none of them were trying to interfere with what she said about her life.
Of course, given what she'd just done to Severus, this could have been self-preservation more than thoughtfulness, but she appreciated it anyway.
She sighed. "Remus, Harry and I are no longer Pure Adults. We can't get there on our own, right?"
Remus nodded. Severus would have told her to get to the point.
"Before today, there were only three other people who knew we were Pure Adults. Draco knew."
Remus looked fleetingly over at Harry and the blond Slytherin and nodded his head. He'd clearly already gotten over any shock about that.
"Albus knew."
Remus nodded again, not looking surprised that Albus was aware of something that was a secret to the rest of them.
"And Severus knew."
Remus started nodding once more, and then his head froze as the full import of what she was saying apparently registered. His eyes flew to hers, wide with shock.
"I'm telling you," Hermione said carefully, "because Tonks already figured it out, and I think you would have worked it out on your own in fairly short order." She paused for a moment to decide how best to say what she wanted to say next. "This is how it's going to work. You're not ever going to speak to him about the matter without his directly opening the topic first and inviting you to comment." They surely all knew how likely that was to happen. "If you wish, you may speak of it to Tonks when the two of you are alone and can't be overheard. You may speak of it with me when I am alone or when I am with Harry or Draco. You may not, under any circumstances, speak of it with anyone else. You may not communicate it to anyone else using any other method. Understood?"
Remus just kept staring at her.
Tonks began, "Hermione—"
Hermione shook her head. "If he weren't a daft berk and hadn't spoken out of turn, you hopefully wouldn't know at all. But it's still because of me, because of this completely insane situation in which Harry and I have found ourselves that this is being discussed right now, and that means that it's my responsibility to ensure that our privacy is properly maintained. Do you understand?"
Tonks nodded, and Hermione decided that she definitely understood loving someone even if the rest of the world didn't think that person was appropriate for a variety of reasons. She was only a few years older than Hermione, after all.
Remus was coming at it from the other side of that relationship, so if there was anyone who'd understand where Severus was coming fr—
With a snarl that was astonishingly reminiscent of the werewolf he had been for so many years, Remus flung himself towards the door. Hermione froze him to the spot without a thought.
"Remus John Lupin," she pronounced in a voice of ice as she magically turned him back towards the interior of the room so that he could see her as she stalked closer, "I had hoped you had better sense than that. My words are never spoken in idleness, and I tell you in all solemnity that you do not want to find out what happens if you go out this door and break any of my terms. My restrictions have been laid upon you, and you would do well to heed them. I am going to let you go now, and if you find that you still cannot behave in a civilized manner, you will find yourself removed from the grounds." She released her magical hold on him. "Have I made myself perfectly clear?"
Silence reigned. The others made no attempt to speak, waiting for Remus to respond first, perhaps because they didn't want to draw her fire.
Rather than answering her question, he chose to make a protest. At least it was to her and not to Severus.
"He's a professor! You're his student!"
This wasn't said with quite as much vitriol as it no doubt could have been, but it wasn't the warmest of accolades, either.
She had to wonder what people thought of her judgement when they were all so unsupportive of her choice—especially given that she had been fully supportive of their partners. Instrumental, even.
Not that Severus had been showing himself to best advantage recently, and if she sometimes doubted her choice, she supposed it wasn't unreasonable for them to do the same.
She just really didn't want to argue about this right now.
"You know full well," she answered, "that such relationships are permitted at Hogwarts as long as the student is of age." Not exactly encouraged, but not downright forbidden, either. She had, of course, been through the rules and regulations of the school to verify this. "If it helps your squeamishness, there's no chance that anything would have occurred had it not been for my Pure status."
Remus didn't appear to have an immediate answer to that since she was pretty certain that it wasn't really the fact that she was a student that was bothering him; it was the fact that she had slept with Severus Snape. She had to wonder how much of his feelings from childhood had lingered. He had spent years surrounding by James, Sirius, and Peter, and Severus was their least favourite person as a child. Remus had always been cordial towards Severus in their dealings as far as she had seen, but now that it involved Severus's personal life, now that it involved her, the good will seemed to be at an end.
Tonks, however, took a step towards her. She apparently heard exactly what Hermione hadn't in particular been trying to say when she had used those words to explain the situation. "Hermione," she began. Her sympathy was plain, and Hermione had to wonder whether it was because of or in spite of Severus's identity.
Hermione shook her head. "Now is hardly the time. You understand what I've said to Remus?"
Tonks smiled faintly. "Message received loud and clear. He has a good friend."
Hermione knew that she was talking about Severus, and she wasn't ready to go there with a ten-foot pole because she was pretty damn certain that Severus would not consider her a friend. In a million, bezillion years.
"Is there anything else you wanted to discuss?"
She directed this at Tonks, too, because she seemed to have adequately processed everything Hermione had said and wasn't about to suddenly fly off the handle and attack Severus. Hermione wasn't making any bets about Remus at the moment.
Tonks shook her head, having heard the dismissal that Hermione hadn't worked very hard to keep out of her voice.
"This has been a very long day," the Auror said agreeably as she Summoned all the scrolls they had been grading, collecting them neatly in one hand.
Hermione was not going to disagree, and Harry and Draco had remained remarkably quiet through the entire discussion.
Remus started up again. "Hermione—"
"I think it would be better if we didn't discuss this right now, Remus," she said coolly. "You can owl me if you find you have something pressing to say."
He blinked at her, seeming a bit at a loss. "But the Weresbane—"
"Will keep. I'll be starting it this weekend, and you need to get back to all the werewolves. I've got my end under control, and I trust the same is true of yours?"
He nodded, but his expression was still one of confusion. "But—"
Tonks linked arms with Remus and began to tug him to the door.
"It's been nice to see you Hermione, Draco, Harry. We'll catch up with you later, all right?"
Hermione nodded, and Harry and Draco bid Tonks and Remus farewell. The latter finally gave into the inevitable and allowed himself to be led, but he couldn't seem to prevent a last attempt at speech. "I—"
"Goodbye, Remus," Harry said loudly. "I'll see you soon!"
Hermione narrowly forbore laughing, a warm feeling in her chest that there was a set of people who seemed to be on her side. She could do without more stressful confrontations for a while. This one that had been nipped in the bud had been more than enough for the current state of her nerves, and she could only imagine what would have happened if Remus had gone after Severus.
It was almost the slightest bit tempting to leave the two of them to it and just see who came out on top, but she had a fairly strong suspicion that it wouldn't be Remus, and she wasn't feeling charitable enough towards Severus to give him someone to take his frustrations out on.
She let out a huff of air. This was a great big mess. Once Remus and Tonks were out the door, Hermione looked over at Draco and Harry.
"Well?"
Draco shrugged elegantly as he settled back onto the couch. Harry settled at his side. "I already knew about you and Severus and how he's been acting. There weren't any surprises tonight, just an affirmation that sometimes he has the sense of a Flobberworm."
Hermione smiled faintly, nodding in appreciation of the way in which Draco had decided to handle the evening, as though she hadn't wrecked an entire room without thought. She looked to Harry.
He raised both shoulders. "No show of power will come as a surprise to me, Hermione. I already know that you're amazing."
Her smile deepened. "Thank you," she said, feeling it sincerely all the way down to her toes.
She knew that when the two of them had found out about Severus they hadn't reacted particularly well, either, but it was very nice to have a good response from them now. Maybe that was a reason all on its own to stagger people's being let into the secret of her Pure Adulthood; she wouldn't be able to handle everyone being upset about Severus all at once. This way, she'd have a few people on her side each time.
The thought of Ron's potential reaction was very sobering, and yet she couldn't realistically hope to keep this from him forever; it wouldn't be fair given the divide that had separated them for so long this year. If the two of them were going to cease to be friends, it might as well be in one swift blow. But, she suppressed a sigh, it wasn't going to be tonight. She'd had too much excitement already. Maybe tomorrow. Or Sunday. It could wait until Sunday.
If he decided he was never speaking to her again on Sunday, then they'd head back into a school week where it would be back to business as usual. They'd only been cordial for a couple of days, and she didn't think too many people would be surprised if everything fell apart again.
She was tired of living with this much uncertainty.
She flopped down onto the couch on Harry's left.
"I could sleep for a week."
"You're all right, though?" Harry asked, sounding slightly alarmed by this uncharacteristic declaration.
She gave a slight nod. That was a very relative term at this point. "I've been worse. Fawkes came with me and made sure I was all right."
Harry nodded. "Don't think I didn't pester him with information every couple of minutes."
Her lips tipped up. "So he told me when I woke up."
Harry was looking at her a little funny. "You fell asleep out there?"
She nodded. "Cried myself to sleep against Castina, yes. She and Fawkes were both very understanding."
Draco shook his head, saying wryly, "Only you could go out and find a unicorn to cuddle up with. I wish I had your connections."
She let out a soft laugh, although it was more pained that she had meant it to be. "You don't wish to have my reasons for going out there, I assure you. You're much better off where you are."
She looked at the two of them cuddled up on the couch together, and they exchanged glances, seeing what she was seeing. They were part of a happy couple, and she was not.
"Have you tried talking to him?" Harry asked hesitantly.
Both she and Draco gave him incredulous looks, and he shrugged as he said defensively, "Well, whatever you said to Draco worked great for him and me."
Her expression softened. "That's a very nice thought, but talking to Severus results in only one thing. Well," she conceded, "two: detentions and point loss. I don't think any of us are in the mood for any of that today. You know he was … very clear the last time we did speak."
Harry made a face of distress. "Yes."
She suppressed a sigh and said gently, "Some facts of life can't be changed or fixed, Harry, even if they're not as you want them to be."
If there was anyone who would understand that, it was Harry. He nodded reluctantly, and she knew that he was thinking of all the events in his life that he would fix and change if he had been able to do so. Sadly, that wasn't how life worked.
"And," she smiled as brightly as she could, which was probably a pretty sad imitation of her usual smile, "at least I didn't bring the whole school down on us."
Both their faces broke into grins, and Harry nudged her with his elbow.
"Yeah, good show there. I approve of your restraint."
"Hey," she protested. "I don't think the person who blew up his aunt is allowed to cast those sorts of aspersions."
"Blew up his aunt?" Draco repeated with theatrical astonishment. He turned to look up at Harry. "You blew up your aunt?"
Apparently, there was at least one story that Harry hadn't shared with Draco. Probably one of a thousand, actually, but she didn't think this one was too horribly intrusive.
Harry evidently agreed because he immediately launched into a long and detailed story about his horrible Aunt Marge and the insults that she had flung at him that had culminated in the accident that Hermione had mentioned. Draco found it both funny and appalling that Fudge had let him get away with it.
"Golden Boy," he teased with mock distaste.
Harry shook his head. "He was just saving up his ill intent. You do remember me being tried by the entire Wizengamot when those Dementors almost got me and my cousin?"
Draco remembered and conceded that that was, indeed, slightly less accommodating of Albus's Golden Boy than the previous occasion had been.
When she yawned for the third time, they decided to turn, and it was only just before she made it to her bedroom that it occurred to her to ask, "How did they take it when they worked out that you were the other Pure Adult?"
Harry huffed a laugh. "They were happy because it was something to talk about while we were waiting here."
Draco nodded. "It was amusing to see the two of them reminding one another of all the signs that they should have taken note of sooner."
"Rather like a table tennis match," Harry added, mimicking the rapid back-and-forth head motion.
Her lip curled up. "At least you had some entertainment."
"A fair bit, yes," Harry agreed with a smile. A bit solemnly, he added, "Have a good night."
She smiled at the sentiment. "I'll do my very best. Good night, Harry, Draco."
It hadn't escaped her notice that Draco wasn't making much of an effort to leave. Especially over the weekends, Draco could generally be found underfoot at all times. As far as she was concerned, they might as well abandon all pretence and have him officially move in with Harry. Well, officially amongst the three of them, anyway, since even Albus couldn't turn a blind eye if they announced it to everyone.
That did actually give her a notion, though. She wasn't entirely certain how the castle felt about her at the moment, although it had seemed to her as though warmth was predominant when she'd left Room One for the second time this evening. She'd try tomorrow, though, as today had been harrowing, and she needed to go to bed.
She even went right to sleep, but she woke shortly after three feeling fully rested and knowing that she wasn't going to be able to fall asleep again anytime soon. Not desirous of simply lying in bed and contemplating aspects of her life which she could not change, she rose and performed her morning ablutions.
She reminded herself of the good aspects of this revelation. While she wasn't ready to tell anyone but Harry the whole story about her being a Pure Adult and a unicorn, if she claimed her odd sleep patterns were related to her being a Pure Adult, the others who knew that secret would likely accept that. Since so few details were known about Pure Adults, she could probably pass most of her biological quirks off that way.
She and Harry would just have to be firm about the fact that Pure Adults didn't have the same quirks; especially since Draco had started spending so much time in Harry's bed, the Gryffindor had spent a lot more time there.
It would therefore answer some of the questions that had cropped up in Remus's mind over the course of the Weresbane trial, and if he felt he now had a solution without asking her for more details, that was all to the good. This way, they had controlled how the information came out and minimized the chances that someone would put two and two together and, just as an example, yell about it in the corridor.
It was better this way.
She made herself tea and then settled down with one of Solace's journals. For her reading convenience, she had slowly transferred the journals to her lab. She had some of her best wards protecting that room, given what she made in it, and it hadn't been difficult to set aside one cupboard for the journals and ward it with complete paranoia. She hoped that she would soon be able to ward well enough that she could create as hidden a recess as the one in which Solace had originally put the journals.
For now, though, no one had access to her lab without her being present, and since she was one of the most powerful wizards in the castle, she wasn't overly concerned about the journals' safety. Since she was a very compulsive person, she was doing everything within her power to protect them anyway. They were fighting against people who were very devious, and a school of budding witches and wizards was just the place for odd and unanticipated streaks of brilliance to pop out.
In this particular case, however, not only were the journals protected with wards that had taken a great deal longer to set up than those used in the safe house, the journals themselves were blood-bound to her. That was Solace's doing, and Hermione didn't think there was anyone alive who could break that charm. This meant that even if someone somehow stole the one that she had out to read, they'd only find a blank journal.
Hermione transfigured one of her stools into a comfortable armchair and settled down to read. She only had a few pages left in this journal. It detailed some of the political manoeuvring that had gone on as Solace's father was leaving Hogwarts for good. Despite what everyone thought today, Godric and Salazar had not only once been fast friends, but even to the final days, Godric had done his best to convince Salazar to stay.
They had had argument after argument as Godric had tried to temper Salazar's views and come to a compromise that would allow the man to stay with his friends and in the school that he had helped found. But they were both stubborn men, and Salazar would not be swayed. Godric was equally adamant that there could be no casting out of Muggle-born students and Muggles, and no agreement could be reached between them.
Solace had offered to leave, but Salazar would not hear of that, either. It had seemed clear to him, in the end, that the others wanted Solace more than they wanted him. She had been his only daughter and Daddy's little girl, but she had believed strongly enough in her ideals that she could not side with him in this matter. It was clear in the journals, though, that Solace had never stopped loving her father—nor had she stopped blaming herself for his departure.
Hermione closed this journal with tears prickling in her eyes. Families torn apart by intolerance and misunderstanding a thousand years ago, and what the hell had they learnt since then?
The next journal, one of the last, was a small thick book which turned out to detail the wards that protected Hogwarts. It looked to be even more informative than the journal which had outlined Solace's family tree. It left Hermione wondering just how many surprises Solace had in store for her.
The wards were almost exclusively designed by Solace; as she stayed on at the castle, she had become more and more adept at warding. Like her father, she was skilled with potions, but she had refused to take over the classes that had belonged to her father, and so she had become a wards-mistress, a speciality that had dropped out of vogue some years ago. Hermione supposed that the curse-breakers were a remnant of that profession.
Solace had personally crafted many of the protections that were used for Hogwarts; she had felt that creating new wards that had never been used before would best protect the school full of vulnerable magical children. The journal outlined which information she had passed on to the next generation of headmasters and professors and what periodic renewals the wards needed to keep them running in peak condition throughout the years.
It was only in this journal—this journal that she'd left for Hermione to find—that Solace had detailed everything she knew about the wards. With this journal, Hermione realized, the wards of Hogwarts could be brought down with a few well-placed words. It was a sobering thought. If Voldemort somehow got his hands on this knowledge, he would be able to bring Hogwarts to its knees even with Albus to defend it.
Hermione's grip on the journal tightened. If it held a means for Voldemort to access Hogwarts and attack them, perhaps it also held a means for them to lure Voldemort here. She had said herself that it was powerful knowledge. Of course, they needed to work out what to do with him once they had him, but surely they could figure out something.
She read on, taking in each row of tiny, perfectly legible script, ideas percolating rapidly through her brain. It would have to be something clever to pull Voldemort, but that wasn't to say it couldn't be done. It would be sort of poetic after all the times he had tried to trap and trick Harry....
Although the wards had been modified and added to by generations of headmasters at the school, it was really a case of superficial additions and changes rather than renewal. The base layer that Solace had cast remained unchanged; she had designed them to last for a millennium with certain qualities inherent in them. She had made sure that no overzealous wizard could destroy them in his or her attempts to make improvements. Nor could they be used to, say, prohibit the entrance of Muggle-borns if Hogwarts ended up with a headmaster who had leanings in that direction. Solace's wards were laid into the bedrock of the castle. They went deeper than any other wards, and they remained the foundation upon which all the subsequent wards rested.
As she continued to read, Hermione learned more about blood wards and found, finally, the information which Solace had left for her. Thoughts began to fall into place. She had to wonder if it was a coincidence that so many close members of the Order had just found out about her and Harry's status; the plan that she was hatching would require their knowing. It was rather disconcerting to be reading the words of someone who even Hermione had to admit was a bona fide Seer. The fact that Solace knew so much about the situation Hermione was currently in was kind of terrifying given that the woman had lived a thousand years ago.
Although Hermione would be the first to admit that she had hardly studied Divination in depth, she hadn't ever heard of a Seer who could see so far forward into the future. There were sometimes old prophecies, of course, but not information simply laid out in the manner that it was for Hermione. Of course, Solace hadn't gone and written them in a book for anyone to see, and she hadn't labelled everything "plan to defeat Voldemort". Hermione was simply certain that that was what it was, or at least that that was how it could be used. But then, she read everything with an eye to defeating Voldemort. It came from being best friends with Harry and hating everything that Voldemort stood for.
At all events, she nearly had a plan, however it had come about, and she would have to be careful as she decided what information about Solace she could pass on to the others.
Hermione realized with a start that it was already half six, and it was about time for her to be up for the day for real. Given that this had been a "sleepover" evening, she didn't expect to see Harry so early. Since sparring with her absentee partner wasn't an option, she decided to take a run on the grounds—all aboveboard in human form since it was a little late to be going into the Forest and hoping that no one would notice.
Her goal today was to ignore Severus completely and not get into any confrontations with the snarky prat. It would help, then, if she wasn't doing anything out of bounds as she wanted to have a leg to stand on if she did happen to run into him. Quite frankly, she wanted to be able to tell him to bugger off.
The run was invigorating, even in non-unicorn form. It helped to be out in the open air, to feel the breeze on her face as she passed all the familiar landmarks that comprised her home. It wasn't quite as good as the Forest and her herd, but it was still a place which she loved. For a little while, as she guided her body in the repetitive motion, she could forget all the troubles that were weighing on her mind.
Sweaty but content, she headed back into the castle. It was nearing breakfast time, and there was that hum of activity to the castle now, although she didn't actually run into anyone as she ducked down the stairs and into the cool dungeon corridors. If the Slytherins were stirring at this hour, they were doing so quietly. Hermione had taken to subtly shielding herself, especially when she travelled the corridors alone; whatever Harry thought, she really wasn't taking any unnecessary risks.
As she headed back to her rooms, she remembered to implement the plan she had conceived of the night before, communicating her request to the castle as directly and respectfully as she could.
There was no immediate response, so she supposed she would just wait and see what resulted. She suspected that between her desire and the castle's fondness for them, there wouldn't be a problem.
Back in the common room, she found that the two boys still hadn't made an appearance. Fondly thinking to herself that they must really have tired one another out the night before, she headed to the loo for a shower.
She was dressed a few minutes later, and it was now nearly eight o'clock and time for breakfast. There wasn't any regulation stating that the Head Boy had to be with the Head Girl for breakfast on Saturday morning, so Hermione shrugged to herself and left Harry and Draco to their rest.
In the Great Hall, she found that she was the first Gryffindor to arrive. She sat down at the table and began helping herself to toast and fruit in fairly large quantity because her run had made her hungry.
She was joined shortly thereafter by Ginny, who looked round a bit when she didn't see Harry and Draco.
"All alone this morning, are we?" She joined Hermione.
Hermione smiled brightly at the other girl. "Harry doesn't seem to have made it out of bed yet."
"Draco neither?" the redhead asked with a smirk.
"Isn't that a coincidence?" Hermione said innocently.
Ginny laughed outright. "A great big one. Actually, I'm a little surprised it hasn't been happening more often."
Hermione laughed as well. "They've been relatively restrained, yeah."
Abandoning the topic of Harry and Draco's sex life before it could get any more involved, Hermione asked about Ginny's classes, a topic that occupied them until Ron staggered in a few minutes later, looking as though he'd just rolled out of bed, as was doubtless the case.
"Morning," she and Ginny chirped cheerfully, and he gave them something that might have been supposed to be a smile but definitely came out as a grimace as he sank heavily onto the bench and began to pile food onto his plate.
"Morning a bit early for you this morning?" Hermione asked with amusement.
Ron made some sort of noise of agreement, and Ginny filled Hermione in.
"They had a party in the boy's dorm last night for Paul. Ron's got Quidditch practice this morning, though, so he's got to be up and functional now."
"At least he's halfway there," Hermione observed dryly.
"Oy," Ron protested.
She revised her estimate slightly. At least he'd realized he'd been insulted.
It was perhaps five minutes later that Ron suddenly said, "Where're Harry and Malfoy?"
And down with the estimate once more.
"You think you're going to be able to spot a Quaffle with that eyesight?" Ginny beat Hermione to the punch.
"Hey, leave a poor boy alone," Ron said with a frown, shovelling more food into his mouth and speaking through it. "I've not had my breakfast yet."
By Hermione's reckoning, he'd already eaten roughly three times what she had and was even well on his way to doubling what Ginny had eaten. She couldn't really complain about their metabolism now that she had this odd one of her own, but it was always a little astonishing to witness firsthand.
"They're having a lie-in," Hermione answered and waited for the Knut to drop.
Ron nodded absently and kept eating. Ginny was grinning, clearly waiting as well. It took perhaps thirty seconds, and then Ron's fork froze halfway to his mouth.
"Oy!" he protested again, grimacing. "I didn't need to know that!"
Hermione and Ginny laughed, and Ron, still shaking his head in disgust, went back to his meal.
It was a quarter of an hour later before the two boys arrived. Harry slid onto the bench almost sheepishly whereas Draco sauntered in looking cool and collected. They both looked relaxed, and everyone in the near vicinity knew it was because they were well-shagged.
Ginny was eyeing Draco speculatively as he greeted everyone without a hint of embarrassment and served himself a large helping of food without any indication that there was anything unusual in that. Harry already had red-tinged cheeks and seemed to know full well that everyone knew what he'd been doing—and was finding it difficult to function as a result. Without a word, Draco simply took over serving the other boy, and Ginny shook her head.
"You know," she said quietly to Hermione, "there's something to be said for good breeding."
Hermione smiled. "Poise in all situations. Yes, I'd noticed. I think it would help if Ron wasn't looking at him as though he were contagious. Ron, did you notice there were more kippers over here?"
Ron hadn't noticed and seemed happy to have his attention diverted from a best friend who had recently had sex with Draco Malfoy. Harry seemed to relax once he wasn't being scrutinized so carefully, and Draco carried on as though he hadn't noticed any of it, although she imagined that he'd been well aware of exactly the looks he had been receiving.
There was no chance of Ron going back to concentrating on Harry and Draco, either, because the post arrived next, and with it came everyone's subscription to the Daily Prophet. This year had a record high number of subscribers amongst the students because they all knew that crazy events were occurring in Britain at large; not reading the paper could leave drastic holes in one's knowledge. Some of the students were even aware of how much nonsense was in the Prophet, but like Hermione and Harry, wanted to be kept apprised of that, as well.
The headline this morning was enough to have even the younger years talking in short order:
Pure Adults Are No More!