Kreacher is a foul creature
Harry like others soon found out how annoying Kreacher could be. He insulted everyone, was bitter and troublesome. Kreacher was in habit of gathering various trinkets they were trying to get rid of with the least amount of danger to themselves. That proved to be quite a difficult task as the house was filled with dangerous dark objects that could harm or worse kill you, like clothing that wanted to suffocate you or a music box that would induce sleep. Fred and George had got their apparation license therefore they had decided to abuse it and their target happenened to be poor Ron. At some point they had managed to exterminate Doxys. Some had survived but they had become test subjects for the twins which was an even worse fate than death by doxycide.
«Wow Hermione you really do look like one of our lost cousins.» Fred told her on the day Harry went to the Ministry of Magic. « Your eyes are a bit different today.» Fred -or was it George- said as he looked closer. «Hey Forge come take a look.» Ah so it was Fred after all.
«What?» George said as he entered. «Blimey, your hair is just like Ginny now? I might kiss the wrong sister now» He said as he laughed. Hermione's cheeks burned a bit and smiled.
«Did you say her eyes were different?» asked Sirius as he came in, he smelled like a hippogriff. « Sorry for the smell Buckbeak wasn't feeling well last night.»
«Yeah it's bit lighter today.» Said Fred.
Sirius pointed his wand at Hermione's temple and cast a diagnostic spell. Her eyes first turned blue like Dumbledore's eyes and then a very light gray. It was familiar to the boys and Sirius but they couldn't remember why. The color went a bit colder and then back to a lighter brown than Hermione's own eyes.
«Okay that was interesting.» said George. «What was that?»
«A simple progress checking spell. it's used for diagnosing scars. Specifically to see how fast they'll heal. I tweaked it a bit so it would show me other changes that her body might go through. Sadly it won't work on her skin or hair but it works great on eyes. Some Irish healer once used a spell like this to diagnose cataract.» He explained.
« So what color was it?» Hermione asked. She would love to have green eyes like Harry. « I don't know wizards could suffer from cataract.»
«Oh they can and it's actually more commen amongst wizards than witches. Your eyes were gray Hermione. They are reminding me of something but I can't put my finger on it.»
«Could you do it again while I'm looking into a mirror?» she asked.
«Of course.» smiled Sirius as he conjured a mirror out of thin air. He handed it to her and waited patiently as Hermione looked into the mirror. They were right. Her eyes were a bit lighter, milkier perhaps. Then Sirius did his spell and she saw it. First they looked like the eyes of Dumbledore. They had the same warmth, but then they shifted into Gray and became cold like the eyes of a boy who she knew very well. It scared her and she felt unsecure. Feeling that Sirius patted her reassuringly and smiled to her. « Don't be afraid little bird. We're with you all the way through.»
Fred didn't dare to say it but Sirius was being more mature than he had ever been since they had come to the headquarters. He was acting like a comforting father than an insecure teenager like when he was with Harry.
«You know I thing your nose is a bit … sharper I guess.» Said George.
Sirius could see it too. «Yes, but will it be as sharp as Snape's I wonder.» Sirius joked. In that moment of all the moments Severus Snape decided to enter the kitchen.
«Pardon me for interrupting your rest but what is it that would be as sharp as my nose.» He said as he smirked at the streaming Sirius in front of him.
«My nose professor.» Hermione broke the uncomfortable silence. «They day it's sharper.»
Snape raised his eyebrow but then squeezed his eyes a bit. « Well it seems these oafs are right for once.» Snape sat in front of her inspecting her face. « Judging by your hair colour you have been doing some foolish transfiguration, haven't you? Your hair is as red as the Weasley terrors.» He glanced at them briefly.
«Actually the changes came on their own Snivellus. It's been going on for the last 7 or 8 weeks I think.» Sirius said smiling. Snape was shocked to hear this.
«And none of you idiots has tought it might be something dangerous.» He said with contempt and a bit of anger.
«Oh I did immediately. I have been casting diagnostics left and right. She's physically fine but the changes can be detected by the spells. They're progressing slowly but steadily. Last week I could detect no change in her bones but now it's happening. It's gonna hurt when they start growing.» Sirius was explaining as Snape interrupted him. «Have you notified Headmaster? He must check this himself.»
Sirius kept quiet for a few seconds, he couldn't talk about it in front of the boys. «Fred, George could you wait outside.» He asked and the very moment they left he cast a ward on the door. « I think he knows more than we know. He tried to dissmiss her concerns when she asked about it and when I brought it up he said that there was nothing to worry about. He doesn't want us to dig anyl deeper.»
«His meddlesome nose can be found wherever there is a trouble.» Said Snape as he huffed. He looked at her closely. He pointed his wand at her «Patrimoine Revelio» he cast swiftly but nothing happened.
«She has been warded thoroughly by the parents. They probably didn't expect the potion to fail.» said Sirius.
«So the mud-blood isn't a mud-blood after all.» Snape smirked. Hermione cringed.
«This isn't funny. Albus is involved and he won't say or do a thing. This could be really bad.»
«We'll figure out who her parents are soon. This year we're going to make the Heritage Tree potion. She will have to test eventually and no matter how powerful the wards are they won't stop the potion from working.» Snape said.
«I actually tried …» Sirius said.
«Oh please Black. You were never good at potions. Did your cauldron explode?» Snape asked almost innocently.
«No it actually imploded. It looks like a bean now.» He answers sheepishly.
«As expected from the noble house of black. You're never good with potions.» He looked at the indignant Sirius and stood up. «Give this letter to Headmaster when he comes by. I must go back to my place.»
He left them in silence but before he opened the door to leave he looked at her for a few seconds. There was something in his eyes that she couldn't explain.
Hermione went back to her room. She was upset and scared. Kreacher was in her room. He was cleaning. He looked at her when she sat on her bed but said nothing. Just as Hermione hoped that he would keep quiet he muttered to himself.
«The mud-blood keeps crying at nights. Tainting the matress with filth.» Hermione looked at it angrily. He swiped a bit more and then continued « At least she doesn't smell like a Mud-blood.»
«What's the smell of a Mud-blood Kreacher?» Hermione asked with wet eyes. She was crying.
«Like an outsider. Like impure blood.» He paused. «Young Miss doesn't smell like that.» He seemed genuinely confused as he left her room.