Chapter 10
Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter world, which is trademarked by J.K. Rowling. This story is for entertainment only and not part of the official storyline.
Authors note: It took some time getting this chapter up, but have no fear, I have chapt 11 completed and ready to post in a few days!!! We've been paining my house and starting the kids back to school! (Any homeschooling parents?)
Leave some comments and tell me what you'd like to see happen in the story! (We have major plans for Severus to find out and we'll start to see where the magic takes Hermione and her boys!)
The forest was dark, damp and eery. Hermione grimaced as she stepped in what she hoped was mud. Sirius had kindly requested to meet her after he heard Harry had become a champion in the stupid tournament that was going to slowly be the death of her. Harry Potter and Victor Krum were both champions. One her best friend and her brother's godchild, the other a bonded soulmate. Though they had yet to find any solid information in regards to their magical tattoos, Hermione had taken to glamouring it so her roommates and Ginny couldn't see.
Shaking off the feeling of being watched, Hermione entered the small clearing that Sirius asked her to meet in. A large black dog sat in the middle of the area, tail wagging as he spotted her.
"Come on Siri, I'm tired and you dragged me all the way out here. It's the middle of the night." Hermione wasn't opposed to whining.
The dog stood up and gracefully changed into a rather healthy looking Sirius Black. The man moved towards her pulling her close into a warm hug.
"I've missed you kitten. I'm glad you've been looking out for Harry too. Let's talk about our two main problems. First, have you figured out anything on your tattoos? Your mum wants to verify that, hold on she wrote a list," Sirius pulled out a list of questions from the back pocket of his denim. The note held her mother's tidy scrawl, "Yes, so would you like to read the questions or would you care if I read them to you?"
"Read away brother." Hermione sighed.
"First, do both boys have the tattoos? Sirius asked. As Hermione verified that they did, Sirius continued.
"Do you know that the spell creates a type of female soldier, a Valkyrie; and we had to register you with the ministry. Some old pureblood nonsense but it does protect you if you lose your shit and hex anyone who threatens your bonded. Apparently it was to give protection to the heir of a house. The Valkyrie traits go away after you give your bonded a male heir." Sirius grimaced as he read the note.
Hermione growled. "Bigoted bleeding men. So they just changed their wives into crazy killers to protect themselves. I refuse to just birth some children. I am only fifteen!" Hermione was shrieking.
Sirius winced at his sisters cry of frustration. He now knew why Regulus had smirked as Eileen had told him to visit Hermione.
"Uhm, next question then. Has the bonding or tattoo affected you at all?" Sirius looked towards the pacing girl. He would easily do anything for the girl who helped save him from the dementors.
"It makesmewanttojumpthem." Hermione mumbled and then surprising him, yanked a handful of her curly hair and screamed.
"Could you repeat that, kitten?" Sirius asked.
"Any time the three of us are together we lose our minds. It's like we have to touch each other and nothing else matters. Our magic loves being together." Hermione admitted.
Sirius looked entirely too uncomfortable at the turn the conversation had taken. "Merlin, Father's going to throw a fit. I knew I should have convinced Regulus to come."
"Not helping, Siri. Anymore questions or can we leave it at that tonight?" Hermione sighed in frustration. She could feel a headache coming.
"Tell me what's going on with Harry," Sirius demanded. Happy to change the subject of her crazy love life, Hermione did.
She spoke of Harry's name coming out of the Goblet. Hermione told him about how the school and Ron had turned against him and called him a cheat. She even mentioned the crazy reporter that cornered him in a broom closet to get a scoop for the paper. Hermione was especially annoyed with the journalist because she knew the Black family owned a majority share of the Daily Profit. Finally, she told him how Harry had a crush on a fifth year Ravenclaw and could only stammer around her.
By the end of her conversation with her brother, the headache she had only previously felt was full blown. Her temple pounded as she thought of the new information she had received from Sirius. A Valkyrie. At least it gave her a new place to start looking for information.
She hugged her brother goodbye and made her way to the castle. Sneaking inside, she quietly pulled the large door closed. Hermione peeked around the corner, verifying that no one was up. It was one o'clock so she only had to worry about Mrs. Norris, the cat. That was the theory anyways. She made it to the fourth floor before her luck ran out.
"Sneaking around the castle after curfew, Ms. Granger? What's a pretty girl like you doing out so late?" The wooden stump Professor Moody used in place of his leg thumped against the stone floor. He took several steps towards the Gryffindor.
Hermione nervously stepped back, brushing against the stone of the castle wall. She felt indisputably nervous around the old auror most days and she felt real fear as she thought of how to escape the professor and the situation now.
"Sorry, Professor. I was just heading to the tower. I'll go now." Hermione turned to rush up the stairs and was yanked back.
"Pretty girls out late get in trouble Ms. Granger." The mans magical eye whizzed around as he took in her appearance. Entirely uncomfortable with the lecherous look on the man's face, Hermione yanked her arm free. The motion surprised the old auror and he released her. Hermione took off towards the moving staircase. Realizing that if the Fat Lady was asleep, she'd be stuck outside and Professor Moody could trap her again, Hermione took the staircase down.
She could still hear the thump of the wooden leg behind her. An eery cackle reached her ears. Hermione reached the ground floor and surprising even herself, headed for the dungeons. She turned the corner of the first hallway in the dungeons and plowed directly into a solid frame coming out of a portrait.
"What the hell Granger! What's wrong." The solid frame asked.
Realizing who it was, Hermione launched herself at the man. "Adrian!" Hermione let out a sob. "I'm so glad to see you."
"Bloody hell! What's wrong, Mione? You're safe now. Shhh." Adrian held the Gryffindor shaking in his arms.
Just as suddenly as she had plowed into Pucey, another body came hurtling around the corner. The man came to a stop, his red robe swishing.
"Vhat is happening. I woke up and felt something wrong. I followed the feeling and find our little vitch crying. VHY?" Viktor stood staring helplessly at the two Hogwarts students wrapped around each other.
"Your answer's as good as mine. I woke up feeling the same way. I had just opened our common room entrance when Hermione barreled into me, panicking." Adrien told the slightly taller man.
The clicking noise down the hall alerted the trio to someone coming. Adrian pulled Hermione closer as she gripped him tight. He looked down at her and realized she was staring at him. Instinctively knowing the cause of the noise was the reason Hermione had been scared, he moved her behind him and Viktor and removed his wand. Viktor looked at Hermione as well and then gave a sharp nod. He too pulled his wand and faced the noise.
"Ms. Granger, I know you're down here. Come out girly and we can play." The gruff voiced man clanked his way down the hall.
Adrian was stunned when he realized who had scared Hermione. Their new Defense against the dark arts professor was a well respected auror who fought for the light. Something wasn't right if he was here chasing a teenage girl and not just giving her a detention and asking her to go back to her common room. Adrian stepped closer to Viktor in an attempt to block Hermione from view.
"Boys. What are you doing out here?" Professor Moody noticed the two seventh years, the Durmstrang uniform bright even in the dark hall.
"We heard a noise, sir. We came to investigate," Adrian declared.
"I'm supposed to believe Mr. Krum heard a noise in the dungeons from the ship?" The professor held his wand aloft.
"I have good hearing." Viktor smirked at the retired auror. Viktor was not intimidated by the smaller wizard. He had been raised by a dark family and went to a school that thrived on the dark arts.
"Move aside and stop hiding Ms. Granger. I'll escort her back to her common room." The man grinned maliciously. "I'm sure you don't need an impure witch around."
The three teens all straightened at the insult used against Hermione.
"Ve do not want to hear you say anything against Mione again." Viktor held his wand pointed at the scarred mans face.
"Why do I have alarms going off and three students out of bed. One pointing a wand at a professor, no less." The deep intimidating voice purred from behind the group. With a swish of his black robes he stood between Viktor and Professor Moody. "Lower your wand Mr. Krum or I will have you removed from this castle."
"Moody, as a head of house, I can discipline them properly. I'll take care of them." He snapped, not giving the man a chance to argue. He took off for his office, directing all three students to follow.
They arrived all too soon at the potion master's office. The boys, one on either side of her, wouldn't let her out of their sight. She tried making eye contact with Adrian. They needed a plausible lie. They did not need Severus Snape suspicious of them. Hermione groaned internally. Her mum was going to be so upset.
"Sit." Snape bit out. "Explain to me why I shouldn't go to the headmaster and have all of you expelled." He gave a malicious grin before settling himself behind his desk and waited for one of them to speak. The three remained silent glancing at each other. Hermione groaned, this time out loud. Both men wanted to tell Professor Snape the truth about Professor Moody.
"Ms. Granger, do you have something to say?" Professor Snape purred unkindly.
"I was uhm, in the library and lost track of time. And Professor Moody found me. But instead of giving me detention, he well," she paused, "became creepy is impossibly oversimplifying it."
"Besides the fact that I do not believe you were in the library. You have no ridiculous bag of books and your shoes are covered in mud. What, exactly, do you mean he turned creepy?" Professor Snape rolled his eyes at that.
"Ve heard him call for Mione to come out of hiding to PLAY. That is not something a professor says at Durmstrang." Viktor snarled.
Professor Snape sat up straight and looked towards Hermione when he caught on to the situation. "Is this true Ms. Granger?"
"Yes sir." She mumbled.
"Did anything else happen?" the man asked. "If you do not tell me, I will find out myself. You will not enjoy my method."
Adrian shifted closer to Hermione at the potion master's threat. Viktor did the same from the other side. Noticing the shift in stance, Professor Snape narrowed his eyes at the unlikely trio.
"I see. And how long has this been going on ? I'm surprised you've moved so fast Ms. Granger, was Mr. Potter not enough for you?" he sneered at the young lady.
Adrian and Viktor both sneered at the man and his insults. Hermione laid a hand on each of their arms to calm them.
"One day Professor, you will regret saying those words to me. I will enjoy that day I think." Hermione gave an eerily similar smirk to the professor.
Snape scoffed at the girl's words and rolled his eyes.
"Professor, can I ask you something very important?" Hermione asked.
"What, Ms. Granger? And don't think I haven't realized you've not answered my questions." The older man snarled.
"If I was say, keeping a very large secret. It may or may not pertain to you, the dark lord and several sacred twenty-eight families, would you tell Albus Dumbledore?" Hermione smirked at the man. The question shocking not only him, but her two companions as well.
"Kitten, I didn't think anyone could know? Hell, he didn't even tell us his name." Adrian muttered.
Hermione turned to the men. She gave a small grin. "Well, it's different when it comes to Professor Snape." She cocked her head to the side and waited.
"Ms. Granger, You are trying my patience."
"When you're ready to know more, I'll be here professor. Viktor, could you walk me to my common room?" she wrapped her arm around the Bulgarian's arm. The couple disappeared from the room leaving Severus Snape surprised at the usually rule abiding know-it-all. Coming to, he glared at Adrian Pucey who was staring at the open door.
"Pucey, you may have the pleasure of telling Ms.Granger and Mr. Krum that your detentions will be with me starting Monday at seven. Do not be late." Severus left the man standing there to return back to his common room by himself.
Severus Snape moved quickly into his private quarters rubbing the bridge of his nose. He hated this job. The Granger girl tried his patience. Not only had she helped free the mutt the previous year, she'd some how become close with one of his snakes. A snake that usually followed Slytherin protocol. He would have to look into their relationship. It seemed he needed to look into Alastor Moody as well. This evening could have ended completely different had he not intervened.
He thought back to what Ms. Granger had not said when she spoke. So she didn't want Albus to know what was going on. Interesting. Severus had made a promise to protect the Potter boy but in general didn't trust either master he had.
He thought back to his younger self. He had thought himself in love with Lily Evans and that dark magic and power would help her realize her love for him too. Those beliefs died the same day she had. He had strived to change after that, however; realizing how alone he was made it impossibly hard. Growing up, he had only had his mother and Lily. Severus poured himself a glass of firewhiskey, tossing it back quickly before making his way to his bed.