A/N: Casts Anti-Litigation Charm (HP Universe is not mine). Wow, I feel like I'm on a roll tonight. This seems to be the way that my writing occurs. I write in bursts. I suppose that's how it happens for some. I would have liked to get on a schedule, but I suppose that's just not how this is going to work. Anyways, enjoy the chapter I do hope you enjoy it and thank you for the reviews. It keeps my inspiration board moving until I can sit down and write again.
Hermione woke up early in the morning feeling refreshed, but nervous about events from the previous evening. She felt a warm breeze flow through her room and the castle's magic brush against hers. With that crawled out of bed and decided she would need to face the day. She pulled on some fresh clothing that would give her some confidence and plaited her hair. When she'd finished, she felt as though she was ready to face the day and her master, or at least that was what she hoped. When she exited her bedroom he wasn't there, and she wondered if he'd gone up to breakfast. She decided he probably had and headed for the door. She took her time walking through the cool dungeons running her fingers along the cool walls and feeling the steady thrum of playful magic from the castle enter her veins.
She skipped up the stairs to the main floor and walked briskly to the entrance of the Great Hall. The doors were open, and she could see her professors already having breakfast. She met Septima at the entrance to the hall and Septima held out her arm to the younger witch a small smile on her face. "Allow me to escort my apprentice into the hall for breakfast?" Hermione looked to Severus (already seated at the table) who was ignoring her now, staring intently at his plate of eggs, as if they'd offended him personally. Hermione looked back to Septima and smiled, "Of course Mistress Vector I'd be delighted." Septima laughed lightly, "Call me Septima without students around my dear, and don't worry Severus will come around again." Hermione bit her lip in nerves and guilt but grasped Septima's arm and strode confidently into the hall to take a place at the table.
Albus and Minerva smiled at their entrance into the hall. Minerva stood up and hurried over to Hermione to give her a hug. "Ohhh Hermione it's so good to see you dear and I'm so happy to have you on the staff with us this year. I was just asking Severus about you, as we were surprised when he wasn't the one to escort you to breakfast. I wasn't sure he'd let you out of his sight the way he was the other day," Minerva smirked at him. Severus refused to rise to the bait but replied instead "Miss Granger is a grown woman she's capable of taking care of herself, she needs no one, therefore she's more than capable of escorting herself to breakfast," Severus said flatly. With that he stood and exited the Great Hall in a swish of his ever-present black robes.
Albus stared after his aggrieved potions master and looked over to Hermione who had just entered the hall. She was talking quietly with Septima and Poppy about the contracts they'd brought to breakfast. "Do you think we should be worried Albus," Minerva spoke quietly into his ear. Albus shook his head and looked at her. "No, he'll come around and Septima doesn't seem concerned, so I'm sure whatever it is will be fixed soon enough. A slight disagreement between Master and Apprentice I'm sure it's nothing." He looked at the woman next to him with a small smile on his face. He knew how stubborn Gryffindor women could be and knew that Severus was stubborn as well. They'd probably just had a disagreement. Albus knew that Severus had been summoned by the Dark Lord last night, and that he'd told the Dark Lord about taking Hermione on as an apprentice. Severus had only ever opened himself up to one other soul, and he'd lost her, in more ways than one. Albus shook his head sadly and went back to his breakfast.
Severus walked back to their quarters and entered their rooms. He was planning to spend the morning brewing. He entered his private lab and warded it behind him, so that Hermione wouldn't disturb him. He didn't need her help with these potions, and he didn't want it. She could finish unpacking and continue revising for her Arithmancy NEWT. 'The chit, she could have been killed. I thought she was smarter than that. Didn't she know what that was? She couldn't have or she wouldn't have been interacting with it in the first place.' Severus sighed and focused in on the long list of potions for the infirmary in front of him. This would take him a while and it would be a nice distraction from Herm-Miss Granger, his brain told him in correction.
Hermione followed Septima and Poppy to the infirmary after breakfast. She'd signed their apprenticeship contracts and was now under their service as well. It didn't feel the same as when she'd apprenticed under Severus. She told herself it was because she'd apprenticed to him first and he was her primary Master, so the feeling of being bonded to those after wouldn't be the same, as she'd already experienced it. A part of her wanted to know what he was doing and assist him in some way, but she'd already promised Poppy and Septima to let them take her to get her new teaching wardrobe this afternoon. So, with that the three witches started to head towards the exit. When they met Minerva on the way, she'd insisted on coming too. After all she'd known Hermione being her head of house all these years. Septima and Poppy conceded to that fact and she came along with them.
Severus felt as Hermione left the grounds of Hogwarts and found himself even more agitated at the fact that she hadn't told him she was leaving and where she was going. Not that she could as he'd warded the door to his laboratory to keep her out, but that wasn't the point. 'A smart witch like her could have found a way to tell me if she'd truly wanted to.' He was quickly becoming frustrated at agreeing to take the witch on as an apprentice and being responsible for her welfare. He'd known she'd had tendencies to take off on her own, but he had other things to do. He couldn't follow her everywhere now that they needed to prepare for the students coming back. She had exams to study for (though he knew she could take them now and still score Outstanding's). He growled and focused on his work in front of him. They needed some space and he had work to do. 'She wants to be on her own, fine she's responsible for herself. I can't go chasing after her all the time now.'
Septima, Poppy and Minerva watched as the witch in the shop took Hermione's measurements. "Stop fussing my dear just stand still and it will be all over sooner." Hermione couldn't stop her fidgeting since she'd left, as she hadn't been able to speak with Severus since last night and clear the air. Finally, Hermione had accidently poked herself in the eye with one of the measuring tapes by her head. "Stop fidgeting! You, insufferable girl, it's going to take longer if you keep moving around like that and my tapes can't get an accurate overall measure!" exclaimed the witch. That had been like a slap to the face for Hermione, and they watched as Hermione stopped fidgeting completely. They couldn't even see her intake breath. She'd closed her eyes and was as still as stone, she'd still moved as the witch needed to her mind. However, no longer was the excitable and irritated, fidgeting girl standing before them. In that moment they'd realized just how much the person in front of them was no longer the little girl they'd once known. They'd have to get to know her all over again, as the woman standing in front of them, who was as still as a statue. All that time with the dour Potions Master had clearly rubbed off on her. After an unmeasured amount of time she was done.
"Well, you're all done dear. I was able to take all measurements needed with as still as you were, and some extra for a few other things. Anything you'll need up at that school of yours I'll be able to make you. I'll keep your measurements on file. I know how Albus likes to throw those grand balls, so you just let me know. Ladies, why don't you just give me a few moments to get these measurements put into our system, and I'll be back to help with picking out the everyday robes," the woman in the robes shop said swiftly. Minerva, Poppy and Septima were looking at Hermione appraisingly. "Well, the hard part is going to be finding everyday wear that matches your skin tones," Septima said smirking. Poppy and Minerva nodded in agreement, clearly the witches intended on finding something that would work with and without her glamours.
They'd decided on golden robes with silver detailing that would look nice with either of Hermione's skin tones. Then they'd selected a myriad of corset tops and trousers to go beneath her robes. They'd decided on longer robes with a hood and for the robes to be buttoned to the navel and then laced the rest of the way with a modesty panel in the front. The robes also laced in the back, so that they would adhere to Hermione's figure. The trousers they'd chosen in black and hugged her waist and flared out at the mid-thigh, but they still gave Hermione room to move and breathe since she was apprenticed to the Defense Against the Dark Art's professor after all. Hermione's robes were long sleeved, and the sleeves were tight and buttoned to accommodate the fact that she was also an apprentice to the very tight-lipped Potions Master. Finally, they'd picked her out some dragon hide boots with a heel (that contained silencing and cushioning charms of course. She would be performing rounds with them after all). "She'll be just as quiet as Severus in those," Minerva smirked knowingly at the women. She'd been the one to suggest those and she knew that the potions master would be appreciative. The boots came up to Hermione's knees to protect her from potions spills, and she could move swiftly in them for an emergency, they were silent for patrols and they were rather attractive.
After what felt like forever of being their dress up doll and picking out clothes for what felt like days but had only been hours Hermione was ready to return to Hogwarts. The ladies insisted Hermione wear a set of the clothes they'd picked out for her back to Hogwarts and that the rest would automatically be sent to Hogwarts. Hermione acquiesced to her female mentors and wore the boots, a corset top with the new trousers and robes back to the castle. As soon as they'd appeared on the grounds, they were met by one very irate Potions Master. "Sever-," Minerva started taken aback by the Potion master's attitude towards his apprentice. However, Septima had shushed her and pushed Minerva and Poppy onward with a knowing smirk. Things were about to come to a head, and she wanted to be somewhere she could watch. So, they made their way up the grounds and into the castle. They quickly sped along corridors looking for a good place to watch what was about to unfold.
Severus was emanating high levels of magic due to how irritated he'd become as the day went on and he didn't know where Hermione was. She'd been occluding all day and he couldn't feel her through their bond, and he'd grown sick with worry. He'd tried to ignore the fact that she was gone and let her be responsible for herself, but she was still his apprentice. He was responsible for her safety and she didn't realize how dangerous it was for her to be out there on her own right now. He didn't know that she'd been with Septima, Poppy and Minerva shopping no less by the looks of it.
He had to admit that she certainly did look different with her new robes. Before she'd worn clothes that had vanished her figure and made her blend into the background. These robes were cut to fit her and accentuate her figure without revealing an iota skin beneath her collarbone. He was fighting between being taken with her and irritated with her. He decided it was best not to look below shoulder level at the moment, so that he could remain irritated with his apprentice.
"Yes, Severus," Hermione said calmly. That was it for the potions master and he fired a leg-locking hex at her. Hermione had a shield ready and waiting for his attack, she just didn't want to stand there any longer. So, they began dueling casting hex after hex. Eventually they'd begun to cast curses at one another in their annoyance that the other wouldn't back down. Slowly their magic came out and brushed up against the other's. Hermione lowered her mind shields ever so slightly to hopefully appease him. She watched as he took the bait, and Severus delved into her mind, but they'd continued dueling. He was trying to determine the reason behind her actions last night and everything she'd been hiding from him since she'd closed herself off. They'd gotten closer not realizing it as he was examining her mind. When he got to the moment with the Lethifold he froze, and Hermione landed a burning curse on the unsuspecting Potions Master and knocked him off his feet. Severus was blasted from her mind as he was caught off guard and felt the pain of the flames licking his skin. He cringed at the realization that he'd left himself open and didn't have a shield up. He didn't think she'd cast anything that dark against him. 'I was wrong, about so many things…' He felt her magic reach out and cool the flames, and he felt them die on his skin. However, he knew the damaged had already been done, there had been a lot of power behind their magic with how much tension had built up between them. Still examining the burns across himself and the damage that the curse had wrought he felt a moisture on his arm. He realized she must be next to him, crying at what she'd done. He looked up into her brown eyes and heard her sing to him.
The three witches above had been entranced by the duel between Severus and Hermione that evolved into looking like something that was akin to dancing almost. "They needed this after the conflict last night," Septima said quietly. Minerva and Poppy just looked at her and then back down at the two below. "How is it that you seem to know so much of what goes on around here Septima," Minerva said exasperatedly. Septima smiled sadly "Back when the Dark Lord was defeated the first time Albus and Severus knew he'd be back. When Harry came to Hogwarts Albus had me begin running complex detailed Arithmancy equations regarding the boy and his companions. Hermione's were always a little off and very peculiar, at least when I had her plugged in as a muggle born. Nothing seemed to come out right and we'd always miss what the Dark Lord was going to do to engage Mr. Potter, and what Mr. Weasley, Mr. Potter and Hermione's response would be. Then I found out she was adopted in her fourth year and things took a turn. I input a magical background into Hermione's equation and things became slightly clearer than they had been, but still not as they could've been. Now given Hermione's use of the time turner, her wandless magic, elemental inclinations, as well as her manipulation of the wards and her physical changes. Well… things became much clearer than they had. It's become clear that Hermione's descended from very ancient magic…"
Septima filled Poppy and Minerva in on what they'd come to piece together about Hermione thus far and the different possibilities they'd traced her back to. Albus was doing further research to narrow it down even further. Poppy and Minerva were stunned to say the least. Suddenly they saw Severus knocked off his feet and flames had enveloped his skin burning him badly. He was writhing around before their eyes. Minerva and Poppy rushed into action, but Septima had warded the exit. "Septima you, un-ward this door, this instant Severus is in pain and I need to get down there!" exclaimed Poppy her brows furrowed at the Arithmancy Mistress and bristling with anger.
Septima smiled and merely pointed down at the two they'd been watching, "No you really don't, listen, and watch." A soft musical voice had begun to drift up from the ground below. They couldn't make out the language, but a feeling of calm and caring enveloped them. They watched as Hermione pulled Severus to her and began chanting a healing magic over her master that had been burned in their duel. He looked up at her from her lap and seemed at peace. "We should leave, they'll be fine now," Septima said with a small smile. Minerva and Poppy wanted to linger, but they knew they'd be intruding further than they had already. The ladies walked away to their respective places in the castle with much on their minds, Septima and what they'd seen had given them much to think about.
Below on the grounds Hermione cradled Severus in her lap, running her fingers along him and chanting healing spells to the burns along his body. Severus shuddered beneath her touch and was enraptured by the wonderous creature above him. She wielded light and dark magic without a second thought. However, was corrupted by neither end of the spectrum. Her magic was a never-ending pool of neutral energy that he could get lost in. She neither had the cocky arrogance and blindness of seeing things in black and white that often light practitioners came with, neither was she dark, twisted and corrupted from wielding dark magic.