28 | TRUTH WILL OUT
The next few weeks passed torturously. The marauders admirably distracted her when she tried to ask about Sirius. He'd stopped by Potter's home a little about a week after the raid. He'd claimed he was completely healed and back on Order assignments as an Auror, but Hermione easily picked up the slight wince when he moved too fast, or the flask of the potion he would sip from every hour. He was putting on a rather brave face- she thought it was a miracle he was on his feet and looked relatively normal within a week. She wouldn't have even noticed the slight signs that something was wrong had she not been looking very closely.
Despite her suspicions, she tactfully chose to stay silent. She still hadn't told anyone about being able to pick up on Sirius' emotions. Now more than ever, the marauders had all gone tight-lipped- even Lily, her one true ally. She'd drop seemingly inconsequential comments about Sirius and they'd all hastily brush it under the rug before diverting her to another topic. For Lily and James, it usually meant plying her for stories about Harry from her time. Remus usually liked asking about his time as a professor, and she took note of the wistful longing in his eyes whenever she indulged him. These days he was doing full-time surveillance for the Order and running missions and diplomacy with anyone but the werewolves. Yet in a world after the war, Hermione knew he would love to become a Professor. She'd have to speak to Dumbledore about it.
In her own time, she went through the entirety of the Potters' library, trying to research anything that might've caused this- their shared emotions and potentially a shared curse. From her experience, no one really used the curse she'd been hit with but Dolohov. But from everyone's accounts of that night, Dolohov had been nowhere near Sirius and James.
She'd gone through every plausible scenario in her mind including life debts, curses, and soul bonds. The one even remotely likely of the bunch was a soul bond, but she already knew that wasn't it. Soul bonds were incredibly rare and pure magic- she certainly would've felt one. In fact, if they were soul bonded, she and Sirius shouldn't have been able to stand to be apart for so long.
The next time she saw them all was another routine Order meeting over dinner. Sirius had apparently been on various missions on Moody's orders for the last two weeks, so she hadn't seen him at all. Remus had and would pass along messages every few days. She could tell being out of the action was making James restless, though Lily certainly kept him busy with planning for the new baby.
She was standing with Lily and Marlene as the two talked about how Marlene's family was faring. Normally Hermione would be very interested considering she'd been staying with Gideon, who apparently had had his eye on the witch. But her gaze was following Sirius covertly all night. He seemed fully healed now, but she doubted he'd been on Order missions since the raid if he was recovering from the curse she suspected.
Her thoughts were confirmed by a brief conversation with the Prewetts.
"Black? No, haven't seen him with Moody lately," Fabian said carefully as he munched on some chips. "Lupin's been doing reconnaissance for us every now and then, but I think Black's been on medical leave since the raid on Nott Estate."
"Yeah," Gideon jumped in. "He's scheduled to return in three days."
The ease with which the Prewetts offered her information also told her they didn't know anything beyond that, nor did they suspect anything astray.
To Hermione's surprise, Sirius walked over to Snape and Mary, who were conversing quietly near one of the windows. She saw him tug out the flask she'd seen him sipping his potions from, discreetly handing it back to the wizard with a nod of acknowledgment.
Severus merely took it before vanishing it to Merlin knew where from the palm of his hand. When Sirius walked away, she knew exactly what she had to do.
James and Remus would never tell her the truth of what was going on- not if Sirius asked them not to. Normally she would just work it out of Lily, but it seemed even she was sided with Sirius for this one. Severus Snape would be the last person she'd suspect of being involved in the marauders' business. Yet he knew something.
~o~O~o~
Sirius forced himself to swallow his pride as he walked up to his childhood nemeses. He pulled out the flask he'd been given from inside his coat, gruffly clearing his throat as he held it out to Snape.
"Snape," he nodded in greeting. "I was told you supplied all my potions."
Snape snatched it out of his outstretched hand, immediately vanishing it. "Don't mention it," he said in a monotone. "Ever."
Mary rolled her eyes. "Don't mind him- he's just being surly. Glad to see you've recovered well, Sirius."
"Ah Mary," Sirius exclaimed, immediately turning on his charming grin. "Of course I have you to thank for my speedy recovery." He caught ahold of her hand, bending over it as he pressed his lips to her knuckles. "I'll never forget it."
Mary laughed as Sirius made a show of the gesture. He always had been one for dramatics. Snape stared daggers at him as his lips brushed against the back of Mary's hand. His temper spiked even more when Mary released a soft, melodic laugh. He hadn't thought she'd be foolish enough to fall for the charms of Sirius Black. He was bonded to another witch for life! He had no business going around kissing other witch's hands!
By the time Sirius walked away, Severus had already had his fill of socializing. Unfortunately, Order business was always conducted after a hearty, sociable meal, which was yet to be served.
He almost rolled his eyes when he caught sight of Hermione approaching them soon after.
Oh this ought to be good.
"Severus," she smiled in a deceptively sweet manner.
"Dumbledore," he greeted without hesitation, not wanting to give away her cover in front of Mary but also refusing to address Hermione by her given name.
"I think we need to talk," she looked at him meaningfully.
"What in the world could we have to discuss?" He drawled in disinterest.
"Sirius," Hermione said bluntly. "You know something."
Mary watched them both silently, forcing herself to keep relaxed and neutral.
"You still haven't asked me anything," Snape pointed out dryly.
Hermione squinted at him in annoyance. "I'm starting to get more and more annoyed every day this continues. Now I know a handful of you already know whatever the hell is going on. And you're going to tell me."
"Why should I?" He sneered.
"Huh," Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Didn't know you and Sirius had gotten close enough for you to keep his secrets."
Snape frowned in distaste. "That mutt and I have nothing between us."
Hermione raised an eyebrow expectantly.
If Severus thought about it, he really had no reason to keep this secret for him. Lily said she wanted to wait until he told her himself, but Severus knew the coward would never do it. He'd said as much himself.
"Very well," he muttered. "You're bonded."
Hermione looked at him blankly. "I beg your pardon?" She sputtered.
"I thought you were brighter than this," he rolled his eyes. "Do keep up, you've been bonded."
"That's not possible," Hermione shook her head in denial. "I've read about soul bonds. I certainly would've felt it if one formed between us. Besides, it not even the same conditions! I can- I can feel his emotions, at least the strong ones."
"That's because it's not a soul bond."
"What other bond is there?" Hermione pressed. "I've torn the Potter library apart and that's the only bond I found mention of."
Severus grimaced. He could only hope she didn't start yelling as soon as he told her.
"I don't expect the Potter library would have books on this kind of magic," he hedged. "Though the Black library might."
Hermione stared blankly before her nostrils flared in realization.
"Dark magic?" She hissed.
"It's technically blood magic," Snape justified. "Which the Potters haven't used for generations other than to reinforce their wards."
"What kind of blood magic?" Hermione bit out, all her patience gone.
"He used the Coniunctus Ritual."
Hermione's eyes narrowed. Why did that sound so familiar? Her eyes widened suddenly. She remembered where she'd seen in before. It was in the books she summoned from Dumbledore's office. The ones too foul to even be kept in the restricted section at Hogwarts. The book about Horcruxes.
She paled.
"I need to go," she breathed. "I have to research," she mumbled, walking away from them absentmindedly without even bothering with goodbyes.
"Did you really just do that?" Mary asked quietly.
Severus glanced at her. Though her face was passive, he could detect her disappointment.
"I have no loyalty to Black," he shrugged nonchalantly.
Mary stared in disbelief for a moment. "I suppose that's true," she said, surprising him with her agreement. "After all, it's no worse than some of the things they did to you, right?" She goaded him.
Snape narrowed his eyes on her in a manner that would've had most people stammering.
"I didn't see you defending anyone against them back then. Particularly not me, so don't even start down that road," he warned in a velvety voice.
Mary scoffed in his face in a rare moment of complete rudeness. "You've got to be shitting me right now."
Snape raised his eyebrows, surprised by the venom in her voice.
"Me defend you? Perhaps it's not my memory that's faulty Severus. I seem to remember a certain seventh year brutally attacking me in my sixth year. What was his name? Oh right- Mulciber. What was it that you called the attack when rumors spread? Oh yeah," she frowned coldly. "A laugh."
Severus froze. He could vaguely remember that. Mulciber had been terrorizing students all year, using his rank as an upperclassman to target muggleborns and half-bloods. But the one incident he'd been expelled for had been Mary McDonald. If he remembered correctly, he'd cornered her by the lake and practiced the Cruciatus on her in between bouts of submerging her in the lake. She'd been asleep for almost 2 weeks after that incident.
The only reason Mulciber had been expelled was because Mary woke up, then testifying that he'd not only drowned her but also used an unforgivable on her. That was also the time Severus had been courting his favor with the Death Eaters. So when Mulciber started whining about his expulsion, Snape had merely joked that at least he got a good laugh out of it.
Mary laughed bitterly, the usual sweet, dulcet sound completely void of joy and amusement. "Of course you don't remember, who ever remembers little Mary McDonald?"
"You know what?" She stepped up to him, not backing down from his obsidian eyes. "You may not think anyone deserves your loyalty. But when you're loyal to no one, at the end of the day you just end up alone."
~o~O~o~
Published a new collection of Hermione based one-shots & drabbles called "Yours Truly, Hermione"
Please go check it out and feel free to request a story with a prompt in the reviews ^_^
