CHAPTER 21: DISCOVERY
A/N: Hello my lovelies!
First of all, I want to apologise for the short unannounced hiatus this fic took. This pregnancy has been very taxing on me and I had to prioritise my health over my update schedule. Thank you so much for all the love and well wishes on my last update.
I hope you enjoy this chapter! Please read and review.
Love LilithShade x
Seated on her own at the Gryffindor table Hermione absently slathered strawberry jam across a warm scone. Her eyes panned across the Great Hall, observing its many occupants conversing merrily as they helped themselves to a variety of breakfast foods. Soon after situating herself on the long wooden bench she had noted Harry a short distance away with his ever present witch. From time to time the wizards gaze would search her out, his expression momentarily conflicted before Ginny would swiftly reclaim his attention. Heaving a sigh she pulled her gaze from her bespectacled friend and forced herself to bite down into her scone. Hermione missed her best friend immensely, she however had also grown exasperated by her attempts to reason with the wizard. While Harry remained so deeply enthralled by the youngest Weasley she feared there was very little chance of the Gryffindor wizard seeing sense to listen to her in regards to Malfoy.
As the thought of the Slytherin crossed her mind she found herself once again searching for him across the Hall. Yet again he was absent for a meal and Hermione found herself wondering if the wizard had returned to his kitchen rendezvous with the Hogwarts house elves to acquire sustenance. Eyes falling to stare at her remaining breakfast she found her appetite waning. The once flavourful jam now over sweet, yet in stark juxtaposition somehow tasteless. She pushed the plate away from herself and made her way to the Great Halls exit, sparing not a single glance towards neither Harry nor the Slytherin table.
With time to spare before the start of class she meandered her way through the long Hogwarts corridors towards the Library for her Restoration double. At last arriving at her destination she made her way towards the rear alcoves where the battle damaged section was located. Passing under the archway into the desecrated alcove Hermione paused. Malfoy sat at the desk she had transfigured during their first session, already well underway repairing an old leather-bound tome.
Upon seeing the blond wizard her mind recalled the events of the previous evening. Gripped by embarrassment at the sudden realisation that the Slytherin had seen her naked body, she felt her cheeks flush in an instant.
"Hello," She mumbled as she awkwardly sat herself down beside him.
Malfoy remained silent, merely inclining his head in way of a greeting as he continued with his spell work.
With a swish and a flick of her wand Hermione levitated her own small stack of damaged texts to the table top. Through a combination of diagnostic spells and visual assessment she sorted the workload into two categories; those needing repair and the more severely damaged that required replication. The pair worked in relative quietude for some time, only the barely audible sounds of disturbed parchment and their own breaths discernible from the otherwise silent void.
Levitating yet another repaired volume to her stack of completed texts, Hermione reached absently for another. Instead of the cool, textile parchment she had expected to find, her finger tips brushed lightly against warm flesh. She withdrew her hand with haste cradling it in a fist protectively against her chest. Her eyes snapped to the place her fingertips had been only a moment before and found Malfoys hand, palm down atop her dwindling workload. Their eyes met as the Slytherin wizard too withdrew his hand, his long fingers moving to rub at his jawline. Hermione's gaze remained fixated on his hand, trailing the path his thumb took across his cleanly shaven chin. His hands. That thumb. That very thumb that had traced the swell of her lower lip as it had caught an errant drop of Dreamless Sleep. Now more lucid than the night previous the memory of his flesh against her own caused her breath to hitch and a heated ache to bloom beneath her navel.
Breaking their eye contact she dropped her head to stare at the wooden desktop, her loose curls falling to obscure the flush she felt spreading across her cheeks. The ghost of his touch upon her lips she recalled the words that came next.
She had to ask. Had to know, how he had discovered the secret of her rampart magic. "How... how did you know?"
He smiled knowingly, "it's almost impossible for me not to notice a single thing about you Granger."
She had intended to ask what he meant by that statement, but exhaustion and the Dreamless Sleep potion coursing through her veins had pulled her swiftly into the depths of unconsciousness.
In her vulnerable and fatigue addled state she had for a brief moment considered the possibility that Malfoy fancied her. Now fully cognisant she felt doubt and insecurity nestle within her psyche. Surely he wasn't actually interested in her in such a way. How could he be? They were friends now, yes. But no, she had to have been delusional to entertain such notions. She was not ignorant to Malfoy's reputation amongst the witches. Even in the wake of the war he could certainly garner the affection of women far more exquisite than she. She did not consider herself ugly by any means, but compared to the sophisticated beauty of higher society witches she was undoubtedly plain. What could he possibly see in her? Simple, average Hermione Granger. No, she would not delude herself into believing that the aristocratic Slytherin could ever lower himself to desire a witch as basic as she.
Without as much as a glance in Malfoys direction she stood and moved towards the nearby remnants of a bookshelf with controlled steps. As she slowly retreated she forced herself to lift her chin, holding her head high in a display that bore much more confidence than her fragile self-esteem allowed her to truly embrace.
As she busied herself separating literature from rubble she could not deny the almost pleasant quietude of earlier had been replaced with a stiff silence that pressed down upon her with unspoken tension. Hearing the timber legs of Malfoys stool screech atop the stone floor she froze. His steps echoed through the silence as he closed the distance between them. The wizard stood directly behind her, each of his controlled breaths disturbing the curls that tumbled loosely down her back. Stubbornly she refused to acknowledge his proximity, returning her attention to the damaged tomes before her.
"Granger." He spoke at last, his tone low and laced with an air of command.
Exhaling a sigh she lowered the volume she held back onto the stack and turned on her heel to face the Slytherin. The wizard was close, so close that she was required to significantly elevate her chin to meet his cool grey eyes. The expression he wore was guarded, the shield he so often bore securely in place.
Unwilling to take a step back and expose the vulnerability she felt, she held her position steadfast. Crossing her arms, she gathered her courage to respond, "Oh, so you have deemed it acceptable to speak to me now have you Malfoy?"
A small crack appeared momentarily in the wizards practiced facade. He took a step back running the long fingers of one hand through his fine blond hair. "I was never ignoring you Granger. Simply taking the time to choose my words carefully."
"And what, pray tell, are these carefully conceived words you have taken your time deciding upon?" She demanded, a singular brow raising to reflect her curiosity.
A soft sigh escaped his parted lips, "Unfortunately the words I sought elude me still. Yet, I cannot continue to ignore this matter so I must ask you plainly. I need to ask you about what happened last night in the Eighth year bathroom with Pansy."
Oh.
She was not ready to discuss the events of the night before. Desperately she had hoped to ignore the occurrence up until the Headmistress forced her upon Madam Pomfrey.
Evidently unpleased by her silence the wizard pressed further, "Granger, just how often have these magical outbursts been occurring?"
She felt cornered, exposed. This was not a topic she wished to speak on. She was not ready to concede the weakness she felt, the unhinged nature of her mental state. Anger rose within her in response to his line of questioning. Who was he to question the state of her mental health? Not when he was incapable of even acknowledging his own.
"If we are going to talk about my mental health, why don't we discuss why you ran out of the Library on Friday night?"
Malfoy's body grew visibly rigid at the mention of their argument in the Library.
"I told you Granger. No one can help me," He hissed through clenched teeth.
Hermione threw her hands in the hair exasperated, "no one can help if you won't let them!"
"Don't turn this back on to me Granger!" He growled before beginning the pace the breadth of the enclosed alcove.
Frustrated by his hypocritical attitude Hermione squared her shoulders and announced, "Well Malfoy, I will discuss my mental health with you if and when you deem it appropriate to reciprocate."
Hermione spun on her heel and returned to sorting her stack of battle damaged texts. The leather souls of Malfoy's shoes slapped against the stone floor as he continued to pace. She tried her best to ignore his irate mutterings, pouring her attention into her task and focusing on her own steady breaths in and out. After a time the wizard retreated to his desk, collapsing onto his seat with a sigh.
As she worked her anger waned, but she'd be damned if she would be the first to apologise. Turning to grasp yet another tome from her stack she realised that in her frustrated state she had hastily made her way through her workload. Deciding against simply summoning another selection of damaged parchment she stood and stretched her tense muscles. Refusing to glance the Slytherin's direction she meandered her way into the depths of the alcove. The dim light of their candle illuminated work station dissipated the further she progressed. Stubbing her toe on a large chuck of fallen debris, she swore under her breath before reaching down and grasping the stone. Withdrawing her wand she transfigured the piece of debris easily into a hand held lantern and conjured Bluebell Flames within.
The bright blue light of the flame immediately irradiated the area, casting long shadows off various rubble. Hermione's brows pulled together in concern as she noted the large hole in the alcoves rear wall. She moved forward cautiously to ascertain if any structural damage would present an immediate risk. Placing her lantern carefully down atop a particular large stone Hermione began casting a complex series of diagnostic spells. Exhaling a relieved sigh she relaxed knowing the Library roof would not crumble down atop them at any moment.
Curiosity drew her ever nearer to the cavernous hole in the wall. Where Hermione had expected to find another room or perhaps a hallway that shared a wall with the rear of the Library, she instead found what appeared to be a small, once concealed niche. Pulling her hair up into a messy bun, she grasped her lantern before crouching down to further inspect the recess. Nothing of note stood out to her, yet she could not shake the feeling that something was being obscured from her sight. Casting a swift Revelio as well as a Finite Incantatem for good measure, Hermione sighed in frustration as nothing changed. Resorting to more Muggle methods she placed her lantern carefully down and began to explore the enclosed space with her palms of her hands.
Discovering naught but pebbled stone she very near ceased her exploration, conceding that perhaps the niche held no secrets. Promising herself this would be the final comb of the area she swept her hand across the stone floor in a large arc. A gasp escaped her as the fine hairs on her arm stood on end. Her fingers were still unable to detect any object through touch alone, but Hermione felt the undeniable sensation of foreign magic brush against her own. Closing her eyes she inhaled a deep breath and focused on the subtle vibration of magic. Trusting her own magic over her other senses she reached out and grasped at the source of the disturbance. Her fingers at last wrapping around something solid, something tangible, she released a shuddered breath. Withdrawing her arm from the niche she looked down at her fist to discover she now held a tightly wound scroll. Gathering her lantern she climbed quickly to her feet and made her way back towards her desk with haste.
Hearing her rapid approach Malfoy was on his feet in a moment, "Granger, what is wrong?"
"Nothing. Nothing is wrong. Come quick. Look what I have found," Hermione announced with excitement as she pulled her cloth gloves from her satchel.
She felt Malfoy approach, his breath landing on the exposed skin of her neck as he peered over her shoulder.
Their mutual academic curiosity quickly overcoming their previous argument they began to examine the scroll in tandem. Malfoy summoned his own cloth gloves, pulling them on hastily before running one long finger down the length of the scroll.
"You feel it don't you?" He asked in a hushed whisper by her ear.
His breath ghosting the shell of her ear sent a shiver down her spine. Biting her lower lip, she simply nodded in response not trusting her voice in this moment.
"There are some incredibly advanced wards and concealments on this parchment Granger," Malfoy stated as he withdrew his wand and began to cast a series of charms.
Her intrigue only increasing she asked, "Do you think it is safe to open?"
"I believe so."
As the wizard by her side continued to assess the colourful diagnostic diagrams that floated above the scroll Hermione lent forward with an air of trepidation. She ran her index finger along the seam of the scroll before gently prying the delicate piece of parchment away from the rest of the roll. With great care and bated breath she unfurled the scroll at an agonising pace.
"It's blank!" Hermione declared.
Not taking his eyes from the ward diagnostics he responded, "I can see that Granger. Whatever is written on this parchment is obviously quite important, these wards and concealments are not for the unskilled. Come here, I need your assistance."
They worked in unison and to Hermione's surprise functioned as an incredibly efficient team. They peeled away layer after layer of complex enchantments till at last the diagnostics above the scroll appeared to shift.
Malfoy released a steady breath before he spoke, "That should do it. A simple Revelio charm should work now."
Hermione inhaled a steadying breath and angled her wand just so. "Revelio!"
Murky ink began to seemingly seep from the aged parchment, spreading and morphing, gradually coalescing into something near legible.
"They're runes!" Hermione exclaimed in surprise.
Malfoys brows knitted in confusion before he spoke, "I do not recognise a single rune here. I can tell by their structure that they are at least related in some fashion to the runes we have studied. It is possible that they are a separate dialect so to speak."
Hermione's teeth gnawed at her lower lip as she listened to the Slytherin theorise. "Perhaps. This parchment appears to be quite aged. It is entirely possible this scroll may be so ancient that this branch of runes predates those we know today."
"The wards on this scroll Granger, someone went to a great deal of effort to keep this information hidden."
She thought over his words for a moment. Without knowing the contents of the scroll it they could not risk the information falling in to the wrong hands.
"I think it might be wise to keep this discovery a secret for the time being Malfoy. At least until we know what we are dealing with."
"I agree." The wizard stated, inclining his head once in understanding.
Hermione carefully wound the fragile parchment into a tight scroll once more before placing her own set of concealments and wards upon the item. Reaching into the breast pocket of her robes she withdrew her small beaded bag. Malfoy arched a curious brow in her direction as she stowed the scroll in the depths of the extended bag, yet did not question the action.
With the small bag once more securely concealed in her robes she turned to Malfoy. "We have much research to conduct, where should we begin?"
"Between the two of us I doubt there is a single tome in the Hogwarts Library pertaining to runic translations that we have not read. At least not within the common texts."
"You're right. We will need to look beyond common knowledge if we are to decipher this scroll," She admitted. "We are going to need permission to enter the Restricted Section."
Withdrawing her wand she called to mind her happiest memories, "Expecto Patronum!"
A feeble silver mist was expelled from her wand tip and Hermione swore in frustration. It had been far too long since she were last able to conjure a corporeal Patronus.
Malfoy stepped towards her and spoke softly, "We can send a message another way. Or go see the Headmistress ourselves."
"No. That would take far too much time," she countered. "I can do this."
Closing her eyes she inhaled a deep, steadying breath. Her happiest memory had always been then day she had received her Hogwarts letter. The day she had discovered she was a witch. But that memory was so entwined with her parents, their faces filled with joy as their daughter discovered where she belonged. That memory had been tainted since the war, since she had lost them.
She conjured too mind the memory of her parents smiles, the warmth of their touch as they held her tight. These memories, these beautiful memories were hers. It occurred to her suddenly that she need not let their absence from her life overshadow all they had shared. Those moments, they would always be hers to cherish.
"Expecto Patronum!"
She opened her eyes and could not help the brilliant smile that spread across her face. The familiar sight of her ethereal otter swam playfully in the air before her. Imparting the Patronus with a message that they required permission to enter the Restricted Section to locate any books pertaining to restoring a particularly damaged and enchanted text, she sent it on its way.
Turning to Malfoy she found his eyebrow arched incredulously.
"What? I wasn't lying! Well... I may have distorted the truth just a little," She declared, smiling mischievously.
Before the wizard could respond what appeared to be a small origami cat bound into the alcove at high speed. It sprang towards Hermione in a great leap. Swiftly she cast a charm, halting its progress mid-air. Upon having its advance impeded the origami cat unravelled itself to reveal a note penned in the Headmistress' neat cursive.
Madam Pince,
I hereby grant the Eighth year students Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy permission to forthwith utilise the Restricted Section in order to further the efforts of their joint Restoration project.
Headmistress Minerva McGonagall.
PS - Miss Granger, I expect you to ensure Mr Malfoy adhere to the conditions of his probation and not handle any materials that pertain to dark artefacts.
Turning to face Malfoy it was clear he had read the note and postscript if his exaggerated eye roll were anything to go by.
"She certainly didn't hesitate to give you permission, not even a single query."
Hermione simply shrugged before responding, "I have been given access numerous times over the years. Regardless, I could have got us in even if she had said no. Honestly, it was merely a courtesy."
The pair departed their alcove and made for the front desk with swift eagerness. Madam Pince read the note thrice before glaring at Malfoy with unmasked disdain. Unable to object to the Headmistress' wishes she granted them entry with one last reluctant glance at the Slytherin.
Entering the Restricted Section Hermione shivered as the dark magic of the room washed over her.
Malfoy clearly felt the oppressive taint too, his back visibly tensed as a uttered, "oh great, it feels just like my father's study in here."
"There isn't exactly a thorough filing system in here. How are we supposed to make sure you don't breach your probation by accident?" Hermione asked.
With a shrug and a devious smirk he replied, "She said I couldn't touch them, not that I couldn't read them. You open the books and I'll read over your shoulder."
They began to read through every text they could find that even vaguely referenced runic symbols. Description after description was found of immensely horrific rituals and runic bindings. One particularly gruesome text even depicted a series of runes that one was required to forcefully carve into the flesh of a witch to bind her to a select master in servitude. Despite the countless horrors they stumbled upon, still they found no trace of anything that remotely resembled the symbols on the ancient scroll.
Hermione's attention was pulled from yet another text detailing a form of runic enslavement by the sudden sensation her wand vibrating against her skin.
"Shit! We are going to be late for Advanced Arithmancy!" She announced, grasping her wand to cease the alarm.
She closed the book they had been reading and placed it carefully back on the shelf. Turning to Malfoy she added, "We will have to come back another time, there is still so much to read! I'll also head into Diagon Alley this weekend and see if Flourish and Blotts have any texts on runic symbols that are unavailable in the Hogwarts Library."