The Royal Librarian

Chapter 9: Interlude: May You Speak Freely

xXx

Sirius Black had been a bit of a rake before he met Remus Lupin, so he was all too aware of what desire looked like, especially in the eyes of a beautiful young woman. He saw the look on women of all kinds when they looked at them, but seeing such a look in the stunning whiskey eyes of Hermione Granger did things to him no one but Remus had ever been able to. Seeing the expression as she stared up at Remus, the wolf clawing at the surface, only made that feeling that much stronger.

"It's a good thing I'm the only pack creature around." Remus spoke up, from his position on his side on the bed, drawing Sirius from his thoughts. Remus had been considerably more relaxed since they saw Hermione off to her chambers a few hours before, but there was still a lingering tension, the wolf still sitting at the surface.

"What?" Sirius asked confused, tossing aside his shirt for the laundress to pick up later. It was a testament to Remus' distraction that he didn't scowl at the action.

After dropping Hermione off in her chambers and waiting for a team of aurors to post themselves outside her door, they made their way to the suite they used whenever they couldn't make it back to their brownstone in the city. They'd fallen into bed and slept for several hours before Sirius pulled himself from bed with the intention of showering.

"Your desire would be near suffocating to anyone else." Remus explained, a smirk tilting his lips. The wolf, which Sirius had affectionately named Mooney, was a bit of a rogue himself, at least where his mates were concerned and the air Remus gave off now was so unlike Remus the man that Sirius knew it was all wolf.

"She wants us." Sirius finally replied after a moment. "She feels the desire for us that we feel for her and each other." he continued. Remus simply nodded, the wolf affecting an air of calm. Sirius scoffed. "You can't pretend to be unaffected with me Mooney. I know you and if your eyes glow any brighter you'll go blind."

Remus rolled his eyes, watching as Sirius stripped himself of his breeches, tossing them aside with his shirt. "I thought you loved my eyes." Remus replied, stare intense as he studied the lines of Sirius' body, which he'd memorized years before.

"You know I do." Sirius insisted. "But your eyes haven't been this gold, this long, since you became Alpha."

And that was the truth. When Sirius had met Remus for the first time, the first thing he had noticed were his gorgeous green eyes. Darker than Lily's, they held flecks of brown that caught the light like glass. He had loved Remus' eyes and still did, but when he had killed Greyback and taken over the pack, the pack magic had taken over his magical core, turning his irises a warm amber brown. However, that first day Sirius had seen Remus again in the Wizengamot, his eyes had been more gold than amber, the pack magic so fresh in it's new host that Remus was still learning to control his more feral qualities.

As time went on, Remus learned that control and his eyes only flashed gold now and then under certain circumstances. Lust, desire, anger, rage. The fact that they were holding as such now gave away Remus' current state of mind.

"The fact of the matter is, anyone we meet can see how you feel." Sirius continued, making his way across the room. He crawled back into bed, straddling Remus and in answer, Remus rolled over onto his back, hands reaching out to rest on his hips.

"Is that so bad?" Remus asked, flexing his fingers against the soft silk of Sirius' briefs.

"Depends." Sirius replies, leaning down over him. "Do you want whoever has been behind all of this to know how much it affects you?"

Remus' eyes flashed dangerously and it's all the warning Sirius gets before he's on his back, pinned to the bed. "Perhaps if they do, they'll learn not to touch what doesn't belong to them." he growls, teeth bared.

Sirius resisted the urge to flinch, instead, smirking up at the wolf. "As touching as that is Mooney, she's not ours yet." he replied. "And based on previous events, it would seem someone is keen to keep it that way."

The gold fades ever so slightly, letting him know that Mooney has taken a step back. He's still there, right on the surface, but his protective instincts have faded just enough to allow Remus to think clearly.

"The question is," Sirius continued. "Are they trying to hurt us, or her."

By the look on Remus' face, it was clear he hadn't considered that, or why this was happening at all for that matter. Unfortunately for Sirius, he couldn't stop thinking about it. There were any number of reasons someone would want to prevent them from consummating their triad, from political reasons and he was sure, a few personal ones. There was also the chance that this had nothing to do with them and everything to do with Hermione. They knew very little of her past, there was no telling how many people she managed to piss off over the years. As brilliant as she was she was certain to have stepped on quite a few toes, inadvertently or not.

Sirius feels the exhale as Remus releases him, laying on top of him, exhaustion taking hold. "I can't imagine anyone wanting to hurt such a kind, amazing woman." Remus' voice is muffled in the crook of Sirius' shoulder.

"I would love to think that as well, Remus, but she's a brilliant witch. A brilliant Muggle Born Witch who made a name for herself in quite a short time. There is undoubtedly a long list of people who would love to watch her fall from grace one way or another."

"What if it's both." Remus suggested suddenly, sitting up enough to look Sirius in the eye. At his confused expression, Remus continued; "What if the person doing this wants to hurt both sides. You and myself and Hermione."

"A vendetta against all three of us? That would certainly narrow down the suspects wouldn't it?"

Remus nods. "Considerably. I can't imagine there's much overlap in the list of people who want to hurt us and the list who might want to hurt her."

Sirius thinks about it for a moment, eyes tracing the lines in the ceiling. It would make their investigation into the matter quite simple if that were the case. And what he wouldn't give for simple right now.

Sirius sighed, patting Remus on the ribs and with a disgruntled groan the larger man rolls off of him. "That will certainly be something to discuss with the others." he replied, rolling out of bed. "Best get ready to go, we'll need to meet them soon." Remus gives a noncommittal hum as Sirius slips into the bath chamber.

xXx

Hermione woke with a start, the eclectic hiss that is both mechanical and somehow natural echoing through her mind. In her mind's eye the creature towers above her, focus shutters narrowing in on her like it's trying to kill her simply with it's stare. It's angry and she doesn't know why, doesn't understand what she did to draw it's ire.

The creature had been intent to kill her, of that she was certain and yet for a moment it wasn't. It looked at her with rage and somehow managed to convey disgust with it's unnatural eyes. But then it looked away, head snapping to a point on the horizon behind them. It hissed and snapped at the air and then it was gone, slithering away. She had crawled out of the wrecked carriage, fleeing to a nearby alley that her fear-addled mind deemed too small for the creature. That is where Remus and Sirius had found her, huddled among the stacks of boxes and crates from the nearby shops.

She had tried to tell Remus what had happened, a stream of words running through her mind in rapid fire, but try as she might, the words would not leave her lips. She had assumed at the time in what little logic was left in her mind, that it was because of her panic. A fact only compounded by her inability to speak that morning as she lay in the hospital ward. However, as she sat in her bed, willing herself to speak out loud, she found herself just as incapable of explaining what happened as she had been earlier. All of this meant one of two things. Either the attack had been so terrifying her mind had forbidden her to speak of it for fear of losing what semblance of sanity remained, or someone had gone out of their way to ensure that she couldn't tell anyone what had happened.

Hermione decided as she sat there, that if it were the latter, as scary as the thought was, she was more angry at the idea than anything else. Infact, an indignant sort of anger settled in her chest and she found herself getting up with a huff. Crookshanks watched on from his place on her pillow as she stormed around her chamber, freshening up and dressing. Without a second thought, she grabbed her beaded bag and her wand and threw open her door, briefly startling the aurors on the other side.

"Lady Granger." one of them greeted her, looking relieved to see her up. She would consider the kindness of that at a later time, for now she was on a mission.

"I need to go to the library. I assume I am not permitted to walk about alone." she replied.

The aurors, a man and a woman, shared a look. "That's correct milady. We've been given explicit instructions to keep you under close guard until our superiors tell us otherwise." the woman replied.

"Very well, lead on." She said, stepping over the threshold. She turned to close the door, stopping just long enough for Crookshanks to slip out before sealing it and turning back to the aurors. Both looked taken aback by her no nonsense demeanor and it occurred to her then that she knew both of these people. Nymphadora Tonks, who insisted she be called only Tonks, and Terrence Booth who preferred the name Terry. She had met both of them in passing several days ago with Remus and Sirius, Tonks being Sirius' younger cousin.

"Yes Ma'am." Tonks eventually replied, turning to lead her away. Terry remained back, walking behind them.

The trip to the library was quick and as painless as one would expect when everyone they crossed paths with made it a point to watch her as she passed by. It would seem word had spread quickly, and it would surprise to find there wasn't anyone at this point, who didn't know what happened the night before. She might feel more put out by it, if she weren't on a mission of the utmost importance.

Tonks and Terry station themselves outside her office as she takes a seat at her desk, immediately going to work. With a few flicks of her wand she puts out a call for books on magical creatures both common and uncommon, then sets her wand aside and pulls out parchment and quill. Half a dozen books arrive in short order, all ranging in size and age. In a matter of moments the books are organized, her quill is perched over her parchment and the first of the six books is open as she begins to read.

As she would discover later, hours have passed by the time she looks up from her work. Tonks and Terry still stand resolutely outside her door, every once and awhile they turn to mutter something between them, but other than that, nothing of consequence happens.

She turns back to her work, scribbling notes as she goes, studying the texts and searching for a familiar face in the old sketches in the margins. She finds similar creatures, but nothing exact. In the hours that she works diligently, Hermione finds herself slipping into familiar patterns. Research had always been something she was passionate about. A quest for knowledge had always been her purpose and here in her office, surrounded by books and parchment, she was essentially getting back to her roots.

A few hours in, Crookshanks hisses, drawing her out of her thoughts. She looks to the old Kneazle, his sharp yellow gaze at the door. She turned her attention there, spotting a man staring back at Crookshanks wearily. The man was about Sirius' height with light hair, cut close to his head. He wore Auror robes, though was considerably higher ranked than both Tonks and Terry if his adornment was anything to go by. His arms were clasped behind his back and despite the uncomfortable expression on his face, he seemed relaxed.

"Can I help you?" she asked, drawing his attention away from her familiar, though only just so.

"Lady Granger." the man greets, taking a step closer.

"My name is Peter Pettigrew, I am a Captain in the service of Britannia and I've been placed in charge of your protection detail as well as the investigation into your attack." he explained. "I thought I ought to come down here and introduce myself, perhaps see if you were ready to discuss what happened last night with my investigators."

Hermione wanted nothing more than to tell him what happened the night before, however, she found herself running into the same problem as before, the words unable to form from her lips. Equally perplexing she finds herself unable to say even that much when she tries, further confirming that her own mind is undoubtedly not to blame. On a hunch, she picks up her quill and tries to write it all down, but she quickly comes to the realization that that is also of no use.

She tosses the quill aside in frustration, startling slightly when she realizes Peter is standing even closer, looking over her parchment. He looked up at her, eyes stern.

"Unable to speak on the matter?" he asked, though he doesn't appear to need an answer. She shakes her head, but only just, even that action nearly impossible in this context. His expression grew darker and he stepped around the desk, looking over the books laid out around her. "Researching your attacker?" he asked, again, she can not answer and he doesn't appear to need her confirmation. It sparks hope that such an astute investigator has been placed in charge of her care. "You will inform me when you find it?"

"Of course." she replied simply, the first question she's been able to respond to so far.

Peter sighed, stepping away and returning to his position on the other side of the desk. "Very well, we shall do what we can with what we have gleaned on our own. Lords Black and Lupin have requested that we leave it up to them to explain our findings so far. I do not, however, answer to them, so if at any point you feel as though they are not telling you everything, you may find me in my office on the other side of the palace." he explained, emphasizing his point with a stern look. "My one and only goal is your protection and the end of the threat being made against you. I care little for politics, both social or otherwise."

"Thank you Captain." Hermione replied with obvious relief. It had, in fact, occurred to her that Sirius and Remus might try to limit her knowledge of the investigation, whether to keep her from doing anything rash, or perhaps in some foolish attempt to protect her. Knowing that there was someone out there who would not stand for that was heartening and went a long way in easing the tension that had settled within her.

Peter nodded, then turned to leave. As he neared the door, Crookshanks hissed again, stopping the man short.

"Crooksie, stop that." Hermione scolded. "I'm so sorry Captain. He's been rather protective today."

Peter smiled softly, turning to look at her over his shoulder. "Of course Milady, all good familiars are." and with that he walked out, nodding to both Tonks and Terry as he went.