The Royal Librarian
Chapter 10: Convening
xXx
The parlor had been modified magically, Lily's work if Remus wasn't mistaken. The charms would ensure no one outside the room could hear them, thus narrowing down any suspects should information continue to leak. It was a minor detail all things considered, but it went a long way in calming his already tense mind.
Lily, James and Severus were already there when they arrived, discussing something in hushed tones together. It didn't sit well with Remus that they immediately stopped when he and Sirius entered.
"Well that certainly doesn't bode well." Sirius said, never one for subtlety when it was not needed. The three friends shared a guilty look.
"We were just discussing what the Aurors have discovered so far." James replied as the two men joined them. Remus fixed them both a cup of tea from the service on the table between them and sat back, trying to remain as calm and neutral as possible.
Since waking late that morning, he had been acutely aware of his werewolf, Mooney as Sirius had dubbed him, clawing at the surface of his control. Nothing confirmed their suspicion that Hermione's attacker had been a creature in nature than the overwhelming tension that invaded his body. The werewolf sensed an invader in his territory and every ounce of control Remus could muster was struggling to keep the wolf from taking over and hunting the beast down. If he wasn't certain doing so could spell disaster for his own psyche as well as the safety of innocents, he might have been tempted to do so.
Judging by the concerned looks from Lily, James and Severus, he was doing a terrible job of keeping himself in check.
"What have the aurors said?" Sirius asked, drawing their attention away from Remus. He took a sip of tea, then set the cup on the table, sitting near the edge of his seat.
"Well, you were right about it being a creature, and it being clockwork." James told Remus. "The aurors found more oil, a trail of it leading into a sewer pipe. They tracked it as far as they could, but they lost the trail a few miles from the manhole."
"Could they tell anything from it?" Remus asked.
"It's the kind of oil they use to run amalgamated clockwork animals."
"So not a completely automated creature?" Sirius sounded skeptical. "Not the easiest things to control, are they?"
"No, they aren't." Severus agreed. "Which makes one wonder if it was being controlled at all."
"You think it was a rogue beast?" Lily asked.
Severus shrugged. "It would explain some of last night, but not all of it. Of course, we can't really draw any concrete conclusions until Lady Granger tells us what happened."
"Did she say anything to either of you?" James asked.
"She tried to when she woke this morning, but the memories seemed to send her into a panic." Remus explained. "So, without hearing from her first, what are our options?"
"Well," Lily began. "Either this is a creation that escaped some inventors lab and they've decided not to come forward about it for fear of fines and punishment, or someone, most likely the same someone who leaked information to the Prophet, sent the creature after Lady Granger."
"The aurors seem to be running with the idea that it's the latter not the former." James added. "That being said, I can't imagine they won't look into both."
"If it's the first, it's over, we find the creature and we only have a leak to contend with. If it's the second…" Sirius paused, sharing a look with Remus. "We were discussing this morning, the likelihood that whoever is behind this is after both ourselves and Hermione."
"One would assume that to be a short list." Severus replied.
Sirius nodded in agreement. "Our thoughts exactly. If this is the second scenario, which I am unfortunately inclined to believe, It's more likely that Remus and I are the true targets, however, we can't rule Hermione out. We don't know enough about her to say she doesn't have any enemies."
"A talented Muggle Born Witch in a Wizard dominated profession rising through the ranks literally overnight, I would be inclined to believe she has quite a few."
"Yes, but is any of that truly a cause for something like this?" James asked. "Leaking her connection to Remus and Sirius is one thing, that I can believe, but she could have died last night. And for what? A title? A job? A bunch of dusty old journals?"
Silence descended on the group as they considered James' words. He was right of course. No matter how angry any scholar may have been over Hermione's achievements, it didn't justify the attack last night. Distracting her from her responsibilities by leaking her part in a triad made much more sense than sending an, as of yet unknown creature after her.
"What if they aren't related?" Remus asked. "We've just assumed the leak and the attack are connected, but what if they aren't? What if Skeeter has her own little mole in the palace and this attack just so happens to coincide with the story?"
"It's certainly possible and it would explain why nothing else has leaked." Severus replied. They looked at him curiously. "If you were a paid informant for a trashy publication, would you rather be caught selling personal information or political? If these are separate incidents, whoever leaked the information has taken great care not to spread anything that could get them in any real trouble." Severus explained. "I mean at this point if you find the mole and it turns out to be a cook or one of the scullery maids, the worst you could do was terminate their employment."
"That's very true." Lily replied. "They haven't done anything illegal. Frowned upon, sure, but not illegal."
"Meanwhile last night was a clear escalation." Sirius added.
Before anyone could say anything more, a knock sounded at the door before it opened to reveal Dobby, a short, thin, bald man in a neatly pressed suit. "Captain Pettigrew, Highness." he said, bowing slightly and stepping aside to let said man enter.
"Thank you Dobby." James replied. Dobby bowed quickly and took his leave, closing the door behind him. When he was gone, Sirius and James stood, approaching their old friend with grins.
"Peter, how the hell are you?" Sirius asked, shaking his hand. To say he was surprised to see his old friend would be an understatement. At a young age, Peter had taken to Sirius and James, becoming embroiled in their friendship and the hijinks that came with it. When they got older and began settling, Peter had joined the Aurors much to their surprise. He seemed to flourish though, being transferred to a colony on the continent to run his own department. They had traded letters infrequently since.
"Alright, all things considered." Peter replied with a smile of his own, turning to greet James as well. "Certainly wish the circumstances of our reunion were better."
"Agreed." James said. "Good to have your back in the capital. We missed you around here."
"Well, I can't say I won't miss the continent, but it is good to be back in foggy old London." Peter chuckled. "And it would seem I came back just in time." The three old childhood friends made their way back to the sofas and Peter greeted Remus, Severus and Lily as they did, before James gestured for him to take a seat.
"Peter has been put in charge of the investigation as well as Lady Granger's protection." James explained.
"Have you discovered anything new?" Remus asked.
"Potentially. I can't confirm it just yet, we'll need to run some tests, but we may have found blood that doesn't belong to the hansom driver. Like I said, we won't know for sure until tests are performed, but it could very well lead us to the creature that attacked Lady Granger."
"Any ideas what the creature could be?" Severus asked.
Peter shook his head. "I went to speak with Lady Granger, in fact, I just returned from her office, and from the nature of her research she believes the creature is serpentine. It narrows it down, but not by much."
"Wait, you met Hermione in her office?" Remus asked abruptly.
"Yes, I was surprised myself. One would assume after a night like last night, you would want to have a lie in, but both Tonks and Booth said she stormed out of her rooms like hellfire about mid morning, determined to get to work." Peter explained. "I can't say that I blame her if what I observed is in fact true."
"What's that?" Lily asked.
"Again, it's an observation, nothing blatantly confirmed, but, it would appear Lady Granger has been enchanted."
"Enchanted?" Sirius questioned, voice strained with sudden anger. Beside him, Remus sat tense.
"I attempted to ask her what happened and she was unable to provide any answers. She even attempted to write it all down, but it was completely illegible."
"So whoever attacked her wanted to make sure she couldn't tell anyone what happened." James concluded.
"It would appear so." Peter replied.
"Can we get a curse breaker to lift it?" Lily asked.
"I thought about that, but I don't think it's a good idea." Peter explained. "As much as we need to know what happened, whoever did this is desperate enough to want to keep her quiet. If they find out she can talk about it, they may take drastic measures to protect themselves." he sighed. "I think for now, we need to trust the Lady Granger to discover the creature's identity through her research, a skill I'm told she excels at, while we focus on what we don't need her testimony for. She has promised to inform me the moment she identifies the beast." Peter hesitated for a moment.
"What's wrong?" Remus asked.
"I'm not entirely sure how to say this." Peter replied. "As her soulmates, do you intend to keep her wholly informed of every detail we uncover?" he asked.
"Why wouldn't we?" Sirius asked confused.
"Because she's determined." Remus replied immediately. "She was determined to get to work looking for the creature who attacked her, who knows what she would be determined to do with more information."
"Are you suggesting we keep her in the dark?" Lily asked.
"No, I'm merely suggesting we filter what she hears." Remus explained.
"Absolutely not." Sirius insisted. "I want to keep her safe as well Remus, but we are not her keepers. How angry would you be with us if the roles were reversed?"
Remus sighed, knowing logically that Sirius is right. The wolf, however, had never concerned itself with logic before, so why would it start now? "I would come to realize eventually it was for my own good." he replied, sounding unconvinced even to his own ears.
"Bullshit." Sirius shook his head. "That's bullshit and you know it. We aren't hiding anything from her."
Remus opened his mouth to argue, but Lily interrupts.
"How about a compromise." she suggested gently. "Have Captain Pettigrew tell you everything first, then you can tell her yourselves. You can tell her everything obviously, but you do it in your own way."
Sirius and Remus stare each other down, Sirius daring Remus to disagree. Eventually he relents, sighing. "Fine."
Peter nodded. "Very well, I trust your judgement. I will come to you with the information first."
"Thank you, Peter, truly." Sirius replied as the Captain stood.
"Of course. I'll go check in with my people now and let you know if we uncover anything else before the end of the day."
They thanked him again, watching as he left the room, the door closing behind him. When he was gone, Remus stood. "We should go check on Hermione." he said, leaving no room for argument. He walked out without saying anything else and Sirius sighed.
"Let us know if you need anything, Sirius." James called out as he chased after his mate.
"Thanks James." Sirius called over his shoulder as he too left.
Lily turned from the door to speak with James, only to notice Severus' look of concern. "Sev?" she called out to him. "What's wrong?"
He looked up at her and after a moment and smiled placatingly. "It's probably nothing." he stood then. "I need to get back to my lab, I have a few experiments running."
And with that, he too left.
xXx
Hermione looked up from her work at the sound of Tonk's voice, smiling gently at the way the younger woman teased Sirius as he stood before her. Their laughter was infectious, drawing Terry in, but resolutely off to the side, Amber eyes glowing in intensity stood Remus, unaffected by them as he watched her through the glass in the walls. For a moment she felt trapped, like prey in the sights of a predator. She was caught between wanting to flee and remaining rooted in place.
He moved past them, stepping into the office and stopping at the opposite edge of the desk. She was vaguely aware of Sirius stepping in behind him, the door closing as he did so.
"How are you feeling love?" Sirius asked, when all Remus did was stare.
"Alright, all things considered. Perhaps a little frustrated." she replied, eyes locked with Remus' as he practically leered over her desk.
"Yes, we spoke to Peter, he seems to think you've been enchanted." Sirius said and were she not looking directly at Remus she would have missed the way his eyes hardened, jaw clenching. "You'll have to forgive him, Hermione." Sirius continued softly, finally managing to draw her attention from Remus. She turned to see him staring up at the man himself. "His pack instincts make him very territorial and extremely protective. As our third you now fall under his purview."
She takes a deep, shuddering breath in and let's it out slowly. "I understand." she replied, slowly standing from her chair. "You said you met with Captain Pettigrew?" she changed the subject, voice a bit shaky under Remus' still intense stare.
"Yes, we did." Sirius replied. He looked between them and huffed, reaching over to pinch Remus in the side. He barked an "ow" and glared at Sirius, but the action did what it was intended, breaking whatever hold his werewolf seemed to have over her. "Knock it off." Sirius glared up at him before turning back to Hermione. "He said you weren't able to tell him anything, literally."
Hermione struggled to shake her head, eventually giving up with a huff of frustration.
"Don't hurt yourself love." Sirius soothes, moving around the desk to stand beside her. "Have you found anything in your research?" he continued, looking over the parchment and books laid out on the desk.
"No, nothing. Nothing exact anyway." she replied, gesturing to the list of creatures she'd put together so far. Peter had been correct, they were all serpentine in nature, but there were at least twenty and none of them were exactly what she had seen the night before.
"Well, perhaps we can help." Sirius replied. "I'm no scholar, but I'm no slouch either." he chuckled. "And Remus has always been rather studious himself."
She smiled softly in reply, nodding with relief. For the last several hours she had begun to feel the panic creeping back up on her. The idea that at any moment some large serpent monster could come crashing through the walls of her sanctuary and finish what it started the night before had gripped her heart with terror. Even having Tonks and Terry stationed outside her door did little to alleviate the fear of being attacked again.
"How long have you been here?" Remus asked abruptly, as if sensing the nature of her thoughts. For all she knew he could.
Sirius looked up at him with a smirk, a teasing tint to his gaze. "He speaks." and it's just enough to break some of the tension that's been accumulating.
"I don't know exactly." she replied. "Mid morning at least."
"Then you should stop for the day. It's nearly supper."
She couldn't help herself, it was a natural reaction anymore, ever since she was a young girl and her tutors would tell her she was working too hard, implying her femininity was at stake or that she spent too much time on her studies and not enough time interacting with her fellows. She rolled her eyes at him, the wrong move, for certain, as he stood a little straighter like he intended to order her about.
"Hermione, you were attacked last night, you should be resting." he insisted and perhaps he was right, perhaps she could stand to take a meal and a few more hours of sleep. Perhaps she could stand to go back to her chambers and try to put everything out of her mind for as long as possible. But Hermione was stubborn and if there was one thing she abhorred more than anything, it was being told she needed to do something she didn't want to do.
"I am well aware of what happened last night." she snapped, watching in satisfaction as Remus took a visible step back, back that much straighter at her cross tone. Beside her, Sirius looked on in glee, taking a step back himself to better observe the show. "I do not need to be told what has happened to me, I have lived it, I remember it well. I will leave the library when I am good and ready and not a moment sooner. You may be my soulmate but you are not my keeper Remus Lupin. I will not be ordered about or treated like a child who can not care for herself." she scolded, actually wagging her finger at him like a schoolmarm.
Remus stared back, eyes flashing gold in surprise and… she thought perhaps something else she was not experienced enough to know much about. He stood rigid, body tense like he might be preparing to pounce. Despite the predator standing before her she felt no fear, only, surprisingly enough, comfort at the knowledge that he cared so much for her and her well being. That didn't mean, however, that she would make things easy on him. If they were to be hers, and she theirs, they would need to understand every facet of her, every flaw and imperfection; every stubborn detail.
Before either man could say anything, a loud rumble echoed from the direction of her stomach and she stood in shock at the betrayal. Amusement flashed through Remus' eyes, now fading back to amber.
Hermione screwed herself up to full height, nose nearly in the air as she said; " Do not let that detract from what I just said."
"Of course not." Remus replied, fighting off a smile. "Shall we have dinner sent to your chambers and we can discuss what we know so far?" he asked.
Hermione huffed almost indignantly. "If we must." she replied as stubborn as before, grabbing her wand off the desk and swishing it around until all the books were closed and neatly stacked on the corner of her desk, the parchment rolled up on top and her quills re-potted.
Sirius offered her his arm and she accepted it, letting them guide her from the room.