Notes (PLEASE READ):
Hello lovelies!
Sooo, anyways, it's been a while. Luckily I came with a new chapter!
As with the previous chapters, the dialogue formats will be as following:
"Speaking in the native language of the character's pov."
"Speaking in another language."
And a new one:
"Speaking through Legilimency."
I don't have much else to say, other than: I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Chapter 44: The mind is a fickle thing
"So, what do you think? Not too bad, eh?"
If by 'not too bad' he meant that the ceiling wasn't collapsing yet and that the place looked like a bomb exploded inside, then sure. It wasn't too bad. "Right. Yeah. Not too bad."
"Well, I mean, it could use a bit of work."
Hermione turned to look at the other wizard. "A bit? In what universe exactly?"
"Now, 'Mione, don't be mean." Sirius responded. "It just needs a little love and attention and it'll be as good as new." He said as he leaned against one of the pillars only to have it groan and collapse, causing him to curse as he fell over. "Damn it!"
Hermione was glad she was nowhere near that pillar and easily stepped to the side, casting a quick Protego for any debris coming her way. "I think, Sirius," Hermione started as she looked at the room after the dust settled. "That it might need a little love, attention and magic. Don't you?"
"Yeah," he said with a groan. "I think you might be right." She watched as he stood up, stretching his back.
"Ready?" Hermione asked as she readied her wand.
Sirius mirrored her stance, but he didn't take out his wand, causing Hermione to frown. "I'm always ready for a little magic, love."
Focusing on the task at hand, she murmured a soft "Reparo". Sirius did the same and the result was almost instantaneous. Before their eyes, the entire room changed. The pillar that had just collapsed, rose back up. Any and all cracks in the walls were mended in the blink of an eye. Soon one wouldn't have been able to tell how bad this room had originally looked, before they had stepped inside.
"Hey Sirius?" Seeing him use magic like that, it made her remember that she had been meaning to look further into this.
"Hm?" The man looked at her in question, a single eyebrow raised.
"Would it be hard for me to learn wandless magic?" She asked offhandedly as she walked around the newly built room.
"Wandless magic?" Sirius hummed again. "I shouldn't be surprised, you wanting to learn that. It takes practice though, love. Lots of practice."
"Right." Hermione wasn't all that convinced it would be something she could learn. This wasn't something she could learn from reading a book, after all.
"I'd be willing to help you out, if you want." He offered. "I mean, it can't hurt to try to learn it. Especially if you're planning to stay here. You'd need to blend in a little." Sirius moved his gaze from her to look outside. "It's the same reason I worked on learning wandless magic. I'm by no means a pro, not yet. But I also know waving around a stick is bound to raise some questions."
"Yes, I did wonder about that, actually." Hermione said. Because she had. She had little to no idea as to what had happened when Sirius had arrived here. Surely he wouldn't have fit in straight away and she had no doubt in her mind that he knew people that were aware of his abilities.
"I'm sure you did." He smiled at her. "But that's a story for another time." Sirius winked. "Also, seeing as I'll be helping you out, maybe you'd be willing to help me out?"
"I am helping you out." Hermione pointed out.
Sirius shrugged. "Eh, this? This is nothing. No. I need you to help me out in the bar. I had help at the previous place, but obviously he's still there. So how about you helping me out here?"
She wasn't sure if she could. She hadn't actually worked. Ever. School definitely didn't count. Then again, she didn't really have anything else to do, did she? She took care of Teddy but she knew Inoichi and his family were happy to help. Then there was the fact that she had started educating herself about Konoha and the language here, but even that wasn't something she was doing full time.
"I can see you thinking, 'Mione. Come on. Say yes."
"Oh, alright." She conceded. "But only until I find something else and only when I'm not needed elsewhere."
The man in front of her flashed her a smirk. "Thank you, love. I appreciate it. Once I start making some money, I'll be sure to compensate you as well. In the meantime, it'll be a service for a service."
"That's only if we find a place to practice, Sirius. If we don't, then I'm not helping out. An eye for an eye." She countered.
"We'd need a room then, I suppose. A sturdy room, but also one that's away from prying eyes. We wouldn't want everyone to know what we're up to, hm?"
"No, I guess not. Maybe I can ask the Hokage." Hermione said. "I would need to talk to him regarding Harry anyway, so might as well kill two birds with one stone."
"Mhm, might not be a bad idea. Although, maybe try Inoichi first? He might have a better idea." She nodded in agreement as Sirius pocketed his hands and she watched as he let his eyes wander, taking in the space that would soon be turned into a bar. His bar. "Let's get going. Come on, I'll walk you home." He offered. "Let me know if you're going to meet the Hokage though, I owe the man a drink for giving me this bar."
"We both know he didn't give it to you, Sirius." Hermione said as she rolled her eyes with a smile on her face. Well, he wasn't wrong about it being a beautiful place. Seeing the place now, all in one piece, she knew this would turn into quite the bar.
"Eh, technicalities." He said with a shrug. "It's mine now. That's all that matters."
"We're back!" Hermione called out as she slipped off her shoes. Behind her, Sirius did the same as he followed her into the house.
"So you are," Inoichi's wife commented with a smile. "How was the surprise that Black-san had?" She asked Hermione, obviously knowing what Sirius had been up to when he dragged her from the house.
"He bought a bar!" Hermione responded excitedly. "The building's a mess, but we'll fix it right up, won't we, Sirius?" She turned to grin at the man.
"That we will. Sooner rather than later." He agreed.
"That's wonderful! Is this the first time you owned a bar?" The woman asked as she stood up. "Also, would you two like some tea?"
"Please," Sirius said and Hermione nodded in agreement. "And no, I owned a bar when I was staying in Tanzaku Gai, so I know my way around a bar. Although, I must say, the clientele will be a bit different here, I reckon."
Inoichi's wife hummed, "I suppose it would. There are more shinobi here, after all." She placed a cup of tea in front of both of them.
"Exactly."
"Oh, before I forget, do you know where I can find Inoichi-san? I need to talk to him about something." Hermione asked as she softly blew on her tea before taking a sip. She always managed to make the tea exactly how Hermione wanted it, which she appreciated. It was the little things that made her feel accepted in this family.
"He's working at the moment, but we were planning on meeting at the park. I'm going to take Ino-chan there in a little while as we wait for him. Do you guys want to come too? I'm sure Teddy-chan would love to go there as well."
That was actually a brilliant idea. She glanced at Sirius with a raised brow in question and he gave her a smile and a nod. Great! Hermione had been thinking ahead, keeping a close eye on the dates. Christmas was nearing and she was fairly certain no one in Konoha had ever heard of it, yet she was determined to celebrate it with at least a couple of people. She was sure Sirius wouldn't mind either. Actually, now that she thought about it, his bar would be the perfect place to celebrate it. But most importantly, she needed gifts for a couple of people. It was the least she could do. She knew what she wanted to arrange for Sirius and now with them all going to the park, it would be the perfect moment for her gift for the Yamanaka's.
"We'd love to come! I'll get Teddy ready right away!" Quickly finishing her tea, she got up and walked to the playpen he was crawling around in.
"How're you doing, Teddy? You've been a good boy, haven't you?"
"Mama!" Teddy exclaimed as he easily stood up, with the help of the bars. He was getting better and better at this. It wouldn't be long before she'd be chasing him all over. She dreaded that moment already, she thought with a grin.
"That's right! Mama's here." She put her hands under his armpits and lifted him out of the playpen. "Oh dear, you've been busy, haven't you." He smelled like he had been. She'd never get used to the smell. Thank Merlin for magic, she thought with a grimace as she opened his diaper. With a few quick spells, he was clean and changed into a new diaper. A few minutes later she was back downstairs and ready to go.
Sirius and Hermione followed Inoichi's wife with a bit of distance between them. "Hey, I wanted to run something by you," she started softly.
"Hm? What's on your mind, love?"
"Christmas."
"Christmas? Merlin, I haven't thought about Christmas in quite some time." Sirius pocketed his hands and looked up to the sky. "They don't celebrate it here. Not that I know of, at least. And if they did, they've kept it well hidden from me."
"Mhm, I figured as much. But y'know, it is something I'd like to celebrate even if it's just a small gathering. And, well, I was thinking of getting the Yamanakas a gift but I would need your help for that."
"Oh? Do tell."
And she did. She explained what she'd been planning and while she wasn't exactly sure what to get them at first, she knew they would like this. It'd be even easier to get them a gift with Sirius' help.
Sirius smiled a warm smile, one she'd rarely seen on him. "That's a very nice gift, 'Mione I'd be happy to help. I'll keep an eye out for you."
"Thank you. You're the best." Hermione beamed at him.
"I know, no need to remind me. Act, on second thought, please do remind me. As much as you want." The wink he gave her just made it worse.
"You're hilarious." She deadpanned, causing Sirius to laugh out loud.
"So, what's my gift?"
"Who says you're getting a gift? Only those in the 'nice'-list will get a gift, you know this."
Sirius put his hands over his heart and whined, "but I tried so hard to be good!"
"No, you haven't." Hermione rolled her eyes at his behavior. It didn't matter. Of course he was getting a gift, but there was no way she'd tell him what it was. First she would need to actually get the gift and that would be a challenge all on its own.
"Heh, no, you're right. I haven't. So, you've got any Christmas wishes?"
"I honestly don't know." She admitted softly. "Right now I'm just happy we're safe."
"You know what?" He moved closer to her and threw his arm around her shoulders. "I completely agree with you."
Hiruzen sighed as he droped the last page on the stack of papers in front of him. He was finally done. Now, on to more important matters, or more interesting matters, he should say. The constant paperwork was going to be the death of him so whenever he could do something different, he was all for it. In this case Inoichi had requested a meeting with himself and Shikaku, so it was probably best to get that sorted sooner than later. Yes, he told himself with a sly smile. This couldn't possibly wait. He'd been wanting to discuss the memory they had witnessed of Hermione further. Hiruzen still couldn't wrap his mind around something like a pensieve existing. This magical world they spoke of contained some very interesting things. Then again, it seemed both Sirius and Hermione also were capable of interesting things. There really wasn't another way of explaining it other than it being some sort of bloodline limit. Only then spread out over quite a few different families. He wondered if it was something a shinobi could learn.
A soft but firm knock was heard. "Come in." He called in response as he moved his paperwork to the side.
"Hokage-sama."
"Ah, Shikaku, Inoichi. Right on time. Sit, we have a lot to discuss."
The pair sat down, making themselves comfortable as Hiruzen asked the necessary questions to see where they were with dissecting the information learned from the memories. It saddened him that it had come to this, to learn his long-time friend had fallen so low as to kidnap someone. Of course, while they had a lot of information, they still lacked an answer to one of the more important questions. Why? Why did he do it? Unfortunately, knowing Danzo, there was a very good chance they'll never learn what his reasons were. These past few weeks he'd been able to keep Danzo on house arrest. The only contact the man had were Anbu operatives he had handpicked personally, because you couldn't be too careful.
All the Root operatives were in lock down as well, at another location, away from Danzo. Up until now all the information gathering was done without having any contact with his old friend, simply because he couldn't be sure what to believe. He needed proof, first, before engaging in a conversation with the man. They would soon have to get Ibiki on this as well. But, until that moment, they'd have to get everything in order. Hermione's memories have been a great help, immensely so, seeing as it was not something she could lie about, or so both she and Sirius had said. Team Ro's report on rescuing Hermione helped fill in the gaps as well. Frankly they never had such an ironclad case regarding a kidnapping before.
"Is there anything else we need before we bring Ibiki in?"
"I only have one concern," Shikaku replied. "While we've got all the information we need regarding the act of the kidnapping, I worry about the fact Hermione was able to tamper with the memories of the Root agent. And I by no means mean to accuse her, but I just can't help but wonder.. What's to say she hasn't done the same to any of us?"
"Hm. You make a fair point. Inoichi?" Hiruzen turned to the blonde haired man.
"Honestly, I'd like to think we'd know if something like that had happened, but you're right. We can't be sure." Inoichi said. "What I do know, however, is what I've learned the past months. If that were the case, she could've made us believe anything she wanted. She could've easily made us believe that she was no threat at all. But she didn't. She's been incredibly truthful to us, more than I had expected. And while she's left out details regarding her past when we spoke, she's never outright lied to me. And in any case, the Root agent wasn't aware she could do magic, we were. If she even made a move to point the wand at us, we'd know and stop her."
"You're biased, Inoichi." Shikaku commented. "You love the girl like she's family."
"Which she is. I wouldn't have accepted her into my home, into my clan, if I had a sliver of doubt, I'd have arranged another place for her to stay. I trust her, Hokage-sama. And I trust her word." Inoichi paused for a moment. "Also, we should bring that Root agent in. Check his mind. If we can discern what she's changed, maybe we'll be able to use that to check if she did the same to someone else."
Inoichi saying that, said a lot in this case. The man wouldn't just accept her into his home if he didn't trust her. He also made a good point regarding that Root agent. Still..
"While I appreciate you saying that, I'd still want Ibiki to speak with her. We need to make sure." It was very clear Inoichi didn't like that idea at all, but also knew better than to go against his word. He gave him a nod, but looked grim. "Good. Arrange that meeting. Also make sure we find that specific agent to check his mind, although I doubt we'd be able to find anything. I'd rather have that done sooner than later. If she passes the inspection, we can start working on the other issues. That was all for now."
"Yes sir." Both Shikaku and Inoichi responded as they got up. Shikaku lingered as Inoichi left the office, heading to T&I.
"Yes?" Hiruzen asked when Shikaku didn't say anything.
"What about the other one? Black?" Sometimes he wished he knew what was going on in the Jonin-Commander's mind. Then again, it wasn't just sometimes.
"You don't trust him?"
The Nara shrugged. "I don't know him. And I don't trust those I don't know."
"Here," Hiruzen held out a scroll. It was the exact same scroll Sirius Black had handed over when they first met. The one with Jiraiya's seal.
"Jiraiya?"
"Check the authenticity of that seal. If it pans out, he's alright for now. Unless he messed with Jiraiya's mind as well, but we won't know that unless he comes here. And that might be a while."
"I'll have this looked at. I'll let you know once we know for certain."
"Very well. Dismissed."
With a nod Shikaku put the scroll in his pocket and left the room. Hiruzen sat back in his chair and turned it towards the window. This wasn't what he had hoped how the meeting would go. Pointing the blame at Hermione felt wrong, somehow. Yet, to anyone else it was simple. An outsider, someone who was technically on probation had no voice, especially not if they accused someone like Danzo. Without an ironclad defense, Danzo would win any trial they threw his way. And while he knew the man incredibly long and has trusted the man just as long, he'd be a fool to ignore all the signs everyone had been ignoring.
Reaching back, he opened the drawer of his desk and pulled out a single file and opened it in his lap. It wasn't a thick file by any means. Hell, it wasn't more than two pages, but the information it held was incredibly important. It held all the information they had collected of the time where Danzo had ordered his operatives to assassinate him. If he hadn't stumbled across Kakashi going through his files, he wasn't sure what would have happened. Of course, the Sandaime wouldn't have gone down without a fight. But it was clear what Danzo's intentions had been, especially after he had found the man in his chair in this office.
Speaking of Kakashi, he turned back as the teen appeared in his office. He looked tired, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to rest just yet. With a nod, he prompted the Anbu to start his report.
"I know you just got back," Hiruzen said once the silver-haired teen finished his verbal report. He was glad the teen's previous mission had gone smoothly, especially since it had been young Itachi's first assassination mission. Not that he was worried, but he'd rather not become the focus of the Uchiha's wrath if something went wrong, even if they did push Itachi to become an Anbu. "Unfortunately this cannot wait. It shouldn't take longer than two days, which means you'll be able to join the meeting we had planned. Take Raven. The mission starts immediately. Dismissed."
"Yes sir." He watched as Kakashi took the scroll from his hand and bowed. Without another word he jumped from the window, making the Hokage sigh. One of these days he would make the teen stop using his window and start using his door instead. Maybe. He doubted it.
Going to the park had been just what Hermione needed. Ino ran off as soon as she saw her friends, Hermione recognized two of them from the Akimichi and Nara families, and a few other kids. There was a dark-haired boy that reminded her of Itachi and she thought back if he ever mentioned having a little brother. They were joined by another boy, carrying a small pup. To the side, she noticed two other kids, both looking fairly shy by how they held themselves. Or maybe not shy, maybe just uncomfortable being with other people? She wasn't sure. It was interesting to see the kids interact with each other, each of them clearly of different families. From the corner of her eye, she spotted another child. He seemed to hold himself back, out of view of the children, yet she easily spotted him from where she stood.
She wasn't sure how, but the kid reminded her of Harry. Not how he looked, Merlin, they couldn't be more different. While Harry had his black hair, this boy had sunny-blonde hair. Harry was a bit pale, but this kid definitely wasn't, no doubt spending a lot outside. No, it wasn't their looks. It was the way they held themselves. Defensive. No, not just defensive. Abused. Didn't anyone else see this?
A happy squeal brought her out of her musings, turning her focus on Teddy. He was still way too young to be playing with those other kids, so he'd have to make due and play by himself for the time being, so she put him down in the sandbox close to some benches where they decided to sit down. From here, they could keep an eye on both Teddy and Ino. And the little boy, she reminded herself. But when she looked back to where he had been standing, she noticed he was gone.
Hermione was pleasantly surprised to see Sirius joining Teddy in the sandbox, helping him build a sandcastle. The sand, she knew, had been too soft to actually do that, but she had seen Sirius mutter a soft 'Aguamenti' to create enough moisture to help them.
"He's growing fast, isn't he?" Inoichi commented as he suddenly appeared in front of them. Hermione tried her hardest not to flinch but knew she had failed as she saw Inoichi flash her an apologetic smile.
"He is." She said as she looked back. "Too fast, if you ask me."
"That's normal, dear." Inoichi's wife commented. "We felt the same about Ino-chan. I swear it was yesterday when she was still crawling around the house."
"Mhm, yeah." Hermione agreed. "I mean, before you know it, she'll start dating." She joked, knowing Inoichi dreaded that day. He had told her about his fears of Ino growing up, secretly wanting her to never grow up, sometimes.
"That's never going to happen." Inoichi said flatly.
She let out a laugh at that. "Yeah, I hate to break it to you, but it's gonna happen. She has a way of wrapping people around her fingers. Like you, for example."
"She doesn't have-"
"Actually, dear, she does." His wife commented, looking amused. "She definitely does. You can't say no to her.
Hermione giggled at the sight of Inoichi opening and closing his mouth a couple of times, making him look like a fish. A confused fish, even. For someone in his line of work, it's surprising how easily he fell for Ino's charms. Then again, the little girl knew how to play her father very well.
"Mama, look!" Teddy had wobbled over to her, holding something in his hands. Something that clearly was made by Sirius, but the boy acted like he found a treasure so who was she to ruin that for him?
"That's very beautiful! What is it?" Hermione asked.
"Padda says it's a sheshell!"
"A seashell?" She said, kindly correcting him. "How wonderful!" She exclaimed.
"For you, mama!" He said as he carefully handed the shell over to her.
"Oh, I'll definitely treasure it, thank you so much!" Leaning over, she pressed a kiss against his temple, before picking him up and placing him on her lap. Holding the shell in front of him, both of them fiddled with it, admiring the beautiful shell.
"Whatcha got there?" Ino asked as she peeked in their lap, she took a sip of her juice box as she curiously studied the item.
"Mama?" Teddy asked as he looked up.
Hermione hesitated, not sure of the proper translation either. "Ah, I'm not sure. Inoichi? What's a seashell called in your language?"
"That would be seashell."
Giving him a smile in thanks, she told Teddy what the word was, as he tried to form it as well. She was incredibly appreciative and proud that Ino patiently waited for Teddy to say the word as best as he could, going as far as applauding when he almost got it. There was a flash from the corner of her eye, causing her to look up. Sirius grinned at her and gave her a wink before walking over as well.
"Hermione, do you have a moment?" Inoichi asked, making her look up to him.
"Oh, sure, I actually needed to talk to you too. In English, if possible." She added. Handing Teddy over to Sirius, she got up and followed Inoichi making sure they weren't in hearing range of the others.
"What did you want to talk about?" Inochii started, switching to English as well.
"Well, I actually have a question."
"I have an answer, hopefully." Inoichi said with a smile.
"Funny," she replied with a roll of her eyes. "I was wondering if there was a possibility of me and Sirius getting access to a place where we can practice?"
"Practice?"
"Yes."
He narrowed his eyes a little. "Practice what, exactly?"
"Well, my magic of course." Hermione said, because really, wasn't it obvious? "I don't need to work out like you guys, but I do actually need to practice to get better. Magic isn't something you can just use without knowing what you're doing."
"Right. Well, it's not up to me to arrange such a space for you.." Inoichi said hesitantly, "But I suppose I can submit the request directly to the Hokage, to see what's possible."
Hermione put her hands together in front of her, "great!" She said with a smile forming in her lips.
"This doesn't mean you'll be able to get it, though." He warned.
"That's alright. The fact that you're willing to ask already means a lot to me." Hermione knew that what she was asking wasn't something easily approved. She understood that in a military place like Konoha wouldn't just allow random people to train.
He gave her a smile and a nod before his face turned serious. "Now, about the thing I needed to talk to you about." Hermione cocked her head in question. "The Hokage ordered that you be questioned by one of the interrogators regarding something that was shown in your memory."
"W-what? Why?" She stammered as she frowned in confusion. She didn't know what was happening. She'd been truthful about everything! How could they not believe her? "I didn't lie, Inoichi. I-"
"Hermione, calm down, please." He urged. "It's not as bad as it sounds."
"Not as bad?" Hermione almost shrieked. "You just told me that I'm going to be interrogated!"
The man let out a sigh, "I know. But I still need you to calm down." She flinched as he put a hand on her shoulder, in comfort kom doubt, yet it didn't feel that way. Hermione should've expected this, especially in a village like this. Trust was earned, sure. But in this village it took quite a lot of effort to earn even a sliver of trust. Her face hardened at that thought. As long as they realised it worked both ways. She wouldn't forget this. "There were some concerns on our side at something we've seen." Inoichi continued, oblivious to her thoughts. "Anyways, it's best I take you there straight away. It won't take long."
Hermione turned her head towards Sirius and Teddy. Sirius had a calculated look on his face, a moment later she felt him enter her mind, which she didn't fight.
"Are you alright, love?"
"He's saying they need to question me, about the memory I showed them." She replied quickly in her mind. "I don't know how bad this will get, but if I don't return… Take Teddy and go."
"Hermione-" Sirius shifted Teddy in his arms, ready to jump up.
"Don't. I'll be fine. Just take care of him?" Hermione pleaded.
"You don't need to ask. You know I will." He promised and with a nod he left her mind, ending their connection. Hermione hoped that Inoichi hadn't noticed their exchange, but she had doubts that they were that lucky. There wasn't a lot that he missed.
"Fine," she replied, turning back to Inoichi. "Let's get it over with."
Kakashi frowned at the onslaught of emotions filling him all at once. With him still in the village, the connection of his bond with Hermione was that much more intense. It made him wonder if it would always be this intense, even after they, well, consummated the bond. Even after all the information he'd gathered from Hermione and Sirius, he still felt like there was so much more to it.
"Everything alright, senpai?" Itachi asked as he appeared next to him. They'd been staking out the T&I building at the moment. Honestly, after the Hokage had given him the mission an hour ago they'd each been to six different locations already.
"Hm? Yes, everything's fine. What did you find?" He watched as the kid reached into his pouch and gave him a small piece of paper. Damn, the kid even had perfect penmanship, because of course he had. Was there anything the kid couldn't do?
"I noted down the people they met together and separately. It's logged with the time and location. So far I can't discern what it could all mean, other than it doesn't really seem to have anything to do with their actual duties, from what I understood."
Looking through the notes, Kakashi nodded along with the report Itachi gave him. He was right. It didn't make sense for them to meet these people. So what were they up to?
"Good work." He said as he burned the piece of paper, its contents already memorized due to the help of his Sharingan. "Now, how do you feel about a game of hide and seek?" He joked.
He smiled in amusement at the confusion Itachi showed by cocking his head. "Hide and seek?"
Kakashi chuckled, "well, maybe not exactly like hide and seek. More like, don't be seen while you gather more information."
"So basically you're asking me to do my job?"
"Basically, yes." He chuckled again at Itachi shaking his head and almost felt sorry for the kid. Usually he joked with Tenzou, at his expense more often than not, but he'd have to make due with Itachi.
"Senpai? I don't mean to pry but why would Hermione-san need to go to T&I?"
What? Following his gaze, he blinked as he watched Inoichi guide Hermione towards the T&I building. Why would she need to go there? Did this have to do with the barrage of emotions he felt earlier? Kakashi shifted his stance as he watched her closely. She seemed… off. His gaze automatically shifted to her left arm as she moved her right hand to hold on to the underside of her arm. Right where her scar is. Suddenly he was back to that day where he took her inside that same building. With her freaking out about being interrogated. Scared that it would turn into torture.
Shit. Damn it. He couldn't do anything, not now. He was on a mission after all. Kakashi would keep an eye on the building for now, make sure she got out alright. Because he didn't like this. Why wasn't he told this? Usually he was kept up to date about everything regarding Hermione.
"I don't know." He told Itachi. "It doesn't matter. I'll keep investigating the disappearance of the captives. You keep tracking Utatane-sama and Mitokado-sama."
"Yes, sir."
"Good. Let's meet back at the facility at nine."
With a nod, Itachi left, leaving Kakashi to his musings. Shaking his head he stood back up from his crouch and jumped down. He needed to focus on his mission and figure out how those Death Eaters managed to get out without anyone knowing it. He knew they still had all their belongings, just not… Them.
Making sure his hood was drawn, he made his way inside the building, swiftly navigating through the corridors. He'd need to check the security footage first. Maybe that would give him some clue as to what happened to the three prisoners. Well, four if you count the man he killed before rescuing Hermione. Knowing what he did now, he really wished he would've made him suffer rather than ending his life so abruptly. He hadn't deserved a swift death. And he was going to make sure that once he found the others, they weren't getting one either.
As he entered the room, he was pleased to note he was the only one there. Good. Saved him time of thinking of a lie why he would be there. Kakashi moved to the cabinet that held all the recordings of the past year, easily cracking the code that sealed them behind those doors.
He heard a door open on one of the cameras, followed by a gruff voice saying "Granger-san, thank you for waiting. Or I should call you Yamanaka-san now." The man corrected himself. His eyes widened as he turned around, easily finding the screen that showed the correct interrogation room. "My name is Morino Ibiki, I'll be leading this interrogation." Wait. She was being interrogated?
"It's not like you gave me a choice." Hermione retorted angrily.
"I understand this wasn't something on your to-do list today, but this isn't up to you. You will answer my questions and if the answers satisfy me, you'll be out of here before you know it." Ibiki commented as he sat down.
"And if my answers aren't to your satisfaction?" Hermione challenged as she crossed her arms. Kakashi's eyebrows rose as he heard her say that. Never in his life had he heard someone speak to Ibiki like that.. And survive it. Instead, Ibiki seemed to actually be amused.
"I don't think you want to go for that option, Yamanaka-san."
"Do not threaten me." Hermione stated, and Kakashi swore he could see her skin glow, even on camera. "I don't care who you are, but threats don't work." She stated. "Ugh, why can't you people just ask like normal people?"
Again, Kakashi felt conflicted with what he should do. He had his mission, but seeing Hermione in this situation had him itching to jump in and get her out of there. Then again, his mission came first. The mission always came first. The Hokage clearly authorized this interrogation, so he would have to trust it would turn out fine. A little hesitant he reached for the on-and-off button of the screen. After waiting another second, with his eyes on Hermione, he turned the screen off. He couldn't permit any distractions.
Inoichi frowned at the pair sitting at the other end of the one-way mirror. He'd never really seen Hermione act out like this, especially not to someone who was basically in charge of deciding her fate.
"So, tell me about this mind altering ability of yours."
He heard Hermione groan. "That's what this is about?"
Ibiki leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table as he rested his chin on his intertwined fingers. "I was told you entered someone's mind, without using chakra, and altered his memory. I just want to know if you did that to someone other than that person."
"No. I didn't! Merlin, it takes a certain amount of skill to do something like that without messing up the mind!" That was something Inoichi definitely agreed on. The mind was a vulnerable, fickle thing and one wrong move could easily destroy it.
"Yet you did it. Successfully."
Hermione shook her head vehemently at that accusation. "No, I didn't! It was quite clear he noticed something was off, because I never saw him again."
Ibiki didn't blink as he continued. "And you're saying you never did anything like that before?"
"No."
Inoichi watched as Ibiki's eyes narrowed as he took Hermione in. "You're lying." Ibiki stated. Shifting his gaze to Hermione, Inoichi noticed the clear signs of someone telling a lie. So she had altered someone's memories before? When? And most importantly, who?
He watched as Hermione stared Ibiki down, shifting on his feet, anxiously waiting for her response.
"Yes and no." She said slowly. "Yes, I have altered someone's memories before." Hermione admitted softly. "No, other than that shinobi, I haven't done so since I arrived here."
Again, Ibiki kept his gaze on Hermione, reading her body language. A few, very long, moments later, he sagged in his chair and cocked his head. "I believe you."
"Y-you do?"
Inoichi watched as he gave Hermione a rare smile. "Yes. Please excuse me, Yamakana-san. I need to inform.. Yamanaka-san of this." He said almost awkwardly.
Hermione raised an eyebrow at that. "Why? He's been on the other side of that wall the entire time. I think he knows."
"Oh? And why do you think that?"
"I had a feeling." She said with a small, sad, smile, causing the man to chuckle.
"Fair enough. I still need to speak with him. I'll be back in a moment." Ibiki stood up and left the room. A short moment later, the door next to Inoichi opened, causing him to turn to the scarred man.
"So, she's telling the truth. You're sure?"
Ibiki snorted at that. "Am I ever not sure?"
"No, I suppose not." He conceded. "I'm just surprised you accepted it so easily."
Ibiki hummed as he turned to watch Hermione through the glass. "She's been hurt before. Tortured before." He said. It's wasn't a question.
"I know. She briefly told me about it. I'm surprised you picked up on that as well." Because really, she hid it well. While Inoichi had known something was wrong, he blamed it on all the events happening to her from the moment she got her. Frankly, all of that was traumatizing enough.
"It's not hard to see that she's traumatized, Inoichi-senpai." Ibiki commented. "It makes me concerned, thinking about her mental state. There's not a lot more she will be able to take, if things keep happening like that."
"You're right. I've been having these talks with her, getting her to open up bit by bit, to help her work through that. So don't worry about it."
"I hate to be the one to tell you this, sir. But she feels betrayed by you. That'll be quite a setback to overcome." He commented, and if Inoichi was being honest, that stung. But he wasn't unaware of the situation. Hermione had been genuinely hurt by this situation and for the first time in a long time, Inoichi didn't feel comfortable following an order made by the Hokage. He hadn't been lying when he said he trusted Hermione. He just feared this close to nullified her trust in him. "Anyways, it's food for thought. If you excuse me, I have some other things I need to talk to her about."
With a nod in his direction, Ibiki left the room to enter the interrogation room once again. Inoichi hummed to himself as he kept his eyes on the teen in front of him. Yeah, this would be more difficult to fix than he'd had initially expected. With a shake of his head he left to report Ibiki's findings to the Hokage. He'll worry about young Hermione later.
End of chapter notes:
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