Chapter Four

Soft Awakenings

The following morning Hermione sat awake in her bed listening for any noise of her roommates beginning to wake as she thought on the night prior with her diary open. She scanned her quill down the parchment pages, reviewing the notes she had made from her interactions and the second hand information she had received about the final seven wizards on her list. Even though the Winter Solstice was nearly four months away, she felt it wasn't near enough time for her to make a well informed decision about who to conscript into her personal service. Compounded with an already difficult selection process, one of the wizards she chose would have to become her husband. Thinking on all that additional requirement entailed, she felt four months was not enough time to accomplish both tasks.

She had thankfully been able to negotiate her father down from demanding that all those in her service bind themselves to her as well as him with their Marking, but had not been able to get him to drop the marriage stipulation altogether. While arranged marriages were an all too common practice within the circles her father and mother had moved in, she had considered herself lucky to have avoided such a fate. It was mostly in part because no one but Uncle Dorian and those he and her father trusted the most knew of her existence, but the freedom to choose for herself was one she hadn't taken lightly. It was a gift few witches were afforded within pureblood society, the desire to keep the lines untainted or expand wealth and property meaning more to most families than the silly notion of love. But the idea of being in love was her most harbored secret and coveted desire. It was the only thing she had wanted for in her life, and these few months before the agreed upon deadline was her only chance at fulfilling it.

Romantic love was an elusive concept to her though. While she had read more than her fair share of romance novels while taking her mandated time away from studying, it was something she had never actually seen, let alone experienced first hand. Though they were great parents and she never questioned their love for her, her mother and father were not shining examples of a successful marriage. For starters, they would have needed to have actually been married.

Her mother had always hated it when she referred to herself as a mistake, stating that all magical children were precious and not a single one was ever unwanted or a mistake, that they were all blessings in their own way, but ultimately that's what she had been. She was the product of sex magic between two people who otherwise probably would have lived lives completely separate from one another if not for the magic's negation of contraceptives and the way it forced ovulation with each coupling till either the ritual ended or conception occurred. As for the rest of the role models in her life: her godfather was a serial bachelor, a benefit afforded to him as the third born son of the Notts while the Death Eaters he oversaw in Albania were more committed to their duty to her, and thus her father, than any other witch or wizard they may have met.

Her life was truly ironic when she thought about it. She was literally conceived through a spell that enhanced lust and fertility, the traits of those magics passing into the sperm and egg that she grew from, and thus an essential part of her magical core and genetic makeup, and she had never been in love, had never had sex, had never even been kissed. Aside from her books and her unsuccessful hand when occasionally what she was reading would trigger the faintest trace of arousal, she was completely inept. And yet she was expected to find herself a husband; multiple if her father had his way.

How she was to manage that she had no idea. She was self-aware enough to know that she could be horribly bossy, impatient, demanding, overly passionate, and stubborn beyond reason. Add to it all she was socially inept having spent more time with adults than anyone her own age, and those relations left her with only two forms of address when dealing with people: demure and polite to a fault or commanding and ruthless. Frankly, from where she sat reviewing her notes, the only thing she really had going for her was that each of the wizards on her list already had connections to her father or had shown express interest in joining his ranks and would therefore hopefully overlook her less than admirable qualities.

And I was prideful enough to think that I would have a problem picking one of them. I'm basically having to resort to nepotism to find a damn husband. Grandfather Salazar, you must be rolling over in your grave with me as your heir, she thought, crashing back onto her bed in exasperation. Then again Rabastan had made that remark about Severus wanting me in his lap… Oh lovely another bloody fault to add to the list. I can't help but walk right into other people's minds. Merlin, maybe I should have just accepted Rodolphus's proposal outright…

With a heavy sigh, Hermione threw the duvet off of herself and slowly eased the drapes back from around her bed. Unhooking her clothes and the dusty pink suede satchel that was outfitted with expansion and featherlight charms that Bellatrix had gifted her after she saw it in an owl order catalog, she headed out of the dorm and down the small hall that led to the seventh year girls' bathroom where she made quick work of her shower. Toweling off, she unwound her hair from the bun she had slept in and took care in easing up her stockings and fastening them into place so as not to snag the delicate nylon. Stepping into her heeled Oxfords, she tugged her skirt into place and smoothed her blouse down as she tied the green and silver silk tie of her house into a bow around her neck. Shrugging into her cardigan, she folded her robes over the purse and headed up the stairs.

Coming to the main common room with its leather couches, layered rugs, and crackling fires whose flames danced and reflected off the glass, she spotted Severus reclined back on a couch making notes directly in his textbook like a barbarian. Not entirely ready to fix her mask of confidence into place, she briefly contemplated turning tail before he noticed her. It was only through reminding herself that she had just shy of four months to accomplish her goals that she squashed the odd flutter in her stomach and squared her shoulders back as she began to glide across the floor, making the pleats of her skirt swish just as her mother had taught her.

"Good morning, Severus," she greeted brightly, taking care to walk directly through his circle of seating.

She heard the sound of his boots hitting the floor as she passed by and the hurried rustling of his already abused book getting shoved deep within his bag. She was already trotting up the stairs to the balcony that showcased their entrance portrait on the tips of her toes when his long stride caught up with hers.

"Good morning, Hermione," he returned, the warm silk of his voice making a flash of heat run down her spine. "I trust you slept well," he added, reaching from behind her to open the portrait for them to pass through.

Turning to offer him her thanks, she got hit with a whiff of the sandalwood and cedar cologne he wore. Closing her eyes, she subtly lifted her head towards him taking a deeper breath. From what she knew of him through others, she found the warm smell of nature to be fitting for him. Taking another breath she began to wonder if it was cologne at all or merely him. For someone as skilled with potions as she was led to believe he was, it made sense to her that such a fragrant and organic smell would linger on his clothes. Either way, she wasn't entirely sure she liked how alluring he smelled because there was no conceivable way half the witches in the school hadn't noticed it by now, especially when layered with his made for sin voice.

A soft chuckle ghosted over her skin, startling her from her thoughts. Looking up into his teasing eyes, she hastily backed up not realizing she had stepped so much closer to him.

Stepping over the portrait's opening she took a lungful of untainted air trying to recall what he had said to her.

"Well enough," she finally replied, releasing the air she had sucked in. "I've never had to share a room before, so it'll take some getting used to, but nothing a few privacy spells can't handle. It's more the knowledge that there are other people around me while I'm in a vulnerable state that made it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep."

He made a noise of having heard her but otherwise remained quiet as they walked through the glass tunnel and up the spiraling stairs. His silence remained, though she caught him regularly looking down at her with puzzlement as they traversed the dungeon corridors. Finally reaching the ground floor of the castle, she was ready to give up on her first one on one conversation with him when he finally spoke.

"What was it like in Ksamil?"

"Beautiful," she said dreamily, recalling the sandy beaches that were rare for the Albanian coastline and the blend of teal, cerulean, and aegean colors that made up the Ionian Sea. "Our home was this beautiful sun-bleached tangerine, which I know sounds atrocious but I promise it was gorgeous, especially when the sun would set. Anyway, the back of the house was nearly all glass that opened up right onto the beach and I spent nearly every day lounging out there. Even in the winter, my mum would find me studying or practicing on the beach, and instead of making me come inside because it was frigid, well by beach standards, here it's probably what spring is like, she would stay out there with me and tell me all about France.

"She had wanted me to go to Beauxbatons like her but she and daddy agreed that it might not be safe and neither of them wanted me so far away, otherwise I would have attended Durmstrang with Dolohov's son, Antonin.

"Even though I missed my father when he was gone and would occasionally fight with him over having to be hidden away, I truly loved being there. Now all I really seem to remember are all the bodies... the blood... and my mother... Dorian had me out of there so fast I wasn't able to bring anything with me, not even a photograph of her..."

Hermione's voice trailed off as she realized her throat had begun to constrict. As her words had turned heavy she had stopped paying attention to where they were going and found herself in a secluded alcove off of the entrance hall. The sounds of students beginning to fill the corridors on their way to the Great Hall carried over to them, making her grateful that Severus had steered her away from what would have been prying eyes.

Blinking back the prickling in her eyes, she looked up and met his penetrating gaze. His eyes shined down on her despite their hard, studious set and the depth of their dark color reminded her of spilled ink the way they effortlessly consumed her.

Everything about him seemed to be imposing and intense, from the rich sin of his voice to his intoxicating scent. From the manner in which he towered over her to the keen look in his eyes that made her want to teach him Legilimency just so she could spend hours staring into them. He wasn't painfully beautiful like Regulus or classically handsome like Evan, but he was striking all the same, and he radiated a type of strength that inherently made her feel safe with him even though she knew she was just as capable, if not more so, at keeping herself protected.

Clearing her throat to banish her emotions as she carelessly dismissed her own words, she said, "I know, poor little rich girl; complaining about having to be here instead of lounging on the sand at her seaside villa."

She stepped around him to fall in with the increasing number of students on their way to breakfast when his hand suddenly grabbed a hold of hers and spun her around. He pulled her further into the tight space with him, bringing her close enough to him that she had to tilt her head back to maintain his eye contact.

Severus brushed his calloused thumb across the fine bones of her wrist, his long fingers curling into her palm as he spoke with a soft rumble. "I'm not good with emotions, mine or anyone else's, but that doesn't mean I don't want to see who you are when you're stripped bare."

He squeezed her hand once before dropping it completely and turning to exit their hideaway. As quickly as she had covered herself, he did the same giving her a devilish smile over his shoulder.

"Both figuratively and literally," he purred. "Just so there isn't any confusion."

Taking a deep breath as heat raced down her spine and settled in low at the top of her thighs, she walked past him, ducking under his outstretched arm.

"Duly noted," she said with a short laugh.

Making their way into the hall, they veered off to the far left and joined the rest of their house, the seating arrangement much more chaotic in the light of day. Where they had sat further in on the bench the night before, now the three others along with Eloise and her dorm mates were all situated at the end closest to the entrance, with enough space between them and the next cluster of students to seat several on each side.

"Here," Severus said, gesturing to a spot next to Evan, lacking the finesse of his friends, when they approached the table.

"There you are!" Eloise exclaimed the moment Hermione took her seat. "We got up this morning and you were already gone. I checked every bathroom looking for you, even sent my brother into a few of the boys' washrooms just to be sure. But here you are and with Severus no less," she said, giving a suggestive wiggle of her eyebrows to him that Hermione would have found comical if not for the sudden and unwarranted flare of jealousy she felt.

"El, what's our one rule?" Evan suddenly demanded.

"Relax brother, I'm only bending it."

"Say it," he ordered.

Scoffing at him, Eloise rattled off, "'No dating, sleeping with, or otherwise engaging with each other's friends in any way that we wouldn't with each other.' Not that it matters, I think Sev's tastes are running more towards petite brunettes these days," she added, winking at Hermione and effectively dismissing her brother.

"Now then, here's your schedule; Slughorn just finished passing them out and I told him I would make sure you got yours. I took the liberty of circling all the NEWTs you have with me in pink and starred the ones with my brother and Severus in blue and green respectively. Between the three of us you won't have a single class alone," she explained, handing the sheet of parchment over.

"Good for it too, since you're taking almost every NEWT Hogwarts offers, and that, unfortunately, means Potter and his merry band of miscreants will be in every single one of your classes, and there's no way Black didn't recognize your full surname last night. Which translates to, they all know exactly who you are and on principle now hate you more than Severus which is quite a feat," she explained. "Now if you all will excuse me, I'm off to go see Madam Pince so I can sweet talk her into allowing me to sign our names down for the large study carousel for the entire term again. Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays just like last term, Reggie. So no quidditch on those nights."

"Yes mum," he answered sarcastically, flicking a blueberry across the table at her.

Free to eat, no longer having to follow the rapid fire speech of Eloise, Hermione began fixing a bowl of yogurt while pulling out her datebook so she could transfer her class schedule. While she blocked out her times accordingly, she absently flicked her hand about the table, adding a selection of berries, toasted coconut, a sliced banana, and granola on top, oblivious to the four wizards who were watching her. Looking up to see where the honeycomb was since she couldn't recall it from memory, she took in their slack jawed faces with confusion while summoning a portion of the honey to her along with a croissant that had caught her eye.

"What are you all looking at?" She asked, stirring her bowl together and taking a self conscious bite.

Rabastan broke into laughter at her question, further making her brow furrow.

"You're doing silent and wandless magic like it's nothing. I don't think a single student here is anywhere near your level of capability," he explained, his face looking awed even though he still chuckled.

"Hell, I would be willing to bet there are a few professors on staff who can't even do it as easily as you just did," Evan said, making her blush from the praise.

Tucking a curl behind her ear, she said, "I can only do simple spells, like summoning over a short distance or levitating light objects. Anything more I need the verbal incantation or my wand. I had only just started on melding the two together this summer."

"That's what you mastered in one summer? Salazar's sac, they really should have let you sit your NEWTs," Severus swore. "No offense, since you know..." He tacked on sheepishly.

"None taken, you should hear Dorian," she laughed. "I'm pretty sure if Salazar could hear or take offense he would have already risen from the grave to put him back in his place."

"Though if they had approved your home education, we wouldn't have the pleasure of seeing you this morning," Regulus said smoothly.

"You are just always on, aren't you?" She teased.

He gave a nonchalant shrug as he responded, "Being charming runs in the family."

"Yeah, just like insanity," Rabastan said under his breath, making everyone laugh.

As their laughter died down, Hermione went to continue eating only to put her spoon back in the bowl as she felt a layer of awkwardness settle over them. Putting her elbows on the table, she laced her fingers together and rested her chin atop them looking at each of the four wizards with her eyebrows raised waiting for whichever one of them had been designated to speak. When she met Reggie's mercurial eyes, he held her gaze and leaned into the table.

Should have known, she thought, filing the information about their dynamic away for later.

"After last night we stayed up and discussed it," he started, her stomach already knotting at the idea of having to address the issue of marriage so soon again.

Keeping her face neutral, she nodded her head for him to continue speaking.

"Provided we are each acceptable candidates for your hand," he said, subtly referring to Severus being the only non-pureblood among the four of them which inadvertently made her gaze flicker to him, "we came to the agreement that we would each like to properly court you."

"And what of the other three?"

"Inconsequential," Severus snapped, drawing her attention.

"Why is that?" She challenged, meeting his daring gaze head on.

She was just about to accept his silent invitation to slip into his mind when the screech of post owls filled the Great Hall. The cloud of mostly brown owls flapped about with a flurry, weaving and dodging each other as they sought out their recipients. Mixed into the fray was a massive black and grey spotted owl whose feathers appeared to absorb the light around it as it swooped for the Slytherin table. Seeing the surprisingly docile Sgàil make a beeline for her, Hermione quickly pulled out her wand and transfigured an empty goblet into a simple perch for him while she reached across Evan to snag several pieces of bacon for his treat.

"Hello Sgàil," she cooed, stroking the owl's feathers as he landed with a regal ease onto his stand.

Breaking off pieces of the bacon, she fed him with one hand and began untying the small package from around his ankle with the other.

"I bet you like this easier journey, don't you, my sweet boy?" She continued musing, leaning forward to peck a kiss onto his beak.

Tapping her wand against the package, she resized the brown parcel and slid her finger through the seal to open it. Flipping through the letters inside, she pulled one out addressed to Rabastan and handed it to him.

"It's from Rodolphus," she said absently while she shuffled through the rest pulling out one more. "And this is from Bella," she added, handing another to Regulus.

Wrapping the twine that had secured the parcel to Sgàil around the letters, she tucked them safely into her purse to read later when she had privacy. Handing off the last piece of bacon to her owl, she gave him another kiss and final stroke before picking him up and launching him into the air as was their routine since her mother gifted him to her several years back.

"Did you get one from my brother as well?" Rabastan asked, his eyes trained on the spot inside her bag that she had placed the letters in.

Trying to figure out the odd tone to his voice that seemed to reflect the equally odd look in each of the other's faces, she hesitantly answered "Uh yes... he promised to write to me as often as possible before I left. Why?"

Just as the birds had interrupted her looking into Severus's mind, the chiming of the clock tower prevented her from getting an answer from Rabastan, when it began to ring out the last quarter hour before the official start of the school day. He and Regulus stood up and slung their bags onto their shoulders as they circled the end of the table to come around to the side she sat on. While Regulus lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it in parting, Rabastan bent down and pressed his lips briefly to her cheek, making her eyes go wide while he grabbed an orange from the bowl in front of her.

"We have to get down to the fields for Care of Magical Creatures, but we'll see you at lunch," Regulus promised, winking at her.

Hermione watched the two of them walk out of the hall, her hand coming up to her warmed cheek to touch the spot where she could still feel the soft brush of Rabastan's lips. Turning back to the table, she felt Evan and Severus staring at her and quickly dropped her hand and fisted it into her skirt while she took a mouthful of food to keep herself from rambling.

"We have Transfiguration first and it's here on the ground floor, so you have a few more minutes to eat," Evan said, completely ignoring the display of his friend as he cut into an egg.

Nodding her head, Hermione continued to eat and packaged up several items from the table to carry with her for a mid-morning snack.

When she was mostly through with her food, Evan stood up beside her and offered his hand while Severus collected her purse and robes along with his own bag, each of them falling to place on either side of her as they began to walk. Approaching the threshold of the large double doors, Evan rested his hand on her lower back to guide her through before him. The feeling of his hand resting just above her bum reignited the pool of warmth Severus had caused in her earlier and made her skin tingle just as much as Rabastan's chaste yet intentional kiss.

Nearly eighteen years with barely a whisper of arousal and now her body was beginning to flare to life with a few simple touches and words. She was wholly out of her depth with even one of them, but with all four she knew drowning was a very real possibility.