Chapter Summary – Hermione has given Harry a Pensieve of memories and it looks like he is about to find out what has been going on with her. Will it bring them together or will it create more problems than it solves.
c
Please let me know if there are any silly errors as I was unable to get this ch beta read. I have checked it thoroughly myself and I hope it's ok.
c
Chapter Forty-Three – Truth Or Lust
Harry found his way back to the Headmaster's quarters at last and placed the Pensieve down on Severus' desk. He had taken great care with it, although he couldn't guess what it contained he knew that it was serious enough to derail someone who had been his very best friend, or so she claimed. He couldn't imagine what might have happened that would help him understand her loathing of Severus by watching it but he imagined he was about to find out.
There was one thing that Harry was certain of however; there was no way he was taking a look without his Kin. Of course Harry had to find Severus but he thought that under the circumstances, he might have just run off into the bedroom.
Before Harry had a chance to check the bedroom Ron came down the stairs.
"What has happened?" Ron asked, "There was such a crash down here but I could hear that it was Severus and I didn't want to interrupt. You might not think he's scary anymore but I do."
Harry looked around the room and found one of Hermione's books in a tattered heap on the floor. He was at least reassured that Severus had evidently returned home.
"Hermione upset Severus, I was just coming back to see how he is," Harry explained.
"I am sure he will survive," Ron muttered as he turned to back up the stairs. He then noticed the Pensieve on the desk however and returned to the Kin's living room.
"What's in that then?" Ron asked pointing to the Pensieve so that Harry had no opportunity to pretend that he didn't know what Ron was referring to.
"Ah," Harry began, "I had a little argument with Hermione over the Kin and her child and after a lot of shouting she gave me that."
Ron's face brightened immeasurably, "Cool, when are we having a look?"
Harry sighed, he had thought that only he and Severus would take a look, now he wasn't certain whether Ron wouldn't try and invite Draco too.
"Just a minute, I will go get Severus." Harry gave in, "But don't turn this into a social gathering, sit on the sofa now and don't you dare tell Draco."
Harry went into his bedroom and found that the house elves had done a wonderful job of tidying the place up. At least Harry could tell that it had been really tidy before Severus had climbed underneath the covers on the bed and pulled them over his head.
"Are you all right Sev?" Harry asked his Kin.
Severus sighed, "Yes."
"We had an argument and she filled a Pensieve up with memories, want to see?" Harry asked knowing that Severus' curiosity might override anything else he was feeling.
Severus opened his eyes, "Memories?"
"Yes, I demanded to know what it was that made her behave so badly towards you and she gave in at last and gave me the Pensieve."
"Hmm," Severus mumbled trying to sound uninterested, "I will accompany you if you wish to view them."
"Thought you might," Harry added smugly as Severus pulled himself up from the bed.
Ccccc
Severus locked them all into one of the disused bedrooms together with the Pensieve so that they wouldn't be disturbed. Harry then dipped his head into the Pensieve first and was quickly followed by both Severus and Ron.
"Hey I can walk in a Pensieve," Ron announced with glee before they had had a chance to notice anything else.
Harry looked around and found that they were in the Astronomy tower. It was night time and there was little light to see by but Harry spotted Hermione by the window and she was standing next to someone.
Harry led the way so that they were closer to Hermione and he could see whom she was with. Severus and Ron followed and it was Ron who announced what was unfolding before them.
"I don't believe it!" Ron complained loudly, "She's given you the memory of Oliver Wood. Well I for one don't want to have to sit through that!"
"Well obviously there must be more to it than what you think might be about to happen. There wouldn't be much point in us being given this otherwise." Severus grumpily pointed out, "You already know that she got up to mischief with him, behind your back, without you having a clue."
Ron was huffed into silence and they only had to wait a short while before something happened which broke with Hermione's previous cover story.
Hermione and Oliver had been talking about not much in particular; they were not flirting with each other and appeared to be passing the time as they kept watch from the tower window.
Just when Harry thought that he might like to skip to the next memory too, Oliver Wood decided that he would patrol the castle for a while and, after asking Hermione if she would be happy enough on her own, he left.
"Here we go," Severus said smugly, "That doesn't fit in with her story now does it?"
"I fail to see how she could get pregnant on her own," Ron grumbled.
"Why has this particular bit got to be anything to do with conception?" Harry pointed out, "We don't know when it was."
Hermione continued to look out of the window and Harry felt himself wanting to fidget with something, anything. Out of all the Pensieve memories Harry had seen, he had to say that this was proving to be the most thoroughly boring he had ever experienced. Harry could feel Ron fidgeting beside him and he couldn't fathom how Severus could remain so still.
Ron sighed as Hermione continued to look out of the window, "What do you think we are waiting for?" He asked, "She stood like this night after night."
Suddenly the door opened behind them all and they saw that Hermione was just as surprised as they were. The person who came forward was Ron.
The Ron in the Pensieve memory went towards Hermione and she flung herself into his arms. Ron held her close.
"This is weird, looking at yourself," the Ron standing beside Harry observed.
"I wish he would come back, sometimes I don't know whether I am looking for Death Eaters out there or Harry." Hermione spoke to Ron between sobs.
"He'll be back," Ron tried to reassure, "I am sure he is out there trying his best to do whatever needs to be done."
"He always took us with him if he could," Hermione continued to sob.
"Come on," Ron commanded firmly, "It's my turn to take over here, go get a hot bath and go to bed."
Hermione tried her best to refrain from crying and when she was confident that she had succeeded she kissed Ron and left the tower.
Harry, Severus and Ron were unable to remain with the other 'past' Ron, they had to scuttle after Hermione as it was her memory and she was making her way across the castle towards Gryffindor.
"I remember this night," Ron said as they hurried along, "It was like any other night at that time apart from Hermione, it was the only time she broke down like that, it wasn't long before Christmas. The three of us had been alternating watch duty for a few months by that point."
"So Hermione chats neutrally with Oliver Wood and then throws herself at you the minute she sees you, looks like there was more in that scene than we originally thought." Harry observed as they hurried along after Hermione.
"She could still have been up to something," Ron said huffily.
"They were alone in the tower," Severus pointed out, "I think if anything were going to happen we would have at least seen some exchange of feeling."
They followed Hermione into Gryffindor tower, although it was late at night the castle had been alive with people out on the corridors. Aurors were posted by all the windows and doors, Harry knew that he had never seen anything like it at Hogwarts before.
They entered Gryffindor common room to find children who were crying bitterly being comforted by adult wizards Harry didn't recognise.
Hermione made her way across the common room and Harry could see that her face was etched with sadness, despite the cheerfulness she tried to force. When Hermione reached the bottom of the stairs to the dormitories the memory ended.
Suddenly they were all back in the astronomy tower again. Hermione was watching over the grounds for any evidence of an enemy attack and Ron entered the room and crossed towards her.
"Oh no, not that dress, I remember this one!" Ron said suddenly flushing with what seemed to be embarrassment.
The air was warm and the sun was only just below the horizon. The Ron of the past had brought an enchanted gramophone and as the music began to play he took Hermione in his arms for a slow dance around the tower, their duties forgotten for just a moment. He wasn't a very good dancer but the Hermione of the past wasn't at all bothered by Ron's deficiencies, it was the thought that seemed to make the world for her.
"That was the summer," Ron informed Harry and Severus, "Snape was tutoring Hermione and the watches weren't taken quite so seriously then. That was before any of the attacks."
"As we can see by this woeful display," Severus commented.
Harry nudged his Kin, "Shut up Sev, it's sweet."
Ron was still flushed with embarrassment.
The next scene was under similar circumstances but it was a different evening. Both the Ron and Hermione were wearing different clothes but they were in the tower again, supposedly keeping watch. Instead of keeping watch however, they were lying on a blanket together looking at the sky in a playful way.
Harry supposed that if a Death Eater had come flying past they might still have noticed. He looked at the Ron stood beside him and noted that he still looked a bit uncomfortable.
The Ron of the past rolled over and kissed Hermione, it continued for a while.
"Come on, let's," Ron tried to persuade as Hermione broke away from the kiss.
Hermione wriggled away from Ron with a giggle, "No, I am not going to do that before I am married."
"You want to get married?" Ron asked impishly.
Hermione hit Ron playfully, "No, not till I am bit older."
"Oh come on!" Ron whined, "What's the matter with me?"
"Nothing's wrong with you," Hermione grinned back.
"Then why not? You are so Muggle and so old fashioned Muggle at that!" Ron continued to complain.
"Men!"
"We might be dead by tomorrow," Ron persisted, nuzzling at Hermione's neck.
Hermione continued to giggle and Ron continued to try to get his wicked way.
"Did she give in?" Harry asked.
"No." Ron replied shortly, looking more humiliated than Harry had ever seen him look before.
Severus and Harry were just absorbing the scene when they were transported to another memory. The astronomy tower was in darkness this time. The air had taken a sudden chill. Hermione stood on her own peering into the darkness with a thick red wool cloak wrapped around her shoulders.
The 'past' Ron came in and approached Hermione, he offered to take over but Hermione said that she would carry on as she was starting to find it difficult to sleep anyway. It wasn't just the chill in the air that made Harry tense and shiver. He could tell that this scene had happened after a lot of the attacks, maybe none of them had been near the castle but he could read the despair in Hermione's eyes. They knew it was only a matter of time.
Ron waited till his counterpart had left the room even though he knew he couldn't hear himself, "You won't see it because this is Hermione's memory but after I left Hermione in the tower, I passed Dumbledore as he was making his way to his quarters. This was the only night that Hermione insisted on continuing with the watch; I was one of the last people to see Dumbledore alive that night. We always held watches in pairs after this; Hermione wouldn't go up there alone anymore.
"Wonder why." Harry pondered.
"I think we might be about to see." Severus commented as the scene didn't change but remained with Hermione on this one particular night.
"Didn't you wonder why Ron?" Harry asked.
"No, it didn't seem strange considering what happened that night." Ron replied.
"What happened?" Harry asked.
"Just watch and you will see," Ron replied grimly.
They were just getting prepared for what might be about to be revealed however, when the scene changed and they were suddenly standing in the Great Hall.
"What kind of order did Hermione use when she loaded this thing, it's all over the place," Ron commented, even he was starting to get confused.
Ron didn't remain confused for long however, yet again he remembered exactly what night they were visiting.
"Oh no, not this one!" Ron commented with dread.
Harry, Severus and Ron were now standing unseen in the Great Hall but there were no tables set out for the next meal, they had been cleared away to make room for something else.
The tables had been cleared away to make way for bodies, over a hundred of them in one evening.
"The Death Eater's first big raid, not on Hogwarts but on the Order and their families," Ron tried to explain before his voice gave out on him.
Harry didn't need further explanation, he watched as they followed Hermione through the hall. They followed as she joined the Ron of the past who was crouched down beside one of the bodies. His father, mother and all of his brothers lined up in a row, pale and like stone. Ginny at the end, Harry noticed, he had seen her death in a vision but it was nothing to this. The Pensieve memory gave a reality to it that even the vision had lacked somehow.
The Ron of the past kept his head bent and the Ron who stood beside Harry in the present of the Pensieve had turned away, unwilling to live it twice.
Harry could not turn away, Ginny was perfect, physically unharmed; the killing curse had taken her without causing a single blemish. Yet she was almost blue and looked more like a statue.
A tear began to form in Harry's eye and suddenly they were out in the Hogwarts grounds and the sun was shining. Harry watched what Hermione was watching. There were two Hogwarts students on broomsticks and they were rapidly approaching the ground.
As they got nearer to Hermione Harry recognised who they were, he saw himself and he saw Ginny, now alive, very alive. He wiped the tears from his eyes and he watched as they stumbled as they landed and the Harry of the past playfully pushed Ginny and Ginny whirled round and pushed him back. They were smiling, giggling, carefree. Harry couldn't remember precisely when this had been, it could have been any one of many such warm and sunny afternoons. Ron was beside Hermione as the four of them wandered back to the castle together.
Hermione looked back over her shoulder as they were nearing the castle. Harry turned too and saw Snape, the Snape he remembered from school, standing by a tree watching them, his gaze intense and piercing.
"I get your point Hermione!" Harry called out as if the Pensieve could hear him and would move on.
It was almost as if the Pensieve had heard, suddenly they were back in the Great Hall and it was that night again. The floor remained strewn with dead bodies and the Hermione and Ron of the past were once more crouched down on the floor but were now with Hermione's family.
Harry gasped as Albus Dumbledore walked through the hall; it had been so long since he had seen the beloved old man. The Professor's expression was grim in keeping with the situation.
"Nothing I say can convey the depth of my sympathies," Albus said in what was meant to be a comforting voice.
Hermione looked up, her face wet with tears and her expression angry, "Where is he?" She demanded to know.
"Hermione, I do not know," Albus insisted.
"Somebody has to do something," Hermione spoke, her head once more bowed, "We can't go on living like this, we won't live."
"We are doing all that we can, the Order is making every effort. Do not worry, as long as I stand at Hogwarts no harm will come to you here," Dumbledore tried to reassure.
"Really?" Hermione snapped looking up once more to fix the old Headmaster with an intense stare, "It is such a shame that the same protection wasn't available to our families."
"Nobody regrets the incidents of the past few days more than I do, I am afraid I misjudged the effectiveness of the wards, or underestimated the power of the Death Eaters," Dumbledore continued, "But Severus has completed a number of very important and significant missions for the Order."
"Much good it has done, maybe you have misjudged him too," Hermione snapped.
Dumbledore might have been about to add something else to the debate, however he abandoned what he had been about to say when another wizard suddenly joined him, Hermione's gaze shifted to glare at the person standing next to Dumbledore, it was Severus Snape.
"My sympathies to you regarding your family," Snape said without looking in slightest bit sympathetic at all.
Snape then ushered Dumbledore away where he might otherwise have stayed to continue the debate with Hermione.
"I don't believe it, he's done it again," Hermione grumbled at Ron who hadn't looked up in all the time they had been watching the memory.
"Who's done what?" Ron mumbled.
"Snape!" Hermione snapped at Ron, obviously irritated that he wasn't in the slightest bit interested.
"Not now, Hermione please, not now." Ron pleaded obviously devastated by the recent events that lay much closer to his heart.
"Dumbledore and Snape walking from the hall together," Ron pointed out from his position at Harry's side, he was interested now, "So Harry, who was it that said that Dumbledore polyjuiced as Snape?"
Harry was stunned, he didn't know what to say or think. He placed a hand on his enlarged and rounded belly and wondered for the first time if anything was as he thought it was. He turned to his Kin for some kind of support and reassurance but Severus stood as stony and stern as the Pensieve memory of him had just moments before.
As soon as Hermione and Ron had pulled themselves away from their dead relatives the memory ended and Harry, Severus and Ron found themselves back in the Astronomy tower once again.
Hermione was staring out of the window and she was still wearing the red cloak so Harry assumed they were picking things up from where they had left off. He didn't know where to look or what to think. Hermione wasn't doing anything much but he kept watching her because his mind was racing.
Ron was silent too but he was watching Harry and Severus, eager for some sort of explanation. It was true that he had paid no attention whatsoever to Hermione's protests about Snape in the past, but he thought he might now take it up as a hobby. To Ron's frustration Harry had nothing to say and Severus seemed to have even less. He wished he could take the silence as some kind of admission but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to do so. Somehow something in the back of his mind was still telling him to trust the Kin.
Without even realising that he was going to do it Harry reached out a hand to Severus. Without moving in any other way Severus took Harry's hand and he could feel the slight tremble in it.
Suddenly the door to the tower opened, Hermione turned to look and so did the three Pensieve observers. They had all perhaps been expecting Oliver Wood, come at last to claim his one night of passion, but it was not to be. It was Severus Snape.
Snape walked into the room calmly enough. He stood a few feet away from the door and, with the kind of laziness a wizard sometimes becomes accustomed to, he used his wand to close the door.
"Good evening Professor," Hermione spoke with formality, "I told Ron I would watch from the tower for the rest of tonight."
"I do not come to relieve you," Snape replied succinctly.
"I have nothing to report," Hermione added. She had the tone of one who suspected but didn't have the proof to accuse. She was more wary of Snape at this point than Harry had ever remembered her to be during their school days.
"I know." Snape replied.
"Why are you here?" Hermione asked.
"I just wanted to ask you something."
"Then ask and then leave me be," Hermione snapped.
"After all the time I spent tutoring you over the summer, I thought we might have become friends." Snape said with a sneer.
"Then you thought wrong, but then you didn't think that did you, stop playing with me, play with someone who will listen."
"Where is Harry?" Snape asked next, making it clear that he would not be leaving till he got a satisfactory answer.
"What?" Hermione asked in surprise.
"Don't play dumb, it does not become you," Snape warned his voice turning more icy than Hermione could have previously imagined, Harry could see the horror spread across her face even as she tried to suppress it, "Where is Harry Potter?"
"I don't know." Hermione answered.
"You expect me to believe that he didn't tell you where he was going?" Snape goaded, "This has caused a lot of worry throughout the Ministry and the Order you know. Harry disappearing like that."
"You have not earned the right to call him Harry!" Hermione blustered.
"Come on now Hermione, we are both on the same side." Snape attempted to persuade.
"I don't know where he is!" Hermione repeated, she was shouting now.
"She said that Snape had asked her," Ron commented, "I wonder when he is going to give up, it's not like she knows."
Before Harry or Severus had any opportunity to respond there was a flash of light. Snape had his wand drawn and was waving it about the room idly speaking the words as he cast a silencing charm upon the tower. Hermione already lay on the floor rendered motionless by the curse that had caused the alerting initial light.
Ron rushed towards Hermione but found that he could not even touch her.
"What! She never told me he did this!" Ron turned angrily on the Kin, "Can't you two bloody do something?"
"It's all in the past, just a memory," Harry muttered in a daze.
Snape knelt down beside Hermione and reached in his robes, he pulled out a potion phial. He took Hermione's wand and his it away amongst his own robes before lifting Hermione's limp body onto his lap.
"Right," Snape announced with malice and chill in his voice, he opened Hermione's mouth and poured the potion down her throat, "Let's see if we can't get a bit more sense out of you now."
With a swish of his wand Snape reanimated Hermione, she scrambled to her feet and backed up against the stone wall, her eyes casting about the room trying to find a way out. Her mind obviously racing as a quick fumble for her wand told her that it was gone and that her options were diminishing. What she had suspected about Snape was all too true.
"I believe you have about five minutes before the potion is completely effective," Snape announced as he apparently watched Hermione with vindictive amusement, "Surely a clever little Gryffindor can find some way out of this terrible situation."
"I don't know where he is!" Hermione tried insisting again.
"Then why are you trying to get away from me?" Snape challenged, "It was only a truth potion, I only want to know the truth."
"Why don't you take some yourself, then the story will change, mine never will." Hermione snapped as she tried her best with the door that was now firmly locked.
"Why Hermione, what are you suggesting?" Snape hissed as he closed the distance between himself and Hermione.
She at last gave up on the door and turned to watch Snape swoop across the room towards her.
"You're a…" Hermione began to say in a horse whisper that stuck dryly in her throat.
"Go on, say it," Snape insisted as he towered above her.
Hermione couldn't speak, she just stared, her eyes wide with fear.
"I am a Death Eater, always was, always will be," Snape offered, "And finding out where Harry might be was only a small diversion, let us see what else you can tell me once the potion has reached its fullest effect."
Harry could only stare at the unfolding scene with mounting horror, if this had been Albus then he could see what he had been trying to do but surely he was overplaying Severus a little bit. He still held his Kin's hand and he could feel him rigid at his side. Harry dared not look at Ron and what he thought about all of this.
Although, Harry thought, it went some way to explaining why Hermione couldn't cope with Severus' presence, it didn't account for all of her behaviour. It didn't go anywhere near explaining why she was so upset that he didn't feel like drawing his sword on her anymore; no matter how hard she pushed him.
Hermione seemed to have realised that she couldn't escape and time was passing. She stopped trying to fight and leant up against the wall waiting, as Snape did, for the potion to take effect.
"I am honoured that you think that there is anything I know that you don't, anything worthwhile to a Death Eater at least." Hermione said keeping the sarcasm in her voice as if as a last stand because she knew that it would soon disappear.
Hermione wrapped her cloak protectively around herself. Snape looked smug as if the fact that Hermione was now standing still was proof enough that the potion was starting to work.
Harry watched Hermione too, waiting for the same thing but for a different reason. He had to wonder what Hermione thought she had given away to a supposedly evil Snape that night, what questions had she been asked. Maybe in the nature of the questions would lie the truth of whether this was Albus or not.
For himself, Harry needed nothing; it was for Hermione that he sought to find proof. He had to find something that he could point out to her which would make it clear that this evil Snape had been nothing more than a trick.
Hermione was leant against the wall and Snape had lowered his wand, Hermione reached up a hand to her tethered hair and pulled at the grips that were holding it allowing the curls to fall about her face.
"I see you are becoming more relaxed," Snape commented with a sneer.
"Yes," Hermione replied, her voice languid.
"Where is Harry?" Snape demanded in the still cold and icy tone.
Hermione didn't match him for coolness any longer, "I told you already, I don't know," She answered standing away from the wall and swaying a little. She shed her cloak onto the floor as if hot.
"Where is Albus Dumbledore?" Snape continued.
"Really, you should just get a map like Harry had, if you keep losing people, very careless," Hermione commented rather than answering the question.
Harry thought he saw the expression on Snape the Death Eater's face falter for a moment but he wasn't sure.
"Just answer the question!" Snape snapped.
"I don't know," Hermione spoke back taking a step towards Snape.
"Why did Harry leave?" Snape continued.
"I watch you, you know," Hermione informed Snape, completely ignoring the question, "I watch you but you were always watching him, maybe you are jealous of us."
Snape's face sparked in fury, "I watch him while I daydream of ways to kill him! I imagine his blood on my hands, warm, sticky and fresh. When I find Harry Potter, it will be the last day of his life!"
"Hardly the best way to go about finding out where he is, is it?" Hermione said with a seductive smile.
"It matters not, the truth potion will let me hear all I need to know."
"It's not exactly working though is it?" Hermione pointed out with a winning smile.
Harry definitely thought he saw a crack in the armour that was Snape.
Hermione suddenly lunged at Snape having got sneakily quite close to him all the time they had been talking. She grabbed his wand arm and smacked it against the stone wall as hard as she could, Snape dropped his wand and Hermione caught it in mid air. In one fluid movement she swooped around putting a bit more distance between herself and Snape and before Snape had had a chance to make a move himself she threw a curse at him and he collapsed on the floor.
With Snape's wand still in her hand Hermione knelt by the inert Snape's body and searched through his robes looking for the potion phial that he had given to her. To her glee she found another identical dose, the stopper and seal still in place.
Hermione bent her head close to Snape knowing that he could still hear her, "Some truth potion that was! Now I know what you really want and I am sure that giving you a bit of this too, will make sure that you keep going long enough to satisfy me."
Hermione prised Snape's lips apart and administered the potion in the same way that he had done to her, "Five minutes should do it, isn't that what you said? What shall I do till then?"
Hermione didn't need to think too long. While still leaving Snape lifeless upon the floor she gripped his robes in her hands and pulled them apart, sending buttons flying as they were ripped away from the fabric. She tore away at the white undershirt next leaving Snape's chest exposed.
Hermione traced over Snape's chest with his wand counting down from sixty over and over. She made no move to escape, she didn't destroy his wand, as she should have done, she cast no magic. Hermione merely waited till Snape too was under the effects of the so-called truth potion and then with a quick wave of Snape's wand she brought the Professor back to animation.
Snape immediately sat up so that his chest was nearly touching Hermione. Hermione gasped a little but did not pull away; she launched herself at Snape and then kissed him with a hungry and animalistic desperation. As they kissed they both tore at each other's clothes.
Suddenly Hermione took a ferocious tug at Snape's pants and they came free, he had been wearing little else. Hermione tried to push Snape to the ground but Snape resisted and got them both to their feet. Snape lifted up the long folds of Hermione's skirt till it was bunched up at her waist and lifted her up so that she could wrap her legs around him; he pushed her up against the wall. Hermione lent her head back against the wall and Snape buried his head in her chest.
Harry turned away from the scene, he couldn't watch any more; it was bad enough that he could still hear the noises from what was going on. He looked to his Kin who was standing like a statue and was looking out across the countryside like Hermione had been doing when she had been keeping watch.
Ron was still watching but Harry wondered if he would ever be capable of closing his mouth again.
It seemed like an age later but it was still dark and Harry could still hear Snape and Hermione devouring each other behind him.
"How many times is that now?" Harry asked refusing to look around to see if they were starting to get tired or not.
"Seven," Ron answered, his voice a bit higher than usual, "I think."
Suddenly the scene changed and Harry had to turn round quickly to see where they had gone next. With surprise he found that he was looking at himself. He was lying on the floor of the defence classroom with Ron on top of him. Harry flushed with embarrassment, this had been the day they had inadvertently let the boggart loose. The dead and bloody body of Snape lay on the floor still as considerably pregnant Hermione approached it, it didn't change form for her, but it opened its eyes. It was not quite so dead any longer and Harry had to get very close to hear what the boggart Snape was saying to Hermione.
"He will look like me, you know he will," the boggart whispered to Hermione as she stood beside it, her face draining of all colour, "He will be a Kin child and they will take him from you to have as their own, I will take him. No man will ever have you again from this day, not without the approval of the Kin. Only they can decide whom you can speak to, you belong to the Kin. You know you do, you've read it just like have read everything else you know to be true, there is no escaping it."
Hermione backed away from the boggart and they found themselves back in the astronomy tower with some dismay. Hermione was lying down now though, they had at last worn each other out and it seemed as if Hermione was just waking up after a while asleep. Snape had gone.
Harry watched as Hermione sat up and grabbed her cloak to wrap around her naked and shivering body, she looked dazed as if she couldn't quite remember what had happened or how much time had passed. There was a small amount of light now so Harry presumed that it must be nearly dawn.
When Hermione noticed that the sun was coming up she hastened to get dressed. As Hermione got dressed Harry could see that she started to remember what had happened and she cried softly and silently.
Hermione had barely succeeded in getting dressed when someone came bursting through the door; it was Oliver Wood.
"Where was our warning?" Oliver demanded, "You were supposed to be keeping lookout!"
"I was!" Hermione cried suddenly breaking down and sliding down the wall onto the floor.
"What happened?" Oliver asked, now looking more concerned than angry.
Hermione found that she couldn't speak; her throat had become tight with misery.
"You must know," Oliver spoke, "That Albus Dumbledore disappeared last night and his quarters were turned upside down, we don't know how this has happened."
"I was drugged," Hermione managed to blurt out.
Oliver Wood knelt beside Hermione and drew her into his arms and Hermione was so distraught that she gladly accepted him.
"Who was it, who drugged you?" Oliver asked.
"Snape," Hermione managed to speak before she lost her voice again.
"I should be arriving soon," Ron said with some bitterness and regret in his voice, "The Death Eaters and the Dark Lord were openly hailing Snape as their most loyal supporter by the next day."
"Anything else?" Oliver tried to push Hermione.
"He wanted Harry."
"But you didn't tell him where Harry was did you?" Oliver asked.
"If I knew where Harry was, do you think I would be sitting here?" Hermione snapped before sinking back into misery.
"What happened here?" the Pensieve Ron asked from the door, eyeing Oliver Wood and Hermione with the beginning tinges of suspicion.
"Hermione was drugged, it looks like Snape is a Death Eater after all and he must have been responsible for Dumbledore's disappearance. He must have come up here to make sure the look-out wouldn't be looking out when he made his escape." Oliver explained.
Harry watched Hermione leave the tower with Ron and they all scuttled after them as they made their way through the castle.
Ron took Hermione to Dumbledore's rooms and showed her the destruction. They went to the hospital wing next and found a dead and lifeless Madame Pomfrey in the potions store and a terrified assistant Meg underneath the bed in the bedroom. The potions store had been ransacked and the only phials left lay broken on the floor.
Ron and Hermione managed to get Meg out from underneath the bed and then it all came to an end and Harry was spat out of the Pensieve and back into the spare bedroom. Severus and Ron quickly followed and Ron grabbed at the wall as he found his balance disappearing once more.
Ron had barely got himself orientated when he made for the door with urgency.
"Where are you going? You must go and see Hermione," Harry called after his friend.
"I have to think," Ron insisted from the doorway.
"What is there to think about? She didn't cheat on you, you have to go to her." Harry insisted.
"I can't go now, she'll think it is the only reason I've changed my mind," Ron said shaking his head but not looking at Harry or Severus, "I have to think."
Before Harry had the chance to respond again, Ron was gone.
"How are we going to explain this?" Harry asked his Kin.
"Surely you don't think I had anything to do with this?" Severus snapped.
"No," Harry answered without hesitation, "I am still your Kin even if you did, but I am not the one we need to explain it to."
"How can I explain something that I played no part in? All I have is Albus' letter to me, nothing more."
"Sev, we saw Albus standing beside this other Snape, Hermione saw them together, we need to figure out how Albus did it and why he did what he did."
Severus sighed, "From one letter."
"From one letter," Harry said giving his Kin's arm a reassuring squeeze.
C
C
C
C
Chapter Forty-Four – The Kin Child – Harry and Severus confront Hermione following the revelations in the Pensieve and they all have to work out where they go next.