I hope everyone had a wonderful week! Now that it is Friday, you get a new chapter!
Chapter Four takes us through most of Third Year. I'm really glad all you liked the 'training' in Chapter Three! And of course, my deep thanks to those who reviewed and left me lovely comments!
In the course of good news, Chapter Sixteen is finished (finally- it's almost 8,000 words, the chapters are getting longer) and Seventeen is started! Progress! I'm well into Part Two. And you are halfway through Part One.
Enjoy!
Chapter 4
When Severus Snape passed through the painting room into the sitting room of the Safe House, he scowled. It was his natural reaction to hearing the laughter of children, mostly because in his long tenure as Potions Professor, it meant something bad for either him or… him. Usually him.
"Miss Granger," he snapped. "Are you ready to depart?" The girls stopped laughing, the desired response. They were sprawled on the couch, Hermione with her legs thrown over Tonks'.The girls had become good friends over the course of the summer. It seemed that Muggle clothes had been the choice of the day for the two witches, fine under normal circumstances, but not for the situation they were heading into.
Hermione bounced up from the couch, nodding. "Yes, Professor Snape. I'm so excited-"
"No, you are not ready, Miss Granger," Snape drawled, leaning against the wall. "Because we are going to Diagon Alley, and you would stick out like Potter at a Ministry Ball. Go put on some proper robes before we leave the house." The girl blushed and scampered.
Tonks glared up at him from the couch. "Was that really necessary, Professor?"
"Do not try me, Nymphadora," he said, voice dripping with disinterest. "It is my business how I train Miss Granger into the most efficient machine possible, per Albus Dumbledore's orders." The Metamorphmagus quieted.
Hermione appeared a short while later, dressed in her school robes, robes that were an inch short on her. With the help of her friend, she lengthened them, frowning at the hem until it was decent. "Better, Professor?"
"If you want Potter to recognize you," he said again. I am really getting too much pleasure out of tormenting her via her need to be perfection personified. "I suggest you alter your appearance in some way, unless, of course, you want to have wasted the time of several busy and important people."
She flushed again, drawing her wand charming her hair straight and blonde, nose shorter, and face fleshier. "Now?"
"Acceptable, Miss Granger," Snape conceded, without telling her it was truly amazing to see a thirteen year old with enough magical control to cast complex identity shielding spells, and succeed. He would have to see how long they would hold for.
It was a swift trip through the illusion of the cottage, Hermione wincing when she experienced the discomfort of Apparition once more. They appeared not far from the Leaky Cauldron, where he stopped her.
"This is your test, so to speak. Harry Potter arrived here last night, after blowing up his aunt." He could see she was about to say something, probably to lament Potter's stupidity, but shot her glare to quench the words in her throat. "So Minister Fudge left him here to wander around Diagon Alley, with Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban and allegedly ready to kill Potter."
Hermione couldn't hold back any more. "Harry blew up his aunt!" she half-whispered-half-screeched. "And the- the imbecile who currently heads our government left him here alone with a deranged murderer after him?" All of Kingsley's stories about Fudge had been less than complimentary.
Severus, uncharacteristically amused, nodded with what could have been a smile. "Are you surprised, Miss Granger?" He watched as she considered the question for a moment.
"No," Hermione said at last, deflating. "I suppose not. From what I've heard about him, Fudge is more than incompetent and corrupt. So what are we doing today?"
"You are going to prove yourself at last," Severus explained. "Harry is going to be wandering around Diagon Alley all day. I want you to follow him without him recognizing you, or figuring out he is being followed. I will be following both of you. If nothing interesting happens, I will make something interesting happen. Understood?"
Hermione nodded, and before she knew it, she was ordering a cup of coffee in the bar of the Leaky Cauldron and waiting for Harry to wake up.
"How did she do with the new challenges this week?" Albus, of course. He was watching Severus, plainly anticipating a negative answer. "From what her teachers have told me, she gets nervous in such situations far too quickly."
Severus leaned back in his own chair, smug with pride in his student. "She was excellent. She followed Potter discreetly, she found me three out of the four times I changed appearance, and she was able to point out to me another person who was following Potter." That will give him a minor heart attack.
As expected, the Headmaster startled. "Someone else was following Harry?" Severus could practically hear the hum of his thoughts pressing out of the masterful brain of Albus Dumbledore.
"Nothing to be concerned about," Severus added, waving a hand casually, smirking at the annoyance Dumbledore was covering up. "Just a fan who wanted an autograph. He was dissuaded."
"You will come to my office every Tuesday night for your Occlumency lesson, once the term begins again," Severus instructed Hermione, watching with eagle eyes as she prepared a rather complex Draught of Peaceful Slumber. "Three more clockwise stirs," he said with a sigh, picking up a sprig of chamomile, and tossing it in. "You added just a shade too much mugswort. The chamomile and the extra stirs will counter act it, and make it stronger, so you can store it longer."
"Thank you, sir," Hermione said, committing the fix to memory while she put a stasis charm over her potion and removed it from the heat. "But what about Harry?"
"There is no need for you to worry about that," Severus snapped. "Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall not only rearranged the entire schedule for you, but they also obtained a Time Turner from some contacts in the Department of Mysteries. You will have plenty of time on your hands. I suggest you use it wisely."
Hermione gaped at him, an expression he had been seeing less and less. "A Time Turner? Those are incredibly hard to get-"
"Yes, they are," Snape interrupted. "But nonetheless, you will have one. We shall figure out a schedule for you before we get to school."
"Harry! Harry!" Ron called, waving Harry over to the table he and Hermione were sitting at. "Over here, Harry!"
The messy haired boy turned in surprise, but quickly recognized both the voice and the family of redheads that surrounded it. He was swarmed with Weasleys before he made his way to Hermione, stopping in his surprise.
Her hair was as curly as ever, if slightly less bushy. As Ron had remarked, she was brown- supposedly from lounging around beaches in France (as opposed to swimming laps in the pool outside the house- not in Iceland as it had turned out- and she had been outdoors plenty) and taller. Ron of course, towered over her, but she was perhaps an eighth of an inch taller than Harry.
She pulled him into a tight hug, a reassurance for her that he was still safe. She knew more details that Ron did for certain, and according to Professor Dumbledore Harry was in almost constant danger- Sirius Black was on the loose. He hugged her back, just as strongly. The two had grown closer after their dangerous journey for the Stone, and it had been the first time he had seen her all summer.
"Have you two gotten all your supplies yet? I need to get…"
"How has Miss Granger been using her Time Turner?" asked Dumbledore, forgoing even the futile offering of candy in favor of the question hurled at his Potions Master. "We had our monthly meeting in my office earlier and she… feels older than she should."
Severus sighed. He knew that the topic would come up sooner or later, and with the observational powers of the Headmaster he had banked on this discussion happening sooner rather than later. "We figured out a… schedule of sorts for her. The Time Turner can go back about twelve hours, comfortably. So, Miss Granger wakes up, goes through twelve hours of her day, going to all her normal classes that do not overlap, and making sure to avoid the ones that do. She eats, does homework, then 'goes to bed.' Instead of actually going to bed, she turns the clock back twelve hours, goes to a room Minerva has set up for her, and sleeps there. When she wakes about eight or nine hours later, she stays in the room and reads or does homework until twelve hours have passed. Then she leaves, turns back twelve hours, and goes to the overlapping classes. When that day of hers is done, she goes to bed in the dormitory." It was rather ingenious, and it has mostly been Hermione's idea. She had just needed help planning routes to and from her various classes without her selves bumping into each other. Severus had several suggestions- one did not live at Hogwarts for most of their life without leaning about most of the secret passages.
"So she is living two days for every one?" questioned Dumbledore. "She will be more than eight months older than she should be by the end of the year!" He considered this for a moment or two. "Do you think you can ensure she gets extra training over those three or four hours she waits to turn back?" Always ready to figure out a way to turn things to his advantage.
Severus nodded slowly, then stood and walked over to the window. "Her childhood is over. Not that she had much of one to begin with."
"Why do you say that, Severus?" asked the Headmaster in surprise. "She is only a child- she is fourteen." Albus stayed in his seat, but turned to consider Severus with clear blue eyes. "Did you see something in her mind? Was she abused as a child?" As sad as it was, abuse was common in children from Muggle families.
"Not as much as she suspects Potter was," Severus snapped, remembering Hermione's memories of conversations with Harry, or of Harry shying away from raised voices or hands. "When were you planning to remove him from that home? Did you know his uncle and cousin beat him and his aunt sets dogs on him? Granger was just left to fend for herself- she became self-sufficient and lonely, and consequently knowledge-hungry and fiercely loyal to her friends. Potter is weak."
"No," Dumbledore said, rising. "Harry Potter is malleable, and loyal to those who show him love and family. His bond to the Light was strengthened when he stayed with the Weasleys last summer. He is starting to think of Molly and Arthur as substitute parents, so to speak. For the first time he can remember, he is being given affection- he has a reason to fight, so try and save the Wizarding world. We have such great potential and such great purpose in this boy, but we need to know exactly what he will do. The Granger girl is useful in protecting him- and your forays into her mind to teach her Occlumency will ensure that, for now at least, we know everything she knows."
As the Defense Against the Dark Arts class trickled into the staffroom, Hermione clenched her hands into fists. She had a sneaking suspicion that there was something slightly dangerous in the cabinet in the corner. Her guess was some kind of ghoul or ghast.
The room was paneled in dark wood, full of empty mismatched chairs. Well, all the chairs were empty save one- Severus' chair. He was seated in a dark armchair that looked as foreboding as it did comfortable. As the class filed into a semi-circle around the cabinet Lupin had indicated, Snape sneered and stood.
"Leave the door open, Lupin. I'd rather not witness this," he drawled, striding to the door with his black robes billowing behind him. He paused at the door, making brief eye contact with Hermione before looking at Lupin once again. "Possibly no one's warned you, Lupin, but this class has Neville Longbottom in it. I would advise you not to entrust him with anything difficult. Unless, of course, Miss Granger is whispering in his ear." With a final sneer, he swept out of the room.
Hermione felt a strange shriveling sensation just under her ribs: it was a combination of anger, embarrassment, and- to her surprise- betrayal. I forgot how mean he can be, she thought, frowning. Poor Neville. I was only trying to help him this morning there was no need- but of course. He's the 'awful' teacher, he's the one who has to be scary. It's just that no one else sees how- well, not nice exactly, but not-so-awful he can be.
Professor Lupin came to Neville's defense, in a move that made Hermione appreciate the man better. "Actually, I was hoping that Neville would assist me with the first stage of the operation. I'm sure he will perform admirably." This was said calmly and kindly- Severus just sneered and left the room.
"Now then," Lupin said, grinning widely. The cabinet emitted a few banging sounds, causing Parvati to jump. "Nothing to worry about- there's a Boggart in there." Apparently, some members of the class did feel this was something to worry about. "Boggarts like dark, enclosed spaces," the professor explained. "Wardrobes, cabinets, cupboards… I even met one once that lodged itself in a godfather's clock. This one moved in yesterday afternoon, and I asked the Headmaster if I might use it to give my third years some practice. But first, we must ask, what is a Boggart?"
Hermione let her hand shoot up- it was practically ingrained instinct by now. She and Professor Snape had spoken over the summer, deciding to construct a 'front' for others to see- in effect, they were trying to control the way the population at Hogwarts would perceive Hermione. No one would suspect a fourteen year old know-it-all to have three knives hidden at various places, or be capable of taking on her entire class in a duel and have a good chance of winning. "It's a shape-shifter," she said primly. "It'll take the shape of whatever it thinks would frighten us the most."
Lupin grinned at her. "I couldn't have put it better myself," he said, and she beamed at him. He continued to explain about the Boggart, but Hermione stopped focusing entirely on what he was saying. She knew what Boggarts were; however, Hermione did not know what her own Boggart was.
This could present a problem- what would the class say if they saw a dead Harry, or a dead Ron on the ground? Or the shadow face that was Lord Voldemort in the scared little corner of her mind, or a giant basilisk with bulbous yellow eyes that appeared in her nightmares every so often? She felt her heart pounding and clenched her hands into fists, letting her fingernails slice into the tender skin of her suddenly damp palms.
What if it turns into a basilisk and petrifies me again? Harry doesn't have a sword around- oh god. Harry. What if his is a basilisk too? Or- or what if it's Lord Voldemort? He's actually seen the monster, he can't go up against the Boggart.
It didn't matter- Lupin had already pushed a trembling Neville in front of the cabinet. "On the count of three, Neville," Lupin shouted, rolling up his sleeves and drawing his wand. "One… Two… Three… Now!"
To Hermione's horror, Professor Snape emerged from the cabinet- but it wasn't him exactly. It was more of a subtle caricature- the nose was even longer and had a greater hook, the hair hung down in horribly greasy ropes, and the skin was yellower, more sallow than she had ever seen it on the real professor. The scowl the Boggart was wearing was quite horrific than Snape's worst.
Hermione didn't think it could get worse- and then she saw the man she admired (perhaps the most in the world) dressed in an emerald green dress with a stuffed vulture on his head. There was anger burning inside her, and shame. Anger, for seeing a man she respected treated in that way. Shame, for feeling vindictive after his comment about her and Neville. Hermione turned away- she didn't want to see this anymore.
She forgot about her own problems in the emotion that swept through her- stupid fourteen year old hormones- until the professor called Parvati forward and the Boggart turned into a mummy.
Lupin cycled through the rest of the class, and Hermione stuck to Harry's side like a burr. Ron had gone- and now the Boggart was stopping by Harry, who raised his wand.
However, to Hermione's relief, Lupin stepped forward, and the Boggart changed to a silvery orb- a full moon. He took care of it, ending the class by granting points. Hermione caught Harry's look of extreme disappointment- she felt it too. For as sure as she was that she did not want any of her classmates to see her Boggart, Hermione had a burning curiosity to see what was.
While the class was busy chattering away, Hermione found Harry's hand and squeezed it once. He looked at her, and she smiled sadly. "I wanted to see what mine was too," she whispered.
Harry gave her a matching grin. "I'm sure we'll see someday, right?"
Hermione's wards on the corridors leading to the Fat Lady tripped. She had been eating lightly in a room not far off from where the Gryffindor Common Room was, a breakfast of sorts. Her other self was in the Great Hall, greatly enjoying the Halloween Feast.
Until Sirius Black had attacked the Fat Lady. She was waiting for her wards to alarm her- she was prepared this time. Silently, she crept up to the growling voice, the high pitched soprano that was the Fat Lady refusing entrance, finally turning the corner to the sight of the enraged man slashing the painting.
"Stop!" she cried, running out of her hiding place. "What do you think you're doing?" Suddenly, the man- Sirius Black- stopped at stared at her, then at the painting.
"I- I'm sorry," Black said, panting. "Good God-" He stared at what he had done, then turned his gaze back to her- and the wand she had pointed at his face. "Who are you? I've seen you with Harry, before. You're the girl- the one who is always with him. What's your name?"
"You don't need to know," she said. "But you do need to know that I will not let you hurt him. Harry, I mean." She frowned at him- and let her wand drop an inch. "Why do you want to kill Harry?"
"I don't," said Sirius, sighing regretfully. "I'm sorry about this, too. Nothing personal."
Hermione woke up in the Hospital Wing, with an angry Snape and Madam Pomfrey nowhere to be found. Her head was pounding uneasily, and she had the sneaking suspicion that if she checked the back of her head, she would find a nasty bump. Crookshanks was by her bed, and when the half-Kneazle saw she was awake, he let out a disapproving yowl.
"I don't suppose you're here to inquire over my health?" she quipped, eyeing Snape cautiously. "When you're yelling, keep in mind that I have a rather painful headache, courtesy of Sirius Black."
She was pleased when she saw one corner of Snape's mouth flick up before he scowled at her again. "You are stupid, Miss Granger," he snapped, considerately keeping his voice to a manageable volume. "Confronting a mountain troll on your own is one thing, but an escaped convict hell bent on murdering Potter?" Crookshanks hissed at one of them, either to defend Hermione or to add his own reprimand to Snape's.
Tightening her fists in the sheets around her, Hermione flinched. "That was the thing, sir. He said he didn't want to kill Harry. And then he-" She paused. She really had no clue what had happened- she had her shield up and she had deflected the first stunner.
"He sent a Stunner, waited until you had a shield up, then used the wall to rebound Stun you," Severus said with a sigh. "Apparently, Miss Granger, you forgot that Sirius Black fought in the first war against the Dark Lord, and, as stupid as he was, he learned a few tricks. You will not do something that foolish again. It was only because I suspected you would do something like this with that Time Turner that I raced through the entire bloody castle to make sure no one found you. And now you need to sleep and I need to patrol. Take an extra day with the Time Turner if you need to."
He stalked off, leaving Hermione to down a Headache Relief Potion and go to sleep.
"Harry has been sneaking out to Hogsmeade," Hermione told Professor Snape, pacing furiously in her teacher's office. "The bloody idiot knows that Black is after him, and he still sneaks out of the castle. I've been at my wit's end trying to keep him safe. And there is a black dog following him."
"Well, unless Black can turn into a mutt, there is nothing to be concerned about there," Severus said silkily. "And control yourself, Miss Granger. What else have you noticed around the castle?"
With a huff, Hermione collapsed in her chair. "For one, Harry thinks you are trying to poison Remus for what Neville did to the Boggart earlier in the year."
"Nothing new there," remarked the dour man. "Despite saving him from multiple things in the past three years, he still suspects me to be a killer. And to add insult to injury, he says I'd kill the wolf with a poison!"
"Well, why wouldn't you?" asked Hermione, curiosity lighting her bright face. "Why is that an insult? You are a Potions Master after all." Lovely, Severus though dourly. Now she'll probably badger me for hours until I've satisfactorily explained.
Severus raised one eyebrow, as if expecting her to know the answer already. "Traditionally, poison is a woman's weapon. In the Wizarding World especially, poison is made, bought, and used primarily by women seeking to rid themselves of men, or cowardly politicians who are afraid to get their hands dirty. While I can and do brew poisons, I prefer to use them as a last resort. And even my poisons aren't the best- most old families pass down instructions along the maternal line, and as a result, most are untraceable. As a male, there are hundreds of poisons I will never know exist, let alone make."
She sat quietly for a while, digesting the information. "Will you teach me how to make poisons you do know? And antidotes? Both seem like useful skills to learn. You know- more subtle than a knife."
"You hardly have anyone that needs killing," replied the Potions Master dourly. "However, this summer, it may be possible for me to work in a few lessons on poisons. Andromeda Tonks, in particular, might have much to teach you in that area. Her mother's family was famous for their use of poisons to kill off wealthy husbands."
"Professor McGonagall! Professor McGonagall!" Hermione cried out, rushing up the stairs behind her Transfiguration Professor. "Professor McGonagall!"
"Stop that shouting, Miss Granger, and tell me what the problem is," the stern witch declared, halting and turning to respond to Hermione.
Hermione blushed faintly, then stood up straight. "Harry received a present from a mysterious person. A Firebolt- and I'm afraid Sirius Black was the one who sent it."
As she had suspected, McGonagall agreed with her, and decided to confiscate the broomstick as soon as she could get permission from Dumbledore.
Later in the evening, the Head of Gryffindor appeared in the Common Room, and promptly took the broom, despite the protests of Harry and Ron. It was after she left that the two boys turned on Hermione.
"I can't believe you, Hermione!"
"What the bloody hell?"
"Harry needs a broom if we want to have the faintest chance of beating the Slytherins!"
"I need a broom to play Quidditch!"
"So?" Severus snarked at her. "I have no idea why this upsets you so much. In my opinion, you are much better off without those deadweights. Although, come to think of it, the red haired sidekick is failing my class without your help. If only to make sure I don't need to teach him for more than five years, apologize so you can do his homework for him and get him to fourth year."
Hermione glared at him- she was gradually learning that as far as she was concerned, Severus Snape's bark was about a thousand times worse than his bite- at least where she was concerned. With someone genuinely dangerous, his bite would be deadly. "At least when Harry was talking to me I knew what he was up to. Now I need to Disillusion myself so I can follow him. And I don't do their homework for them. That would be cheating."
"Potter's papers are atrocious. Before they were merely dismal, now they make me want to rip my eyes out. But you can't spend all your time following the boy. What else are you working on?" I hope, if only for my sanity, Miss Granger makes up with the Wonder Boy soon. If I have to go through another stumbling ink dot that Potter turns in, I will murder the boy before Black gets to him.
"Buckbeak," Hermione informed him. "I'm helping Hagrid prepare for his trial. Malfoy had no business disrespecting a hippogriff. If he had one iota of-"
"Don't complete that sentence, Miss Granger," Snape warned her. "Draco Malfoy happens to be my godson, and as foolish as he may be sometimes, I am rather fond of him."
Hermione looked torn, but conceded. "Fine. But I am still going to try to prevent them from killing Buckbeak. Everything Kingsley taught me about Magical Law is really coming in handy. In fact…"
That night, Hermione waited for him in the Common Room. She knew she was disobeying Snape's direct orders, but at this point, she no longer cared.
The portrait hole swung open, and the gaunt man stepped through, taking in the familiar surroundings of the Common Room until his gaze fell on Hermione. "Oh, not you again," he sighed. "Listen-"
"Petrificus Totalus!" Hermione incanted, petrifying Black where he stood. "No," she said, baring her teeth. "You listen."
She waved her wand, floating him over to the couch. "Now, I know what you are going to do tonight," Hermione said with a sigh, shooting the escapee a nasty look. "But, I have to let it happen anyway. I want you to know that if you harm a single hair on the heads of any boy in that dorm room, I capture you on your way out and give you to Professor Snape." She unfroze his head, allowing him to speak.
"Yes, Ma'am," Sirius said, frowning. He looked healthier than the last time she had seen him, but not by much. It was almost enough to make Hermione feel sorry for him. She stamped that out quickly. Sirius continued speaking. "But-"
"No buts," Hermione said firmly. "For some reason, you said you didn't want to kill Harry. Why? Everyone says that you escaped Azkaban to go after him and 'finish the job.' If you don't want Harry dead, what are you after?"
"Too long a story," Black said. "But don't worry- I don't want Harry dead. I'm his godfather for heaven's sake!"
"Give me an oath that you will not hurt any of the boys in that room," Hermione demanded. "Then I'll let you free. And you are not to talk about this with anyone."
He did so, and soon after he was slinking up the stairs to the Boy's Dormitory as Hermione was sending a message to McGonagall.
"She punched Draco Malfoy in the face?" asked Dumbledore incredulously. "Merlin, we really are creating a menace disguised as a teenaged girl." Are you only just realizing this, Headmaster? I've been living with it since this summer and it has only just begun to disturb your sleep?
"Menace?" hissed Snape, pacing the room, black eyes fiery with anger. "That ubiquitous pedantic chit of a girl had the audacity to punch Draco Malfoy!" I've told her that the Malfoys are a powerful family. Now she has the hatred of a Pureblood lordling who will do his damn best to make sure she is on the top of the list when the Dark Lord returns to power.
"Well, this is a good thing, Severus," said the Headmaster, attempting to placate his Potions Master. "We now know that she isn't afraid to use her training. Even if it was at the wrong time and place. And it is beneficial that she has reconciled with Harry and Mr. Weasley."
"Yes, yes," drawled the furious man. "We should just forget about the bodily harm she did my godson, and concentrate on the quarrels of the Boy-Who-Lived and his devoted followers. Now he has made up with his portable personal brain! Just in time for the end of the year exams, lucky for him! And never mind he was never punished for leaving the school to go the Hogsmeade when we are putting up with the bloody useless Dementors to save his craven arse if Black decides to come back here!"
Dumbledore sighed, and reached into a pocket of his rather colorful robes for some candy. "Lemon drop, Severus?"
"Ron!" Hermione shouted, watching as the black dog she knew had been following them for months now dragged him under the frozen branches of the Whomping Willow. "Let him go!" She lunged for them, only to be pulled back by Harry as the branches started to thrash the air again.
"It's no use, Hermione," Harry said grimly, holding her back from going after the boy. "We need to follow them. Did you see how they- how they paused the tree?"
Hermione nodded absentmindedly, trying to remember what Remus had told her about the tree. "Yes- I think there is a knot at the base of the tree, you press it and the darn plant stops trying to decapitate you." With a flash of inspiration, she grabbed a long branch from the ground and used her wand to lengthen it until she could reach the tree's trunk. "There we go!" she crowed, jabbing the small button. "You go first, Harry, and I'll keep the tree frozen."
He nodded, and ran for the tunnel hidden among the thick and gnarled roots of the tree, making it under the tunnel just before Hermione had to release the stick. "Damn," she cursed, thankful for a moment that she wasn't wearing robes. She would have to duck and dodge for it.
In the end, she made it into the tunnel, sustaining a few scratches from the smaller branches, and painful bruise on her side from one she didn't see that might have broken or bruised a rib. She collapsed on the floor of the tunnel, glaring up at Harry, who was watching her astounded.
"Didn't occur to you to press the button three inches from your hand?" she wheezed. "Thanks, Harry." She was starting to see why Professor Snape thought Harry was a 'dunderhead' and 'not to be trusted with the simplest of tasks or instructions.'
He had the decency to blush from shame, helping her through the tunnel and up the stairs to the Shrieking Shack. Hermione did a quick medical spell Tonks had taught her, binding her ribs, and easing the pain- suddenly she could breathe and walk with much less physical discomfort. However, as they neared the shack, Hermione started to worry about the safety of Harry with a murderer, a werewolf, a secluded area, and a full moon.
"Let me go in front, Harry," she said, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder. "I'm smaller- I want to see what they are doing."
What she saw was an empty room- a dark and decrepit room with smashed furniture littering the ground, long slashes pulling the wallpaper down, and claw-like rips in the couch cushions. It looked, quite literally, like a werewolf had stayed there for a while.
She crept into the room, noting the small whimpering noises above her head. They had to be upstairs, she decided. Hermione waved Harry forward, running quietly across the room to the stairs, treading lightly on the rotten old boards of the ancient staircase.
Ron was lying on the magnificent and dusty four-poster bed, one leg bent at an unnatural angle. His freckles were standing out horribly against the paleness of his face, and Hermione winced when he let out a low moan. "Oh, Ron," she whispered, putting one hand on his clammy face. "Are you alright?"
"No!" cried Ron. "It's a trap, the dog- Hermione, it is a trap!"
"The dog," gasped Hermione, realization dawning on her. "Harry we need to get out of here now, the dog must be an Animagus-" I can't believe I didn't think of it before.
"Expelliarmus! Right you are, Missy," growled Sirius Black, stepping out of the shadows to catch their wands. His face looked the same way it did when Hermione had seen it in the Gryffindor Common Room, sallow skin stretched tight against his skull, making him look like a demented corpse. He then winked at her, clearly trying to great her like an old friend. "I thought you'd come for your friend," he said, then turned to Harry. "It was something your father might have done- he was brave like that."
"You killed my parents!" shouted Harry, rage trembling through his slight frame. He lunged at Sirius, but was stopped by Hermione and Ron, who grabbed at his shirt weakly before falling back on the bed.
Hermione stepped in front of Harry. "I've told you before, Black," she said calmly. "If you want to kill Harry, you will need to get through me first."
"Me too," added Ron, standing up and swaying queasily. "You'll have to get through me and Hermione before you get to him."
"Lie down," said Black quietly. "You'll damage that leg even more." There was something like regret in his dark eyes, something Hermione recognized.
"Didn't you hear me?" cried Ron. "You'll have to kill all three of us!" But he collapsed on the bed anyway, even more color draining from his face.
Black shook his head, the sympathy disappearing to be replaced with murderous delight. "There will be only one murder tonight," he said, grinning dementedly.
Before she could process what was happening, Harry had broken free of Ron's grasp on his arms and barreled into Sirius, apparently attempting the beat the living hell out of him. Ron was yelling, and she screamed out of pure frustration. She ran forward, desperately struggling to figure out what she was supposed to do. Hermione kicked out at Sirius' head, then stomped on the hand that was holding all the wands, ducking down to grab them.
And then Black released Harry, and punched her in the face, eyes wild. "I've waited too long for this," he rasped, holding her throat and starting to squeeze. Hermione choked, but managed to throw three wands to Harry, keeping her own. She jabbed him in the stomach, then tried to clock him over the head as her vision started to get spotty.
"We're up here!" Ron cried suddenly, and Hermione could make out muffled stomping sounds from the lower floors. Sirius was distracted as well, creating the perfect opportunity for Hermione to break free, gasping and rubbing her throat.
Remus Lupin barged up the stairs, a fanatic gleam in his eye. "Expelliarmus!" he shouted, collecting all the wands flew toward him. He looked around, seeing Sirius panting against the wall, Ron lying on the bed, Harry helping Hermione up, and Hermione's bruised face and neck.
"What the hell is happening here?" he asked. "Sirius, where is he?" The Professor was a sight, dressed simply in trousers and an old button down, tawny eyes flashing.
In contrast, Black's face was quite expressionless. For a few seconds, he did not move at all. Then, very slowly, he raised his empty hand and pointed straight at Ron. Mystified, Harry glanced around at Ron, who looked bewildered.
"But then..." Lupin muttered, staring at Black so intently it seemed he was trying to read his mind, "... why hasn't he shown himself before now? Unless" - Lupin's eyes suddenly widened, as though he was seeing something beyond Black, something none of the rest could see, "- unless he was the one... unless you switched... without telling me?"
Very slowly, his sunken gaze never leaving Lupin's face, Black nodded. Then the Professor embraced Black like a brother, as the three teenagers stared in amazement.
"What the hell!" exploded Hermione. "I've been covering up for you this entire time and you've been the one helping him- Remus, how could you do this to yourself? It's a full moon, do you want Harry dead, too? All of us, on your conscience?" At Harry and Ron's confused looks, Hermione sighed, and elaborated. "Lupin is a werewolf. Didn't you see what his Boggart was? A full moon? And the essay Snape assigned us about werewolves? And tonight is a full moon." Hermione had to wonder if they had grasped the severity of the situation yet.
Both of the former Marauders sobered, their gaze going up to the wooden roof of the hut. "It is a full moon tonight," Remus agreed softly. "We need to explain and get out of here. And Hermione, has anyone ever told you that you are the brightest witch of your age?"
And explain they did- Sirius explained exactly what had happened on the night the Potters were betrayed, and why he returned to hunt down the rat- Peter Pettigrew in disguise. The story of the Marauders was told- interrupted only by the opening of a door seemingly by itself.
Hermione noticed, and even though she was paying attention to the story with most of her mind, she followed the path of the pair of shoes that occasionally appeared. She recognized that particular pair of shoes- they belonged to one Professor Severus Snape.
"Severus was very interested in where I went every month." Lupin told Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "We were in the same year, you know, and we - er - didn't like each other very much. He especially disliked James. Jealous, I think, of James's talent on the Quidditch field... anyway Snape had seen me crossing the grounds with Madam Pomfrey one evening as she led me toward the Whomping Willow to transform. Sirius thought it would be - er - amusing, to tell Snape all he had to do was prod the knot on the tree trunk with a long stick, and he'd be able to get in after me. Well, of course, Snape tried it - if he'd got as far as this house, he'd have met a fully grown werewolf - but your father, who'd heard what Sirius had done, went after Snape and pulled him back, at great risk to his life... Snape glimpsed me, though, at the end of the tunnel. He was forbidden by Dumbledore to tell anybody, but from that time on he knew what I was..."
"That's awful," whispered Hermione. "Sirius Black, you say you didn't murder all those people, and yet you were plotting to kill a classmate when you were only a child?" Oh god. Oh god. Professor Snape- oh my god. That's why he hates Harry, that's why he hates Lupin. He hates them because Lupin tried to kill him while they were in school- oh god. So much makes sense now. A Quidditch star like James Potter- Chaser, I think- with the power of several 'best friends' behind him… and then the fact that they would have the gall to play a 'prank' like that- they probably bullied him horribly. Hermione felt sick.
Sirius Black frowned at her, then his eyes darted back to Scabbers, who was cowering in Ron's hands. "I never meant for it to get out of hand. Severus Snape was a budding Death Eater who was too curious for his own good."
"So that's why Snape doesn't like you," said Harry slowly. "You tried to kill him when you were kids?"
"That's right," sneered a cold voice from the wall behind Lupin. Severus Snape was pulling off the Invisibility Cloak, his wand pointing, directly at Lupin.
And so ends Chapter Four.
I'm sure you all remember what happens next... so this doesn't really count as a cliffhanger. :) Next Chapter will be up on Friday, as usual.
Reviews, of course, are always appreciated. :)