Chapter Four
"Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." Proverbs 27:17
At 8pm that night, Hermione and Severus, and Ron and Padma were in one of the smaller sitting rooms of the Manor.
"I hope you don't mind but I asked Harry and Ginny, and Draco and Luna to drop by too," Ron said, sipping some very fine Muggle brandy.
"I think we're being ganged up upon," Hermione commented to Severus.
"Definitely," Severus said, a very sardonic expression on his face.
A short while later, Harry and Ginny stepped out of the fireplace followed soon after by Draco and Luna. A House Elf brought them some brandy too.
"Okay, out with it," Hermione said, once they were settled.
Ron and Harry glanced at each other. "Well," Harry began. "As you know the Ministry has received confirmation that Voldemort is on the move again and last time he was active," he paused and glanced at Ginny. She nodded slightly in encouragement at him. "Well, last time he was active was when Hermione kept transforming into a black unicorn. Not that we were told this until much later," he added pointedly. Severus scowled and Hermione merely raised her eyebrows. "So, if Voldemort is active again then won't Hermione be in danger of transforming once more?" he finally asked.
"Yeah, and if she does, won't that be very dangerous? We all know that she will be Voldemort's first target," Ron butted in.
Hermione heard Severus' sharp intake of breath and saw his fingers tighten on the armrests of his chair, a sure and familiar indication of tension. "I've told her that myself," Severus said harshly. "But she won't listen to me."
"He wants to lock me in a room, for goodness sake!" Hermione said, rolling her eyes.
"Only if you won't do anything to help yourself!" he snarled back, getting up suddenly to pace. Ginny watched him with wide, concerned eyes.
Hermione shook her head at his rigid back and turned back to her friends. "I don't know what to do to prevent it," she said with a shrug.
"Don't go to the Dark Forest," Severus said, turning around sharply, his robe billowing darkly around him.
"Try telling me that when I'm about to transform," Hermione sighed.
"I can see why you want to lock her in a room," Draco said wryly to Severus.
"Maybe you need to move right away from the Dark Forest, Hermione," Ginny suggested sensibly.
"How? The wizarding world in England is built pretty much around the perimeter of the Dark Forest. There are very few parts of it that are not just a short distance away from it," Hermione reasoned.
"Raven's Hollow was a good distance away, so there must be other small towns like it," Padma argued.
"What about my work at the Ministry?" Hermione said.
"Yeah and it's increasingly important work too. Hermione is needed there right now," Ron agreed reluctantly.
"What's to prevent her setting up a lab in another location?" Harry said seriously, his bright green eyes picking up the firelight. "The Ministry won't object. It's easy enough for people to apparate anywhere in England."
"It's also easy enough for Hermione to apparate into the Dark Forest when she feels the pull to transform," Severus said flatly.
That silenced the others. "There doesn't seem to be a solution," Luna observed pensively.
"Unless Severus locks her in a room," Ron joked weakly.
"And she won't tell me when she is feeling that pull either so that probably wouldn't work anyway - unless I just never let her out," Severus said, only half-jesting.
"I guess this is how Remus feels," Hermione sighed.
"Remus had his friends to help him and we'll find a way to help you too," Ginny said kindly.
"What I want to know is why I have such trouble controlling when I transform. All the other animagi choose when they transform in and out of their animal form. I don't seem to have that choice," Hermione pondered aloud.
"Perhaps the part of you that is the black unicorn only wakes up when there is real evil around," Padma suggested intelligently, as was her predisposition.
Severus nodded silently. That sounded perfectly feasible to him.
"But then, why can't I choose not to transform either?" Hermione asked Padma seriously.
"I'm not sure. Perhaps the will to defeat evil is stronger in you than your desire to stay out of any kind of danger. It could be purely subconscious," she postulated, displaying her knowledge of Muggle psychology which had made up part of her studies at Hogsbridge.
"Or it could be part of her destiny," Harry said gravely. "Perhaps the part of her that is the black unicorn must fulfill its nature at some stage and defeat some great evil."
"Regardless of the cost?" Severus hissed, his dark eyes flashing with sudden fury and pinning Harry with a dark glare.
"It's only a theory, Severus. I'm not saying she shouldn't be protected and prevented from transforming if we can do it. The bottom line is, we really just don't know. Black unicorns are too rare for anyone to have built up much of an understanding of the creatures," Harry said calmly.
"I don't think Hermione should be allowed to accompany any of the Auror missions that will be coming up in the near future," Ron said in a low voice, knowing how Hermione would react.
"Definitely not!" Severus said sharply, before Hermione even had a chance to open her mouth.
"Er.. okay daddy!" Hermione said pointedly to Severus, then glared at Ron.
"I am not being dictatorial just for the sake of it Hermione. Everyone here would agree with myself and Ron, I imagine. It is ridiculously dangerous for you to go on any of the fact-finding Auror missions," Severus argued.
"That will be up to the Ministry. What happens if something goes wrong with one of the new Auror tools I've developed?" Hermione disputed.
"We'll make sure a senior member of your team is available for us Hermione," Ron said quietly.
Hermione's eyes widened. "Oh, so all of this has already been decided?" Hermione asked Ron, her eyes narrowed. Severus knew that look all too well and he tensed, ready for explosions.
"Dumbledore has already been in contact with the Minister for Magic and told him not to let you go on any of the Auror missions for your own personal safety, Hermione," Ron said. "Dumbledore didn't give any details but you know the Minister will listen to Dumbledore."
"So this is really what this evening was all about?" Hermione said grimly, suddenly getting up. Severus fought the urge to duck. Hermione tended to throw things in a mood like this. She took some floo powder off the mantel.
"Where are you going?" Severus demanded, getting up as she stepped into the flames and disappeared. He swore viciously while the others watched him with wide eyes.
Hermione stepped out into Dumbledore's office.
"Ah, Hermione! How lovely to see you," Dumbledore said, his pale blue eyes twinkling.
"What did you tell the Minister?" Hermione said angrily without preamble.
"I told him not to let you go on any missions. You know you mustn't do that Hermione," he said kindly, offering her a seat.
Hermione sat down stiffly. "I want to go," she said, trying to sound calm and merely sounding uptight.
"I know, my dear but it's too dangerous for you. We can't lose the most brilliant defense against the dark arts research and development witch the Ministry has ever had now, can we?" he said calmly.
"I don't understand why other people are making my decisions for me as though I'm not an adult," Hermione said tightly.
"Because we care about you and we know you too well. You would risk everything to snuff out evil Hermione, even your own human nature. Severus would never forgive me if I allowed you to do that and I would never forgive myself," he said with a touch of sadness that Hermione had never seen on the old wizard's face before.
"I still don't think any of you have the right to do it," Hermione said, more gently.
"We don't have the right, no but we do have the responsibility," Dumbledore replied tranquilly.
"That's splitting hairs," Hermione pointed out.
"Sometimes as an adult you have to do the wrong thing for the right reasons. Life is not so black and white, Hermione. Look at your own love for Severus. Would you have thought as a young adolescent that you could ever have loved a former Death Eater?" he said kindly.
"No," Hermione muttered truthfully.
"But you found out that the evil he was involved in was mitigated by his misled good intentions and the influence of those that he needed love from. What you thought was completely wrong suddenly became understandable, yes? And from understanding eventually came love. Now, people are taking away your rights because they love you, not otherwise. Suddenly, an action that is wrong becomes mitigated by the good intentions of those that love you and want to protect you," Dumbledore explained compassionately.
Suddenly, Severus stepped through the fireplace. "I guessed you'd come straight here," he said resignedly.
"Hermione and I were just having a little chat," Dumbledore said cheerfully, when Hermione was silent. "Go home to your friends now, Hermione and remember they are your friends, not your enemies."
Hermione got up and without a word to either of them, stepped into the fire and went back to the Manor. When she got back, the others were getting ready to leave.
"Where's Severus?" Ginny asked with concern.
"With Dumbledore," Hermione said briefly, helping her with her coat.
They said a subdued goodbye and floo-ed off. Hermione went to her study which was in a private suite of rooms that Severus had given her for her own use. One unspoken and unbroken rule was that one never disturbed the other in their study. They were both creatures that needed solitude on a regular basis and their studies were completely private.
It was the early hours of the morning before Hermione crawled into bed beside a sleeping Severus. She curled up against him loving his familiar scent and the smooth texture of the skin of his torso, and finding it comforting even in the midst of their disagreement. Severus, who was a light sleeper at the best of times, woke up and slid one hand down her bare arm. Finally, he would get some peaceful sleep that night.
"Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." Proverbs 27:17
At 8pm that night, Hermione and Severus, and Ron and Padma were in one of the smaller sitting rooms of the Manor.
"I hope you don't mind but I asked Harry and Ginny, and Draco and Luna to drop by too," Ron said, sipping some very fine Muggle brandy.
"I think we're being ganged up upon," Hermione commented to Severus.
"Definitely," Severus said, a very sardonic expression on his face.
A short while later, Harry and Ginny stepped out of the fireplace followed soon after by Draco and Luna. A House Elf brought them some brandy too.
"Okay, out with it," Hermione said, once they were settled.
Ron and Harry glanced at each other. "Well," Harry began. "As you know the Ministry has received confirmation that Voldemort is on the move again and last time he was active," he paused and glanced at Ginny. She nodded slightly in encouragement at him. "Well, last time he was active was when Hermione kept transforming into a black unicorn. Not that we were told this until much later," he added pointedly. Severus scowled and Hermione merely raised her eyebrows. "So, if Voldemort is active again then won't Hermione be in danger of transforming once more?" he finally asked.
"Yeah, and if she does, won't that be very dangerous? We all know that she will be Voldemort's first target," Ron butted in.
Hermione heard Severus' sharp intake of breath and saw his fingers tighten on the armrests of his chair, a sure and familiar indication of tension. "I've told her that myself," Severus said harshly. "But she won't listen to me."
"He wants to lock me in a room, for goodness sake!" Hermione said, rolling her eyes.
"Only if you won't do anything to help yourself!" he snarled back, getting up suddenly to pace. Ginny watched him with wide, concerned eyes.
Hermione shook her head at his rigid back and turned back to her friends. "I don't know what to do to prevent it," she said with a shrug.
"Don't go to the Dark Forest," Severus said, turning around sharply, his robe billowing darkly around him.
"Try telling me that when I'm about to transform," Hermione sighed.
"I can see why you want to lock her in a room," Draco said wryly to Severus.
"Maybe you need to move right away from the Dark Forest, Hermione," Ginny suggested sensibly.
"How? The wizarding world in England is built pretty much around the perimeter of the Dark Forest. There are very few parts of it that are not just a short distance away from it," Hermione reasoned.
"Raven's Hollow was a good distance away, so there must be other small towns like it," Padma argued.
"What about my work at the Ministry?" Hermione said.
"Yeah and it's increasingly important work too. Hermione is needed there right now," Ron agreed reluctantly.
"What's to prevent her setting up a lab in another location?" Harry said seriously, his bright green eyes picking up the firelight. "The Ministry won't object. It's easy enough for people to apparate anywhere in England."
"It's also easy enough for Hermione to apparate into the Dark Forest when she feels the pull to transform," Severus said flatly.
That silenced the others. "There doesn't seem to be a solution," Luna observed pensively.
"Unless Severus locks her in a room," Ron joked weakly.
"And she won't tell me when she is feeling that pull either so that probably wouldn't work anyway - unless I just never let her out," Severus said, only half-jesting.
"I guess this is how Remus feels," Hermione sighed.
"Remus had his friends to help him and we'll find a way to help you too," Ginny said kindly.
"What I want to know is why I have such trouble controlling when I transform. All the other animagi choose when they transform in and out of their animal form. I don't seem to have that choice," Hermione pondered aloud.
"Perhaps the part of you that is the black unicorn only wakes up when there is real evil around," Padma suggested intelligently, as was her predisposition.
Severus nodded silently. That sounded perfectly feasible to him.
"But then, why can't I choose not to transform either?" Hermione asked Padma seriously.
"I'm not sure. Perhaps the will to defeat evil is stronger in you than your desire to stay out of any kind of danger. It could be purely subconscious," she postulated, displaying her knowledge of Muggle psychology which had made up part of her studies at Hogsbridge.
"Or it could be part of her destiny," Harry said gravely. "Perhaps the part of her that is the black unicorn must fulfill its nature at some stage and defeat some great evil."
"Regardless of the cost?" Severus hissed, his dark eyes flashing with sudden fury and pinning Harry with a dark glare.
"It's only a theory, Severus. I'm not saying she shouldn't be protected and prevented from transforming if we can do it. The bottom line is, we really just don't know. Black unicorns are too rare for anyone to have built up much of an understanding of the creatures," Harry said calmly.
"I don't think Hermione should be allowed to accompany any of the Auror missions that will be coming up in the near future," Ron said in a low voice, knowing how Hermione would react.
"Definitely not!" Severus said sharply, before Hermione even had a chance to open her mouth.
"Er.. okay daddy!" Hermione said pointedly to Severus, then glared at Ron.
"I am not being dictatorial just for the sake of it Hermione. Everyone here would agree with myself and Ron, I imagine. It is ridiculously dangerous for you to go on any of the fact-finding Auror missions," Severus argued.
"That will be up to the Ministry. What happens if something goes wrong with one of the new Auror tools I've developed?" Hermione disputed.
"We'll make sure a senior member of your team is available for us Hermione," Ron said quietly.
Hermione's eyes widened. "Oh, so all of this has already been decided?" Hermione asked Ron, her eyes narrowed. Severus knew that look all too well and he tensed, ready for explosions.
"Dumbledore has already been in contact with the Minister for Magic and told him not to let you go on any of the Auror missions for your own personal safety, Hermione," Ron said. "Dumbledore didn't give any details but you know the Minister will listen to Dumbledore."
"So this is really what this evening was all about?" Hermione said grimly, suddenly getting up. Severus fought the urge to duck. Hermione tended to throw things in a mood like this. She took some floo powder off the mantel.
"Where are you going?" Severus demanded, getting up as she stepped into the flames and disappeared. He swore viciously while the others watched him with wide eyes.
Hermione stepped out into Dumbledore's office.
"Ah, Hermione! How lovely to see you," Dumbledore said, his pale blue eyes twinkling.
"What did you tell the Minister?" Hermione said angrily without preamble.
"I told him not to let you go on any missions. You know you mustn't do that Hermione," he said kindly, offering her a seat.
Hermione sat down stiffly. "I want to go," she said, trying to sound calm and merely sounding uptight.
"I know, my dear but it's too dangerous for you. We can't lose the most brilliant defense against the dark arts research and development witch the Ministry has ever had now, can we?" he said calmly.
"I don't understand why other people are making my decisions for me as though I'm not an adult," Hermione said tightly.
"Because we care about you and we know you too well. You would risk everything to snuff out evil Hermione, even your own human nature. Severus would never forgive me if I allowed you to do that and I would never forgive myself," he said with a touch of sadness that Hermione had never seen on the old wizard's face before.
"I still don't think any of you have the right to do it," Hermione said, more gently.
"We don't have the right, no but we do have the responsibility," Dumbledore replied tranquilly.
"That's splitting hairs," Hermione pointed out.
"Sometimes as an adult you have to do the wrong thing for the right reasons. Life is not so black and white, Hermione. Look at your own love for Severus. Would you have thought as a young adolescent that you could ever have loved a former Death Eater?" he said kindly.
"No," Hermione muttered truthfully.
"But you found out that the evil he was involved in was mitigated by his misled good intentions and the influence of those that he needed love from. What you thought was completely wrong suddenly became understandable, yes? And from understanding eventually came love. Now, people are taking away your rights because they love you, not otherwise. Suddenly, an action that is wrong becomes mitigated by the good intentions of those that love you and want to protect you," Dumbledore explained compassionately.
Suddenly, Severus stepped through the fireplace. "I guessed you'd come straight here," he said resignedly.
"Hermione and I were just having a little chat," Dumbledore said cheerfully, when Hermione was silent. "Go home to your friends now, Hermione and remember they are your friends, not your enemies."
Hermione got up and without a word to either of them, stepped into the fire and went back to the Manor. When she got back, the others were getting ready to leave.
"Where's Severus?" Ginny asked with concern.
"With Dumbledore," Hermione said briefly, helping her with her coat.
They said a subdued goodbye and floo-ed off. Hermione went to her study which was in a private suite of rooms that Severus had given her for her own use. One unspoken and unbroken rule was that one never disturbed the other in their study. They were both creatures that needed solitude on a regular basis and their studies were completely private.
It was the early hours of the morning before Hermione crawled into bed beside a sleeping Severus. She curled up against him loving his familiar scent and the smooth texture of the skin of his torso, and finding it comforting even in the midst of their disagreement. Severus, who was a light sleeper at the best of times, woke up and slid one hand down her bare arm. Finally, he would get some peaceful sleep that night.
