Severus sat before Albus Dumbledore, his eyes burning black holes into the Headmaster who stared back with equal ferocity.
"Severus, you understand how dangerous an attempt at retrieval of lost memories can be."
"But there is something more important here! I know it, and Potter is behind it, I'm sure of it!"
"And what if Harry has erased Hermione's memories? What do you expect to find?" Severus did not have a ready answer for the question and averted his eyes to the fire. "There are secrets that must still be kept from even the most faithful. I will ask that you refrain from further attempts to retrieve those memories."
He knew the subject was closed, that Albus would entertain no further discussion on the matter, and he scowled as he rose from his chair by the fire.
"You're making a mistake by placing so much faith in Potter," he snarled as he matched stares with the older wizard. "Mark my words!"
Severus spun on his heel, his robes flapping as he stormed from the office.
Harry Potter rubbed his eyes and stared at the sleeping figure in the bed beside him. Draco was getting worse, he could no longer delude himself into believing otherwise. He rose from the chair and left the room, unable to think clearly. He paced the living room, ignoring the clutter on every surface, the dingy furniture, consumed only by his thoughts, which seemed to be growing more focused on Voldemort.
Surely Voldemort would know how to counteract the ancient curse that was slowly killing Draco, the Dark Lord would know such a dark curse. But how could he approach him without revealing everything, Draco's condition, Harry's own deception and work as a spy against him? Voldemort would certainly kill him, Harry Potter, for it was destined that one should kill the other. He shivered abruptly as the prophecy from so long ago bubbled to the surface of his conscious mind and he hugged himself.
He threw himself into a ratty armchair and held his head in his hands. He stayed like that for the greater part of an hour before he finally stood and walked purposefully to the kitchen, which had been turned into a make-shift laboratory. He found the vial he sought after and downed it in one gulp. He resisted the urge to retch as his insides twisted and his skin flared as if on fire, but it passed, and he looked at the long, tapered fingers of his left hand. His clothes felt baggy, for Draco was still smaller than himself, even while healthy, but Harry opted not to change, instead pulling on a black cloak. He would not be gone long enough for it to matter, and since he had taken the regular polyjuice and not the extended version, he would be back to himself quickly enough.
He stopped at the door as to reassure himself that he was doing the right thing, then left the flat without a backwards glance. And so Harry turned to the only man who could provide exactly what he needed without asking all sorts of unnecessary questions: Albus Dumbledore.
Hermione sat in her office, staring out the window at the drizzle that had held her and the rest of the castle hostage for the last few days. So far March had been grey and rainy and only added to her dark demeanor. Severus had made little progress in breaking the memory charm, though he continued to work on it nightly, despite Dumbledore's admonition that he leave things alone.
The argument had created a noticeable rift between Albus and Severus, though Hermione refrained from holding a grudge against the Headmaster. She knew he was only trying to protect her from possible harm, as well as protecting Harry from whatever it was he was still doing without supervision. But Hermione was beginning to have her own doubts about her best friend, especially when the dreams were increasing in frequency.
It was getting harder for her to sleep at night, and Severus's presence was the only thing that allowed her any peace of mind. It calmed her just knowing that he was there with her in her dreams, even if she couldn't see him, knowing that when it was over, he would be there to comfort her.
She turned back to the tests she had been ignoring for the last half hour and attempted to concentrate, but her mind kept returning to the dream and Harry. She wanted desperately to seek out Severus's company since he would easily reassure her, but he was in the middle of a double potions. She laid down the quill she had been absently playing with and sighed.
She stood and was about to begin brewing a pot of tea when a noise from the fireplace startled her and she looked around to see the head of Albus Dumbledore amid green flames.
"Professor Granger, might I have a word with you in my office?"
Hermione overcame her surprise in an instant and answered, "Of course, sir, I'll be right there."
She left the office quickly and headed for the Headmaster's office. She spoke the password to the gargoyle, who let her in soundlessly, and she rode the stairs to the open door.
"Hermione, please, come in, and have a seat." From behind his desk, Albus gestured to a teapot that chirped happily and asked, "Would you care for some tea, my dear? I was just going to have a cup myself."
She smiled as she sat before the great desk and answered, "Yes, please. I was just about to make up a pot in my office when you called."
"How fortuitous for both of us then, that we do not have our tea alone."
He poured two cups and handed one to Hermione and she sipped it carefully. Dumbledore smiled at her over his half-moon glasses as he drank his tea and they sat in silence.
"How are you doing? Everything alright?" he asked after they both set down their cups and saucers.
She shrugged. "More or less."
"The classes are not too much, I hope."
"No, they're fine, and I'm thankful I no longer have to teach the first and second years. That freed up a lot of time to spend with the potion."
"As I hoped it would. And are things progressing there as well?"
"We haven't made any major breakthroughs in awhile, but that's to be expected, though it is quite disappointing."
"Yes, I would imagine." His blue eyes regarded her for a moment. "And how is Severus? He is quite adept at avoiding me when he wishes."
"He is that. I think he's okay. Still upset, but he'll get over it. Eventually."
"And yourself? Are you upset with me as well?"
Quiet descended upon the room as Hermione stared into the rising flames in the fireplace, until she finally met his gaze and said, "Not anymore. I was at first, but then I was able to see that you're just trying to protect all of us."
Again Dumbledore watched her, the lines in his face becoming pronounced, and his bright blue eyes showing his tiredness.
"Whatever is hidden in your mind, I believe it was done so with good intentions rather than evil. If Harry were to be … compromised, it would mean his death and Voldemort would triumph. That is why I ask you not to pry into those locked memories, for all of our sakes."
"But what if it's something I need to know? What if it's important?"
The old man shook his head. "I am afraid we must place our trust in Harry, for he is the only one who can defeat Voldemort."
But can he do it alone? she asked herself, though she did not give voice to her doubt.
"Would you care for some Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans?" Dumbledore asked as he pushed the dish full of colorful candies towards her. She declined and after a beat he said, "I'm afraid I must leave to speak with Hagrid. I have received a number of complaints from parents regarding some new crossbreed he has been working on lately."
Hermione suppressed a shudder as she remembered her own experience with one of Hagrid's previous attempts at crossbreeding, the Blast-Ended Skrewt.
"I must get down to the dungeons anyway. I need to check on the potion."
"Perhaps I shall accompany you on my way to see Hagrid. I have not seen it recently, and Severus does not care for my presence while he is working."
"He's in class at the moment so we'll have the laboratory to ourselves."
They left Dumbledore's office and headed for the dungeons, all the while chatting about the Quidditch Cup. They talked about last week's match, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, which Gryffindor had won in possibly the most dull quidditch match ever, and also about the next match in April, Slytherin against Hufflepuff, which barring a miracle for Hufflepuff, Slytherin would easily win. They both agreed that it seemed Ravenclaw would win the Cup unless Gryffindor managed to pull out a win against them in the last House match.
When they reached the spare classroom that served as the laboratory, Albus listened while Hermione patiently explained the different cauldrons to him, all the while nodding to show he understood the complex potions work they had been performing.
"Could I have a sample of the potion?" Albus asked after she had finished with her explanations. "There is someone that I should like to see this."
"Sure," Hermione answered, not giving the request a second thought. She added, "Just as long as it doesn't make its way into Voldemort's hands, I'm sure it will be fine."
She went to the cupboard where Severus had been storing the finished mortalis fallax potion and poured some into a small glass vial and stoppered it. She handed the potion to Albus and said, "There is enough for two doses there."
Albus took it with a smile and his blue eyes twinkled as he tucked it away inside his robes. "Thank you, my dear. Do keep me informed on the potion as I am afraid Severus will not. If you will excuse me, I must now see Hagrid regarding his creatures. Thank you again for the potion."
With a wave, the Headmaster slipped out the door and Hermione examined Severus's notes, the incident already forgotten.
Hermione thought it unremarkable that Albus Dumbledore would request a sample of the mortalis fallax potion, seeing as it was experimental and he had been monitoring their progress closely, and so she didn't mention the incident to Severus until several days later.
"What?" he hissed, his voice dangerously quiet. "Albus took the potion and you did not tell me? Why the hell not?"
"I didn't see the harm in it --"
"Didn't see the harm in it?" he repeated, his eyes narrowing. "No part of that potion leaves this room without my prior approval, do you understand? I don't care if it's Albus Dumbledore, the Minister or Harry bloody Potter!"
Hermione didn't see why he was upset and she told him as much. "What's the big deal if Dumbledore has the potion? It's not like he'll give it to Voldemort."
"This is my potion and no one else touches it," he said, his black eyes proclaiming the matter closed from further review, and he retreated to his chair by the fire.
Hermione watched him from her post by her potion while her mind worked.
"You think he'd send it to Harry? Is that what you're afraid of?" Severus glared at her in response. "I know Harry might be acting peculiar, but I think Dumbledore's right. We have to trust him."
"You of all people should not be so willing to trust him!" He added, his voice deliberately slow, "Or have you already forgotten his deception?"
"No! But I do think that maybe there's more going on than we know about and maybe we should stay out of it!"
His eyes narrowed. "So Albus did more than just take the potion."
"We talked, yes, if that's what you're implying. And suppose he's right? Maybe we should just leave things alone."
"Does that mean you do not care to uncover your lost memories?"
She opened her mouth to answer then closed it, her brow furrowing as she thought. "I don't know. He asked me not to, but they're my memories, and I feel I have a right to them, regardless of what Harry's trying to hide."
"Very well," Severus answered, repressing a triumphant smile. "We shall do nothing until we have determined what is being hidden."
Hermione agreed, and secretly she hoped that it was nothing, though she knew better.
___
A/N:
I apologize for the super short chapter, but I'm about to start my second week of vacation and I wanted to post something w/out leaving everyone hanging in suspense. As a general warning, the next few chapters are probably going to be posted sporadically because the end is approaching (generally speaking) so I'm going to try to get everything worked out before hand, especially since I've always had a hard time finishing stories. So it will probably be two weeks between chapters. Also, this chapter is being posted w/out being edited, so please let me know if you spot a typo or grammar mistake … I'll fix it as soon as I get back.
Another thing, I now have an address here at ff.net, so if you wish to email me, it's enlightenedkitty@fanfiction.net. Please review! The reviews have been kinda slow lately and I need reassurance.
Thank you Darklady … it has been very difficult to keep writing this continuously … in fact, I dream of the day I'm done! (Just so I can write other stuff, really!) And dedanaan, I think it was fortuitous that you started reading when you did! (Sorry about the cursing, I do it a lot!) Chise, someone, Marston, ponine, Anarane, two words to each of you: thank you!