Months passed as the end of the school year approached. Hermione and Draco were flourishing in Occlumens and Legilimens. Hermione's walls continued to get stronger while Draco showed a natural affinity, much to Hermione's chagrin, to Legilimency. Severus explained that it was because Hermione's walls were so strong, that her mind focused more on defense and wouldn't allow much attention to be diverted to offense.
Hermione's Potions and Transfiguration lessons also increased in intensity. Severus continually would switch up the weekends where she would either be learning a new complex potion or learning to brew in bulk; usually to help restore the Hospital Wing's reserves. Minerva had her working on more complex cross species transfigurations, starting with small animals and working up to larger ones. With finals approaching though, both Professors cancelled future meetings until the beginning of the new term.
Hermione would never admit it, but she was thankful that the extra lessons would be over for now. She had noticed between classes, Occlumency practice, and the extra lessons that studying for exams were wearing her down. She noticed that headaches came easily in the mornings and evenings, sometimes even during class, but only in Defense Against the Dark Arts. The young Slytherin always wrote it off that it was because of Quirrell being a bore. He always seemed to be nervous and his lessons were bland.
This day seemed no different. Hermione pinched the bridge of her nose as she continued to take notes. Her headache seemed to only increase. Under the table she felt Draco tap her foot with his. She waved away his concern she knew that he hid behind his mask without needing to look at him. She turned her gaze back to Quirrell who was writing notes on the board. As he moved it looked as if his turban was shifting and before she knew it, through a sliver created in the folds, bright red eyes locked onto hers.
Instantly she felt like a sledgehammer was taken to her mental walls, collapsing the first one easily. Quickly she strengthened her next few walls as the onslaught continued. So absorbed in what was happening in her mind, Hermione was oblivious to the world around her. It wasn't long before her second wall started to collapse and her conscious retreated behind wall three. The first hit rebounded and she thought she was safe, until she felt two simultaneously bomb like explosions, obliterating parts of her third wall.
Yet again, she moved back to her next wall as she desperately pulled all reserves in to steel up the wall. Never before had she had anyone apply so much force at such a pace to her walls. Yes, against her Uncle she was able to put up five walls before she felt the need to eject him, but he took his time wearing her walls down instead of the brutally attacking them, not giving her the option to eject the intruder as that took more energy than she had. She felt the intruder attacking full force again, a battering ram constantly and consistently hitting the same spot. Her wall began to weaken, cracks beginning to appear. She felt like there was no way she could erect let alone defend another wall as she screamed out as the force seemingly doubled in power again as it smashed through, a dark chuckle entering. With the little strength she had left, Hermione forced forward memories of her life as she forced her secrets down deep, hoping that someone would stop this dark entity in her mind before they found said memories.
When the mental attacking had started, Hermione's body had gone rigid, a white knuckled grip on her quill. Draco noticed this and thought it odd. He nudged her foot again and got no response. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Harry rub his scar, an almost pained expression on his face. Quickly Draco entered Hermione's mind and saw her first wall was a pile of rubble. Panicked he exited Hermione's mind and thought of his Uncle hard, picturing him in his class and tried to push his thoughts to him even if he was far away.
"Professor! Grang…" Draco started to say as he opened his eyes but stopped as he saw Quirrell whip around, looking at Hermione instead of him menacingly. "Get out of her head you bastard! Someone get help!"
He shot out of his desk chair and only made it past the desk before ropes bound him and he landed hard on the ground. The classroom erupted in panic as students fled under desks and out of the door screaming. The Professor started to laugh manically as a scream from Hermione drew Draco's attention as he noticed a blood trail leave from her nose and ear as she slumped in her seat. The laughing turned to howls of pain as Harry got ahold of him. The turban fell off to reveal another face, snake like with red eyes.
"Stop screaming you fool! Kill Potter!" Professor Quirrell turned around and grabbed Harry, pulling him into a bear hug and tried to crush him.
His attempt failed as a red light enveloped him from the door, causing the face in the back of his head to scream in anger, dissipating into smoke and exit the window. In walked the Headmaster with Professors Snape and McGonagall. "All students that are able to, return to your Common Rooms."
"Hermione! Can you hear me Hermione!" Draco screamed from his bound positions. Severus quickly walked towards the yelling boy, stopping short as he saw the crumpled body of his niece. A gasp from Minerva was heard along with an expletive from Dumbledore. The Headmaster flicked his wand, releasing Draco from his restraints.
"Severus, take Miss Granger to the Hospital Wing quickly. Minerva you take Mr. Potter. I will bring Mr. Malfoy shortly." Before he finished giving his orders, Severus had scooped Hermione into his arms as he quickly walked out of the room. Minerva walked over to a slouched over Harry who was grabbing his left side, pale.
"Hermione's going to be alright, right Professor?" he asked between gasps of breath.
Minerva shook her head. "I don't know Mr. Potter. Let's get you to the Hospital Wing." She helped the boy to stand and walk out the door. Albus waited behind with Draco, who was still on his knees, white knuckled fists, and head bowed, mumbling.
"I failed her. I failed my father, my family." Albus sat on the chair next to the boy. "I failed."
"My dear boy, failure is one thing you did not do."
"I was supposed to protect her!" Draco yelled, lifting his face to glare at the Headmaster, tears streaming down. "I was supposed to protect my family and I failed!"
"You did what you could do. You got help."
"How? I was bound on the floor remember." Draco sneered after wiping his nose with the sleeve of his robes.
Albus looked at him over his half moon spectacles, a twinkle in his eye. "You projected your fear and the word help to your Uncle with such urgency he quickly left his class and alerted me that something was wrong. Then as we drew closer did we hear the students screaming. Had you not have gotten a message to your Uncle, Miss Granger may have been dead along with Mr. Potter before the screaming students would have alerted us. Now tell me what happened." Draco proceeded to tell the Headmaster all that he knew. After a few minutes Dumbledore stuck out his hand to the young Slytherin. "I stand by what I said before Draco. You didn't fail. You spotted something wrong and acted on it. You quickly got help. You fought. Do not blame yourself. There is nothing else you could have done. Now let's get to the Hospital Wing," Draco nodded, took his hand, and stood up.
"What have you discovered?" Albus asked behind the hospital matron's desk, fingers steepled in front of his mouth.
Severus pinched the bridge of his nose as Poppy answered. "Her brain is swollen. If I didn't know she was brought from Defense class I would have said she was hit multiple times with a bludger. I will be keeping her in a coma until that decreases, probably the rest of today and tonight. I can't say if she will wake up and I can't say how much brain damage there will be. She's lucky to be alive. Any longer and she would have been brain dead, the poor child."
"Her first two walls are completely obliterated. Wall three has massive holes and wall four seems to be where she poured all of her energy to. It was badly cracked with a gaping hole. I dared not go beyond that for fear of causing more damage." Severus looked out the window towards the beds housing Hermione and Harry, Minerva standing guard between the two and Draco holding Hermione's hand. "Albus she was practically mind raped. From the timeline given, the Dark Lord must have used Quirrell to help fall her last two walls that quickly and brutally."
"Then we should be thankful she was strong in defense or her mind would have cracked sooner." Albus turned to look at Poppy. "When can we try to make contact with her inside her mind? It's imperative that we find out what Tom knows."
"No sooner than tomorrow morning. She needs rest now." Albus nodded and stood up, motioning Severus to follow him. He collected Minerva and led both Professors back to his office.
Once inside he sat down, stroking his beard. "Miss Granger is now a target of Tom's. Of that I have no doubt."
"But why her? Surely he is more focused on Potter." Minerva looked back and forth between Severus and Albus.
"But Hermione is a trump card, for who, the Dark Lord doesn't know. He knows from being with Quirrell that she is top of her class. Child of squibs raised muggleborn so she is a loner in of all houses, Slytherin. Perfect house for him to recruit from as most are children of his Death Eaters. Now that he knows she's a strong Occlumens at so young, she is even more of a prize." Severus turned to Albus, "I shouldn't have trained her Albus. This wouldn't have happened."
Albus shook his head. "No dear boy, it would have happened regardless. She chose Slytherin. The minute she chose over Gryffindor she put herself on this path."
"But if she had chosen Ravenclaw…" Minerva started.
"He still would have been interested, but would have held off till she was close to, if not ready to graduate. Had she not been trained, she would have been a target for assurance of yours and Lucius loyalty, if not killed for her connection to the Potters. I had hoped that he would have pursued his interest in her when she was older. We have to prepare her."
"Prepare her?" McGonagall furrowed her brows.
Severus closed his eyes as he realized the path the Headmaster was thinking. In his heart he hated it, knowing that his niece, in her pursuit of love, more than likely signed her childhood innocence away. "For when the Dark Lord returns so she can defend herself," he spoke the half truth. Hermione would need the skills to defend herself while being in the ring with Death Eaters. Minerva accepted his reply with a nod.
"Minerva, I want you to start her animagus training. I know it's a tall order but she needs to be one before her 5th year. I believe Tom will leave her alone until then."
"Albus! That's near impossible!"
"She'll do it Minerva. Severus will be working with her to get her stamina up and help strengthen her magical core. Have faith." Dumbledore's twinkle returned. "She is the smartest witch of her generation. Why don't you return to the Hospital Wing and check on Mr. Potter and Miss Granger?"
Minerva looked between Severus and Albus, knowing the latter was trying to keep her in the dark about other things but knew now wasn't the time. Besides, she did want to check on her students. She stood, nodded her head to both of them before she left.
Severus stood up promptly and began to pace. "Foolish girl! All for the foolish notion of a chance at love?! That damn Hat should have just placed her in Gryffindor. None of this would have happened. She's just a child Albus!"
"You and I both know Hermione is not 'just a child.' She is a powerful intelligent witch. If we prepare her, I am sure that she will survive and succeed." His blue eyes followed the pacing professor.
"At what cost? Her innocence will be taken long before it should. She will have no choice but to become a spy."
The older man sighed, looking every bit his age at the time. "Every child here will lose their innocence before they should. It is the nature of war. Because once Tom finds a way to return to power, it will be war again. And I've no doubt he will bring the battle here, where it all began. Besides, Hermione will have a choice. She could choose to go into hiding."
A sardonic laugh escaped the younger man's lips. "She's too bloody Gryffindor to leave her family and friends in a war for her own protection. She will stay and fight."
"All the more reason for you to train her Severus. I will expect an itinerary of what you plan to do by the end of the week. You are dismissed." The Potions Master quickly left, slamming the door behind him. "My dear boy, you need to have faith in yourself and her. Everything will work out." Dumbledore turned to look out the window as the sun started its descent behind the mountains. "It has to work out for all of our sakes."
AN: Hope you enjoyed. Reviews rock and help with the creative juices... just sayin'. Happy Holidays everyone and just maybe if I get at least 5 reviews there may be an update before the New Year. ;)
