Chapter 17

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Hermione pulled herself back together by the next morning. All it took was a scalding hot shower, and fifteen minutes longer than usual untangling her curly wet hair. Then Hermione laced herself into her tightest robes and applied lipstick. She left the mess on the floor, and marched out of the dormitory without looking back.

That morning, and all week long, Hermione coaxed and encouraged Alecto. She directed Rabastan and Regulus, and exchanged loaded looks with Arabel. She pushed her fears down, and focussed all her attention on dragging her unwieldy group together. She managed not to think of Severus.

On the Friday night, Hermione heaved a sigh of relief that the week was over.

"My parents wrote me," Alecto said.

"Saying?"

Alecto and Arabel sat cross legged on Hermione's bed, drinking a bottle of barrel-aged mead that Arabel had produced from her bedside locker, their homework scattered between them.

"If Amycus doesn't turn up in a week they're sending the aurors in."

"You okay?" Hermione asked.

"I'm not sure," Alecto admitted. "It's just...it's a lot to take in."

"It is," Arabel agreed.

Arabel and Alecto both looked at Hermione. The week had not been without challenges, but the result was in their gaze. They looked to her without even realising they were doing it.

"Let's not overthink it," Hermione said firmly.

Arabel took a delicate sip from her glass, swirling the burgundy liquid around before she spoke.

"Think of this instead. Since Alex won't be locked in the attic this summer, she can come to the Selywn Midsummer party."

Alecto looked up.

"Really?"

Hermione knocked back the rest of the glass, and stretched her bare legs out idly on the silk bedsheets, letting the conversation wash over her.

"Make sure you two pick up Rabastan and Regulus for dates. I don't care who goes with who. My marking ceremony is the night before the party, so I want you all to stick close on the day."

"Why?" Alecto asked.

"Because there's enemies everywhere. I trust you two."

"You're going to take Severus?"

Hermione paused a second.

"Yes. He's the best fighter out of them all. Now come on, let's drink this down and celebrate Alecto's freedom. Oh, and don't forget to wear something spectacular - it's time to introduce the public to the next generation."

She raised her glass, and the others clinked with her.

\\/

The rest of the term passed quickly. When Amycus didn't reappear, the aurors came to Hogwarts. Hermione polyjuiced herself into Alecto and took her place during the interrogation, blinking stupidly and bumbling her way through an alibi. After a period of time, everybody who didn't know better assumed Amycus had left to join the Death Eaters. Lucius Malfoy knew better, but he kept his distance from Hermione, and if the Marauders occasionally shot her odd glances, well there was nothing she could do about that.

The group evolved slowly but surely. Bonded by the secret between them, they became virtually inseparable. Regulus gave up any pretence of spending time with the other fifth years, and became Hermione's silent shadow. Arabel, Alecto and Hermione walked everywhere together, from the dormitory to meals to the bathroom, never leaving a back unprotected. Rabastan threw himself into his defensive and dark arts studies like he never had before, and would often slink off to practice against some of the seventh years. If anybody so much as raised a wand in Hermione's direction he was there, almost before she was.

Severus never asked Hermione what had happened that night, but he became more observant, and fiercer on her behalf. When they were alone together he was gentler. Sometimes he touched her shoulder, or checked how she was. Sometimes Hermione even told him the truth when he asked.

\\/

On the last day of classes before the Summer holidays, Hermione was packing up her potions ingredients beside Severus, when Slughorn dismissed the class and called her name.

"Black! Please stay behind. I have some good news for you."

Severus turned to leave, but Hermione grabbed at his sleeve.

"Wait. I think I know what this is about."

Severus nodded and reached for Hermione's bag. She let him take it, and then headed to the desk at the front.

"Professor. What kind of news could this be?"

Slughorn looked mightily pleased with himself, and puffed out his chest.

"Professor Dumbledore has sent enquiries about the duelling competition. I believe the wonderful tradition will be resurrected next year! Your final year Miss Black, and yours Mister Snape."

"That's excellent. Well done professor, I knew I could count on you."

Hermione smiled prettily at Slughorn, and he smiled back.

"Severus, did you hear? We can duel next year!"

"I can hardly contain my excitement."

"We'll pick you up something sweet over the Summer."

Winking indulgently at Slughorn, Hermione left the classroom with Severus. As they climbed the dungeon steps she reached to take her bag back, but he shrugged and slung it over his shoulder.

"Let me."

"Thanks."

Severus waited a moment, and then spoke again.

"Remind me...why did you want to bring back this duelling competition again?"

Hermione shot him a glance, and wondered whether the time was right to confide in him. But it was too open and exposed at Hogwarts.

"I'll tell you another time. I promise."

\\/

That night the group gathered in the common room, spending their last night together before the summer. Severus and Rabastan hunched over a little table, playing an aggressive game of chess, while Regulus refereed. It reminded Hermione so much of Harry and Ron that she cast about for a way to distract herself.

"You know," she said thoughtfully, "I'm not sure Alecto really suits her name."

Looking up from the rug by the fire where she was painting Arabel's nails silver, Alecto blinked.

"It doesn't?"

"No…" Hermione drew out the word. "Arabel what do you think?"

"I agree," Arabel said. "I think we should stick with Alex."

\\/

The trunks had been packed, expensive robes carefully folded between sheets of tissue paper, illicit weapons stowed in hidden compartments and the students crowding into the Entrance Hall before anybody thought to ask Hermione where she was going for the summer.

"I'm going to rent a room at the Leaky," she replied absentmindedly.

Rabastan and Regulus paused, causing a group of second year Hufflepuff's to stumble into them. Rabastan pushed one off with disgust.

"You're going to what?"

"I told you."

Impatiently, Hermione pushed her way through the throngs of students towards the doors. The others trailed after her, and she had to fend off at least two offers from her friends before she finally snapped.

"Definitely not! I don't want to be shut up in a manor." Upon seeing Rabastan's face, she softened somewhat. "Thank you though. It's kind of you to offer."

"The Leaky Cauldron though."

"Rats," Regulus said, as they pushed their way down the front steps towards the carriages.

"I think it sounds exciting," Alecto said admiringly.

"I think it sounds a lot better than my dump," Severus said.

As the carriages began to trundle away from the castle with much jerking and jolting, Hermione tuned out the voices of her friends and turned to look back at the majestic spires. Hogwarts. Her home.

An unexpected glint of gold caught her eye, but the carriages gave a particularly bad jolt and she lost sight of it. Digging her fingers into the window frame, Hermione cast a magnifying spell on her vision, turning to see what it was.

At the top of the North Tower, someone was watching the students out of one of the arrow-slit windows. The long silver beard was unmistakable, and the gold that caught Hermione's eye must have come from his glasses. Did Professor Dumbledore always keep an eye on the students like this?

"Do they actually serve edible food at the Leaky?"

Hermione turned, distracted, and cuffed Rabastan on the back of the head.

The carriage descended into good-natured banter, but Severus alone remained silent and still, huddled into himself as much as she'd ever seen him do.

When they stood at the platform waiting for the train to arrive, she poked him.

"Hey, you alright?"

"Just...home."

"I know."

Hermione did. Home was supposed to be your sanctuary, the place where you could let down your guard. But there was nowhere for her to go where she could feel safe, ever again. Every safe haven she had ever held had been stripped from her; every last stronghold had been raided. Severus knew what that felt like.

Hermione stood on tiptoes, and leaned to whisper into his ear.

"One day we're going to have somewhere safe again. When all our enemies are dead we won't have to live behind walls and defenses. One day all six of us, we'll dance on the astronomy tower, and we'll swim naked in the lake, and nobody will dare to touch us."

Severus snorted. "Is that what the future has in store for us?"

"I'm going to make damn sure of it."

The scarlet express engine chugged slowly into the Hogsmeade station, pulling to a stop with screeching brakes, and the students surged forwards.

Further down the wide platform, some of the professors called out instructions and herded wayward first years into carriages. Professor Dumbledore leaned in to murmur something to Professor McGonagall, and they both eyed the Marauders.

Hermione frowned. Something struck her as wrong with the scene, but before her quick mind could dissect it they were hurried onto the train. The doors slammed, the whistle blew, and then they were rattling away into the Scottish countryside, with the whole summer ahead of them.

\\/

Unexpectedly, Hermione's stay at the Leaky Cauldron rapidly became the most enjoyable time she had spent since landing in this new world. It took her less than a month to decide that she wasn't sure she ever wanted her own home when she could stay here.

The pub was bustling with life from dawn until dusk, and Hermione made it her business to know everybody and everything that moved within its walls.

"Morning Charlie," she would call cheerfully to the young apothecary apprentice, who stopped by every morning for a slice of toast.

"How're the new rats settling in Mr Potts?" This, to the grizzled owner of the Magical Menagerie, slumped across the bar nursing a cup of coffee.

"Kept me up all night they did Miss Black. Scratchin' away at the door."

"I'm sure you can train them if anyone can! Hello Tom, anything you need picking up this morning?"

The old bartender broke out into a toothless grin as Hermione paused by the door, tilting her head at him. He put down the glass he was polishing on the bar and leaned forwards.

"Only since you asked, we are running a bit low on eggs and thestral steaks."

Hermione kept her expression light and breezy. "Lovely! I'll be back in an hour or so. Bye Tom!"

It was wonderful living at the Leaky Cauldron. Hermione rose every morning and ate breakfast in her room. She spent the day wandering the alley, exploring the hidden shelves in ancient bookshops and becoming friendly with the propeteriers of Knockturn Alley. To them she was a mystery; they had all heard the rumours. To the citizens of Diagon Alley she was charming.

At lunchtime she ate out at one of the many street vendors. Then in the afternoons she would escape to Muggle London, choose the guise of some boy or the other to polyjuice into, and perhaps slip into a boxing club for a couple of rounds with sweaty muggles. Sometimes she was afraid living at Hogwarts again was making her soft.

As evening fell Hermione would return for dinner at the Leaky Cauldron, usually finding one interesting patron or another to keep her company and, usually, talk too much.

"I had no idea that bill was going to get through," she would tell the young clerk from the ministry. "Tell me, was it very exciting to be in the room where the decision was made?"

The clerk would stumble and blush, and spill out everything he knew about the court proceedings. Hermione nodded and listened and smiled.

Or -

"Nobody really knows yet," she murmured into the ear of the society matron who had popped in for a sherry. "But Alecto and Regulus are growing so close. I just hope nobody finds out before he can draft a proper contract."

The news made it back to Allison Carrow before the week was out, and Hermione received a flurry of letters from her friends.

I don't know if I feel that way about Regulus, Alecto wrote. It's all happened so quickly.

My mother has gone insane, Regulus had written. When you take the Mark you'll technically outrank her, and I expect you to remember our long and close friendship then.

Hermione made careful notes in her little blue book, and then made more plans. She read books - more books than she had had time for in years - and she planned, late into the night until her lamp flickered low and she had to shut the book cover.

It was a delightful summer, and it wasn't until two days before the marking ceremony that anything occured to disrupt Hermione.

\\/

"Miss Hermione? Sorry to be disturbing you."

Tom poked his wrinkled face around the door, and Hermione turned around at her desk, closing the book.

"Tom, you aren't at all. What is it?"

"You've got a guest."

Hermione opened a desk drawer and locked her book away safely before rising to her feet. Tom opened the door wider, and then somebody tall, dark and very familiar stepped into the doorway. Hermione's mouth fell open with surprise.

"Severus! What on earth are you doing here?"

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This one took longer than usual to write. To cut a long story short, in February I was asked (through a writing competition I was shortlisted for) to produce an original novel to pitch, and decided to give myself less than a month to write it. The ensuing headache has kept me away from words for a little while, but I'm now joyfully throwing myself back into fanfiction with the relief that comes from knowing the characters and the world and not having to make them up. This is short but there'll be more before long. Oh fanfiction, fanfic readers, I have missed you so much.

Thanks for reading,

Cas