Mid April
Hogwarts
Returning to Hogwarts was both a relief and disconcerting. For some reason she felt horribly distracted. The Ball had gone better than expected, clearing the air with Severus had done wonders for her mood, and getting Regulus more on board was a relief. She kept in touch with him using the notebook, asking about the status for the Horcrux project. As for Severus… her thoughts kept straying back to him at odd moments, such as when eating breakfast in the Great Hall, showering, studying in the library or even in class. His hands, his scent, the way he had felt moving with her during their dance at the Ball. When she went to bed, if she lay still and closed her eyes to focus better, she could sense his magic in her arm and neck, holding the tainted wounds at bay.
Hestia and June had picked up on it, teasing her for having a crush on someone. She blushed whenever they said something, which didn't help, but refused to give any details. Everything felt way too confusing as it was, so letting others know any about it would definitely not help.
"She went with Regulus Black to the Avery ball," Rhea said when she overheard them during dinner. "But Regulus wouldn't be interested in someone like her, his father would not allow it."
"He's just a friend. He asked me to go with him." She really didn't see what the big deal was.
Evie looked stunned, staring at her with wide eyes. "You're friends with Black? I didn't know you had that kind of connections."
Hermione didn't know how to answer. "Well, it's not like I've met the whole family. I only know Regulus."
Hestia grinned at her, apparently drawing altogether the wrong conclusions. Hermione sighed but didn't correct their assumptions, although deceiving them by omission made her feel uncomfortable.
Hermione was beginning to get to know some of the students from the other Houses as well, at least on a superficial level. She'd mended the situation with Bertram Aubrey a bit since he started dating Alanna Wainscott from Gryffindor, and he'd even joined the Hufflepuff study groups a few times when they met up in the library without it feeling too awkward. She did steer clear of the Slytherins, however. Their names gave her the wrong kind of shivers down her spine and she'd caught a few of them glowering at her across the Great Hall even when they shouldn't have any reason to single her out, this time around. Admittedly, she had begun to get a bit of a reputation again as the resident swot, even when trying not to draw attention to herself. She hoped that was the reason, anyway, and that no one had drawn any other connections between her and the Death Eaters.
Charms was enjoyable as usual, with Professor Flitwick's enthusiasm pulling the whole class along. Herbology was fine, she still wasn't a Herbology star but being in the Professor's House made her gain a little more appreciation for the subject, even if she'd never reach Neville's intuitive understanding of the plants. Ancient Runes was fine but the focus had been on Mayan Rune-sensing which wasn't a field with very many practical applications. The class was small though and she could allow herself to ask more questions, figuring the Ravenclaws wouldn't really care. There were two Gryffindor witches in the class, Alanna being one of them, and a lone Slytherin, Raphael Padgett, but he seemed the type to keep his head down and stay out of trouble rather than one who would join the Death Eaters as soon as he was able.
DADA was problematic, still. She did her best to keep her head down, and managed reasonably well as long as they were discussing Dark creatures. When it came to practical demonstrations of hexes and shielding it was a lot harder. Professor Dearborn praised her quick reflexes and accurate use of her surroundings, as he put it, when she'd dived under a bench and fired off a couple of semi-Dark hexes in retaliation when they were supposed to practice Protego. She knew she hadn't fooled him but he hadn't asked her about it so far, so with some luck she'd make it through to the exams without getting in trouble.
~oo~oo~oo~oo~
She wanted to expand her team, to start taking the fight to Voldemort rather than just waiting. There was one Professor in particular she wanted to win over to her side, and she took the chance to visit the Transfiguration Professor during her regular office hours on Thursdays.
The Gryffindor Head looked up from her stack of essays to mark when Hermione entered. "Yes?" She wasn't wearing her reading glasses, and her hair was less grey than Hermione remembered, but otherwise she wasn't much different from the Professor of Hermione's earlier Hogwarts years.
"Professor, I was hoping to talk to you a bit," Hermione began.
"Yes?" Professor McGonagall said again, taking the next essay from the pile. She started scribbling something in the margins.
There was a lump in her throat that kept growing. This wasn't going according to plan. "I… I have some information about the war. I wanted to talk to you first, Professor, as I don't want to go to the Headmaster at this point."
The Professor put her quill down and looked at Hermione, with a lot less warmth than Hermione was used to. "Is that so? What info could you have on the war, that you don't want to share with someone who could do something about it?"
Hermione's sense of dread grew. "The Potters are in danger," she blurted out. It wasn't exactly what she had planned to say first.
"What? Why? How do you know?"
"I… I can't say, but please Professor, make sure they're protected. Don't tell the Headmaster who said it. It's really important."
The Professor looked at her with stern eyes and a pinched frown. There was no warmth at all in her gaze. "You have some nerve, Miss Granger," the older witch hissed. "I cannot believe you come here, telling me things like this, and then say I must not tell Albus? No, Miss Granger, I do not believe you. Now kindly remove yourself from my presence unless you have a Transfiguration-related question."
"I'm sorry, Professor," Hermione whispered. Head bowed, she quickly collected her things and left the room.
~oo~oo~oo~oo~
Late April — Early May
Hogwarts
Slowly but surely time was moving them towards confrontations, both big and small, and Hermione wasn't ready. She didn't want to fight, she wanted only to focus on her upcoming NEWTs and the future she might build for herself. Still, there was nothing for it. She had to fight, had to see this through. Again.
One thing had been clear ever since Hermione returned to Hogwarts. She needed to nab the Horcrux in the Room of Hidden Things before leaving. The main problem was how to destroy it, as she wasn't too keen on using Fiendfyre and the basilisk was currently alive and well in the Chamber of Secrets, which also meant that Gryffindor's Sword also wouldn't work since it hadn't been imbued with Basilisk venom yet. Regulus had sent a note some weeks after Hermione returned to Hogwarts, saying he might have a solution, but she didn't know any details.
The situation with Professor McGonagall weighed heavily on her mind as well. She had stayed very quiet during classes, not raising her hand, performing well but trying to not draw attention to herself. The Professor had glared at her during the first week but gradually seemed to relax around her again, not paying much attention to her. Hestia and Evie had noticed, asking if she had run into trouble with the Gryffindor Head of House, and she hadn't known what to say.
She had asked Phineas to let her know if the Headmaster left the Castle, and especially if he planned to do so over a weekend. It seemed he had errands at the Ministry occasionally, but it wasn't until the beginning of May that an opportunity presented itself.
"Miss Granger, Miss Granger!" He sounded impatient, as if he'd tried to call for her attention for a long time.
With a yawn she turned around in bed and opened her eyes to see the former Headmaster looking down at her. "What is it?"
"The Headmaster is out, he'll be gone all day. I heard him talking to Dearborn, they have some Order business. You asked me to tell you."
"Oh! Thank you, Headmaster Black."
She rose quickly to get dressed and sent a message through the notebook to both Severus and Regulus, asking them to meet her by the Shrieking Shack, and told the other Hufflepuffs she was skipping breakfast to get some studying in. It was with a slightly guilty conscience she passed by the kitchens for a couple of sandwiches before heading to the Shack. The elves were happy to help, this time without the air of suspicion that had followed her back in her own time ever since she'd tried to liberate them against their wills.
Regulus arrived first, with Severus soon behind.
"Are you ready?" she asked, quite unnecessarily. "Thanks for coming with such short notice, by the way."
They both nodded. With some luck, they would be in and out quickly, and then they could work on destroying it somewhere off the grounds.
Hermione took a deep breath before donning Harry's cloak but leaving the hood off. She pulled out the map as well and activated it with a tap of her wand. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good." The coast looked clear as long as they managed to avoid the students now trickling in to the Great Hall for breakfast, but they were aiming for the back entrance by the greenhouses anyway. There was a Quidditch game scheduled for later that afternoon, between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, so Hermione guessed most of the school would be in the stands.
They Disillusioned each other, the spell worked better that way, and then Hermione realised she wouldn't be able to stay close to them since neither of them could see the other. That was a bit of a problem, and one she should have foreseen. There was nothing for it, though, they'd have to manage on their own.
"Okay, so we need to get to the seventh floor left side corridor. It will be hard to stay together when we're Disillusioned so please try to make your way there quickly. Wait by the corner near the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy."
"See you there," Regulus said and took off.
To her surprise Severus reached out a hand and found hers. He didn't say anything but after Hermione had pulled the cloak over her head, and around his arm, they set off together.
They had to duck behind a tapestry when Peeves zoomed by. A group of students on their way to the Quidditch pitch nearly stepped on the hem of the cloak, and Professor Flitwick scurried past on the stairs up to the fourth floor. Severus didn't let go of her hand. His hand in hers anchored her, but something else was fluttering in her chest whenever she caught a whiff of his scent or he stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. They'd ended up with him in front of her since she needed to keep the cloak closed over their joint hands.
After what felt like half an eternity they made it to the seventh floor. "Stay here," she whispered to Severus when they were by the tapestry. The coast appeared clear, and not many people had a reason to be in that corridor. There were some guest rooms nearby and an old storage room occasionally used for Transfiguration classes, but with no classrooms nearby it was usually rather empty. She pulled out the map again and activated it with a hasty whisper. Regulus was nowhere to be found on the seventh floor, however. Scanning the floors with increased urgency she finally found him on the third floor in a corridor just off the Charms corridor. With a gasp she recognised it as the corridor where the aptly-named Fluffy had guarded the trapdoor during her first year. Regulus appeared to be cornered by Mrs Norris, however.
Hermione cursed under her breath and looked around the corridor. They were still alone, luckily, but there was also no way to call for help. After a moment her eyes fell on the empty wall opposite the tapestry. "Wait here, I'll be right back," she said again to Severus before moving in front of the wall, focusing hard.
After three turns a door appeared. She slipped inside and to her relief there was a large portrait frame in the otherwise empty room. Soon both Dilys and Phineas arrived, the latter loudly grumbling about being forced to run errands. Hermione smiled in relief when they nodded at her. "Hello, both of you. I'm in a bit of a hurry. We need to fetch something in here but Regulus is caught down on the third floor by Mrs Norris."
"Breathe, witch," Phineas muttered. "I'll see if the cat is in your domicile and go rescue young Mr Black."
Dilys frowned at her colleague before turning towards Hermione again with a smile. "Don't worry, we'll look after him."
"Thanks, both of you." Hermione was grateful to have resourceful and unexpected allies on her side. "I'll see you soon but now I have to go."
Phineas was already halfway out of the frame. Dilys waved at her as she turned and left the room again, pulling the cloak tight around her just in case. Luckily the corridor was still empty. The door closed behind her and winked out of sight. Suddenly someone grabbed her arm, and she squeaked in fear.
"Where did you go?" Severus snarled. He was still Disillusioned, his voice floating in the air without the anchor of his glowering gaze.
"Getting help. We need to do this on our own, I don't want to risk it by waiting for Regulus. Stay back a bit."
He growled but stepped back, or at least she thought so since she still couldn't see him. Taking a deep breath to focus she started pacing in front of the wall again. I need the place where things are hidden. I need to find the room full of hidden things. Please, Hogwarts, I need to find Rowena's diadem. The door appeared, and it looked much the same as the last time she'd seen it, back with Harry and Ron trying to find the Horcrux, fleeing Fiendfyre on a faulty broom. Hermione shook her head. Why had her adventures with Harry required so much flying? Thestrals, dragons, brooms. She fervently hoped she would be able to stay on the ground this time around.
Looking around the corridor she once again opened the door and pulled the hood off, whispering for Severus to join her. He slipped inside and cancelled his own Disillusionment spell. The room was much as she recalled it, full of discarded furniture, objects, books and trinkets.
He looked around the room. "What are we looking for?"
"A diadem or tiara, with a blue sapphire in the centre. It was Rowena Ravenclaw's." She looked around the room, trying to recall where they had found it. "I think it may be over in that direction." She pointed vaguely to the left, hoping she was right. The teetering stacks of assorted junk and the cast-offs of several centuries looked much the same as she recalled, not that she'd been able to take in a lot of details during that time.
"What is this room?" Severus asked, almost to himself. He started off in the direction she had indicated, lighting the tip of his wand to see better.
"The Room of Requirement. If you go past that wall three times and focus on what kind of room you need, the Castle will prepare it for you. This is probably where everyone's lost, forgotten or hidden items have ended up for centuries."
While they went deeper into the room she told him about their adventures in the Room with Dumbledore's Army, how the room had provided them with training dummies and anything else they needed, but also how they were discovered by Malfoy's gang later, having missed asking the room not to let others in.
She was inspecting a nearby shelf but only found an old Potions kit and some broken vials.
"Is this it?" Severus interrupted, pointing at a tiara set with diamonds.
Hermione took a look at it but thought it looked to be fake, probably something procured for a school ball at some point in time. "No, the centre stone is supposed to be blue."
Severus grumbled something and ventured deeper into the room. Hermione got distracted by a stack of old books and had to tell herself sternly that her mission was more important.
Some time later Severus called to her again. "Hermione?" He sounded wary.
She made her way over to him and gasped when she saw what he was pointing to, up on a high shelf. The diadem glittered in the light from his wand, shadows flickering over the surface of it as if it was engulfed in smoke. "Yes, that's it, Severus. Don't touch it!"
"Wasn't planning to."
He Levitated the diadem closer and she hurriedly snatched a small box full of Herbology tools from a nearby shelf, upending it to make room for the diadem. Severus carefully lowered it into the box, and she closed the lid with a snap. He took the box from her, holding it cautiously at arm's length, and started to move back towards the door.
She pulled the cloak over herself again and Disillusioned Severus before they exited, but Regulus still wasn't there. The map showed that he appeared to be in the Fluffy corridor still, cornered by Peeves, Mrs Norris and Professor McGonagall. "Shit, Severus, look!" She felt him lean close even if she couldn't see him.
"Let's go."
They headed downstairs. Hogwarts still appeared to be almost completely deserted, with only a few stray Ravenclaws heading up the stairs to their dorms and a few portrait inhabitants having a picnic in one of the landscape scenes. On the fifth floor Hermione spotted someone coming up the stairs, and quickly made up her mind. She ducked behind a pillar and pulled off her cloak, stuffing it in her bag.
"Oh, Miss Granger!" Professor Sprout said, her eyebrows raised in a way that made her eyes look huge. "I didn't see you coming down. Dilys said something about you needing help on the seventh floor?"
"No, I mean yes but not there. We need to rescue Regulus Black from Professor McGonagall, they're on the third floor just off the Charms corridor."
Professor Sprout started frowning. "Regulus Black? He's one of yours…?"
"Yes, I swear he's helping me. Please, Professor?"
She seemed hesitant but after a moment she patted her pockets and then nodded to herself. "I've said I would trust you, Miss Granger. Let's go. I'll take care of Minerva."
Hermione's stomach felt like lead where she trailed after her Head of House, Severus following quietly behind her. Was all lost now? Would Professor McGonagall drag them up to the Headmaster, bring in the Aurors? They quickly continued towards the third floor, Hermione only slightly ahead of the Professor with Severus trailing behind. At least she hoped he was, but she thought he could take care of himself. Finally they rounded the corner, and saw the Transfiguration Professor standing in front of Regulus who had backed up against the wall while she pointed her wand at him. The Professor looked surprised to see them, and didn't lower her wand.
"There you are, Minerva! I've been looking everywhere for you." Professor Sprout slipped a hand in her pocket and sprinkled some herbs in front of her. She looked calm and relaxed otherwise, smiling at her colleague.
The Transfiguration professor turned towards her. "Pomona. I was alerted by Peeves and Mrs Norris to an intruder, and look what I found. Young Mr Black." She took a few steps closer to the other Professor, as if drawn by something.
"Oh, but they need you down on the Quidditch pitch," Professor Sprout said. "There was a bit of an altercation with Ravenclaw's Chaser Mr Aubrey and the Gryffindor Beater Mr Robins. I was sent to find you by Hooch. I can take care of Mr Black, he was probably here for the game." She raised her hand to her face and blew on it, causing some kind of powder to fly out towards the stern Head of Gryffindor House.
Professor McGonagall's eyes looked unfocused and she swayed a bit where she stood. "Oh, well if you say so… I'm needed on the pitch. Yes. The game. Of course. Thank you, Pomona."
Without looking back, Professor McGonagall left for the stairs. Professor Sprout looked after her and then waved her wand over the herbs and dust she had scattered, Vanishing the evidence. She turned towards Regulus who was standing stock still, trying rather in vain to appear inconspicuous while the Professor looked him over.
"Now then, what to do with you? Let's go to my office. Hermione, who else is with you? I can sense someone behind you."
Hermione didn't know what to say. "Can we… discuss that in your office, please Professor?"
The Hufflepuff matron stared at her for a long moment before nodding, leading the way down the stairs. They trailed after her in silence. Hermione didn't know what to think, of her Professor or the mission. Dread was warring with relief, making her nauseous, an odd taste in her mouth.
Severus dropped the disillusionment as soon as they made it to the Professor's office. "Hello, Professor Sprout."
The Professor had her wand out, pointing straight at him, but then slowly lowered it. "Ah… Severus Snape. I should have guessed when I saw Mr Black. Hermione, are you sure about this?"
Hermione stepped in front of Severus. "I'm very sure, Professor. They are helping me, they're working against him."
"Were you using powdered Forget-Me-Now flowers, Professor?" Severus asked, placing a hand on Hermione's shoulder to step around her. "What was the first herb you scattered?"
To Hermione's relief, Professor Sprout relaxed and moved to sit behind the round table that doubled as desk. "Yes, Forget-Me-Now is very useful, I've found. Leaves less residue than an Obliviation or Confundus. The other? Catnip, of course. I just brewed some insect repellent from it so there was some in my pocket."
"Ah, yes of course," Severus said slowly. "That is very expedient of you, Professor." He pulled out a chair for Hermione and sat down next to her, leaving Regulus to take the chair on her other side. The Professor flicked her wand at the door, making a large Devil's Snare unwind itself to cover the opening, clearly meant to catch anyone who entered without permission.
Hermione turned to the youngest Black. "What happened to you?"
The brown-haired wizard shrugged, scratching the back of his head. "I tried to get around Filch and Mrs Norris but they tracked me to the third floor, and then Peeves showed up and fetched McGonagall."
"Now I want some details," Professor Sprout said sternly, looking at all three of them in turn.
Severus sat in stony silence while Regulus looked at Hermione, clearly waiting for her to take the lead.
"The Dark… You Know Who created some objects which we need to destroy or neutralise in order to defeat him. If we don't, he can come back. I know what they are and where to find some of them, and one is here at Hogwarts. I knew roughly where but I needed some help in finding it, so I brought them here while the Headmaster was out."
She nodded at Severus who put the box on the table and opened the lid to reveal the diadem.
The Professor gasped. "Is that… Rowena's diadem?" Slowly she reached a hand towards it, only to stop when Severus pulled it away.
"Don't touch it," Hermione warned. "This is a Horcrux, Professor. Have you heard of those?"
Professor Sprout frowned and shook her head, so Hermione explained what she knew of them, trying to skim over the details of how she knew so much about such a dark artefact. The Professor appeared less surprised than expected, perhaps, and said she'd heard the word at some point but hadn't known what it was.
"Regulus, did you manage to find a way to neutralise it?"
Regulus pulled out some notes from his pocket and started leafing through them. "I hope so, but for obvious reasons I haven't tested it yet."
"Oh, maybe we shouldn't do it then. Maybe it would be too dangerous." Hermione felt jittery, the butterflies in her stomach big enough to almost make it up her throat. Relief over finding the first Horcrux, admittedly the easiest one, mingled with fear and concern. What if everything failed? What if it worked? What if he found out? What if they were caught by the Headmaster?
"We have to try," Severus said, looking at Hermione intently. "We need to know."
"I just… I'm not sure he won't notice anything."
Regulus frowned, neither of them had apparently thought about that. Hermione wasn't sure it had happened in her past. He had seemed to know about the one at Gringotts but perhaps it was simply due to their slightly botched approach, trying to pose as Bellatrix. It wouldn't have been too far-fetched that someone had contacted them about it. She had discussed it with Harry and Ron after the locket, but there hadn't been any evidence either way although it seemed likely he hadn't noticed.
"Let's take this outside," Professor Sprout said and rose again. "I don't want any evil artefacts blown up in my office, thank you."
The Hufflepuff Head of House led them to a greenhouse, not one used by students but another, smaller one further back. Severus looked interested, bending down to inspect flowers and plants as they walked down the narrow path to the open area at the far end of the building. She gestured for them to gather round a work table that was empty apart from a couple of Venomous Tentaculas which the Professor moved to a different table with a flick of her wand.
Regulus cleared his throat. "We have to give it another host, something living… a rat, maybe? We need to force the… the Horcrux out of the original object, into the new one."
Hermione frowned. "A rat? We could have asked Crooks if you had said so earlier."
"Sorry, I didn't expect we would meet now. I think I have everything else. You don't happen to have any freely given unicorn blood, do you? Oh well, I think it should work anyway."
"It better," Severus snapped. "Menace could have fetched a rat too, although I couldn't vouch for what condition it would be in."
Not even a minute later, the door to the greenhouse opened and Crookshanks sauntered in, with Menace hopping behind him. The half-Kneazle looked proud as only a half-Kneazle could, holding a squirming, if smallish, rat in his mouth. Hermione smiled at the sight of her familiar, and promised both of them they'd get something good for their troubles. The bird cawed at her and hopped up on a nearby vine, clearly intent to see what they were planning with his catch.
Severus put the box on the table and Levitated the tiara out. It shimmered and glittered in the stray rays of sunlight filtered through Professor Sprout's many plants. Regulus pulled out some vials from the bag he carried and asked for a bowl. The Professor pulled one down from the shelves, and Severus moved the tiara into it.
The tiara hummed, buzzing almost like a bumblebee, the faint sound amplified by the metal bowl. Regulus poured the contents of two vials into the bowl. The two potions immediately reacted with the tiara, causing a large puff of smoke to rise up. When it cleared, the tiara looked just the same as before. Regulus pointed his wand at it and cast something Hermione didn't recognise, but the tiara merely hissed as if it was alive.
"What can we do to help?" Hermione hated not feeling useful but didn't have the faintest idea about what to do. She should have researched more, asked Regulus about his progress, done something more. She'd trusted him to figure it out on his own, and he hadn't indicated having any problems with the task, although to be fair she hadn't given him much advance warning when asking them to come to Hogwarts that morning.
"It's not strong enough." Severus started casting what looked like a Curse-Breaking counter-hex at the tiara, but it refused to budge.
The hissing got louder and angrier, almost sounding like voices, and Hermione thought she saw a face in the thickening smoke. It was snarling at her, and pressure was rising behind her eyes, making her whole head feel as if it was about to explode.
"Stop," Professor Sprout commanded. "This clearly isn't working." She too was holding onto her head, clearly equally affected. "Leave this thing with me, I can keep it safe and isolated so that it won't cause any further trouble. I think this is the best option at the moment."
Severus frowned again but nodded slowly, as did Hermione. Regulus' shoulders slumped as he too conceded defeat, and he nodded as well.
"Thank you, Professor," Hermione said.
"Well, after that you certainly have me convinced," Professor Sprout said. "Hermione, let me know how you want to proceed with this. I think it's best if you two gentlemen leave Hogwarts grounds now, Albus will probably be back soon and he'd be able to sense you in the wards."
After another round of thanks and promises to be careful, the two wizards took the route towards Hogsmeade. Hermione watched them leave, hoping they would manage to stay out of trouble although that wasn't very likely.
~oo~oo~oo~oo~
Malfoy Manor
Severus was relieved when he made it back to the workshop from Hogwarts. No one had assaulted him on the way back, but there was still the minor issue of figuring out how to verify if the Dark Lord had sensed anything related to the attempt to neutralise the Horcrux. There was one person he could ask, if he was careful, and thus not long after he strode down the pristine gravel path of Malfoy Manor and asked for the young lord, hoping it wouldn't be a too inopportune time to visit.
The elf nodded sharply and whisked him off, not to Lucius' study as he had assumed but to Narcissa's wing, dumping him in the foyer. There were two bay windows overlooking the grounds with a pale green couch between them. The walls were painted a light yellow with pastel flower vines, both carved and painted, curving around the door jambs, walls and window frames. It was a calm and serene space, quite unlike Lucius' more masculine study or the elaborate showiness of the main floor.
Severus gasped when a shriek shattered the stillness, his wand in hand before he realised what he'd heard. A woman. Narcissa? It appeared to come from his right. He opened the door and peered inside, but there was no one in the sitting room either. Voices could be heard from another door further inside, however. One of them appeared to be Lucius and the other was definitely Narcissa, sobbing. Another voice, a woman, briskly asking the others to calm down and breathe. Dread and a certain realisation welled over him.
"Lucius?" he called, cautiously.
The blond man opened the door opposite the one Severus had entered and looked around, eyes widening when they saw Severus. "I didn't hear you coming. It's time, Severus, Merlin it's happening, I don't know what to do. They're early, five weeks. Gods, Severus. Her mother was supposed to do this, not I, but she has Dragon pox."
Severus wished he was just about anywhere else but where he currently was, but to no avail. "Lucius…"
"Do you have any pain potion? The mediwitch has run out, Narcissa's been at it for twenty hours already," Lucius asked, taking another step closer. He was dishevelled and unshaven, clad in a simple shirt stained with sweat and blood.
Patting his pockets he did manage to produce a couple of vials, some general pain potion, Calming Draught and Blood-Replenishing. He always carried a few vials, for emergencies or general bartering.
"I… I should go," Severus tried. He probably had something to do, somewhere. Potions to tend to, Dark Lords to entertain, anything.
"No! Stay!" Lucius commanded, taking the vials before another wail tore through the room. He looked around, wild-eyed. "Please stay, Severus?"
The mediwitch called for Lucius to come back, but Lucius was still looking at him, waiting for an answer. Severus nodded, reluctantly, and went to sit down on another posh-looking velvet couch while Lucius went back inside.
It was probably no more than an hour or so but it was the longest hour Severus had experienced in a very long time, waiting for something to happen while listening to Narcissa's regular wails and moans. He tried to block the sound with Occlumency, to no avail. There was nothing to read in Narcissa's sitting room, he hadn't brought any research notes aside from Hermione's small notebook, not that he would have been able to focus with the regular interruptions anyway.
Finally Lucius reemerged, looking wild-eyed and grinning madly at the same time. "Come, come in. It's over."
Taking a deep breath Severus rose, reluctantly, and followed his almost-friend inside.
The room wasn't as bad as Severus had expected. Narcissa lay on a bed that had been magically altered with guard rails on both sides. Two bundles of white cloth with pink faces lay in her arms, one on each side. The bed looked freshly made, too, and she was covered with a thin sheet for modesty.
"Congratulations, Madam Malfoy," Severus managed and bowed stiffly. He had no idea what Pure-blood protocol mandated in situations such as these.
The tired witch tried to glare at him. "Severus, it's Narcissa, I told you already. Thank you for coming."
He wanted to protest, to say it wasn't exactly to plan, but there was no point in doing so.
"Severus, we want you to be their Guardian. " Lucius walked over to his wife, perching on the edge of the bed with an arm around his wife and babies.
He froze again. "Lucius… I couldn't…" Guardian was a serious commitment, like Muggle godparents, he assumed, but with a magical twist. "You know I'm not in the right circles."
Narcissa looked serious, her eyes locked on his. "You were the one who helped us, Severus. Without you they wouldn't be here."
"It's either Guardian or we name them after you," Lucius said, only half joking.
"I don't know a thing about children, or babies! And don't saddle them with my name either, both your fathers would kill me!" That was only a slight exaggeration. Both Cygnus Black and Abraxas Malfoy had certain reputations, and not unwarranted. Neither of them took kindly to being insulted, and both were quick to see slights wherever it suited them.
"You see, so Guardian it is," Lucius said as if the matter was closed already.
Severus deflated. It was no use arguing with a Malfoy and a Black. They always got their way, no matter the inconvenience to others.
"What do I need to do?" His voice was reluctant and toneless, but it didn't matter. He had given in to their schemes.
They had him stand in front of the bed and Lucius made him hold one of the babies, with Narcissa coaching them both in how to not drop his head. Severus recited whatever Narcissa told him to, and Draco Lucius Malfoy looked up at him with blue eyes that appeared to see right through him.
"Hand," Lucius commanded.
Without taking his eyes off the baby Severus handed him his free hand, and Lucius made a tiny wound in his palm. Severus wasn't even surprised to realise that blood magic would come into play. It seemed right, with old, powerful magic being linked to things like blood and sweat and tears, far from the polished surface of more modern magic. Something welled up in him, fierce and strong. Yes. He would protect this one, as far as he could.
He placed his bloody palm on the baby's forehead and felt his magic respond, surging out to engulf the boy. As soon as it settled Lucius took the infant from his arms, and handed him the next one. She looked much the same as Draco, perhaps a bit smaller, but the eyes were the same and neither of them had any hair. This time was easier, his magic automatically surged up through his still bloodied palm and he recited the words to bind him to Hydra Drucissa Malfoy unprompted.
Someone took the baby from his arms. He felt drained, as if he'd run ten miles and fought off a dozen Death Eaters afterwards, and only just managed to stagger over to an armchair by the window. Obviously the babies couldn't contribute any magic to the blood bonds so the full power would have come from him, and there were two of them.
There was one other thing, his original reason for coming. Severus had to retrace his steps to work out what he was supposed to ask. So much had happened, it was hard to realise not even a full day had passed since they snuck into Hogwarts. "The Dark Lord isn't here?"
"Thankfully, no," Narcissa said, looking him straight in the eyes. "I think he's with my sister at the moment."
Severus held her gaze and nodded slowly, not quite sure what exactly Narcissa Black Malfoy was trying to tell him. He was bound to them now, indirectly via the babies, and doing something that would jeopardise their lives or status otherwise would be unwise for a multitude of reasons. The bond went both ways, however, so maybe just a little bit of luck would come his way for once, with the Malfoys' backing.
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A/N: Sorry about the delay, life and everything else coming in the way. Still writing but struggling a bit with a few chapters so updates will continue to be a bit slower than I want. Hydra Drucissa Malfoy, poor girl got saddled with quite the name, didn't she? /AA
