Friday night, early May
East of England
"Pull back!" Yaxley shouted and shot a nasty hex at an Auror, who dodged in the last moment.
They were out again on another raid, but things were not going well. Severus had been Summoned to a dark clearing somewhere in what may have been Cambridgeshire, and they'd been dispatched to burn down the houses of two wizards with well-known antipathies towards the Dark Lord. Apparently the stakes were being raised in the conflict, escalating to murder and arson. Severus had to pull his Occlumency shields up high, hiding his unease deep in the calm waters along with anything to do with Hermione. He'd broken through the wards on the first house, trying to find a line between being seen to be useful and not actually hurting people, but worried he hadn't done enough when the rest of the crowd broke through the door, beelining for the two daughters of the family who immediately started shrieking. The Dark Mark had lit up the sky with its eerie green light, cast by Jugson. Severus had backed away into the alley, fading into the shadows to try to work out a plan, and just then the Aurors swarmed the road, Apparating in from parts unknown. He felt them pull up a large Anti-Apparition field around the area, stopping everyone from trying to leave.
Cursing to himself he cast a non-verbal Disillusionment and Notice-Me-Not charm. He seemed to be relatively safe where he was. The Aurors were focused on the two houses and quickly moved inside the first, causing Yaxley to run out and order the retreat.
Severus saw his chance and refused to think about the consequences. With a quick flick of his wand Yaxley stumbled and fell. The Aurors were upon him immediately, hexing the wizard a couple of times while he was down before Stupefying him. Two of the others were also caught, one of them bleeding pretty badly.
He pulled back further to see where the rest had gone. Jugson was by the other house. Making another hasty decision he started running that way, half crouched and hidden behind cars and whatever he could find for as long as possible. Taking a detour via the gardens of the adjacent houses he entered the house and quickly surveyed the situation.
Three Death Eaters were there, one holding the wizard under an Incarcerous charm while another was forcing a witch down on her knees and unbuttoning his trousers, clearly intent on getting some personal satisfaction from the situation. Jugson was standing in front of the wizard, probably preparing to get him to confess to some imaginary crime, waving some papers at the man. He turned around and frowned when he heard Severus entering.
"Aurors are coming, you'd better get out."
"You sure?" Jugson asked.
"They caught Yaxley," Severus said with a shrug. "Suit yourself. I'm out of here."
The two junior Death Eaters dropped their victims and scampered through the front door, quickly followed by Jugson. Severus Stunned the two captives, released their bindings and moved them out to the garden before setting their house ablaze, pocketing the papers Jugson had brandished before he left, vaulting over the back garden wall onto the pathway that ran between the gardens and the river bank just as the Aurors yelled for everyone to put their wands down and give up. He didn't, though, instead he crouched low and ran along the path, keeping to the shadows, sending a grateful thought to his older self who had told him to take up running. A few minutes later, hoping he was out of the Anti-Apparition field, he focused hard and Disapparated to a random alley in Birmingham and then again to a park in Leeds.
The coast was clear. He sank down against a tree, pulling off his mask and casting another Disillusionment charm over himself just in case. Something was vibrating in his chest, was it his heart? He must have used enough adrenaline to power a whole Quidditch team. Putting a hand over his chest he realised it was the enchanted notepad that was vibrating. To his surprise, it contained several new lines from Hermione. He hadn't felt it before, it must have happened while he was preparing for the raid. Severus — be careful, Aurors know about the raid. Well, that was a bit too late to be useful. At least he'd made it out in one piece.
With a shudder he rose again, preparing for another Apparition.
~oo~oo~oo~oo~
Somehow he was more nervous when Apparating back to the Dark Lord than he had been during the raid. He had carefully adjusted his memories, making it look like he tripped up one of the Aurors instead of Yaxley, and hiding the fact that he'd helped some of the Muggles. Not that it was enough. The shrieks of one of the younger girls still haunted him. They had met up at Rowle House before the raid, so that was where he returned.
The Dark Lord was standing by the fireplace, surrounded by approximately half of those who had been sent on the raid, some sprawled out on the chairs and others leaning against the walls in the main sitting room. Some of them looked quite a bit worse for wear. An elf brought in Firewhisky for them, but Severus declined the offered glass. He spotted Jugson and Mulciber, but Yaxley was still missing. The Dark Lord was silent but the tension in the room was almost palpable.
He approached the fireplace slowly, the Dark Lord gesturing at him to come closer.
Severus bowed low in greeting. "We were betrayed, my Lord. The Aurors arrived just as we were getting started. They must have had word about it, there were too many of them and they knew exactly where to go. They got Yaxley."
"Betrayed, you say?" The older man traced the bridge of his nose with a finger.
Severus nodded. "It is the most plausible explanation, my Lord." He kept his mind as blank as he could, not thinking of Hermione and how she could have known about the raid beforehand, letting the rhythm of his breathing and the crackling of the fire fill his mind.
The Dark Lord stepped up to Severus and held him firmly by the cheek, staring into his eyes. Severus braced himself for the onslaught. The Dark Lord watched the raid, skimming most of the details luckily. Once again he saw the Aurors approach, the Dark Mark, him warning Jugson and setting the Muggle house on fire, but he'd managed to hide the fact that he had rescued the Muggles.
Very carefully he let other filtered memories bubble up, of the Marauders in school. Pettigrew laughing with Potter and Black, Pettigrew looking adoringly at the others as they tormented Severus, Pettigrew trying to help them in class.
"I see," the Dark Lord said slowly, leaving his mind while maintaining eye contact. "You have no proof, Severus. I'll be watching you."
With a nod and another bow, Severus slunk off into another corner, waiting to see who else would make it back, watching the others who were watching him in turn.
The night dragged on. The Dark Lord and his most loyal crew got more and more tense as the magnitude of their loss became apparent. Yaxley was the only one of importance, and in addition five junior Death Eaters had been caught by the Aurors. He sighed in relief when he was allowed to leave in the end, both for getting out of the Pure-blood mansion and for having escaped without getting hurt by either Aurors or his brethren.
~oo~oo~oo~oo~
Friday evening, mid-May
The Workshop
The huge Malfoy owl hooted at him, sounding terribly impatient. It was nearly midnight and he was tending to his Master's potions while trying to read about cursed wounds. He had a lot to do, too many tasks and too little time, and his attention was split between work, his own research and thoughts of Hermione. The wounds on her arm and neck still worried him. He was running out of time, and ideas.
Casting a stasis on the potion he reached for the bird's note, careful to mind its talons as he'd noticed previously that Malfoy birds didn't care much about what they gripped, apparently assuming the world was theirs to command much like their masters. He tossed it an owl treat which it accepted with what was suspiciously like a disdainful sniff. Menace flew closer, cawing at the bigger bird until it took off on silent wings.
The note was from Lucius and merely instructed Severus to call upon him as soon as possible. With as sigh and a look at his research he rose, heading for the fireplace. Luckily he knew the password for the Floo, as Master Pyrites had entrusted him with it so that Severus could handle orders and dispatches without his input. He threw in some powder and called for Lucius' private study. A moment later a dishevelled blond head appeared on the other side of the hazy green flames.
"They're not eating, Severus!"
It took him a moment to work out the context. His sometimes friend must be talking about the babies. However, Severus still failed to see why Lucius would contact him.
"Can you do something, a potion? They're losing weight, Narcissa doesn't get to sleep at all and doesn't seem to have enough milk for them."
Bloody Malfoys and their bloody problems, Severus thought grumpily. He'd been in the middle of an elusive train of thought and now it had popped like a soap bubble. They always made their problems into everyone else's problems, assuming that they had the right to do so.
"Can't the elves do something? I don't know a thing about babies, you know that."
"I trust you more than them," Lucius said quietly. "Plus, you're their Guardian."
That gave him pause. It wasn't very Slytherin to point it out like that, which must mean the situation was more serious than he thought.
"I'll see what I can do," he muttered. "No guarantees, you hear me?"
"Good, see you tomorrow around lunchtime," Lucius called and closed the connection.
Pinching the bridge of his nose he tried to think. Hermione… he needed Hermione, not that he had any idea if she could actually help. Looking around he saw Menace perched on the back of a chair, looking inordinately proud at having chased off the Malfoy owl. The bird clearly needed something to do, and he needed to think. The notebook wouldn't suffice at this point, there was no guarantee she would look at it in time.
"Menace, are you up for some flying?"
He had to admit defeat after Menace left, no longer able to focus on research. After making sure everything was secured for the night he went to bed, his dreams filled with tiny babies laughing at him while wielding cursed knives.
~oo~oo~oo~oo~
Late May, Saturday morning
Hogwarts
Menace found her in the Great Hall during breakfast, cawing at her impatiently and stealing her bacon while she read the message from Severus. It confused her, but she had agreed and sent the bird back with a reply, wondering why he sent the bird and not just a message in the notebooks. Of course, using Menace made it certain that she'd get the message, as they hadn't discussed setting up a schedule for notebook conversations.
They met up in Hogsmeade where half the school was already running rampant in the bright late May sunshine. It felt strange to be back in the season she had left in her own timeline, having missed all of summer when she arrived in September. She didn't keep track of the Hogsmeade weekends for the younger students, but it was obvious when they happened and the Castle emptied out, giving her ample space in the library. Hermione had cast a Notice-Me-Not charm on herself and wandered over to the potions shop where Severus waited, also with a strong Notice-Me-Not charm. They made their way out of the village, cautious to avoid any onlookers. He hadn't said what he wanted, but she didn't ask, content to walk by his side. It felt almost normal, as if they weren't secretly trying to bring down any Dark Lords, Death Eaters or Horcruxes.
"Hermione?"
"Yes?" She looked up, he sounded uncertain, almost embarrassed. They were alone on the road, headed for the train station since Hogsmeade didn't offer that many alternatives for a walk.
"Do you know anything about babies…?" Severus asked, hiding behind his long hair, only the nose sticking out as he was staring at the ground.
"What… is it… did you…?" It wasn't what she expected him to say, far from it. Had he made someone pregnant? She was starting to feel dizzy, nauseous almost, and wondered if it was something she'd eaten.
"No, not for me!" He stared at her, obviously shocked at the insinuation. "No, it's for a… friend. They had twins and now they have trouble feeding them."
"Twins?" Hermione frowned, the only magical twin couple she knew of in the right sort of age range were the Patils, and they weren't likely to be friends with Severus. Fred and George Weasley were clearly old enough to feed themselves at this point. She shuddered at the thought of the Weasley twins, trying to keep those two alive would be enough to make anyone white-haired from stress. "Who is it?"
Severus grimaced. "Not important. Do you?"
She bit her lip, thinking. Must be a Death Eater couple, then. "I don't know much about babies but heard a thing or two from my aunt who had a baby when I was about twelve," she said. "But you have to tell me who it is. What's the problem?"
He sighed and raked a hand through his hair. "Fine. The Malfoys. They had twins three weeks ago and have trouble feeding them. A boy and a girl, but the girl isn't growing. I don't know a thing about babies but Lucius asked me, and when a Malfoy asks you, it's to make their problem your problem."
Hermione gasped. "Draco had a sister? I never knew… Can't the Healers do something, then? Or St Mungo's?"
Severus glowered at her, folding his arms in front of him. "Yes, for now he has a sister. Hydra. The Healers don't have any method for Narcissa to produce more milk. Apparently it is common in Pure-blood families to have issues with feeding babies. I wouldn't know."
Hermione frowned, feeling rather confused. "Don't they have formula in the Wizarding world? Or some kind of potion?" That much she knew, at least, that Muggle babies could be raised on formula, whatever that was exactly. Her aunt had needed to use it for her baby and Hermione had even fed the little girl once, feeling terribly nervous the whole time over dropping her. "And why did they have to call her Hydra? Poor thing."
"No idea," Severus said curtly.
Memories of the Malfoys came back to her again. She had never interacted much with them, aside from her involuntary stay at Malfoy Manor. She'd only seen Narcissa during the Final Battle, when she apparently had lied to the Dark Lord and then slunk off with her son and husband as soon as possible afterwards. Lucius she'd met at the bookshop for the Gilderoy Lockhart spectacle, when he slipped the diary into the cauldron. The diary… that was another thing they needed to sort out. Maybe they could make a bargain? Of course he'd also been at the Ministry, appearing every part the loyal Death Eater, leading the others into trying to capture six teenagers without caring about who they hurt.
"Severus… what do you think of them? Are they devoted to him at this point?" she said slowly. Would it be possible to reach them, to get them to switch sides? And could she really work with Lucius Malfoy, if so?
Severus was tracing his lip with a finger as he thought, and Hermione couldn't help but to follow it with her eyes. It was highly distracting.
"I don't think so," he said finally, meeting her gaze. "Lucius doesn't have much of a choice, his father decided that he would take the Dark Mark as soon as he left Hogwarts. Once you're in it's not like you have the choice to leave, so he's trying to make the best of it. Lucius is expecting me at the Manor in half an hour, with a solution. Will you go with me?"
"To the Manor?" she said faintly. "Severus… I'm really not sure I can go back there." Although she hadn't reabsorbed the memories, they still hurt. They had left a vague imprint behind, and she still flinched sometimes when someone sneaked up behind her. Her body remembered, even if her mind didn't.
"I think, if we could help them…" He drifted off, raking a hand through his hair. "If you convince Narcissa, Lucius will follow. But if you can't… I understand. I wouldn't leave you alone with them."
"Promise?"
He had gotten closer while she wasn't looking, and as she turned he was close enough for her to reach a hand out to his chest, to trace the buttons of his robes or lay a hand up by his jaw. She didn't, but it took some effort to still her hand. He swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down, and she had to fight down the urge to kiss him. His dark, dark eyes found hers and she felt on fire.
"I promise not to leave you, Hermione," he said, his voice sounding more gravelly than usual for some reason.
She closed her eyes and inhaled, catching his scent. He probably only meant to Malfoy Manor but it sounded like more. Still reluctant, still with her eyes closed, she nodded.
A squeak escaped her throat when he grabbed hold of her upper arm and pulled her into an Apparition. They landed on a country road outside elaborate gates that appeared to lead to a park.
"Severus! We have to prepare, you can't just drag me here! That's Malfoy Manor?"
He nodded, looking slightly sheepish.
Glaring at him she took his hand and pulled him into another Apparition. They ended up in a dark alley near Spinner's End, and Severus looked at her with a frown. "I need Muggle money," she explained and went inside. After fetching some pounds from her room, she took him Side-Along to a Muggle district where she knew the stores. After finishing her errands she took a deep breath. "Okay. I'm ready. I hope."
He put her hand in the crook of his arm and once again pulled her into the suction of Apparition.
~oo~oo~oo~oo~
They were shown to a small parlour in a wing of the Manor by a house-elf, not entering the main building where according to Severus, Lord Abraxas Malfoy ruled. It had been a relief to bypass the main levels, and obviously the dungeons, but Hermione had held on tight to Severus' arm the whole way. He'd accepted it, only wincing once when she accidentally pinched him, and had put his own hand over hers where it lay in the crook of his arm. She didn't let go of him in the room either, only noticing enough of her surroundings to figure out they weren't in the drawing room where Bella… Bellatrix had…
"Breathe," he muttered to her.
She nodded and was just about to do so when the doors opened.
Mr and Mrs Malfoy entered the room, arm in arm. Hermione's first thought was how young they looked. Not much older than her. Her second thought was that Narcissa Malfoy looked like an absolute wreck, despite a layer of charms and fine clothes. Her hair was frizzy, her skin looked ashen, with noticeable rings under her eyes. She also couldn't help but to think that Mrs Malfoy must have done it on purpose, allowing herself be seen like that.
Severus cleared his throat. "Lucius, Narcissa, this is Hermione Granger who has agreed to try to help you. Hermione, please meet Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy."
Hermione nodded faintly while Lucius shot her a half-sincere smile. To her relief, they didn't insist on hand holding or cheek kissing. Pure-blood protocols still confused her, there were probably lots of hidden messages attached to all those seemingly innocuous actions. She tried to at least appear relaxed, even if she had to tell herself to continue breathing. In, out, not too fast. It wasn't working.
"What a surprise, Severus. I didn't say this was a social gathering, did I?"
"I brought her to help you."
Severus felt tense too but Hermione couldn't help but to feel a surge of anger well up. He hadn't even warned them he was bringing someone else to their home? That was rude in both Muggle and Pure-blood jurisdictions, Hermione was certain. They hadn't come up with any kind of story about who she was and what she'd brought, either. No, obviously she needed to do this her way. It was time to go Gryffindor on them. If she could relax enough to not throw up on their carpet, at least.
"I'm very pleased to meet you, Hermione. Severus hasn't said a thing about you but clearly you mean a lot to him, if he brings you into his confidence like that." Lucius raised an eyebrow at Severus who glowered back at his supposed friend.
Hermione felt a blush rising but before she had to figure out an answer, Narcissa intervened.
"Lucius, please stop teasing Severus. It is bad form. Hermione, I apologise for my dear husband, he can be a bit rough around the edges sometimes. Please, I trust Severus has told you why we asked him to come? Our babies, they aren't eating."
The babies weren't anywhere to be seen. Hermione took a breath and looked around the room, having managed to relax at least sufficiently to take in her surroundings. The room was bright and airy, with muted pastel colours and flower decorations probably chosen by the witch in front of her.
"I'm not a professional, but I bought some Muggle baby formula and bottles. I don't know much about babies but my aunt had some problems with feeding her baby and they had to use formula. She didn't have any problems after that, my niece was six years old last I saw her."
Severus winced beside her, and Narcissa gasped. "You mean… you have Muggle relatives?"
Hermione straightened and pulled her arm loose from Severus' hold. "Yes. Is that a problem?" She looked straight at Narcissa, disregarding Lucius.
After a long moment Narcissa shook her head. "No. Not if it works."
Lucius looked to be on the verge of exploding but Severus had moved slightly in front of him, as if to shield Hermione if he blew up. Narcissa put a hand on her husband's arm, and Hermione felt a surge of hope.
"I would like an oath from both of you, that you won't harm me or use this information against Severus. I'll give you the things I brought anyway, I have no use for it, but if you want me to try to explain it to you I need that."
Narcissa drew up straight as well, staring down her nose at Hermione. Then she nodded, and turned to her husband. "Lucius, please take Severus out for a moment," she said. "We'll talk, witch to witch."
"No, don't leave the room," Hermione said sharply. "You can move to the far corner there." She gestured towards the other end of the room.
Severus stared at her as if to make sure she was fine, but then nodded and dragged Lucius to the corner by the window. Hermione flicked up a Muffliato, just in case.
"Who are you?" Narcissa asked quietly. "You look terrified to be here, you look at us as if you've seen a ghost, Severus clearly likes you but hasn't said a thing about you before and I never saw you at Hogwarts. Not that he talks anyway." She fell silent and looked at Hermione, and then she sighed again. "I need your help. The babies aren't sleeping, they just cry all the time and I don't have enough milk. I haven't slept more than two hours at a time since last month. I'll make your Oath." The blonde witch pulled out her wand. "On my magic, I vow to keep your secrets, Hermione Granger. I will not move against you, I will not bring you harm, as long as you do not threaten my babies, and I will not knowingly harm Severus Snape."
Hermione felt relief coursing through her, like a hot wave. "Thank you. I'm not going to hurt your children." She had her beaded bag along, despite it not quite matching the dress, and started rooting around in it for the things she'd bought. She pulled out the bottles and the formula and started trying to explain it all, reading the instructions printed on the tub. Magic made it easy enough to mix the powder using Aguamenti and a carefully applied heating charm.
Narcissa called for an elf who returned shortly thereafter with the two babies. Draco was asleep but the other baby was wailing, thin reedy cries that made Hermione's teeth stand on edge. Luckily, Narcissa managed to get her to take the bottle quickly, eyes drifting shut as she ate. Lucius walked up to his wife, appearing more concerned than Hermione would have expected from what she'd seen of the cold aristocrat in her own time.
Hermione cancelled the Muffliato and moved back a bit, not feeling very comfortable with seeing her old classmate now as a baby although the girl was almost cute. Severus immediately looked at her, and when she nodded he moved closer. His hand rose towards her and then fell to his side again, almost as if he wanted to reach for her.
"Thanks, that was close," he muttered to her while they watched Lucius, Narcissa and the babies.
She nodded and sidled closer to him, her hand brushing the fabric of his robes. His presence made her calmer, for some reason. His robes smelled of ink, bubbling cauldrons and herbs, an oddly soothing mixture. "Don't ever do something like that again," she told him anyway. He nodded slightly and shifted subtly, letting her move even closer.
The Malfoys were gradually relaxing and somehow that seemed to make the room feel cosier and more inviting. Narcissa finished feeding the girl who promptly burped and fell asleep, and prepared another bottle for Draco on her own. The boy, too, quickly got the hang of it, eyes drifting shut again as he ate.
Lucius disentangled himself from his family and went to stand in front of Hermione, holding out his hand towards her. Hesitantly she placed hers in his, but it still surprised her when he bowed low over her hand and ghosted a kiss over her knuckles. She could feel his warm breath over her skin, and had to breathe deeply to keep herself from snatching her hand away. For some reason she suspected that wouldn't go over well.
"If this works you will have the gratitude of the House of Malfoy," Lucius stated. He stood up straight again, his eyes boring into Hermione's and his expression much colder than his demeanour, clearly emphasising the conditional aspect of that gratitude.
"You've already saved us," Narcissa said, taking a step to stand between Hermione and Lucius.
Hermione nodded with a weak smile, hoping the silent threat in Lucius' gaze would be tempered by his wife. She didn't think she could trust him if something were to happen to the babies. What if they didn't have magic? Well, she'd guess Draco would be fine, all things considered, but the girl was an unknown factor.
"We should leave," Severus said. He'd placed a hand loosely behind her back, as if to show their hosts what side he was on.
After a round of half insincere good-byes and more gratitude from Narcissa, Severus walked with her out to the Apparition point beyond the gates. When they shut behind her it was as if a great weight was lifted off her shoulders.
"Thanks," Severus said again.
"I hope it worked, Severus. I really have to go."
He nodded at her and watched as she spun away, back to Hogsmeade.
~oo~oo~oo~oo~
Professor Dearborn didn't look too pleased, leaning against a lamp post in front of the Three Broomsticks with his arms crossed and a frown furrowing his brow. Hermione's steps faltered as she approached, hoping she wasn't the one he'd been looking for. Her wishes went unheeded when he unfolded his long limbs and waved her closer.
"Miss Granger. Come, the Headmaster wishes to speak to you."
Biting her lower lip she nodded and trudged behind him up to the Castle. Panic was bubbling just underneath the surface but she tried to push it down, recalling the breathing exercises and Occlumency training she had been doing last autumn, inwardly cursing herself for neglecting to practice while at Hogwarts. The walk was longer than ever, trudging after the Professor in the bright late May sunlight while trying to avoid the curious gazes of other students.
The Headmaster looked calm and serene where he sat in his high chair behind the large oak desk, dressed in light green robes with golden trim that brought out the remainder of red in his beard. Several brass contraptions clicked and whirred on the shelves next to him, and not for the first time she wondered what they did. He didn't look up when they entered but continued writing the letter he was working on. Gingerly she took a seat in the chair in front of his desk, while Professor Dearborn remained standing slightly behind the chair. She pulled her Occlumency shields up even tighter, and waited for him to speak. The portraits were all silent, and she couldn't see any of those she counted as friends from where she was seated. Fawkes was absent as well, his perch empty next to the Headmaster's chair.
A long while later, he looked up from his letter and put the quill down. His blue eyes pierced hers, and the perpetual twinkle was missing.
"You have been leaving Hogwarts grounds, Miss Granger. This is a serious offence. We offer our older students freedom but require them to take responsibility for not breaking our rules." The Headmaster looked down on his notes, as if to read from them. "In addition, you were found bringing non-students into the Castle. Two wizards with a known troubled past who have no business here."
There was only one thing she could think of to get her out of this mess.
"Headmaster, I invoke the Pactum Temporis."
The Headmaster looked stunned for a second but then smiled gently. "Oh, dear, I think you don't quite know what that means. Do you really mean to claim you have travelled through time, just to oppose me? I think you are a bit confused, dear."
"Albus —" Professor Dearborn tried to start but the Headmaster silenced him with a raised hand.
She felt him entering her mind then, a gentle whisper. Frantically she pushed everything down behind the shields she had been neglecting to practice, not having a good partner for it at Hogwarts. She could feel him slithering around, trying to find her secrets. He definitely saw something of Severus, and probably Harry too, before she managed to blank everything out in a haze of smoke and then finally use the suctioning force she'd attempted earlier with Severus to pull him out of her mind. He frowned at her, she noticed when she was able to focus on the real world again.
She rose from the chair and wiped her forehead with her sleeve, her heart beating as fast as if she'd run a race. The Headmaster, too, rose from his chair, hands braced on the desk.
"I'm not the enemy here, Headmaster. I'm on Hogwarts' side, against Tom Riddle. I'm trying to stop the insane amounts of bloodshed that's about to happen over the next almost twenty years. I won't let you keep me from doing that. I want to work with you to stop him but I can't allow you free access to my information."
Turning to Professor Dearborn she continued, "Professor, I've enjoyed your teachings but fear something will happen soon that will cause you to go missing, likely dead, I guess due to the Death Eaters. I'm sorry I don't have any details, but please be careful."
Fawkes chose that moment to appear. The brilliantly scarlet bird swooped in through the window and perched on the arm she flung out at the last moment, thinking the bird would crash into her. He settled and cooed in her ear, almost reprovingly, as if to let her know that of course he could manage a landing wherever he pleased.
The Headmaster took a slight step back. "Fawkes…"
The bird trilled a happy tune and rubbed his beak in her hair. Hermione couldn't help but to smile, his song warmed her all the way through. Professor Dearborn smiled as well at the bird, and her by extension.
"Peace," Professor Dumbledore said, holding up his hands. "Fawkes is an excellent judge of character. I will endeavour to help you as long as you don't stand in my way." He nodded at Professor Dearborn and sank down in his elaborate chair again, looking almost as weary as when Hermione had last seen him back in her original timeline.
As if on cue, the bird tightened its grasp on her arm, flapped his great wings and soared out of the closed window, with Hermione in tow. She shrieked in surprise and clung to his feathers even though she was certain the bird wouldn't drop her.
~oo~oo~oo~oo~
The bird deposited her behind the greenhouses, to her immense relief. Her impromptu Phoenix ride had still not cured her of her fear of flying, and once again she vowed to herself to stay on the ground, or possibly use a Muggle aeroplane if she needed to go somewhere in the air. A big one. She snuck back in through the Herbology corridor, hoping the Headmaster would leave her alone. She wondered how he'd found out about Regulus and Severus, thinking it could have been via another portrait perhaps. Professor McGonagall also worried her since the botched attempt at recruiting the Transfiguration professor, but it would have been way too risky to attempt an Obliviate aimed at a teacher.
Phineas called for her later, when she was getting ready for bed. "Miss Granger? When you left he called for Alastor Moody. You recall him I presume? Albus told him to keep an eye out for Severus Snape, that he would be the link to control you. I haven't seen him so angry in a long time."
Hermione sighed. "Thanks for the warning, Headmaster."
-x-x-x-x-x-
A/N: Hi again, I'm still writing, promise! I think I have the next two chapters almost whipped into shape but updates will be a bit slow still. I do have the fic outlined to the end so it's mainly a matter of filling in the gaps and making sure things stay reasonably consistent, but sometimes the words just don't come out right. Stay safe out there!
/AA
