AN: Thank you for the support! It is very deeply appreciated!
"Are you certain I cannot go down and monitor Hermione's progress?" Severus rapped his finger on the armrest of the couch.
"I am certain she can handle lunch with her best friend without you," Dismas sat next to him.
"Under most circumstances I would agree, but after the fight Potter and her had I think she needs moral support."
"You are more than free to give her moral support this evening."
"She needs me beside her, if only to monitor the situation."
"I'm sorry," Dismas' glow was bright. "But it's Sirius' job to monitor situations, not yours."
"I know, and under most circumstances he is a decent enough spy…"
"Did you just admit he was decent?" Dismas gave him a sly grin.
"I suppose I did," Severus' frown deepened.
"I never thought I'd hear you give Sirius credit for anything."
"That should tell you how dire the situation actually is. If I am complimenting Sirius, something is amiss."
"You've said you are worried about Potter, but I am still unsure as to why."
"Potter has something planned this afternoon, and I doubt it's any good."
"Do you believe he would hurt Hermione?"
"Not intentionally," Severus replied. "But he could still hurt her, meaning he must be stopped."
"Even the best of friends will hurt each other," Dismas replied. "There is nothing you can do to prevent that."
"This is different though."
"How?"
"To begin with, he believes she is crazy."
"Why?"
"Because she admitted she talks to me. Upon hearing that he was," Severus twisted his lips. "Less than willing to believe her."
"I see." Dismas' glow lessened.
"She needs support from me," Severus continued. "Whatever Potter has planned needs to be dealt with by me since I am the one who put her in this situation."
"What exactly do you plan to do?"
"I could find a way to move objects if Potter questions her again. Right now he thinks she's crazy because I only appear to her. I could prove my existence if I could be out in public."
"Have you tried proving your existence to Potter by being in the same room as him and moving objects?"
"Yes."
"I take it that it didn't work."
"Sadly, no." Severus' glow was a slight blue.
The Good Thief hummed.
"But that doesn't matter," Severus' glow returned to its usual hue. "You need to allow me to help Hermione somehow, to prove to Potter once and for all that she is not crazy."
"If he didn't believe you when you were in her home, what makes you think he will believe that you are out in public?
"I don't know. Perhaps I could do something more grandiose than picking up a pillow."
"Like picking up an entire couch?"
"If one was nearby, I would," Severus answered.
"It would also prove beyond a doubt that spirits exist, which would interfere with the natural order," Dismas replied.
"What natural order?"
"Spirits and mortals are meant to be separate. It's been that way since creation, and so far it has served us well since our division encourages free will and true belief."
"Isn't this whole program already interfering with the natural order?" Severus argued. "Hermione knows I am real, and we communicate. She has plenty of free will, and she uses it effectively. Why can I not display myself to others outside of her house?"
"What you do is on a small scale, and does not significantly affect anyone's free will other than the person you are meant to help."
"I sense a but."
"A dramatic proof of your existence would cause chaos, and would cause people to act in ways they normally wouldn't. Harry must believe in you because he is open to you, not because you've proven yourself beyond a shadow of a doubt."
"I don't want to posses Potter, only prove my existence to him."
"If you do as you propose you will not only prove your existence to him, but to others as well," Dismas warned. "People other than Potter could see your sign. They may draw their own conclusions, some of which you may not like."
"Potter mentioned Hermione's magic misfiring," Severus mused.
"Others could reach the same conclusion. They could believe she has a serious medical condition or is having an extreme mental breakdown. Where would you two be then?"
Severus slumped.
"I know this is hard," Dismas gave him a soft smile. "But you need to let things play out and trust Sirius to give you an accurate report of what occurred. Then, you can strategize what to do next with him and Hermione."
"What if Potter does something I can't undo?"
"Then you, Sirius, and Hermione will find a way to deal with it."
"How certain are you of that?"
"As certain as I am of the program working as intended."
Severus nodded, praying to whoever would listen that Dismas was correct.
A psychiatrist's office.
Sirius' glow was as white as Hermione's face. What was his godson thinking? It was one thing to doubt Hermione, but to imply she was mad?
Hermione's eyes were wide and focused on the bronze placard beside the cherrywood door. No matter how many times she read the letters, they were not the name of a trendy restaurant, but something much different.
Dr. Lum: Doctor of Psychiatry.
Her mouth was slightly open, as if every word formed in her mind dared not reach her tongue. Beside her, Harry had a hand on her shoulder. He bowed his head and shifted his eyes.
"I-I don't understand," Hermione's voice was barley above a whisper. "Why am I here?"
"You know why you're here."
Her mouth opened more.
"Dr. Lum is a good doctor," Harry's voice was soft. "She'll take good care of you."
Hermione turned to him. "How much did you tell her?"
He didn't look up.
"How much did you tell her?" Hermione raised her voice.
"She knows about Severus."
"What?"
Harry flinched from the volume of her voice.
"You had no right! You had no right to tell anyone this."
"I'm trying to act in your best interest."
"You can shove your good intention. I'm not doing this…"
He grabbed her before she could escape. Then his eyes met hers.
"You think I'm mad, don't you?" She snapped. "You think I've gone crazy!"
Sirius' glow had an arrhythmic pulse.
"I think you're under an enormous amount of stress right now, and you're having difficulty in handling it." Harry's tone was even.
"I'm doing just fine," she argued.
"Then why are you talking to dead people?"
"Because he's with me in a spiritual form. I see him, hear him, and touch him in a way nobody else can!"
Harry sighed.
"Why can't you see the truth?" Her voice cracked.
Sirius was relieved that the waiting room was empty aside from two lavender padded chairs. The echo of Hermione's voice was deafening even to a spirit.
If Sirius was honest with himself, the room made him uneasy. It was too much like parts of his childhood home. It was smaller than most of the closets of Twelve Grimmauld Place, and the yellow wallpaper was just as faded.
"I'm not crazy!" Hermione's voice echoed throughout the room. "I'm not crazy!"
"There's nothing wrong with admitting you need help…"
"No, I don't need help! I need you to believe me! I need Severus! I need," her eyes lit up. "Cooking."
"Cooking?" He cocked his head.
"Yes, cooking." She clasped her hands together. "I can cook now. You know I couldn't cook before, but I can cook now. You also know someone was teaching me how to cook."
He swallowed.
"It was Severus. Severus was teaching me to cook. He still is. The fact that I can cook now is reason enough for you to believe me."
He blinked.
"Hermione." A woman poked her head into the room.
"You know I'm not crazy. Deep down inside you know I'm not mad."
He shook his head slowly.
"Tell her I'm not crazy."
It was clear from his expression that Harry would do no such thing.
"Please." Tears were forming in her eyes. "Please believe me."
Yes, Sirius sent out as much affection as he could, hoping against hope he could get his message across. Believe her.
"Hermione Granger?" The voice asked again.
She looked at him and shook.
"You need to speak with someone," He took her hand and led her towards the women.
"No! No, I don't!" Tears were streaming down her face.
He pushed her through the door. Sirius ran through it just before it shut.
How can I possibly get Hermione out of this?