Hux was more impressed by Minerva McGonagall than he would ever be willing to admit. Throughout Hermione's (severely limited) explanation the older witch's face did not change, did not betray a single emotion, did not question anything. He got the impression that the older witch would immediately know if Hermione were telling a lie. Then again, to Hermione's credit, she knew how to give just enough information while withholding the most damning tidbits. She admitted Hux and Ren were exiles, convicted of 'war crimes' so heinous that the choice was made to completely kick them out of the galaxy, but Hermione failed to mention exactly what those war crimes were.
"You wish them to stay here," the Headmistress said slowly, a statement rather than a question.
"Yes, ma'am," Hermione nodded. "They don't know anything about our planet, about our way of life, and they are accustomed to a quite different way of doing things. I don't think things would end well if I just let them loose on the Muggles," she added, shooting a look at Ren.
"There is no way the Board of Governors would let this stand if they caught wind of it."
"I'm sure reasonable misinformation would placate them," she replied slowly.
McGonagall looked over her spectacles at the younger witch. "Some days I am reminded of that young girl sitting next to Harry Potter, the one who would twist the rules when it suited her."
Hermione seemed to know it was time to stay quiet and look as contrite as possible. Hux tightened his jaw to hide the smile that threatened to creep across his features. There seemed to be much more to this girl than he had originally thought, and he was suddenly determined to find out as much about Hermione Granger as possible. He glanced at Ren, who couldn't hide the intrigue from his face. Something must be going on that ran so much deeper than even Hux could tell. It was almost worth dealing with Ren to figure out what it was.
"You will make up a convincing story, Miss Granger, and inform me at once," McGonagall finally said.
"Yes, ma'am," Hermione replied, her tone and expression even.
"If I find out this has negatively affected your classes..."
"It won't, ma'am," she interrupted confidently.
She turned quickly to Hux and Ren. "And if either of you cause any problems I will have you out of here before you have a chance to object," she warned them sternly.
"Yes, ma'am," Hux nodded, and was surprised to hear Ren replying in unison.
"You are dismissed," she sighed, leaning back in her chair and waving a hand.
The group quickly filed out of the office and down the spiral steps. As it was night the large castle was eerily quiet, and Hux hoped it stayed that way. Within steps of entering the building they had been accosted by a rather rude little ghost who had annoyed Ren to the point where he had sent a large chunk of stone banister sailing at the poltergeist's face, and it was only Hermione's quick wandwork that stopped the destruction. Hux needed the quiet of the journey through the torch-lit halls to gather his thoughts and continue to suppress the irrational feeling as though he had somewhere to be that Hermione claimed was one of the castle's defenses. He had been humiliated as they approached the school, insisting that it was nothing more than ruins despite both Hermione and Ren insisting that what he saw as a pile of teetering rock structures was, in fact, a large and inhabited castle. As they walked he tried to keep track of where Hermione was leading them, but he knew quickly that it was a pointless task, as the staircases moved behind them and the inhabitants of the paintings followed, trying to figure out who the two new figures were.
"Here," Hermione said, opening a door between two suits of armor. "This is my classroom," she said as they entered the darkened space. Hux and Ren could make out some diagrams on the wall, and several electronic looking devices were laid out on a long table under the windows. "I teach Muggle Studies, which means I teach about the world of people who do not have magic. When I was in school this was an elective course, but since the war Minerva deemed it fit for it to become one of the core classes, so I have a full schedule of students. I will give you a copy of my schedule, and ask that you stay out of this room when I am teaching. I will be giving you private lessons after classes and on weekends, especially you, Mr. Hux, since that will be how you live once you have left Hogwarts. I'll be giving you," she nodded to Ren, "additional instruction in our magical ways. I would like to see what of your abilities are compatible with our magic. Come along," she finished without warning, crossing the room and opening a door. "This is my office, I don't get many students visiting, but if I do I'll be in here. Mostly I just use it to mark papers and plan lessons. Through here, please," she motioned toward another door, but she did not open it. Instead she grabbed Ren's hand and pressed it to the brick beside the handle and touched her wand next to his fingers.
"What are you doing?" Ren demanded.
"Making it so you can enter my living quarters without needing me to escort you," she replied, dropping his hand and motioning for Hux's so she could repeat the actions with him. When she was finished she stepped back, and the brick seemed to melt into the floor, revealing the rooms beyond.
"I see Minerva has already made the adjustments in here," she muttered, looking into a room to the left where two four-poster beds were being made up by short creatures wearing what appeared to be tea towels with the school crest on them. Hux frowned as he realized that he would be sharing a room with Ren, and looked over to see that Ren didn't appear thrilled by the arrangement either. Neither one said anything as Hermione continued her quick tour.
"This is the sitting area," she motioned around the room they were in, where three walls were covered with books, the fourth holding a large fireplace with a couch and several chairs surrounding it. "Through the door," she pointed, "is a small kitchen area. If you want to do cooking you're going to have to let me know, I only have enough to make myself and a couple guests some tea. That way," she pointed to the right, "is my living quarters. If you go through either side to the back there is a bathroom, which is probably connected to your room by now. The house elves are very helpful, but don't respond well to rude behavior. As they're the ones who provide most meals and can help get you almost anything you need I advise you treat them well. Marvi is in charge of teacher's quarters..."
"Did Professor Granger call Marvi?" one of the house-elves scurried through the door.
"It is actually good that you came, I believe Mr. Hux and Mr. Ren will be needing some clothes, both for day and night. Could you please rummage some night clothes up for tonight and we can get the other clothes tomorrow when the shops open?"
"Yes, Professor," the elf bowed low before she disappeared.
"Be careful what you say to them," Hermione warned softly. "For the longest time they were required to hurt themselves if they did something that wouldn't please their masters or if they didn't follow orders, and many of the elves, including Marvi, came to Hogwarts from very... strict homes. If they think you are displeased they will still try to hurt themselves, and I am trying to avoid that. Marvi was freed after the war, all the house elves working at Hogwarts are free, but avoid directly giving them clothes. It's still a great insult to them. You can request they bring you garments, and they do the laundry if you leave it for them, but handing them an item will not end well."
Hux raised an eyebrow and Ren let off a small huff. A moment later Marvi returned, a stack of pajamas in almost every color teetering in her arms. Hermione lunged forward, grabbing the tower before it could fall.
"Thank you, Marvi," she nodded. "We've all had a long day today, so I think we're going to go to bed now. Could you bring breakfast in here tomorrow? I want to give them a tour of the grounds before I go marching them through a room filled with students."
"Yes, Professor Granger," the elf bent low, and with several loud cracks the house elves left.
"Unless there's something you would like to ask me, I think it's been a long day for all of us. I know we have a lot to talk about, but I think it's best saved for a time when our heads are a little clearer."
"I think that is a good idea," Hux nodded.
"I'll see you in the morning, then," she replied, stifling a yawn and handing the stack to Hux.
Hux and Ren went towards their room, but were quickly stopped in their tracks by a growling lump of ginger fur. Ren raised a hand defensively, but was cut off by Hermione's sharp call of "Crookshanks!" behind them. The ginger creature stalked past with a glare that reminded Hux greatly of Ren before bounding across the room and into Hermione's arms.
"He's not one for strangers," she said, tucking the cat in her arms. "Goodnight. Knock if you need anything." She closed the door and a moment later it flashed blue, then white, before returning to its normal state.
"She warded it against us," Ren said when Hux raised an eyebrow.
"I can't say I don't find it an intelligent move," Hux murmured, putting the night clothes atop a set of drawers and reaching for the black set on top, but before his hand could close around them they flew into Ren's outstretched hand.
"Some days I forget you are not a petulant teenager," Hux sighed, pushing past the purple and green sets to extract a navy blue one. He went to the bathroom to change and wash up with a few of the products the house elves had left out for them. When he entered the room again he found Ren already dressed, sitting on the bed closest to the window, holding his helmet and seemingly lost in thought. Hux took his time preparing his bed before sitting on it and looking at Ren.
"What is your assessment of our situation?" he asked softly.
Ren turned the helmet over twice before responding. "By all appearances we're lucky in regards to who found us. I'm not sure how lucky I'll feel in a few days time, but for now, I think we're in a good spot."
"Agreed," Hux nodded. "It is better than prison, though, for now, this castle is a prison in and of itself."
"I'd rather be in this prison than out there trying to discover things on our own," he shot back.
"Agreed," he nodded, then he went to bed without another word.
XXXXXX
The next morning was a blur of activity. The house elves had gone above and beyond, it seemed, because in the morning there was a large stock of clothes in the closets. Many of these were somewhat foreign, robes and cloaks, and Hux was unsurprised to find Ren fashioning some of these into his normal style. Hux found a pair of slacks and a button up shirt that would do, and changed quickly himself. Breakfast was a spread unlike anything he had seen in years, stacks of bacon, sausages, different types of eggs, breads, and fruits... enough food, he thought, to feed a whole battalion. The two men hadn't eaten in nearly a day, and their food for months had been prison quality, so they both ate enthusiastically until they were sure they couldn't eat any more. Hermione returned from breakfast in the Great Hall at that point and said that, since it was Sunday, she didn't have classes, so she could devote the day to giving them a tour. It quickly became apparent to the men that one tour would not be enough to memorize the layout of the large castle, and several times Hermione used passages that shouldn't have even been there. They walked until it was time for a late lunch, and as they were returning to Hermione's quarters they were stopped by a short Professor carrying an armful of scrolls.
"Good afternoon, Professor Granger!" the man smiled jovially.
"Good afternoon, Professor Flitwick," she replied.
"I heard you were going to have some guests for a while."
"I am," she nodded. "This is Armitage Hux and Kylo Ren," she nodded to each. "This is Filius Flitwick, he's the Charms Professor."
"Good to meet you, Sir," Hux nodded.
"What brings you gentlemen to Hogwarts?" Flitwick asked.
Ren and Hux exchanged a look, then looked at Hermione. A look of shock crossed her face, and her mouth worked a couple times before she muttered, "Kylo is... Severus' nephew."
"Oh... I wasn't aware Severus had a nephew. Or any family, if I'm honest."
"Well, it's more of his cousin's child," she explained, sounding only marginally convincing. "They live in America, and Severus doesn't talk much about them."
"Severus never talked much about anything personal," he chuckled.
"One of his more endearing qualities," she smirked. "Kylo was not allowed to finish school, so I agreed to do some intense tutoring as a favor to Severus."
"I see," he nodded, apparently taking the lie as the truth. "And you, Mr. Hux?"
Another awkward pause. Hermione waited until a group of students passed before bending low and murmuring, "His lover. He wouldn't leave him, it's not exactly safe under current circumstances."
Hux glanced at Ren, then involuntarily moved away when he saw rage behind his eyes. Flitwick, however, nodded knowingly.
"If there is anything you need, Miss Granger, please come to me. I will happily help teach Mr. Ren if you need assistance."
"I will, Professor, thank you," she smiled.
"I will see you at dinner," he nodded again before leaving.
Hermione seemed to know Ren was about to blow his top, and quickly turned and rushed back to her quarters to keep the conversation private.
"His lover?" Ren shouted, advancing on her.
"I'm sorry," she murmured, though she didn't retreat away from him. "I panicked. It's the only thing that popped into my mind."
"The only thing you could possibly think of is that he and I are..." he stopped short, and Hux took a step back as several objects in the room started trembling.
"It's not as though I'm asking you to play the part!" she shouted back. "I have it on good authority that no Snape in history has ever shown affection in public, and you'll have to trust me when I tell you that around here being gay is probably more preferred than being related to Severus. That's the bit that's going to get around the school... I should probably warn Severus..."
"What did you mean by 'current circumstances'?" Hux interrupted, hoping to stop Ren before he either destroyed the room or hurt Hermione.
"There are still enough people out there who think that magical persons should not mingle with Muggles that it's ill-advised to leave a Muggle lover or relation without some form of protection. I don't think many would leave them alone for an extended period in a different country."
Hux's eyebrow raised and Ren stopped dead as he digested that information.
"Come on, I have something to show you," Hermione motioned for Ren to follow her. Hux hesitated a moment, then followed them out of the castle and across the grounds. Hermione entered the woods on a small path and carefully followed it as it wound into older, thicker trees. Suddenly they came to a clearing, not a large one, but there was an open space without trees. Hermione waved her wand and several mannequins appeared around the area, each 'armed' with a wand an a wooden sword.
"If you're going to get upset, do it here," Hermione said by way of introducing the space. Her hand plunged into her beaded bag and came up with Ren's saber, which she tossed to him. "They're self-repairing, so you can do what you wish with them. I don't care, but I do not want you to get upset and wreck things in my quarters.
Ren was flipping the saber over in his hands. Without warning her turned it on, gave it a practice swing, then cut two mannequins in half with one long stroke. Their severed top halves barely hit the ground before they bounced back up, affixing themselves to their bottoms again.
"Thank you," he murmured softly.
"You will surrender that when you're in the castle," Hermione said firmly. "If I see you with it I will hex you."
Ren nodded once.
"Stay on the right forks to get back," she said, grabbing Hux by the elbow and marching him back through the woods.
"I thought he could use a little time by himself," she explained when they got out of earshot.
"Agreed," Hux replied with a nod. "Ren was... not kind to whatever room he was in when he was angered. Best give him a place where you don't care what he destroys, because he will do his best to destroy your things."
"At least with magic it isn't costing anyone anything. Are you ready for your first lesson?"
"Right now?" he asked, startled.
"No time like the present. I'm going to have to get a feel about what you might already know, I feel like we're going to feel like a gigantic step back for you."
"I will try to hide my frustration better than Ren."
"You really don't like him, do you?" she raised an eyebrow.
"Ren lacks a strategic mind, and being part of an organization that thrives on structure and planning it is irritating to have someone in a position of power who tends to act, then think. He was over-confident and over-emotional, and neither of those things fit well into how I was trying to run things, but Snoke insisted he have similar command, and therefore he used men and resources irresponsibly. I find that behavior infuriating, though I'm sure we find the feeling mutual."
"He found you too rigid?"
"I did not believe in the Force for much of my life, and therefore I did not put much thought or stock into it or its users. History has shown that relying on the Force or Force users makes things unpredictable. Ren has always had a need to prove himself powerful, and did so by being intimidating, and I was careful to limit how much I let that affect me. Ren would have preferred me cowering every time he entered the room and unable to challenge his instructions, and I refused to do so."
"So, essentially you two had a power play going on, and you dislike each other for it?"
A half-smile crossed his lips. "That would be the simplified version, it seems."
"I guess when I'm done with you two you can go your separate ways. The planet is pretty big, it wouldn't take much to avoid each other for the rest of your lives."
He scowled, but quickly said, "It is nice to have something like that to look forward to. So, about these lessons?"