CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Summary: Hermione's secret is discovered by The Order of the Phoenix. Before Harry is rescued, she needs to be first. But from who? With the help of Sirius she learns to put the past behind her, and with the help of two Weasleys, they show her a happy future. But Hermione isn't who she thinks she is, what she discovers will change her life for good. Rated M for a reason.
Disclaimer: All original characters and canon events belong to J.K. Rowling. Non-canon events are my own ideas. I am not making any profit from posting this fanfic.
Page count: 9
Hogwarts - Wednesday 14th February 1996
Weeks flew by for Hermione. Weeks of gawking and staring, whispers and murmurs, of everyone being nice to her and trying to be her friend, but she wasn't fooled. She knew exactly what they wanted from her and so she was polite, civil, but nothing else.
Sirius had begrudgingly left the castle leaving Hermione, much to the displeasure of both of them; Hermione loved having her father around and Sirius had loved being there for her and Harry. But with him gone, she still had Harry and the twins with her.
She had taken to spending more time with Fred and George to escape the crowds of Hogwarts and neither of them minded. When she was with them in the Room of Requirement or their secret library room, she would practice using her abilities and the twins would watch in amazement whilst encouraging her to continue and she would either blush madly or beam in response.
It was now Valentine's Day, February 14th. Whilst other couples were all lovey-dovey and having disgusting public displays of affection or the singles were running around trying to find dates or being grumpy, the twins were currently dragging Hermione through the corridors with her hands clasped in theirs.
"Where are we going?" she finally asked.
"Well, we know you would kill us if we even thought about taking you out somewhere at the weekend and so we thought we'd do something you'd like instead," Fred answered.
"And that is?" she questioned.
"You'll see; we're almost there." George said smirking at her annoyed expression.
She was confused when they dragged her into the library, through the maze of bookcases and to their secret room.
When they entered she saw it looked exactly how it was supposed to, except the table and chairs had been pushed against the wall and the centre of the floor was covered in soft, thick blankets, pillows and cushions, and several books were piled up on the floor.
"We'll spend our time on Valentine's Day doing what you love. Reading."
"You hate reading," she frowned.
They shrugged. "It's not as bad as we thought, you've converted us. Thanks to you we've learned a lot of useful spells and potions that we can use for our products," George spoke. "And as much as we hate to admit it, our grades have improved a little too."
"We thought we'd give you a quiet evening of us doing something together that wouldn't be scrutinized by the public, just you and us," Fred said, his ears turning red at the expression she wore on her face. It was soft and kind, awed and thankful. "We just want you to be comfortable, maybe it's not a traditional Valentine's date, but we're not exactly a conventional relationship and, to be honest, none of us or normal."
"You do realise you'll never be able to top this, right?"
They grinned. "Probably, but we'll try anyway," George spoke.
They pulled her down onto the cushions and blankets and manoeuvred around until they were comfortable.
Fred was lying down on the floor vertically, Hermione laid horizontally with her head propped up against Fred's stomach and George laid vertically with his head propped up against Hermione's stomach. Hermione had her book, Advanced Charms 103, levitating above her so she could read without having to hold the book up, since they were preoccupied. One hand was lifted above her head and her fingers were entwined with Fred's as he read his own book, and the other was running through George's hair as he too read his book.
They all let out content sighs and read in silence. An hour later they swapped positions so that Hermione was holding George's hand and running her other hand through Fred's hair, she chuckled when he sighed.
"Hermione?"
"Yes, George," she spoke, not even bothering to take her eyes off her book which was levitating in front of her face.
"Are you going to tell us about that project you're working on?"
"Not yet."
"Have you completed it?" Fred asked curiously.
"Yes, I've completed it."
"Is it for the D.A?"
"No."
"Will you tell us what it's for?" George asked.
"Not yet."
He huffed.
"Does this project have anything to do with Sirius?" Fred spoke. "We noticed you and him were always sneaking off to the basement during the holidays."
"Yes, Sirius was helping me with my project," she confirmed.
"Now that is intriguing, does Harry know? When will you tell us?"
"No, Harry doesn't know and I'll reveal all to you when you successfully cast a corporeal patronus."
"Why then?" George raised an eyebrow.
"Then I'll know you're ready."
"Ready for what?" they both asked.
"Ready to become a part of the project, Sirius and I will both help you."
"Help us with what?"
"Conjure a patronus and I'll tell you."
They huffed and she smirked.
~000~000~000~
Saturday 24th February 1996
Hermione was leisurely walking down the corridors. It was a Hogsmeade weekend and third years and upwards had all left the castle, leaving it quiet. She took the opportunity to walk around the castle by herself and without being stared at, interrupted or with people trying to befriend her. It was exhausting, now she knew how Harry felt.
She loved walking the corridors and passageways of the castle, she knew the castle better than the back of her hand, but that still didn't stop her from exploring and looking for any rooms that were hidden from the map, after all, there was already the Room of Requirement and her study room in the library, what's to say there couldn't be others?
She turned left on the fourth floor, heading down a corridor that lead to a dead end with a Hogwarts tapestry hanging on the wall and suits of armour stood in front of an alcove.
"I want to talk to you," a familiar voice spoke from behind her, that's when she realised the footsteps falling against the stone floor which she hadn't paid attention to before.
She stopped and turned around.
"I'm sorry," she said with a raised eyebrow.
Malfoy seemed to notice his mistake and paled, quickly back peddling. "I mean, can I please talk to you?" he shuffled on his feet nervously.
She eyed him carefully, there was nothing he could do to harm her, she knew that he was terrified of the consequences -as was the entire castle- after witnessing what'd happened to Pansy for simply opening her mouth, plus, she was magically powerful too, she had a huge advantage over him.
"I suppose so," she said warily.
"I wanted to apologise for the way I've treated you over the years," he muttered.
"You're only saying that because I'm The Blue Mage and your cousin, otherwise you wouldn't be apologising."
"Still, I shouldn't have behaved that way, it's not the way I was raised, particularly when I grabbed you. I didn't think you'd react that way, I've never seen anyone so terrified. Why did you react in such a way, I only grabbed you, you'd think I was trying to kill you?"
She stiffened and he eyed her warily.
"It was as if you'd gone into a trance. You were muttering things, strange things. 'Please don't hurt me, Daddy, I've been a good girl, I promise I haven't broken any rules,'" he repeated her words from the previous month. "Why would you say those things? Why did my cousin adopt you?"
Her breathing pattern changed, quickly it sped up and she felt like she was going to faint, she stumbled back and caught herself on the wall. Malfoy automatically stepped forward on instinct to try and catch her.
"Why did my cousin adopt you?" he repeated. She looked up at him, fear on her face, she had been found out; her secret was no longer safe.
"My older brother, Kevin," she muttered, tears gathering in her eyes.
Malfoy frowned. "I didn't know you had a brother, he's not here, so I assume he's a muggle."
Hermione shook her head. "No, I don't know whether he was a wizard or muggle. He was two years older than me; he died when I was four. He had Leukaemia, it's a muggle illness, and he couldn't be cured and he died at the age of six." He stared at her in shock at the news. "My parents took it hard and they never moved on from his death. They started drinking; they blamed me for Kevin's death, and said that it was my fault. From the age of four they started beating me, punching, kicking, slapping, hitting me with a belt, throwing things at me. If I broke the rules I was punished and they would beat me and starve me," she admitted, tears falling down her face and she slid down the wall whilst he stared horrified.
"When I turned eleven, my biological father Richard, started sexually abusing me. He'd tried to rape me three times but I managed to fight him off, one night during the summer, it was his fourth attempt and Sirius, Remus and Professor Dumbledore found me, Richard was almost successful in raping me, but Sirius kicked my bedroom door down and pulled him off me. The muggle police were called and we gave them our statements, I was taken to the hospital and when I woke up I was safe. Sirius became my legal guardian and he adopted me at Christmas, making me his daughter legally and magically."
She had never seen Malfoy look so ill, not even when he received the howler from his mother.
"Where are your parents now?" he asked quietly, slowly lowering himself down to the floor, sitting down crossed leg but still a few feet away from her.
"In muggle jail, the trial was a week after I'd been found. Richard was sentenced to life in prison and Jean got a shorter sentence, sixteen to twenty years in prison with chance of parole after fourteen years. I'll never see them again and that's the way I want it, I have Sirius now. He's the best father anyone could ask for," she wiped at her tears.
"Why didn't you tell anyone?"
"They wouldn't believe me. My parents were community people, everyone loved them, no one would've believed a word I said. And he would've killed me, Richard killed Crookshanks."
"Crookshanks?" he frowned.
"My familiar."
"That ginger fur ball that attacked everything?"
She nodded sadly. "Crookshanks tried to protect me once, Richard snapped his neck in front of me."
"I understand why you reacted the way you did," he said softly.
"I don't like to be touched, I haven't since my first day here. The only people that I can stand to touch me are Sirius, Remus and now Fred and George, but even with them I have my moments, but it's getting better. When you grabbed me, you reminded me of him, you looked so much like him that I panicked and I was forced into having flashbacks."
"I am so sorry, Hermione."
She looked up from the floor with a stunned look on her face. "You called me Hermione."
"Yeah, I guess I did, we are family I suppose," he muttered with a shrug.
She sighed and tipped her head back against the wall. "Well, you have my biggest secret, you can ruin me now. I know you've been wanting to do that since our first meeting."
"I'm not going to tell anyone." She looked at him with tired eyes. "It's your secret and I understand why it's a secret. I understand why you don't want people to know, I was aware that you seemed to flinch away from touches, but I didn't think anything of it. Who else knows?"
"The entire Weasley family, Sirius and Remus, Harry and Professors McGonagall, Dumbledore and Snape."
"That explains the detention he gave me," he muttered.
"Detention?" she raised an eyebrow.
"For what happened before..." he trailed off. "He locked me in the girl's bathroom on the second floor with Moaning Myrtle," he grouched.
Despite herself, Hermione started giggling, before it turned into a full laugh in which she was holding her sides and gasping for breath.
"That's brilliant!"
"Shut up," he mumbled.
"No, that's the best thing I've ever heard, that's far more traumatising than Umbridge's blood quills," she sobered immediately and a dark look took over her face.
"How do you know about the blood quills?" he questioned in surprise.
"Harry's had to use them more than once in detention, Fred and George came back to the common room a few days ago from detention with her, their scars had been reopened and were red raw and their hands were covered in blood. The old cow is going to get what she deserves," she stated darkly. Malfoy would've sworn he saw the clouds outside darken.
"Snape said you couldn't hurt another witch or wizard."
"No, I can't hurt an innocent witch or wizard. Blue Mages exist to protect the innocent and right the wrongs of others, mainly giving out punishments, but once or twice we have been known to use our powers as punishment in more severe cases."
He gulped. "What are you going to do to her?"
"I haven't decided yet, but if either, Fred, George or Harry comes back from detention bleeding, you better hide under your bed, Malfoy."
"Why?" he said, almost afraid to ask due to the terrifying look on her face.
"My power of Quintessence is the ability to conjure lightning; I'm starting to harness it without needing the emotions of anger or fear, but I'll be feeling so much anger that it wouldn't be safe for anyone to be in the same room as me."
"Run for my life, got it," he nodded.
~000~000~000~
Hermione entered her secret study room in the library. Fred and George were already there and sitting at the table with a few open books littering the table. They had decided to keep the room the way they had it on Valentine's Day, and so blankets and pillows still covered the floor and the table was still against the wall.
"Hey," she greeted quietly. They turned around and beamed at her, their smiles dropped quickly when they noticed her puffy face, red eyes and tear stained cheeks.
"What happened?" they asked quickly, standing up.
She shrugged and kicked her converse off and she removed her cardigan, leaving her in her comfortable jeans and t-shirt. She laid down on top of the blankets on her side and pulled another blanker over herself, snuggling into the warmth it immediately gave her.
The twins shared a worried look and then they kneeled down in front of her.
"Hey, what happened?" Fred asked her softly. "Who are we pranking?"
She smiled slightly. "No one, Malfoy wanted to talk. He apologised for his behaviour towards me over the years."
"Bloody hell, how much of his pride did he have to suck in for that?" George spoke and Hermione giggled.
"He questioned me about that day in the corridor, he heard me and he wouldn't let it go. I told him." They held their breaths. "I told him everything, he looked worse than he did when he received the howler from his mother. He's not going to tell anyone, he promised me. If there's one thing I can't fault him on it's his loyalty. Slytherins are loyal to their own, and since I'm his cousin, that includes me too."
"If you trust him that's your decision, but we're not going to stop pranking him."
"I wouldn't expect you to," she chuckled at George. "It's far too entertaining."
"Well, I can see you're not loyal to your own," Fred teased.
"I'm a Gryffindor, not a Slytherin or Hufflepuff." They laughed at her.
She suddenly sat up and took their hands in hers, their scarred hands that still looked red and her expression darkened.
"She will pay for what she's done to you," she promised.
"It's alright," George shrugged.
"No, it's not, she hurt you both, she broke the law. My magic wants her to be punished. It's my job to protect the innocent and right the wrongs of others, and I promise you she will learn that every action has repercussions."
"We're honestly fine," Fred said gently.
"Tell that to your scar," she glowered. "Fairly soon she will learn that I shouldn't be crossed. She punished you because of me, she's been wanting to put me in detention for months. Now that she knows I'm Lady Black and The Blue Mage, she's scared, as a result she's punishing those that I care for and I will not stand for it."
"You're kind of scary when you want to be," George muttered, her expression softened.
"Sorry," she muttered, before laying back down and getting comfortable.
Fred laid down in front of her, lying on his back and she shuffled closer to him, resting her head on his chest. George moved behind her and offered her his hand, she took it and pulled it over her, resting it against her stomach and he pressed his chest to her back.
"What were you working on?" she asked, sighing in content.
"We're having a bit of trouble with the Skiving Snack box, we can't get the Fever Fudge to last more than a minute and then the effects disappear, defeating the whole purpose," Fred explained.
"You've shown me the ingredients list before, right?"
"Yeah, I think so," George confirmed.
"You use coconut water and pixie wing, correct?" They nodded. "You should substitute pixie wing for fairy wing. They're naturally stronger with a larger amount of magic contained in the wings, even after removal. They're also healthier. You should also substitute the coconut water for honey water, not only will it thicken up the potion allowing it to set quicker, you can separate it easier as well as making the Fever Fudge naturally sweeter and more appetizing without having to add sugar."
"And that is why you are The Brighter Witch," George murmured. "We would've never thought of that."
"Yes, you would've, it just would've taken you another day or so before you figured it out. You two are two of the smartest people I've ever met," she assured him.
"You want to try some more?" Fred asked her gently and changing the subject. She knew what he was asking her and she reluctantly nodded her head.
"Just remember to stay calm and take deep breaths," George reminded her.
Fred removed the arm that was wrapped around her shoulder and he moved it down her back and to the edge of her t-shirt, George removed his hand from hers and moved it down her stomach to the edge of her t-shirt.
They both slipped their hands under her t-shirt and started running their finger tips over her hot and soft skin, George on her stomach and Fred on her back. She immediately stiffened and her eyes slammed shut, her breathing beginning to pick up at an alarming pace.
"It's only us," Fred voice broke through her mental block of everything around her. "It's only us and we're not going to hurt you. Remember to take deep, calming breaths and focus on only us. Don't allow any memories to come to the front of your mind. Forget about them, it's just us and you and you're safe."
She nodded and forced herself to control her breathing, once her breathing slowed she forced herself to relax and she sagged into them both and slowly she opened her eyes to see Fred's bright turquoise eyes staring at her softly.
"You okay?" George asked her.
She nodded. "Yeah, I'm alright."
Hermione settled back down as the twins continued to trace patterns on her stomach and back, never straying any further than that.
"It tingles," Hermione muttered tiredly; she was exhausted, between studying for exams, nightmares, the D.A, learning to control her abilities and homework, she hadn't been sleeping well and it was evident by her lack of energy and the glamoured bruises under her eyes.
"It tingles?" Fred asked her, she nodded. "It doesn't hurt or make you feel scared or upset?"
"No, it feels warm and calming." Those were the last words that left her before her breathing evened out and she fell asleep.
Fred and George shared a smile over their girlfriend sleeping in-between them.
"She looks peaceful," Fred commented quietly and looking at Hermione's relaxed expression.
"Good, any idiot can see she hasn't been sleeping, hopefully she won't have any nightmares whilst she's with us. She should be able to get a decent sleep, curfew's not for another eight hours, we can always call Dobby for food if we miss dinner."
Fred agreed, never once stopping in moving his finger tips over her back and neither did George.