Secrets
Severus stared at the cup of tea that Minerva had pressed on him. His temples throbbed with a tension headache. The day had been quite long and more than trying enough. Thanks to a few drops of Dreamless Sleep, Hermione was asleep in their quarters. But he didn't want her to wake alone.
At last Minerva set the stack of parchments aside and adjusted her square spectacles.
"This very worrying, Severus."
"If that is all you have to say, may I go now?"
"Severus …"
He propped his elbows on his knees and cupped his forehead in his palms. "I am sorry, Minerva. It's been an exhausting day."
"How long has this been going on, Severus?"
"Around Christmas."
The Headmistress took off her glasses and twirled them between her thin fingers. He noticed that even in human form, her nails were rather claw-shaped, though carefully manicured. "I should have noticed the change in your behaviour. All that foolish wand waving all of a sudden." She shook her head. "If I understand correctly, therapy sessions at St. Mungo's once a month will provide temporary relief for Hermione?"
He nodded. "Yes. Chakra stones and acupuncture can be used to release the – magical congestion and draw off excess energy. That will help."
"But it won't be enough." A statement, not a question.
Merlin, he was so tired. "No. It won't be. There are several problems that impact Hermione's case. She is a strong witch. Additionally, an environment like Hogwarts – that is completely saturated with magic – acts as feedback-loop that increases energy levels and accelerates the recharging processes. Last but not least, Mugwort says that a common complication of this kind of therapy is also a habituation effect."
"In other words, she must use her magic again," Minerva stated. "Or she will become a danger to herself, and for others."
Silence cloaked the office, while Minerva stared at the report from St. Mungo's. At last, Minerva looked up. She waited for a moment, until she was sure that she had his complete attention. "Severus, I hate to ask this, but I feel that I have to. You know that I am responsible for the safety of everyone here at Hogwarts."
He raised an eyebrow.
Minerva went on, "If there is no other way, can you ma–"
"Make her?" he spat. "Force her to use her magic? Even though she does not want to?"
"Well," the headmistress said wearily, "you can be very persuasive even where the most stubborn students are–"
"Hermione is not my student. She is my wife.
"I may have harassed and bullied thousands of students during the last twenty years in these hallowed halls. And trust me, you don't want to know how many victims I had to terrorise and torture to keep my cover as a spy intact. But I will not, not now, and not ever, pressure Hermione into something she doesn't want to do."
He jumped up and paced the room. Suddenly he stopped, staring at the strange, still painting that had once shown Albus Dumbledore.
"Minerva, you have no idea what it means to live with such guilt. No matter how extenuating the circumstances. Hermione had to live with the knowledge that she used her magic to kill me and Harry for more than a year. You don't recover from such experiences. Certainly not in six months. I don't expect that of her. And you shouldn't either."
He spun on his heels and left the room.
oooOooo
"Oi, Harry," Ron bounded into the archive and slumped down on the visitor's chair, long legs sprawling. He looked his friend over and shook his head. "You look like shit. Pale shit. You should get out more. Where's Draco?"
"Spending quality time with his lobalug."
"Spending … what?" Ron goggled.
"Draco's pet. A lobalug. You know, the fish that killed him. He wanted one for his first deathday. So I got him an aquarium. No idea why, but somehow the fish helps him cope."
Ron shook his head. "If I were Draco, I'd make it my life-task – or uh… death-task to exterminate those loba-things. So what's he coping with? He's been dead over a year. Shouldn't he be used to it by now?"
"We had a visitor today." Harry stared straight ahead, at some point close to Ron's right ear, but far behind him.
"Oh?"
"Lucius Malfoy. He just found out that Draco is a ghost."
"Merlin's pants!" Ron exclaimed. "He didn't know?!"
Harry grimaced. "It's the decision of the ghost to inform people of his return. Draco wasn't on good terms with his parents when he died, see? Spent his life being under his father's thumb. He said he'd be damned if he'd put up with it as a ghost." Harry shrugged. "I told him right there and then that it wouldn't work. I mean, how many secrets do you know that actually stayed secret? But Draco wouldn't listen. Insisted the other ghosts wouldn't betray him. And Hannah's a Hufflepuff."
"Still," Ron marvelled. "One year and what? Five, six months? That's a well kept secret indeed, as secrets go around here. I'd have expected someone to blab sooner 'n that."
Harry snorted. "Well, who would tell Lucius? The Malfoys aren't exactly the centre of high society nowadays. And the archives are not exactly gossip central."
"Good point," Ron conceded, still shaking his head. "So how did dear Lucius find out?"
Harry sighed. "I guess you may be right about Draco getting used to his death … See, we have a new intern, Astoria Greengrass – Daphne's little sister. You remember Daphne? That arrogant Slytherin bitch."
"She died."
"Yes. Anyway, we forgot to tell Astoria not to talk about Draco's continued existence. So she told her mother. And her mother –"
"Let me guess. That would be Queenie Greengrass? Best friend of Narcissa Malfoy?"
"Right in one."
"So how did Lucius react?"
Harry rolled his wand back and forth under his palm. "It took three Aurors to throw him out."
oooOooo
A/N: I don't think that Minerva meant for Severus to put inappropriate pressure on Hermione. But uncontrolled bursts of magic are dangerous - which is why the wizarding world has all those age restriction rules. Minerva has good reason to be worried. So asking Severus if he can maybe get Hermione to use magic again does make sense, I think.
I hope you liked today's set of chapters, thank you very much for your encouraging comments!