Ch. 13: Lies
Every year, when his and Nezumi's birthday was nearing, Ciel found himself in a particularly contemplative mood. The date of 14th of December evoked unpleasant thoughts and he often wondered if it was destiny that he and Nezumi were born on the same day.
He was too young to remember much about the fire that had consumed the Rutherford family and their house, twelve years ago. He did remember his mother getting him ready for Nezumi's birthday party, which would also be Ciel's birthday party. He thought he could remember being excited about going and he did remember the horror with which he had watched the fire. Although the latter could just be the creation of his nightmares from when he grew a bit older and understood what had happened. He vaguely remembered Shion crying as his father, dirty with ash, carried a badly burned Nezumi to Ciel's house. Nezumi claimed to not remember anything from that day, but Ciel knew that he was lying.
'Ciel, don't space out,' Nezumi's cold voice snapped him out of his thoughts. From Nezumi's expression, he knew that his brother knew what he was thinking about. 'Shall we go to the library?' he asked. 'I was hoping to catch Shion before Safu and Elizabeth show up,' he added, his voice forcefully casual. Ciel knew that he wanted to ask about the detention and he had a sinking feeling that he knew its reason already.
'You do know that you are allowed to walk around the castle on your own, don't you?' Ciel asked, mocking. Nevertheless, he got up from the sofa on which he was sitting.
'Of course I cannot because you will go spacing out and losing track of reality, as usual,' his brother replied, still in that cold, harsh tone. "In this time of the year" went unspoken, but Ciel knew it was there. He gritted his teeth and said nothing. They didn't say anything more as they went out of the Slytherin common room and made their way towards the library.
They arrived to see their usual table empty, except for some books and, exchanging glances, they went up to see that it was Ancient Runes' books and the notebook with Shion's unmistakable hand writing. Just as Ciel was opening his mouth to comment on the attention span of the white-haired Ravenclaw, the boy in question burst into the library, book in his hand, and stopped in his tracks when he saw them.
'Sorry to disappoint you?' Ciel muttered at the somewhat crestfallen expression on Shion's face that, as soon as Ciel spoke, merged into a smile.
'Sorry, I just went to pick up a book for Hermione, but it seems that she left,' Shion said. 'You guys are early today as well, it seems everybody is in a mood to work. I'm glad I decided to skip the lunch, everybody would be here anyway,' he added, coming up to them and putting the book he brought on top of the others already on the table. 'Do you mind if I finish the essay first?'
'Not at all,' Nezumi muttered, picking up a random book and flipping through it. 'You shouldn't skip lunch.'
'Yes mom,' Shion replied with a fond smile as he picked up from where he left off with the essay. For a moment, they sat in silence. Nezumi was looking through a book that he couldn't possibly understand, because it was written in Runes. Shion was writing, focused on the assignment. With a sigh, Ciel picked up one of the books about Defence against the Dark Arts and started reading. They agreed to work on the subject today, so there was no harm in getting a head start.
'How did the detention go?' Nezumi asked after a while, keeping his voice casual. Ciel looked up from the book on time to see Shion wince momentarily. For a moment, he thought that the Ravenclaw would ignore the question, pretending to not hear it. Ciel was on the verge of speaking up to change the subject, knowing that it would do no good to discuss the matter, when Shion looked up at Nezumi distastefully.
'As usual,' he replied evasively. Ciel supposed that he knew as well as Ciel did what the real question was because, when Nezumi just glared at him from above the book that he wasn't reading, Shion sighed. 'What do you want me to say?' he asked defensively, glaring back at Nezumi, before taking a deep breath and exhaling it slowly. He shifted his gaze to look ahead, at nothing in particular. 'Professor Sprout is not a fan of alternative looks. She seems to think they distract students. She mentioned that a couple of times during the lessons and I pretended to not hear it, but this time she kept me after the lesson and suggested that I consider dying my hair back to what it used to be and that I wear contact lenses or practice illusion charms. She didn't quite appreciate my answer,' he explained, keeping his voice light, as though the matter didn't upset him at all. Ciel knew it was a lie, because Shion only bothered with the "professor" when he was upset at the teacher. He didn't think he should comment on that though.
'Did you tell her to go to hell?' he asked with a laugh instead, deciding to treat the matter as though it was nothing big. Nezumi snorted at his question, but their eyes widened when a faint blush coloured Shion's cheeks.
'Not in so many words,' he admitted. Ciel couldn't quite imagine the perfect student Shion telling the teacher to go to hell. He wished he had seen it. 'I might have reached the point where I have had enough of their condescending looks, as though had I asked for it,' Shion tried to defend himself, blushing even more. 'So she took it up with headmistress McGonagall who went again through all the embarrassing, medical details about pigment depletion and stuff and then told me that I was being impolite and gave me lines.'
'Again,' Nezumi deadpanned.
'No, the other time it was because a Gryffindor first year went to complain to his head of the House that I was scaring him,' Shion reminded them in a tired tone, though not quite able to keep hurt out of his voice this time. 'And I made the mistake of saying that he didn't have much of the Gryffindor courage in that case, which Professor Smith didn't appreciate,' he finished and went back to writing his essay. Ciel shook his head. It was completely blown out of proportion, but apparently some of their teachers just didn't want to understand the situation. They seemed to think that it was somehow Shion's fault that he had stumbled upon a curse and he should suffer the consequences in silence.
'I'm surprised that Snape is being so nice to you,' Ciel commented after a while. He could easily imagine their head of House to be cruel just for the sake of being cruel.
'I think Snape knows too much about dark magic,' Shion whispered. 'It's the same with Kruspe, they are both very nice. I think because they might have more, em, experience with curses and their consequences than the other teachers.'
'Don't go excusing those assholes,' Nezumi hissed, snapping the book shut. Shion jumped a bit on his seat. Nezumi was about to add something more, but he closed his mouth and looked behind Ciel. He followed his brother's gaze to where Hermione was standing, looking at them with wide eyes. Shion paled, which Ciel thought shouldn't have been possible.
As the moment of tense silence stretched between them, Ciel noticed that Hermione looked like she has been running. Her cheeks were flushed and she was panting. How did she manage to get so close to them without them noticing? He cursed himself for letting his guard down. Has she heard their discussion? If yes then how long has she been standing there?
'Well?' he spoke finally, deciding to pretend that nothing happened and figure out if any damage was done later. He was pretty good at getting information out of people. 'Are you going to stand like this or would you rather take a seat? Safu and Lizzy aren't here yet, as you might have noticed.'
'I suppose some people decided to have lunch,' Nezumi added, taking his lead. Judging by the exasperated little noise that Shion made, Nezumi made it a point to glare at the other boy while talking about lunch. Ciel chuckled, even as his eyes didn't leave Hermione, who seemed to be surprised at the sudden invitation to sit with them. So she has been here for a while, Ciel decided, if she knows we should be angry at her for listening. A forced smile twisted Hermione's lips as she took her usual seat, opposite to Shion.
'Lunch is overrated,' she said. If she hadn't been studying with them so often and Ciel wouldn't know her quite well by now, she could have passed for cheerful. Nezumi asked if she had been in the rush to get to the library and Shion commented that she was there before and Ciel could see the emotions twirl in Hermione's brown eyes. Was she worried about something? She seemed quite happy before, if rather shocked but, as Shion mentioned that she had been in the library before, Hermione suddenly seemed worried.
'I know I was here before, but Ginny asked me for help,' she said, probably in reply to Shion's comment. Lie, Ciel thought. 'That's what she came for. There was still time before we meet to study, so I thought that I might go and help her. Then it got late so I ran back,' she explained. Lies, Ciel thought, careful to not let his thoughts show. There was still plenty of time, because it was barely lunch time. What did Weaselette want that made Hermione run like that?
'Well, I brought the book for you,' Shion said. With a sort of relieved smile, Hermione took the book and started talking about it. Ciel spared a glance at Shion, who seemed unnaturally worried for the situation. Nezumi was looking at Ciel, so he smirked at him, before looking back at Hermione, right on time to see her stiffen up when Shion asked why she mentioned the Invisibility Cloak.
Aha, Ciel thought, triumphal. Potter and Weasley were probably sniffling around. Could they have been listening to their whole conversation? That would have been bad, he decided, barely remembering to listen to Hermione's stammering excuses.
'Well, now we have a definite proof that Potter has an Invisibility Cloak,' Nezumi commented and even without looking at him, Ciel knew that he was smirking. Hermione looked at his brother and nodded, before saying that she thought it was only fair they knew, for which Nezumi thanked her. Probably with his most charming smile, if Hermione's blush was any indication.
Keeping an eye on Hermione, Ciel turned back to the book and asked what they were going to study. If Hermione heard them talking about curses and dark magic, she will go looking and probably find her answers. If she heard about the reasons for Shion's detentions, well that would just make her more sympathetic towards the white-haired curse victim. Poor Shion, he will have a third girl feeling sorry for him, Ciel thought with a mental chuckle.
'Say, Ciel,' Hermione started and he saw curiosity in his eyes. He raised an eyebrow to tell her that he was listening. 'Your earrings, Lizzy said they have something to do with the family,' she said.
'They do,' he agreed, wondering where she was going with the conversation. 'Don't make me explain though, it's a story that dates back to the Victorian times and it is, actually, quite boring,' he added lightly. Hermione grinned momentarily.
'No, I'm more curious why Nezumi doesn't have them,' she said casually, but the words were like a punch in the stomach to Ciel. He stared at her for a moment, wondering why she chose this particular time of the year to ask the question, as memories of the fire flashed in front of his eyes. He jumped in his seat, when Nezumi kicked him under the table, and he glanced at his brother, who nodded slightly. Ciel forced a smirk onto his face as he looked back at Hermione.
'Well why don't you figure it out yourself, hmm?' he asked pleasantly. 'I thought you liked investigating stuff and loved to spend the time in the library,' he added with a pinch of mocking. Hermione narrowed her eyes at him, before a mirroring smirk appeared on her face.
'Challenge accepted, Mr Phantomhive,' she said.
'Let me know when you figure it out, Miss Granger,' he replied, knowing very well that she would say something when she'd find her answers. He knew also that it wouldn't be that difficult to figure everything out. There were the archival editions of Daily Prophet in the library, dating much further back than twelve years ago, and the adoption got more than enough attention from the journal, since those things didn't happen often. There was, as well, a footnote in the "Noble and Pure Blood Families", next to Nezumi's name, saying "adopted", which would probably send Hermione right to the archival Daily Prophets.
'But for the moment,' Shion interjected. 'Why don't we go back to the homework?' he asked and talked about what he found so far. Ciel stifled a smile, knowing why Shion changed the subject. Hermione shared her thoughts on the problem they wanted to tackle, after Shion finished, but she was cut mid-sentence, by Sebastian, jumping onto Ciel's lap and meowing.
'You're not supposed to be in the library,' Ciel protested, shooing the cat off his lap. 'And don't give me that look, we will get in trouble if you stay here,' he added when the cat meowed at him in protest, not moving away.
'Maybe he wants to tell you something,' Shion suggested, leaning out of his chair to scratch Sebastian behind the ear. 'What do you want, Sebastian?' he asked. Hermione commented that it was an interesting name for a cat just as Sebastian jumped on Shion's lap. She giggled.
Ciel was about to open his mouth to protest that it was a normal name, but Nezumi's mice jumped onto the table and Hermione gasped. They all but ignored everybody, except for Nezumi and he frowned as they squeaked and screeched looking like they were all talking at the same time. What was so important that it couldn't have waited till they were somewhere, where Madame Pince wasn't about to yell at them for having the animals? Ciel sighed, but when Nezumi glanced at Shion and then at him, before his angry eyes settled on Hermione, he got worried.
'They are telling me that Potter and Weasley are hiding under the Invisibility Cloak in the boys' showers, in the Ravenclaw tower,' Nezumi said calmly and quietly. Ciel gritted his teeth, feeling furious as the words sank in.
'They are what?' Hermione hissed after a moment it took her to overcome the shock. With the corner of his eye, Ciel saw Shion grip the edges of the table, trembling. There was no doubt what Potter and Weasley were waiting for and it was sickening to think that they were, actually, invisible and would, had the mice not seen them, succeed.
As those thoughts crossed Ciel's mind, Shion all but jumped up from his chair, making it fall with a loud clatter, and ran out of the library while Sebastian hissed in protest at the rough treatment. Without a second of hesitation, Nezumi ran after him. Ciel, on the other hand, focused on Hermione, pinning her to her chair with a furious glare.