A/N- The last chapter didn't seem as well received as my chapters usually are and for that I can only apologize. I know it wasn't the best chapter but hang tough. This chapter promises a bit more action, so I hope you enjoy it. I also had a guest reviewer ask just how long this story was going to be. If my muse doesn't come out and play, which it has been known to do, I am currently planning on 49 chapters. My muse is a bipolar bitch, however, and is currently off her meds so who knows what we'll end up with. This being said, I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Disclaimer: Most everything in this story has been done before, there just might be a personal twist on the story line. Even then, I'm sure this idea has been written many times before. I haven't made a dime, pound, or knut off any of my stories no matter how badly I may wish it.
Chapter 33
February 14, 1996
Hermione hated Valentine's Day, she always had. Even when she was young she couldn't grasp the concept behind Valentine's Day because it had made no sense that you would only show your love and appreciation for someone on one day of the year. Hermione had always believed that should happen every day of the year. While many others disagreed with her, Hermione felt that she was correct. The fact that Draco and Harry wanted to take her to Hogsmeade for the holiday made her want to throw up in her mouth.
Yet, here she sat at the Gryffindor table, waiting for her two boyfriends to finish their meal so they could leave the castle and make their way to Hogsmeade. Hermione was unsure as to just how she had lost the battle with her boys, but the fact remained that it had happened. They had bullied her into going to Hogsmeade with them and she had been naïve enough to believe them when they said that it wouldn't be like a date. Now she would have to suffer through who knew how many bad pick up lines and broken hearts from her peers along the way. Today's youth really was so predictable.
It seemed that everyone around them at the Gryffindor table had dates for the trip to Hogsmeade. It was completely unprecedented that classes would be cancelled on a Friday for no other reason than it was a fake holiday but to be honest, Hermione wasn't surprised. Dumbledore had always favored the holiday, bedecked in his lurid robes. It was enough to make Hermione cringe but there wasn't anything that she could do about it.
Fred and George were double dating with Angelina Johnson and Katie Bell, though she was unsure of exactly who was going with who. Ginny and Luna were attending together as was expected. Neville had plucked up the courage to ask Hannah Abbott to accompany him, something that Hermione would admit that she hadn't seen coming. Seamus had asked Lisa Turpin and Dean had asked Cho Chang. She knew for a fact that Ron was attending the little town with Lavender and that her brother had asked Millicent Bulstrode, quite pretty since she had shed her baby fat over the summer.
Hermione hated to accept the fact that Valentine's Day was a holiday, but it appeared everyone around her agreed that it was.
The Gryffindor had already finished her toast, fruit, and porridge and had long since pushed the plate away. Harry and Draco had indulged in a full English breakfast as was there usual. Hermione couldn't have been more pleased when her boys finally pushed their plates away, full at last. She was about to suggest returning to their rooms to wait until the crowds had passed but it seemed as if her boys had other plans. Draco pulled Hermione to her feet and summoned her cloak while Harry took her hand and started to pull her towards the Entrance Hall.
The carriages ran from nine in the morning until six that evening between Hogwarts and Hogsmeade, but nobody usually embarked on their way to the small town until around ten in the morning due to having a lie in. It appeared that her boys were taking advantage of the fact that the carriages would be mostly unoccupied, so they could make their journey in peace. Harry let Draco step into the carriage first, so he could hand her up to him. While it was utterly ridiculous of them to act like she was incapable of getting herself into a carriage, she found it endearing nonetheless.
Harry stepped up into the carriage behind them, just barely catching sight of several other people headed for the carriages as their own took off in the direction of Hogsmeade. They chattered about classes, homework, quidditch practices and the like. Hermione smiled to herself. It was obvious that her boys were making sure that their "date" didn't feel like a date since she didn't consider the day a holiday.
Hermione took in the scenery as they travelled to Hogsmeade, the woodland around them covered in snow and ice. While Hermione had never been a fan of winter unless she could spend it indoors in front of the fire with a book, she could appreciate the beauty that was associated with the season. The snow cover was a symbol for the world dying so that it could be reborn in the springtime, a process that Hermione found to be magical.
The trip wasn't long, only ten minutes or so, but Hermione was ready to be out of the cramped carriage. The carriages were made for four people, but Harry and Ron seemed to take up most of the space available. Harry stepped out of the carriage first and he held his hand out for her, taking it softly so he could guide her down onto the snow-covered ground. Draco left the carriage behind her, his arm wrapping around her waist as they started for the first store they came across.
Being in the little square of the village brought back the memories of the last time that she had been there. Images of herself fighting four Death Eaters at once, even if she knew that they theoretically wouldn't harm her, weren't things that she wanted to see in her mind's eye on Valentine's Day. Shaking her head slightly to clear the thoughts from her mind, she allowed the boys to pull her into the quidditch shop.
Hermione didn't expect to have any fun in the quidditch store, so she was pleasantly surprised when she did. The boys made it a game to find the perfect gear for her to wear to their games, clearly supporting her boyfriends in their chosen sport, but not taking blatant sides either. They spent over an hour finding her the perfect apparel for their matches which they swiftly bought for her when she agreed that she liked the clothing. Even though she wanted to protest them spending money on her, she let them do as they wished. They had agreed with her beforehand that she wouldn't have to buy them gifts if she let them have their way while in Hogsmeade.
The Gryffindor couldn't keep her mind from wandering to their trip the following day as they made their way through the streets of Hogsmeade. She knew that her father was most unhappy with the fact that they were going, but she also recognized that there was no way that she would trust Dumbledore to take care of her father, shit, he had barely been able to save both her mates against inferi. Who knew what her grandfather would have waiting for them at this remote little house in the middle of nowhere?
This meant that Hermione was going whether her father liked it or not. She had already lost her muggle parents through no fault of her own and she didn't think that she could handle losing her biological father because he had been a proud bastard that didn't want the help of three teens. While her father was a powerful wizard in his own right and had heaps more experience than she did, Hermione knew that she was much stronger, especially with Harry and Draco at her side.
The boys pulled her into Honeydukes next even though it was nearing time for lunch. Hermione knew that both of her boys had a sweet tooth, only being sated by chocolate. Hermione had never been a huge fan but was the occasional fan of sugar quills. She went without an argument and watched fondly as both of her boys raided the store to find the things they wanted to purchase most. Predictably, Harry returned to the counter with chocolate frogs, chocolate cauldrons, and chocolate wands while Draco had a load of choco-loco, pumpkin pasties, treacle fudge, and exploding bonbons. Hermione could only gape at the absurd amount of sweets in their arms before shaking her head with a small chuckle.
Hermione held her one box of sugar quills out to Draco, so he could add it to his pile of candy. She watched as Flume's wife rang up their items in disbelief, quite surprised that two boys could eat that much sugar. While Hermione wanted to scold them and warn them about what all those sweets could mean for their teeth, she didn't. The last thing she wanted to do was ruin the day for them by sounding like their mother.
Hermione was truly surprised that both boys put up with her as easily as they did. She knew that she was ridiculously bossy, that she overstepped her bounds often. Both boys rarely complained, happily obeying her without a second thought. There were times that she worried that she was far too overbearing and mentioned it to them. They simply laughed at her and assured her that if they didn't want to do what she said, they would have no problems telling her where to stick her bossiness. While she was leery of their words at first, Hermione finally decided to take them at their word and continue on her merry way.
After the astronomical amount of sweets had been paid for, Hermione allowed the pair of them to lead her to the Three Broomsticks for a spot of lunch. While Hermione wasn't starving by any means, she was a little hungry and simply loved Rosmerta's fish and chips. While Draco had never been to the pub with her, Harry had and knew exactly what she was going to order. Both boys put their own orders in and Hermione couldn't help a grin.
"I wonder why Hogwarts doesn't serve fish and chips. It's obviously not just a muggle food." Harry snorted but it was Draco that answered.
"My father told me that they don't like to serve meals that are regularly served in the muggle world. Supposedly, the board doesn't want people to associate muggle food with Hogwarts. Dumbest thing I've ever heard, but that's what I was told. Whether it's true or not I couldn't tell you."
Hermione shrugged at the bigotry of his words. While she knew that he didn't believe the sentiment, it still hurt. She wasn't a muggle born any longer but the fact that the wizarding world was so loudly opposed to the minority of muggle borns made her sick. It reminded her of the Nazis all over again. Both boys seemed to realize that Draco's words bothered her and were now doing their best to draw her out of the quiet she had fallen into.
Harry and Draco succeeded in making her laugh several times over, mostly because they were making fun of each other in a good-natured way. They even switched places and bitched about themselves as the opposite person, something that Hermione couldn't hold her laughter in at. When the finally departed from the Three Broomsticks, Hermione was of a much lighter heart than she had been when they had been eating.
As if they knew that she would want to save the best for last, the boys turned off the square, so they could enter the Hogsmeade branch of Flourish and Blotts. Before the boys let her enter, they pulled her to one of the benches just outside the door. Harry forced her to sit down so they could each sit on either side of her. She gave them a confused look.
"What in the world has gotten into you two?" Harry and Draco both grinned wolfishly at her. Hermione wasn't quite sure that she liked the look in their eyes. Draco reached into his pocket and in that moment, Hermione knew. She knew exactly what her boys were planning to do, and she was certainly not okay with it.
"No, you're not giving me a gift for this sham of a holiday, I refuse to accept it." Both laughed openly at her and although she was the reason for their laughter, she was happy to see them laughing. There were so few reasons to laugh these days. Hermione could only glare at them when Draco thrust a present in her hands, large, square, and flat. Hermione simply held it, refusing to open it. Harry tugged on one of her errant curls that was skimming her shoulder.
"Please open it, 'Mi, we both picked it out and decided that we loved it. We want you to wear it." Hermione blew a harsh breath out of her mouth.
"Why can't the two of you respect the fact that I don't want anything for this fake holiday? I let you take me to Hogsmeade and I let you buy everything that I have wanted to purchase. I plan on buying several books and letting one of you pay for them. Please, just respect that I don't want fake tokens of love just because it's Valentine's Day." Harry and Draco both stiffened next to her and Hermione instantly knew that they had taken her words wrong. She tried to backpedal immediately.
"I didn't mean that your token of love was fake, just that in general, people give fake tokens of love on this holiday. I think everyone should show their love every day of the year, not just the fourteenth of February." Even though she truly believed her words and hadn't meant them the way they sounded, Hermione knew that they didn't believe her. The looks of betrayal on their faces was more than clear. She was about to start appealing to them again, but Harry interrupted her.
"Don't bother, Hermione. You've made quite clear that you don't want us to treat you to anything special." Hermione couldn't help but feel a small frisson of anger. Her voice was rising, and she couldn't keep the shrillness out of it.
"I never said that I didn't want you to treat me, I said that I didn't want it to happen just because of this shitty holiday. Most men would be thrilled to be told that their girlfriend didn't want shite on Valentine's Day. Instead, you two do what you want and then get angry when I call you out on it. If you had waited a week, I wouldn't have argued with any of this." While Draco appeared just as angry as Harry, Hermione could tell that he was relying on his Slytherin upbringing to stay calm. Harry, however, completely Gryffindor at heart, had no problems yelling at her in front of everyone that passed by them.
"You say that you want us to show our love every day of the year. Valentine's Day is a day of the year and you're throwing our love back in our faces. We put up with so much from you, nagging us to get our homework done, bossing us around until we do what you say to shut you up, dealing with your emotional breakdowns regarding our sexual history. We fucked other people, get over it. You're the one reaping all the benefits."
Hermione couldn't believe the things that he had just said. Was that how they felt? Why were they still with her if they hated how she acted so much? She knew that she was bossy, and she knew that she could nag with the best of them, but she had trusted them enough to think that if she was too much that they would tell her. The fact that they hadn't and had instead allowed it to build to animosity pissed her off. She never got a chance to respond, however, because her boys went to their feet before her. Draco threw the gift in her lap.
"It's a sapphire necklace with extra protection spells. Don't worry, we won't be surprised if you throw it in the gutter. Probably the best place for it considering it's coming from the two of us." Hermione didn't know what she had done to warrant this type of reaction. She knew that she had hurt their feelings, but this seemed a little too far-fetched to be realistic.
Neither boy waited for her to respond. Both went to their feet and started for the road back to Hogwarts. Draco turned and threw back a "buy your own books, that will make you happy" behind him and Hermione felt the sting regardless of how far away the blond was.
The Gryffindor realized that she had been careless with her words, but their reaction seemed over the top. To her, at least. Maybe to everyone else it would seem appropriate, but she just couldn't see how their reaction was acceptable, especially after she had told them that she hadn't meant it the way she said. She really wasn't sure where to go from this, there were only so many options.
She couldn't help but wonder if she should just call it off with them. It was clear that they were unhappy with her. They felt she was too bossy and nagged at them too much. She knew that those two qualities ran deep within her, but she had trusted that they would tell her if it became too much. Apparently, she had been wrong to trust them. They had let their resentment built until they couldn't hardly stand to talk to her in a serious conversation without bringing it up.
While it would break her heart to let the two of them go, if it was for their own good, she would be able to. Her father would still be there for her and she knew that she would love to make him proud. He told her every so often that she did, but nothing beat when she could see the pride shining back at her in his inky gaze. Maybe she should ask his opinion before she did anything so desperate like breaking it off with Harry and Draco.
Hermione didn't even want to open the gift that Draco had basically thrown at her, so she shoved it down deep into her robe pockets. If her father advised her that space would be beneficial, she would return it back to them. Even though it was only early afternoon, Hermione wasn't quite sure how she felt about going into the book store. Before her argument with her boys, she had been excited. Now that the argument was over, Hermione wasn't sure if she could be excited about anything.
While she contemplated the harshness of her life, Hermione considered making a short visit into Flourish and Blotts. She knew that she shouldn't, but the fact remained that she would need something to lift her spirits up after the afternoon she had had. Before she had made the decision, Lavender and Ron strolled up to her bench, effectively ruining her day further just by sighting them. Lavender gave her a cheeky grin that she could tell was fake as fuck and Ron looked amused as ever to be there. It was in this moment that she realized that the pair had heard every word between Harry, Draco, and herself. Lavender gave her a sickly-sweet grin as she spoke.
"Don't worry, we would never expect for you to be able to keep two boys interested in you at the same time. I mean, it would be a miracle if you could keep one." Hermione gritted her teeth at the Gryffindor's words, but she did her best not to respond. Lavender merely continued, and Ronald stood next to her, grinning in his upper-handed glory, making Hermione want to punch him for every word that had ever come out of his mouth.
"You should have known that you would never be able to handle them, Granger, they're much too wild to be tamed. They want to be young and know what it means to bed down numerous witches before they finally settled down once they're outside of Hogwarts. No matter what your wizards have told you, this is every man's wish. Sure, they may act innocent when their ideals are brought before them, but they'll know that they're really lying to you. They've lied to you about how fucking annoying you are, right?" Hermione's heart clenched at the woman's words. Although she wanted to disagree with them one hundred percent, she knew that she wouldn't be able to. They both seemed to hate her and if they weren't speaking to her, there wasn't much that she could do about it.
Hermione didn't reward the girl with a trophy, but it was more than clear that the blond-haired Gryffindor had won. While Hermione started to slink into the book store without a word, her mind was thoroughly wrapped in thoughts of her and her boys. Hermione didn't seem to realize that there were several people out there that couldn't tell exactly what was going on and Lavender would do her absolute best to spin her to be the bad person. Maybe she was, she really wasn't quite sure, but that didn't mean that she wanted the whole world to know.
Hermione kept her cool as she tried to walk away, she truly did. Lavender didn't know just how much she was trying to hold herself back, so she simply kept pushing. Hermione tried to head straight into the bookstore, but it didn't do anything for the situation. Lavender stepped in front of her and crossed her arms with a smirk on her face.
"I knew this day would come, Granger. You've rubbed it in my face for years that I would never amount to anything because you were smarter than me. Now, I get to rub in your face that you've failed to keep a boyfriend because you're nothing but a stuck-up prude." Hermione knew that she shouldn't do it, but she really couldn't help it.
Hermione clenched her fist and drew back, punching Lavender right in the face.
The only other person that Hermione had ever punched was Draco, so she really didn't consider herself to be an expert. This punch, however, felt far more satisfying than the punch she had thrown at Draco. Hermione didn't want to pull her wand because she didn't want to get expelled for decimating a student, but she had no problems teaching Lavender a lesson the muggle way. Hermione had to give it to Lavender. The blond recovered quickly and threw herself at Hermione, claws unsheathed.
Hermione felt claws rake against the skin of her cheeks and it took every ounce of energy she had to not let her magic explode out of her in anger. Instead, Hermione threw herself at the blond, knocking her down to the ground. Hermione perched on the girl's abdomen and continued to rain down punches on her until she was wailing. She was unsure as to how no professors had come running but it was only going to be a matter of time. Just as Hermione decided that she needed to stop, strong arms pulled her back. Once she realized that it was Ron pulling her off Lavender, Hermione unleashed her magic.
Ron went flying behind her, landing on his arse in the middle of the square. His face was turning purple in anger, so Hermione stood from Lavender's belly and glared down at the girl. She could hear Ron approaching so she had only moments to get her point across. Hermione bent close to Lavender's ear, mindful to not get any blood on her.
"This was child's play, Brown. You keep your mouth shut about me and mine or you'll see the real deal." Hermione didn't wait around to hear what Ron Weasley had to say to her. None of it was going to be good so she beat feet back towards Hogwarts.
Hermione didn't want to go back to Hogwarts now that she knew she was going to be in trouble. There was now way that Lavender would show back up at the castle looking as she did and not say a word about what happened to her. She knew that she shouldn't have lost her temper with the stupid witch, but Lavender just wouldn't stop. Truthfully, the witch was lucky that Hermione hadn't drawn her wand.
While she was worried about what was going to happen to her once she returned to Hogwarts, Hermione was much more worried about her relationship. Was it too much to ask for the boys to respect the fact that she didn't want to make a big to-do about Valentine's Day? If they had wanted to take her out the day after, the week after, or the month after, she would have loved every second of their attention.
Had she overreacted? Hermione suspected that she had but she also hadn't expected the level of vitriol she had received from her boyfriends. Why hadn't they told her that the felt as though they were "putting up" with her? Why hadn't they been honest with her? While she was slightly hurt that her personality traits were irritating to them, what hurt the most was that they hadn't told her. How could she trust them to be honest with her when they continued to keep things from her? She couldn't possibly be that scary to them.
Should she break things off with them? It was clear that they were unhappy. It would kill her to do it but the last thing she wanted was for them to be miserable with her and feel as if they were stuck. Hermione could no longer trust them to tell her that they were miserable and wanted to move on so maybe she needed to do it for them. Her heart started breaking at the thought of it, but she couldn't help but think that it was necessary.
Hermione was unsure if she should talk to them first or if that would just make it harder for them all. While she wanted to discuss their problems and find out just why they hadn't told her their feelings, the thought of making them feel guilty for what they were doing to her made her pause. The whole situation was so fucked, and she was unsure of what to do.
Hermione settled on a fallen tree, so she could watch the setting sun. She hadn't realized that so much time had passed but she supposed that the sun wouldn't lie. She needed to go back to the castle and face the consequences of what she had done to Lavender but that didn't mean that she was excited to do so. The Gryffindor knew that her Head of House would be angry and disappointed, but it was made better by the fact that her father would understand. He had yet to fail her. She knew that he wouldn't be happy with the way she handled things, but she trusted him to know that she couldn't take anymore of Lavender's mouth.
Sighing, Hermione stood from the tree and started to make her way back to the castle. She didn't see any carriages in the distance, so she started walking. It was only a ten-minute walk, one that Hermione felt that she could do with to get herself ready to face Professor McGonagall. She chuckled softly to herself when she realized that she feared her Head of House's reaction more than the dreaded potion master's.
The trip to Hogwarts was uneventful. Hermione must have been the last student out because there were no longer any carriages running the distance between the little town and the school. The grounds were quiet, and it took Hermione a few moments to realize that it was because all the students were in the Great Hall for dinner. Hermione took a deep breath and pushed the doors open going into the Entrance Hall. A burst of warm air puffed her curls slightly and made Hermione smile. It had been cold out there after the sun had gone down. Not to her surprise, Professor McGonagall was waiting for her as if she had known that she was coming. Her Head of House didn't mince words.
"Is it true that you pinned Miss Brown to the ground and hit her repeatedly and then used magic to fling Mr. Weasley across the square when he tried to stop you?" While Hermione had been contrite before, McGonagall bringing up Ronald erased every bit of positive feeling she had had about the situation. Hermione crossed her arms over her chest and met the older woman's gaze.
"I did. I'm not sorry. That bitch has tormented me since the beginning of the year and I have taken it quietly. I finally lost it and couldn't take anymore. As for Ronald, he's lucky that's all I did to him. He ever touches me again and I will kill him." Her Head of House looked flustered for a moment. Hermione caught movement in the corner of her eye and realized that Harry and Draco had arrived on the scene, probably to see what had taken her so long. She originally considered talking to them first but in that moment, she knew she couldn't handle drawing it out longer than necessary. Professor McGonagall seemed to be searching for the proper punishment.
"You will go tell your father exactly what you did and then you will serve detention for the rest of the evening with him, even if that means midnight. No dinner for you, head off now." Hermione had expected worse, but she couldn't help but ask.
"What punishment did Lavender receive?" Her Head of House looked surprised that she would have the gall to ask.
"She lost twenty house points and is currently in the Hospital Wing having her face repaired." Hermione didn't know why this pissed her off, but it did. She wasn't about to be quiet about it either. Maybe being the Dark Lord's granddaughter had gone to her head after all.
"Good to know that Hogwarts punishes bullies so lightly. If I had wanted to be bullied, I would have stayed in muggle school. I'm guessing that the bitch didn't bother to tell you that she clawed my face?" The professor seemed to just notice the furrows in her student's cheeks. Before the older woman could speak, Hermione gave her an impassive look.
"Don't worry about it. Just tell everyone that I overreacted for no real reason, that I just love fighting. I mean, there have been so many instances leading up to this that that is completely believable. Thank you for your lenient punishment, Professor. I'll report to my father now." She left her Head of House standing there, mouth slighting open and clearly surprised that her student had spoken so candidly to her. Both of her boys stepped forward, concerned looks on their faces, and Hermione couldn't help the clench of her heart. Harry lifted his hand to her face but stopped short of touching her.
"'Mi, your face…" He didn't finish his sentence, so Hermione took the opportunity to speak.
"My face is fine." Complete lie since it was now burning, and she could feel the dried blood on her face cracking. She really needed to clean it up.
"I think that we need to end this while we can salvage a tiny bit of the friendship we have. While I may have overreacted, I never imagined that it was so difficult to put up with me because neither of you bothered to tell me. You both want someone less overbearing and I want someone that I can trust to tell me how they feel. I do love you both, but I feel like this is for the best. I'm sorry."
Tears were pricking her eyes and the last thing that she wanted to do was to cry in front of them. Without giving them a chance to respond, Hermione took off across the Entrance Hall towards the dungeons. The stress of the day mixed with the fact that they were going on a horcrux hunt the following day was starting to get to her. She knew that her father would make her serve a fair detention and that didn't bother her, but she truly did just want a good night's sleep since she was exhausted.
Neither Harry nor Draco followed her to her father's office. For this she was grateful. The last thing that she wanted to do was to have a full-blown argument with the pair of them in front of her father. Even though she was more than aware of her father's password, she knocked on his office door. When it swung open, she stepped inside to see her father grading essays at his desk. He lifted an eye brow at her, silently asking her what it was that she needed. Hermione heaved a sigh before she began.
"My Head of House sent me down here to serve detention for as long as you see fit." Her father's face darkened and for a moment, Hermione was unsure if her father was going to be understanding or not. By his expression, she was guessing not. He tapped his chin with his finger after setting down his grading quill.
"What have you done to earn detention under the dreaded potion's master?" Hermione couldn't help but to crack a tiny smile at his words since they mirrored her inner monologue not that long ago.
"Lavender Brown wouldn't quit heckling me, so I punched her in the face. When she raked her nails down my face, I shoved her down, crawled on top of her, and beat her up pretty good. I threw Ronald across the square when he touched me trying to get me to stop." Her father's face hardened, and she knew that understanding was now completely out of the picture. He stood and leaned all his weight onto his hands when he leaned over onto the desk.
"You're telling me that the granddaughter of the Dark Lord beat down a pureblood in full view of the public where it is sure to get back to an evil megalomaniac?" Not trusting her voice, she simply nodded. Her father picked up his pot of ink and threw it across his office where it spattered on the wall.
"You're going to ruin this whole charade because you can't control yourself. The Dark Lord favors pure blood against all else, he wouldn't be happy to hear that you are going against his beliefs for no good reason." Hermione felt a stab of pain at his words. While she knew that she had taken it too far, she had been tormented for months now. How was that not a good reason? She wanted to point out her reasoning.
"Dad, I only did it -." She was cut off by a sharp hiss.
"I am not your father right now, I am your professor." His words stung but she dropped her eyes and stared at her feet while she willed herself to not cry. His next words cut like a knife.
"I've never been more disappointed in you."
Hermione didn't respond because she didn't dare show him that a single tear had escaped her eye to wend its way down her cheek. She simply stood there and waited for him to assign her a task.
"Are you even sorry you did it?" Hermione wanted to tell him that she was, but she had just broken things off with her boys because they hadn't been honest, and she refused to do the same thing. When she spoke, her voice was soft and in danger of cracking.
"No." She could feel the tension grow worse after her words. His voice was like granite.
"Clean up this ink. Then go to store cupboard and begin cleaning it out, no magic. I want the products gone through, the jars cleaned, inside and out, and the shelves cleaned before you reshelf them in alphabetical order. If you get done too early with that, I'll find something else for you to do."
Hermione didn't speak again during her detention. She hadn't expected her father to be happy, but she had expected more understanding than she had gotten. He had been bullied, after all, and he and Sirius had hexed each other mercilessly in school. It felt a little hypocritical, but she supposed that as a parent you could say, "do as I say, not as I do."
What hurt the most was the fact that he was disappointed in her. Her muggle parents had never once told her that she had disappointed them, not even when she had ended up in the principal's office because she had been a suspect in one of the girls in her class losing all her hair. Though nobody could every prove it, Hermione knew that she had done it with her accidental magic. In fact, in all her bouts of trouble in Hogwarts, they had always told her how proud they were of her.
Hermione finished with the ink while her father angrily scratched on the papers before him and she felt terrible for the student whose paper he was grading. The tension between the two of them was so thick that she could have cut it with a knife and she hated it. Once the ink was gone, she moved into the classroom and set to work on the store room.
While she worked, Hermione vowed to herself that she would do everything that she could to make her father proud again. She hated the feeling that she had let him down, like she wasn't good enough. Honestly, it was heart wrenching and the sooner that feeling was gone, the better she would be.
It was well past midnight when she finally finished, the store room looking far better than it ever had. Hermione was grimy and dirty, her back hurt, her hands were raw, and her cheeks stung. At this point in the evening, she wanted to take a shower, heal her face, and fall into bed. Then she realized that she didn't have a bed except for the one in Gryffindor Tower in the same room as Lavender. She knew without a doubt that if she had to listen to one word from that bitch in her current mood, she's hit her again and she wasn't sure that she would be able to stop. Hermione considered her options as she went back to her father's office and stood before him.
"The store room is finished, Professor. Did you have another task for me?" Hermione was praying that he said no. Her father waited a full three minutes before he acknowledged her. His gaze was still hard but there was a flicker of something else behind his eyes.
"You may go. If this happens again, one detention will look like a picnic." Hermione kept her face impassive, determined to stay strong and not look weak in front of her father. Gryffindors were known for wearing their hearts on their sleeve and she was trying to overcome that stigma for the simple fact that in her position and the current climate, it was dangerous for everyone to know how she felt.
"Yes, sir. Goodnight." She waited for him to speak but he remained silent and turned his attention back to the papers in front of her. The message was clear. Her detention was over, and she had been dismissed. Hermione bit her tongue, so she wouldn't say anything stupid and made her way out of the door. On the main staircase leading back up to the ground level, Hermione ran into Professor McGonagall who was obviously headed down to the dungeons. Hermione remained silent as she passed her Head of House, but her professor reached out and took her arm.
"Miss Granger, I -." Hermione cut her off.
"I told you it was fine, Professor. I served my detention and if you don't mind, I'd like to go to bed." Her professor looked saddened seemed to think twice about speaking further. Hermione had made it three more steps when her professor spoke again.
"You ended things with Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy." Hermione stopped but remained facing away from her professor.
"I really don't see how my personal life affects you, Professor. Especially since we're no longer in a relationship." When she was met with silence, Hermione continued on her way.
On her way through the castle, Hermione decided that she would go to Gryffindor Tower and stay with Ginny. Even though she shared a dorm with four other girls, she was certain that they would be far more circumspect that Lavender and Parvati would be. She didn't meet a single person on her way to the Tower and the Fat Lady seemed surprised to see her. She gave the password and was let in.
Hermione made her way to the shower and stripped off her filthy clothes. In the mirror, she took in the damage done to her cheeks and waved her hand over them, healing the scratches completely. The tiny white lines left behind wouldn't be noticeable if you didn't know they were there. She considered leaving them but decided that she would regret it later. Doing the same thing to her cheeks that she had done to the twins' hands, Hermione erased the marks completely.
She showered off quickly, wasting no time under the hot water as she usually liked to. When she stepped out, she realized that she had nothing to change into. Rather than call an elf, Hermione wrapped a towel around herself and made her way into Ginny's dorm. The Gryffindor crept to the redhead's bed and shook her friend softly. Ginny bolted awake and stared at her uncomprehendingly.
"Hermione?" Her friend sounded so worried and it was a welcome sound. She almost broke down in tears but tamped them back ruthlessly.
"I can't sleep in my dorm tonight. Can I sleep with you? Will Luna get mad?" Ginny sat up completely and gave her friend a confused look.
"No, she won't be mad, but why?" Hermione raked a hand through her hair as she yawned.
"It's a long story, Gin. If you don't want me to, I'll go sleep in the common room. Can I borrow a nightgown though?" Ginny was already on her feet digging through her trunk. She threw an emerald green nightgown at her and Hermione was quick to shimmy into it. Ginny crawled back in bed and lifted the blankets in invitation. Hermione gave her a small smile before she crawled in with her friend.
It was cramped, far from comfortable, but it was better than dealing with the Terrible Two. With a wave of her hand, Hermione enlarged the bed and Ginny giggled next to her. It wasn't long before Hermione felt her eyes slide shut and sleep pull her under.
-O-
Severus was still livid at his daughter. She had gotten off easy, that much was a fact, but he hadn't been the one to assign her punishment. He had assigned her the worst of his detention material and she had followed through with no complaints. Letting her go had been against his better judgement but there was nothing for it.
Hermione had been extremely careful to show no emotion after she had tried to explain herself, but he knew that she had been hurt. His statement about not being her father but instead her professor had been a low blow, but he wanted to show her that taking your anger out on someone physically wasn't acceptable. He had to admit, however, that when she called him Professor, it had stung. She hadn't called him Professor or Severus in private in months.
Severus was pulled from his thoughts by a knock on his door. He waved his wand at it, swinging it open to reveal Minerva. He glared at her as she took a seat before his desk and remained silent until she spoke. She was acting off, but he was unsure in what way.
"I saw Hermione leaving. I was going to apologize but she cut me off. I asked her about why she broke up with those two boys when they're so clearly in love with her, but she told me quite effectively that her personal life was none of my business. I hope you did a better job at being a father than I did a professor. I've never been put in place so properly by a student. What's worse is that I've known the girl has respected me from the very start and I'm not sure that I can say that now." Severus was extremely confused, and he hated feeling like he didn't know what was going on. His eyes narrowed her way.
"What are you talking about?" Minerva glared at him but answered anyways.
"Did she tell you what she did?" Severus nodded his head impatiently.
"Miss Brown told me that Hermione had hit her, and she had in turn scratched your daughter's face which then turned into your daughter pinning her to the ground and hitting her repeatedly. I took twenty points from Miss Brown before your daughter informed me that Miss Brown is a bully. Told me that if she had wanted to continue to be bullied, she would have stayed in muggle school and gave me a hard time for not even noticing the wounds on her face. I feel terrible for believing that she would act that way for no good reason or the fact that I sent Miss Brown to the Hospital Wing and Hermione to detention when she was injured as well."
Severus didn't know what to say. How could she not have said something before he put her to work? Yes, he still would have made her serve a detention, she had been fighting after all. It wouldn't have been near as grueling since Miss Brown had only had twenty points removed from Gryffindor. Then Severus remembered that she had tried to speak to him and explain but he had cut her off and then told her that he wasn't her father. However, he wasn't done extracting information from Minerva.
"What do you mean that she broke up with Draco and Mr. Potter?" The older witch before him shrugged slightly.
"They arrived back from Hogsmeade without her and when they went to her after I had sent her to you, she told them that she wanted to salvage what little bit of friendship that she could, so she was ending things. Something about her wanting honesty and them wanting someone who wasn't overbearing." Severus couldn't believe this was happening. What had the little bastards done to his daughter to make her end their relationship? He knew that she loved them more than anything, so they must have fucked up bad. He was just about to ask where she was sleeping when there was another knock on the door.
Severus once again waved his wand at the door to swing it open only to find Potter and Draco on the other side, invisibility cloak under one arm. They stepped in his office without further ado and gave Severus anxious looks that he really wasn't too keen on. Somehow, they had hurt his baby and he wasn't inclined to help them in the least.
"Should I give the two of you detention since you're clearly out after curfew?" He meant for the statement to have more bite, but it came out sounding weary. Potter remained silent, but Draco stepped forward.
"We know Hermione is here and we really need to speak with her. We'll serve all the detentions you want if you just let us talk to her." Severus' fears were now confirmed. It was with a heavy sigh that he spoke.
"Hermione isn't here. She served her detention in silence and then left shortly before Minerva came. She's only been gone for a half hour." Both boys looked panicked, but Severus wanted answers.
"How did the two of you fuck up this time?" Both had the good sense to look ashamed. Potter was the one who spoke this time.
"We got into an argument in Hogsmeade because we bought her a Valentine's Day gift and she told us not to. She got snippy, I was a prick and told her we put up with a lot of shit from her, that she bosses up and nags us. We threw her gift at her and left her there. We didn't mean it, we were angry because we thought she'd like to be surprised. We want to grovel." Severus pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to take deep calming breaths. His daughter and her teenage woes were going to be the death of him.
"You two are fucking idiots. A witch tells you that she doesn't believe in the holiday and you make her celebrate it anyways, then do the one thing she asked you not to do. I can't imagine why she was angry. I'm sure she overreacted, she's a gods-be-damned Gryffindor, but honestly. Pull your heads out of your arses. The woman is always right. Fuck, I've never had a serious relationship and I know that." Both boys looked at him as if he had three heads.
"Get out of my office and go to bed. Grovel on your bellies in the morning." Both looked reluctant to leave but it was Draco that spoke.
"Do you know where she went to sleep? Is she safe? I can't forget what Weasley did to her." For the first time since the boys had arrived, Minerva spoke.
"She is safe. She is currently in the fourth-year girl's dormitory in Gryffindor Tower." Everyone stared at Minerva and she smirked at them all.
"Headmasters and Deputy Headmasters, or Headmistress in my case, are keyed into the wards and can tell where people are in the castle. This secret doesn't leave this room." Potter and Draco nodded their heads sagely before turning back to the door and throwing the cloak over themselves after a hurried goodnight. This time Minerva turned to him and raised a brow in question.
"Why are they worried about where she's sleeping? Is there something I'm not privy to?" Severus sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose again. Damn nosy witches, idiotic teenaged boys, and secretive Headmasters to hell.
"My father wants them to spend as much time together as possible, so their bond will grow. Dumbledore agrees. All three of them sleep in the Room of Requirement every night." Minerva looked very scandalized.
"You know what they could be doing, she's going to end up pregnant, Merlin, what -." Severus scoffed loudly, cutting her off.
"I know exactly what they're doing, why do you think I brew my daughter a contraceptive potion every month and watch her drink it down? How do you suggest that I tell the Headmaster and the most evil wizard of all time no, that my daughter will not be doing her best to strengthen her magic, so we can win this war?" He sighed again and raked a hand through his hair.
"Trust me, I'm not a fan of thinking about what those three get up to and just what they do to my little girl, but my hands are tied. Therefore, I brew the potion and she takes it. My daughter will finish school and achieve as many masteries as she wishes before she falls pregnant." Minerva let the fuck-you look fall from her features and she nodded slightly.
"You're right, Severus, I'm sorry. We all must do what needs to be done in this war and if sleeping with two boys that obviously love her keeps Hermione safe, I will support the decision no matter how wrong I feel it is." Severus bowed his head in her direction.
"Thank you, Minerva." He sighed when she spoke again. He just wanted to go to sleep and try to figure out a way to make up his cold and callous actions to his daughter.
"Is there anything else going on that I need to know about?" Severus cursed the Headmaster once again.
"There are other things, Minerva, but I can't reveal them to you unless you are skilled in occlumency. Hermione, Draco, and Potter went through training for almost two months to be told what we know." Minerva sat up straighter and narrowed her eyes at him.
"My occlumency is decent, but rusty. I would need to practice a bit before you test me. I assume that this is going to be without the Headmaster's permission?" Severus nodded.
"Yes. He wants nobody to know but I'm tired of him dragging those three into dangerous situations. This is war and it shouldn't be fought by children." Her gaze turned hard at his words.
"Albus is doing what?" He could see that the fiery witch before him was livid and he was pleased that there was at least one professor that would take his side.
"Yes, he's taking those three into dangerous situations, hunting for things that we must find. Draco and Potter almost drowned over the holidays because Albus was incapacitated and inferi attacked. Hermione had to heal them. Tomorrow, we're all five going on another 'adventure'. Who knows what the blue fuck will happen tomorrow." Minerva stood and started pacing.
"That's shite and you know it. Leave them in school and I'll go with you." Severus let a smirk ghost across his features.
"I suggested exactly that, and the Headmaster denied my request. Trust me, if something happens to either one of those boys, Hermione won't leave anything behind of Albus. She's already less than enamored with him." Minerva stopped pacing and gave him a curious look. Severus didn't even let her ask.
"My daughter is capable of things you've never even imagined. Brush up on your occlumency and come see me when you're ready. The four of us will tell you everything. We might even make it a group chat and have Black and the wolf over to help." Minerva raised her eyebrow again.
"They know?" Severus nodded.
"Albus doesn't know but it was extremely difficult to keep it from them when they were there to witness some of it. Lupin is impervious to legilimency and Black was more than adequate at the skill. He was apparently coached in childhood." Minerva gave him a steely look and nodded.
"I'll get with you in a couple days, so you can test me. Will you be willing to offer lessons if I don't meet the standard?" Severus gave a quick nod and prayed that she was good enough. The last thing he wanted to see were private moments of a woman old enough to be his mother.
Minerva stood and made the customary gestures before leaving. Severus bid her goodnight and headed into his quarters, so he could fall into bed. He was worried about his relationship with his daughter, but it wouldn't do for him to get himself or someone else killed the following day because he was exhausted. He didn't bother with a shower, just stripped down to his boxer shorts and went to the potion cabinet in his room.
Severus quaffed the potion in his hand, Dreamless Sleep, and crawled into his bed and underneath his covers. This had been an extremely long day and he just wanted to sleep. He would consider the situation with Hermione in the morning.
A/N- Holy balls, that chapter was so slow in the beginning I almost couldn't make myself write it. I know, more teenage angst but they are teens in this fic, not adults. Hang tough… Anyways, leave me a message after the beep and let me know what ya think!
Next chapter, Gaunt shack and the next horcrux.
Love,
Alicia