"But we were just trying to figure out what she was doing!" Weasley insisted.

Severus glared at the gangly red-haired boy with a familiar disdain. Every time the boy was in his presence he managed to do or say something that displayed his stupidity for the world. Even Potter had the sense to remain silent.

Potter's eyes drifted from himself to Hermione then to Weasley in a predictable pattern, as if evaluating what the best coarse of action would be. His pale face and narrowed green eyes told him he didn't agree with Weasley's rash approach. Even if Potter often had the same difficulties establishing a filter.

"Believe it or not, Weasley," he sneered. "Stalking a girl isn't reason enough to be wandering about the corridors at three in the morning."

Hermione narrowed her brown eyes at him, likely taking issue with his choice of words. She stood between the parties, intentionally using herself as a barrier, yet the barefoot girl drove her nails in to her hands as she shot daggers at him.

"Detention," he said shortly. "We'll work out the terms later. I'll be deducting fifty points each from your Gryffindor."

Weasley clenched his fists and Potter his jaw while Hermione's posture showed no change. He wished she cared about points, it might have been another deterent-who was he kidding? At this point she was like a defiant house cat proclaiming she did whatever she wanted.

That might not be fair, he admitted to himself staring at the young girl, wondering what she had been wondering about for. He hadn't imagined she was also keeping secrets from her friends. Considering the trouble those three got into together, he knew it must have been dire.

"You boys may leave," he said pointing in Gryffindor tower's general direction. "It would seem I have some matters to discuss with my daughter."

Potter opened his mouth to say something, but caught Hermione mouthing 'drop it' and shut it. After a exchange of uneasy glances between the three of them, the boys left. Once she no longer had to worry about either protecting them or saving face, perhaps both, she shrank before him. She still stood, but she curled into herself so far that all he saw was a mass of hair and clasped hands peaking out from behind it.

"You have precisely three seconds to tell me just what the hell you were doing," he said holding up three fingers. "Three," he held up two.

"It doesn't matter," she mumbled.

"Two."

She muttered something in a language he didn't understand.

"Merlin, Hermione, what the hell is wrong with you?" he snapped.

Hermione let out a series of squeaks this time, making herself even smaller.

She wasn't about to tell him a damn thing and he knew it. This was a waste of both their time. Couldn't she just cooperate once? She broke the rules, the least she could do was tell him why. Yet, talking to her as of late seemed like pulling teeth. He could always...

Severus lifted Hermione's face and scrutinized her. She squinted her eyes shut. She hadn't any marks on her face, the only scarring on her hands came from her driving her own nails into them. She seemed fine...though she did during her last altercation with Black. He decided he'd rather her be alive and hate him than wind up dead.

"Severus? Hermione?" Dumbledore appeared from behind a while, his hands folded over his abdomen and smiling.

Is this what I've been doing to people? Merlin, it's annoying...

"Evening, headmaster," he sighed. "I hadn't known it was your evening to patrol. Was there something you needed?"

Dumbledore shrugged and smiled. "I couldn't sleep and felt like a stroll is all, Severus."

Doubtful...

"Perhaps you would like to tell both the headmaster and myself what it was you were doing," he turned his attention back to the confused shrinking girl. "Well?"

Hermione bit her lip and dug her nails deeper into her own hands. "Erm, I-I-I-erm-"

"I asked her to meet me here, Severus," Dumbledore admitted.

That's a lie...

"You needn't cover for my delinquent daughter, headmaster," he felt a pang of regret when Hermione shuddered at his words. You're supposed to be helping her heal, stupid piece of shit.

Dumbledore raised an arched white eyebrow and peered at him over his glasses. "Are you suggesting I'm lying to you, Severus?"

I can't win here...Tell me you're not doing this because you think it makes up for last year?

"Very well," he sighed and placed a hand on Hermione's head and leaned to whisper in her ear, speaking in French. "If he asks you to do anything stupid, tell me."

Hermione nodded stiffly.

"She's impressive," Madam Bones conceded reading Hermione's file.

"She's a very clever girl," McGonagall agreed with misplaced pride. "She even had a grasp on Wizard's Chess at three."

I seem to recall your black bishop has teeth marks on it because you thought she had a grasp it at that age...Severus thought.

Dumbledore assented the a nostalgic smile himself. "She could read far beyond her level and she was very curious. Brave girl determined to understand everything."

That brave girl slept with her baby blanket till she was six...

The portly old woman shook her head and turned her gaze to Severus. "Your daughter sounds remarkable. But I've yet to get your take on her readiness for the OWLs."

Severus shrugged. "I wasn't for her advancement in the beginning, Madam Bones. But she's managed to get nothing below an 'EE' thus far and I don't want her receiving special treatment simply because she's younger. She would be opposed to it too."

Madam Bones narrowed her pale eyes scrutinizing him. "Your daughter is the top of her year and the youngest person to take the OWLs, yet your colleagues seem more invested than you. If it were my niece I'd be over the moon."

Stay calm, Bones is a high ranking official. Yet he could feel his blood boil. Who was she to say whether or not he was invested? Over the moon if it were her niece? She wouldn't be saying that if officials were prodding at the girl's mental state and emotional readiness for a test she couldn't avoid without further complication. If Hermione was deemed unready for the test, she would be too far ahead to rejoin her year, or simply the one below, and taking the OWLs would likely leave her to snap like a brittle twig.

"She has the theory down," he said. "But has difficulty at times casting more complex spells. Her patronus, for example, is the barest hint of a silver wisp."

"She can cast a patronus?" Bones asked. "Any result at her age is impressive."

Shit, Severus usually thought before he spoke. Of course no children Hermione's age or even class level had any experience casting a patronus. There were other examples he could have-no, not anymore. Hermione cast much like her classmates, if not better at this point. The only difference now was the greater toll it took on her body.

What am I even trying to do here? he thought, folding his arms across his chest. There's no good result for her at this point.

"You're asking me if I think she's ready," Severus said. "I don't think it matters. She's stuck doing it. Hermione was advanced last year and she's hard enough working. There are issues that we're working through and she lost roughly six months of growth, including that of her brain, on top of it-"

"Yes, Madam Pomfrey said the transfiguration stunted her development. But if you 'don't think it matters' we'll proceed as we would with the other OWL students."

"She'll be ready."

"Hermione?" Harry scanned the corridor.

Ron rolled his blue eyes. "If this is another one of your theories- ouch!"

Harry elbowed Ron, telling Hermione that she wasn't as composed as she wanted to be.

"We did everything we could," Hermione said in a small voice.

Luna squeezed Hermione's hand and turned her shining silver eyes to her. Even Artemis, the black six-month-old kitten turned her blue eyes to her in support. Their support was wasted on Hermione. She still didn't know how to tell them. After so many articles, building a legal defence getting Luna to allow her to publish in the article in the Quibbler, her father was right. It meant nothing.

"It's Buckbeak," she inhaled sharply. "He's been condemned. We tried-we-it meant nothing. I-I-I-erm-have the letter."

Harry took the letter condemning Buckbeak. "But this can't-surely Dumbledore won't let him be executed."

Hermione shook her head. "I ran into him that night you two followed me. I asked him what else I could do about Buckbeak...he said his hands were tied."

"No!" Harry snapped. "But after- you-and he's Dumbledore! I refuse to believe there's nothing we can do."

Ron rested a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Hermione, tell me Hagrid isn't alone right now."

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Luna ventured entered Hagrid's hut to find Hagrid with his head in his arms. Deirdre served him herbal tea that Hermione suspected she'd spiked with a calming potion. She wondered if Deirdre tried to get him to meditate or else try to soothe him in other ways. She turned her blue-green eyes to the four of them.

Hermione noted the peace lily and hyacinth she set at the centre of the table. Mourning florals before the axe drops...

"Hagrid," Deirdre said gently. "Hermione, Harry and Ron are here."

Hagrid sniffed. "Yer lot don' need ter see me like this."

"You're our friend, Hagrid," Harry nodded sitting beside him.

Hermione went to his other side and gingerly placed her hand on his arm. Hagrid sobbed harder and Hermione could hardly believe this was the same man who let her ride his shoulder with a permanent warm smile on his face.

"Luna," Deirdre linked an arm in hers. "I'm going to spend some time with Buckbeak. Why don't you come with me?"

Luna looked confused for a bit, but nodded and left with the older girl.

The four of them were left alone in the hut. The warm atmosphere cooled by the mourning flowers and cold tea untouched by Hagrid. Sobs wracked the half giants large body and all Hermione could do was stroke his arm while words of comfort vanished from her brain as quickly as they appeared.

"Why don't I make-" Ron offered before his eyes fell on the untouched mug.

None of us know what we're doing...

They stayed with Hagrid until the sun lowered and had to leave. There wasn't much talking, just silence and empty attempts at comfort. Hermione stared out the window at Luna and Deirdre tending to the condemned hippogriff wondering how she could fix it. She tried...and failed. Everything failed. It wasn't fair! She looked back to her once jovial friend. Buckbeak was doomed and Hagrid was lost to despair. Hermione should have fixed this long before now...but she didn't. She didn't even know how to.

"Hagrid," Harry said as they were leaving. "We'll be here when it happens."

"No," Hagrid shook his head. "I don' wan' yer ter be seein' tha'. It's too brutal. I'll be fine. Don' you kids be worryin' abou' me."

The three of them exchanged grim looks and turned back to Hagrid.

They left the hut in poor spirits. They walked over to the field where Buckbeak obliviously enjoyed heaps of affection from Luna and Deirdre. Luna offered Hermione a smile that she returned weakly.

"I didn't want to tell Hagrid this because I didn't want to get his hopes up," Deirdre said. "I've been talking to Angelina Johnson and we're planning on blocking the executioner with a line of students on the date. The Weasley twins and Lee Jordan are spreading the word to everyone they know. I need you to do the same. But keep it away from the faculty. Otherwise Skylar and I would have posted it in the Herald. O'Malley's supposed to tell trustworthy Slytherins, but don't hold your breath."

"Shit," Hermione breathed. "Are you sure about this? You could get in a lot of trouble."

Deirdre nodded with a smile. "They can't expel all of us."

Harry stroked Buckbeak's long neck and gave a determined smile. "We'll be here."