The girl was watching him again. He could feel it on the back of his neck. He had no idea why. He wasn't even sure what her name was. He could have asked, but he wasn't sure he cared why the tiny Ravenclaw appeared to find him so fascinating. It had been going on for years though, since she was a first year.
"Are you ever going to acknowledge her?" Lily hissed, looking over his shoulder.
"Why?" he asked, genuinely curious.
"Because she obviously wants to talk to you and I think you should."
He rolled his eyes. "I don't even know her name," he replied, turning back toward his charms homework. "And if she was that bothered, don't you think she'd have spoken to me at some point over the last four years?"
Lily sighed. "Her name is Hermione." He shrugged in response. It wasn't like it made any difference.
Climbing back into the common room, Severus sighed. It had been a long and exhausting day, which meant the last thing he wanted was to deal with Regulus sodding Black. "We've all had enough! Are you ever going to acknowledge her?" he bit out in a low hiss, unconsciously mimicking Lily's question from earlier.
Severus paused, his brow furrowing in confusion. "Who?"
"Hermione!"
"Why on Earth would I?" he asked, genuinely baffled, wondering why she was now becoming a topic of conversation. He had successfully ignored the witch for three years. This was his OWL had things to achieve that didn't involve a questionably sane fourth year.
Regulus froze. "You are either the biggest arsehole that ever lived or you don't know," he replied slowly.
"Don't know what?" Severus bit out impatiently.
"Fuck," Regulus hissed, and he had to admit that got his attention. The boy was rarely anything other than utterly proper. Looking at him now, he looked almost deranged, raking his hands through his usually perfect hair in agitation as he paced.
"Spit it out," he commanded.
"I… Gods, this should not be coming from me." Regulus looked him over, running a hand through his hair again as he stopped pacing and just stared. Severus fought to not fidget. Regulus looked like he was weighing him up and finding him wanting. It was not a comfortable experience. "Did you never wonder where she went?" he asked finally.
"Where who went?" Severus asked, barely keeping a lid on his temper. Why the fuck wouldn't he just say whatever it was? Why all the dramatics? He felt exposed under the younger boy's gaze and he didn't like it.
"Your sister," Regulus replied, still looking agitated.
Severus stilled. "I don't have a sister," he barked.
"Fuck this is… yes, yes you do," Regulus insisted, his face too serious for Severus to consider that he was joking. Clearly, he believed whatever he was trying to tell him. But the Blacks weren't known for their sanity, were they?
"Are you telling me this… Hermione claims to be my sister?" Severus asked incredulously.
Regulus sighed, sitting down heavily on one of the free sofas. He gestured for Severus to join him and cast a privacy ward. "Look, I've known Hermione for years. Your grandmother ensured she was part of our circles. Even Mother likes her, which is astounding. I asked my mother once, after Hermione mentioned a big brother she was desperate to meet but who she thought would probably hate her, and Mother confirmed it. She said that Hermione had to live with your grandparents for reasons I was too young to know, but that her mother, your mother, had insisted you stay."
Severus sagged in his seat, his face pale but blank. "Why didn't she approach me?" he asked, trying to find some sort of way out of this conversation.
"She thought you hated her," Regulus replied softly. "Apparently she tried to approach you in first year and you… you were rude. She took it to mean that you don't want anything to do with her."
"Fuck," he hissed, knowing it was utterly plausible. He didn't remember speaking to her, but he wasn't fond of people at the best of times. A tiny first year wouldn't have been on his radar. "Fuck… Are you… you're telling me… I… I didn't know. I… my mother… she never mentioned a sister. Why the fuck did she have to live with my grandparents?"
Regulus visibly hesitated. "I think that's a question for her. The reasons… they're not well known and I don't know everything. Hermione has told some of us bits and pieces over the years but… there's information missing."
Attempting to control the raging swirl of emotions that were racing through him, Severus stood abruptly. There was only one way to check if Regulus was telling the truth, although silently, he wondered why the boy would lie. There was nothing to be gained from this, was there? But that meant that he was telling the truth and that was fucking unthinkable. "Where is she?" he barked.
"At this time? Her common room," Regulus replied pointedly.
Ignoring him, Severus swept out of the common room and began running in the direction of Ravenclaw tower. A sister. An actual sister. Fuck, he should have listened to Lily years ago and spoken to the witch. There was no reason for Regulus to make this up. None. Which meant he had to face that it was likely true. The thought that she believed he hated her didn't sit well. What the hell had happened though, to make his mother split them up? As far as he knew she had no contact with her parents, so how had they ended up with Hermione? Why had his mother not remained in touch with her daughter? Had she and he'd missed it? He didn't think so. His mother never went anywhere. It didn't make sense. And he hated things not making sense.
Reaching the common room door, he realised he had no idea what to do now. Wait, he imagined, for the last stragglers returning to their common room before curfew. Fifteen minutes later, just as he was contemplating whether or not he could talk the door knocker into giving him entry, a couple of second years appeared. "Can you get me Hermione?" he demanded.
The girls stopped and blinked at him. "Hermione Prince?" one of them asked.
"Yes," he replied, deciding it was as likely her name as anything else. How many Hermione's could there possibly be? Especially ones that shared a surname with his mother.
"Why?" the other girl asked, her head cocked to the side as she contemplated him.
"Because I wish to speak to her," he snapped, his nerves frayed.
"Okaaaaay." The first girl drew the word out slowly. "But I'm telling Antonin to come with her."
"Don't!" he commanded. "I don't want to speak to whoever Antonin is. I want to speak to Hermione, alone."
"Hermione and Antonin or not at all," the second girl informed him. "You seem cross."
He let out a growl of frustration. "Fine!" he snapped.
They nodded, answered the riddle, and disappeared into the room. Ten minutes later, just as he was giving up hope, the door opened again and a boy with dark hair and wary eyes stepped out, holding out his hand for the curly-haired girl to follow.
Severus's first thought was that she looked nothing like any of them. His second thought was "Lucky her."
"What do you want?" the boy, Antonin, demanded.
"Tony," Hermione chided him softly, her eyes trained on Severus's face.
The boy huffed, pulling her closer into his side. "What? For the last three years this idiot's made you cry, and now I have to be nice because he's graced you with his presence?" he asked scathingly.
She sighed. "Perhaps not nice," she allowed with a small smile, finally turning to look at her friend. "I'd settle for civil."
"I didn't know," Severus blurted, facing two sets of raised eyebrows.
"Pardon?"
"I didn't know! I was accosted this evening by Regulus bloody Black of all people. I didn't know, not until he told me."
"Oh," she said softly. "But… but my letters…."
"I didn't get any letters!" he replied somewhat desperately.
"Oh," she whispered, her eyes glassy before she launched herself at him, sobbing. "I thought you hated me!"
He met Antonin's eyes above her head, knowing that the panic was clear on his face as he ineffectually tried to calm her down. The boy had the audacity to look amused.
"Fuck, don't cry. Please don't cry," he begged.
"You're my brother and I thought you hated me," she sobbed, apparently refusing to stop.
"I didn't know. I didn't… I… What happened?"
He felt her stiffen. On instinct his eyes flew to her bodyguard. His face was terrifyingly blank. Whatever had happened clearly wasn't good.
"Not here," the boy barked. "The walls have ears."
He nodded slowly, adjusting his sister's tiny frame until she was more comfortable, not at all sure how he felt having someone hug him. He couldn't remember the last time someone had. "Where then?"
"Meet us tomorrow after breakfast on the seventh floor," Antonin replied, his eyes darting along the corridor, clearly checking it was empty.
Severus nodded again, feeling strangely bereft as Hermione stepped back from him, curling herself back into Antonin's side.
"I'll be there," he promised.
Antonin nodded sharply, his arm tight around Hermione's shoulders. "You won't get another chance," he warned. "Don't let her down again."
He nodded, unable to do anything else. What the fuck was happening? What the hell had happened to his sister? Who was this boy who was clearly unbelievably close to the witch? He wanted answers. Now, preferably. There was no way he was going to be able to sleep. Instead of vocalising it though, he turned sharply and walked back down to the common room where Regulus was waiting.
"Did she tell you anything?" he hissed into his ear.
Severus shook his head. "No. I'm meeting her tomorrow."
Regulus nodded, casting a silent privacy charm. "Keep an open mind," he advised. "If… if Father hadn't confirmed it I'd never have believed half of the stories." He paused as Severus stood. "And a word of advice?"
"What?" Severus barked, his nerves shot to pieces. What the fuck had happened to his sister? And where had the miniature Black learned nonverbal incantations?
"Antonin isn't going to go anywhere," he cautioned. "You'd best get used to it now."
Severus frowned. "They're, what? Fourteen? Fifteen?"
"Fourteen," Regulus confirmed.
"Then how permanent can he be?"
Regulus snorted. "You have no idea. Trust me. He's not going anywhere and he'll protect her from anyone, even herself. He's… ruthless when it comes to Hermione."
Severus scanned his face looking for deception. "Alright, I'll bite. Explain to me how ruthless a fourth year can be."
Regulus looked at him cooly. "Have you any idea what's hidden in pureblood libraries? Antonin has been Hermione's shadow since we were tiny, ask anyone. Occasionally, he lets me and Bast help. I believe he's also recently come around to the idea of Barty Crouch. Hermione has a habit of collecting strays."
"Does she have no female friends?" Severus bit out.
"Of course she does," Regulus scoffed. "I'm not discussing friends. I'm discussing protection."
"What the fuck is going on with my sister that she needs protecting?" Severus growled.
Regulus looked at him, his gaze unwavering. "I imagine you'll find out tomorrow," he replied finally. "But do understand Snape. She's been one of us for years. She's… light and kind and there are an awful lot of people who are more than a little fond of her. She made us give you a pass in her first year, but none of us will let you hurt her again." Severus nodded silently, noticing the imposing form of Lucius Malfoy watching them curiously. "He adores her," Regulus spoke with amusement, noticing where he was looking. "Considers her to be the little sister he doesn't have. If you don't fear Antonin, despite the fact you should, perhaps you'll fear him."
Tamping down the possessive anger at the thought of anyone else considering his little sister theirs, Severus nodded. "Fine," he growled. "Consider me warned."
Regulus nodded sharply. "Good. Hermione would be devastated if we were forced to hurt you."
Severus froze as he realised the boy was entirely serious. "Is everything alright, Regulus?" Lucius queried. Startled, Severus pondered the fact that he hadn't even seen him move.
"Everything's fine," Regulus soothed. "I was just going over… ground rules. He's meeting her tomorrow."
"I see," Lucius murmured. "Well… I assume Regulus was thorough, but in case he wasn't, let me just reiterate: If you hurt that witch again, the only thing you will be seeing for months is the inside of St. Mungo's. We… all owe her more than we can ever repay."
He'd never admit it out loud, but Lucius was intimidating. Two years older than he was, the boy had a presence that Severus would have given his wand arm for. Not daring to do otherwise, he nodded.