Prompt: Answers

"Why did no one notice?" Hermione decided to stick with her first question.

"How did you notice?" He replied, leaning back in his chair, the picture of relaxed.

"I thought you were going to answer my questions." Hermione angrily flicked a curl of hair out of her eyes. His eyes traced the movement.

"I am answering your question. No one else noticed because I cast a general wide-range Notice-Me-Not." He said.

"That's not how magic works! You can't cast a spell that affects every single person in a place like this." She insisted.

"So, you've never broken the bounds of magic? Not a single time." His eyes glittered at her.

He knew. How on Earth could he have found out? How should she play this? He was the Head of the Department of Mysteries and 25 years her senior. The power imbalance was not favoring her. He calmly took a bite of his cake.

But, she thought back to that Samhain night: the power that flowed through her veins; the blood on the forest floor; and the last time someone tried to hit her.

Hermione couldn't explain what happened that night.

"You saw what I did because you've opened your eyes. The Wizarding World can be terribly rigid. The bounds of magic haven't been tested. There are those who actively discourage it; those who have made it illegal; and those who would do anything to suppress it." His voice was enchanting.

Hermione could easily see him as a successful professor, lecturing Hogwarts students or even his employees at the Department of Mysteries.

"However, there are those of us who know that there is no limit. Perhaps you felt some of my spell's power? Maybe a strange tingling in your mind? Those of us who have tested the waters so to speak can recognize it in others. There is only power and those too weak to seek it."

Hermione's breath hitched. She couldn't have stopped her reaction if she tried. He was quoting the only book that had given her some answers about what happened on Samhain.

"Now, it's my turn for a question." He leaned forward to rest his forearms on the table and smiled dangerously at her.