章 44: Another Vision and Revelations
The Daily Prophet arrived just as it always did, and Hermione paid the owl and snatched it up, she opened it and began reading as she did every morning. There was an op-ed piece by Edgar Bones, decrying the actions of You-know-who, and encouraging wizards and witches to stand together and defy his attempted reign of terror. Hermione started to hyperventilate, her breath coming in gasps, she turned and stared at Lily, her eyes wide and panicking. Lily stared at her in horror. Both women jumped up from the table and fled, Lily practically dragging Hermione with her, to get her to safety. They slid into an unused classroom and Lily was trying to hold the shaking Hermione in her arms when James burst into the classroom after her.
"Get out!" Lily shrieked at him, fearing making her voice harsh. "Get out, go away!"
"Lily, what the-," James began, but when he saw his sister's face he stopped, all the blood draining from his face. Her eyes were solid black, and she was shaking slightly, tears leaking down her cheeks.
"The Bones family has stepped too far onto the side of the Order," she was whispering, her lips moving almost against her will. "He will use them as an example, he will show no mercy, slaughtering every last man, woman, child…even the house elves will fall to him that night. The Order will learn too late to be of help. Oh god, the baby…," she moaned and shook her head, trying to block out what she was Seeing.
"Shh," Lily said, rocking her and stroking her hair. "We'll stop it. It'll never happen."
"Amelia, she's here," Hermione was whispering, "it's her older brother Edgar, it's his family. She's in Hufflepuff."
"Do you want to try and talk to her," Lily was asking her, still stroking her hair.
"I'm not sure, have to think about it…might be risky," she was murmuring back.
The whole world spun for a moment. Hermione was a Seer. For one second, he saw her in the flowing white garb of a Seer, her wild curls unbound, cascading down her back. The next, he saw her lifeless body with You-know-who standing over her laughing. He knew it wasn't a vision, it was his own fear. He couldn't protect her from this…this was huge. She would be hunted like a wild animal. He wouldn't rest until she was in his hands…and then she would seal her own fate. He knew his sister, her moral compass would never allow her to work for You-know-who. Never. She would die first. He didn't realize he was crying until Lily was awkwardly trying to pat him on the shoulder, while still trying to cradle Hermione to her. James took Hermione from Lily and held her in his arms. She'd passed out, exhausted after her vision. He held her to him and he sobbed like a child. Lily's hands were stroking his hair, rubbing his back in comforting circles, but he was only peripherally aware of it. His whole being was focused on his sister, his twin. She felt fragile, delicate, in his arms, and the fear for her safety gripped him tightly.
"James?" Lily whispered. He turned to her, his hazel eyes blazing.
"How long have you known?" he asked coolly. Lily shook her head.
"Since summer, but…no one could know. No one. Or she might be put at risk," Lily said quietly, avoiding his eyes. James watched his sister's face. It sounded like the sort of thing that Hermione would insist on. He frowned slightly. He wondered if Hermione had forced a compulsory oath on Lily—sometimes his twin could be positively Slytherin in nature, and he of all people knew that about her.
"She'll always be at risk," James muttered. "When he finds out there will be no place that she can hide."
"She doesn't want Peter to know, that's why she hasn't told you. She won't tell me why, she gets upset every time I ask her about it," Lily whispered. James' head turned sharply and he narrowed his eyes at her. Hermione had never liked Peter. Was it because of what she had Seen? He frowned down at his sister. "Will you keep her secret? The more people that know, the more danger she's in."
"For now," he said slowly.
HP/HG/HP
Contacting Lucius was a little harder than she had thought it would be because both of them needed to be careful. She had Severus contact him for her, and the two of them met, late at night, in the Shrieking Shack. He stood stiffly formal, his back perfectly straight, his beautiful face a coolly polite mask. Hermione sighed, and shifted from lioness to human. He frowned before he could stop himself.
"You look pale, and thin. Are you not sleeping or eating well?" He asked quietly. She shook her head.
"No. When I close my eyes I see James…," she trailed off and he nodded, once.
"What do you require of me?" He asked quietly. Hermione took a deep breath and looked up at him.
"The Bones family," she said quietly. "I have seen what he will do."
"He is not pleased," Lucius agreed, dipping his blond head toward her.
"How should we proceed, Lucius? I wish to warn them. Should I attempt to do it myself? If I do, I must reveal how I've come by the information. Should I ask you to go to Dumbledore with information? I worry that that might tip our hand too soon. I wanted to wait until we could go to him with horcruxes—with proof of what Tom Riddle has done. I am uncertain, and I find that I need your counsel," she concluded, pacing slightly with anxiety. Lucius watched her pace, and thought about the options available to them.
"Perhaps," he said slowly, thoughtfully. "You overheard students discussing it? You do not know who, you did not see them, but it frightened you enough to go to the headmaster?"
"That might work," she murmured. "He is a skilled Legilimens, and I have avoided him so far because of it."
"You do not trust Dumbledore?" Lucius asked her curiously. She shrugged.
"It is not that I do not trust him. Let us say instead that he has surpassing faith in his own plans and schemes, often to the detriment of those around him," Hermione said cautiously.
"And this is the man you want me to trust with the lives of our compatriots?" Lucius asked her flatly. She frowned.
"We will not trust him completely. We will be careful. You will be the only one he will see and know, and I trust in my ability to protect you. Okay?" Hermione glanced at him, and saw his posture loosen slightly.
"This is a dangerous game we play, my lioness," he muttered. Hermione sighed.
"I know it is. I'm sorry for it, Lucius, but they began the game, we seek merely to end it on our own terms." She smiled faintly at him. "Now tell me about your petition for Narcissa's fair hand. I assume everything is going smoothly."
"Yes, the petition proceeds. Her parents approve the match," he said quietly. He paused and looked away from her. "I believe that I am beginning to care for her."
"She will be utterly loyal to you and to your son," Hermione offered. "I think she will love you both very much."
"You have Seen this?" He asked thoughtfully. She shook her head.
"Not exactly," she murmured slowly. "I haven't Seen it in a vision, but I can say that it is the truth."
"Hermione," Lucius said quietly and she turned to him. "Please, take care of yourself. We need you."
"I will," she paused and looked briefly into his silvery-grey eyes. "Please, be safe."
"Hey, Hermione," Sirius said quietly, leaning against the bookshelf she was perusing in the library. She turned to look at him and quirked a brow.
"Sirius," she said cautiously, wondering why he was suddenly coming to speak to her when he had been avoiding her as though she had some sort of highly contagious disease.
"So, about the other day," he said slowly, glancing around. She frowned at him.
"If by 'the other day' you mean two weeks ago, I know what you are trying to talk about," Hermione said coolly. Sirius flushed a little, and Hermione blinked. Sirius never looked nervous, or embarrassed.
"If you overheard something that, er, makes you hate me, I-I understand," he said softly, not looking at her. She frowned again, but in confusion.
"Sirius, the entire tower heard you scream at the top of your lungs," she said carefully. "I'm not sure what you're talking about."
"So…so you just heard the last part? Where I said I was a giant…um, yeah," Sirius looked hopeful, and Hermione nodded.
"That was all I heard," she said, confusion evident on her features. Sirius seemed to relax. He tossed his hair back and smiled at her with easy confidence. She watched him uncertainly. He didn't usually flash those sorts of smiles at her. The flirty sorts of smiles. He moved closer to her until he was almost touching her.
"I don't want to be like that anymore," he confided. She nibbled on her lower lip.
"Like what?" She asked him curiously. He lifted a shoulder, and flushed again.
"A…a person who doesn't care who they're with as long as it's a willing body," he said finally, the dull flush creeping up his neck. Hermione blushed as well. She didn't even want to think about that…about him with other girls.
"Why?" She managed to ask. He blinked at her.
"What?"
"Why don't you want to be like that anymore? What's changed?" She clarified.
"Remus helped me to see that what I was doing was going to ruin any chance I might ever have with the girl that I like," he said so softly that she almost didn't hear him. Her heart clenched a little in her chest. This was all very un-Sirius. For him to talk like this…he must really like this girl…whoever she was. Hermione found herself not liking her—this unknown girl.
"Who is she?" Hermione found herself asking, and then wishing she could take back the question. He suddenly looked shy, and uncertain, and Hermione found herself disliking this girl even more. "Never mind, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I'm sorry for being so nosy."
"No, I don't think you're nosy," he said softly, watching her with veiled eyes. She tilted her head to the side and waited. He looked over her shoulder and seemed to be considering something. Then he looked into her eyes, and she could feel herself growing warm. He was burning her with his eyes again. She could feel the heat, and it made her breath catch in her throat and her heart beat somewhat erratically. "It's you."
"I'm sorry, what?" She asked in surprise.
"It's you. I like you," he muttered, his cheeks flushing. Her eyes widened.
"But…but you can't," she said, completely shocked. "You never flirt with me, never. You've never asked me out. You've never even hinted…"
Sirius had decided that the easy way to settle this was to show her how he felt. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. He traced her lower lip with his tongue, and when she gasped, he slid his tongue in to stroke hers. He kept one arm wrapped securely around her waist so that she couldn't run away from him, and the other hand slid up her neck to cup her head. He moved so that she was pressed against the bookcase, and she could feel the shelves digging into her back, but then he started nibbling on her lower lip and she didn't care anymore. His knee was pressing against her, and her legs parted so that his thigh was pressed tightly against her. He moved slightly, and that thigh rubbed against her, and she moaned into his mouth. He pulled away and looked at her flushed face, swollen lips, and glassy eyes.
"It's you," he repeated softly, and kissed her lightly on the mouth. Her hands were clutching the front of his robes, and she let go and tried to smooth the fabric.
"So," she said carefully, looking up into his eyes, which were so dark they were almost black. He was watching her, and he looked slightly uncertain again. As though she would hit him and send him away. "Does this mean you're going to ask me to go with you to the Hogsmeade weekend?"
"If that's what you want," he said cautiously.
"I think it's the normal sort of thing," she murmured, straightening his tie.
"That's next weekend, right?" He asked her after a moment.
"I believe so," she agreed. He smiled at her, but it wasn't his normal cocky smile.
"Would you do me the honor of accompanying me to Hogsmeade next weekend?" He asked her softly. She smiled at him.
"I would love to," she said just as softly. Then he was swooping down and kissing her again. She slid her arms up and around his neck and pulled him closer to her. She pressed against him, and kissed him back. He put his face in her neck and groaned, a low, deep, throaty sound that made her entire body hum with anticipation. He put his forehead against hers and tried to breathe quietly.
"Hermione, I need to do this right, and that means that I have to go. Now. I'm sorry, I just…I need a shower," He said desperately. He kissed her on the cheek and fled from the library. Hermione stared after him for a moment, confused and frustrated.
Okay, I know you're in there, what the hell just happened? Did I do something wrong? Do I smell? Does he not like me? Circe's sandals…am I a bad kisser?
No! We are an excellent kisser, honey, trust me. He likes you, he's thrilled you like him back, he got a little carried away, and now he's a little…er…uncomfortable. He's going to go take a nice relaxing shower, and, um, take care of things.
Oh. Would that help me?
Yes, it would. However, as a girl, you'll probably need some privacy. I recommend using the room of requirement. Ask for a bathroom like the prefect's bathroom, and some candles and make a night of it.
That's sounds very relaxing.
It can be.
So, you're not going to tease me mercilessly until I figure out a way to silence you?
No. I'm being very, very good right now.
I don't even want to know.
Probably not.
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