Sang Sacré

Chapter 5

Friday, May 5, 2000

Hermione was fuming. She had so much frustration building in her body that her fingertips started tingling with barely-corralled magic. All week she had been trying to figure out how to get information out of Tiberius and Theo.

She, begrudgingly, had to respect Tiberius for his ability to disappear even as a man on house arrest. He informed her at breakfast Monday that she would have the week off from her lessons due to a "matter that required his attention". He did not show for any meals, he did not join her for their daily walks, and no matter how much she wandered she did not run into him.

By Wednesday, she had taken to loitering in his wing, hoping to corner him on the way to a loo from wherever he must be holed up. She had even tried to visit his study but found it warded and silent. This was beginning to get ridiculous. What could he possibly be doing? Why did he suddenly have to become so busy when she wanted answers from him? Was he even here? How far could a wandless Death Eater on house arrest get anyway?

Hermione was also a little stir crazy due to Theo's absence from the manor. He'd been out of the country on estate business for the past few days and Hermione was going a little insane having to fend off her questions- to which she had no answers- by herself. She was relieved when she'd been invited to lunch with Harry and Ron on Wednesday and they asked her to spend the rest of the week at Grimmauld Place.

Thursday, when the boys went to work, Hermione took the opportunity to raid the Black library. She was hoping for a breakthrough of some sort but found nothing that could explain this vague summertime event. Not even the most advanced literary-searching spells had turned up any good results.

Kreacher's sudden change in disposition towards her had been startling now that she had been officially claimed as a Nott. When he first saw her, he fell to his knees and begged her forgiveness for over thirty minutes before she could convince him that all had been forgotten. He'd spent the rest of the day waiting on her hand and foot, leaving her with an excess of tea and treats surrounding her in the library.

She spent the night catching up and reminiscing with Harry and Ron over a meal and a pint of Butterbeer at the Leaky Cauldron. She returned to the manor early Friday morning once the two of them had Floo'd to the Ministry and was disappointed to find the manor empty yet again. Seeing her friends had definitely helped, but this nagging feeling that she was missing out on something huge was weighing heavily on her mind.

By the time Theo walked through the Floo on Friday afternoon, Hermione was ready to scream. When his green eyes fell on her resting on the chaise, he shot her a tired smile and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, slumping slightly and letting her body support him.

"Hi, Mia, I'm so glad this week is over," he sighed.

"Sit, Theodore."

At the no-nonsense tone in her voice, he moved to sit next to her, furrowing his brows at her in confusion. "Look, I know I've been gone for a few days and all but I'm sure it couldn't have been that bad. Did you run into any problems? You could have owled or Floo called me," he said worriedly.

"I think it's time you tell me what this big secret is."

Theo shifted and chuckled, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. "Okay, you got me, I stole the DVD for Karate Kid when I was gone, you know-"

"Theo, you know I don't care about that," Hermione sighed in exasperation. "There's something you and your father haven't told me yet. You dodged this question when I asked you on Sunday after dinner at the Burrow and I keep hearing hints about something happening this summer. If it affects me, I should be told about it, don't you agree?"