From Wiltshire, With Love

Chapter 39

April 1998

Hermione gripped the edge of the table as she deflected the mental assault and showed memories of a snowball fight with Harry and Ron. Everything pertaining to Draco and the Horcruxes was safely locked away, as was the location of her parents, some Order plans and Kingsley's involvement. For all intents and purposes, there was no way to know that those memories were concealed in her mental library, let alone that they even existed. Her mentor slid by her memories and she deftly lay others exposed for perusal, shifting the piles of books and laying herself bare. Seemingly exposed, but tightly guarded. There wasn't even a hint that she was hiding anything.

After a while the search stopped, and her mentor laid back with a satisfied smile across her red lips and Hermione exhaled a breath in relief. These lessons always left her knackered.

"Well done. You've mastered Occlumency." The older witch tapped her chin with a red painted nail and peered at Hermione in thought.

After all these sessions, this unknown woman knew Hermione better than she knew herself. She witnessed her fears, her sorrows, her worries and the happiest moments in her life. In the beginning, Hermione would frequently leave her lessons a quivering mess of tears. But now that she had grasped the ability to mask and even repress her emotions, fatigue was the only after effect.

"You're completely exhausted," she observed, twisting a gold ring on her finger.

"I am," Hermione agreed.

"Perfect." She raised an eyebrow.

Without warning, her mentor extracted the memory of Hermione watching herself disappear from the photographs in her house. She knew it was one of Hermione's saddest memories, if not the saddest one, and went right to where she knew the location of her parents' and their new identities were hidden. Hermione retained a physically impassive exterior although a despairing sadness persisted within her which she had no doubt her mentor could feel. After a few moments of holding out, her teacher broke through and reached her parents' new names and location.

Hermione's face fell. She failed when it came down to masking and controlling her emotions.

Again.

"To be fair," the older woman said, "I knew exactly where to look and what to look for because I've already found those memories in the past. I don't think someone else would have been able to."

"Really?" The hope was palpable in Hermione's voice.

"Really," her mentor assured her. "But war is not fair. We'll try again next time, but with external pressures. You're ready for that now."

Hermione's eyes widened in fear, remembering how Draco had tested her ability to lie and mask her emotions. "What kind of external pressures?"

"Pain," she answered casually. "But I think you can handle it. Maybe two or three more lessons and we should be done."

Hermione choked, recalling Draco's comment regarding how an interrogation would really take place.

Torture.

"You're going to Crucio me?" she asked in horror.

The woman looked offended and she brushed a lock of shiny black hair behind her shoulders. "Of course not. I've spent so much time in your head it would almost be like trying to Crucio my own flesh and blood. I wouldn't be able to."

"Oh," Hermione replied, much relieved, but still wary about what kind of pain would be inflicted on her. And then she felt a surge of warmth for this mysterious woman who had just admitted that she cared for her.