Protector {Completed}

Chapter 16

When Hestia woke up in St. Mungo's, Marcus was holding tightly onto her hand. Her face split into a soft, but loving smile as she reached forward with one hand and gently cupped his cheek. Marcus slowly stirred awake, his eyes flittering awake slowly as he took in Hestia. Realizing what he saw was her awake, he almost jumped out of the seat, gathering the girl into his arms and hugging her tightly to him. His breathing was heavy, his heartbeat erratic, he was so happy. Hestia hugged back with equal fervour, she honestly couldn't remember what had happened, but if Marcus was worried it must have been something bad. "You've been asleep for 2 days....I was so worried. If it wasn't for the doctors reassuring me you were okay I would have went mental." He mumbled into her hair. Hestia was confused, asleep for two days? "What happened to me?" She mumbled to him, worried she had done something wrong. "You passed out, fainted. We brought you here Because Madame Pomfrey said it would be best. The doctors said you were exhausted, physically and mentally, and you just needed rest."

After a thorough and full check up at Marcus's behest, Hestia and him were back at Hogwarts, where she was subjected to a full check up again by her friends. That night while they slept, Hestia felt her mind pull again, back to Malfoy Manor, or so she thought. However this time she was in Ollivanders, in front of Mr Ollivander himself. "You say....you don't know where it is? Do you?" She heard Voldemort ask the old wandmaker, "It was a thief...he stole it in the dead of night. I don't know where it is!" Voldemort held his wand up to the man, the words on the tip of his tongue till he stopped. "Why Ms Potter...don't you know that eavesdropping is rude." Hestia woke up screaming as the Avada Kedavra was administered and it took a good 15 minutes for Marcus to calm her down before he got the story from her. His blood ran cold, Voldemort now knew she really could see into his head, they had to tell McGonagall.

To say Professor McGonagall was at a loss for words, was an understatement. She didn't know what to do or say, "I think you need to learn Occulomency." She finally said, her fingers steepling together.  "It is the art of protecting your mind, fortifying it in such a way that no one can look into your mind or memories. Professor Snape is quite proficient in that area of expertise. As for what you saw happened with Me Ollivander...I will send the Aurors to his shop, so that they can start their investigation before others come around." Hestia was unresponsive, she had seen someone else die, and she hadn't been able to stop it. She was just as useless as in that Tri-Wizard Tournament. She held tightly onto Marcus's hand, her hands clammy with sweat and fear. When Marcus took her to Snape's office that morning, she didn't want to let go of him, even when Snape asked for Marcus to leave. Sitting across from the potions master, she was trembling with fear and anxiety, and the usual snappy and sharp remarks from the man was lost. Snape woke from his seat and sat next to Hestia, watching her body slightly go rigid, he let out an inaudible sigh, before he turned to look at her. "You are much like her you know." He finally said, confused she looked up at him, her eyebrows furrowed, but Snape wasn't looking at her, he seemed to be looking into the past. As if he wanted to remember something that happened then. "Your mother, you are so much like her. She was loud and rambunctious yes. But also, had those moments when she just went silent. As if the weight of the world was on her shoulders. She felt like she had a lot of responsibilities...and it didn't help that I was not...supportive as one of her best friends back then. If I wasn't so jealous of your father, I would have been in her life. I would not have messed up the way I did. Maybe if I was in her life, and she was in mine, I would not have joined The Dark Lord, and if I still did, I would have been able to save her. I was not able to help your mother, but I want to help you. I will help you and I will keep you safe Hestia." When he finished, he didn't know what to expect, it definitely wasn't Hestia hugging him tightly around his waist. "...I don't think my mother would have hated you...maybe if you both had apologized to each other then you could have been friends again. I would...like for you to help me."

From that night, after classes Hestia would spend a good hour or two practicing Occulomency with Snape. It was mentally exhausting for her, Snape delving into her mind to try and probe her memories was not fun and gave her terrible headaches. Two weeks later from the day, Snape had gotten into her mind again, it was a memory she was particularly fond of.

Marcus sat and watched her study in the room. She was busy flipping through her notebook, and making small marks on what she thought was important, when she felt it. His hand gently carding through her hair, his face le-

"GET OUT!" she screamed, her eyes screwed shut. When she opened her eyes, Snape was on the floor, panting, his eyes widened, but with a proud smile on his face. "We have...found your strength. I just...did not think it would be Marcus." He said with a small chuckle. "Or more so I should have realized it was Marcus. You are getting better Hestia. Hold on to the fact that the Dark Lord could possibly see your memories with Marcus, and fight."