"You're a Gryffindor, you can be brave." Hermione muttered to herself as she walked up to the potions lab. But then she stepped away. "But is it really my business what goes on between family?" She stopped herself and turned back to the lab. "You're being ridiculous. Alex asked you to go talk to him. And he doesn't bite. He's a Hogwarts teacher." She turned away again. "But so was Quirrel. But Snape's nothing like Quirrel. You know that."
"You're making me dizzy with all that pacing. Either enter or stop loitering." Hermione looked up. Snape was marking essays at the front of the classroom, way too far away for her to hear. Though, she was at Hogwarts, so magic was clearly at play. She wondered if he'd heard her internal battle as clearly as she heard him. "Well?"
"Coming in... sir." She said.
"What can I do for you?"
"Alex is feeling better."
"I saw."
"You left rather abruptly."
"There was no need for my presence. Madam Pomfrey is clearly qualified enough to handle a fainting student."
"Right."
"Is there a reason you're here, Miss Granger?"
"Alex asked me to come."
"Yes, I heard."
"Right, well. Uh, she doesn't really remember exactly what happened before she, uh, fell."
"She's lost her memories?"
"No, not exactly. She says she knows you figured stuff out." Hermione said meaningfully.
"And?"
"And that's sort of the last thing she does remember."
"Well, it was a few seconds before she fainted. And she was a little delirious."
"So, uh, how much did you figure out?" Hermione asked.
"It's a good thing the hat didn't put you in Slytherin." He drawled. "No tact."
"I suppose I just know that attempting to sneak information out of the head of Slytherin is disrespectful."
"Or perhaps you're more wily that I give you credit."
"That almost sounded like a compliment." To her surprise, the corners of Snape's mouth twitched.
"Don't be absurd." He said. "How much of Alex's situation do you know?"
"Uh... well, she's told me some things." His eyes seemed to pierce into her, glinting like a sharp dagger caught in the sun. His expression became furious, and Hermione realised what he was doing. "Get out of my head!" She said, attempting a block in her mind. Alexandra had taught her a few things, but without the practice, her block was about as sturdy as paper.
"Why haven't you come to anyone with any of this?"
"Because I promised her and you've no right crawling through my memories. She told me those things in confidence, and you've made me betray her."
"You haven't betrayed her."
"What do you know about it? You think it's alright to look through another's mind on a whim." Her eyes widened and she slapped her hands on her mouth. "I'm sorry, sir."
"I admire your loyalty to her, but it's imperative that we know what goes on so that we can help her. Keeping this kind of information to one's self can only bring more harm than good."
"I didn't want to break her trust. She trusted me, and that wasn't very easy for her."
"I'm sorry you feel like that."
"Now that you know, I don't suppose you know of a way to help her."
"I suppose I could brew her some wolfsbane, but it's hardly a full moon."
"If it were that easy, I'm sure she'd have brewed some herself."
"Wolfsbane is not easy."
"Well, yes, but she's rather good at potions. I'm sure Alex would have at least attempted it if it's what she needed." Snape nodded, as though she had a point.
"Has she mentioned how she managed it before she came to Hogwarts?"
"I thought you used you legilimency on me."
"Just enough to know the basics of what happened. An in-depth analysis of all of your conversations would take longer."
"She did mention a potion in which the key ingredient was unicorn hair, but she also said it kept her under his control."
"Interesting."
"What is?"
"What do you know about werewolves, Miss Granger?"
"Not much. Just general muggle conceptions. They turn once a month on a full moon."
"Yes, exactly. Werewolves are beholden to the full moon. The... experimentation Alex endured- it could not have completely erased the genetic code that requires all wolves to lose their sense of self." He explained. "There are ways to mute it, wolfsbane for instance, but even then the werewolf would still be weakened on the full moon. Somehow, accidentally or not, the dark lord managed to transfer her connection from the moon and tie her to something else. Or rather, someone else."
"The potion- he used it to enslave her. And when she stopped taking it, she wasn't beholden to him, but also not to the moon either." His face became troubled.
"She cannot survive long without being tied to anything. She could lose control totally or end up losing her mind."
"She's told me that without the potion, her only hope was keeping the wolf inside dormant and weak."
"So she resorted to starving herself, and depriving herself of sleep."
"I thought she was managing it. She eats sometimes, and I know she sleeps a few hours every night. She said it was just enough to make her a little weaker, but not too weak."
"You foo-" he stopped himself. "You should have gone to an adult."
"I couldn't. I promised her that I wouldn't."
"And what use is that promise if it brings her harm." Hermione looked down. "Take a seat." He insisted, before heading to the potions cupboard for some ingredients. She slowly took a seat, watching as he set up his own cauldron.
"Sir?" She asked, tentatively.
"I may have use for your assistance. It simply won't do for Alex to continue as she was." He measured out some ingredients- some of which Hermione recognised. A drop of mistletoe berry, some bloodroot, and more. He pushed the mortar and pestle towards Hermione. "Grind those together." He said and she set to work.
He did that often, ordering her to do a few things here and there, not even pausing for a moment. There was a knock at the door about a half hour later. It was Malfoy who sneered upon noticing Hermione. "Now you've got a mudblood helping you with potions for the hospital wing?"
"That'll be twenty points from Slytherin." Snape said without looking up. Hermione's eyes widened.
"What?" Malfoy looked outraged.
"Care to add another detention to your preexisting list?"
"No, sir." Malfoy said.
"Go back to your common room, Draco. Detention will have to wait for another day. I'm otherwise occupied today." Malfoy looked befuddled but left. Hermione thought it best not to comment on it.
