Help is Required
Severus growled as he opened the door to his office, sick and tired after dealing with Potter and Draco all week. He scowled at the girl standing in front of his office. "Miss Granger. To what do I owe this... pleasure? Did your latest Outstanding not satisfy you?" He sneered and turned, walking further into his office. He knew that there was nothing he could say to run this particular girl off. After seven years of trying, he was done. Just let her talk, then send her on her way. There was no other way through this. He wished that it was legal to drink right now, though.
Hermione nodded politely and entered. Her potions professor's terrible manners used to annoy her, but she had decided that was how he showed affection. It was best to ignore the growling and sneering, and just get on with it. "No professor, thank you. I don't have any questions on the essay on the various preparations of flux weed. I mean, I would like it if you were to elaborate on--" she cut off the nervous tumble of words, and took a deep breath. Much slower, she continued, "That's not why I've stopped by Professor. I have a question. You see, I had some questions about a show--"
Professor Snape raised his hand to stop her. "I cannot tutor you in illegal magics Miss Granger, and frankly I'm shocked that you would even ask. You should know by now that the Dark Arts are forbidden at Hogwarts." He raised a sardonic eyebrow and leaned back in his chair. His eyes were intent as he studied her.
Hermione studied him in return. He didn't even look very angry, more just exhausted. "I don't want you to tutor me, sir. I don't want to cast anything that's illegal. I just want, no-- need to know. Is what they're teaching really the Dark Arts? Or are they lying to us? Some of what they're doing seems horrifying, but there are other things they've done. They don't seem all that bad! Is that really dark magic?" She looked away for a second then back to him. "If I just had a book that explained some of this, maybe I could understand. I mean, Harry might be fine with just learning from some videos, but I want to really understand what's going on." Her lips tightened. "I'm worried about him, professor. He's just so.."
He nodded again, waving for her to sit down in one of the unpadded wooden visitor chairs. "Yes, yes, I know what Potter has been up to. I won't tell you not to worry about him, I believe that's the only thing that's kept him alive for these past few years." His lips quirked in what was almost a smile. "Miss Granger, as you are of age, there is no rule stating that you cannot visit London on Hogsmeade weekends. In fact, so long as you return in time for curfew, nothing will be said by the staff. If you were to seek out a used bookstore, perhaps one near the corner of Knockturn...." He grabbed a scrap of paper and scribbled down a few words. "I cannot provide borderline illegal books to students, no matter how old they are. Whatever you bring to school is your responsibility."
Hermione wasn't sure how she got herself out of his office and back to her dorm. She knew there must have been other people, but her mind was reeling. Had he really helped her? Maybe Harry was driving him crazy enough that he thought she was required to rein him in. Hopefully the books he wrote down would help her.
***
Getting time away from her best friends was far easier than she thought it should be. Harry was nowhere to be found unless it was a mandatory appearance like classes. Ron would normally be around Hermione, except he missed turning in a transfiguration essay last week and he was stuck in detention writing it plus two more under their professor's eyes. Hermione didn't hesitate to take advantage of the time alone. Rather than take the carriages to the village, she chose to walk, as she wanted to leave a little later than most. The moment she was out of sight and past the ward lines, she slipped behind a tree in the forbidden forest and apparated to London. While the professor had told her that it wasn't against the rules, she didn't want to have to answer any questions about what she was doing in London on her own from the rest of her house.
The bookstore she was directed to was in far better shape than she was worried it would be. The building was much larger on the inside than it had any right to be, and the shelves took up every available bit of space. She smiled as she looked around. The smell of books was just as calming here as it was in the library. It was her birthday soon, and she hadn't spent the money her parents gave her for it yet. This looked like the perfect place to lighten her pocketbook. Behind the counter was an old man, sitting on a stool, flipping through a catalogue. There were several other shoppers, all older than her though. Only one man made eye contact with her. He had short brown hair and a thin build. He nodded politely when she caught him staring, but didn't stop eyeing her until she made it around the corner to the sections she wanted to examine. He seemed a little nervous and kept licking his lips.
Two hours later, she pushed a stack of twenty books onto the counter. In addition to the two dark magic books recommended by Professor Snape, she also found one on rituals that had been mentioned by Professor Riddle in the last episode. (She wasn't going to admit she had also found a couple of very steamy looking romance novels to anyone.) The prices here were much better than at Flourish and Blotts, and she was already making plans to return. The books on different runic languages alone were worth the trip, let alone the more questionable reading material.
The clerk wrapped the books up, then shrunk and lightened them for her. Hermione nodded politely and started for the door. Right before she reached it, the man from earlier appeared in front of her. "Excuse me, miss, but I couldn't help but see what you were looking at."
Hermione frowned and stared at him. "And why are you watching my shopping? It's not any business of yours--"
The man smirked and continued. "No, It's not, but I thought I should let you know that several of those books will not be allowed in Hogwarts."
She froze, her eyes widening as she glanced down at the small package in her hands, then at the man. "How do you know that I'm going back to Hogwarts with these? And which books?"
"Well, the Gryff hair ribbon really gives it away." Hermione blushed at patted the red and gold ribbon containing her wild hair, and the man continued. "Look, I don't want to make you uncomfortable or anything, but I know a couple spells that could help you get them into the wards, as well as a bag you could probably use."
Hermione considered him carefully. He was clean cut, wearing neatly pressed slacks and a button up shirt under his open robes. His accent was clearly upper crust, but he didn't get that disgusted look that so many of the older Slytherins would get when looking at her. She nodded slowly. "I would like to learn the spells, as well as which ones will cause the most trouble, but I'm not going somewhere private with you. I don't even know you."
He grimaced and nodded, "Ah, yeah, forgot that bit. Name's Barty." He stuck his hand out to her. After she shook it, he continued. "Don't want to drag you away or anything, how about we go to the tea shop over there, drink some tea, chat about books?" He looked hopeful and excited.
She found herself reluctantly charmed by the older man and nodded. "Alright then. Just over there." It was so rare that anyone even pretended to be interested in academics, that she allowed herself to be swayed.
They sat and discussed the various books she had purchased and he taught her the charm to mask the book's aura as well as their covers. Before she knew it, they had consumed countless pots of tea, and were deep in discussion on a tricky bit of arithmatic theory that had been troubling her. Barty was brilliant, she had decided right about the time that she finished her first cup of tea. A ringing sound erupted from the other side of the table, and they both froze, before looking down at Barty's phone. It was buzzing with an alarm. Hermione's eyes widened as she caught the time. "It's how late?? Oh no, everyone will be so worried, and we hadn't even finished--"
Barty smiled at her, silencing his alarm. "It's fine, Hermione! Can I owl you? We could finish talking that way. Or maybe you could call me sometime? I don't have many people who really like discussing magical theory. Everyone I'm around is much more into the practical side of things, which..." He crinkled his nose and shook his head. Hermione fought down the flip in her belly as she thought about how cute that made him look. "Here, I'll shrink your things for you, they're all well disguised now." His eyes cut briefly towards the romances she had tried to hide, before meeting her eyes again. "We didn't get a chance to go shopping for that bag I mentioned, so maybe we could meet up again some time?"
Hermione's cheeks pinked and she smiled up at him. "Maybe. As long as the spells you taught me work, at least. If I get expelled, I'm going to hunt you down!" Internally marveling at her own boldness, she reached out and squeezed his hand before dropping it and hurrying away. She could feel his eyes on her until she walked around the corner to the apparition point.
***
Hermione devoured the books over the next week. She closed the cover on the second dark arts book, and rested her hand on it while she sat in her curtained bed, thinking. She always had her curtains stuck together and a silencing spell up. Way back in first year, her roommates would complain about the noise of her quill scratching late into the evening, and so they had compromised. She would keep a silencing spell up if she was up after them, and they wouldn't paint their nails with muggle polish in the dorm room without an air freshening charm. Hermione spoke to herself quietly, "It really doesn't seem all that bad. Why are all these books and spells illegal anyway? I'm sure that Professor Dumbledore knows what he's talking about, I mean, he's got several masteries, and defeated a dark lord, he must know about dark magic..." She looked at the books contemplatively. "What if... what if I just cast one small spell. Maybe dark magic feels different than regular magic, and that's why it's illegal. I mean, of course the unforgiveables are awful and probably damn your soul." She stopped and shook her head. "But witches and wizards aren't Christians. I'm not, anymore! I haven't gone to church since I was five. The priest really didn't appreciate my questions..." Her brow creased in thought. "Yes. I'll try one small spell, and see what the fuss is about. I wish that I had been brave enough to discuss this with Barty, but.. And I really don't want to talk about this sort of thing over the post or a phone call."
Hermione slipped out from under her covers and got up on her knees. She pulled her wand out of her hair, releasing the bun. Flipping through the pages, she found a spell that looked fairly straightforward. It would cast a blood magic ward on a book, so no one would be able to access her things. She pointed her wand at the notebook she had been using for her dark arts research, and after a quick review of the words, she cast. "Claudant strictum con sanguine!" And with the last word, she poked her finger hard with a pin, and squeezed out a drop of blood to mark the center of the book. She stared, and gave it a moment, but there wasn't even a spark. She couldn't feel any magic at all. The blood sat on the surface of the book, just like a normal blotch of blood would. Hermione frowned deeply. "Why didn't that work? During that test, it said that I had plenty of dark magic ability." She stared even longer, before wiping the blood up with a tissue. It had been years since she didn't even get a spark trying a new spell. She didn't always get things on her first try, but to not get any reaction at all? She had failed. Hermione Granger did not simply fail at something. More research was needed, but perhaps from a person. Professor Snape already said he wouldn't teach her. Pansy was still out of the question, and Harry? Just no. Barty had seemed open-minded, but you couldn't just ask a new acquaintance to teach you illegal magic. That's how you got caught!
But what if there was more information from the livestreams? Professor Riddle was obviously very good at this. Maybe there were extra hints given in some of the online chats!
Hermione had decided. She would make up a user name that was nothing like any of her usual aliases, join the group, and figure out what had gone wrong. She might not like the idea of dark magic, but the thought of failing at something was even worse.