Sodalis

Chapter 2

In the weeks that followed, Severus found himself completely and utterly distracted. Very few things had an effect on him with his years as a spy and his lifetime of hardship. But the dead look in Hermione Granger's eyes when she admitted that in the end the greatest danger to her parents had not been the evil despot they fought or his followers. From what information he could glean, neither side knew about the deaths of the muggleborn's parents.

No one in the entire Great Hall and probably all of wizarding Britain knew of their fate except for Miss Granger and himself. With every meeting with the Order and the Headmaster he expected the news. Anticipating the somber festivities of a funeral and another example of why they fought the war they were fighting. It never came. He didn't know what to do about it. The knowledge was eating away at him for some unfathomable reason.

Severus had begun to watch her whenever they were in the same vicinity. She did not resemble the broken girl who had slipped off the tower welcoming oblivion when she was surrounded by her peers. The spy's experience alone was what allowed him to catch the moments when the emptiness returned to her eyes.

Every night he patrolled the castle and the Astronomy tower. So far he had only caught her out after curfew once. She had walked the empty halls of the castle in the very early morning when the castle was at its darkest and most quiet. He had not made himself known and simply followed her for over an hour until she returned to Gryffindor Tower.

She had not come to his office. It had not bothered him at first but as the weeks wore on and more news of crimes against muggles and muggleborns increased he worried that she may spiral. As was his wont to do, he used more manipulative measures to get some assurance of the young woman's sanity.

"Minerva, after all these years I had nearly prayed Miss Granger would cease her incessant verbatim prattling. But now the girl has had the audacity to simply ignore me when she was called on to assist another student. I had half a mind to give her detention but was enjoying the silence." He remarked to McGonagall at dinner one night.

"Miss Granger you say? Well that just doesn't sound like her at all," Her Scottish brogue thickened with her indignation. "I'm sure she was just thinking ahead and couldn't hear you."

"No, he's right Minnie. She's more quiet now," Flitwick interjected next to him. "I would credit it to maturity but she actually forgot to do an assignment and turned it in late, without permission! Not an apology or anxious entreaties. Not that she would have needed it, one infraction after a perfect record her entire schooling wouldn't have mattered. I don't think the lass is sleeping from the looks of her eyes."

Vector nodded and chimed in, "Let's not get too hasty and think this is something 'wrong' with the girl. I daresay the war may have finally caught up to her. Realized that grades aren't all that important when she's been fighting to survive since she was a first year."

"But that's just it, isn't it?" It was Sprout's turn to join the conversation, having made her way to their end of the head table, hovering over Vector's shoulder. "She's unfortunately been in danger from the moment she entered the wizarding war. On top of it she's Potter's best friend. If mortality were the reason for her to start acting like a normal student then it would have happened sooner. She killed a mandrake the other day by using the wrong harvesting method!"

"It seems you have your work cut out for you, Minerva," Severus glanced at the now worried witch. Her concern mirrored in his eyes if anyone dared to notice. He brought out his snarky tone, "I won't hesitate to give her detention if her unsatisfactory behavior continues."

"Well, I daresay, I had no idea. She has been as studious as always in Transfiguration," Mcgonagall was thoughtful as she looked out over her Gryffindors, no doubt seeking out the girl. "But then again she has always found the class to come quite naturally. No matter. I will check in with her. She had spoken to me over the summer about her desire to be an animagus. It will be a perfect time to ask after her well being. Thank you all for bringing this to my attention. Were it any other student I doubt we would be so worried."