Subtle Support

Chapter 31

The petite witch was determined to repeat the feat that protected her mind even while her body was being crucio-ed, every nerve in her body, inside and out, knowing nothing but excruciating pain.

She was amazed as she took the little time she was allowed while being tortured to examine the magical feat that was once thought impossible. She was still in her body and aware of everything around her, including the pain which seemed to be unavoidable at this point, but her mind was still focused even as her body screamed. She mentally reached out to the boundaries that were around her mind and noticed that it felt like a ward instead of a shield.

Before she knew it, yet to her body it wasn't long enough, the curse stopped.

"I figured it out," she rasped, her eyes glittering with tears and excitement.

Moody and Barty looked at each other for a quick moment before looking back at the witch who was laying awkwardly on the floor with on leg bent so her foot was closer to her hip.

"Figured what out, lass?" Moody spoke quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.

"How to keep my mind," she replied with a small grin, causing her cheek to spasm slightly.

The wizards left the witch on the floor where she was, afraid that touch would aggravate her nerves so quickly after the curse was cast.

"How?" Alastor asked, looking at her intently.

"A ward. It's like a ward around my mind," she said softly, "It doesn't feel like a shield or a wall built up, it feels like a ward, strong but... it's hard to describe."

The old auror felt something like excitement beat around in his belly, it was something close to a breakthrough that he hadn't felt in some time. His breathing changed with his excitement, catching the attention of the younger wizard.

"Are you sure?" Barty asked patiently.

"As sure as devil's snare hates sunlight," she replied her grin getting a little bigger as the muscle spasms in her face started to stop.

"Lass, if ye be willing, I'd like to perform legilimency on ye to see what you mean. I'll be gentle and stay away from all personal thoughts that I can. I want to see if it's like an occluding yer mind," Alastor said, walking closer to the witch.

Hermione thought about it for a moment.

"What is legilimency? It's not mind reading like the name would suggest, a mind isn't like a book, it's more complex than that," she murmured.

"Correct as usual, lass! Legilimency is the act of navigating through a mind. The better the legilimens, the deeper they can navigate and the better they can interpret. Dumbledore is a master legilimens, as is Snape. I am not a master, but I know the basics. I know enough to know when someone be lyin' to me. It's unethical to perform on people unknowingly and unwilling, so the ministry tries to discourage its teaching. They teach the basics at Durmstrang though," Alastor said in the manner he would at Hogwarts... well Barty as him at least.

"Okay, do it," the curly haired witch replied.

She slowly started to sit up, and was grateful when Professor Barty helped her. He continued to help her and nothing was said as he conjured her a chair to sit on. Hermione whispered her thanks as she made herself comfortable and stared at her other professor.

"On the count o' three, lassie. One – two – three. Legilimens."

Hermione allowed herself to sit behind the... mind ward, she was still unsure what to call it as Professor Moody tried to navigate through her mind. She felt him move about like a wave in her mind, but knew that he wasn't really seeing anything, so allowed him to continue to be in her mind. After a few moments the waves started to get stronger and harsher, but rolled along her ward as though it was just rain on a window pane. She smiled in her mind behind her ward.