𝔖𝔫𝔞𝔭𝔢'𝔰 ℜ𝔢𝔱𝔲𝔯𝔫 (ℭ𝔬𝔪𝔭𝔩𝔢𝔱𝔢, 18+)

๑۞ ℌ𝔦𝔪𝔞𝔩𝔞𝔶𝔞𝔫 ℜ𝔢𝔠𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔯𝔶 ۞๑

     "I was expecting sweet tea, this is peppermint and..." she played with her mouth more, and a small smile pulled at her lips.

     At that moment, I wished I could perform legilimency without leaving an impression of having been there because I felt like I had to know what was going on in her head right then, I needed it more than I needed air.

     "Clove," I offered and swallowed several times to remoisten my mouth.

     "That's what it was," she mumbled.

     "What?"

     "Why that blend?" She was studying me intensely now.

     "Teaching loud, whining children can mess with one's digestive system and peppermint," I waved my hand at her knowing she knew it helped soothe stomachs.

     "And the clove?"

     "I used to smoke clove cigarettes. However, I really enjoy using my lung's full capacity, so I added the herb to my tea and was able to quit."

     "It has a very distinct taste - unforgettable, really." She took another pull from her glass and moaned again.

     I cleared my throat, "I was writing to thank you again. I don't know what kind of payment you'd like?"

     I wasn't sure what I'd said that was so amusing, but her musical laughter suddenly filled the air, and she looked genuinely happy.

     "The thought of payment never crossed my mind when I decided to help you."

     "I don't like feeling indebted to someone." I shuddered, "It's uncomfortable. You'll have to come up with something."

     She suggestively ran her velvet gaze over me and several kundalini raising positions that I'd always been thanked for performing popped to mind. I'd be more than happy to pay her with those - no - yes - no, I really mean no! Oh Merlin, why do I do this to myself? I must be a masochist.

     "Okay." My pulse jumped, and she was smiling slyly. "You can properly thank me by getting better, and once you're strong enough, hunt down as many Death Eaters as possible and bring them to justice."

     I scowled, slightly disappointed she hadn't read my mind after all. "I was reading the Prophet this morning and saw there were another two deaths in Scotland. I knew them." I sighed heavily, thinking of Evan Fibh, a boy I'd attended Hogwarts with and his wife, Aila whom I'd met later in life. Good people.

     "Once I was well enough, I'd planned on helping the Ministry. I didn't spend my whole time as a spy..." I made quotation marks with my fingers, "...so that people could persist in being idiotic followers of a dead leader."

     "Perfect." She took a few more sips, and I watched her eyes, trying to decipher what she was thinking.

     "Might I ask where your parents are?" I asked, wanting to change the subject and because I was curious.

     She looked me over before clearing her throat, "I don't know."

     I gave her a look that said I didn't believe that Hermione know-it-all Jean Granger didn't actually know something.

     "I had to keep them safe, so I obliviated them and removed all evidence they'd ever had a child, before going off with Harry and Ronald in search of the Horcruxes. They moved away soon after."

     I chuckled a bit, "The Dark Lord did indeed send Snatchers after your parents in hopes of using them as bait to get you, Potter and Weasley to come out of hiding." I chuckled a little more when she gave me a horrified look. "I realize that sounds bad but he didn't apprehend them, and you should've seen Voldemort. He was so mad that he actually had some color to his otherwise pale skin." I looked her over as she slowly calmed down and smiled a little, "Your mind is quite extraordinary, Hermione. Have you made any attempts to locate them?"