Discipline of the Mind

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Chapter 4 – Discipline of the Mind

The next day, Hermione was summoned to the Headmaster’s office, and Harry, who was suddenly very protective of her, insisted on escorting her there. As she entered his office, Hermione immediately noticed the presence of both her Head of House and Professor Snape.

“You wished to see me?” Hermione asked bluntly.

“Yes, my dear; take a seat, please… Lemon drop?” he replied.

“No, thank you.”

“Well… I have called you here to discuss the events of the summer. I know you do not want to talk about them, but we must know everything that occurred.”

“I hardly see why it could be so important to know what happened. I thought it was quite clear: they kidnapped my family and proceeded to torture and murder them, all before my eyes no less. It’s really not that complicated,” Hermione responded, as she reverted to that same cold, emotionless tone.

“But what happened, my dear?” Professor McGonagall asked in earnest.

“That is none of your concern, Professors. I gave you the names of those responsible. Surely there can be nothing further?”

“All right, my dear. One last thing: did they use Legilimency on you?” the Headmaster asked.

“No, they did not.”

“And Veritaserum?”

“They did.”

“What did they ask? Did you reveal anything?” Dumbledore asked urgently, seeming very worried.

“No, I did not. I did not reveal any of the Order’s secrets. Believe me, my mother paid for that choice with her life,” Hermione answered with a bitter laugh.

“I’m sorry, my dear, I truly am; but do not be so determined to take responsibility for your mother’s death. Difficult as it may be to hear, her fate was sealed the moment you were all taken. It was not your fault that she was taken from this world in such a cruel and unforgiving manner. I would not wish you to drown in guilt, a burden which is not yours to bear.” This reply was met with silence from the bowed head of the young Gryffindor.

“Now, the reason Professor Snape is here is that I think you could benefit from some lessons in Occlumency. We cannot risk anyone getting into your mind, not with all that you know about the Order,” the headmaster continued.

“I see.”

“Miss Granger, if you will come to my office after dinner tonight we can set up a schedule. Learning Occlumency will be both intensive and brutal. I will require your full attention and I expect dedication. I will not have my time wasted as it was with Potter. Are we clear?” Professor Snape asked in his usual harsh manner.

“Yes, sir,” Hermione replied obediently.

“Good.”

“Well, excellent. That is all, my dear. Why don’t you run along and enjoy the rest of your day?” Dumbledore suggested cheerfully, as though they had not been interrogating her for the last twenty minutes.

“Good day, Professors.” Hermione strode out of the office, fuming how dare they question her so callously about what happened, especially when they knew what horrors she had been forced to live through. Do they only care about what damage may have been done to their precious Order? Was the loss of her family seen as being nothing more than collateral damage? She had always believed the Headmaster to be a kind and compassionate man, and yet in this most recent encounter he seemed anything but benevolent.

She walked up to the Astronomy Tower and settled down on the balcony, relishing the peace and quiet away from the other students. After sitting there for forty-five minutes, she finally reached a more peaceful state of mind, or at least a less murderous one. Suddenly, she heard footsteps approach and was startled to see Draco Malfoy as she turned around.

“Granger?” he asked, surprised to see her so far away from her Gryffindor domain.

“Malfoy,” she replied calmly as she turned to leave. She walked away and was surprised when no taunt or jibe followed.

“I’m sorry,” Draco muttered quietly to himself when he thought she was out of ear-shot.

“What was that, Malfoy?” she asked, certain she had heard the Slytherin say something.

“I didn’t say anything, Granger,” he replied calmly.

Not sure, Hermione lingered for a moment before deciding that either way she probably didn’t want to know what he had said. So she turned once again and descended the many flights of stairs. As she made her way down, Hermione couldn’t help thinking there was something distinctly strange about Malfoy’s behaviour. He had hardly said two words to her, and the Malfoy she knew would have jumped at the opportunity to taunt her, since they were alone. Yet he seemed rather distant... as though he was off in his own world. In short, he seemed extremely “un-Malfoy-like”. He seemed oddly non-confrontational, which was definitely a first when it came to the blonde Slytherin.

These thoughts flew around in Hermione’s head as the rest of the day passed in a blur. She was still so caught up in thinking about all that had happened during the morning that the next thing she knew, dinner was over. She nodded a silent goodbye to the boys and made her way down to the dungeons to meet with Professor Snape, as promised. She approached the classroom door and knocked twice.

“Enter,” came the menacing growl of Professor Snape.

She stepped into the room and silently approached his desk.

“Sit,” he commanded. Obediently, she sat.

“The art of Occlumency requires dedication, practice, and full focus. It requires a strong sense of discipline, of both body and mind. Are you willing to make that sort of commitment, Miss Granger?” he asked harshly.

“Yes, sir.”

“Good. We will have two lessons a week to start. It will be gruelling, difficult, and will most likely tire you out significantly. Are you prepared to have such stress put upon your body and mind?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Very well. We will meet Wednesday after dinner, and on Sunday afternoons at 1:00. This gives you Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays to catch up on school work. Understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

“That will be all, Miss Granger,” he said, dismissing her with a wave of his hand.

“Good night, sir,” she said respectfully as she walked out of his office.

As she walked out, Severus looked at her thoughtfully. She had changed quite drastically, her manner completely altered. There were other subtle differences as well, ones not likely to be noticed by her other professors or even her friends. She had always been respectful and relatively obedient, but now, it seemed that she was almost too obedient. She lacked life and spirit. He could hear it in her voice. Her eyes seemed dull; they lacked the exuberance and spark they once had. Severus, however, was not going to go easy on her just because of her recent trauma. That’s not to say he was not sensitive to it, but coddling her would do more harm than good. For if there was one thing that Severus had learned about Hermione over the past few years, it was to never, under any circumstances, underestimate her.

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