Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/9823712.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence, Major_Character_Death, Underage
  Category:
      Multi
  Fandom:
      Harry_Potter_-_J._K._Rowling
  Relationship:
      Hermione_Granger/Draco_Malfoy, Hermione_Granger/Severus_Snape, Sirius
      Black/Hermione_Granger, Hermione_Granger/Lucius_Malfoy
  Character:
      Hermione_Granger, Harry_Potter, Severus_Snape, Draco_Malfoy, Sirius
      Black, Lucius_Malfoy
  Additional Tags:
      Dubious_Consent, Necromancy, Dark, Alternate_Universe_-_Canon_Divergence,
      Slow_Build, Graphic_Description, Morally_Ambiguous_Character, Twincest,
      Otherworld, long_fic, Like_really_really_long, Other_Additional_Tags_to
      Be_Added, No_Harem, But_multiple_relationships
  Series:
      Part 1 of When_Hermione_Fights
  Stats:
      Published: 2017-02-19 Updated: 2018-03-29 Chapters: 60/? Words: 253500
****** When Hermione Fights ******
by Aivy, queenie17
Summary
     They say you always have a choice and I had chosen. I would fight! I
     was ready to face life with all its ups and downs. I would follow the
     path of a warrior, not popular but necessary, as I had been part of
     the war for years. Every year without fail Harry, Ron and I would
     fight for our lives. Was I, Hermione Granger, a good person and would
     I still be good after everything was done and finished? This is my
     story beginning at the end of the holidays after Year Four (GoF), and
     in the end you'll have to decide if my actions and my decisions were
     the right ones! HG with SB, DM, SS and LM; HP will play a bigger role
     as the story progresses!
Notes
     Hi, Everyone!
     This is my first translated work, from German to English, so please
     don’t be too harsh on me.
     It was also the first written work by my very good friend, Queenie
     VM. I do share her profile of AO3 with her. So she knows. :)
     I feel honored that she gave me the permission to translate this
     amazing story into English because I thought it would be a shame not
     to.
     This story is not finished yet, but has been written on for more than
     3 years and is, in my opinion, the longest German fanfiction ever
     written. And as long as Queenie is here, she will finish this story,
     as she promised her fandom.
     I will try to update this Fanfiction every week, but cannot promise
     it.
     But I will update every two weeks for sure.
     Almost all Characters, Places, and the world belongs to JKR.
     None of us gets money for this work, even though I’d believe Queenie
     deserves it.
     As she says herself, She does everything for the fun.
     Important warning:
     This story is definitely for the people from the age of 18!
     She and even me, are older and we are writing for the adults.
     Content:
     It says, one always has a choice, and I chose. I would fight! Oh yes!
     With everything I had and without regard for losses.
     With all commitment, if I liked it or not. But always in hiding, in
     secret, because it was clear that my friends and all others would not
     approve of what I did or what I planned to do.
     Was I, Hermione Granger, a good person, or would I, if everything was
     over, still be good? This is my story and at the end, you will need
     to decide if my actions, my decisions, were right.
     War is bleak, war is not a children's game and for sure not pleasant.
     War never brings bright heroes and only those who are ready to step
     over limits will survive. This story shifts Hermione in the
     foreground and shows what she always was, a misfit, due to her
     intelligence and her skills, better than anyone else and like JKR
     said herself, less dear and compliant than thought. At the end of the
     fourth year holidays, Hermione sees the beginning of the war,
     something her friends still close their eyes from, that's why this is
     the moment, where her fight begins, as she won't walk blindly and
     unprepared into the war, after all, she’s never unprepared. Right?
     HG with SB, DM, LM and SS! Violence in later chapters and please see
     the Age restriction 18 seriously!
     HP will be a big part of this story too, eventually.
See the end of the work for more notes
  This work was inspired by
      When_Hermione_Fights by Queenie Granger
***** Knockturn Alley *****
Chapter Notes
     Just started to Double Tripple Beta the old chapters. So I do hope
     it's better now than before.
     Enjoy xx
Darkness, nothing but darkness surrounded me. Not only just the darkness of
night! No, life itself was filled with darkness. I lived in dark times after
all, unfortunately. I had realized and accepted this fact faster than the
others, as was often the case. That was why I stood here in this damned alley
and tried, even in the darkness, to blend in further with the shadows.
I pulled the hood of my black robe far down over my face to avoid any chance of
being recognized. I was hurrying towards my goal with purpose, walking over the
worn cobblestones, like all the other disguised shapes.
No one here was interested in anyone else because everyone had something to
hide.
Tonight, I would implement the first part of my plan. Afterwards, I could begin
to carry out the rest of my life plan, step by step. It would not be easy, but
what ever was in life?
For he was back!
Him, embodiment of ultimate evil, who had been on our heels since our first
year at Hogwarts. Now a lot was about to change.
Poor Harry!
I still felt awfully sorry for him, as he had been chased by him from the very
beginning. And Harry had played a major role, had been cast in the lead, as it
was his blood that made the reincarnation of Voldemort possible. As for me, I
would not be Hermione Jean Granger if my brain had not kicked in as soon as
Harry had reappeared from nowhere with Cedric's dead body.
Yes, I was sad, even devastated by the events, but I never took the time to
grieve. In the end it did not help in any way and it certainly did not bring
Cedric back from the dead. I still could not grasp it, Cedric, the good and
handsome Hufflepuff was no longer among us. Later that evening in the hospital
wing Harry had given Ron and me a summary of everything that had happened in
the graveyard but I did not allow myself to mourn. Rather, I had to spring into
action! He had gathered his loyal followers around him and would soon be
getting back to his old strength and that was why I was standing here at
midnight in Knockturn Alley, trying to become one with the darkness. A new era
had begun now that he had returned. Nothing would ever be the same, it wouldn’t
be like the past fourteen years! Our time of peace and our quiet life was
irrevocably over!
Now it was time to prepare to fight, the war was coming. Time was running out
and I was willing to use however much I could grasp. A smile appeared on my
lips as my thoughts wandered towards anyone who could claim to know me. I
imagined how all of them, the Weasleys, the professors, the other students,
their parents and Harry would have a heart attack if they knew where geeky
little Miss Gryffindor roamed about at this time of day.
Here you could get everything your heart desired, if the price was right.
Anyone who dared to venture into Knockturn Alley knew that they walked on
forbidden, illegal ground and also knew the consequences. I was aware of that
as well and I was ready to take the risk, because I knew I would never get what
I desired the legal way. Indeed, what those who believed they had known me for
years did not, in fact, know, was that I was not as good, dear, naive, and
compliant as they thought.
My grin became downright nasty.
I knew how to conduct my questionable activities under the cover of darkness,
often late at night and always in secret. NO ONE ever noticed me. If they knew
they would be truly shocked by my actions because in people's perception Harry
and Ron were the two driving forces of our trio, the ones who started the
dangerous and forbidden actions, not me, the prim and proper Hermione.
Not even Harry and Ron knew about my activities inside Hogwarts. They did not
have the smallest clue about what was going on because I would bet my right
hand that they would also not approve. But enough of that, I needed to continue
further, way deeper into the alley. I tried to move as discreetly as possible.
I could not suppress a little shiver for the environment was too surreal, too
squalid. Here was the vermin of the magical society. Thieves and murderers. It
was a dangerous path to tread. The vermin felt so comfortable here that it was
as unsafe in the daylight as during the night. The dark alley, which was bigger
than one would have thought, was showcasing everything that Diagon Alley
offered but in a broader variety and what I saw in the displays fascinated me
very much. I would return at another point, when I had more time because I
could really use some of these products.
I carefully moved towards my target. Since I had never been here, I allowed my
senses and my research to lead me. I had been planning this excursion for the
past two weeks and yesterday I had prepared myself explicitly for this late
night shopping spree. I did not want anything left to chance. It was way too
dangerous. Although, in the last few years, I had shown that I attracted danger
as well as adventure and I loved it; otherwise I would never have developed
such a close friendship with Harry Potter, who was a guaranteed magnet for such
situations.
Yes, carrying on alongside Harry was good practice. But to be able to cope with
this situation alone and on my own, and to be successful, that required careful
planning and preparation...
***** Preparation and a successful deal *****
Chapter Notes
     We thank for all the reads, klicks and the review.
     Enjoy!
     2. Time Betad:
     18.11.2017
Preparations and a successful deal
 
Today was the second day of the holidays. I had acted fast, had needed to be
fast as the timing of my plans which I had worked on for the last three weeks
after the tournament were barely thought through. As soon as the train at Kings
Cross Station stopped I  hugged Harry and Ron, saying goodbye , and greeted my
parents with a bright smile. Yes, a bright smile! I would've never been so
stupid as to tell my parents the truth about the magical world. They would've
been too shocked to learn about the dark and dangerous world their daughter
lived in. For them, the magical world was exciting and fascinatingly colorful,
happy, like Diagon Alley. The shopping street was the only thing they knew
about my world and they would never see anything else. Thus, we quickly drove
home after our brief greeting and I would begin to  put my plans into action .
 
"It is good to be home again. Mum, Dad, I missed you!" I declared  cheer fully
as we entered our townhouse.
 
"So did we, sweetheart!" my mum responded as we entered the lobby. She pulled
me into a hug again.
 
"And did you plan anything else for today?" I asked eagerly and smiled at both
of them.
 
"No, nothing significant! We'll have a nice dinner later, and you... you will
tell us all about the most exciting news from your last year!" replied my Dad,
intrigued.
 
"Hmm, yeah, sure. But I just need to go pick up some things from the
pharmacy... I’ve ran out of some stuff at Hogwarts," I explained.
 
"Do you want me to come with you, sweetheart?" my Mum asked.
 
"No, it's okay. I know you're excited for dinner and I don't want to keep you
from the preparations," I said with an excited smile.
 
Meanwhile my dad had pulled out his wallet, gave me £100 with a cheeky smile
and said with a soft expression on his face: "Well, enjoy and don't come back
too late!"
 
"Thanks, see you in a bit," I was already turning to the front door, while
giving my parents a grateful smile and left. It wasn't too far to the shop and
soon I stepped quickly into the store and grabbed a trolley. There was a lot I
needed.
 
I started with standing  almost hopeless in front of the huge selection of
make-up. I bought everything from powder to concealer, eye shadow and liner,
mascara to lipstick, just everything and I continued to the nail polish and...
Yes, this was more difficult, I didn't want to, and I couldn't color my hair,
but I needed different hair for what I planned to do, period. An inspiration
was necessary ; a wig was too expensive. Well, what did this shop offer? It
took a while and a lot of scanning and then I saw the hairpieces. There was a
black band with hair attached, which I could pull over my head. Perfect. If I
pulled the strap over my forehead and tied my hair up in a bun, no one would
notice  that my  hair was not dark blond and straight .
 
The evening after, I stood there with a lot of make-up on my face and my fake
hair in place. No one would recognize me as Hermione Granger because I no
longer looked like myself. I even looked older, not like the 15 year old I was,
but still no more than 19. No one would ask me any stupid questions in this
disguise.
 
I waited until Mum and Dad went to bed and fell asleep. Unsurprisingly, it
didn't take long, as I had put some drops of sleeping potion into their glasses
of red wine that they had drank with dinner. It was shockingly naughty of me to
put my parents to sleep. Just thinking about it made me giggle deviously, but I
am what I am, always prepared and always well elaborated. That's why I don't
have to worry about my parents figuring out that their daughter had left for
the night.
 
Alright, now we arrive to the main question: What the heck am I doing here? You
will see that right now because I just arrived at my destination.
 
I stood in front of a shop that looked almost like a carbon copy of Borgin &
Burkes. Far in the back, I could see a dim light shining through the dingy
window. Written on the crooked sign stood: "Dark and Hell Wand." Through my
investigation, I was glad to find out that this shop stayed open every
Wednesday from 11 pm to 1 am, and not just because this shop had such great
deals. It would've been so much harder to do what I planned during the day.
 
Taking a deep breath I squared my shoulders, opened the door resolutely and
stepped confidently  into a dark, dirty, shop that smelled quite musty and like
old wood. Here and there you could see spider webs. Far in the back, where the
lantern provided some light, stood an unappealing looking, older man, around 60
years old, with gray, long and unwashed looking hair. He watched me warily,
evaluating me as I approached him.
 
"How can I help you Mrs..?" his oily voice croaked at me.
 
I tried to keep my voice cool and answered: "Why do you think I am here?"
 
"I don't know, you tell me?" he answered skillfully, putting the question back
on me.
 
He analyzed me warily and tried to see under my hood. The fear that I could be
an Auror could be seen on his face. It was the reason I took off my hood. I
didn't care if he saw me because I knew my disguise was good. My heart pounded
loudly because I didn't have any defense yet, just my wand which lay in my
gown. But I wasn't willing to get into trouble with the ministry because of
this stupid underage law; I was not allowed to use magic outside of Hogwarts as
I still was underage.
 
He stared at me after I had pulled my hood back, greedily absorbing my
appearance. One could almost see the saliva drooling out of his mouth; I needed
to act quickly! My face turned into a cold and nasty expression, but never
showed any other emotion. I held my head a little higher to show him some more
of that confidence.  Don't appear nervous.  I thought to myself, repeating it
like a mantra. Even though my heart pounded faster with every second because of
the anxiety I felt, my mantra gave me the reason to hold my head even higher. I
wanted to seem as arrogant as possible.
 
"I don't have forever; my time is precious!", I sneered in best Malfoy manner.
After four years, Draco Malfoy had proved to be good for something, even if it
was just to teach me how to act like a pureblood.
 
"Now, can you help me or do you not want my money?" I asked sharply and bent
over the counter in a slightly provocative manner,  my voice carrying the hint
of a threat .
 
"I, I... Certainly, Madam. What are you looking for?" he stuttered and
crouched; it seemed like my act was working which left me feeling relieved.
 
"In times like this..., I want... a second...," I said allusively and looked at
the man with narrowed eyes. The rules were to not say too much. Luckily I had
figured out the tone to imply what I wanted and even luckier, I was a fast
learner.
 
"Oh. I understand, certainly Mrs..? But of course, I can help you. If I could
quickly...?" he asked submissively. He raised his eyebrows.
 
I realized that he had started to think that I was too young to be an Auror. He
opened his hand and released a measuring tape, which hovered in the air and
fully unfurled itself. Immediately it started to measure me, particularly my
right hand and up my arm, just like Ollivander had done. Afterwards he
shuffled, in his shabby dark blue gown, into the back chamber and came back
with five boxes. We began to test and search. Back when I was eleven it had
taken us almost half an hour to find my first wand, vine with dragon
heartstring. Today, though, I found it after the third try.
 
I was dumbfounded, everything worked so fast here. I tried to hide my surprise,
though. My face was like a motionless mask as I swung the wand. I immediately
felt an intense, magical tingle in my fingertips and soon after, a bunch of
black roses  emerged  which fell onto the counter. Yes, I had found my new
wand! A smile slid over the expression of the old vendor which exposed stubby,
yellow teeth. Cold shivers ran over my spine. I was the daughter of dentists
after all.
 
"My lady, apparently the search has already come to an end. A good wand has
chosen you. Hawthorn birch with the tail hair of a thestral. An exquisite
piece, but rare. Not many wands were made of bright, white wood!", he
flattered, looking quite pleased with himself.
 
"How do you mean that...?" I asked in a suspicious tone. I was curious, but I
didn't want him to think it was too important to me.
 
"Well, wood like this is very peculiar, very powerful. Very few can handle
wands like this. They are no good commercially; that's why you will never see
something like that at Ollivander's, even the substance of this wood is often
said to be dark!" A nasty grin lay on his lips as he said this: "It does not
harmonize with light materials such as unicorn hair. Never, do you understand?"
Now he muttered into his nonexistent beard: "Really fascinating, that this rare
piece would react in the hand of such a young woman." He gave me a strange
look. Now was the moment, I thought, to leave before he could ask me any more
questions.
 
"How much do I owe you?" I asked quickly, wanting to escape fast.
 
"Alas, what, how? Well, oh yes... It's 30 Galleons for you!" The fat man said
with an implied bow and a naughty smile. A cynical snort escaped from my lips,
but okay, I wouldn't haggle. To do something like that would be below my
proposed dignity. Therefore I pulled out a pouch from the deep pockets of my
gown and fished out the necessary money, which I put on the dirty counter, and
put my new wand into my inner gown pocket. Now I had an operational wand, which
wasn't registered. I was no longer defenseless.
 
Now I could defend myself without being scared of being caught. Marvelous. I
loved it when everything went to plan. No words were exchanged afterwards, no
small talk: The deal was finished It was a different way of doing business than
in Diagon Alley. With a brief nod and with the gown trailing behind me I left
the shop, pulled up my hood and quickly disappeared into the darkness.
***** Apparating *****
Chapter Notes
     I do apologize for the late upload, I didn't have any wifi yesterday.

     Today: Two Chapters. ;)
     Enjoy. And thanks SO much again for the Reviews! You can't believe
     how happy we are.
     *butterbeer for everyone*
Apparating
I was searching a quiet, dark corner for myself, so that I would be unseen.
Many emotions have been running around endlessly inside me. Joy because
everything worked as I planned. Fear, because today was the first time I would
try to apparate. Alright, I was only 15 and one was only allowed to apparate
from the age of 17, but not me, that's why I was in all that farce. Now I had a
non registered wand and I planned to use it. Besides I read all about this
topic and I felt relatively comfortably prepared. As I said, this law again was
an arbitrary act of the ministry!
Thus, I didn't think about it too much, but rather breathed deeply through my
lunges three times, focused myself on the inner core of my magic and held my
new wand tightly in my right fist. As soon as my concentration was strong
enough, I focused, as described in the books, the place I wanted to re-appear,
my parents garden. Just as I visualized it, I swung my wand in the hand motion
that I had practiced, and anxiously held my breath.
It felt like all the air would squeeze itself out of my lungs and myself, my
whole body would be pulled through a very tight garden hose. I permanently
twisted around myself, like a spinning top, I pinched my eyes together at the
same time, because I knew if I would want to focus myself I wasn't allowed to
get distracted. It would've been fatal, to lose control in this circumstance, I
needed to constantly think about my destination, otherwise it could happen that
I splinched myself. That’s what the law of the ministry was all about, because
kids used to have such a bad concentrativeness. Sure, if one would think about
Ron or Neville, both of them would still kill themselves today.
Ehw, I felt sick! Soon, I wouldn't be able to hold that strain any longer. I
could feel, how sweat formed itself on my forehead. The wand in my hand
trembled pathetically. The moment I thought I wouldn't be able to bear the
strain any longer, my body finally got released out of this squeezing
tightness. Finally, confused I blinked and recognized our garden. Phew! Little
graceful I slumped, breathlessly, but with a relieved sigh to my knees, into
the grass. Focused I breathed in and out, to stop the dizziness in my head.
Still, everything was spinning around me. Very well, apparating wasn't that
easy!
But for my first time, without any help, I thought it wasn't that bad!
Especially since I even overcame a greater distance. Since in Hogwarts one
learned the magical jump in smaller stages, from circle to circle. Well, I have
to blame myself.
Actually one learned apparition for weeks, to learn the basics and after that
one get taught how to do greater, further jumps, not the other way around. But
as I said, as my eyes flew frantically over my body, everything went well, I
realized happily I was still complete. A mischievous grin spread across my
lips, even though my head hurt. Today was a good day, no, stop, a good night!
Yes, I needed to learn to love night more than the day, to become one with it,
if I would want to convert my plans, as I planned to do.
Not to fear it, but to indulge myself to it, like a good friend, which would
perform good service for me, that should be my aim.
Oh yes, a lot would change in the next time!
But back to the present. I swayed myself up from the ground and stretched my
body. It felt like, one would have sore muscles in its limbs. My legs felt very
wobbly. I assumed it was everything a question of practice. But I've always
been good at that. Night was young, lets get to work. The garden would be my
great hall, just without the rings. I focused myself and jumped from one end to
the other, back and forth, to the side, faster and faster.
After an hour of wildly disappearing and reappearing back and forth, I
exhaustedly and sweating dropped down on our big oak. My lunges dismissed my
rattling breath. With a harsh gesture of my hand I stroked my fake hair out of
my face, sweat glittering on it. My head dropped on my neck and totally
exhausted I closed my eyes. Heaven, this was a hard piece of work.. My body.. I
felt like I've been puked out and I felt sick too. Still, I felt already
better, because I didn't feel dizzy anymore and I didn't need as much focus as
on my first time, to get where I wanted to be.
I stopped for today, as it was almost three o’clock in the morning and I had
things to do later on, a good reason to focus on far routes, so that I would be
able to perfect those too. Thus I dragged myself, tired as I was, as quiet as
possible, as I thought the sleeping potions of my parents wouldn't act as
strong as before, up the stairs in my own bedroom. I pulled my clothes over my
head, threw the fake hair in a corner and dropped, just in my underwear,
totally exhausted on my bed and engulfed very quickly in a deep, almost
comatose sleep.
***** Knockturn Alley Again *****
An annoying beep woke me up from my well-deserved, but unfortunately way too
short sleep. Reflexively my hand flicked into the air and bashed to the noisy,
stupid thing, which immediately became silent. Sometimes, I hated myself.
Moaning, I rubbed grains of sand out of my tired, sticky eyes. It was all my
fault if I tried to train myself to just manage my life with five hours of
sleep. I researched it, and it was possible to do so!
Oh yes, it still was obscure to me how I would manage this, but I hoped to
reach it after time went by with discipline and continuity. Napoleon and old
Fritz from Prussia did manage it too! I shouldn't read that much, just because
of this I came up with such bullshit! Alright, I never slept that much, just
only around eight hours, but I unfortunately still felt these three hours,
which I denied myself for the last three weeks, in my bones, but I was too
stubborn and never allowed myself to be weak. Anyways, enough with bathing in
my own self-pity, chop-chop, rise and shine, a long day with a new purpose
waited for me. After a relaxing shower, whilst my cramped muscles after the
apparate training in the night loosened themselves, I went to the kitchen,
where I was welcomed by a friendly "Hello" from my parents. Soon after, my Mum
reached me a steaming mug of black coffee, and I sank into a chair. I inhaled
the aromatic, tangy scent and carefully took the first sip, causing my spirits
to finally turn on.
Smiling, I looked up. "Thanks," I breathed more into the mug than anywhere
else.
"As always, my little girl. What have you planned for today?" My Mum asked
cheerfully and apparently well rested, which wasn't a surprise after a dose of
sleeping potion. I started to feel a tiny bit envious. Now Dad lowered his
newspaper and peered over to me. It seemed I didn't look like the blooming life
itself after just five hours of sleep, I thought sarcastically, as he
questioningly lifted his eyebrows, whilst he examined my appearance, and I
could see the concern in his kind, brown eyes. I quickly answered my mums
question, before he could say or ask something.
"Well, I thought, I'll drive to London today and go shopping for a little
while," I said exaggeratedly cheerful and continued to drink coffee out of my
mug.
"Oh, if I would've known, I'd have placed my appointments differently and
accompanied you, sweetheart, because we haven't done anything like this in
ages, but wait, maybe. I would quickly need to..", meant my Mum in a sad tone
of voice and started to excitedly dig in her bag, which she pulled to herself
to grab her diary. I quickly looked at her, trying to look sorry, because it
absolutely wouldn't fit with my plans if my Mum would force herself on me.
"Sorry Mum, maybe another time, but I wanted to go to the National Portrait
Gallery. You know how much I love it and I missed all the portraits!" I
murmured more to myself; it was the truth, I liked the portraits of the old
monarchs and important personae of England. I was passionate about them in the
past, and for every visit to London, we needed to stop by at the museum. But
today, the gallery just wasn't good enough, as I know the moving and talking
portraits of dead people of the magical world! But my parents didn't know this;
I almost didn't tell them any relevant information about the world of wizardry.
It made it easier for me in several instances, like right now, because I knew
how my Mum would react to my statement and she didn't disappoint me. Her eyes
got big.
"Okay, but of course, my darling. Well, it's unfortunate, my patients booked my
whole day out, but as you said, I'd be really happy to accompany you to a city
spree for the next time."
She stood up and fled behind the kitchen counter like she couldn't imagine
worse than standing for hours in front of portraits, it wasn't my mums world.
When I looked up, my dad mischievously looked at me; I grinned back. It was too
delightful when someone was so predictable. A half an hour went by when my
parents came, ready for their day of work, to say goodbye, I still sat in the
kitchen in front of my fourth mug of coffee. I still waited five minutes, after
the door closed behind them, just in case they would come back again.
Quickly I stood up and went into my room on the first floor, where I opened my
wardrobe and took a gown black as the night, put it around me and stood in
front of the mirror. I took my white wand out of the inner bag of my gown,
focused it on my hair and spoke a transformation spell. Now I didn't need the
fake hair anymore. My lion curls were now smooth and fell just to my chin,
thanks to the magic, a second spell after and my hair was dark blonde. Oh yes,
pleased I looked into the mirror, for this was a big change, but even my full
brown of my eyes should turn, and I spoke the spell which would change my eye
colors. Now two water blue eyes looked towards me, perfect!
I didn't want to change my facial structures, as I wasn't a metamorphmagus it
would require a higher skill of magic. Not, that I couldn't do it, but it was
too complicated, even for me. It should be a quick way to transform into my
spy-personality, and there was still makeup. If I would put a bit more makeup
on my face no one, really no one, would recognize me.
When I was finished, a different woman, looked back at me, I didn't look like a
fifteen-year-old student anymore. I had to say; I liked my new look. Yes, I
could leave it as it was. I shot a picture with my digital camera, which I
quickly printed and glued into my book of strategy, next to it, I quoted the
spells, which I used for my transformation and my name, which I chose for my
new identity: "Minna Cale". It made no sense to stop halfway, everything needed
to be perfect.
I went into the living room, positioned myself in the middle of the room and
thought about everything I taught myself in the garden. Focus and one appare
later I stood in front of the wall in the Leaky Cauldron, which would lead me
into the Diagon Alley.
Deep satisfaction went through me. I was a little bit proud of myself because I
successfully apparated this far distance and everything went just great. No
dizziness and no nausea. I mastered the process of apparition as it seemed, one
less problem. Still, I needed to practice the routes more, but I could always
do that later.
Quickly I raised my wand, touched with it the correct order of the stones and
soon after the gate opened. Swiftly I walked into the very medieval-tinted
alley and got lost in the stream of people. I still had a lot to do, whilst
around me the usual, colorful, joyful chaos of the Diagon Alley ruled, it was a
part of its charm. No one took the warnings, that he came back, for real.
No one wanted to see that it started all over again. Everyone wanted to believe
the ministry and Minister Fudge, wanted to believe that Harry and Dumbledore's’
allegations had been a lie, just to make themselves relevant. That's how we
don't help anybody but Voldemort himself, but the crowd had always been blind.
Everyone here was so happy and joyful, no one took the warnings for real, as I
could see now with my own eyes.
All the more, the parents were here with their kids who were back home from
Hogwarts. After all, the kids needed to be occupied in their holidays. In front
of the Quidditch shop, one could see them, their nose pressed against the glass
or the full Fortescue's Ice Cream parlour. I pulled my hood over my face, as in
a few seconds I would get into the junction of the Knockturn Alley and no one,
okay, almost no one, as young as me and a woman at that, would voluntarily and
without company enter the alley, and still show one's face.
Today Knockturn Alley was busier than it normally was at midnight, even in a
grimy and rundown street as this. I was surprised, as I had guessed that
everyone was a creature of the night! But in this alley it seemed like the
night had already begun because diffused, dusky light dominated the path. Here
too, I rapidly scurried in my dark veiled shape, anxiously to be careful and
watched, while I passed, the windows of the shops. I ignored the shapes which
squeezed themselves along the walls and buildings.
Ah, here it was, the shop of the wands. No, it still didn't look more likable
than at night. My target was directly opposite of it. The dark magic apothecary
for potion ingredients. The moment I walked into a smoky, slightly intoxicating
smell various spices blew towards me. It was very dim in the shop, and it
looked bigger from the inside than outside, as the many shelves have been
filled with all the ingredients.
The shelves have been filled with various and most unusual things; one could
imagine: hearts, from snakes, chickens or dragons, maybe even from humans.
Yuck, how disgusting! I averted my gaze and found myself in front of eyes of
different genera, whether pickled, dried or nature.
Green lacewings, mandrakes, Asphodelus, dittany, flobberworm mucus, rat spleen,
but even such things as well visible placed, sealed glass of unicorn blood! It
was jaw-dropping. Or I could see abominations like components from a carcass of
a thestral, simply things one would never get in the Diagon Alley.
I almost couldn't stop myself from cheering out loud. It was like paradise. And
so I wasn't surprised when I saw at the counter, the owner of the shop,
bargaining with a not unknown looking man. I maintained relaxed, neither did I
look like Miss-Know-It-All, nor would he expect me, Miss Granger, in a place
like this. Thus, I unerringly and quite callously took a basket and calmly
passed every single shelf, took a piece for some potions here and there, which
I will brew in the course of my holidays and since some of them will need a
very long time to be finished, I needed to start as soon as possible.
I listened to the conversation of the two men attentively in the background,
unfortunately, interrupted invariably, so that I couldn't understand one
coherent phrase. From what I picked out, I could hear, that Snape obtained the
important duty to brew potions for You-Know-Who. It didn't surprise me; so I
just mentally shrugged my shoulders.
Well, the Dark Lord was fast too, one had to give him that much credit. At the
time when I saw the professor running out of the hospital wing to get to the
Dark Lord, I was sure, that it had started, the war. Led as the cold war of the
Muggles, America against Russia, east against west.
No instant, open fights yet, but the maneuvering in the background! The Dark
Lord was too cunning for everything else and he still needed to get stronger,
but one could feel the tendencies of a cold front, especially since I saw Snape
here, as he bought ingredients like a lunatic, for a ridiculously low price,
mind you! Here the dark mark and the name of the Dark Lord had value, always
helped with threats. No shop owner in the Knockturn Alley trusted the Ministry,
but the Death Eaters, yes they immediately believed in their revenge!
Fudge was such an idiot! But that wasn't my problem for a start. Whilst I
thought about it, I counted the lacewings for the polyjuice potion. Suddenly I
could feel a tingling in my neck, then it struck me, I couldn't hear any voices
anymore. The conversation was obviously over, and Snape seemed to have turned
around, to see my black guise bent over a translucent vessel of lacewings. I
was sure he knew this shop inside out, I thought spitefully. Still, it didn't
ruffle me, and I continued to count. Go away, you grumpy, greasy bloke, I
mentally told myself.
Finished! I put the lid back up, put the lacewings in a transparent bag and put
them in my basket, turned around and pretended to be busy, as two deep dark
obsidians hovered over me. He couldn't see much, I never opened my hood, but
still showed the half of my face. I tried to go ahead as dainty and normal as
possible. I was sure he knew that there weren't many potions where an
ingredient like that was needed. The question was, would he be imposing and
curious, or would he not give a shit about it, as he did not give a crap what
the students did in the school.
I went to the next shelf and observed the display accurately and in all the
patients I had. Don't get nervous, for he would stand ready like a hunter,
feeling the preys tension.
"Mr. Snape, do you wish for something else? I hope everything is still to your
likings?" I heard the chemists slimy and submissive voice.
I glanced over to Snape, how he stood in the corridor in his whole, dark,
glory, which I meant cynically. But he didn't make a bad figure, as he stood
there. Impressive, yes, that was the right word. Snape turned to the direction
of the voice's face. "No, Mr. Sals, everything is up to my standards!" then, he
turned around so that his gown blew up in a dramatic departure and he
disappeared.
Phew, Thank God he was gone! But I should continue, so I meticulously examined
all the shelves, before I turned myself to the chemist. He too haunted my every
movement with eagle-eyes, but I wouldn't want to have his fear of thieves.
"Well, what can I do for you?" He approached me already. I heaved the basket
onto the counter. He had a particular, greedy glance in his eyes, due to the
amount of ingredients, as he needed to compensate the loss, which brought Snape
with him.
"This. And if we were to agree on a price, maybe even more..." I said with a
slightly colder, deeper voice than usual.
My eyes wandered around the shop, while he measured the ingredients, weighing
and wrapping up. After he had finished everything to his satisfaction, he
looked up from his counter and examined me with a piercing glimpse of his muddy
brown eyes, whose white was more yellow, as I thought he drank Firewhiskey for
a very long period
"That would be 250 galleons, my lady!" He meant with a slimy grin. I slid back
my hood a tiny bit, pulled up an eyebrow and looked skeptically at him. Did he
think I was stupid?
"Yes, the price sounds reasonable..!" I said slowly and with steel in my voice.
My expression showed the same rigidness, "... If you would add Boomslang skin
and a bicon horn, as well as a vial of unicorn blood!" One could see how his
grin vanished off his face, but I didn't feel sorry.
“My lady, this.. This is not possible, the horn and the Boomslang skin are on
the black list, and besides do you know how rare this blood is, it's very
precious..." I interrupted his whining stuttering with a harsh gesture of my
hand.
"Listen, good man, I know that you have both ingredients, maybe I should go
back to the ministry..." I stopped for a dramatic pause and looked directly
into his eyes, to make him understand that my unspoken threat was earnest.
"Either you agree to my offer, or you can put all the ingredients back again,”
I said with an indifferent voice and made a step back.
"No, No, wait, please, it would still be cheaper for 300 Galleons, but I could
live with it”, he sounded broken.
"275, my last word!" I hissed with an angry voice. He shifted about obviously
uncomfortable, but I didn't change my expression and looked at him coldly and
expectant. After seconds of pondering, he nodded slowly and started to fill the
vial reluctant, went into the storage room and came back after a short time
with the illegal ingredients.
I pulled out my pouch and started to count the money. Well, a visit to
Gringotts was needed today. With greedy eyes, Mr. Sals ogled at the coins.
Almost reluctant he handed me the bag with the ingredients and the very
precious vial with the silver fluid as extra, that one I put in the inner bag
of my gown, as it was safer there. I nodded thankfully at him and determined
turned around.
"I wish you a beautiful day, Madam!", He called cynically behind me. However, I
was already out the door and walked swiftly towards the bookstore. Here I could
move in, all in all, I gave myself a lot of time, to examine all the gray and
dark books. My stack grew quite high in no time at all.
Oh yes, I was well versed in the matter of dark magic! Well, what shall I say,
I was well versed in the light magic as well. Now many are probably wondering
where from because my friends would freak out if they'd know, but in my third
year at Hogwarts, when I had the time-turner, I didn't just lay around lazily.
I used that year and the precious artifact whenever I could had the chance to
do so.
I knew, when there was a unique opportunity in front of me and that year with
the time-turner was an unique opportunity, which I would never have again. As I
was a strategist, I soon left the general library behind me, as she always
stood open, but the forbidden section, that was a different story. Thus, I used
the borrowed time to study the whole, yes, I mean the whole, part. I had read
and studied all the books in the forbidden section. This was successfully done
after a half a year already and then dedicated my time to intensify the studies
of the interesting book of this section.
Since then, one could call me a dark witch! No, I still didn't like the
unforgivable curses, but contrary to Dumbledore, I saw the use in blood- or
ritual magic and also the power and strength, which lay behind these spells.
Almost no white spell would reach that kind of power. Additionally, I still
believed that it is up to the wizard itself, how he used these spells. Even
white spells could be devastating in its impact, and no, no one knew about my
attitude, that would be even better. It was a well-protected secret of mine.
I pensively smiled, as I thought about the expressions of McGonagall,
Dumbledore, the Weasleys or Harry, if they'd know, even Snape’s mask would very
possibly shift and the Malfoys, alas, what a funny thought. I was in the
bookstore for almost two hours and found around 20 books, I hadn't seen
yet.This was certainly enough for today, I thought as I carried them to the
till. I let the hunched witch shrink my books, so that I could hide them in the
bags of my gown. Unfortunately, I couldn't do the same with the potion
ingredients because it wouldn't agree with them and they have been too
expensive to waste them.
My next stop lead me to Borgin & Burkes. Harry told me everything about it in
our second year when he accidentally landed in the store on his first floo
network travel, and out of his story, I decided that I would find what I was
looking for in this store.
"What can I do for you?" A white-haired man asked forcefully after the door
closed behind me. I pulled back my hood again a tiny bit so that he could see
in my face. "I'm searching for a knife," I said briefly. I again was examined,
because one didn't know the word trust here, even I didn't trust here, that's
why it wasn't that bad.
"Yes, of course, I have something like that, but what are you exactly looking
for?" he asked slowly and pulled up an eyebrow appraisingly.
"Made of silver, maybe two pieces, light in the hand.. Show me something!" I
commanded with certainty, not to say arrogant.
"Of course, of course, Madam, whatever you wish!", he said submissively and
pulled up a piece of cloth from under the counter, which he unrolled with a
sway. On the dark green velvet lay beaded a row of silver, sharp, pointed
knives, some broader, some longer, some crested, others very dull. A naughty
smile spread across the outline of the man’s face.
"Pretty, the little ones, eh? I could recommend these! For whom is it? A
gift?", He asked curiously, though seemed very slimy. I didn't answer
immediately and ignored him on purpose, took my time and examined every example
very carefully because I already imagined the one I wanted. I immediately
rejected the first ones, too clunky for a knife. I had small hands, that's why
my hand wandered unerringly to a pretty pair of daggers. I stroked over the
golden colored handle.
"Oh yes, a good choice, the Horus dagger, 37 cm long. A light blade. It's made
of silver and encrusted with glyphs, a beautiful piece. The blade is enhanced
so that it won't go blunt; the golden handle shows the head of a horus. He lies
comfortably in a small hand, as he is a light and handy dagger!", he spoke
ecstatically, and he went lavish.
If I would've allowed myself, I would've smirked. After that performance I
feisty grabbed a dagger. Oh yes, I could feel it, when there was magic in
something, one could intuitively feel if something suits you or not. The Horus
handle sat perfectly in my hand. It went slightly warm in my hand. Again, I
grabbed the second Horus dagger and held both in my hand. Yes, it felt right,
and they met the requirements. I nodded and put the blades back down the
counter.
"How much?" I asked plainly.
"50 Galleons each, but one moment." He bent down "With the each proper leather
sheath, they get invisible if you put them on, very precious!" he said and
thrust the two daggers into the sheaths.
I nodded. "That will be alright.” I again pulled out my noticeable lighter
pouch and began to count the 100 galleons. I couldn't believe how lucky I was;
I didn't think about invisible sheaths. I shoved the counted galleons to Mr.
Borgin, then I opened my cloak, placed the two leather sheaths with the daggers
around my thighs and let the gown slide back above it.
I briefly looked up, nodded to Mr. Borgin and disappeared quickly out of the
store, which I still needed to get used to.
***** Gringotts *****
Chapter Notes
     I am currently looking for a or some Betas who could help me Beta
     some of the detailed Mature scenes. If you're interested, let us
     know. :)
     Enjoy, and thanks for all the Kudos. :)
Gringotts

Now I was finished in Knockturn Alley. With my new wand, I checked the time, it
was almost 3 pm, which was quite late. This is true, but I had already achieved
a lot. Now my steps lead around the corner into the Diagon Alley, a glimpse
left and right, in the shadows of the buildings I pulled the hood back again.

Here in the bright Diagon Alley I would attract attention with my head covered,
which I just didn't need. Everything was so busy, the same as when I arrived
here before. As soon as I saw the big, white, slightly skewed building of
Gringotts. I stepped up the blank and the - from the sun - shining white steps
to the entrance. After I passed the polished bronze gate I saw the security
goblins, which always bow for every customer who enters the building, in their
scarlet, golden embroidered uniform, greeting them and stepped into the
impressive marble porch of the bank.

I went to one of the counters, of which behind it a not so attractive goblin
sat on a footstool and stamping documents. The moment he looked up, I stepped
closer to the counter.

"Good day", I said and lead my hand to my chest while bowing my head and upper
body slightly.

Surprised the goblin examined me with warily widened eyes. I lifted my head
again and focused my eyes demandingly towards him. Wizards have been in the
goblins bad books, and as I thought had good reasons to mistrust us. Their
mistrust towards the magical world lead far back, as far as the 14th century,
when the magical council tried to arrange a political regulation with all the
human-like and magical creatures.

Bathilda Bagshot wrote in A History of Magic, "The goblins did not want to
subordinate themselves to the wizards, because they felt it to be unworthy, to
be denoted and treated like heteronomous magical creatures. Despite the goblins
boycotts the magical council succeeded, to enforce a hierarchic rank order
quite successfully. Even the goblins riots in the 16th century did not help
them, to release them from the incapacitation through the wizards, besides the
magical council decided that it would just be allowed for pure magical humans
to use wands."

Indeed the goblins didn't need a wand to carry out magic, as they can carry out
magic through their long fingers, but still they saw it as a decision to the
degredation of their kind, which was truly understandable. They still were
instructed to employ cursebreakers today, as they even with their magical
skills weren't able to get hold on to treasures, which were protected through
powerful spells. That's why I wasn't surprised when I got to feel their
mistrust from centuries ago. Goblins weren't used to get treated with respect
from wizards, as my curtsy represented.

"Yeeeesss...” he said sardonically and gave me a cheeky look. However he seemed
to catch himself quite quickly again.

"I'm here for a confidential matter and would like to talk to someone under
four eyes!” I said firmly.

The goblin nodded and said: "Whatever you wish, Madam, please follow me!" He
heaved himself from his high footstool and walked in front of me to a door on
his left side. He held it open for me, we passed through it, and then we stood
in a plain corridor, where many doors lead away. He impatiently waved at me,
indicating to follow him and opened a next door on the very back. I could just
hear him say something in his own goblin-gibberish and saw how he bowed like me
before.

You have three guesses, to where I learned the goblins curtsy. Exactly, I had
read it in a book. I stepped next to him and he said: "Please, Mr. Rangok for
you, Madam."

Now I stood in the door. "Thanks for your help", I turned to the goblin who
lead me here, gave him my polite curtsy and stepped, without a glimpse behind
me, through the open door, which closed itself, as if by magic.

A goblin sat behind a sophisticated, crested baroque desk, he seemed a bit
taller than the other one who directed me to him. He too wore a red golden
uniform, though had more stripes on his shoulder. I repeated the greeting. Yes
exactly, as I said, I had it from a book about magical creatures and their
customs. Even though I called myself a dark witch, I still thought, that all
creatures should be treated the same, no matter if goblins, house-elves or
centaurs.

"My pleasure, Mrs..?” I heard Rangok with a deep timbre in his voice say, he
apparently seemed surprised about my respectful greeting from my part, but also
very pleased. As wizards saw themselves as higher, better race, goblins were
considered to be cunning and malicious, which they were in a certain level.
Though I hoped, to build a good base of business with my respect and courtesy,
as they were essentially important to my plans.

"Oh I'm sorry, Mr. Rangok, my name is Granger, Miss Hermione Granger!” I heard
myself say honestly.

"Oh... but... please take a seat! You can see I am obviously confused, because
I remember you looking differently... You understand... The Prophet!” he
apologized warily and suspiciously. In the meantime I sat down, put my hand in
my lap and looked Rangok in the eyes.

"Well, Mr. Rangok, it is, because I wear a camospell... One moment...” I said
and took my wand out of my gown and swung it over my head. All camospell
released themselves. "Well, I hope you can recognize me know based on the
picture, that it is me!” I added and showed him a slight, sarcastic lift of the
corner of my mouth. Now I lifted my wand again and whispered spells towards my
hair and my eyes and obtained again the looks of "Minna Cale".
"All just safety measures. I hope for your discretion!” I said very quietly but
certain. Rangok examined this all with big, deceitful shiny eyes and a slight
amazed open mouth.

"Err, no, no. I mean, of course. We take the wishes of our customers very
seriously. I promise you, that no one will receive the information that you,
are you! But I'm astonished, you are just 15, as old as... the... the-boy-who-
lives, as long as I can remember. How come that you are allowed to use magic?"
There was disbelief in the goblins voice, he still sat in front of me slightly
shocked and confused.

"Exactly, actually I am not allowed to use magic. But how I am still able to do
this, should not interest you!" I said harsh and continued soothingly:

"Please understand, I have secrets, no one can know!" I shrugged my shoulders
apologetically.

"You are right, it doesn't concern me! But I am pleased to see you, Miss
Granger. How can I help you, lastly time is money!", finally he showed his
business side and a greedy, devious glint appeared in his eyes.

"You are so right. Well, my requests are varied.

First: Four years ago my grandma and my aunt both died in an airplane crash. I
was the beneficiary of their life insurance and the heiress of both women’s
capital. My parents put the money to a muggle bank on my name, now my question
and request, could you get this money to Gringotts, so that I will always have
access to it?", I asked and watched him eager.

"Well, Miss Granger, we are working close with the muggles and also their banks
together, please give me a few minutes", he answered and opened one of the
drawers of his desk. He took out a parchment "Miss Hermione "Jean", I added "Ah
yes, Miss Hermione Jean Granger then, born on?" "19.09.1979 in Chelsea,
London", I answered, and Rangok started to write like a wildman. I leant back
in my seat and observed what he did. He shoved the parchment in a slot of metal
on his desk and the paper vanished. At this time he already was after something
else and immediately a paper flew from somewhere and landed next to him,
fascinating!

A diabolic grin, which didn't really make goblins look friendly, lay now on his
sharp tailored face.

"Well, what it shows me, it won't be a problem, Miss Granger. You have been
registered as beneficiary everywhere and our law about ones wealth is a bit
different than that of muggles, anyway if you assign us..?” he tried to appear
reputable, but all in all he just appeared devious.

"Yes, I do, get the money! Into a new one, or is my current vault safe enough?”
I tilted my head and examined my opponent calculatingly.

"Just in a moment Miss. Ah here, no. I would recommend a high security vault
with blood tariff. The one you have is a standard vault, in which are at the
moment 10.000 galleons!" the little, teeming goblin showed himself bustling.

"Come again? High security vault, is it that much?" I looked astounded and
flabbergasted. After all it destroyed my mask of indifference, as my parents
just told me that my future was secured and that I wouldn't need to worry about
my financial situation.

"Wait a minute, Miss Granger. So, please, your documents are ready, read it,
please!"
He handed me a stack of documents, then continued to speak, "In this one you
instruct us with the assignment, to collect the money at the muggle bank, if
you agree with that you just have to sign with this blood quill,” I received no
other reaction than cold activity from this magical creature.

I did as I was told to, read the document thoroughly, and though couldn't see
anything negative, except the 1.5% expense allowance for the goblins.
Energetically I grasped the quill and signed. Based on my knowledge about the
short pain, similar to an injection, which accompanied the writing with this
blood quill, I could stifle any emotions, knowing, that Rangok would watch and
register everything meticulously.

The last line was done and the document immediately lifted itself up and
vanished quickly!

"Very well, we can continue with the next point," he said. I just gave him a
nod, as I absolutely didn't want to show him, that his velocity amazed me.

"The second point would be my hereditary house in Wiltshire, ‘Rose Cottage’. I
don't know, if you provide something like this, but I would like it if I could
protect it professionally?" I asked appraisingly.

"Correct! We do indeed provide something like that. Things of value don't
always have to be galleons. Gringotts does protect everything of value, for
that we have a versatile protection group, one moment please,” he explained
solicitously and appeared to be completely in his element.

He turned around, so that he was able to get to a shelf behind himself on the
wall and to get a folder out of the drawer. He opened it and looked eagerly at
me again, the chance of a deal seemed to spur the goblin.

"I could offer you an on-site-appointment tomorrow, at 5 p.m.," I shortened the
whole scenario with a quick objection "That's alright, I will be at Rose
Cottage tomorrow at 5 pm, I also want to give my blood for a blood protection!”
I said determinedly. The corner of Rangok’s mouth pulled itself slightly
sardonically up.

"Despite your young age you already know exactly what you want, Miss Granger.
Splendid! Saves my time,” he bared his teeth to a threatening smirk, which
appeared very spiteful to me.

Due to the goblins hidden compliment I bowed my head slightly, to express my
thanks.

"Good, then we have settled this point too!" A rustle could be heard and a
document shot out of a slot of the wall behind. It landed on the table in front
of him. "And hereby we are on point one again,” he tossed in and flew
diligently over the documents.

"Well, I'm pleased, to inform you, that we opened a blood security vault in the
high security sector. Due to your inheritances you have around 6 million pounds
or rather 3.5 million galleons ready. Your aunt also left a block of shares in
worth of 500.000 pounds at the moment, behind, that all has been transferred
into your new vault at this very moment", he informed me succinctly and
casually, as to how my current financial belongings are at this very moment. My
heartbeat increased noticeable, I never knew that I was rich.

Wow, unbelievable, I needed to process this news in the evening. Considered in
a trice it would ease my future plans and actions, one concern less, neat. By
now I was already very pragmatic and took it however it came.

That’s when I said fancy "Pleasant, Mr. Rangok, that it proceeds so smooth. I
ask you, to convert the 6 million pounds into galleons and to sell the block of
shares to the best possible but also as fast as possible, leave it in pounds
though, in other words muggle money, as I still want to own such funds too.
Furthermore I want, that Gringotts will enhance the money and retracts wins, I
don't want that the gold gets dusty."

The goblins head transmuted into a continual nodding, similar to a nodding dog,
as it shot spitefully through my head.

"Good, good however you wish. I noted everything and it will be accomplished.
Please sign both of these documents here, again with the blood quill. Please
regard, that 0.15 percent of the content in the vault goes as provision to us,
when we work with the money", he explained busily.

I read, looked up, nodded and signed again and gazed almost as hypnotized to
the ink, which was my blood. I regarded how the deep dark-red withdrew itself
from the snow-white parchment. It had something, something very definite.

"As a result of this you will obtain a blood-money-pouch, which is directly
linked to your vault, so that you won’t need to fill it again", he handed me a
dark brown pouch, in the other hand a delicate stiletto-dagger, or to put it in
another way, a knife. "You need to drop blood in the pouch, ten drops should be
enough."

I took both items, opened the pouch and put it on the desk, took the knife in
the right hand and lifted my other hand above my wallet. With a feisty streak I
went through the palm of my hand, cut myself. Again I knew about Rangok’s
observation and again I wouldn't grant him a sign of my emotions. Without
distorting my face I closed my left hand to a fist and let the blood drop into
the pouch. After ten drops I pulled my wand over the wound and spoke an Episkey
to the cut, which closed itself in seconds.

"You’re welcome. Now it hasn't any use for anyone apart from you, Miss Granger.
Furthermore I have a card for you, like the one you know from the muggles. With
that card you can get money on every cashpoint or counter, for this you need to
sign again at the back with the blood quill and write down a four-digit
combination!"

I took the card, which resembled a muggle credit card and did what he told me
to do, it immediately began to hiss loudly and the numbers vanished.

"Now, please follow me. You still need to pay for the vault with a blood
tariff." And he already raised himself eager and hastily up from his big office
chair and walked towards the door on his left. I immediately raised myself to
follow him.

Here the surroundings weren't impressive anymore, but rather creepy with bare
dark stone and the now torches illuminated the corridor. I followed him down a
narrow tunnel until we approached a wagon, which would drive us on railroad
tracks down into the depth. We seated ourselves into the wagon and soon the
bumpy and swift drive began into the labyrinth of Gringotts. It lasted a while
until the wagon stopped abruptly.

Now Rangok paused in front of a huge, silver double door and showed me the spot
on the middle of the door, on which I would need to press my hand on.

"Please, lay down your hand here.” He pointed out and I followed his
instruction and was a hundred percent sure, that my hand shortly would be
stung. Well, I won, because a short pain followed and soon the door quickly
shone golden.

"Marvelous, would you like to visit the content of this vault now?" he asked
sedulous.

A look at my watch and I shook my head. "Another time." Soon we took the way
back into the office. After everything was settled and I really put away all my
things, I looked again with a spell at my watch. By now it was 6 pm and still I
wasn't finished yet.

"Very pleasant, how come, that you overcame the drive so well? Many of our
customers don't like to get a trip down very often. Can I do something else for
you, Miss Granger?" He seemed almost disappointed to my ears that I wasn't
hanging over the wagon puking out my soul, those goblins were just a mean folk.

"I love rollercoasters, a muggles invention which is kind of intense, to be
compared with this trip down, to be honest I enjoyed it and yes, there would be
so much more I need, but I think, that would blast the time frame, as I already
am slowly running out of time,” I said.

"Absolutely, no problem, I will give you an appointment to sort out the last
points, would the day after tomorrow be fine for you, let’s say 1 pm?" Mr.
Rangok offered immediately zealous.
I nodded. "Gladly and thank you for everything, see you then!"

I raised myself up, as well as the goblin, raised my hand to my heart, bowed
and swiftly left the Diagon Alley, to be able to arrange the dinner for my
parents on time.
***** Insight in my past *****
Chapter Notes
     I thank for all the Kudos, reads and Comments. :)
     Enjoy!
Insights of my Past

Oh well, there went my plan to practice my Apparating for further routes. I
didn't have any time, but I still took several long minutes to concentrate to
be able to get into my room at my parents' house. And that's exactly where I
stood seconds later, after a very loud bang in the middle of my room.

I quickly spoke the 'Tempus'. 6.20 pm; I didn't have much time until seven pm,
when my parents came home from work. However, I was a witch, and what's more,
one with a non-registered wand. This was the perfect moment for my wand to show
what it was made of.

I first conjured my real identity, then put the bag with the potion ingredients
carefully onto my desk (I'd clear them away later), grasped around in the inner
pocket of my gown to get the unicorn blood vial there, and finally put the vial
in an upholstered casket on my table. I was sure it would serve me well
someday. Next I pulled out my down-scaled books from my inner pockets and threw
them onto my bed, increasing their sizes with a swipe of my wand. I'd focus on
them later on.

I took off my deep black gown and hid it in my wardrobe. I already wanted to
bolt out my room, but the thought of the Horus daggers gave me pause. Oh gods,
it wouldn't have been good if my parents had seen me with these weapons. What a
problem that would've been. But thankfully, the daggers were still invisible.
Nevertheless, I quickly unbuckled the knives and hid them in my bedside table.
I would occupy myself with the how and when they got invisible, as I wanted to
test it myself. I would never rely fully on Burgin's statement — that was the
thing with trust: it was good, sure, but control was better.

I slowed down my thoughts for a bit. Velocity is good, but to breathe for a
second, to think through everything again and then to go ahead is always
better. That's how I would present myself: the good, innocent Hermione, who
couldn't kill a fly.

I whizzed into the kitchen and swung my hawthorn wand like a madwoman. At my
command, the doors of the cabinets clattered and the plates zoomed madly
through the modern kitchen. Whilst the table in the kitchen set itself, I took
all the ingredients for our Piccata Milanese out of the fridge and the
cabinets.

Next I bewitched the kitchenware so that the cutlet started to bread itself.
Meanwhile I got a pot, to cook the spaghetti in. I was so busy that when I next
looked up to the clock, the front door was opening. My parents were five
minutes too early. I ended all the spells with a quick "Finite incantatem",
quickly put away my wand and bent down for the pan to fill it with oil. Right
on time for my parents to enter the kitchen.

"Hello, child! Oh, how lovely, you're almost finished, do you still need help?"
my father asked, friendly and caring, but still trivial.

"I'm good, thanks, just have a seat. Or would you please prepare something to
drink?" I asked. My father just nodded and walked to the fridge. Sometimes I
was sad about the coldness and distance between me and my parents, but I also
knew that I couldn't change anything about it anymore.

When I was finished, all three of us sat at the table, our food in front of us.
Today, preparing the food, I'd felt for the very first time in my life like
Molly Weasley. I started to vividly realize that this would never be for me,
no, absolutely not. I made a disgusted grimace, like I had just bitten into a
lemon.

Sure, I could do it, it wasn't difficult magic, but fun equated to something
different in my own eyes. Just thinking about it made me vehemently wish to be
back in Knockturn Alley.

But I was soon snapped back to reality. "Enjoy your meal!" my parents and I
wished each other as we started to eat.

"How was your day?" I was immediately asked.

"It was fantastic! The gallery restored a lot of exhibits again, and they made
new never-shown masterpieces accessible," I said, beginning my pompous
monologue with information about the city's art scene. I sounded awfully
precocious and like a know-it-all, but I almost didn't listen to myself as I
played the role very well. My parents, I could see, were fooled by my act.

Perfect! I even could see in their eyes, that they had mentally turned off. I
mean, who could blame them with that teaching lecture I was delivering? But it
also showed that the past four years have gone past my parents without a trace.
It was almost as if I attained the full age when I turned eleven and moved out
from home forever, into an unbelievable fantasy world that my parents would
refuse to believe in their whole life. Retrospectively, I thought it was the
point of our utterly, absolute and final alienation. Harry may have lost his
parents through Voldemort, but even I lost mine one way or another. I never had
them.

Why would anyone ask? Well, for the average muggleborn, life wasn't easy,
especially not with their environment consisting of parents, acquaintances,
relatives, friends, classmates and teachers. I was never a normal kid, and not
because of my extraordinary intelligence. Had I been born in a wizard family, I
would have still been more intelligent than average, but otherwise I would not
have attracted too much attention. Everything would have been normal. But in
the world of muggles, impulsive outbursts of magic and their impact were only
just explained at the age of eleven, when the child's Hogwarts letter arrived;
by then the kid had already been falling into the well.

At a very young age I could read, write and do math, and by the age of four I
already mastered the hurdle. But I'd already had some feisty magical outbursts.
I was a cheerful child, but when it didn't go the way I wanted, strange things
would start happening. Vases or glasses would burst out without a known cause.
My parents would've been so proud of me had it not been for their inability to
explain the weird occurrences around them. Instead, they were cautious and
scared, but inwardly torn too because of their love for me, their only child.
They just wanted the best for me, but indeed saw the strangeness in me that
they didn't understand. It was a time of uncertainty and sorrows! It was not
easy for either my parents or me, a thoroughly cheerful child. With whom could
they have talked about it without being sent to a mental institution, or losing
their daughter to the authorities? No one.

That was why I also grew up isolated. And with whom could I have talked? I
found comfort early on in books. When I went to school, my 'otherness' just
became more obvious to other kids. I believe, that was a reason too as to why I
remained an only child. My parents had the fear that another child of theirs
would develop the same thing I had. I could quite understand their motives. I
was an abnormality. I was a loner too. I struggled to find a counterpart or
even friends, devoured every book that I could get my hands on. I even skipped
three grades, which didn't make the integration any easier. But circumstances
like this always lead to a doom loop, which one never could escape. Behind my
back I was called a freak and monster.

Those who should've become my friends in these years became my dreaded enemies!
Children could be quite evil, mean, and hurting, and the world of books and
knowledge became more and more my friend. A friend who understood me and stayed
with me. I was known as nerdy and weird, as sometimes inexplicable things
happened in my immediate environment. Everyone was pretty much scared of me.
Once a teacher infuriated me. Well, what shall I say, I had a temper. One
second she was completely fine, the other she stood in front of the whole class
with turquoise hair. Afterwards, she didn't even look at me anymore. Not to
mention the obviously shocked pupils. Once I got hunted by another pupil on the
schoolyard. I ran and ran and, all at once, I was in my garden at home. Humans
are naturally inclined to fear something they don't understand. And that's
exactly what I was.

I really was a bit odd and as the years went by, I realized with my brilliant
mind that I had to hide my 'otherness' better. I needed to learn to control my
feelings, my temper, and hide my terrifying brilliance behind ambition, because
by now I saw that even my parents started to dread me more and more. Not only
because of the magical outbursts, but also because of my enormous knowledge,
which I knew how to use to my advantage. If I think about it, I started to
become the person who I am today at age eight — I banished the real, one and
only Hermione deep down inside me.

It became better. I didn't allow myself any deep feelings anymore, became
distant and unapproachable, buried myself even more into books and tamed my
temperament to excessive know-it-all with precocious explanations. Which
probably didn't make me more likeable, but at least I didn't spread any fear
and terror anymore, as I wasn't angry and I didn't bluster myself into
situations that I couldn't change anyways. The old Hermione didn't care about
it. She liked it, when the other kids were scared, but she and I, we knew we
couldn't risk it towards my parents. So I adjusted.

It took my mind for a ride when one morning an owl flew by with an official-
looking letter. A letter that said my name, spelled correctly, and to my
amazement, the exact location of my bedroom. How odd.

It was with an open mouth that I anxiously joined my confused parents at the
table and began to loosen the sophisticated red wax seal. We were more than
flabbergasted by the time we'd reached the end of the letter. I, Hermione Jean
Granger, was a witch and should go to a school for witchcraft and wizardry for
the next school year.

Mum and Dad looked at each other and me with big unbelieving eyes. It explained
everything for which they had never found a rational explanation before! There
was magic, I performed magic. I was a witch! We all were gob smacked,
dumbfounded and shocked! My brain was at full blast. I was a witch. I could
perform magic. I was normal in a way, because this was one thing that always
bothered me — not being normal — but I finally had, after ten long years, an
explanation.

First we still doubted, until a old, oddly-dressed woman stood in front of our
house and demanded admittance. Mum almost succumbed into frightened faint when
the woman introduced herself and insisted that both me and my father should be
present. She introduced herself as Charity Burbage, a professor of my future
school. I confidently shook her hand.

The teacher, Charity Burbage, had for a year already taught the subject "Muggle
Studies" at Hogwarts. She explained what this utterly new world meant to me and
my parents.

Her remarks were exciting. But it couldn't have fixed my relationship towards
my parents. Too much chinaware had been destroyed on both sides during times of
doubts and mistrust. Not that they didn't love me or I didn't love them, but
closeness was based on trust and that just couldn't be built so quickly after
the past few years. We hadn't been a normal family for the last eleven years.
Everything was built upon secrecies, the hiding and camouflaging for my
'otherness'. I was brilliantly educated to wear the perfect mask, like an
actress.

After my initial shock, astounding silence set into my mind. There were just
barely three months left until I would step into a new world, and I wanted to
know everything, everything one could know about witches and wizards, as soon
as possible. I had eleven lost years of knowledge to catch up.

That's what I also immediately told my parents and the teacher, and I requested
to visit Diagon Alley the very same day — to get my school supplies, but more
so to buy different books for myself, so that I could prepare myself for this
new, magical world. Mum and Dad were surprisingly keen and cooperative and the
teacher too offered to show us the way, just so that we could find our way
around. My parents almost looked relieved, as they had finally got an adequate
explanation for who I was.

Perhaps they cherished the idea that I'd be far away and they'd only see me on
holidays. I don't know, I didn't even care and I was indifferent towards it as
long as I got the books as soon as possible.

Nothing stood in my way for my first departure to Diagon Alley. We went to
Diagon Alley four more times before it was time to go to Hogwarts, as I
finished all the books and needed more material. I read like the devil was
behind me. I downright devoured the huge reams, qualified myself with enormous
knowledge about the magical world and tried to catch up as much as possible.
Within a month, I'd learned the whole subject material for the first two years.
Only the theoretical material, of course, since I couldn't do practical work
with my brand-new wand. We were only allowed to use magic in school, but when I
was there I would show that none of the spells would give me any difficulties
and that I would succeed with the very first try.

When I thought about it today and compared myself to the likewise muggleborn
Creevey brothers, it struck me that they weren't as gifted or powerful or
intelligent as me, but they had cheerful, amiable minds. They integrated
themselves among the Gryffindors, something I never managed, since my only two
friends were Ron and Harry.

I had too many facets in my personality, I indeed appeared good, nice and
faithful, an overachiever if ever there was one, but I also seemed aloof, know-
it-all and mournful. I even scared the magical kids with my curiosity and
skills, even though, or especially because I was a muggle born. That's how even
there I lived a quite lonely, isolated life, which was unfamiliar to me, since
I didn't have any privacy anymore. To share my dorm with Lavender, Parvati and
two other Gryffindor was a huge test for me. I never again took down my mask.

The situation changed only at our first Halloween party at Hogwarts, when Harry
and Ron came into my life, rescued me from the troll and became my first real
friends. I stood loyal and sincere by their sides, even though — and I'm so
very sorry about saying it — I used to get gray hair from their adolescent
gormlessness and simplicity and (occasionally) stupidity, but I felt more for
them than for anyone else before. They became my surrogate family in the past
years. With them I found, for the first time in my life, warmth and affection.

But enough about the past. Enough. I brought myself back to the present,
finding that I'd subconsciously continued my monologue about the paintings:
"But conclusively I need to adhere that I liked the coronation portrait of
Elisabeth I the most!" I ended my lecture and released my parents. They
startled out of a kind of semi-consciousness when I finished speaking. Both
smiled at me mellowly.

"That's very nice, Hermione, and what have you planned for tomorrow?" My mum
looked at me questioningly.

"I wanted to go to my old sports school to register myself for a course during
holiday," I declared with a smile.

"Oh, that's surprising, how did you get that idea?" my dad asked, interested.

"Well, there's no sport activity provided in our school. Just Quidditch, and
that's not really for me, but I kinda wanted to get a bit fitter. When I climb
up the stairs to the Gryffindor common room, I'm totally out of breath. So I
intended, starting tomorrow morning, to go jogging every day from 7 to 8 am, to
improve my condition," I told them with a certain nod.

I saw astonishment in their eyes.

"That's nice, sounds good, I'm just a bit surprised and your father too. You
defended yourself with hand and feet back a couple years ago, when we tried to
register you there," my mum said with a shrug. I smiled.

"Yes, I can remember, but I still went there for almost three years and, even
though I didn't want to admit it, I started to have fun. I would've continued,
if I hadn't gone to Hogwarts," I stated.

My dad took two glasses out of the fridge and uncorked a new bottle of red
wine, glanced up and began to speak: "Well, you have my full support in this
matter, Hermione. One should never abandon their body. When did you want to go
to the center tomorrow?"

"Mh, at around 10 am, why?" I watched him questioningly, whilst we three
switched to the living room. Mum handled the remote controller.

"Oh, no reason, I could take you there," my dad offered me, unusually caring.

"No worries, I don't want to complicate your schedule," I refused thankfully,
because I had planned to brew potions a little bit and I couldn't have them in
the house.

We spent the rest of our time quiet, watching the end of the evening news,
until they started to yawn.

"I'm really tired, darling, how about you?" my mum asked my dad.

"Yes, I can barely keep my eyes open. The day was more exhausting than I
thought at first," my dad said, before muffling a yawn behind his hand.

"Then maybe you should go to bed," I interjected mischievously. I'd primed 5
bottles of wine with my sleeping potion so far, while we'd watched the news. If
they went to sleep now, I could operate more freely and wouldn't have to worry
about stumbling over them. "I'm tired too, from the tours today. There was an
unusual number of people there today," I said, stretching my body demonstrated.

"Well, good night sweetheart. Good luck at your school tomorrow!" And they
left.

Time for other things now.
***** Potions *****
Chapter Notes
     There's a new Work from us: Specials to When Hermione Fights. One
     Shots of WHF, kinda like Behind the scenes. POV's of Characters you
     don't know much about. The first one is between Chapter 6 and Chapter
     7. So if you're interested have a look at that one, before you read
     chapter 7.
Potions

I still had a lot to do. As I closed the door of my room behind me, I cast a
silencing spell so no one would hear anything coming from my room. I wanted to
make it my point of operation, because it was clearly less conspicuous than our
garden, but the apparatus brought with it a loud bang and in order to not call
my parents attention to the plan, the Silencio had to be done. I had read in a
book that a few highly skilled wizards were able to suppress the background
noise, for example, Dumbledore or Voldemort, and I had also watched it with
Snape and Malfoy. I had intended to learn to do it, and when I thought about
how well the learning of the apparatus was done without help, I hoped to master
this hurdle with sufficient time and effort too.

I was still doing a muggle defense spell that would warn me if someone wanted
to enter my room, although this was no longer possible due to the closure charm
I threw at my door at last. It would not have been a good thing, if for
example, my parents would have heard of what would happen in the next few
weeks. When I had done everything, I let my eyes wander through the room. The
night would be long. I walked up to my desk and picked up the ingredients, then
I took them to my bathroom, which was very plainly decorated in beige tiles. So
I turned my attention to the double sink, aimed at it with my wand and turned
it. The basin wandered to the left, into the rearmost corner, diminishing and
the rest of the table grew significantly in length and width.

A perfect shelf to brew potions, with enough space to prepare the ingredients.
The porcelain was a very suitable underlay. It was always nice to see what a
gifted witch I was. I got my cauldron and started to build up everything, then
I took a look at my reference book and read it again, even though I had already
dared to brew this not so easy potion in my second year, great concentration
and attention was necessary to perfect the polyjuice potion.

Lacewing flies, Leeches, Knotgrass, Fluxweed, Horn of a Bicorn, Boomslang skin,
and a piece of the person to be turned into (e.g., hair). All the ingredients
were to be added to the brew in predetermined order and at certain intervals.
The required boomslang skin, as well as the horn of the bicorn were not
available in the public trade, blah, blah, I knew that too, it had to be
acquired illegally. The preparation of the potion lasted for several weeks,
with certain phases of the moon being observed before the last ingredient was
added by the person whose appearance was to be obtained. In the end, the potion
looks like dark, sluggish bubbling mucus, when the last ingredient is added to
the potion, it takes individually different colors as their personal essence.

Now I began to rub, cut, chop and crush individual pieces. I proceeded very
carefully. I filled the pot with a little water and ignited the fire.
Gradually, I added the ingredients to it, stirring once counterclockwise,
sometimes in the other direction, and thus set the basis for the potion. I
reduced the heat or increased it as indicated. I was careful to follow all the
steps carefully.

Just before 11 pm the base was as far as could be. I removed the cauldron from
the fire in order to cool slowly. I levitated the cauldron into my bathtub,
because there it would stay for the next days until the next brewing stage.

I was satisfied, for I progressed well.

Now I prepared everything for the next potion. At the end of the holidays, I
hoped to have a supply of skeletal wax, different strengthening potions, health
potions of different strengths, sleeping-potions and healing-ointment against
wounds or fire-curses and blood-forming potions. This would be a good basis on
which to build, because for what I was planning, it would be necessary to be
prepared for many possibilities.
***** The Sensei *****
Chapter Notes
     I thank again for the comments, the Views and the Kudos.
     Enjoy! :)
The Sensei

Just before seven, my love-rending alarm clock rang again and again and took me
out of my well-earned, but far too short sleep. But as a result of how smoothly
everything had been, I happily went to the bathroom, brushed my teeth and
washed my face. Then I tied my hair to a ponytail to get myself ready to run.
In the end, I took another quick look at the two potions which were steeping.
Everything okay, fantastic.

I put on a pair of trousers and a t-shirt, my sneakers, and ran down the
stairs, out of the door, and into a good jogging pace to our nearby park, where
I could turn my rounds. An hour later, I hated myself a lot! Did I ever say I
could not stand myself? Okay, here again, a memo to me: I just do not
particularly like myself today. I had a crimson head that was close to the
explosion and barely got any air with my burning lungs. Crap! Each breath
burned without end. Had I already said that I had stupid ideas? Actually, yes I
did.
These were the thoughts that went through my head as I opened the door to our
house feeling like a pile of misery. Fortunately, it was not so hot in summer,
despite the fact that I sweated. I was standing in the hall, panting, just like
a poor old steam-engine. Mum and Dad immediately came out of the kitchen to see
me, but I couldn't speak. So I only waved at them, exhausted, and was allowed
to look into their laughing faces, went to the stairs and pulled myself up,
incredibly unelegant, almost crawling, and heaved myself into the shower.

Man, it did well as the lukewarm water ran down my body and massaged my
muscles. Then I rubbed myself with a healing ointment, which relaxed my muscles
and left only a slight pain in the tissue, but no soreness. I also had the
advantages of being a witch.

Oh Goddess, thanks for the magic! I would not have been able to move for a
week. My muscles were totally overused. I dressed up accordingly to the
wonderful summer day, with a spaghetti top and short jeans. Now there was only
one thing to do before I could devote myself to breakfast. I rushed to my
cupboard and carried a shrunken kettle out of it, which I moved into the
bathroom and enlarged there with a charm. The ingredients for the skele wax I
had already prepared during the night before. The potion was quickly set and
had to simmer for 24 hours with moderate heat supply before I had to add
chopped burdock roots. Then stir five times in a clockwise direction and simmer
for an additional eight hours.

I allowed myself a satisfied sigh, stretching the still slightly aching limbs
before I left my room. Down in the kitchen, my coffee was waiting for me, and I
drank thirstily. I was already better, but I still was knocked out.

"Oh dear, how was it? You looked very engaged when you came back," Mum said
diplomatically, and Dad nodded approvingly. Yes, I can kid myself, I looked
finished, but they always expressed themselves like that.

"It was okay, just unaccustomed, but I’ll be alright. You must leave soon,
right?" I asked and again drank from my coffee.

"Uh yes, just bring me your registration with your coach tonight. I'll make the
payments to him then!" Dad pointed out.

I looked at him with pleasure, glad that he supported me in this, that felt
well.

"Alright, and thank you! I wish you a beautiful day," I said to them, really
glad that everything went so smoothly and shortly afterward I was alone again
and so I devoted myself to my varied tasks. Once again I took a look at the
skele wax. It looked really good. It was a relatively easy potion for me, but
time-consuming. Next, I headed for the martial arts center with a bag, my
sportswear inside, the bag slung over my shoulder.

I entered the school at about ten o'clock and looked around attentively. The
room presented minimalist, puristic in black, red and white, as Japan Chic I
would describe the ambiance. A young, Asian-looking man, whom I estimated for
25 years, stood with an open facial expression behind the reception bar.

"Can I help you?" He asked kindly, looking out of big, dark, slightly slit
eyes.

"I would like to be taught in close combat. I've been studying karate for three
years now, and I'd like to get back in now, with intensive training, maybe?" I
said in a questioning tone.

"Sure, we do everything. Do you want only Karate or something else? Luta Livre,
Jiu Jitsu, and do you want single training? Because our Sensei would teach this
personally, and between us, he's not going to go easy on you!", He asked
curiously "Oh, the name’s Jack by the way!", And showed a series of bead-
whitened teeth.

I giggled happily. Jack had no idea, for whoever experienced Professor Snape
and survived would be prepared for anything. Any other strict teacher would be
like an innocent lamb, for so demanding, unjust, cynical, and mean, that was
already unique.

"Pleasant, I’m Hermione.  And no, I don't just want karate, rather something of
everything, a rather individual martial style? Freefighter, if you have
something like that? And I think that single training is the most efficient,
but you can estimate that better as a professional?", I looked at him and
batted my eyelashes. That was so ridiculous, I knew what I wanted, period. From
the far back a first semester in a white Asian combat robe with a black belt,
short, formerly black hair, mottled, apparently Asian-looking, came closer.

"Can I help, Jack?" Asked the stern-looking man. He was small, but wiry and
vigorous. Sipped a little.

"Yes, Sensei. Hermione here would like to be taught, individually."

Jack mentioned as Sensei lifted his eyebrows irritatedly and took my appearance
skeptically in.
"Do I know you?" He asked after a few seconds of reflection.

"Yes, Sensei, that's right. I was here the last time four years ago, and before
that I've been taught karate for three years, from Mr. Naruito," I said.
Deliberately, Sensei nodded, gesturing with his hand to follow him, I did as
told, after a short nod to Jack. He took me to a small office located further
back.

"Well, what can I do for you, little lady?" He began.

Here I had to talk enough tacheles to show that I was neither a little lady,
nor a little girl, and I did not need to speak about the hot mush. One should
not underestimate him, despite his strict, calm, deliberate nature, and I
wanted him to teach me to survive in battle. So here and now a trust base had
to be created without me saying too much about myself and the world I come
from. I sat upright in my chair, raised my face to him, and looked at him
openly and honestly.

"I hope you can help me. I'll try to be as open and honest as I can, Sensei,
but I admit there are things I can’t be fully honest about" I began, my face
filled with seriousness. He looked at me with interest and curiosity, but said
nothing, and gestured to me that I could continue with a gesture of his hand.

"Where I come from, there is currently an exceptional situation that will lead
to open confrontations sooner or later. In my opinion, sooner rather than
later, so my time is limited. I must learn to defend myself, I'm afraid. I can
understand if you are skeptical of this statement, but I swear to you, you and
my parents will also be affected by this in the future. The times are rough,
and unfortunately, there are a lot of crazy people out there. Unfortunately, I
can not tell you any more, but you can imagine it like a guerrilla war." I
looked at him and could see some skepticism and disquiet in his dark eyes.

"This is hard to imagine, here in London?" He said wisely. "Especially what
does a young girl should have to do with it?"
"Do not be fooled!" I said, “War affects everyone, no matter sex or age,
unfortunately. I plan to take an active part, so I need your help" I looked at
him urgently. "And no, not in London. But it's still real, and I want to learn
to defend myself, please help me, Sensei!", I looked at him with big eyes "As I
want to be trained as intensively as possible, I guess that it will not be
cheap, But that does not matter" I continued. Hey, he had a school to finance,
which means money always helped. I could just understand Malfoy in his manner.
"You're a strange young girl," he said, "your language is not that of today's
youth, and your behavior is very mature!" He paused. "I do not know what to
think of it, but your behavior and my inner voice tell me that you speak the
truth and need help!" He took a deep breath and seemed lost in thought before
he continued. "Well, this is a school of fighting! What would you want to learn
from me?" He asked, his eyebrow raised.

"Melee, an individual style, Karate, Judo, Kickboxing, Krav Maga, Luta Livre,
Capoeira, dirty street fight, FreeFighter, to make the opponent opaque in my
style, I would have thought. Whether I can, I do not know, sir?" Before he
could answer, I continued, "And the fight with two daggers, that would be the
coronation! I want to come every day and spend three or four hours for the
whole remaining vacation!"

He looked at me with big eyes. "You've thought about this a lot, Miss. To
answer your questions, yes, I can teach you such a martial style but it is
neither particularly aesthetic, nor beautiful, but extremely useful, and I
believe you are in need of something like that. Also, learning to fight with
weapons is not a problem, but do you find six days a week is not somewhat
exaggerated? And two hours should be enough. Besides, it is no longer good to
name what we are talking about." I let a cynical smile slip over my lips. I
knew somewhere, everyone had their weak spot.

"Sensei, that is enjoyable to hear! But as I told you, time runs out, two hours
a day would be too little. I also started to jog every day in the morning for
one hour to improve my fitness. I would also come to you on Sundays, if you had
not closed, for I wish to learn quickly, you must never doubt, sir," and looked
earnestly into his eyes. He grabbed his chin as he pondered in disbelief.

"Good, you are convincing. I believe that you indeed have problems, or you
would not be so committed and so you need fight training. I will help you. Your
maturity and your will, as you present here convinced me, also I accept your
temporal demand. How it will work out, time will show." He looked at me
appreciatively. "Every day from 3 pm to 6 or 7 pm," he decided, leaning back in
his chair. "But individual training in this form, as I said, is not cheap," he
added.

"I am aware, Sensei! How much ...?" I asked.

"Well, I demand 40 pounds an hour. That would be four hours, then 160 pounds.
In the week 960 pounds, how long will your holidays last?" He asked.

"Count eight weeks. I have overheard that we are talking about 8,000 pounds,
with registration fee and everything. I hope you treat our training
confidentially, also to my parents, because I will pay you. I would only ask
you to issue a bill of 500 pounds for my parents. The remaining 7,500 pounds, I
would like to pay with my check card!", I reached into my jean’s pockets and
pulled out my Gringotts debit card, and held it out to the surprised Sensei.
Well, I had once rounded up generously.

"Of course, Miss...?" I smiled at him, "Miss Granger," he leaned forward and
asked for Jack, who soon came to the door. "Jack, would you debit the card here
7,500 pounds and make a bill for Miss Granger's parents over 500 pounds!"

Jack took the card, baffled and bowed slightly to the Master "Of course!", And
turned away.

"So, as this is now clear, Miss Granger, I will ask you to go to the changing
rooms and get into more proper clothes for training, because I want to get an
overview of what you can do and like. I'll be waiting for you in battle room
5," he commanded at once, and I looked a bit surprised, but then did as I was
told. As I stepped out of the door, there was already a smiling Jack holding up
my card. "You have to explain this sum to me. You just got up to our best-
paying customer," he whispered to me.

"Later!", And gave him a dear smile.

A little while later, I entered the combat room, which was a lot smaller than
the one I knew of my earlier hours. Immediately, the Sensei turned and looked
at me. I was sure he was not one hundred percent sure as to how to assess me.
As soon as I stood on the round mat, I held my hands together as if in prayer
and bowed traditionally. He did the same to me, at which point we sat up and
then it was already starting.

I stood in the shower of the Center three hours later and stared at the blue
spots on my body, I found hardly a place that was not blue. Oh Goddess,
everything hurt. The master had given me no mercy; he was a merciless teacher,
could compete with Snape a bit, even if he was so far only mentally relentless.
Although he had only fought in baby-modus and I frantically attempted to use
everything I had ever learned about defense in close combat, I was, as I
expected, methodically processed to mince.

I went to my locker, rubbed myself all over with the healing ointment, which I
had taken with a brilliant inspiration from home, and was now digging for a
vial with a light, refreshing drink to relieve the pain. As I said, he had not
spared me. Perhaps you ask yourself where I had all these potions and ointments
since I had only begun with the potions. As I had just mentioned, Harry had
been in the hospital wing during the tragic events of the tournament, and while
everyone had been distracted and busy, I had been serving the expenses.

Yes, they would all have been shocked to death if they knew that I, Miss
Granger, had a slight inclination to steal, but if I had such an opportunity, I
would always benefit them. You never knew what it was good for. I had just
learned that he had returned, that we would all get in trouble and that such
potions could be useful, so that had immediately opened up to me. As I said,
over the years I had become rather pragmatic in such moral matters, I took it
as it came.

The ingredients of the multi-juice drink in the second school year had after
all not flown to me. As I set out to leave the center, I noticed that it was
much more lively now than this morning. I stopped briefly at Jack's to get the
bill for Dad.

"See you tomorrow," we said goodbye, since he was now very busy, although he
would have liked to question me. I noticed his astonished look that I could
still leave the fighting school standing upright and happy.

He probably wouldn't have guessed that. I giggled a bit, after all, magic was
not available for everyone.
***** "Rose Cottage" *****
Chapter Notes
     Thanks again for all the Kudos, Reads and Comments.
     Enjoy!
"Rose Cottage"

As soon as I got home, I changed into an airy summer dress. I think everyone
can imagine why. With this heat, jeans would rub on my skin. After changing, I
had around two hours to spare before meeting with someone from Gringotts at a
place I had recently acquired called Rose Cottage.
So I lay down on my bed, summoned a glass of water, and reached for one of my
newly acquired books. A book about healing magic, useful for many known curses,
whether it be black or white magic. Very interesting.

I apparated to Rose Cottage. I was a little proud of myself, as this time of
apparating was also the most extensive so far. I was whole, and had no
splinching. This is great. It means I could try to control the problem of the
loud pop hopefully be able to lessen the sound.
I took a look around. I have not been here for at least five years. Since the
death of my Grandmother and Aunt. My dad had no reason to come here, so he shut
down the house to preserve it for me.

What I had learned from my conversation with Mr. Ragnok rang in my head. I knew
that my parents were well off, sending me to the best schools and giving me the
best clothes. The idea that I had my own fortune was still foreign to me.
I was an extremely lucky girl. Even if I had not received any real warmth and
affection from my parents, I always got everything that I needed and wanted to
buy.

Since they were both dentists and owned their own practice, they were often too
busy to mind their own child. So they tried to compensate for the lack of real
warmth and affection for their child.
Now I couldn't believe my wealth! I still couldn't wrap my head around the fact
that I am rich in both muggle and wizard wealth.
I stood in front of Rose Cottage. Even with five years uninhabited, it was
still in pretty good condition. The garden was a little bit untended but its
nothing a few spells won't be able to fix.
I made a mental note to talk to Mr. Ragnok to ensure that my father won't
notice the property suddenly disappearing from the face of the Earth. Which
would happen when the wards settle.

As a kid, I liked to stay in the Rose Cottage. With it's stone walls and
idyllic thatched roof, it was beautiful. It had this romantic feel around the
cottage, which is where it bore the name Rose. Especially with the roses
everywhere.
I heard a distinct pop announcing someone's arrival. The Gringotts protection
group are here. I turned expectantly and saw five goblins standing under a
large oak tree on the side of the road, looking as skeptical and sullen as
usual. I greeted the goblins promptly.

"Good Evening, its nice to see you."

A goblin stepped forward to greet me. He had the most black stripes on his
uniform and bowed stiffly.
"Miss Granger!" snarled the goblin. "I am Grophok and this is my troop"

"Hi, Mr. Grophok, What is the plan?"

"First, we will inspect around the property for any wayward spells then begin
the first protective charms and rituals." Explained Grophok in his own friendly
way. His smile still rather dangerous and sharp. "Only after we finish adding
the protective rituals will we need you to add the blood wards."

"Well, would it be alright if I went into the house. I would like to cast some
spells inside. To see what needs to be done for maintenance purposes. Would it
interfere with the spells for the wards?"

Grophok shook his head.
"It would not interfere since we are working on the outer wards of the house."
He studied surroundings of the property. "I believe that we can start the blood
ritual in half an hour."

I nodded to him gratefully then proceeded towards the house. I opened the gate
with a wave of my wand and went for the door. The goblins were whispering
amongst themselves.
I sighed when I opened the door. Not much has changed from when my Aunt and
Grandmother lived here. Although here were white sheets covering most of the
furniture leaving only the wooden floors exposed. I went straight to work on
the first floor. Waving my wand to get rid of years of dust and grime left
behind on the décor and furniture in seconds.
I truly love magic with all my heart! There is no muggle contraption that is
comparable to the protection that magic could give to grandma's old antiques.

I could feel nostalgia hit as soon as I was finishing the last of my spellwork.
I never met my mother's family, they had all died before I was born. My grandma
and aunt were the last of my father's family. I am forever grateful to them for
my inheritance. Without it, I wouldn't have the chance to implement my plans.
When I finally finished with the cellar, I left the house to check on the
goblins. I suspected they were ready for my last spell. And my assumptions were
confirmed when Grophok approached me as soon as I reached the back garden.

"We will begin the blood ritual, Miss Granger." said Grophok
"Of course, what do I have to do? I know nothing on goblin magic." I confessed
hiding my disappointment. I hate being in the dark especially about unusual
magics.

"Accompany me to the front door." Instructed Grophok as he walked away not
checking whether or not I was following.

I turned and noticed the other goblins closed in a circle and began to chanting
rhythmically, creating an eerie atmosphere.

"Please, place your hand on the door knob." He instructed succinctly. I held on
the doorknob without hesitation.

Grophok then placed his hand over mine and started chanting into his non-
existent beard. I couldn't stifle a gasp as I felt a sharp pain in my hand. I
almost recoiled my hand from the doorknob as a reflex, but my hand was
restrained by not only Grophook's crooked hand but on the handle by magic. I
took a deep breath and concentrated instead on the waves of magic that
surrounded us. I could feel the magic settle on the property and I could feel
it tingle on my skin connecting itself to my own magic. It was an impressive
display of magic and an amazing new experience!

A golden shield manifested itself in front of my eyes, flashing brightly,
before it dimmed into a dull glow and disappeared. Grophok removed his claw
from mine and my hand was free again. The clenched wave of magic ebbed slowly
but surely. I stared at the wound that had surfaced at the palm of my hand
casted a healing spell.

Turning to the goblins I bowed respectfully. "Thank you for your help today. I
wish you all a pleasant evening."

I quickly apparated home to make dinner, going back to my usual routine.
***** Gringotts Again *****
Chapter Notes
     Sorry for the disturb.
     I am still looking for a Beta that is ready to Beta the Mature
     detailed Sex Chapters, not really barbaric or anything, but still..
     The ones from FFNET don't like doing the Beta on them, unfortunately.
Gringotts Again

The next day began shortly before seven and just like yesterdays with a one-
hour run through the park. Then I waited until my parents went to work.
Subsequently, I had a few hours to look after my potions and books and to work
on the plan I was going to discuss with Mr. Rangok. Afterwards, I began to turn
into my fake identity, Minna Cale. At 1 o'clock I stood before Mr. Rangok's
door in Gringotts.

"Ah, Miss Granger! Nice to see you, come and sit," he greeted me kindly after
my bow, and I did as I was told.

"First of all I would like to thank you, because your protection group did an
excellent job. I am more than satisfied. In the course of this, I wanted to ask
you to redirect payment flows from my father’s account to the gardener and his
spouse so that they’re coming out of my Gringotts account. That way he won’t
notice that the house is now no longer available and at the same time, I would
like you to cancel the orders with the companies concerned! " I listed out
getting right to the point of the matter. While I was busy, he eagerly recorded
the points on a piece parchment, which, after I had finished, once again
vanished no doubt by magic.

"Very thoughtful, Miss Granger. I will see to it that everything is done
according to your wishes," he replied tentatively, looking at me in a typically
goblin-like manner.

"Wonderful, I must say I’m amazed at your speed," I complimented.

"What do I still owe you for the protection of my house?" I asked curiously.

"Because of the information that Mr. Grophok gave me, I think that 5,000
galleons would be appropriate for the one hour, Miss Granger," snarled the
little creature.

I nodded and reached for the blood feather quill lying on the table. I would
not begin to get lost with Gringotts and begin to act. Rangok already pushed
the parchment to be signed towards me.

"I have one more question. You have failed to mention if you want the dungeon
that your parents have set up for you to continue to exist or be transferred to
your high-security trust. For the moment, your parents have been paying 2,500
galleons a year for the last 5 years. So far, you have not used much, so the
credit on the account is 10,000 galleons," he said, I had no doubt that this
was accurate as money went above all for the goblins.

"Keep the standard vault and please use the money," I decided.

"Now, onto a more complex problem!" I began. The goblin made himself
comfortable in his chair, and when he was ready he made a small gesture with
his hand that signified that I should go ahead.

"You know the subject is that he-who-should-not-be-named is back, and no matter
what the Daily Prophet or the Ministry says, I believe Harry Potter!" I told
him making my view of things to Mr. Rangok very clear. "In light of this, my
whole plans are based on this knowledge," I continued.

"That is why, in the coming summer holidays, I am planning to send my parents
abroad with a new identity so that they are out of reach of the Death Eaters
who will surely be after me. As a so-called Mudblood and as the best friend of
Harry Potter, I fear I must prepare for that outcome!" I said.

"I will not expose my parents to this danger and I refuse to be put into a
situation where I could be blackmailed with my parents' life," I explained. I
took a deep breath, the goblin remained quiet in front of me, absorbing in the
serious information I was relaying him.

"As always, I assume that everything will be treated with the utmost
discretion, I for hope your support in the implementation of this plan!" I
stared Mr. Rangok directly in the eyes as I made this statement and he gave me
an attentive but gentle nod.

"I've been thinking about Australia. They would need new papers, such as
passports, birth certificates, driving licenses etc., and obviously a new name.
The practice here would have to be sold and a new one bought in Australia. In
addition, a house would have to be bought. The accounts would need to be
rewritten. Also, my remaining accounts, building savings and saving books would
have to migrate to Gringotts ", I explained.

Now I had a quite speechless goblin in front of me, which no longer showed the
typically diabolical, slightly malicious features, but only amazement. He was
apparently already a step further in thought and now only showed speechlessness
because of his gained knowledge.

"Um ..." he croaked hoarsely." Am I right in the assumption that your parents
are subject to an obliviate? It seemed to me like that might be your best
course of action. You excuse my prying of course, Miss Granger?" The goblin
asked, rather uncertainly, his eyes large and filled with disbelief.

"Yes, you are right in that assumption, that is my intention!" I said, quite
emotionally and with a straight face, because I was fully aware of how
emotionally difficult the extent of my future work would be.

"That comes as a surprise, you understand? I do not think that such an
extensive forgetting charm can be reversed again," the goblin waved with an
excited hand gesture through the air, and I dared to smile at him. Mr. Rangok
looked at me insistent.

Apparently, Grophok had informed him about the visible wave of golden magic at
the cottage. They did not seem to belong to the ritual, as I had assumed so
far, otherwise he would not have emphasized the power. I understood the message
behind his words, but I could not explain it to myself either, because I had
consciously done nothing.

"Mr. Rangok, I can assure you that I know what I'm doing. I have thoroughly
researched everything, so I am fully aware of the consequences, but I
appreciate the benefit that all the participants from this action will have,
higher than the resulting losses," I said very coldly, knowing that the goblin
feared me now to a certain degree.

The goblin seemed to shrink in size as I remained cold-blooded and unflinching
in the face of what I was suggesting. Well, you should never be fooled by me. I
was capable, and when others were frightened by the consequences, I rushed at
them head first.

I think, from today Mr. Rangok was one of the few people who would not
underestimate me. Rather in the category of those who trusted me do to
everything, who saw someone to be reckoned with and would never try to annoy
me. I read some emotions from his sharp-edged face, so I smiled at him, to show
him my confidence in him.

"Just to reiterate, my parents’ house in Chelsea is not to be sold. This is to
be secured as soon as they is moved, just like the "Rose Cottage", as I intend
to keep it," I explained, going back to the essentials.

The old house was from my mother’s side of the family, and I had too much of a
sentimental attachment to it to let it go. It was a typical London townhouse,
bright and friendly. Made of light brown bricks with white sprout windows, a
small white staircase leading to the red front door, flanked by two white
pillars, ending in a white balcony brim. Behind the house there was our small
garden with an ancient oak tree. It was a treasure which I just could not give
away.

"Can you help me, can Gringotts help me with all of this?" I asked politely
now.

The goblin frowned. "Of course, this should not be a problem. At the same time,
you must give us enough time. With what you’re asking it may take up to a year
to get everything done to your satisfaction," He nodded again, while he spoke
and wrote along with it. This goblin was really multi-tasking, I grinned into
myself happy that he had managed to overcome his shock quickly.

"Yes, then I agree to your terms."

I fell silent. Meanwhile, Rangok gave me a few isolated sheets of paper, which
I read carefully, while he continued on diligently planning out how he would do
as I asked. I signed every single one with my blood. After we finished, I
continued:

"Unfortunately, we are not finished yet. I will become an adult in the magical
world in a few weeks’ time, and at that point  I become parentless. My question
is: could Gringotts take over my guardianship for these two months, pro forma?
In addition, a one-year time trip would have to be counted to my age, because
of which I would have reached the premature age already for a long time.
Specifically, in two months, when I would be 16, but with this one year time
travel, actually already 17. "

Rangok could only stare at me in shock, his eyes so wide I thought his eyeballs
might fall out of his head.

"Oh, it’s not what you think, Mr. Rangok. In my third year of school, I got a
time turner, with the minister's approval, as my schedule was so full that I
could not manage it without going back in time," I said casually.

He swallowed visibly.

"If that's the case, Miss Granger, that's no problem. I can take your age with
a simple identification spell and pass it on to the Ministry, so that the year
is calculated for your lifetime."

He fetched a document from his drawer and murmured some spells, pushed it over
to sign it and put the quill in front of me. The paper was so enchanted that
when my blood touched it, my life-years were counted, and as the document
revealed, I was magically indeed a year older. Smiling, I looked up at Rangok,
for it confirmed my theory. He nodded, and took the document and stored it in a
file.

"I have already prepared the guardianship document, I only need the signature
of your parents. I'd suggest that you sign it shortly before the Obliviate next
year, "Rangok said, sounding surprisingly indifferent, and the nature of this
magical race was evident.

"Yes, I like that idea. That's how we’ll do it. Then the two documents will go
to the Ministry next year! "I decided.

Rangok nodded, picked up the file and put it in a file cabinet.

"Now the last problem. Although I am of age in the magical world, I still
remain considered a child in the world of Muggles. Now my question is: can you
change the muggle supplies as well so that I would be already 18 years in their
eyes as well? " I spoke in excited rush, maybe a bit too fast but Rangok still
understood.

"Fakes, as such, not nearly as big of a problem as the business of finding new
identities for your parents. I'll get everything done and will hand it over to
you next year, "he finished.

"Still some plans to see too, Miss Granger?" It was because of this sarcastic
statement of Rangoks that I allowed a small and honest laugh to escape me.
"How well you know me now, Mr. Rangok!" I said with a clearly amused timbre in
my voice.

"I am full of ideas and plans, but unfortunately I almost always seem to be
running out of time. To my regret, I have my next appointment at three o'clock
so I must be going," I said apologetically to the goblin.

"When would you like to schedule your next appointment with me?" he asked.

"Would two days before the end of the holidays, at 1 pm work for you? By then I
will have worked out my ideas and know exactly what I want from you," I
suggested, and this time would fit perfectly into my plans.

"Is recorded, Miss Granger. I am looking forward to seeing you again. Oh,
there's another thing I need to manage and increase your money in your dungeon:
at what time frame do you want to be regularly informed? " He sounded very
important.

"The first and the 15th of a month, starting at the beginning of the school
year," I said without thinking.

A nod and then it was already noted. I stood up and politely took leave of
Rangok. I hurriedly rushed to the next apparating point in Diagon Alley, just
to appear again in a small side street, near the school, with a clear popping.
So, I still have to work on it, I thought of myself slightly annoyed, it was
too loud, like an exploding exhaust.

Immediately I directed my steps to the school, for I had still ten minutes to
appear ready before my sensei. An inkling made me suspect that, with a delay on
my part, the sensei could compete with Professor Snape, so I did not want to
test it.

When I was finally in the kitchen at 7 pm, my aching arms and legs reminded me
very clearly of the beatings and kicks I had received today. I was not sure if
I would get used to the daily running and fighting, because I would have liked
to stop it already. Of course my uncanny cleverness did not leave me a real
choice. He said to me: keep going, it's getting better, but dreaming was
probably still allowed. Who loved it to hurt at every movement!? Late at night
in bed I reviewed the day and planned the following days.

So the first two weeks passed very quickly. Jogging, reading, learning,
practicing spells and curses, checking potions and continuing the brewing,
fighting, cooking food! And then read again, learn, say spells and curses, also
to master apparating without noises, but this could be practiced better in the
protection of the darkness, again check potions and continue brewing!

And sometimes sleep!

This was my daily routine when there were no other important points and I
progressed well. Because of this pace, I could now devote myself to the next
challenge.
***** Rita's Flat *****
Chapter Notes
     Wishing everybody a good new month!
     Enjoy these months chapters. ;)
     Thanks for all the Kudos and Views.
Ritas Flat


When I thought about this dung-beetle, the bile came up to me, but it was
useful. My parents were gone and I knelt in front of my Hogwarts wardrobe and
opened it expectantly. I reached for a preserving jar filled with a branch and
different leaves. The green, iridescent, ugly beetle was clearly seen, sitting
on a small branch, and its eyes fixed on me rigidly.

My prisoner!

Oh yes, this beetle was the animagus form of this lovely journalist, who had
the task of telling lies about Harry and me last year. Something that now cost
her dearly. Her slanderous, haggard articles in the daily prophet had driven me
to white heat, but revenge, as we all know, should be cold. I looked at the
greenish iridescent beetle with a scornful grin on my lips. To deal with me you
should think twice, if not three times. I was not an opponent to be
underestimated, if one wanted me as an enemy, one could have that gladly, only
it won't do well for the other person. See Miss Skeeter!

She could probably sing a song of it now; after all, she had been sitting in
this glass for more than a month, and would only be free if I allowed it. I had
hit the sneaky bitch when she had also been with Harry and us in the hospital
wing, after the disaster of the tournament, as a small beetle. I long had the
guess that the reporter could have gotten at the partly true but totally
distorted statements in the daily prophet only by espionage, since I or Ron had
never told anyone anything, thanks to Sirius and the story of the Marauders, I
quite quickly came up with the idea that we could be dealing with an
unregistered animagus.

It was only the question in which form?

It had to be something small that fit well into one hand and had wings. How
else could she have been listening to Harry at divination, so high in the
tower? And Malfoy's strange behavior, which Harry remembered at the time of
using a walkie-talkie, was well suited to this conclusion.

In the following time I had observed my surroundings carefully, and when I had
seen a slightly green-eyed beetle sitting on the windowsill in the white
surroundings of the hospital, I put one and one together. So I quickly and
unobtrusively conjured a preserving jar from the kitchen, quietly putting some
spells on it, for example, unbreakability - not that she could turn back into a
human being - as well as air permeability. After all, I did not want to
suffocate her, because she being dead did not help me.

Then, in a fluid motion, I had placed the glass on the windowsill and slipped
it over the beetle. And tada, I had screamed out a jubilant jubilee. I had made
Miss Skeeter my prisoner! Oh, it had been a wonderful feeling to have shown it
to this arrogant goat. Harry and Ron had looked at me as if I wasn't quite
alright. I had smiled at them apologetically while I had screwed the glass shut
quickly, then I had smacked it mockingly back and forth. The two had still
stared at me blankly, but I had not planned to reveal my catch.

"Oh, nothing, just wanted to take this dung-beetle away. Something that has
nothing to do in the hospital." I said to the guys and rolled my eyes.

One should leave them their naivety, because Harry would have heard my
explanations just like through cotton balls, just as he had been beside the
track, which was understandable, as Cedric was murdered before his eyes and he
witnessed the Dark Lord rising again. Why did I leave them in the dark for so
long?

No, not only because it was satisfying for me and she deserved punishment for
the journalistic crap she had spread. I wanted to get something from her and I
had not found any time to do so, I also worked out my list according to
importance and the beetle was definitely important, but everything else I had
done so far seemed more important to me. I smirked at her.

"So, Miss Skeeter, I'll soon release you from your custody, if everything goes
as planned, cross your fingers!" I promised her with a malicious expression and
put her back into my dark suitcase.

Tonight I would once again leave a little trip into the shelter of darkness
behind me. It was already after ten o'clock, when I was preparing to leave. I
put my daggers around my waist, put on my black coat, and was once again Minna
Cale. Then I Apparated into a dark damp alley near the Diagon Alley. Thanks to
extensive research and some money flowing, I had been able to get Rita
Skeeter's address from one of her colleagues in the Daily Prophet. Her
colleague's breach of confidence was not really surprising, as the dung beetle
had "made a lot of friends" over the years. It should be alright, as long as I
find out what I wanted to know.

She lived in a tenement house near the Prophet, to get to her job quickly. It
was not the first time I'd break in, but the first time outside of Hogwarts, in
the real world somehow? And that was exciting. My heart beat a little faster as
I scuttled along the walls of the buildings like a dark shadow, anxious to be
invisible and as quiet as possible. Quickly I directed my wand to the main
door. As I suspected, it was quick to open with a simple Alohomora. Silently,
avoiding any unnecessary noise, I snuck into the house. What I wouldn’t give
for Harry’s invisibility cloak now, but more and more adrenaline shot through
my veins, despite the fact that I had not done anything forbidden,
nevertheless, the feeling was exhilarating.

On the top floor was a single door, the name Skeeter graced it and that was my
goal. I had reached my goal unintentionally, so I stopped briefly to calm down
my heartbeat, and only then  did I dare to break the spells that lay over the
apartment.

A first scan showed that she had five spells on the door! That was laughable! A
delighted smile lay on my features as I began to work. A few minutes later I
closed the door behind me and leaned against it. I could no longer fight
against my laughter and let myself go, whilst I barely got any air and finally
had to wipe the tears of laughter out of my eyes.

I do not know what I was expecting, but not that!

When, in the second year, I had taken Professor Snape's ingredients from his
storage room, I had also had to break his protective charms, which he had laid
on the door. I had really gotten a good sweat,  and had to break up to twelve
spells and then was still afraid to have overlooked one, but I had managed it,
even today I was still incredibly proud of myself when I thought of it. But now
this was a joke! Did Skeeter only protect her flat that lazily or did everyone
do this, because then I did not have to worry anymore, as then it wouldn’t be
long before I was a master thief.

‘Pull yourself together Hermione, you are not here for pleasure,’ I called
myself to reason. ‘Get to work.’ I scrutinized the apartment meticulously. It
showed me that I had correctly estimated Skeeter. She lived only with, for, and
solely because of her work, and she was not even bad at what she did, if only
she stayed with the truth. The decor was minimalist and cold, in predominantly
dark colors. She was not here often, but I was looking for information that
might be important to me. I had thought that this woman, as I judged her, had a
definite book about every person of the magical world who played an important
role, and could have come to some sort of relevant information through her
animagus form. I did not believe that she always chipped everything out
immediately or should I say wrote.

After nearly two hours I found it. Miss Skeeter was very predictable in my
eyes. I held a thick book in my hands that contained all the secrets she could
find. It was more than hard to find since she had shown creativity here, but
the book itself was frighteningly easy to crack. While I was reading, I was
disappointed by this woman from page to page. She had wonderful material about
many important people here, but she had almost everything not followed up at
all!! Yes, there would be some effort to prove everything, but minimal,
considering what secrets one would come to. Despite all my disappointment, this
book would serve me well next time, since I had to start not only at zero, but
needed to be relatively targeting.

So thank you, Rita, I grinned maliciously as I shrunk the book and put it in my
coat pocket. I Apparated right from room to room. That saved me time and her
apartment was also badly secured. Only once I returned to my bed, did I then
devoted myself to my new reading, for some of it was too amusing, but more
about that later!
***** The Beetle *****
Chapter Notes
     Thanks so much for the comments ;) The Reads and the Kudos.
     I hope you still enjoy!
     Anyone interested in an English FB WHF Group? (We already have one in
     German).
The Beetle
 
Today was the day I’d promised to free the beetle. As far as I was concerned,
she could live out her days as a miserable insect and the world would be no
worse off, but unfortunately there were reasons to keep Miss Skeeter human. Her
leave of absence from work – which I had kindly submitted on her behalf – would
end tomorrow, and I didn’t want her to lose her job. She would be so much more
useful to me where she was.
It was around midday when I went searching in my suitcase for the glass jar. I
knew I was grinning like a madman - this was going to be fun. I set the jar
down on my bed, and my smile turned mean. Are you scared yet, Rita? I thought
to myself, as the beetle tried its best to look indignant. You’ll learn your
mistake soon enough. My hands shook a little from anticipation as I opened the
jar, and tipped it on its side so that the beetle could get out. Control
yourself, Hermione. I took a few deep breaths and refocused, aiming my wand at
the pitiful thing.
 
“Just so you don’t get any ideas, Rita!’ I warned, and the beetle crawled
slowly, suspiciously, out of its prison and onto the bed.
 
"Revolvio Animagi," I exclaimed, pointing to the insect.
 
The beetle grew and grew and, slowly but surely, transformed into the human
form of Rita Skeeter - I had learnt the spell against Animagus transformation
in my third year. After we had stopped Wormtail, and Remus and Sirius magically
disarmed him, it wasn’t difficult for me to find the spell.
 
"Incarcerus," I quickly threw the next spell that would render Miss Skeeter
unable to move. Fascinated, I watched ropes wrap around the body of the
reporter and bind her.
 
My mouth twitched into a smirk as I looked coldly over her horrified face. I
could not resist a triumphant grin as I looked at the helpless figure that was
lying in front of me. Her make-up was smeared and pasty, and her hair had the
greasy look of someone that had not seen water for a long time. A thick pimple
glowed red and yellow on her chin. It looked she’d lost a bit of weight too,
the poor woman.
 
I did provide food – not my fault if she didn’t like leaves.
 
Rita looked at me behind her too-big glasses with eyes that said, if she could
have, she would have gone straight for my throat. "Hello Rita!", I greeted her
warmly, faux-affection smothering the words, but I knew my eyes were cold. This
was a fun game, but maybe only for me. Never mind – I was still enjoying
myself.
 
"How are you feeling?’ I asked, tilting my head. ‘It must have been nice the
last few weeks, some time to relax, away from the quick quotes quill?" I was
winding her up, blinking at her sweetly and jutting out my bottom lip to
exaggerate my ‘concern’. I wanted to see if she was foolish enough to react to
my words. She lay with her lips drawn into a pencil-thin line, so small you
couldn’t see her mouth except for the smudged lipstick everywhere, and tied
like a package on my bed. On closer inspection, I thought I could see that she
was biting her lips, perhaps to stop herself from retorting, screaming,
yelling?
 
"What is it, Rita, you're not saying anything? Or have you gone mute, is that a
side effect of longer animagus transformation?" I asked, clearly worried for my
dear friend’s wellbeing. I threaded my wand into my hair and casually twisted a
few curls.
 
"What do you want?" She hissed at me venomously, and I suppressed a flinch -
I’d forgotten how unpleasant her voice was. I dropped the pretence and looked
at her coldly.
 
"There it is. I knew we wouldn’t be lucky enough for you to lose your voice,"
 
I continued provoking her, raising the wand again. She began to twist back and
forth, pulling and tugging at the robes.
 
"Calm down, Rita! Don’t worry, you’re not going anywhere! I won’t keep you too
long, I can see you’re getting impatient. Is that alright?" I said.
 
She looked at me irritably, as if she thought I had lost my mind. Apparently,
irony was alien to her. I clicked my tongue disapprovingly.
 
"Rita, Rita, you’ve just got to learn that I’m in charge here, and you have to
do what I tell you!" I told her calmly, accentuating every word. I couldn’t
hold back a deranged giggled though - Miss Skeeter's face was just too funny. I
think she really thought I was crazy.
 
"Oh, don't look at me like that. I'm not actually crazy, you silly thing!", I
answered her thoughts, still giggling.
 
"... You, ... You're mad!" Rita screamed loudly and tried to kick out with her
legs, while the skirt of her crumpled suit slipped up further. I looked at her,
waiting, like a parent would treat a child having a tantrum, and waved my wand
menacingly before her eyes.
 
"Rita, shut up. If you don't calm down, I'll hex you, and I’d rather not. I
want to talk to you," I said softly, reasonably.
 
"... You, you can’t ... you aren't allowed to use magic," she stuttered, and
something like fear flitted over her face. I lifted an eyebrow dismissively.
 
"Rita, dear, I think you should be over that by now. Do you see an owl from the
ministry?" I asked sarcastically, looking pointedly at the window. “I can and
will, if you do not do what I say.” She seemed speechless, as she stared at me
with her mouth gaping open. No manners, this woman.
 
"So, I suppose you're wondering what I want from you? You know I'm not happy
about what you wrote about me this year, but especially about Harry.” She
stared at me blankly. “Your lies are unacceptable and you know that, don't you,
Rita? You only wanted to get on Fudge’s good side, right?" She still stared, so
I forged on.
 
"Your punishment for your offenses against me and Harry have just been served
in that jar for the last five weeks." I said, tapping the jar with my wand. She
rolled her eyes as I delivered her sentence, then began to wail.
 
"Who....Do. You. Think. You. Are ...?" She was starting to irritate me now,
getting louder from word to word.
 
I’m afraid that just isn’t acceptable. We’ll call this a lesson in authority, I
thought, as I casually shut her screaming off with a silencio. If a gaze could
burn, I would be able to heat a dozen ovens and open a bakery at that moment. I
clicked my tongue, again.
 
"Rita, if this continues, we'll be sitting here until next week, and tomorrow
you’re supposed to go back to work again," I pointed out, ever the voice of
reason. She stared at me angrily, but she had at least accepted that she should
remain silent.
 
"I’ll summarise for you, to keep this short. I don't know if you've realised,
Rita, but I've got you in the palm of my hand. You are an unregistered
animagus, which means Azkaban.” I caught her eyes widening and smiled, finally
dropping my wand and looking at her. “Doesn’t look like you want to move in
there? Lucky you, because if you just help me out a little here, you’ve got
nothing to worry about. I want you to stop writing nasty articles about Harry,
so, anytime you write about Harry now, even just to drop his name, you need my
permission. Do you understand that, Rita? If you ever write something about
Harry again without having informed me before, I won't think twice about
reporting you!"
 
I had explained all this in a low, controlled voice, my arms crossed in front
of my chest, and looked coldly, expectantly into her eyes. I could see her
slowly processing my words.
 
"Oh, I can see some anger in those eyes, my dear! But don't you waste your time
trying to be clever, you won't get out of it. If you think about reporting
yourself, I can stop you. In fact you won't be able to. Count yourself lucky,
because I’ve been working on some spells in the last few weeks. Yes, that’s
right Rita, just for you. This spell will make it impossible for you to tell
someone that you are an animagus. It's a bit like the Unbreakable Oath, but I
don't need your consent!"
 
This wasn't exactly true. I didn't need her active consent, but she had to
allow me to throw the spell at her - but Rita didn't need to know about this
and it was a rather dark spell. She looked as if she wanted to cry, a pile of
misery and rope on my bed. But compassion wasn’t something I had in mind at
that moment, even as her eyes started swimming behind her slanting glasses in
their unshed tears.
 
"It's a hobby of mine to invent new spells and the like, you know? Ah, where
was I - exactly, so you’ve got no way out. Oh, of course, and since I wasn’t
very busy the last few weeks and you kindly left me your book, ... ah, where
did I put it? Just a second...!", I made the words deliberately light and
playful, even though I knew that I had deeply worried her. I reached out to the
table and pulled Rita's revelation book out of the drawer.
 
"Yes, there we are. So, I have your book!" Rita suddenly began fighting,
thrashing against the ropes, trying to shout, or make any sound at all, as
though she was trying to scream her soul out of her body.
 
"Please what? Rita, you know I can't understand you!" I kindly drew her
attention to her unfortunate situation. But it was too funny, the way she
wallowed on the bed and roared silently with a wide-open mouth, while she
looked utterly furious. She had lost her glasses while rolling around, and her
white-blond hair was a complete birds’ nest. I let her go on quietly; at some
point she would get tired. I just leant back to enjoy the entertainment.
 
"Is that enough, Rita? I’m not sure you’d be able to make a noise anymore, even
if I took the spell off, after all that!", I beamed at her jovially, letting
her know that I was enjoying her humiliation.
 
"To answer your silent question, I just happened to be free and nearby, so I
went round yours yesterday. I happened to find this book by accident, and I
have to say it is a very interesting, sometimes shocking, read!" I told her
casually. She knew, of course, that I had broken into her flat, but that made
the game all the more funny.
 
"I'm going to keep it, just to make things clear. You can start another one, if
you like, but I’d like to get an extract from you once a month - and before you
start again, remember: you’re in the palm of my hand. You kept the revelation
book like a kind of diary, and I'm sure some of the people mentioned in the
book would like an excerpt too. So, if you really want to annoy me, Rita, you
might want to think about the consequences," I added threateningly. She was now
lying still and quiet, completely exhausted on the bed, as if she had given up.
I did not quite believe the silence yet, but I removed the Silencio from her
with a swipe of my wand.
 
"You can talk, Rita," I pointed out, as she cleared her throat.
 
"Chrm ... chrm ... who are you?" Came the question, slightly croaky, but still
cold, and she looked at me suspiciously.
 
"Please, you know who I am. Hermione Granger!" I replied, laughing as I tucked
a long, brown lock of hair behind my ear.
 
"You can’t be! A little girl couldn’t pull this off. What did you do with Miss
Granger?" Rita hissed softly, trying to get into a sitting position.
 
"That’s really sweet of you, Rita, to care so much about me. I’m sorry to have
to disappoint you, but I really am Hermione Granger. You just chose the wrong
person to mess with and I think you’ve learnt, despite my age, that I should
not be underestimated. If I see you again, I hope this won’t be necessary?" I
asked honestly, motioning to the jar and the ropes, wondering if she had
learned her lesson.
 
"No, no! This can’t be happening! You must be lying, it can’t be!" She
continued incredulously, and seemed really shocked.
 
"Rita, calm down, it's really not that big of a deal. You wanted to fool us, or
me, and you got caught in your own trap. It's not that bad, if you just do what
I tell you, you have nothing to fear from me!" I said, trying to cheer her up.
 
"But if you even think about doing something foolish, Rita, well, then no one
can help you, but I hope you’re not that stupid," I added in a low, threatening
tone, and sat waiting for her.
 
"... do your friends, ... Potter and the others, do they know what you’re
doing?" Miss Skeeter asked in an accusatory tone, trying to get back in the
game.
 
"I don't think that’s any concern of yours, Rita, but no, they don't. We
wouldn’t want to spoil the good impression I’ve made, do we?" I looked
threateningly into her eyes as she stared at me incredulously.
 
"So, now you’ve finally let me finish - do you agree to my terms, Miss Skeeter,
yes or no?" I was getting impatient.
 
"Do I have a choice?", She asked doubtfully, sounding exhausted, letting her
head drop to her chin. I raised my eyebrows in surprise.
 
"Of course, Rita. Azkaban is always open for you, and the people whose secrets
you take care of would much prefer you to end up there, I think!"
 
"Hmph! Very funny, Miss Granger! There's nothing else left for me," Miss
Skeeter said, more than reluctantly.
 
"Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Skeeter. This is the beginning of a
beautiful partnership!" I grinned at her cynically, and I raised my wand
immediately after her forced "Yes."
 
Quietly, I cast "Credere tacientiae", which means "linked to secrecy" and
wrapped my demands in the spell. Since I really didn’t trust Skeeter, I threw a
second spell, the "Conari pactio predere" over her, which should indicate to me
if she thought about revealing things that should stay secret. She would not be
able to do this because the first spell was too strong and there was no
counter-spell, but I wanted to be informed, because then we could have a little
talk to remind her of her loyalties.
 
I had needed her consent for these two spells, which she had just given me -
not really voluntarily, but it doesn’t need to be too precise. The charms took
hold - I could feel the tense, magical atmosphere in my room, and Rita too, but
she was just looking anxiously and exasperatedly around the room, breathing
heavily; she didn’t really know what was happening to her, or what the charms
did to her. My third spell was a masterpiece I had been working on for two
years - only for this I would need blood, so I got up, walked to my wardrobe
and pulled out one of the Horus daggers. I turned to Miss Skeeter, with the
blade raised. She instantly let out a shrill, frightened scream, even though,
so far, she had allowed me to cast my spells over her. But now life came into
her, she tried to crawl away, even with her tied body, over the bed to get to
safety. I rolled my eyes, slightly annoyed, because I’d made it clear I had
need of her, so I wouldn’t now throw myself at her and stab her - what was this
brainless insect thinking?
 
"Rita, that's ridiculous!" I said vehemently, put my fists on my hips, and
tapped my foot several times with annoyance. Fortunately, she stopped at once
and looked at me with suspicious, terrified eyes. I approached her, cutting my
left hand, which made Skeeter wince and let my right eyebrow lift, then pointed
the dagger at her, and pulled her left wrist, which was tightly tied at her
waist, ruthlessly.
 
"Doesn’t hurt very much and I’ll be very fast," I promised her, but her eyes
swam in tears again. A jerk, and the inside of her hand was graced with a red,
bloody, but shallow, line. I took her bleeding hand in mine, as if I were to
shake her hand to get our blood mixed. Next, I directed my wand to our
connected hands and recited "Impetus impedive," which means something like
‘preventing attack and ensuring loyalty’. I had to protect myself; if she tried
to hurt me in any way or attack me directly, the curse would stop her before
she could get close, and send her into a coma from which only I would be able
to save her.
 
This spell worked with the Conari pactio predere, which would allow me to know
about Skeeter’s silly ideas, and the curse would prevent them from being acted
upon. As the curse took hold, white, twisting smoke crept around our hands and
sealed the unbreakable bond between Rita and me. She sucked in air through her
clenched teeth, and I had to bite my cheek, as the dark magic demanded some
effort from me. This spell was not an ordinary one and it wasn’t so easy to
work. This was difficult, very dark magic that was truly binding, so I had to
fight hard and steel my will until the smoke shone silver before finally
dissolving, and both Rita and I let out relieved breaths.
 
Well, I've had some awesome moments, but I was very pleased that the self-
developed spells had worked, because the hours, days and months of work had not
been in vain. Even though I was tired, and wiped my eyes, I was curious how
these hexes were going to work out, after all, today was only the first day,
but Skeeter, I think, was really close to doubting her sanity. She looked at me
with wide eyes, where disbelief, fear, and misunderstanding could all be seen
plainly. I healed our hands with an episkey and stepped back from the bed, but
then I could feel my own fatigue, which was even worse than I had thought.
Still, good to know that I really was as talented and powerful in magic as I
thought, even for my young years.
 
"Rita, I’m going to tell you what these spells are for so you don’t do anything
stupid. Then I'll break the ropes." I said in a soothing tone, waiting for a
sign that she was able to pick up again, and I took advantage of the time to
catch myself and get it done quickly. She closed her eyes and shook her head as
if she were shaking off flies, but then she raised her chin, looked at me with
clear eyes, and nodded, apparently accepting that these spells were now on her.
 
"So you know, the first spell binds you to secrecy, about me, especially your
animagus form, to your revelation book, and so on - you can not talk to anyone,
understood, Miss Skeeter?" I demanded a reaction, somewhat impatiently. Rita
just nodded at me.
 
"The second spell informs me immediately, should you even think about trying to
break our agreement, so that I can remind you of your commitment to me, Miss
Skeeter?" I wanted to calmly get a renewed confirmation from her. Rita pinched
her lips into a narrow, reluctant line, but abruptly nodded.
 
"Spell number three will prevent you trying to harm me, whether directly or
indirectly, by putting you in a coma just before your attempt, and only I will
be able to wake you out of this coma!" I coldly continued to explain. Rita
looked at me completely destroyed.
 
"Well, Miss Skeeter, I'm known for thinking of everything, and I think I've
managed to assure your loyalty with these three spells!" I winked at her
mischievously.
 
"You can try to break the curses. But I promise you, you won’t be able to. I
invented them and developed them, and the third especially is unbreakable
because of our blood. You should not waste your time, but it's your decision,
Miss Skeeter!" I looked at her, warningly.
 
"So, since we've cleared this up ..." I swung my wand with these words,
loosening the ropes: "... you are free again," I declare. The reporter hurried
to sit up and began to rub herself with her hands over her arms and shoulders,
as if she were too cold despite the summer temperatures.
 
"You are serious about what you said, aren't you Miss Granger?" She asked
tonelessly.
 
"Absolutely!" Was my dry answer.
 
"I ... understand ... the last spell would really send me into a coma, if I set
my wand on you now?" She asked, almost whispering. "I've never heard of such a
spell!" She exclaimed breathily, squeezing her own throat.
 
"I promise you I have not lied to you, Miss Skeeter. Please stick to the rules
and nothing will happen to you. I’m not asking for the impossible!" I tried to
make it clear for her in a haughty and clever way.
 
"Yeah, that's…, I guess I can leave now," she span around aimlessly and seemed
very confused, almost completely overwhelmed, by her new circumstances.
 
"Um, just so you don't forget: Tomorrow you start work again. You have to
report to me about the 15th of each month, but earlier if there is going to be
an article about Harry or Voldemort, and if you start a second revelation book.
If you're unsure about something, contact me with an owl, Miss Skeeter!"
 
I sounded snappy, but I could feel the tiredness in every fibre of my body, and
I did not want to show any weakness in front of Rita.
 
"Yes, of course, as you wish. I'll stick to it, of course, Miss Granger!" She
nodded like one of those Muggle dog toys with bouncy heads. The woman was
completely out of it. "Apparate from here," I told her, and she left
immediately with a loud bang.
 
One thing ticked off my list. I really seemed to have shaken Miss Skeeter. Was
I really that bad? No, I had been fair, even nice to her, considering the
circumstances. A look at the clock was enough to tell me that I had to hurry, I
wanted to arrive at my training in time and I wasn’t sure I could make it in
this condition
 
I grabbed an energizing potion, but even that only made me feel slightly better
- those spells were tough!
***** Practice and Training *****
Practice and Training

These weeks of training had begun to show effect. My condition and fitness had
increased exorbitantly. I managed now the laps in the park without breathing
like a hippo and also my body began to change. I had often thought that my body
was no longer able to withstand this strain, but the mind was willing and
strong where the body was weak, and so I had often enjoyed the luxury of
regenerative baths, to which I had added many magical plants and oils. All this
hard work managed to bring my body to a good level.

Through the lessons of the Sensei I developed muscles in places I had not even
known about before the approach. My body changed visibly. Where a feminine
softness had prevailed before, my body was now preparing for difficult times.
The Sensei was pleased with my zeal and ambition, but also surprised. During my
last lesson, he complimented me on my  incredible progress in the last few
weeks. I thanked him very much for the compliment, but also asked him to take
less and less consideration in the fight, and certainly not because I was a
woman. In the meantime, I would say that he had accepted my subtlety and,
because of my sacrifice, saw himself seized in his honor, to teach me really to
fight, without ifs and buts. When one asked Sensei for something, and he
followed the request, he did so without compassion. One had previously occupied
with the request and thus knew what was due to one.

So he increased step by step the aggression in his attacks. In the following
days the training became cruel. When blood flooded for the first time, he was
worried about it, but I could calm him down immediately, pointing out that this
was just my nose. That blood flowed could happen with such kind of sport
sometimes and exactly that was what I wanted, the reality. Now he looked at me
like Rita Skeeter did, as if I had lost my mind and as if he would doubt the
ability of my mind. I could convince him, however, that other opponents would
not take any consideration for a bleeding nose, and told him that I had enough
medication in the locker to heal my nose quickly.

What I later too in the locker with my wand, with a simple episkey. The
crunching of the cartilages, when they reoriented themselves, did not only hurt
in the ears, but the pain could be sustained, although my eyes started to tear
and I had to take a deep breath.  I got a certain pain resistance, as I said,
something better could not happen to me, at least I always tried to convince
myself of it. A little makeup against the bloodshot spots on the face, because
I didn't really want to explain it to my parents, and I was ready to be seen
again. The Sensei looked more than surprised at my healed nose the next day. I
gave him a sugary smile, which he replied cautiously. Since we had already
agreed that there were some things that would be strange for him, but I would
not be able to explain it, he did not ask, because Sensei had accepted this. I
could imagine that his curiosity almost killed him, but he was a very
controlled man.

Then he did not go easy on me. It became dirtier, more dangerous, and he seemed
to lose his scruples. After he realized that he did not hurt me permanently, it
seemed to me that he was enjoying this circumstance. I didn't just get bruises,
but real injuries and wounds in the now pitiless workout. My mind could be
really questioned from here. I became slow but sure tough! Pain from the daily
blows gave me less and less trouble, although I did not like them. I learned to
ignore and endure a permanent, throbbing pain level and still worked properly.
The hours between the training sessions before I could be given new injuries
were simply too short for the complete regeneration and so I was doubly
thankful for my potions and ointments. But I tried not to take them too often
or excessively, since I neither wanted to weaken their effect by becoming too
frequent, nor wanted to be dependent on them.

So I learned to live with the daily pain.

It is clear that I sometimes doubted myself and what I was doing, but I would
still go the way I choose. Whether I liked it or not. It was at least better
than to do nothing, and I forbade myself too much self-pity. It was a good
exercise. As always, I was willing to use all the resources at my disposal, but
it was also very exhausting, because the spells were not so easy. Nevertheless,
it was getting better, although I realized very clearly that I was not a born
healer witch.

But I also had to realize that the dark magic curses around Rita had made much
less problems than the partly very complicated healing magic. Of course I made
it as usual to speak these spells, but it was not really me and I didn't have
fun! All in all, it was an excellent preparation for the very uncertain and
increasingly dark future. The reports in the Prophet have reported the
disappearance of sorcerers over the past few weeks, and just a few reappeared.
The Muggle newspapers also wrote about unusual events, which could not be
explained for them, but gave me a lot of hints about the action of Death
Eaters. All this confirmed me in my actions. I hadn't begun to prepare too
early. Especially in such situations, I often had to think about Harry or Ron,
and that they were certainly not prepared and enjoyed their holidays in Ron's
case and Harry, well, he would be annoyed by his relatives over one or the
other meadow.

I had written both Ron and Harry letters. Along with Ron, I had sent Harry
chocolate for his fifteenth birthday. In my letters, I tried to console Harry
about the horror of having seen Cedric's death in front of his eyes, but I
didn't really believe that it helped much, because I myself was heartbroken. I
wasn't sure how I should get the two motivated to do more, not just learn more
but to see more, hear more. Oh, I don't know just to see this whole thing, much
more seriously, because I could not do more than I already did. My wish was
that they would grow up and quickly! I knew Harry was not easy, and he clung to
a hypocritical youth, considering that he had never had an infancy. I just
hoped he did not have too many bad nightmares and managed to distance himself
from it. Although I knew he still blamed himself for the fact that Pettigrew
had escaped in the third year, and thus had the opportunity to assassinate
Cedric when they both had arrived at the cemetery, but that was fate and
unfortunately I knew Harry only too well. He just sank safely in self-pity.

I just hoped the best for Harry, and I was trying to concentrate on my tasks
before me. Since the third week of the holidays, I dealt intensively with the
topic of occlumency and legilimency. This was a topic that I was interested in
at an early stage, but when I realized what an effort was behind it, I had
pushed it away from me. But now it seemed important to me. When I thought that
a Death Eater had managed to sneak into Hogwarts for almost a year, I felt
sick!

What kind of information could he have gotten if he had been more magically
powerful. So I wanted to not only protect myself, but also prepare for the
attack. I got all the information, so that I was able to tackle occlumency,
because I put the defense here first in the foreground, which ultimately proved
to be very time consuming. In my book has been written:

Occlumency (latin occultare = hiding and mens = thought, spirit) is the magical
art by means of which a person is able to shield itself from the thoughts and
emotions of others. Whoever masters this art can keep his true attitudes and
feelings secret even from those who try to see and influence him with powerful
magical means. As with the defense of the imperial curse, this requires much
will power: only one's own will can prevent others from seeing their own
feelings, the sad, happy, or hurtful experiences. Occlumency is easy to break
up when a would-be occlusionist can not concentrate fully on the secrecy of his
thoughts and feelings. He is more vulnerable when he is angry or other strong
emotions distract him. If he is tired, his opponent has an easy game, because
his advance is little resistance. No active occlumency can be used to protect
the world of thought in the night from foreign invaders. It is therefore
helpful to always consciously empty your own head before falling asleep.

Well, the necessary will should be available and I thought I had enough
willpower, otherwise I would have long since abandoned my erroneous routine. I
was sure that Snape and Dumbledore had mastered this art, and I would not be
surprised if they used it frequently. I had to arm myself against it, because
it would not suit me well, if they should so simply sniff around in my secret
thoughts. This could lead to consequences that I was not ready to accept. One
of the most important things to do to achieve this art, to close one’s mind,
was to learn meditating. For such a restless mind as mine not the easiest
exercise, but I also took up this challenge again, and I began meditating every
day, practicing as it was described in the book, emptying the mind just before
sleeping.
***** Arrival at Grimmauld Place *****
Chapter Notes
     Finally some more loved characters are coming!
     Enjoy. ;)
Arrival at Grimmauld Place

My parents would leave for the South of France in their almost four-week
holiday at the end of the week and only return shortly before school. To avoid
the whole thing, as a holiday did not really fit into my daily schedule, I had,
at the request of my parents, at the beginning of the first week of holiday,
contacted the Weasleys and Dumbledore and explained to them that my parents
would leave, but I would stay here. Professor Dumbledore said that this was not
a problem at all, he had a place for me, as I could not possibly be alone in
those times. I had imagined this differently, but that would not stop me from
implementing my plans anyway, maybe it made it somehow more difficult, but I
would make it. I was very optimistic.

Wouldn’t be fun otherwise, if it were too easy! Here my cynicism kept coming
back. So I sat in our BMW on Sunday morning and was taken by my parents to
Grimmauld Place. In the letter from Professor Dumbledore, it was written that
he would be waiting for me at 10 am in the park in front of Grimmauld Place. My
father helped me with my luggage.

"Shall we wait, dear?" I heard Mum from the rear of the car.

"No, Mum, it's alright. Not that you'll miss your plane!" I exclaimed.

"Really darling, we'd like to wait!", She said.

"I know that, Mum. But I will not have to wait here for long and I know how
much you are looking forward to the holidays. Just go" I smiled at her,
relaxed.

Then Dad simply pulled me without a word into a hug and murmured, "Watch
yourself, little one! We love you!" He kissed me on the cheek.

"I love you too. I'll see you soon, and have a nice holiday!" I leaned toward
Mums's car windows.

"Enjoy! See you soon!" I waved her goodbye, as the car was already moving, and
so my parents parted to their holidays and had no idea that they would leave
their daughter to a starting war. I looked at the surroundings. Behind me was
the fenced typical English town park with its old trees and the green meadow.
On the other side of the street were the usual English detached houses of red
brick, big and solid. A hardly perceptible, quiet plopping sound next to me,
which I only perceived, because I practiced like a madman to get something like
this, tore me out of my contemplation of my environment.

Ok, I admit. From this I was still a tiny little bit away! Yes, alright, in
contrast to this I sounded like a misfire of a motor, satisfied! Inwardly I
made a whining face, as if I were biting something very bitter. I turned to the
sound and smiled relentlessly, not looking too deeply into his eyes, and
glanced at his gray-robed robes as he wore them. I did not believe the walls
were strong enough to defend my mind, but that would not prevent me from
creating them anyway.

"Professor!" I said, pretending I’m surprised. "Where do you come from?",
feigning a little more being oblivious Hermione. But especially with
Dumbledore, my disguise had to stand perfectly! His interference at this time
would be fatal and so far I had managed to remain relatively unobserved by him,
as Harry's friend, the nerd, no more, but no less.

"Miss Granger, pleased to see you. Am I too late?" He asked habitually friendly
and brightly smiling, blinking his bright blue eyes flashing behind his half-
moon glasses in good spirits, as he looked around searchingly.

"No, Professor, we were too early, but since the plane was not waiting for my
parents, I sent them quickly, or did you want to talk to them?" I asked
politely.

"No, no, everything is fine. But now, Miss Granger. You surely want to see your
friends as soon as possible, whom are already very impatient," he pulled out a
parchment from his robe, which he gave me. I took it and read it carefully.
There stood: "The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix is Grimmauld Place
No. 12!" And the red brick houses were jerking already, sliding sideways,
leaving a so far not visible building before my astonished eyes, while the
paper burst into flames and fell to ashes.

"Fidelius," I whispered, very impressed.

A giggle at my side made me look at Professor Dumbledore. "You know the spell,
Miss Granger?" He asked curiously, sounding more than just in a good mood. I
began to recite while we reached the door of the house:

"The old and very complex Fidelius can be used to hide the knowledge of hidden
locations or buildings in the memory of a person. Only the so-called secret
keeper knows where this place is, and only that person can make this place
discoverable and accessible to others. Anyone who does not have the secret
keepers information can stand directly in front of the building, or even press
his nose against the window, but still can not find what he is looking for. As
the name Fidelius (lat. Fidelis = sure, faithful, reliable) implies, the
secretary has an absolute trustworthiness," I ended my busy explanation.

I had sounded like a schoolbook, which was positive, because everyone
underestimated nerds, since everyone assumed that the knowledge you possessed
was only memorized by heart and that one could not know how to apply it.
Professor Snape was convinced, and I also think the other professors would be
lulled by this preconceived opinion, and that should only be right for me.
Being underestimated was better than being overestimated.

"Very impressive, Miss Granger. As always correct, if we were in Hogwarts, I
would give you 10 points for this achievement! ", He praised me good-naturedly
and sounded like a toddler, who was now humming with pleasure.

"Professor, who owns this house?" I asked curiously, breaking through his good
humor.

"Oh, the Blacks, my love."

He opened the door. "Please, come in," and waved his wand in the direction of
my luggage, which rose into the air and followed us into the interior of the
house. Wow, Sirius's house, a real, real, magical wizards home. I was totally
excited and nervous, not to be compared with the clean, cheerful and noisy
burrow. I hid my overflowing joy with a frightened and nervous look, because my
face should show my insecurity. We entered a gloomy, long hallway. On the walls
hung paintings depicting the Blacks who had long since died, who critically
eyed us and criticized us with evil and disapproving faces, then to insult us
whispering, not to disturb them.

Here and there stood disgusting things like a troll-leg, which was used as an
umbrella stand. Everything seemed descended and uninhabited. The spiders on the
ceiling and the omnipresent dust all made a very eerie impression, but the past
splendor of imposing times was recognizable everywhere. What I liked very much
were the silver door handles and knockers, which represented delicate, detail-
loving snakes. The professor told me to be quiet with a finger on his mouth,
and led me deeper into the old dark-mage house.

We approached a door from which I could hear voices. Dumbledore opened the door
and then went through the dusty, dark brown wood staircase, decorated with the
tasteless, shriveled heads of the former Black House elves. It wasn't nice
here, but a certain atmosphere you could already give the whole thing and I
liked the tension here. The burrow couldn't compete. The house exerted an
incredible charisma on me, which I would have given myself immediately, had I
not had to mimic my role of the good Hermione. We passed through the door,
which led us into an old, but clean and large, long kitchen, of which in the
middle was a long dining table, with several persons sitting there, most of
them with red hair.

"Hermione!", I could hear screams. Ron and Ginny had jumped up and rushed
toward me. I was glad to see her, but I hated this, as my true self was too
cool to appreciate such affections, but I remained faithful to the part I
played.

I put on a wrong smile and returned the hugs.

"Ron, Ginny, nice to see you!" I exclaimed. They sat down and began to discuss
the latest Quidditch results, while I greeted the other attendees.

"Mrs. Weasley," I greeted the mother of the two and nodded to her. She smiled
at me kindly. "Hermione, dear, how are you?", And another hug. Ughhh, I didn't
need that, but good now.
 
"Thank you, very well, and ... Sirius!" I walked up to him, who was sitting
quietly in his chair at the head of the table to greet him. I remembered him,
how Harry and I rescued him from his prison in one of the towers at Hogwarts,
with a Bombarda, as we rode Buckbeak. "A Black in the House of Black. What a
surprise!" I said ironically, handing him my hand, a daring smile graced my
face.

He looked at me with flashing, gray eyes and a fat grin on his face. The last
year had obviously done him good. He didn't look so hungry, exhausted, and
depraved, and his curly, shoulder-length, dark brown hair fell well, clean, and
softly shimmering round his shoulders. His eyes were no longer as cloudy as
before, but looked interested. He seemed much better. He looked good. At the
same time, his face was adorned with a beard, which he had carefully trimmed.
It was easy to imagine how he used to twist all of the girls’ heads.

"My Savior. The smartest little witch I know, Hermione! Nice to see you here,"
Sirius said sincerely but also flatteringly, and led my hand to his mouth, what
a charmer. He wanted to flirt a bit, and in me, he obviously saw a matched
opponent, unlike Ginny. His eyes flashed brightly when I didn't back off but
gave him a sober smile.

"Smarter than you are, Sirius, you Casanova! And I see you are better than the
last time we met!. How do you feel in the house of the Blacks?", I brought it
to the point, I took him firmly into target. Grumbling, he let go of my hand,
even the cheeky grin flew away and made a bad-tempered expression, so I quickly
sat down beside him in a chair and patted his shoulder, while Professor
Dumbledore was quietly talking to Mrs. Weasley. Ron and Ginny looked at us
again and again, our conversation about the Blackhouse now seemed not to be too
exciting.

"Oh, you know Hermione, I hate this house, far too many memories, but little
good! ... ah, but what can you do?" I interrupted him in his self-pity.
"Sirius, I beg your pardon, still better than Azkaban!" I did not show any
sensitivity, and he let me feel this by giving me a slightly indignant look.

"Well, I do not want to complain, but Kreacher too ... it's not easy and then
this boredom!" He moaned further, whipping a strand from his forehead.

"Kreacher? I promise you, I'll try to entertain you until Hogwarts starts
again!" I flirted with a clear look to him. What was I doing? No idea!

But as he sat before me, I liked what I saw and a hard-working woman like me
should have her fun, right?

Sirius swallowed too much air, coughed briefly, and lost some of his casual
attitude. "Her ... Hermi ... Hermione, thank you ... oh and Kreacher, that's my
mother’s stupid house-elf!" He stammered, first panting, but then he caught
himself astonishingly gallant and steered quickly at last on the house elf.

"There’s a house-elf here? I haven’t seen him yet, but don’t be so nasty
Sirius, the poor house elves. And I have to tell you, I find your home
exciting, but now what do you want to do to keep yourself from getting bored?"
I flirted deliberately to irritate him and leaned a little more towards him. My
long hair fell over my shoulder. Why I wanted to flirt, the devil knows, but I
had always liked him, and one could still see the good-looking, happy, funny,
young man from him who had difficult years, which made him all the more
interesting, as I found his gray eyes inevitably drew me into his spell.

I think I felt sorry for him, and a bit of flirting made life twice as much
fun. We were just not allowed to get caught, once again a good exercise for me
to act in secret. What would happen if the others would find out, hell would
break loose, one would gossip at our age and everyone would be outraged at my
morals. Ron would be speechless and Harry..., well Harry, I didn't know,
because he was really hard to judge in such matters and Sirius was still his
godfather.

I smiled at the group and asked: "How long have the others been here?"

"The Weasleys are here with sack and pack since the beginning of the holidays.
They want to help make the house more homely," Sirius informed me consistently
ironically, as if this was an impossible undertaking. "Why are you already here
anyway?" He asked, giving me a penetrating look.

"Oh, my parents are going to southern France today, and I didn't feel like it.
And under these circumstances, I am very happy about this decision, because I
too was bored," I smiled sarcastically, looking at Sirius’s captivating gray
eyes. He tore them wide open and looked at me in surprise, while they darkened
themselves to the hidden message behind it. "... um, well ... that's ...
great," he stuttered, visibly unsure how to react to my advances. Ok, I'd take
out a gear now, not that he will take the escape from me, I decided, when it
started to become loud and it made it unnecessary to do something, as everyone
turned to the noise. And there stood two cheeky-looking and identical looking
twins in the kitchen, with red hair and a devilish expression in their freckled
face, which could mean only nonsense.

"Heyyyy, most beautiful Hermioneee, you here, what do our dark, tired eyes see?
The dark, musty house shines in new splendor!" It came out of their identical
mouths at the same time and they grinned at me sardonically.

"Oh, Fred, George! Please stop apparating in the house, just because you can do
magic now does not mean you have to use it for everything!," Mrs. Weasley
instantly exclaimed, but the Twins surrendered to her with an apologizing bow,
and she turned back to our director which mildly smiled towards the twins.

"It's alright, Mum!" Both boys muttered annoyed, but not really apologetically.

We had always understood each other very well, very well indeed. I liked these
chaotic boys, who weren't as chaotic as many thought they were, but brilliant
and ingenious, albeit diabolically dangerous. In addition, their deeds or
rather misdeeds were usually not so nonsensical. I would rather say, who
underestimated the Twins, could burn their noses badly and I knew that since my
first year. They also tried to conceal their existing brilliance under their
spleen behavior, which I had long ago looked through, but since we were
probably similar in this behavior, they had also long ago realized that I was
not always that I showed to be. They were more attentive than one thought and
always good for a surprise. Since Harry's third year, I also knew why they had
sometimes asked me very funny questions, in which they had told me that they
had seen me a few times at night times where I shouldn’t have been. Their
secret was the marauders map.

Since that time, we have been helping each other here and there, and I really
do hope you don't believe that all of their ideas and the implementation of
their so-called jokes and their products have been created with loving,
innocent, white spells. There was one thing these two monsters were certainly
not: innocent. I was curious about what they were doing with the money of the
tournament Harry had given them. Soon a conversation was due.

"Haha and with so much red I'll be blind soon," I retorted back. "I'm looking
forward to seeing you. What nonsense did you think up now?" I asked, smiling at
the two as they slumped on their respective chairs.

"Well, you look good and our heads are full!", One of them gave me a high-
spirited smile, as I noticed Sirius's eyes, and how he was looking at us.

"So full they're bursting soon ...", "And what we plan to do ...", "We
shouldn't say, it’s a secret!", "Secret," said Fred and George in their non-
serious way, alternately and confusing. They probably wanted to drive their
mother into madness, so I nodded only mildly, leaned forward and whispered
quickly:

"Fool the others, but please not me. Today after dinner, I'll listen to what
new stuff you've already planned, understood!" I whispered vigorously,
narrowing my eyes to slits.

"Alright, beautiful!", Was their conspiratorially reply, which they whispered
to me, and they put their heads together and whispered about God and the world.
Sirius had watched us closely and raised an eyebrow. I looked at him with
mischief in my eyes. Now I wanted to take a closer look at my surroundings.

"Where will I sleep?" I asked to no one particular, but this now seemed to have
caught Ginny’s attention, for she jumped up and cried: "With me, come on, I’ll
show you!"

"Mum, I'll show Hermione everything," she told her mother, who had been talking
to the professor all the time, and ran off.
***** The Twins *****
Chapter Notes
     Warning:
     Twincest (No sex yet)
     Enjoy! ;)
The Twins

Already the spirited little bundle grabbed me by my hand and pulled me to the
second floor of the house to our room, which was quite homely with two beds. On
the walls hung faded green wallpapers; it looked gloomy but not repulsive.

"Nice, and which is mine?" I asked, and Ginny threw herself on the bed by the
window.

"Oh, good, and how is it at the headquarters?" I asked, looking at her
casually. I didn't want to show my interest in a house full of dark magic too
openly.

"Dull, you won't believe it, Hermione. All the time just cleaning. Mother
scares us through the area, and when it's exciting, because the Order has a
meeting, she sends us to our rooms. It really sucks, and Fred and George are so
weird, they just hang around and I'm just with Ron," Ginny complained, raising
her long, handsome, red hair to air her neck.

The door opened and Ron entered. He had grown in the past weeks, I too had
changed a lot because of my training, which I immediately tried to conceal
through a wide-cut, wide-blown, lilac blouse.

"Hello again, how do you like it here?", He asked curiously. "Really scary,
right? Have you seen and heard the picture with the old Black?" Ron said with
disgust in his voice. In the meantime, I packed out the things I would need
here. The other stuff I left in my suitcase.

"I like it, Ron, uncanny - not really and no, which picture? And actually I
wanted to stay at home," I went back to the drawer. I didn't know why I spoke
so openly, but it annoyed me that I now had to act so restricted and this mood
I let out on the two siblings. His face changed disapprovingly.

"Then you don't want to be with us?" He asked reproachfully. He always snapped
so quickly. Now I really would've liked to have my eyes twisted, but held
myself back.

"No, of course not, Ron," I once wanted to be honest, but then quickly
remembered for better when I looked into two sad faces.

"Of course I'd like that. I'm glad to see you, but I just wanted to tell you
that I will have little time, and I remember, I have to ask the professor
something!" And was already running out of the room. I never liked to give
accountability. Quickly I opened the door to the kitchen and saw three adults
sitting at the table while discussing, but because of my abrupt appearance,
they interrupted their conversation.

"Sorry ... I didn't want to attack you like this!" I began politely, but was
interrupted in my apology, as Ron and Ginny followed, as expected.

"... but I would have to clarify one or two things with you, Professor," I
added, urgently, rolling my eyes in my mind.

All eyes were now on me, surprised or curiously interested.

"Um, it's because, I have an appointment from Monday to Saturday, from 2 to 8
o'clock, which I must go to and can't cancel!", I quickly spoke my first
concern. I had given myself an hour extra for at the beginning and at the end
of the event, because you never knew what it would be good for.

"And what would that be?" I could hear Mrs. Weasley questioning.

I pinched my lips briefly, because that wasn't anyones business, and I also had
approached Professor Dumbledore. I was only too aware of everyone's eyes on me.
Sirius watched me with his arms crossed and his eyes twitching.

"Nothing exciting, I only have these hours since the beginning of the holiday,
with permission from my parents and wish them to continue, since my parents
have also financed it. Where I have to go ... it's not far from here," I waved
to the explanation with my hand through the air. The professor had still not
said anything, but watched me attentively. I avoided his gaze, at that time I
sat down on a chair and poured myself a glass of water. Fortunately, I had not
thought of summoning one. I had to be careful not to use my wand, because that
would be fatal in this group.

"What are you doing there, Miss Granger?" Dumbledore asked his first question
calmly. I played myself a bit coy, as if I were embarrassed.

"Do I have to say that, Professor? Is it not enough if I tell you that it's not
dangerous, otherwise my parents wouldn't have let me go!" I insisted and
shifted restlessly on my chair.

"I'm sorry, Miss Granger, but in those times, we must be careful," he said
grandfatherly, his eyes behind the glasses flashing amused at my malaise. I
closed my eyes and when I opened them, I began hesitantly: "... well, I have
two lessons of ballet and three hours of standard dances a day, as a
distraction, you understand, and for the return trip I suggest an hour!" I
exclaimed embarrassed.

Inside I was torn by laughter, when I saw the faces of the people present,
because it was really too funny! If you needed a camera, none was at hand, a
pity.

Wonderful! Ron stared with an incredulously open mouth, and Ginny suddenly
looked Ron, surprisingly similar. Sirius had the gruffest grin on his face,
which I had seen from him so far, and I guess he didn't believe me, but he said
nothing and laid his hand over his beard. And Professor Dumbledore had a good-
natured smile on his face, so he was in good spirits.

"Well, if this is right, Miss Granger, I think this shouldn't be a problem, as
you said you had done it in the knowledge of your parents, which shouldn't be
noticed here either. Is it fun?" He continued with a wink and looked enormously
childish.

I got red cheeks. "Yes Professor, very. Thank you for asking," I muttered,
looking straight at the table.

"Isn't it a bit exaggerated, six hours, six days a week?" Mrs. Weasley said
loudly.

"Well, I don't think this is any of our business, Molly!" Sirius said to my
surprise.

I raised my head and smiled gratefully at him.

"Thanks again! I'll go then!", I rose and went into the hallway.

Phew, done. Man, that had been almost too easy. Dance, yes, that they believed
my nonsense, I shrugged, not my problem. Now I would explore the house a bit,
because the two siblings hadn't immediately attached themselves to my heels, I
strongly assumed, that it would still be discussed about my "dancing hours" in
the kitchen.

At first I made acquaintance with Mrs. Black's insulting painting, which I
quickly left behind, as I also had the honor of meeting the stupid house-elf,
who tried to calm the excited former "house lady" and pulled the curtains
before the painting. At the same time he muttered wild insults to himself and
looked very old, down and dirty, so I rushed up the steps.

I had found my favorite room at the Black House very quickly. First floor, left
door. Here I would spend most of my time, after all I had only four weeks to go
through these wonderful books. The biggest part was about dark magic, the more
exciting, but it was not really surprising in this house. The good news was
that I didn't know most of the works, as this library had many copies that
weren't represented in the Restricted Section. Here I would be able to deepen
my knowledge of Dark Magic and find new ideas and incentives to create new
curses. Considering how effective this had been with Miss Skeeter, these were
hidden treasures.

Lovingly I stroked the titles of the folios and choose two books that I pulled
out. I carried them to the seating corner in front of the fireplace and made
myself comfortable in one of the green leather armchairs. Within a very short
time, the books were so good that I completely sank into them.

"Here you are. Come, lunch! It's already late, since Dumbledore only just
left!" I was upset when Ron told me this excitedly. I slowly turned my gaze
from my book and looked at him slightly questioningly.

"Aha, thank you Ron, but I'm not hungry, please excuse me, I'd like to stay
here!" I replied distractedly, and immediately lowered my eyes to the book
pages. Not everyone can be such a big eater as you, Ronald, I thought harshly.

"You're not serious about that, Hermione, we're on vacation and you're
crouching here like in the Hogwarts library!" He shouted, frustrated and angry.

Hello!? Had he landed on another planet at the end of our school year, we were
facing a bloody war, and what did he want? Eat!? I was about to loose my
control because I had to be prepared and the knowledge of these books helped
me, so I would read them now, no discussion!

I looked at Ron. "Ronald, I'm not hungry and yes, I'll read in my spare time,
you may like to sit with me," I offered. "Otherwise, please don't disturb me
any further," I determined and looked demonstratively at my book.

I only heard the door closing almost loud as Ron pulled off insulted. Annoyed,
I gave a deep sigh and let my head fall into my neck. At the moment, I wanted
to go back to our house in Chelsea, and if Ron went on like this, I'd kill him
someday. I found him quite nice and valued him as a superficial friend, but I
had accepted him for years only for Harry's sake, as I knew he needed the ease
and kindness of someone like Ron. But how he had behaved in the tournament, I
hadn’t forgiven him, unlike Harry.

Harry was just too good to be true.

Well, on Ron's sensibilities I could and would not take any consideration, I
had to concentrate on the contents of the book. After a while I heard the door
open, but this time it was quietly closed again. I did not look up, I was still
annoyed about Ron, but then I heard whispers, and that sounded like a
disturbance, which I welcomed.

Without looking up, I asked, "Well, you two, were you looking for me or are you
just happening to be here?" I asked smugly.

"Well, well, you wanted to question us!", Both were laughing and rumbling,
sitting down the green leather couch opposite of me, looking at me. They lay
more on top of each other than anything else, a really funny view.

"I never question, Fred," I replied indignantly, looking giggly at their
intricate bodies.

"How do you always do that? Nobody can tell us apart, it's sooo frustrating!"
He said seriously desperate.

"In your dreams, I won't tell you, as you sung so beautiful before, secret,
secret!" I giggled. I could have anticipated their reaction, but it still let
me roll my eyes. During this time, I pulled out my wand and spoke some defenses
and locks on the library, because I knew that if I someone else and not me
would be witness to the scene I was facing, the Weasley family would be more
than just shaken. It would tear them apart, but the little drama about Percy
was ridiculous.

"Fred, George you share a room, why do you always have to show me how much you
love each other?" I asked, sugary, and at least they ended their passionate
snogging with which I had clearly seen too much tongue and their faces turned
towards me, but they were still lying together.

"We like spectators!" Fred grinned like a little evil devil.

"Ha, you can't fool me, you are the biggest secret warriors, but why do I have
to watch you putting your tongues into each others throat?" I mocked, drank a
sip of my water and sounded tortured.

"Just because we can't let others participate, you have to see it. We want to
share our happiness with you!", they explained to me and two red heads nodded
in agreement.

"Something else comes into my mind, how did you get rid of Angelina and
Alicia?" I wanted to annoy them, mean as I was. Fred suddenly broke off from
George, sat up, sighing, and stroked his red hair.

"It wasn't so easy, really. Women, they were so annoying!", the twin exclaimed
annoyed.

"Why, I thought she was very nice," George said, looking at Fred with a smile.

"George, don't annoy your brother like that, you know how jealous he is!" I
said encouraging the drama of the jealousy before my eyes.

How long they've had a relationship for? In my opinion, always, but from a
sexual point of view, I knew about it since the fourth school year. I had
caught them one night in the greenhouses in flagranti, how and in what manner I
leave to your imagination. Since then, I've been supporting them in their
relationship and helped them where I could, because they were aware that they
had to keep their feelings secret because society and their family would react
with shock and disgust.

I tolerated their connection, so that I didn't want to rise to be their judge,
that would go too far for me. They knew that they did forbidden things, and I
overlooked it generously, but I didn't pretend to judge about their morality.

We trusted each other because they knew something about me and they helped me
and I would keep their secret. How did I feel about their love? I didn't think
it was really bad. They were gay, I had nothing against gays, please, everyone
shall do what they want. It was only the special case that they were brothers,
but same-sex, so I found it now necessary to get used to, but since no
incestuous children could emerge, please, if they wanted it.

And when we were honest with each other, who could ever imagine Fred or George
with someone else? These two belonged together, there was no place for other
partners, just like these two interacted. So they had my blessing and they knew
that, so I could always witness again as they kissed.

"C'mon tell me, what are you going to do with the money?" I asked curiously.

"Well, we want to lay the first stone for our own store," George said, cowering
into the couch.

"Exactly, we are inventing quite a few new jokes. We want to sell them in the
school and now we're creating plans for our own store at Diagon Alley!" Fred
explained enthusiastically.

"What about the Ministry?" I asked.

"Oh, what Mum imagines is completely irrelevant to me, I won't be a Percy!"
Fred said angrily, waving his hands in the air excitedly.

"Exactly, that has always been our dream and with the money we can tackle it
now, we've been saving it for years," George told me quieter, but no less of
anticipation.

"Good idea, have never seen you behind an office table. You have my support,
should you need more money, or one moment, how much did you get from Harry?" I
asked thoughtfully, biting my lower lip.

"1,000 galleons!" They both said brightly.

"Well, I'm buying into your business, I will instruct Rangok to give you 2,000
galleons, or do you have your own vault?" I smiled, leaning into my chair and
pulling my legs under me.

"Wha ... what ... what, Hermione ... that ... how?" They stuttered at me.

"Calm down, boys, rejoice, I believe in you and would like to support you and
if I didn't have the money, I wouldn't give it to you. Please take it!" I held
out my hands. Now, two twins were sitting opposite me, as they were rarely
seen, speechless and open-mouthed, a little pale in their faces and with round
eyes.

"Thank you," George said, "Yes, thank you Hermione, you're the best!", said
Fred joyfully excited.

"No, you're the best thing that could happen to us, we love you," George said
firmly, tilting his head slightly. "Oh, we've opened an account with Gringotts,
so much money belongs to the bank, we trust the goblins," Fred explained.

"You're a flatter George, but gladly. I want you to be happy. And I'll instruct
Gringotts to credit the money to your dungeon," I looked intensely at them.
They took each other's hand and smiled shyly at each other.

"Hopefully Harry and Ron know how to appreciate you," Fred replied suddenly,
but then nobody said anything, for I was not sure about it, and the other two
probably neither, but then I remembered something.

"Tell me, do you actually get everything you need for your new ideas and
products?" I asked doubtfully.

"You're too smart, Hermione. No, unfortunately not. Some is on the Black List
or is equally forbidden. Unfortunately, we still don't know how to get all this
at affordable prices," he sounded slightly sad. I thought hard.

"Tell me, are the members of the Order the same members that were already in
the first war?", I asked then, because I had an idea thanks to Rita's book.

"Mhm, as much as we can tell, yes, who were you thinking about?" Fred asked
sardonically, and then one could see the twisted fate of the Twins.

"Mundungus Fletcher!" I told them.

"You mean Dung, weird guy!" Fred made a disgusted face.

Yes, I had imagined him like that with the description of Miss Skeeter.

"Then you have the solution for your problem. Ask him to get you the things,
judging from your reaction, he has the best contacts to Knockturn Alley, and if
he is as fucked as I think, you can do well," I nodded with my head and was
allowed to witness their reaction.

"Man, most beautiful. You're awesome, we'll have to discuss this, George, so we
can use him," he said, quite agitated and fidgeting on the couch like a
toddler.

"You are truly incredible, thank you for everything and see you later. We have
to plan a lot now," George suddenly seemed quite frantic. And I already could
hear a bang. My crazy boys!  They really should practice their apparating, in
contrast to them I was as quiet as a bee.

"See you later," I murmured to myself, while they were already gone.
***** The First Evening *****
Chapter Notes
     Let the flirtings begin!
     Enjoy some short Snape POV. ;)
The First Evening

Fortunately, no one disturbed me in the last few hours. I was thrilled. I
enjoyed the peace and quiet while reading the incredible books hidden in the
library. There were many interesting topics hidden in the Black Family Library.
New approaches to new spells which include the use of Ancient Runes and
Arithmacy. Over the years, I have gained knowledge of dark runes and arithmacy.
Thanks to my secret trips into the restricted section of the Hogwarts library.
 
Hopefully with the help of these books, I was given a different perspective in
magic. Taking a piece of parchment, I started to work through on how to
effectively go through these books.
The library itself was well maintained. A bit of dust and a grime here and
there but otherwise it was okay. I made myself comfortable at the seat and
checked the time. I had an hour before I need to get out before anyone becomes
suspicious.

I made it a point to tidy up the books properly. If Molly Weasley found any of
these book, she’d throw a fit. I checked the hallway and quickly went into my
room. Thankfully the room was empty. Ginny and Ron were nowhere in sight.
It was still early enough for me to go out for a jog. I, unfortunately didn’t
have martial arts training since it was sunday, so a jog around would have to
do.

I crept downstairs and through the dark corridor. I didn’t notice the eyes
watching me from the darkness. I jogged up and down the street of Grimmauld
Place.
My thoughts going to the coming weeks. Keeping the Weasley’s from snooping
won’t be easy. They were very welcoming and all. But they cannot tell the
difference from curious to down right annoying. Too bad Harry wasn’t here, he
could distract Ron and Ginny so i’ll be left in peace.
But as annoying it was being surrounded by prying Weasleys, I don’t regret
coming to Number 12 Grimmauld Place. The House of Black’s vast library was all
worth it. The knowledge was too good to pass up.

I was sweating furiously as I stepped at the front porch. I felt good. The run
had my adrenaline pumping. I am not as exhausted as I thought I’d be. But then
again Sensei’s training got my body used to the exertion.
I opened the front door as quietly as i could, I walked a few stepped and i
stopped to listen. I knew i wouldn’t be able to hide my daily jog for long.

I didn’t hear anyone coming. I quickly climbed up the stairs so i can take a
shower and change into a long sleeved dress. No one needed to suspect anything
with all by bruises from martial arts classes.

I was hungrier than I expected from the work out. I quickly walked into the
kitchen and i froze. I didn’t expect so many people! Sirius sat at the head of
the table. All the Weasleys were present, Remus Lupin, Mad-eye Moody, and
Professor Snape sat across them along with an unshaven man, a lilac haired
woman and another woman who i do not know.
Everyone turned when I had barged into the room. I feel the blush crawling up
my cheeks as I quickly went to sit at the empty seat beside Sirius. To my right
would be Professor Lupin and opposite me Professor Snape.

I already made myself comfortable on the chair when Ron exclaimed. “But
Hermione, you could’ve sat with us! We would’ve made room.”
I rolled my eyes. “That’s nice, Ronald. But I am okay here.”
Beside me Sirius chuckled under his breath.
I glared at him. He shouldn’t meddle in things he has no business in. He
might’ve noticed that I was avoiding the Weasleys. But I really hate it when he
gossips.

Surely one or the other wondered why I was able to suppress my curiosity so
well and had not asked anything about God and the world. Only what should I
ask, the so-called adults wouldn't answer and Ron and Ginny would have no
answers to my questions, in the best case only assumptions. And what had I
Rita's book for, there was much information about the order, the first war. I
now knew more than the two Weasleys, the two won't get to any relevant
information. I still hoped that the information about Dumbledore would not be
so accurate, but I had doubts. So I took my plate, took a serving of roasts and
tried to go as far into the shadow as possible, not to be noticed, and to be
asked questions was the goal.

In the meantime, I took a cautious look at the loud corner, and I saw at least
three pairs of eyes that were on me, interested and curious. What were they
thinking? Even Snape looked at me with his eyebrow raised, then I quickly
turned my gaze to my surprisingly interesting plate.

Snape’s POV

Miss Granger is avoiding the weasels? Interesting. The young woman seems to be
isolating herself rather than staying with her peers. For the first time, she
has not gloated of the numerous information she had learned like an
insufferable know-it-all. Her expression of shock had been amusing when she
entered the kitchen to find the Order around the table. She immediately took
refuge in the corner where Lupin, Black and I resided rather than with the
annoying Weasleys.

I studied her with a sneer. Why is she hiding from one of her best friends?
What had changed? Because of my spying days, I am a good observer. I can read
people easily and clearly something has changed.

Obviously, she had grown into the body of a woman, but there was something else
and I could not place my finger on it. I glanced to where the Weasley’s and
their large brood resided. Childish and idiotic as ever. My thoughts returned
to Miss Granger, the “head” of her little band of friends.

This is going to be entertaining. As intolerable as it is to sit near Black and
Lupin, I was ready for the coming entertainment. Fortunately, they were silent.
Which was an advantage over this chattering group of chickens.

I sighed. Why Professor Dumbledore thought that ordering me here is a good idea
is beyond me.

Back to Hermione’s POV

I groaned in my head. When will these people grow up.

Then again in the past month and a half alone, so much has changed for me. I do
not know how I would be able to keep this facade in Hogwarts, the nodding and
smiling.

Since Cedric’s death and the rise of Voldemort, I didn’t feel like laughing. He
was young. He had his whole future ahead of him. It was depressing having
someone’s life just cut off like that. Not seeing them again. I would miss him
dearly. I know even if he had lived I wouldn’t see him as often. But knowing
that he was gone...

I shook the thoughts off my head and smiled. Smiled for everyone else’s sake.

"Hermione, ... Hermione, ... hello ... hello!" I broke out of reverie and
turned to Sirius.

“Uh. I beg your pardon?”

“I asked you how do you like my humble abode” he said sarcastically waving his
hands to the surroundings.

“You probably won’t like hearing this.” I said quietly to avoid prying ears.
“But the Ancient and Noble House of Black sure has something.” He raised his
eyebrow at me. “Above all, I love the library. I don’t know how else to
describe it other than Amazing.”
At the corner of my eye i could see Snape listening intently. His head was low,
his hair fell to his face and he held no emotions but his attention was to
Sirius and my conversation instead of his food.

“I expected as much.” Sirius said with a chuckle then leaned closer
conspiratorially. “Now tell me Hermione. Why are you avoiding Ron Weasley?”
Remus had turned after he had finished his conversation with the lilac haired
woman on his other side. He apparently heard the last part of the conversation.


“I would like to know as well.” he said staring at me intently.

“What do you want me to say?” I asked. “But I have a feeling you wouldnt stop
pestering me until I tell you.”
The Marauders were determined and nodded. Sirius was tapping impatiently on the
table. While Remus gave me a look.

“He’s getting on my nerves okay!” I hissed. “He’s annoying, he’s blind and
childish.”
Remus looked horrified. Sirius however looked like he was going to laugh. At
the corner of my eye i could see something flash in the eyes of the Potions’
Master.

“Hermione,” Remus started to scold while Black chuckled.

“What?!” I asked. “You wanted the truth. Don’t scold me for that. Don’t ask if
you can’t handle the truth.”

“Why, Miss Granger, what came about the sudden change of heart. Suddenly so
quiet and now so harsh with such statements!” Snape said in his low and
sarcastic tone.

“Hello, Professor.” I said sarcastically “I didn’t notice you were there.”
Sirius snickered loudly he was shaking with suppressed laughter he almost fell
of from his chair. I glared at him angrily and Snape did the same.

“Ron is immature and boisterous. We had a fight at the library when i was
trying to study. I prefered to be left in peace and quiet.”

“Hermione,” Remus scolded. “That’s not a reason to sound so disgusted. He’s
your friend.”

“You wanted the truth. And that’s the truth. I would appreciate it if you do
not scold me for it, Professor Lupin. You do not need to announce it to
everyone. I am just a little annoyed. I will be fine in a few days.”

Remus raised his hands in defeat. “Alright, I apologize. What do you think of
calling me Remus. I am no longer your professor.”

"Gladly, Remus, thank you," I said gently, conciliatory and gave a nice smile.
A derogatory "Mmmpfffff" was heard by Snape, who had followed this with
attentive eyes. Remus turned back to his left as the young woman asked for his
attention.

"Hermione, Hermione ... you truly have grown up since I last saw you, not that
you've always been more than mature for your age, but now...! Amazing how time
passes!" Sirius announced dreamily, looking deeply into my eyes. This Casanova.
Snape watched him with questioningly raised eyebrows and frowned forehead.

"Are you flirting with me, Sirius?" I asked, looking intensively at him, which
he replied stoically and not very shyly. Snape sniffed again as he heard my
question.

"But what do you think, little one? Surely, not me... " he said playfully, but
his eyes were bright as expected and he threw back his wavy hair.

“Sure, tell yourself that.” I said questioningly “Have you already found
someone to play with, it’s quite boring here right? Oh yeah, i forgot, Ginny
and Molly will keep you busy, won’t they?”

He growled slightly. "I don't think you would like to be a part of this game,"
he said provocatively in his own way, as he gave me an ardent and more than
ambiguous look. I could feel professor Snape watching the whole interaction but
i refuse to let it bother me and it didn’t seem to bother Sirius.

I giggled mischievously. "Are you so sure of that, you naughty, naughty dog ...
Pffsh, what are you thinking again," I said flirtatiously, enjoying the fact
that Sirius was involved in the game. A slight disbelief was evident from
Professor Snape's face. His otherwise perfect indifference was shattered as he
watched this flirting strike exchange. Oh, yes, Professor, just before you, two
people, one of them, your pupil, and on the other side, your hated former
classmate, a temporary prisoner, and the same age as yours. Would it shock them
all, that I found men of more mature age more appealing to me than the boys in
my age, who couldn't reach me in any way? Well, except one maybe, but no, not
now, more later.

"Maybe I've already played, maybe I'm good at playing games, maybe, maybe. You
never know, don't you, Sirius?" I said cryptically. I watched him, silently
laughing, at a shocked, but also slowly understanding expression in his face.
With this both of Sirius and Snape's head jerked up, and they both looked at
each other with wide eyes.
Sirius let a lot of impulses run over his expressive face. It was easy to read,
what the information, that I was not half as good as he thought, did to him.
But as it said so beautifully, especially the still waters are very, very deep.

It was different with Snape. He had little to show. Only for a short moment
disbelief and silent horror flashed through his eyes. Nothing else could be
read in his face. What would I have done to be able to use legilimency now?
What were they thinking? I would bet all my money on the fact that their
thoughts weren't for kids at that very moment. And so that the good professor
didn't even come up with stupid thoughts and try to apply legilimency on me, I
never tried to look directly into his eyes and built the strongest walls around
my mind, as best as I could and hoped it should hold, in case he still would
try. You never knew. And I was gladly prepared for all eventualities.

I straightened on my seat ignoring the two adults. “Mrs. Weasley, I want to ask
something.”
“Yes, Hermione?”
“I was wondering if I could just work on the library. Cleaning up and
restoring. I just feel I would be more productive there than anywhere else in
the house.”
I could see the frown growing on Mrs. Weasley’s face. But before she could say
anything Sirius butted in.

"Of course, Hermione. I couldn't imagine anyone better for this task. Actually,
I was planning to ask you for a favor to do the same thing. At least there
aren’t any dark-magic artefacts in the library!” Sirius claimed playing along.
I smiled widely at him.

“Sirius!” the Weasley Matriarch scolded. “The library is too dangerous! It’s
teeming with Dark Arts books!”

“Oh, Molly.” Sirius said shaking his head. “Have a little faith. I am sure
Hermione is old enough to know what to touch and not to touch are. Let the kid
have a little fun.”

“Please Mrs. Weasley. I promise to be careful.” I said giving her a pleading
look. "Please, Mrs. Weasley, I promise, I swear to you, you can trust me,
please!" I begged

A wave of a wand and I’ll be finished with months of work in no time. Which
gives me more time to read through the entire library within the summer
holidays.

“But Hermione dear, I do trust you. I’m just worried. But you shouldn't be
working on this alone…”
I interrupted her lecture with my own brilliant idea. “Oh, what a good idea.
Ron could come with me. Ron, I have a very specific approach, which is
essential to protect the books against any environmental influences. With a
muggle-way, of course, very lengthy but incredibly effective, a very exciting
... ", and already I was interrupted by an outcry as I coldly calculated in my
mind. The Twins, who watched the show also interested, as they already have
caught me reading, almost fell from their chair with suppressed laughters and
winked at me again and again.

“Mum, please don’t. I mean, I like Hermione I do but i really do not want to
spend my holidays stuck in a library.” Ron begged his mother with a panicked
expression on his face.

It took a lot to keep myself from laughing. I had thought it would take a lot
more for Molly to agree. However, Ron is doing my work  for me. And I wouldn't
have a hard time keeping Ron and Ginny away from me. Two birds with one stone.
And a show to add to it. Sirius and Snape were both looking at the whole
encounter. They were silently judging and questioning my intentions

“Okay, okay. Ron. You don't have to.” I heard Ron sigh in relief. But Molly was
persistent. “But i am really not comfortable with Hermione alone in the library
perhaps Ginny..”
“Muuum!” Ginny whined hearing her name in the conversation. “I’m already
helping you clean up the rest of the house. Please don’t force me into the
library for the rest of the summer.
“Fine.” Molly said consenting much to the relief of the younger Weasleys. “But
i do not like it.

"Oh it's alright, I know Ron and Ginny and know they don't mean it in a rude
way. I don't blame them, really, guys, but you understand that I have to do
that, because you don't get such a chance every day," I said to the relieved-
looking siblings. Thanks to the exhausting round with Molly they were very red
in the face, which bit itself incredibly with their red hair. They seemed to be
completely out of breath.

“Well that is entertaining.” Sirius whispered. “Was that planned?”

“Should I really tell you my scheme?”

“The truth, Hermione”

“In a way, it was planned. I know how much Ron despises the library. Especially
when I am with him. So he wouldn't voluntarily go into the library to be stuck
with me through the holidays. If i worked it correctly. I would get my peace
and Molly, Ron and Ginny wouldn't feel guilty for leaving me alone in the
library. Since i technically asked for it.”

“Well, today has been truly interesting, Miss Granger. I am certain that you
should have been sorted into my house. Many of my Slytherins might learn
something from you.” Snape said monotonously. I raised an eyebrow at my
professor this is a compliment coming from him.

"I hope for your secrecy, gentlemen," I said dryly when I rose. "Have a nice
evening and have a lot of fun with your secret meeting," I smugly winked at
them.
As I made my way out of the room, Ron and Ginny were told to go upstairs as
well because of the meeting.

“Wait up, Hermione!” Ron called. “So what do you want to do for the rest of the
day? We can play exploding snap.”

“I really do not feel like playing right now, Ronald.” I said. “However, I need
to send a letter to someone can i please borrow Pig?”

“But do you have to do that now? We could hang in our room or try to listen
into the meeting again.”

“Thanks for the concern, Ronald. But i would prefer to stay in the library for
the time being. And i still have a letter to finish writing. I’ll see you
later.”
Phew. That was close. Now i need to get them out of my tail. They could wait
for me as long as they want but that would meddle with my plans.
I was accustomed to stay awake until one o'clock to read and work and I would
continue this here. Now I just needed to have a plan of how to send Ginny and
maybe even Ron, like my parents with their red wine, to the land of dreams. In
the coming weeks, I would have to spend some nights outside one or even more
times.
I hurried to the desk to start on my correspondents. My first letter went to
Rangok with the request to send 2,000 galleons to the Twins.

My second letter would go to Viktor, with nothing but minor trifles, but I
wanted to try to keep the contact, as I always said, you never knew what it
could be good for.
When I finished, I picked up the books I hadn't finished before. A little
charm, so everyone would think I was studying boring lectures about magic, not
"black magical spells on all occasions" and "dark ritual charms," which always
inspired me, protected me from discovery. As I noted, the meeting began shortly
after we, the kids, had left the kitchen, at 10 pm. Now, at midnight, I heard
sounds of a departure from the society.

I was well ahead. In an hour I should have finished reading the two books. I
quietly walked around, no one had to realize that I hadn't even been in bed.
Luck was good to me. Ginny slept deeply, not even waking up as I almost
silently made myself ready for bed. In bed, I smiled at the memories of the
conversation with Sirius. The flirting was invigorating, and that Professor
Snape watched everything so attentively was very exciting, we would see how
this game went further, but I also liked to play.

I tried in my meditation to clear my mind, because to master a game with Snape
without this art would be really stupid and I was never stupid.
***** Life at Grimmauld Place *****
Chapter Notes
     Flirty with Sirius.
Life at Grimmauld Place

The good thing about me was: I could adapt to most situations. So for some time
now I was waking up on my own without the use of my alarm after only five hours
of sleep. So today, I opened my eyes and was awake instantly, without being
grumpy. I had practiced this too, but not enough, because I was awake, but I
was not ready yet. Before going to bed, I had quickly laid a silentium over
Ginny. It was almost like the Silencio, but it didn't mute, but protected a
person from external noises.

So I could relax while I prepare for my jog without worrying about waking up
Ginny. All I had to do was go to the bathroom to brush my teeth. When this was
done, I went merrily downstairs. It was just before six. I didn't expect to
meet anyone this early, because yesterday their meeting had been late ending
around midnight. So, I assumed no one would be awake, except maybe Molly and
Arthur, but they would be in the kitchen and wouldn't notice me sneaking out.
It was satisfying to see that I was getting faster, but also that I was able to
run more and more laps, this motivated me to push harder, get faster and
farther. After an hour of practice I ran into the house and quickly went to the
bathroom. When I entered my room dressed in a bathrobe, I checked if Ginny was
already awake at half past eight or if she was still sleeping.

She raised her head and blinked her sleepy brown eyes at me.

"Morning," I whispered softly to her and rummaged through my things. I was
looking for an outfit that was light and loose and would show a bit more of my
body than yesterday. Ginny yawned heartily, stretching herself. I stood there
dressed and brushed my long brown hair, which I wanted to leave down. Something
was attracting me to not be seen as a gray mouse.

"Morning, Hermione! Where were you yesterday? We’ve been waiting for you. What
did you do? Why are you ... ," she squinted at the alarm clock ," ... already
dressed so early? Man, we have holidays, Hermione!," The lecture begins and the
girl hasn't even been awake that long, frightening. Blablabla, I would have
loved to let out a frustrated scream. Hello? She had just woken up and I was
getting nothing but questions and insulting insinuations, with such friends no
enemies were needed, that was my firm belief.

"Ginny, good morning!. You should know from Hogwarts and from past holidays at
yours, that I have always been an early bird. I don't need much sleep and just
like to get up early. Excuse me, if I disturbed you," I said slightly sour.
"Besides you were already asleep last night when I came in, I didn't want to
wake you up! Where is Pig actually? I was hoping I could borrow him to send
some letters I wrote last night," I asked, now bustling around the room. I shot
her a glance to see if she heard by and she heard the disapproval in my voice
and found her looking owlish and irritated.

"Man, what's the matter with you? You're so grumpy. I just wanted to know what
you were doing, and  so what could have taken you so long? Ron didn't leave
until after 11 pm. I mean, you can't have written big novels, did you?" She
asked, much more curious.

"Nothing, Ginny, I just read a bit!" I said defensively. "And I'm not grumpy,
I'm just annoyed that I have to constantly justify myself to you!," I honestly
told her then. She stood up and looked funny in her pink short nightshirt. It
was a gift from Ron for her birthday. He was either really color blind or he
wanted to take revenge on Ginny with that hideous shirt.

"Do I and Ron annoy you that much?" She asked sniffing, looking saddly up at me
with a cow's big brown eyes.

"Honestly, yes you do, a bit. I don't mean to be rude, but I'm reading, there's
nothing wrong with it, why all these questions then?" I asked frustrated,
waving my hand in the air. Then I dropped myself on my bed.

"Sorry. I wasn't aware I was that bad. I think it’s just because we can't quite
understand, but we should really respect your wishes, sorry again! But you have
to understand we hear you're dancing all at once and you haven't told us about
your holidays since you got here. And then you sit down, next to Snape," said
Ginny with great disdain.
I slightly rolled my eyes, ‘Because it was just more interesting with him than
with you guys,’ I thought to myself. "Hm, it's alright, I understand, and today
I'll spend my time with you, promise, right now at breakfast, before we all
start to work, ok? But yesterday, I didn't sit down next to Professor Snape,
but next to Sirius," I said sharply, quickly clarifying the situation.

"I'm gonna go down, okay, Ginny?" I said then, signalling that I was done
arguing with her. I took my two letters with me and left the room.

"Sure, I'll hurry up. I'll wake up Ron, so he'll come down too, and I'll bring
Pig with me!" She offered.

"Yeah, thank you, do that. See you soon" I muttered, but I needed coffee, Now,
Finish, Amen. Now, just before eight, Sirius, Lupin I mean, Remus and Mrs.
Weasley were in the kitchen. Molly worked at the stove and let all kinds of
kitchen utensils float around her. Remus and Sirius were sitting in their
seats, their heads stuck together, as they whispered to each other.

"Good morning, everyone!" I said politely, and sat down in, what seemed to be,
my usual seat.

"Good morning," came from all three of them.

"Did you have nice dreams?" Sirius whispered almost silently to me.

"Should I ask you about your dreams, Sirius?" I asked an ambiguous counter-
question while I could feel his glancing looks on my décolleté. Apparently, he
liked my dress a lot today, it suited me, as I had to admit and since I
exercised so excessively my body was starting to show the difference. Remus
gave Sirius a punishing look, but then focused on Molly's question of what he
wanted to eat.

"Up early again, Hermione? What would you like for breakfast dear?" She turned
to me, too.

"Not really, Mrs. Weasley, I'm just an early bird, and really late, a black
coffee, please!" I told her kindly hoping to get my coffee quickly, as I needed
so urgently. I didn't really know what I had done wrong, but once again I was
the focus of attention.

"What?" I asked irritably, pulling my eyebrows up to my hairline. Molly turned
away with a disapproving expression and let a cup float in front of me.

"Could it be that you've changed a bit lately?" Remus asked very carefully,
bending over to me. I took the coffee with pleasure and looked up, smiling.

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley!" I thanked dearly and kindly.

"What else would you like, dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked in a disapproving voice,
but I still had no clue why.

"Um ... nothing, thank you, Mrs. Weasley!", I still gave her a very friendly
smile.

"And Professor ... uh, I mean Remus, everyone is growing up," I finished
succinctly and took a deep sip.

"You don't want to eat, that's not good, you have to eat something, dear. I'll
make you a plate of eggs and bacon!" Molly decided resolutely. I closed my lips
tightly. Did she really believe I would say I don't want anything, to then
stuff a plateful of fat and cholesterol into me? The beginning of a headache
pounded behind my eyes. I didn't continue the discussion. It was meaningless
anyways, certainly she wanted us to take over all her robes!

Stop!  I should forbid myself to think about so much wickedness. That wasn't
nice! She certainly didn't mean it in a bad way, but it was still annoying.

"Now I want to go back to my bed," I hissed softly through my closed teeth.

"Wouldn't that bore you?" Sirius, who had been listening to the conversation,
grinned at me over his cup.

"Who says I want to get into an empty bed, Sirius? It’s definitely not boring
if I have some company. Or are you trying to tell me I'm boring?" I whispered
so softly that Remus couldn't hear it, who just thanked Molly for his
breakfast. Sirius, as a reaction to my provocation, practically choked on his
coffee. Tears came into his gray eyes, but at that moment, Ron and Ginny
appeared with Pig on her shoulder, and the Twins, and so Sirius couldn't give
an adequate response. Perhaps it would be better, too, because he seemed to be
easily out of his depth and was now looking at me speechless.

Again a loud "good morning" sounded in the room.

Ginny sat next to me and Ron sat opposite me, next to Remus. My interrogation
would begin now, how happy I was.

"Where were you?" Ron asked.

"Wherever you aren’t, Ron!" I replied eloquently.

"I don't understand you, Hermione! You need fun and variety too and what about
the nonsense that you are spending six hours a day outside," he declared
accusingly. I didn't allow myself to be angry at this little speech by Ron, but
I breathed deeply several times, while an overloaded plate landed in front of
me. I didn't pay attention to him at all, but clung to my cup like an anchor so
I wouldn’t end up whipping it at him.

"My dear Ron, even if you can't imagine it, I like it, I enjoy it. Why do I
have to justify myself to you and in front of everyone here just because I like
to spend my time with books? Learn to accept it. I also accept you’re flying,
or not? And my training is not available to discuss. Do you understand me? You
wouldn't even know about it if Professor Dumbledore hadn't insisted on telling
him. And now enjoy your meal," since his breakfast also landed before him, I
brought my lecture to an end.

Ron stared at me. "What?" I growled now absolutely in a bad mood, after I had
refilled my coffee from the can on the table.

"... I ... I, why are you so bitchy, Hermione?" He stuttered to himself,
totally confused.

"Ron, I think that's enough, you don't make it any better," Ginny replied
quietly and I snorted like a horse in agreement.

"Here, Hermione, here's Pig!" The red-haired girl turned to me trying for
peace, handing me the little shuddering owl, who bounced up and down.

"Thank you, Ginny," I smiled at her kindly and gratefully. I took him, fixed
the two letters, and whispered, "One goes to Gringotts to Rangok, and the other
is unfortunately a long way, but I believe that you can do it, to Victor Krum."
Then I let him go. He flew right through the open kitchen window.

To Sirius, I said, whispering, "Toddlers, they are the ones who are boring." I
said, making a brief gesture to the siblings who were busy with the food, the
twins making so much noise that nobody noticed Sirius and I were talking. After
this statement, Sirius laughed loudly, which also made me laugh. The Twins
didn't hear the conversation, as they had their heads together and were
planning something wildly. But I caught a quick glance and Fred showed me that
they wanted to talk to me for a while, so I nodded briefly and inconspicuously
to them. Then I listened to the conversations at the table and planned my day.
After the third cup of coffee, I pushed my almost untouched plate from me,
which earned me a funny look from Ron, Remus and Sirius, but I shrugged.

"Where are you going, dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"I wanted to start working," I replied.

"But it's not even nine o'clock, so you don't have to work so early," she said,
looking at me with a good-natured expression.

"That's very nice of you Mrs. Weasley, but I've worked out a tight schedule and
I want to stick to that. Since unfortunately we can't use magic, it takes
longer. It doesn't bother me. Oh, before I forget it, I don't need lunch I’m
going to buy something small at the bakery on the way to the center. If you'd
excuse me now. " And so I turned my back on an amazingly quiet kitchen. I had
successfully escaped to the library and after I had worked through the two
books yesterday, I was looking for the first hour for all books on occlumency.
There were only three, but I would work through them now. I could hear people
walking up and down the stairs and other noises that the others produced when
they were together, to clean every room, one after the other. The fact that
this had to go on in such loud shouting and screaming began to drag on my
nerves, so I spoke a silentium to the room to have peace and quiet.

The impression that I had made with my statement that I didn't need any lunch,
was so indifferent to me. Since silence reigned I have progressed wonderfully.
I had reason to hope that by means of the newly gained information the
occlumency would be more or less done by the end of the holidays, and then I
would be able to venture to the practical part after the holidays. I was so
deeply absorbed in the reading, when the door opened and two identical heads
looked inside.

"Do we get the permission to enter, my lady, or do you wish to not be
disturbed, oh beautiful maid?" The twins asked mockingly but I waved them in
wordlessly.

"You almost never annoy me, so what did you want to tell me?" I asked curiously
and leaned forward with my book on my lap.

"First, my dearest, didn't you swear that you wouldn’t read evil, dangerous,
dark-magical books?" Fred grinned at me evil and wobbled provocatively with his
pointing finger in front of my eyes.

"Haha, very funny," I replied rolling my eyes.

"It was clear to us that you didn't tell Mum the truth, but we always love your
attempts to lie. We're always trying to do it, but just like you ... you're our
master," George bowed to me jokingly.

"You can be such children!" I told them, shaking my head.

"But just for your amusement. What is more important, your tip yesterday with
dung was worth gold, that was the man yesterday next to us, with the bloodshot
eyes and the unwashed, reddish-brown hair. We caught him shortly after the end
of the meeting and were able to negotiate with him very well. He will deliver
in two weeks!" They said joyfully and with radiant expressions.

"That was Fletcher, ... well, well, but you will pay for it only after
receiving the goods right?. What did you actually order?" I looked at both of
them questioningly.

"Do you think we're stupid? Of course he only gets his money when he delivers.
It only takes so long as he has to get it on the black market. We need
poisonous tentacles and tarlocks," Fred said casually leaning against the couch
and I nodded when the order seemed to me to be relatively harmless, but in the
hands of this pair nothing was harmless.

"I'm glad and what are you doing now? Don't you have to help cleaning?" I
asked.

"Uh, we got better things to do, what about Ginny and Ron? Are you having
trouble with them?" Fred asked.

"Yes, unfortunately. Since Harry isn't here, they stick at me like gum on a
shoe, really, and that's something I can't really cope with at the moment," I
explained, rubbing my hand over my face.

"Why not? You just have to practice turning your pirouettes to the right beat,"
George joked. My gaze could've killed. I pulled my lips back and showed my
teeth.

"You two are going to be the death of me. You know I won't learn to dance," I
hissed, frustrated.

"Sure thing, that was already clear to us. So what are you really doing?" Both
curiously eyed me.

"I’m learning to fight, don't look at me like that, yes, fight really. I could
throw you over my shoulder with no problems," I said with a beaten sigh of mine
and managed to do what was almost impossible. I had rendered the twins
speechless, but it only took a few seconds before they caught themselves and
started.

"Oh, cool, you and your ideas. I can't imagine you and fighting, but you can
count on us, you know, we'll help you and keep the others away from you as good
as we can," Fred said, nodding approvingly.

I grinned conspicuously at them. "What would I do without you? That would be
really nice! "

"Always! See you later! We must go, before Mum seeks us," they gave me
affectionate air-kissed and waved me goodbye. One could need the good mood of
them two. After I was alone again, I thought about how I could knock out the
siblings in the evening and I had an idea, but for later when I was on the
road. I didn't realize how time had passed when my Tempus warned me that I had
to leave in half an hour, it would be 2 pm soon.

So I went to my room. I didn't see anyone on my way to the room, obviously
everyone was still in the kitchen having lunch. I grabbed my sport’s bag and
went downstairs, I didn't tell anybody that I was leaving now, and I didn't see
a reason to do so. Everyone knew that I was out dancing ... Ehw! Out of the
house I flitted quickly into a small, inconspicuous side street into a
difficult-to-see rear entrance and apparated soon as I was certain there was no
one around. First of all, I went to my room at our home, after all, my potions
weren't brewing themselves and I had still almost an hour before I had to go to
the Sensei.

I filled the last vial of the blood-forming potion and cleaned the dirty kettle
with a fast Evanesco. Time was now too short to start a new medium strong
healing potion, I'd do it tomorrow, but I could already prepare a part of the
ingredients. One look at the polyjuice-potion, which stood in the bathtub. This
would be finished tomorrow and could then be bottled, wonderful. When the
brewing went to plan like this, it had something very calming about it.
***** Pain and Diagon Alley *****
Chapter Notes
     Thanks so much for the Comments, Kudos, Reads and Clicks. ;)
     Today Hermione is in some serious pain..
     Enjoy! ;)
Pain and Diagon Alley

I Apparated into the backyard of the school, and quickly entered since I still
had to change my clothes. Our training went on as usual: satisfying for the
Sensei, I could see from his expression, but painful for me, my body said. Man,
my ribs hurt. I had been too slow while turning and had received the blow from
a particularly nasty side-kick; a very painful stroke of the foot which should
hit the target on a horizontal path, in the rump region. Since I had turned at
that moment and hadn't blocked it, my lower rib, slightly below my chest, had
taken the brunt of the kick. I flew off the mat and landed ungently on the
ground, the air slamming out of my lungs. Shit, that hurt! At first, I thought
they were broken. I couldn't get any air, frantically trying to catch my
breath. Phew, what an awful pain.

I blinked, seeing almost nothing, and tried to breathe more slowly. I gently
pushed myself to my legs. I broke out in sweat and gasped, but there was
nothing broken — just hurt. I noticed that when I pressed my hand carefully to
my injured side. What would you do in such a case in the real struggle between
life and death? Well, deal with it, bite your tongue if you must, and attack
again — otherwise you'd be dead.

I ignored the pounding, constant pain, stepped resolutely back to the mat and
took my position, feeling the adrenaline rushing wildly through my veins. I
managed to ignore the protesting ribs and accepted the pain. I tried to focus
my thoughts, breathing calmly, as I prayed to myself: where the body is weak,
the will can move mountains. The Sensei nodded to me. "I appreciate your
fighting spirit, Miss Granger! Like a true warrior, shall we continue? Or shall
we finish today's workout?" he asked, worried.

"Continue," I snarled, swallowing the pain with my teeth clenched. We attacked
each other again. Did I mention that I have stupid ideas and am super stubborn?

Crap! This was the worst pain I'd ever had, and lately I've suffered so many
injuries like never before. Hey, I mean, I daily fought until my body was a
pile of mush, and this didn't fly without any traces. But this was the most
terrible pain in my life. Where the ribs had just been clinched before, they
were now definitely broken. Another foot stroke had cracked the rib, and I
heard it crunch deep inside me and felt it, like someone had stepped on a
rotten branch, and it broke through, a disgusting sound that almost made me
faint.

A cruel sound! And the piercing pain that shot through my body was nothing like
the one before. I had thought I could never get up again! But had I wanted it
otherwise? No! At least I wasn't defeated without a fight. I was impressed by
myself how well I could defend myself, despite such an injury. I would have
stretched my chest out of pride if it had been possible. Now I was glad that I
could at least stand in such a bent posture. When I thought about it and wanted
to drag myself into the changing room, the Sensei stopped me. "Miss Granger,
you are impressive in your will, even if I find you can overdo it, if I may say
so. I don't want to hurt you that much, we should have finished the workout.
Don't you want to tell me what you are doing, to ... how can I say ... to ...
don't you find that you overdo it, Miss Granger?" He frantically ran with his
fingers through his short hair.

"Sensei, I'm not paranoid. This is about life and death. I don't just imagine
that there are some people who are looking for me and I'm not ready to give
them easy game. Please, don't feel guilty. My ribs are just bruised, that's
gone tomorrow. If you want, write a letter by tomorrow, in which I can relieve
you of the responsibility, should something happen to me in the training and I
suffer a serious injury. Besides this, I'm freeing you from any guilt since I
had instructed you to do so, would you feel any better then?" I asked
sympathetically and with an admirably firm voice, considering that my ribs were
just killing me. I was good, but I was amazed that I could still think so much,
even though starlets were dancing before my eyes thanks to the steadily
throbbing pain of my broken and bruised ribs.

"All right, Miss Granger, if you see it like this, I'll give you the letter
tomorrow for your signature. I think we should start with the weapon training
tomorrow. You're ready for it, provided you will be well then. Since we are
dealing intensively with the weapon with which you want to defend yourself, it
will all be a bit easier." He still looked at me worried, but seemed to be
reassured by my offer. For him too it was all about protecting himself and his
dear money. Human beings were too self-calculable. I was delighted and showed
this too, despite my pain. "This is wonderful, Sensei. I'm glad. I'll bring my
daggers tomorrow and don't worry, that ..." I gestured casually at my body.
"This will be all right tomorrow again, you'll see, Sensei!" I bowed, more than
stiff, and shortly limped under the showers.

Fortunately, I had the changing room to myself so I could heal myself quickly.
I spoke a Ferula to magically brace my almost broken limbs. The crunch when the
bones ruthlessly repositioned themselves into the correct position made me
almost scream in pain, but I bit my lips until I tasted blood, quivering, and
sank, almost unconscious from pain, to the floor of the dressing room. Why was
I doing this again? The Dark Lord had returned. Exactly, that was it! I pulled
myself to the bench and took care of my wounded body, using one episkey after
another to heal the minor injuries. I was still lying on the bench more than I
was sitting.

I could feel my ribs straightening, but they were still not quite healed. So, I
hobbled to my locker with a tormented grimace, rummaged for a stronger healing
potion and an energizing potion, and swallowed them both greedily. Afterwards I
sat again on the bench, exhausted, waiting for the magic of the potions and
spells to begin to work. I could feel the ribs healing, still not completely,
but enough to make the pain easier to bear, and the trembling of my limbs
ceased. Timidly, I began to look forward to tomorrow's weapon training. I still
had an hour to regenerate before I had to go back to Grimmauld Place. I had to
go to Diagon Alley, so I'd have to dare my plan, although I hadn't expected to
be this handicapped.

After my treatment, I could walk upright again. I put on my black-and-white
dress, transformed myself back into Minna Cale in a side street and Apparated
to Diagon Alley. My first goal was Ollivanders. I knew I still needed a robe,
but where to get one, if not steal?

I was already standing in front of the shop door, which proudly proclaimed in a
peeling golden letter that Ollivander-produced wands had been sold since 382
BC. In the dusty shop window, a dark wand lay on a red pillow, just like it had
when I had bought my wand here. Nothing had changed since then, when, at the
age of eleven, thanks to Mr. Ollivander's wand, I became a real witch.

I entered and was greeted by a bell ringing. The rather dark interior seemed
old, narrow, and barren. The only things inside the shop were a stork-legged
chair, a counter, and dozens of shelves on the walls filled with boxes from
floor to ceiling. I knew there was a magic wand resting on a colorful fabric
bed in each of these boxes. Here was where a witch or wizard received their
first magic tool.

"What can I do for you, miss?" said a gentle voice from the back of the
workshop.

"Mr. Ollivander, I need a wand holder like the Aurors have," I yelled frankly
and honestly. A lively, older wizard with large, pale-silver eyes came to see
me, looking at me rather stiffly and searchingly, not seeming to blink.

"Mhh, yes, yes. Of course, one moment please. I wonder… I can remember every
magic wand I've sold, but I believe I've never met you," he muttered mutely,
tapping his lip with his forefinger.

"That's right, I'm not from here." I wouldn't say any more, because that wasn't
his business.

"Oh, that's right. I always say, I know the magic wand for every wizard." He
emerged again behind a shelf. "What kind of material would you like for the
holder?"

"Well, the best you have ... leather, dragon leather, no idea, what do you
recommend, Mr. Ollivander?" I put this into his knowing hands.

"The standard equipment of the Aurors is a holder made of ebony leather,
without much equipment, but an invisibility charm lies on all of them. You can
wear it on the arm or thigh, it's self-adjusting, but… there is also a better
one… but the cost is accordingly more. These are made of light dragon leather
and they have an automatic accio integrated. If you drop your wand
inadvertently, it is automatically recalled. It's an invention of the family of
Ollivander, family secrets. The invisibility charm is standard, exactly, that
would be it," he finished dreamily, seemingly in his element.

"Then the expensive variant. How much do I owe you?" I replied scarcely, as my
ribs still tormented me, and I wanted nothing but to snuggle into my bed.

"Wait a second," it sounded muffled as the older man submerged behind his sales
bar and was digging around. "Here we have the good piece!" Now he cautiously
held the magic wand holder made of dark dragon leather in his hand towards me.

"A beautiful piece," I praised the exquisite piece.

"True, a masterpiece, but also not cheap. That'll be 80 galleons!" he said,
then looked at me expectantly.

I once again pulled out my blood-pouch and fished out 80 golden galleons.
"Thank you!" I said, reaching for the holder, turning my back to Ollivander,
and lifting my dress unshyly. I put the wand holder around my thigh and watched
as the invisibility charm started to work. I dropped my dress and looked over
my shoulder at Ollivander, who was watching me, a little speechless.

"Sits like a second skin and holds what you promised, thanks again," I smiled
at his perplexed look cynically and walked out of the store. I still had to buy
a crate of butter-beer at the Leaky Cauldron, because that would be the way to
send the Weasley siblings to sleep. I shrunk the box, put it in my sports bag,
and apparated. I would make it on time for dinner, at 8 pm. When I arrived at
the parallel side street near Grimmauld Place, I breathed a sigh of relief.
Everything had once again turned to my full satisfaction, even if breathing
seemed to be very difficult for me now. I had become painfully aware of my ribs
again and I wavered slightly, but I bit my tongue and forced myself to go on
and continue. The effect of the potions had been diminished, but I would only
take the next dose when I went to bed.

I put my illegal whitethorn wand in my newly-acquired holder on my thigh. It
was a good feeling. Even the magic that lay on this holster was incredible — it
was undoubtedly a good deal for 80 galleons. Thinking about this, I walked
quickly and happily into the house and immediately into the kitchen.
***** Sirius and Snape *****
Chapter Notes
     Hi my Lovies!
     We finally are back!
     Having had to change my organization of my Team of Betas, I finally
     have a great team. (The reason why it took so long).
     And as you guys are up to date right now, I will upload once a week.
     Every THURSDAY.
     Today you'll see the first P-18 Chapter. I hope you enjoy.
     xx
     Cate and Team.
Sirius and Snape

The kitchen was already crowded. And I mean not only by the presence of the
entire Weasley clan, but again there were almost all the people who were here
yesterday.

As I entered carefully, everyone looked up, and Molly cried, "There you are,
Hermione, we've been worried. What did you think by just leaving without
telling us? We turned the whole house upside down looking for you. You can't
just walk out like this, sit down, sit down, child", I was greeted with a
reproachful flood of words by the resolute matron, Molly Weasley.

So I automatically took the path  to the seat next to Sirius. Professor Snape,
too, seemed to feel much more comfortable around him, astonishingly. But I
asked myself irritated what he was doing here again, and oversaw generously how
Ron considerately moved to make way for more space. I sat down quickly, then
let the bag slip from my shoulder, which made me shiver slightly because of my
ribs. It had been a thoughtless movement, ouch! It wasn't much fun, even with
healing, only slightly-broken ribs, how did Muggles survive this without magic?
A reaction which was registered once again by my men's circle with eagle eyes.
Why did I want to sit here again, I asked myself annoyed. It's my own fault,
whoever digs one's own grave...

Just because I didn't want to be bothered by Ron, I let myself be scrutinized
by  the predators, because that was how the two men seemed through and through.

"Mrs. Weasley, I didn't know that. I didn't want to scare you, excuse me. But I
thought you knew I was leaving the house at 2 pm, and didn't think it would be
necessary to sign myself off, but if you want it in the future?" I offered
politely.

"Oh, not really, but child, you were gone all of a sudden and no one has seen
you since breakfast, we were just worried, especially in these times," she
groaned heavily and her big breasts swayed under her flowered blouse, when she
gave me a sad look, over the heads of those present.

"Again, I'm sorry, but you knew where I was!" I was tired. Today had been  more
strenuous because of the injury, but luckily enough nothing more was expected
from me. She hurriedly guided a filled plate toward me and just nodded, as I
seemed visibly exhausted.

"You're in pain?" Sirius suddenly let himself be heard as he leaned towards me
after I had begun to eat. I smiled in pain and looked at  the men's circle
which I appreciated so much. "Have you worried about me?" I pouted
provocatively. One easily forgot the pain with this attention. "... and no, I'm
just tired!", I lied, without turning red, for the throb of pain took on really
dramatic proportions and I felt that I began to sweat at my hairline.

"You lie," Snape told me soberly, also quietly, which was an amazing response
on his part and surprised me when I looked up at him from below.

"Maybe? My feet hurt," I replied smugly, and began to eat, as I was to take
some food with all the potions in my belly. My posture really was slightly
tense and didn't actually looked relaxed. Shit, the effect of the potions
subsided more and more, I hadn't expected it to this extent. I wouldn't wish
anyone broken ribs, because one feels so vulnerable. I tried to suppress the
trembling of my hands as I led the fork to my mouth. Next time I would take
better care, this error in the defense wouldn't happen to me again, I analysed
in my mind my carelessness in the fight.

"Hermione, shall we all play a card game together then?" Ginny shouted and
beamed at me. No, not really, I wanted to go to the library, I wanted to be
alone and manage to forget the pain. Besides, I would already start the next
round of potions and look for a lighter, but no less interesting reading. Maybe
how to heal bones with magic even faster? Yes, that was a good idea and then I
would perhaps crawl into bed an hour early, because I would get in a knife
fight tomorrow and I had to be receptive and relaxed.

"Sorry guys. No more today, really. Maybe tomorrow. Is that okay?" I apologized
and ran with one hand exhausted over my forehead. The Twins looked anxiously at
me after my tired gesture, but I just shook my head slightly defensively, what
was meant as: Everything is okay.

"Okay, then tomorrow, promise?", it came hopefully from Ginny and I nodded at
her blankly. "Promised, Ginny," I breathed softly. It wasn't really possible
for me to take a deep breath as the damaged ribs immediately protested
painfully. Sirius gave me a slightly worried and thoughtful look at my sluggish
words.

"Thank you for the dinner, I'll go then," I said, standing up, taking my bag
from the ground, careful not to show anyone my tremendous pain. That worked
well, only with the two men I wasn't so sure that it had worked, because their
indecipherable glances lay on me. I was fortunately not yet pursued by Ron, as
I had gone before the dessert. I put my bag on the couch table and quickly
searched for a book. "Dark Magic Spells For Healing". Thus I took my seat
carefully, for the tear in the ribs now protested against every movement and
throbbed loudly in my ears. Next, I pulled the bag up like an old woman and
rummaged in it to get to my potions, but I couldn't do anything against the
sweat and the trembling of my hands. So I closed my eyes full of pain and tried
to breathe the torment away.

I was just pulling out the two vials when I almost dropped them in shock and
opened my eyes as the library door opened, revealing two people I hadn't
expected. To see both of them storming the room together in an almost
harmonious way, made me open my mouth in surprise. How does one say? Never say
never.

Professor Snape and Sirius, one darker in his appearance than the other, and
both fixed on me. One of these looks would make you feel small but under both
of them I threatened to disappear. What the hell did they want here?

I sat, or lay, in my chair, with the two potions in my hand and bit my lips.
Wasn’t that maddening? After all, they had just caught me red-handed. The fact
that the professor would recognize the potions because of their color and
consistency was as clear to me as it was sure that the sun would rise tomorrow.
Already his scorching glance said everything, which now slowly wandered  from
the potions to me and threatened to pierce me. I swallowed hard once and didn't
move from the spot as Snape sneaked around me like a black panther and Sirius
also went slowly, almost fluently to the seating corner in front of the
fireplace where I was.

Shit, I was so much in the ... sq ...! Grrr, this was a mess. Why were they so
united? It shouldn't be like this! Can't they argue again, just like in the
shrieking shack? Yes, that would be nice. I just started dreaming and hoping
for a miracle. That of course didn't happen and nothing saved me, I was
trapped!

I could already see from their serious faces, with the piercing expression in
their eyes that I wouldn't get out of this situation so easily. Shit, shit,
shit! No word had yet been said, and the strained silence lay heavily on the
room filled with books. Sirius threw himself on the sofa opposite me and looked
at me almost reprehensively, with his head tilted.

Snape took a threatening position beside my chair and looked at the vials in my
hand. Now action was important, quickly down with the stuff.  First of all, I
would be able to cope much better with this situation if I wouldn't be in
tremendous pain, which was fogging my mind, secondly they couldn't take my
potions from me. So I tried to uncork both the vials in a fast move and to
quickly gulp them down. Well, unfortunately it just stayed at my attempt, which
didn't really surprise me. I wasn't even able to see how fast my valued and
highly appreciated professor had torn them out of my hands. He was a little
rough, not to say violent, for I didn't want to give them up voluntarily. It
was only thanks to these unspeakably painful ribs that I let go of my breath,
and I sank pale into my chair, as this rash  movement had hurt me like a knife
in my ribs.

"Snape, what is it?" Sirius asked curiously. Thank you for your assistance,
Sirius, I thought rather harshly while I was struggling hard for air. Were they
friends now, or what? I was clearly confused, or was my brain so dazzled by the
endogenous morphine emitted by the tremendous pain that I was hallucinating?

"Black, you mutt, that you don't recognize them, is very clear to me. But maybe
Miss Granger is so friendly and tells us what she needs a medium-strength
healing potion and a strengthening potion for?" he whispered, looking at me
with his black, genuinely annoying, all-seeing eyes. Phew, still no
hallucinations. He was as biting and malicious as ever, but unfortunately my
situation didn't change for the better. How I hated my life instantly!
Justifications weren't my thing, so I remained stuck in silence and pressed my
lips together.  It's a tactic, too, isn’t it?

"Hermione, tell us what's going on. What's wrong with you? We can see you're in
pain. Why don't you say something? You don't have to hide any injuries, please
say something," Sirius begged me now urgently and bent a little towards me. I
glanced helplessly at the ceiling. Man, it was so annoying, as if he had to
save me.

"Black, I don't think Miss Granger wants to say anything. You can keep your
embarrassing and ridiculous begging. Hmm, it is apparently easier to shut her
up than I had expected so far. Interesting," he added sardonically, his eyes
glinting in the light of the chimney fire. Sirius was shocked silent while
Snape continued.

"If she doesn't want to tell us anything, we'll have to look ourselves," Snape
threatened with a velvety and mischievous voice, grabbed me without a hitch,
and pulled me out of my chair.

"Oah," a groaning scream escaped from my lips when I stood. That wasn't good,
not at all. I felt my eyes wet, but I wouldn't give myself the embarrassment to
cry. My vision was sharp. Who did this impertinent bat think he was? But Sirius
didn't look as if he was rushing to my rescue. As I’ve said before, if I didn't
fight for myself, I’d be lost. Snape peered at me with frigid eyes, still
holding me, his fingers resting firmly on my upper arm.

"Ah, does it hurt?", he asked maliciously under his breath. "Extend your arms,
or I'll hex you, Miss Granger.", he whispered with an undertone laced with
anticipation for disobedience. What should I do? I didn't want to attack him
openly at the moment, then what should I do other than submit to his demands?
That was really cocked up. Therefor I raised my arms, and he let go, satisfied
with my capitulation. I stood with my arms extended before the two of them. A
dream, yes, exactly. And then something happened which made me believe that I
was truly dreaming. I felt, unbelievably, how Snape's hands wandered over my
body with competent movements, stroking my sides.

I eyed him dumbstruck, which he reciprocated without any facial expressions. By
now I bit my lip and closed my eyes, in order to not endure this humiliation
with seeing eyes, because my professor was groping me. As he arrived unerringly
at the lower, right ribs, my body automatically flinched slightly at the
anticipated touch. As it seemed, this was confirmation enough for Snape. I felt
him step back and breathed a sigh of relief, for his closeness was ...
suffocating. He had just been too close.

"And, Snape, what is it?" Sirius pried immediately. I opened my eyes and saw
him sitting on the edge of the couch, excited, leaning on his knees. "What's
wrong with her?", he enquired curiously.

"Always so impatient, Black," Snape snapped contemptuously as he looked over
his shoulder to exchange a look with Sirius, which I, unfortunately, couldn't
see.

"I guess Miss Granger has problems with her ribs," he said, slightly scornful.
He looked at me intensely with a raised eyebrow. "Clinched, I think, if not
broken, but they are healing now, which is very painful. Or isn't it, Miss
Granger?", he whispered softly into the room, where the fire of the fireplace
crackled.

Sirius drew a sharp breath. "What, how?", he shouted, shocked at this
revelation. "Injured ribs? How did this happen, Hermione?", he asked
stubbornly, throwing around glances. I still said nothing. Man, that was
embarrassing, but if I had known how this would progress, I would have most
likely died from shame. Instead, I stood before Snape, with my arms hanging
down, like a captured delinquent, and waited like a loyal puppy.

"Apparently, Miss Granger is in fact not very talkative today.", my professor
turned nasty. Yes, yes, you viper. His talent for vitriol was one of a kind and
he was visibly gloating over my misfortune because the corners of his mouth had
turned to a dastardy smile.

"Well then, Miss Granger, please take off your dress!", the professor demanded
smokily, and with this audacious demand, I was gobsmacked. I opened my eyes
wide, doubting my hearing. It left me speechless, again, and I recoiled and
would have landed badly in the armchair if Snape hadn't helped me by grabbing
my upper arms and saved me from it. Suddenly he was amazingly gentle as he held
me.

"Relax, Miss Granger.", he breathed silkily, and much too close to my ear.

"Snape!" Sirius exclaimed indignantly. "... you can't ask this from her!", he
burst out and was about to rise from the couch while I was still trapped in my
teacher's arms.

"Don't even bother. Sit! And why not, Black? You can attend the show too, but
tell me how I should treat an injury I can't see?", he asked very bitingly,
giving Sirius a clear impression of what he thought of the others mental
abilities. Sirius actually slumped back into the pillows while I remained
motionless.

"You're wearing underwear, Miss Granger?" Snape turned to me. I just nodded at
this intimate question. He didn't really mean that, did he? I ... I mean ...
help, I was tempted to fight slightly against his unyielding grasp.

"Very well! Black, it's like she's wearing a bikini, or do you want to tell me
you haven't seen a girl like that?" Snape teased him exceedingly contemptuous
and spiteful. But then I managed to throw off my own indignation and found my
fighting spirit and consequently my language, which had disappeared before.

"What makes you think I'd take my clothes off in front of you and Sirius,
professor?", I replied in a surprisingly firm voice, lengthening the question
smugly. Snape let out a sneer. "What makes you think you have a choice, Miss
Granger?"

My eyes were bulging. Did my potions professor just tell me that he wanted to
see me in underwear? I mean, oh goddess, I ... that was unexpected. Perhaps it
was true after all that my brain produced too many chemical substances that
dazed me, at least I hoped that for myself. And Sirius was no real help, for
his protest seemed to be silenced already. I was sure he was panting, thinking
of what he was hoping to see in a moment, as his gray eyes glinted when I
looked at him seeking help.

Such a ..., such a great help. I should have left him in the tower, I thought
bitterly. Just then the traitor said, "He is right, Hermione. Somebody has to
look at it, or am I supposed to get Molly?", his offer feigning courtesy. If he
played down his interest any better, I would suggest him for an Oscar, I
thought ironically and snorted. But his threat with Molly was really nasty.

Oh, I'd take revenge, I wouldn't forgive Sirius for that. The only problem was,
my potions lost more and more effect, I was dead tired and the pain became
worse every second, so what should I do? I took all my courage, don't let
yourself be intimidated, grit your teeth and get to it! I actually gritted my
teeth, closed my eyes, gripped the hem of my dress with my right hand, and
pulled it over my head so that it came to rest on my left arm. Now I stood
before my teacher and Harry's godfather in my birthday suit and in white
underwear adorned with black lace. Well, I just liked matched clothes, even
underneath, nonetheless the humiliation was inevitable. My quick reaction,
without further discussion, seemed to have deprived them of their language.
They probably hadn't expected such little verbal resistance, but I knew what
battles were to be fought, and this didn't qualify to my great regret.

I opened my eyes, blinking cautiously, as nothing was happening, and I didn't
really hear anything except for the crackling fire, something that made me feel
uneasy. I became aware of two men staring at me. One’s emotions easier to read
than the others, which was to be expected. They seemed to be examining me, and
for Sirius, I could clearly say he liked what he saw. Even Snape's cool mask
allowed a guess that the sight I offered him didn't disgust him. As the
examination of my body progressed their lips compressed to narrow lines since
they were presented a complete colour palette. Shades of blue, violet, green,
and yellow covered on my upper body, abdomen, and thighs.

Ok, I looked like I got beaten, which I did, daily. It looked worse than it
was, but Sirius looked upset and angry, and Snape's eyes had an indefinable
shine that glittered dangerously. I ducked my head in slightly, because I was
not used to presenting myself this frankly. Now I felt naked. Wait a moment, I
was almost naked. Oh man, if the boys knew! This episode fell once again under
top secret, there is nothing more secret than this. Snape still said nothing,
but by now looked sharply into my eyes and slowly lifted his left hand, to
stroke over the right side of my ribs, unexpectedly gentle. When his finger
touched my skin gently and delicately, I held my breath at once.

Oh man, I think he otherwise worked only with his potions this carefully, as I
had been allowed to observe in the classroom a few times. I looked over Snape's
shoulder to Sirius, who stared at us with a stiff posture and a straight back,
but with a very attentive gaze, following the movements of Snape's hand. For a
moment, I thought I could see a glimmer of lust in Sirius' gaze, but then I
closed my eyes again and felt only that stroking movement of the professor. I
dreamed, at least I told myself this in a mantra again and again.

If I had been told that Professor Snape would touch me so intimately, I would
have had sent that person to St. Mungo’s. He approached the last three ribs and
stroked over the bones carefully, tentative.

A sharp hiss escaped between my teeth. He knew what he was doing, I could say
as much. Beneath my squinting lids, I glanced up at Snape and saw a small,
sadistic smile around his mouth. Did he like the pain or did he like to see the
pain in others and let me suffer intentionally?

"Yes, there we are. The fracture starts right from here. Does it hurt, Miss
Granger?" he asked with pretend gentleness, pressing the fracture at the same
time. I yelped and closed my eyes even tighter.

"Yes." My answer short and brief. Definitely a sadist. I gasped for air.

"Well, we will be done shortly," he said contentedly, now reaching into his
robe and took out the two potions he had stolen from me and put into his robes
earlier. He uncorked them, but he didn't give them to me, to make my
humiliation perfect, he told me to put my head back and drink. He quickly held
the vials to my mouth, one after the other, and let the contents run down my
throat. I must be an absolutely naked, defeated, but sexually unbelievably
erotic view, as I stood there only in black-and-white lace underwear and with
trustingly tilted head and my throat revealed. When I had finished drinking, I
could see Sirius sitting stiffly on the couch. I think he had a definite
problem in his pants.

Snape, however, reached into his deep black robes and pulled out a small pot,
unscrewed the lid, and dipped his long, slender fingers into the ointment.
Next, with an incredibly gentle touch, he spread it smoothly over my now less
hurting ribs. I heard Sirius take a sharp breath. At this moment it sizzled not
only in the fireplace. When Snape had finished, he closed the pot and put it on
the table.

His self-control and discipline were amazing and unbelievable. He was
unreadable, displaying no emotion, no shame, no excitement, no rage, or
anything else, although he was here and had now provided medical care to his
almost naked student. He was cold and indifferent as always and his mask
fitting perfectly.

"Because this is now done, Miss Granger, what the hell is that?" he burst out
now, pointing to me accusingly, getting louder from word to word. Okay, he was
angry, not as cold as I had thought, but I doubt that this was good for me.

"He's right Hermione, what the hell happened to you?" Sirius sounded shaken for
more than one reason. I was still half naked in front of them and felt their
demanding looks on me. I just wanted to put my dress on again, when Snape shook
his head and stopped me with one of his hands, then pulled his wand out of his
vest and pointed it towards me. He quietly began to recite some
incomprehensible formulas. He trailed with his wand along my discolored skin,
and on it goose bumps started to form on my skin with this unexpected
treatment.

"Turn around," he whispered softly, but recognizably commanding. I paused. Turn
around? Oh Goddess, it was already embarrassing enough, but I slowly did as he
commanded, turning my back to them.

There was a slight growling sound from Sirius, either because he liked my
string, or what I suspected, because of the splendor of the colors, which were
shown on my skin, because I often fell on my valued butt. Oh, man, I think my
face just now glowed in deepest Weasley red. I felt the professor's movement
behind my back, and he pulled back slightly. I turned around again and looked
questioningly. "Chrmmm, may I get dressed again, Professor?" I asked
cautiously. He barely nodded. I quickly pulled my dress over and immediately
sank into the chair, because my legs threatened to give way under me. Did this
just happen? Oh, I couldn't believe it, but humiliation to or fro, I was
painless. I didn't know what Snape had done with me, but it had helped me a
lot.

This man had a clear idea of what he was doing, which was admirable, but I took
no notice of him, but looked at the table before me with due diligence.

"Hermione, I hope you don't think that this is done now?" it came already from
Sirius. Snape sat directly into the chair next to mine and looked at me with
interest.

"I also want an explanation, just like Black, Miss Granger! Such injuries must
be caused deliberately, I'm waiting!" he demanded harshly, crossing his legs
casually. His robes billowed like black wings around him, an imposing picture.
He knew how to present himself, unfortunately.

"Well, what can I say, I got into a fight?" It was worth a try.

"Hermione, I can fool myself!" Sirius pouted and looked at me accusingly. Snape
just looked angry and his eyebrow wandered upwards skeptically, I just strained
his patience dangerously.

"Ok, what do you want to hear? It's not bad, it's nothing!" I replied
vehemently and shrugged.

"First of all, you could tell me how you got the potions!" Snape demanded with
caution, as he turned to me.

"Homemade," I replied confidently.

"You lie," Snape said coldly, glancing at me.

"Why do you think so?" I retorted, daring him.

"The vials are of the same kind I use for the Hogwarts hospital wing. A small
sign is pressed into the glass. How did you get the potions, Miss Granger?" he
showed the impatience in his voice, while he drummed on the chair with his
finger. Ok, whatever you want. I put aside the hitherto maintained shame and
restraint, and straightened a little, looked up, with a raised head, to the two
men, and answered with an emotionless expression.

"If you already know it, Professor, why do you ask? I seem to have a
kleptomaniac disposition." My voice was heavy with irony, and for the first
time I showed myself more honestly in my appearance than the whole previous
time.

"I knew that one of the Golden Trio is a thieving magpie!" Snape oozed oily,
sounding very satisfied. "Even if I didn't think it was you, Miss Granger. Did
you break into my room in your second year?" he asked targeting me, but still
calm and I nodded. "You've really amazed me the last few days." From Sirius I
only heard a shocked gasp during our conversation, while Snape seemed
distracted as if he were thinking.

"Hermione, you're stealing from Poppy?" Sirius shouted, his eyes threatened to
jump out of his head. I only nodded, for what should I say, I had stolen the
potions without scruples.

"Since we have clarified this, when we're back at Hogwarts, you will be
visiting me for detention and brew the potions you stole. Do we understand each
other, Miss Granger?" It was very final from Snape, but still surprisingly
affable. I grimaced annoyed, but nodded again. This happened when you weren't
careful enough and got caught, but I learned from mistakes, that wouldn't
happen again. On the other hand, I was glad the professor was so calm. What
caused that, perhaps, should make me more concerned. I thought for a moment
when Sirius said something and called for my attention.

"But Hermione, what interests me a lot more: who hurt you so much, please tell
me! Nothing is gonna happen, no detention, you just have to tell me," Sirius
asked anxiously, looking angry at Snape, fearing that his punishment might seal
my lips.

"This is very nice of you, Sirius, but what can I say, that was myself!" I
waved my hand and gave him an apologetic smile.

"Yes, you broke your own ribs and turned your body into an abstract painting.
I'm surprised that you can even move around with all the injuries! You must be
in terrible pain!" Sirius yelled, very angered.

"Even if I usually never agree with Black, I must agree with him now,
unfortunately. I also wonder how you could remain so indifferent, despite the
injuries, because you were in pain, that's out of the question," Snape asked,
pondering and showing me a emotionless face, while I was desperately thinking
about how I could get out of this precarious situation.

"I won't tell you, even if I am grateful for your help, never mind that I
didn't need you, and didn't ask for it," I said scathingly, cursing in my
thoughts heaven and hell.

"Miss Granger, you will be talking and if I have to get Veritaserum, is that
clear?" Snape threatened me with the most sweet-spoken voice and I believed
him. After a quick look into his hard eyes, I believed him to do everything he
could to get it out of me.

"Well shit, what do you want to hear? I've been training! Damn, that happened
while practicing, with my Se... Master..." I quickly broke off and Sirius saved
me.

"What kind of teacher hurts his students? This is abuse, something that even
Snape doesn’t do!" Sirius gave the professor an unexpected compliment, but this
got Sirius a murderous look from Snape...

"A good teacher does. I don't let anybody bad-mouth my master in this respect,
is that clear? He just does what I want!" I said coldly, glancing between the
two men.

"And you want that?" Snape asked incredulously and gave me a wry look.

"Yes, that's what I want!" I replied with a hard look.

"And this happens while dancing? Don't take me for a fool, Hermione." Sirius
said contemptuously, giving me a sad look, as if he was disappointed that I
didn't think he was right in his head. I groaned and straightened up a bit
higher.

"No, not whilst dancing, because I don't dance. I never thought that someone
believed me capable of that nonsense. I'm getting taught by a sensei and taking
fighting lessons, self-defense." So now it's out. Sirius' face was too
hilarious. Snape had expected something like this, or he had suspected that
because of the injuries. However, he stayed, as usual, emotionless and
motionless.

"...That... Why did you lie... I don't know you like this at all," Sirius
echoed, taken aback, and looked at me, bewildered.

"Why? Why, look at yourself. Molly would have rehearsed the rebellion,
Dumbledore would have said no. Really, my parents have allowed it! I didn't
want a discussion, why else?" I stated casually.

"I'm sure your parents haven't allowed you to do this, Hermione," Sirius
declared confidently, looking at me very seriously.

"I've had this training since the beginning of the holiday, do you think if it
was that bad they wouldn't have stopped it?" I asked quietly, staring into his
eyes, which he also didn't turn away from me. Snape stroked his chin with his
hand and took his time before he spoke.

"I think they've noticed that you're hurt just as little as the Weasleys and
the others. You're really good at hiding; amazing… " he said softly and
deliberately. I think this was a concealed compliment. Should I be happy now?

"Exactly!" Sirius agreed quite quickly with Snape.

It was too funny that the two had the same opinion, and that's when they
realized it too. They looked disgusted at each other, simultaneously distorting
their mouths contemptuously, as if they had tasted something acidic.

"You won't stop and start listening to us, will you, Miss Granger?"

"How well you know me professor. Besides, you know that it’s good to be able to
defend yourself," I explained myself with a smile.

"But Snape..." Sirius interjected indignantly.

"What, flea-bag? We can't forbid it to her and she is right to learn self-
defense - it's never a bad thing to learn. But I insist that you tell me or
Black if you're hurt - that is, whenever I'm here, I'll examine you," Snape
declared determined, but also in an unexpectedly empathetic way. I felt as if
I'd get away with a black eye, but I would only agree to it on my terms. That
he reacted like this surprised me, but I wouldn't question it.

"Fine. As you wish. But I must ask you both to swear secrecy and not to tell it
to anyone," I begged. Both looked at each other briefly and nodded hesitantly.
Now I grabbed under my dress, stroking over my thigh, and watched the eyes of
Sirius and Snape grow bigger and bigger. I don't know what they were expecting
or hoping for, but I pulled my wand out of my holster.

"...Wh... what...?" I heard from Sirius, who looked stunned while Snape seemed
amazed.

"You said everything is kept between us, didn't you?" I asked. I got another
careful nod from both of them. "Well, I just wanted to throw a little charm on
you. Trust me, it's nothing bad, really." My words came out lascivious, though.

"You can't use magic! The Ministry, Hermione," Sirius reminded me with a
whisper, looking a bit scandalized.

"Isn't your school wand dark?" Snape asked thoughtfully, showing what a good
observer he was. As always, impressive.

I giggled softly. "Professor, you're amazing, but yes, my school wand is dark.
To answer your question, Sirius, I can still use magic, this wand here isn't
registered." I smiled a wicked smile. I could see that both now had open
mouths. It was unexpected to see the professor like that, but this gave me
great pleasure. After my humiliating strip and the prospect of further
embarrassment, this was a nice little compensation.

"But from where? How?" Sirius asked, shocked.

"You don't want to know. It doesn't matter, I've got it and I'm not going to
give it back. "

"And what are you going to do now, if the question is permissible?" Snape asked
in a neutral, uninvolved tone, but his eyes didn't leave me for a second.

"I only wanted to assure myself of your oath of secrecy about me by speaking a
small but fine charm over you and Sirius. Trust me, it isn't dangerous," I
appealed to them, hoping the professor would agree, too, because I was quite
sure Sirius would do it.

"What's the name?" Snape wanted to know, now less dismissive and much more
interested.

"Cedere tacientiae," I replied at once, expecting what came then.

"There's no such thing! Don't joke, Miss Granger," the professor burst out
indignantly.

"I am aware that you can't recognize it, sir. This is because I've developed
it. Please let me show it, because it only makes you to keep me - that is, my
person and associated information, confidential," I said.

"You... you... develop spells? How? This is unbelievable!" which came from a
perplexed yet excited Sirius.

"You flatter me, but yes, that is a hobby of mine," I proudly confessed and
smiled blissfully.

"I'll do it. I trust you, you’re the wisest witch I know." Sirius faith touched
my heart.

"Thank you!" I whispered, holding my wand towards him and said, "Cedere
tacientiae, Hermione." I beamed at him. "That's it!"

"Nothing's changed! Everything’s okay." He recapitulated seriously. I looked up
at the professor.

"If it means so much to you and as you seem to need permission from the person
to speak the spell... Am I right, Miss Granger?", he asked, and I could tell he
was curious. I nodded in agreement. "Well, I knew it, but, well, I have one
condition." I prompted him with my hand to continue, "I want your records on
this secrecy-spell," he asserted. I looked at Snape appraisingly.

"Of course, how like a Slytherin! You can get it, but this too should be
confidential!" And I pointed the wand at the professor and pronounced, "Cedere
tacientiae, ‘Hermione and records of the secrecy spell’.”

"I thank you," I said, and rose. "I think I'll go to bed now. It's almost
midnight and the day was long. Good night sir, Sirius," I bid them goodbye and
left via the door, now feeling painless, thanks to the treatment. Behind the
closed door, I waited for a moment to eavesdrop.

"Well, Snivellus, you just agreed to this, so you can see Hermione like this
almost every evening. Admit it, you greasy git." Sirius started not very
friendly.
"Look who's talking, you mutt, your saliva almost drooled out of your mouth and
the way you stared at her!" Snape snapped sardonically. "I was afraid that you
would jump her in front of me."

"At least I admit it. She looked great, except for these shocking injuries. Why
does she do that? However I wouldn't have expected the underwear." I could hear
the mischief in Sirius’ voice.

"Then you have something to dream about," Snape interjected maliciously. "But
Miss Granger's intentions for doing this to herself are a mystery to me as
well. I have always judged her differently: honest, open, acting by the rules,
when your oh-so-great godson and his redheaded friend don’t seduce her again to
do some nonsense. But not like this!"

"Mhm, you're right," Sirius summed up.

"I have to go, goodnight and ‘sweet dreams’, Black," Snape hissed mockingly.

"Snape," Sirius dismissed him with even less words, but they hadn't gone at
each other’s throats, which was quite a miracle. I took care not to be caught
and disappeared into my room.

End of Hermione’s POV

Snape’s POV

When I finally arrived in my private appartment in Hogwarts, my thoughts still
lingered at Grimmauld Place. What the hell had happened today?

I poured myself a generous glass of firewhiskey and sank onto the couch in
front of the fireplace. As I looked into the flames, I reviewed the evening.
Although I would never openly admit it, I was shocked, and very amazed, about
Miss Granger. I would have never thought she'd act like this. Well, she was
unusual, unlike other teenagers, and much more intelligent and powerful than
normal students, whether pure blood or muggle-born, that much was true. What
happened today I hadn't expected. I would never, of course, admit these
thoughts openly, an intelligent Gryffindor, these annoying lions would only
become more insubordinate than they were already.

I realised a long time ago that she didn't only recite her book knowledge, but
rather that she was able to use it in a variety of ways, even if she always
sounded like a record that repeated the textbook. Why remained incomprehensible
to me, but I didn't care. I had always guessed that the golden trio had stolen
from me back then, even though I had never been able to explain how second
graders and nitwits like Potter, and especially Weasley could break my wards.
It had been revealed to me today, however, that this little Gryffindor had
dared to do it alone at the age of twelve, was simply astounding. The courage
to act alone and then have the necessary knowledge to accomplish this at the
age of twelve surprised and astonished me, especially since I doubted that the
more than mediocre seventh-graders were able to open my door at that time.

What secrets harboured the girl? This wasn't normal, especially not for a
student. And now this! The way she had presented herself the last few days and
the clou tonight, when she had taken off her dress with surprisingly little
resistance just like that and then had shown herself to me and Black as proud
as vulnerable. The highlight, however, was that she had then so slowly, not to
say lasciviously tilted her head back and I had watched the slow swallowing
movements of her throat up close. To my regret I had to brace myself not to
savage her. Luckily, I had a better control than the mutt. I had wanted to
humiliate her then, being the Death Eater I still was.

Her youthful body, green and blue, stained by beatings, which she so willingly
demanded and endured, had been a pitiful sight, and had  me more than shaken. I
still shuddered to think of it. She had undergone a radical change. She looked
very attractive and her mind was perhaps even more beautiful. She invented
spells, something I always liked to do, and I too had started to create my own
curses at school.

That the little know-it-all had the courage and the talent to invent such
complex spells as the one she had used today astonished me, but also aroused my
suspicion because of the need of tremendous knowledge on both sides. When had
the small, brave and aspiring Miss Granger begun to study dark magic? Questions
upon questions, this just created headaches and I hated nothing more.

Something I realized but wasn't clear to dimwitted Black, but I knew what was
needed. I had to acknowledge her brilliancy, for such a spell was something,
yes, it was valuable! Especially for a spy like me such a curse could be life-
saving. I was very curious about her notes. It really occupied my thoughts.
Why? And then to top it of the wand, a white one. They were rare, since you
needed to be extremely powerful to be chosen by the wand. The most shocking
thing was they didn't usually choose light wizards, which in turn confirmed my
thoughts towards dark magic.

Hell, since when was a virtuous Miss Granger able to use dark magic? She had
refused to say it, but I already had an exact idea of where she had it from.
This girl was really crazy. She really had to have ventured into Knockturn
Alley. Did she have a clue what could have happened? Now that the Dark Lord was
back, it had become even more unsafe and dangerous in the alleys, so that
everyone would think thrice if one wanted to go there. Oh dear, now I thought
about this annoying miss-know-it-all and was even slightly worried. I didn't
understand what she had in mind, what she wanted to achieve with all this.
Actually, I should lean back and be content to enjoy the drama that was going
on. I'd keep watching and see ... Granger ... Granger, something attracted me,
making me anxious to watch everything.

End of Snape’s POV
***** Just Sirius *****
Chapter Notes
     Here we are again!
     Thanks so much for all the Kudos!
     Today we have the first Mature - Chapter with Hermione and Sirius.
     Enjoy our naughty - original - WHF mind.
Just Sirius

Oh goodness, I laid awake in bed since five o'clock whilst with terrifying
clarity the embarrassing pictures of last night came to mind. I had been naked,
almost naked, in front of Professor Snape and Sirius, and he, he had healed me,
and so tenderly and attentively, as I was not even to myself. Unbelievable, I
really couldn't believe it and it really robbed me of my sleep. Okay, how would
I behave towards Sirius today?

I could mentally briefly neglect Snape, since I strongly suspected that he
wouldn't be here tonight. Well, I also had to be lucky. I rolled back and
forth, restless, and then I let my hands glide softly over my ribs, which had
been injured yesterday, and now felt nothing. Everything was all right again. I
was completely healthy, thanks to Snape.

As restless as I was, I really couldn't sleep anymore. I wanted to move forward
with my running training, but I thought about Sirius all the time. In Snape’s
face, you could as usual, almost not read anything. He had always been
emotionally cold and poor, which had made it very difficult to judge him, but
Sirius had been the exact opposite, and in his face I had been able to read
every emotion yesterday. The question was now, how should I deal with it?

At seven sharp, I stood all ready in a yellow-and-white summer dress in front
of the closed kitchen door and spoke myself courage, then pushed it open
resolutely, rushed self-confidently with a loud "hello" into the kitchen and
went straight towards my usual seat. Sirius could not quite conceal his
astonishment at seeing me appear so brave. He stared at me like a fish in the
dry.

Only now I noticed that Molly wasn't in the kitchen, so we were alone. Well,
well, I hadn't imagined the first reunion like this, but that was usually the
case. So far he hadn't said anything, but had given me unreadable looks from
his gray eyes. Since Molly wasn’t here, I wanted to annoy the guy, after he had
fallen into my back so uncooperatively yesterday and only had agreed with
Snape. I mean, that wasn't nice at all, so I had a small issue with him. I just
winked at Sirius flirtatiously and showed him a mischievous, almost wicked grin
on my face, slipping back into my chair, slowly pulling up my dress hem on my
thigh, and finally lasciviously fished for my wand, which I pulled out of the
holster on my thigh.

Sirius eyes were stuck to my hands and he stared at me open-mouthed as I swung
my wand and let a cup float towards me. Then I put my left pointing finger on
my grinning lips, seductively, to say that this was our secret and let the wand
slip back into the halter.

"... you ... you're really incredible, Hermione," Sirius stuttered hoarsely,
while I poured coffee into my cup.

"What do you mean, my dear?" I looked up innocently and batted my eyelashes.

"I mean, you little beast, that you know very well what you are doing here! I
... I didn't really expect this scene today ... are you flirting with me?" He
asked, stuttering and rough, brushing his undulating long hair behind his ears.

"Would you want that? I surprise you with my performance? Is it good or are you
just bored?" I resumed our previous flirt, and smiled gently at him. Meanwhile,
I lifted the cup to drink and then licked myself extra slowly over my damp
lips.

"You ... ah, I don't know, no, of course, I'm not bored, but how am I supposed
to judge you, you ... if I had seen Ginny yesterday in this presentation, she
would die of shame, she would now be red as a tomato and wouldn't even look
into my eyes, you ... you're so different," he was still confused and torn.

"That I'm different, I thought, you'd know for a long time, Sirius!" I said,
piqued, "Yes, but not like this!", He sounded slightly desperate and it wasn't
clear to me at that moment if I should understand it as a compliment or not.

"What did you think? That I'm good-natured and naive? Please, I would never
have been able to get you out of the North Tower, you should realize that," I
said calmly and please, I could have guessed that much that I was anything but
good when I helped a criminal escape.

"Yes, but Harry ...?" Sirius asked perplexed.

"What, but Harry? He was there and saved you and himself from the Dementors
with his Patronus, that's right! But you still wouldn't be sitting here today,
because without me, we wouldn't have had a time-turner!", I said very certain
and raised my cup with a mocking grin.

"Why do you tell me this now and not before?" Sirius asked, irritated.

"Because I don't need praise or recognition. I was glad that Harry was happy
and you were free," I shrugged my shoulders, for that was the truth.

"You're really amazing, but why do you face the events of yesterday evening so
coldly, or does it not really matter to you?" He asked curiously and looked
with wide eyes at me.

I shrugged. "Something of both, I think!"

"It doesn't matter to you that Snivellus has seen you like this, he, he ... has
touched you, please really, you really don't care?", He got visibly angry now
and I found it to be too late so I raised an eyebrow sarcastically.

"Come on, Sirius, it's really bad now, don't say anything more, and no, I don't
think the professor saw me like that, because he helped me, he was very
friendly" I told him. "Besides, what if I tell you that it wasn't unpleasant
for me when you saw me like that? Didn't you like what you saw? I mean, don't
you want to see it again?" I whispered now, holding his gaze.

"You ... you're really unbelievable, I ... we have to ...", Sirius stopped
abruptly, as Molly swept into the kitchen at that moment, the Twins on her
heels.

"Hermione, already awake, what do you want to eat?" Came her question.

"Morning," it sounded cheerfully from the twins, Sirius and I replied to the
greeting.

"Toast, please!", And to Sirius, "Tonight, after dinner, back in the library?"
I looked at him questioningly.

"Absolutely!" He nodded gravely. "We're not finished yet," he whispered darkly,
giving me a piercing look, getting up and walking out of the kitchen. Fred and
George, who sat next to me, looked at me provocatively and smiled really
filthy.

"What?" I hissed annoyed.

"Nothing, what should it be, a new admirer?" They whispered. "His gaze says
everything, he's totally into you, no wonder, look at you, you're really a hot
girl," they said in turns, throwing insistent looks at me and wiggling with
their red eyebrows.

"Oh, please, I'll puke, what do you want? If you come to me like this, you need
me or something from me, so get on with it!" I demanded and already saw through
them, these two fun-heads.

Fred held his hand dramatically to his heart "Help, help, how can anyone be so
crude, who has just received a serious compliment?" Fred whined drawlingly. I
rolled my eyes and looked to Molly, who put bacon and eggs in her pan, humming
around, and didn't notice anything.

"If George had said I was hot, I would have believed it," I replied dryly.

"Do you always have to keep on about it?" Fred got annoyed.

"Yes, please don't, you know Fred is allergic to it!" George said, miffed.

"Allergic, probably jealous. What do you need now?" I knocked impatiently on
the table with my fingertips.

"There you want to help and gets still dissed, is that the thanks for it?",
George meant now musty, but already a devilish grin lay on Fred's face.

"I know you're fucking with me, but I'm sorry. I didn't want to damage Fred's
sensitive mind!", I bowed my head and admitted defeat.

"Ah, I love it when I know how to get around you," George laughed now, filthy.

"But you don't need to be upset, we have turned on our alarmingly genius
brains, and thought about on how we can help you, and there are two good
ideas."

Fred waved as if it were nothing "Don't ask when you get the finished product,
give us time!"

"What do you want from me now?" I accepted his words.

"We know how you like to send people to sleep," two pairs of eyes mischievously
winked at me.

"So we know you're the right source to ask for a couple of vials of sleeping
potions?", came the amiable admission of Fred "Three or five?", He still said
with a gesture.

"Oh, just like that?" I leaned back with my arms crossed, while the song, which
sounded from the radio, was sang loudly and wrongly by Molly, which made this
conversation possible.

"Please, please, it's for you ...", both were begging heart-meltingly, and two
identical faces looked at me with a hopeful look.

"And then you annoy me like this ... but I'm totally used to it... I suppose
you want one or two vials for your own needs? Poor Lee ..." I said
sympathetically.

"Eh, now you're insulting, we've put Lee to sleep just once, thanks to you!"
The Twins replied instantly, and then we looked at each other conspiratorially
and giggled.

"Come back later into the library, then I'll deliver," I offered then,
afterwards, both of them goofed around with exaggerated bows and other stuff. I
raised myself laughing, took leave of Molly and took my toast with me, before
Ron and Ginny came and got the opportunity to commandeer me. So the day went
like the previous, only the weapon training was new, but still not worth
mentioning.

The potions were boiling and I was in my schedule. I had the dinner in the loud
kitchen behind me and now found myself induced in a thick old tome, when just
before 11 pm Sirius appeared in the large room in front of me. He was wearing
black, tight-cut leather pants, and a large, wide-cut, white cotton shirt,
which was negligently buttoned, so I could see, as usual, the tattoos on his
chest. He slowly came towards me and stopped behind the chair.

"Did Remus have much to tell?" I greeted him indifferently. "What do you want
now, why are you here?" Sirius was silent for a long time, a certain tension
arose in the silence, in which only the crackling of the burning logs could be
heard from the fireplace. Suddenly I felt him gently stroke his fingers across
my arm to the strap of my dress.

"Sorry, yes he did," he whispered in a low, hoarse voice, and lowered the strap
of my dress. "... and why am I here?" His voice faded, leaving an ambiguous
meaning connected with his deed. I shuddered, I hadn't expected that. I knew I
had irritated him, but that he was going to do it right now came unexpectedly.
On the other hand, he was an adult man, what had I expected? I knew where that
could lead, I could still stop him, but did I want that? When did the game
change, from flirtation to more? But as I said, I was always good at
pretending.

If it progressed like this, we wouldn't leave the room without being intimate,
so much I could read from his gesture and to be honest, it had long been a
dirty secret of me that I was no longer untouched. Yes, I had such secrets too.
I liked him as a friend, enjoyed his company and his wit and his flirtation
just brought me pleasure. Why should I say no to fun? A mischievous smile
spread out on my lips, when I had a very wicked idea that let my inner muscles
pulsing. The whole situation was just charged by erotic tension and he was
still waiting.

I shook my head and stood up resolutely, distanced myself from him slightly,
but took him by the hand and put him in my chair, then looked at him and began
to laugh softly, seductively. So I stood before him, in my yellowish flower
dress, the right strap lay seductively from my shoulder, and I glanced
lasciviously down at Sirius, who was anxious. "I thought you wanted to talk.
We've known each other for over two years now," Sirius whispered, looking at me
torn. I slanted my head in a provocative way and looked at him, frowning.

"I've been able to learn a lot about you since we met, and I think I know you
quite well," I leaned to him seductively, whispering in his ear, "I'm not a
silly girl, with a stupid puppy-love, Sirius, you know that, at least since
yesterday!"

Sirius lowered his head. "You're right, I'm sorry. It was stupid of me, I don't
know what I wanted to get with this gesture, what made me think like this since
yesterday ... and this morning, I know I'm way too old, just because of the
little flirts. I ... you're too young, too ... innocent!" He stuttered
uncertainly, not looking at me. I began to laugh mockingly and even more when I
saw his shocked face, which he now turned towards me.

"Oh man, why do you say that, I thought you'd know at least since yesterday
that I'm not the naive, innocent, inexperienced girl who everyone thinks I am.
If it relaxes you, I haven't been a virgin for a long time, if you're afraid
about that!", I cleared up, and only reawakened a surprised look. !!!

And with these words, I feistily grabbed at his shoulders, and sat myself on
his lap, with my legs spread, my face toward him. Sirius froze in surprise and
stopped breathing, frightened, and I enjoyed the feeling of being the one with
the reins in my hand. Slowly I leaned towards him, pulled my mouth towards
Sirius's ear and whispered in a dark, deep voice: "How about this: You say, I
need good hard sex, Hermione! And then you let me do the rest?" I offered
cheekily, and pressed my quivering center against the wonderfully hard bump in
his leather pants and slowly rotated my hips. I was so naughty, where I took
the courage from at the moment, no idea, but something had to happen, otherwise
I would burst and I hoped very much that Sirius would very soon stop being shy.

"Hermione ... what-what ... I can't believe it!" He stuttered panting and his
rough breath made me tremble with pleasure, and my already wet sex tensed with
desire, to be filled by him. I wanted sex, Sirius was the only adequate
specimen in this house and I certainly didn't want to talk now!

"Schsch ... enjoy, not talk!", I whispered. Apparently, Sirius also found his
Gryffindor bravery again, for his hands began to move up my thighs, stroked
slowly upwards, and pushed my knee-length dress higher and higher until he
found my white-yellow lace panties.

Next, I heard his throaty groan as he felt how hot, moist, and completely ready
I was for him, as his fingertips had begun to cheekily discover me, and I began
to nibble at his neck and earlobe, and groan as he stroked me very experienced
and skillfully.

"Hermione, I ..." he started again, but I didn't let him talk anymore, so I
pressed my mouth hot and demanding on his and pushed my tongue deeply inside
his mouth to taste him and I liked what we were doing here, it was like a
reward for my troubles of the last few weeks. Then I leaned back again and
grinned wickedly into his glassy, demanding eyes.

"Don't say one more word with your naughty mouth, Sirius! You open now those
ridiculously tight trousers and then, ... " I leaned forward promisingly and
licked greedily over his earlobe and blew gently over it, "... can you tell me
how unbelievable it feels in my hot, tight ... ", I couldn't speak any further,
since he became active, my words had to have hit him hard in his self-control.
With a loud mixture of moaning, growling and whimpering, he had abruptly
grabbed my hair and pushed me passionately back to his mouth, while his other
hand quickly opened his pants and then tore my panties with his hands
impatiently. How handy he was, I thought, smiling, within our stormy tongue
kiss. I already felt the tip of his big hard shaft demanding at my opening and
took over the leadership, began to take him slowly and without shyness, let him
briefly feel how hot and moist I already was for him, but pulled right back,
whereupon he raised his waist. I teased him. I haven't been thinking anymore
for a long time, I just felt.

"Oh, Sirius ..." I groaned, before I let myself fall and banged hard and fast
on his hardness. I screamed smothered. He growled deeply. I felt so full that
it was almost painful, and while I was grimacing, my body pulsed around his
hard arousal. His loud, stifled moaning was the only thing I needed. Slowly I
moved upwards, stretched my inner muscles and enjoyed his fingers digging
painfully into my hips as he tried to control himself. We moved in a hard, fast
rhythm. Damn, that was fantastic, the best sex I've ever had.

Sirius's hot, irregular breath, which always swept over my skin as he filled
me, so much more than I ever thought possible. The flashes that came through me
when his scratchy hair tickled my sensitive point, his wheezing and animal
growling, so deep and masculine, and how he showed me how much he liked what I
was doing.

"Hermione, ... Hermione ... damn, you're so hot ... so damn tight ..." he
gasped. I watched him, his face distorted with pleasure as I moved up and down.
His fingers made bruises on my body as he lowered me harder and faster. He
eccentrically called my name and emitted unarticulated sounds as I moved above
him. I rode him fiercely and wildly. We experienced hard and rampant action,
and with each stroke I flew higher. His movements became uneven and twitching,
and I could feel his fingers dig deeper and deeper into my skin. My body too
began to contract and I too would come soon. My body trembled and I knew, I was
close. Sirius' groaning moaning, his big, big hands, and his big, bumping cock
hurled us over the edge and my muscles tensed and massaged him.

At that moment, a fist grabbed my hair and pulled me to his mouth just in time
to dampen my loud exclamation and cry as my sex cramped around him and
swallowed. He rode out our orgasm. Phew, ... very exhausting but also very
satisfying, oh gooddness, that was hot.!!!

 We smiled at each other and put our clothes back on properly. I spoke a
cleaning spell and brushed my tangled hair back from my sweaty face. Whilst, we
both tried to get our breath back. I looked at Sirius, who leaned with his eyes
closed in the chair and still gasped. He looked very satisfied and beautiful.
His long, black, silky shining hair fell over his shoulders and a smile laid on
his full lips.

"I can now confirm that you were no longer a virgin," he grinned now, nasty,
with eyes still closed.

"Oh come on, this isn't really shocking, besides you know that I always do the
extra tasks, hard work!" I grinned just as badly and sprawled myself into the
chair next to him, pulling my legs towards me.

"Damn Hermione, what happened to the dear, little witch that I knew?" He asked,
shocked, then his eyes opened angrily.

"Perhaps she never existed or she grew up. Oh, and when you met me, I was no
longer innocent," I told him, grinning. "Well, we've fucked now and it was
fantastic if you ask me!" I licked my lips.

"When you're talking like this, you're a really wicked, wild bitch, full of
Slytherin, ... oh, I can't imagine anything better, you're driving me mad, but
wait ... that would mean ... that means you were, I can't believe it ... you're
making me speechless ... but then you were only 13, weren't you?", He stammered
at his realization, he seemed slightly confused, grabbed his hair and pulled
once in despair.

"Well, I can return the compliment. Thanks for the ride, Casanova, and for your
last interjection, I was almost 15 when it makes you happy, but you'll never
know more!" I said, smiling mysteriously. Now he buried his face in his hands.
"What do you think the others would say if they knew about us? Harry, the
Weasleys?" Sirius muttered. I let my lower lip slip through my teeth. "They'd
say I'm too young, but we both know this isn't true, I most likely have already
experienced more than Molly in her whole life, except for the having
children!", With this statement I twisted my face to a repellent grimace.

"... you don't want any, ... you don't like children, ... but doesn't every
young girl want them?" Sirius asked, already amply confused.

"Never say never, I know that despite my young years, but if you ask ... Yes, I
don't need children and want? Well, in the next few decades definitely no, and
it should never be, I couldn't say now that I would be sad. I'm aware that I
fall out of the scheme again, but I'm not a Ginny or Lavender, I'm not like
these girls, Sirius. I'm in the frontline in war, not in the reserve or waiting
at home. I'm me! A selfish bitch, if I'm honest. Can you deal with this
knowledge?", I looked at him seriously and could see how he listened
attentively and didn't interrupt me.

"I'm not in love with you, either. I like you Sirius, but we both know that you
don't love me, this is fucking, horny fucking, but nothing else and goddess
forbid, no flower sex. I wouldn't care what the others say, but I want it to
stay between us, it's better for all our souls, you agree with me?" I asked
frankly. He nodded, speechless, wide-eyed. "And we could continue to fuck!" I
said cheekily and ran my finger lasciviously along his arm just as he did at
the beginning with me.

"You'll be the death of me, oh Merlin, what a question, of course we'll
continue. I don't think I have the self-control to forego you!" He said,
shaken, and dropped his head back and stared at the ceiling. "You fall out of
the scheme, but you're very special, Hermione, unique! Even if your attitude
and your statements shock me," he said confidently. "But I'll probably have to
live with that if I still want you, right?"

I rose and bent back towards him to kiss him. We sank in a brief duel.

"You're absolutely right, it's late. Sleep well my Casanova, I'm looking
forward to tomorrow and to what we can try then!" I purred at his mouth, then I
straightened up and left the library with swaying hips.
***** Past *****
Chapter Notes
     Thank you for all the reads and especially kudos!
     Enjoy today:
     Cedric, Viktor and Hermione.
     xx
Past

Unbelievable, but I had fucked Sirius, Harry's godfather, and - shame on me -
I would do it again in a heartbeat. Sirius knew what he was doing, and from now
on he had spoiled me for all time. He had shown me that I liked more mature
men, much more mature men, and they could satisfy my needs better than the boys
of my age, or only a little older, since my two other lovers were only three to
four years older than me. I have to say, with Sirius, they absolutely couldn't
keep up, so a wicked but also very satisfied smile appeared on my lips.

I suspect that everyone in Hogwarts assumed I was still the untouched virgin.
You know, the good nerdy image, but I was probably one of the first one to
collect my experiences, only one word: premature, just because of my intellect.
When I was still fully satisfied, I thought about my other two conquests, a
sweet, beautiful memory which also made me a bit sad at the same time. I had
lost my innocence two months before the end of our third year, and to whom was
a well-kept secret from me. It wasn't just a one-night stand. We had met the
remaining two months on a regular basis, but after the holidays the whole thing
had fizzled out.

What wasn't tragic at all, because I hadn't been in love with him either, and I
think I was not a woman who could or didn't want to have heartache, but
Hermione Granger was too head-driven. As I said, no one, neither Harry nor Ron,
or anyone else, had realized that I had a short but intense relationship with a
sixth-grader in our third year, who had introduced me very sympathetically to
love. In the end, I had already been afraid that I could break his heart, but
then, luckily, it hadn't happened.

His name, yes, today it's hard for me to say his name out loud, because I feel
endless sadness in myself when I think of him. Not because I loved him, which I
hadn't done at any time, but because his fate was too horrible and I was so
grateful to him for those two months. It was a nice time, hopefully he had also
enjoyed it in his too short life. His name was Cedric Diggory! So, now you
know, I had something with Cedric.

Now, one wonders what the three-year-older Cedric would have wanted from a
small third-grader, Hermione, to consider her at all. Well, since my second
year we had often been intensely debating in the library and Cedric was amazed
by my knowledge, but was also excited. It lured him that I was able to compete
with a fifth grader, had impressed him severely. Thanks to the time-turner in
this third year, I had developed more quickly than other girls, and I had grown
up faster than ever, thanks to the prohibited department, since this robbed any
illusions. Cedric had always been very attentive, which is why he had noticed
my imperceptible but steady changes and was concerned. We had understood each
other really well and I had felt flattered that the really handsome sixth
grader gave me, the know-it-all, attention and I had therefore very much
enjoyed his advances.

When I had almost collapsed in the library one evening because of the physical
exhaustion that this double burden of the time-turner had brought me, Cedric
had been there, the knight, my knight in silver armor, and although he had been
a Hufflepuff, he had many traits of the other houses as well. He had helped me,
but I had struggled with his care. He hadn't dragged me to the hospital wing,
which would have been a catastrophe, the teachers hadn't been able to know how
much I had misused the time-turner, had been my luck. When, however, he had
refused to leave me alone, he had, in order to distract me and to give me a
happiness, taken me to the prefect-bathroom on the fifth floor. Since he had
been a prefect and quidditch captain of his house from the fifth grade, he had
known the bath and the associated password. I had been overwhelmed.

The bathroom was huge and everything was marble in soft natural tones. The tub
in the floor was very large, so that even a few swimming strokes were possible.
Above the pool was a huge golden construction with countless water taps, from
which came different bathing additives. Fluffy white bath towels lay everywhere
in the corners. At that point I had decided that I would definitely become a
prefect.

Above the basin was a detailed, magnificent picture with a water mermaid, in
short, everything was beautiful. In the other corner was a resting oasis, in
which one could relax or  get dry. It was incredibly beautiful. The perfect
place for the first time. I can still remember his pensive smile when he had
looked at me and enjoyed my astonishment. He had been an attractive figure and
a heartthrob, with his hair hanging over his eyes, his eyes itself, his
handsome expression, his well-cut face, and awesome body, thanks to his sport.

I don’t exactly know how it happened, why he pulled me towards him and started
to undress me; only that I hadn't been averse and had eagerly participated. I
couldn't believe he wanted me and I wanted him. Somehow we had landed naked in
the pool. It had been a relaxed atmosphere, no shame or shyness had ever
occurred at any time. It had felt just right and we just joked around, of
course, all this had an erotic touch, which I hadn't been able to escape and
didn't want to escape. When we finished our fling, we had begun to kiss and he
had taken me to the resting oasis, and there we continued, there was no second
thought or hesitation, although Cedric clearly took the lead. He had known what
he was doing and I let him lead me.

After countless tender kisses and long gentle strokes, he slowly laid down
between my legs and looked deeply, questioningly into my eyes. I had
passionately replied his glance, and almost impatiently pulled him towards me,
which was certainly a demand for him, and so he had entered me cautiously and
affectionately, as it had been Cedric's manner. We had loved each other in a
gentle, swinging rhythm until we had both reached our climax. After the love
game, we had lain in our arms and indulged in our thoughts.

He, the Hufflepuffs idol, the prefect, and I the younger Gryffindor, some
classes under him. This story between us, that was something. And no one
should've known, which was clear to him and me. No one would have approved it,
he was too popular and coveted, and I had been too much in the middle of
everything, Harry Potter's best friend. But we had a lot of fun, and during
that time we felt strongly drawn towards each other. For us it had been right
and after that first time, he and I had quickly realized that even more times
would follow, for that I was too keen on him and he had been on me.

He liked to let himself into this, as he had known I could be silent like a
grave and I didn't want to adorn myself with him, unlike the other girls who
would have loved him as a trophy. This loving liaison had then gone until the
beginning of the holidays and we had taken advantage of this time and enjoyed
it. He was so attentive, empathetic, and not inexperienced, and was infinitely
kind to me.

But now the most terrible came, Cedric was no more.

This knowledge hurt me infinitely, but that wasn't to be changed. I had
accepted this early, but I would always keep him and my memories in honor. Oh
yes, Cedric was a beautiful, but also a sad memory, my second conquest was
already a different caliber.

When the fourth year began, my relationship with Cedric had gone downhill as I
said, even though we were still friends, this year had promised early on to be
exciting as the exchange students from Beauxbaton and Durmstrang had arrived.
That I would get a new admirer so fast, I hadn't expected, but I felt very
flattered at the end.

It had begun with a very intense exchange of views, when he had thrown his name
into the goblet for the tournament selection. From then on we had often seen
each other and also started to talk to each other. He had even stalked me and I
had acted very reluctant when he had begun to get closer to me. But all of this
had happened unobserved by the others, for we had done it so cleverly that
absolutely no one had noticed. He was amazingly an interesting conversation
partner and not just the famous seeker for the Bulgarian Quidditch team. I had
understood why he was so in the center of interest of the other girls, as he
had a truly self-confident and impressive appearance, and then that somber, but
attractive, radiance, which had been underlined by his dark brown hair with
dark brown eyes. Since nobody had noticed what had developed between me and
him, although he had mostly been haunted by a horde of wild, puberty girls, we
could have been proud of this achievement.

When he had asked me to accompany him to the Yule Ball, I had accepted the
invitation. I had wanted to show the others that I was very well a woman, who
had quite a chance with the guys. Oh, how I had been annoyed with Ron at that
time, this pubescent boy who thought I was a similar late starter as he was. I
will never forget the envious, jealous and surprised, as well as disbelieving
looks of others.

I, the gray nerd, with the Quidditch star and participant of the tournament,
Viktor Krum, incredible and then also so completely unexpected. Why was he
coming onto me, Hermione Granger, did probably think many others. What I could
offer him, not only mentally but also physically, would have everyone given the
goosebumps.  In their wildest dreams, they couldn't have imagined that the
innocent Hermione wasn't as good as they thought.

Cedric had spoken to me during a dance, when the partners had been exchanged at
the opening dance, and smilingly meant that he was amazed to see me with
Viktor, but he wasn't really surprised, that I was always good for a surprise
and I probably liked older men. Then he had still noticed, laughing, that I was
connected with all the male participants of the tournament or had something in
the past.
"You're unbelievable," he whispered, teasingly into my ear and giving me a
wink, wished me and Viktor a pleasurable evening. Viktor had been a wonderful
ball partner, and when I had sent the two idiots Harry and Ron to their room
because they had once again appeared as the little children they were, the
relationship with Viktor had gone to the next round.

We had been very discreet. He had brought - or rather smuggled - me to the ship
of Durmstrang into his cabin. Everything had been held in the warm dark brown
of the ship's beams, and with the porthole with a view of Hogwarts it had all
been very romantic and harmonious. Kissing we stumbled into his room. Viktor
was very passionate and much more determined than Cedric and had impatiently
taken what he wanted.

He had undressed me quickly and started with a fast, hard pace. He had given me
the most intense orgasm I ever had until that point. He had been so different
from Cedric, who had always been so caring and sensitive towards me. Viktor had
been much more passionate and less attentive. I believe at that moment I had
realized that I felt more attracted to Bad Boys, than to the Good Guys, also I
had liked the rough handling of Viktor. Since then I was able to say that the
"flower sex" with Cedric had been beautiful, but I had found more fulfillment
in the harsh, passionate sex with Viktor.

The following months had confirmed me in my assumption. We hadn't always been
tender to each other, though our sexual unions were wild. There had never been
a lot of tension since we had agreed not to make public how intimate we were
with each other. Often I had been secretly on the ship during the night, and
had met Viktor's closest friends, Boris Poliakoff and Ivan Jarosch. They had
helped us where they could. I also had the honor to take a look at the library
of the sailing ship, which I had extensively used during my night excursions.
Viktor was very amazed at that time, when he had noticed that I had an
extensive knowledge of dark magic.

Today, I know, thanks to my wand, that Viktor is probably not so different from
me, because his wand is made of white beech with a dragon heart string as a
core, also a very bright white wand similar to my hawthorn wand but with the
contents of my school magic wand. At that time I had also figured out the
probably biggest secret of the Twins, when I wanted to sneak into the castle
one night, I had passed the greenhouses and I had heard obvious noises.
Curiosity had driven me, something I had always had enough, so I had to look.
So I had sneaked up, took a look, and after I broke the one or the other
protective charm, I jumped back, shocked. What had been revealed to me had made
my face red of shame. It was the first time that I had seen sex between two men
and that it were also identical-looking people, had made the whole thing ...
more wicked?

But I couldn't turn away from this passionate event, it had fascinated me too
much. I had known since my third year that the Twins weren't just the jokers,
as they appeared to everyone. Many of their jokes and products couldn't be made
without dark magic or prohibited substances, they had no scruples in this
respect either.

And thanks to the Marauder's Map, they had often found me in the Forbidden
section, and lent my knowledge as they said so beautifully. At the same time,
they had helped hide my sudden disappearance, after all, one hand washes the
other. We trusted about each other's discretion, even today. I had guessed, but
didn't know that Fred and George had a very close relationship to each other,
but now it was so clear in front of my eyes, it had thrown me a little bit out
of concept.

And so I had stared at the events in front of me with big eyes, and when the
two had finished, I didn't leave, no, we had already had a too good
relationship then, that I of course told them that I knew about them. I had
begun to clap affectionately, whilst both of them turned around, shocked. The
relief that it was me, that had caught them in flagranti, had been clearly
written in their faces, and also the confusion of how I was able to break their
protective shields, but I had always been good at that. Their concern that I
couldn't understand them, I could take from them, since I had generously
offered them my help to make their secret to mine. The gratitude for my
acceptance towards them and that I didn't condemn them for their feelings for
each other could be seen in their faces and had brought us closer to each
other. To show them that I was serious and as they didn't have the map anymore,
since they had given it to Harry, I had told them about Viktor, which didn't
really surprise them. Dryly they had said that they could trust me to do almost
anything and had promised to help me to sneak out at night. We had gradually
become a really good team.

Yes, even then I had had secrets. Secrets before my friends. Was I a good
friend? I don't know, just because I didn't tell them everything I did? I
really didn't know. I was always loyal to Harry! Nothing would separate me from
him, for I loved him as a part of my family as I would have loved a brother if
I had had one.

I was standing behind Harry for the entire time of the Triwizard Tournament,
and Viktor had been aware of this. He had known and accepted that I loved
Harry, but I only coveted him. The rest of the year had been very exciting.
Viktor had taught me a lot, and with him I had fully matured to a woman. He had
never thought about our age difference because he said I was a woman, the most
desirable woman he had ever met, and so different from the girls who clung to
him, which I had never done. The return of Lord Voldemort and Cedric's death
had almost brought my desire to a standstill as my first boyfriend's death had
affected me deeply, and now the darkness had had come which promised no good
for the future.

When the farewell came, both of us had realized that we had come to the end of
our relationship. There had been no tears which had surprised Viktor, I don't
know, maybe! Perhaps he would have liked it if I had shed a few tears for him.
We had agreed to remain in contact by letters, which we have maintained until
today.

I saw the past in front of my eyes and smiled slightly in thought at this
beautiful, but sometimes sad, but unforgettable time.
***** A Long Night *****
Chapter Notes
     WHF is back with some nice Smut. (Warning: Twincest)
     Enjoy!
     And thank you so much for all the Kudos and Reads. :)
A Long Night
I was still lying in my bed, leaving the past being past as my thoughts
returned to Sirius. My new lover was Sirius Black, incomparable with Cedric and
Victor. He was a 36-year-old man, his appearance marked by his past fate. A
marauder, a Casanova, a man who had lost his best friends, a man who had been
betrayed by a friend, a man who had spent twelve years innocently in prison, a
man still alive today and still on the run. Us separated a little more than 21
years, but since yesterday, I had to say, I didn't give a shit. I wouldn't want
to change it, to exchange him. When I called Victor a Bad Boy, that was hasty,
because he was the harmless version of a real Bad Guy à la Sirius.
Just saying, I was already corrupted/disspated, where would that end? I was
aware that our affair was temporary, unfortunately, but I wouldn't enjoy it any
less. I just hoped that he wouldn't suddenly feel his morals or find them after
all, and would feel horrible to have seduced me, but I just hoped he was too
selfish and didn't lie to himself. For that is how I didn't judge him. Though
sometimes rash and somewhat ill-advised in his deeds, once he had decided, he
stuck to his decision and held on to his fun.
I kept my daily routine as well, but today there was no Sirius in the kitchen
when I arrived, apparently our gymnastics had exhausted him so profoundly last
night, I thought wickedly, that he still needed rest.
My day went like the previous, very successful but also very tiring. When I
arrived for supper, I was very excited and cheerful. Sirius, too, who looked at
me with a gleam in his grey eyes. He had obviously no second thoughts or gotten
a guilty conscience. He was just a bad boy. When I sat down, I put my leg so
that I touched his knee as if by accident. He raised an eyebrow, calculatingly,
and looked at me with glittering eyes. It was funny and invigorating to sit in
the full kitchen and know that everyone else was ignorant of what was going on
between us.
"And Hermione, do you have time for us tonight?" Ron suddenly groused.
"Of course, right after the meal." I took the wind out of his sails, the way he
looked at me.
"No, first you come to us, we have to show you something, sorry Ron, doesn't
last long either!", Fred and George now said very weightily and rose to leave
the room.
"Yeah, well, it's okay. I'll eat quickly, then I'll come right away!" I said to
the twins and to Ron:  "I will hurry, promise!" and began eating quickly. If
they announced it so publicly, they wanted something important from me.
Sirius leaned towards me. "Really?" he whispered very quietly, though that
would have been almost unnecessary, thanks to the noisy assembled Weasleys.
"No, let me surprise you. At 11 pm I'll tell you more, wait in your room!" He
nodded at once. I left soon and quickly scurried to the twins' room. I opened
the door, slipped in, and stopped for a second. Fred and George lay together on
a bed. George had already lost the top of his mustard yellow pajamas, and
Fred's bilious green top was all unbuttoned, revealing his white chest. The
colors bit themselves strongly with the rich orange-red of their hair. They
didn’t mind my arrival and carried on with their activities.
 I was just allowed to see Fred biting tenderly into the aroused nipple of his
brother, the latter groaning with pleasure, and went to the other bed and sat
down on it.
"Chchchrmmmm ..." I coughed drawlingly. "Guys, you wanted something from me. Or
do you need someone to watch you?", I asked boldly.
"Oawa, sorry didn't even notice you...", George groaned dreamily as Fred didn't
really cease from teasing him.
"You are really hot, playing with each other, but your brother is waiting. What
do you want from me?" I rolled my eyes at their absorbed love-play.
"Ahahahh...", because of this outcry I desperately rolled my eyes. Oh man, what
a show. The two were impossible, always had been. They loved to shock, they
achieved to shock most people and with me they tried it again and again.
Fred raised his head and gave me a laugh. "Join in," he offered. Now I let
myself fall to the bed, laughing: "You wish!"
"Then just watch, wouldn't be the first time," he lasciviously insinuated how I
had caught them.
"Did you like it, Fred?" I raised my eyebrows questioningly and studied the
infamous sibling couple.
"Mh Mh Mh ...", it came very informative from him and his hands stroked the
body of George gently up and down.
"Either way, I don't have time, your brother is waiting ..." I tried to force
them to answer me.
Now I saw how the action started, as Fred began to stroke the bump in George's
pajama bottoms. Ok, I had to get out of here, that was really toooo hot for me
to handle. I really didn't want to see that now, because it was enough for me
the last time.
"...He...Her...Here...", George found it hard to find his voice, he unsurely
grabbed towards the bedside table, fished from the top two candies of different
colors, and held them with a shaking hand "...prototypes...for the two...give
it to them ...", he stuttered breathlessly, as Fred again bit in his nipple.
"Oh, you're really impossible, isn't it embarrassing in front of me?" I scolded
amused and took the sleeping candies.
"Never in front of you! As I said, you'd really do George a favor if you'd
join. He always wanted a threesome and you know he thinks he's a bit bi and he
still wants to test it!" Fred said, grinning, wiggling his red eyebrows
mischievously.
"Yes, but please, not with me!" I pointed with eyes wide in horror and
surprised at myself.
 "Why not? I wouldn't have a problem with you," Fred said, as his hands slipped
into George's pants and indulged his brother who didn’t notice anything from
our conversation.
"No thanks, we're friends, so sex is out of question," I declined. "But if you
want something like that, give me time till tomorrow, let me think of something
... wouldn't be too difficult ...” I nibbled at my lips, as it rattled inside
my brain how I could fulfill their wish. Fred jerked me out of my thoughts.
"You should go now, if you really don't want to participate," he threatened,
already pulling down George's pants, and revealing a proper erection, which now
stood freed and hard in the air. I squeaked indignantly and jumped off the bed,
escaped to the door, but of course I risked a look back during my flight and
witnessed how Fred held George's cock with his hand, lunged over the shaft and
licked the glans. And soon his lips were around George's cock and he took it
eagerly into his mouth... ‘Oh Merlin, I have to get out of here’... these were
my harried thoughts. As quickly as possible, because even I didn't have to know
everything.
As I took a deep breath in the hallway and tried to cool my heated face, I
quickly spoke some protective spells on the door, because if anyone saw them
like that, then good luck! Not everyone was as tough and tolerant as I was.
Slowly but surely a plan was formed in my head and I would begin to realize it
tonight, because since the ball with Alicia and Angelina there was a big kink
in the relationship of the twins and it was called Angelina. George’s, but
above all Fred's jealousy always came up again. The Twins were only to be seen
as a team, so I would try to give them what they desired to recognize that they
were all they needed.
My eyes now fell on the two candies I held in my hand, so I would keep my
drugged butterbeers and try these one. I anxiously made my way to my room.
"There you are, finally, what did the two jesters want from you?" Ginny asked
curiously from the bed.
"Nothing special, actually just nonsense... but I got something here, a
surprise for you, as an excuse that I had so little time in the last few days,"
I opened the closet and took out three unprepared bottles of butterbeer.
"That's really decent of you, Hermione," Ron praised generously and Ginny
cheered happily. I pressed a beer into each of their hands and said cheers, we
all drank. We made ourselves comfortable on one of the beds and I put the two
sweets on the bedspread, acting casually.
"What are these?" Ron questioned at once.
"Oh, I've found them before, muggle sweets!" I explained indifferently.
"What, cool and what do they taste like?" Ron’s reply was pointedly neutral.
"Delicious, it's really something different than the magical stuff," I said
luringly and was rewarded with two interested faces.
"Do you to want to try?" I questioned quietly.
"But these are your last ones," said Ginny kindly and refused bravely.
"Yes, but I can always get new ones and I know how they taste," I continued.
"Then gladly!" both said, and the sweets already disappeared in their mouths.
The effect occurred almost instantly, both of them got glassy eyes and swayed
alarmingly. This wasn't as planned. I thought the two Red Devils would still
have to do a bit of fine tuning, because the effect should've been delayed, but
tonight I wouldn't enter their room voluntarily, that was for sure. Now I drew
my wand with a sigh, dared to do my first 'obliviate', to make them forget
this, gave them the memory of a playful evening, and left Ron and Ginny in
their beds before their eyes finally closed and they dived into their dreams. I
rubbed my hands, that had gone better than expected, I silently congratulated
myself. Was I evil, if I handled my friends like this?
Yes, I thought I was. I tried to be as honest as I could to myself, even if I
didn't like this summary. Actually, my books would've been waiting for me now,
since one or two pieces of research still had to be done, but first I had to go
to Sirius. Because of our second night I generously neglected my schedule. I
needed some fun, too, and the Twins had fired me up dangerously. I sneaked up
the last few steps to Sirius's room, anxious to avoid unnecessary noise.
The door was hard to miss, as a name plate was attached to it. At the opposite
door was the name of his deceased brother Regulus. I didn't knock, why should
I, he was waiting for me. I wore nothing but my short lilac summer nightshirt.
I slipped inside quickly. Sirius lied on his broad, carved, wooden bed and read
a Quidditch book. The faded silver-gray silk wallpaper and the heavy velvet
curtains beside the windows would have given the whole room, in spite of the
neglect, a noble atmosphere, were there not the flags in Gryffindor red-gold
and the muggle images of naked women and motorcycles, glued on the walls with
permanent sticking charms.
Well, Sirius couldn't deny his Black ancestry. Apparently this family loved to
hex things to walls for eternity. I almost broke into laughter because it was
too funny. Maybe the old Mrs. Black stole the idea for her painting from
Sirius?
"Finally, I thought you weren't going to come anymore," he exclaimed happily,
but also very impatiently, and threw away the book into a corner. "Impatient?"
I moved on into the room.
 ”...fancy licking something?" I whispered seductively, as I could still see in
my mind Fred's mouth as it had closed around George's member and this occupied
my thoughts the whole time. I could hear Sirius growling. He showed his
astonishment when I immediately came to him. Then an anticipatory, almost
devilish grin spread on his face and he sat back on his knees. Since he was
wearing nothing but his shorts, I could see his well-defined chest and I liked
what I saw. I licked greedily over my dry lips. I moved closer and he grabbed
me already and threw me on the bed with amazing power. "You come too late and
then make demands?" he growled deeply. I looked at him with innocent eyes, and
slowly stroked my lips with my fingertips, like a silent promise to indulge
him. "Proposal?" I muttered roughly.
He groaned, trying to suppress it but no succeeding completely. "You're a
beast, you know exactly what buttons you have to push, right?" he replied,
aroused. Then he kissed me firmly and longingly on my mouth. We were apparently
not the slow, enjoy-it type of people, because there was a boiling heat between
us, which had to be extinguished quickly. While he kissed me, demandingly, he
pushed my short shirt up to my hip and then distanced himself from me. He
looked at me with glowing eyes, then went down, so that he came to lie between
my spread legs. At once I could feel his fingertips brushing over the fabric of
my perfectly soaked panties, making me tremble. It felt wonderful.
Now I growled furiously, "Sirius… quicker… please..." I wasn't able to say
more, because at this moment I heard fabric ripping. This aroused impatience of
his increased my pleasure enormously. And soon I could feel his breath where I
needed him most urgently, everything inside me contracted with pure pleasure. I
pushed myself up my elbows and looked down, watching as Sirius began to ravish
me, letting my head sink into my neck, and surrendering myself to the pleasant
feeling of his licking tongue and the sucking of his mouth at my most sensitive
part.  My senses started to fade.
What he was doing made me go crazy. I uttered small, suffocated sounds that
seemed to edge him on even more. As his tongue tirelessly licked over me, it
threatened to burn me from the inside, and since he was still using his fingers
to pleasure me and insert them inside me again and again, my orgasm came like a
quick, big wave over me.
"Sirius..." I cried, not quietly. Everything inside me cramped and I fell like
a stone on the bed. I had completely surrendered to my pleasure. After the
veils over my eyes lifted again, my breathing had normalized and I could see
again, I saw a beaming Sirius, who grinned mischievously between my legs. I
began to laugh and he crawled up to me quickly. We sank into a ravishing,
passionate kiss. Since I believe in ‘pay like with like’, I now continued my
slow, sensual path on his body kissing and licking down. I pulled down his
shorts impatiently, his impressive, hard cock was already waiting for me,
trembling in front of my eyes as I began to indulge the good piece.
My hands embraced his rock-hard cock. I stroked again and again and I came
closer with my mouth, until I licked the tip of his glans. His little scream
gave me goose bumps and aroused my lust, so I did it again and licked, this
time, a pleasure drop of him and then stroked his shaft with my tongue slowly.
I could hear his whimpering and growling. That was what I wanted to hear. His
body twisted under me. He was wax in my hands and I had a lot in my hand. And I
took him greedily as far as I could in my mouth. A stifled cry sounded and
Sirius touched my hair very gently and stipulated a fast pace. When I started
to use my hands too to treat his testicles, I could tell from his reactions
that he wouldn't last long.
I increased my efforts and he surrendered himself to me in his total lust as he
came inside my mouth with a loud "H... mione..." I took all he gave me and
sucked him empty. Sirius lay blissful, but like dead on the bed, his chest
moving up and down heavily.
"That was wonderful, the last time something like that  happened  was years
ago..." he supplied ,  hoarse and breathless.
"I also found it very satisfying," I  breathed, indeed  very satisfied ,  and
lay down beside him. I looked at him from the side, and I felt completely well.
My right hand lay on his belly and stroked playfully up to his chest to caress
his tattoos dreamily.
"Are you  going to  tell me now what you ’ve  done beforehand?" he asked
curious, turning his face to me. "What did the twins want from you and how did
you escape the others?"
"The  t wins, well ,  they wanted to give me something . T hey're friends," I
explained as I stroked him.
"Better than Harry and Ron?" he shot back at once.
"Yes and no - not better than Harry, different, but better than Ron, yes. Let's
say Harry is closer to my heart, but the twins are closer to my secrets," I
tried to explain sincerely the different friendships.
"You trust them more than Harry?" His grey eyes grew wide, disbelieving.
"Yes!"
"Why... I don't understand, I thought Harry was your best friend?" he asked ,
completely bewildered and look ing  at me suspicious. I looked up at him, too.
"And he's my best friend, but he would..." and I pointed to our bed, "not
approve  of  the things I do," I said seriously.
"But the  t wins, as you call them, do? Approve of this ,  here?" He asked
skeptically, repeating my gesture between us.
"Yes!" I wouldn't say more,  as  that didn't concern him.
"You won't tell me more, will you?" he asked.
"You know me too well, Casanova!" I whispered softly and kissed him lightly on
his closed lips.
"I have to go, sleep well!" I sat up and stretched myself ,  satisfied.
"Already? Why ?  I thought that was the first round ...", he pouted
immediately, as only guys could and I laughed out loud.
“I’m not putting off my work just because we're fucking now and you're
insatiable.  I have almost an hour and a half before I have to go to bed," I
explained strictly, but I meant everything I said. Now he showed me his teeth:
"I know a way to use this time differently ...", it came from him auspiciously.
"I can tell, but I'll stick to it!" I decided. I rose, cleansed myself,
smoothed my nightshirt, and tied my hair together. After a last look at my
destroyed panties, I blew him a kiss and disappeared. In my nightshirt, I crept
through the sleeping house.
Standing in front of my books, I thought about what I needed to realize my
idea, as it wasn't just about the desire of the twins. No, I would be able to
connect it perfectly to one of my plans, because I loved it when everything was
so intertwined. Ah, I already had the desired information.
Now I knew how it would work, but on what or where could I use the curse to be
able to use it again and again? Hmm ... I had to think and slouched into my
chair in front of the cozy fire, a feather thoughtful in my mouth. What did I
have to do and take into account in my plan? I worked on it through the
night... the next time I spoke the Tempus, I was shocked, three o'clock! That
would be a short night, but I could be satisfied because everything stood. I
just had to implement it and I would approach that tomorrow.
***** Trafalgar Square *****
Chapter Notes
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Trafalgar Square

The night was extremely short but very satisfying. Today was the 15th of August
and I was already waiting anxiously to see if she would stick to the agreement.
I sat in the kitchen at breakfast, as an owl arrived for me, which surprised
me, I gave her questioning looks, since I had received no mail so far and the
letter from Hogwarts would still come.

I took the parchment from the owl and gave her a few crumbs of bread. Of course
I knew from whom the letter was, but wouldn't open it under the curious eyes of
those present here.

"Ah, from Victor, thank you again, Ron, for lending me Pig," I said kindly, as
I wanted to distract and Ron responded as I had hoped.

He made an angry face and muttered something into his non-existent beard. He
and Ginny looked unusually cheerful, no wonder after that deep, restful sleep.
I put the letter  in my pockets, finished my breakfast and left the room, but
was expected in the hallway from two filthy grinning twins, who had as always
nonsense in their heads. They accompanied me on my way.

"Say, most beautiful, what went on yesterday?" The two weren't curious at all.

"You don't even get red!" I said, shaking my head.

"Why, you didn't see anything you didn't know already!" One of the red-haired
devils grinned.

"Hrr, you're impossible! But to the prototypes, they have worked, but almost
too well. The effect starts immediately, but time-delayed and individual per
person would be more effective, so that the people can withdraw themselves. I
was allowed to dump the two into bed yesterday," I explained in detail, as we
continued our way up, after all this I wanted nothing more than to go back to
the library.

"Hmm, I think I already know what we have to change on the dosage. We'll get to
work soon!" George murmured, lost in thought.

"Oh, and Dung would have to deliver tonight," they announced broadly grinning,
and then George immediately wanted to rush with Fred into their room.

"Fred, one more minute!" I held him back, so George left alone.

"About yesterday, I..."

He interrupted me.  "Sorry, wasn't meant to be, I don't know exactly what got
into me then, fortunately George...", he ran his fingers nervously through his
hair.

"Stop, stop, don't continue. It wasn't bad, because I feel really honored that
you're giving me such confidence, but I'm talking about, that I want to fulfill
your wish!" I said seriously and mustered Fred sternly.

"What ... you ... want ... us ... what?" he looked a proper charlie and
stuttered unusually taciturn all over the place.

"Sssh, quiet, yes, I have an idea and am in the phase to implement all of it,"
I brought him the news conspiratorially close.

"How are you going to manage that, especially since no one is allowed to know?"
he asked excitedly, for Fred was hooked from one second to the next. I rolled
my eyes.

"Fred, do you really think I'm limited, especially you should know that I leave
a secret secret. I arrange everything so that you only have to enjoy. His wish
is also your wish, is it not?" I inquired.

"You want to know if I want it or he? ... Mhm, I know he wants and I think we
should try it and since we never do something without the other the answer is
obvious, I believe. Why not? We've always been experimenting, as you know!" he
gleamed at me diabolically. "And you think you'd really manage it?"

I laughed. "This should be one of my easiest practices." Now that this was
cleared, I tapped on his shoulder and turned away.

"Thank you ... Hermione ... see you later!" They went serenely into their room,
in order to further continue their projects, because the two were quite
ambitious.

Sitting on my chair, I took out the letter and opened it. I was very curious
what Rita had to say. When I finished reading, I dropped the letter in
amazement, threw it into the fireplace, and watched as it slowly burned and
fell to ashes.

She hadn't written much, but Rita wanted to meet me at 12 noon at Trafalgar
Square. I wouldn't have expected that now, but I was very curious because she
already had such a longing for me. I had to make sure that no one would miss
me, if I were to leave so early. Molly was a real mother hen in this respect.

I started to smile when I remembered how I wanted to manage that. I slipped
quietly into a bedroom on the top floor and made myself comfortable on the
large, wide bed. I let my eyes wander around the room and took the environment
more intensely inside me than last night. He had fully enjoyed his Gryffindor
taste when decorating the room, probably to annoy his parents. In the daylight,
it really bit itself more with the wallpaper. Then the door opened and Sirius
came in, just like he was and looked at me perplexed, when he saw me on his
bed.

"Hi!" I waved.

"Hi, did you have longing, beautiful? I knew last night was too short!" He
purred toward me and closed the door.

"You Casanova, get your thoughts out of the gutter, it's all about something
else," I said dismissively and turned to him.

"Ahm, I haven't completely taken you inside my bed, but I have to say you look
better in the day in it, sure I can't steer your thoughts into the gutter?" I
heard roughly, while he came towards the bed smoothly.

"Tonight, my dear, I'm in your hands," I promised sensually, licking my lips
with pleasure. I was always interested in Sirius. "Now I have no time, but I
need your help, so I wanted to ask you," I told him straight.

"What are you planning again?" Sirius groaned. "Does it have to do with the
letter from before... then it wasn't from Krum?" he asked, suspicious, and let
himself fall defeated flat on the bed.

"Yes, it has. I have to leave the house today, just before twelve. I have to
meet someone and it didn't exactly come from Victor," I lifted my hand to cut
off his objection. "I won't tell you from whom, but you don't have to worry,
it's nothing dangerous. Promise, Sirius!" I said earnestly.

He nodded unhappily. "What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to cover for me. Nobody can notice that I was going two hours
earlier, that would be all. Would you do that, my Casanova?" I purred
seductively, looking up at him from the below.

"You know, Hermione, I trust you and know you can take care of yourself. So,
yes, I'll cover for you. I hope you know you can trust me. You know that you
can tell me everything, really everything," he said emphatically, sliding next
to me and put his hand on my leg with a serious expression. "Please don't put
yourself in unnecessary danger, it's dangerous out there."

I leaned my upper body against his chest and groaned. "I know all this, and I'm
so happy and grateful that you trust me and you really know a lot, but I can't
tell you any more, please forgive me," I said sadly, but also determinedly. Now
he placed his other hand on my chin and lifted it, so I had to face him, then
slowly, but firmly, put his lips on mine and so began a slow, sensual kiss,
which soon became more and our tongues began to deliver a duel.

I distanced myself by force, because I had to prepare myself. Although my spell
was on Rita, I would never commit the mistake to underestimate her, and I
assumed that she had done research. It would actually disappoint me if she'd
yield herself so simple to her fate. I stood resolutely away up from the bed
and grinned at Sirius.

"Thanks a lot and look forward to tonight," I said lasciviously, leaving the
room shaking my butt, and Sirius with a small, visible problem. So I sneaked
out of the house shortly before twelve and apparated near Trafalgar Square.
Meanwhile I had managed to reduce my noise level. This was actually achieved
through a lot of practice, but above all made successful by concentration, and
here, the exercises with Occlumency had helped very much. I was wearing my
jeans today and a tight, half-length, green shirt, and my bag over my shoulder.
I moved toward the crowded Square under the bright blue summer sky into the
crowd of tourists. I was already curious in which inconspicuous outfit Miss
Skeeter would appear, here, among all the Muggles.

At the back I saw her already. She wore a rather discreet summer dress with
poppy print, but her large curved glasses were the same as always, and so quite
noticeable. She had already discovered me, and faced me with an unreadable
expression.

"Hello, Miss Skeeter!" I greeted her politely. "How are you?" and nodded.

"Miss Granger, thank you, good and you?" Oh, we were all polite, but her voice
sounded quite frosty.

"Same. You wanted to see me?" I came immediately to the point.

"Certainly, Miss Granger. I have information for you, as requested," she
grimaced. Around us the loud hubbub of the tourists dominated the background
noise.

"I must say, you surprise me, Miss Skeeter, in a positive way. I have expected
more resistance, another necessary visit or two..." I trailed off
threateningly.

"Well, what can I say, Miss Granger? You were indeed very thorough. Your leave
application for me was also surprising and your spells... well, I thought about
your offer and I think I can get involved with it," she said generously, but
she still didn't like it, her grimace demonstrating this clearly.

"I'm really happy because, as I promised you, I don't ask for anything bad or
impossible, even my spells don't harm you!" I slanted my head. "How's the work
and the second book?"

"Thanks to you, the work is going well, as always. The Ministry wants Potter to
be portrayed as a paranoid madman who lies and claims that You-Know-Who's back.
I'm trying my best not to write any articles on the subject or to keep them
extremely neutral," she said, slightly angry, but I just nodded. "The second
book," she cleared her throat. "I'm doing my best, but I haven't got any
relevant information for almost a month," she said, looking at me poisonously
and pressed her lips together tightly.

"That sounds okay, we continue as usual, thank you Rita," I told her kindly.
"But I still have a question - the information about Dumbledore, in your book,
is it really true?" I asked, doubtful and leaning my head to the side.

"Haha, are you so amazed at this info that the dear, old professor has a not so
pure vest as you thought?" She asked maliciously, grinning meanly.

"Not surprised, but is it really the truth?" I asked calmly again, but it
really interested me, while I didn't allow her to make my serene expression
falter, something that made her angry.

"I wasn't finished with my research on the subject of Albus Dumbledore, but
what's written in the book is correct," she said brusquely.

"Not even with the help of the quick-quotes quill, Rita?", It came from me
viciously. Rita's face darkened and she squinted her eyes angrily.

"Miss Granger, nothing is glossed over, these are the facts!" She replied,
feeling well attacked in her reporter's honor, as if she had such a thing.

"Well, then it's fine, then I thank a lot for the info and good work," I
replied jovially. Now she threw back her head and slightly stretched her chest.
Pride glittered in her mischievous eyes.

"Yes, I have to say, I have surpassed myself, but as I said, I'm not yet ready
to make it available for printing," and the pride was clearly evident from her
tone.

"I always say you can't be underestimated. You can dig like a dung beetle in
the biggest shit and still find gold!", I acknowledged to her maliciously and
she shrank from my nasty expression. "But I set the time for the printing ...
just so that this is clear to you!", We really liked each other very much. She
moved her lips once more to a thin, disapproving line, but nodded briefly. She
caught herself relatively quickly.

"But the reason, why I wanted to speak to you, Miss Granger. It's about Potter,
the info is brand-new, came this morning very early, so I sent you an owl at
once", it came now almost excited by her and she seemed very sedulous. I looked
at her attentively, that was important, because it was about Harry.

"According to my information Potter used a strong spell last night, but he will
be put to justice in two days, on the 17th. Fudge couldn't believe his luck.
What exactly and why wasn't yet discovered, only a rumor but unconfirmed, that
he defended himself against dementors. But as I said, one or I don't know
anything specific?" Rita said, with an impulse and elan, you could see how she
was enthusiastic about the whole thing while she made an unaware hand gesture.
I was more than shocked at this news because I was afraid, feared for Harry.
Didn't Dumbledore always tell how secure Harry was with his unpleasant
relatives and therefore had to go back to them, whether he wanted to or not,
and that it was really important for Harry.

It was just incredible, just good, that my faith in Dumbledore was already
shaken. Thanks to Rita's revelation book, I knew things about Dumbledore, which
I would never ever have thought of. She had just assured their correctness, but
I confided him a period of grace, since I first had to check Rita's
information. For this, I wanted to use the Hogwarts library, among other
things, and only then I wanted to benefit from my knowledge. If it were true,
what was indicated in the book ... arhrrrr, ok, relax, I would deal with it
later, if the accusations proved themselves as facts.

But as I said, all these insights into the professor’s personality had already
shaken my confidence. An earthquake could have triggered a tsunami, but I
remained relatively indifferently calm. Harry lived and seemed to get away with
no more than a fright. Once again it showed how clever and deliberate I had
acted. I got prompt and first-class information, apparently faster than the
other members of the Order, for Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, as well as Sirius, had
not yet known about it. Even if none of them had said anything to me, I would
have felt it, if something wouldn't have been quite right.

"These are amazing info, Rita, thanks for the fast delivery, I had imagined it
like this! Please contact me always immediately," I praised her generously.

"How do you imagine managing it when you're at Hogwarts?", she asked, very
curious.

"This won't be a problem, send me an owl no matter what time, after that we
will always meet at 10pm at Trafalgar Square, this should be, if the
information are so volatile that they cannot be transmitted in writing or if
you aren't sure how to proceed," I clearly pointed out what to do.

"But ... but how will you manage to do this, Miss Granger, you can't just leave
Hogwarts at night, that's impossible!" Rita was shocked.

I smiled visibly. "Don't worry about that, for I promise you I'll be here, and
believe me, there is no 'impossible' for me, you should know by now, Miss
Skeeter."

"I ... You always amaze me again. One shouldn't underestimate you, Miss
Granger," she said, soberly, and she turned and looked over her shoulder. "I
have a small, unconfirmed rumor that the ministry, Fudge, wants to interfere
with Hogwarts' concerns. The point is that he wants to send his confidant,
Dolores Umbridge, to the school. I guess, as a teacher for defense against the
Dark Arts, that's it, I think. I'll be back. Goodbye!", she grinned at me
scornfully, as I looked at her with wide eyes.

"Stop, get me more detailed information about this person, just send me an
exposé, that should be enough, good work. Now I would need a favor from you,
what do I have to do if I need a lady ... for a night, for payment ... who is
ready to go beyond certain boundaries as well?" I asked quietly and
emotionlessly.

She frowned in disbelief. "You need what ... a prostitute, Miss Granger?", Rita
croaked high and piqued.

"Yes," I replied briefly.

"Why ... What for?", she stammered visibly overwhelmed.

"What do you think? But not for me, I want to do somebody a favor," I told her,
even if it wasn't really her business.

She was still speechless. "Yes ... when ... where ... how?", the reporter
stuttered now.

"On the 18th, at 9 pm, here is the meeting place, I would then apparate with
her from here," I recited.

"Chrm, special wishes?", she asked, cold again, obviously she had caught
herself.

"Pretty, not older than 18. She's ordered for a threesome and should be open
for everything!", I listed calmly and grinned nastily.

"Of course!", she grit her teeth and turned to go. I wondered what she thought
of me now, but I wouldn't have to worry about it, since I couldn't sink any
deeper in Miss Skeeter's respect than before so I didn't have to care what she
thought.

"Take care, Miss Skeeter, see you in three days!" I called after her.
***** Anger and Snape *****
Chapter Notes
     A big thanks for all the Kudos and reads.
     We hope you continue to enjoy!
     xx
Anger and Snape

I suppose, the fifth school year will start well, I thought sarcastically.
Great! Hopefully, Dumbledore would be able to get Harry out of this trial since
he couldn't manage to take care of him. I was so pissed off. The so-called
adults acted as if they knew it all and then something like this happened. I
didn't believe that Dementors were just a rumor. I had a bad feeling in my gut
and I mostly trust my instincts. But the information from Rita was amazing. It
was interesting that Fudge would take the offensive against Dumbledore so
aggressively. I would have liked to tear my hair, but first I apparated into
the house of Mum and Dad. I found everything to my satisfaction, which means no
potion had decided to ex- or implode, and sensibly spent my time brewing until
I had to go to the sports centre. My assortment became quite varied and I
enjoyed giving myself to this art of magic.
The way the day developed, I had to fight the urge to run away. If one is
already confronted with such happy news at noon, it's somehow logical that the
afternoon can only be crappy, too.

On this day the Sensei wanted to advance the weapon training, that meant sharp
blades and let me be honest, I was in the right mood to fulfill this task with
commitment. To relieve anger by violence is really effective, as the infernal
pain distracted me from my fury. This tactic worked quite well. From now on, I
can tell you how painful injuries with knifes are. As if to raise my
excessively good mood further, the Master also told me that this was only the
beginning, so no relevant injuries and pain yet. After convincing himself that
my injuries and wounds had always been healed until the next training, as if by
magic, he had lost all reserve or even care in his teaching style. He raised
his eyebrows every time in wonderment, but he never asked, simply accepted, and
since I had now signed the declaration of renouncement and released him of
every responsibility, he seemed reassured!

Before I forget, I had enclosed, in true Malfoy-fashion, a small but important
money gift for his silence. It is amazing how money could make people develop
selective muteness, but should be fine for me. I now healed these injuries
rather sloppy, as time ran out and returned a bit bled out, oh how was I
ironically inclined today, back to Grimmauld Place. When I entered and wanted
to go to the kitchen, I found it locked, so I knocked and was allowed to enter.
What was revealed to my eyes was probably an internal order meeting.

Well, every single member stared at me questioningly. When I saw Dumbledore at
the head of the table, my expression darkened due to skepticism. I knew why
this meeting was taking place tonight. He informed the members about his
failure, did he view that my way?

"Hi, I'm disturbing, sorry!" I looked attentively. There was evidently a
certain unrest among the members. Apparently he had already begun to inform
about the events that I already knew about. In this respect Rita seemed really
quick, I praised myself. I had to prevent myself from displaying a nasty,
almost mocking grin in realization, as my eyes glided to Sirius and he looked
very anxious and unhappy. He was worried about Harry and wanted to have him at
his side where for which he would have my full support, but then Dumbledore, in
his senile way, prohibited it as the Dursleys were so much safer. Ha, don't
make me laugh, my cynicism took over again. Relax, don't get upset, I calmed
myself down in thought, because it wouldn't help Harry. But I, too, would worry
Sirius if he knew what I looked like under my clothes. He would lose it in his
present condition. Just as he was sitting there, he was trying hard to curb his
temper, but he didn't really succeed. He actually looked more sour and pissed
off from second to second, I wouldn't be surprised if smoke came out of his
ears soon.

That's why my scrutinizing look moved on to Snape, who was sitting in his usual
seat. In the shortness of time, I gave Snape an intense, penetrating look,
saying, "Meet me in the library as soon as possible, please, but best
immediately!" At least I hoped that he knew and understood this, at least he
frowned indignantly at my demanding manner.

"Hermione, dear, it's just inconvenient, but there's a surprise for you. Harry
is here, go to Ron!" Mrs. Weasley tried to get rid of me. With a brief nod I
quickly closed the door. I forgot my wounds for a second about this amazing
news and sprinted up the stairs. The daily running had to be good for
something. Harry, they had finally taken him away from the Dursleys and after
what I had learned today, I couldn't get up quickly enough. Harry was here! I
already opened the door to the bedroom and there he was, in the middle of the
room. In one piece and healthy, with his black, very tangled hair that stood up
in all directions, the intense, green eyes behind the round nickel glasses, and
much too small and thin, the image touched my heart.

With a delighted "Harry!" I flung my arms around his neck.

"Hermione, how great to see you." Harry positively beamed and returned my
embrace fiercely. Ouch, that hurt, don’t let it show. I distanced myself from
the embrace beaming as well.

"How are you, what happened?" I started pestering.

"Geez Hermione, let him breathe," Ron scolded from his place on his bed.

"No, it's all right, Ron ... I've only been here for five or ten minutes and,
to tell you right away, I've done magic. I conjured a Patronus, when Big D and
I were attacked by two Dementors. In the late afternoon, in the middle of
Little Whinging. It was pretty close!" Harry chattered excitedly. Ron sat with
his mouth open and stared at Harry, speechless, but almost awed. I knew almost
everything, only the details were unknown to me, Dementors after all, now I had
the confirmation, but what were these creatures doing in a Muggle area?
Supposedly they were under the supervision of the ministry. Supposedly, mind
you!

I have not believed what I get told in a long time. In my opinion, there were
two possibilities: First, the Ministry had sent them, which I hoped wasn’t the
case, or second, he had already made an agreement with the Dementors, and they
were listening to his orders, which I didn't hope either. Both possibilities
were worrying and left me concerned and frightened. How would it all develop?
Nobody could be trusted. This was truly not a good time. Mistrust from all
sides. I hoped Harry had also tried to look a bit behind the scenes, but as I
saw him standing here, looking lost and simply glad to be here, I doubted that
he was questioning the exact circumstances.

"I ... wonder what ... Dementors were doing there?" a pale Ron stuttered
anxiously, for what I couldn't blame him.

"When I think about it ... nothing ... but I can imagine he's on good terms
with the Dementors, or what do you think?" I asked in the round and expressed
my speculations.

"I think you're right, because I can’t think of anything else since the
incident, but the worst is still coming, as I have once again used magic, I now
have the ministry on my back. Can you believe that? I just saved our lives, if
I wouldn't have in the last moment ... well, you know ..." Harry said
uncomfortably, pacing up and down the room. "They'd almost sucked out Dudley!"
he exclaimed agitated, his eyes sparkling. Desperately, he ruffled his hair.
Oh, I felt so incredibly sorry for him, hadn't enough already happened in the
last few months, or even years?

But no, Fudge also had to make life difficult for him and make him look like a
fool publicly. Oh yes, he was far up on my list. And you only had to ask Rita,
everyone should think twice about making me angry, for I never forgot my anger
and the resulting revenge, even if it needed time. But I had time, I refuse to
be rushed and in the end Fudge would be mine! Oh, for what he pulled here and
did to Harry, he would pay in one way or another, but he would pay, that was
out of question for me!

"It'll be okay, Harry. I firmly believe that, and Professor Dumbledore will
help you!" I said trying to lift his moral, as his confidence in Dumbledore was
unshaken so far. I was rewarded with a reserved smile.

"Thanks Hermione, but something else, where are we here, what are you doing
here?" Harry asked curiously, ending the unpleasant topic.

"Well, this is the house of your godfather and it is at the same time the
headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. The Weasleys try to make it habitable
again, since it has been empty for a long time," I told him. Harry opened his
mouth to interrupt me, but I didn't let him speak. "... and I've been here for
two weeks, since Mum and Dad travelled to southern France and I didn't want to
go with them, but I couldn't stay home alone, that's why they brought me here."

"Um, wow, come again, please. One step at a time." Harry requested.

"Then, Ron will explain you everything without hurry, because I have to go get
something right now. We'll see each other for dinner," I quickly turned around
and in that moment a loud crack sounded, as Fred and George had apparated
directly inside the room and now greeted Harry with a loud "Hello". I grimaced,
the two would have to work on that, and I didn't like it when it was so loud,
the surprise effect was always lost. "One can hear you guys through the whole
house!", I therefore declared, reprehensively.

Harry tried to free himself. "But, Hermione ..." he shouted when I was already
out of the room. "Eh, buddy, let her be, she's lately been ..." I couldn't hear
more, as I was already descending the stairs. I had a reason why I had left so
quickly.

My wounds had reopened and I could feel myself bleeding slightly again. I had
to leave right away so that no one saw it. I had to go to the library to take
care of myself and hope that Snape understood my allusion and would come.
Hopefully he didn't wait, because that would mean trouble. But my repertoire of
healing spells wasn't satisfactory yet - if anyone could do it, no one would
need an education in St. Mungo's. I did well, but I wasn't perfect. If the
professor came, I wouldn't have to worry that Sirius would come, since he had
never dared to come to me before eleven o'clock. He knew I wouldn't appreciate
it.

I didn't want Sirius to see the cuts, because I could do without the howling,
and I worried a bit less with Snape there since he wouldn't make a big drama
out of it. Obvious glances, yes. Cold, angry glances too, yes, but I could live
with it, if not better. Oh, I had underestimated him, he was faster than I
expected. In the middle of the room stood an impressive man, in a wide flowing,
black robe, who glared at me out of dark obsidian eyes under his chin-long,
black hair. Of course he had understood my gaze and correctly reasoned that I
needed him. He raised an eyebrow suspiciously as I silently closed the door. I
guessed that, like me, our last encounter came to his mind, a thoroughly
disturbing thought since we were all alone now. But if he thought I was going
to be red or be ashamed under his staring gaze, my dear Snape would soon
experience an unpleasant surprise for him.

"You're letting me wait, Miss Granger? Or did I just imagine your request
before?" It came out as usual, snarling and disapproving. While he stood
proudly in front of me, he occupied the whole room with his dark aura.

"No, no, professor, I have to apologize, but I had to greet Harry and no, you
have everything combined correctly as usual. I am very grateful for that!" I
gave him a justification and moved to the armchair. "Because I urgently need...
your... help," I stammered, having a hard time pronouncing it. But let's go the
whole hog, because I knew that the professor didn't appreciate long-winded
explanations, I took off the green, now stained shirt over my head while
walking.

"Miss Granger!" he hissed, and his eyes flashed dangerously. "What's going on
in your non-existent brain, that you... I'm missing the word ... Oh, you crazy
woman... lean on the back of the couch!" he ordered coldly, then came to me
with a firm step, looking at me really angrily, as I stood there in front of
him in my beige bra, bleeding. "You should know how this goes," he said
maliciously with a sadistic smile on his face. Haha, professor, we all need
some fun. I smiled at him coldly, and as he had commanded me, I laid both hands
on the back of the couch. Then I stood there quietly, enduring his mocking
comments about me, trying to stand above my pain, which wasn’t really that bad,
it was just annoying that it bled steadily.

"What do you think you're doing, Miss Granger? They're cuts, some of them deep,
what do you think will happen... when Black sees this?" Snape grumbled to
himself as he used alarmingly experienced cleansing and healing spells on me. I
had trouble stifling a moan and bit into my cheek, because I wouldn't give
Snape the satisfaction of making me scream and moan. I didn't have to satisfy
this sadist. That sounds suggestive now, right?

When he wanted to get to a cut on my stomach, he ordered furiously, "Turn
around and lean against the couch." I gave up, turned around and pressed my
butt to the piece of furniture, while the professor went down on his knees in
front of me, and I could look at his black head as he was now looking at my
wound. I stared disbelievingly at Snape's parted hair. That he would take such
a posture to heal me was unbelievable, but now I felt that something tightened
inside me, not just because of the pain.

That was the moment when I could no longer suppress a deep groan, since it was
painful when he healed the wound. "Hhhhhhhhhhh." This caused the professor to
lasciviously lift his head and look up to my face, since I had lowered mine to
his. Our eyes locked with each other, as a slightly lopsided grin appeared on
his face. His eyes were like deep, unreadable pools and my heart beat faster,
due to the unusual situation. He broke the connection, slowly lowering his gaze
back to my stomach, and began to apply a healing ointment extremely sensitively
with his hands, so I almost groaned again, but I bit my cheek as hard as I
could. I wouldn't really give him that satisfaction, for he seemed to enjoy
this, as much time as he took for himself. So think of something else, just not
how his hands are very gently wandering and stroking over my body. Harry would
never know this, and Sirius, I think he'd be more upset about my injuries than
about Snape, at least I hoped that.

"Turn around again," he whispered from below, and I immediately followed his
order. He carefully covered the last two bruises with the ointment.

"So, finished!" he announced, sliding back. I instantly turned around and
looked directly at him, a little breathless.

"Thank you, professor, sir!" I whispered roughly, still standing unclothed in
front of him as he looked at my body disdainfully, and I felt quite naked under
this piercing gaze.

"Miss Granger, again, what was that supposed to be? This is dangerous, because
these injuries weren't nothing," he said coldly, disapprovingly. His voice
sounded hard as steel.

"Yeah, well, sir, I've started the weapon training with my daggers, and that's
just the result ... and I had it so far that I would certainly not have bled to
death, as I had already used a few spells ... and I took potions," I told him
proudly.

"Why didn't you want Black to be with you, ... you're sharing everything else
with him?" he said, venomous, his eyes almost burning into my skin as he
insinuated me being in a relationship with Sirius. How did he know that? How,
where, oh, damn, that was clearly an indication that he knew or suspected that
there was more between Sirius and me. My thoughts were racing, just stay cool,
Hermione, surprise him, I advised myself and blinked at him.

"Very funny, sir, you know what hell Sirius would've raised, if he had seen the
cuts, he would have competed with Molly. I prefer you, professor," I replied
calmly, and as a cherry on top, I purred like a kitten. Ha, the good man
apparently hadn't expected this, because his face, as usual, didn't show
anything, but he needed two seconds to reply.

"True words, Miss Granger. I'm just wondering all the time when you've become
like this, you're presenting me a riddle. If you have to pursue such an
activity, take better care of yourself, do we understand each other, Miss
Granger? "

"Yes, professor, thank you again," I replied perceptively and dutyfully. He
turned away. "Would you like to join me, sir?" I asked impudently. He gave me
an icy look over his shoulder. "I think you should go to dinner. Good evening,"
he said curtly.

"Just a moment, sir!" I once again drew my wand and called with an accio for
the documents I promised him from my bag. After all, I didn't know where I was
going to see him the next time, so I always had it ready to go, because I
didn't want to be told that I wouldn't stick to my agreements.

"Here, the documents for the spell, sir!" I held out the empty parchment to
him. "There is an Aparecium on it." This spell made the writing on the paper
invisible. He took the paper and put it quickly into his coat, piercing me with
his gaze, so that it gave me the chills. Man, he had really practiced, this one
look expressed so much disapproval. After all, I stood still quite naked in
front of him. How would it be when the lessons started again, I dared to ask
timidly. When he was gone, I bent down to my shirt and cleaned it first of
blood, which you could see by now. Snape was good at what he was doing, only a
pity that he could never be lured out of his reserve. The professor was once
again right, I was the last one to arrive for dinner, as the meeting had
apparently passed quickly, which again brought me the undivided attention of
everyone.

"There you are, didn't you just want to get something for a minute?" Harry
asked, sitting in the seat where Snape usually sits. I settled down on my seat
opposite Harry, next to Sirius.

"I did, I've just been reading for a second," I replied apologetically, but
realized that Sirius didn't believe me. He would certainly ask later, because
he knew me well by now and Snape's departure certainly hadn't been hidden from
him. It became a convivial round, Harry felt visibly at ease and enjoyed being
back with his godfather. Slowly it became later and I really found no way to
skive off and so it happened that we all went to bed at midnight.

Sirius whispered to me, "Come to my room as soon as you can." I nodded,
confirming. At this moment, I was very glad that Snape had helped me earlier to
look after my wounds, because once again the wounds had disappeared as if by
magic, only red lines had stayed behind and the question arose, what pain? I
could see that Dung had also stayed for dinner. The Twins kept up close to him,
but I could also see Harry picking up the transaction of the forbidden
ingredients, which unfortunately was due to an unfortunate circumstance as
everything happened on the rise. So I got up quickly and bent down behind
Fred's sitting back, pretending to tie my shoe.

"Harry saw it!" I whispered to his back.

"What ... shit ... I'll take care of it," he said quietly, without turning to
me. One had to give them their due, they always responded incredibly fast and
were quick. So I could see the two on their way out, taking Harry amicably in
their midst and telling him something to dispel the doubts I had recognized in
Harry's eyes. Ginny was asleep quickly- thanks to the excitement that Harry was
finally here, something she had fervently longed for - and with my quieting
spells she should be able to sleep undisturbed. So I quickly created a
magically accurate copy of me with the Geminio and sneaked to Sirius. He was
already expecting me in his bed. I slipped under the covers. I knew he wanted
to talk, but from my day with Rita, Sensei and now Snape too I couldn't and I
wouldn't tell him anything. But I also knew how to deter him, and I crawled
down and didn't let him stop me. Apparently this day had knackered Sirius too.

After my intensive treatment and a quick ride, he was soon asleep, which made
me laugh almost mockingly. As it was quite late already, I quickly disappeared
back to Ginny.

Yes, you could avoid a conversation like this too.
***** Harry, the Twin and the Wait *****
Chapter Notes
     I do apologize for the wait. (Nothing to do with the chapters title,
     lol).
     I've been away last week and now I'm ill. :P
     We hope you enjoy it. ♥
     Thanks for all the reads.
Harry, the Twins and the Wait

The next morning was relatively cheerful, as Sirius surprised me quite a bit,
when he was waiting for me in his dog animagus form at the house entrance. I
was astonished about the big black dog with his expressive, human-looking eyes.

"Do you want to accompany me? Since when do you know that I'm awake this early?
Oh, don't say anything, I know, you've been watching me. Bad dog!" I felt as if
I were talking to myself, while I stroked the shaggy fur of the dog. I must
say, it cheered me up immensely, because the thought of someone spying on me
was too funny.

"Well then, come. Let's go," I lured him cheerfully and got a low growl that
made me giggle.

I wanted to see how good his stamina was and whether he could compete with me
during my rounds in the park. Let me say, it was funny to see the long, big,
pink tongue sticking out of his mouth, and he was panting, trying not to give
up. One had to grant him that, he’d been a prisoner in this house for almost a
year, without being able to get out, which had to have a lasting effect. Not to
mention the twelve years in Azkaban, in a cell that offered even less movement
than his current imprisonment. Eventually, he laid deathlike in the grass,
which made me laugh out loud.

I managed to wear him out and not just through last night with our bed sport.
Did he enjoy that? I guess not, I'm sure I'll be hearing something when we're
back. Likewise for the conversation I avoided yesterday. I assumed that his
morning appearance meant the conversation would still be held. Well, we would
see.

"Come on, you lame doggy..." I scoffed, which got me an astonishingly
distempered look from the dog’s brown eyes. As we walked up the stairwell of
Black House, I said goodbye in front of my room.

"Tomorrow again, dear Sirius. A little practice and you'll be better than me
with your four paws," I teased the dog with a giggle, who flattened his ears in
response, and vanished in the room to prepare for the day. The rest of the day
went as usual, except that Harry involved me in a conversation. He came bravely
to the library, which was shunned by Ginny and Ron as a great danger.

"Harry, nice to see you. Do you want to join me? This is extremely exciting," I
offered kindly, and I meant it seriously, but his face told me that he saw it a
bit differently than me. Yet he came to me with a smile on his face.

"I'm here to talk to you. What's going on? Since last night I've been here and
I've only seen you like in fast-forward... What are you doing all the time? You
weren't even at lunch, and when I ask the others, they tell me it's like this
all the time... why, Hermione?" He looked at me with big innocent eyes and sat
down on the chair.

"Oh Harry, don't exaggerate. Yeah, I know I haven't lived up to Ron's and
Ginny's expectations since I've been in Black House, but I don't mean to be
rude. See... I don't care about tidying up the artifacts and cleaning up. Look
around you," My eyes gleamed as I glanced around the room and underlined it
with an all-embracing gesture. "This is really special for me. Honestly, why
should I kneel on all fours and clean, just because those two have to? Not
really, Harry!" The words came out as slightly astringent from me. Don’t even
get me started about it.

"Calm down, Hermione, please!" Harry laid his hand on my shoulder. "It wasn’t
meant like that. They just don't understand that you isolate yourself so much
from them. They also said that you have only spent an evening with them so far.
Is it true that you’re dancing? I mean, for real. They said you leave the house
every afternoon."

Oh man, didn't I always say that with friends like this, you don't need enemies
anymore! I mean, hello, did they want an exact schedule of when, how and where
I went to the toilet? I took a deep breath so that I wouldn't burst.

"Harry, do you want to know all this, or do they?" I still felt angry, but he
just looked calmly at me. If he wanted, Harry was really good at dealing with
people. "...to answer your questions: Yes, I dance as a distraction. I didn't
want to remind you, but I find it shocking that Cedric is dead and I’ll tell
you one thing: it distracts me, yes, from the fact that he's back. Can you
understand that?" I asked fervently. Harry stared at me as if I had slapped
him, which I had probably done. Sorry, Harry, I didn't want to, but you left me
no choice. For fuck's sake, I couldn't deal with any more stupid questions and
I only escaped this by skillfully breeding guilt. I could be such a bitch. I
almost despised myself when Harry looked very, very sad and then turned his
eyes away.

"Harry, don't! Don't look like that, you can't help it. You just wanted to know
why I do all this, but that shouldn't make you sad," I comforted him and put my
arms around his hips.

"Oh Hermione, I didn't want that, I'm so sorry. I should have remembered that
not only I… ! That was so selfish of me! But I thought that you all didn't know
him well - me neither, as there wasn’t enough time for that!" he whispered,
trying to stop his tears. I thought if only Harry knew what Cedric really had
been for me some time ago, then he would be very surprised.

"Shh, Harry, don't say that. Nothing's your fault, really, but I just wanted to
enjoy a little distance, enjoy the holidays. Why can't anyone understand?" I
explained gently and calmly, but in the end sounding a little annoyed.

"Oh, Hermione, I understand you, really. How could I just think that only I...
but you must understand Ron, in such things like feelings he isn't really...
but I can understand you. Also, Cedric's death is still new. I also know that
his death isn’t really my fault, but deep inside, I still have some self-doubt.
Why is he dead and not me?" he declared brokenly, faltering, seeming unhappy.

"Oh, please don't believe that! This is fate, you can do nothing. Build
yourself up on the fact that Cedric won't have died for nothing. One day you
will get your revenge on Pettigrew, believe me, please. And for Ron: that's
because he has the emotional range of a teaspoon," I said seriously and
bitterly. I stroked his back with one hand and still held him tightly.
"But you and I, we understand each other, don't we?"

"Yes, Hermione, always. Just take care of yourself when you're out there!"
Harry asked timidly, squeezing me even more firmly as he thought of the
Dementors who had been waiting for him while he smiled at me shyly.

"Don't worry, Harry! I'm not interesting enough, I don't think anyone is
waiting for me, I'm not important enough!" I summed up his unspoken fears as he
took a deep breath. I straightened myself now and let Harry out of my embrace.
"You help the others with the cleaning?" I asked him trying to distract,
perhaps hoping a bit, he would stay here and join me, but he nodded
affirmatively.

"Are you nervous about the trial tomorrow? Is Fudge at odds with you and
Dumbledore?" I asked apprehensively, keeping Harry in direct view, trying to
see his reaction.

"Yeah, a little, but I trust Dumbledore and let myself be surprised and Fudge
is an idiot!" Harry replied sharply and seemed really confident.

"You're right. I have briefly researched here. You performed magic in self-
defense against a deadly threat, that's why they can't get you. If it would
come to complications and Dumbledore can't get you out of this as hoped, I
would have a proposal, but first answer me a question," I requested and looked
attentively in his face, a look which he ingenuously reciprocated. "What is the
last spell you did with your wand?"

"The Patronus! Why? I only summoned my stag once, and nothing else," he
replied, slightly irritated but without hesitation. I released the breath I had
held, for that was good, very good.

"This is fantastic Harry. I don't know how Dumbledore plans your defense, but
if all else fails, tell them to perform a Prior Incantato on your wand. This is
a spell to make the last spoken spell visible from your wand, and as you say,
that would be the Patronus, and what reasons would you have had to use it if
not to protect your life, both your lifes?" I explained busily.

"Whaaaat ... What ...?" he exclaimed surprised. Harry stared at me with his
mouth open and stuttered, "... you ... you're incredible, how ...?"

"Think, Harry! Look around you, from the books! Since I know what's approaching
you, I'm researching!" I said seriously and rolled my eyes.

"But I thought you said the professor was going to fix it," he remarked,
tilting his head to the side. He seemed to be perplexed by my confusing
thoughts, my habit of making assurances double and triple sure.

"Well, it's better if we have something up our sleeves, right? You should never
rely on just one person!" I replied and tilted my head to the side in the same
manner, grinning briefly. Since I knew so much about Dumbledore's past from
Rita's book, I didn't want to trust the man blindly and naively. Harry nodded,
still a little speechless.

"Can you remember the spell, Harry? If not, write it down somewhere!" I advised
him, worried that he wasn't careful.

"No, no, I still know, Prior incantato, I can remember that," he repeated
dutifully, giving me a reproachful look, as if he were offended that I could
consider him to be so dimwitted.

"And one more thing, tell them if they don't believe you, they should invite
Big D. As a family member the wizarding world is neither forbidden nor alien to
him!" I advised him further.

"That's awesome, Hermione, how you list all these things. Now I don't need to
be afraid about tomorrow," he said, quite excited and it seemed as if a burden
was lifted from his shoulders.

"Harry calm down, please, these are only the last resorts, should everything
fall apart. Don't forget it and don't tell the others!", I tried to make it
clear to him that my suggestions were only backup plans.

"Got it. You're the best, Hermione. I'm going to the others, thank you!" He
jumped up like a young dog and rushed out of the room. It seemed as if he was
bursting with joy that the situation wasn't as bad as thought, causing a smile
to spread across my lips. Oh man, to be so young and naive once again. I just
felt ancient. What would Harry think of me if he knew what I had done so far.
And I didn't run around with blinders, it would get worse, much worse and as I
always said I was ready to do a lot, maybe anything? Oh, don't think about it,
that couldn't help me now. When it was time, I would take it from there.

Hush, back to work. I still had things to do. Sirius didn't come to distract me
from my work. The good, clueless Harry probably kept him busy, but that was
alright. They should enjoy their time together.

The evening was a tense matter, because everyone’s mind seemed to be somewhere
else, focused on Harry or more precisely Harry's trial. This omnipresent
nervousness had been transferred to me as well, so the Twins kept me company in
Ginny’s and my room that night. Ron, Harry and Ginny were in the boys' room and
as I’ve stated before, Harry knew how to entertain the two siblings.

"So how does it look? How was the quality of the ingredients?" I asked the
Twins curiously.

"Top-Notch, apparently he didn't dare to pull us over the barrel. Here, we have
something for you ... tadaa ... drum roll!" Fred goofed around childishly and
pulled out a bag with many colorful sweets. He handed me this bag like it was
the Holy Grail, causing me to look at them questioningly.

"This is now the final product, with everything you wanted, and before you ask,
we tested it on ourselves last night. I sent Fred into Dreamland and then I
tried it on myself. I kept my eyes open for almost five minutes. You'll be
satisfied, since Lav and Pav are no longer an obstacle for you," the Red Devils
said, grinning wickedly and not without pride. I broke out in loud laughter,
the two came up with such mean things against Lavender and Parvati, as one
thing was clear, the two girls wouldn't get rid of their nicknames ever again.

"I'm so incredibly proud of you!" I said seriously, after I had got hold of
myself again after all that laughter. "Thanks, but what did you tell Harry
regarding Dung and will the latter continue to supply you?"

"You are always so incredibly structured. Come to think of it, that is probably
the secret of  your success," George mused to himself. "But yes, we agreed with
him to become our permanent dealer and Harry was very interested in our
business idea and equally pleased that he could help us with the money. We
explained the deal with Dung by saying that those aren't really "clean"
ingredients, but that’s only because they are rare. He believed us, dear little
one!" Fred grinned broadly, and George nodded approvingly at his brother's
explanations.

"Nice that it worked so well," I rose and went to my suitcase. The two of them
watched me from Ginny's bed. "I have something here for you, but first I want
to tell you that we have an appointment on the 18th, so the day after tomorrow,
the day after Harry's hearing. We have to get out of here by 8.30 pm at the
latest, so let's think about something. I'll send Ginny to sleep and I will
magically copy myself with a Geminio. Can you do that as well? Do you know the
spell?" I asked offhandedly, because I had what I'd wanted now in my hand and
risen up again.

"Sure we can!" Fred replied irritably. Fred, who was clearly the more daring
twin, jumped up from the bed and aimed at my empty bed. He made the movement
with his wand with the incantation, and I raised my proverbial hat to him. The
Twins and their magical abilities should really never be underestimated,
because in front of me was an exact copy of Fred, blissfully slumbering in my
bed.

Both sneered. "My respect, not bad," and with a flick, gone was the sleeping
Fred.

"Thank you, thank you!", he performed exaggerated bows, which was accompanied
by George’s applause. "We'll take care of Harry and Ron, don't worry, they'll
sleep like babies," Fred added. "Also, there won't be a problem that everyone
will retreat early. We are going through the first trial of our new bestsellers
in the evening, it will be so cool," the redhead rejoiced, clapping excitedly
in his hands, as if he couldn't wait to get started. George grinned
mischievously. "Those are the Skiving Snackboxes. You shouldn't drink pumpkin
juice, but pretend that you suffer from the symptoms like the others, so we can
all retreat quickly," they instructed me foresightfully.

"Perfect. Thank you, that is one problem less, very good," I praised, deeply
contented.

I sat down next to George on the bed and patted the space beside me, so Fred
would also sit down next to us. "As you know, I want to fulfill a wish for you.
We will, as I said, apparate from here. To “Rose Cottage” in Wiltshire, which
belongs to me. It is protected with blood protection. I consider to put a
Fidelius on it as well. We will arrive at the old oak in front of the house. I
want to include you into the protection of the house, as I plan to make
something like a base for us, where no one will find us since nobody knows
about it," I told the Twins the facts and they listened to me, their eyes
growing bigger.

"Erm Hermione, we feel honored and ... but what ... what, you own a house? But
isn't it careless to talk about such things here?" George asked flustered.

I smirked, "No, the door is secured with a Colloportus and the room is
protected by a Muffliato. I always think ahead. And you should feel honored. I
inherited the house from my grandmother and aunt from my father's side." I
noticed that I had made both of them speechless, which was extremely rare.

"You, you really own a house ... so cool ...", they spoke in turns: "Wow, how
badass is that? But what you always pull out of the hat, absolutely wicked!", I
could hear disbelief, but also admiration for me.

"Your wish fit nicely into my concept because firstly I wanted to show you the
cottage and secondly it inspired me to think about a means of communication and
to invent one with which we can communicate," I explained grinning slyly. Two
pairs of eyes beamed at me, filled with awe and anticipation.

"Hermione, we've never met anyone who has as much ingenuity as you, well except
our own humble selves, admirable!" They bounced more on the bed than they were
sitting. "Have we already told you that we love you?", they grinned
mischievously.

"No, but I thought so. I love you too, Red Devils and you know that I can't
compete with your genius and unusual ideas. But back on the subject, here,
they're for you, I made them in the last few days!", I stretched out my hands,
a golden galleon in each one. Both looked at the money in their hands perplexed
and turned the pieces of gold around curiously.

"Wow, a galleon, thanks Hermione, but how do we communicate with it?" George
said.

I giggled happily. "I think I figured out something ingenious, but it took me a
while to get this idea. So, it works like this: When we want to send a message,
we just need to change the digits and numbers, which show what time and place
we want to meet at. RC is short for "Rose Cottage", or H for somewhere at
Hogwarts, or SS short for the Shrieking Shack! Very easy. We'll notice it, as
the gold coins become hot. I've used a Protean charm on the Galleons, a very
difficult spell, especially since I've got the idea from the Dark Mark. It
works almost the same way, but I don't have to tattoo you," I said ponderously,
a bit proud of myself. Yes, I was really proud of the fake galleons, so I was
bursting with happiness. The Twins looked between themselves, me and the gold
back and forth, only to gaze at me again before they started.

"That ... Wow ... the Proteus ... aharrr .... You're soo ... I don't have any
words ... from the Dark Mark ... are we mental ... ", they were losing it,
their voices increasing to a loud shriek.

"Calm down, please. I'm blushing!" I looked ashamed to the side and waved their
excitement away with a lapidary hand gesture.

"You can't blush anymore, but you should go as red as a beetroot about this lie
and look, you don't. I have to agree with Sirius, you're the smartest witch I
ever knew, I ... no, we're adoring you!" Fred said enthusiastically, broadly
grinning, while George nodded again approvingly and grinned devilishly as well.

"Ahrr, alright. We'll knock out the whole house here tomorrow and you'll have
your fun from nine o'clock. Now my condition: you contact me over the coins
when you're done, because I plan to do something then and I'll bring her back
afterwards, is that okay?" I asked.

"Sure, I'm so happy ... it'll be fun!" Fred spluttered excitedly. George tilted
his head, thinking, "I'm already excited, and we will do everything the way you
want. I just got an idea. Wouldn't it be better if we three were to carry our
coins with us every time, then we would always know when one of us changed
something ... mhm ... I suggest we make a hole somewhere and carry it like a
pendant around the neck, like a talisman, then nobody will ask stupid
questions."

"My brother," Fred exclaimed dramatically, as he leaned over and planted a
smacking kiss on the mouth of the other redhead. "Good idea!"

I nodded and took my coin out of my suitcase. "Really good idea, George," I
praised, then I focused my wand on the coin. "Aboredefodio", a spell that
pierced a hole in the galleon, which worked wonderfully. Another little charm,
and I had three thin, black silk ribbons in my hand, threaded mine, and wanted
to hang it around my neck when Fred stopped me.

"You allow me?" He took the ribbon out of my hand, brushed my hair out of my
neck and now put on my talisman.

"Looks great on you," said George, as Fred breathed a small kiss on my
shoulder. We three smiled conspiratorially at each other. A short time later,
the two wore their coins around their necks, and were joking about how good
they looked with the jewelery, typically Twins.

"But before we say good night today, you're a bad girl, simply imitating the
Dark Mark, to come up with it in the first place. Sometimes, but only sometimes
one could get really scared of you. Just as well that you are our best friend,"
George said seriously and Fred nodded excitedly.

"I am going to take it as a compliment and now off with you. I have to go over
to get Ginny, because it can't get too late for Harry, after all, there's a lot
going on tomorrow!" The jesters agreed and accompanied me to get the others to
bed.
***** Wizengamot and a Hot Night *****
Chapter Notes
     A promising title, so enjoy. xx
     A little note by the side:
     As next chapter will have loads of content, double the size as normal
     chapters, the next chapter will take its time to be finished Betad,
     so I already apologize for the waiting time. But the time will be
     definitely worth, especially for the Snanger Fans. *wink,wink*
     Enjoy the summer time with WHF. ♥
Wizengamot and a hot night
 
I woke up and felt the immediate nervousness and anxiety. I didn't want to know
how Harry was feeling, but as I said, we had to go through it, a new day
started. A big dog was waiting for me at the entrance again. Apparently,
yesterday's disgrace still nibbled at his pride. I greeted him lovingly, petted
him, and off we went. Later in the kitchen a tangible tension was present.
Everybody had gathered at a very early time, when Mr. Weasley was standing up
already.
 
"So, Harry, we should hurry, so that we'll not arrive late, that wouldn't be
good, not good at all." Harry stood up as well, as did the rest of us. He wore
a black suit jacket and Mrs. Weasley quickly tried to straighten his hair,
which was a waste of time, but she had to try.
 
"Harry, it's going to be alright," Sirius patted him cheerfully, and Ron did
the same.
 
"All the best, my dear," the Weasley women said anxiously.
 
"Gosh Harry, don't let the nitpickers push you around, you will best them!" The
twins crossed their fingers.
 
"Fred, George, how dare you, such words ..." their mother shrieked in disgust,
causing everyone to roll their eyes, but at least the charged atmosphere calmed
down. I abruptly ran down the hall and hugged him impetuously. "You remember
what we discussed yesterday, the spell?" I asked nervously.
 
"Sure, I'm not totally stupid yet! Please trust me for once, Prior Incantato!
Satisfied, Hermione? See you later!" And breathed a tender kiss on my forehead,
which was observed intently by the rest of the assembled team standing in the
kitchen doorway, and caused Ginny to rush up the stairs angrily. Harry,
however, didn't notice as he sped after Arthur, who was urging him to hurry. I
then quickly disappeared into the library and dug myself and my restlessness
behind a good book. However, it didn't work. I couldn't concentrate, which was
rare enough. I knew what I had to do to irritate Fudge a little bit.
 
I quickly reached for parchment and quill and wrote a short letter briefing
Rita that she was about to publish an article that informed about how Harry had
been attacked in a Muggle area by two Dementors. That he had saved his and his
cousin’s life, that this was confirmed by a source close to Harry's from his
personal environment. Furthermore, she was to represent the Ministry and Fudge
as the idiots they were, in a roundabout way, as the question arose, what did
Dementors look for outside Azkaban, and to whom did they listen?
 
If not to the Ministry, to whom then? And as to the Ministry, why had it
commanded an attack on a 15-year-old wizard? Yes, I could play such games like
that very well.
 
I was curious to see how the Minister would react to such an article! Why
Dumbledore didn't use such sneaky methods escaped my intelligence. Oh yes, that
was good and Rita would be happy to hit two birds with one stone, because in a
business relationship that should work, one shouldn't only take, but also give.
I got up quickly and went to the boys' room, where I found Hedwig and Pig as
expected.
 
"Who of you two has the desire to deliver a letter?" Pig flew around excitedly,
like a tennis ball gone wild, but Hedwig sailed elegantly landing on the bed,
and I tied the message to her leg immediately. "This goes to Miss Rita Skeeter
and only to her, thank you Hedwig," I whispered trustingly and opened the
window consequently dismissing the elegant snow owl. I looked at the clock in
the room, goddammit, if Harry didn't come back soon, I would miss them and I
could hardly suppress my curiosity. Thus for the first time today I appeared
inside the kitchen, to say good-bye and tell them that I was out of the house.
When I turned to leave, I heard the door reopen, and George stepped up beside
me and followed me to the front door.
 
"I thought about something, if the whole thing shouldn't turn out to Harry's
favor, we'll activate the coin. It gets hot and you'll know, and should
everything be all right, of which I am firmly convinced, the coin remains
normal. What do you think about it?" he whispered in my ear.
 
"Thanks, you know me well, thank you! Yes, that would help, I'm much calmer
now," I said really gratefully and hugged him in parting. This way I was able
to go to my workout relatively relieved, after all, you should have your
thoughts together when you fought with weapons, concentrating on the present,
otherwise it could backfire badly.
 
When I stormed back into Grimmauld Place at eight o'clock, I guessed that
everything had gone well, since I had received no news from the Twins. And so I
swiftly swept into the kitchen, where a jolly, cheerful mood dominated.
Immediately I rushed towards Harry and cuddled him thoroughly.
 
"Everything is well, right?" I wanted the confirmation.
 
"Yes, Hermione, yes, thank God!" Then he retold the course of the trial. At
some point or another, I had to snort, because Dumbledore's relatively harmless
and helpless attempts in his defense astonished me. So he told me that Mrs.
Figg had been named as a witness by the professor, and had told them about the
Dementors, but had been bullied by a nasty little round woman at the Gamot who
said that Mrs. Figg was talking nonsense. At that point he could no longer
control himself, had jumped up, and had loudly declared that it absolutely had
been Dementors, and that the Patronus was the spell which he had used to save
and protect himself.
 
Hereupon, the old toad, Harry's original words, had dismissed his remarks with
disparaging laughter because a young child couldn't do such a thing. She had
mocked him that such a spell would be too difficult, and Harry had snootily
offered them, firstly, to test his wand with the Prior Incantato so they could
see that this was the last spell he used, and secondly, that he was ready to
perform the Patronus on the spot.
 
Oh, I was so proud of him, but what would he have done without my instructions
and what had old Dumbledore done? I started rattle off my mantra again during
the report, that I should be calm and indifferent. It was, as Harry thought, a
very close call, and he also talked about the strange behavior of the
professor, who had neither looked him in the face nor spoken to him, and had
immediately left after the trial, without paying attention to Harry. Everything
was strange, very strange. Also, Dumbledore had said nothing to Harry's
proposals and his defense, but had only waited. Then Percy Weasley had been
asked to perform the Prior Incantato, which, as expected, had caused the stag
to appear, whereupon the Gamot's decision had fallen quickly and in Harry's
favor. Because of the Patronus, most of the members of the assembly had
believed in Harry's innocence, but heaven knows, he couldn’t thank Dumbledore’s
miserable defense for this final decision. This, however, was crystal clear to
me and also to the doubting Harry who no longer understood the world, but was
too blissful about the trial he had mastered to think about it too much.
 
Gosh, I was once again mad at the headmaster. Since I knew something more about
him, I found it hard to stay in control of my emotions - I had never expected
it would be so difficult for me to keep my countenance. But I left Harry to his
positive thoughts of victory, simply glad for him to have left this
unattractive and dangerous story behind him. Therefore everyone had a great
time at the party, and we also got butterbeer, which left us in a good mood.
Sirius darted unambiguous glances at me time and again, since we hadn’t met
last night and the feverish glimmer in his eyes assured me that he intended to
let this celebration end in a certain way. So I got up once I’d had enough of
the social gathering and retreated to organize my thoughts and wait for Sirius.
A few minutes later, I was among my books and continued to study. Almost an
hour later, an incoming Sirius broke my concentration. Smiling, I looked up.
 
"You're late," I said succinctly.
 
"Professor Dumbledore and Snape came and talked to us about today, you see.
Sorry," he smiled apologetically with his own, mischievous charm. I shrugged,
as I didn't want to think of Dumbledore, stood up without a word, and walked
towards him. He had stopped in the middle of the room. I crept more than walked
around the dark green leather couch, leaning against the back of it, and
beckoned to him with a lascivious crook of my finger.

Sirius didn’t think twice, he was already standing in front of me and he
grabbed my hips passionately and pulled me to his already amazingly big bulge.
He rubbed against me and looked me in the eyes with a slightly cloudy gaze.
Provocatively, I opened my mouth and licked my lips seductively. His eyelids
half-closed as he uttered a growl, and he pressed his mouth to mine and
demanded rigorous entry with his tongue, which I immediately gave him
willingly. Today he was very demanding. Apparently, he had to let out his pent-
up emotions and who presented themselves better suited than me?
 
He slipped off the sleeves of my dress impatiently and pushed it down to free
my breasts, grasped them bluntly with his rough hands, and began to knead them
firmly, while he pressed me firmly against the couch with his hips. I moaned
ecstatically into his mouth. He distinctly took the initiative, was very
determined in his actions and gloriously passionate. Then he pulled himself
away from me, grabbed me again roughly by my hips and turned me around
determinedly. He put his hand on my back and stroked sensually along my spine
up to my neck, caressed my hair, put it on one side, leaned close to me and bit
into my neck. I screamed, my muscles pulsed. At this moment I was no longer
wet, no, I leaked.
 
"Oh Sirius, you're so... ahah harder..." I begged hoarsely. His hands now
pinched my nipples, twitching and twirling them gently, while his hard arousal
pressed against my butt. I was overwhelmed by my emotions, so many sensations.
His hands now glided down to my knees and lifted my dress up to my panties,
which he tore off me. Meanwhile he licked and nibbled at my neck, which drove
me crazy. My pleasure grew so much that I began to pleasure myself on my
nipples, which aroused me enormously.
 
"Hermione, you're so dirty... so hot..." Sirius groaned coarsely when he
noticed my actions. He growled deeply next to my ear and licked it
lasciviously, which made me shudder. Sirius then propped me over the back of
the couch and brushed my dress above my butt, so that I laid exposed in front
of him. He began to knead my butt cheeks and I could hear his gasping breath at
my back. At that moment, I felt gorgeously used. Today there was no time for
games - it got straight to the point, which suited me fine. Next I could feel
him pulling down his trousers and positioning himself behind me. His hot tip
touched me at my entrance, which draw a sigh of pleasure from me, and I
trembled expectantly with the prospect of finally feeling it all inside me
filling this intolerable emptiness.
 
"Take me... get in now, I have to feel you... grrrrr..." my ability to use
language got lost in a scream, as Sirius seized my hair roughly and pulled my
head back, then he let go again. Oh my goddess, his dominant behavior excited
me tremendously. His hands were once again placed on my buttocks, his fingers
digging into my skin. I bit my lip tightly, as he plunged his whole length into
me in a single stroke, not being gentle, but the feeling was unbelievable when
he finally filled me so completely. With this thrust he pushed the air out of
my lungs. I yelped, choked, as his hard, pulsing arousal was so deep inside me
that it literally took away the air I needed to breath.
 
"You feel so good..." Sirius moved slightly inside me. "Do you like that...
Hermione?" he asked, gasping, as at this moment my muscles were rhythmically
closing around him and massaging him.
 
I growled, "Fuck me... Sirius..." bracing myself against the seat of the couch.
 
"So impatient, but I think I know how you like it...", he withdrew from me with
these words and then slowly inserting his length into me again. I began to
writhe under this treatment, because it was unbearable. It was like a torture,
as he pulled his cock rhythmically very slowly out and pushed in again.
 
"Rhrr Sirius..." I begged. "Please... fuck me hard... hard... please!" I plead
breathlessly. I heard an evil growl, and then I could feel him throwing his
self-control overboard, banging into me with an incredibly fast pace. The room
filled with our whimpering and groaning. Sirius fucked me through sun and moon.
I could hear the smacking of skin on skin as he kept penetrating me, and with
every deep thrust we came closer to our goal. At last he had stopped playing
and fucked me as I wished. We had never had sex that passionate and fiercely.
Soon I couldn't hold it any further and bit my lips tightly when my orgasm hit
me and my innermost muscles clasped his cock like a vice. Moments later I could
feel him climaxing as well, and he let loose a completely uncontrolled howl. I
sank down, exhausted and gasping. "That was such a randy fuck, Sirius!" I
whispered.
 
He was still leaning behind me, still inside me, but now pulling back.

"Always willing to repeat, dear." He cheerfully patted my butt. "I wasn’t too
rough?" he asked, still struggling for breath.
 
"Eh, you're impossible! No, not at all! I loved it," I laughed contentedly as I
raised myself. We dressed again and used the cleaning spells. He pulled me
towards him and kissed me.
 
"Can I know now what you have done and why you were so creatively trying to
avoid telling me?" he asked as soon as we interrupted the kiss.
 
"Do you really want to know? You know, so far, you didn't really like my
truths," I said, resting my hands on his beautiful, masculine chest, which was
scantily covered by his half-closed shirt.
 
"I can bear it, I promise," he said seriously, looking deeply into my eyes.
 
"Sent them to sleep the other night," I said succinctly, shrugging defensively.
 
"You did what? How am I supposed to take that?" he echoed, horrified.
 
"As I said, they wouldn't let me go, and I still had a bit to study, not just
you, and thus I've helped a bit, so they would have nice dreams," I grinned at
him, stroking a curly strand behind my ear
 
"Did I just understand that correctly? You drugged your friends so they
wouldn't bother you?" he asked, shocked and wide-eyed.
 
"See, I told you, you won't like it. I can reassure you it's nothing dire, just
a light sleep amplifier, but you know how annoying they can be with their
questions. And we both, you and I, could do without too many questions, or do
you see that differently, my dear Casanova?" I asked very sweetly and pulled
away from his hands, then looked at him sternly.
 
"I ... I ... no, you're right, but if you deal with your friends like this, I
don't want to be your enemy ... but honestly, do you think, that's alright ...
well. Did you do that to Harry?" Sirius asked uncertainly, looking at me
doubtfully.
 
"No, of course it's not right. I don't cherish any illusions, it's wrong, but
it's the simplest way  for me and thus I justify it for myself. Don't worry too
much, let that be my concern, because I have to live with it, and no, I haven't
done that to Harry yet," I explained, but kept it as a secret, that Harry would
be sent to sleep tomorrow, but not from me directly.
 
"You mean, you can deal with it, and what do you mean, not yet?" he inquired
skeptically, but I interrupted him by pointing at him and then at me.
 
"Please, Sirius, we are doing quite different things that they wouldn't
understand, and before I listen to their screech, I'd better sent them to
sleep. But it's not at all about our fucking, because I want to work here in
the library and they don't understand that and disturb me," I explained
resolutely and my face showed a motionless mask. Sirius ran his left hand
through his shoulder-length hair and sighed theatrically.
 
"I just don't want you to get hurt," he explained, then grimaced.
 
"From whom? From you? Or what do you mean?" I said slightly perplexed, settled
down on the couch and reached for the glass of water.
 
"Yes, not just from me. I've never had a lucky hand in anything like this, but
I neither want you to have too many secrets and lose your friends," Sirius said
gravely, sitting down in an armchair, his legs crossed.
 
"You're sweet, but as I told you on our first time, I don't have a crush on you
or love you, believe me. I like you very much, just like you like me. You
weren't my first partner and when he and I separated or my other relationship,
no hearts were broken and that on both sides. When you need to hear it I say it
brutally honestly ... it was only sex, no more, but believe me, everyone was
satisfied!" I explained very sparingly and with hard words.
 
"But Hermione ... how, you're too young ... how is that ... even with me in my
school days, it wasn't like this ... the girls always wanted more ... love ...
tears ... kisses ... you understand!" he stammered stupidly and very confused.
 
"Yes, Sirius, I understand, but I'm not like these girls. No love, no tears, no
heartache, I promise!" I said quite heartless, leaving behind a rather
dumbfounded Sirius.
 
"And your other question, the one with the secrets, there are too many, and
that's the end of the story," I said. "I'm going to bed now and I hope our
dates will continue. I don't want to quit what we have here, because it is very
... satisfying," I gave him a malicious grin and ended the conversation, stood
up and left a disapproving Sirius behind.
 
As I closed the door behind me, I suddenly felt the black shadows of the
corridor watching me and therefore examined my surroundings very carefully and
suspiciously . Ah, now I knew who was watching me out of the darkness and a sly
smile spread across my face. Had he seen us? Did he watch us? A truly unusual
thought, one that I'd need to get used to, but why not. Hopefully, I could help
him with good material for his dreams. I had already climbed the first stairs
to the second floor, when I turned around slightly and looked over my shoulder
back into the depths of the hall.
 
"I wish you a very nice evening, Professor Snape!" I greeted him cheekily, and
then went on, undeterred. "I hope you liked the performance!" Without waiting
for a reaction, I disappeared upstairs and went to bed.
 
End of Hermiones POV
 
Snapes POV
 
Albus had apparated with me to Grimmauld Place late at night, since he still
had to discuss some matters concerning the Order of the Phoenix. As always, I
kept myself in the background, sat, listened, and watched the enervating and
eternally unchanging bustle. It was interesting that Black was starting to get
restless at 11 pm, and he had had strangely very little to say today. Even
though this day his dearly beloved godson had been in court, and had scarcely
escaped a punishment, he hardly took part in the discussion, which was not at
all like him, for he usually had nonsensical and useless comments for
everything, that no human soul wanted to hear.
 
Half an hour later everything had been said, and the dog, I mean Black, jumped
up and said good-bye. I raised an eyebrow questioningly, for what could make
the mutt that nervous and restless? I would watch this closer, the typical
curiosity that a spy should have, always hidden, but one had to have it and I
relented to it gladly, as it dispelled the terrible boredom after this very
unproductive session effectively. And thus I sneaked as softly and
inconspicuously as possible behind Black. I was sure to spot him in the
library. As I approached the door, I felt the spells that Miss Granger had
already used the last time at the door, but she hadn't secured them against
Black and me, because apparently we were always welcome, I thought cynically.
So I smiled as I opened the door soundlessly and froze, because what was
offered to me, I never, but absolutely never really expected to see. I, a man
who had already seen a lot and was more than trained in assessing a situation
and people, after all I depended on that more than once in my life, was almost
flabbergasted by the image I had in front of me.

I could see Miss Granger's naked breasts, and the way Black pushed her into the
back of the couch and worked at her back while I watched as Miss Granger began
to pleasure her breasts. Perplexed, I thought I didn't see clearly anymore,
because this was a 15-year-old girl. The scene that was presented to me, what I
just heard and saw, I would never have thought her capable of doing so.
 
What the hell, she was a Gryffindor saint, not a Slytherin slut. Black, yes,
but Miss Perfect, never! Now Black had thrust into her violently, I had heard
her stifled outcry. But the conversation between Black and her would have
driven the blood into my pale cheeks, if I hadn't seen too much in my life
already, I would've lost faith.
 
But what faith? For this reason, I stood motionless, watching the inspiring
play of the two protagonists. But these filthy obscenities almost shocked me.
Had I really judged Granger that wrong? When had she become like this? When had
she started to act?
 
My thoughts wandered as I watched the sexual union between this passionate
couple. It was exhilarating how Black was again and again thrusting roughly
into this woman who stood bent down in front of him. The bobbing of her
breasts, the sounds that both uttered, all this was a more than arousing sight.


Much to my chagrin I could feel that the sight of the copulating couple didn't
leave me cold. Because I was only a man and above all, Granger looked really
good. She had become very attractive and very feminine. So I couldn't and
didn't want to turn away and satisfied my curiosity, since I didn't know any
real morality for something like this. When they were finished and sated and
sat down to talk, I listened unseen. The way Granger behaved shocked me
utterly, so cold and calculating. How could I’ve fooled myself this much?
Otherwise my instincts never let me down, but with her I seemed to have
overlooked quite a bit or hadn't want to see it. What she said about her
friends - that she was giving them narcotics - was outrageous. When she started
to leave, I merged silently and unseen by the both of them with the darkness of
the hallway.
 
When she wished me a nice evening, unperturbed, she threw me for a loop. She
had noticed me, but how she showed that, amazed me very much. At the end she
also voiced the suspicion that I had watched the "performance". That she seemed
to shrug it off, left me speechless. At first I was just stunned and actually
shocked, what a minx this girl was. This experience would continue to concern
me. I had just watched a student of mine sleep with a man my age. No, they
hadn't slept together, the whole thing was too passionate for this, too rough.
Granger's words fit well. I had watched them fuck, which probably shocked and
surprised me even more.
 
A child, a girl, a student like her, should make love with boys her age, but
not have fast and hard sex with a man more than twice her age. But it didn't
look as if she cared, I concluded from her callous behavior towards Black. As
well from the way she had met me in the hallway and had shown me that she knew
I had watched her while she was having sex with Black. She didn't seem upset,
nor ashamed that she had been observed at all, and especially from me, her
professor, no, she had reacted rather cheekily and unabashed, this girl ... no,
this woman would keep me occupied, I could feel it. I would never have thought
her capable of this unemotional behaviour towards her friends, too. I got a
headache, damn.
 
Now I took care that I arrived at my dungeons. This Granger meant problems,
more than ever before, but no one would believe me, in case I would imply
something, because, thanks to her admittedly truly brilliant spell, I couldn't
talk about anything intimate regarding her. Yes, she also occupied me in this
respect. On the evening when I had patched her together, she had given me the
documentation of her invented spell without further request. She had once again
managed to surprise me. That she was so circumspect to put a spell on the paper
which made the script invisible was clever, very clever. But the magic and the
elaboration were masterly. I had known for a long time that our Miss-Know-It-
All was good, but so good?
 
Stop now, I wanted to go home to my firewhiskey and didn't want to think about
her or what happened here, after all, it wasn't my business anyway. Exactly.
And seconds later I was gone, rushed out with flowing robes, but my thoughts
remained with a naked Granger.
 
End of Snape’s POV
***** Love Cottage and Snape *****
Chapter Notes
     I am so sorry for this long wait, but we got a bit of a mess with the
     Betas, I'm already quite ahead with the translation.
     This chapter is dedicated to Aivy and Sop, my two very loyal Betas.
     Now, enjoy this new, long chapter especially fun for all Snanger
     fans. xx
     Thanks for all the Kudos and Comments. xx
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Love Cottage and Snape
 
Throughout the day I felt a certain anticipation towards the evening. I hoped
Fred and George would like it. And yesterday's passionate meeting with Sirius
was another reason for my good mood. Today I still felt slightly sore and
bruised, which gave me a wonderfully satisfied feeling.
 
To the culmination of this morning, a really delightful and amusing article
from Rita had appeared in the Daily Prophet, which in overall contained what I
had wished for: a critical description of the facts! Fudge would fume after
yesterday's humiliation in the Gamot, and now the public malice and worry that
he had lost control and the Dementors no longer obeyed to the Ministry, it was
too glorious. I could already see the howlers which would now besiege the
government building inside my mind and revelled in my subtle revenge.
 
But let's be honest, the idiot deserves nothing else. To close his eyes in the
face of danger, wasn't simply stupid, it was completely nuts. His ignorance
played into the hands of the Dark Lord, an action so stupid that it physically
hurted me. The latter was thus able to gather his people around him in peace
and seclusion, while the Ministry fought against imagined attempts to overthrow
them and didn't arm themselves for the actual threat. Well, I wouldn't be able
to change anything for now.
 
I could see at the breakfast table how incredibly excited the twins were. They
unleashed their ribald humor and jokes, without regard for their poor siblings
who couldn’t hold a candle to them in this regard. It was too funny. But still
the mood was good, because Harry changed for the positive and chattered all the
time with a all around happy and satisfied Sirius. The rest of my day went as
usual, very successful from my point of view, and, as I always had a lot to do,
the evening came faster than expected.
 
Once again I rushed into the house, as I arrived for dinner almost too late
nearly every evening and got to sit again in a very crowded kitchen. I
remembered the Twins warning too well and therefore sticked to water for the
whole evening, which I prefered to the sweet pumpkin juice anyway. The
atmosphere in the kitchen changed very quickly when Ginny suddenly pressed a
hand to her stomach which made strange, loud noises, and as she was visibly
uncomfortable with that, her anxious, embarrassed glance glided to Harry
immediately. Suddenly she jumped up as if stung by an adder and shot out of the
room with a "Sorry, Mum!"
 
They all looked at each other as all at once Ron's nose began to bleed, and he
frantically pushed a cloth to his nose, and Harry turned green on his face,
before he began to gag, that one had to almost feel sick, too. He jumped up as
well and quickly ran out of the room. It was just getting very hard not to
burst into laughter. The twins' joke items were worth gold, just splendid, they
would make a fortune at Hogwarts. Fred and George put on such an oscar-worthy
show that even I assumed they had taken one themselves at first, as often as
they were their own guinea pigs, but the expression in Fred's eyes, this
painfully suppressed amused sparkle, let me revise that opinion. They just
played as if they would immediately puke and die, but it was very convincing,
so I very nearly took part out of pure sympathy.
 
"Puh, I'm going, too, I think they infected me," I explained slightly
sufferingly, placing my hand demonstratively on my stomach, then I staggered to
the door.
 
"Oh my God, Arthur. What's happening to the children? They're all sick,
hopefully it's nothing serious!" cried a deeply concerned Molly, feeling very
confused about this rampant disease.
 
"Calm down, it's nothing bad. Perhaps they infected each other. They're going
to bed at once, and then we look after them ... " said Arthur, soothingly, with
a deep voice and radiated that serenity, but with his hectic wife he probably
needed that inner peace. In our room I quickly put one of the sleeping-sweets
and an antidote to stop the effect of the Weasley-Wizard-Sweets in a water
glass. I was dissolving them, when Ginny stumbled into the room because she'd
been in the bathroom before. She looked horrible, so pale, totally colorless,
and her strong, red hair made her look even more sick.
 
"Ginny, drink here, and you'll be feel better at once," I said encouragingly,
handing her the glass considerately.
 
"Thank you Hermione, man that was really embarrassing in front of Harry, ...
aha that's nice," she sighed sufferingly and drank the contents of the glass
greedily while I watched appraisingly under the guise of lowered lids.
Wonderful! I loved it when a plan worked. Immediately, Ginny sank into the
pillows and was sound asleep, and I quickly began to belt up my dagger holsters
on my thighs under my black dress and readied my deep-red robe coat. When I
heard voices from outside, I quickly leaped under my blanket, and the next
moment Mrs. Weasley stuck her head into the room. Ginny was oblivious to it in
her drugged state.
 
"How are you?", the matron asked gently, stepping in softly and placing a hand
on her daughter's forehead.
 
"I think we're alright. Ginny is almost asleep, and I'm going to be fine, too."
I showed her a weak smile.
 
"Oh, dear, I think you've infected each other, nothing dangerous. I've already
looked after Harry and Ron and the two are already sound asleep. After a
healing sleep you all will be well again tomorrow," she said sorrowfully.
 
"I think so, too.." I spoke as if I was dead tired and near to exitus.
 
"Sleep well, that's the best you can do," she agreed, smiling motherly, as she
carefully evened out the blanket, then quietly left the room. Thank God she was
gone. A Tempus and I saw that we had to hurry. It was quarter past nine, time
was running. I jumped out of bed, pulled out my coat and threw it over me. I
put my hair together so that it wouldn't get in my way. For a moment I stayed
put and wondered if I had everything. Had I forgotten something? Nothing, good,
then out into a balmy summer night.
 
I crept unseen to the front door and remained in the shadow, had already pulled
the hood over my face as a precaution. At that moment, I was a completely
different person again, because I felt more like one of those characters from
Knockturn Alley who love the anonymity of the night. It was always a strange
feeling how I changed myself and my attitude when I adopted a different
identity. I stood motionless and waited quietly, but impatiently, until I saw
two people, also wrapped in dark coats, sneaking towards me, finally.They too
had covered themselves, lest somebody noticed their characteristic red hair.
How far-sighted they were, without anyone telling them to do so. We three
nodded to each other under our hoods. So far no one had lost a word.
 
One of them opened the door and we left Black house. I was about to close the
door behind me as I saw dog’s eyes glittering in the dark corridor, watching
closely. A wicked smile began to play around the corners of my mouth. Oh, I
loved such games. He spied on me again. What did he think why I disappeared
with the Twins? For he had certainly sniffed it out and guessed who my secret
companions were. So I put my index finger to my lips conspiratorially and
instructed Sirius to remain silent, then I gently closed the entrance door,
once again without saying a word. The two disguised figures followed me into
the side street and put one hand on my shoulder and I apparated to Rose
Cottage. Standing under the old oak in front of the house, I knew that they
hadn't yet seen it, so I commanded "Follow me!",  led them to the front door,
and instructed them to put a hand on the door which wasn't visible to them.
Then I intoned a little incantation, which added them into the protection of
the house.
 
"Wow, that's so cool, what a pretty little house!", it sounded already. Okay,
it had worked as hoped, because they saw it now.
 
"In with you!" I shooed them inside. "We don't have much time before I have to
leave again! Remove the sheets first and have a look around. You can use
everything. On the back is a bar ... this is my ‘Rose Cottage’, feel at home!"
I explained. "Welcome!" I proceeded with an inviting gesture. "Don't forget,
when you're done here, let me know with the coins," I added at last, pointing
out that I was in a hurry.
 
"Tell me, Hermione, do you think we're brain-dead?" Fred asked. "Or completely
dumb? Is ‘Crabbe’ or ‘Goyle’ inscribed in our foreheads?", they inquired,
slightly offended.
 
"See you later, I'll be back shortly after nine," I left them alone, hurrying
away. Outside, I took a moment to breath a sigh of relief, for I would soon
meet Rita. I wondered how she was today after the published article? Yes, I was
curious. Since it wouldn't do to appear in a long robe coat, like from another
century, at the busy, modern Trafalgar Square, I quickly turned it into a black
cardigan and then apparated. Being a witch was truly a pleasure.
 
I walked confidently and briskly towards the square and could see Rita's
bright, blonde, rigged curls besides the big glasses. Discreet as ever, the
dear. Next to her was a pretty, young brunette in a short figure-accentuating
colorful dress. I almost cracked up over Rita’s sense of humor, because she
seemed to have actually based her choice on my looks, because figure, coloring
and size of the girl were very similar to me.
 
"I wish you a pleasant evening, ladies," I greeted the two women affably and
jovially.
 
"As always on time!", Skeeter nodded. Apparently she was of the same opinion
that we shouldn't call each other by name, although this shouldn't matter, but
the good Rita couldn't know. Confident in her attitude, but still a slightly
intimidated look in her eyes, the little one suspected me suspiciously. I
nodded to her friendly.
 
"Well, how may I call you?" I asked kindly, realizing that she didn't know what
to think of being in the presence of two women when usually men were her
customers.
 
"Alice, pleased to meet you," a pleasant voice sounded, which tried to appear
firm and brisk. She was a nice girl, not a worn out, bitter whore from the
street, I was sure, but rather a call girl. Expensive, the way she behaved and
the well-groomed look she presented. Exactly what I had imagined. I had always
known that the good Rita was good, if she wanted to or couldn't do differently
in our case.
 
"Very well, my pleasure, Alice. You know what this is about?" I asked further
with accented politeness.
 
"Chrchrm, yes, the lady here was so kind as to tell me that you want a
threesome!", she replied with a relatively steady voice and a slightly
mischievous smile, and swept a strand of her shoulder-length brown hair from
her face.
 
"Good, now let’s talk business, how much?" I inquired resolutely. Rita kept
listening, curious, but stayed in the background, something I thought she could
do very well.
 
"I'm not cheap, because extras are required, too, so I'll ask for 250 galleons
for the night!", she said very demanding, with a definitely greedy sparkle in
her eyes. One shouldn't be deceived by her lovely appearance. I could imagine
that such a professional life made one tough. And wow, the price was quite a
sum, which is why I heard Rita quietly gasp. I wouldn't haggle, why should I?
After all, she got herself into much, she deserved an equal due. Period.
 
So I nodded in agreement. "As you wish!" I pulled my pouch out of my sweater
and fished out 125 golden pieces. "Here, half of it, you get the rest after
your job is done."
 
She took the money in surprise and quickly dispersed it in her little handbag,
probably expecting negotiations, and now an all but regretful expression
appeared in her eyes that she hadn't asked for a higher price.
 
"I'll apparate you right away. Afterwards, I'll get you back here, all right?"
I said completely indifferently. She nodded at me understandingly. "Good, then
go to the side street and wait at its entrance. I have to talk with the lady
for a while," I told her coldly, pointing the direction with my finger.
 
When Rita and I were alone surrounded by a mass of cheerful muggles, I frostily
smiled at her. "Wonderful Miss Skeeter, you have accomplished your task
perfectly  thank you. She's exactly what I wanted," I praised coldly and
watched the frowning looking woman in front of me.
 
"I'm glad that I could get what you apparently needed so badly," it came
venomously from her, and she glared at me contemptuously.
 
"Indeed, I hope it wasn't too difficult to find her?" I requested, smirking,
slowly, almost provocatively raising an eyebrow.
 
"No, you just have to know where to get it, then you'll find it very quickly,"
she told me snootily and snappily. It was always nice to see how much we liked
each other, oh I loved these meetings, they were so ... invigorating and
stimulating.
 
"Another issue, how's Fudge?" I asked curiously.
 
"He wasn't pleased with my article, but I got a lot of attention, so I'm very
happy, thank you for the information, Miss Granger," she explained immediately,
but looked as if she were biting into a lemon when she thanked me for the
information, for even though it had been very helpful to her, she didn't seem
pleased to have received it from me and to have to thank me for them.
 
"Always again, Miss Skeeter. We'll hear from each other," I finished the
stilted conversation and turned to go.
 
"Stop, here, your requested exposé!", she exclaimed, fiddling for a file in her
huge and swanky crocodile leather handbag and handed it to me.
 
"Oh, one can always rely on you, my love. I wish you a nice evening, see you
soon, and take care of yourself, Miss Skeeter," I finally said, shrinked the
file and put it in my pocket. I would deal with it within the next few days and
I was curious what kind of information it contained. I quickly walked towards
the waiting young woman, who was looking at me with interest.
 
"Come here, take my arm," I demanded without a break. She trustingly put her
hand on my forearm and I apparated in front of the "Rose Cottage"  already.
Since she couldn't see it from the outside and I wouldn't take her into the
protection, I held her tightly and led her into the inside of the house.
 
She looked around with interest. "Cozy," she commented. I went to the living
room and waved her to follow me. The Twins had done a good job in this short
time. Everything flashed and was clean, so I watched them as they both sat on
the comfortable sofa or rather lolled around. They had got rid of their coats
and were now wearing terribly colorful T-shirts, which once again clashed with
the red of their hair. I knew they were doing this on purpose, because there
was never such a bad taste in color. A crackling fire in the chimney, one
crystal glass with an amber-colored liquid in front of them, they now looked
curiously in my direction. I stepped aside and let Alice enter, presenting her
to Fred and George.
 
"This is Alice. Alice these are Fred and George, your partners," I told her
casually. She looked at the two and puckered her eyebrows together and got big,
round eyes.
 
"Twins?", she breathed, surprised.
 
"Is that a problem?" I asked hard.
 
"No, no, not at all ... I was just surprised ... just doesn't happen every
day," she covered up her astonishment, and began to smile seductively in
direction of the sofa. The Twins had watched her, and she probably passed this
check well, as both showed a satisfied and delighted expression.
 
"Hermione, Hermione, if you do something, then you are always doing it right.
Wow, what a pretty one. Hello Alice, pleased to get to know you," it came
gallantly from George. Fred stood up and walked toward her. "Would you like a
glass?"
 
"Please, that would be nice," she replied immediately, and he went to the bar
and handed it to her afterwards. "Thank you," she said, smiling as she took it.
 
"Do you have any wishes? Otherwise I would withdraw now until you call me to
pick up Alice," I asked business-like, because I really didn't need to see them
to check out and sweet-talk each other. Watching the Twins at their sex games
was enough for me, so I didn't need a repeat with a threesome.
 
"Um ... I don't know?" George said. "She looks great, and on the whole just
like our desires ...", man, I just felt sorry for the poor girl, we talked
about her in her presence like she's cattle.
 
"... but ...?" I enquired.
 
"... well ..." George didn't get his act together, so Fred took over. "Hell,
you know we have a very specific girl in mind ...", he said excitedly. "Could
you enchant her so that she would be ... even more like ...?" I rolled my eyes
theatrically, because usually the two had a quick tongue. I had to smile a
wicked smile, it was too funny, but that was their night, I wouldn't stand in
the way of their wishes, and - as I walked through my life with my eyes open -
I was once again ready for every eventuality.
 
"Guys, guys, usually you articulate yourself better, but stop with the
stammering. I know what you want, and as I'm good-natured in person and just
too smart for this world ..." (Alice looked quite confused about this
conversation from one to the other) "I've prepared everything," fished back in
my jacket for and produced a vial, which I held up.
 
"... what ... what ... is that?", both wanted to know, excited.
 
"What do you think? Polyjuice Potion!", I explained broadly grinning and looked
appraisingly around the group. With my right hand I tore out some of my hair,
ouch. "As I said, I wasn’t born yesterday. I know you well, and I do what I
can!" I grinned at them wickedly and sighed dramatically.
 
"Do you have a problem with it, Alice, taking this potion? You know it?" I
addressed her, now in a more business-like tone.
 
"Uh, no not really. I mean, I have no problem taking it. So you want me to look
like her?", she asked in amazement, pointing with her finger at me, causing
Fred and George to nod feverishly with their heads. "Well, why not, it's fine,
I’ll do it," she stated with a shrug, reaching out with her hand to take the
vial, but I stepped close to her and whispered in her ear so that only she
could understand me.
 
"Thank you for drinking this and, please, do as they wish, they won't ask for
anything bad, for that you'll get an extra tip to the agreed sum ..." I stepped
back and looked at her intensely. She began to show me a bright smile. "It's
nice to see that we understand each other so well, Miss, I like to do what you
want." I pulled myself further back and she put the vial to her lips to drink.
Since I knew how such a transformation took place, I went to the sofa and
looked at the Twins.
 
"Excited?" I asked, grinning.
 
"Bah, you really amaze me again and again, that you’ll give us your body ...
you make me speechless," they explained together and perplexed, but I said
nothing, because it wasn't really me, so I was completely fine with it.
 
"Another question, where did you get the potion from?" Fred asked curiously.
 
"I will answer that later. Will you excuse me? I'm going now and you have your
fun with ... me, I'd say!" I laughed merrily and glided toward the door.
 
"Until later and have a good time!" I said loudly to everyone and turned to
leave the house, while in the middle of the room Alice stood up again. She had
really bravely suppressed any choking noises during the transformation, this
woman knew how to raise the tips, I liked that. And so I looked in my own face.
I waved to her and then I disappeared from the cottage. I was already very
excited hearing about the twins’ experiences later.
 
My next goal was a pub. True to the maxim ‘There's no time like the present’, I
wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to move freely and thus I started
towards my destination. But before I went there, I had to adjust my appearance,
once again taking the look of Minna Cale - dark blond, smooth and chin-length
hair, dull blue eyes - and pulled the hood deep into my face. Where I wanted to
go, no one showed their faces voluntarily. A much quieter plop sounded, which I
could and would already be proud of, when I appeared. I was now standing in a
deserted village square under a starlit sky. I was in Hogsmeade and my goal was
the Hog's Head Inn.
 
Swiftly as usual I scurried from shadow to shadow between the houses. Here I
wanted to do some research on Rita's book and today I was offered the
opportunity to start. After the shocking findings about Harry during the last
days, the curiosity urged me to bring light into the dark. I knew the Hog's
Head Inn from our weekend visits from Hogwarts, but we students weren't allowed
to go there, because it was a more than run down drinking hole, which housed
all kinds of riff-raff. I approached the remote, shabby side street, and under
a rusty hanger the wooden sign showed a chopped off, bloody boar head. It was
inviting through and through, one had to say, no wonder that no student got
lost here. They were all scared shitless.
 
I must say, lately I have become pretty indifferent regarding things like that,
because this was a joke compared to Knockturn Alley. Thus I didn't feel even
rudimentary anxiety or fear. If anything, I felt the lightest aversion against
the filth when I entered the inside of the taproom, the dirty windows, through
which no light could shine, even at daytime. The stone floor was swept so often
that it appeared to be made of clay thanks to the dirt, I thought ironically
and in disgust. Candles on the wooden tables gave the only, dim, light. And to
one such table my hooded figure slipped down now. I sniffed abruptly, did it
smell like goats in here? No sooner then I had sat, a big, scrawny wizard with
a sullen and not very confidence-inspiring expression appeared at my table.
 
"What do you want?", he snapped out. I looked up under my hood.
 
"Firewhiskey," I demanded just as gruffly and he nodded, muttering something
under his breath, and shuffled away. I had looked at him closely. He had
unkempt-looking long, gray hair and an equally gray beard and his bright blue
eyes had gleamed suspiciously at me. If you knew what to look for, one couldn't
deny the similarity between the two, but otherwise I would never have noticed
that this was Aberforth Dumbledore, the brother of our valued Professor Albus
Dumbledore. Here I was safe to assume without consulting a family tree at
Hogwarts that Rita's records were correct. Nevertheless, I would still look
into the family tree, because in this respect I was pedantic. Even so I
believed that Rita hadn't lied here and it was a fact that I had his brother in
front of me.
 
Oh my, Dumbledore's brother, the host of a rather shady establishment. As I let
my gaze drift through the room, I saw everything that felt at home in Knockturn
Alley as well.
 
Yes, right there, ... that was clearly Dung, clinging to his glass as if he
were afraid it might get stolen. All of a sudden a cup got slammed down in
front of me on the table.
 
"Three Sickles and five Knuts," snarled the host. I quickly fished for the
requested money and handed it to him. What a pleasant fellow. I didn't thank
him at all, you always had to adjust to your surroundings, to not be noticed
and courtesy would have been out of place. Suddenly I could feel a hot
sensation tingling my neck, as if someone were watching me, so I calmly let my
eyes wander and almost choked on the fire whiskey burning in my throat when I
saw a raven-black pair of eyes in a dark niche fixed on me. Snape, shit, what
was he doing here?
 
Stay cool, relax. He had seen me in that appearance only once at the magical
pharmacy in Knockturn Alley, and I had worn my hood there, too, a little pulled
back though, but why should he be interested in me, I calmed myself down. Why
the hell was he still staring?
 
Had he nothing better to do than loitering there? But I didn't want to drink up
and leave too quickly, because that would have been too conspicuous, but in
principle I was ready to leave again. My plan was finished. As I had seen, Rita
had been right with her assertion that the landlord was definitely related to
Dumbledore. I could now find the rest in the genealogy books. Oh shit, now the
bat was in fact moving and had no better idea than to steer towards my table.
Great, absolutely great! What should I do now?
 
Fortune favours fools, and I apparently had a whole bag full of it. Great, he
still walked towards me with purposeful steps, really great. Okay, you can bury
any false hope, he's coming towards you really and truly. Come on, build up the
walls, show what you have recently taught yourself in Occlumency. You can do
it, think of the 1000-year-old walls of the tower, yes, exactly, perfect, these
also have withstood every battle, and remain cool, he won't get through them. I
lifted my glass to take a sip.
 
"Is anyone sitting here?", Snape questioned oilily. I said nothing at all, but
shook my head briefly and brusquely pointed to a chair.
 
"I've never seen you here before!" Snape now said in a mistrustful, low voice,
and sat down gently with billowing robes in the wooden chair. Why did a man
wear so many layers voluntarily in summer? Stay on your task, girl, I called
myself hard to order and shrugged noncommittally.
 
"Can't you or don't you want to talk?", he inquired next in a velvety voice,
and that voice was so different to when he mimed the evil professor. It sent a
few small shivers down my spine. "I wouldn't have judged you as somebody who
wished to talk much." I disguised my voice, making it sound deeper. Well, I
wouldn't have assumed that the good professor was this talkative.
 
"Well well, do we know each other? Have I ever met you?", he jabbered on oddly
interested. Hello, this was the decidedly untalkative dungeon dweller, so
what's going on here? I lifted my shoulders again without a word and wished
that, for example, his dark mark would burn right now, so that he would need to
leave quickly. That was not nice, I know, but I didn't really feel like getting
unmasked by the esteemed Mr Snape.
 
"Would you please pull your hood back a bit, so that I can see you better?", he
asked, raising his hand, signaling to Aberforth to bring two more drinks. Hey,
did he want to make me drunk? That was absolutely out of question. But I
probably needed to meet his demand, if I didn't want to rouse too much
mistrust, or should I refuse? So I slightly pulled back the fabric so that he
could see my face and parts of my light hair, but I didn't pull it back
completely because my facial features and my body weren't changed.
 
"Ah, I thought I knew you, and now I know where from," he mused contentedly,
his head cocking to the side. His hair had moved along and hung around his head
like a curtain. The dark color absorbed the light of the candles, which made
him appear incredibly superior. Hopefully I didn't look too insecure. Chin up
and chest out was my slogan, so I dared it and looked deeply into his eyes,
with which I would make a legilimency attack possible for him, but I wanted to
take the chance.
 
"And where do you think you know me from...?" I asked sweetly. I had been able
to suppress the "Sir," at the very last moment, because that would immediately
awake his mistrust. I could now feel a slight plucking on the furthest corners
of my mind, barely perceptible if one didn't pay attention to it, that swine,
but had I expected something else? No! At the moment I was only thinking of
gray, large rocks, which assembled into a wall. I won't make it that easy for
you, Snape, my resistance awoke. Suddenly, he raised his face more than
irritated. Apparently he had felt my protective shield now and something blazed
behind his dark eyes. At that moment, the innkeeper once again banged our order
down on the table with indescribable hospitality.
 
"Here Snape, that makes seven Sickles!", he demanded harshly and charmingly as
anything. Snape reached into his waistcoat indifferently, casually handed over
the money, then raised his glass and toasted towards me. Hence we chinked
glasses and drank, keeping our eyes glued to each other. It felt like stalking
prey.
 
"What did you need the lacewing flies for?", he restated his claim that he knew
me. Shit, this man was impossible. Why could he remember such a thing? Damn,
that reminded me of myself, cruel, too cruel, that there should be people who
resembled me.
 
"What do you think?", it came not very friendly from me and I was tempted to
roll my eyes. "Then you're skilled in the field of potion making? It's very
unusual in your profession," he replied cynically, lifting a corner of his
mouth contemptuously.
 
"Mhmm ...", what should I answer to that and how did he come to the assumption
that I was following a profession?
 
"I see, do you like it?", and raised his glass again. He couldn’t be more
subtle, I muttered in my thoughts.
 
"Yes, thank you!", I remained polite, even though I was tempted to chuck the
contents of my glass into his face. Oh my, there were once again two
possibilities that my brain had worked out in the short time to explain his
behavior. Firstly, he was suspicious and curious, or he was hitting on me and
thought I was somebody like Alice, as he had only seen me in infamous areas.
Damn and what did I do with possibility number two? Oh heaven, that didn't go
as planned. I got a hooker for the twins and had not intended to maybe become
one myself now.
 
"How come that you remember to have seen me?", I probed deeper, displaying
disbelief in my voice, and took another sip that I needed urgently.
 
"Ah, I have a good memory, my love and your way to move ... your face ... I
don't know. Your robe with that particular cut, I'm good at memorising such
things," he pondered in a whisper, meanwhile he didn't let me out of his wary
gaze for a second, and I knew, even when he acted like he was deep in thoughts,
he was still busy watching my movements. Thereon I drank my glass in one go.
Oh, that burned in my throat, but I needed the pain for a bit, because
apparently I had only strengthened his interest by my mental wall. I didn't
even notice when he reordered immediately, but I observed fairly pleased how
the old, gray-haired innkeeper brought two new fire whiskeys to our table.
 
Oh my goddess, I think I just lost hope of possibility number one and believed
to have the confirmation that number two became more and more likely. I mean he
was a man, had watched me and Sirius having sex yesterday, which certainly left
him its mark on him, and apparently he had not the faintest idea that I was his
student Hermione Granger. Which was good, which was very good, that he didn't
recognize me and didn't associate me with Minna, because he clearly seemed to
fancy her. It looked like I was able to experience the courting behaviour of my
grim, surly professor. I was spared absolutely nothing. I actually dared to
feel sorry for myself.
 
"But as I said, I know these establishments quite well, but I've never seen you
before. What is your name?" he continued probing me, keeping me in view.
 
"I think, you can't know everyone, don't you agree? And I'm Minna, Minna Cale,"
I introduced myself.
 
"Pleased to meet you, Miss Cale. My name is Severus Snape!", his hand gently
touched his chest, his head bowed gingerly, which amazed me because that was
the impeccable greeting of Purebloods and it didn't surprise me one bit that
even my professor could be polite and know these practices, as the Slytherin's
head of house. Well, I wouldn’t be in any way inferior to him, and thus made
the same gesture in a flowing, elegant movement.
 
"The pleasure is mine, Mr. Snape, and thank you for the invitation!" I had
always said that the absolutely boring book about the customs of true-bred
Purebloods would pay off.
 
"Where do you live?" he asked abruptly, his expression becoming unreadable,
while I interlocked my hands in my lap.
 
"Ah, Mr. Snape, I think no decent girl should answer this question to a man she
has known for ten minutes!" I replied coquettishly, smiling cynically at his
mask-like face.
 
"Quite true, I'm just wondering if you're really decent?" he doubted my words
with a velvety voice.
 
"What makes you think otherwise?", I acted affectedly shocked and raised my
hand indignantly to my chest.
 
"I don't think a decent girl would be here," he pointed out coolly. He was
right, damn! So I gave a scoffing laugh, which also made the corners of his
mouth twitch a little.
 
"Very good Mr. Snape, what could I possibly answer now without digging my own
grave?" I declared sardonically, and mockingly raised my glass.
 
"Did your potion succeed? It isn't easy!", he suddenly changed the subject, as
if to lead me up the garden path.
 
"Why do you ask?" I replied motionless.
 
"I apologize, I forgot, but you don't seem to know me, I'm a potion master and
teach this subject at Hogwarts," he said incredulously, pretending it's
surprising that I wouldn't know him.
 
"Thank you for your concern, it's all going to my satisfaction," I nodded to
him and drank the rest in one go, so that it burned painfully in my throat, but
I needed the pain again to find my courage. "It was a pleasure to meet you Mr.
Snape, excuse me, but I have to go and thank you for the invitation," I tried
to say good-bye and raised myself determinedly. Unfortunately, before I knew
it, he had gotten up as well. He was like a gum on a shoe sole.
 
"Wait, Miss Cale. I'll accompany you, because the times are dangerous,
especially here!" He objected with feigned solicitousness, stepping up to me. I
didn't believe him one word.
 
"Very kind Mr. Snape, but do you think I would be here if I were afraid?" I
soberly refused his offer and moved toward the exit, which he left uncommented
and stubbornly followed me.
 
"What are you doing professionally?" he asked instead. Oh Shit, what did a
woman do who was everywhere where he had seen me, most of them were of course
prostitutes, shit.
 
"What do you think Mr. Snape?" I always had to suppress calling him sir or
professor, and asked a daring counterquestion. We went into another side
street, which was less dingy but even more deserted. He gently held me by my
arm, steering me and I didn't find it in me to wrest my upper arm from him. Oh,
what should I do? I had to play my role, what else should I do? I wouldn't
allow my cover to be blown! Because I didn't want to know what he would do to
me, if he found out! The motto was, grit your teeth and go through with it.
 
"You know what I think, but do I think correctly?" he snarled deeply, asking an
ambivalent question. Unbelievable but true, I was always right with my
estimations. That was really not fair. Did I want to fuck with my professor? To
be a whore for him here in a dark, dirty alley? Or better, could I do something
like that? Was I able to pull this through to the bitter end?
 
I mean, he would never know he had made advances to Hermione Granger, his
student, in an immoral way. The other question was, could I still make a run
for it? Would I still have a chance to escape without blowing my cover?
 
"Do you ever misestimate, Mr. Snape?" I asked sardonically. Did I just do this?
Wouldn't the Twins have been a better alternative? No, I don't mean it that
way, only the two didn't really turn me on, since red was so not my colour. But
didn’t this apply to Snape too?
 
"Most of the time never. How much?", he then got straight to the essentials and
I was perplexed by his direct nature. Oh goddess, my professor had just asked
me how much I wanted for sex, that I should spread my legs for him, but the
worst was, instead of getting sick, a warm, tingling feeling pooled dangerously
and forbiddenly in my stomach. Was I really so corrupted that I was ready to
fuck with my teacher in an alley, for money? Shame on me.
 
"I'm not a street whore," I remarked coldly.
 
"Of course, I didn't think anything else. But I don't want to go to your
establishment - this works well enough. I'm still willing to pay the full
price," he explained boldly. Oh, shit! It had been worth an attempt, but that
presented another problem: I had no idea what was an appropriate price for a
whore. One second, did I, Hermione Granger, just really think about a price for
sex? Where would this end? Help! It wouldn't be appropriate to ask for 250
galleons like Alice, because she makes a special job for the whole night with
extra wishes. That wasn't comparable with a quick fuck. What to do?
 
"How much would I be worth for you?" I flirted. Brilliant, pass it back to him.
Although I doubted that real whores were acting like this and would give
something as elementary as their pay out of their hands. Hence he questioningly
raised his eyebrow. He seemed to know  this stuff . Should I worry about that?
Yes, absolutely, just not now... later, when I had done all this. On the other
hand, I didn't think that Snape was looking for a solid partnership or even  a
relationship when it was so easy for him to satisfy his desires.
 
"... Y ou know, I like you and I don't want to be greedy, so let me hear what
I'm worth to you , " I wooed him and stroke d  lasciviously over his cloaked
chest with my finger. Man, I was good, but I tried to overplay my faux pas, and
it seemed that even with a cold man like Snape, the possibility of brain
activity in case of acute blood deficiency in the brain decreased.
 
"... I f that is so, fifty galleons!" he offered quickly. Was bargaining
appropriate now? Yes ,  I think so.
 
"Pah, seventy-five!" I cried deprecatingly, scandalized, but I didn't get any
further. For then ,  he grabbed  my upper arms  tightly and immediately pressed
me to the wall behind me. Apparently, we had come to an agreement, in his view,
as he pinned me  to  the wall. The clasp of my coat was already open and I
hadn't even blinked.
 
He let it slide to the ground  impatiently and tore my dress violently from my
shoulders, pulling it down to free my breasts. I mean, I didn't even get to
clear my head and assess the situation -because I was standing in an alley as
my professor worked at my breasts with his mouth, not only using his tongue
very cleverly, no, he nibbled and bit me not very gently repeatedly.
 
He drove me to an arousal of undreamt of heights through these absolutely
debauched and forbidden things we did here and that for many reasons. It let my
mind fade away completely. We were far from morals and social constraints,
although he didn't know how many he had just trespassed. The professor was
truly good with his impetuous, demanding manner. I wouldn't have expected this.
I could already feel how he pushed up my dress over my hips and arrived at the
waistband of my panties, which he pulled down without much ado, and then, with
one of his long slender fingers, he touched my labia and gently stroked it,
which, to my shame, made me moan aloud. While my head sank against the cold
wall behind me, his finger slipped into me and pleasured me with gentle in-and-
out motions that just made me absolutely randy. I couldn't believe it - that my
surly potion professor was currently sinking his finger inside me. It would be
inconceivable what would be said about us, if they knew.
 
In all this time, he never let go of my breasts, which were now more than
sensitive, thanks to his tireless work. Apparently, the professor liked what I
or rather what my body offered him. Don't think,  don't think  about the
embarrassment to whom I granted this intimate contact. Now he pulled his finger
away and fiddled impatiently with his robes. He had straightened in the
process, and spoiled my neck with impetuous kisses. Apparently, there were no
real kisses in such arrangements. When he had freed himself, he looked up and
directly into my face and in spite of all arousal, I immediately thought only
of my wall as I looked into those black gemstones. He firmly grabbed me with
both of his hands by my butt, lifted me up resolutely and stood between my open
legs.
 
Oh my... I couldn't believe it... Professor Snape would soon enter me. He would
have sex with me, his student. Lucky that he had no idea with whom he was this
intimate! But I must confess that to my disgrace, I was even more aroused by
this knowledge and my thoughts about others had been banished from my mind by
his lips and fingers.
 
"Put your legs and arms around me," he commanded firmly, voice rough. I
followed his instructions dutifully and wrapped my legs around his hips,
causing me to feel his hard, hot arousal on my flesh, and put my arms around
his neck. What was I doing here, so obedient? And then I was screaming already,
as he had driven into me in a single, firm thrust. Thus I was now completely
united with Severus Snape. He was stuck inside me and completely filled me with
his amazing size and hardness.  Now, I would truly not have anticipated this,
I thought dryly after I could breathe again. He pressed me hard against the
wall and held my hips captured in his hands, looked deeply into my eyes and
began to slowly withdraw from me, and my legs, too, held him tightly enclosed.
 
"Aaaaaaaah!..." I yelled, biting my lip with the same breath with which I
wanted to scream “Professor!” I had to be careful, damn, but that was difficult
in the current situation - very difficult. I could see how the always
controlled Snape bit his lips hard to not allow expression of any emotion. No
moaning, whimpering, or gasping escaped him. As he pulled his cock out of me
again and again and thrust inside me at an accelerating pace, I groaned. This
penetration of Snape’s was making me insane. I was just that randy.  Anyone
could see us. This was so unreal and he was so  impetuous . I surrendered
myself to it, as it seemed that today an orgasm would be bestowed upon me by my
teacher, only it was not because of an Outstanding, but because he fiercely and
vehemently fucked me against a public wall.
 
The talisman dangling between my breasts, started to get hot, which was
invisible for him but noticeable for me. Ah, it worked, that means the Twins
had finished their fucking. Great, really, but I was still fucking, I thought
sarcastically and clinging even more firmly to the man in front of me. And
every desperate thrust of his hard cock forced me to float higher and higher
until I could no longer bear it and my muscles started to pulse around him and
began to milk him relentlessly, and that was the moment when he lost his
control with a hoarse moan and came deep inside me. His hands fell exhausted
from my butt, and he put them up on the wall on each side of my head and
released a shaky breath. I left my arms tight around his shoulders to stabilise
myself while I carefully loosened my trembling legs from his hips, his limp
cock slipping out of me. At once I could feel his and my juices run down my
legs, sticky and wet. Still wedged between him and the wall, I was bare-
breasted in front of him, and he stood there bent still, his head lowered, his
smooth hair hanging like a curtain around his face. I couldn't see what he was
thinking, if he was thinking?
 
I only knew that I indeed had come, something I didn't understand and what
shocked me, too! That my professor had managed to drive me this far... but I
also knew that I had never fucked that slutty. No kisses, in a public place and
the humiliation of money transfer would come soon.
 
Now, after a deep breath, he straightened up and began to adjust his robes. I
did the same and pulled my dress back over my breasts. I left my destroyed
panties on the floor of the alley and put my coat around my shoulders. At the
last moment I was able to stop myself from pulling out my whitethorn wand, as I
suddenly remembered that Snape would recognize it immediately because of its
rarity and identify me as Hermione Granger. So I wouldn't speak a cleaning
spell, it doesn't matter. He was finished and had watched me, completely rigid
and cold. Now he seemed as cold as ice. It was unnoticeable that he had been
deep inside me a few seconds ago, as close as humanly possible. Therefore I
proudly raised my chin and looked into his eyes. I could do this, too, even
though it wasn't easy to ignore what I had just done.
 
I reached out a hand. "My money!" I demanded hard, because if I do something,
then I'll definitely do it right.
 
"Miss Cale," he said in a flattering tone, handing me the coins I took from
him.
 
"Mr. Snape! ", I said goodbye, turned my back to him, and wanted to quickly
leave the alley.
 
"Miss Cale, how do I reach you?" he snarled coldly, making me stop walking
abruptly. I beg your pardon? Did I just succumb to a deception? He wanted
what... fuck me again? I mean, I admit, it had been good under the special
circumstances, but hell, I was no whore, but he seemed to have enjoyed it as
well, and this flattered my vanity.
 
"Send me an owl," I said without emotion, because an owl would be able to reach
me even in my disguise, then I apparated immediately and left my professor
behind. When I appeared under the old oak, slightly out of breath, I leaned
against if for some time, cleaning myself, letting Minna Cale’s look disappear,
thinking about the events. Since this night, I didn't only sleep with Sirius,
but now with Snape too. I still couldn't believe how I had allowed him to take
me, but had even strengthened him in his assumption that I was what he was
thinking. Unconsciously!? Could I still look in the mirror, and the professor
in the classroom and Sirius, as he was no longer exclusively the one who had
sex with me, because I dared to guess that I wouldn't need to wait long for
Snape's next owl. Would I respond? I didn't know ... maybe ... I couldn't
change the whole fiasco anymore anyway, so learn to live with it, I finally
told myself.
 
But the knowledge and the realisation that I hadn't thought about Sirius at any
moment and I just remembered him now confused me! What was that supposed to
mean? That I didn't feel any commitment towards Sirius? I felt bewildered, no
wonder after this experience, thus I pushed it out of my mind for now and
continued to clean myself thoroughly. At least the trip had paid off and the
time for the Twins was out as well, it was almost midnight, so I entered the
house in a brisk pace.
 
In the living-room a cheerful, slightly drunk, and barely clothed bunch awaited
me. Thanks to the goddess, I could handle more than them, otherwise Snape would
have made me drunk in the Hog's Head Inn.
 
"Hermione, nice to see you!" George warbled blissfully.
 
"Hello!" Alice giggled sillily and began to dress herself. Meanwhile, I slumped
into a chair, as I still felt the hard, rough sex in so many places. Yes,
thanks to Sirius I was already sore and bruised, but thanks to Snape I wouldn't
be able to sit for a while. While the three got dressed playfully, I sorted
myself, because I had to be concentrated for the things to come, so that
nothing went wrong.
 
"Finished? Come here Alice, sit down here," I demanded calmly and patted
invitingly beside me. I could imagine just how she was feeling, because when I
got handed the money earlier, I had been able to experience firsthand how
humiliating that felt. She did as I asked and I began with the 125 galleons and
as a tip I gave her my hard-earned money from Snape. I really didn't want to
keep it. She beamed at me and I smiled back and quickly pulled out my white
wand and knocked her out with an Obliviate. Her eyes glazed over instantly. At
the same moment the twins abruptly stopped their whispering, but contrary to
their usual habit they said nothing, accepting my decision. That's why you have
to love them. Harry and especially Ron would have discussed this loudly for a
start. I concentrated on taking away her memory of tonight.
 
I let her forget Rita, the Twins, myself and Rose Cottage, but at the same time
I changed her memories to a handsome young man who had taken her for an
intoxicating night to a Muggle hotel and rewarded her royally for it.
Afterwards I took her and led her out of the house and dropped her off at
Trafalgar Square, only then taking the spell from her. It looked like I had
applied the spell properly.
 
Back in the house curious twins were waiting.
 
"Well, tell me. How was it?" I did not want to think about what I had done
earlier.
 
"Awesome ... I think it was brilliant ... never thought it could be like this
with three people!" Fred sputtered.
 
"I liked it a lot, especially thanks to your little surprise, it was very
cool!", George winked at me mischievously.
 
"I was happy to be your fuck-template, no problem at all," I meant casually,
after all, I had been exactly that in person for somebody else tonight.
 
"But I've also realised, actually I only need Fred, you're absolutely enough
for me, sweetie!", he declared his love for Fred and that was what I had wanted
to hear. Fred’s eyes shimmered emotionally. "Me, too, George, it was always you
... but what I had never anticipated, it was still fun!" By now we all laughed
and amused ourselves about their extraordinary experience.
 
"Alice was really great, thank you for this lovely woman, but what about the
Obliviate at the end?" Fred asked curiously some time later.
 
"Well, as I said your wish fit nicely into one of my plans, the Obliviate was a
part of that and I thought I should practice it whenever I can. I want
everything to go well and I can only achieve that by practicing," I said
openly.
 
"Does that mean something could've gone wrong with Alice?" Fred sounded a bit
horrified.
 
"Yes," I admitted indifferently, as it was true, I had factored in that it
could have gone awry.
 
"Gosh! … And what would you have done then?" George asked now, who seemed quite
perplexed, just like Fred.
 
"Sent her to St Mungos," I replied, shrugging and sounding unaffected.
 
"Aha, don't you find that a bit ...harsh?" Fred said.
 
"Depends on the point of view. The people for whom I need this spell are closer
to me than Alice, but it’s pointless to discuss it. Firstly, I always would
have needed to do it, for you alone, and secondly my spells succeeded
flawlessly," I pushed their objections away from me rigorously.
 
"In fact, how did she react to your love?" I wanted to know, instead,
curiously.
 
"Very cool, I think she liked us and getting pleasured by both of us was
certainly not the worst thing she'd ever experienced, even though we are
obviously brothers. She was really nice," Fred explained, grinning and nodding
and one could see that he was briefly reminiscing the events of that evening.
 
"I'm glad! Cheers to a successful night!" We chinked glasses. Luckily, they
were so satisfied that they didn't ask what I had done in the meantime, so I
didn't have to invent lies, because I wouldn't be able to tell them what had
happened tonight.
 
Thus we reached our beds at 1 o'clock and after so many things had gone wrong,
well, actually everything which could've gone wrong, I apparently was entitled
to a bit of luck, as Sirius thankfully hadn't waited for us to come home, and
hence I could process what happened with Snape tonight at first, before I dared
to face Sirius. This way an eventful night came to an end.
Chapter End Notes
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     be able to Beta 2 pages once a week.
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***** Doubt and Jealousy *****
Chapter Notes
     Here we are again: With good news, as it looks like we can upload one
     chapter a week. We've found many amazing new betas!
     Thanks to all my Betas.
     And thanks to you for all your Kudos and Clicks. ;)
     Enjoy this new chapter and see ya next week! xx
Doubt and Jealousy
 
Sleep wasn't in  store  for me that night. I was shocked by myself and what I
had done.  In  my mind’s eye, I could see the memories played back, again and
again, about Snape being so close to me. What had happened there?
 
I hadn't really done this, right? I mean, did I actually accept money from a
man with whom I had sex with in a freely accessible place! And it still gets
worse! The most brutal fact of the story was that the man was my professor and
he had no idea who he had fucked with so little restraint! Did I have a talent
for dragging myself into stupid situations, or what? The answer to that
question is yes. Of course, now I’m worrying; wouldn't Snape have recognized
me, since my facial features weren’t changed at all? But then I remembered that
I also had a hefty amount of makeup on my face. This reassured me. When I
became Minna, I always had heavily accentuated eyes with a lot of mascara and
dared to put on a deep red lipstick. Actually, it wasn't that surprising that
he thought I was part of the oldest profession in the world.
 
Also, the thought struck me that almost no one recognized the Dumbledore
brothers as what they were: close relatives. Except if you were like me and
targeted them with this knowledge. And I was sure that though the professor had
wondered much about who or what I was, Minna couldn't be connected to Hermione.
Then I realised again that I had submitted to his demand for a quickie, but how
could I have gotten out of this thing differently without him turning into a
rabid dog, picking up my track and hunting me?! For Snape was a distrustful son
of a bitch, who wouldn't give up quickly when he smelled a rat. So I had given
him what he wanted instead.
 
How he had pushed me against the wall... Heaven... I was  writhing  in my bed.
What was bothering me that much? What was the cause? I tried to analyse that,
even so I thought I was close to the crux of the matter and I insisted on
absolute honesty towards myself. I wouldn't lie to myself.
 
The sex shocked me because it was only about his satisfaction, so he had taken
me without considering my own. That I had gotten an orgasm too wasn't due to
his efforts to get me one, oh no, if he would've come before me, he would've
ended it, cold as ice. His gestures and deeds in the alley had only been there
to satisfy himself. That was probably the life and sex of a prostitute, but I
wasn't used to it because I wasn't an easy girl, damn it! After all, Cedric,
Victor, and Sirius had done everything they could that I would have the same
pleasure as they did. But Snape, when I recalled it again, had just stimulated
my breasts for his own pleasure, and when he fucked me with his finger, he had
done this only to ensure enough moisture. Whether I had felt great pleasure or
not had been secondary - after all, he’d paid for it.
 
The fact that I had been given an orgasm by him because of my perverse
excitement and my tainted imagination might have puzzled  even  him, which is
why I was quite certain that I was the most to blame for his request to owl me.
On the other hand, I was glad that only that had happened. In the  spheres  I
was  moving in  at the moment, getting money for sex  was  truly not the worst.
I could have been raped at any time, no one would've cared. My wallowing in my
self-pity was a great luxury because in principle nothing bad had happened. So
why have a whinge? After all, he had paid for it. Argh, that seemed to bother
me the most. Weird, isn't it?
 
Oh, I had to come to terms with myself quickly, because I would have to face
Sirius soon, and he would surely want to know what the Twins and I had done
last night . M y goddess, all of us had done somebody, my damn cynicism was
making another appearance . I buried my face in my pillow, groaning, because I
couldn't and I still wouldn't believe it.
There was a slight throbbing behind my temples. Mental note to my self:  a
hangover cure should be added to my assortment of stocked potions . O ne should
be prepared for any situation because the booze paid  for  by Snape  gave  me a
wicked hangover. Nice that I could  already  plan again, especially taking into
account my inner turmoil, even if it was only a passing thought of what I would
brew next in my laboratory. When I thought about it, I should be really proud
of myself that I had been able to withstand the mental attacks.
 
Yes, I must have made amazing progress at Occlumency  if  I was able to resist
a man of such high caliber as Snape. I smiled happily into my pillow. Oh yes,
I'd have deserved an  O utstanding for that. Positive thinking was the motto
now. The evening hadn't been that bad, just think about the Twins, who now knew
with absolute certainty that they were made for each other and were absolutely
gay  -  there wasn't a more gay couple anywhere else! Maybe  they experienced a
sexual adventure or two every now and then with the opposite sex,  but never
without the other. I was very happy about it because according to my humble
opinion, they belonged together. Every third or fourth person would have
disturbed this duality. They were clever inventors, who mutually motivated and
challenged each other in a way no outsider would be able to match. These two
were a dynamic entity.
 
At the same time, a slight lethargy encompassed me due these thoughts, because
I felt like I would never be able to have a partner who could and should really
know everything about me. I was alone.  Pull yourself together Hermione, you
always liked to be alone, you have decided early in your life not to tell
anyone everything. A decision once made shouldn't be mourned or even doubted.
To change something about this is no longer possible anyway.  I turned around
again, groaning restlessly.  Ow , that hurt !  My abdomen felt terribly sore,
but I wouldn't take a potion, I didn't want to  embarrass myself that way.
 
I didn't want to think about the next time I was going to be confronted with
Snape. I wanted to take things as they came, because ,  I mean ,  just because
his cock was inside me, didn't mean that something had changed between us. And
Sirius ,  I wanted to remain close to the truth and would try to omit as much
as I could, but if the professor had already failed  against  my mental wall, I
would be able to resist Sirius, too. So, enough mourning about my choices. I
still had a run to deal with, b ut  in wise foresight ,  I wanted to have a
shower first today. After my jog I could still hop under  the shower  again. I
didn't want  to chance that  the "dog" would smell something he shouldn't
smell. The danger was too great for me. Later, in the kitchen, I clung to my
cup like it was vital medicine. God, oh God, it hurt down below.  Why did
these two men  have  to be so well equip p ed? That's why I couldn't think of
anything  else, whilst  there was a  dull throbbing inside me all  of  the
time. Sirius and I had already jogged our rounds.
 
He had expected me downstairs as usual. This had somehow become a nice, daily
ritual. Then we met each other again in the kitchen again, while the others
came walk ing  in  bit by bit . Surprisingly, everyone seemed well rested today
after yesterday ’s  sudden illness. The only ones which didn't appear in the
kitchen well rested and sporting a headache were the Twins, which amused me
immensely. The night had left their mark on them as well. But I couldn't help
them yet, I would have to brew the potion first. So I made myself disappear
relatively quickly and hid. I read Rita Skeeters exposé on a woman named
Dolores Umbridge, which I found interesting, yet disturbing.  She was the first
undersecretary of minister Fudge! She also had to answer for the anti-werewolf
legislation from two years ago, which made it almost impossible for Remus to
find a new job after leaving Hogwarts. What was to be expected of this woman
couldn't be good, considering the special views that this woman represented
against any "mixed race", and I had the rough guess that this included all the
non-pure wizards.
 
One shouldn't be take her on openly, and I hadn't planned to do so. People like
her always had a skeleton in their closet. You just needed enough patience and
perseverance, ready to look for those secrets and soon you would have the
perfect material to blackmail a person and I was predestined for this task.
I looked up and saw Sirius' grave, gray eyes. This time I hadn't heard him. He
must have crept up on me quietly.  Oops , he was in a good mood and he didn't
even know that I had prostituted myself - and to top it off, to his nemesis,
Snape, I thought spitefully and asked myself now what was waiting for me,
because he really didn't look friendly. I looked at him hard and swallowed.
Meanwhile he sat down with emphasised composure but a wave of subliminal anger
seemed to have entered the room with him.
 
"What was all that about, yesterday?", he asked with a stern tone and looked
quite rigid. Oh, just what I needed after last night, a self-righteous avenging
angel, which defended the poor guinea pigs that the others had been for us.
Great, really great!
 
"Nothing bad,"  I spoke softly while innocently fluttering my eyelashes ,
deciding to use my feminine attributes to my advantage.  His eyes darkened even
more if this was possible and reminded of slate. Gulp! What now?
 
"Again, Hermione, I'm neither an idiot, nor a child. Where  did  you disappear
to with the Twins yesterday in the middle of the night and believe me, I know
you came back very late. All the others lay deadly sick in their beds and if I
have to remind you, you three weren't feeling that well either. What games are
you playing?"
An angry Sirius could leave a lasting impression, how he roared around, his
face slightly distorted in anger. Good that I always sound proofed the room
with a spell, otherwise we would've had drawn a crowd by now.
 
"What do you want to imply here?" I asked pointedly calmly, closed the file,
put it carefully on the table and sat upright.
 
"Firstly, you gave something to Harry, Ron and Ginny, didn't you?" His voice
sounded hard and cold.
 
"Yes, we have!" I admitted, because I wouldn't get far with a lie here, only he
freaked out even more,  his body trembled with suspense. His eyes shot angry
little lightning bolts in my direction, which struck. By now nothing kept him
on the couch, he jumped up abruptly. At this moment he had an amazing
resemblance to his animagus form. He darted towards me, aggressively resting
his hands on the armrests of the chair to the left and right of me, holding me
captive. Then he bent down to me threateningly, and I followed his movement,
instinctively leaning back more and more into the chair and looking at him with
great, but not frightened eyes, calculating and waiting.
 
"How. Dare. You? Making them sick, that's no joke!", he hissed furiously. He
looked really wild. Mhmhmhm, delicious! It made him very attractive and he was
bursting with life. I was absolutely crazy, but I would have loved to lick my
lips full of pleasant anticipation. Somehow I always found Sirius appealing
when he became temperamental.
 
"Calm down Sirius, haven't you always said I'm the smartest witch you know?
Where is your trust? The Twins and I would never hurt the others, I swear!" I
explained from my unrelaxed, captive position half buried under him.
 
"Oh, and you think that makes it better? What was that about? What reason did
you have to sneak out of the house and paralyze everyone. That was the cause
wasn't it? Why Hermione, what was that about?", he cried, still agitated to the
extreme and very angry. Wow, the man was full of spirits. "And don't say now
you can't tell me! It's dangerous out there!" He stared at me angrily.
 
"I can't, sorry, it’s the Twins business!", I defended myself apologetically,
but righteous anger against Sirius didn't want to rise in me, I had certainly
done everything he might imply. For an example having sex with Snape, if he
knew that, he would most likely be hopping mad.
 
He growled exasperation. "Again, what did you do with the twins out there?" Did
he sound jealous? Or still narked because of our action to knock out the
others? I didn't know at that moment!
 
"Are you jealous?", I tried it bravely and ventured a guess. Here he grabbed me
roughly by my shoulders, his fingers poking painfully into my skin, and shook
me vigorously. "I'm not a stupid boy, with whom you can play so easily,
Hermione. I don't accept that you make a fool out of me!" He yelled angrily. So
he was jealous after all, of the Twins, oh how sweet, that was so sweet, but
also so wrong. But I had to counteract it at once. I belonged only to myself
and to the one who paid the most. Nonsense, my sick humor always came through
at the worst times. I just belonged to myself, no one was allowed to presume to
own me and above all he shouldn't feel like this for me! The depth of his
feelings was too much, definitely too much.
 
"Sirius, calm down. Don't behave that way. You're not a stupid boy, even if
you're acting like one at the moment, and currently you make a fool out of
yourself ," I told him icely, looking at him coldly.
 
"Oh, don’t get smart with me. Do I come too close to the truth?", he hissed
venomously, still holding me painfully tight.
 
"Hell, no, what do you think of me? I can promise you, no even swear, there is
nothing going on between me and the Twins, if that's what is driving you!" I
snarled, getting mad at him now after all. Did I ever say I hated to justify
myself?
 
"Well…  And  I'm supposed to believe you about the Twins ?  I think I hear an
undertone here ... if not the twins, then somebody  else . ” he emphasized, “ I
won't let you fool me." he growled furiously,  inching his face towards her,
causing his hair to fall into his face, giving him a wild look .
 
"Argh, I don't owe you anything!" I  cried  angrily, for he had  gone  too far,
way too far. "That's what  you  think!" he yelled viciously,  sensing that his
legitimate doubts might be confirmed .
 
Suddenly he put his right hand on my chest, pushing me rudely into the chair,
and put his left hand provocatively over my pubic bone, before forcing himself
between my legs, roughly pushing them apart with his knees and grabbing them
through the fabric of my dress.
 
"As long as you do it with me, this belongs to me, understood?", he growled
darkly, then he moved his hand firmly back and forth. I stared at him
completely perplexed. This was Sirius! Oh man, as crazy as he looked now, he
must  never  know about Snape.
 
"Those are the rules! No-one else, understood?", he continued menacingly.
Well, this announcement comes too late, my dear, but you will never know . I
thought inwardly, obviously I would never be stupid enough to ever tell him.
 
"Sirius, take your paws from me, ” I growled as I shoved his hands off of me.
“I f you continue like this, you ’ll be doing it  on your own in the near
future.”  I promised.  “I'm not afraid of you. For me there will never be
rules. What is wrong with you?”  I asked in disbelief. “ What did I do,  for
you react like this,  how can you  doubt  me  like that?" I  was  hurt.  What
he was saying hurt, how could he even say such things, he was  clearly  going
too far, considering that I had made it clear that there would never  be
anything other than sex  between us. I  didn’t  want to lie  and  assure him
that I won't have sex with other  people , even I ’m  n o t that duplicitous,
but what should I do? Once again I didn’t ha ve any  other choice.  By now m y
morality  had become  very flexible, comparable to  that of  a rubber band.
 
"Whatever ..." he released me angrily, thank  the  Goddess, and pushed himself
off, pacing up and down the room, fuming. I pulled myself back up from the
depth of the chair into a sitting position.
 
"So, after you three sneaked out, what  did  you do... if not fuck each other?"
He hissed almost  menacingly and looked at me questioningly with a suffering
expression, but still with suppressed aggression.
 
"Sirius please, don't you think if I wanted to fuck the two of them that I
couldn't have done that right here?" I challenged him, deadly serious, crossing
my arms over of my chest. Which earned me a look of mixed horror and anger from
him. What, that was only the truth! If I wanted to, I could have slept with
them right here in the house!
 
"Y ... you're not serious, you … ” he trailed off in disbelief. “S o  you’re
telling me that  if there is someone else you'd like to have sex with, you
would do it right under my nose?" His face showed complete astonishment  as  he
r a n his fingers through his hair.
 
"Uh, yes ..." I replied , suddenly hesitant.
 
“I wouldn't have thought that even you were capable of something like that," he
said gravely, look ing  concerned.  Well, until last night I wouldn't have
thought I was capable of being a whore myself, but life was full of surprises,
I added in my head.  My emotions  remained sparsely, so I kept silent and
watched as  he  continued to  walk up and down agitatedly.
 
"Okay.  Does this  mean  that  you've  actually  sneaked out for something
else?" ,he asked, once again feeling hopeful. I nodded to him without a word.
 
"Yes, but if you want to know  anything you should  ask Fred and George, if
they tell you,  then fine, but if they don’t, then that’s the end of it ," I
told him I wouldn't say anything.
 
"In spite of your shocking  revelations ...  I'll  believe you haven't  slept
with  the twins.  I will be getting the rest of this out of them, rest assured.
" he  promised, but to my ears it sounded more like a warning or a threat, and
suddenly I was reminded that this was a former Marauder with a very fickle
temper and that despite his kind nature, he was not to be messed with.
 
" You do what you have to, just be sure to remember that whatever you and I
are, I’m not an object of your possession.  I do  not  belong to you!" I
reminded him, because his possessiveness didn't suit me at all.
 
"Oh, so you wouldn't mind if I were to sleep with another woman?" ,he tried to
provok e me, watching me carefully .
 
"Mhmh , I  haven't thought about  that .", I admitted thoughtfully, tilt ing
my head to the side and  giving the matter further  thought,  trying  to
imagine  such a scenario .
 
" Y ou can’t seriously mean that,  can you ?" He protested incredulously,  his
exclamation interrupting  my train of thought, before he  collapsed  in a
defeated heap  on the couch.
 
" Oh please  Sirius,  you know we  won't marry," I replied briefly , choosing
rationality over emotion. I had the feeling I needed to get some distance
between us. That way  Sirius  woul dn't get  the wrong  idea.
 
" Oh, of  course not , I know that, I just can’t believe you could be  like
that. ” he played down the issue.  “But  how could  you dare to mistreat Harry
like that ?" There was already anger glittering in his eyes again.
 
"You can go to the Twins for this as well  if you’d like , it's their products
they've tested, Skiving Snackbox. As a Marauder, you  must  see the genius
behind it. I can promise you Harry won't have to worry about it the next time."
I explained nastily and didn't let him blame me.
 
"What ...?" He asked, stunned.
 
"Go to  Fred and George ,  they’re  in their room.”  I repeated slowly. “Now,
I think we cleared that  up, so I must be on my way soon. " I said coldly,
reaching for the file on the table.
 
"That's it? You just  shrug i t off?" ,he enquired incredulously.
 
"Yes, what  am  I supposed to do instead? We have made our points of view
clear," I replied, shrugging.
 
"What  is  that  supposed to  mean?", he continued asking, raising his arms
desperately.
 
"Well, if there is no more problems, I would suggest everything remains as
before :  we continue to fuck …  or do you  not  want  it any more?" I provoked
him, grinning.
 
"Okay...  o f course... but..." he stammered slightly,  not  seem ing  to have
understood everything yet.
 
"Well then, until tonight, as always," I said good-bye nonchalantly, smiling at
him gently and confidently. When the door closed behind him, I collapsed. Ugh,
an angry, narked Sirius was like a tornado. Damn, unfortunately he wasn't
stupid. He had guessed and sensed a lot, and he hadn't imagined that I had been
with someone else yesterday. I groaned and ran my hands over my tired face. At
least I didn't have to worry about my acting skills. I had played the quiet yet
confident persona very convincingly, though his possessive manner had taken me
by surprise. The way he had got that possessiveness across by getting
physical... I hadn't judged him to be so vulgar. I shuddered, as if shaking off
dirt, and then I got myself ready, because I couldn’t alter this situation in
any way; only make the best of it.
 
After the training, a  cheerful  Sirius came to meet me,  blowing  a daring
kiss on my lips well hidden in the hallway, and begg ing  me for forgiveness
with his intense doggy eyes. I don't know what the two red devils told him, but
it seemed to have fundamentally changed Sirius ’  attitude, for he was  as
tame as a  puppy  and very attentive. I quickly got the information from them
after dinner. They told me that a n angry  Sirius had swept into their room and
asked them brutally straightforward if they were sleeping with me. At first
they were perplexed, thinking that it wasn't Sirius ’  business ;  their eyes
had almost fallen out of their heads  because of  his aggressive manner since
yesterday night they had essentially fucked with me  -  or in other words, my
body.
 
After they had recognized with their quick perception skills that Sirius was,
for some reason, totally jealous and that he was apparently my current lover -
well, considering Sirius’ behaviour, it wasn’t rocket science - they realized
that they couldn't tell him everything, in any case, and so they had woven a
half-true story. So they had decided, after Sirius had sworn to silence, to
inaugurate him into their secret and told him the truth about themselves and
what I had arranged for them yesterday. They had truly told him that they had
been a couple for years, to be more exact since the end of my fourth year, and
consequently gay, but that they had wanted to test whether one of them was
perhaps interested in women as well. Since they had only ever had sex with each
other, they wanted to broaden their horizons, but only together. George had
started his first attempts at Hogwarts with women, but he had never taken the
final step; instead he had often switched girls from house to house; but Fred
had never even tried to approach a female. Fred had been fixed on men from the
beginning, and he had been much more outspoken about it as his brother.
 
And now they had told Sirius everything. They hadn't concealed the fact that I
had gotten them a prostitute who had had fun with them yesterday, but they had
carefully concealed that this woman had become my look alike, and they had said
nothing about my whereabouts.
 
"You are fucking Sirius. Man, I can't believe it. You're always good for a
surprise... it really caught me off guard. Since when?", they bluntly asked me
and seemed totally cheerful and jittery.
 
"A few days after I arrived here," I replied pointedly serenely.
 
"Wow, I told you, you're fucking amazing. Firstly, you're really fast and
second, he's hot!" The Twins would know which guy was hot and which was not and
thus Fred licked his lips luxuriously.
 
"Is he as … hmm .. delicious ... is he  as well ...  equipped  as I think he
is?" He asked eagerly and with little tact. Sure enough this question came from
Fred.
 
"Oh, you two are devils, alright, but yes, he fulfills all conditions and no,
he isn't gay and if you wish to have a threesome with a man after all that,
I'll curse you!" I threatened, acting mad, and grinned widely at them.
 
"Hey, don't be like th at , one has to be allowed still to envy you your bed
bunny," Fred said indignantly. "And  get your mind out of the gutter,  I won't
let a second man in my bed!", he explained, piqued, holding up the fore- and
index fingers of his right hand as in an oath.
 
"Eh, what do you think? Me neither. This carrot head is man enough for me!"
George joked meanly and grinned boldly. The two were a splendid couple.
 
"I congratulate you on the decision. I find him better than Krum," George
attested me and Fred nodded agreeably. So I left them soon, as Sirius was
waiting for me. The reconciliation Sirius awarded me was wonderful, gentle,
tender, and he concentrated on me very much. I want to note here that I would
have given him my deepest thanks because my still heavily exhausted femininity
wouldn't have been able to tolerate a less tender "mating", but it also
reminded me that he actually didn't need to apologize for anything, but he
would never  come to know that . The following time flew by.
 
I got along well with the books, the weapon training became harder, but I
always improved. The potions and ointments  all  succeeded as well, the work
couldn't have run better. My days were filled with my tasks and projects, which
ran to my full satisfaction. Even time with Sirius was great again. We had sex
every night. I think for many years Sirius hadn't been as good-tempered as  he
was  at this time. I spent some nice hours with Harry, Ron and Ginny too,
playing and chatting together. I didn't know what Harry was doing different,
but where I had felt so out of place before, he always succeeded in integrating
me and created a niche for me where I felt comfortable.
 
But soon the holidays would be over.
***** Letter from Hogwarts and Gringotts Again *****
Chapter Notes
     Thanks to all my Betas we'll be able to upload once a week.
     Have fun with this weeks chapter. xx
Letter from Hogwarts and Gringotts Again
 
Today, two days before the holidays ended and we had to go back to Hogwarts, a
ton of owls, six total, sailed into the kitchen and landed on the table, which
caused a huge mess, as was to be expected. And as usual with Weasleys, this
ended with a lot of chaos, fuss and shrieking, the poor animals. Until finally
everyone was holding their letter in their hands, Sirius almost fell out of his
chair with laughter. My hair looked like a big bird-nest, after some stupid
joke article from the twins went wild and put the birds in even more
unnecessary additional panic and they sought protection everywhere, literally
everywhere. At least I wasn't the only fool. Harry was still crawling around
the floor on all fours to find his glasses, which got torn away from his nose
by a frightened owl. It was really a laugh. The table, or at least the food on
it, had fallen victim to a battle, and Ron still tried unhappily to remove the
muesli from his hair.
 
It was hysterically funny.
 
Thanks to magic, we were sitting around the table twenty-five minutes later,
everyone and everything more or less tidied up. We opened our official Hogwarts
letters. As I expected, a silver prefect badge fell in my lap. I didn't look
particularly surprised at the table, but when I saw Ron's incredulous, pop-eyed
gaze and Harry's bewildered stare toward Ron's hand, I became uneasy. I
immediately wondered what kind of brilliant idea the old man had had now.
 
"I ... I ... don't believe it Harry, Hermione ... Mum!" Ron shouted excitedly
and waved the bit of silver in his hand through the air. Oh, no, please don't.
What was Dumbledore thinking? Why Ron? Why should Ron be made the male prefect
and not Harry? I immediately threw an intense, reckoning glance at Harry. He
tried bravely to conceal his disappointment, and to be happy for Ron, including
a fake smile. How could the headmaster do this to him? Everyone expected Harry
would hold that office. By doing this, Dumbledore humiliated him in front of
everyone, especially in front of the Slytherins. Why? What was he thinking with
his twisted brain? I couldn't see how this could be a clever move. Besides,
Harry would soon have to face again the mockery and malice of his fellow
students because he didn't become a prefect, just like in the very difficult
fourth year - don’t even mention the way it ended.
 
Arrr, I was surrounded by idiots only and I would once again bet my right had
that Draco Malfoy would very well become Slytherin’s prefect and with this
thought I didn't even want to know why Dumbledore was doing this, except that
he totally discriminated Harry. I wondered if Umbridge was a reason for this
decision. No, why now already, no, it couldn't be, I rejected this train of
thought and got angry. I gave up on the mystery and my need to understand the
professor’s decision, because it would drive me into madness.
 
"Congratulations Ron!" I nodded. The completely surprising news that Ron was
now holding this office had led to a small turmoil in the kitchen. Molly was so
happy, she couldn't stop herself anymore. It was unbearable, as she instantly
hugged Ron and sobbed aloud. The Twins gave me a disgruntled look, as to say,
why Ron? Not that we weren't happy for him, but it should've been Harry. I
shrugged in their direction, but I thought about what I could do.
 
"Uh, Harry, could you help me swiftly with my books?" I looked at him
imploringly, and he looked back shyly and sadly, while Ron quickly turned to
look at us.
 
"But Hermione, I can help you with it too!", the clumsy oaf Ron offered himself
grandiloquently and puffed himself up. What was he thinking? Because we were
now paired as prefects, we would be a pair in the romantical sense as well? How
absolutely ridiculous this was! But the fiery gaze he gave me now could hardly
be interpreted differently. He was so deep below me, I didn't mean that as bad
as it sounded, but I had experienced a lot in my life, and the last few months
separated me from normal young people of my age even more. Why else would I
feel more comfortable being with the Twins, Harry or older men? They had
experienced things, some of them horribly bad things, but it made them so
unique and extraordinary. We weren't like the ignorant, large, normal mass of
human beings, who knew nothing about the harsh and brutal reality of the world.
I wouldn't say that we were special, but we were different in any case.
 
Only Harry, in his youthful naivete, hadn't yet accepted that he was different,
special and certainly not normal, but the realisation would still set in.
Sometimes it set in later rather than earlier, but it always set in.
 
"No thanks Ron, nice of you, but only Harry can help me, otherwise I would have
to explain too much because it is about something muggle. Well, Harry, are you
coming?" I got up and stopped Rons complain with a harsh gesture whilst the
twins stepped in and began to tease him with his new title.
 
"Sure," Harry said, not very enthusiastically, but he shuffled after me
faithfully. After closed the library door, I had quickly embraced the
disappointed, sad, young man in the blink of an eye, and hold him tight. After
a second, he gave up his stiff, uncomfortable posture and gave in to the
feeling of security the embrace provided. I wanted to give him consolation, but
I also knew that he was not accustomed to allow much physical closeness due to
his life at the Dursleys. He always had to get used to accepting this, the
token of affection, so he started to relax after a long time and then I
whispered to shoulder.
 
"Oh, Harry, I'm sorry, but please, get over it, don't let anybody see it...
play the indifferent!" I told him, as he tried to distance himself from me. But
I was much stronger than him, thanks to my strength training, and so he gave up
his effort very soon, when I didn't let go and clung to him. "Harry, I'm not
talking about Ron or the others in this house," I said firmly, but stroked his
back gently as well, to break his resistance, until he stopped abruptly to
struggle and laid back in my arms again.
 
"Harry, can you hear me?" I implored him. He nodded mutely at my shoulder. We
were still standing in the middle of the room, hugging tightly. I thought I
heard a little sniff. Oh, my dear, poor Harry. I'd love to choke this old
buffer, if he knew how he hurt Harry and his feelings again and again.
 
"Listen to me, as much as I hope I’m wrong about this, you know that I'm most
likely correct with my assumptions, and I suspect Malfoy will be the prefect
for his house," I continued to talk business with him, even while keeping him
trapped in my embrace. Currently he struggled again quite energetically to free
himself, but I knew how to prevent it. This showed me that he hadn’t thought
that far, just like probably everyone else in the kitchen, okay, maybe
excluding the twins, and that it made Harry’s humiliation complete.
 
"Shush, calm down. I told you because I want you to be above it, smiling, and
not give them the satisfaction of seeing you hurt," I continued quickly, my
voice urgent. He started to calm down, but couldn't suppress a sob, which
escaped him loudly. I embraced him even more firmly.
 
“Why Dumbledore didn't appoint you as the prefect but chose Ron instead, I
haven’t the faintest idea. I can't understand it and I think it's wrong!" I
said fervently, allowing my hands to gently stroke Harry's trembling back in an
effort to comfort him.
 
"Oh Mione, what would I do without you? You are my anchor; without you I
wouldn't have survived the past few years,” he muttered softly, his face still
pressed against my neck. “Especially the last year during the tournament. I
would definitely be dead if you hadn't practiced with me."
 
"Shush, Harry don't say that! I do this because I love you. Don't count it up,
because you don't owe me anything, understood?" I whispered roughly into his
ear. He nodded hesitantly, but I knew we understood each other in that matter.
 
"I'm so disappointed, have I done something wrong?” His voice was full of
anguish. “Also, I'm a bad friend. I'm happy for Ron, but then I'm not!", he
stuttered, his confusion and frustration evident. I pulled myself back,
releasing him from my embrace in order to face him. I could see unshed tears
glimmer in his eyes and his nose was red.
 
"No, no, no, that's the wrong way of thinking," I told him indignantly. "Harry,
I know you don't want to hear it, but Dumbledore is doing something wrong,” I
said, my disapproval clear. I then tried to reassure him. “You didn't do
anything wrong. And that you envy Ron is understandable, but that doesn't make
you a bad friend! Also, Ron hadn’t exactly covered himself in glory last
year!", I showed my anger openly. I pulled him to the couch and cuddled with
him to comfort him.
 
"Hmm, you're right, now I'm no longer sad, but annoyed! It's not that I really
want to be a prefect, but everyone ...! Well, if everyone assumes it ... and
you really believe he makes Malfoy a prefect and not me?" He looked trustingly
at me with his big, emerald eyes and spoke a lot of truth. It would have
surprised me if Harry had wanted this post of his own accord, but as he said
it, if this was expected by your environment, you also expect it and that was
the terrible offense of Dumbledore, as I thought. At first he made it appear as
if Harry would always play a special role for him and now that! I breathed out
unhappily.
 
"Yes, Harry, I fear it to 100 percent!", I stated gently while I smiled sadly
at him.
 
"If you say so, I believe it. I would never bet against you in such a case," he
laughed unhappily, his expression showing a certain serenity that hadn't been
there before.
 
"And you think I should endure it with a cold shoulder?", he asked cautiously,
looking quite unhappy.
 
"Yes, don't give them the satisfaction! Be above it with a fake smile!" I pled
with him, stroking his cheek encouragingly. He suddenly turned his face and
grazed the fingers of my hand with his lips, then lifted his own one, gently
took my still raised hand into his and breathed a soft kiss on it. It was an
unfamiliar charming gesture that surprised me, but it was simply sweet.
 
"You're the best thing that could happen to me. I thank you, that you always
help me with advice and deeds, thank you!", he whispered intensely and tenderly
caressed the back of my hand with his thumb.
 
"Of course Harry. Are you better?" I asked, unusually caring. He nodded briefly
and smiled slightly, though it wasn't easy for him.
 
"I'll go and celebrate Ron. He is otherwise always in my shadow! He should
enjoy it!", it came surprisingly solid of Harry and he rose. It showed, that
Harry was a really good friend who managed to get his own disappointment behind
him.
 
"Do that, I'll stay here," I replied, smiling sweetly.
 
"I thought so, my bookworm!" He laughed heartily. Good, we had this drama
behind us. But Harry's statement occupied me. Had the old man actually given
Ron the office so that he wouldn't always be in Harry's shadow? That would be
so unfair. Ron had to be buttered up, so he would stay Harry's friend? What was
going on in Dumbledore's mind? Especially how Ron had behaved in fourth year,
he could be glad that Harry wanted him as a friend again. Oh, when I thought
back to the time of the tournament and Ron's inappropriate, jealous behavior, I
regularly began to boil on the inside. But I couldn't go to Ron and tear the
badge out of his hands, so I accepted the idiotic decision and stringently
continued my daily routine.
 
I arrived back for dinner. My sensei demanded more and more from me. I had to
increase my strength training steadily and a constant development was
noticeable as a result. I would've never anticipated or even thought it
possible that I could ever be so strong. No one would presume this strength in
my small, delicate body, but I was absolutely exhausted as a result of the
exertion and burst into the middle of a party - for Ron and me to celebrate our
prefect appointment, Sirius explained to me whisperingly. Aha ... nice for Ron
... and appaling for me, this noise!
 
They had turned the kitchen into a mess of chaotic, colorful confetti, with
garlands and colorful plates and cups. The dessert was a cake with silver
glaze, whose shape was modeled after the prefect plaque, but which seemed
relatively crooked. Ron immediately presented his gift to me enthusiastically,
a voucher for a racing broom which he would be able to redeem tomorrow. Under
Sirius' attentive gaze I secretly took Harry's hand and squeezed it lovingly.
The night went on longer thanks to the party and the Twins seized the moment to
perform many mean jokes on Ron's cost. My two Red Devils could be so
magnificently evil and compensated me.
 
Later, Sirius also found a way to vent out his frustrations, with a little help
from myself. He wasn't happy to be alone at Grimmauld Place again, his only
company his nagging mother and Kreacher, whom he loathed from the bottom of his
heart. He was becoming quite melancholic, but I managed to divert his thoughts.
So we spent a passionate night, though tainted with the bitter aftertaste of
parting.
 
The next day everyone was in a rush  to get ready for today’s trip to  Diagon
Alley, since tomorrow was the last day  in the  Blacks’ homestead  before
heading back to  Hogwarts. The knowledge that I would be a Prefect  made it
easier for me to set up any plans I had for the  future,  mainly  because I
would have  privileges that most  that Hogwarts students didn't.
 
The position brought with it some perks I would make sure to use. The duties,
on the other hand, were laughably small. Sirius looked very sad, probably
because he would have to stay back at the house. I said good-bye with a smile
promising unforgettable hours, before our large group, containing Molly,
Arthur, Twins, Ron, Ginny, Remus, Tonks, Harry and myself, began to make our
way to the Leaky Cauldron and into Diagon Alley.
 
The medieval looking alley was  brimming with activity, witches, wizards were
buzzing around with  their  families.  I loved feeling  like this.  It would be
nice to  be able to  easily enjoy life and what it offered  without having the
thought of having the  Dark Lord  returning hanging over our heads, but he was
, and now  we all  had to live with the darkness that  was  beginning to rise.
Vanishing that train of thought from my head I began leading  the  way to Madam
Malkin’s for new robes and a quick stop inside Mr. Mulpeppers Apothecary to
restock and Eeylops’ for treats and so on. After we had purchased our books at
Flourish and Blotts we all decided that a long day deserved a good treat so we
all went to  Florean Fortescue's  for  ice cream,  where the  Quidditch loving
Weasley clan agreed to go and  get Ron's broom.  And never one to miss an
opportunity, I put  the  plan into motion  that I had devised a long time ago,
given that my appointment was fixed since the start of the holidays.
 
" I’m sorry guys, you’ll have to go wi thout me!" I  Ï made a show of
apologizing to the boisterous  group  standing  under the bright blue sky,
their hair catching the light making it look  as if it was burning.
 
"But Hermione, why,  what, how ?", Harry w hined  eloquently.
 
"I have an appointment. See you this evening, okay?" I said, placing my hand on
his shoulder and giving him a brief kiss on the cheek, noticing out of the
corner of my eye that Ginny was watching, her face looking like she had bitten
into a lemon. Seeing this, Fred and George began to imitate me and Harry
jokingly and mocked Ginny, apparently her coy fawning for Harry was getting on
their nerves.
 
"An appointment Hermione, really? That’s not feasible. What are you up to?"
Remus asked his head shaking in disapproval.
 
"I have an appointment.  Nothing I haven’t done frequently  in the last few
weeks," I said  in annoyance,  why was everyone suddenly questioning me?
 
"But that's too dangerous now," Molly said, disapprovingly, and Remus nodded in
agreement.
 
"It's not and if I don’t hurry, I'll be late and I don't like  being late ." I
snapped and  pursed my lips into an angry line.
 
"See you all later," I said in finality before I stormed off into the midst of
the masses crowding Diagon Alley in the hours before noon.
 
"Hermione, wait!" Harry and Ron were already shouting. "We're  all  coming
along!"
 
Yes, because that isexactlywhat I need right now.I thought sarcastically. I
needed to act fast. Noticing an opening, I quickly slipped into the crowd and
pulled out my wand before transforming myself into Minna Cale, and making a run
for it, feeling thankful that I had chosen to wear my light, dark gray coat,
and didn't stand out any further because of it. Once I was a safe distance away
I fell into a more leisurely pace, and soon a bunch of redheads stormed past
me. At a much slower pace a pair of twins followed the others, seeming to enjoy
themselves splendidly.
 
I couldn't resist  the triumphant smile that crept  o nto my face  as I hurried
up the white steps into the building and to my  appointment , to my important
appointment with Rangok.  A few  minutes later, I was sitting opposite of him
in his pretty, bright, marble office. "How lovely to see you again, Miss
Granger. How were your holidays, relaxing  I hope ?" He asked politely,  and
as I was now  more  practiced to conjure up my disguise, I sat opposite him  as
myself .
 
"Thank you for your concern, Mr. Rangok, it was  both  eventful and successful.
Less refreshing I  fear ," I said  with a  friendly  smile as I looked  at the
goblin.
 
"Well then, before we discuss further issues, I will bring you up to date with
the activities so far,” he said eagerly. I watched him attentively as he
straightened himself up.
 
" First point of business : We've finished faking your muggle documents,
including new identities for both your parents . All you have to do is to
mandate the time for the exchange  with  the real documents. ” he said giving
me a look before he continued. “ The magical documents attesting that you are a
year older,  due to the use of a  time-turner, have  already  been made in your
presence and  thus, they  will go automatically to the ministry when you give
us the  go ahead ."  After taking a  short breath  he  reached for the next
pile of parchments,  before continuing.
 
" Second : The properties in Australia  have  already  been  considered and can
be acquired." I nodded  in  satisfaction  and he carried on. "Third: The
documents  necessary to put  your parents’  dental practice  up for sale  here
in England  are finished and  thus it can be released for sale  at any moment .
"  That worked better than expected , I thought  in surprise , while Rangok
continued and didn't disappoint me.
 
"Fourth:  T he accounts, shares and savings schemes  for them have also been
prepared  for when you’re ready to have them  attached to  their new
identities. In  which case , we also prepared the pension payments and health
insurance contributions of your parents to be transferred to their new names."
The immense wave of relief that flooded over me at hearing this was so
powerful, I felt a great weight lift from my shoulders.  This was good, this
was really  good. I listened to the goblin with newfound eagerness as he pulled
forth what appeared to be the last  stack of parchments.
 
"Fifth point of business: The accounts and savings schemes which your parents
created for you, are also ready to be transferred to your Gringotts vault as
soon as you give us the starting signal. Sixth and last, a warding team is on
standby to provide the blood protection for your parents home in Chelsea as
soon as they are gone." Now he nodded in contentment as he peered back at the
documents before continuing.
 
"Well, I think that was everything for now. Oh no, here your, ... your last
instruction ... ah here, we did as you instructed and sent 2,000 galleons to
the vault of Mr & Mr Weasley!", Rangok explained and then leaned back,
satisfied.
 
"Mr. Rangok, I don't know what to say. Gringotts is incredible. I don't know
what compliment I can give to express my full satisfaction," I said, deadly
serious.
 
"I thank you for the compliment, Miss Granger!" He bowed slightly, showing his
sharp teeth. "Gringotts sets great value that its customers are absolutely
satisfied!"
 
"Can I do something else for you?" He asked tentatively.
 
"You can indeed, Mr. Rangok. Point 1: I plan to send my parents away next year
one day after the start of the summer holidays, so on the first of July. That
is, I would start with the sale of the dental practice one to two months before
that and then hand it over in the late afternoon on the day my parents
disappear. Once the practice has been sold, please immediately buy the real
estate, home and practice in Australia. The flight tickets should also be
issued for the first day of the holidays, I leave the exact time to you. I'll
change their memories at 8 o'clock, after that they'll be yours!", it came very
structured from me, but also unemotional, while Rangok just nodded.
 
"This is all very realistic. That means the final deadline for the remaining
points is the first of July, correct?" I shrugged in agreement.
 
"Mr Rangok, I thought you might make it look like the married couple Granger
really wanted to emigrate, and then, under unfortunate circumstances, it would
never happen!" I said deliberately and very suggestively.
 
"Everything is recorded, but I don't quite understand your last idea yet?" He
scribbled quickly and asked, interested. "What do you really mean, what should
we do?",he enquired offensively now, a devious gleam in his eyes while he
looked intensely at me.
 
"This could be delicate now and it is very unpleasant for me, I hope you ... ah
..." I stopped frustrated. I didn't really want to talk about this with the
goblin, but I needed their help to do all this as I planned.
 
"You know that we take the secrets of our customers very seriously, Miss
Granger. Your secrets are our secrets, that has been the business policy for
centuries!" The little goblin said seriously and made a wide-reaching, all-
embracing gesture with his hand. I nodded, surrendered, and then raised my head
resolutely, and straightened my back. Finally I released my breath in a long
sigh.
 
"I would like you to book a family suite at the ’Marquis Inn’ in Dover on the
family name Granger starting on the first of July. I will check in after you
took over my parents. Hence, I would like you to not sell my parent's car, but
to make sure that the car is on the first of July at 10 pm at the Chalk Cliffs
in Dover," I explained. Rangok grimaced so much his eyebrows just reached his
hairline. I could almost hear him rack his brain.
 
"I ... however you wish, anything else?" I could see how difficult it was for
him to ask no questions.
 
"Please, leave the life insurances of my parents, as I know I am registered as
the beneficiary after the specific parent!", I declared emotionless, cold.
Rangok's eyes had just to be described as gigantic after my words and disbelief
glimmered through them at me.
 
"Let me check that, Miss Granger!" He croaked a little, his voice sounded
slightly pressed. I leaned back and waited and watched the swiftly floating
parchments. Rangok suddenly seemed a little bit less confident than I had ever
seen him.
 
"Yes, yes, here we have it! What you say is correct. Mr. and Mrs. Granger each
have a life insurance, with 2 million pounds per person completed in your
favor!", he read zealously.
 
"Wonderful, you know Mr. Rangok, I thought it might be noticeable when my
parents suddenly disappeared, but this way there will be a natural explanation
that I don't have any parents anymore," I smiled now, and received just brief
silence.
 
"But how do we explain that your parents wanted to leave from here?", he asked
curiously.
 
"Well, as I said before, you can make it look as if they were really intending
to emigrate for example to America or Africa, and wanted to go on a last family
trip with me in England. It doesn't matter where my parents live, since I go to
a boarding school. But before they can fully turn their backs on England, they
will unfortunately...", I left it open cryptically and made a vague hand
gesture, something that the magical being in front of me skeptically looked at
before he shivered and then continued busily as usual.
 
"All right, as you wish, Miss Granger. Everything will be done, but you intend
to really send your parents away, don't you? How will that work with the car
and the life insurance?", the goblin wanted to know curiously, as he wriggled
on his chair, unusually restless for a goblin.
 
"My dear Mr. Rangok, let that be my concern. If everything has been successful,
we'll talk about it in detail!" I promised, but quickly showed him his
boundaries.
 
"Of course, Miss Granger, can I do anything else for you?", he asked
attentively.
 
"No, that's it. It was a pleasure for me as always, and I am looking forward to
our mail exchange, from now on every first and 15th day of the month. I once
again thank you for your extraordinary effort. It's always a pleasure to do
business with you!", I bowed politely and said goodbye.
 
On to my next appointment.
***** Fight for Life and Death *****
Chapter Notes
     I'm finally in the house again!
     I do apologize for all the wait we didn't have WIFI for more than 2
     weeks, it was hell!
     But now I'm all yours again.
     So please do enjoy, the chapter is total fun to read. :P
Please note, from here on the story will be Mature - Explicit and we ask you to
not read it if you’re under 18! For everyone else; Don’t like, don’t read.
 
Fight for Life and Death
 
If I had known what a crucial turn my life would take now, what boundaries
would be exceeded today, I would've fled to Grimmauld Place, would've hid in my
room, but I didn’t. Thus I faced my fate and it happened as it was destined to
be.
 
I had to hurry to get to my sensei on time. When we finished the training, he
said to me: "You are an amazing student and I am very proud of you! You have
built up an incredible level of skill and knowledge in the short time
available. It was a pleasure to teach you." He gave me unusual compliments,
which was not necessarily his way, but I was all the more pleased.
 
"Sensei, your praise makes me tremendously happy. I have a request :  could you
continue teaching me once a week, every Friday, from 5 pm to 9 pm?" I asked him
inquisitively. A smile spread across his face. "Of course, I had the hope that
you would want to continue, because you are able to  reach true mastery in
combat , Miss Granger," he said very seriously, and this was evident as well on
his usually stern face.
 
"You are too kind, Sensei!" I showed my respect and bowed deeply. "I'm going to
ask my bank to do a monthly membership payment, say 500 pounds a month?"
 
"Do that, that's alright. I'm looking forward to seeing you next Friday," he
smiled, very pleased and said good-bye.
 
It was w onderful that we had agreed on an appointment because I had chosen to
continue my training despite the resulting difficulties. I would have to leave
the school without permission, but it was just too important to continue my
combat training, so I was ready to take that risk. In addition, Hogwarts
offered many opportunities to disappear for a few hours. When I exited the
centre, the bright blue sky from this morning had vanished. It had darkened,
clouds had  appeared , a certain humidity had spread over London, announcing a
thunderstorm. Thus now, shortly before eight, it was already really dark. As I
approached the side street to apparate, I heard strange and suspicious noises
behind me!
 
A somewhat louder, hectic shout, whispers, quicker steps that made me restless
and suspicious. I instinctively increased my pace as well, but I didn't dare to
turn around, since I didn't want to draw attention to the fact that I was very
well aware something was wrong.
 
Was someone following me?
 
I carefully raised my arm on which the holster with my wand was fastened. I
wore my invisible horus daggers over my jeans, so I felt relatively safe and
well protected. One never knew in these times, but nevertheless the uneasy
feeling didn't leave. I kept moving swiftly in the direction of the dark alley.
My hands were clammy with anxiety, for I still sensed the steps threateningly
behind me.
 
They were still hard on my heels, damn  it !
 
Bloody hell, I could hear their rattling breath. They came closer fast and I
was sure that these people were following me! I realized that  not only would I
not  be able to apparate unseen, I also didn't know with whom I had to deal
with  -  whether it was  some  young muggles, wh o  wouldn't be scared of my
wand, since they would be more amused about it than anything else: "What kind
of thin stick is that?" But, in the end, I'd have an easy job of it. Or the
other alternative,  which  I didn't want to think about, but with my luck it
was almost certain that I got the less desirable alternative.
 
There was no other choice ;  I had to turn around, face the enemy and see what
or who was following me. There were at least two, I was able to determine based
on the sounds they made.  Just do it. You can do it, Hermione,  I told myself
relentlessly. And then I did it, throwing a quick look over my right shoulder
from one second to the next...
 
What I saw made my blood freeze in my veins. I could see two big male figures
in dark pants and t-shirts, which were known to me, unfortunately, and so the
worst that could have happened, happened once again. Once again luck was on my
side. I had the honor of two recently graduated Slytherins who had probably
recognized me as Hermione Granger, and could hardly believe their luck.
 
Okay, where was Snape when you needed him ?  I'd love to take this alternative,
to spread my legs for him, for money or not, but no, I had to get the best part
of the cake again. Great, I was a darling of fortune. My mind was working with
full capacity. What was the name of the two thugs who chased me? I knew them
from seeing, they had been on the Quidditch team, hadn’t they? One I finally
recognized as Bole, an ugly guy who  had gotten  too many bludgers  to the
head. His long, blond hair was tied  in  a pony tail. The black-haired man next
to him was Derrick. I remembered that he was the other’s partner  as  beater
on the Slytherin Quidditch team , and was rather tall compared to the broader
Bole. Both had been unsympathetic bullies already at school. Unfortunately, the
sight of these  two brutal guys only allowed one conclusion, and I just didn't
like  it:  Death Eater s ! Probably marked with quite new and still painful
dark marks. I hardly could believe my luck, I ,  of course ,  had to encounter
Deat h  Eaters in a pure ly  Muggle area. What business could they possibly
have here?
 
And these idiots were, of course, also former schoolmates who immediately
recognized me as Harry Potter's friend. Sometimes life wrote really more
grotesque stories than any crappy film script. It was enough to drive me crazy.
Since they were wizards, I could use my wand - there had to be something good
about the whole thing, because they wouldn't expect it. They would also
underestimate my defense, as they only saw a little schoolgirl in me. I had to
use this to my advantage, because I was outgunned purely by these bullies’
physicality. I should take it as a challenge; I had prepared myself for a long
time for this kind of situation: Death Eaters! And also, to stand up to
physically distinctly superior people in a fight and to be an equal opponent.
Now the time for hesitation was over for me. I wanted to jump into this fight
and I did, similar to the situation with Snape, when I just did it and acted
like the whore he thought I was; so, I would go through this in the same way.
 
I currently didn't feel any fear or anxiety. My breathing was normal and calm,
the sweat had dried on my palms, so I mentally prepared myself for the expected
confrontation and nipped any panic in the bud. I had to keep a clear head and
banished my rushing blood into the background with an inner, icy control. I
steadily increased my pace, ran hurriedly into the alley, welcomed the darkness
there, and saw it as a friend, instead of something terrifying. I quickly ran
around the corner and hid behind one of the many garbage cans scattered across
the alley. From there I aimed my wand at Bole. Now I needed to be fast and
catch them by surprise. As one witch against two wizards speed was my only
advantage. Let's do it! The two started to run, too, as they apparently
suspected that I had seen them. They had already drawn their wands while in
pursuit.
 
I fired a wordless Expelliarmus towards Bole, who’s wand got ripped out of his
hand in the middle of his sprint and flew towards me. He looked stunned, dumb
as he narrowed his eyes in disbelieve but stubbornly continued to run, even
speeding up. I loudly called out a Stupor against Derrick, who was running a
little farther ahead. The red ray from my wand hit him directly in the chest
and hurled him violently against a wall. He hit the street hard with his body.
One could hear a distinct crunch, before he sank to the ground slowly,
unconscious. This happened in a matter of seconds. Haha, I had just knocked out
an 18-year-old, but my joy only short lived as his buddy was charging towards
me like a giant wild bear. Because I had disarmed him, I counted on a physical
attack.
 
I had been distracted by my fight with Derrick for only a millisecond, but Bole
had used it to grab me quickly by my throat and throw me against the wall
behind me with all the momentum he had gained. Bang… The way my head collided
with the solid stone was excruciatingly painful and I gasped sharply. I saw
stars dancing in front of my narrowed eyes. The force of the impact had knocked
my wand out of my hand, so now my combat training would have to prove itself.
From now on, everything proceeded as in slow motion, because in reality it
happened in fractions of seconds and I was fully aware of this. This here, my
fight with Bole, would develop into a fight for life and death, as angry and
uncontrolled as he was. They didn't seem to have an assignment, and they
certainly didn't have enough brain cells left between them to think
strategically and understand that I would be worth more alive than dead.
 
Hence I held myself upright on shaky legs, skull pounding, whilst a mad Bole
tried to strangle me in his rage. I could feel each of his fingers on my neck
as they tightened mercilessly and tried to stop me from getting air into my
lungs, or better, tried to cut off my blood supply by blocking the arteries. If
he succeeded in doing so, I would collapse at once. To prevent this, I
immediately tensed the muscles in my throat and tried to catch my breath with
the snapping movements of my mouth. It was hard to resist the instinct to lay
my hands on his and pry them away from my throat, but I had to act quickly.
Wanting to pull his hands away from my throat would end in a helpless and
hopeless attempt to dissuade him from his intent, so I took my chance quietly,
without any emotion, and with astonishing clarity in my oxygen and now also
blood deprived brain.
 
My hands went to my thighs in a purposeful, flowing movement, pulling out my
two Horus daggers. I now held them to either side of me ready to strike and
didn't hesitate. I stabbed him with my left with all my strength and aimed for
his right side and liver. I couldn't see anything, because Bole was too close
to me, therefore my thrust didn't really have an impact. But I could feel how
the silvery blade of the dagger first went through the black cotton of his
shirt, how the material yielded from the sharp blade, and then met with the
elastic skin, through which my magic dagger glided effortlessly. I could feel
the slight resistance consisting of fat and flesh, which was in the way of the
sharp, cold shaft of the steel. But the steel bore further and deeper into Bole
through my constant pressure. He let out a bloodcurdling, loud scream.
Immediately he released my throat abruptly.
 
I coughed and gasped for air, needing to get oxygen back into my lungs.
Swallowing hurt astronomically. No wonder, as my neck had been squeezed very
tightly. The blood rushed loudly in my skull, as it finally flowed again. Bole
jumped back, wounded, which tore my dagger out of his torso, as I still held it
firmly in my hands. Meanwhile I straightened myself up again. I hadn't managed
to punch the whole blade into his side, but enough to get him off me. He looked
shocked and disbelieving at the spot, but because of the black cloth you could
almost see nothing of the blood which ran out of his wound constantly. He held
a hand in front of his face which was red with blood , cried out with rage and
looked at me with a mad, pained look. Hate, uncontrolled hatred, seemed to drip
out of every one of his pores.
 
"Fucking Mudblood, I'll cut you into pieces, who do you think you are, cunt?",
he yelled angrily, grabbing something behind his back. He crouched down and I
saw that a knife had appeared in his hand. Derived from his stance - legs
spread and arms wide open like a wrestler - I could be certain that he would go
into melee without any style and plan, meaning he would be an opponent whose
moves would be difficult to anticipate. But please, this shithead had tried to
strangle me.  Just come here , drifted through my head and I was almost excited
to be able to surprise him. During this time I was still leaning against the
wall trying to keep all my senses together. I didn't react to his obscenities
and insults, he was free to continue to distract himself. I wouldn't lose sight
of my target: Him!
 
Let the battle begin! And so I determinedly pushed myself from the wall. I held
my daggers ready and waited for him to carry out the first move, which he soon
did with a loud battle cry. He rushed towards me quickly. I remained calm and
cold, controlled, managed a turn, but got a slight jab. I had no time to blink
before he stood right in front of me again and hit the dagger out of my left
hand. I saw the silvery glitter of his weapon flash threateningly in the
darkness, and felt even now how his blade was driven into my flesh with
violence and ruthless brutality.  Shit , I screamed inside my head!
 
What an absolutely terrible feeling, how the cold unyielding steel mercilessly
paved its way into my intestines. He pushed the blade into me, deeper and
deeper, and grinned wickedly at me with more than a touch of insanity. I
brutally bit on my lips until I tasted blood, my teeth bit into my own flesh to
make the agony bearable. But in spite of the pain I seized the moment, I saw
everything sharply and when he stood in front of me so close and lacking any
protection, looking at me with a murderous, malicious grin on his face as he
took his revenge and drove his knife into me to the hilt, I saw my chance.
Without thinking about what I was doing, I raised my right hand and thrust it
down, slashing my dagger over his throat. I cut his neck, felt how the dagger
cut into the skin, the tendons, and the veins, and severed them with a
frightening ease, until I met the windpipe, whose slight resistance reminded me
of the cartilage, whereupon I passed through already. He made miserably
stertorous and gurgling sounds.
 
An absolutely horrified, utterly disbelieving expression flashed in his blue,
shocked-looking eyes when he came to realize that this was his end. The gaping
wound opened with a  smacking sound, releasing bubbling noises as he gasped for
air frantically and panically, his hands twitching helplessly to his open
throat. Truly an absolutely disgusting sight, but the sounds were even worse,
able to give you the shivers. Whilst he was wheezing, the blood came out of his
increasingly gaping wound in bubbles. It strongly reminded of the wide grin of
a clown, or the Joker known from Batman. A fountain of fresh blood spilled over
me, soaking me from top to bottom, when the bubbling, warm blood pumped from
his heart flooded out of his body. He fell. He fell backwards like a stone to
the ground, no, he didn't sink, he crashed ungently to the floor covered with
rubbish and now with his deep-red life juice. I had landed in my own little
hell.
 
The big, broad body that lay here in front of me, with its great, lacerated,
gaping wound, which had once been his throat, burned itself into my brain down
to the smallest detail. I couldn't believe it, I just did, I did, I was a ...
stop, stop, Hermione! Pull yourself together, or you can just lie down and bite
the dust too. Think and act thoughtfully. The final chapter has not yet been
written, I remembered myself resolutely. An icy calm came over me. I felt
almost nothing, no conscience, no compassion, no pain, as my ice-cold gaze
wandered over the alley which we had turned into a battlefield. I still didn't
realise what had happened consciously. I could think about it later. I now
looked to the corpse, emotionless and cold. As his chest no longer moved, I was
quite sure that he was dead now. I could smell the intense, metallic scent of
the still warm blood. It was very intense, because of the sheer volume. I felt
slightly sick as I sniffed, but luckily I could quickly overcome this feeling.
 
I was also stained with Boles blood from head to toe, still holding one of my
daggers in my hand, was ready to continue fighting any time, and only now did I
regain consciousness that I had suffered an injury as well. I quickly looked
down my body. Thanks to the adrenaline rush that the fight had given me, I felt
absolutely no pain! I was in shock I confessed to myself with a sardonic and
almost sad smile when I saw Boles knife still inside me and was tempted to
scream at this sight. But then I recalled all the medical books I've read,
which had been at home and which I already finished reading when I was a young
girl. Thankfully my parents were doctors, this had enabled me to take a few
first aid courses.
 
My blood rushed pulsating in my ears and the adrenaline pumped heavily through
my veins. So, where were we? The knife was stuck in my left side near the back.
I knew the spleen had to be there, not a vital, not an essential organ. I
cocked my head in thoughts, as I squinted down at myself. I had to suppress the
strong impulse to grab the hilt and pull it out, but that wouldn't be good. As
it was now, the wound was sealed neatly and I couldn't bleed out, hence I came
to the ice cold, calculated decision to leave it stuck inside me because I
wasn't very handicapped for the time being.
 
It wasn't easy, but I had the discipline to consciously leave it stuck,
although I was struggling with myself heavily. I lifted my head and took a deep
breath. Shit, that had been a near thing. I had almost kicked the bucket.  Stop
, I told myself to abandon the thought, because there was no time for that. I
had to act quickly, because if someone found me, in this more than compromising
situation, I would have to explain way too much. I would get into trouble if
anyone would discover the corpse, not only with the muggles, but also with the
wizards, so I had to tackle everything well planned, in order to get out of it
safe and sound in more than one respect. Bloody Death Eaters!
 
I put my dagger away with a skilfull move, and raised my hand to see if the
purchase of the holster for my wand had been worth my money, since it had been
beaten out of my hand before, and lo and behold, Ollivander had not lied about
his family secrets, my wand was already in its proper place. Very well, the
investment was worth it, just like these magical knives, which cut and stabbed
wonderfully through everything without too much effort, I thought very pleased.
Next, I magically retrieved my lost dagger, which Bole had slapped out of my
hand.
 
Good that I had always been fast in making plans, because I had already
something in my mind. First I called both the wands of Derrick and Bole to me
with an Accio and let them magically disappear in my sports bag. I had dropped
it behind the dustbin before. Only then did I turn to the living person on the
ground, Derrick, which I knocked out with a stunner. I could see that he seemed
to have a laceration at the back of his head. The rest of him seemed more or
less alright. Apparently, the Stupor slowly lost its strength, as Derrick
groaned again and agai. I guessed he had a broken skull, based on the sounds
when he had crushed into the wall earlier, but I didn't care. Despite this
whole grotesque situation, I got a brilliant idea to show Fudge that maybe
strange things were happening in association with Death Eaters after all, for
how else would two Hogwarts graduates have acquired the Dark Mark?
 
I hardly moved, instead turning around to and fro with caution. I cut off the
shirts on the left shoulder of both of them with a diffindo, and immediately I
could see the tattoos of a skull with a snake twining out of its mouth, almost
glowing on the white, pale skin of their left forearms. In spite of this
surreality, I continued to pursue my quickly devised plan, functioning like a
robot. Now I woke him up with an Enervate, brought him out of the
unconsciousness of the Stupor. Derrick immediately opened his eyes panicky and
wanted to attack me despite his injuries. I expected that and was faster. First
I spoke the Incarcerus, whereupon ropes surrounded his body and captivated him.
He shouted angrily, just to whimper seconds after, as his head ached painfully.
 
An Obliviate followed immediately, his eyes grew dull and glassy. I ordered him
to forget his name, his family, the Dark Mark, me, the alley, everything,
instead I whispered to him, malicious as I was, that he was a muggle and
something like magic doesn't exist. Punishment and revenge were necessary and I
was really furious. Hell, a knife was sticking out of me! My mood was at rock
bottom. When I finished the spell, he still seemed spaced out. Wonderful, now I
had practised the complete deletion and re-creation of a completely different
life story, too. I was getting better and better for my parents. Next I turned
my head and looked at the corpse indifferently. I wouldn't have to invest much
effort with him, I thought deprecatingly. What an ass!
 
My left hand absentmindedly wandered to the knife in my side and ran lightly
over it. I grimaced.  Not now, stay with the present, you can take care of it
later , I motivated myself. I tried to move as little as I could and kept my
upper body rigid all the time, as if a board had been strapped to my back.
Well, what you wouldn't do when a knife was stuck in you. It couldn't be so bad
when my humor came back, I thought resigned, but not really amused. With a
Mobilicorpus, with which I spelled the corpse, the lifeless body rose in the
air, floated in the middle of the dimly lit alley like in a bad horror film. If
one were inclined to be afraid, one would surely pee in one’s pants now. With a
wave of my wand, I gently directed the dead man to lie down over his mate. This
wasn’t meant as a macabre joke, no, I had a reason to pack the two as a small
package. I grinned to myself nastily, maybe even a bit crazy, it was clearly
the shock!
 
Well, then I would go on to break another law of the ministry. Now I would for
the first time - somehow I recently experienced far too many first times for my
taste - create a portkey. I looked around the alley attentively and discovered
a coke can, which I called to me with an Accio. It flew into my hand. I
concentrated myself, pointing with the wand to the can and whispered, "Portus,
the ministry of magic, arrivals hall," whereupon the can lit up in bright blue,
then looked completely normal again.
 
It wasn't an easy spell, but it wasn't difficult for me either. I floated the
can into the hand of the wounded Death Eater and stepped back, watching the
events closely, hoping to have done everything correctly, and soon I was alone
in the alley stinking of fresh blood and summery, decaying garbage. I had
totally forgotten my bloodsoaked look. My thoughts were still dwelling on the
two attackers. In consideration of whether I had hopefully created the portkey
correctly and what excitement would rule now - if it had worked - in the halls
of the ministry in which two Death Eaters had appeared out of nowhere. One was
severely injured, more or less left dumb after an Obliviate, and the other a
violently mutilated corpse. Well, hopefully there weren’t any small children
right now. I would employ Rita to find out everything, because I was way too
curious.
 
But now I had another, much more urgent problem. To get myself out of the mess
and without much ado. Since the immediate danger was now gone, I felt a faint
dizziness suddenly invade my body. I staggered slightly and braced myself,
exhausted, with a hand on the wall. Ah, now that the first rush had subsided,
throbbing pain spread through my body. I mean there was a knife stuck
completely inside me. How did I deserve that? Had I done anything to anyone?
 
Oops, well, now I did, but I didn't want to think about it, I wanted to go
home. I realized, as my hands began to shake and I let out my quivering breath,
that getting home would be a long way.  Pull yourself together Hermione, you
haven't been through this to collapse now.  I could still do that later, I
reassured myself with nearly emotionless. Then I called my bag to me and
concentrated solely on Grimmauld Place. Home, Sirius, Harry, Help!
Concentration ... and jump.
 
I stumbled forward a few paces, groped blindly for the snake-alike door knocker
of Black House, my breathing becoming more and more laboured. Sweat had formed
on my upper lip, the effort I had to use to keep my body alert was quickly
tiring me. I was lucky enough to have made the leap, which had brought me
directly to the door of the city house and not into an alley, but in my
distress I didn't care, since I was just glad I had not splinched myself into
individual parts. I felt an incredible, heavy fatigue settle in my bones.  Not
now Hermione, pull yourself together,  I chided myself.  You've made it this
far.
 
With an unbelievable effort I kept myself on my shaky legs, trembling
uncontrollably. I once again looked at the unadorned, simple black wooden
handle, which stuck out of my side. I almost lost myself in the sight, it held
some incredible fascination for me.
 
Wow, the desire to immediately remove the foreign matter from my body was
really huge. I actually had to use every bit of discipline and self-control I
possessed to not do something very unreasonable. As I had said, I had apparated
directly in front of the entrance, as I didn't have the strength to not choose
the direct way. Now I carefully opened the door. It was just after eight
o'clock, almost half past eight, everyone was most likely in the kitchen. Good,
that was good for me, I thought, exhausted, and blinked with tired eyes. In
less than half an hour, my life had turned by 180 degrees. Tears filled my
eyes, I hadn't expected that I would be faced with the decision between life
and death or at least not so soon, not that early, nothing, absolutely nothing
would be like before!
 
Trembling I released my breath and pushed a sob back down my throat, where a
huge lump was forming and I was tempted to cry loudly and scream for help!
Well, there would be casualties in war, that couldn't be avoided, but we
weren't in a real war yet. Oh, reality could really rob you of any illusion, I
bluntly realised. I had always seen myself as a grey entity, I now had gotten
my first black, raven-black holes in this greyness and when all was done, I was
afraid that maybe I would be dark through and through.
 
That genuinely scared me, it scared me stiff. A choked sniff escaped me. I
think I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. The experiences I gained
within the last few months might have been a bit too much for me, because it
wasn't easy to handle it all! I always saw myself as tough and strong, but in
this instant I felt empty, small, and weak. In any case I didn't want anyone to
see me like this, because I was sure I looked terrible. Just now it occurred to
me again that there was probably no place on my body that wasn't spattered with
blood. I raised both hands and looked at them, but what I saw was sobering.
Slender hands, blood stained hands.
 
So I dragged myself slowly and exhausted through the gloomy hall towards the
stairs.  One step after the other,  I tried to bolster myself up, but it was
getting increasingly difficult to lift my legs for the next step. Eventually I
stood at the bottom of the stairs. I wanted to go to the library, but looking
up through the stairwell at the upper floors of the house made it seem like
climbing Mount Everest. I groaned and swallowed heavily, my larynx was
unpleasantly scratchy. Gosh, my throat still hurt! I wondered how it looked
like.
 
An uncertain glance at the stairs and I decided that it was no use to stall.
Grit your teeth , I told myself.  You defied two Death Eaters, compared to that
this here is but a joke . I held tightly onto the banister with my right hand,
pulling myself up step by step. The pain that swept through me as I raised my
legs to climb up the stairs almost made me black out, as the knife scratched
inside me with unconscious movements. This feeling would haunt me in my
nightmares. My breath escaped loudly, rasping and puffing.
 
Wow, I felt dizzy, clearly from the blood loss. I didn’t bleed like a pig,
because I had let the weapon stuck inside me fore-sightedly, but it seemed like
I had internal injuries that bled violently, which really didn't surprise me at
all. I had managed it, I was on the first floor. I breathed like a walrus and
dragged myself into the library with difficulty. I walked in like an old woman
through the door and then my legs suddenly collapsed under my body, devoid of
all strength. I sank to the floor with a scream, twisting quick-wittedly to
land on my butt, since a knife still protruded from my body. Oh my goddess, who
hated me so. I let loose another choked scream. It was hurting so much!
 
At last tears streamed down my cheeks, leaving trails in the dried blood on my
face. I had to look like a monster. The monster I had become today. I drew my
wand with an unsteady hand as I sat on the ground like a picture of bleeding
misery, and thanked all the gods that I had practiced the Patronus spell here
 with my books in the last few weeks. After I had experienced the rescue of
Harry and Sirius in our third grade, and now, after Harry had been attacked by
Dementors in the midst of the holidays, it had seemed very sensible to me. As
this corporeal protector could transmit messages as well, it was also suitable
as a means of communication. I conjured my Patronus, and sent it away, hoping
that he would understand and rush to my rescue, for I couldn’t carry on much
longer. My energy reserves were completely depleted, not only physically but
also mentally. It was getting darker in front of my eyes, but I didn't allow
myself to fall asleep as long as I was alone, so I directed an Episkey towards
me, which was extremely weak and didn't really help.
 
I embraced my maltreated neck with my hands and ran my fingertips over my
throat, discovering that I could feel the pressure marks of Bole’s fingers and
hands. Goose bumps ran over my entire body. I had only narrowly escaped from
death. It made me feel terribly cold and sent my whole body shaking. Next, I
called a blood-replenishing potion from my bag, which I had dragged up the
fucking stairs. I managed to drink the potion before I couldn't hold myself
upright any longer and let myself sink gently to my right side. How would the
medics say, stable side position. Then I could feel my last strength flow out
of my body, just like my gloriously deep-red blood, which was spreading over my
grey T-shirt, which I noticed with blurred sight as I squinted down.
 
I stared dizzy at the door, my eyelids becoming heavier and heavier...
 
End of Hermione’s POV
***** Injured *****
Chapter Notes
     My dearies,
     Thanks so much for your reviews, Kudos and new Followers! xx
     Today you'll finally see, what happens to Granger.
     I hope you do enjoy.
     xxx
Injured
 
Snape’s POV
 
This house was a madhouse. Was it because of Black, the Weasleys or the
gathering members of the Order?
 
I didn't know, I only knew that I could live without it, because these  giggles
were absolutely annoying and now Potter's permanent presence in this house
harassed me too! When he had come in he had looked absolutely dumbstruck when I
had been sitting in his usual seat, in the dark next to Black. Potter
apparently didn't like it at all, so his lips had twisted into a thin,
disapproving line. Then he had turned away abruptly and settled down
spontaneously in Miss Granger’s usual seat, which, as I noticed Black’s
temporarily tense posture, didn't suit the other man in turn. It was
hysterically funny, but of course there was nothing more than emphasised
indifference on my features. Oh well, Potter, even the godson can't compete
with the youthful, willing body of a woman, I thought maliciously and twisted
down the corners of my mouth, for already the pictures of the last meeting came
to my mind, where I had seen Black and Miss Perfect in action.
 
No, I didn't want to think of that, I called myself resolutely to order. I had
found a way to eradicate the pictures of Miss Granger, but unfortunately hadn't
been able to arrange a new meeting in the last few days. This close to the
start of the school year and combined with my live as a spy my tasks were just
too varied to have time to pursue my rare pleasure. When I thought about it...
Minna, yes, she had successfully suppressed the thoughts of Miss Granger, and
as I recalled my memory, I decided to send an owl soon!
 
But then my thoughts were interrupted much to my chagrin, as the cacophony of
my surroundings reached unimaginable heights, and I had to listen to Lupin,
Tonks, Potter and the red posse and how loudly indignant they were about Miss
Granger's behaviour, since she had just said good-bye in Diagon Alley and
disappeared without a trace! Unbelievable, unfortunately, I couldn't blame her.
This was the dominant theme of this impertinent and obnoxious rabble.
 
I looked at Black, who became increasingly restless and glanced at the door
again and again. It was already half past nine. And as much as I knew, Miss
Granger always came back at eight o'clock, or shortly afterwards. She was
punctual and in this respect she was just as pedantic as with her mile-long
essays with all the cross-references, annoying but predictable. I would never
admit it, but I was like her. Me and any resemblance to Granger, just
ridiculous! Why did that annoying little girl dominate my thoughts that much?
 
Exactly because she didn't present herself like a little schoolgirl. To Potter
and the Weasleys perhaps, but to me and Black she had shown another, very
different and very unexpected face. But now, what would I know or what would we
know what Miss Granger was doing anyways? I wouldn't try to guess where she had
left to, after I had gotten to know her more closely, as I doubted not to say
something vicious, perhaps she was amusing herself with a man in an alley? Who
could know it with her, I thought contemptuously and a little bit spiteful!
Whilst I was deep in my thoughts, all of which were about Miss Granger, as I
recognized with contempt and which I would never admit openly, a Patronus burst
suddenly through the kitchen door, a magpie! Who, by Slytherin, had a magpie?
It flew straight toward Black.
 
I just indignantly raised an eyebrow and watched all this from my corner. The
whole kitchen was wrapped in silence. They all stared at the spectacle that was
taking place before their eyes. The whole order was already there, except for
Albus, and no one knew such a Patronus. This Patronus was now already in front
of Black and a scratchy, breathless voice aspirated only one word "Casanova"
and the magpie dissolved immediately into smoke and had thus delivered its
message. Black's wary glance looked anxious at once, and his face had become
very pale. He rose abruptly and rushed out of the room, even before a question
could be addressed to him. He left behind a brief, intense silence before the
grueling yelling started. What was that? Who was that? Why did Sirius know what
it meant? What was meant by "Casanova"? And so on and so on ... blablabla ...
why did I always have to persevere in the midst of such idiots? I thought to
have a weak idea, but knowing..
 
And soon the kitchen door was thrown open with such impetus that it loudly hit
the wall. It revealed a stiff, Black, white as chalk, his lips squeezed
tightly.
 
"Snape. A. Word. In. The. Library!", Black breathed out breathlessly, as I had
never, but truly never, heard him before. His eyes were rigidly fixed on me, as
if they wanted to tell me something important. I slowly looked up, tilted my
head. As it seemed serious and important, I nodded briefly and rose up
smoothly. Black had ignored any question of the others, acting unfamiliarly
cold. He astonished me, for he suddenly grabbed my arm.
 
"Faster, Severus, quicker, please," he said, trembling and started to jog, and
I didn't appreciate such a treatment at all.
 
This sentence, with ... with my first name and the word "please," from Black!
These things gave me a really bad feeling, because a Black who pleaded for
something was impossible! Black would never address such words to me, for that
we hated each other too fervently. What happened here? What was going on here?
Thus we both stormed into the library and what revealed itself to me deeply
touched me. My breath stopped and my blood was freezing in my veins. It was a
horrible sight.
 
There, in the Blacks’ antique library, surrounded by all the wonderful books,
laid Miss Granger and what I saw was incredibly terrible! She laid unconscious
on her right side on the carpeted floor, which was getting more and more red
around her. The handle of a knife protruded from her left side, but the rest of
her appearance was frightening too. Every place on her body was covered in
blood, her clothes, her hands, her face! She looked like she was completely
painted red. Her curly brown hair had turned into a hard, clotted mess of
blood. Where had come all this blood from? It came to my mind that one would
have had to slaughter for that amount of blood, the sight was shocking! All
questions were, however, put on hold. She was badly hurt, Black had done right
to get me.
 
I growled furiously, rushed toward the young woman lying on the ground and
kneeled beside her. She opened her eyes with difficulty and looked at me with
her large, brown, slightly blank eyes. An exhausted smile appeared on the
corners of her mouth, which looked creepy on her bloody face. Her breath came
raggedly and falteringly. I already spoke a spell, which made her top
disappear. Now she was only dressed in a bra in front of us. A Tergeo cleansed
her from the blood so that one could see what blood was hers and what wasn't,
for she had looked like she had only a single, large wound. I chanted a strong
Episkey, that would at least slow her bleeding a bit and then put myself to
work.
 
"Hermione, what happened, Hermione?" Black asked the injured girl anxiously,
repeatedly, whimpering the entire time. I didn’t pay any attention to this. I
completely ignored him, all my attention was on the injured, bleeding, young
woman at my feet.
 
I hissed, "Pull yourself together, Black!", then I took off my coat and held it
up. "Search my coat here," I ordered imperiously, still holding it in front of
him. "Blood-replenishing potion, strengthening potion, healing potion..." I
demanded sharply and forcefully. That I would live to see the day, I couldn’t
believe, but oddly enough, Black followed my instructions without any
objections.
"Snape, this vial was laying on the floor," he suddenly said in a rough voice,
handing it to me. I took it off him and smelled at it.
 
"Mhmhm ..." I muttered.
 
 "What is it, Snape?" Black asked nervously.
 
"She apparently still managed to take a blood-replenishing potion," I deigned
to give an explanation before I stopped talking again. First, I had to get an
overview of the nature and diversity of the injuries. I let my exploring gaze
wander over her body. The knife was stuck inside her, and I could see something
that apparently had escaped from Black’s eyes in his panic: her neck didn't
look good at all! I dared to venture a guess that someone had tried to strangle
her. I could clearly see the bloodshot prints of each individual finger on her
throat, someone had to have squeezed with uncannily raw strength, the bruises
were extremely noticeable. They contrasted starkly with her waxy pallor. It was
difficult for her to breathe air into her lungs, as she tried to breath deeply
and sometimes even gasped, so I spoke an Anapneo, that would free her airways
and she could breathe with ease again. She would need her breath while I healed
her stab wound even if it would just be to scream. But otherwise, my searching
look couldn't detect any more superficial wounds. There were already enough.
 
“Black, look for a decongesting potion too, and feed it to her," I figured
belatedly. I now cast spell after spell, to get control over the stab wound on
her left side. The diagnosis spells had shown me that no vital, internal organs
had been hurt, only her spleen was injured. She was lucky that she didn't get
stabbed in the right side, because it would've hit her liver instead and
then... oh, doesn't matter, it didn't happen. Fortune favors fools, tore
through my mind hatefully.
 
"Give her all the potions, Black!" I managed to say casually, while I gently
run my finger along the stab wound. "But leave the painkiller-potion,
understood!" I growled darkly, watching as he tried to lift her head as gently
as possible and helped her swallow the potions, which had to be very painful
and difficult in her position and with the throat damage. But I could see how
she forced herself to swallow the fluid, her larynx moving slowly back and
forth. Nothing but a faint whimper escaped her lips.
 
"Why doesn't she get a painkilling potion?" Black asked stricken with sorrow,
when she couldn't suppress a painful groan, staring simply shocked but
fascinated at the weapon sticking out of her body, unable to look away.
 
"I can't give it to her. It would be counterproductive, the other potions
wouldn't work properly anymore," I said scornfully when faced with his
ignorance. "But I think she knows that?", and looked into her open brown eyes,
wide from shock, which looked like they could see deeper than ever before. What
had she experienced today? What had she done or needed to do to survive?
 
"Hush, you can do this, Hermione!" Black whispered to her vehemently, stroking
her hair soothingly.
 
"First to the difficult part, Miss Granger. Can you hear me? It was the right
decision not to pull out the knife, to leave it in place," I declared during
the diagnosis-spell.
 
"I don't know how you came to this divine inspiration, but if you had done it,
you would've bled out, at the moment the knife acts as a stopper. That is to
say, if I remove it, we must hurry, first to fix the damage on your spleen and
then close the wound as quickly as possible, to stop the bleeding. You've lost
enough blood today," I explained objectively. I looked at her gravely, and at
Black, who was staring at me with fearsome eyes, but seemed to hang on my every
word.
 
"Just so we understand each other correctly, and you won't give yourself any
illusions, it will be very painful, and if you don’t black out, you will
experience everything vividly, Miss Granger!" I clarified with all honesty and
very little empathy, but she didn't look away for even a second, simply held my
gaze firmly. Black looked at me horrified. "But... but Snape, this is
inhumane," he whispered indignantly, looking shocked, "..you can't.."
 
"I can and I will, Black. You can not give her anything for the pain until
afterwards, I will still need your help, because you have to hold her down
while I pull the knife out. You have to push her to the ground and make sure
that she'll hold still, otherwise she could make the injury worse. She must
keep still, did you understand that, Miss Granger? When the object is removed,
you have to turn her on her stomach immediately, so that I have the best access
to her wound, understood?", I stated impatiently, looking at him imploringly
and sternly .
 
"Yes!" She whispered softly. Her voice was hoarse and rough, but she looked
deep into my eyes, her own filled with determination.
 
"Well, let's do it, on three!" I said resolutely, gripping the handle with my
hand. At this time, Black held Miss Granger's shoulders to the ground and
looked into my face, nodding at me. "One, two, three, and.." and without any
hesitation, I tore the handle out of her side. The handle disengaged quite
reluctantly with a slight smacking sound from her flesh.
 
Her blood gleamed in the glow of the fire on the silvery blade. I put this
relatively small boot knife - the blade measuring about twelve centimeters -
now beside me and turned to the body writhing before me. She had tried to rise
up and gave a sharp scream as I pulled the knife out of her so suddenly. I
could see a small trickle of blood flowing from her mouth. Tears streamed down
her pale face, and beads of sweat had formed on her forehead. A constant
whimper came out of her trembling lips, but this left me cold at the moment.
 
I focused my attention on her injury. Black turned her on her belly, so I could
examine the stab wound. Now, without the resistance, the blood flowed quickly
out of the wound. I immediately raised my wand and recited spells to fix the
spleen inside her and to slow down the flow of blood. Thus the inner cuts
slowly closed. Sweat also formed on my forehead, for healing had always been
exhausting magic, that's why it was so hard for a wounded wizard to heal
himself, even with magic. Black had to fight to keep Granger restrained without
inflicting too much additional pain on her. The pain inside had to be
tremendous, because it twinged and pulled terribly when such serious injuries
healed magically.
 
But as it looked, Miss Granger didn't slip into the saving grace of
unconsciousness. I could imagine what kind of pain she was going through. Why
did she never make it easy for herself, I thought resignedly. My spells
continued to work, and suddenly she stilled, fully ceasing her resistance, only
a slight groan and whimpers came over her torn lips. Her strength must be
exhausted by now. Next I used a diagnostic spell that showed me that I had more
or less fixed the internal injury to the spleen, and was now able to close her
outer wound. Since this was not a simple cut, but an incision deep into human
flesh, I had to sew it close magically.
 
There would be a scar left after such an injury, not an ugly one, but a long,
white line would always remind her of the knife that had been stuck inside her.
 
I conjured up needle and thread, and leaned down close to the wound. I looked
briefly at Black, who had his hands on her back and was bent over her, his gaze
fixed on me. He looked frighteningly pale, his hair clinging to his face, and
his lips pressed together tightly. I signed him to hold her down again, as the
stitches wouldn't be pleasant. He nodded at me understandingly, a seething
expression in his eyes. The first stitch of the needle, the piercing of her
skin, made her twitch slightly, but otherwise she didn't show much reaction,
then she got used to the steady, piercing sensation and didn't even twitch
anymore.
 
We could see Miss Granger biting her lips as she turned her face sideways and
pressed the cheek to the floor so as not to scream, which made me feel
admiration for her because I sewed her skin without a painkilling-potion or any
anesthetic. She was really tough, the way she lay there was almost unreal, a
scary picture. With her belly on the carpet, Black, kneeling at her head and
restraining her, I, who was sitting next to her midsection, conducting the
magical needle, and all of it was illuminated by the fire in the fireplace. It
made a surreal picture.
 
"Black, in my coat is still a highly effective healing ointment, which helps
against scarring and cuts, give it to me, when I tell you to!", I commanded
again.
 
"But, Hermione, she...?" I interrupted him harshly. "Will not move, she has
become accustomed to the pain," I replied, fending of his objection, while he
looked doubtfully in my face, but she briefly nodded to him. He released her
skeptically, and soon he held the pot with the inscription Dr Salbader’s
ointment in his hand and before my eyes. When I had finished sewing, the thread
was knotted, the last healing and cleansing spells were spoken, I let myself
sink backward, exhausted, and pulled my chin-length, raven-black hair out of my
face. It had been stressful minutes. The injuries weren't small. She could have
died. Finally, I tiredly pulled myself up and stretched my tense back. With my
hand I indicated Black to give me the ointment, which he did without a word.
 
Black watched the scene, while she laid in front of us and I rubbed in the
ointment very cautiously along the stitches so that only a small, white scar
would remain because the blade had a smooth surface. Then I pushed myself up,
got back on my knees and began to lay bandages around her. When this was done,
I conjured a long, comfortable button-up shirt for her and hexed it onto her.
Then, with a non-verbal Mobilicorpus, I let her float gently towards the couch,
laid her down cautiously and cleaned the carpet of the suspicious red. Black
slumped into the left armchair and I sank into the right one. Suddenly he
jumped up again and ran to a chest of drawers, then returned with two glasses.
He pressed one of it wordlessly into my hand and I indignantly raised an
eyebrow and sniffed at it!
 
Aha, firewhiskey, why not and I quickly drank it in one go, reclined into the
armchair in exhaustion, feeling whacked, and brushed sweat from my forehead
with my sleeve. This had been quite taxing. I could see Granger tensing
slightly. She had clenched her hands into fists, so I got up and went to her.
With an Accio, I had summoned a vial from my cloak before, knelt down on one
leg in front of the couch, and put the potion to her torn lips, which she
opened obediently and drank.
 
"Whaaaat..?", it came from behind. "Pain-Killing Potion!"
 
She dropped her head on the armrest. "Oh, thank you!", she whispered hoarsely.
 
I sat back into the chair. "I hope you feel capable to explain your
predicament. Do you, Miss Granger?" I said casually and crossed my legs
nonchalantly. "Because it didn't need much more and we could've made you a
coffin!" I sneered viciously, but my mood was sinking very fast after this
drama had been overcome.
 
Black nodded agitatedly. "He's right... absolutely, Hermione. You gave me the
scare of my live today, and I've already experienced a lot, but to see you
covered in blood... with the knife that sticks out of you, I... I, oh my God!",
he stuttered, groaning, his head sinking into his hands in despair.
 
"What happened, Hermione?" Black inquired  in a slightly calmer tone , his face
still hidden.
 
" I feel awagh- awful … ” she said after clearing her throat. “As if a truck
run me” she stated, as she coughed to clear her throat again. Her eyes were
pinched together and she had her hand over her eyes to cover them from the
light.
 
" And here I thought you looked just lively ." I said smugly , not bothering
with pleasantries . My sarcastic character just came through with me again. She
raised up a bit. "How ,...” she paused to clear her throat before trying again.
“How bad is it, sir?” she asked, her large shocked eyes not helping her pale
complexion.
 
"Quite well,  given  the circumstances.  Your  injury should be completely
healed  in two days  time ,  I will however need to have a  look at it tomorrow
evening at Hogwarts. ” I told her. “ You have survived  purely out of
foresight,  though had things not turned out how they did, we wouldn’t be
having this conversation,  Miss Granger!"  I reprimanded . " Now, an
explanation if you will.” I demanded crossly.
 
"What happened to your throat... Hermione, it looks completely squashed...
Hermione?", Black started to screech, only now realising Granger had been
choked. He must have been beside himself until now, as the bruising washard to
overlook. His antics were starting to build a steady throb behind my eyes.
Granger however, didn’t appear to be bothered much by the fact she had been
nearly strangled to death, could it be shock that was keeping her so level
headed, so collected? Or was this perhaps all an act? She seemed too calm,
especially as she looked him questioningly in the eye, one brow raised in what
I could only guess was annoying disbelief. Was it not obvious that someone had
tried to strangle the chit? Apparently it was not, seeing as the fool was
asking obvious questions. She shook her head for a moment as if to acknowledge
the lifelong idiocy of Black to herself and closed her eyes in exhaustion.
 
After clearing her throat again, something that was starting to grind on my
already sensitive nerves, she began her tale in what was probably the softest
tone I had ever heard her use. Was the girl talking to herself or trying to get
her mutt to calm down?  "Where shall I start?"  She appeared to be lost in
thought, her hands crept unconsciously towards her neck, gently stroking the
tender flesh, causing her to let out a soft pained moan.  Her petite body
trembled slightly , probably the memory came rushing back into her mind’s eye.
She took a deep breath, and she might have fooled everyone into thinking her
cold and  calm had I not been in the room and able to see through her facade ,
through  the crack in her mask before she slipped it back on, before she
regained  control of her memories.
 
"I walked into an alley... towards the point I had chosen for apparition… as
fate would have it… I was ambushed… ” she explained, taking a short pause to
ease her throat muscles. “I wanted to come… here… and… and from behind I heard
… two… and slammed into the wall." Another breath before she continued, while I
frowned heavily, her stuttering made little sense.
 
"I … held my wand in hand and… and was able to  Stupefy  him.”  Was it just me
or was the girl’s voice shaking?  I thought to myself as I watched her fingers
reach around her neck before burying themselves in her hair. “I-I managed to….
And then I…. the next… and he…. I” suddenly the hands in her  her hair  were
pulling viciously  at it  and  her breathing had accelerated. I  motioned
Black to give her a glass of  fire whiskey,  in hopes that it would calm her
down enough to explain herself properly, instead of spewing gibberish.
 
"Here, Hermione, drink this," he  said  tenderly  as he held the glass for her
to drink from, as she was still shaking, and she downed the firewhiskey in one
large gulp before coughing violently and gasping for air . She grimaced,  the
firewhiskey having obviously  burned her maltreated throat, but it would drive
away the shock and she would perhaps be able to articulate the events.
 
"Better?" Black asked, and she nodded.
 
"Start again from the beginning. You wanted to Apparate to Grimmauld Place, but
two young men stopped you, you knocked one of them out with a  Stupefy ? Is
this correct?" I summarized. "Why, what did they want from you?" I had cocked
my head, watching her with curiosity, and s wung  my glass, which I had
refilled, deliberately back and forth in my hand. The amber-colored liquid
sloshed and fire light sparkled in it. She just nodded at us and fixated
something in the distance with her eyes.
 
"Yes..", she fell silent and lowered her head. "..it's easier... if you know
who they were... Bole... Derrick..." she breathed between coughs, closing her
eyes. At that moment, my eyes threatened to pop out of my head! That’s luck
alright, she had come across these two boxers! Bole and Derrick were two
Slytherins, against whom Crabbe and Goyle were harmless teddy bears. I knew
that both had just been branded with the Dark Mark, I had participated in the
initiation shortly after the beginning of the holiday.
 
These were always festivities to which the Dark Lord put emphasis on when the
family of Death Eater s  expanded. It was really hard for me to keep my blank
mask intact, because these were malicious, nasty contemporaries who would be
doing short work with a small, petite girl  such as  her self . They wanted and
needed to establish themselves among the other Death Eaters. As new members
without a family  strongly incorporated into  the ranks, they had to find their
own place among the Dark Lord ’s troops in the lower tiers.
 
I could imagine that they had recognized Granger with whom they had gone to
Hogwarts, and had calculated their chances of winning favour. Slytherins were
always quick to recognize their own advantage at a  moment’s notice . But these
two weren't really embellishments of my house and always thought only as far as
throwing the first punch . Finesse was alien to them, they were more the type
for rough work. I sat up very straight now, because this promised to become
exciting, now that I knew the protagonists of this drama.
 
"Who are Bole and Derrick?", Black  wanted to know curiously . I  brushed him
off, put it off till  later. She seemed to have caught herself again, and now
turned her head back and looked icily at us. "I attacked, Derrick...  Stupify
... and Bole Expelliarmus... then he came... grabbed my throat and  slammed me
into the  wall... he... wanted to strangle me..",  she said, and  rubbed
absentmindedly over her throat again. "... I pulled my daggers ... chrmm ...",
her other hand trailed to  her thighs.  Where are the daggers , I thought,
frowning, but she surprised me again, for at that moment she pulled out two
previously invisible daggers, whose long blades were stained with dried, brown
blood, and looked at them pensively.
 
Black sat still with his mouth gaping open, which didn't really make him look
smarter, but I think my otherwise perfect mask was just a bit askew as well.
The way she lay there on the couch, with these two large daggers in her petite
hands which she held skillfully, was a sight that you didn't get every day.
 
Well, I  had  a better grip on myself, but it would not take much and I could
have the same idiotic expression on my face as Black. Now that was a horrifying
thought. We still said nothing, waiting for her to continue. The tension in the
room was palpable. At the time, almost everything was quiet, you could only
hear our breathing and the sounds of the fire.
 
She shook her head slightly and cleared her throat once again. "... I used
them! ... firstly ... so he'd let go of me, I stuck one in his liver ... he
jumped back ... then he pulled his knife too ... we attacked each other ... and
then he shoved his knife ... inside me ... " she murmured softly " ...he was so
close ... and there I ... took the chance and ... slit his throat ... " she
said haltingly, but also very quiet and incredibly cold and collected.
 
Miss Granger, Gryffindor princess, overachiever, Miss Perfect, had taken a
human life today, my world view shook to the very foundations! What a
realisation! I could see that all this took its toll on her, but she still
seemed to be rather distant. It should be different when a person took a life,
a young girl, a schoolgirl shouldn't seem so calm, even if she had been
severely injured. You would start to panic and wouldn't remain as calm as she
did. You wouldn't stay so measured, but tend to pull out the knife in a
kneejerk reaction, it was a human instinct. Suppressing it wasn't easy. I knew
what I was talking about because I had already waged the first war from the
front lines.
 
"Continue", I wanted more information and Black seemed to be no longer
receptive. "What happened then?" I elaborated, when I noticed her questioning
look.
 
"Oh, it... really... wasn't really nice, that... lots of blood... came out like
a fountain over me..", she grimaced in disgust and stared at her hands holding
the daggers. "..revolting, his... gaped wide open... ran over my hands, I...
this is so disgusting. Then he was dead, collapsed, so dead.." she echoed
incredulously, but shrugged and put the daggers away again.
 
"I panicked, but I made myself calm down, when I saw the knife inside me... it
wasn't nice, but I know from the muggles that you will survive better - with
injuries like this -  if you leave it inside... The spleen!", she looked up
again and gave another shrug, "... and so I left it where it was... I took care
of Derrick... and then I apparated, directly to the front door, was really
exhausting. Next I went to the library. I have no idea how I was able to climb
up the stairs!", she said visibly surprised by herself, but it wasn't just her
that was astonished at the turn of events.
 
"What did you do to Derrick?" I asked in a husky voice. Heaven, hopefully she
didn't deliberately... She couldn’t have done it, right? I hastily took a sip,
a glance to the side showed me that Black was sitting there motionless.
 
"..Oh... oh, I did something forbidden..", she breathed conspiratorially, and
this confirmed my worst fears, as well as Black’s, who was wincing beside me.
"... I sent him to the Ministry, along with Bole, I thought... yeah, what did I
think... might be funny... Fudge..", she muttered quietly and absently to
herself.
 
"What, how did you send them there? What if Derrick tells...?", Black
immediately yelled, it seemed like he was still on the ball,  who would have
thought , I passed judgement viciously.
 
"Do you think I'm stupid? Derrick has fallen victim to an extensive
Obliviate... do you really think I'm an idiot...?", she hissed now angrily and
with flashing eyes. Wow, what an amazing change within a second.
 
"No, of course not, but that you were able to be so considerate in this
situation...", Black said intimidated and now very feebly.
 
"I agree with Black, Miss Granger, something so thought-out in such an
exceptional situation, there is a certain detachment necessary!" I told her.
The expression in her eyes confused me. It looked as if she knew something I
didn't know.
 
"Well, I'm considerate most of the time...", she continued succinctly. "...
I've eliminated all traces of showing that I was involved..." Her voice was
ice-cold by now.
 
"Oh well... so I've apparated, it was very exhausting... went up here... and
then I've summoned my Patronus… hoping you would understand the message,
Sirius, and I don't know much more, it's all a bit blurry. I think I've managed
to take a blood-replenishing potion. After that..." she stopped. We were
gobsmacked, both of us. Black was all gaga about it and drank another glass. I
just sat there and stared at her absolutely speechless. What was that? Hermione
Granger, Potter's golden girl, had taken a human life today, killed a young man
we knew and was very cold-hearted about it. I was speechless and that didn't
happen often.
 
"Hermione, you... you murdered a man today!", Black blurted, sounding
absolutely shocked .
 
"So what Sirius? If not Bole, then I would've died in the alley! No, thanks!"
she hissed. Black backed away as if she had hit him.
 
"She's right!" I said coldly, looking at her with a raised brow. She nodded at
me. I agreed with her, Bole would certainly have strangled her, or later
slaughtered her with the knife, they weren’t part of the Death Eaters for
nothing, but that Miss Granger was able to see it rationally despite the
circumstances was very shocking. Yes, it shocked me.
 
“Your Patronus was impressive. Where did you learn it?”, I wanted to know, as I
had still some questions left.
 
"Right here. I've practiced it often in the last few weeks. I could only pray
that it would work in this situation, but I've always functioned pretty good
under stress," she said succinctly and coughed again. I conjured a glass of
water, which she took gratefully and sipped it carefully.
 
"How do you cope after you have taken a human life?" I asked.
 
"Professor... how I did it was disgusting, and I'm sure I'll get some
nightmares or will have to take a potion for dreamless sleep... considering
that the image has burned itself into my mind... I never wanted to make such a
decision, but I had this one thought in my head: ‘If I were to die here, I will
take these scum bags with me. Periode.’ I tell you both this because I owe you
both my life. You deserve to know.", she said, her stance determined and her
voice quivering with suppressed rage.
 
I could hear Black gulp, as if he were swallowing a big stone.
 
Though my face remained impassive, I was surprised by her lack of hysteria.
Where was the struggling with one’s fate that often followed murder regardless
of whether it was justified or not? Where were the tears that were normally
expected from her? I had seen grown men crying after such events from the guilt
and women, as everyone knew, were prone to tears.
 
"Hermione, are you sure you're okay?" Black asked disbelievingly, wringing his
hands.
 
"Sirius, are you  really  asking me that? I was stabbed! Stabbed all the way
through! Of course I'm not well, damn it!" she cursed, sounding less than lady-
like.
 
"But that's what I meant to discuss, honey. You did what you had to do in self-
defence. No-one should have to go through what you went through... Hermione,
I'm so s-"
Black was cut off by Miss Granger’s indignant "Don't finish what you're saying,
Sirius!”
 
Black’s face betrayed his emotions, his eyes wide and his mouth stuck mid-word.
She chose to continue while he was struck dumb, all while glaring daggers at
him. “Don't say you're sorry. You can't change what happened, and I'm certainly
not sorry. Those fuckers deserved it.”
 
"Miss Granger, do you think this attitude is the right one?" I asked
demandingly, somewhat offended by her language. Despite that, I was impressed
by how level-headed she was. She didn’t need to be reassured that her actions
were justified. She knew that already. She amazed me again and again.
 
"Yes!” was her curt reply. I then decided to change the subject, not wanting to
anger her further.
 
"The idea with the Patronus was good. Black, how did you know who sent it to
you? And furthermore, how did you figure out where to look?" I inquired,
turning left to face him. He was sitting in his chair, thinking while almost
pouting.
 
"Oh, that's a simple one. Hermione... she always calls me 'Casanova' and so I
knew it was her. But her voice sounded so funny and I thought of the library
first..." Sirius explained, his tone glum.
 
"That was very clever of you, Miss Granger," I praised. "If something like this
happens again, you can send me your little magpie. Our code word will be 'bat'.
You’ll also have to indicate where you are somehow. I’m afraid I’m not as
attuned to your usual whereabouts as Black seems to be!" I grinned, unbridled
scorn lacing my lips.
 
It then occurred to me the I had just, unconsciously, offered her my continued
assistance. How did that happen? I had no reason to continue helping her. And I
had no evidence that she would be in a dangerous situation again. When I tried
to think upon it, my mind could only conjure up the last few occasions that we
had met upon since the holidays began. I had already patched her up two times
in that short a timespan, that’s why.
 
Something let me believe that this wasn't over with Granger. Maybe it was
instinct, maybe intuition or maybe even just paranoia. Regardless, I was not
used to this at all. I prided myself on my logic. I wasn’t about to abandon it
now. Chalking up my abruptness to restlessness and constant surprise, I shook
my head clear of these thoughts.
 
"Wow Snape, what are you doing?" An astonished Black could never shut his
mouth, I thought grimly.
 
"Thank you, Professor... but 'bat'?" She whispered cautiously with a startled
look.
 
“Yes,” I said, firmly. “No one is crazy or daring enough to call me that, so I
will know that the message is from you.” And while Miss Granger was mulling
over that, I felt compelled to add “And be sure not to do this often. If you
call for me and you are  not  mortally wounded, you will be in  deep  trouble!”
No doubt, my speech was as threatening as it usually was. I didn’t give any
indication of leniency. So  why  was she  smiling ?
 
"Thank you, sir," she replied, closing her eyes, and grimaced with a suffering
expression.
 
"I think it’s time to call it a day,” I said. “Your exhaustion is incredibly
obvious. And before someone comes looking for us…” I checked the grandfather
clock. “Since it's almost ten o'clock... I’ll go to the kitchen and distract
everyone. Black, you escort Miss Granger to her room and then come back down,"
I explained, extricating four vials from my coat.
 
"I recommend taking three drops of the dreamless sleep potion. The less you
move, the better,” I said, handing him the potions. “And tomorrow morning, you
should take these three vials. A blood-replenishing, a healing and a
strengthening potion.” Black took the potions and I shifted my attention to my
other companion. “Will you be needing a pain-killing one as well?" I asked Miss
Granger as I picked up the boot knife that had stuck in her earlier.
 
"As a precaution, maybe. The journey to Hogwarts and the feast... will
certainly be exhausting," she mused. I nodded and gave her what she desired. It
was at that point that it occurred to me why she was so composed, so trusting
of Black and I, so willing to divulge all that had happened today. It was
because of that damned spell that she had put on us both in the beginning. It
guaranteed that we wouldn't tell anybody a single word about her escapades. My
head began to throb immediately and powerfully at the thought. She knew she was
safe. Oh, this little, sneaky minx. She really was too smart and meticulous,
downright Slytherin.
 
I knew now that Miss Granger was a murderer, even if it was out of self-
defense. What would the honorable Gryffindor say? After all, I myself was...
speechless at the realisation. But she had made the right decision. It was a
matter of life and death, and she chose her own life over those of the Death
Eaters. That would be expected, logically, from most human beings. No, the part
that was surprising was her lack of guilt. Most people quarreled with fate
because they felt burdened with the taking of a human life. Their conscience
and their morality helped little in dealing with the aftermath. But why did I
doubt that this would happen to Granger? The way she carried herself and the
way she talked… she had convinced me that she would learn to live with it or
rather had already begun to accept what she had done without letting herself be
greatly influenced by it. Thus I departed hurriedly to the kitchen, only to
meet an instantly annoying, curious mob.
 
Amongst the loud and unorganised voices, Potter’s was the loudest as he asked,
almost accusingly “Where’s Sirius?”
 
"How would I know?" I hissed, sliding into my seat with perfected indifference.
 
"Severus?" came the soft yet distinct voice of Albus, his tone simultaneously
inquisitive and chiding.
 
"He'll be here shortly," I replied curtly. Despite my answering his question,
Potter continued to scrutinise me over the edge of his glasses. "Well, then we
should send the children to bed. After all, it's quite late already!" ,the
Headmaster said and promptly the group started to move, albeit grumbling.
 
"But Sir, Hermione hasn't come back yet and we're worried,” Potter cried yet
again pompously. “We have to-" The boy was really too full of himself.
 
"Calm down, Potter, I've seen your  oh so great  Miss Granger. When I left the
kitchen she walked up the stairs," I informed the group, emphasizing
indifference. Hopefully, Black moved quickly.
 
Now, the billowing crowd was far too excited to notice when Black scurried back
to his seat a moment later. At first, we discussed what kind of escort to the
Hogwarts Express would be needed for Potter. After all, meeting had been
planned for this purpose initially. Granger had instinctively chosen the right
day to nearly get slaughtered as I had been able to be on the scene on short
notice this way. Black couldn't really have helped her. None of the people
currently living at Grimmauld Place would've been able to heal her. Only I
could do so. But after so much bad luck in one day she deserved a spot of good
fortune, I thought cynically.
 
The evening continued to be interesting when Albus told us of his visit to the
Ministry. At eight o'clock, he told us, two young men had appeared with an
unregistered portkey, the Dark Mark present on their arms. One of them
apparently suffered from amnesia, not remembering anything about his life and
thinking himself a muggle. The other was not fit to tell his tale, seeing as
his throat was torn out. Further inspection of the corpse revealed even more
injuries. All this had plunged the Ministry into disarray, with Fudge at the
forefront of it all.
 
Albus also provided the names of the two Death Eaters: Bole and Derrick.
 
The members of the Order were at a loss, as they had no idea what to make of
this. Black and I, on the other hand, were pondering over Miss Granger’s words
and whether she had omitted a detail or two. Since when was she able to create
port keys? But then she had also managed to teach herself to conjure a
corporeal Patronus, a feat that was considered difficult by many adult wizards.
The throbbing in my head began to increase in size. How smart was this woman
really? The fact that, in her youth, she apparently managed to perform every
difficult spell with ease and invented incredibly complex curses was just
ridiculous to me.
 
I smiled at the thought that I would snatch her tomorrow at Hogwarts.
 
End of Snape’s POV
***** The Departure *****
Chapter Notes
     New Character. Whoop Whoop! A nice snack for all Draco Fans!
     Thanks so much for all Reviews, Kudos and Reads!
     Enjoy xx
The Departure
 
Hermione’s POV
 
The next morning I awoke from a restful and dreamless, almost comatose sleep. I
opened my eyes and was awake within seconds, figured that it was almost half
past eight and that I hadn't slept so long in months. Unfortunately, the
memories of yesterday hit me all at once and the realisation of what I had done
came back to me. In hindsight it seemed like a bad, obscenely macabre horror
movie to me. Did all this really happen or was it just my wanton imagination?
 
My hand travelled to my left side tentatively. I could feel the bandage, so it
was not a nightmare, rather nightmarish reality! Great, really great. I had
really walked through the city with a knife sticking out of me, and I owed the
professor my life. Professor Severus Snape had saved my life! Oh Goddess, I had
almost died the day before, damn it! If I hadn't been training for months, I
wouldn't have survived yesterday's attack.
 
Arrrrrrrhh, this realisation, it was making me crazy. Stop, I had blocked out
the other side:
I not only would have almost died, I had also killed yesterday. Taken a human
life, and not in a particularly nice way either. It had been horrifying and
dirty. With this revelation, I raised my hands to my face and looked at them in
the glow of the summer sun shining into the room through the curtains of the
window. These delicate little hands had actually murdered someone. They were
still slim, long and white, but had been fully coated with dried, red blood
yesterday. But now they were clean again. No one would see what I had done,
what I was capable of. I had washed them, but in doing that, was I really clean
again?
 
But just as my hands were tainted, I was now tainted too! I no longer had a
clear conscience. I had done something that none of my friends would approve
of, since it was said that you should not kill. But hell, if I hadn't, they
could bury me now. In their preconceived notions of morality, would they really
be so harsh with their judgment? Everything forbidden that I had done so far -
stealing, breaking in, blackmailing, breaking the school rules - felt like a
joke in comparison. But know I had done it, had broken the ultimate taboo, and
how I had done it! So, how did I feel, now that I had to bear this guilt -
justified or not - my whole life. Whilst reflecting on it, I breathed in
deeply, closed my eyes and thought about it, went deeply inside my mind: I was
a murderess!
 
No matter how this story ended, whether the light or the dark side won, I had
already lost. Lost because I would never be pure or good again. Too much had
happened, too many taboos had been broken. This occurred to me with brutal
clarity. I had made a decision that could never be reversed again. As I said, a
long time ago I was given the choice of how I wanted to be, how I wanted to go
through life. Now to start doubting it or to fight with fate would be unfair,
as I had made my choice with my eyes wide open.
 
I would learn to live with it!
 
I could imagine very well, what my friends would say if they knew. Firstly,
they would never expect me to do something like this, secondly, they would be
shocked, and finally, they would turn away from me in disgust, in their just-
unjust hypocrisy. This would be another dark secret of the Hermione Granger
that Harry, Ron and everyone else could never know. I had to turn my heart into
a killer pit, an even deeper one than before. And my mind would be made into a
fortress that couldn't be taken, for even Dumbledore shall never - under any
circumstances - get suspicious. I progressed well in Occlumency, but I wasn't a
master yet, I would continue to do this with high pressure. After the shock I
had just received, these were my first stringent thoughts this morning.
 
I rubbed my abused throat. Ah, better, much better. The potions had done a good
job. Swallowing didn't hurt anymore, the swelling had also reduced, but I knew
that even magic couldn't make bruised skin disappear. I had to be patient until
I was in the bathroom to see what a sight I offered.
 
I didn't want to think about Sirius or Snape. I was so grateful to them, and at
the same time terribly angry that they now knew what I had done. Once again I
worried less about the professor, because I could see in his eyes that he
understood and approved of what I had done, somehow! But regarding Sirius, I
was once again astonished at my own brilliance, because, thanks to my spell,
they couldn't say anything to anyone. It showed once again how beneficial it
was that I was always so perfectionistic in my deliberations.
 
Yes, Sirius was different. I didn't know how he would face me, I just hoped
that he would understand the necessity of my action. It was just unfortunate
that we had to go back to Hogwarts today. But I already had an idea, which will
make me forget this whole vexing subject about being a murderess or not. After
all, it couldn't be changed anymore.. ah, how terribly cold that sounded, but
here was my pragmatism again. So I cautiously raised myself, because
unfortunately no miracle had happened and I wasn't yet completely healed. It
wasn't comparable with the pain from yesterday, but it twinged dangerously in
my side and I gasped as the pain pressed the air out of my lungs.
 
Such a knife was nothing to be scoffed at!
 
I saw the potions on my bedside table and thinking of Snape's instructions,
swallowed the necessary potions with a look of self-sufferance at their
disgusting taste. Nonetheless I felt a bit stiff and immobile.
 
When I had made it to the bathroom, I was content with a sponge bath and an
intensive cleaning-spell for the day, because I didn't want to remove the
bandages. I put on a black Empire summer dress, which was nicely flowing around
my body - not too tight, that wouldn't be a good idea - and I snorted like a
walrus. In the mirror, I watched myself attentively and what I saw... I still
looked the same, my brown, long, curly hair fell softly over my shoulders
today, a clean skin, the teint today reminding me of a noble, unhealthy
paleness and the big, fawn-colored eyes that almost jumped out of my face. Yes,
in their depth one could see that they had seen terrible things, for their
expression was infinitely solemn. But only those who looked closely would
recognize it!
 
Today I grabbed for the paint pot to breathe life over my stiff and lifeless
face, so I put a light pink glimmer on my eyelids and slightly painted over my
lashes. The most important thing, however, was to put a little color onto my
cheeks, to not look as deathly pale. Some lipgloss on my dry lips, which now
shone brightly, and suddenly my face had very soft, lovely features, which had
previously seemed somewhat hard, angular and slightly haggard. After the
terrible horrors of last night one couldn’t expect anything different,
something like this left deep marks.I had heard something fitting. The faces of
the people were canvases, and life drew the lines of life on these. Well, that
matched my experiences perfectly.
 
Only now, when a lively face looked back at me, which no longer looked like a
rigid mask, I dared to look at my neck.. and what I saw made me swallow hard.
It.. how did I deserve that. It looked terrible. The skin, there was no white
left, only blue, violet and yellow bloodshot spots that provided truly perfect
fingerprints of Boles' broad and large hands. Apparently, I had been closer to
death by asphyxiation than I had realized, as it seemed now. It looked
terrible. If anyone would see this, unimaginable! They'd freak out, it was a
surprise that I was able to swallow at all! Ok, I would love to freak out
again. If I hadn't already slashed open that son of a bitch, I would do it
right now! I couldn't go out and show myself like this. I summoned a long,
black-and-white silk scarf from my suitcase, and wrapped it around my neck
several times. Yes, I would leave it like that, it had a certain style.
 
So I went back to my room and took my daggers, which I fastened to my thighs
under my dress. I'd always wear them from now on. Then - as I was alone - I
spoke a packing spell and let my suitcase float to the corridor with a
'locomotor'. After all this, I just wanted my coffee, because my head still
felt as if it were wrapped in cotton wool.
I heard voices from the drawing-room on the first floor, where a huge tapestry
hung over the whole wall. On the carpet, the Black family tree was immortalized
with golden, ornate embroidery. The family tree had been recorded over the last
700 years, and here and there dark burnt spots could be seen, members of the
family that were undesirable, since according to the family motto ‘Toujours
Pur’ the tree was kept eternally 'pure'. When I walked around the corner, I
strained my eyes and could recognize Harry and Sirius. They were hugging each
other. I was always happy when I saw the relationship Harry had built with
Sirius. It was nice that he finally had something like a family.
 
Harry turned to leave the room, so I slid into the shadow of a doorway in the
unlit dark corridor, hoping that Sirius wouldn't leave the room immediately.
Looked like I was lucky. Harry, calling for Ron, rushed down the stairs, and I
quickly slid into the room and quietly closed the door. Sirius was standing in
front of the embroidered family tree, looking at his burnt out name with a sad
look. I didn't want to know his unpleasant thoughts about his past. He had
certainly lived a non enjoyable childhood here. I stood next to him, stroking
over his arm, thinking that he had felt that I was there because he wasn't
surprised. He turned to me, smiling, tenderly took me by my neck and pulled my
lips eagerly to his and began to kiss me incredibly gently and affectionately.
Our meeting couldn't have gone better after yesterday night.
 
"I'm so glad you're alive, Hermione. How are you?" He whispered tonelessly at
my ear, after he had dragged me into a long hug. "I was so worried, I.. the
picture of, how you.. this will haunt me for the rest of my life," he told me
in a throaty voice, while he kissed my hair. "Don't do that to me again, I
won't live a long life like this," he said sadly.
 
"Sirius.. I.." I whispered to his chest. "Hush.. don't say anything dear, I
wasn't finished yet, how you looked yesterday, just what those bastards had
done to you. You. Had. A. Knife. In. You. Damn..." he hissed softly, furiously.
"If you hadn't finished them off, I would've hunted them until I had personally
killed them, so please, Hermione, don't blame yourself, you had every right to
wipe that scum off the earth!" he said truthfully, almost imploringly and
looked very deeply into my eyes, so that I could see the earnestness in them. I
was speechless, for I hadn't expected such approval from his side.
 
"Sirius, it means a lot to me that I find mercy before your eyes, for what I
have done. Thank you, Sirius and before you want to interrupt me, I'm fine,
physically much better than yesterday and mentally... well, I've already
forgiven myself because I didn't really want to end up in a coffin yet", I
looked intensively at him. "I live and I can live with what I did, too."
 
"That's good!", he grinned and winked at me before pulling me once again into a
tight embrace. "That you can stay so calm is really good. I must say I am very
proud of you, that you were able to defend yourself so well, even when you
really shocked me...", he winked at me again and showed me that he didn't take
anything too seriously. He was a former Marauder, it showed itself in his
whole, easy-going attitude, which made him so charming.
 
"Thank you, I appreciate your approval. Well, yesterday went really bad,
Sirius. I had imagined our last night here differently... but I wanted to make
you a suggestion anyway..." I grinned at him too, and circled my index finger
playfully on his bare chest, which was visible through his not completely
closed shirt as usual.
 
"As always, I am asking for your secrecy, Casanova. I wanted to ask you if you
were free on Tuesdays at 9 pm for a lonely young woman who could come to you
for a few hours?", I said, licking my lips seductively. He stared intently at
my mouth. ".. how, but you.. Don´t you have to be at Hogwarts?" He seemed
perplexed.
 
I smiled mischievously at him. "You, as a Marauder, must know that there are
some ways out of the school. And don't give yourself any hopes, because I would
sneak out on Tuesday anyways. I don't know yet if I can be here at nine, or a
little later, I can only promise you, I'll come. Now, what's your decision? Yes
or no, Sirius?" I said stiffly, because I had expected a different response to
my offer. After yesterday, I felt an absurd desire to feel alive.
 
"Hermione, you must know at least since yesterday how dangerous that can be. I
beg you, be sensible, don't," he downright begged me, looking at me with
disapproving grey eyes.
 
I released a short, dry laugh. "Oh, Sirius, I already knew that before,
yesterday just encouraged me to do it even more... and you know as well as I
do, how much you like it when I come to you!" I said almost contemptuously,
approached him really closely and took a firm grip at his crotch. Ah, I could
already feel the opinion of his body part. Yes, this was good, it did take me
away from all the negative thoughts I had, because I lived and I wanted to feel
that I was alive.
 
He closed his eyes obediently and laid his head back as I caressed the big
bulge in his pants.
 
"You're gonna do what you want regardless!" he growled bitterly.
 
“I am looking forward to Tuesday,” I said as I stood up on my tiptoes and
placed a gentle kiss on his lips. “Come, let us join the others.”
 
I gripped his hand and pulled him downwards, his expression melancholic all the
while. Sirius and I stood in the hallway next to Mrs. Weasley, who tried to
bring order into the chaos, a truly unrewarding task. My trunk was right next
to me, packed already in the early morning, a feat none of the others had
managed. As I was not in the best of states thanks to my injury, irrespective
of the potions I had taken today, I wanted to take it easy. Because of that, I
sat on my trunk with a cup of coffee - which I regarded as essential for my
survival - and tiredly watched everything, shaking my head from time to time.
 
What utter chaos. For five years we had been attending Hogwarts, but every year
the same drama occurred. Every year they packed at the very end, not the
evening before, not in the morning, no, one hour before departure.
 
Calm down, Hermione, don’t think about it. Take a deep breath, you are above
that. Chaos is good, chaos distracts. This way you don’t think too much.  The
only thing positive was that Sirius was stroking my neck reassuringly as nobody
paid us any attention in the hurry.
 
When everybody had assembled, I stood up carefully. The twins hadn’t been the
last to arrive and every time they felt that no one was looking they threw me a
covert glance, assuming that something had happened. The adults stood together
in a cluster and us students had gathered at the bottom of the stairs when I
was suddenly faced with an interrogation. And after I had nearly successfully
suppressed the thought that this was still waiting for me.
 
“What was that about yesterday, Hermione?” the demand sounded firmly from three
different throats. Their glares were almost as deadly as the knife from
yesterday. Only Fred and George bestowed pitiful and worried looks upon me and
were nice enough to occupy themselves. They didn’t get on my nerves.
 
“What do you mean?” I asked innocently. “I told you I had an appointment,” I
defended myself.
 
“Why did you leave on your own, in times like these?! Are you mad?! Don’t you
know what could have happened…?” Ron yelled loudly.
 
Hell, I knew what I did most of the time and unwanted company was the last
thing I needed at Gringotts. I hated to justify myself. And for heaven’s sake,
I had experienced first hand yesterday what could happen! But still I was
alive!
 
“Sorry, I didn’t hear you calling!” I brushed him off. I could downright feel
my strength ebbing and my fatigue grew by the minute.
 
“Hermione, where have you been the whole day?” Harry asked calmly. “... You
hadn’t shown up for dinner. We were worried for you and... and then we go to
your room and you are sleeping like a log.”
 
He sounded honestly concerned and looked at me accusingly.
 
“Oh Harry, I had my final course yesterday and they made a right event out of
it. That’s why it took longer than usual. And when I got home I only wanted to
go to bed. I dropped directly onto it,” I explained myself. It was just as well
that I can lie without blushing.
 
“You didn’t hear us?” Ginny inquired incredulously and gave me a doubtful look.
 
“No, I slept like a log!” I said seriously. And it technically was the truth.
After Sirius had helped me to bed, he gave me the potion and I had been under
its influence immediately, essentially dead to the world.
 
“I am sorry, but I wanted to go there alone... and as you can see nothing
happened,” I reassured them, lying through my teeth. The interrogation would
have continued if they hadn’t loitered that long, because now the group
consisting of the adult Weasleys, Mad-Eye Moody, Tonks, Remus and Sirius joined
us.
 
“We will leave now. Unfortunately we will have to go by foot this time, as the
Ministry is at odds with us and won’t provide vehicles for our use, though
King’s Cross isn’t far,” Mrs. Weasley explained busily. She seemed to be quite
agitated and fretful.
 
“Look out and constant vigilance!” resounded Moody’s deep voice from the
background while his eye rotated wildly in its socket. Suddenly Sirius
transformed into a big black dog.
 
“Sirius, what … what are you doing? You can’t come with us!” Remus stuttered,
taken by surprise. Sirius only bared his teeth and growled.
 
“Oh, please, pretty please! Nobody will recognize him this way! Please!” Harry
begged promptly, unashamed. The others all exchanged unhappy glances and
shrugged their shoulders.
 
“Never mind, but remain discreet. Understood, Sirius?” Moody decided grumpily
and received a growl in response from the dog. And so we departed to the train
station, totally inconspicuous if you asked me, but mind you we were after
all... let me count for a second… six children, five adults and a dog. We
appeared more like a bulwark. I asked myself once again what Dumbledore had
been thinking when he revised a plan like that. Clearly, he couldn’t be doing
much of it. I would have chosen otherwise, but I couldn’t care less at the
moment, as I had to concentrate on the walk. It was unexpectedly strenuous for
me and left me short of breath. I wouldn’t say I was fit in any way.
 
Just as well that it was only physically, as my mind was clear and sharp as
always. I forbade myself from engaging in self-doubt or criticism and, to my
own astonishment, none crossed my mind!
 
Fortunately we reached the train station unharmed. One had to be grateful for
small wonders. Swiftly we passed through the entrance to the Hogwarts Express.
Every step to the platform filled me with joy, as if the sight of the beautiful
old train with the red engine heralded something special, like a great
adventure.
 
As always the platform was dominated by chaos. It was overcrowded with
students, trunks, animals in their cages, fussing parents with younger
siblings. In short, it was a massive cacophony of sounds, a surreal scene. On
one side was the muggle world with its modern face, which we left behind the
wall. On the other was this nostalgic scene, underlined by the wizard’s robes
and the old steam engine pulling old-fashioned compartments.
 
The awareness that I would enter a different world was overwhelming and a great
experience for me every time. As always, I was filled with suspense and
excitement when I made myself aware of it this plainly, and I was thankful to
be part of both worlds. I threw a glance at our escort. Molly bid everybody
farewell with a familiar abundance of emotions. If I hurried I might be able to
escape her without being too obvious about it, for I was sure I couldn’t
tolerate one of her bone crushing embraces in my condition. I looked down when
I felt something cold touching my hand. Oh, yes, Sirius. I laid my hand on his
head and started to tickle him behind the ears, bending forward slightly and
murmuring quietly.
 
“You will see us on Tuesday, my dear!” He rewarded me with a wet lick across my
hand. Very nice. I straightened quickly, nodded at the round and approached the
engine. I swept my gaze over the bustling crowd and tried to get a thorough
picture. While I watched the happy, ingenuous, innocent people around me with
their friendly laughing faces, I experienced a feeling of utter isolation that
hit me hard. I didn’t belong, not any longer... I felt isolated and that hurt
so much that I physically flinched. I didn’t belong any longer!
 
What I had done had made me cross a border, something that wasn’t reversible
and separated me from the others for good. I realised with crystal clarity and
I became aware with a rush of panic that I had lost something incredibly
valuable and would never be able to get it back. There were good people who
would never get into a situation where they had to decide between life and
death. Those are the majority and that is good and well. Then there are people
who are neither good nor evil but had been in a position that required them to
act, if they wanted to or not, and had been forced into a decision. Whether
they could hope for the understanding of those who never had to choose is a
different story. And then there is the last category, the  so called  evil, who
simply did it and the  actual  evil who did it because they enjoyed it. All
this passed through my head while I waited and I felt like I was of a separate
race than all these happy and loving people.
 
I had already placed a foot on the step, ready to board the train, and was
looking back, slightly lost, with Ron and Harry fast on my heels, when I
noticed the arrival of a platinum blond family, who pulled off an impressive
performance as always and captured everybody’s attention with ease.
 
The Malfoys!
 
Yes, they would fit well in one of those categories I had just mentioned,
though it would be the ‘evil’ one, while the Weasleys would be called ‘good’.
Okay, minus the two trailing behind Harry and Ron. The Twins, or Red Devils,
were hustling close behind us. “Hey, Fred, George, finally, come in!” Lee
Jordan’s voice called impatiently. Their best friend was seated in a
compartment not far away and was waiting for them.
 
I turned to them. “We will see each other…,” I saw them off. “Until later,
Hermione, be good and if you need us…,” they replied with a mischievous grin. I
nodded gratefully as I had noticed the hidden meaning, they suspected
something.
 
So we boarded the train and searched for a compartment, where we stored our
trunks. Meanwhile I wished fervently to simply slump into the seat, but
couldn’t allow myself the weakness. The painful throbbing in my side was
increasing with every passing moment, but I grit my teeth.
 
“Harry, I am sorry. We have to go to the Prefect compartment to get our
briefing. Do you mind much?” I asked timidly, as I could see how shocked he
looked, but he tried to play it down. He had been hit hard when Ron had gotten
the office in his stead and was trying to hide his frustration.
 
“No, no, go on, I will make myself comfortable, have fun at work!” he stated
with pretend happiness. He was pretty good at pretending, apparently he
remembered what we had talked about. I gave him a sad smile, turned away and
already we were walking through the chaotic, noisy and crowded train. We hat to
fight our way to the first wagon. There was an extra compartment for the
Prefects and Head students. It was filled already.
 
There were Ron and I for Gryffindor, Hannah Abbott and Ernie McMillan from
Hufflepuff, the Ravenclaws Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil and from Slytherin
Pansy Parkinson and Draco Malfoy, all from Fifth Year. Additionally there were
the Prefects from Sixth and Seventh Year and the Head Boy and Girl from
Seventh. We were just standing in the rear of the noisily chattering crowd in
the compartment, when Ron rushed over to Ernie and started talking about
Quidditch with him.
 
I run my left hand over the bandaged wound on my side in an unconscious gesture
and grimaced slightly, gnawing at my lower lip with unease. Hmpf, all the
scrambling and walking had been more stressful than I had anticipated. I was in
severe pain, but tried to breath it away, as I was used to by now. For a short
moment I was standing in the middle of the room, lost in thought and was
looking around with unseeing eyes, when I felt the skin on my neck prickling
all of a sudden. Quickly I looked over my shoulder and directly into a pair of
light grey eyes that stared back with piercing intensity. I didn’t show
timidity either, as I had never been afraid of him, even when I was younger,
his disdainfully uttered ‘Mudblood’ had never hurt me. I had been insulted,
yes, but by now I was way above something like that and could use the word
myself without caring much.
 
So I looked at him transfixed, without malice, just open and observant, asking
myself why he took the time to examine me this obviously.
 
Slowly his right, softly curved, blonde eyebrow along with the left corner of
his mouth raised questioningly. In this silent duel, in midst of the other
Prefects, I imitated his expression, but not mockingly but just as
questioningly as he. I could see the flash in his grey eyes. He had noticed
that I was in pain, that I could determine when he tilted his head in thought.
Damn, who had taught him to be so observant?
 
Stop, I knew that… the cocked head, the calculating expression… Snape… oh,
wasn’t that neat… I had to be careful. That man was involved everywhere, I
noted annoyed, before I returned my attention to Draco Malfoy and examined him
thoroughly as well. He had changed. Outwardly he had grown like Ron, but while
the latter was gangly now, Malfoy’s appearance was more manly. His close
fitted, black jacket over a black shirt didn’t hide his muscles and it was
clearly visible that his chest could no longer be called a pigeon chest. Did he
train as well? Was he trained in combat?
 
I supposed so, as his father would want Draco to be prepared for everything and
I didn’t judge Mr. Malfoy as somebody who closed his eyes against reality. He
knew that a war was unavoidable. The logical consequence was that he would
prepare his son as good as possible for the coming dangers and teach him
everything necessary. Looking at Draco’s physical changes that was actually
what he was doing.
 
The most notable changes were, firstly, his longer hair, which was no longer
slicked back but falling openly.  It makes him prettier , I thought and hoped
that he was not versed in Legilimency, the thought was just too embarrassing.
And secondly the expression on his face. His mouth was set in a stern way,
maybe a bit bitter. HIS return had apparently left its mark on Draco, too, had
made him grow up faster. I was sure Draco stood on the front lines, because of
his father’s standing. But what was truly, intensely different were his eyes or
rather, the expression and the message they conveyed. Apparently he had had
exciting holidays and seen and lived through a lot of new things. When before
they had contained a childlike, naive or simply ingenuous expression, it was
now gone and had been replaced by one similar to the one I had found in my own
eyes just this morning! My eyes widened dramatically after this realisation. Oh
goddess, hopefully this didn’t mean that he had to .. kill as well, no, watch,
… oh, I hope so, for him. Every one of us was too young for this shit.
 
But my near death experience and the realisation that not everything was as it
seems had widened my horizon. Maybe everything Draco had done was done for good
reasons and as I knew now first hand how quickly life could be over I wanted to
handle things differently than before. The way he looked at me, yes, if I got
the chance I wanted to talk to him, give him the chance to explain himself.
That wouldn’t kill me, or him either. The war created exceptional
circumstances. Friends remained friends, friends became enemies and enemies
friends, you just had to find some courage. Well, I had already shown that I
had courage in abundance.
 
So my thoughts strayed.
***** A Merry Train Ride *****
Chapter Notes
     It's Thursday again, Wohoo!
     Here's the new chapter.
     Many huge thanks for your reviews, Kudos, Reads and all the new
     followers!
     This Chapter has been translated by Aivy (My left hand) She's
     awesome!!
     Enjoy xx
A Merry Train Ride
 
This year’s Head Boy was a Ravenclaw named Roger Davies. He was very
reminiscent of Percy Weasley, what with the way he carried himself and the way
he spoke.
 
"Chrchrrm, lovely to have you all here!", he spoke up, his voice grave. The
sound of his voice snapped me out of my thoughts and brought me back to the
present. I eventually found my place between a couple of Sixth years.
 
The minute I sat down, I already felt multiple eyes on me. After quickly, and
subtly, sweeping my gaze around me, I confirmed that most of those stares were
coming from my male classmates. It made me wonder why they had decided to fix
their gaze on me. Had my physical appearance altered that much in their eyes?
Or was it my demeanour? Something  must  have changed for their attention to
gravitate towards me, likewise Malfoy’s. The first thing that I thought to
evaluate was my attire.
 
The black summer dress that I was wearing couldn’t be called  that  special. It
had short sleeves that covered my shoulders, an Empire style and a skirt that
flared wide below the bodice and ended on my thighs. Additionally, I was
wearing the silk scarf artfully draped around my neck, so nobody would notice
how bruised it was.
 
Apart from that, I had also applied some make-up today, so as to not appear as
dead as I felt. But, somehow, I doubted that my choice of clothing was the
reason.
 
The next thing that came to mind was my physique. It had, naturally, changed
over the years but the recent training had done a good job of toning my body.
And my choice of clothing did show that off a bit. I felt flattered and
slightly proud, but it did not show on my face. Outwardly, I maintained an
impassive expression as I listened to Davies’ circumlocutory monologue.
 
This had to be the worst form of torture imaginable. Roger Davies’ voice was
droning and the words he spouted had zero substance. This lack of captivity
could rival even Professor Binns. Even  I  had difficulty staying awake. I
spared a look Ron’s way and found him among a group of Hufflepuffs he had
recently become amiable with. As I had expected, he was asleep, being the only
one to be doing so apart from Ernie. I would have laughed if it hadn’t been so
sad. In my boredom, I decided to look around the room.
 
Most of the students had chosen to ignore Roger Davies and were busying
themselves with other activities. Parkinson was engaged in a conversation with
Carola Graham, a sixth year Slytherin, and Draco Malfoy was focused on me
still. I frowned -  what was that about?  - and resolved to keep him
inconspicuously in my sight as well. What was he seeing or thinking to see,
that he bestowed this much attention on me, the Mudblood?
 
"… these were your tasks in detail!" Davies beamed at the group after finishing
his long-winded monologue. The unfurling silence jolted many from their sleep.
 
"And now I ask you to start your rounds and to aid the first years!” he
assigned sententiously and, before he could blink, the lot came to life.
Everybody got to their feet swiftly. I had taken a seat right in the back and
didn’t intend to stand up soon. Sitting did me good, so I tried to blend into
the background. In principle, I wanted to have my peace and forget what had
happened to me. I observed Ron searching for me, only to give up and follow
Padma.
 
The compartment emptied rapidly. Most of them probably wanted to return quickly
to their friends and talk about the holidays. Therefore I had a wonderful
excuse why I didn’t hurry back to the others. After the last had left, I
straightened myself, closed my eyes wearily and breathed a sigh of relief.
Alone! How good that felt!
 
I was happy to be a Prefect, because of the advantages it provided me and as I
said I take it as it comes. Suddenly I heard to the door close, a sound that
surprised me. I turned around with a jerk and saw a nonverbal Colloportus being
cast. Not only the outrage about that made gasp, but the careless movement had
torn dangerously at my intestines. Who? Ah...
 
What could he want from here still? I mean, he had as much right to be here as
I, but why  with  me? And why had he locked us in? Should I feel threatened? I
remained silent as I stood up and simply looked at him. He did the same, before
he got closer with smooth steps.
 
Was that meant as a game? Whoever asked a question first loses?
 
I knew I played well, but I knew he was good too. He always had been.
Additionally, I was not in peak condition, as the slight throb in my side
reminded me. My retreat was stopped abruptly by the door to the conductor’s
carriage. I could only watch as he closed in, sneering as if he thought he had
won already. He was displaying himself very arrogantly. I looked directly in
his light-grey eyes, waiting for a resolution, even as he finally stopped
walking. He was near, nearer than he had ever been before. The only other time
I could remember where we were this close was in our third year, when I gave
him a blow to the jaw. We had been just as close then, but it had been over
quickly. Now we were facing each other, watching and eyeing each other
carefully, while neither of us moved.
 
While his eyes flitted to above my face, he tilted his head, smirked and then
continued to examine me. Was that a trick he had learned from his father or
Snape for when they wanted to intimidate someone? It might work against the
insecure. It would scare most down to the marrow. Me though? I have to say, I
didn’t feel particularly insecure, instead curious of what he wanted from me.
And after yesterday, it would take a lot more than this to upset me. To show
him that his trick couldn’t work with me, I mimicked him once again.
Everything you can do, I can do better, youngster.   Apart from a fleeting
flash in his eyes, he didn’t twitch a muscle. He was good.
 
"Mudblood!" he exclaimed, the word resounding with a biting chill as he came
closer. With just this one word and his very upright posture, he wanted to
establish that he was the undisputed boss.
 
"Pureblood?" I replied cheekily and raised my chin aggressively. Tit for tat.
 
"Why that term!?" he spewed at me viciously, the look on his face deriding.
 
"Why…? I thought, as your first word was aimed at my blood, I would grace you
with the same honour. I assumed you were proud of the ‘pure ones’?" I stated
contemptuously, my great, fawn brown eyes locked resolutely with his. He didn’t
scare me. I had both my wands and my beloved daggers.
 
"Don’t forget that, mud… blood! Now tell me, why are you looking at me like
that?! Are Potter and Weasel so excruciating ugly that you can’t take your eyes
from me?” His voice was full of venom and his stare was as cold as ice.
 
"… Uh-huh, not the least bit conceited, are you?" I questioned him ironically,
rolling my eyes.
 
"Granger." My name was  pronounced  with ill temper, but he showed restraint.
We were neither arguing nor shouting at each other. It was a miracle.
 
"What? What do you want to hear? I am still dazed  that  you returned, just
because I  glanced  at you for once… one  w ould think you enjoyed it!" The
words coming out of my mouth sounded distinctly cynical. I raised my hands ,
want ing  to shove him off me to be able to breath freely again.
 
"How dare you, you… worthless…" he snapped resentfully and retreated gracefully
before my hand could touch him.
 
"What, why am I this worthless? Am I really that worthless for you? You are
talking to me and are backing me against the door. Do you do that simply to
irritate me or do you want to harass me?" I spit back in disgust. He need not
imply that I was dirty in any way.
 
"You insolent bitch, don’t you know to whom you are talking? What do you think
you are? You are nothing…” he hissed in a low, deep voice, while not letting me
out of his sight.
 
"Yea h , yea h , yea h , and I am talking to you, Draco…" I stated
derogatively, when he interrupted me angrily.
 
"How dare you address me by my first name, Mudblood?" he screamed furiously and
his eyes took on a lush storm grey.
 
"You are free to call me Hermione, if you want to" I whispered gently, my head
bowed when I presented him that offer out of the blue. Me previous thoughts
came to my mind,  of  how I wanted to give Malfoy the chance to explain himself
or to show me that not everything was as it seems. That he was a human  being
with emotions and fears and not just an arrogant, narcissistic Malfoy. That’s
what I tried to put into practice here. He fell silent immediately.
 
"Who are you and where is Granger?” His words sounded bland. He had his arms
crossed in front of his chest by now, his facial expression blank like a mask.
Laughter bubbled out of my throat.
 
"You can be funny. In front of you, and I am Hermione, as she lives and
breathes!" I supplied, amused and grinning openly at him.
 
"I can’t believe that. And why are you laughing like a fool?” He looked at me
calculatingly with eyes narrowed in suspicion.
 
"Alas... D… Draco?" The name left my lips warily. I looked up at him carefully,
waiting for his reaction.
 
"I don’t laugh like a fool, I am releasing stress!" I explained honestly after
receiving no reaction to calling him Draco. "I have thought a lot over the
holidays, experienced a lot, and I think you and me, we both, we could maybe
help each other, if… if you want  -  of course, only if you want. And I
thought, if we respect each other, then we could call each other by first name…
oh, forget it. I wanted,  argh , why do you have to stand here like a tin
soldier and stare me down?” I asked, agitated, and  I  didn’t know why I w as
stuttering this much. Now I had my hands raised and was gesticulating wildly,
while he observed me distrustfully.
 
"Oh, forget it. I wanted to offer that we help each other” I admitted
resignedly and groaned in frustration because his grey eyes rattled me so much.
 
"I don’t need Potter” he positively spit out, his face distorted in a disgusted
grimace.
 
"Who is talking  about  Harry?” I was confused and frowned in irritation.
 
"What do  you  mean then, that we could help each other…?" he inquired with a
furrowed brow, appearing baffled.
 
"Well, what I said, you and me… nobody else! Do you think Harry would approve
of this?" I asked him doubtfully, pointing at him, me and the empty room in an
interrogative gesture.
 
" I d on’t know,  you  tell me" he stated, still suspicious. Yes, he could
play, definitely!
 
"Never  ever , he… he really doesn’t like you!" I let him know decidedly.
 
" . ..but you, you like me… don’t you, Granger?" His words were tinted with
sarcasm in a way  that  sen t  cold shivers up my spine, and he released his
breath in a contemptuous huff.
 
"Well, I can’t say I hate you!" I said succinctly. A slightly disbelieving look
passed over his face, disappearing quickly, but I had noticed  that  I had
surprised him.
 
"How ? Y ou can’t be serious!” The disbelief was prominent in his voice.
 
"What ... ? Why? I shall hate you, because you call me Mudblood? Please, come
off it!" I shrugged. "That would be very superficial of me. I don’t know what
you hope to achieve by th ese  insults, however ,  that’s not enough to hate
you. I merely think it’s immature…" I pulled my lower lip between my teeth and
looked at him with feigned innocence.
 
"Why should you want to help me?”, he whispered warily and vigilantly. He
didn’t trust me one bit and probably thought we wanted to trick him to draw him
out.
 
"Why not? When you help me in turn, I am a good confidant, a good ally as well
and I believe the holidays left their marks on you” I stated perkily and
revealed my observation ,  suspecting that he would not make concessions
otherwise ;  he was too wary at the time being.
 
"Uh-huh. The things you believe… first of all ,  you are a Gryffindor. What
exactly do you want, what are you offering? Do I have to remind you, you are
the proper, well-behaved teachers’ pet! You are Hermione Granger!" His
exclamations sounded stern, taunting and derogatory, all at once.
 
"Haha, you said it!" I  c ried in triumph and clapped my hands happily.
 
"Oh... don’t flatter yourself!" He sounded resigned and shook his head slightly
defensive, having accepted my offer, even if unintentionally.
 
"Of course not. Draco?" I looked at him seriously and agreed with him, nodding
ironically.
 
I just thought in times like these we live in, it is always good to have
friends. You could do with one or two more as well! What.. don’t looked at me
that way, I didn’t miss the expression in your eyes. I don’t know what you
experienced over the holidays, but I guess they weren’t the nicest you ever
had,” I explained confidently, meanwhile relaxing back into the door.
Unfortunately he was bigger than me, as most men are. With my inconsiderable
163 centimeters I had to look up to them, a depressing fact.
 
"Wow, now I am appalled. Do you train something like that? Potter’s and
Weasel’s Gryffindor princess wants… what? To be my… friend? Am I in the wrong
picture? And how dare you assume to know anything? You have no idea!", he spit
out nastily and treated me with icy flashes from the depth of his eyes.
 
"I know that I know nothing. I just wanted to offer you a friendly ear. Think
about it, Draco!” I replied bravely, at the same time pushing off the door and
making a move to skirt around him. I had realised perfectly he would not
believe me, which was in part understandable. But he wouldn’t let me pass,
blocking the small aisle between the benches.
 
"Where do you think you are going?", he whispered with a hiss.
 
"Prefect round, then I will join Harry and Co. Besides, Pansy and Twit and
Fatty will miss you about now. And don’t tell me you want to waste more of your
precious time with me, the Mudblood!” I hissed back, incensed, and tried to
find a way past the Slytherin.
 
"Don’t think so much, let that be my concern. And hold still, stop fidgeting,”
he pestered me and got closer, while sounding as arrogant as ever. The world
stopped for me when he touched me. For the first time since we knew each other,
Draco Malfoy had touched me and sullied his hands with me. I was gobsmacked and
froze. He grabbed me firmly by my shoulders and pushed me back against the
door. Not carefully, not gently, simply determinedly and I suppressed a stifled
moan.
 
"Granger, Granger, have I allowed you to leave?", he whispered in my ear in a
raspy voice. His breath was hot against it and I nearly trembled, but didn’t
allow myself the weakness. Everything about his behaviour was vastly
provocative.
 
"Don’t you have to wash now?", I asked, eyeing him tauntingly and smoothing
over my anxiety.
 
"Don’t be daft!" He rolled his eyes. "I simply don’t know what to think of the
whole thing here. As you analyzed me so prettily before, I thought you would be
interested in my observations!”, he stated spitefully.  He was looking at me
questioningly, but his expression made clear that the question was merely
rhetorical.
 
"I was astonished today too when you entered the compartment with Weasel! I saw
a young, grown-up woman, nothing like the childish girls here! I wondered what
had happened. She has lost all traces of childhood.  And I know there were no
immediate dangers, no attacks on this girl, sorry… on this woman. Therefore,
what happened? Her physical appearance has changed as well, not solely her
demeanour! She looks good, even better. (Don’t flatter yourself on that,
Mudblood!) I can see in her eyes she has seen things and even experienced
things that didn’t befall the Weasel, as he still has an idiotically blissful
expression in his eyes,” he summed up expertly, in doing so bending his head
back and grinning at me superiorly, with a mean smile and I had to grant him
that, he must have had a brilliant teacher.
 
He had discerned and guessed much, much more than my friends, which were around
me most of the time. How come a Malfoy was this perceptive and attentive? He
surprised me immensely.
 
Oh, he was good, I had always known. As a child, he had been a contentious and
snobbish silly boy, but since two years ago he had changed greatly. Apparently
his father’s education took root and this holiday had done the rest to let him
grow up as well. And he had indeed grown-up, I realised now.  Where Harry and
Ron were children still, Draco had become a man. I would never have expected
the arrogant, spoiled, narcissistic rascal to become this observant, this
prudent.
 
"Since when did you notice something? And don’t you find it strange that we are
having a relatively civilised conversation?”, I inquired faintly surprised.
 
"I have always been civilised.” He sounded as arrogant as ever, while he
appraised me with an amused twinkle in his eyes.
 
"I see, and what about me, have I been a Neanderthal?” I wanted to know very
cynically and snorted.
 
"No, but always in the clutches of Potter and Weasel. And that is the big
question, why are you here and not clinging to the robe tails of those two
stupid asses?” ,he enquired, and I could determine that he was truly
interested. Meanwhile, he still held me captive, his hands continuing their
grip on my shoulders.
 
"Stop insulting Harry, he isn’t like that and you were not civilised, but
instead arrogant, conceited and narcissistic!”, I hissed, furious and beat him
round the head with my thoughts.  
 
"Tsk tsk … I hope you noticed you didn’t contradict me in regards to the
redhead. And I was not arrogant. I am a Malfoy!” He sounded like an egomaniac.
 
"Hmpf,” I mumbled to myself. When he spoke the truth, I couldn’t disagree with
good conscience.
 
Draco suppressed a loud laugh. "That is too funny, Granger!" He looked at me
calculatingly. "What do we do now, with this new concord?” he peered at me with
interest, but also with scepticism.  
 
"Is that really what you want, Draco? To have a normal conversation with me?
Doesn’t a Malfoy stand above all and even more above me, the Mudblood?” I spoke
curiously and was astounded myself how eas ily  his name left my lips, but it
felt right.
 
"Uh-huh, you are seeing reason, I notice… nice… and it seems you like my name?
Alas, I haven’t given you permission to address me like this yet!” The remark
was snide, as usual.
 
"What do you mean by  yet ? Can I discern from that  that  you will give
permission eventually... Draco?” I didn’t let him upset me and played him
skillfully. He grimaced slightly, pushed off the door and once again towered
over me.
 
"You have truly become too smart for a Mudblood, truly too smart, and I have
thought all along that you could be an interesting conversational partner! Do
they appreciate it?” He lifted his eyebrow skeptically when he suddenly asked
this last question. Wherea s  the preceding compliment definitely flattered me
,  I was asking myself already who the young man in front of me was. I
shrugged. Did Ron and Harry appreciate my mind? Harry sometimes, certainly, Ron
not so much.
 
"Are  you  able to exchange thoughts with your entourage?” I answered with a
counter question.
 
"With a few, yes… one…  or  two!”, he pondered. Now he bowed down to me again,
this time getting close enough that his scent entered my nose  -  sandalwood  -
while he whispered: "Not Fatty, but Twit is excluded and Pansy too,
regretfully" he summed up ,  rather unkind. I was baffled ;  Draco  had  just
make concessions to me and had discredited his toadies in front of me. I looked
at him with wide eyes and tilted my head back slightly.
 
"Well, my options to exchange interesting information is limited, too, if I
don’t want them to doze off,” I admitted sadly, resigned to the fact. This
prompted him to display a slight, shallow smile. We were playing cat-and-mouse
here.
 
"I don’t know what you are doing, but I take my appointment as Prefect
seriously and will attend to my duty. See you later, Mudblood!” His parting
words sounded unusually jovial.
 
"See you later, Pureblood” I replied with great presence of mind. I believe
this might develop into an inside joke.
 
Draco seemed to have truly changed during the holidays. I never planned it like
that, but if I were able to establish a... well… what? A relationship would be
aimed too high. To establish a basic understanding, without malice, why not?
You could never know what good would come out of it. I had guessed early on,
and after today I was convinced, that he only started to call me Mudblood to
annoy Ron and Harry because I was absolutely above something like that. But he
was right, I should join the others, otherwise they would wonder where I had
got to. A conversation with Malfoy I believed to have gone mental. It was
unbelievable what could be changed by a Dark Lord’s rebirth.
 
When I entered our compartment ,  I was able to see Harry had founded a proper
fellowship with Ron, Neville, Ginny and Luna. Again, I felt out of place in
this dreamy, playful circle. As impossible as it sounded, I felt closer to
Draco than to my friends, due to our apparently similar experiences.
 
"Where have you been? I had to do everything without you” Ron began nagging
immediately.
 
"Sorry, I lost sight of you, but surely you managed your tasks well! Hello
Neville, Luna, how did your holidays go?” I asked, deflecting the attention.
Neville sat in the seat opposite Ron. He was looking well, had lost a lot of
weight. He looked definitely better and held a  butt -ugly potted plant in his
lap.
 
"They were lovely, thanks for asking, Hermione. I got this cool Mimbulus
Mimbeltonia for my birthday, it’s a really brilliant plant!” he  said
enthusiastically, his excitement obvious. However, in the moment we all looked
at the thing up close as Neville was extending it in our direction, the plant
decided to feel threatened and peppered us all with a load of an icky smelling,
greenish juice.
 
"Yuck…" it resounded. "Blech, how gross!" And it really was.
 
"Oh… pardon, I am so sorry!" he stuttered anxiously ,  meanwhile blushing
bright red.
 
Not everything has changed , I thought resignedly, as he was acting as
mortified and shy as always. I recoiled as everybody in our compartment had
instinctively. Oh dear! That had hurt, this abrupt movement had tweaked my
stitches  dangerously , hopefully it hadn’t affected anything. Oh dear! And now
I could observe in the edges of my vision how Cho Chang looked into our
compartment right then and retreated quickly ,  embarrassed. Th at  girl had
always been strange. I couldn’t fathom what Cedric had seen in her back then.
And what Harry saw in her, I had n’t  totally  understood  either, but even I
had  arrived  at the conclusion  that I was  not able to know and understand
everything and everybody, or  that I should  want  to,  either.
 
Oh, poor Harry .  I felt sorry for him in this regard, as he was simply too
shy. If Sirius had lived together with Harry a few years earlier, the latter
would probably be the Casanova of the school today. Alas, he was very insecure
and Ron definitely was no help in this respect. And I couldn’t offer my help to
him effectively if I didn’t want him to know about my affairs so far, and let’s
face the facts, he would never approve of my fling with Sirius  -  don’t even
mention Snape, who didn’t even know it himself. What a mess.
 
"It doesn’t matter, Neville, it’s not that bad” I dismissed his mishap
nonchalantly and drew  out  my school wand, casting a strong cleaning charm for
the compartment and ourselves and the mess was remedied immediately. For were
we  not  wizards and witches in the end?
 
I took my leave, referring to my duties, as I had an uneasy feeling, as if the
flinch had  torn  something after all. I had to take a look.
 
On my way I passed the Twins’ compartment and then thought I could kill two
birds with one stone, because I needed their help with a specific task. Thus I
stepped in front of their compartment door with determination and looked
inside. I could see them, Lee, Alicia and Angelina. Everybody seemed to  be
hav ing  great fun, as the Twins were showing off many of their new product s .
The slightly bitchy look Fred gifted Angelina didn’t escape my notice. Well, I
would interrupt this cosy round now. I raised a hand and knocked on the glass,
presenting a serious, disapproving Prefect face over the so called joke items
of the Red Devils.
 
Immediately all raised their heads in alarm. The Twins sighed in relief as they
recognized me, for they knew they had nothing to fear from me, but the others
didn’t know me as well and were looking worriedly in my direction as a certain
reputation of rule-abidance was preceding me. I was still standing in front of
the closed door and had my gazed fixed empathically on the Twins, waiting. The
moment the penny dropped for them was easily noticeable, as their eyes widened.
Then they jumped up at once and said something to their friends, gesticulating
wildly. I stepped back and resumed waiting. They stepped up to me with
unusually sombre expressions. I jerked my head wordlessly and so they followed
me. We cleaved through the students, which was wearisome as most of doors were
open and the joy of reunion great, as it seemed. The aisles were ba c ked up
and we had to wait.
 
"What’s up, most beautiful, did something happen?”, George enquired, worried,
whispering quietly.
 
"I need your help, my Red Devils,” I requested in an equally low voice.
 
"Will we learn about what happened yesterday? What mischief have you been up
to, most beautiful?” Only now I noticed that we were having this compromising
conversation directly in front of the Slytherins’ compartment. Apprehensively I
looked inside and met intrigued looking light grey. Bugger, now he had
straightout witnessed that I was a lot closer to the Twins than everybody
thought. I had to be more careful. I nodded briskly and led them on, targeting
the facilities, and beckoned them into the big ,  and fortunately empty ,
Prefect restroom compartment.
 
"Phew, the train gets increasingly closer to a madhouse!", Fred stated
priggishly  as he  swiped a meddlesome strand of red hair out of his freckled
face.
 
"Who might be responsible for that?”, I said sardonically, the resignation
apparent in my voice, which brought me beaming grins from both of them.
 
“Our products are brilliant, aren’t they?” They sounded smug and exchanged a
high five.
 
"You know yourselves that you are little invention geniuses!”, I acknowledged
and leant against the restroom wall, exhausted. "I have to ask you a favour
that doesn’t allow for postponement.”
 
"Most beautiful, always, you don’t have to ask, you never! We would do
everything for you.” Fred exclaimed grandiloquently, but he meant it
completely, through and through, and because of that I smiled at him
gratefully.
 
"I need the Marauders’ map, ask Harry to borrow it to you this evening,” I
requested in a tired voice.
 
"Wha… alright,  it  is as good as done,” George suppressed his curiosity at the
last moment.
 
"I have to make a slight modification to it and I will do the same for you, you
will see it this evening. Will you meet me in the common room at one o’clock
tonight?”, I checked with them.
 
"As you command, my Lady!" Fred saluted me,  always  the jester, and  earned  a
small smile from me.
 
"Are you going to tell us what happened yesterday? The magpie, that  was  you,
wasn’t it? Well, you are Sirius’ lover and call him Casanova, even if we didn’t
recognize your voice,” George rambled nervously and with an unhappy expression
on his face. The question was if I wanted to tell them everything.
 
"I have always known that you are good at combining clues, yes, you got
everything right!”, I explained and hoped their interrogation would be over
soon, as my wound was twinging alarmingly.
 
"Wow, awesome! You have mastered a Patronus, wicked, we are going to learn them
only this year in class!", George said with enthusiasm and admiration.
 
"Lovely. Let us go on tonight, otherwise your friends will wonder where you got
to and think I am punishing you with detention for the whole term!”, I
deflected, for an uncomfortable wet feeling was spreading across my skin and I
wanted to keep the grace of not telling them everything. Both nodded and
retreated with a wave of their hands.
 
Now I was standing alone in the Prefects bathroom  so I  breathed deeply,
stepped up to the washbasins above which a mirror was hanging, and lifted my
dress. I peeled it off so I was wearing only my black undies and the silk
scarf. My complete middle section was wrapped in a bright white bandage. I
peered closely at myself in the mirror and twisted my body slightly to see my
side, and, lo and behold, where the stitches were located the white of the
bandages were stained with red. Shit, the wound had been torn open a bit. I had
to fix it now; the train ride would take another five hours and the feast was
following, too. Until I could get to Snape… I would loose too much blood,
especially as I didn’t know how severe it was. I snorted angrily. Surely that
had to happen to me. In this moment the magically locked door opened with a
loud bang.
 
I gasped. Nobody was  allowed  to see this. I meant the bandage, the wound and
yes, my nakedness as well!
 
Who?
 
Unbelievable. I seized my dress from the washbasin, shielding my body with it
and turned away from the mirror, looking at the intruder with intense
indignation. Now the troublemaker entered smugly, throwing me a calculating
look, assessing the situation, my more or less undressed state and reacted
swiftly by closing and relocking the door with a spell. Next he stepped up to
me with a terribly vicious, arrogant and superior smile.
 
"Granger, Granger, that you would tear off your dress for me I wouldn’t have
expected,” he teased me with a sneer.
 
"Malfoy!" I hissed ,  outraged.
 
"Hey, what happened to…  Draco ? " he complained less seriously, more cattily,
making fun of me.
 
"Bugger me!" I snarled furiously.
 
"A Mudblood? No, thanks!", he twanged haughtily and tossed one of his blond
strands back arrogantly.
 
"Did you have something going here with the carrot tops?” he asked ,  not a bit
curious, stressing the indifference, while stepping closer ,  intrigued.
 
"Shove off! Can’t you endure five minutes without me?” I tried to provoke him.
 
"Don’t  even  think about it , ” he replied and showed me his teeth. I bowed my
head, dejected. Must all the Slytherins of the world see me nearly naked? First
Snape, now Draco, somebody up there had to really hate me. I pressed my dress
firmly against my breasts and simply felt sorry for myself.
 
"If you don’t leave voluntarily and immediately, I will strike you with an
Obliviate, I am serious!" I threatened viciously, aggressively and raised my
ice cold gaze to look at him.
 
"Oh, as if Gryffindor’s princess would break the school rules this way! ”  He
displayed a smug attitude.
 
"Try me . " I stated provocatively and showed him a freezing smile. He froze
for a second, seeming to evaluate if he had underestimated me.  Oh yes, my
dear, you have. You have no idea what I am capable of. Or maybe you have?  I
found it difficult to judge him reliably today. Then he noticed the mirror
behind me and his eyes widened in surprise.   
 
"Shit, Granger, you ’re  bleeding. I was right after all, you were in pain!” he
sounded totally different from one second to the next. I looked at him ,  taken
by surprise. Did I he ar  worry in his voice? Now I was more than gobsmacked.
Where did the Slytherin ice prince go? Where the smug arrogance?
 
"As if you were telling me something new” I said dryly. Now he had seen what I
didn’t want him to see. He had abandoned all games and quickly bridged the
distance between us, showing a level of worry that was simply unbelievable.
 
"Turn around!" he demanded in a serious, almost caring voice, in a manner I had
never heard from Malfoy.
 
"You can’t believe  that  I  would  turn my back to you, so you can drive a
kni…” I gulped down the lump in my throat. It seemed I hadn’t coped with it as
much as I thought, for I couldn’t vocalise the word knife without vividly
picturing the alley before my inner eye.
 
"Granger, it is below my dignity as a Malfoy, but I promise you I won’t try
anything to hurt you” he offered me and to my horror ,  my instincts told me to
trust him.
 
"And if I don’t do it?” I didn’t surrender easily, for I was unsure
nevertheless.
 
He snorted. "I don’t think Potter and Weasel know you have.. .  this here! What
do you think they will believe if I pay them a visit now and tell them about
it?” he blackmailed me provocatively, while pointing at the mirror in my back
derisively. Ice cold blackmail.
 
"Then you’ ll shoot yourself in the foot ! You ,  in the bathroom ,  together
with the Mudblood ? ” I countered. "Actually, what are you doing here?” He
grimaced as if something bad smelling was under his noble, delicately chiselled
aristocrat’s nose.
 
"What do you think? Looking after you. What I am interested in, is what you
were doing alone with Weasel’s brothers.” he admitted his curiosity, his
countenance taking on an impatient expression.
 
"And,  learned anything yet …?" I asked teasingly.
 
"No, only more curious!" His voice sounded rough and that downright gave me
goosebumps.
 
"Are Malfoys allowed to be that? Curious? That doesn’t match the blank mask , ”
I provided very sarcastically. With only my dress covering my chest I felt out
of place, inferior, here in front of him, the leader of Slytherin house. That’s
what he was, unfortunately.
 
"Not everybody has to find out!" he grinned smugly.
 
"Really, but I am allowed?" I opened my eyes wide. First he acknowledged that
Pansy and Twit were not particularly bright and now he declared that he was
indeed curious. What had happened that had apparently changed him
significantly, or who? Now  I  was curious!
 
"Granger, you may try to blab me to death, but that will not prevent you from
turning around!" The words resounded with determination, while he straightened
up to his full intimidating  height . He puffed himself up. Since when was he
this tall? "Trust me…” he requested in another tone, a gentler tone and once
again my eyes got wide and unbelieving. Out of Draco’s mouth!
 
What… was that? A concession to my fears? Trust me! A Malfoy!
 
That couldn’t be Malfoy, could it? Maybe he always had been like that? He would
be an intriguing enigma, as long as it wouldn’t be on my expense. I was
standing straight by now. Why was I always compelled to react to a challenge,
to respond to an appeal to my courage? Thus I was still armed with my dress and
swiftly turned my back on him. That truly cost me quite an effort, especially
as he was no friend… but technically the enemy.
 
"There you go. It was not that difficult, really...", he muttered,
astonishingly content. I could see him towering behind me in the mirror. In
the  midst  of  this relatively dull environment his white blond hair shone
like the sun. “Let’s take a look. I will remove the bandage now,” he informed
me with unfamiliar care. I admitted defeat and put both hands on the washbasin
and obediently bend over slightly. Consequently my dress fell to the floor, but
I didn’t care anymore. I was standing in front of Draco Malfoy in my undies in
the Hogwarts Express. What were the odds for that? The next question was, would
I be able to use that to my advantage? Or was Draco the only one to benefit
from the situation and the resulting knowledge?
 
Hey, he was a Slytherin! Nonetheless I had admitted defeat, as the pain was
enormous and I had to try to fix the damage, so he began to unwrap the bandage
- against my expectation he was gentle and showed no hesitance to touch me -
until  it slid down my body.  
 
"Wow Granger, what did you do, that looks really nasty… If you are interested,
the stitches have burst open at a few places,” he reported startlingly
unaffected by my wound. I didn’t react at all, I wouldn’t tell  him  anything,
pha! The next moment I tensed, as I had to subdue with massive effort the
instinct to grab my weapons and attack him when he took his wand out of his
jacket and pointed it at the wound in my back.
 
He started to recite the same healing spells as Snape; now it was crystal clear
to me with whom he apprenticed. I would bet my undies the dear professor was
teaching his little darling  over  the holidays. And Snape seemed to rub off on
Draco. He hid it well behind his mask, but the way he helped me now he reminded
me strongly of Snape, and the latter might be a Death Eater, but not a whole
one. Oh yes, there had to be nuances and they seemed to affect Draco, thanks to
the influence of the professor. Whereat I didn’t presume to think to know where
Malfoy Senior stood in all of this.
 
After Draco had finished his work dutifully a fine sheen of sweat had formed on
his brow as healing was always taxing and even when I was grateful the painful
tension had lifted somewhat from my body. So he conjured new bandages and
wrapped them around me again wondrously gently. Until now no words were spoken
between us. When he had finished tending my wound he retreated a step and
looked at my backside with interest. Still I didn’t turn back around but viewed
him through the mirror.
 
"Thank you, Draco!", I breathed and licked over my lips which had gotten dry
and chapped. It wasn’t easy at all.
 
"Don’t you want to turn around, Granger?" He appeared totally indifferent, the
way he stood in front of me cross-armed. "...or are you afraid?” He did it
again, he challenged me. Bugger, I couldn’t ignore that, for I wasn’t ashamed
of anything. He saw nothing he wasn’t acquainted with and I was still
sufficiently covered. I would just slip my dress on quickly, then we would be
back on equal ground, yes, good plan. I turned around, my dress at the ready,
facing him and slipping it over my head under his attentive gaze. When I
emerged his face was showing a fat grin and his eyes were twinkling merrily.
 
"You are really funny, Granger. Do you truly think I would be interested in
your body, the body of a Mudblood?”, he said with a smirk.
 
"Yes, certainly, you are a man! Pure-, Half-, Mudblood or Muggle, as long as
they can spread their legs you couldn’t care less, be realistic!”, I exclaimed
cruelly, disillusioned, for it was my true opinion. He showed a startled face
over my pessimistic attitude.
 
"That sounds cruel and vulgar!" His reply was contemptuous, meanwhile he was
tapping his lip in thought with his index finger. "But I am ready to… yes, to
agree with you, the conversation earlier in the compartment has aroused my
interest and after the incident just now I am intrigued more than ever! Have
you meant your offer seriously?", he inquired with honest interest and gifted
me a surprisingly innocent look from his light grey eyes.
 
"Certainly, the offer stands. And you are arousing my interest as well, more
and more each second!”, I admitted frankly.
 
"That’s good! Will you tell me what caused that wound?”, he asked calculatingly
with a skeptically raised eyebrow.
 
"Uh, no, I rather not, or not yet! I don’t know, can I trust you?” Slytherins
did nothing for free, it’s all about the exchange of favours, following the
principle ‘give me something and I will give you something in return’.
 
"Now you know something about me no one else knows and must not know. Now it’s
your turn, tell me something nobody else knows about you! Something that shows
me that you trust me to a certain degree,” I offered him. That we were
approaching common ground this fast, I wouldn’t have anticipated, but maybe he
was searching for someone, too, who would understand better and more as the
others. As much as the revelation shocked me, even now there was a kind of
wordless understanding between us I would have thought impossible before.
 
Suddenly we looked deep in each other's eyes. Brown met grey as my gaze got
caught in his and vice versa! Like a maelstrom, I was sucked deeper and deeper
until it felt like I was examining his soul and his most secret feelings. All
at once, I became aware of a genuine, sincere understanding. We were alike, we
understood each other. He seemed to have seen the same in me. And what made
this astonishing was that we hadn’t used Legilimency. This was not spying on or
searching through a mind. No, it was the recognition of a kindred soul.
 
Draco jerked his head to turn away his face, abruptly interrupting our eye
contact and, consequently, the strong bond between us. He showed an absolutely
flabbergasted expression, positively shocked. I must have looked like a proper
idiot as well after he had broken the connection between us so rudely.
Exhausted, I braced my backside against the washing table. What had happened
here? That was Draco bloody Malfoy!
 
“Well, don’t make any sudden movements, Granger. See you, Mudblood,” he sneered
as he took his leave, sounding somewhat uncertain still, and turned away. Oh,
he was good, recovering himself within seconds and presenting his ice-cold,
indifferent front.
 
“Thanks, Pureblood!” I retorted, impulsively. I had to have the last word, had
to show that he was not the only one who could play this game!
 
When I was alone again, I turned back to the mirror and examined my face.
Surprisingly, it looked totally normal. No coloured cheeks, nothing that hinted
at the unusual and embarrassing situation I had been in.
 
I recovered my balance and trekked again through the uncomfortably bright and
noisy train. The nine hour long train journey dragged on forever. I passed the
remaining time reading in our compartment, but finally we were near our
destination. Most of students had started to put on their uniforms when our
compartment door opened. The yearly visit from Malfoy for Harry was pending. He
flashed me a quick smile and got started.
 
“Ah, it looks like Potter and Weasel made it to Hogwarts. Too bad!”
 
My jaw nearly dropped in disbelief but, fortunately, I was very self-controlled
and disciplined. Draco had actually refrained from including me in the insult.
 
“Bugger off, Malfoy, you are not welcome here!” Harry hissed angrily.
 
“Yeah, get lost!” Ron added aggressively, shooting up from his seat.
 
“Calm down, you hot-blooded Gryffindors, I’m on my way already. But don’t think
I won’t be right on your heels like a dog, Potter,” Draco shot back at Harry,
resulting in the birth of frozen silence and dumbfounded faces. I raised a brow
and looked at him questioningly, whereupon he gave me a curt nod which nobody
noticed.
 
I understood his hint that Lucius had recognised Sirius’ dog animagus form.
Apparently Harry and Ron had come to the right conclusion as well, as both
remained silent, the horror on their pale faces obvious. But they both surely
couldn’t know the real message behind Draco’s words. After all, he didn’t  have
to tell us that his father had recognised Sirius at the station.
 
He made me a concession. Draco Malfoy showed me, Hermione Granger, his good
will and took up the offer I made earlier. He offered me something only he knew
and presented me through that an inkling of trust. Someday he might be a pretty
good Machiavelli. This wrangling was fun.
 
It was a mutual give and take. Neat... it seems like we were at play. It was
different with Snape. With Draco I felt on an equal footing. We were on par
with each other. Where I was standing or whether I was able to stand with Snape
I didn’t know yet, but he had indisputably a leading role.
 
Still, I would have to thank Draco in person as soon as possible. We had to
forward this information to Sirius. It meant that he was no longer safe in the
streets even as dog. The compartment door closed with a thud and Draco was
gone.
 
“What has gotten into that stuck-up ferret?” Ron questioned, hotly.
 
“Er, I believe… Sirius,” Harry mumbled hesitantly, finding it difficult to
swallow.
 
“Yes, quite right,” I agreed, before elaborating further. “I think the Malfoys
recognised Sirius at the platform. Wormtail must have informed them that Sirius
is a dog and, consciously or not, Malfoy just told us that they know! Harry, we
have to tell Sirius immediately that he is no longer safe in his animagus form.
He has to stay in the house now!”
 
Ron gaped at me with an open mouth. He had a striking, and unappealing,
resemblance to a fish. Harry was pale still, but he nodded affirmatively.
 
“I will send Hedwig to him before the end of today!” he stated firmly. And at
that moment, we had to rise and leave the train, for after nine endless hours
on the train we had finally arrived at Hogsmead.
***** The Feast and a Rendezvous *****
Chapter Notes
     We're here again!
     Thanks so much for your Kudos and Reads.
     I hope you enjoy as always.
     Translated by Aivy. ♥
The Feast and a Rendezvous
 
When we stepped off the train, I breathed in the fresh, fragrant air of a mild
summer night. Yes, as of late I knew how liberating it could feel to take a
deep breath. Illuminated by torches and lanterns the platform of Hogsmeade was
bustling like usual with small first years, who were running around like
headless chickens. They were heading for Hagrid, who stuck out of the crowd
like a beacon and showed them the way with his cry of “First years, to me!”
 
Taking this all in, I left the train lost in thought and followed the others to
the waiting, black carriages that would take us to the castle. I halted,
because this year the formerly seemingly horseless carriages were no longer
horseless, but pulled by horselike creatures. Black, glossy skin stretched
directly above their bones, whereby their whole skeleton was outlined. The
stunning, leatherlike wings reminded me of bats. But the most fascinating for
me was the bony head,  it had resemblance to a lizardlike dragon’s head. The
white eyes had no pupil and looked void and spooky. It knew exactly what
creatures they were, had read all about them in the book “Magical, Dangerous
Beasts”.
 
They were thestrals, only visible to those people who had seen death, and
because of that these animals were thought to be dangerous and creepy. Their
carnivorous diet didn’t help their reputation. But for me, they were simply
fascinating and seemed pretty docile. I tried to hide my surprise over this
unexpected discovery, while observing that Harry was less successful with the
same endeavour. He stared at the thestrals as if they were ghosts. My pity for
him was somewhat limited at the moment. If he only once in awhile looked into
his school book he would have known he wasn’t hallucinating, but that those
were just thestrals, no more and no less, definitely no figment of his
imagination.
 
Now Luna assured him as well in her own dreamy way that he was not fantasising,
that she was able to see them as well, but she looked so spaced out, Harry and
Ron were exchanging pitiful looks and one could clearly determine that they
were very doubtful about Luna’s claims.
 
I rolled my eyes. I couldn’t let on about my ability to see the animals for
fear that the question would arise what had happened during the holidays as
somebody had to die in front of your eyes before you would be able to notice
the creatures. A vicious circle.
 
Eventually we all had taken a seat in the carriage and we were approaching
Hogwarts, which was soaring high above us, its silhouette stood out against the
starlit sky. It was a magnificent, ancient, imposing castle. The warm glow of
myriads of torches and candles escaped invitingly through the paned windows and
conveyed an unreal, romantic atmosphere.
 
When the carriage stopped with a stutter, we joined the ceaseless stream of
students pushing into the Great Hall.
 
Time and again it was overwhelming to walk through the massive portal, to pass
through the stone antechamber and finally to enter the Great Hall through the
tall double wing door. The weather outside was mimicked by the enchanted
ceiling, causing a very impressive, mystical atmosphere. I let myself be
captivated by the comfortable feeling.
 
Determinedly we headed for the Gryffindor table. There I tried to choose a seat
that had a good view of both the Slytherin table and the teacher’s table that
throned elevated on a pedestal in front of us all. When finally all the Second
to Seventh Years had taken their seats and the noise had more or less ceased,
the double wing doors opened one more time and permitted McGonagall and the
really tiny looking First Years to enter. Those walked nervously along the long
aisle before facing the old, talking hat and being sorted with major fuss into
one of the four Hogwarts houses. While the procedure dragged along I looked
around curiously and noticed Malfoy holding court like a king at the Slytherin
table. Once more our gazes crossed and I thought to see an amused expression
alighting in his. I responded with a smile. It was too funny, I was holding a
silent conversation with Draco in the Great Hall, who would have ever dared to
think.
 
When my bout of observation got to the teacher’s table I was able to recognize
Dolores Umbridge thanks to Rita’s exposé. She was clad in a horrible pink,
conservative ensemble with a matching pink hat on the back of her head, resting
on her short grey-brown locks. She looked like a small toad, a truly dislikable
woman. She had a flabby face with slightly protruding, round, blue eyes and a
broad, saggy mouth. Almost without any neck her toadlike head gave way to a
peculiarly small, chubby body. This woman was short and fat. Her stubby
fingers, which spouted much to many tacky rings, were drumming restlessly on
the tabletop. Now however she disrupted professor Dumbledore and started her
own speech!
 
That she presented us in a high, affected little girl’s voice. All of what she
said so sugary sweet was everything but innocent or even nice. Wow, wasn’t it
interesting, just what Rita had told me. Fudge and the ministry wanted to
intervene at Hogwarts. This revelation passed by unnoticed by Harry and Ron,
how typical, so that I had to give them a short summary and ended with a
fervent appeal to be on their guard around her. Professor Snape seemed to be
rather disgruntled after the speech as well, if the way the corners of his
mouth were pulled down was any indication, but for a moment he stared into my
eyes demandingly, reminding me of our appointment. I answered his silent
inquiry with a shallow nod. After this tiring night and the endless train ride
I hurt everywhere, but I couldn’t postpone my meeting with Snape!
 
It was a good thing that after the feast had ended the only task for the
Prefects was to pass on the password to the First Years and every other
Gryffindor and show them the way. In the common room, which was decorated
dominatingly in the house colours red and gold, I managed to initiate a swift
exchange with the Twins.  
 
“I have the map! Harry doesn’t want it back until in a few days”, Fred
whispered into my ear.
 
“I can always rely on you. Very good. Now I have to leave for an appointment”,
I said in an equally low voice, which prompted a sceptical look from George.
 
“We are only back at Hogwarts for a few hours and you already have some hanky-
panky ongoing?”, Fred teased me and grinned cheekily.
 
“Yes, I have! Could you look out for me, make sure that they don’t start a
search?” I asked hesitantly.
 
“Alright. Be good.” They snickered like mad. That I couldn’t be up to anything
good in their eyes, they seemed to take for granted. It looked like they were
happy to be back at Hogwarts and to have escaped the tyranny of their mother.
 
I sneaked out of Gryffindor tower, travelling from the seventh floor down to
the gloomy dungeons. It was nearly ten o’clock causing the castle to look eery
 to some with its grey, stony atmosphere. Not to me, though. I felt at ease
while sneaking through the corridors all to myself. The only thing I didn’t
appreciate was the sheer length of the way.
 
When I passed the entrance to the dungeons and descended deeper and deeper, the
cold increased as it was always crisp down here, so I carried on quickly on my
journey to the professor’s quarters, while remaining wary as I was on Slytherin
territory and not everybody down here would be well-disposed towards me.
Eventually I stood in front of a portrait that showed an ill-humoured knight.
Somewhat fitting,  I thought, while working up my courage, and then knocked
harshly. I might have slept with him, but he didn’t know that.
 
The door opened inward and revealed the private office of the professor, which
was furnished modestly, if not to say minimalistic. A desk at the back, a
bookshelf that took up a whole wall, and a door that most likely led to his
private lab. I didn’t see him, but he had to have expected me, otherwise the
door wouldn’t have opened and hence I boldly stepped into the lion’s den. No,
wrong, into the snake pit, I corrected myself. I approached the desk and
examined the meticulous arrangement, before twisting around in shock when a
part of the book shelf moved and revealed a door that hadn’t been visible
before, through which the professor emerged, clad in black as usual.
 
 “Miss Granger, will you come along?” he snarled and retreated into the
darkness beyond. I beg your pardon? I would be permitted into Snape’s
sanctuary, his private rooms? He wouldn’t have to ask twice, as I was curious
how he lived. And thus I swiftly approached the opening. I was greeted by a
cosy looking, spacious living room, which had a large fire place. Next to it I
could see a cushy leather couch in green, what else, and two armchairs, and not
a single bit of stone, as every single wall was filled with bookshelves from
bottom to top. Wow, I could happily spend a lot of time here.
 
“Professor!” I greeted politely, while he sat down in one of the armchairs. He
didn’t wear a cloak, which resulted in a downright casual attire for him, here
in his home. Without a word he pointed me to the couch. I followed the prompt
right away and sank down into it, as the long way had taken its toll on me and
my injury and I was a bit out of breath, too. A glass of wine stood in front of
him and he had his gaze fixed on me, assessing my appearance. Even if I
couldn’t fully recall the incident in the Black library, I had the impression
that it wasn’t concluded for him, but to avoid this conversation I was much too
tired. The day had depleted my energy reserves and he might ask every question
he wants to ask, I wouldn’t have to answer any of them and the shields that
protected my mind were in place full force.
 
“Do you want a glass as well?” Snape’s brusque invitation startled me as I
hadn’t anticipated the gesture.
 
“Yes, with pleasure!” I tried to downplay any surprise I might have showed, and
to come off as cool, though being offered to drink something with my professor
took me by surprise. I mean, I owed the man a lot, very much! Something as
insignificant as my life.
 
He swung his wand in an elegant move and suddenly I had a glass in my hand,
then he raised his, prompting me to follow his action. I raised my own to him
carefully and drank. I have to say, the professor’s taste was good, it was a
splendid wine, and thus I licked the last drop from my lips and was distinctly
aware of his furtively watching eyes. His back was kept ramrod straight, only
his dark eyes in his pale face were darting around constantly and were taking
notice of my every movement.
 
“Do you have something left to tell me?” He cocked his head in a manner so
characteristic of him and focussed precisely upon me. Hmm… considering that
yesterday’s events in the library were kind of fuzzy in my mind, in stark
contrast to the things that happened in the alley earlier and which stood
unfortunately still very lively before my eyes, I only looked at him
questioningly as I positively didn’t know for sure what he wanted me to tell.
And so he groaned in a self suffering way.
 
“About the incidents you inflicted upon your aggressors?” he demanded,
elaborating, but somewhat less patient.
 
“Ah, well, as I told you Derrick had gotten an Obliviate from me… yes, right…,”
I said and took another greedy gulp from the wine for my throat had suddenly
become very dry.
 
“That it had been an all encompassing, memory erasing Obliviate and he had been
given false memories about a non-existent life, you forget to mention, Miss
Granger!” he scoffed all the while glaring at me. But I didn’t let that faze
me. Should I feel guilty because of that? Pha, a lot had to happen before that,
the son of a bitch deserved what he got.
 
“What are you trying to imply, sir? Yes, if you want the account in detail,
that is exactly what happened, and before you ask for the why, firstly I was,
or better yet, I am pissed off and viewed it as the perfect punishment. A Death
Eater thinking himself a Muggle, truly hilarious! And secondly it was a good
exercise, and the exercise material was expendable, a rare occurrence…,” My
voice was cold. Finally I drank another calming mouthful and afterwards watched
the sparkling red of the wine in the glow of the open fire as I didn’t want to
look at him.
 
“Chrmm, well, how unexpected. Then there is nothing for it but for me to
congratulate you on your successful Obliviate!”, he said pointedly and looked
at me impassively. It didn’t suit him at all, the way he sat rigidly in his own
armchair. That he hosted me in his home still astonished me. I didn’t have the
courage to ask, but I strongly assumed that I was the first student allowed to
set a foot into this sanctuary, except for Malfoy Junior of course. Should I
feel honored?
 
“Professor, that’s what I had been reduced to. I had to take away his memory of
me. What do you think Fudge and the  M inistry would have done with me in
conjunction with a dead body? I wouldn’t have  had time to say  ‘Azkaban’
before they would have carted me off to the prison. Just… like Sirius!” I
confessed  the last part  in a low whisper.
 
“You have a point, Miss Granger. I just express my astonishment, as there is no
Fifth Year known to me that would be able to perform an Obliviate to its full
extent.” he growled ,  displeased ,  and his tone was presently very sulky. Had
that been a compliment? Oh, I would always be happy about such praise from this
source. As it basically never occurred, I received it gladly. But to respond
with thanks would be ill-advised regarding Snape  -  he would only be miffed,
so I simply accepted it and threw him a glance, that was all.
 
“Since when are you able to create illegal port keys?” he demanded to know
next. He continued his interrogation! This man was dreadfully pedantic,
unbearably so - he had to know absolutely everything.
 
“Since the holidays. I thought, it doesn’t matter anymore, here ’s  a dead
body, the n  the Obliviate, then I can give Fudge a little fright and try to
offset his rose-coloured glasses and send them to him the direct way , ” I
explained, snickering nastily in the process, as I still perceived the idea as
original. Snape also lifted his glass and raised it to me once again, nodding
his head deliberately.
 
“Indeed, your assessment is correct. Only  the fact  that  you  are willing to
go this far, escapes my comprehension. Why do you do all this, Miss Granger ? ”
he watched me like a wild cat  does  its prey.
 
“Walking through an alley, like any normal person? Practicing spells and
learning like I always do, or do you mean  something else , sir?” I countered.
 
“I am not as dumb as the mutt. What truly drives you? And believe me, you don’t
know what you are getting into, you are much too young for that. Quit while you
still can! Believe me, that is no li f e,  not  for  any body! You don’t want
that, you have family, friends, everything!” he tried urgently to make it plain
to me and he surprised me. Was he concerned for me? He presented his arguments
really convincingly, but I knew what I got into. This side did always have an
allure for me and the last incidents had shown me that I was able to handle
everything I would have to do. If you wanted to see it that way, yesterday had
proven to me that I was prepared to do  anything . And his other arguments I
refuted in my mind as well. In less than a year ,  I would have no parents any
longer, I would be an orphan. If he knew that I was initiating it by myself, he
would  -  yes, what would he do? Get a heart attack right in front of me? And
friends I had not many  of ,  simply  Harry and the Twins. But the Twins stood
by me, and Harry  -  maybe one day, we would see, I w as  not sure.
 
“Don’t delude yourself, you don’t know everything, professor!” I hissed
angrily. “And believe me, I don’t cherish an illusion. I truly am no child
anymore!” Meanwhile I had straightened into a very rigid posture. “And I hate
to justify myself!” However, I tried to regain my indifference, otherwise I
would be an easy victim. If one wasn’t allowed to have something in Snape’s
presence, it was emotions, emotions that spilled over. He had weathered my
moderate emotional release silent ly,  totally indifferent. He was truly
brilliant in suppressing any and all emotions. If I were only able to get him
to teach me… But I wouldn’t indulge in such naiveté, for he had just told me
what he thought of my actions.
 
“All right. Calmed down?” he  asked  very tauntingly, while he examined me with
the raised eyebrow.
 
“Will you undress now?” he demanded more than asked. With this abrupt change of
topic he probably thought to catch me unprepared, but I had to disappoint him,
after all I had come here because he had wanted to check my wound. Though I
knew  that  his blunt demand was meant to humiliate me, wh ich  might have
worked, if I had seen it as humiliating, which I didn’t, for the professor had
gotten too close to me already! I stuck out my tongue at him mentally; he
wouldn’t come to know  that .
 
“As you wish, sir!” I replied sweetly. I stood up and started firstly to unwrap
my scarf from my throat with deliberate slowness and lasciviousness. After I
had discarded it on the couch ,  I turned my attention to my school cloak,
which I let slip gradually from my shoulders, throwing it on the couch as well.
Now I looked up with interest. The situation we were in was more than
suggestive and  that  thought didn’t evade the professor,  judging by  the way
his hands clung to the armrests of his chair hard enough that his fingers we nt
slightly white. I, his student, performing a first class striptease for my
potions professor. What everybody would be thinking,  if they  entered at this
moment, was crystal clear.
 
I tried to make it extra alluring, wanting to rile him up for his behaviour
earlier. So I let my dress slide off my shoulders gently, too, and it finally
settled around my hips. Such was the way I stood in the dim light of the
dungeon quarter. My half-clad body was illuminated flatteringly by the glow of
the fire. The professor still sat very rigidly in his armchair, but maintained
his usual indifferent mask. His self-control was something to be admired
repeatedly. As he was not twitching a muscle, I slowly stepped up to him.
 
“Miss Granger, what do you intend to do here?” he hissed dangerously in his
oily voice.
 
“Nothing, sir, I am only approaching you so that you can look at my injury up
close,” I stated soberly and stopped now in front of his seat, bending forward,
and could observe how his obsidian coloured eyes scanned every centimetre of my
skin.
 
This look  of his  made  one’s  spine tingle. I couldn’t hide a languorous
shiver under this intense gaze, however I had no intention to do that either.
When I was low enough, I craned my neck towards him provocatively, in order
that he could examine the bruising. His breath caressed my skin. The atmosphere
was loaded with tension. Up until now ,  no further word s  had been spoken. He
raised his hand alarmingly slow and when his finger tips gently touched my
throat ,  a spark appeared to ignite. His inky black eyes lit up, a glow visibl
e  in their depth, and I had to suppress a purr.
 
He broke this nebulous state, straightening deliberately and calling a jar to
his hands with a spell which he catched from the air, then rubbing the salve
into the skin of my throat with gentle motions. While he did that ,  I closed
my eyes appreciatively, because I enjoyed it immensely to be cared for this
much. It gave me a nice feeling to not be alone, even if he didn’t approve of
my deeds.
 
All at once I felt, to my sorrow, how the caress stopped. Nobody would believe
me that Snape was able to be this gentle. Thus I woke up from my trance and
opened my eyes abruptly to stare at him. I was rewarded with a derisive,
scornful expression, but I could live with that. Just to irritate him, I
answered with a seductive smile. Then I stood upright again and turned my back
to him. Still not a single word had been uttered between us. Again he worked
his way through meticulously and I endured everything, until he stuck a plaster
on me. I was sure I wouldn’t forget the feeling of his hands on my skin anytime
soon.
 
“Until tomorrow evening ,  everything should be healed, then you can take it
off , ” he stated quietly and I could hear how he reclined in his armchair. I
straightened fully. That was good  -  how wonderful, the Muggle way I would
have nursed this  injury  for weeks.
 
Close to him still, I turned back to face him, allowing him to have a good look
at me, before pulling up my dress again and stepping back, reclaiming my seat
and picking up my glass to take a gulp.
 
“Thank you, professor. Without your active help I wouldn’t have survived this
relatively unscathed, as I have. Should you ever… mhmh… have a wish, don’t be
afraid to tell me!” I offered righteously, flashing him a grateful smile. He
raised his brow in his typical Snape way.
 
“Miss Granger, what do you want to offer?” The suggestion was clear in his
voice and to my astonishment I felt an unexpected tingle between my thighs when
I heard his deep baritone.
 
“Whatever you wish for, sir?” I purred sensually, fully aware of how suggestive
that sounded.
 
“Where do you believe that you are? Don’t forget, you are back at Hogwarts, in
my domain! And Black is not here to protect you from me!” he said, incensed
over my provocative offer, growling deeply and yet at the same time remaining
seated with crossed legs. Oh, how cute, did he think he could frighten me with
that?
 
“Of course, sir, I would never dare to proposition you … in your … domain. And
don’t fear, no matter where we are, I would never let Sirius protect me. I
don’t need him,” I snapped at him, shooting down the very idea.
 
“Ah, our tough Miss Granger, isn’t it?” He regarded me with a cynical
expression before smiling maliciously. That was when I stood up again and
picked up my scarf, which I wrapped around my throat, and the cloak, which I
put on. I turned towards the hidden door in the book shelf.
 
“I think I will leave now. I hope we can do this again, as I think we could
help each other in many areas! And since curfew is already in action, I’ll
hurry before you punish me for breaking it, sir!” I tempted him and earned a
skeptically raised eyebrow.
 
“Do you want to be punished by me?” he seized my suggestion immediately and his
eyes lit up with a vicious glow. I replied with a shrug of my shoulder. When I
reached the door, I turned around and saw him still sitting, relaxed.
 
“Professor, one last question. What should one think of Draco Malfoy?” I
couldn’t even blink as he shot towards me like a bat out of hell and crashed me
into the books behind my back, efficiently wedging me between himself and the
shelf. I gasped in surprise, grimacing when the pain from my injury flared up
immediately.
 
His hands clutched my shoulders roughly and his face was threateningly near to
my own. His eyes pierced mine ominously. I was insecure, because in this moment
I felt something like fear, or concern.
 
Well... a bit.
 
“Keep your hands off of the boy! Don’t involve him in your games!” he hissed,
almost snakelike, as he glared at me.
 
“Oh, fearing for your favourite student? Why do you think I would or could
involve him in my games?” I replied cheekily, my expression totally unimpressed
as well, which prompted him to grind his jaw at my insolence. For sure, I would
never show him that his actions bothered me in any way.
 
“Alas, Miss Granger, why I would think that? Please, if you ask for him like
that, you show your interest plainly!” he breathed, his tone cold.
 
“And that bothers you, professor?” I asked boldly, which may not have been wise
in the precarious situation I was in at the moment. As if to validate my
thoughts, he gave off a thunderous growl before grabbing my hair brutally,
which tilted my head back, and crushing his mouth violently against mine.
 
I returned the kiss as well, consequently stoking the flames between us. I
would never have guessed that Snape could kiss like this. He overshadowed
Sirius easily as he kissed me with an all-consuming passion, not gently, oh no,
but fervently. And once again I regretted that he had refrained from kissing
Minna!
 
After a long time we disentangled, breathing heavily, and he stared at me with
gleaming eyes.
 
“Go to bed, and don’t do anything foolish, Miss Granger. And don’t forget, I
will keep an eye on you!” he reminded me, his voice hoarse and low. I would
have liked to go further, however I knew it would do me no good to try. Either
he initiated it, or not, and so I simply nodded. It was better this way, so I
left. His inner battle was plainly obvious, how he fought with himself to not
grab me and drag me to his bed, as he stepped back and released me, swallowing
repeatedly. He opened the door with a wave of his hand and let me pass.
 
His morals had prevailed, for now.
 
After I had exited through the private office door, I first breathed in deeply
multiple times. That the inquiry after Draco would make him explode like this,
I hadn’t anticipated.
 
The dungeons of Hogwarts were truly a dark, damp and cold affair. The fact that
it was Slytherin territory certainly didn’t help suppress the feeling of danger
in the air.
 
I was still propped against the wooden door and gathering my bearings,
wrestling with my arousal while caressing my kiss-bruised lips, when I was
startled by the sound of someone clearing his throat.     
 
“Why, Mudblood, I had started to believe you would stay the night,” Draco’s
mocking voice reached me, who I could now spot in the dim light of the
dungeon’s torches, leaning casually against the stone wall.
 
“And, shocked, Pureblood?” I had overcome my surprise quickly.
 
“You truly have the gift of the gab. But your lips seemed to have had a
collision,” he smiled with a laugh. “Follow me!”
 
After making the demand, he pushed himself off the wall and waved his hand
commandingly, motioning me to accompany him.
 
Which I promptly did. Being the obedient girl I was.
***** Slytherin *****
Chapter Notes
     Here we are again!
     Thanks so, so much for your Kudos and awesome Reviews! I can't tell
     you how much we love you, guys!
     Please enjoy this weeks chapter. A treat for all Dramione Lovers. xx
     Much Love,
     Cate and Co. xxx
Slytherin
 
He led me deeper and deeper into the catacombs, which he seemed to know inside
out. I looked at his tall, straight back, and his radiant blond hair, which
seemed like a beacon in this darkness. I wondered what he wanted and where he
wanted to go. This all went through my mind. I also knew that it was almost
midnight and I actually had a date with the Twins at one o'clock. But as I
followed him, my thoughts flew back to Snape. He had never been so close to me
- Hermione, his student - since he always behaved very properly! I really must
have aggravated him beyond reason and I refer to the whole evening, since I
didn't think that only the mention of Draco had produced such a reaction.
 
Oh Goddess, I remembered as well that I had to thank Draco for the tip on the
train. Oh man, everything just happened at once  -  one could only get a
headache in this situation,  but  luckily my skull was very thick and stubborn.
Finally, he stopped in front of a random stone wall, turned his head to me,
smirking, and whispered so that I could hear it still ,  "Snake  p it , " and
he ordered me to enter. If I hadn't been training for ages to suppress my
emotions, it would've been a time for me to look astonished.
 
The Slytherin Prince itself brought me into the sanctuary of the snakes, to the
common room of Slytherin. I was speechless, but I followed him. I would've
liked to ask him if this was  such a  brilliant idea, but since he was the boss
here, I thought he knew what he was doing . After all,  I got to see the common
room which I had only heard about from Harry and Ron in our second year, as
they had gained access at that time with the help of the polyjuice potion and
had had to leave me behind, to my great annoyance. My impression  was that
Harry and Ron had been blinded by their prejudices towards the snakes, as they
had told me about the ugliness and coldness  of the room.
 
Now I must say that the high room with the stone pillars, perforated by several
glass panes through which one could gaze into the shimmering green lake, and
the large circular spheres hanging from the high ceiling, the large fireplace
with the voluminous, inviting resting area and the many armchairs  -
everything in matching colors of green and silver - had a certain chic, which
met my taste very well.
 
Thus I was more than positively surprised to find such a beautiful environment.
This was also much more spacious than the Gryffindor area, which was perhaps
more homely in itself, but this room here had something majestic and
impressive. Draco immediately walked to the seating island in front of the
fireplace. The room was empty, as I had ascertained with a searching glance.
 
"Take a seat!" he pointed to the couch. So I sat down once again on the
assigned place on the couch while he chose the armchair opposite me.
 
"What is going on between you and my godfather?" he came straight to the point.
 
"Your what? Godfather… ?" That caught me  unawares . Snape was Malfoy's
godfather, that just made  total sense  now, yet I briefly shook my head to
sort out the idea in my head . Was that the reason for Snape ’ s violent
reaction? Did he want to protect his godson? Or  something else ? Yes, but
what?  Jealousy ? I wondered .  Nonsense! Fear I might spoil his beloved
godson? Wasn't Draco already  spoiled  to some extent?
 
"Did the cat catch your tongue, Granger?" Draco teased in good spirits and
leaned back casually.
 
"Mh-hm.. .  that you  two are so close   wasn't clear to me," I agreed
honestly.
 
"You didn't answer my question," he reminded me. "But wait. Twinks!" he
shouted, authoritatively into the room and immediately there was a pop and a
knee-high house elf appeared, which stared devotedly at Draco with flapping
ears. "Master Draco. What wishes Master Draco?" the little thing squeaked
submissively.
 
"Bring us two hot chocolates, with a shot of whiskey!" he demanded, waving his
hand. Whereupon the elf served the desired beverages just seconds later,
setting the hot, steaming, giant, dark brown cups in front of us. The sweet,
sweet scent of the chocolate drifted towards me and made my mouth water.
 
"Thank you!" I said, taking the cup to warm my hands. Draco leaned back with
his cup, gently blowing into  it , not letting me out of his  sight.
 
"I wanted to thank you for the tip with the dog, that was very kind of you.
Thank you!" I thanked him graciously, actually sincere.
 
"That was what you wanted to achieve with your offer! Or did I misunderstand
something?" he asked slyly and raised one of his white-blond brows and now I
had an explanation why his manners were so similar to Snape’s. His godfather!
There were  some  things  that were just  superb.
 
"No, no, I.. .  this is absolutely correct. I was just surprised and very
pleased that you had apparently decided in my favour and  so  unexpectedly fast
,  too!" I smiled at him now and raised my cup to him. If Snape, after the
argument earlier and his resulting threat, knew that I was now sitting in the
Slytherin common room and drinking delicious  hot  chocolate with Draco, he
would rip me to shreds. The thought made me giggle. I loved playing, as
dangerous as it could be, and that Snape was dangerous was out of the question.
 
"Did that sound suggestive to only me, or did your tongue just slip, Granger?"
he asked ,  intrigued. I shrugged again after such a direct question. What
should I answer  to  something like this ?  So I kept quiet.
 
"A question :  isn't it too dangerous for us to sit here and have a nice drink
if some other Slytherin might come in?" I curiously looked around in the big
room.
 
"Granger, I'm the boss of this house, I've ordered everyone to be in the
dormitories by eleven o’clock and they aren't allowed to come out again. They
won't break the order!" he said very arrogantly and condescendingly.
 
"Wow!" I felt impressed. What could be said without blowing up his ego even
more. Haha, it didn't seem to please him that I had nothing more to say.
 
"But don't think I'd forget your answer to my question over your babble, I'm
waiting!" he demanded impatiently.
 
"You mean about Snape?"
 
"Yes, exactly, what's going on? I mean, you were for almost two hours in his
rooms. He never lets students in, even I can only come in when I'm about to die
and then you come out and one can clearly see that you two have kissed!" His
eyes now captured me. They speared me like silvery steel, outright forcing me
to give an answer.
 
"You offered to build a, eh relationship. I think I've shown a lot of goodwill
today, but you haven't shown much from your side, Hermione!" he said very
intimately, and oh, this manipulative bastard called me Hermione now. I had
already said, Draco was good, but with teachers like Snape and his father, the
politician, it wasn't surprising. He had skillfully pushed me into a corner
from which I could no longer manoeuvre myself out. Sheesh! So I resigned myself
to it, closing my eyes, sighing, and knew if I opened them, that I would look
towards a triumphant grin and oh, how correct I was. I have seldom seen
anything nastier than his grin, but it him look devilishly good.
 
"Ok, Draco, you win, but before I even say a word, you have to allow me to put
some spells on this room, because no one is allowed to know what I'm going to
tell you, and that's not me doubting your authority in Slytherin, but a pure
precaution," I explained in detail and quickly because he wanted to interrupt
me, but ultimately he nodded, accepting, something I wouldn't have expected. So
I secured the room with an 'Imperturbatio' and the 'Muffliato' so no one could
hear us.
 
"Satisfied?" Draco asked. I shook my head no.
 
"Now comes the difficult part to be honest with you. I will have to cast a
spell on you that prevents you from talking about my secrets and disclosing my
identity, and before you say 'no', it won't harm you, honestly! And the
professor has also consented and he's fine," I said quickly again, trying to
prevent him from interrupting me. He looked at me as if I was absolutely crazy,
his mask had slightly slipped, I'd say.
 
"What.. Se.. Severus has allowed you to lay a spell on him?" he stuttered not
very Malfoy-like, but I shouldn't point that out to him.
 
"Yes, he did and he didn't regret it!" I smiled gently.
 
"I don't know... you ask a lot," he said appraisingly, slowly, rubbing his
face. "And you aren’t lying to me?", he probed, gazing deeply into my eyes,
searching for the truth. I looked back at him calmly. "I swear, I'm not lying
to you, Draco," it came seriously over my dishonest lips. He continued to
search the depth of my eyes again, doe-brown meeting light grey, and once again
I felt this deep, serene connection, just like on the train today, and
apparently, he felt it too, as he nodded slowly. I quickly pulled out my hidden
white wand and said, "Credere Tacientiae, 'Hermione'!"
 
"So that's it, thank you for your cooperation, Draco," I thanked him kindly and
then, as I began to feel really at home, pulled my feet under my legs and
cuddled myself into the couch. It was really late by now.
 
"Now, I expect answers! What is going on?" he asked promptly, beholding my way
of getting comfortable with a cynical smile. "And nice that you feel so at home
in Slytherin."
 
"Where do I start? You've seen my wound, and you wanted proof of how much I
trusted you, sot I’ll tell you where I got it. I had the eerie luck to meet two
Death Eaters in a muggle area -" Here he interrupted me rudely.
 
"What.. What.. how could that happen, I thought they would take care of you!"
he said indignantly and all at once looked really furious. Wow, I really
wouldn't have expected this reaction, Draco too would have to explain a few
things to me.
 
"Well, I had really bad luck," I shrugged my shoulders.
 
"Bad luck? You could've died! I mean, look at the injury, it wasn't a small
one. What was it anyway?" he asked now, starting to calm down after he had
noticed my coolness.
 
"Mh-hm.. wasn't nice.. a knife," I said abruptly, because I still didn't like
to talk about it.
 
"What... What..?" A speechless Malfoy, one didn't see this happen that often
and the sight cheered me up.
 
"So Draco, really, slowly but surely, you sound like a broken record," I joked,
and got rewarded with an hilarious, venomous look.
 
"Don't be angry, it's not easy for me, because.. the two were Derrick and Bole.
You know the two of them," I said stupidly, since they had been here last year,
how could he not know these snakes, but as I said, the subject wasn't easy for
me. Now he stared at me with huge eyes, which almost popped out of his head,
since he had completely lost his mask. Apparently he knew what had happened to
the two.
 
"Severus saved you?" he gasped out quickly. I shook my head.
 
"No, I helped myself!" I corrected softly, causing him to stare at me with his
mouth open, dropping his mask a little bit more.
 
"Yes, oh man, this will probably be a long night and I have another date," I
murmured.
 
"Don't think I'm going to let you go now!" Draco threatened and rose slightly
from his seat.
 
"That's what I thought, I haven't planned to run off now and because of your
reaction I assume that you know what happened to Bole and yes, I'm the reason
for both of their fates. I've slaughtered him, and Derrick got an Obliviate!" I
said very coldly, because I was already upset again. I grabbed my cup like a
weapon and was more than happy about the whiskey in the cocoa.
 
"You.. you mean that.. was you?" he stammered, agitated. "Father said he'd
almost been beheaded.." and tousled his hair, very unusual for a Malfoy.
 
"Wow, really? I.. I didn't know, I just slit his throat and he rammed a knife
into me," I explained, having difficulties to remain calm and pointed to the
center of my body, which he had taken care of today in the afternoon. This info
was new. I thought about it. Had I put so much force in the slash? Man, I was
strong!
 
"Wow." The exclamation escaped from his lips in amazement, but I didn't let him
talk, just unwrapped my scarf from my neck, an action which he followed with
disbelieving astonishment, for I presented him with my bruised throat. He rose
smoothly, slid down next to me, and closed the distance between us. He peered
at the visible fingerprints, then raised his hand as if in a trance, and looked
questioningly into my eyes. I gave him the permission for his unspoken request
and could feel his cold, smooth fingers on my slightly heated skin as they
gently traced along the prints. He began to caress my neck. It was a very nice
feeling.
 
"How barbaric, but nothing else can be expected from Bole," he said
contemptuously.
 
"They wanted to kill me. I had to defend myself, so I'm not sorry for it," I
said resolutely, but amazed at how easy it was for me to be honest with Draco.
He still stared at me, but nodded and drank from his cup as if it were pure
alcohol.
 
"Snape patched me up, so I put the spell on him. I really didn't want to take
any risk, you understand. And what had happened just now with him... he tended
my wound and in the end I asked him how I should view you! This question caused
him to jump at me and kiss me hard against the wall! Well, and then he warned
me to keep my fingers off and not play any games with you.-. maybe you could
explain this to me?" Draco was still staring, then leant back a moment later,
his bright eyes closing, and thought.
 
"This is awesome Granger, now I can understand all the spells. I would never
have ever trusted you to do something like that, because Potter and Weasel
would kill you if they were to know about it," he mused and suddenly began to
explode with laughter, but instead of being insulted or angry, he infected me
and so we were splayed out on the couch, rather than sitting, holding our
bellies in laughter
 
I, the Mudblood Granger, and the pure-blooded Malfoy joined together in
friendly laughter. It was so good, so liberating. We were wiping the tears from
the corners of our eyes.
 
"Do you know what I find most shocking? You already have a human life on your
conscience. How can you be so relaxed, it must be terrible.." I interrupted him
abruptly with a gesture and immediately stopped laughing, putting my hand over
his mouth..
 
"Draco, it was the most disgusting and terrible thing I've ever done, but it
was him or me, as you can see on my body. It was just cruel, the way my knife
slit open his throat. If you ask me, I think an Avada is only half as bad,
because it isn't so... personal. Yes, personal meets it quite well! All that
blood, a lot of blood on me, that makes the whole thing even more real... I
don't take it easy, but I also know I would always do it again," I explained
and nodded reassuringly, for when I thought back to the situation, I was sure I
would make the same decision and save my life, again and again.
 
"Wow, that sounds harsh, though realistic! Then I was right that you've
experienced a lot in your holidays, but that you finished off the two thugs
Bole and Derrick all on your own... It sounds incredible! I really can’t
believe it!" Draco seemed positively thrilled.
 
"Well, you shouldn't underestimate me, right? I'm really good!" I grinned.
 
"But the most amazing thing ever is that the always correct Gryffindor has
already done what, as I know, no Slytherin living here has done so far,
although everybody assumes it. What does that tell us?" he exclaimed cynically.
 
"That not everything is as it seems!" I told him with a cryptic smile.
 
"Quite true! In my opinion, there is no black or white, but at most a grey with
a lot of shading! I think Dumbledore sees the whole thing too narrow-mindedly
with good and evil, it's not that simple," Draco explained what I always
thought. It was really amazing, we completed each other's thoughts. This was so
unexpected, but also nice.
 
"Exactly, what I think, Draco. Now tell me, what do you think of me now, the
murderess, Hermione?" I dared to ask and squinted up at him questioningly.
 
"What should I think of you? I am astonished that you had the guts and ability
to do it! But otherwise you have my respect. These two were assholes, who
deserved nothing else. I don't feel sorry for them and it might sound
unbelievable, but rather I'm sorry that you have come out of the whole affair
so badly," he told me very seriously and had raised my chin with his finger, so
I ended up looking directly at him and saw that what was said was meant
sincerely. "Thank you," I breathed tonelessly, which made him smile softly.
 
"And what did you mean about Snape now?" I asked next, inquisitively, after I
had risen up a bit.
 
"Well, I haven't seen my uncle like that. I'm not surprised he helped you, even
though he is a Death Eater, he can't help it. But that he would freak out just
because of my name and kiss you, that's weird." He visibly thought about it
while he continued.
 
"Severus protects me very much, since I was born and now, since the Dark Lord
is back, even more. He thinks I'm still a child, but I haven't been a child for
a long time! Maybe he thinks you're bad for me, since he knows about your
experiences, and you're a Gryffindor and muggle-born!" he explained musingly,
but he didn't seem to really know.
 
"Why since your birth?" I asked curiously, because that had made me wonder.
 
"You're good at listening between the lines. Now, Narcissa was never a real
mother to me. She did her duty and gave birth to the heir, since then I haven't
seen her very often. Afterwards, she gave me into the hands of tutors and
nurses, only father and Severus took care of me and because father was always
very involved in his business, Severus is very close to me," he explained very
controlled the cold and impersonal family life of the Malfoys.
 
"Oh man, I'm sorry. Unfortunately, you can’t choose your parents, right? But
now back to Snape again. I understand, you mean that the caring Snape wants to
protect you, poor snake, from the evil Hermione. Mh-hm, but that doesn't
explain the kiss or..", I summarized, because that still interested me.
 
"Right you are, but I have no idea. He is always very controlled! That he
kissed you, a student, is really strange. You've had to irritate him very much,
let's see what he's going to do next. However, it looks like we don't care
about his threat, do we? I won't let anyone dictate me with whom I'm spending
my time with," he chuckled mischievously.
 
"We're terrible! But right you are, I am also reluctant to let anyone dictate
what I do. And now tell me, what terrible thing has happened to you? I think I
know that you haven't.. chrm murdered anyone.. chrm.. but could it be that you
saw someone being murdered?" I asked curiously.
 
"Yes, you're right, unfortunately. I had to watch, or I was allowed to watch,
whatever! The Dark Lord likes great spectacles and I had to be there, too, with
father and Severus. I've seen a few wizards, who hadn't been loyal to him,
getting tortured and killed as a punishment. Very disgusting, very slow and
long death... Shit, I still have nightmares from it. These buggers are very
inventive!" he explained, and showed his mask again. I nodded in understanding.
Well, we all had our baggage to carry, and so I put a comforting hand on his
shoulder, and gently squeezed it, which gave me a distorted smile in return,
though he seemed pleased that I didn't overwhelm him with pity. But before we
could pour out our hearts, we heard a sudden flap of wings.
 
"What ...?" I asked irritated.
 
"Post, owl's coming," Draco informed me, and a black eagle owl shot out of a
pipe and flew towards me with a letter, landing beside me on the couch.
 
"Are you bringing me post?" I inquired gently, taking the letter from the dear
damned creature. It remained seated and tried to drink from my cup, a really
naughty bird.
 
I opened the letter and almost started to have a new laughing fit. Here was
written, no, Professor Snape ordered me to appear at 10 o'clock on Tuesday
night at the Beheaded Hangman in Knockturn Alley. The letter was addressed to
Minna Cale, wasn't that too funny? I must have irritated the poor man so much,
he was forced to make an appointment with Minna for the day after tomorrow. Oh
my goddess, he could never ever know. A wicked grin graced my face. Of course,
I would appear as desired. Why? First, he had saved my life. He could ask a lot
of me and I would give it to him. Secondly, I had already liked the first time,
why forgo the fun? Now that I knew as well how well he could kiss, although he
would never kiss me as Minna, which was a pity, however the sex hadn't been
half bad, too.
 
Draco watched me, frowning, as I rose and gave the letter to the fire, before I
quickly conjured quill and paper. I swiftly wrote two letters. The first was
for Rita, with the request to meet me at Trafalgar Square on Tuesday at 9 pm
and to bring me a quick-quotes quill. I signed the letter with 'from a good
friend', which would make her mad. The second letter was for Sirius, that it
might well be midnight until I would come to him, here I signed with 'the
magpie'. And the thought of Sirius made me hesitate, but then I pushed it from
me, because just now Snape seemed like a job to me, I could justify this,
right? I mean, I didn't have a real relationship with Sirius, right? I quickly
pushed the pesky thought away from me.
 
"Would you do me the favor and bring these two letters to London? The one here
is for Rita Skeeter and the second here for Sirius Black and only give the
letter to them!" I requested and tied the letters to the eagle owl and threw it
into the air.
 
"What was that..?" Draco asked, who had been waiting quietly until now.
 
"Nothing, I've only seized the moment and sent a few important letters," I said
succinctly.
 
"Yes, but what kind of message did you get? You should know I've recognized the
bird," he said suggestively. That was probably Draco's nice way of telling me
that he knew I had received a message from Snape.
 
"It would take too much time now, but I promise faithfully, we will talk about
this. But for today I call it quits. It’s three o’clock after all. Or do you
disagree?"
 
"You know, you won't escape me! Though you're right, it's late, but I won't
forget the questions about Skeeter and Black, so I expect a lot of answers next
time," he stated, not really ready to compromise, as he rose. When I bent down,
he was quicker to retrieve my scarf, picked it up from the table, letting the
black-and-white gleaming silk glide through his hands. I looked at him
attentively, as he slowly approached me and lifted it up to wrap it around my
neck, very gently, very accurately. My breath caught in my throat. It was a
very intimate situation that left me motionless. Draco's scent reached my
nostrils again. Sandalwood.
 
It was kind of special, how he tugged my hair out of my scarf and made Bole's
act invisible to the outside world. When I looked up, I gazed in a pair of
light grey, intensely bright eyes. "Sleep well, my Mudblood!" Draco whispered
to me and kissed my forehead tenderly. It was so incredible, but also
incredibly beautiful and unexpected, these gentle gestures and then a kiss on
my forehead. That I was perplexed would be an understatement.
 
"Thank you. Sleep well, my Pureblood," I whispered hoarsely and gently raked my
fingers through his loosely falling, blond strands. I had wanted to feel them
for a long time, wondered if they were really as soft as they seemed. Oh yes,
they were. Like silk, running my hands through them felt wonderful.
 
"I never thought you could be like that," I whispered.
 
"I would never have thought you could be like you are, but I'm all the more
pleased that I was wrong," he whispered to me, giving me a bewitching smile as
he guided me to the door.
 
"Take care!" he whispered in parting, apparently wanting to have the last word.
And so I started the long track back, wondering if the twins had waited up for
me.
***** The First School Day *****
Chapter Notes
     A big thanks for all the Kudos and Reviews! ♥
     This Chapter is Dedicated to one of my Betas: Penny. She loved it and
     I hope you do too. xx
     Enjoy xx
     Warning: A bit of Twincest. xx
The first school day
 
Thanks to several secret passages I made it relatively quickly, but above all,
unobserved to the portrait and whispered the password to the loudly snoring fat
lady. She slid to the side, giving me access to the round entrance and let me
slip into our common room, which looked the same as all the years before. The
room was circular and had many windows, which gave a good view of the castle
grounds all around. Unlike the snakes, we had many different, non-matching
armchairs and tables. Everything felt used and the colors of red and gold
dominated. The carpet in front of the open fire had some fire holes, too. Under
Draco’s watchful eye it would've been taken care of immediately, I thought,
amused. At other times, this room was always filled to bursting with loudly
chattering - or rather roaring - lions, but at this hour the room was empty,
well almost.
 
As expected, the twins had been waiting for me and apparently knew how to use
their waiting time very pleasantly. I found them on the carpet I described
earlier, which they had made into their very own playground. Thus I could once
again be a witness to their display of affection. So I accepted my fate and
scurried over to my favorite chair by the fire, subsequently having a
phenomenal view of the enthusiastically joined bodies of the two.
 
Fred knelt behind George, holding him firmly by his hips in a doggy position. I
pulled my feet under my legs and cuddled into my chair, then conjured a
blanket. Both of them just turned their heads towards me and grinned at me
mischievously, but didn't seem disturbed. Their bright red hair was tousled in
all directions, and thanks to the fire it seemed as if it had caught fire. I
was allowed to watch how Fred's cock - glistening between his brothers buttocks
- was thrust repeatedly inside his brother’s body and then got faster and
faster. George's panting and whimpering was heart-touching, but Fred really
took him hard. That I got to watch the lovemaking of the Twins after the night
I had had, was absolutely clear! I was really a darling of fortune, so I
quickly pulled out my wand and checked if they had thought of the safety ward.
However, they had thought of it despite all their fervour, but then they were
always very careful.
 
The moaning and panting became louder and louder, and finally Fred reached
forward to put his hand around George’s so far neglected, but more than hard
member, and began to rub it violently. George bit his lips hard, though his
face showed wild passion. I think since I began to watch them, the two had ran
up to top form. I had to giggle softly, as I found it amusing to act as voyeur
and was glad that I could live out my own sexual desires no later than tomorrow
night.
 
It wouldn't take much longer now, for George's entire body began to twitch and
spasm hard. He produced a loud, freeing scream and poured his seed into Fred's
hand, who was thrown over the edge by his brother’s orgasm and came with a
guttural cry. He threw his head back and thrust his hips forward forcefully for
a last time. Both of them were out of breath, the sweat glistening on their
naked bodies, but now Fred flashed me a sly glance.
 
"And, did you like the show, most beautiful?" he laughed, at ease. I nibbled my
lower lip.
 
"Not bad, but certainly with potential of improving! But I'm glad you're using
the first night at school so well," I guffawed.
 
"Pah, don't listen to her Fred, it was fantastic," George said, breathlessly,
from below, while attempting to get up. They both cleaned themselves with
spells and dressed into their horribly colourful pajamas.
 
"You didn't even blush. We won't be able to shock you with anything at all,
will we?" Fred said a bit sadly and slumped into the couch.
 
"Well, why should I blush. I found it rather stimulating. You're a beautiful
couple," I smiled slightly. "You haven't really waited that long for me, have
you?"
 
"Yes, we have, and thanks to the map, we know exactly who stopped you! And
frankly, the why is a different question and almost lets us die of curiosity!
Since when do you fancy snakes?" George asked with disbelief, but cuddled
himself calmly into Fred. Neither of them seemed too shocked about their
finding.
 
"Just wait a second. First, give me the map, I want to get us out of it," I
said firmly, putting out my hand. George stretched and fished for the piece of
parchment, which lay on a side table, and handed it over to Fred, who handed it
to me. It was activated and showed the nocturnal people of Hogwarts. I now
focused on the spells for myself, George and Fred, and, upon a touch of
delusion, for Draco as well. It worked like this: if we were to speak Geminio,
the map would only show the exact copy of us and where it was, but we, the real
people, could walk around unrecognized, invisible to the map and without being
discovered. It was relatively easy and quickly done. Then I turned off the map
with a "Mischief managed.”
 
"What kind of spells were you mumbling?" Fred asked curiously.
 
"In the future, all you have to do is create a Geminio and then you'll be
invisible to the map because it shows your copy only. Awesome isn't it?" I
beamed at them.
 
"Wow! Awesome idea. But you're the best in things like that anyway. And you
included us in the spell, thank you!" George piped sweetly.
 
"You’re welcome. Should I blush now?" I giggled, amused. In the company of the
Twins, I always felt oddly at ease.
 
"Yes please, we love it when you blush, you look so girly then," they teased me
and I grimaced. "Yuck! Me and girly," I waved the notion aside, disgusted by
the very thought.
 
"And now, what do you think where I have been?"
 
"Well, first you were with the dungeon bat, but since Sirius had summoned him
so nicely after the appearance of your magpie, we roughly assume that it had
something to do with it still, right? But directly into his private rooms, that
was surprising. Hats off, the places you manage to get into. Did he want to
shag you?" they inquired provocatively. How right they were, were the two
channeling Trelawney?
 
"Correct, I was lightly injured and therefore Sirius had fetched him and today
he did a re-examination and afterwards had a nice chat and some red wine with
me… Shag!? Why would you think that?" I asked curiously.
 
"Unbelievable, our most beautiful can even crack the hard shell of the bat!
Well, he's a man and you're attractive," this compliment came easily over their
lips.
 
"Red wine, I thought he was drinking blood," Fred said spitefully.
 
"Haha exactly. No, the wine was very good and it was nice. He kissed me!" I
whispered in the end.
 
"Whaa.. Wha.. Whaaaat.. he has what, he is a professor!" George yelled
indignantly and opened his eyes wide.
 
"I wouldn't have expected him to have the balls to do so! Wicked!", it came
very drily from Fred, though also very enlightening. He clearly was the more
evil twin.
 
"Yeah, right, and Fred is your brother and you're doing quite different things
with him. As I was allowed to witness personally only five minutes ago," I
reminded them discreetly.
 
"But, but still, and you haven't cursed him?", George seemed a little shocked,
while Fred was just grinning dreamily.
 
"And.. and how is he? I mean, I can imagine that under all that layers is a
very handsome chest," said the latter, he also wagged around with his hands in
the air and licked over his rosy lips. So curious? Fred then got a hard jab in
the side. "Ouch, it was only a question, man!", he defended himself, whining
and lamenting wimpishly as he rubbed his aching side.
 
"Mh-mh.. he kisses really good. Why should I have cursed him? I owe this man my
life, the injury wasn't small, and he is a very good kisser!" I grinned at Fred
sardonically, who answered the smile understandingly.
 
"Oh, well, then you go on kissing the dungeon bat, it's your business! But
something else, what about Sirius? I think he wouldn't be pleased to learn that
he is being swapped for a snake, especially the professor," George remarked
thoughtfully and hit a sore spot, piercing me with his big, round eyes. Fred
and I rolled our eyes at the same time. Fred groaned.
 
"George, sometimes I'm ashamed of you! What he doesn't know, won't hurt him!"
he said contemptuously, slapping his thighs, laughing when George glared at him
in shock. I, too, had to stifle my laughter, because George tried to act moral.
"Really?" George echoed, shocked.
 
"Yes really! This thing with Sirius and me was always just temporary! It came
with an expiration date," I said unimpressed and giggled, because I really saw
it that way. I liked Sirius very much, but I didn't love him.
 
"Okay, ahaha, then on to the next topic! What the hell were you doing in the
snakes’ common room? We almost had a heart attack when we saw your change of
place and then in this company as well! I had to keep hold of Fred so he
wouldn't go to your rescue!" George snapped, waiting anxiously for my reply.
 
"Right and with all that shock you had to start banging?" I asked sarcastically
and looked at both of them, amused.
 
"Yeah, stress and shock, one has to work it off somehow..." Fred grinned like
the little devil he was.
 
"Draco had..", here I got rudely interrupted by both of them, as they loudly
exclaimed animal sounds, these chaos-twins.
 
"Draco.. Draco.. Draco.. you don't call that ferret Draco, do you?" They looked
nauseated and were choking disgustingly.
 
"Draco and I have created a, a base on which we want to build, and for that
reason he ambushed me at Snape’s and then took me to the common room. It was a
very interesting and nice conversation," I said solemnly, both of them goggling
at me, while they were unusually quiet and attentive. "Are you serious?" George
responded breathlessly.
 
"But.. Hermione, he calls you Mudblood," Fred said cautiously with a question
behind his statement, as if he were doubting my mind.
 
"So what? I call him Pureblood, it's become our inside joke," I shrugged
nonchalantly.
 
"You and your callousness. Can you really trust him, Hermione?" they enquired
carefully, proceeding very cautiously.
 
"Believe it or not, but yes, I trust him to a certain extent!", I declared with
surprising conviction and so I told them of the warning about the dog, which
surprised the Twins very much. But I didn't tell them that I always felt a deep
understanding and sense of belonging when I looked into his eyes.
 
"Wow, I would've never expected that from Malfoy, maybe you're right. That
you're getting on so well the snakes though, incredible! Say, how was their
pit?", and he hissed, flickering with his tongue, such a slob.
 
"I'll give you something to hiss about, silly! However, I must say, it's really
beautiful. The room is big and grand, I like it. And besides, I'm always right,
and now I say, off to bed, two, three hours of sleep are little enough," I
said, exhausted, and cautiously stretched my back. I was already looking
forward to the new batch of potions, which I would be able to take soon.
 
"What, it's so late? Oh man, I'm gonna be so dead tomorrow," they moaned and
joked as they moved to their dormitories. "Or our eyes will be so red ...", I
rolled my eyes over this nonsense. As I went to bed, I collapsed into it. Gosh,
I was exhausted and I wouldn't even be able to run tomorrow morning, that made
me grumpy once again. However, I just emptied my mind and fell asleep like a
stone. It seemed like merely seconds had passed by when I opened my eyes again.
I was awake at seven o'clock sharp. I would've given myself one more hour, one
should be generous with oneself, but my mind saw it differently. So I would
still be one of the - or rather  the -  first, who would be sitting at our
table in the Great Hall half an hour later, because even at Hogwarts, a full
timetable would welcome me and I wasn’t just talking about the school’s
timetable. Here, too, my own timetable continued stringently. Although I had a
full schedule again - with eleven subjects it was really crammed full - like
every year it wasn't enough for me.
 
And so I sat prim and proper at half past eight in front of my vital cup of
coffee and ate my little piece of toast. I hated eating much in the morning.
The hall was still almost empty, but a blond head of hair and light-grey eyes
stood out at the Slytherin table. It seemed like he hadn't slept much, too, or
he just got by with little sleep. We gave each other a hidden smile and
covertly wished each other a good morning. Oh, that was too funny. Gradually,
more and more pupils, arrived in the hall, some of them looking more like
corpses as they had stayed up too late, and the noise level continued to
increase. The Daily Prophet arrived, and so did my copy. I grumbled angrily
into my third cup, because again there was such a slanderous article, just not
from Rita, and I knew I had to live with my annoyance about that fact. I could
hear some other students whispering about Harry, bitching about the ‘pigheaded
nonsense’, which he had been ‘sprouting’ since the end of the tournament. It
seemed this year wouldn't be easy for him either.
 
Draco gave me a penetrating look, which told me what he thought about it; that
they were blind ignorant morons to close their eyes against the facts that the
Dark Lord was back. I just shrugged, showing my depreciatory opinion that one
couldn't help the blind. An action that made him snort mildly into his cup.
Such a nonverbal conversation was really fun. His eyes gleamed mischievously. I
probably looked similar, but it was too exciting. Just before eight, McGonagall
handed me my timetable. First of all Binns, oh goddess, did they do this on
purpose? They would send Ron and Harry into a coma, but well, I had to go to
the library to do some research, I would still have another hour. The moment I
got up, my classmates stormed into the Great Hall, all more or less
approachable.
 
"Hermione, you're already here. We didn't know where you were. Where are you
going?" Ginny cackled like a agitated chicken. Her red hair clashed terribly
with the blue eyeshadow she had applied. After escaping from her mother's
clutches, she seemed to be experimenting.
 
"Uh, I couldn't sleep that well, I thought I'd get up already," I said sweetly
and felt sorry for myself that I had to justify myself again.
 
"Morning, Hermione!" Harry whispered tiredly, as he approached me and breathed
a chaste kiss on my cheek, which irritated Draco enough to watch us with
slightly widened eyes, from what I could observe. What, he didn't like that?
Interesting! That Harry was allowed to touch me like that, hey, he was my best
friend and since our conversation in the Black Library, our relationship had
strengthened. Harry often touched me and often sought out physical closeness,
something that seemed very important to me, and I hoped it would drive away his
trauma from these damned Dursleys!
 
"Harry, dear, we have to talk, the Prophet is lying again, that's why so many
people look at us weirdly!" I whispered to him intimately and informatively,
but Harry astonished me, he only raised his cup gruffly to drink with a cynical
snort.
 
"I know. We had a quarrel with Seamus yesterday in the dormitory. His mother
and he believe what the newspaper says," he said, miserably, and put his arm
around my waist in the middle of the Great Hall, looking for closeness on his
own for the first time. It was as if he needed support and I gave him this
gladly, for that I was strong enough. However, that made the hall buzz again
like an excited beehive. Even Ron frowned at us, while he was already starting
- not very flatteringly - to slaughter his breakfast at a dizzying speed.
 
"No, it is bad! I'm so sorry Harry, but they're all idiots. They'll see it when
it's too late," I summed up pragmatically and hugged him tightly, causing many
whispers in the hall. Ginny glared at us murderously. I didn't give a shit at
that moment. Harry needed support  now .
 
"Harry, enjoy your breakfast. I'm already finished and will go to the library!
See you at Binns," turning around slowly. He gave me a sincere, sweet smile as
his hands slid of me. "But Hermione, learning isn't everything," Ron muttered,
munching, and my lips moved into a disapproving line.
 
"You have a wonderful morning as well, and please don't talk whilst chewing on
your food, Ron, it's unattractive," I told him whilst passing him. The Twins
laughed at my sermon, and even Malfoy seemed amused. It was nice when you could
make so many people happy.
 
The day passed relatively quickly. The hours came blow by blow and brought some
work with them. I tried to work on quite some homework assignments during each
individual class so that I could use the free time for something more important
and meaningful.
 
Potions was the last class of the day and I looked forward to it with
excitement because I was sure he wouldn't let anyone see that he had kissed me
and so crossed a line as a teacher. Not that I would blame him, because our
relationship had changed exorbitantly, and his 'misdemeanor' was safe with me.
But I didn't know what I had to expect from him after he had let himself go, so
I was very interested in how he would act. I hadn't seen him all day. He hadn't
appeared at any meal, I had only heard from other classes that his mood was
extremely bad, abysmal even. After last night I wouldn’t be surprised. He
certainly had to go to bed with a small or perhaps a very big problem. That's a
sure way to ruin a man’s mood. And Minna would be at his disposal earliest
tomorrow. The poor students, at the mercy of an unsatisfied man.
 
When, as one of the last, I entered the rather dark classroom, he looked at me
attentively but stoically. Then I realized, that he had the same questions
about my reaction when we first saw each other again and that he couldn't be
sure of how I would behave. I didn't let myself get worked up, looked calmly
around the room, and slowly took my seat near the door, remaining on my own.
Harry and Ron had entrenched themselves in the far back, together with Neville,
trying to hide from our professor. The walls were furnished with shelves, which
housed pickled creatures and objects, some of which looked creepy, but were
nothing in comparison to the pharmacy in the Knockturn Alley.
 
These dark eyes managed to captivate me anew in their absolute, calm serenity.
The way he stood there at the front and dominated everything was impressive,
which was enhanced by the big blackboard behind him! I looked to the other
students as we were together with the Slytherins and could see Draco sitting on
the other side, just opposite me, and not letting Snape and me out of his
sight. I knew he was trying to figure out what was going on with Snape, because
I didn't know. Very well, maybe Draco would notice more than me. And seconds
later the lesson began and Snape excelled in being his usual self. He was, as
always, unbearable towards us Gryffindors. At the end, he gave us a much too
long treatise on Moonstone.
 
When it was over and most of the students left the dungeons directly in their
usual fast speed, I deliberately took my time and gave the professor a cheeky
smile, which he couldn't resist to reply to. The corners of his mouth twitched
a little as I turned to the door and was amazed that this was all of it.
Although I realized that this was perhaps more than I could ever have expected.
Suddenly a light-skinned hand shot out of nowhere in the dark, now very
deserted corridor and pulled me quickly into a niche. I felt a body pressing
close to mine. I felt no fear, for the scent I knew, sandalwood.
 
"You really can't stay away from me for long," I whispered amused.
 
 "What the hell are you doing to him, he smiled!" he enquired insistently.
 
"You saw that?" I asked perplexed, but I could hardly make him out in the dim
light.
 
"Yes, I was the last one and stood hidden from the door. He never smiles,
never, damn!" he growled agitatedly.
 
"What do your observations tell you?" I wanted to know, now interested about
his unusual behaviour.
 
"Nothing, that's what scares me, I don't know him like that. Be careful! He's
hard to judge when he's like this, and he's like my father, not a nice man!"
Draco warned me, unfamiliarly empathetic, but also very serious.
 
"I know that! Of course, thanks for the warning! But you're a nice man?" I
asked, with a good dose of skepticism in my voice.
 
"Don't be fooled, I was raised by those two. I don't think I'm nice," he
whispered close to my ear, causing me goosebumps.
 
"Oh, that's good, nice men aren't my type! I’ll have to tell you the whole
story, but I have no time today and tomorrow," I said, both flirtatiously and
apologetically.
 
"Bugger! Wednesday and Thursday looks bad for me," he declared, annoyed. "I'm
never free on Friday," I added, because that's when I had my appointments with
the Sensei.
 
"I'd say, we meet every Saturday after dinner in the dungeons, and talk as long
as it takes, what do you think?" he decided, but still asking.
 
"Mh-mh, of course, it's a good idea", I agreed. "I have only good ideas!" he
breathed smugly.
 
"Sorry, I forgot, I'm talking to a Malfoy!" I said sarcastically, but my
sarcasm bounced off of him.
 
"As I said, you're capable of learning, Mudblood," he stated arrogantly.
 
"And I have to go now before Harry and Ron come looking for me. The dungeons
are so dangerous for helpless, little girls, like me!" I giggled snidely and he
joined in.
 
"Exactly, you and helpless, I should be more afraid of you! But this morning
with Weasley was glorious... what about Potter, though? You haven't let him
snog and touch you like that before. Are you two a thing?" he asked quickly and
seemed affected.
 
"Jealous? No, stop, Malfoys are never jealous, I know sorry!" I mocked
cheerfully.
 
"Exactly, I knew you're able to learn, so?" he demanded and didn't sound like
he'd give in if I didn't answer.
 
"No, there's nothing going on between me and Harry and will never be, it was
only affection between siblings," I told him seriously.
 
"Oh, that's what you call it. Then don't forget that!", he warned me
astonishingly seriously.
 
"We're absolutely not possessive, are we?" I scoffed.
 
"I just don't like Potter," he replied placatingly.
 
"Yes, yes, as if, I must go now...", I wanted to have the last word and leave
him standing.
 
"Yes, yes, take care of yourself, my Mudblood!" And he kissed my forehead
again. This was a gesture, so unfamiliar and yet so beautiful, though quite
different from Harry's kiss this morning.
 
"That reminds me, I'm gonna sneak out of Hogwarts tomorrow night! For that I'll
come down here, we can talk briefly. Let's meet at quarter to eight, same
niche. Until then, my Pureblood," I said, and wanted to disengage myself from
him for good, but he didn't release me and he seemed to have really trained a
lot during the holidays because he was very strong.
 
"Not so fast, you think you command and I'm running, Mudblood? Think again! I'm
the Malfoy here not you, 19:30!" he demanded arrogantly. I was just about to
start laughing aloud, but bit my tongue hard, because I didn't want to offend
Draco or his Malfoy-Pride.
 
"As you wish, Draco!" Now I twisted myself free from his arms, amused, as he
had the last word as he had wished, and left to finally appear for dinner.
***** Goodbye and the Beginning of a Long Night *****
Chapter Notes
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Goodbye and the Beginning of a Long Night
 
The night was long again, just as usual. I had to work through some books, so I
didn’t go to bed until one. The next day, after my five hours of sleep, I
opened my eyes as alert as always, and an expectant smile lay on my lips,
because today was going to be a very exciting day for me. And ultimately it
would be an even longer night. I was really excited while I prepared myself for
my morning run.
 
While at Hogwarts I wanted to do my rounds at the Quidditch field. Luckily,
after the potions and healing spells, as well as the ointments, almost nothing
was left of my injury except a red scar that would remain for ever. I would
continue to run, no matter what weather, I was uncompromising. My condition had
to be improved, because let's be honest, that I had defeated Bole in the alley,
that hadn't been ability, strength or power, no, I was far away from that.
There had been a large portion of luck involved and I couldn't always count on
that. So, it meant for me to train and work hard in order to not have to rely
on luck even in such difficult situations.
 
When, after an hour of exhausting running for the first time after the fateful
evening, I conquered the tower in a brisk trot and entered a still empty common
room, I was glad that everyone was a late riser, just like lions. And so I was
again one of the first who sat ready in the hall, but at just before eight
Harry and Co arrived, too. This time I stayed, as we would have the honour of
having class with Umbridge for the first time, and I wasn't really looking
forward to it, for the book she had chosen for the lesson said it all.
Defensive spells, please, I expected that we wouldn't learn anything with that
woman, my expectations were minimal. Consequently the lesson was catastrophic,
because Harry couldn't hold his mouth shut, and argued with the old boot,
claiming the Dark Lord was back. I just shook my head. He never knew when it
was better to be silent, he wouldn't win anything with the old toadish witch if
he was like that, but well, everyone had to make their own mistakes, to learn
from it, and to grow from them, I reasoned with myself!
 
The rest of the day I did all my tasks and then it was already evening and I
rushed into the Great Hall for dinner. I had only ten minutes, before I had to
go take a quick shower and make myself ready with a bit of magic, so that I
would no longer look like myself!
 
"Hermione, you seem a little rushed today," Harry said very empathetic, while I
devoured my food, sighing annoyed at his words. If he knew what would expect me
tonight, he would probably be less considerate. I myself was trying to push it
out of my mind.
 
"Mh-hm. I'm terribly tired today. I'll be going to bed just after," it came
evasively from me. I had just taken the last spoon and jumped up again.
 
"Are you ill?" The question sounded from several mouths.
 
"Oh no, just tired." I waved my hand and hurried off.
 
I rushed up the stairs. Ha... I always said, the training paid off. I managed
the stairs at an incredibly fast pace. I quickly climbed into the shower and a
short time later quickly out again, magically dried myself and jumped into the
dark green, tightly laced dress I had laid out before. I left my hair down,
falling over my back. It went to my shoulder blades. Just then I remembered I
had forgotten the ointment, so I rushed back into the dormitory and took a jar
and a small wooden box out of my suitcase. Now I sat down on my bed and
breathed in deeply, first opened the ointment, then the box and took the
valuable vial out carefully. I'd known it'd serve me well.
 
I gently took a drop of the unicorn blood with the pipette and added it into
the ointment, which I then carefully mixed with a spatula. Next I quickly
cleared everything away, rushed back into the bath, pulled off my dress again
and covered the long red characteristic knife scar on my left side with the
spatula in front of the mirror. And tada - I was really a genius. Well I know
self-praise is no recommendation! But I was good, because the scar faded more
and more until it had disappeared. Hopefully this effect would last a couple of
hours. It wouldn't last forever, but well, I'd see it soon enough. I also
lotioned my neck even though there weren't any prints anymore, but better safe
than sorry. I turned my black cloak, which I needed for Knockturn Alley, into a
green cotton cloth, which I wrapped around my shoulders, because I wouldn't
openly walk around the school like that.
 
A look through our dormitory, which was as round as all the rooms in the tower
and furnished sparsely with five canopy beds, of course in red and gold,
bedside tables and a fireplace in the middle and our chests in front of our
beds, and I decided I was done. Naturally, everything was in meticulous order
on my side, but Lav's and Pav's side looked like a pigsty. I was surprised that
one could put so many things on the small tables, ah.. let's leave it at that.
Even Quirella Mayer's and Sally Smith's side, both fellow students, didn't look
much better though at least better than Lav's and Pav's, but Quirella and Sally
usually tried to be invisible, as they both were really inconspicuous.
 
I had put on all my wands and daggers, and now I aimed my school wand firmly
towards my bed, then I spoke my 'Geminio' and tucked my twin in nicely.
Everything should be perfect for the deception of a sleeping Hermione. Lastly,
I wrote two small pieces of paper and apologized to Lav and Pav and the other
two that I went to bed so early and I offered them all Muggle sweets as an
excuse, which I draped on their pillows just like in a muggle hotel. The four
would be so stupid and take the sleep-inducing drug, I didn’t need to worry
about that. Finally I was finished and damn, I suddenly remembered that Draco
was expecting me, in two minutes. I couldn't fly yet, even though I didn't need
to worry that someone would discover me in the hallways and stairs.
 
Since everyone was still happily eating their dinner and the dessert was always
served on the half hour, I really didn't need to worry about Harry and Ron, but
I still had to be careful.
 
And so I flew down the stairs toward the dungeon in my dark green, fluttering
garment, and was stopped by two impatient, strong arms and dragged into the
niche as I struggled for breath.
 
"You're late," he said haughtily.
 
"Thanks, oh maybe two minutes..." I gasped loudly, sweeping my hair out of my
face, because they were quite long by now.
 
"You're breathing like a hippo," he told me very charmingly, stepped back and
looked at my appearance. I could see how he raised an eyebrow appraisingly.
 
"Wow, didn't think you could look so good, but I always knew green would suit
you, you should always wear it!" he decided condescendingly and added
contemptuously. "These uniforms really hide everything. For whom did you dress
up like that?" I hadn't interrupted him as his monologue flattered me, thus my
breathing had stabilized again. I hated to rush it, but today’s time was really
limited.
 
"I'm glad that you like it, Draco, and for whom..." I nibbled agitatedly on my
lower lip. How should I tell him this now, but something always prevented me
from lying to him, for I wanted to be honest with him, wanted to be more or
less the real, true Hermione, with everything that entailed.
 
"Where are you going today? Does anyone know where you will be?" he asked
urgently. I shook my head negatively.
 
"This is stupid, Granger, you should always have a safety net!" he reprimanded
me with such unfamiliar concern, he took the wind out of my sails and I just
had to tell him the truth.
 
"Alright," I once again swung my wand and erected the wards that should protect
our privacy. "First I'll meet Rita Skeeter at half past eight at Trafalgar
Square..."
 
"What, how do you plan to get out of here and what do you want from her?" He
looked at me with wide eyes.
 
"I can show you the way, it's not witchcraft. And it takes too long to explain
‘why’ today, I'll tell you in detail on Saturday!" I said briefly, as time
pushed me.
 
"How will it continue, I'm sure you aren't wearing this dress for that
meeting?" he said contemptuously as he slid his fingertips over my decollete.
"I don't know how I should view you right now!", he added appraisingly,
standing in front of me in his Hogwarts uniform, which looked incredibly good.
The black flattered his bright hair immensely.
 
"Just do it Granger, tell me who you're going to meet," he demanded now more
urgently, though the tips of his fingers were still resting gently on the
delicate skin of my decollete.
 
"Snape!" I said with difficulty through my clenched teeth.
 
"What.. are you crazy, where, how?" he said angrily, grabbing me by the
shoulders and once again my back met a stone wall. Great, really great, why
couldn't I keep my mouth shut?
 
"Well, that would actually belong to the detailed topics. He ordered me to him
with the letter I got in the common room, at ten o'clock on Tuesday in the
Beheaded Hangman!", I explained quickly as Draco's hands dug into my shoulders.
 
"Why would he do that?" he frowned. "And why should you go?" He looked more
than confused.
 
"He doesn't know that I'm the one who he summoned! Do we have to talk about
that right now Draco?" He looked at me relentlessly, his eyes looking like
steel, with a pinch of distrust in them. "..he thinks.. I'm a.. whore!" I
squeezed out, and actually started to blush a bit. This was very humiliating
and unpleasant. To say it out loud was terrible and made it very real.
 
"What.. why does he think that?" It sounded disbelieving, quiet from him, while
he looked at me shocked.
 
"He has already picked me up in the Hogshead once and since then he thinks I'm
a prostitute," I said, pulling my head in, embarrassed. His hands were tensing
dangerously on in my shoulders. If I weren't so practiced, I would've groaned
with pain because he was hurting me.
 
"You've already slept with him ..." he whispered in horror.
 
"Well, not as Hermione, but as Minna.. yes!" I nodded, ashamed, and couldn't
look him in the eyes.
 
"I can't believe it, you, he and he didn't realise it?" To my absolute
disbelief, he actually began to laugh. How nice that Draco was so predictable,
I thought ironically, because I hadn't expected a laughing fit.
 
"I mean, this is hilarious! Mister-I-always-know-everything-and-no-one-can-
deceive-me and then you come and fuck him and he has no idea! You, you're
awesome!" He released my shoulders from his hard grip and clapped his thighs.
His laughter became increasingly uncontrolled. "Show me!" he suddenly panted
and at first I was confused, but then I understood. I did what he asked me and
swung my wand, and then Minna stood before him, blond with chin-length, smooth
hair, heavy make-up, today with smoky eyes around the blue eyes and a dark red
lipstick. Draco stopped abruptly and stared at me with awestruck eyes.
 
"Wow, if you hadn't been in front of me just before... You look good, but quite
different and yet similar!? One doesn't really recognize you, a good disguise,
congratulation. Though you're always perfect in these things, as it seems, in
transformation! I understand now why he likes your Minna so much! She looks
hot." He showed me a leer and winked at me arrogantly.
 
"I want to know everything in detail on Saturday. And he has ordered you to
him? Why are you going?" he asked, interested, but considerately cold again.
 
"Because he might just look for me if I don’t, and I think he would look for
Minna and so it's the easiest solution. It'll be over quickly," I said in hope,
giving a quick explanation. Draco cocked his head in thought.
 
"You aren't wrong with what you said, if Severus doesn't get what he wants and
he thinks he needs it, he'd even go looking for a whore, he's always been
different... But are you sure that he won't recognize Hermione in you? That
would be fatal!" he told me.
 
"Yes, I am, firstly because I'm good at acting, and secondly, because I can do
occlumency," I explained proudly.
 
"You can do that too? Well, why not, you're really good! But do you really
think you can jump into bed with him, just like that?" he asked with a hint of
concern in his voice, and I tilted my head skeptically, but didn't think long.
 
"Yes," I stated with conviction and I nodded to him very confidently.
 
"Then do it!" he said coldly, but definitely.
 
"You don't mind?", I showed my astonishment openly.
 
"You may not understand that, but that's family, no I don't mind, but you
should try to keep it small.. and I wouldn't approve of others, so don't get
stupid thoughts!" He threatened and looked into my eyes and I seriously
wondered where all this would lead us. Why did I talk to Draco about my love
life? But it seemed right and necessary to me and so I confessed it.
 
"Then we have a problem," I said softly. One of his eyelids began to twitch
bewildered.
 
"I have to go to Sirius afterwards..." I bit my lip nervously, again.
 
"What, you fuck him too..?" he exclaimed in surprise and less than flattering.
 
"Well, actually, I fucked him first, but it was just for fun, a bit of sex, and
what do you mean with ‘too’?" I explained and defended myself, while he was
silent for a moment.
 
"Well, no one can forbid you that, but break up with him now!", he suddenly
ordered harshly. He behaved like the big boss.
 
"And I should do that because you commanded, Draco? Hardly." I was stubborn and
please, after all, he had no right, we weren't a couple or something. The next
moment I roughly met the wall behind me and he nailed me to it.
 
"Yes, exactly, because I'm telling you! As Severus said, don't play any games
with me! You break up with him, I don't care if you fuck him for the last time
today, but if you will share his bed after that one more time, you'll make me
very angry! Do you understand that, Mudblood? You don't want that, believe me!
As I told you, I'm not nice, and we decided to get involved with each other and
I don’t want Black to get between us, understood!?" he threatened me, whilst
rubbing his whole body longingly against mine. Oh man, I hadn't imagine Draco
to be like that, to openly admit that there might be more between us than we
thought and it surprised me, to feel his body on mine, because that felt good.
 
Was I really such a slut?
 
"Isn't Sirius family too? He's your mother's cousin!" I asked sharply, tearing
myself out off my thoughts.
 
"Why do you think I'm so generous?", it came snarling and calculating from him.
"After you put this marathon behind you, you come to me, into the common room!
Did you hear the password?" he demanded intensively. I just nodded.
 
"Put on your coat and the hood over your head. Nobody shall see you. We will
annoy some Slytherins. This will be fun. However, you have to come to me, I
want to know how it went, and that you have come back well, understood
Mudblood?" he showed his concern, although his voice sounded neutral.
 
"Yes, at your command, oh great Malfoy," I made fun of him venomously. Now he
patted my head. I wanted to scream out loud. Malfoys weren't supposed to be
jealous, but as it seemed to very possessive, otherwise they'd never have
gotten so rich. On the other hand I liked that he cared, in a way.
 
"Now show me how you leave Hogwarts behind you, you'll be too late," he pointed
out. Apparently, Malfoys always had to take the lead, it made me crazy. Only
for a brief moment did I dare to ask myself what Draco saw in me, or what he
really wanted from me.
 
A collaboration? A relationship? An affair? Many open questions and many
answers I wanted! But he was right, and so I beckoned him to follow me. I
really had ran out of time. I had discovered the path thanks to the map. The
Marauders hadn’t made it as far as I had gone. Why? I had no idea. Maybe
because it was the dungeons? I stopped near the potions classroom, in a
sideway, in front of the statue of an ugly witch which was holding several
snakes in her hands. Draco looked at me questioningly, and I pointed my wand at
the witch and said, "Dissendium," and the stone block moved slowly to the side
and a gloomy passageway became visible.
 
"Unexpected! Where does it go?" Draco asked casually.
 
"To the Forbidden Forest. I already tried this path a few times in the last
year. It's really well kept," with a wipe of my wand and a nonverbal Incendio I
lit the torches on the walls. I had begun to intensively learn non-verbal
magic.
 
"Well, then go. Take care of yourself, my Mudblood. I'll be waiting for you.
Please come back in one piece!" He kissed me tenderly as usual on my forehead
and I pushed out the breath I had held.
 
"Thank you, Draco.. for everything," I went on my tiptoes and kissed him on his
smooth cheek before turning away. And thus I walked into the tunnel, without
turning around, while the access closed again automatically, then I rushed to
my destination.
***** Rita *****
Chapter Notes
     Thanks for all the Kudos and Reads. ♥
     New chapter is here. ♥
Rita
 
I hurried along the narrow and dirty tunnel, careful to stay in the middle of
the passageway. Then it occurred to me that I would have to become Hermione
again, because Rita didn't need to know me as Minna. Thought - done. And thanks
to my rapid pace, I soon reached the end of the winding path, making the huge
boulder float away with a Wingardium Leviosa, as it blocked the tunnel exit.
 
After I had managed to move it, I stepped out of the tunnel into the dawning
Forbidden Forest. Once outside, I diligently closed the secret passage with the
boulder again. I turned and stood in the dense forest. Around me were the
sounds of the forest, indefinable, from the howling of maybe a wolf, to the
humming sound of fairy wings. The surroundings were filled with life. The
fragrances were almost beguiling. Was I frightened? Was I scared? No, I wasn't,
but I was vigilant in this unreal landscape, because not only the animals were
dangerous, but also many plants weren't well-disposed towards human beings, and
they regarded them as a snack. And so I memorised everything, to later be able
to find my way back to Hogwarts in the darkest of night.
 
So I focused myself and appeared with a very quiet plop near Trafalgar Square.
As it would be half past nine in two minutes, I immediately set myself in
motion and wasn't mistaken, Rita was standing at our usual meeting place as
planned. She was waiting, wearing an individual, dark blue costume. It looked
like Vivienne Westwood, but it wasn't. The people around her were giving her
funny looks, but she didn’t seem to care.
 The hustle and bustle, as always, was very great in this rather mild late
summer night. Some of the young men couldn't resist sending me a whistle. I
didn’t pay attention to it, nor them. She noticed me already, the corners of
her mouth twitching in disgust, but then it changed into a fake smile.
 
"Miss Granger, I'm pleased that you at least always appear punctually," she
snapped, her tone unfriendly.
 
"Miss Skeeter, I know my manners. It would be absolutely rude to let you wait,"
I smiled amiably with my mockingly spoken words.
 
"I suppose! Were you satisfied with the lady from last time?" She blinked at me
sweetly behind her terribly large spectacles and bared her teeth
contemptuously.
 
"I still have to thank you for it, Alice was perfect!" I said, praising and
showing no shame or shyness on this subject. My lack of reaction made her press
her red lips together and in order to save herself an answer, she heaved her
heavy crocodile handbag in front of her, and began to dig around until she
pulled out a long, narrow box and gave me an unwilling smile.
 
"What you wished for, Miss Granger, I hope you know how rare they are!"
 
"Oh, thank you for remembering it. I need it so urgently and of course I know
how rare the quick quotes quills are, so I’m very happy that it worked out so
fast," I said sweetly, taking the box with respect, something that made her
snort furiously.
 
"If that would be all..." She wanted to turn around abruptly and leave.
 
"Steady, Rita! We still have something important to talk about. Be patient, as
one says, patience is a virtue!" I told her arrogantly, and she turned back
with a deep sigh. It looked as if she were praying for patience. Sweet.
 
"What do you know about Bole and Derrick?" I asked directly. I could watch her
eyes flashing eagerly behind her spectacles.
 
"What do I know? These two lay suddenly in the entrance hall of the ministry.
On this day I was a member of the jury in court and so a direct witness.
Unfortunately, so far no detailed article appeared, since the ministry says
nothing and they have acted quickly! So, where was I.. ah yes, suddenly there
was a big pile on the ground near the fountain and as one looked more closely,
one realised that it was two people. At first, one of them wasn't recognizable
as a person, since his body.. yes a corpse it was, it was terribly mutilated...
there was blood everywhere! He must have been as good as bloodless, and his
throat was slit open, but when he was dragged away, the most terrible thing
happened, his head, he was almost... beheaded! It only hung on a few tendons
and skin, a terrible picture, and it seemed that he had buried a second man
under him, but he lived! I don't know anymore, as I was pushed away, since
screams and shrieks started and the Aurors started to clear the square. There
was a lot of chaos and a huge mess, because panic ensued. I try to find out as
much as possible all the time, but until now I haven't succeeded in doing this
myself even as beetle. The only thing they released is that a certain Bole is
dead, which was somehow clear and that a certain Derrick is not approachable,
due to the shock," Rita talked herself into a rage. Her cheeks became red and
she waved her hands around the air excitedly, all in all she seemed to be wound
up to a high pitch. I began to giggle, because not only Rita but also her story
was a bit amusing.
 
"Oh, fantastic! I can see it all in front of me. Hilarious. But let's be
serious, if I give you insider info, would the article get published or not?" I
asked covetously, and she fell silent abruptly.
 
"How... yes, the article would be published, my boss wants this story, no
matter what Fudge says, but unfortunately the ministry is incredibly
secretive!" she said in a suffering, whiny tone, stretching her fingers in the
air desperately and accusingly.
 
"Then be happy that you have me, Rita, I hope you like my info," I grinned.
"Bole’s throat was cut with a single cut. He also has a shallow stab wound at
the liver! He wore the Dark Mark, which was visible as his sleeve was cut from
his shirt. Derrick lives without many injuries, but was tied with ropes and
became a full obliviate. He has no memories of his previous life. He got new
memories, that he is a muggle. He also wears the Dark Mark and his sleeve was
also cut off. Both appeared through an unregistered portkey, a coke can! So
this should be a wonderful article," I beamed deviously at her, and had my arms
crossed in front of my chest. Rita's hand had gone to her mouth to stop herself
from crying out loud, her eyes moved nervously back and forth.
 
"You.. you.. no.. or.. you?" Rita stuttered nervously, I said nothing, but just
looked at her. "You, you did this, or..?" she breathed fearfully.
 
"If I were to say yes? What then, Rita?" I looked intensely into her eyes. I,
the murderess Hermione! I could see how the frightening realization seeped
deeper and deeper into her consciousness.
 
"You.. that was so cruel! That.. this picture.. that couldn't have been you!
You couldn't have murdered Bole?" she echoed, horrified, and I rolled my eyes
about her reaction. Honestly, why did she always have to tell me that this
couldn't have been me?
 
"You're acting like I purposely went hunting for the two, but what I'm going to
tell you right now will not be released in the article, understood? You could
have the other information I gave you from any other person from the ministry,
but the other thing now, had better not be in the newspaper, understood? I was
lucky enough to encounter these two Death Eaters in a pure Muggle area. They
recognized me and followed me into an alley! Now you know the result.. you
shouldn't underestimate me," I bared my teeth, showing her a nasty shark like
grin, which made her tremble with fear.
 
"You're so cold-blooded, that isn't good, you murdered a young man," she
whispered hoarsely, her eyes full with fear darting back and forth behind her
big glasses.
 
"In self-defense!" I replied coldly.
 
"But you're not sorry!" she breathed, horrified. Her eyes were huge behind her
glasses. She just had an amazing, but not flattering, resemblance to Trelawney.
 
"Oh Rita, don't play the upholder of moral standards here, please! That role
doesn't fit you," I told her contemptuously.
 
"But.. I never thought you'd be able to do that," she replied hoarsely.
 
"Particular situations, particular actions. And you too are ready to go over
corpses, look at the facts," I told her coldly. She shook her head
incredulously and took off her glasses to rub her eyes.
 
"You're scary, Miss Granger," she summed up hoarsely, putting her glasses back
on again.
 
"Shall I take that as a compliment now, Miss Skeeter?" I asked ironically.
 
"I think I know you don't care what I think of you! Isn't that right, Miss
Granger?"
 
"Oh, it’s not like you being so negative," I mocked her, but of course I didn't
care what the beetle thought, but one had to always motivate one’s team
members.
 
"Just think of the article that you can write with the one-hundred-percent
correct information, then the positive feelings will come all by themselves.
Where does the Dark Mark come from? With people just having graduated from
school? Did the Dark Lord return? Why does the ministry do nothing but keep
silent? And, of course, you must make assumptions about the perpetrator, be
inventive, though nothing can lead to me." I saw that I had her! Her greed, in
this respect, was so easy to see.
 
"Mmmhhhh, yes, yes! I see the article in front of me, Miss Granger, but I'm
still allowed to be horrified," she almost snapped.
 
"You may, as long as it doesn't hinder your work and view. Then you may be as
horrified as you want. And I hope I don't have to point out that you can't hurt
me. My spells protect me, so don't forget that, Rita. But you aren't that
stupid, right?" I asked with a smirk, cocking my head expectantly.
 
"No, Miss Granger," she replied instantly, and pursed her lips unwillingly.
 
"That's good, because now you know what I'm capable of, don't you?" I
threatened gently and looked at her angrily. She could no longer conceal her
sudden trembling, which was too funny.
 
"No Miss Granger, everything will be as you wish. I will write the article
today, it will be in the newspaper tomorrow. Also, I will state that it was the
same informant as the one I use when I am a beetle. Are you satisfied then,
Miss Granger?" she asked astonishingly obedient. It seemed as if she was really
afraid of me.
 
"Wonderful, I love to work with you, Miss Skeeter." I think she thought I was
mad in moments like this. However, she was too afraid to do anything against me
and it was impossible for her as well. Good that I always acted deliberately.
Was I evil for enjoying it so much, and loving to bask in her fear of me? Yes I
think so, but who'd blame me?
 
"Then go to work, I look forward to tomorrow's edition and take care of you,
Miss Skeeter," I said quickly, because time was running out.
 
"Miss Granger," she replied, and I saw her walk away from me with trembling
knees and unsteady feet. She didn't look particularly self-assured at that
moment, but I was sure that tomorrow, when she, the great revelatory
journalist, received applause for her article, she would cope much better with
her new knowledge. Since the good lady was a very good actress and an ice cold
bitch herself, who would go over corpses and already had, her scruples would
vanish.
***** From Sleazy Joints and Biting Dogs *****
Chapter Notes
     This is, I call it a, Boom Chapter.
     So we do hope you'll stay with us after this one. :P
     Thanks so much for all the Kudos and Comments! ♥
     Warning: Sexual Content and Domestic Violence.
     Translated by: Aivy.
     Have fun! :*
From Sleazy Joints and Biting Dogs
 
Warning for explicit sexual content (marked) and domestic violence (not marked,
page 8-9)
 
I retreated into the alley. After the very successful conversation, the high
Rita had given me was abating quickly. For the first time today I allowed
myself something like heart-throbbing. I mean, what was I doing here or more
precisely about to do? The last time had been a totally different affair. He
had taken me by surprise with his desire to see a whore in me, but today I
would be one for real, as I was going to him with my eyes wide open, after he
had… well, yes… after he had summoned me. The uneasy feeling in my stomach
surged after this realisation. Could I really do this, like I said earlier to
Draco? Could I simply do a thing like that? Could I share the professors bed
without emotional attachment? I took a couple deep breaths.
 
Yes, you can do anything, Hermione!
 
I still didn’t feel comfortable with doing it, however it was nearly time, just
on ten. In the meantime it had become dark, but I had become acquainted with
the dark in a way that I welcomed it outright, always finding cover in its
shadows. I tried to distract myself from my own nervousness. Swallow it, you
have enough courage to do it, in and out, you can do it, and then taking the
gold.  That already left a nasty taste in my mouth, but I was determined to see
it through.
 
I looked around, not a soul to be seen, and performed my identity spells.
 Afterwards I removed my scarf and transformed it back into my long, black
frock coat. I pulled the hood low into my face, next appearing in Knockturn
Alley with a silent plop.
 
Always again a cosy experience to be here, very encouraging , I thought
sardonically. I was not the only hooded figure hurrying this night through the
alley that felt familiar to me by now, striding quickly over the well-trodden
and dirty cobbled stones, when I was able to spot the sign for the Beheaded
Hangman in the moonlight. From the outside it reminded me of the Leaky
Cauldron, with its run-down and shabby exterior.
 
Smoothly, I glided out of the shadows and towards the entrance.  Don’t think
too much, Hermione, this can only go awry, just act, and yes, always think
about a strong, stable wall!  It would be fatal, if my mental defences would
collapse, though I had everything under control, just a bit of a fluttering
heart.
 
I knocked open the heavy wooden door and entered into the smoke filled room,
which was illuminated by the shine of many lights. A pub with dining area was
revealed to me, furnished with dark wood. A lot of shady figures were seated
here, one more ugly and disfigured than the next. Some women were running
around between the rows, their robes slightly ripped, serving drinks and food.
It was pretty crowded, the noise level was not to be scoffed at. It seemed as
if the return of  him  was good for business. I strode towards the bald and
toothless innkeeper behind the counter and signed him that I had a question.
 
“A gentleman is waiting for me. Which room? And a firewhiskey,” I demanded
frankly. He tried to peek under my hood, unsuccessfully, and floated me the
desired drink, grumpy about his failure.
 
“Yes, I know. Room 13, madam,” he mumbled derisively through his missing teeth
and motioned behind him. I nodded my thanks, put down some Sickles on the
counter.  I picked up the glass and gulped down a large amount of liquid
courage before walking up the stairs, still nervous.
 
The dimly lit first floor was pretty dusty. Unbelievable if you considered what
a simple Scourgify could accomplish, but it was what it was. Soon I would be
faced with Snape and his demands. Sometimes my ideas were really not the best.
When I stopped in front of the door with the brass plate stating ‘13,’ I
breathed in deeply multiple times, to dissipate my insecurity. Let me tell you,
I did not succeed at all, but as the saying goes, go in and win. So I
straightened my whole body and raised my hand to knock.
 
“Come in,” resounded the familiar, authoritative voice and I tore open the door
and entered the low-lit room with confident strides. It didn’t contain much,
only a table with two chairs and a bed. Apparently the professor had waved his
wand, as my quick assessment yielded no dust could be found in here. And there
he was, sitting casually in his chair in front of the table, and looking at me
with gleaming eyes. His chin length, smooth black hair draped around his face.
He was clad as always, just without his coat. Up until now he had not moved a
muscle.
 
“Mr. Snape, you have summoned me,” I said bravely. Sometimes I had no idea what
came over me, truly no idea! Wherever I got the courage, damn Gryffindor, for
my voice sounded firm and controlled.
 
“Miss Cale, pleasant that you are on time,” he hummed oilily. He motioned to
the second chair and poured me a glass of firewhiskey. Yes, very good, I could
use another sip. “Don’t you want to disrobe?” he asked.
 
Now that he was a tangible presence, I was fairly nervous after all,  don’t let
him notice,  is the name of the game. Err, well, I was still standing kind of
lost in the middle of the room.  Right, put your butt into motion, come on , I
commanded myself and approached him slowly, loosening the clasp of my cloak in
the process, taking it of carefully and laying it down on the second chair. I
could feel how his gaze burned into my dress, evidently he liked it as much as
Draco had.
 
With that I took the glass and gulped down the content. The burn in my throat
felt incredibly good. Now would we bargain again? Shit, I didn’t have the
faintest idea. Or was the price from last time still valid? I was torn out of
my thoughts when I suddenly felt his fingers on my hips. My eyes opened wide.
Oh. Oh! Did it start already?
 
He took me by surprise with the start of it all, like the first time in the
alley, when I had collided with the wall. First with one hand, then with both,
he gripped my hips firmly and pressed down, meanwhile beginning to pull me
towards him, until he placed me between himself and the table.
 
I stood before him, his hands on my hips, my butt propped against the table,
and looked down upon him. We hadn’t really talked. Right, two words… that’s the
way it goes, I guessed. He was not looking at my face, instead examining my
body in the dress at length. It felt like the fabric was etching itself into my
skin, so intense was his evaluation, and then he breathed in deeply and began
to caress me, his hands moving upwards on both sides of my body and in doing so
he set me alight.
 
I couldn’t suppress a slight shiver. Something regarding his manner was just so
exciting and it was never predictable what he would do next. With a brash
motion he pulled me close and buried his face in my belly, embracing me
demandingly and breathed in again. I thought he was trying to capture my smell.
Typical for potion masters, they did many things by way of smell. I was so
surprised by the unexpected motion, that a short gasp escaped me.
 
I didn’t know what to do with my hands and because of that I dared to rest them
on his head tentatively, and started to ran my fingers through his hair, and
wonder of wonders, it was soft, thin and light. It was a nice feeling. It
nearly felt like silk, this deep, bluish black, gliding through my light, pale
fingers. It was a stark contrast, fascinating, captivating me as well as
calming me.
 
The intimate scene was upended the next moment when he tore himself away and
looked up  at  me, determination clear on his face. His hands ran possessively
up my body to my breasts and dragged the fabric down, unexpectedly rough and
impatient, making them drop out of my dress like a pair of balls. It conjured a
diabolical grin on his face. Thereafter he had a go at my breasts, working them
with everything at his disposal. With ungentle fingers and his mouth he sucked,
licked and pinched precariously at my sensitive nipples.
 
My body was increasingly fraught with tension, the way he dedicated himself to
my breasts, stimulating them. My lower body contracted suddenly in pleasant
anticipation. I wouldn’t have minded if he continued for all eternity. I moaned
when his teeth grazed my sensitive nipples and he bit down with little care. He
succeeded, though  -  I got wet, my juices flowing in abundance. He was really
devoted to the things he did. I wanted… I had to… do something, anything, as
well, to relieve the tension inside me, and so I was able to escape his embrace
after a short struggle and retreated a step, which prompted him to cock his
head, watching me questioningly.
 
I could see his slightly swollen lips and the aroused gleam in his eyes. These
signs gave me the courage to risk it and so I kneeled down slowly. He observed
my move without comment, however ,  the twinkle in those obsidians increased
steadily. When I knelt in front of his legs, I grabbed his knees valiantly and
pushed them apart, which he permitted graciously. I wriggled closer and was now
seated between his spread legs.
 
Next I looked into his expectant but also nonchalantly observant face and
reached daringly for the clearly visible bulge covered by his black trousers,
then caressing it gently which made him tense slightly in his seat. A faint
smile played along the corner of my mouth at that. It amused me incredibly that
I had him, the unapproachable, ice - cold professor, in my hand - in more ways
than one - and that he had himself no longer perfectly in control.
 
But all this gave me the necessary self-assurance and I  quickly  opened the
first buttons of his trousers. Snape’s breathing accelerated audibly and
already my efforts paid off. His taut erection was freed and protruded proudly
towards me. And I have to say, it aroused me to see him this way, at my mercy
...  it was alluring. I licked my lips in anticipation, which was accompanied
by him with a deep growl, his fingers clutching the armrests firmly. My hand
gripped the stiff, plump shaft possessively and I started to rub him, which he
put up with. Then I bowed my head and licked the rosy, big glans full of
pleasant anticipation, which was deliciously soft.
 
He rewarded me with a hoarse groan. His cock twitched in my hand. Then I
stopped the teasing and took him willingly into my mouth as far as I could. As
I wanted to taste him at last I fervently took on the task to satisfy him with
my mouth, momentarily not knowing shame and becoming absorbed in my task,
feeling only his engorged cock in my mouth. My tongue lapped at the sides again
and again, when suddenly his hands roughly grabbed my short, blonde hair,
taking control. Now he set the pace and I relaxed my throat so that I was able
to take him in all the way. I could hear his rhythmic moaning, as it seemed to
stimulate him a lot and aroused me, too.
 
Oh the knowledge that it was me who satisfied him orally. If he only knew who
really had her lips closed around his length; an abstract thought I forbade m
yself  immediately. Then he stopped adamantly any movement by me and yanked me
upwards brutally by my hair - ow, that hurt - and stared intently into my blue
eyes. I thought solely about a wall and he sneered at me. He hoisted me up
swiftly, to push me back, so that I nearly laid on the table. Ow… that hurt as
well.  Was  he parad ing  his Death Eater side?
 
However, before I could think further, he pulled me closer again with a single,
elegant motion and flipped me around determinedly, resulting in me lying belly-
down on the table. I see, he wanted to take me from behind today. And I was
ready, so much was sure.
 
He pushed my dress hastily up over my butt and tore my soaked knickers in half.
I heard it rip. Just as well that I didn’t really like it, I thought drily.
Meanwhile, he kneaded my butt cheeks firmly. This lasted maybe a few seconds,
before he positioned himself impatiently behind me, spread my cheeks to get
better access and plunged his more than impressive member unceremoniously into
me in a single, ruthless stroke. I gasped when he pushed into me so vehemently,
as he hadn’t cared for my needs just like last time. Hermione, I called myself
to order mentally, he pays for this, he doesn’t owe you any consideration. Be
happy, that you got pretty wet by yourself, it would have hurt much more
otherwise.
 
“Ahh, ow,” I couldn’t stop myself from uttering. One shouldn’t,  I  shouldn’t
forget, I was the whore here and she didn’t need any further recognition!  Who
needed kisses, caresses, I get paid for this, damn it,  I thought cynically,
while I could feel him deep inside me firm and thick. Damn, the bloody bastard
felt much too good. The muscles in my lower body clenched rhythmically, as I
was aroused, too. Yes, that he had shoved himself this roughly and ruthlessly
had excited me very much, I was deeply ashamed to admit.
 
He seemed to enjoy my tight and wet cunt immensely. It took some time, until he
collected himself and started to hammer into me from behind with wild thrusts.
It clanged loudly when the decanter dropped, which didn’t bother us. He pressed
me down into the hard wooden tabletop, my bare breasts chafing against the
rough surface, which drew a snarl from me. I propped myself up on my arms a
bit, trying to brace myself against his unrelenting push forward.
 
Suddenly he seized my hair and bent my head back mercilessly. I nearly bent
over backwards and cried out, which seemed to please him, as he showed me a
sadistic grin that I could see from my twisted position. Gosh, did that hurt at
my scalp when he held my hair so relentlessly in his fist. Meanwhile ,  the
dear Mr.  P rofessor still pounded into me from behind as if there were no
tomorrow. I could hear the slapping noise when our bodies met. The room was
filled with loud, moaning noises. I was filled by this glorious firm thrusts.
This,  our,  uninhibited passion dazed me, as Snape succeeded in making me
forget everything around me so that I could only think about the cock inside
me. One hand digging into my hip, the other buried in my hair, he nearly fucked
out my brain, incredible but true.
 
When I felt the wave pooling in my womb, flowing out from my belly into my
whole body, I tensed all over and released a guttural cry, as my orgasm rolled
over me abruptly and hotly. I bent my back and raised my upper body. While my
body was still jarred by shivers of desire I could feel how Snape stilled
behind me and spent his seed deep inside me with a low moan. He thrust two
times before abruptly withdrawing. The sudden void inside me felt wrong!
 
Then he performed two cleaning charms on us and sat down completely redressed.
He looked like always, with a blank, cold mask on his face. This man had an
iron control, enviable. I was still gasping for air. Having risen from the
table, the dress had slid down over my butt, only my breasts, my red, swollen
breasts, were still bared and this all he observed emotionlessly. In this
moment I knew  that  he saw singularly the paid whore in me and nothing more. A
sobering thought. Why was I such a slut and had to orgasm under him in such
circumstances?
 
My vagina was still throbbing from this tough but very satisfying encounter.
Thus I set out to make myself presentable again, all under his attentive gaze,
and settled down slightly out of breath in the second chair. Wow, my lady parts
did really hurt while sitting. He had really rode me hard. I had refrained from
spells, though, as he really shouldn’t see my wand.
 
“Miss Cale, a pleasure as always. Unfortunately ,  I have to move on .  Please
expect my owl,” he stated sparingly, while rising smoothly and sated, stepping
behind me and letting a small, well-filled pouch fall into my lap, and next I
heard the door close with a soft click. Thereupon I let my head fall into my
hands, humiliated, and slumped slightly.
 
The tension fell off me at the next second.  Phew , he hadn’t recognized me. I
fetched my wand to repair the decanter of whiskey and after conjuring fresh
alcohol I poured myself a new drink. I felt that I needed that right now.
Afterwards I cleaned myself of our mixed juices. Today I truly could call
myself a whore. I had done it knowingly... I was a whore... great, really
great! Hermione Granger, the whore! I toasted to myself mockingly, and shook my
head over my antics. We had talked so much, it could have been a silent
picture. But well, I had gotten through it successfully.
 
The man could fuck, though. That fact made becoming a whore nearly worthwhile.
As Hermione he would never take me, which was a pity. A wistful smile appeared
on my face and for a short while I doubted my own sanity. It wasn’t that the
professor was now a beautiful man in my eyes, but he was interesting and
alluring in a forbidden way. He had distinctive features, entirely different
from Sirius, who was charming and beautiful, or Draco, who was attractive and
handsome. Snape was simply charismatic and by no means had an unsightly
appearance.
 
It was done, as embarrassing as it seemed to me now. The professor would no
doubt agree that I had done a good job.  I would have definitely gotten an
Outstanding for it,  I thought nastily. I looked at the bare wooden table, the
fresh memories of what had just occurred brought on a picturesque red on my
cheeks. It was just as well that nobody else was present. I drank another glass
empty right after as I had not only fucked him, I had given him a blow job as
well, oh…  Stop it,  I ordered myself resolutely, turning to my last problem in
this long night.
 
Sirius! I sat up, petrified, in my chair. Gulp!
 
How would I face him now? Should I still sleep with him? After all this? As I
said to Draco, will I share his bed for the last time today? Could I really do
this now? After the experience with Snape here? Wouldn’t it be completely
dirty, wrong and dishonest? Didn’t Sirius deserve someone better than a slut
like me? Argh, this was…
 
I pulled at my hair, taken aback by how short it was. Oops, I had forgotten
that Minna’s hair was short, and that I didn’t have my long mane of hair. I
laughed hoarsely. It wasn’t funny, but I laughed madly nonetheless. It was no
wonder after this mental stress. I couldn’t forget who I was. Sirius would get
a stroke if he had to look into Minna’s face instead of my own.
 
I performed another extra intensive cleaning spell and tried to fix my knickers
with a Reparo, however the tiny piece of fabric wouldn’t mend, so I would have
to say farewell to Sirius going commando.
 
I stood up with laboured movements and donned my cloak. I didn’t really want to
face reality again! No, truly not, but how did the saying go? Nothing is free
in life. The thought of confronting Sirius left an uneasy feeling in my
stomach, but I couldn’t escape it. It was his due to get informed about my
decision face to face. It was the decent thing to do, at least that was the way
I saw it, so I braced myself when I reentered the public parlour and looked
around.
 
What was that? It couldn’t, or could it? Was I hallucinating? No, I was right!
Sitting in the back was really Lucius Malfoy!
 
Wow, who was that next to him? A woman and two men. He looked good, so grand
yet so very out of place as well in this sleazy joint, with his well-groomed,
long, ash-blonde hair and the velvet cloak. Suddenly he raised his eyes in
irritation and looked at me straight in the eyes which were, goddess be
blessed, not visible under my hood, pinning me down with his dark grey gaze.
And with that I realized that he combined Draco’s good looks with Snape’s
imposing, distinctive features. He was very impressive and appealing in his
appearance. Fascinating. It wasn’t easy for me, but I had to hurry up. It was
nearly midnight and Draco would kill me if I attracted his father’s attention,
or I would kill myself from the additional stress. Or maybe Draco wouldn’t mind
so much, as it was family… to cite his own words!
 
So I hurried out of the pub with the Malfoy patriarch’s grey eyes on my back,
blending once again skilfully with the environment. I darted into a quiet
corner and apparated. In my backstreet, near the Black House, I reappeared. I
did it! Now I only had to don my true appearance again.
 
A second later I already was scurrying towards the main door, still hidden
under my robes. Opening the door quietly, I slipped into the house, which
hadn’t changed at all in the last few days. I glided to the astoundingly quiet
kitchen, my movements not breaking the silence at all. There I found Sirius, as
I had hoped for, who raised his head at the sound of the creaking door and
frowned at me upon my entry. Ah, I remembered, he couldn’t recognize me under
my hood. I brushed it back quickly and shed the cloak. An instant, honest smile
spread over his features as soon as he saw my face.
 
“Hermione, you managed to come, brilliant,” he said, honestly delighted and
grinning at me merrily.
 
“Hello Sirius, as always... I did say I would come,” I replied nicely and
settled into a chair carefully, somewhat out of breath. I was still feeling
sore thanks to Snape, but forbade myself from thinking of it further in Sirius’
presence.
 
“How are you?” I asked him with interest and he gauged me with his head cocked,
clearly surprised by my rather reserved greeting.
 
“Quite well, if not bored. It is lonely here, since everybody left! I hate this
house,” he declared fervently. I took his hand that was resting on the table
and squeezed it firmly.
 
“I feel sorry for you, but at Christmas everybody will beat a path to your
door,” I tried to cheer him up, so the pain of the next blow I would deal him
in a moment would be dulled. I already had a guilty conscience...
 
“What do I smell here?” he enquired suddenly, alert and suspicious. He fixed on
me an expression that was calculating and wild at the same time. I flinched
back, startled, when I was struck by the agitation in his unique, grey eyes.
 
“What… what do you mean, Sirius?” I asked carefully. Did he mean me? Could he
smell Snape explicitly or just the sex? This question shot through my head. A
deep growl resounded from his chest, which expanded immensely and stretched his
rough, white, cotton shirt nearly beyond capacity. The cup in his hand flew in
a wide arc against the back wall and shattered with a loud clamour into a
thousand pieces.
 
“What I mean?! You had sex… do you think I can’t smell that?!” he yelled,
angrily, at an incredible volume. He glared at me, his face distorted into an
ugly grimace by his fury, and stood up abruptly, smacking both hands onto the
table so hard that it trembled below him. He stood bent over it, breathing
heavily, shivering from head to toe. His whole posture screamed aggressiveness.
 
“I-I... I… that’s what I wanted...” I was slightly unsettled and on edge,
remembering our meeting in the library some time prior, when he had shown me
his possessiveness in an all-consuming way and I didn’t deny his claim. I
couldn’t reminisce further, as he suddenly pushed himself off the table and
rushed towards me, gripping my upper arm roughly, yanking me from my seat and
slapping me across the face with enough force that my head was flung sidewards.
 
Tangles of hair flew around my face. It felt like a gong rang loudly in my
ears, but thanks to my training this slap was more like a caress for me.
Regardless, I was left speechless and deeply infuriated by his assault. Did
Sirius beat me just now? Really? When I looked again into his face, distorted
by anger and hate, he raised his hand to give me another slap, but this time I
flinched back. Not with me, my dear... Did the idiot forget what I had done to
Bole?
 
“Sirius, have you lost your marbles?!” I yelled, angered by his treatment of
me. He struck me again and this hit left me tasting blood. My lip must have
split. Okay... if he wanted to have it that way, he would get it. My hands
balled into fists and I shoved him away from me, crouched into a fighting
position and punched him straight in the face, hitting his eye. His head was
flung back with the brutal force of the punch. He growled furiously, shaking
his head through the pain and went right back to attacking me. Shit, I didn’t
want to hurt him, didn’t want to knock him out! not Sirius!
 
“Sirius, wake up from this madness. What is this about?” I cried desperately.
Of course, I knew that he had the right to be mad at me, but I had told him
again and again that this was just a short fling and not an actual
relationship. So why was he acting this way?
 
“ What is this is about ?! You’re cheating on me!” he roared rampantly and
raised his arm, wanting to beat me again, but I ducked out of the way quickly.
Spinning quickly, I struck cleanly at him again and this time I hit his chin.
 
Now he was bleeding from his mouth as well, the blood dripping down over his
chin. He spat out a glob on the floor.
 
“You are not wearing any knickers. Yes, I can smell that, you slut!” he shouted
very nastily, grabbing my wrist as I was reeling from the insult. He used the
momentum to smack me into the wall face first.
 
“Oh yes, you are smelling like that one time in the library, only it’s much
stronger. It’s obvious... you have had sex. It was the same back then, too...
You lying whore!” he roared through the kitchen, positively losing it. I gasped
in pain when colliding with the stone wall and the word whore cut into my
heart.
 
Okay, that was enough. Sirius or not, if he continued this way, I would show
him what I had learned! He was widely inferior to me in real combat, but I
didn’t want to injure him! It was enough that I was hurting him emotionally,
after all I was a slut and had had sex with Snape, two times as Sirius had
discerned correctly. Ow, the wall was really hard. I had caught myself with my
other hand and braced myself against it, before I was grabbed violently and
yanked around roughly. He ripped one sleeve in the process, which was now
hanging from my shoulder. My head banged backwards into the hard, unyielding
stone and he once again hit me in the face.
 
Shit, I hate this , I thought when my cheek began to throb painfully, though
now I was truly pissed and I replied in kind by throwing an equally forceful
punch, holding nothing back. I could feel my fist strike his cheek-bone,
swinging his head around and leaving a cut across his cheek when the skin split
under my blow. His long hair was whipped through the air as he yowled in pain,
but he didn’t let me go, instead turning his battered, bloodied face to glare
at me aggressively.
 
That did it.
 
I drew my right dagger before he could notice, positive that he wouldn’t come
to his senses on his own, and aimed at a region of high importance to him.
 
“Sirius, if you do not calm down this instant and cease beating me, I will
castrate you! And I mean every word of it!” I warned insistently, my voice
freezing cold as I looked firmly into his eyes. This seemed to finally pierce
through the haze of fury that had encompassed his mind.
 
“W… what… what?” he enquired bewildered. He had grabbed my throat with one
hand, reminiscent of Bole, and I couldn’t stand it and I began to develop
tunnel vision. He should be glad I didn’t kill him outright. Blood was rushing
in my ears, and I took deep breaths to get air into my lungs in fear of
suffocation. Very slowly he shifted his gaze from my face down to my hand,
almost like he was moving in slow motion, until he noticed the Horus dagger
pointed at his manhood. As soon as the sight registered he twitched, his eyes
shooting back up. He stared at me in shock, a look I countered with
determination.
 
“Ah, I see we have an understanding, Sirius. Release me… step back and sit down
again, or you will be lucky to get away with just castration! If you want to
end up like Bole, by all means, try me!” I threatened coldly, my tone vicious
yet controlled. My cheek was burning like it was on fire, my split lip was
throbbing, and my whole body sore through the collision with the wall. Thanks a
lot, Sirius.
 
Abruptly, he broke away from me for good and stalked stiffly to his knocked
over chair, setting it up straight before flopping onto it. Our fight had left
us both pretty battered. I breathed a sigh of relief when he finally let me go
and swept my hair out of my face with my left hand with emphasized nonchalance.
I lifted my damaged dress slightly and sheathed my dagger with a practiced
motion before I went over to the table as well.
 
“That didn’t go how I had imagined, Sirius,” I stated sorrowfully after a
while.
 
“Hmpf, I could say the same! How dare you?! Who are you shagging?!” he spat
aggressively. He had crossed his arms in front of his chest and jutted out his
chin irreconcilably, making it obvious how mortally offended he was. Blood was
dripping slowly down from his chin still. Goddess, sometimes he could be such a
child. Did I deserve that? No! I mean, we didn’t swear that we were in love,
nor did we pledge fidelity! Why was he acting like this?
 
“I don’t understand you. You knew that our fling was temporary... Why are you
this upset now?” I asked at a loss, as I truly didn’t understand it.
 
“How can you ask that? Who gives you the right to decide when it is over?” he
spluttered.
 
“I... I have every right!” I asserted firmly.
 
“I disagree!” he retorted petulantly.
 
“I wanted to visit you and keep you company and what do you do? You attack me!
You beat me! Have you gone mad? You grabbed my throat like you wanted to choke
me!” I wanted to know what was going on in his mind, once again furious.
 
“Oh please! Had you planned to tell me that you are cheating on me or did you
want to shag me as usual, pretending not to have tumbled out of another’s bed
just a few minutes earlier?” he hissed venomously and glared at me
unforgivingly.
 
“You are thinking only the best of me, aren’t you? Why, no, I wanted to say
goodbye in a civilized manner. Believe it or not, I hadn’t planned to sleep
with you, sorry! Not today, and after your behaviour just now, I won’t ever
again!” I spat at him contemptuously.
 
“I had and have every right to act like that!” he rebuted, disdain contorting
his features.
 
“Well, good for you, but I think we have nothing left to say. Farewell,
Sirius!” I stated with finality and waved my hand in an disappointed gesture
while standing up determinedly and throwing on my robe. He didn’t try to stop
me and I didn’t look back either.
 
I rushed out of the front door and apparated quickly into the Forbidden Forest.
I wanted to get to Draco, feeling too overwhelmed.
 
I had been beaten by my boyfriend- make that ex-boyfriend. Not that I was not
used to getting beaten, but I hadn’t expected that he could do that to me.

I sobbed, the words ‘ Such an ass…’   echoing through my head.
***** Common Room *****
Chapter Summary
     A Thursday-Goody for Dramione Fans ♥
     Thanks so much for all the Kudos and Reviews. ♥
     Enjoy. xxx
Common Room
 
The forest was pitch-black. I had to utter a Lumos to find the stone, so I
could get rid of it with a Dissendium and a Wingardium Leviosa. Standing in the
tunnel, I put it back in it's place, moving as if I was under a trance. I still
couldn't believe what had happened in the past few hours. I had wild, harsh sex
with Professor Snape as his paid hooker and had been beaten by Sirius, my as of
now ex-boyfriend! Well, if that wasn't an eventful night, I didn't know what
was. There was also the matter of Rita, who I had once again scared to death
after I had told her that what had happened to the Death Eaters was on my
account.
 
I needed a strengthening potion. I was so fed up with the world! I never
would’ve thought that a day would come where I would fight against my friends
and not my enemies. But one never did stop learning...
 
Was that a comfort for me? Not likely! I pulled my cap further over my
throbbing and swollen face. I didn't know what I was looking like, but I
guessed I wasn’t looking pretty, so I huddled myself deeper into my coat. It
was twenty minutes to one o'clock and I felt absolutely exhausted. I ran along
the secret passage until I reached the stone witch and went behind it. Once I
made it into Hogwarts, I quickly scurried to the entrance of the Slytherin
common room. I needed Draco, that was the only thing I could think of.
 
"Snake pit," I whispered breathlessly at the stone wall, and it gave me access.
I confidently entered the room, and could see from under my hood that the room
was occupied by the higher classes despite the late hour. All in all, nine to
ten students were present! Was I mad to face all these snakes? Most likely, but
I just didn't care at the moment and Draco had said I should come, though I’m
sure he wouldn't have expected me to come so early. On the island by the
fireplace Draco's classmates Nott, Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle were seated, and
about five other students were standing around the rest of the room. I think it
was three seventh-graders and two from the sixth. Only Draco wasn't there, to
my chagrin. Had I ever mentioned how unreasonably lucky I always was?
Unbearably so.
 
"Who are you?" came unfriendly voices from several corners.
 
"What are you doing here?" someone else said, particularly aggressive.
 
"Show your face! Strangers aren't allowed here!" another hissed suspiciously.
The air had become tense. Some were nervous, some suspicious, others openly
hostile. A few of the snakes were already pulling out their wands. I quickly
used a nonverbal Protego Horribilis, a long-lasting protection spell that was
also helpful against dark-magical attacks. One never knew when it would be
required and I was in enemy land here.
 
I was a few seconds too slow, because I already felt a spell impact. I hadn't
said a word so far, standing quietly in the middle of the common room, when I
recognized a white-blond head from the corner of my eye. It was Draco, coming
into the room with the dark-skinned Zabini in tow.
 
At that moment a painful stab made me turn around. A Diffindo had hit my thigh
and not only cut through the fabric of my coat, but also my skin. This is what
happens if one isn't always careful enough. Damn, wasn't my face enough
already? The cut stung as it bled freely.
 
"Oww, Draco.." I exclaimed indignantly, reaching for my bleeding leg. Hadn't I
bled enough already? Why always me? Oh yes, I had forgotten... I loved the
danger!
 
"What is going on here?" Draco snapped, impressing with his aristocratic
demeanour when he stepped confidently into the room, registering me surrounded
by belligerent Slytherins.
 
"She doesn't want to show us her face!" said a stupid goose in a squeaky voice.
I'll show you something else in a second. Goddess, I was in a bad temper! I
bared my teeth, only no one saw it from under my hood. I held my thigh and
pulled away my bleeding hand. Now I could see something very vicious reflected
in the liquid silver the colour of his eyes transformed into when he noticed my
injury.
 
"Who. Was. That?" he hissed coldly. When he was like this, he was really
frightening. So economical in his movements... He looked around, his gaze ice
cold, and only raised an eyebrow threateningly.
 
"Higgs!" backstabbed the black-haired Pansy from the couch .
 
"Terence Higgs, step forward," Draco ordered, his tone cold yet velvety at the
same time. That was something that gave you goosebumps all over. A tall, red-
haired seventh-grader stepped forward before he flew backwards ungracefully, no
doubt a nonverbal charm courtesy of Draco. He hit the stone floor hard and
remained there, groaning. Draco walked slowly and elegantly toward him,
enjoying the horrified looks of the other snakes. Once he had approached Higgs,
he used his right foot and kicked him hard and ruthlessly in the side, where I
would say his kidneys were. His shoe slammed brutally into Higgs as he lay
hunched over on the ground. He looked down at him scornfully, as if Higgs were
garbage. Then Draco turned to face the room at large and smiled a cold,
calculating smile, wiping an imaginary strand from his beautiful, cold face.
 
"So... I want to clarify: whoever is stupid enough to attack my dear guest here
also volunteers to be admitted to the hospital wing. Is that clear?"
 
He sounded so amiable and sweet but it sent shivers down my spine. I was really
baffled by his demonstrated power over this group. I could see their frightened
faces, as they nodded to him meekly, keeping their heads down. Their whole
attitude towards him was absolutely subservient and submissive.
 
"Now leave. I don't want to see you anymore tonight," he breathed silkily to
the group of older students who immediately started to leave. A few of them
grabbed the unconscious Higgs, not at all gentle as they began pulling him with
them. They had barely left the room when Draco lost his indifferent attitude
and hurried towards me with his arms open.
 
"Mu... darling, you're early. Did something happen?" he exclaimed, unusually
anxious. The snakes’ eyes threatened to fall out as they gaped at us, as they
hadn't fully left the room yet.
 
But even  I  was confused. Darling? Since when did he call me that? Well, it
would've been suspicious if he'd call me Mudblood. After all, he always
addressed Hermione Granger so deprecatingly, but how I had earned ‘darling’
wasn't quite clear to me. I hadn't the muse to figure that out right now, for I
was in too much pain. I couldn't even answer that quickly, as he tugged me to
his chest.
 
"What's going on? Say something."
 
I couldn't say a word and he didn’t wait for me to. He pulled my robes back
curiously and caught sight of the cut from Higgs. The cut was quite deep and
still bleeding freely, but I barely felt it. I was startled when, before I
could blink, he lifted me up in his arms, as if I weighed nothing and carried
me carefully to the couch. He pressed me against his strong chest and I
gratefully accepted the solace it gave me. Like hell I would protest.
 
"Draco, what are you doing...?" Pansy asked shocked, still standing on the
stairs. When he didn't answer at once, another spoke.
 
"Yes, I mean, you never make your hands dirty! Who's that?" Zabini asked,
terrifyingly brave.
 
The surreality of the situation before me made me falter, not the pain, as the
latter was not as bad anymore. I looked between Draco, who was nearly too close
for comfort, and the students of his class back and forth, confused. He carried
me skillfully and didn't pay attention to the questions of the others, arrogant
as he was, still slowly walking to the fireplace. Then he attempted to lower me
on the couch, waving his hand to scare away Pansy, which proved to be effective
as she disappeared with a reluctant squeal. The courage seemed to have left her
because she was not worth an answer.
 
After he had put me down carefully, he exposed the wound again and pointed his
wand at it, uttering an Episkey. The wound closed before my eyes while
prickling and twinging uncomfortably, a side effect of the healing. But I
didn't allow myself to let out any sound and remained silent, and a cleaning
spell later the cut had disappeared entirely. Draco was really a powerful
wizard. Behind his spells was genuine power, but then he had a white hawthorn
wand. As I said before, we were very much alike.
 
"Thank you Draco!" I breathed hoarsely. Then I immediately reeled from surprise
when Pansy dashed back from the dormitories and grabbed Draco’s arm out of the
blue.
 
"Draco, who is that? Who is she? What's going on here?" she asked
inquisitively. Apparently, she couldn't curb her curiosity. She was just as bad
as Lav and Pav.
 
"Leave," Draco ordered coldly.
 
"But... but Draco," she whined unhappily, looking at him pleadingly. It seemed
as if she was dying of curiosity.
 
"I said leave and don't touch me! You know I hate that!" he snarled at her
impatiently. She restrained herself after that but didn't leave the room.
 
"Do you need something, Mu.. darling?"
 
If we were alone, I would probably be called Mudblood, I thought ironically.
 
"A whiskey!" I asked gently, ignoring the obnoxious girl, and sat up carefully,
which he was observing with eagle eyes.
 
"Blaise, the drink! Who hurt you?" he demanded from Zabini, who was standing
behind the petulant girl as if to prevent a dispute, before speaking to me. Why
did Draco always see so damn much?! Was that normal for a Malfoy, I thought
sarcastically. I put my hand over my face in despair, a subconscious movement,
before letting my hand drop again. I had a little blood on my fingers, nothing
severe, but I had forgotten I was in the presence of Dramaqueen Draco.
 
"What? You're bleeding on your face too, what happened, was it Se..?" he
growled angrily, looking wild with his expressive eyes as I quickly reached for
his arm.
 
"No.. no Draco, it was the last meeting! It ran out of control," I whispered
quietly, embarrassed. All the noises had stopped, no one in this room even
breathed anymore, they all watched us curiously.
 
"How dare he lay a hand on you!" His tone was heated and angry, but his
expression remained impassive. As expected of a Malfoy.
 
"You didn't sleep with the mutt, did you?" he asked immediately, and I heard
our spectators drawing in sharp breaths. Draco wasn't willing to acknowledge
it. Such willful ignorance was not easy to obtain - but I forgot, he was a
Malfoy.
 
"What do you take me for? Today I wanted to tell him that it's over and not
because you told me to stop sleeping with him! But unfortunately his nose is
too good and he smelled meeting number two, which went really well, and freaked
out! He started to... to beat me..."
 
The confession wasn't easy for me, so I gratefully accepted the drink from the
hands of a horrified Zabini.
 
"Are you seriously hurt?" Draco said, his tone worried as he swept his hand
over my body in an intimate gesture. His classmates followed the movement with
a hawk-like gaze, but he didn't seem to care.
 
"No, hell, I beat the shit out of him," I said, leaning my head back as began
to laugh despite my exhaustion. "Oh man, it was so funny. I could've ended this
all so much earlier, but I didn't want to hurt him. He really freaked out
today.”
 
"And then you let him hit you and didn't stop him immediately?" he sounded
disbelieving.
 
"He hits like a girl. He slapped me, I punched him a few times, and when it was
enough, I threatened to castrate or kill him," I said icily, giggling again.
"You should've seen his face, it was hilarious!"
 
"You know you're crazy right? You got beaten up and you're laughing” He
explained, somewhat bewildered, but then asked urgently: “But now tell me, how
badly hurt are you?" I waved it away, casually.
 
"Oh Draco, all is well, as long as I can still laugh! In the last months I've
been beaten more severely nearly every day. Believe me, a lot has to happen to
make me scream," I explained resignedly I took another sip of the burning
amber-colored liquid, letting it trickle slowly down my throat, and enjoyed the
tart and peated flavour on my tongue.
 
"You horrify and amaze me again and again. And  I'm  the one to decide how
badly you're injured," he determined regally, raising his chin commandingly.
 
"All of you, immediately go to your dormitories, and if you should have the
insolence to break my order, the Cruciatus is an appropriate punishment for
sure. Take care of the other Slytherins, I don't want to see them down here,"
he ordered. And oh wonder, or maybe not such a great wonder, they obeyed now
without any resistance and slunked off like whipped dogs. They left me and
Draco on the couch in front of the cozy fireplace.
 
"Draco, why do they all listen to you, even the older ones?" I asked
uncomprehendingly.
 
"Well, why not? We Malfoys are powerful, really powerful, have always been and
very influential and rich, immeasurably rich, too! And now, since the Dark Lord
is back, Father is again the right hand of the Dark Lord and Uncle Severus is
the left, so we are the first league!" he explained their power emotionlessly
and surprisingly openly,  which left me with my mouth open because I hadn't
been aware of it.
 
"Take off your coat," he demanded, his lips pressed together firmly. Because of
his stubborn expression, I obediently did what he wanted. I had really no more
strength to argue with a pissed off Malfoy. But I quickly directed my wand to
the room and spoke a protective spell. And so I opened the clasp, let it slip
off my shoulders and pulled of my hood, while I was able to experience how he
breathed in air, hissing.
 
"This fucking mutt, the cruciatus is still too nice for him. Who'd beat a
woman?" he yelled, mad as hell and almost appalled when he saw my battered
face, which he held incredibly tender in his hands.
 
"Hermione, you look horrible!" He drew his crushing résumé. Haha.. where is a
calendar when one needs it. He had called me by my first name. I had to look
really terrible when he deigned to use it.
 
"That bad? I don't really feel much pain," I whispered to him uncertainly.
 
"Yes, that bad! You have a cracked lip, a cut on the right cheek, and a bruised
eye. The blood in your face is dry and your dress looks... torn to shreds," he
counted down with suppressed rage in his trembling voice. "If you couldn't
fight back like you can, what else might he have done to you?" he hissed
angrily, his eyes flashing aggressively. Then suddenly he held his wand towards
my face and began to heal, which he did very well. It was taxing work even for
him and his forehead shone with sweat, but he was very good at it. A little
cleaning spell later, he held a mirror to my face, and I took it, smiling
gratefully, and looked into my swollen, quite colorful face. Mh-hm. I breathed
in with a sigh. He had really confused me with a punch bag. Resignedly I had
reached into the pocket of my robes and fished out three potions, when an
elegant, pale hand quickly closed itself around the potions and took them off
me.
 
"What kind of potions are these?" He looked at the vials with interest.
 
"An anti-pain; a healing; and an anti-swell-potion," I informed him.
 
"You're well equipped. Here, drink," he said, and I got already poured the
evil-tasting stuff inside me, could feel how they did their work and began to
take effect from the inside.
 
"Well, if you get injured as often as I do, you will quickly get used to it,
otherwise it can hurt quite horribly," I revealed a wisdom of my own.
 
"What do we do with him? He can't get away with it like that," Draco said
vengefully, slamming his fist into his hand, making a loud slapping noise. Wow,
he was really angry, because Sirius had done that to me.
 
"Draco, I've hit back and believe me, compared to him I look good, I've got a
hard punch," I played it down resolutely as I couldn't do anything about my
guilty conscience towards Sirius. Draco rubbed his chin in thought and suddenly
laughed loudly and deeply.
 
"I know, I can remember and at that time you weren't trained, or were you?" He
gave me a devious smile. I knew what he was remembering and laughed as well
like he did, when I thought about our third year when I had hit him with a
punch to the jaw.
 
"Yeah, you're right, but that wasn't a hard punch, you wimp!" I said
embarrassed, which only made him laugh louder. He now mockingly raised his
glass and we chinked glasses. At this late hour, he only wore black, perfectly-
fitting cloth pants and a green shirt, which he had pulled out of his pants
casually. Now he leaned back in the couch relaxed and looked at me almost
tenderly, not to say affectionately, something that confused me, because I just
found nothing in me that deserved this.
 
"Well, but if he should cross my path, I'll give him my 'regards' and you won't
stop me! Nobody raises his hand against... against anyone... against you," and
as he said it, goose bumps formed on my skin, as I was absolutely sure that he
wouldn't let it rest. His look so determined, so unyielding, so dark and
serious, I worried about Sirius. I believed Draco wouldn't listen to my request
and forget it, but what should I do now? At first nothing, he seemed to be too
angry in this respect.
 
"What did you really want to say? What am I for you?" I continued to ask and
began a new topic which was on my mind, as he had just stammered in his
explanation.
 
"That doesn't matter now. Are you really feeling okay again? How will you get
the bruises out of your face, you'll begin to shimmer in all colors until
classes tomorrow. Even magic can't change that," he said, worried, avoiding my
question.
 
"You're right, but you haven't seen my resourcefulness yet," I gave him a very
mischievous and penetrating look.
 
"Tell me?" he showed himself very curious and leaned closer to me.
 
"I've mixed dittany with a drop of unicorn blood, if you put it on, everything
will disappear, even scars, for at least five hours, if not longer! This is
still the trial period, though," I told him conspiratorially.
 
"Where did you get the idea from, that's awesome," it came impressed from him
and I squirmed around under the admiring glances he gave me.
 
"Thank you for the compliment, I don't know, that's how my brain works, it was
just there out of the blue," I stopped his enthusiasm.
 
"You're good, but I just can't calm down right now. What else would the madman
have done to you?" he asked anxiously and ran his hand over his eyes.
 
"Where are your thoughts going? You mean, he might have raped me?" I shrugged.
"No clue, but I wasn't afraid, because I never felt really threatened at any
time! If you understand. I think he just wanted to beat me," it came very
sparingly from me, and I surprised myself of how calmly I took all of this.
 
"You have no idea how bad that would've been for you," it came quietly from him
and seemed very moved.
 
"But Draco, don't think about it so negatively. How do you want to know that..
oh my goddess?" I exclaimed understandingly, while I slammed my hand in front
of my mouth, that wasn't true, was it? No, that couldn't be true, that would be
too terrible, for him! He had lowered his head and looked keenly interested at
his hands, so completely unmalfoylike.
 
"Unfortunately," he confessed, whispering.
 
"Oh Draco, was it very bad... for you?" I showed myself very worried and
carefully put my hand around his arm.
 
"Well, not really for me, but the poor women", he said softly, looking away
ashamed, his bright-blonde fringe covered his eyes.
 
"How... can you tell me?" I asked him confidentially, stroking his back gently.
 
"The revels! Lucius, Severus and I, we don't like them! But to celebrate the
return of the Dark Lord, the Death Eaters have captured some pretty Muggle
girls... they have to serve at the revels, for the amusement of the crowd, and
we three had to do them too! The two were able to cop out after doing it once,
but I, as the youngest of the crowd, had to prove myself and was 'allowed' to
rape a second girl..." he breathed, his voice full of horror, biting his
perfect lips until I stopped him from harming them, put my fingers on his lips,
and gently stroked them.
 
"Don't! What happens to the girls after that?" I inquired softly.
 
"What do you think? They'll be brought back to their prison, it's alright
there. They're cared for there! What do you think, he orders his people to get
some fresh meat every time? They're really pretty, appealing girls, so you
can't find them so easily," he said coldly, suddenly very uninvolved.
 
"And how was it for you?" My voice sounded worried.
 
"That's the same if I'd ask you how it was for you to kill Bole," he spat out
harshly.
 
"Sorry, didn't want to offend you," I lifted my hands apologetically and
defensively.
 
"No, it's alright, I.. I find it disgusting. I don't have to rape a woman if I
want one! If, then she will come to my bed voluntarily," he said quietly and
calmly again. "Their eyes, the look in their eyes, it's the worst, and because
of my high rank I have the honor of being the first, they aren't already broken
then.. it haunts me, but just like you, I have learned to live with what I do
and what I have to do!" he breathed out with a groan, then shrugged. I put my
head exhausted in his lap and he started playing with my hair and stroking my
head.
 
"We've got a shit life, right?" I asked him, disillusioned, in a melancholic
voice.
 
"Well, it could be worse, but you're right, it's far from perfect.." he agreed
almost sadly.
 
"I always say, we're too young for this shit," I said, discouraged. "You have
to rape and watch others do the same, and I murder and whore around the world.
We're such an awesome pair!" I said resignedly and with malicious mockery, that
didn't sound nice at all. Draco began to laugh.
 
"Are you always so optimistic?" h e chuckled slightly.
 
"Arrgh, I just think I'm having a personal low, sorry! That much alcohol
probably makes me depressed," and slapped my hands over my face.
 
"How much did you have and how did the rest of the meetings go?" he wanted to
know now.
 
"The one with Rita went great, the article will be in the Prophet tomorrow. I'm
curious as to what you'll say," I grinned up to him, my head still in his lap.
 
"How did she react?" he asked.
 
"In the end she was scared to death of me. Can you imagine a Rita leaving with
wobbly knees? It was hilarious," I now giggled spitefully.
 
"I'm glad your depravity amuses you that much," he chuckled no less devilishly
and gave me a loving smile while he stroked my hair relentlessly.
 
"Haha, you must know I hate that beetle," I confessed, venomously.
 
"Beetle?!” he frowned, but I thought I read in his eyes that he knew more about
beetles than he wanted to admit, but we weren't ready yet to tell each other
everything.
 
"We'll talk about it on Saturday, it would take too long now," I explained and
he nodded, but I saw how he stored it in his mind, reminding himself not to
forget it.
 
"Good, then tell me about Severus," he demanded, and I wriggled around, trying
to avoid answering until he held me by my shoulders.
 
 "What is it?" he stopped me, looking at me insistently.
 
"Do I have to tell you, isn't it enough if I say the mission was completed
successfully?", I wriggled uncomfortably next to him.
 
"Not all the details, but a little more, yes..." he didn't give in.
 
"You can be pretty relentless," I whinged, incensed.
 
"What do you expect, I'm a Malfoy!" he declared snobbishly. I groaned in
frustration, one didn’t encounter that much narcissism every day.
 
"Draco, you're killing me... I just went into the room, he was already there
and then he did.." I paused. I licked my dry lips. I had never talked about
anything like this and I wasn't sure I wanted to do that. "He.. oh, Draco do I
really need to?" I whispered slightly annoyed but also exhausted.
 
"Yes, tell me!" he remained adamant, showing a unyielding expression and handed
me my glass, which I instantly drank in one go.
 
"He took me from behind, it was fast, we were finished soon and he paid me with
this..." I rummaged for the leather pouch and threw it into Draco’s hand with a
scornful snort, "... and then he said goodbye until the next time," I let
myself fall into his lap again, embarrassed, I didn't need to tell everything
too detailed.
 
"And he really didn't realize you are Hermione..?" he asked incredulously,
weighing the pouch in his hand.
 
"Would I sit here if he did?" I asked cynically.
 
"No, but it's unbelievable that you're so good at Occlumency. It's hard even
for me to keep him out of my head and I've been learning for years," he said
openly, showing that I impressed him.
 
"I've been learning since this summer, apparently I'm a natural," I began to
laugh and he joined with me. Man, it felt good to be able to laugh with
someone.
 
"Oh, I remember, I saw your father in the ‘Hangman', with a woman and two other
men," I announced, when I remembered today's encounter. He frowned.
 
"He hates this place! I'm sure it had something to do with the Death Eaters.
What time is it? What, already after three o'clock, you must go to bed. Come,
I'll bring you and what shall I do with that?" He asked appraisingly, while he
smoothly arose. I stood up as well, though much more awkwardly than him,
However, he was right, it was already late. I again wrapped myself into my
coat, as my dress looked terribly shredded. I could throw it into the garbage.
 
"That isn't necessary Draco, the way ‘s too far. Thank you for your offer; and
keep it, I don't want it", I refused the pouch, which he held out to me again.
He only tilted his head questioningly, while he seemed to think. I could see a
flash of sudden inspiration in his eyes, and he put the money in his pocket,
but the nice thing was that he accepted my decision and didn't force the gold
on me.
 
"No buts, Mudblood, if you can survive this night, I can take you up these few
stairs, and I'll show you a Slytherin in-house secret passageway. Do you really
think we always run up all these stairs from the dungeons to the astronomy
tower, or to Divination?" He winked at me mischievously and slyly. Thus we left
the common room together. Draco stopped again after only one corridor in front
of a wall carpet that showed a battle scene between magical creatures in the
Forbidden Forest, pulling the carpet away from the wall.
 
"Come," he said invitingly, taking my hand. And so we walked along holding
hands, walking up around ten steps and already standing in front of a next wall
carpet, which he once again held up gallantly.
 
"Tada, just like magic, the seventh floor!" he said with heavy irony, and I was
really impressed and wondered how the Marauders had missed this path. But
perhaps the Slytherins kept their secret passageway close to their hearts just
like their wands? There were probably several secret passages in the dungeons
the Marauders hadn't discovered as these passages were on Slytherin territory.
 
"That's handy, thank you Draco! Come on. Should something happen, it's better
if you know our accessway," I dragged him with me. At last I stopped with him
in front of the sleeping, fat lady. I was about to turn to her when I was
pulled to his broad, amazingly strong chest. Why did it still surprise me that
he was no longer the little boy he used to be? Perhaps because Harry and Ron
were still childish? Or, even if it was hard to believe, our arrangement, or
whatever that was, was fairly new, and was still at the beginning. Yes, that
were the reasons. He was as grown up as I was. Oh, I enjoyed that! I inhaled
this delicious scent of sandalwood, which I could do all the time.
 
"Thanks for patching me up, that was very nice of you. Sleep well, my
Pureblood," I said goodbye.
 
"For you always, go to sleep now, my Mudblood!" he whispered, and as I was
still leaning on his chest, he just lowered his mouth and kissed me, as he
always did, since this had begun with us, on my forehead. Oh, it was so
beautiful, much nicer than a plain kiss!
 
I groaned. "I don't want to go in there now, I don't belong there anymore," I
whispered desperately, while I buried my face in his chest and refused to let
go of him.
 
"Finally, I thought I was talking to an ice block," he said relieved, and began
to stroke my hair soothingly, after my little emotional outburst.
 
"You know, Mudblood, we will never really belong anywhere, we have already
experienced and seen too much and it will get more, but you know that well
enough. Though the beauty of it is, that we aren't alone," he whispered in my
ear, comforting me.
 
"You know, it's shocking that you're so close to my heart and that you
understand me so well, but it's so nice not to have to explain everything down
to the smallest detail. You just understand, thank you, Draco!" it came
fervently from me and I leaned back in his arms so that I could see his face,
then I rose and kissed him lightly and tenderly on his cheek.
 
"Anytime. And don't forget Saturday, I want all the details!" he now utter a
laugh more relaxed and freely than before. I escaped his embrace playfully and
lightly hit him on the shoulder.
 
"Banana Ice Cream! Don't ask.." I put it off, as I noticed his disbelieving
look at this embarrassing password, whereupon he burst into a loud, mocking
laughter.
 
"Are you guys serious?" he asked disdainfully.
 
"Yes, unfortunately. She always picks it herself!" I made a suffering grimace
and pointed to the opening portrait of the fat lady clad in pink, who, luckily,
slept deeply. He still shook his head in disbelief. "No one would guess that
word... You'd have to be a Gryffindor." I climbed through the round opening and
waved him goodbye and he soon blended in with the shadows, became a part of the
darkness and disappeared quietly into the night.
***** The Game Continues *****
Chapter Notes
     Guys, thank you so much for all your reviews, Kudos and Reads!
     You're awesome!
     Enjoy. xxx
The game continues
 
It was no wonder when I woke up the next morning at seven o'clock feeling
beaten. I wouldn't run today because, thanks to Sirius, I felt like  I was
surrounded by cotton balls. Thank God, Lav, Pav and the other two were still in
a comatose sleep, triggered by the sweets of the Twins, very handy. So I
dragged myself like a walking corpse into the bathroom and put myself under an
invigorating shower.  After my shower, I stepped almost daringly in front of
the mirror and looked at my face. I was on the brink of ejecting a shout of
rage. What did the stupid mutt think about beating me like that?
 
I looked coloured like a rainbow, absolutely great. After brushing my teeth, I
rubbed the new ointment all over my face and tada! I was a genius! I looked
just like new again. I would carry that new ointment with me for the immediate
future, so I could quickly apply it again in case the effect would fade. Really
wonderful, as if I didn't have to think about anything else. So I stepped back
into the dormitory, shining in my natural beauty and dressed in my school
uniform and a cloak. Hopefully, the sleeping beauties would soon wake up from
their sleep, I thought, and then - with an indifferent shrug - I went to our
common room to browse a bit in the books while the first few people slowly
began to stir awake. While I sat in my chair, the thought of yesterday came
unstoppably a long with  questions about the why. But seriously, I brutally
pushed my whining to the side, 'learn to live with it', because it can't be
changed anymore anyway. But there was a sad, empty, and hollow feeling, leaving
an acid taste in my mouth. My thoughts went to Draco. Should something change
for me because of what Draco had told me?
 
That he had raped... No, that wasn't true, that he had been forced to rape!
What did I think about it? Nothing, I didn't care. Draco didn't change in my
eyes, that was something he had to do! And I had noticed that he was sorry, but
also that he was resigned to the fact that he had had to do it. I had also
learned that my professor had done similar atrocities during his time as a spy,
but he didn't like it either, but here too, it didn't change my attitude
towards him. It touched me no further, except that I felt compassion for him,
for them, as I knew Draco hadn't explicitly liked what he had to do to these
women and I respected him even more, felt even closer to him. As I said, we
lived in a shitty time, ugly things happened to all of us, so one had to learn
to live with it and accept what one did. What really interested me was, had all
been watching? Was this a kind of orgy? Or, how would I need to imagine this?
The  thoughts that went through my head  were strange,  and  the questions were
even more unusual, but they came to me quite naturally. What kind of life  were
we living, that I was asking questions like this? I hope I found the courage to
ask him on Saturday!
 
And for the first time in weeks, I was really glad to see Harry and Ron
stepping into the room. I positively beamed at them, but I instantly lost it
when I saw Harry's expression, which immediately worried me. What had happened?
 
"Harry, what happened?" I exclaimed worried and quickly changed seats, sitting
down on the couch next to him. "What's wrong?" I asked urgently.
 
"Oh.. Hermione, if I tell you, you'll just be angry with me again!" he said
sadly, his eyes unhappy.
 
"I promise faithfully, I won't be angry with you, please trust me, what
happened?" I thought that it could only be something important, since his tone
was so tense.
 
"I... I've had a lot of headaches and my scar hurt too in the last few weeks,
it's almost unbearable sometimes... especially at night!" he whined, pressing
his fist to his reddish bolt-shaped scar.
 
"Do you think it's coming from him?" I asked, whispering, somewhat insecure and
slightly frightened. Apparently, the connection between the two went deeper
than previously assumed,  but  was it good or bad for us ?  Harry nodded sadly,
but  was clearly  relieved that I took him seriously and that I could say the
terrible assumptions out loud, that he wouldn't even dare to speak.
 
"Oh ... that's not good, not good at all!" I groaned anxiously.
 
"I know that," he hissed furiously, which I forgave him, I'd react like him if
I had such a close connection to a madman.
 
"What am I supposed to do?" he whined a second later almost sobbing.
 
"Maybe you should tell Sirius?" Ron said cautiously. The name alone made me
stiffen, even if I realized that Ron just meant well.
 
"I don't know…” I let myself be heard dismissively  but I  had a distressed
grimace  on my face .
 
"No, this is an excellent idea, Ron! I'll owl him right now and ask him how we
can talk to each other," Harry looked much happier and was hooked already. I
didn't look  forward  to that meeting which would probably await me, but I
could save myself the stress of trying to get Harry out of that idea,  because
his eyes shone with feverish anticipation.
 
So I admitted defeat. "Well then! Come on, I want to read the Prophet and I
need my coffee," I said ill-humoured, but surrendering to my fate. Shortly
after we had sat down, the owls entered the hall, as if on command, and brought
us the newspapers.  What I read made it difficult to suppress a devious grin.
Draco's smug behaviour, as he sat  at  his table acting like a king, didn't
really help me maintain my indifferent facade, because I was extremely pleased
with myself and the effect the article would have. The article I had discussed
with Rita was the title story ! As o ne shouldn't laugh about murder, but be
indignant, I should stop my almost dopey grin, damn! And the big hall was
buzzing like a beehive. Everyone cast a covert glance at Harry, which he didn't
understand at first until I gave him the article.
 
"Oh god! What happened, who could've done that?" He echoed in horror. Well, I
wanted to see his horror when he learned that it was me.
 
"Yes, horrifying, sounds quite brutal.. almost beheaded," said Ron, munching
and shaking in disgust, but continued to eat as cool as a cucumber and still
hungry. I rolled my eyes, how could one just eat like that with such news? He
had to have a really strong stomach, but he also didn't have the pictures of
those  scenes in his mind . I f I would say: "Hey guys, that was me"... no, no
one would believe me.
 
"Do you think, they finally believe that Voldemort is back?" Harry asked
hopefully.
 
"Yeah, I mean the Dark Mark can't just fall from the sky, right," Ron said
attentio n-seeking . A n d actually they were quite right, but nothing could be
done against idiots like those in the ministry.
 
"It won't do much, but m aybe  one of them  wil l change his mind and face
reality?" I said hopefully, looking into the excited crowd of students who
looked around  anxiously and uneasily , sometimes looking skeptically to our
trio. Since everyone had known Bole and Derrick, and they thus were shocked,
the Slytherin table seemed to be in a state of turmoil after these news, as
there were some heated but quiet discussions. Draco directed them like a king
and tried to calm them down.
 
"You know, I find it really crass. The two had finished school just last year
and are now dead, just like Cedric," Harry considered, sounding very sad.
 
"Well, they were only two stupid Slytherins, it's not a pity," Ron exclaimed
indifferently, and it was nice to see how pragmatic this boy could be.
 
"Yes horrible, but unlike Cedric they had a choice and have clearly chosen the
wrong path!", it came hard from me, because Cedric's fate was still painful and
therefore I didn't go into it.
 
"Do you think it was someone from the Order?" Harry inquired fearfully. Oh, if
you knew, my dear.
 
"Really, do you think so, Harry?" Ron asked hyper, looking around  covertly .
"That would be so cool!"
 
"Ronald, nothing is cool about murder!" I exclaimed. In what world was this boy
living? "... and Harry, no, I don't think it was anyone from the Order,
Dumbledore isn't like that..." I had to admit  to my dismay .
 
"I think you're right, Hermione! But who else would work so rigorously against
Death Eaters?" he mused.
 
"Well, that's the big question.." I  exclaimed , suppressing an superior smirk.
What was that? Draco looked at me very intensely and caught my attention this
way. He subtly pointed to something else, further back in the newspaper. I
reacted quickly and nodded inconspicuously that I had understood and reached
again for the newspaper to look through it, then I found what he meant. In an
article farther back, we were informed about what Draco had already told us on
the train: ‘Sirius Black sighted in London’!
 
But what caught my attention, too, was the fact that Sturgis Podmore - a member
of the Order, as I knew - had been caught during the night of the 31st of
August to the 1st of September in the ministry in an attempt to break through a
high security door and got sentenced to six months in Azkaban. All in all, very
interesting news. I looked thankfully into those silvery eyes and nodded to him
secretly, then I pouted and now told the other two as well about those
extraordinary contents. Shortly after, the bell rang for the first class and we
had to hurry. The rest of the day went on quietly until we went outside to the
afternoon classes with the new Professor Grubbly-Plank, as she filled in for
Hagrid, who was no longer present.
 
"Do you think Hagrid will be back soon? I don't understand why he disappeared
immediately after the feast... I'm worried!" Harry said, looking suspiciously
through his glasses.
 
"No idea... He'll be alright," Ron replied, uninterested. Suddenly Draco bumped
into Harry from behind.
 
"Can't you be careful Potter? When I come, you have to get out of the way," he
said arrogantly and smugly, while he wrinkled his beautiful nose and grinned at
me. I could only roll my eyes. He would never change in this respect, would he?
 
"Are you missing this giant, unkempt idiot? Perhaps he got himself into
something that is too big for him?", it came very ambiguous of him, while he
laughed maliciously, but he had reached the point where we three pointed our
ears. But especially me, as his eyes so intensely gleamed at me. He seemed to
have received a letter  this  morning with new information from Lucius and now
shared it with me.
 
"And I guess if this giant idiot comes back, he's certainly not going to stay a
teacher, as my father has assured me that from now on, the minister is going to
get tough with Hogwarts!" He snarled at us. At that moment, he constantly
looked at me, which caused me to give him a covert smile. "It's ridiculous
here, everything goes to the dogs, doesn't it?" He looked at us arrogantly as
he sighed dramatically, acting compassionate. He was a perfect actor.
 
"Take that back, immediately, you little, vicious ferret. Who do you think you
are?" Ron bleated as expected. "You're no better than us!" he hissed.
 
"Calm down, Ron," I said deliberately and scoldingly. After all, Draco had just
told us more than the entire Order together  had done , one should appreciate
that. After all, we had the news that Hagrid was with the giants, and the
confirmation from Lucius Malfoy personally, that Umbridge, as announced in her
own speech, would  do  much more in Hogwarts, than just be a professor in
‘Defense Against the Dark Arts’. Draco turned his back on us with an arrogant
grin, and went on with his laughing entourage, which was celebrating him, and
left us behind. Harry surprised me positively by remaining silent and talking
only when we were alone. He seemed to be thinking about what Draco had said,
perhaps not all hope had been lost, and he was still developing.
 
"Harry, why didn't you say something to Malfoy, instead letting him go through
with it! I mean, you can't let him treat you like that?" Ron ranted
aggressively and indignantly at the same time.
 
"Didn't you listen, I think he just answered our question of where Hagrid is!
Didn't you hear how he used the words ‘giant’ and ‘too big’? I think Hagrid's
with the giants, but why exactly would Malfoy tell us this?" Harry said very
considerately. He was right, and now it meant for me to distract, clearly, not
that he would question me even more.
 
"Exactly, I ask myself the same question, but now we know it at least. I hope
Hagrid is alright... what do you mean think is Dumbledore's intend?" I said
trying to distract and was delighted that Draco was so skillful when he wanted
to. And so we continued to discuss, endlessly! I was very relieved when the
classes began.
 
At the time just before dinner started, I had been in the library and had
pursued my own interests, and now I walked alone in the direction of the Great
Hall until a white blond head appeared next to me. That sneaking he had
probably learned it from a black-cloaked, grumpy teacher, for he moved as
silently and smoothly as him. Not quite, but he was on the way to perfection.
 
"Thanks, Pureblood. Did your father write to you today?" I said cheerfully. We
were alone in the hallways.
 
"Correct, did you understand it?" One of his nobly curved, pale eyebrows moved
up.
 
"Am I red-haired?" I said very cynically and received an amused snort.
 
"Good one, Mudblood. How are you today?" He nodded at my vicious statement and
gave me a scrutinizing look that contained concern and I could see him scanning
my face. "The ointment works wonderfully. I wouldn't have thought that it would
work like this, but you look refreshed, without the smallest bruise.
Congratulations on your invention! But now tell, how are you feeling in
there?", and while walking he put his hand over my chest, it took me a little
by surprise.
 
"Since when are you so caring, so worried?" I summed up my astonishment.
 
"Let that be my concern! Answer," he showed himself impatient, rolling his
eyes.
 
"Good, I think? I haven't thought about it until now... just...", and nibbled
at my lower lip, feeling uncomfortable.
 
"Don't do that! ‘Just..’ what?" He ordered harshly.
 
“Mhm, Harry, wants to talk to him and I have to be there... I don't know
how..." I made a gesture with my hand and underlined my inner turmoil.
 
"You can do that, Mudblood, put on the mask, don't let the fucking mutt see
anything, I'll take care of him when the time comes!" His icy voice rattled
through the deserted corridors, like a dangerous threat.
 
"Draco, we spoke about that. Let him be, he's history!" I immediately tried to
calm him down and touched, as if by coincidence his hand, pleading.
 
"But, of course. Whatever you say, my Mudblood and enjoy your two mindless
idiots!" He bid goodbye chivalrously as usual, breathing a kiss on my cheek and
walking away majestically.
 
Wow, he'd really learned a lot from the bat, just as I could see his cloak
floating with his movements impressively. Thank goddess, I was spared from the
bat today, thank you, thank you, thank you, for I would see him soon enough!
 
In the evening, almost at midnight, Harry and Ron played chess and as always
Harry was losing spectacularly. The Twins set their business in motion by
bringing their Skiving Snackboxes to the public together with Lee and holding a
sales event. Many students were bleeding and/or succumbing to a collapse, lying
on the floor. I was a prefect, but I played blind, I didn't care, because there
was more important things for me! I myself worked through some dark books,
which I had disguised as harmless reading material, so the time went on until
we three were the last ones in the common room.
 
As soon as we were really alone, the fireplace gave obvious, odd signs and
suddenly Sirius' head emerged in the flames and gave me a deep blow. As soon as
I could see his cheeky grin in the fire, I swallowed uncomfortably, but I made
myself see reason and kept my mask on, even though his face looked swollen and
very bloodshot! The cracks and cuts seemed to have been treated with a healing
spell. But I must say, I was very pleased looking at my colorful work and a
certain, inner calm came over me, because I had defended myself and that very
successfully. He looked at us one after the other, only with me, his eyes
stopped for a second and he saw my impeccable appearance, which caused him to
raise his brow in surprise. A reaction that made me smile derisively.
 
As Draco had said, don't show him anything, not the least bit of what's going
on in myself, and I just followed that advice. And already, Harry had thrown
himself with a big cheer in front of the fireplace and greeted Sirius loudly
and with delight and told him now all events at a furious speed and he answered
the questions in the letters and so it resulted:
 
Dumbledore already assumed that Harry's scar would often hurt if Voldemort had
strong emotions at the same time and Umbridge probably wasn't a Death Eater! I
wondered about the connection between Harry’s scar and the Dark Lord’s feelings
and about Dumbledore thinking about it. It was really odd, that he discussed
this with the Order, but not with the boy who was in pain because of it. I was,
to say the least, confused and disgruntled, because what was going on? In my
humble opinion, Harry had the right to learn about these things, but he was
left in the dark by the wise, old professor, because pain, unknown pain was so
pleasant to bear! Nevertheless, Umbridge was absolutely nasty and disgusting,
and as an example, decided two years ago to make life even harder for
werewolves. Consequently, it was impossible for werewolves, such as Remus was
one, to find a job, which I already knew thanks to Rita's exposé, but had
thought it to be unimportant. I knew that the woman was evil. That's why
Umbridge didn't teach any combat charms and only defensive spells at Hogwarts,
because Fudge and his followers feared that Dumbledore wanted to build an army
in Hogwarts to take over the ministry, which was the most stupid thing I had
ever heard, but had I ever said that Fudge had a brain?
 
The Order itself knew nothing specific about Hagrid. He had been on the road
with Madame Maxime and they had lost each other on the journey to return. But
Hagrid was tough, he would come back for sure. We shouldn't ask too much about
him so that his absence wouldn't be so conspicuous, which was, in my opinion, a
futile try, but didn't matter. And so we were allowed to listen to these
insights of the Order through the fireplace.
 
"You know what, I have a great idea, we could meet again in the cave in
Hogsmeade," he said conspiratorially and grinned absolutely moronic, and looked
around like a moronic idiot. I let my face drop into my hands, feeling terribly
sorry for myself, and dared to ask if he wanted to get close to me again like
this.
 
"No Sirius, that's way too dangerous. If you read the article today, you've
been sighted and unmasked in London," I opened my mouth for the first time
since the start of the conversation and said it firmly but exasperated. I
couldn't allow it, it was far too dangerous. Which earned me a bitter,
reproachful look in more than one respect.
 
"Stay out of this!" He sounded cold.
 
"I agree with Hermione, Sirius, it's way too dangerous. The way Malfoy has told
it to us... I take it very seriously. How do you look like anyway... like you
got beaten?" Harry took my side rigorously but tried to change the mood with
the worst possible topic.
 
"What? Another snake? That's why... maybe...", he muttered slightly mad into
his non-existing beard, which made me look at him gloomily. How dare he, though
he wasn't even wrong.
 
"What do you mean, Sirius?" Harry asked, interested.
 
"Oh, nothing, and if you agree with her so much, ask her!" It came harshly from
Sirius, then he withdrew abruptly from the flames, visibly insulted.
 
"Wow, what was that?" Ron scratched his red head.
 
"I.. I.." Harry said, slightly overwhelmed. I felt sorry for him, that once
again Sirius had himself not under control and let his bitterness and hatred
towards me out on Harry. What a child!
 
"Oh Harry, don't worry so much. I think the house arrest makes him depressed.
Don't mind him," I actually defended Sirius.
 
"If you're sure Hermione, but that behaviour is odd even for him. I don't know
like that," Harry gave me a sad smile.
 
"Oh, he'll be alright again. Now I say, we should go to bed, tomorrow will be a
long day... shoo, goodnight you two," and shooed them to the boys' dormitories.
I withdrew as well and was still annoyed by Sirius' completely inappropriate
behaviour while lying in bed, trying to calm myself down, to empty my mind. I
shouldn't get so angry about it, it wasn't worth it.
***** A Long Way to Saturday *****
Chapter Notes
     Guess what!
     This week, 5th Nov, is the very first annual Birthday of WHF-English!

     So thanks so much for all the Kudos and Love we received during this
     first, hard year.
     ♥
     Enjoy. xx
     Translated by: Aivy ♥
A Long Way to Saturday
 
Already the next day had caught up with me, it was Thursday and once again the
Daily Prophet was a source of enlightenment. A newspaper article on the title
page informed about professor Umbridge’s intentions to undertake long overdue
reforms in Hogwarts on behalf of the ministry. A decree made her Hogwarts’
‘High Inquisitor’.
 
This croaking toad! Unbelievable. I couldn’t even shake my head about that. Did
the wizarding world get its ideas from the Muggle world?
 
Hello? High Inquisitor? Would they introduce the inquisition like in the Muggle
Dark Ages? Did the Ministry go mad? Would they burn everybody at the stake that
didn’t agree with Fudge? Now I did shake my head over the luridness of the
article. And so her surveys in the other teachers’ classes began, which I found
very exhilarating with my inclination towards deadpan humour, but unfortunately
nobody asked me about my opinion. The surveys were glorious. Harry and Ron told
me about divination, as I had dropped out in Third Year, finding the subject
too ambiguous. I needed clear, structured guidelines, not this… I see something
in a foggy crystal ball, but unfortunately it can only be described vaguely and
imprecisely! Yes, that was not my forte and I knew when I met my limits and in
this case they had been met and more.
 
“That’s just unreal, the way the old toad snubbed the crazy insect” Ron
recounted without sympathy and I could see Trelawney before my inner eye, with
her greatly magnified eyes behind her too large glasses and the dozens of veils
and shawls and several bead chains she had wrapped herself in to seem more
mysterious. No, she was no match to Umbridge’s deviousness.
 
“Yes, she unsettled her with her ignorant manner, following her from table to
table and Trelawney acting all entranced and mysterious didn’t go down well.
Not that it works on us, either!” Harry grinned maliciously.
 
“Right you are! And what did happen next?” I enquired curiously, cutting of a
bit of the roast, and chewed thoroughly.
 
“Damn, that was really bloody vile! Umbitch wanted to hear a prophecy and the
dragonfly talked the same rubbish as always! It was unbearable!” Ron continued,
chuckling nastily.
 
“I felt embarrassed for her! No kidding, the dragonfly trembled all over, at
that moment I felt really sorry for her. And I can’t stand Umbitch with her
self-righteous manner!” Harry got worked up. Understandably, who didn’t dislike
the toad?
 
When lunch was over we hurried to Professor McGonagall’s transfiguration class
and had the honour to meet Umbridge there as well. Admittedly, I approved of
Harry’s and Ron’s modification of her name. She was a bitch, but good, rule-
abiding Hermione would never utter such a word. The balancing act to appear as
this Hermione got larger and more difficult everyday. It was thoroughly
exhausting.
 
McGonagall didn’t disappoint me and wasn’t fazed by the wicked witch. After one
disruption too many she barked at the ‘High Inquisitor’ to let her teach in
peace. If she didn’t agree with the older witches way of teaching, she would be
welcome to take over the lesson. The ‘Dolores’ that McGonagall burred expertly,
was balm for the annoyed students’ peace of mind and it resulted in Umbridge
retreating to a corner, miffed, and scribbling on her file, however from then
on she remained silent.
 
When we went outside to Care of Magical Creatures with the Slytherins, suddenly
a hand touched mine and gave it a quick squeeze. I looked up, baffled, and saw
only Draco’s back vanishing from view. Ah, that was sweet of him, as we hadn’t
yet found time today to talk. I missed him, though it seemed it wasn’t the only
one feeling that way. It was a nice feeling to know that he felt similar! When
we all had gathered together, Professor Grubbly-Plank had to stand up to
Umbridge, which she managed pretty well. She didn’t lower herself to discredit
Hagrid nor Dumbledore, whom I regarded with some mistrust by now.
 
In the last lesson of the long day, Umbridge’s own class, once again she and
Harry got into an argument about the Dark Lord’s return or lack thereof. It was
a never-ending story, but this time he got detention for the whole week, every
night of it. Harry, Harry, you will never learn! Sometimes talking was silver,
but most of the time silence was golden!
 
At dinner Snape put in an unexpected appearance and I could feel his gaze on my
back, however I tried to ignore it and refused to react! Draco observed
everything eagle-eyed, especially me, whereas I myself watched my surroundings
attentively as well.  Hey, we could make a game of it,  I thought
sarcastically,  who twitches first will lose . And thus I dined in the
limelight.  Very relaxing,  my cynicism ran riot.
 
Later I laid in my bed, for a change dutifully at one o’clock as I would sneak
out once again tomorrow, on Friday, to meet with my Sensei for the first time
in a week, and as a consequence my jogging routine in the early morning was
back on the schedule, so I prefered to go to sleep quickly.
 
Today, on Friday, I had classes only until four o’clock, which meant that I
bored Harry and Ron with talk about the library, homework, and tests until they
happily rejoiced when I disappeared at half past four. It was just too easy to
deceive them. However, I didn’t rely on my irritating streak, no, I brought in
help from my allies!
 
“Fred, George, even better that I meet you. You are on your way to the common
room?” I asked the two walking towards me.
 
“Yeah, beautiful. Where are you going? We have a big sales event today. We have
every intention to drive Umbitch mad,” the vicious Red Devils grinned
demonically.
 
“Too bad, I will miss out on it, I have to go to my training,” I shrugged
apologetically.
 
“You are going to leave Hogwarts?” Fred asked surprised, though his eyes were
twinkling with a wicked glimmer.
 
“Yes, can you cover up for me, so that Harry, Ron and Ginny won’t get
suspicious?” I looked at them pleadingly, fluttering my eyelashes charmingly.
 
“Sure. When can we expect you back? So that we don’t worry something has
happened to you,” George wanted to know.
 
“I hope to be back around ten p.m., or half an hour later,” I provided the
information gladly. I found their concern very sweet and just then I remembered
Draco’s words, that at least someone should know where I went.
 
“All right. If something happens, write on your galleon and take care of
yourself,” George asked me seriously and patted my cheek with one hand.
 
“You leaving on your own… Just be careful!” Fred said, too, shaking his head.
They wouldn’t stop me, though, and that was something I very much appreciated
in them.
 
“Always, I promise! Don’t worry so much, I can take care of myself. See you
later, or I will be late,” I bid them goodbye and raced down to the dungeons. I
had everything in my school bag: my shrunken down sports bag and my daggers.
The school supplies I left behind in the secret passage and apparated to the
gym from the Forbidden Forest. There I faced my Sensei and once again received
an impressive beating. Against this Sirius’ assault had been a true caress,
even if it had hurt me all the more. But well, what had happened, happened and
couldn’t be changed.
 
Eventually, at half past nine, I was on my way to Hogwarts, hobbling slightly
as I had landed improperly after a spin and twisted my right ankle. I would
have to search my books about healing for the right spell, as I hadn’t studied
sprains and strains much before. After all ,  I couldn’t study everything at
the same time. Incredible, but true  -  even I had my limits! That didn’t help
much to lift my mood about my lapse.
 
When I entered the dark, fateful alley to apparate back to the nocturnal
forest, I was able to suppress the rising anxiety quite well. Hey, I got really
good at it! I applauded myself generously for this feat.
 
And so I hobbled through the secret passage a short time later and entered the
dungeons, only to be faced with the darkly clad chest of my favourite professor
five steps in, who was staring down at me as if I were prey that he had found
and caught, a thoroughly unnerving feeling!
 
“Professor Snape!” I uttered courageously and looked up into his pale face that
showed his disapproval openly.
 
“Miss Granger, what are you doing in the dungeons just before curfew?” I was
confronted with an icy snarl.
 
“I, er… I, well, I am a prefect, am I not? And because of that…”  H a, a save
or not?
 
“Do you take me for a fool? What are you doing down here? Didn’t I tell you to
keep your hands of f  the dungeons and its inhabitants?” he breathed at me, his
words crisp and cold, while his deep-black eyes gleamed deadly.
 
“What makes you think that, sir? It’s nothing like you assume. I will leave
now,” I wanted to placate him, all the while trying to appear pain - free and
play down my hobbling, an attempt that was unfortunately futile under his
predatory gaze that noticed everything. I hadn’t expected anything else. Thus
he grabbed my upper arm roughly and stopped me in my tracks.
 
“Where have you been, you impossible girl? You are injured once again. Come on,
you walking disaster!” he hissed venomously and showed me a distorted grimace
as if he had been forced to eat a dozen lemon drops. As his private office was
just around the corner, as well as his quarters, he towed me along ungraciously
like a bag of potatoes. For a second I thought I had glimpsed a head with
bright hair a corner ahead, but it vanished so fast, I assumed I had imagined
it. It couldn’t have been Draco, as the figure had been visible only for the
blink of an eye.
 
So we arrived in his living room through the bookshelf, where I was rudely
flung onto the couch. I t  saved me the trouble to complain. It would
accomplish nothing and only result in vicious remarks.
 
“Where have you been?” he immediately hissed demandingly, staring me down from
his towering position, the arms crossed in front of his chest aggressively.
 
“I…” Now I rolled my eyes. “What do you thin k ? At training,” I replied
defiantly, but truthfully.
 
“You are still going? How are you able to leave, Miss Granger? Do you wear th
at  head only as adornment - not that it is very adorning -  or is there any
working matter left?” he spat derisively at my head which he had just insulted.
 
“You especially should know how dangerous it is out there and  to  not sneak
out voluntarily and search for danger. What were you thinking? Oh, I forget ,
you weren’t!” he now yelled. And yes, he was formidable in his cold, controlled
fury.
 
Gosh, I felt sorry for myself. Everything had gone so smoothly  -  okay, except
for my twisted ankle, but that I had run into his arms  was once again the work
of my luck ,  or the lack thereof. Did this man think I was deaf? Given that, I
prefered him groaning deep inside me, his whole passionate energy channelized
for a better purpose. At this absurd thought a laugh almost escaped me, but I
was able to  stop it in time. Otherwise ,  he probably would have skinned me
alive, the way he was working himself into a rage.
 
“Where did you get the idea to leave the school grounds, Miss Granger? I am
talking to you, so answer me!” he threatened angrily.
 
“Er, I… You know what I am doing… Why are you so upset, sir?” I asked
cautiously. That might not be a clever move, but I was interested in the answer
nonetheless.
 
“How dare you talk to me like that. I am still your teacher!” he snapped at me
contemptuously.
 
“I know that, sir, but you know as well that you cannot stop me. You can’t even
tell on me!” I exclaimed provocatively and beamed at him. What? Did somebody
claim that I was nice or had invented those spells only because they sounded so
pleasantly in Latin? They  c ould help me in situations like this and I was not
above taking advantage of it. And the time w h e n  I had been afraid of Snape
was long gone. At least I told myself that, as he was already in front of me,
crowding me ruthlessly against the back of the couch and trying to intimidate
me with his physical presence. Meanwhile he was looking at me with a blank mask
on his face, but fury burning in his eyes.
 
Oh, I knew very well that he was not to be underestimated. He was a dangerous
man, capable of many things. However, I remained calm and reasonable, and
didn’t let him unsettle me.
 
“Miss Granger, are you aware what you have just said? Consider carefully
whether you want me as an enemy!” he threatened me silkily, sounding
deceptively soft.
 
“But Professor, never! I don’t want you as an enemy… Please!” I plead in a
soft, gentle voice, while looking up at him through my full eyelashes from my
semi-lying position. But I admitted gladly, if I hadn’t had the pleasure of
having him this close to me as Minna, I would have been a lot more nervous now
as I was.
 
“I mean, I am careful. Only  F ridays from five to nine I have my combat
training and you yourself said that it is beneficial to be prepared and
especially after.. .  after Bole… I am even more motivated,” I provided
quietly, though still sincerely and took a deep breath for my confession.
 
He was very close, only centimeters between our faces, nearly touching. He was
still staring at me. It seemed like he was dissecting my words and when he most
likely saw in my eyes that I was speaking a truth that could not be dismissed,
he disengaged himself from me and slipped into his armchair.
 
“What are you expecting from it? What are you hoping to achieve?” he asked, now
smooth and cold  again . He had  regained his composure  and was crossing his
legs casually.
 
“ Ahem,  if you ask  it  like that, sir… I am not  stupid , a war is
approaching and I am only a woman. However, I want the best foundations to
defend myself and wizards are often, well, lazy. They rely on their wands and
ignore their bodies, and there I see my advantage. I will be doubly
underestimated and I can use that to my advantage! Only ,  that combat has to
be learnt the hard way, by training regularly, Professor. Please understand!” I
begged for his understanding. Pride would be out of place here.
 
“You are asking for a lot, Miss Granger. It is forbidden to leave the grounds,”
he stated, still emotionless and cold.
 
“As if I ever stuck to the rules, sir,” I retorted pertly and raised my chin.
 
“Of that, Miss Granger, I am aware! But I don’t have to encourage you in your
behaviour,” he showed me a malicious and arrogant grin.
 
“But Professor, I am not harming anyone. Nobody knows that you might know about
it,” I objected swiftly.
 
“You will not cease breaking the rules anyways. I had the pleasure to get to
know you well enough to know that.” His voice was dripping with bitter irony,
making clear that he meant the polar opposite of what he had said.
 
“Sir, I could still show you the secret passage. Will you cover me on Fridays
if I show you one of my secrets? It’s a way you could get outside unseen when
the Dark Lord calls you!” I offered. His face blanked at the mention of the
Dark Lord immediately and completely, if it was even possible to increase its
blankness even more. However, I knew that Slytherins fancied bargains like
that. Feed them something and they are ready to give you a little something in
return. In this regard they were predictable, if you got them to the point to
engage in a deal.
 
“You know how to bargain, Miss Granger” he snarled sullenly.
 
“Thanks for the compliment, sir,” I beamed at him.
 
“Well, if you want to endanger yourself, I won’t stop you! Your choice. But you
will come to me every Friday, so I can heal you. You can’t walk through the
school injured,” he declared, sighing, and pursed his lips in irritation. “And
now show me your foot.”
 
After getting him to do what I wanted, I would not alienate him by refusing him
access to my foot, so I slipped off my shoe and uniform sock. I stretched my
leg to present my foot. A slight swelling at the ankle, nothing severe. Okay,
the dear professor was still able to surprise me repeatedly, for he slid out of
his chair and knelt before me, taking my foot in his hands.
 
Wow, he went on his knee in front of me! That was unexpected. If I told
somebody about it, I would sentence them and me to death. I was allowed to
rejoice about it, though, wasn’t I? Already I could feel his cool fingers
touching my foot and the swelling. The feeling was pleasant and uncomfortable
at the same time, as he was good in finding the painful spots. I didn’t mind
his touch, I truly liked it. No wonder, given our intimate encounters where he
had touched me in entirely different ways. Thank the goddess, that he didn’t
have an inkling about those.
 
Even when he was kneeling, he gave the impression that he was dominating me. It
was his whole demeanour, making me appear small and insignificant. He was a
truly striking figure that one shouldn’t disregard.
 
“Oww” I called out suddenly.
 
“That’s where it hurts?” He raised his head with a sadistic expression, his
smug grin becoming visible when his hair fell sideways. “Pes tumor sanatio” he
intonated and I could see the swelling in my foot receding. I tried to move it
and was able to turn and twist it without pain.
 
“Thank you, Professor. You are too kind, sir” I smiled at him bashfully.
Meanwhile he slipped back into his seat and spelled a glass of liquid into his
hands, saying nothing, just watching me dressing myself. It was welcome not to
perform a full striptease in front of him for once.
 
“Don’t pride yourself on that” he growled, ill-tempered.
 
“Never, sir, not at all!” I acceded and wanted to retreat. “I think I should
leave. Thanks again, sir.”
 
“Not so fast, Miss Granger. Did I dismiss you?” He raised his eyebrow in
question.
 
“No, sir,” I admitted in a small voice.
 
“I have observed that Malfoy is acting differently around you lately. Have you
forgotten my request the other day?” His request? More of a threat.
 
“What do you mean, sir, I don’t understand.” Acting dumb. A good tactic.
 
“Airhead doesn’t suit you, Miss Granger!” he hissed at me frostily.
 
“Professor, what do you mean?” I tried to sidestep, because I didn’t like the
direction this was going.
 
“What do you want from Draco Malfoy?” he asked his question and looked at me
piercingly.
 
“Where do you get the idea that I want anything from him?” I wanted to placate
him.
 
“I noticed your interaction in the Great Hall. You are good, both of you, but I
am better. Believe me, I saw the glances. And I told you to keep your distance
from him!” He ordered icily.
 
“Glances... sir?” I still acted as if I didn’t understand the issue. I would
confess to nothing.
 
“Don’t take me for a fool. I know what I saw. Leave Draco out of your games!”
he erupted angrily.
 
“Sir, I didn’t do anything.” I had straightened myself and was looking at him
innocently, while denying it stubbornly.
 
“Get out, Granger, and lie to someone else. I have enough!” he stated
contemptuously, and the next second his glass flew in my direction. Thanks to
my quick reactions I ducked and it shattered against the wall. With a loud
clang it splittered into thousands of small crystal shards.
 
“I warn you one more time, keep away from Malfoy!” he yelled at my back, when I
turned tail and ran.
 
Phew. It was good that he wasn’t following me. I flew out of his office,
focussed on escaping. When had Snape ever lost his composure enough to smash a
glass? He was letting his emotions flow more freely than he ever had in the
years before, at least around me. And Sirius was knocking me around the
kitchen. Maybe I was provoking the men too much. Apparently I had the ability
to drive them into a rage. While I ran, I took it with a sense of humour and
started to giggle in amusement. Just then I was stopped suddenly and pulled
into an alcove faster than I could blink. Draco pressed me into the cold wall
and I put up with his strong grip, huddling against him, calming my heartbeat.
 
“What are you doing here? And with Severus of all people? I thought I was
seeing things, when he dragged you into his rooms,” he whispered quietly, his
breath tickling my ear. So I had seen correctly earlier, it had been Draco. He
had to loiter everywhere!
 
“I… I was out…,” and could feel how his hands clamped on my shoulders, digging
into my flesh.
 
“Where did you go? Why do I not know anything about that?” he hissed quietly
now, but definitely upset.
 
“I… Why should I keep you informed about every step I take?” I showed my
confusion.
 
“Because I want to know when you leave the school. Did anybody know?” he asked
for clarification.
 
“Yes, the Twins, they are covering for me!” I admitted to him.
 
“You are trusting these clowns?” he asked condescendingly.
 
“Don’t make the mistake to underestimate them. They are a lot more capable than
you think, and have a lot less scruples. And please don’t call them that,” I
chided him quietly.
 
“I am still waiting. Where have you been?” He didn’t dwell on the topic of the
Twins.
 
“At training. Every friday from five to nine o’clock,” I answered.
 
“And you think it is not necessary to tell me that?” I could sense the effort
it took him, showing how peeved he felt about it.
 
“Well, no, but I had planned to tell you tomorrow,” I replied calmly, but
defensively.
 
“Learn from this, as of now I always want to know when you leave Hogwarts,
understood?” He squeezed down a bit more and I grimaced indignantly.
 
“Okay, if you insist, I will inform you in the future,” I offered in a
conciliatory matter, as long as he didn’t restrain me.
 
“And why did you flee his rooms like that? Did he harass you again?” he didn’t
give up and showed his curiosity openly.
 
“No no… he intercepted me when I returned. I was hobbling, which he didn’t
miss, naturally, and snatched me and dragged me into his quarters. He healed my
foot. From the holidays he knew that I have been learning martial arts and
insisted that I come to him every friday, so that he can heal me. In return I
have to show him the secret passage…” I licked my dry lips. “And then he said
that he had seen our glances in the hall and wasn’t stupid… He threatened me!
Said I should keep my hands off you. I acted dumb and then he threw his glass
at me and kicked me out. When I ran, making sure to get away quickly, he yelled
once again that I should keep away from you!” I was exhausted and let my head
fall against his chest.
 
“Do you think, I provoke the men too much? I don’t believe it is normal for
Snape to throw glasses at people! I mean, he is otherwise always such an ice
block and, and… I made Sirius livid with rage, too, didn’t I? I mean, he
doesn’t beat anybody, usually!” I sighed and rubbed my face against his chest
in frustration. I could feel his chest quivering under my hands and face. Was
he laughing? Laughing? This… He was truly laughing? What was that about? This
was no laughing matter!
 
“Mudblood, did anybody ever tell you yet that you are really cute when you are
rattled like this?” He continued to laugh, albeit repressed, and left me
speechless.
 
“That isn’t funny! I mean… I,” I stuttered nervously.
 
“Don’t think so much about this. You are special! That is the reason everybody
is losing it,” he breathed a dramatic compliment in his calm manner.
 
“Eheh,” I replied very intelligently.
 
“As I said, you can be cute, so intelligent, so clever, so cunning that you are
serious competition for the best of Slytherin, though so ingenuous here, almost
naive!” He kissed my forehead now and leaned his brow against mine after that.
 
“Azkaban didn’t do Black any good and he is no match for you by far! In all
likelihood he didn’t know what else to do,” he said next. “And Snape. It is
really astounding that you are making him lose control like that. The only
situation I know about with the glass, is when father is making him livid.
Something father manages time and again, incredible but true!” Draco explained
to me, very elaborately, making him giggle, probably in remembrance of a scene
between the two men.
 
“Why he insists that you keep your distance, I will learn in time and bring a
stop to it. But let that be my responsibility. I will settle that with Severus,
I promise!”
 
“I think our conversation tomorrow is absolutely essential for our mutual
understanding,” I proclaimed. I was on overload and had listened to his
statement with my mouth open.
 
“I agree, and am looking forward to it,,” he whispered in a raspy tone.
 
“Where are we going to meet?” I asked curiously.
 
“Come to our common room. Disguised, of course! You will see the rest, when you
get there,” I could clearly hear that he was envisioning the potential
entertainment already.
 
“As you wish. After dinner, the Twins will cover for me,” I could hardly wait.
 
“They know you are meeting me?” His voice revealed the astonishment he was
feeling.
 
“Yes!” I said emphatically.
 
 “And we can really trust them?” he inquired skeptically. “Yes, we can.”
 
“Are they under your spell?” he demanded.
 
“No, but if it reassures you, I can enchant them, so they can’t tell anybody
about you and me,” I offered unperturbed.
 
“Do it. In times like these one should better be safe than sorry,” he stated
with unapologetic sternness.  
 
“As you wish, Draco,” I relented. He was somewhat right and why should I argue
about it? The Twins would probably agree with him.
 
“And tomorrow we have finally time to talk. Now, go and rest. You need that,
too, from time to time, my Mudblood,” he declared firmly and embraced me.
 
“Until tomorrow, Pureblood,” I regained my laid-back nature. Draco was good for
me.
 
“Be good,” he said cheekily and I vanished quickly into the secret passages.
When I entered through the portrait Gryffindor was still bustling with
activity.
 
“Finally! We were ready to send a message. What held you up?” Fred dragged me
to a window recess.
 
“A lot. We have to talk urgently. Remain awake! Maybe we will be alone after
midnight…” I whispered quickly. He simply nodded and joined the others. I
stayed seated for a bit longer and watched the merry picture of my class and
house mates. I couldn’t connect to their banter, jokes and funny anecdotes at
all. I just wanted to go back to the dungeons, to the men of my heart, or my
mind. I was allowed to witness the room clearing of people, including the
Twins. Harry and Ron wished me a good night as well and went to bed. As I
couldn’t find any rest before one o’clock, I did the only sensible thing and
worked. This way I was the last person left in the common room, when I heard
the two Red Devils sneaking back down already.
 
“Fair thee well, lovely maiden!” Fred said jokingly as he and George sat down
on the very comfy but sagging light brown couch in front of the fireplace, next
to my favorite armchair.
 
“Hello, you two. I hope the late hour doesn’t bother you, does it?” I asked
before taking a sip from my cup of tea.
 
“Nah, we are all nocturnal creatures! And what are lessons good for if not for
sleeping?” Fred crowed, amused, and exchanged a high five with his brother.
 
“Very funny. You know, learning is very important!” I chided sternly. The
leopard can't change its spots, it seems!
 
“Yeah, that’s our Hermione. But honestly, we are learning more from the
Restricted Section!” George declared seriously.
 
“Ahh, of course, I forgot we aren’t interested anymore in that kind of magic!”
I rolled my eyes in exaggerated exasperation.
 
“Exactly, you got it! Who needs boring school magic…” They simply grinned at me
mischievously and I smiled back with an equally malicious expression.
 
“What important matter did you want to discuss?” They became serious now.
 
“I, oh well, I don’t know how to word it. I have to lay a spell on you, which
will protect me. Not that I think you would tell on me, but…” I tried to
explain, my speech somewhat awkward.
 
“Hermione, most beautiful, don’t talk in riddles. You can hex us as much as you
want! What’s the matter? Don’t lead us on. Talk!” they demanded relentlessly.
Tcha, the Twins were truly not blind.
 
“Draco would like us, well him and me, to be protected. His distrust is not
directed at you, personally. He just thinks it’s better to be safe than sorry!”
I said defensively and raised my hands apologetically.
 
“Even if I don’t like the ferret, he does have a point,” George stated in
agreement, surprisingly reasonable.
 
“Yes, he has! However, we will do it for you, not him! Understood?” Fred said,
the corners of his mouth turning down.
 
“Thanks. You are the best, my devils!” I was happy that they took it well. I
raised my wand and spoke “Credere tacientiae 'Hermione and Draco Malfoy'!” and
already the spell was done and I had put my wand away again.
 
“That was it?” The both of them asked, surprised, and I beamed at them.
 
“I just wonder what you see in the idiot. What about Sirius?” George enquired
next and rubbed his neck, which prompted me to freeze and sit there with my
back very straight. Though that didn’t escape their notice, naturally.
 
“What? What happened in the last few days? What did Fred and I miss?” he asked
skeptically, while raising his red eyebrow in a serious manner. It was an
unusual move, seeing as he only did so for the sake of humour in normal
circumstances.
 
“Oh, nothing severe. I just had an argument with Sirius, that’s all. It’s
over!” I explained curtly and coldly.
 
“What… what… what? What happened?” they yelled, discomposed.
 
“As I said, nothing special,” I crossed my arms dismissively in front of my
chest.
 
“Because of Malfoy?” they asked in sync.
 
“No, not because of Malfoy. We just did,” I waved my hand at them. “It just
came to my mind… I want to give him a Galleon tomorrow and wanted to inform
you.”
 
“Aha, it has gotten that far!” George rubbed his chin and seemed to be thinking
hard. “If that’s how it is, we should get to know him sometime. That is, when
he isn’t with the pile of Slytherins that are always swarming around him.”
 
“Yeah, I feel the same way. If he’s included, he should go the whole way,” Fred
voiced his agreement with enthusiasm.
 
“Oh no, please not! If you start to snog in front of him, I will flee!” I
teased them now.
 
“Eh, and if we fancy him? You have got to hand it to him, he’s handsome!” Fred
whispered lasciviously, sensuously licking his red lips. I was on the verge of
hitting my head on the table.
 
“You say that about every man I get… close to!” I countered desperately.
 
“Well, they are always tasty blokes, aren’t they?” Fred retorted cheekily and
licked his lips again indulgently.
 
“Oh man, stop it, or George will get jealous again!” I reminded him of his
brother.
 
“What? I? No… never…” George laughed nastily and seemed to amuse himself
exquisitely at my expense.
 
“Fun aside, how is business going?” I became serious once again.
 
“Good, very good, most beautiful. We already need to replenish our stock again!
Since that bitch arrived, the stuff sells like hot cakes!”
 
Both beamed with satisfaction, showing their white teeth.
 
“Replenish how…?” I inquired thoughtfully.
 
“We going to meet Dung in Hogsmeade on Sunday to place our order,” George
explained to me readily and very seriously.
 
“That sounds good. Actually, what’s your opinion about the bitch’s lessons?” I
asked curiously.
 
“George, am I deaf? Has Saint Hermione uttered the bad, bad word?” Fred teased
me, spitefully.
 
“Fred, actually  that’s  her language! We should feel honored that she doesn’t
pretend in front of us! Am I right or am I right?” George said, wittily. I
rolled my eyes. Such dunderheads, I thought, it’s hard to believe that genius
minds were hiding behind flaming red hair. Though they always made me laugh.
 
“And the bitch is unbearable. We will wear her down! There is no better target
to test or demonstrate our products as the pink monster! And her lessons? What
lessons? We learn nothing! No patronus, nothing. And I was so looking forward
to learning that spell!” they both were lamenting. They had seen my beautiful
magpie and no doubt wanted to know what their own animal was. They were very
silly like that. George patted Fred’s shoulder encouragingly.
 
“He wanted to know his animal since he met your magpie! But under  her
tutelage, that won’t happen!” George told me, and I was amazed about my
knowledge of human nature, as Fred’s unhappiness was displayed blatantly on his
face. During this litany of complaints, my mind was working furiously and I had
an idea as to how we might be able to train ourselves! Yes, that was an idea
alright, I would just have to develop it a bit more.
 
“Hello, beauty! Did you descent once again into places where nobody can
follow?” they pulled me out of my musings with their exclamations. I shuddered
after Fred had shook me rather urgently.
 
“Oh, sorry, I had an idea,” I explained my absentmindedness.
 
“Yeeeesss, we guessed! You eyes had glazed over. And what is the result of your
trip?” George asked, looking expectantly.
 
“Nothing definite yet. But wait, get me a room in Hogsmeade for next Sunday.
Somewhere we can talk with other students,” I instructed them, gnawing at my
lower lip excitedly. Yes, that could work. I would just have to convince Harry
and that should be no problem.
 
“Geez, you always make it suspensefully. But  oh well ! We will go to bed now.
There is someone here I have to seduce!” Fred declared before he started to
drag George in the direction of the dormitories while snogging him.
 
“Have fun. And don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” I called after them, laughing.
 
“That means we can let go of any shame and reserve. Thanks for the tip!” they
winked at me diabolically.
 
So that was done as well, and a new issue had arisen. I really didn’t let
myself rest at all. But as you make your bed, so too you must lie on it. And it
seemed like I preferred to lie on one without any comfort.
***** Saturday *****
Chapter Notes
     Sorry for being late.
     Was moving back to my Home Country, so that was quite a bit of work.
     But here I am again.
     Enjoy. xxx
Saturday
 
Saturday was relatively quiet.
 
As the weather was still quite nice, we spent the first part of the day outside
on the extensive lands of Hogwarts and enjoyed the last, warm sunrays of the
year. Soon it would be cold again, here in the Scottish highlands. In the
course of the day I went back to my books, because I could feel an indistinct
tingling sensation in my stomach due to my date this evening. It grew and grew
with the vanishing hours, and as I became increasingly miserable company I
therefore fled to the books, because these couldn’t get hurt from my verbal
attacks. Besides, I had my longed-for peace there. Time after time I used a
Tempus, so as not to lose sight of the time. I didn't know myself being that
nervous at all. When it was time for dinner, I quickly got up to get it over
with.
 
"Hermione, it's a shame that you saw yourself off this early today, that wasn't
nice," said Ginny reproachfully, looking at me scoldingly but also faithfully
with her brown eyes.
 
"Sorry, but you know the OWL's are on. You're losing sight of that. I'll set up
a plan for you Harry, Ron, so you can learn it properly and goal-oriented," I
offered generously and beamed like a Cheshire cat. I knew they'd love to
strangle me right now, but they didn't dare to hurt me with their refusal and
didn't want to show me their horror with this threatening announcement.
 
"Uh, thank you, Hermione, very kind of you," it came from Harry very mildly and
he stuffed a piece of bread into his mouth, whilst all in all seemingly
unhappy.
 
"Yeah, awesome," Ron said very convincing, he'd have to work on it, I thought.
His displeasure was obvious, but I ignored it.
 
"But you don't have to trouble yourself so much, I mean..." Harry stuttered
defensively.
 
"But Harry, of course not, I'd love to do it for you," I said kindly. I
inwardly roared with laughter, but on the outside, I gave a pompous and
patronizing expression.
 
"Thank you, Hermione, you're the best!" The good-natured Harry surrendered. It
seemed as if he'd like to bang his head against the table. Why, we wouldn't
want to be like that!
 
"I'll go back to the library and work it out. It might take me some time, but
if you want, you can come along and help me," I offered generously, coldly
calculating their reactions. I was really very deceitful.
 
"Uh, you know Hermione, I'd love to, but we have to talk about Quidditch, it's
really important, as I'm in trouble with Angelina because of the whole extra
homework-story from that bitch and so I don't have the time, sorry!" Harry
remembered and used it as a very flimsy excuse, which I gladly accepted with an
unhappy sigh, while I prepared to deal out the final blow.
 
"Alright, and what about you Ron?" I asked maliciously, his food falling from
his mouth, in shock, to be asked directly by me. Not nice to look at, but I
saved my breath, it wouldn't have any sense to try to teach him some manners
and I wasn't his mother.
 
"I.. I.. don't have time, I have to do my homework and.., and.." he stammered,
looking helplessly at Harry, who shrugged quickly. Save yourself, was probably
their motto.
 
"Well, if that's the case, I'll just do it alone," I said dryly. From the
outside I acted a bit offended, but inwardly I rejoiced. And so I successfully
got rid of those two again and Fred and George would do their best to make them
forget me.
 
A short time later, I set out to go to the dungeons to shock the snakes. I
think Draco was very fond of big shows, that was probably the Malfoy heritage
showing. I said it already, he was a drama queen that loved, needed and
demanded the big show. It was now shortly after eight, the busiest time in the
common rooms. I would've liked it to be more inconspicuous, but if Draco
desired it, I wouldn't be the party pooper and let him have his performance. So
I put on my deep black, long coat and pulled up my hood inside a niche, hidden
from stranger’s eyes. I wore my uniform under it, but only the skirt and the
white blouse, I didn’t put on any of the garments with the emblem of Gryffindor
on it. I wasn't suicidal.
 
I most likely looked like a Death Eater, without the silver mask.
 
And unrecognizable like that, I hurried with quick steps through the very dark
corridors of the dungeons with the aim of Slytherin's common room. I was
curious what would happen this time, but the tingling anticipation in my
stomach didn't calm down. I was looking forward to what would happen and I was
looking forward to Draco! It looked like I really loved the danger! When I
stopped in front of the stone wall, I quickly spoke a Protego Horribilis. As I
said, I learned from my mistakes. I would never again enter this room without
casting a protective spell in advance.
 
"Snake pit", I breathed and I could pass the gateway. I quickly walked into the
jammed and noisy common room, wearing my dark cloak . All, really all chairs,
armchairs and tables were occupied. It was a colorful and loud chaos, no real
difference to us in Gryffindor. Little by little the first people noticed me,
as I stood near the entrance, waiting quietly, not yet descending the stairs.
Bit by bit the talks died down and the noise faded. Most of them didn't know
anything about my performance last time. I hadn't heard anything more about
Higgs, apparently they pretended it never happened. Obviously, Slytherins
handled their problems differently, everything stayed in-house and among them.
 
I was allowed to watch how some of them already took out their wands cautiously
and threateningly, they resorted to that kind of reaction quite quickly, and in
that brief moment, when it became so quiet, one could've even heard a pin fall
in this room full of people and then they had caught themselves again,
therefore the loud protests began and they began to yell.
 
"Who is that..?"
 
"Leave..!"
 
"Show yourself..?"
 
Yes, just like last time, the only difference was that I could make out the
platinum-white head, the lord of the snakes, from my higher position, as he
held court in the armchair in front of the fireplace, and now rose elegantly
and smoothly. He glided through the crowd like Jesus. I know, really cheesy
comparison, but how this crowd split up in front of him without him even
touching anyone, really impressive and most looked up to him as if he would
save them from me, the intruder! Hey guys, I wouldn't even be here if the great
Mr. Malfoy wouldn't have asked for it!
 
"Quiet!" it came determined and with a deep timbre from Draco and they did what
he demanded. He shouted it loudly and firmly just once, it was like the
expected gong and everyone fell silent instantly! Incredible! One should've
tried that with us lions, that person would be hoarse by now and the lions
would still roar, I thought to myself and had to genuinely smile about it, well
hidden under my hood. Now he calmly and slowly walked majestically up the
stairs, in his absolutely straight posture, with his black trousers, his black
shirt, and the form-fitting, black cashmere sweater.
 
"Draco, be careful!" Warrington exclaimed.
 
"Draco, watch out!" it came in a high voice from Sally-Ann Perks. I could see
how his inner circle, who had had the pleasure with me last time, and who were
all standing by the fire, were rolling their eyes. These were true Slytherins.
They wouldn't warn their pals that Draco didn't see me as a danger. He
stretched out his hand towards me and held it to me gallantly. Wow. I imitated
his gesture and gave him my left hand slowly, letting the heavy black cloth
slide from my hand, revealing my small, pale hand. In the right I held my white
wand, hidden in the folds of my cloak, like I said, I would never walk unarmed
into the pit of snakes. He took my hand gently, and softly stroked the back
with his thumb, then he stood next to me on the stairs. He was way taller than
me. Well, we stood before the billowing crowd of suspicious Slytherins. What
kind of picture did we offer?
 
Didn't I say, he was a first-class drama queen.
 
"I'll just say it once, so listen carefully!" he let his voice thunder firmly
through the room.
 
"This is my guest, who'll always have access when she wants it," he continued
commandingly, looking icily and steadily at the speechless crowd. They didn't
have that kind of thing every day, but I wondered why Draco just made this
exception to the rule for me? Because of Snape, or because of himself?
 
"If anyone is so absolutely stupid to attack her, they will attack the house of
Malfoy!" he breathed velvety and looked threateningly into the disbelieving
crowd. I witnessed how almost everyone's, alright, everyone'seyes almost fell
out of their heads in disbelieve after this decision, shocked of what Draco had
just said, and I was allowed to see how Pansy's hand slapped her own mouth in
total shock. Thank goddess, no one saw my face, since I too looked absolutely
dumbfounded. What could that mean? House of Malfoy! What did he mean? That was
almost as if he saw me as a member!? Nonsense, he said it only to curb his
Slytherins, yes, I calmed myself, because I thought it all a bit too daring,
but I stayed silent and waited.
 
"Her identity shouldn’t be of interest to you, only that she has every right in
Slytherin!" he continued smugly, his glare was a single invitation to question
his words and no one dared to provoke him. Wow, have I just gotten a free
ticket?I asked myself absolutely confused, as he completely surprised me,
because he brought my hand to his mouth and breathed a kiss on my hand,
expertly, without actually touching the back of my hand, a perfect gentleman,
just as he had been raised. A Malfoy!
 
"Darling, come I want to show you my rooms!" he said to me in a velvety voice,
so I slid down the steps, guided by him, who was still holding me by my hand,
he didn't let go. I could hear their incomprehension in their quiet murmurs,
whispers and gossips, as we moved very self-confidently through the crowd of
students. It was a really cool performance. Had he imagined such things in his
dreams before? We left the shocked crowd behind us and then soon stopped at the
first door after the passage. When he opened it, I could see a relatively large
bedroom, with a canopy bed in, guess what, exactly, green and silver. The room
didn’t have a window with a view of the forest, as we had above, but his window
showed the lake, just like a large aquarium. I could see the green, swaying
water plants and the colorful fish swimming in front of his window. Impressive,
one could live with such a view as well.
 
It seemed very mystical and was atmospheric. Had he ever seen the squid from up
close? But the most amazing thing was, he didn’t just have a one-bed room for
himself, no, he had a small cozy fireplace with two armchairs that were close
together! Wow. And as it seemed to me, the second door in this room led to a
private bath. I was just speechless and stared with my mouth open. And a desk,
his own desk, could one complain to the hat? Fortunately, he couldn't see my
absolutely dumbstruck face under my hood, that would've been too embarrassing.
I certainly didn't look more intelligent than the other Slytherins down in the
common room. Why, I asked myself in pity, did we need to suffer in Gryffindor?
What had the founders thought by this? It was so mean! I turned around the room
in circles fascinated about the luxury, while Draco locked the door in routine
and cast the warding and anti-eavesdropping spells on it, whereas I believed,
that he had one or the other wards on his rooms by default.
 
"Take off your coat," he demanded casually, then I felt his hands on my
shoulders and how his hands released the clasp. He took it off me, threw it
aside, turned me around so I would face me in a smooth motion, and did
something I hadn’t anticipated, he kissed me! Yes, he really kissed me for the
first time, not on my forehead. His lips laid softly on mine. I was a little
surprised, but his lips felt good on mine and so I returned the kiss gently and
carefully, then we broke the kiss and grinned at each other in understanding,
for he seemed also very pleased, and I licked over my lips under his piercing
gaze, for I hadn't expected that.
 
"And did you like the show?" he asked deviously. He looked at me in honesty and
openly, without that blank mask he usually wore.
 
"Well, I'd call you a drama queen," I said smugly, turning around slightly,
grinning at him mischievously.
 
"There aren't many that would dare to say that to my face," he said cheerfully,
a second later he was next to me and smacked me playfully on my butt.
 
"But I'm not afraid, Draco," I said flirtatiously, tapping him on his chest.
 
"I'm aware of that, Mudblood!" it came mockingly from him, then he grabbed my
hand from his chest and gently pressed his mouth to my fingers and as his lips
touched my skin, a shudder ran through my body, unexpectedly but not
unpleasant.
 
"Take a seat, have a butterbeer," he offered politely. When I had let myself
fall into the beautiful green velvet chair, he handed me the beer.
 
"Thank you. To your successful performance. Do you think they'll stick to it?"
I asked, interested and raised my glass to him appraisingly.
 
"Yes, don't worry, they're too afraid of me," he said succinctly with a silly
gesture and raised his glass to mine.
 
"You can be scary, in your way," I almost purred when I complimented him,
something that made him smile cynically.
 
"I've been learning it for years, and I'm a good student," he said, as he
elegantly slipped into his chair and watched me with sultry eyes.
 
"I can totally believe that."
 
"And were you afraid of the mob?" he suddenly asked with a sly expression in
his otherwise emotionless face.
 
"No, should I have been?" I replied perplexed, for no, I had built up my
shields and my wand was readily in my hand. I wouldn't have known what I
should've been afraid of?
 
"Let's just say, I don't know a lot of people who aren't afraid to go into a
full common room of one's enemy house," he said very dryly, but with a
mischievous grin on his face.
 
"Scared? I wasn't, but I'm not stupid either! I cast a Protego Horribilis and
pulled my wand before I entered the enemy land," I admitted.
 
"I knew you weren't starry-eyed in such a situation!" it came relieved from
him, whereupon he raised his glass in a lewd way, giving me a mischievous wink,
as I had never seen from a Malfoy that unbiased, but I wondered if this was a
test? Snape accused me of playing games with Draco! But I wasn't sure if he
wasn't the one playing a game with me!
 
"Now begin, what do I need to know about you?" he asked sharply.
 
I sardonically pointed at me at this statement. "I'm starting, or what..?" he
just gave me a nod.
 
"Mhm, where do I start.." I murmured helplessly to myself and let my teeth slip
over my lower lip.
 
"My name is Hermione Jean Granger, I was born in London. I'm a Mudblood, as
it's called here so beautifully! My parents are doctors, dentists, and
absolutely non-magical, who won't survive the next summer holidays and I..", I
was abruptly and rudely interrupted.
 
"Stop, stop.. what did you just say?" he exclaimed, agitated, and moved
forward.
 
"You mean that with my parents?" I giggled, amused, his shocked infuriation was
funny.
 
"Yes, what do you mean by that? You won't kill your parents.. will you?" he
whispered at the end, but apparently he thought I was capable of doing almost
everything, which was interesting because he wasn't even wrong!
 
"Really, Draco, do you think I'm that ruthless?" I asked bitterly, he just
shrugged, apparently not wanting to give me an opinion. Should I see that as
positive, or negative?
 
"I know you're capable of doing many things, so explain it to me? What is going
on up there?" he said genuinely, but tapped his own temple.
 
"Let's just say, I was a regular guest in Gringotts! Rangok, do you recognize
that name?", it came mysteriously from me.
 
"Sure... is an important goblin in the bank, although we Malfoys have Mr.
Rundok, the director of Gringotts," Draco told me before he drank a sip.
 
"Of course, where else, but I must say I love the goblins, they're great.
Thanks to them, I've been able to implement my plans so far. I plan to remove
my parents! They are an element of uncertainty that I want to remove," I summed
up the fact very concisely, and seemed like I wasn't really involved.
 
"You want to kill them!" he breathed horrified.
 
"No, Draco, what do you think of me? I just wanted to make it look like they're
dead, then no one would look for them. I asked Rangok to create new identities
for them. I will be a poor, lonely orphan from the second day of the holidays,"
I tried to reveal my motives to him, making a pout and sniffing slightly.
 
"But what do your parents say to that?" he whispered as he rolled his beautiful
eyes slightly at my performance.
 
"Nothing! They don't know anything about it! In order to prevent your next
question, they'll get a full Obliviate and then a new past without a daughter,"
I whispered the last word quietly, since it didn't leave me completely cold,
even if I tried to be pragmatic. While Draco stared at me with wide-open eyes
and seemed absolutely shocked.
 
"Yes, but that won’t be reversible!" he exclaimed outraged, so I was allowed to
experience a dumbstruck Malfoy. Okay, where did I have my camera? I tried to
see the whole thing with a certain sarcasm, because the topic was simply too
sad and didn't leave me completely unaffected.
 
"Well, that's just what it is," I said, emphasizing my indifference, tapping my
lip with my forefinger.
 
"It is surprising that you're ready to go that far. I'm just completely
speechless, it's so cold!" he nodded thoughtfully.
 
"One doesn't experience that every day, but believe me, I've thoroughly thought
about it and I will do it. I have to do it to protect them! Also I didn't have
such a close bond to my parents, unfortunately never had. So it's not that
bad!" I said, pointedly emotionless, looking at him indifferently.
 
"Why not? I thought everyone always loved each other being Gryffindors?" Draco
asked perplexed.
 
"Well, I didn't have it easy as a muggle witch, thanks to my wild magic as a
child. It came too early, too strong! We just knew what it all was when I was
already eleven, the years before weren't easy for my family! We were never
really close to each other!" I tried to explain and support this fact with hand
gestures.
 
"I've never thought about it until now, but I can understand! Then you probably
never had it easy! I think I can save myself the ‘I'm sorry’?" he spoke slowly
and considerately, but sounded quite sensible.
 
"Please!" I agreed, I didn't want any sympathy, or worse, pity.
 
"What will you do then? I mean, what then...?" he asked curiously, and his
interest also showed in his eyes, which pleased me that he was so open.
 
"What then? Nothing, I'll be of age!" I explained, grinning happily.
 
"I beg you pardon?" he asked incredulously, almost choking on his beer as he
couldn't quite follow me, but I only grinned arrogantly and continued
emotionless.
 
"I was born in 19.09.79. And what do you know about our third year?" I probed,
because if he already knew something, I wouldn't have to explain too much.
 
"Nothing that has anything to do with your age," he said dismissively, looking
uncomprehendingly around the room.
 
"I had a time-turner in that year..." I confided, and he blinked at this
unexpected revelation.
 
"What?" he said, very un-malfoy-ish. Now I wished to have a video camera.
 
"Yes, I had too many subjects, and since I used it the whole year, I'm now a
year older, you see," I smirked at his facial expression and was glad to be
able to baffle him.
 
"Wow, you're good for a lot of surprises, did someone tell you that before,
you’re very unpredictable," he said, impressed as he shook his head and his
longer hair played around his beautiful, noble face. "Time-turner, you saved
Black and that stupid hippogriff, didn't you?" he said now drawn out, but he
was quick to recognize the facts.
 
"No one said that you're not good at combining, Draco!" I complimented,
grinning.
 
"I think you should've left Black to the dementors!" he spat out disdainfully,
while I squinted at him slightly annoyed, for he would probably not get rid of
his antipathy to Sirius.
 
"Didn't we talk about this..", I exclaimed, annoyed, but he just shrugged and
grinned at me sardonically and didn't reply, so I continued.
 
"Exactly, well, as from next year, I'll be of age..."
 
"Wait, how will you be able to survive? I mean you're not working yet. You're a
student, right?" he asked, looking at me questioningly.
 
"Malfoys and the filthy lucre. Money is the only thing that interests you.
Don't you worry, I'm looked after," I objected slightly arrogantly.
 
"Tell me," he demanded, curiosity flashing in his grey eyes again.
 
"I plan on owning a house in London and one in the country and I have enough
galleons! You happen to be talking to a millionaire!" I said with a sneer,
stretching out my chest.
 
"Granger, Granger, I've already told you that you're always full of surprises..
I would never have thought so," he said flatteringly.
 
"Money plays a big role in my plans, too. Did you really think I thought one
can only live off air?" I scoffed. Had he really thought I wouldn't consider
such a thing?
 
"No, but how about love?" he asked.
 
"I beg your pardon, we're realists and not romantics! Tell that to the
Weasleys, they would believe your argument. But it wouldn't work with all their
children. There are a few that have a different view!" I explained, thinking of
my devils.
 
"What amazes me is that you have been making digs against the weasel lately.
Why? That doesn't quite fit," he asked, intrigued and curious.
 
"Argh, he thinks, because we both are prefects, we must also be a couple. I
mean, that's ridiculous! As if I would, with him! I don't even fancy red!" I
sighed frustratedly and shivered visibly.
 
"A disgusting thought, the weasel and you! Let's talk about something
different! Who do you like then?" he went on to a completely different subject.
 
"You want me to tell you with whom I once had a thing?" I echoed, piqued.
 
"Of course," he said deadly serious, looking deeply and unyieldingly into my
eyes.
 
"Draco, it's none of your business," I said resolutely.
 
"I'll be annoying you until I know, Mudblood! Although I already know about
Black, and I'm going to try a shot in the dark and say... Krum!" he purred
provocatively and grinned.
 
"If you're so sure, why are you asking?" I tried to distract him.
 
"I wanted you to confirm it!" he breathed.
 
"Yes, I had an affair with him after the ball," I admitted, but please, he
should already know it, and most people ought to know it from Viktor.
 
"I heard it. However... he wasn't the first. Who was it?" he demanded
vehemently and now I played coy, since I had never told anyone about Cedric
before. He was my secret, not even the Twins knew. But he used his trick again
and gave me a look with his stormy grey eyes and I couldn't resist.
 
"Cedric," I whispered tonelessly.
 
"Diggory? You must be kidding... When? Not during the tournament?" Draco
exclaimed, for he didn't seem to have expected that.
 
"That's right, the last two months of my third year," I still said quite
tonelessly and somewhat sad, as the memories came back when I spoke about him.
 
"Oh, someone is a sly dog here! If the lions knew what kind of snake was living
in their den, they wouldn't sleep well. I'd have expected a lot, but
Diggory..." his face showed how affected he was, shaking his head in amazement,
before he sobered up. "Then you really had something with all the participants.
Hot... but it suits you, the Hermione I've gotten to know!"
 
"You sound just like Cedric at the ball..." I mused. Then I shook my head. I
didn't want to think about that, it didn't help.
 
"But enough about me, now I want to know the same about you. Who had the honor
with you?" I demanded resolutely and relentlessly.
 
"And you expect me to tell you, Mudblood? But I feel generous, so I will. The
first time, I was just thirteen and had the honor of lying with an elegant,
beautiful, noble prostitute in Paris during the holidays. Father had taken me
along on a business trip. Well, and then there has always been one woman or
another, who thought I was worth a night. Four, six, or eight, I don't know!"
he told me this with absolute indifference. His face showed no emotion as well.
It seemed like that this topic didn't touch him particularly. I just looked at
him in silence and waited, then made an inviting gesture telling him to
continue.
 
"Yes, it wasn't just a few, that's true! But it were a lot of different,
changing and often older girls and women with whom I've had fun with!" he
finished his monologue as I skeptically tilted my head to show him my disbelief
that this has been everything. Taking in my expression, he snorted from
amusement and continued.
 
"And here in Hogwarts, I unfortunately had a one-off with Pansy after the ball,
had a bit too much to drink, a mistake, really! Didn't get rid of her for
almost the whole last year. And then two girls from Slytherin, nothing special.
Then I also had something with three Ravenclaws, two Hufflepuffs and two of the
French girls in Fourth Year. Just don't ask for the names, no idea. But
otherwise I find the girls here not very appealing, they are so childlike, have
no clue what’s going on. Which isn't the case with you, is it, Mudblood?" he
whispered provocatively at the end, and he tilted his head appraisingly, as
well as deliberately.
 
"You're right and your father has sent you to prostitutes, real nice! One has
to be a pureblood. Oh, I remember, you've forgotten your two victims which you
came close to!" I said mockingly and maliciously, as I listened to these
revelations.
 
"Do you always have to remind me so kindly?" he said accusingly, his features
distorting contemptuously. "So sensitive?" I mocked. "Minx!" he laughed
hoarsely and drank a sip. "Did I ever say I was nice?" I teased.
 
"Oh, why did the hat sort you in Gryffindor? You really don't belong there,
even Pansy would fit into Gryffindor better than you," he grinned.
 
"Thank you, that's a great compliment coming out of your mouth!" I replied
contentedly, grinning and happy about it, because it was a really big
compliment coming from him. The boss of the snakes was really protective over
his house, after all.
 
"You are welcome. But tell me, what did you mean yesterday with 'Beetle'?" he
continued to ask, but I was still sure, he wasn't as ignorant as he pretended
to be, he knew something.
 
"Oh, I'm very proud of this stroke of genius, I've figured out that Rita
Skeeter is an unregistered animagus, and guess what her form is?" I asked
deviously, for I knew and guessed strongly that Draco also knew what she was,
since he behaved very suspiciously on the train in our fourth year.
 
"Beetle!" he confirmed, just as I had suspected.
 
"Correct, but you knew that already!" I stated soberly and he only nodded when
I continued.
 
"She was my prisoner over the holidays, as a punishment for these insolent,
untrue articles, and after that I released her and put a few spells on her.
Now, she's mine! Yes, I'm really proud of that!" I couldn't keep the self-
satisfaction out of my voice, while Draco restlessly shifted back and forth in
his seat.
 
"You... Wow, I think I'm really hot right now! I wouldn't have expected such
wickedness from you. You really had captured her. And if it weren't beneath my
dignity as a Malfoy, I would freak out right now, but as it is, I give you my
congratulations. But don't you have to be afraid for her revenge? I mean
Skeeter isn't known for being an innocent lamb," he told me very excitedly for
his personality, but also sounded immediately worried again.
 
"Cute that you're worried, but useless. I have more than just one spell in my
repertoire and it's impossible for Rita to hurt me! If she's so stupid as to
try it, she'll fall into a coma that only I can save her from," I explained
smugly, crossing my legs and comfortably leaning back into the soft chair.
 
"Brilliant, absolutely brilliant! But scary, don't forget to warn me should I
have annoyed you, my Mudblood. My respect!" He brought his hand to his chest in
a gesture that expressed his respect and bowed his head slightly. I seemed to
have seriously impressed him, which brought a slight, red glow to my cheeks.
 
"Yes, this action was one of my more brilliant ideas!" I admitted, pretending
to be shy by looking at my hands folded in my lap.
 
"What would Saint Potter and Weasley say to that?" he said spitefully and
looked thoughtful.
 
"Mh-hm, they wouldn't be happy. No idea," I said absently, while I shook my
head. "Not important, anyway! Now tell me what your childhood looked like. I'm
curious, you too have changed."
 
"Should I start a soul striptease for you? Because it’s not really my thing,"
he replied, grimacing.
 
"I know that of course, that wasn't what I meant and to get me to pity you
won't be so easy! So swallow the pill!" I didn't give in. After all, I had also
told him a lot.
 
"You know how the Purebloods think?" he began slowly, to which I nodded
affirmatively.
 
"The marriage of Lucius and Narcissa was arranged! Mother, if you can call her
that, has done her duty and gave birth to me. I didn't particularly like her,
but apparently all Blacks are like that. With this, Father and she have
withdrawn themselves to their respective floors, which perfectly describes the
marriage of my parents. I think they both hate each other fervently! My
education was hard; Father and Severus demand a lot. I am the heir! After you,
I'm the number two at Hogwarts. I still don't understand how you can beat me,"
he grumbled, really offended at the end, but before that his words were cold
and cruel. Then I looked at him with wide yes, while his hand went through his
silky hair.
 
"Really, that's pretty depressing. I've been learning since I can think and
you're a Mudblood!" he added contritely.
 
"Well, I'm simply too intelligent for this world!" I declared arrogantly with a
honeyed voice.
 
"That doesn't make Father any happier... But where was I. For about two years
now they've been intensively tutoring me in dark magic, not just learning but
also applying it. I'm good, very good even, and they teach me the dueling and
also to melee fight. Yes that's very important for the two of them. The pure
blooded don't care so much about it, but Severus and Father, they insist on it!
It's probably because he's only a Halfblood," Draco explained now and I
listened intently, because that was really interesting. One couldn't accuse
Snape and his father to be stupid, but one thing surprised me, what he said
about Snape.
 
"Halfblood, how?" I asked perplexed.
 
"Oh, something Miss-Know-It-All doesn't know? Yes, Severus Snape had a Muggle
father! He only descends from the noble blood of the Prince of his mother's
side!" Draco told me pompously.
 
"Prince, wow, I've read about them many times. They have produced some
luminaries, especially in potions," I explained surprised, but now it wasn't
surprising anymore that the professor had become such an expert in his field.
 
"As always correct and amazingly informed. It's a pleasure to talk to you, my
Mudblood!" he gave me flattering praise, while he stroked my bare knee, which
astonishingly pleased me very much. I liked it very much to be touched by him.
 
"Maybe we can compete against each other one day, would be funny to see if I'm
really better at everything and also better informed?" I challenged him
playfully.
 
"I would destroy you," he replied harshly, while throwing his head back and
glaring at me with his stormy grey eyes.
 
"Sure. Be careful, otherwise you’ll end up like Bole!" I threatened him with a
finger.
 
"You can be pretty cold-hearted."
 
"That's life."
 
"I absolutely agree!" Were we already that callous? Seems like it. But nice,
that he was like me!
 
"Here, I remember. I have something for you. A talisman. You have to wear it,
it serves as communication," I pulled the galleon out of my pocket and got up,
stepped behind him and put it around his neck. I locked the black ribbon, which
he accepted without a question.
 
"You can type in the time and place with the numbers and characters, in an
abbreviated form of course, and it will get warm when someone sends any
information. An invention of mine," I explained, seizing the moment and
slightly kissing him on the neck, which he clearly enjoyed. This soft, light
skin had attracted me irresistibly, and his strong, peculiar scent of
sandalwood wafted into my nose.
 
"The Twins also have one each," I tried to distract myself. "They want to get
to know you, soon," and bit myself restlessly on my lip.
 
"Thank you! Then you trust me that much? Well, of course I'll have a look at
these clowns!" he said, surprisingly kind and looked at me over his shoulder,
his gaze intense.
 
"Thank you, that means a lot to me. You'll like them. I will think about
something," I promised in a velvety voice, while my fingers stroked his
shoulders seductively before I sat down again.
 
"I should also tell you that my Patronus is a magpie. Should I ever to send it
to you," I told him, then he threw his head back and laughed so loudly that
tears ran down his cheeks.
 
"You surprise me again and again! The bringer of ill luck of the goddess of
death, Hel. That's hilarious! A magpie..," he wiped his tears away with his
hands and shook his head.
 
"I'm glad I can provide your amusement," I replied, slightly offended, for I
liked my bird and let's be honest, she had already done me some good service.
 
"Don't look like that.. Mine's a viper!" he explained, grinning.
 
"Well, that’s a perfect match," I said soberly.
 
"Yes, thank you, I find her beautiful! Come to the bed, I have something for
you," he demanded, and I stood up again and walked confidently to his large,
beautiful canopy bed.
 
"Is it normal for you to have a single room?" I asked now interested into the
silence, because he had turned his back on me and got something.
 
"It's normal here in Slytherin to have twin rooms, the leader of the snakes
always gets the single room. I own it since Christmas in our first year. The
predecessor was weak, a wimp!" he told me contemptuously over his shoulder.
 
"That reminds me, what did your education actually involve? What kind of
curses?" I continued to delve.
 
"Just say it out loud, so shy, that doesn't suit you, Mudblood!" he said
snootily, then continued to speak. "Until now all the unforgivable curses,
thanks to the holidays, I can now also write the torture of people with curses
on my list! But still no Avada!" It came very indifferent and cold from him, as
he still had his back towards me.
 
"Wow, I've practiced all unforgivable curses in the Library of the Blacks," I
said proudly, smiling ashamed.
 
"But only on mice and doxies," I immediately qualified, for doxies were so-
called "Bite-Fairies", that were like little fairies, but their small, dollish
body was covered in black hair and their wings beetle-like shiny and not
transparent, like the ones of the fairies. They were poisonous, very poisonous,
so it wasn't a pity for these small, biting shits.
 
"What, you finished off doxies and mice with the Cruciatus and the Avada?" he
echoed shocked. I just nodded.
 
"You're the funniest thing that I've come across in ages. And, did it work?" he
asked with a smile, one could even hear that in his voice, but now he turned to
me and looked at me.
 
"Yes, wasn't really difficult," I shrugged indifferently.
 
"You're my girl, perfect. So imaginative!" he said very seriously to my
surprise, gave me a abysmally wicked smile and I asked myself what it was that
was developing between us slowly but surely. I wanted to let myself get
surprised.
 
"Was it harder for you? I mean with humans?" I asked really interested.
 
"I'm glad that I didn't need to do the Avada, but the other two curses didn't
bother me. Father and Severus had let me practice them the last two years on
animals... Disgusting... However, we can't change it and believe me, the two
can be really hard on you!" he acted like he suffered.
 
"Should I feel sorry for you now?" It came smugly from me and blinked at him
faking sympathy.
 
"Oh, please, leave it! I can still sleep well," he replied grinning grimly.
 
"So and now come here..." he ordered sharply, reaching behind himself to the
bedside table, and took what he had previously looked for.
 
"Here for you," he quickly explained, holding out two small books.
 
"What is that?" I asked curiously, taking what he held towards me.
 
"Tomes of course... ancient tomes. I want you to read and learn it," he
demanded gravely.
 
"Why?" I asked curiously, for it wasn't quite clear to me why he gave me books.
 
"Don't you devour every book that comes across your path?" he answered my
question with another question, which annoyed me.
 
"Yes, but what are they about?" I asked again, more demanding.
 
"How a pureblood has to behave! I want you to be immaculate in your manners!
Don't get me wrong, you're fine already, but I want you to be perfect all
around!" he smugly told me, waving his hand over me.
 
"Wow, you see me speechless, but of course, as you wish.. thank you, but I've
already read such books," I explained somewhat perplexed.
 
"I see that, or you would know much less, but believe me there is almost
nothing that can rival the Malfoy library. Read it, you won't know them
already! Believe me," he insisted that I read these books, even if he praised
me, which didn't escape me and pleased me. I went to my cloak, and put them in
my coat pocket. I tried not to show him that I was very happy, because I really
knew how to appreciate such treasures like these ancient books. He approached
me again, slowly, and so we stood in front of the fireplace and looked
passionately at each other. It was an intimate moment. We had talked long and
in detail but still didn't tell each other everything, but now we knew each
other better. We had shared many secrets and the night was still long. Draco
just opened his mouth to say something, when there was a loud knock the door.
His expression got cold again, his lips pressed together angrily, and his eyes
looked absolutely furious at this unwanted disturbance, and with one wipe of
his wand he ended a spell, so he could ask what was going on, and raised his
voice angrily.
 
"Yes, who dares to disturb me now, didn't I express myself clearly before?" His
voice sounded so frigid that it ran coldly even over my back. Poor messenger, I
thought compassionately. I ran to the chair next to the door to put on my
cloak, one never knew.
 
"Excuse me, Draco! The professor is downstairs and wants to control the whole
house and asks for you and I thought that you might not want him to come up!" I
could hear the defensive voice of Zabini.
 
"Damn!" Draco hissed quietly, very un-malfoy-ish, looking at me thoughtfully.
He knew how Snape always acted in relation to us. I feverishly thought about a
solution too.
 
"I'll be right there," he exclaimed imperiously, and we could hear Zabini
quickly leave again.
 
"What now? It wouldn't be ideal if Severus found you here! He expects all
Slytherins to be in the common room and unfortunately he always controls the
rooms with a spell, which means you can't stay here," he said grimly, and I
began to show a smile on my face as an idea popped into my head. I loved
playing and Snape was always good for a game, let's see how fast he'd see
through me.
 
"On the other hand, it could be fun and I make it clear to Snape that he can't
forbid me to see you!" he seemed to think about it feverishly. I liked to see
what direction his thoughts went. As I already said, we thought alike.
 
"Why are you laughing, Granger?” Draco enquired now. “That's not good."
 
"Trust me Draco, we.. I have everything under control," I asked him
determinedly.
 
"Oh, and how?" it came from him.
 
"Let me surprise you," I said smugly, and now had a plan. I pulled my wand and
began to transfigure myself and was allowed to see Draco looking at me, with a
deep frown on his forehead, and his eyebrows wandering closer and closer to his
hairline, the more spells I used. Had I ever said how much I loved magic? So
here again for the record: I loved magic! It took longer than the
transformation into Minna and cost me more energy. It was very exhausting as I
changed into something completely different! But it was good, I could see the
amazement on the mask that Draco's face had become. At the end, I turned my
robe into a school cloak with the Slytherin green emblem on it.
 
"Wow, Mudblood! You really are powerful and you react quickly. Do you know that
you radiate an eerie calm? Impressive!" he breathed, impressed, while he caught
himself again quickly and looked smug.
 
"Thanks for the compliment, Draco. And it doesn't help anything to freak out in
unpleasant situations, that just leads to mistakes," I stated coldly before I
stepped in front of the mirror, which was at the wardrobe door. I looked at my
completely changed appearance.
 
"I always keep a cool head, you know, otherwise I would've pulled out Bole's
knife that was inside me... That wouldn't have gone well for me..." I said
pragmatically, playing around with my hair, draping it around a face that was
unknown to me. I had changed my appearance, my hair now shoulder length, smooth
white-blond hair, I had lengthened my face with a pointy chin and narrow
cheekbones, also my eyes were now grey. I looked like a Malfoy, more like
Draco's twin sister, though much more delicate and fragile, nothing that
reminded one of the feminine and well-trained Hermione.
 
"You left it inside you? I think you still have to tell me a lot, Mudblood," he
said again slightly impressed, but also shaking his head in disbelief.
 
"Oh, I think you as well, you haven't told me about the Lord yet, and that
would be especially interesting. And what you meant by your statement about the
house of Malfoy!" I countered. He didn't let me talk anymore, determinedly
turned me around to him, kissed my forehead again and took my hand resolutely
into his.
 
"Well, next week. Now into the fight with Severus!" he explained, holding the
door open gallantly for me, giving me a real, haughty Malfoy smile.
 
End of Hermione’s POV
***** Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus or never tickle a sleeping dragon
*****
Chapter Notes
     My apologies for the delay.
     I've had some busy days and some that still are ahead of me.
     Moving is really fucked up. ^^
     Translated today by our new girl in team: C.
     Hope you enjoy. xxx
Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus or never tickle a sleeping dragon
 
Snape’s POV
 
It’s been awhile since I made an appearance in my house, and so I decided it
was time for one. I ran the house of snakes with discipline and severity, not
like the other head teachers who don’t know how to teach decent nurture and I
certainly knew what the result was, just look at Potter and Weasley. How
spiteful of me. The Slytherins could, in principle, do whatever they wanted to,
as long as they didn’t destroy the fixtures, presented themselves as a united
front and as long as their grades were satisfactory, but nonetheless, I always
checked up on them. It was the only way to bear dealing with these little
fools. And my bad mood as well, courtesy of Granger and whatever her intentions
towards Draco, was reason to come here today. I wanted to warn Draco to keep
his hands off this quite attractive and stupidity inducing tart Granger,
because whoever sinks so low as dating a simpleton like Black, is beyond help,
I thought derisively and twisted my lips into a grim expression. My mood
worsened thanks to this thought.
 
Oh boy, the explicit pictures of her and Black were back,  think of something
else , I ordered myself brusquely! And just like that I stood in the crowded
and loud common room of my house and watched as even more people joined,
because I insisted on a full attendance for a house meeting.
 
“Where is Mr. Malfoy?” I asked in a patronizing manner and no one in
particular, because he was Slytherin’s leader after all and had to answer to
me.
 
“Er, in his room, sir!” An uncertain appearing Blaise Zabini stepped forward
and answered my question warily.
 
“Then get him!” I ordered gruffly. I could see that the boy wasn’t happy with
the order, but that he resigned himself to his fate and now, fulfilling his
task, he halfheartedly went to the boys dormitory. It was as if he already knew
that Draco wasn’t going to like being disturbed. I lifted my dark eyebrows in
thought. Zabini usually was a lot more lively, open-minded and not passive and
defensive like this…
 
My quite endless and well tempered patience was put to the test and my
calculating eyes wandered over the otherwise immaculate room, with the restless
mass of students right in front of me. What was taking so long? I hated to
wait, and irritated like that, I started walking up and down in front of the
fireplace. I was the professor here! Where was Draco, who did he think he was?
I saw Zabini cautiously leave the dorms five minutes ago. He seemed like a dog
with his tail between his legs and hid in a dark corner, as I witnessed to my
surprise. Today, my house and its students appeared to be very strange, ill at
ease and uncertain, which was very untypical for Slytherins! What happened
tonight to make everyone sneak about as if they were walking on glass?
 
I could only mistrust the situation and I was used to listen to my instinct,
therefore I dared to cautiously look forward to my talk to Draco.
 
Draco had to answer to some questions. Where was this useless and spoiled brat?
Didn’t I raise him so that being on time was a sign of politeness for myself?
My mood reached a low and looking into the dumbfounded faces of the Slytherins,
it didn’t get better at all, because it showed me with what deficient fools I
had to deal with. I shouldn’t look at them!
 
Ah, finally, I watched as Draco strode towards me in a Lucius like fashion. His
movements were slow and smooth, just don’t get in a hurry. Yes, Malfoys were
ignorant like that, unbelievably narcissistic, sometimes unbearable! And the
boy started to resemble his father more and more! I grimaced in silent
suffering, that was certainly a bitter pill. Although, actually, he had the
potential to outperform his father, because he still had something like
feelings. In a few years Draco could be a better politician and tactician and a
strong, not to be underestimated warrior on top. And the boy knew that, you
could see that from a hundred miles away, his self-satisfied facial expression
told you as much! Malfoys and their ego, an endless, unbearable story. Is there
something else to add? It’s certainly because of all that too pure blood, I
thought disdainfully. But damn, we had trained him too well. He was too self-
certain. But that wasn’t something I could change anymore and therefore I gave
myself a mental, resigned shrug. But that was still no reason to leave Severus
Tobias Snape waiting!
 
“Professor Snape, welcome. As you can see, everyone should be present by now,”
the leader of the house welcomed me confidently. Yes, we Slytherins had
different rules compared to the other houses, better ones in my book.
 
“What took you so long, Mr. Malfoy?” My tone wasn’t friendly.
 
“I was in my room, sir!” He stated quickly, as I hesitated, what was that
behind him? I tried to look around him, but he didn’t let me look, he took on a
curiously wide stand, which made me raise my dark eyebrow. What game did he
think he was playing? My instincts reacted immediately. What did little Draco
want to hide from me, his godfather?
 
“Is there something worth telling?” I asked all Slytherins, whose very guarded
behaviour I only really noticed now, because I averted my attention from Draco
and what I saw, I didn’t like. I saw how they avoided a pretty girl, with long,
white-silver hair as if she had the plague! I frowned and raised my eyebrows
because that behaviour was very atypical for my snakes. When I, their
professor, was here to check up on them, they usually presented a united front.
I saw as she started to move and sat down next to Zabini, Nott, Parkinson, on
the back rest of their couch. She seemed without a care in the world.
 
At once, I got suspicious, because I noticed how Zabini’s group tensed up. You
could also nearly cut the nameless, atmospheric, tense mood in the common room.
What was happening? I might be a teacher, but that didn’t mean that I was
stupid or as senile as Minerva and Albus, well, for that I was a few years too
young!
 
Hold on for a second, did I know this girl at all? Not that I really looked at
the rest of the students, it wasn’t of interest to me, but I certainly knew the
students of my own house! But still I noticed other faces as well and this face
was clearly unfamiliar, except that she obviously had Malfoy blood in her
veins, but that was impossible! What were they playing at? My raging thoughts
were interrupted, because Draco started to speak.
 
“Professor, there is nothing of interest to tell. Is there something else I can
do for you, sir?” Draco asked too courteously, I might puke!
 
“Mr. Malfoy, what is happening here? The Slytherins are behaving very
strangely, if not atypically, to say the least?” I let loose sarcastically,
sending a contemptuous look to the intimidated crowd, which only cowed them
even more. I could see and hear, as an excited whisper started to spread, a
direct reaction to my question. Okay, what was happening here? Something was
going on and it was obvious.
 
“Nothing more than usual, sir!” Draco said succinctly. My sly godson looked at
me with his grey eyes, donning a trusting expression and trying to seem as if
he was the most innocent person there was.  Oh Draco, whatever are you hiding?
I have known you for too long and you are not good enough to fool me yet.  I
sent him a calculating look.
 
“Mr. Malfoy, I think that I can evaluate this situation better than you. You
obviously don’t know what is going on in your house,” I chided him spitefully,
and I could see the storm brewing in his grey eyes. I challenged him in front
of his house, Malfoys didn’t like that, but I didn’t like to be made a fool of
either!
 
“Professor, I have to negate that, I rule the house.” His tone was icy and I
could see how irritated he was by my accusation although his behaviour didn’t
let it show. The Slytherins became even more cowed, if that was even possible.
How atypical, because this was usually a vain, proud and brisk crowd. They
always had their heads held high. Draco could be proud of his composure and so
was I, it was good to see that not everything had been a waste of my effort. He
stood there like a leader with a straight posture and he didn’t seem to be the
least bit insecure.
 
I could feel the brush of air on my back. I turned around abruptly and saw the
white-blonde girl sneaking up the stairs, heading straight for the exit. I
watched as she was turning her head, looking straight into my eyes, with a
taunting smile on her lips and a bold expression in her expressive, grey eyes.
It was certain that that was no Slytherin, I was very sure of that, because I
knew them a bit more than the other dunderheads who lived in this school and
graced me with their unbearable presence.
 
“Professor… Sir?” I heard Draco, who wanted my attention and I noticed the
absolute, haunting silence in the room, despite all of the students crowding
it. That was not normal. It was quiet before, but now it was as if the
Slytherins held their breath. What was going on? Everyone was looking at the
entrance, staring at the girl as if she was a living Fata Morgana. And suddenly
it clicked. Should I feel ashamed for being this foggy-brained and blind?
Because it was only now that I understood. The only one that didn’t belong
here, but wouldn’t listen, could only be one single impertinent person.
 
Granger!
 
The girl trying to flee was Granger! Definitely. Granger, who was comfortable
being in Draco’s room with my godson. This slut, it flared up inside of me.
What did she think, just ignoring my request? Even if she didn’t look like
herself, she was the only one daring enough to walk into enemy territory. And
the snakes knew that there was someone who didn’t belong, according to their
behaviour. What happened here? What games were being played? How come she just
ignored my orders? My well suppressed emotions threatened to spill over. I told
her quite explicitly that she was to stay away from Draco, that she wasn’t good
for him and what did she decide to do? Oh, I should have rammed the knife even
deeper into her body, instead of healing her.
 
I think Draco could read in my eyes that her cover was blown and that I was
planning her death to be very creative, especially painful and lengthy. I
couldn’t let her escape…
 
“Stay still! What do you think you are doing? Didn’t I forbid you from getting
close to him?” I angrily threw at the girl, who dared to turn around, gave me a
wicked smile, raised her hand and gave me a wave.
 
A wave!
 
“Miss…,” I spat enraged. I wanted to start running to get her, she wasn’t going
to escape me and my anger, but Draco intervened.
 
“Severus!” Draco exclaimed certainly, jumped forward, seized my upper arm and
held onto me. His strong fingers drilled themselves through my clothes into my
flesh. We were staring at each other. It seemed I previously overlooked that he
was already an adult. Draco was no child any longer.
 
“Mr. Malfoy, what do you think you are doing? Let me go at once!” I ordered
icily.
 
“Of course, in a moment, professor, sir!”, he said with an audibly apologetic
tone, but he still held my arm in a vice-like grip. He turned his head to
Granger, who was standing there in a calm and motionless manner, waiting with a
perfect mask, although she was in enemy territory surrounded by snakes, who
looked at her in open hostility. Snakes, who obviously didn’t recognize her and
were wondering about their professor managing just that. Astonishing, that
girl. Was it her crackbrained Gryffindor courage or simple stupidity that kept
her from running from me?
 
“Leave… I will clear this up. See you, honey,” Draco said over his shoulder. I
was stunned, especially this endearment made me want to puke.
 
“What are you playing at, Draco?” I whispered privately, because I was using
his first name, something I wouldn’t do in most situations. “And you, you stay
where you are, Miss…,” I didn’t want to blow her cover, and couldn’t in front
of the other Slytherins, so I stifled her name. She didn’t earn the right, the
minx.
 
“Just leave! Don’t listen to him!” Draco cut in. He dared? But I could see how
Granger raised her hand to her breast and that she bowed her head slightly.
What was she playing at? She followed his instruction with a pureblood way of
paying respect… this, this  minx , just wait until I get my hands on her, I
will twist her neck with pleasure, slowly, very slowly and yes, it would
satisfy me. Oh, how it would!
 
“As you wish, Draco. See you, professor, sir!” she replied politely but
obviously amused and left the room quickly. When she was gone, I freed myself
abruptly from Draco and he let me. I was enraged. I had the pleasure to see the
cowed and disbelieving crowd of Slytherins, who didn’t know what to do with the
situation. That they were puzzled I believed, because an argument like that
hadn’t happened before. Both of the leaders of house Slytherin, the head of
house and the student leader had a disagreement, a battle for power. They
stared at us ,  a bit scared and timid, but I didn’t care at the moment! Now it
was Draco’s turn and so I stood with my darkly clothed appearance in front of
him and looked at him disdainfully and icily.
 
“What do you want from her? You don’t know her! She is without scruple, a
manipulative bitch! You can’t trust her,” I stated silkily and emphasized every
word, every syllable.
 
“Uncle Severus, please… You recognized her! My compliments, didn’t she do a
great job? It only took her minutes for this transformation!” he informed my
proudly, grinning cheekily and didn’t answer my own statement at all.
 
“Draco, keep your hands off her! She is a dangerous, not to be underestimated
minx,” I insisted on my statement, because Granger seemed fishy since Grimmauld
Place.
 
“What, but you are allowed to dirty your hands with her?” Draco hissed nastily.
I could hear how some snakes took a deep breath, concerning this suggestion,
this allegation. What insolence to even insinuate something like that! But to
my displeasure not untrue, I did get too close once.
 
“What do you want to suggest with that, Draco? I warn you!” I made myself even
bigger, my deep and quiet voice echoed through the room.
 
“Please, uncle Severus, I warn you… I know everything and then some…,” he
replied in warning and stood proudly, superior, he didn’t move an inch despite
my threatening figure. “I won’t let you prevent her from coming to me, forget
it!” he spat viciously and stubbornly. He raised his chin aggressively. Oh, he
started to block. Like how Lucius usually did, whenever it got impossible to
use rational arguments with him any longer.
 
Wonderful, how wonderful, why ever do I have to put up with these narcissistic
Malfoys?
 
He moved towards the fireplace and leant against it, casually and in an
autocratic fashion. “I always did what father and you wanted from me, but with
her I won’t let you say a thing! I don’t care what you do with her privately!
Argue as much as you want, if you need that, but don’t try to keep her away
from me, because that is unacceptable!” he said arrogantly and I was very
surprised that he stood up for her. What did he see in her?
 
“Draco, how dare you use that tone with me!” I hissed, standing proud and
motionless in the room, emanating my dark magic which surrounded me like a
powerful coat. The other snakes moved back and to the sides as far as they
could. They knew how close our families were and that this was the only reason
why our talk was still rather friendly. They were used to fights for power like
this, purebloods and halfbloods that they were. We snakes needed our fights for
power from time to time, but usually, we didn’t do them out in the open, we
used the shadows. But now there was no time for that.
 
“Yes, I dare! Lucius and you, you trained me too well and you know how good I
have become. And I tell you the same thing that I told the Slytherins. She is
and always will be welcome in this house! Here she has every right and should
someone attack her, they attack me and the house Malfoy!” he presented the
unapologetic facts and looked into my eyes in a serious manner and I was
speechless for a second. What did this excruciating minx do to Draco that he
was that infatuated with her?
 
“Are you serious, are you nuts, are you out of your mind? Because of her? Does
everyone have to go berserk because of her?” I asked contemptuously and
deprecatingly. It wouldn’t be long before I would be completely desperate. It
was excruciating. How did she get men to give such excessive reactions? To my
chagrin, I counted myself as well and queued myself disdainfully behind all the
other pitiful men.
 
“I am glad that you obviously count yourself too, or how else do I have to
understand that you threw a glass at her just yesterday?” he asked lasciviously
and dared to grin at me crookedly. A strand of his bright hair fell boldly into
his face.
 
“She told you,” it came stiff and surprised from me.
 
“I know many things…,” he stated, smiling at me softly. “Don’t underestimate
me, I wouldn’t dare to do the same to you, because I know what you are capable
of and I have huge respect for you! But I don’t underestimate her either and
neither should you. You can’t separate us anymore,” he spoke with a definite
tone and folded his arms as if to punctuate his statement visually. I pressed
my lips together dangerously, my teeth gnashed in anger. She managed to do it
again and twisted yet another man around her delicate finger. It would really
be of interest to me what the mutt would say to this. I laughed spitefully.
 
“I don’t think that you know everything… she dated… someone thoroughly
disagreeable…,” I gave silkily from me and with disdain. Draco was still
leaning nonchalantly next to the fireplace, dominating the others through his
aura of maliciousness and superiority, just like everyone would tremble because
of my dark, secretive nature. I could smell the fear and anxiety of the other
Slytherins in front of us. I was sure that we both presented a really menacing
performance. He laughed heartily and seemed so much colder because of it. “You
mean the mutt? He is already history! Did you see him these days? Look into his
face and then think of her and you will know where he got it from,” Draco
hissed derisively as I lifted my eyebrow in surprise.
That was right, during the last meeting I saw a Black next to me who looked
worse for wear. His face was thoroughly battered: a blue eye, a swollen cheek
and a jaw which was no less colourful. He was pestered by a lot of people,
wanting to know where he got it from and who it was.  Because he was still
under house arrest, it had to be someone from the order, but he refused to give
any statement. That was her! Interesting, what happened to make her beat him?
 
Respect, I would have loved to see that. It distracted me effectively from my
anger, because I really felt happy seeing Black blemished like that. It was a
very good feeling to see him thoroughly beaten and to know that he didn’t have
ointments and potions in his possession to ease his suffering. And I had her to
thank for that! I didn’t like that thought. But, wait just a second, she looked
the same and I couldn’t imagine Black holding still and presenting himself
voluntarily as a sandbag, without defending himself. But I couldn’t forget she
knew about healing and potions by now… well… and then I got a thought about
something I had forgotten until now.
 
The detention! She had to brew the stolen potions!  It was then that I could
confront her. I might not be able to forbid her from meeting Draco, but I could
make her suffer to have gone against my orders, and there was vicious
anticipation brewing in me. Because I knew when a Malfoy wanted something, I
could save my precious breath. There are no more stubborn and no more wilful
people than those two. I didn’t know who was worse in getting his will against
all odds. Lucius or Draco? I did the only right thing, because it was the
clever person that gives in and I let it be. I would only get grey hair and I
were not in the mood for that. And what more beautiful than revenge and a
suffering Granger?
 
I stood there, in the middle of the common room and suddenly there was a
dangerous, sadistic smile on my usually expressionless face, what, as I saw,
cowed the students of my house even more than the loud argument with Draco had
managed to do!
 
But I could see Draco watching me very attentively and as if he could read my
mind, which he couldn’t, but despite that, an equally devilish smile
transformed his features.
 
“Whatever you plan to do to her, as long as you don’t try to keep her from me,
have fun!” he said succinctly. This boy had surprised me since the holidays, in
which he changed so much, from time to time more. It was alright with me.
“Don’t forget, we are a family, we should always stick together, Severus!”
 
Had we trained him too hard for the last two years? He had gone through rough
times since birth. Now he wasn’t the spoilt, stupid and cowardly boy from the
past any longer. Oh no, we made a warrior and a leader out of him, something I
had been experiencing just now, to my chagrin. When was it, that I used the
first Unforgivable Curse? I tried to remember, hm-mh, it was on Christmas in my
last year of school and outside Hogwarts, in the service of the Dark Lord!
Well, Draco still had two years until then and he had learnt how to torture
with the Cruciatus this summer. Apparently everything happened sooner for
today’s youth and that meant I, his godfather, had to accept that Draco was the
leader we had raised, that he was ready to take on his role and I could accept
his request, because that was what I saw it as.
 
He could have Granger.
 
“Well, then we should leave it at that! We, Lucius and I, are proud of you,
Draco! Continue as is and you will make your way!” My voice was like velvet. I
nodded from above and left the house of snakes with swooshing, flowing robes,
leaving the Slytherins at quite a loss. But also a very satisfied looking
Draco. It should really be him who was going to instill the missing peace
again, I thought gleefully. I hurried to my rooms and drained my first drink
and it wasn’t going to stay at one drink this night. If it continued like this
it would be Granger’s fault, should I get an alcohol problem; the cynical
thought came to my mind. I thoughtfully rotated the heavy glass in my hands,
watching the reflected fire, its flashing play of colors.
 
I would have never thought that she was adventurous, ruthless and unethical in
such a way that she would show herself openly to myself. She must have known
that I would recognize her despite her transformation but she accepted it
willingly and uncaringly. And how impertinent to laugh. What was going on in
her brain? Would I ever manage to make sense of these intricate turns? I mean,
this minx is making my head hurt. But I also would get my revenge and oh, how
she would wish to not have challenged myself and detention would just be the
first step.  Oh yes, Miss Granger, you will wish to not have tried to play me
against my family, against my godson.
 
End of Snape’s POV
 
Hermione’s POV
 
Oh, that was funny. The whole situation was my kind of humour. Since walking
into the common room I had to hold back a fit of laughter. Hysterical?
 
No, not that much, it’s more of a honest laugh because the situation was just
too comical. The Slytherins were very amusing, looking at me in that baffled
manner after walking determined to the couch in front of the fireplace. Not one
of them had any idea that I, Hermione Granger, had infiltrated their holy
common room. It would be of interest to me what they thought and thought they
knew, because one thing was clear, no one in Hogwarts knew this student.
 
Everyone surely knew that I was a student, but which house and who, that would
certainly keep them busy! Draco’s clique, whom I sat with, positively froze as
I sat down with a friendly smile. The rigid faces of my peers were too funny,
if one thought about not being able to read in the faces of these people under
normal circumstances. The occurrence astonished and surprised them at that
moment. Snape’s and Draco’s threatening face-off was way too extraordinary as
well. They both were two truly formidable personalities and Draco didn’t have
to compromise much, although the professor was older and even more impressive.
Draco felt confident and it showed in his stance.
 
There was one thing, however, that I could say and confirm: the Slytherins,
they took Draco’s warning seriously. They retreated from me like they would
from the plague, to not get close to me. When I wanted to leave, it was so
typical of my dear professor to notice my tactical retreat and that he tried to
stop me. When I looked at him with a smile, it seemed he finally understood,
because there was a tiny spark of recognition in his deep black eyes. As well
as the unhidden anger at my impertinence to not heed his request,... order,...
threat.
 
I could see that he was just about to pounce on me. Should I be afraid of his
revenge, which was certainly coming my way, regardless of what Draco said?
Besides I thought that Draco would never come in between a dispute of Snape and
myself. He only wanted that Snape didn’t come between us, he wasn’t bothered
with the rest, I thought. How the relationship between myself and Snape went,
that was only of little interest to him. Would it be any different, he wouldn’t
be above everything concerning myself and Snape, because ultimately, Draco knew
about Minna, which was okay with me. I didn’t need Draco to hide behind,
because I could watch out for myself.
 
And then, when Snape wanted to chase after me… Draco didn’t let him come to me,
he held him back! Simply glorious, I would dream about that tonight! I cast
Tempus and knew that we didn’t talk all that long, pity. It was shortly after
eleven, that meant it was very early and I tiptoed into the secret passage that
Draco showed me and took the transformation from me again.
 
Ouch, that hurt! Transforming that much, not having anything in common with
one’s own appearance, it hurt very much transforming back again! The bones,
sinews, veins, fat and skin layers were moving magically, shifting, stretching
and pulling, and I whimpered quietly. That was the reason why I preferred the
transformation into Minna, because I kept the same facial features but for now
it would have been counterproductive and unfortunately not everyone could be a
metamorphmagus like dear Tonks. I changed my attire, exhausted as I was thanks
to the strong magic that I had to use for the transformation, took off my
cloak, put on my student’s cloak and headed for Gryffindor. It took a lot of
concentration to stay transformed, otherwise it could happen that I loose the
appearance after a while and that needed energy. That was the reason why most
wizards preferred the Polyjuice potion, you didn’t need to make the same effort
using it. I wasn’t going to do it again for a while, my face felt as if it was
rubber, how uncomfortable.
 
“Where have you been for that long? The curfew has already started!” Ron
exclaimed as soon as I climbed through the hole. Ron was playing chess with
Harry next to the window.
 
“Ron, I am sorry to tell you, but we are prefects and it is our task to make
rounds after the curfew as well!” I reminded him gently.
 
“Oh, yes, that is true, damn! I forgot that, actually, when will it be my turn
again?” came a startled response. He was looking at me like a deer in the
headlights, with big eyes.
 
“Tomorrow,” I simply answered.
 
“Oh, good, what would I do without you!” he moaned relieved and smiled a
slightly dopey smile, rubbing his neck.
 
“You would loose your head, brother dearest!” We were interrupted by a loud
voice. Fred held Ron’s head in a tight grip with his arm, stroking his hair not
very gently.
 
“Hey, you idiots, let me be,” said Ron, attempting to get free, while Ginny and
Harry were very amused. They were laughing. I noticed Harry’s hand as he put it
in front of his mouth, trying to keep the laugh in and I didn’t think I was
seeing right. I let out an indignant sound and fished his hand out of the air.
I looked at it closely, holding it prisoner in my own hands.
 
That bitch!
 
I didn’t say anything, only looked inquiringly into his eyes. He couldn’t
withstand my gaze, but I found the confirmation I was looking for and reached
quickly into my student’s cloak, which I had put on in the secret passage
again. I grabbed a self-made ointment from my inside pocket, murtlap essence,
and lubricated the ugly, ignited and swollen wound with the greasy and thick
cream.
 
“Did Umbridge do that?” I was whispering quietly.
 
“Wow, this is pleasant, it’s cooling… Yes, she makes me write lines with a
quill every night,” he admitted quietly, his shoulders tensing. His eyes were
glaring fiercely from behind his glasses.
 
“Mmm, blood quill…,” I mumbled,. That excruciating bitch, she was torturing
Harry, oh this appalling bitch! Apparently she wanted me as an enemy! To
torture Harry demanded revenge and I would present her with it at a later point
in time, this was without question. I pressed my lips together firmly and
developed a sullen expression. Wow, I was angry!
 
“Where do you know that from?” Harry asked stunned.
 
“I thought so because it is not that easy to get a scar one can read,” the
words escaped from me quite cynically.
 
“Where did you get the ointment?” he wanted to know as well and his green eyes
were sparkling curiously, but also thankfully.
 
“Ooh, I like being prepared. Please stop challenging her openly. It doesn’t do
anything for you, you only get scars. But I have an idea, how you could stand
up to her in another way and how you could inflict more damage and it would
anger her much more!” I baited him and found it a good opportunity to make my
plan palatable to him.
 
“What do you mean, Hermione?” he asked calmly, cocking his head, while I was
still holding his hand in mine.
 
“Come with me in front of the fireplace and I will tell you!” I proposed and
pulled him with me. I didn’t let go of his hand, but interlaced our fingers
together. And like that I told him about my plan in detail, that he should
teach us defence! He wasn’t convinced at first, but I could implant the seed,
that was the most important thing and the twins were winking at me in
understanding. After Harry retired to think, I approached the twins.
 
“And how was it in the dungeons? Dark, wet and cold?” Fred was chuckling
evilly.
 
“Pleasant, you nutter!” I reciprocated, rolling my eyes.
 
“Details, details… Beautiful. What did your snake do?” The red eyebrows were
wobbling up and down wickedly.
 
“Viper, please!” I joined the game.
 
“Er?” they both exclaimed in unison.
 
“His patronus is a viper,” I explained my declaration.
 
“What, how cool… that fits so well. But is it only me, or is everyone able to
do the charm except us?” Fred stated sourly and distorted his face into an
angry expression.
 
“Don’t worry so much. I’m currently working on something to get you the
opportunity to learn,” I calmed him down.
 
“What is your plan? The curiosity is just too much!” George begged theatrically
and gave me puppy-dog eyes.
 
“I want Harry to teach us in Defence against the Dark Arts. See to it that
there will be interested, reliable students on Sunday, coming to a meeting, the
more, the merrier,” I explained and instructed them to help me as well.
 
“Cool, Hermione! Your ideas are always special. Harry shall teach us what the
bitch is denying us, that is good! We will do it.” The anticipation was obvious
in their voice. They gave me a sly smile.
 
“Hey, just a moment, I’m interested what your… viper..,” followed by an
exaggerated and excessive wink, “said about us pretty boys?” He was
gesticulating to George as well which got him to nod like an excited wobble-
head.
 
“He wants to meet you, what else should he say? I will think of a solution
where that is possible, don’t worry,” I explained, already thinking.
 
“Never with you, Beautiful. We have to leave now! Lee seems to have a
coronary,” they stood up quickly and started sprinting. I could see how some
Gryffindors were puking to their heart’s content and couldn’t stop. That had to
be a trial that failed spectacularly. Lee was trying to get through all the
puke in a very hectic manner, he was completely swamped. How disgusting! And
those choking sounds and the smell… I fled to the dormitories, despite the
early hour.
***** Revenge Begins *****
Chapter Notes
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Revenge Begins
 
We spent Sunday in one way or another to our likings. There were no special
occurrences, and thanks to Professor Snape I tried to make myself invisible,
which I succeeded in fabulously. I had even finished my dinner - which was my
only real meal in the hall - so fast, that I had disappeared before he showed
up. But I also unfortunately hadn’t seen Draco thanks to my excellent tactic.
But it was worth it, because I would see Snape early enough on Monday morning
again and so I gave myself another peaceful day, whilst I could deceive myself
that I wouldn't have to be scared of his revenge.
 
"Hermione?" it came hesitantly. "Yes, Harry?" I kindly turned to him.
 
"It's about your idea that I should teach..." He looked a bit unsure.
 
"Yes, did you think about it?" I gave him an encouraging smile.
 
"Mh-hm, yes, but I still don't know if I'm the right one! I mean, you're much
more suitable!" it came weakly from Harry, when we were interrupted, because
Ron now threw himself onto the couch next to Harry.
 
"Nonsense, Harry! I told you Hermione was right. You'd be perfect!", Ron said
firmly, which made me smile at Ron from the bottom of my heart, because he
finally saw something in the right way. Miracles happened and it was nice when
one could be there to experience it in person.
 
"Harry, why do you doubt it?" I looked at him anxiously.
 
"I mean, what can I do? I'm nothing special," he pointed at himself, unsure.
 
"Harry, please, you're quite powerful! Lazy, but powerful. Your spells have
real strength and you're the only one who has faced evil. Believe me you are
exactly the right one!" I tried to convince him. He looked at me very insecure
and even if I didn't like the idea, I knew it was the right thing for Harry. It
would also make him grow up, the responsibility, I hoped. But I still needed
help, he wasn't convinced yet. But I knew who could help me and I just knew, he
would be enthusiastic and would support me in my endeavour to convince Harry.
 
"Harry, do you want to make Sirius aware of the idea and hear his opinion?" I
asked hesitantly. It was like switching on a bulb. It wasn't easy for me to
suggest this, and to know that I would see him again so soon, but the only way
to reach my goal quickly was this approach. This would be the easiest way to
convince Harry of my idea and so I just had to do it. Thus we wrote Sirius a
letter with the request to appear on Monday at midnight in the fireplace again,
and Harry headed happily for the Owl Tower. As he told us afterwards, he met
Cho and she helped him save the letter from Filch, because he wanted to prevent
him from sending it. Well, the girl finally got her act together again. Her
being so slow and shy was very annoying, as I found.
 
Monday morning came as sure as the Amen in the church, unfortunately! And with
it also my morning run, which in the increasingly colder air made every bit of
tiredness disappear. Draco gave me a gentle but well-hidden smile from the
Slytherin table. Also, you could see that the students around him were even
more afraid of him than before. It would be interesting to know how the thing
had gone between him and Snape. Who had won? Could such an argument be won at
all?
 
According to Draco's autocratic appearance, my answer seemed to be a yes for
Draco! Also, how all of his mates idolized him was confirmation enough. Okay, I
just got sick.
 
Hey, folks, he already has a real big ego, don't blow it up even more . I shook
my head smiling at my blasphemous thoughts. Now it was time for me to brew
potions and to not show a single thing. How does one say so beautifully? Grit
your teeth and get to it! Yeah, I got lucky for once, almost impossible to
believe. No, I didn't believe it myself. When I entered the dark classroom with
the Gryffindors, Snape glanced at me maliciously, hidden under his long hair,
but he didn't have time for much more, I couldn't believe my luck, because
Umbridge wanted to carry out her inspection in Snape’s class. I could have
danced I was so happy. There was apparently still someone who he hated even
more than me and this was a pink toad that thought herself to be very
important!
 
Draco laughed mockingly, and I could see from his eyes that he'd done it
because of my relieved facial expression.  Yes, hahaha, you have a good laugh,
my dear.  It seemed, that Draco had a jester's license. But I, I doubted it
very much! And so the lesson began, and we were all witnesses of how the Bitch
annoyed Snape with the fact that he always applied for the post of the Defense
against the Dark Arts teacher, but was never accepted. What obviously drove the
professor's mood into unimagined depths. No student dared to make a sound and I
quickly disappeared from this freezing chamber as soon as we were allowed to
go, as no one had ever seen me leave. Thanks to Umbridge, I now had to fear for
my life if he caught me today. So I got the day behind me, but unfortunately
without the chance to have Draco close to me even once. I sighed. Well, then
maybe tomorrow. And the day brought me good research material, which made my
opinion towards Dumbledore even worse, but I still didn't address it.
 
Well, I actually had reached the limits of the school's library. I wouldn't be
able to get any new information here, but I knew  where  I could get it, even
if I still didn't know  how  to get in, so I worked on a plan.
 
Later, in the common room, I checked Harry's and Ron's output and had to
declare to my suffering that they had unfortunately not improved. Ignorant
idiots! It was so annoying. I mean, was it so hard to read a textbook?
Apparently yes, I just felt terribly sorry for myself. But I forgot the most
important thing and that was apparently Quidditch! Ugh..
 
And so I fumed over the parchments,while my quick-quotes quill was busy doing
writing my history essay for me writing. Thanks Rita, I saved a lot of work and
time, which I otherwise would've wasted with unimportant frippery. Therefore we
spent the waiting time with homework, until at the agreed time the fireplace
once again showed Sirius' fiery and red-hot head.
 
"Harry, how nice to see you!" Sirius said pleased. He didn't pay any attention
to me anymore, but focused exclusively on his godson. Ah, so he was still
offended, but he looked his usual self again.
 
"Sirius, I'm so glad to see you again, how are you?" The happiness that
radiated from Harry made Sirius laugh heartily, it sounded almost like barking.
When he was like that, so relaxed, free, and happy... Don't think about it,
Hermione, I tried to calm myself.
 
"Good Harry, good, thank you. But tell me what can I do for you? Where do you
need my advice?" he asked curiously and immediately started to talk about the
actual topic.
 
"It's about.." And so Harry presented him our plan to create our own defense
group and to give us all the necessary knowledge!
 
"But Harry, why do you hesitate, that's fantastic!" Sirius exclaimed
enthusiastically. Yes, hadn't I said it? I could rely on Sirius. "Especially in
times of dark-magical threats, it's inevitable to practice and learn, and this
ministry bitch won't teach you," he ranted angrily and excitedly, he went on
for a while.
 
"I would suggest you go behind the wall mirror on the fourth floor and use it
as an exercise room," he suggested.
 
"That won't work, it broke down years ago," Harry said apologetically.
 
"Oh, then maybe... what is there?" Sirius snapped his head around, staring
around the fire, looking as if he was caught, and listened attentively. "Damn,
crap..", and he quickly disappeared from the flames. The three of us looked at
each other not understanding the situation, then each of us shrugged. What was
happening? At that moment we could see small, fat sausage fingers in the
glowing flames of the fire, which were digging around, trying in vain to catch
the intruder of the floo network.
 
Umbridge!
 
We jumped back from the fireplace in surprise once the hand came close to us,
because we didn't want her to know that we were the ones who had had a
forbidden conversation with a fugitive. "Boah, that stupid, old toad, how did
she know that?" Ron immediately ranted.
 
"No idea, come!" I replied quietly and so we moved further back.
 
"And buddy, what are you going to do now?" Ron asked. I also looked at him in
interest because of Ron's question.
 
"Sirius convinced me, Yes, I'll do it! We have to do something, it won't help
if we just watch!" Harry decided with strength and conviction in his voice.
 
"Well roared, lion!" Ron patted him on the shoulder.
 
"Oh Harry, I'm so happy!" I said openly, hugging him gratefully, whereupon he
patted my back.
 
"And how do we continue?" Harry asked then, and I broke away from him.
 
"I'm planning everything. We'll meet with interested students on Sunday! Only I
don't have an idea where we could hold the meetings here in Hogwarts, yet," I
admitted, biting my lip once again.
 
"Cool, it's gonna be great, I can't wait. We'll find a place where we can go,"
Ron said adventurously.
 
"Thank you Hermione for doing this," Harry said, yawning heartily. "Oh man, I'm
tired. I'll see if I can find anything to practice at!" I smirked. While I was
used to stay awake for that long, they weren't. "It's late, let's go to bed, we
are going to have classes tomorrow."
 
Early in the morning, the next day.
 
"You're hard to catch, are you hiding from me?" Once again an arm without a
body pulled me into the alcove behind one of the stoney figures at the main
entrance so that nobody could see us. "How good that I get up early. What are
you doing so early?"
 
"I run, I've just finished," I grinned at Draco, who was standing in front of
me, prim and proper. "And no, I'm not trying to avoid you, why? Saturday was
way too nice, I'm just very busy and I thought I'd make myself a bit invisible,
because of Snape! Though I'm terribly curious about what happened when I was
gone."
 
"Wow, do you still get enough air?" it came cheekily from Draco and he stroked
my heated cheek.
 
"Haha. Tell me already!" I pestered him curiously and poked impatiently into
his side.
 
"Nothing, I just made Severus aware of where we stand, that he can't stop us
from seeing each other, and after a short while he accepted and agreed to
tolerate it," he told me, revelling in the memory of his victory.
 
"Aha, and what kind of punishment can I expect?" I asked resignedly, realizing
that his victory wouldn't end without a reprisal for me.
 
"I don't know, he suddenly started to grin in a devilish manner, which was more
menacing than any of his previous gestures, and really creepy. And I just told
him that he can do with you whatever he wants and likes. Since I can't dictate
what he has to do and can't do, the only thing that I have forbidden is that he
can't demand that I stay away from you! As long as he doesn't try to keep you
away from me, I won't start digging into his business! That's the deal!" He
shrugged apologetically, but his grin belied how much he actually liked the
situation.
 
"Nice, very nice, Draco," I sighed in suffering, but I was speaking to the
headsnake about the headheadsnake, so I shouldn't be surprised about such
wrong-headed, cunning tactics.
 
"Did I say I was nice?" he asked provocatively.
 
"No, but that you're serving me on a silver plate to him and his revenge, is
still more than not nice!" I hissed angrily at him.
 
"Scared?" He leaned close to me and breathed wickedly and forbidden into my
ear, which gave me slight goose bumps all over my skin.
 
"Um, no, just annoyed! I don't know what he'll think of as punishment, oh, one
sec, I forgot, I will not only know! I will experience it!" The words came
poisonously from me.
 
"You can be hilarious, did I ever tell you that?" He chuckled mockingly.
 
"Yes, all the time... I'm a clown!" I replied soberly.
 
"See you later, Mudblood, Hogwarts is awakening.." he bid me  good-bye, while
he brushed my forehead with his lips, which caused a pleasant tingling
sensation inside me. Well, as you sow, so you shall reap, and who said that the
men I was dealing with were friendly and caring? But did I want it any
different? Briefly considering; No!
 
Everyone was sitting in the Great Hall eating breakfast a short time later.
Some even stuffed themselves like real pigs. Who could eat so much in the early
morning? Ron! He could only get fat in his age, he wouldn't be able to help it.
No body can burn so much fat, even in puberty. But then the mail came and
landed in front of me, not only the newspaper owl, but also a second owl, which
resulted in some questioning looks from the students around the table. The
identity of the sender puzzled even me. Gringotts? No, it was neither the 1st
nor the 15th! Rita? Also unlikely, but maybe, and I couldn't think of anyone
else that fast.
 
I looked at the letter in my hand and now recognized the handwriting. I quickly
ripped it open and read the letter carefully. There was a smile on my lips when
I lowered the parchment, forgetting all I had said about my lack of fortune. I
was blessed, I swam in fortune! My problem, my latest idea to get to
information, had almost disappeared into thin air thanks to this letter. I
cheered inwardly, I actually wanted to hire Rita for getting the information I
wanted, but this was much better. Yes, it was perfect.
 
"What's that letter about?" My friends wanted to know and I could feel a
curious look from the Slytherin table as well,and yes, there was a glittering,
grey pair of eyes looking at me and a piercing look from deep black obsidians
from the teachers table was sure to lie on me too. "From Viktor!" I didn't even
lie. "What does he want?" Ron groaned angrily.
 
"Writing me, nothing special, and I am very happy and should give you his
greetings, Harry!" I explained kindly. Harry looked up from his plate and
looked at me delightedly.
 
"Cool, will you answer him?" he asked earnestly interested, and as I nodded, he
continued. "Then please send him my greetings and tell him to catch as many
snitches as possible!"
 
"Harry! You can't greet this dislikeable guy!" Ron said indignantly. Harry
rolled his eyes, for I knew that he had liked Viktor.
 
"Sure, Harry. And Ron, just because you don't like him, we don't have to not
like him too," I snapped, whereupon Ron snapped his mouth shut, and frowned at
me. So I rose and marched out of the hall to write my reply in the classroom,
which I sent off just before noon, and I was very glad that Viktor had thought
of me as company. I was looking forward to seeing him, as we now had a good
platonic friendship, which we maintained with the letters. Not everything had
to end like it ended with Sirius, after all I had a casual friendship with
Cedric too.
 
The rest of the day went by without further, special occurrences. Well, if I
had known about the coming evening, I would've tried to stay invisible. But as
I said before, there was something I was absolutely shit at and that was
clairvoyance or divination and so I ran once again unknowingly into the open
knife. Like every evening, we hung around the fireplace. All other Gryffindors
were more or less afraid that I would bore them to death and now I was a
prefect too, so I could defend my favorite chair quite furiously and Harry, yes
well, most were proud that he was a lion and so they let him take the much
sought-after seat on the couch without hesitation. But unlike for Draco, this
privilege wasn't always granted to us.
 
"Guys, I have to tell you something. You know I've had problems with this
fucking scar lately. And well, today in the locker room, I've got horrible
pain, but it was different from Umbitch's detention! I'm sure he was really
angry today. It was similar to the night at Grimmauld Place. He was angry then
too. I'm sure now! There are differences in the type of pain!  He was happy
when I had my detention, it felt quite different but was no less painful,"
Harry explained, trying to elaborate how different it felt this time. Wow, I
could only stare at Harry with big, round eyes. The connection seemed
incredibly deep and that was scary. But this was really unexpected. I believed
Harry that he was able to feel the Dark Lord's moods! The next question was
just more important, what problems did the Dark Lord have? I had the uneasy
feeling, that we wouldn’t like the answer.
 
"This isn't good Harry, not good at all, a connection like that won't just be
one sided," I said ambiguously and nibbled on my lips. "Harry, don't you want
to tell Dumbledore about it?"
 
"No!" it came stubbornly from him. He pressed his lips together, because since
the court trial he got very dismissive when someone started to speak about the
ancient professor, which I could understand. If he knew what I knew, his trust
in the old guy would most likely be totally lost. But to whom should I send him
otherwise? "You know Harry, you have to learn to protect your mind, there's
something... Occlumency... It's not easy, not easy to learn at all," I knew
what I was talking about but I had done it all by myself with much effort and
discipline, so Harry should be able to learn it under instructions.
 
"I.. that's real? I mean, I've been raised in the wizarding world, but I've
never heard of anything like that before. Wicked!" Ron said baffled, amazed,
and looked at me incredulously and with big eyes. "Yes, there is. It's not
taught at Hogwarts, though. It's higher magic, not everyone can do it, it's
really not easy, but if you can do it, you could defend yourself against mh..
You-Know-Who.. and keep him out of your mind!" I bustled.
 
"Really Hermione, that's amazing. Such magic exists? How do you know about it?
Can you do it?" Harry asked eagerly and a bit of hope glowed in his eyes that
there would be a way to get rid of the pain and insights into Voldemort's mind.
 
"Well, from books and no, I can't," I lied for a good reason.
 
"And who should teach me then?" Harry asked soberly. "You could ask the
Professor," I suggested to him.
 
"I'm considering it, Hermione, really. But he's been so odd lately, doesn't
even look at me anymore," Harry said. Yes, I had seen the unexplainable
behaviour as well and couldn't figure out why, especially because he was
endangering Harry's trust in him. But as I had said before, I often couldn't
understand Dumbledore.
 
"Do that Harry, just don't wait too long," I asked him nevertheless, because
Dumbledore could help him, as much as I disliked it.
 
"I'll really consider it, I promise," he said to me lovingly and pulled me into
a hug. I could imagine that it wasn't nice to have to deal with the feelings
and moods of the Dark Lord. Hello, could there be anything worse? As I kept
saying, we had a really lousy youth.
 
"Tell me, have you found a room for training yet?" I suddenly asked, to get to
another topic. Both of them shook their heads unhappily when suddenly the
common room fell silent, which was creepy as well as unexpected. It was never
quiet in here, that was strange. A ghostly silence lay over the normally loud
and cheerful room, which immediately got my attention. And as I sat with my
back to the entrance I only saw the horrified and disbelieving faces of Harry
and Ron at first. They were sitting in front of me with open mouths and looked
totally perplexed at a point behind me. And so I turned around quickly.
 
I dropped dead! Oh, he did it on purpose, I was sure! Yes, I saw that in the
spiteful expression of these viciously gleaming eyes, in this pale, controlled
face, which, despite its indifferent mask, looked very self-satisfied. His
whole being seemed so completely out of place, in this colorful, bright room,
as he stood in the middle controlling everything around him and enjoyed to see
that the Gryffindors were close to a heart attack. He had come for his revenge!
He wanted to ostracize me from my own house as I had made him look like a fool
in front of the Slytherins. Oh, he was good, he hit me where it hurt. I didn't
give myself to the illusion that what he wanted here had nothing to do with
me...
 
There was an excited whisper. "What is he doing here?", "Is he allowed to be in
here?", "Should we get McGonagall?", "How did he get in?" Just like that
everything descended into chaos and the volume increased constantly. He didn't
let himself be disturbed, looking scornfully at everything, and seemed to enjoy
the chaos which he had caused by his sudden appearance.
 
"Miss Granger!" I had been waiting for that as all eyes immediately turned to
me, just to stay on me. Oh, this mean bastard, he knew exactly what he was
doing with his actions. Oh thanks! When ever did it happen, that the Head of
Slytherin House came to the Gryffindor Tower to get someone? I think it had
never happened before!
 
McGonagall wouldn't even dream of going to the dungeons. And so I looked at him
coldly and very angrily which made the corners of his mouth twitch slightly,
spitefully, making him look even more malicious.
 
"Yes, Professor, what can I do for you?" I wouldn't give him the satisfaction
of acting surprised. Don't forget Professor, I too was good at playing. So I
looked at him over my shoulder with self-confidence.
 
"You, come with me, right now!" he hissed so dangerously venomously that it was
beyond question to what house he belonged to, really impressive.
 
"Oh, Professor, as you wish," I warbled in fake delight. That idiot, what
should I tell Harry and Ron? That Snape was in our common room, just to get me,
that was almost too much honor to bear with, so I rose very calmly out of my
chair, and went fearlessly towards him, the threatening source of danger. On
the outside, I was the calm itself, though inside I boiled like a geyser. I
could see that he didn't like my attitude, as he pursed his lips into a tight
line even more, so that they were no longer visible. What had he expected? That
it would shake me up, just because he came up here like a malicious bat?
Please, Professor, I was made of sterner stuff than that!
 
Though I was ready to admit to myself, that what was waiting for me in private
made my heart flutter a bit. But even with that, I wasn't afraid and that was
probably because of how I had met him as Minna.
 
"But Hermione.." it came from Harry. Please stop.. just shut up Harry! Snape
seemed to have just waited for something like that. "Do you have anything to
say, Mr. Potter?" he snarled softly at Harry. The heads of our classmates went
back and forth between us. I was getting closer and closer to the professor and
didn't let myself be stopped.
 
"Harry, leave it!" I ordered sharply, looking briefly at him with a plea in my
eyes. I could see Harry's and the disbelieving looks of the others. How far
would he go? I swallowed the lump in my throat away with difficulty.
 
"Listen to Miss Granger, Mr Potter," Snape told him coldly, and he smiled at me
with his calculating eyes. "Can we go now, Miss Granger? As you know, I don't
like to wait!" I was used to his very harsh tone, as if I were a snail that
needed hours to come to him, but I couldn't leave his ambiguous hint that I
would know what he liked uncommented. He wanted to play? Sure.
 
"Oh, Professor, as if I  didn't know that, right, Sir?" I asked no less
ambiguously. Of course, it was quite cheeky, which led to some surprised gasps
from the Gryffindors, that I dared to use such a tone.
 
"Miss Granger, was our meeting on Saturday not enough already? Do you really
want to continue to irritate me? I do not forgive standing against me!" he
threatened me openly and referred to our conflict, when he had recognized me in
Slytherin. He told the others openly that he and I had met on Saturday, which I
of course hadn't told Harry and Ron. I would have liked to choke him.
 
"Professor, I am irritating you? I wasn't aware of it," I stood up to him, as
if we were alone, while somewhat losing sight of the Gryffindors during my duel
with Snape. But he seemed to forget it too, or he actually wanted to see me in
the hot seat, since no one knew about Saturday’s trip, apart from the Twins.
 
"Miss Granger, should I continue to allow your outrageous behaviour? I've been
allowing you to get away with it too much lately. If you had the kindness to
follow me now!" it came from him drawn-out and derisively, but he remained
quite calm and cold.
 
"But Professor, I always like to come with you!" My cynicism went crazy. I just
hinted about Minna, which he couldn't know. But unfortunately the meaning of my
words wasn't received just  by him, but also with great outcry by the
Gryffindors. What was I thinking? My idiotic temper, I would still have to work
on myself! Disastrous, just because I wanted to infuriate him once more, not
good, absolutely not good. However, I was to blame for the screaming and
yelling starting around me, which made our Professor look even more satisfied,
because I had made myself look ‘suspicious’ in front of the others. Oh, he was
a manipulator. I had walked right into his trap, like a beginner and he knew
that, so he wallowed in my tricky situation with pleasure.
 
"Hermione", "What do you mean by that..", "Hermione, what's going on..", it
sounded loudly, horrified, perplexed and surprised by Ron and Harry and I was
just starting to get really mad, I felt slightly pushed into the corner. On
second thoughts, I  had been  pushed into the corner.
 
"Let's go, Professor, so we can get rid of your problem," I hissed to him, now
painstakingly controlled, which caused him to release a tiny sound which
reminded of a snarky snort.
 
"After you, Miss Granger, not that you'll stab me in the back with a knife!" he
whispered to me now, hinting at Bole, and that he wasn’t putting it past me to
try and hurt him, an allusion that left many Gryffindors with wide open mouths.
Had the Slytherins looked as dumbstruck as them? I resolutely turned to the
portrait exit and we left the cries of protests behind us. I walked with rapid
steps determined towards the secret passageway, because as a former Slytherin I
was pretty sure that he knew it himself pretty well. Great, really great, what
had I just done? I was annoyed about myself beyond measure, but at that very
moment my bigger problem was a Snape ready for revenge. As soon as we had
disappeared into the secret passageway, I once again was allowed to make joyful
acquaintance with the cold and slightly damp stone wall in my back, which
didn't really surprise me.
 
Uff, he provocatively put his two hands on the left and right of my head
against the wall and came very close to me, towering so threateningly over me
that I was very much aware of my small body size. The feeling of being
constricted arose in me, because I was completely and utterly at his mercy as
he took me prisoner between himself and the wall.
 
"I am a very different caliber to play with than the stupid mutt, remember that
and don't forget it, Miss Granger!" He threatened me with his deep, dark voice.
 
"How could I, sir?" I breathed heavily. My chest raised and lowered visibly as
all this didn't pass by me without a trace.
 
"Draco won't protect you! In case you were hoping for it," he said sweetly. The
verbal exchange came quickly, strike after strike.
 
"I am aware of that, Professor!" I said firmly.
 
"Really? And it doesn't matter to you that he is ready to deliver you to me?
What do you want him to do then?" he asked briefly, as one of his dark brows
raised perplexed because of my cold indifference.
 
"Come on, Sir. He's a Malfoy! I know what to expect from him. But you belong -
according to Draco's words - to the family and that's how I know that he will
agree with everything you will do to me. Don't believe that I'm blind and
stupid," I hissed, now almost offended, in his much too close face.
 
"You can really astound with your callousness, Miss Granger," he replied
intensely, looking deep into my eyes.
 
"Thanks for the compliment. Though I'm just realistic. But I think he showed
he's ready to protect me from the Slytherins. That's enough for me to know he's
serious," I said solemnly and coldly.
 
"Then what do you want from Draco? Protection?" he asked in disbelief. He
raised his hands abruptly only to slam them back into the wall again with a
loud smack. It didn't make me flinch though, because I wasn't afraid of
beatings and I also didn't think that he'd hit me. He loved threatening
gestures, but when it came to really doing it, it would be far below his
dignity. As said, he was a different caliber than Sirius, and I was aware of
that too and so I stood still, waiting for my fate.
 
"I think I'm going to say... no... comment, ask Draco!" I whispered
provocatively, raising my shoulders apologetically. Hereon he took his right
hand from the wall and caressed  threateningly, lasciviously, slowly with his
index finger along my face, away from my temple, going down to my chin. This
wasn't a friendly, tender gesture, it created a feeling of being exposed and
was more disturbing than his previous outburst, as the gesture seemed really
menacing to me. He was a wonderful manipulator in things like subtly affecting
an atmosphere, even I could not fully elude it. First aggressively threatening,
then hidden in an equally menacing, intimate gesture. He was a thoroughly
inscrutable opponent who was ready to use all means at his disposal to force
his opponent to his knees.
 
"You just got yourself into trouble. What will the lions say, that you're
talking to your professor like that? Tsk, tsk, tsk…," he whispered seductively,
softly like a gentle breeze, which brushed my ear and took my breath away. As
he stood there so close to me and his hair tickled my cheek, the memories
threatened to overwhelm me.
 
"What do you care?" I questioned defiantly and I tried to creep further into
the wall, in which of course I didn't succeed. It was clear to me that trouble
was waiting for me, and that he was glad to have given me so much hassle, too.
The first step of his revenge had already been successful and he knew that.
 
"Yes, I don't care. But it's too amusing," he said still silkily, but also very
maliciously and he showed me a diabolic grin, which would have shaken less
steadfast people. And then he abruptly pushed himself off the wall and grabbed
my arm very tenderly, which I mean ironically, and pulled me down the few
steps.
 
"First of all, you have detention from next week onwards on Monday at 20:00,
Miss Granger, you have to brew the stolen potions," he declared coldly, while
rushing through the secret passageway with me in tow.
 
"Of course, Sir." Complaining about it would've been pointless and humiliating
and so I surrendered to my destiny, my  chosen  destiny. Had I ever said that I
sometimes made really stupid decisions? Well, you were always smarter
afterwards!
 
"And now, show me the secret passageway," he suddenly ordered out of the blue
and pushed me through the wall carpet. Hey, that wasn't very gentlemanlike!
"Why should I, Sir?" I asked provocatively. I really didn't feel like doing him
a favor just now.
 
"Because that was our agreement and you don't want to break your promises, do
you?" He replied smoothly, turning his black haired head toward me and looking
at me piercingly. He was right, the bastard! Of course I would always stick to
a promise, this, this... bastard! I was speechless. I had said that before,
right? Damn, he had saved my life and he could demand a lot of me and do a lot
to me and I would actually obey him. Only in the case of Draco I had
unfortunately not been able to do so, firstly because I wanted Draco and that
was important to me, and secondly, because Draco would never have allowed me to
withdraw from him. However, I would let the Professor do and know everything
else. Always! An amazing and unexpected realization for me. He didn't know
that, he didn't need to know, but I didn't forget when someone was nice to me.
As much as I relentlessly pursued my revenge, as faithful was I with my
gratitude.
 
"Of course, Professor, forgive me... Follow me, please!" I said politely,
apologizing. I didn't have to irritate him any more. Otherwise he might come to
the horrendous idea to visit or to haunt us in Gryffindor's common room more
often, and thus make my life a living hell. That couldn't happen. And I would
trust him and his revengeful brain to do so. Why did I always have to get
involved with men like this? Did I have such a bad taste? These were my little
elevating thoughts as we wandered through the dimly lit dungeons. I led him
around the corner near the potion classroom to the stoney figure of a witch and
stood before it.
 
"What are we doing here?" he snarled impatiently.
 
"We're here, Sir!" I smiled nastily at him over my shoulder and pulled my wand.
"Dissendium," and alre ady  the secret passageway was  opening in front of us.
I stepped over the threshold and he followed me silently on my heels. I cast an
Incendio nonverbally and torches brightened the narrow passage. Thus we
silently walked along the corridor until we reached the boulder, then I was
allowed to watch as his eyebrow raised. I just shrugged and used Dissendium
again and a nonverbal Wingardium Leviosa to let the heavy chunk float away like
the times before. Now we entered the Forbidden Forest, which received us with
its all-embracing darkness.
 
"Well, Sir, here we are! You just have to close the pathway afterwards, if you
want to open it again use a Dissendium, that's all," I explained busily, and I
was allowed to see an incredulous expression on his usual expressionless mask
in the light of the Lumos of our wands whilst he turned around to look at all
of this, wondering where we were.
 
"Impressive, Miss Granger. How did you find it? Very convenient...", he praised
and seemed really impressed, while he stroked his chin.
 
"By chance, I stumbled over it. Does it help you?" I asked, hoping he wouldn't
ask any more.
 
"Absolutely, it'll save a lot of time, but it's also dangerous, it would make
Hogwarts unsafe if too many people knew it was here!" he immediately spotted
the blind spot and spoke more to himself than to me.
 
"Well Professor, that is clear to me, which is why only you, me and Draco know
about this path. And I think Draco is smart enough to not tell anyone. Even
Harry and Ron have no knowledge of this path," I immediately clarified to the
professor.
 
"Why not Potter? He always knows best what he shouldn’t know about," he said
mockingly with clear disdain.
 
"No, it's better if he doesn't know about this path. Besides, he can't
apparate. It wouldn't help him," I harshly waved his mock away with a gesture
of my hand.
 
"Uhm Professor.. even if you're at odds with me at the moment... I, we've got a
problem...", I pulled my lower lip through my teeth and looked at him as he
turned to me, his arms folded in front of his chest, in his right hand his
wand, which illuminated his face from below.
 
"Brave to speak about me helping you after your last performance..", he
remarked, his tone of voice immediately turning frosty.
 
"I know and I wouldn't dare to speak to you if I wouldn't consider it very
important! You won't like it though!" I predicted boldly and looked at him
shyly.
 
"Did I ever like something that had anything to do with you?" he muttered
nastily, cocking his head provocatively. What an idiot! Whenever you were
inside me, Professor, you've enjoyed everything very much! My emotions
threatened to overwhelm me, I started to feel it rising up inside me, but
breathe deeply, calm down..
 
"Well, I can't give you an answer to that, but it's about Harry!" I said now
pressing my lips together and wanted to concentrate on the important things. I
could see how his jaw began to work, yes, he didn't like it.
 
"What about Potter?" he growled impatiently.
 
"Well, since the night... after he came back, Harry is having problems with his
scar..." I stuttered uncertainly, but Snape waited patiently, and I wondered
why we were able to speak so openly with each other, here, surrounded by the
Forbidden Forest and it's creepy, unreal atmosphere, about Harry's problems.
And then I was surprised that he even listened, despite his instantaneous anger
toward me and my anger about his action earlier. But this different environment
helped us, unlike Hogwarts, to find the words and discuss something important.
 
"... Harry can feel when he has a tantrum or when he's very, very happy.
There's a connection between their spirits, through the scar. It hurts him, but
especially at night, in his sleep. I am presuming and fearing that it could be
two-sided..." I said quickly with a firm voice, while I looked unhappily at
Snape in the dim light of the lit ends of our wands, listening to the rustle of
the leaves because I could only hope that Snape wouldn’t dismiss my idea.
 
"What? That wouldn't be good, not good at all...", it came from Snape in
disbelief, and he immediately recognized the dangers that came with it.
 
"Well, why do you think I'm telling you this?" I said dryly, rolling my eyes a
bit theatrically, which earned me a very angry look.
 
"Why doesn't he go to Professor Dumbledore?" Snape asked, really and truly
confused.
 
"Yes, that's another thing. Harry doesn't want to. The headmaster is acting
really odd towards Harry since the holidays. I don't know if you noticed, Sir,
but he doesn't look at Harry, ignores him, and avoids him! Harry doesn't want
to go to him, because of this," I told him the circumstances, looking at him
directly with concern in my eyes.
 
"Potter is just too stupid," came his brutal statement, but how could I
contradict him if I agreed with him on this point?
 
"If the Dark Lord knows he has a connection to Potter's mind, then... we'll all
be in danger, won’t we?" He moved his mouth in a bitter motion after this
unpleasant observation of my personal horror scenario.
 
I nodded. "I told Harry to go to Dumbledore and ask him to teach him about
Occlumency. He is thinking about it," I said contemptuously.
 
"That Potter must always be so... stupid," he grumbled into his non-existent
beard.
 
"Professor, what can we do? What should I do? Can you give me any advise?" I
asked him helplessly, looking at him pleadingly from the bottom of my heart.
 
"I'll tell the professor about it, without naming anyone. I’ll say I overheard
a conversation. And you should try to teach him how to meditate so that if it
comes to Occlumency lessons he'll not waste too much time..." he said busily
and I stiffened. How did he come to the conclusion that I could meditate?
 
"But Professor.."
 
"Miss Granger, I've told you so many times, I'm neither dumb nor intellectually
challenged. I know you've mastered the art... I wonder why you don't want to
teach Potter yourself." If I didn't have that good of a self-control, my chin
would've landed on the floor. He, wow, he was truly astonishing and impressive.
 
"Harry wouldn't understand why I taught myself. I couldn't give him any
satisfying answers to his questions," I tried to explain my motivations, but
above all, why should I do it? What was Professor Dumbledore here for? I really
wasn't a master in this field, yet.
 
"I knew you'd taught it to yourself. I know how hard it is and I congratulate
you, you did well. But don't give yourself any hope, it won't save you from my
anger," he said harshly and I listened to his hidden praise and the respect
coming with it, while he was looking harshly at me from the side.
 
"Oh, Sir, I know that. I won't shirk, don't you worry," I tried to appease.
 
"Go back to your common room, Miss Granger," he ordered, thus dismissing me for
today.
 
"You'll stay here?" I frowned, surprised.
 
"I don't think that's any of your business!" he exclaimed indignantly.
 
"My apologies." However, at that moment I got my answer, as he briefly flinched
and touched the mark on his left arm. Oh, apparently a meeting had been
scheduled today, and he had only waited for the call. "Then I wish you good
luck, Professor, and take care of yourself."
 
"Don't get cheeky, you don't know what's going to happen to you, Miss Granger!"
he threatened me, grumbling.
 
"Oh course not, Professor!" I waved at him and entered the secret passageway
again. Just before I turned and left, I saw him take out his shrunken Death
Eater cloak, enlarge it, and put it on. This deep black mass of fabric, which
swallowed even the twilight of the late evening, made him even more of a
creature of darkness than before. A horrible, beautiful picture. Afterwards
came the mask. I could see the black obsidians glaring behind the eerie, skull-
like, silver mask. He looked as if he would bring death, an uncompromising,
dangerous warrior.
 
A slight tremble seized me, which I could hardly suppress, and absolute iciness
came upon me when I saw this completely different man, for at that moment he
was something else. He was something absolutely evil, something dangerous, a
real, deadly Death Eater!
Chapter End Notes
     WHF - competition 2017!
     Dear readers, dear friends and enthusiastic fans of our epic WHF.
     We want to start a very magical contest again this year, where you
     can try your creative and magical skills against each other. Of
     course, there are also some treasures to be won. So it's definitely
     worth your time to participate.
     Be creative, let the story inspire you and do whatever you want. A
     nice new trailer! A fanart! Be it crafted, or recorded! Or something
     written! For example, write down a scene that you would have liked to
     read in WHF!
     There are no limits.
     May the force be with you. Or as Hermione would say, "Fight."
     Send in until: 31.12.2017
     Submission via FB, PM in the forum, or by mail:
     when_hermione_fights@web.de
***** Tears and the Hogs Head Inn *****
Chapter Notes
     Aloha Hi!
     We're back again with a new Beta in our team! ♥
     Thanks so much guys for your reviews and Kudos, we love you! ♥
     Enjoy xxx
Tears and the Hog's Head Inn
After recovering from my shock of having faced a real Death Eater for the first
time on my own, I locked the passageway diligently and with routine. Compared
to Snape, the unmasked Bole and Derrick had been a joke and even the sad
figures at the Quidditch World Cup hadn't seemed threatening to me. Snape on
the contrary... I might be brave and quite ruthless, but Snape as a Death Eater
was a terrific figure and seemed ready to go over corpses. You could see that
he grew into or was even born for this role.
So I started to head back to the common room, deeply in thought, preparing
myself to face the questions and accusations of my friends. I didn't plan
anything ahead; that would've been pointless. In battles like this you got the
best results without much planning and by just reacting spontaneously.
Everything always happened in a different way than you thought anyways, I
almost gave up already.
Phew, I had no real desire to enter this room, but anyone who could face a
Death Eater named Snape should be able to cope with the children behind that
door as well, hence I took another deep breath and spoke the password. Go in
and win! The common room was rarely so crowded, the tempers had apparently not
calmed down yet since the unexpected appearance of Snape. As I entered an
imminent silence hit me and I was appraised like prey. Hey, they were just
living up to their name of ‘lions’. It was as if they were on the verge of
tearing me apart! I felt like I was on display, standing in the middle and all
the Gryffindors were crowded together in bigger and smaller groups in corners
around the room and had spoken excitedly with each other until I arrived back.
There was nothing more beautiful than a scandal and the following gossip.
Gossips, the whole lot, I thought contemptuously.
"Hermione!" Harry rose immediately from the couch. "What was that all about?
What is going on? What did Snape want here?" he demanded vehemently, indeed
very aggressively. Clearly, his temper got the best of him. His body shook
visibly with suppressed rage, wonderful.
"Professor Snape, Harry!" I just couldn't leave it alone, some people gasped
for air after what I'd said.
"What is going on? That he invades the tower to usher you out of here?" he
shouted angrily, and Ron joined him.
"Yeah, and the way you talked to him. How could you?" Ron started to yell as
well, and I could see the twins starting at the window, wanting to come to my
rescue. But I wanted them to keep their cover and looked at them briefly,
shaking my head. They regarded me doubtfully, but then nodded slightly and sank
back down again. I took another deep breath. It felt like being on trial, right
there in the middle of the room, and really every single Gryffindor was here,
but Harry and Ron wouldn't let me talk about anything in private. Not yet, at
least, as excited as they were right now.
"Umm, well, he just gave me a very impressive detention, that's all...?" I said
brusquely, folding my arms defensively in front of my chest. It wasn't nice to
be examined predatorily by the lot of them.
"Well, but you're the first one ever to be taken from the common room just for
detention. He could've told you in class. The performance... was..." Harry was
missing the words, but you could rely on Colin Creevey, this muggleborn, small,
lousy, pompous smart arse.
"Oscar-worthy, Harry, the performance was oscar-worthy!" he said adoringly to
Harry and Harry only nodded gratefully to Colin. You had to be blond, I thought
very annoyed.
"Exactly, Colin, that's the right word, that does... not explain anything
here!" And he invited the entire common room to join our conversation with his
gesture. I wanted to hit my head against the wall. Oh, how... wonderful, thank
you Snape, thank you! That revenge hit home, he'd done his thing well!
"Harry, there's nothing!" I replied, annoyed. I could hear a derisive snort
behind me. When I quickly glanced over my shoulder I saw Lav, looking at me
with a scornful expression, giving me a once over from head to toe. This girl
and I had never warmed up to each other. I didn't like her shallow-minded and
superficial personality. She was only interested in fashion and boys, and she
didn't like me because of my intelligence and my honesty. She didn't understand
that I prefered books to anything else but she was intellectually so far below
me that every conversation had to go slack.
"What are you accusing me of?" I asked persistently, frowning angrily because
Snape had never slept with the student Hermione, we had to establish that fact
here and now. I had to turn the table and present myself as the poor innocent
lamb, which I really wasn't, but nobody knew and that should remain so.
"What happened on Saturday?" Harry asked, clearly suspicious, narrowing his
eyes in distrust.
"Nothing special, he caught me in the hallways and I tried to talk myself out
of it... Apparently he figured that my explanation might not have been correct
and that's why he presented himself like that here. Do I know what's going on
in the head of this man?" I defended myself fervently and tried not to invent
something, but to remain honest and admit I had no idea.
"Aha, and we're supposed to believe you?" Ron doubted, looking quite red in his
face. He should pay more attention to his blood pressure, that was the huge
amount of cholesterol at work, obviously!
"Yes, I don't allow him to push me around like he wants. I don't understand
what crimes I apparently committed that you doubt me like this. What did I do?
Why are you so suspicious of me? Do I deserve that...? Besides, I would be
grateful if we could clear this among ourselves, without all these others
here!" I threw a furious glance at the much too curious groups.
"Oh, Hermione, I even ask for it! It's not that, but your behaviour earlier was
so odd, so absolutely impossible to understand and… And then the question
arises, why do you still live after what you said to him?" Harry showed himself
incredibly stubborn as always.
"Yes, that would interest me too," Ron said sharply.
"You're acting like he's slaughtering students every day," I said
contemptuously, waving my hands around in frustration.
"But he does," Ron stated succinctly and I looked at him skeptically.
"Come on! He's just achieved what he wanted! To unsettle us Gryffindors. He's
capable of every dirty trick you can think of! He just wants to cause trouble!"
I exclaimed angrily.
"Yes, I think so, too!" Fred helpfully provided.
"I agree, he was always cunning and if he can annoy Harry by doing this... then
the dungeon bat will do exactly that," George said schemingly and the two had a
really good point and were high up in the ranks of our house, their words did
count quite a lot here.
"Besides, the way you lead the bat on was awesome, Hermione. But his phrase
with the knife was cool, too. Never heard Snape say anything like this before,
it was unique. We laughed our asses off!" Fred laughed nastily, loosening the
tense mood slightly. I always said, those two were very, very good, how they
turned the tables, helping me in this way. I could see more and more students
nodding, which shrunk the weight on my mind minimally. As it turned out, I
would get out of this unpleasant situation relatively unscathed without losing
my face.
"Come on, let's go upstairs, guys!" I asked Harry and Ron and started to move
into the direction of the stairs. When we reached the boys dormitory, I sat
down on the bed with Harry. Ron settled down on his own bed. I regarded at them
thoughtfully and they also watched me closely until I lifted my head and looked
at them resolutely.
"I didn't want to tell you down there. But as you can imagine, Snape and I had
the opportunity to talk in the Black Library and sometimes we talked about the
books we read. There was nothing more, just that I could talk to him in a more
relaxed way. And before you start yelling Ron, Sirius was always there with us
and joined the conversation," I defended myself and I could watch how both of
them breathed in relief after hearing Sirius’ name.
"But why did he storm into the tower like that?" they pushed me further.
"What do I know? He was angry at me and wanted to avenge himself and drive a
wedge between us!" I replied, shrugging my shoulders sadly. "You never know
with that guy, you never know when you put your foot in his mouth," I
explained, while making big, innocent eyes and playing with the hem of my
school skirt in a gesture of shame, twirling the fabric between my fingers.
"This is so Slytherin, this... Oh, if he wasn't a professor," Ron hissed and
was killing his pillow in an impressive way as he tried to strangle it.
"You should be careful and stay away from him," they advised me anxiously.
"Do you think I like being close to him?" I hissed, but innocently raised hands
were held up in front of me.
"But how else could I have reacted in the common room? Should I have refused to
go with him? He's a professor," I continued to defend myself.
"Oh, Hermione, you and your.. ‘professor’ here and ‘professor’ there," Ron
groaned loudly, throwing his head back in frustration.
"Very funny, Ron.” I was very cynical. “What else should I have done?"
"No idea!" He looked at me with big, ignorant eyes, but his chin was raised up
stubbornly.
"Not hard to believe..," the tone of my voice was very ironic again and I
snorted in contempt.
"What kind of detention did he give you?" Harry asked, rather worried.
"On Mondays and Fridays I'm supposed to brew potions." I made a suffering
grimace, because I wouldn't be allowed to keep them, and my time was actually
too precious. "Though, it could be worse," I shrugged, because it really
could've been.
"But because of what?" Harry persisted.
"He didn't really give me any reason, just meant that this would be my
punishment and then left! He didn't tell me!" I shrugged apologetically and
unhappily. "...and I didn't dare to ask!" These questions got on my nerves and
I decided to take the easiest way out. I pushed a few tears into my eyes, which
was amazingly easy, so my eyes now floated in a sea of water. It was really
useful to be able to act, for what boy could resist tears, female tears? And I
didn't consider myself too good to use such means to get what I wanted, and
sniffed. Pride? Forget it! What was that again?
"I really don't understand either what he wants, so horrible as he was. And I,
as a prefect, have gotten detention for not doing anything!" I sobbed heart-
meltingly and pushed more tears out of my eyes and these rolled down
theatrically over my cheeks. "... and… and the Gryffindors hate me now," I
whined. Harry and Ron's faces were hilarious as their expressions changed from
distrustful to caring and upset and they looked at each other slightly
overwhelmed. That a girl’s tears could easily lead guys to panic was so
predictable, but all the better for me. Inwardly I was delighted about my very
successful coup.
"But... but Hermione, we didn't mean it like that! Please, don't cry... Dear...
it's going to be alright..." Harry looked nervously to his bedside table for a
handkerchief, which he then gave me, relieved after he found one.
"Yeah, Hermione, you're the best prefect ever!" Ron tried to awkwardly comfort
me by complimenting me. Really, the guys were almost too sweet.
"B... bu... but, I have detention!" I stammered unsettled from crying. "I
should be a role model!" I continued to bawl inconsolably at my apparent
failure. Ron shrugged despairingly and peered at Harry, who suddenly found his
heart and pulled me to his chest, taking me lovingly and caringly into his
arms.
"Sssh, all is well... Calm down, relax. We didn't want to offend you or imply
anything! We know we can trust you. Snape is an ass who just wants to make us
insecure, don't be intimidated by his malice. You're so strong, Hermione," he
whispered to me. Of course I was, but it couldn't be any better, so I hid the
satisfied smile that started to form on my face in Harry's neck, into which I
cuddled myself and let my fake tears run. Perfect.
"Not only Snape, also your accusations... have... hurt me much more!" I
whinged. If I did an act like this, I aimed to go all out.
"Please, Hermione! Stop crying. You've never been like this. I know we reacted
wrong, we shouldn't trust Snape, I'm so sorry," Harry apologized softly,
stroking my hair tenderly.
"Yes, Hermione! I'm sorry too, please calm down. We stay together, no matter
what he'll do," Ron now rose bravely and patted my shoulder insecurely. Oh,
even better! And I tore myself abruptly off Harry, jumped from the bed and
threw myself hard against Ron's chest and was now crying into his shoulder
heart-meltingly loud and he stood there like a dork until he carefully, slowly
put his arms around me, holding me slightly overwhelmed, swaying me soothingly.
"I'm sorry. I was just so hurt, wondering how I deserved your mistrust," I now
distanced myself from Ron with a tearstained face and a whining, strained
voice. Harry pulled me back on the bed, which made Ron release his breath in
relief, because he was rid of me again. It was only the second time since we
knew each other where I had been crying. The first time had been in the girl's
toilet, when the troll had found me and Ron and Harry had rushed to my rescue.
Only, unlike then, my tears were now as real as snow in summer! Was I ashamed
of having to make such a farce in front of my friends? Um, no, it was
necessary, they were too suspicious and every way to misdirect them was legit.
I fought now with all the means available to me. Without shyness or shame and
with the tears of a woman.
"We have to apologize, Hermione. It wasn't right how we behaved towards you!
You're our friend, we should always trust you and not get suspicious because of
this vicious scumbag," Harry looked at me penitently, holding my hands in his,
looking deeply into my eyes.
"Oh, Harry! You don't have to apologize. I can imagine how that all must have
looked like, but I didn't want to let him win! To give him the satisfaction of…
showing him that he unnerves me...", I explained myself, interrupted by deep
sobs still.
"But Hermione, you're dead right! Be proud. I would never show the dark dungeon
crawler that he makes me nervous either. We aren't Neville," said Ron now.
"And... I need to apologize too, you were amazing, holding your own against
Snape."
"What about the other Gryffindors?" Harry asked hesitantly.
"I don't care, Harry! Only you are important to me and if you show them that
you trust me, then it'll be fine, and if not, it doesn't matter! Fred, George,
and Ginny will probably be on my side as well," I said, looking like a whipped
dog with tearful eyes under my long hair.
"You're so strong, Hermione..." Ron wanted to cheer me up.
"Yes, you've always been. It's going to be fine, we're always there for you! No
more mistrust!" Harry embraced me heartily once again.
"Thank you guys, your encouragement helps. Now I just have to survive the
detention. He didn't even say how long it will take!" I whined in dismay and
sniffed loudly into the handkerchief. "What... but?" both stuttered.
"What am I supposed to do? He... won't get to me that easily...", it came now
with an angry hiss from me.
"Exactly, show him...", both patted my back encouragingly. I wiped my burning
eyes.
"You're tired, it's late. We should all go to bed. Tomorrow will look much
better again." Harry declared softly.
"Harry is right, tomorrow all will be better," Ron said, smirking at me, so I
said goodbye to them and went to the girl's dormitory. It was still empty and
so I disappeared into the bathroom and when I laid in bed a little while later,
I didn't feel so bad as I had been able to speak with Snape about Harry's
problem and thanks to the boys feeling guilty I would be able to continue to
play my game. I knew I had Harry and Ron well wrapped around my finger. Was I a
bitch because I manipulated them so much? Probably, but I couldn't do it
differently. And so it went back and forth inside my mind, but I would need to
be more careful for the next few days and be more responsive to the guys, since
I now would be under permanent observation. I hoped that Sunday and our plans
would distract them so much that they would forget about me.
Yes, I set high hopes for Sunday. But until then there was still my martial art
training on Friday. I hoped I wouldn't hurt myself again. Not that I had to go
to Snape again, that would be suboptimal. And so the rest of the torturous week
passed. Its end couldn’t have come sooner. Friday was a challenge, but I
survived it. Firstly, thanks to the Twins help and secondly because of my lie
that I had detention with Snape and thirdly because I didn't hurt myself and so
I quickly hurried into the common room without running into the dear Professor.
The Gryffindors had also calmed down again after seeing how close we three
were, despite our loud argument in the common room. It was as if we were glued
together, it wasn’t easy for me. Not easy, but necessary, unfortunately.
On Thursday we saw Snape again in the classroom, he had made himself scarce the
last few days, apparently Harry's scar was a real guarantor to guess in what
mood the Dark Lord was. And since Snape looked quite worn out and exhausted,
the Dark Lord obviously took his bad mood out on his people and kept them busy.
Ha, serves him right! For the trouble and hassle that he had bestowed upon me.
Also, I could imagine that because of his activities as a Death Eater, spy of
the Order of the Phoenix, as professor and potion master for both sides, he
didn't really have much time for himself, the man and human Severus Snape, and
so it didn't surprise me that I as Minna still hadn't received any new demands,
which maybe did make me feel a little bit sorry for him, but only maybe. On
Saturday I was finally able to follow Draco to the school library at noon,
without his entourage glued to his side.
"Draco, good that I was finally able to find you alone!" I gave him a wicked
smile.
"What is it Mudblood? I missed you!" He embraced my hips with both hands and
pulled me into his strong body, so I put my hands on his chest and beamed. I
was always glad when he didn't show me his cold, rigid mask.
"I missed you too, Draco. That's why, I miss you so much, but I can't meet you
today, unfortunately. The Gryffindors keep me under strict surveillance, you
can thank Snape for that!" I riled, disgruntled, for the looks following me
around, stalking and appraising my every step really got on my nerves.
"Why?" His eyes looked sad.
"He came into our common room on Tuesday evening and we had a little argument
in front of everyone and now they keep staring at me in suspicion, it sucks!" I
was completely annoyed once again.
"So the rumors are true? Very funny, him in Gryffindor. That's Severus live,
but also very annoying, very annoying for us that you can't meet me. But you
should be careful, my Mudblood!" he said ruefully before kissing me quickly on
my forehead.
"Oh, I could strangle him!" I hit his chest angrily.
"Eh, I'm not a punching bag... I bet that things will have calmed down next
Saturday, but then I won't be put off anymore. Have you already read the
books?" he addressed another topic.
"No sorry. I will give them the attention they deserve. I think it's going to
calm down from Sunday on, but I'm crazily busy right now," I explained,
stressed out, shaking my head so hard that my hair flew around everywhere.
Then, after a quick glance around, he grabbed me even more firmly and pulled me
to his chest and held me tight. I sank against him and found comfort in his
willing and firm embrace. He gently raised my chin with one hand, the other one
at my waist, and looked deeply into my eyes, slowly and carefully laid his lips
on to mine and kissed me very gently, very emotionally and I fervently returned
this tender kiss, then he distanced himself from me and gave me an intense
look.
"It'll be fine, my Mudblood, take care of yourself," he said, taking my hand
and bringing it to his lips, kissing it, giving me a mischievous grin, and then
he quietly disappeared from the library. Draco had an incredible way of
standing above things, but we'd kissed again, though I didn't know where it
would lead to. Especially with his knowledge of the situation between his
godfather and me, whereupon I felt the beginning of a stinging heachache. All
this was so very complicated and tricky and so I pushed these unwanted thoughts
far away from me.
And then came the highly anticipated Sunday. Harry and Ron had been on pins and
needles for days. We headed well wrapped, as the cold autumn air blew
vigorously and thus swept around the very colorful leaves from the trees,
towards our meeting that I had prepared diligently.
We took the path leading to Hogsmeade and approached the destination mentioned
by the Twins, the Hog's Head Inn. Yes, many memories came back to me, but I
pushed them gently away. I wouldn't think about it, because right now he was in
my bad books. When I walked purposefully with the others towards the Hog's Head
and we went inside the dirty taproom, I had to admit, that it didn't look as
eerily as in the night, just filthy and grubby. I could see four hooded figures
in the tavern and I immediately stared at a very badly disguised witch, which
clearly seemed to be male. He was hidden under a thick, black veil, and
caddishly sat at the counter. It was definitely Dung, I had never seen such a
bad disguise. Maybe I should offer him lessons in the art of disguise.
Now, however, I understood why the Twins wanted to meet everyone here. I
guessed strongly that they would receive their new supply of ingredients from
Dung today. The other three guests were normal rabble, which preferred to be
around places like this.
"Wow, this is fucked up here. Yuck! I don't even want to sit down," Ron
grimaced as we sat down at one of the tables in the back. Well, Ron, just you
wait until you see the Beheaded Hangman, I thought cynically. The boy was
really living in a dream world.
"It’s indeed not the Three Broomsticks," I said, shrugging and sitting down
indifferently, something Harry copied, when Aberforth Dumbledore arrived at our
table.
"What do you want..?" he grumbled, albeit in a friendly way as always.
"Three butterbeers," I ordered soberly and he left us again grumpily.
"And there's no Madame Rosmerta for you, Ron, so pretty blonde and blue-eyed,"
I teased, chuckling and Harry grinned wickedly.
"That's right, Ron...!" Harry laughed as well over Ron's embarrassed
expression. And all of a sudden everything happened quickly and more and more
students arrived from Hogwarts. To our astonishment and joy, there were no less
than twenty-five interested people from the three different houses. The fourth
house, that of the snakes, was left out from the very beginning unfortunately.
Nearby were Cho Chang and her extremely unlikeable friend Marietta Edgecombe. A
Hufflepuff idiot named Zacharias Smith, our Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff prefect
colleagues, as well as Ginny's friend Michael Corner, who appeared with two of
his Ravenclaw buddies, and Luna Lovegood, and we unexpectedly got the absolute
majority with eleven Gryffindors. We wanted to begin, when we were all gathered
around and Aberforth had supplied us with more bottles of Butterbeer, but at
the beginning it didn't work as I planned it to be.
"Well, tell us Harry, what happened in the maze back then?" Someone wanted to
know curiously.
"Yes, no one knows anything! Tell us already!" It came from the other side,
pestering intrigued.
"Exactly! What exactly happened to Diggory back then? Tell us?" And so it went
back and forth.
"Hey guys, that's not what it was meant to be here, I'm not here to satisfy
your sensationalism!" Oh, Harry just made me so proud, he might actually grow
up, the way he was talking and presenting himself here just now. I was bursting
with pride. "And I won't tell you anything about Cedric, that would be an
insult to his memory." He looked determined, disapproving and relentlessly at
everyone with his deep, dark green eyes.
"But I also want to talk about a few things, so you know what you would get
involved in, should you want to join us." At which he ran his hand through his
dishevelled hair, due to the following disquieting memories. We flanked Harry,
me sitting on his right, Ron on his left side, and I knew that the now
following memories weren't easy to describe for Harry. Firstly, because he
didn't want any attention, nor fame, and second, because it wasn't all that
great when it happened. He and we each had to run and fear for our lives, it
always sounded great what we had experienced, but at that time it was never
certain if we would come out of it alive or not. There really wasn't anything
great about it, so I grabbed his right hand supportively, and squeezed it,
which made him turn his head towards me, his messy hair falling into his face,
and he smiled wryly but gratefully at me, to which I smiled back encouragingly.
When we both turned back to the other students after my efforts at encouraging
him, they all looked weirdly at us, as if they had caught us doing something we
shouldn’t. They probably thought something was going on between us, which made
my eyes roll, visibly for everyone. Ginny scowled and clung herself to Michael
Corner and Cho got even more slit-eyed, she narrowed her eyes so much, if that
was even possible.
"I ask you to not interrupt me," he cleared his throat determinedly and bravely
began to speak:
"Just to make it clear to you, that there are things I can teach you. Yes, I
have fought a basilisk in my second year and won, otherwise I wouldn't be
here," Harry said very disdainfully, because many in front of us just had the
resemblance of a fish. I smirked slightly and continued to hold his hand, but
it was true, what twelve-year-old could claim to have taken up a fight against
a poisonous green monster of fifteen metres and would still sit here alive? The
probability was extremely low. As more specific questions appeared about the
how and why, Harry just raised his hand and stopped the questions until the
storm abated, as he wasn't ready to reveal more.
"I'm able to summon a corporeal patronus, since the end of our third year," he
now gulped visibly, pausing, as I was sure he was thinking of the two of us
when we saw how the dementors tried to kiss him and Sirius, not a beautiful
sight and not a nice memory. The pain Harry had suffered as he lay there,
almost losing his soul, had been profound and one he couldn't easily forget.
This was another piece of information that left some people speechless, as
casting a corporeal patronus at the age of thirteen was almost impossible! But
even here Harry wasn't ready to elaborate on it, so I took over:
"Umbridge won't teach us defensive spells, to the people that are in their NEWT
year and to us who are in our OWL year. Regardless of whether you believe Harry
that He came back or not, we are going to need them though. For the past
thousand years, every witch and wizard has been taught active spells, not just
theory from a book. Why would something else apply to us? With what reason?" I
got really agitated.
"I can understand your arguments and I also feel disadvantaged by the Ministry,
as far as I know, the exams remain the same!" several attendants said and a
murmur of approval rose.
"Well, I think it's a good idea and I want Harry to teach us defensive spells!
After all, he also won the tournament last year, he's good!" Ginny argued,
leading to a nod of agreement.
"Awesome! I would find it useful to have weekly meetings. We'll let you know
where and when," I said determinedly and rubbed my hands expectantly, it went
well. There was movement in the group, but I couldn't let them go yet.
"Everyone, please. I have to ask you to sign this document, for our as well as
for your protection. You write your name on it, and it's better if you don't
tell anyone about our little group," I said, smiling sweetly, because that
wouldn't be good for the person concerned. Everyone lined up in a row. First,
Fred and George signed energetically to take the reluctance away from the
others, so everyone found the courage to sign after some hesitation. Then I
packed away the document, pleased, and made my way back to the castle with
Harry and Ron, glad that the group was fixed now.
"Thank you, Hermione, for your support, that wasn't easy," Harry turned to me,
showing me that a heavy weight was lifted from his heart.
"My pleasure! It went well," I replied satisfied.
"You did a great job, buddy!" Ron said, grinning as he seemed to think of
something. "Now we just have to find a suitable room, right?"
"Yes, unfortunately! But we still have some time. Did you see how Cho adored
Harry?" I asked, causing Harry's skin colour to change very much like Ron's
hair, despite the cold wind. We all had a good laugh at that and happily
arrived at Hogwarts, shoving away the thought of finding a suitable room. We'd
eventually find something.
***** Today is not my Day *****
Chapter Notes
     Aloha!
     Thanks for your reviews guys! You're awesome! ♥
     Please enjoy the new chapter, translated by Conny! ♥♥
Today is not my Day
 
The next week went by relatively fast and I even escaped detention on Monday.
All because He had called Snape to him. It was incredible, even I can be
fortunate! I was very pleased.
 
Shortly before I wanted to leave the tower to receive my punishment and to see
what Professor Snape’s sick and alarmingly imaginative brain came up with for
me now, an owl tapped on the window. The brown owl flew right to me and the
letter said, short in its wording, to not appear today! That my detention was
only postponed and not cancelled, that was quite clear! It didn’t give much
room for hope that his mood had lightened up, which I became aware of. But I
knew that this man was vengeful.
 
Today, on Wednesday, I knew now what kept Snape on his toes. Harry had had
another painful attack Tuesday night and he told us that the Dark Lord had felt
great, nearly hysterical joy and immeasurable pleasure. And why? That was where
the Daily Prophet came in, telling me about it in detail.
 
I wasn’t hungry anymore. Ugh, comprehensible or incomprehensible! Ten Death
Eaters managed to break out of Azkaban successfully. And the unflattering
pictures showing the escaped criminals, which had also shown Sirius in an
unflattering light back then, gave no real hope either that nothing bad would
happen. Crazy and manic these evil creatures seemed to be, it gave me a very
nightmarish feeling. The article was simply painful because it claimed that the
Ministry assumed that Sirius Black, who had been on the run for two years, had
helped the prisoners escape. Had I mentioned before that I found Fudge to be
incompetent? No, or did I? Now I made up for it: he was incompetent, stupid and
the worst choice for his post!
 
Exasperated, I lifted my head and looked straight at Draco! I knew who got free
and I saw that the expression in his grey eyes was a bit shocked as well. But
like always, he controlled himself well and didn’t let anything else show.
Smooth like a Malfoy and slippery in all circumstances. His gaze told me that
we should talk. I thought the same and therefore the date was set. I gave the
paper wordlessly to the two boys and they read it equally silent and shocked
and looked at me with uncertainty.
 
“It’s starting again, isn’t it, Harry?” whispered Ron anxiously and Harry only
nodded gloomily.
 
“Yes, now it’s really starting. It’s not wonder that the Dementors are choosing
his side, that’s where they belong!” Harry stated resignedly and ran his
fingers through his black, scrubby hair.
 
“You are right, Harry,” I replied, agreeing completely.
 
“They are looking pretty dark and mad, these guys,” Ron’s face distorted in
agony as he watched the moving pictures guardedly.
 
“These three, they’re the Lestranges! The others are not as important…,” I
whispered quietly and pointed to the first three people. It was a seemingly
crazy, black haired woman and two grim-looking men. “We should pay attention to
Neville!” I whispered and looked around apprehensively to see if he was already
there.
 
“Why?” Ron and Harry asked at the same time and in moments like these I was
more than glad to have Rita’s book.
 
“These three tortured his parents to insanity with the Cruciatus. They have
been in St. Mungos for fifteen years,” I reported quickly and pointed to
Bellatrix, Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange. “And before you ask, I have the
information from old newspaper articles in the library,” I didn’t have any
trouble lying.
 
“Wow, that’s heavy! You and your knowledge from books! Why did he never mention
anything?” they both wanted to know curiously and without a clue.
 
“Do you ever do that, Harry?” I asked perceptively, while he was sitting
rigidly and was looking around without any aim, after this sad news and the
realization that he too was not one to tell about his life.
 
“That is… ugh… poor Neville for having such a fate… and Fudge actually put the
blame on Sirius! I don’t believe it. The idiot!” Harry said brusquely and as he
saw that Neville was in the process of entering the Great Hall, he got up
quickly and headed to him, the Prophet in his hand. Ron wanted to go at first
too, but I put my hand on his arm and held him back with a shake of my head.
 
“No, Ron. Let the both of them be alone, we don’t have the same circumstances!”
I emphasized and watched anxiously as Harry and Neville left the hall together
after a short discussion.
 
“Mh-hm, you are right!” He was watching them as well, but then he turned
around, shrugging and talked to Seamus, about, yeah, what else? Quidditch!
 
Suddenly my talisman started to burn. Okay, a quick look around the hall! The
twins sat further down the table and looked up as well, because their coins
were burning now too. As we looked at each other in question, we knew that it
had to have been Draco. Therefore, I quickly left to go to the washroom and
took the galleon from my blouse and I could see that he put a ten for the
numbers, today 10pm, and CR for the letters, ‘common room’. Which means that we
would have to move our Saturday meeting to today. It was the first time since
the incident with Snape that I would visit the Slytherins. That would be fun.
How would they react?
 
But first I had to get the rest of the day over with and I ran into some
surprises after arriving at the greenhouse for Sprout’s lesson. Let me tell
you, my mood was bad, ugh, what was I saying, it was horrible because while I
knew a lot about plants, I was born without the famous green thumb and it was
like I gave constant euthanasia to the plants I was responsible for! There was
this thing with theory and practice, because being good at one did not mean
being good at the other one at all. Therefore Neville was my partner in
herbology, for tactical reasons. But after the information Harry gave him this
morning, he went back to the tower and wouldn’t come to class. That the
sadistic torturers of his parents were on the loose was hard on him.
 
It was understandable, but thanks to his retreat I murdered today’s project
without further ado and I was more sorry for the plant than for Bole! I can
tell you that much. Great, me, the perfect Hermione destroyed the work of
weeks, thanks to my incredible talent to send plants to their early grave! Thus
my mood was really bad and our grade as well.
 
That’s when I saw it…
 
“Harry, Ron, look there, there is light in Hagrid’s hut, he is back again!” I
was excited, because I was interested what he did when he was at the giants’.
Had they chosen the other side like the Dementors had? Too many questions.
 
“He is back again, thank God! Do you want to visit after lunch?” Harry asked
hopefully at once.
 
“Yes, but we should be careful not to get caught by Umbridge,” I pitched in
warily.
 
“Yes, that wouldn’t be good…,” Harry said haltingly and so we left quickly for
lunch. When we wanted to step into the Great Hall, the twins decidedly held me
back.
 
“Er, Hermione… could you quickly explain a charm for us… please?” Fred was
scratching his head, he couldn’t come up with a better idea, but it sufficed
because I was known for being a walking library.
 
“Sure, Fred, it would be my pleasure! Boys, why don’t you move ahead, I’m not
that hungry anyway,” I explained and turned to the twins.
 
“Yes, sure, go ahead…,” the agreement came from Harry and he seized Ron roughly
by the arm, dragging him to the table. “Come on, Harry… I’m hungry!” was the
last thing to hear, which got the twins to groan loudly and me to roll my eyes.
 
“Do you think he has a tapeworm?” I asked seriously worried, which gave Fred a
fit of laughter.
 
“It would be a possibility! I don’t know either where he puts all of that…,”
George shook his head and pounded on Fred’s back to help him stop laughing.
 
“Worm… tapeworm… I just got an idea for our products…,” Fred chuckled in
delight.
 
“Memorize it… Just tell me what you really want…,” I wanted to know in an
urgent tone what they wanted from me, because my patience was running thin
today.
 
“Of course, my Lady! With that tone you know at once that she is not in a
joking mood. What happened?” a twin wanted to know.
 
“I killed my plants!” I hissed acerbically.
 
“So long as it is only flowers, isn’t that justifiable?” Fred chuckled because
he was in too good a mood today.
 
“But my grade isn’t. I hate things like that. Why do these bloody things have
to break that easily? They can’t withstand anything, these Fanged Geraniums!” I
snapped venomously and killed them again in my thoughts. Chuckles and loud
snorts were my answer, which they tried to suppress with trouble, but they
failed miserably and held each other by their arms.
 
“Man, you really managed to send those small, nasty biters to the afterworld?
You have to put effort into that, not even we managed to do so! They are
relatively sturdy and stubborn, they like to bite!” Wasn’t it nice to be the
source of laughter once in awhile? The corners of my mouth dropped angrily. I
asked myself how I had managed to do so, it wasn’t easy. However, the result
was the same, even professor Sprout was very surprised about that deed.
 
“I know that by myself and it isn’t funny!” I grumbled now and folded my arms
angrily, then I started to smile. “Killing seems to be in my blood,” I stated
in a wicked tone and twisted my mouth into a dangerous grin.
 
“Oh oh oh... Now you are scaring us… Though you have Neville so that your
plants don’t die a miserable death and especially before their time,” he
pitched in.
 
“Yes, he isn’t well today. Did you read the paper?” I wanted to know, becoming
serious again.
 
“Yes, sure! The Death Eaters’ escape, very interesting! They just escaped from
Azkaban!” both stated alternatingly, bewildering their audience easily. “But
what does that have to do with Neville?” There was a lack of understanding in
their brown eyes.
 
“The Lestranges tortured his parents back then and destroyed their minds in the
process. They have been in St. Mungos ever since,” I explained shortly about
the past event and sighed.
 
“What? That’s wretched. Poor Neville, of course he wants to have his peace
today… But tell us, what does Malfoy want? You know, the galleon?” They were
visibly sorry for him, but now they presented their original question, because
it was not their thing to talk about others behind their backs or to gossip,
something I liked very much about them.
 
“Lestrange is his aunt on his mother’s side, I think that’s what he wants to
talk about,” I stated my guess. They wiped at their foreheads in sync, what an
exquisite sight!
 
“That is… bad. To have an aunt like that…?” The information shocked them
visibly. What would they say if they learnt about her also being a Black and
therefore being related to Sirius?
 
“He will tell me. But it is good that we are talking right now… I need…”
 
Fred interrupted me.
 
“You need us to get away. Sure thing!” he winked conspiratorially.
 
“And I already have an idea. You go to bed early, you are sick! And you put the
geminio in your bed, then… do you know the Disillusionment Charm…?” asked
George intrigued and told me about his plan.
 
“Mhmh, I don’t know if I’m able to vanish from view completely, though,” I
shrugged.
 
“We will give a big show, tonight in the common room! If you don’t vanish
completely, it shouldn’t attract attention with all that chaos, it wouldn’t be
bad,” the two fiends developed their plan further.
 
“Very good idea, George. What do you think about it, Hermione?” I stood there,
thinking, and nodded slowly.
 
“Let’s do it like this, then I can take my time with Draco and don’t have to
hurry that much,” I shouldn’t have said it like that, because it was a sign for
the two fools to start blowing kisses into the air and irritate me. I sighed.
 
“Oh, man. Aren’t you childish?” I ranted.
 
“As always, Beautiful!” They waved while they left, acted like fools and were
continuing to laugh, which didn’t even attract wry looks from the other
students, because everyone knew that the Weasley twins were different and had
always been like that.  People, if you knew how right you were,  I thought
wearily. I turned towards the Great Hall again and walked up to Harry and Ron.
 
“Well, are you done? Can we leave quickly?” I asked, standing there.
 
“Wha… you… hav’..t ea...n ye’…,” Ron tried to speak with a full mouth. My
features twisted in disgust.
 
“I don’t mind. Can we leave?” I showed a bit of my disgust a bit and a lot of
my impatience.
 
“Yes, sure. I’m done and very curious,” stated Harry and got up
enthusiastically, prompting Ron to get up by hitting him on the back, who
accepted his fate to end his meal and got up grumpily while greedily taking a
cookie. Oh man.
 
So now we were quickly heading to Hagrid’s. Not long after that we stood before
his door and knocked, we could hear rumbling inside his hut.
 
“Yes?” We heard Hagrid’s deep tenor.
 
“Hagrid, open up, it’s us!” Harry called, poised, and then the slightly askew
wooden door was opened tentatively and we saw a badly bruised Hagrid, who had
an awful looking, black eye and generally gave a battered impression.
 
“What happened to you, was that the giants?” Harry and Ron barged in.
Literally, I would like to point out.
 
“How do you know that?” Hagrid was visibly taken by surprise.
 
“From Malfoy… Don’t ask,” I waved it aside, which had him looking at me funny.
But then he shrugged and put a raw, discoloured piece of dragon meat onto his
blackened eye and gave a pleased sigh due to the cold. Disgusting, absolutely
disgusting!
 
“It didn’t go very well… Golgomath, the giants’ chief received Walden Macnair
and we had to fight to not get captured by the giants or Death Eaters. It was a
complete disaster!” He winced due to the pain as he made a wrong move. He
reported in detail how they had tried to contact the giants and digressed
widely on occasion. Was I surprised? No, it had already been quite plain. Today
was a day to stay in bed. After reading the paper in the morning, I should have
gone back to bed, I thought cynically.
 
“But this doesn’t explain why you look like that, does it?” I asked carefully
and looked at Hagrid in thought.
 
“Mhhh, that’s true. I’ll show you sometime. Okay?” he gave us an insecure,
awkward look.
 
“Yes, that’s okay. But how are you?” And before Hagrid could give an answer to
Harry’s question of concern, we heard sharp knocking coming from the front
door. During our talk it had gone dark, it always happened very quickly now,
because winter was coming and the night was arriving more quickly and that
already in the late afternoon.
 
“Yes?” Hagrid asked haltingly after he had given us a quizzical look from his
swollen eyes.
 
“Chchrrmm. Open the door!” demanded the bothersome Umbridge.
 
“Shit!” Ron gasped out nervously.
 
“Watch out with her, a lot has changed here,” I whispered in warning and Hagrid
only looked bewildered.
 
“Come, we will take the invisibility cloak and use the back door. She shouldn’t
see us here, not that she blames Hagrid,” Harry reckoned quickly.
 
“What is up with you three?” Hagrid asked visibly unsettled and called, “A
moment please, I’ll be with you in a second.”
 
“The woman outside is from the Ministry and calls herself the High Inquisitor
of Hogwarts. She monitors and assesses everything, it is better if we leave.”
We huddled together and put on the invisibility cloak to get out. Behind us we
could hear Hagrid finally letting the toad into his hut. Standing outside, we
saw the first, thin layer of snow for this year, giving the landscape a
picturesque touch.
 
“Damn! The bitch will see at once that he had visitors,” it came quietly from
Ron, who was thinking for once, which was a pleasant occurrence.
 
“That’s what magic is for…,” I stated slyly and said the spell to extinguish
our footprints. And thus they immediately vanished as we walked. Like that our
late-afternoon visit would stay undiscovered, which was good.
 
“Hermione, you are… It’s nothing I can express. What would we do without you?”
Harry flattered me.
 
“Sometimes I’d like to know the same thing…,” I mumbled quietly into my non-
existent beard. After we had snuck back into the castle, we pulled off the
cloak in an unobserved moment. It was late enough that we could go eat again
already. Somehow these people here didn’t do anything else. Did anyone else
notice that, or was that just me? I tucked into dinner, because the evening
with Draco would be an exciting one. Until now it had always been trying in one
way or another.
 
Later in Gryffindor, the twins and I followed our plan as agreed upon and
therefore I was standing in front of the bathroom door and was looking at
myself in the mirror doubtfully. I saw an attractive, young woman, who was
wearing her tight blue jeans and a tight, black turtleneck sweater. All this
was being completed by a wavy, black cloak and now I had to cast the
Disillusionment Charm for the first time.  Here goes!
 
I couldn’t stand it when something did go as I expected! What the heck? I
wasn’t invisible, I was blurry! Clearly not the result I was hoping for, it was
more like a failed attempt! I was on the verge of screaming, I was furious
about my failure. I should go to bed after this successful day and pull my
blanket up over my face. I took a deep breath and tried to compose myself.
Don’t be upset, Hermione!  I was telling myself . You are not superwoman, you
are a human! No, wrong, a witch, a human witch! Calm down. It can happen that
something doesn’t work at the first try. That is normal. You have to practice
and study … Oh, I was so angry! Today nothing worked out as it should. First
these stupid, dead, magical geraniums. I mean, I don’t even like the muggles’
common Geraniums! And then a spell which was hard for me. That wasn’t the best
for my ego, even if it had only a slight effect on it. Yes, I admitted, I was
in a huff.
 
Despite that I tried it again. Mh-hm… better yes, but not good enough. I could
puke. Although all the other pupils of this school wouldn’t have accomplished
anything, with this difficult spell, and now my ambition wouldn’t let me off. I
would master this spell and if it was the last thing that I would do in my
life, but unfortunately not now! Because time was running out. Well, my genius
brain, make another plan…! And, and...? Where were the bloody brilliant ideas
when I needed them?Yes,I laughed at my mirror image, exactly, you are too
smart… I tapped my wand on my head, said the spell, and the feeling of breaking
a raw egg on it was spreading. Uncomfortable! And the dripping feeling of cold,
slick wetness, running from my head over my body was strange and I shivered.
But look, it was perfect!
 
It would work like that. It wasn’t the same as being completely invisible but
for today with the twins’ diversion it would be enough and soon I would be able
to execute that invisibility spell, come hell or high water, I swore to myself.
I had used the Disillusionment Charm, which was useful as camouflage as well,
but easier, much easier than becoming truly invisible, because here you were
only matched to your surrounding so that if you were in front of a cupboard,
you would adopt its wooden look, or if you stood in front of a stone wall, you
would look like that stone wall.
 
Unfortunately you would still attract attention in a deserted environment in
spite of that, but as mentioned, it had to be enough for today. And in the
common room there would be so much fuss due to one of the now-famous selling
events courtesy of the twins, which would attract a lot of people because
everyone wanted to get one over on the bitch. Fred and George should have
earned a fortune by now. I wouldn’t attract attention at all in that chaos.
 
I could see Harry, Ron and Neville in front of the fireplace, where they were
trying to better the latter’s mood by distracting him by telling him stories.
Maybe how I killed the Geraniums, which had been a laugh in the greenhouse,
although it would probably make Neville even sadder, him being sensitive and
genuinely liking those little, appalling, biting tossers. I managed to arrive
unseen in the dungeons thanks to my disillusionment. And because I loved the
confrontations with the Slytherins, I ended the spell, tapping my wand on my
head again, and this time it worked the other way round. Now I felt warmth and
how that warm wetness flew up my body and finally over my head. The spell
dispersed. My whole body was tingling.
 
Wow, awesome! That they didn’t teach us stuff like that in class was a bummer.
I should be in charge of the curriculum...
***** Draco *****
Chapter Notes
     Tüdeldü! I'm here again! Just had to work for 5 days on a row so now
     I finally have the proper time of uploading the next chapter!
     Thanks so much for all the kudos!
     Enjoy (Especially the Dramione Lovers) . xxxx
Draco
 
As always I cast the protective spells on myself after I had completely hidden
my face under my hood, and then briskly entered the common room. Of course,
with my dark appearance I immediately drew all attention to me and was allowed
to watch how many of the otherwise indifferent Slytherins stared at me,
startled and open-mouthed. They had probably hoped to never see me again. I
think they didn't like it when I invaded their house! Understandable, but it
couldn't be changed.  Bad luck , my venom ran wild. I saw how the beautiful
Zabini rose quickly from his seat in front of the fireplace and looked at me
skeptically, thinking.
 
I knew, thanks to Lav and Pav, that Zabini was a so-called ladies’ man; if you
could call those immature girls ‘ladies’. He was tall and indeed really pretty
to look at with his dark skin that reminded of milk chocolate, his high
cheekbones and those slightly slanted, dark brown eyes. Many found him
attractive here and, like all Slytherins, he knew that many liked him of course
and he enjoyed it. Just how he walked confidently through the school every day,
only too aware of his charm and charisma. And apparently he was brave too, for
he was slowly moving towards me. As always in this room, my wand was hidden
inside the folds of my cloak and I held it ready to defend myself.
 
"Um, hello, how can I help you?" he asked haltingly and tried to keep a
charming smile on his very attractive face. He really dared to speak to me, it
certainly had to mean something in this house. But after all, it was him who
had gotten Draco and me when Snape had been waiting in the common room.
Interesting. Why did the Slytherins have the best looking men and at the same
time the ugliest and most terrible, like Bole, Crabbe and Goyle? I was
positively surprised and responded confidently to this astonishingly friendly
reception and briefly inclined my hidden head.
 
"Draco!" I only then said hoarsely.
 
"Does he expect you?" he dared to ask very carefully with an uncomfortable
expression on his face. The snakes watched us, waiting, motionless.
 
"Would I be here otherwise?" I coldly inquired in return and could see how the
snakes began to whisper quietly and didn't let us out of sight.
 
"He's in his room, but I don't know if you...?" He ruffled through his short,
black hair with an assessing gesture.
 
"I'm allowed to, don't you worry. And thank you, Zabini!" I said firmly and
walked now purposefully towards the boys' bedrooms, leaving the curious crowd
in bewilderment. Draco, Draco... you and your games, I thought to myself. Had
he deliberately hidden to see if the house obeyed him? It could hardly be more
obvious, which made me smile dangerously. He really was impossible! These power
games, I thought. I knew that he wa s awaiting my arrival with curiosity! H e
really was a naughty boy, but it seemed his house stuck to its rules and obeyed
his orders. Good to know, for him as well as for me.
 
"You're impossible, Draco!" I announced in greeting, firmly slamming the door
into the lock, enchanting it. I had entered his room without knocking.
 
"Hello, my Mudblood! Did they let you live?" he asked slyly and grinned
wickedly at me from his bed. He leaned his upper body against the headboard of
his bed and laid there, relaxed, with a book in his lap.
 
"Hello, my playful Pureblood! What if they hadn't kept to your instructions?" I
was piqued but asked my question nonchalantly, and put my coat down on one of
the green velvet chairs that stood in front of the fireplace.
 
"They wouldn't dare to! And besides, you can fight back, they're not worthy
opponents for you!" he said confidently and deprecatingly and beckoned me over,
putting his book down on the bedside table. On the other hand, he had given me
a big compliment, which made me generously forget his arrogance.
 
"Zabini talked to me and asked me what I wanted here." I approached Draco
confidently.
 
"He has always been brave when it comes to protecting me," he rolled his eyes
slightly, showing me a big grin on his attractive face.
 
"Pardon me?" I looked at him in disbelief.
 
"He thinks he's a friend and needs to protect me and take care of me!" He
laughed hoarsely. "As if I couldn't do that myself!" Draco was terribly smug.
 
"Isn't he your friend?" I wanted to know, surprised.
 
"Who can you call a friend these days? But he comes close! He's always been my
deputy in Slytherin!" he admitted uneasily.
 
"Well then, that's alright! He was very polite," I told him and stood now
waiting at the edge of his bed.
 
"Sit down," he patted the space next to him in invitation. I followed and took
my shoes off, sitting down cross-legged, settling down on Draco's big bed.
 
"You wanted to see me today?" I asked intently, looking at him with my head
tilted, my hair falling forward, because I was wearing it open.
 
"You looked so tense this morning after reading the paper." He folded his hands
thoughtfully in his lap and looked up from them.
 
"Yes, because I know who broke out of there!" I informed him of my knowledge
and gave him a serious look, staring straight into his grey eyes.
 
"Of course you do! What do you think about it?" I couldn't read anything in his
face, no opinion, no emotion and even his voice was neutral.
 
"Danger!" I stated.
 
"Yes, as far as I know. After all, three out of them are especially dangerous!"
He tried to avoid the obvious.
 
"Lestrange!" I said it first, so he didn't need to say it out loud.
 
"Yes!" He replied, slightly unnerved, though not because of me, but because of
them.
 
"She's your aunt, and I'm sure the two other Lestranges are somehow related to
the Malfoys," I sounded slightly cynical.
 
"As always amazingly well informed. What else do you know?" He looked down at
his hands again, so that his white-blond, silky hair fell into his beautiful
face.
 
"Longbottom!" I didn't say much more than that.
 
"Obviously!" he sighed, while carefully putting a strand of his hair behind his
ears. "What exactly do you know?" He didn't seem happy.
 
"What I know? I know you really can't choose your relatives!" I replied
relatively cold.
 
"Is it that easy for you? Even I was shocked and horrified that they're free!"
he exclaimed loudly and took me by surprise.
 
"Why? You were still a kid when they went to prison, why would you be afraid of
them?" I asked, perplexed.
 
"Afraid? I'm not afraid! I feel annoyed, because I know from father that
Bellatrix isn't a person to be trifled with. She was crazy before.. not quite
right in the head and thanks to the dementors, she is now absolutely mad!" He
got even angrier and ruffled through his magnificent hair in frustration.
 
"And I'm not looking forward to going home for Christmas, when I'll have to
deal with the constant presence of a mad aunt at the Manor!" he continued
angrily. "And you're not with me either, I don't like it!" He grimaced. If
things didn't go the way they wanted, Malfoys could become quite unbearable and
I wrinkled my nose. What did he mean by being with him? I sometimes truly
didn't know what Draco really was planning with me, but I wanted to let myself
get surprised.
 
"I don't even get along with mother for more than half an hour, with her
pinched, smug face, and then her sister too... Father said that she already
appeared schizophrenic as a young girl. Must be the Black blood!" he stated
slightly contemptuously. It was too nice when family members appreciated, liked
and respected one another. I couldn't help laughing at his whining, which made
him stare at me furiously. But it was just hilarious as, thanks to Narcissa, he
was half a Black. But worthy of a Malfoy, he stood far above such facts.
 
"Oh, you poor, poor Pureblood! You have it really bad with such relatives.
Tough isn't your manor big enough for you to slip away?" I asked in amusement
and mocked him lightly.
 
"You just laugh, Mudblood! Of course I have my own wing, and my suite! I am the
heir! But I can already see the family dinners in front of my eyes... Family
reunion! Scary! Did you see the pictures?" he snapped and looked at me wide-
eyed.
 
"Draco, please. I'm sure.. they'll wash themselves beforehand!" I giggled
again. I just couldn't take him very seriously at the moment.
 
"Having your funny day today, huh?" He growled at me, disgruntled.
 
"No, I had a positively bad day. Nothing really worked out as I wished!" I
calmed down, thinking of my smaller and larger mishaps.
 
"Uhhh?" He looked at me in question.
 
"Herbology!" I said miffed and looked away, ashamed of myself.
 
"Oh, you mean your heroic act of destroying the Fanged Geraniums! That was
hilarious, I thought I couldn't get a hold of myself anymore!" he laughed aloud
and forgot all about his family drama because of my misfortune.
 
"Yeah, you were the one that laughed the loudest!" I hissed at him, feeling
insulted. I could remember it well. He had almost thrown himself onto the floor
of the greenhouse out of glee, with his cronies next to him. He had held his
stomach, shaking with laughter, very unmalfoy-ish. But my misfortune apparently
had caused him to generously overlook that, it was just too funny for him.
However, I had to grant him that the Gryffindors hadn't held themselves back
either, I finished my unflattering summary.
 
"How did you do that? I mean, they're quite easy to care for and you had
already managed the Mandrakes just fine before, which are by the way way more
sensitive!" he asked now honestly interested after he had snapped out of his
laughing fit. I swallowed hard. "Give me a cactus and I'll kill it too. I
already managed that at home as a child. Plants: I can find, process and
utilize them but can't breed, nurture and care for them. I'm absolutely
untalented at that and I don’t know how to deal with it," I admitted
reluctantly, while nibbling on my lip in clear frustration. "The mandrakes! Why
do you think Neville is always my partner? He is a born gardener and breeder!"
 
"You're a manipulative woman! Using Longbottom just to get a good grade," he
shook his head indignantly.
 
"Hey, I'm very grateful for his help, I also help him with his homework on
other subjects, especially Snape’s!" I defended myself, to not seem  that
calculating, but he kept shaking his head.
 
"You're a saint, Granger, I've always known it," he said, rolling his eyes.
"What are you doing on Christmas?" he suddenly changed the subject.
 
"Let's just say that Harry and Ron think I'm going to be with my parents, my
parents think that I'm going to be with Ron and Harry and in reality I'm going
to be at my country house!" I explained my elaborate scheme in a long-winded
way. I would've time on Christmas to get some things started that were
fundamental to progress my larger plans.
 
"Wow!" He looked at me with big, surprised eyes. "Are you alone then?" I
nodded.
 
"You have to be careful now that so many crazy Death Eaters are on the loose!"
he warned, clearly worried. Alas, wasn't his concern sweet? I smirked.
 
"Thank you for your concern, Draco, but I intend to be very careful," I said
defensively.
 
"Hey, I have an idea. I want to come to you, then I can stay away from the
meetings and hide at your place! That would be fun. You can show me whether you
understood the contents of the books and we can practice a bit," he offered and
had now straightened up, his upper body no longer leaning casually against the
bed.
 
"Sure, if you want to do that. I'd be happy to have your company, very much
so!" I let him know. "But the Twins will visit quite often. If that doesn't
bother you?" I asked uncertainly. "They told their parents they're going to be
with Lee, but in reality they're with me later on!"
 
"I should've met them already anyway! I hope I won't bother you in your
intimate time together. Will I?" he asked suspiciously as I had slightly
flinched at his statement; it was not for the reason he assumed; it was rather
because I had wondered what Draco would say about the Twins’ relationship,
since they sometimes showed their love openly in front of me. I always felt
sorry for them, they shared a great, heartfelt love and the decision to live it
out hadn't been an easy one. But at some point they had realised that
everything else would make them unhappy and that they would make every other
partner unhappy too, which wouldn't be fair to anyone. And so they had
submitted to their fate and ended up together, if only in secret. They didn't
hurt anyone with their love, only the morality of society. And I also was
totally fine with their decision. But what would Draco say? If he was in the
cottage for longer, he'd most likely notice it. We'd see!
 
Thus I turned my thoughts back to Draco and his question.
 
"Ridiculous, Draco, ridiculous! You wouldn't disturb at all, we'd be happy. The
two are already very excited to meet you.” I objected. “That reminds me, where
do we want to meet, so that I can show you the cottage? Because there's a blood
protection on it..."
 
"I'm glad to hear that, Mudblood. I was already wondering the whole time... how
the relationship looks like between the three of you, but I can wait!" He
looked deeply into my eyes and I was very conscious of me sitting on his bed of
all places. I unconsciously licked my dry lips. "Blood protection... not bad...
but is it enough in these times?" His inquiry was drawn-out.
 
"I also want to use the Fidelius and since the three of you will be there at
the time as well, I am going to share the secret with you..." I nodded.
 
"That would be good, yes. And what do you think about meeting at Flourish &
Blotts in Diagon Alley?" he suggested.
 
"Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy, so visible, wouldn't that be unwise?" I
said doubtfully. He rolled his eyes theatrically.
 
"Granger, please, try to be a bit smarter. I wouldn't mind being seen with
Minna, a beautiful woman!" he explained now with a devilish grin and I raised
an eyebrow. An idea like that requires a deceitful, malicious mind.
 
"Oh well, not a problem. When should we meet? I suggest the second day of our
holiday, at twelve?" I offered.
 
"Precisely, agreed!" He smirked at me. "I'm looking forward to it!" It sounded
somehow ambiguously. I smiled wickedly because I was curious what would happen,
when another thought came to my mind.
 
"Oh, I remembered something else. I need your Galleon again!" I demanded,
stretching out my hand.
 
"Why?" He skeptically raised his elegant brow.
 
"You'll see," I tugged at my jumper and pulled out my own. He did the same and
took mine off me. I had my daggers with me, as always, which I wore strapped
over my jeans, and drew one out now.
 
"Wow, are those the ones you slit Bole open with?" Draco asked with a
fascinated glint in his smoky grey eyes.
 
"Yes, aren't they beautiful?" I asked ecstatically, letting the blade shine in
the light of the room. I pulled out the second dagger and held it out to him
invitingly. He took it skillfully and began to examine it, weighing it
knowingly in his hand.
 
"It feels good in hand, magical silver, not bad. Where did you get it from?" it
came with a knowing expression from him.
 
"Borgin and Burkes!" I answered misty-eyed.
 
"Yeah, he has a good selection.. What.. w.. w.. what are you doing?" He
exclaimed, startled as I just cut into my index finger with the blade of the
dagger, faster than he could look and now dark red blood seeped from the cut. I
had to smile at his shocked exclamation and looked at him mischievously from
below as he was now kneeling on the bed. Draco could move surprisingly fast if
he wanted.
 
"Hermione, are you crazy? You can't just cut yourself without the slightest
peep!" He snarled indignantly.
 
"Shut up, Draco!" I told him while dripping my blood on both the Galleons in
front of me, took my white wand and used the Proteus again.
 
 "Come here, give me a finger," I commanded. He looked at me in astonishment at
my commanding tone, but did as I asked and handed me his index finger without
hesitation.
 
I raised my dagger again and cut his finger with a quick stroke. How gently
this silver blade cut through the skin and the underlying flesh, it was like
cutting through silk. His blood seeped out a second later and I guided his
finger to the coins and let a few drops drop on them, repeated the spell and
then spoke an episkey over our wounds, which closed immediately. Then I put
away the daggers and we tucked the coins back into their respective places
silence. Draco hadn't made a single sound, neither at the cut nor after. It
looked like he was, just like me, used to it, interesting.
 
"Why?" he asked.
 
"You want to know why I personified the coins? I am going to use the idea of
this communication with the galleons with others too, but I don't want anyone
to know about us. That's why I used the personification. Maybe you'll add the
twins at Christmas to your coin too. That's up to you," I explained, then gave
him a mischievous wink.
 
"Are you going to add them as well?" he asked thoughtfully.
 
"Yeah, so I’ll have a way to communicate with them without Harry or Ron
knowing!" I explained my reason.
 
"Oh, you want to give them a coin too?" He tilted his head and raised his
eyebrows.
 
"Yes, but without the blood," I went on.
 
"Yeah, that would be magic a bit too dark for them, wouldn't it. But if you add
the twins, I'll probably add them too, I guess..." He seemed to weigh this
options in his mind while drawing circles on his blanket.
 
"You don't have to decide today," I interjected and he nodded.
 
"Enough talk, come here!" He impatiently grabbed my hand and energetically
pulled me onto the mattress, falling back, and I ended up lying on top of him
with a small "Uff!"
 
"So hasty...", I laughed, amused, though I was at the same time slightly
startled that Draco sought my closeness so much. I hadn't expected that, but it
felt good. He buried his face in my hair and took a deep breath.
 
 "You always smell so good," he whispered softly and I snuggled myself into his
arms, laying my head comfortably on his chest. "Thanks, you too, I always smell
sandalwood around you!" I said, inhaling his fragrance with relish.
 
"Your scent reminds me of white amber. I love such intense scents," he mused,
sniffing again. He turned down the lights nonverbally, so that only a few
candles burned and the flickering fire of the fireplace gave off a cosy light.
Suddenly he started talking again.
 
"I never thought you'd be the one who would stand by my side! That's very
unexpected! I mean, you hit me! You're a Gryffindor - ev en if I think the hat
made a mistake there - and you're a Mudblood! And I… that's so surreal, and yet
one look is enough and I immediately know what you're thinking!" he mused
aloud. I lay still half on top of him, drawing figures on his chest, completely
speechless about what he might mean by "standing by his side", but at the same
time I could only agree with him. I felt understood by him, safe, and
comfortable like never before with someone else.
 
"Do you think I'm any less shocked? I've never experienced anything like it,
you're the first person with whom I'm completely open and honest! I never have
to pretend anything when I am with you; you are the first one who understands
me and doesn't condemn me for what I do!" I sighed, experiencing for the first
time such a heartfelt, intimate and exciting conversation.
 
"Really, you still have secrets in front of the Red Ones?" He sounded
incredulous.
 
"Yeah, of course, there's nobody in my life that knows all about me. Even you
don't know everything yet, but it's actually just the circumstances and not
because I don't want to tell you..." I defended myself as I felt his hands
becoming less gentle, tightening around me.
 
"That's good. You can always tell me everything, I won't keep any secrets from
you. We can give each other something few people around us have and that is
mutual trust and understanding!" he promised me with a deep voice, stroking my
back all the time whilst he got calmer by the second.
 
"Oh Draco, you don't know h ow happy I am to hear these words, thank you!" I
said candidly. I lifted my head from his chest and beamed up at his face. His
arms wrapped around my body and his lips descended on mine faster than I could
comprehend. We shared a long kiss for the first time, a kiss so thorough and
intense, that it left me senseless. The feeling when his lips brushed mine was
overwhelming! The firm pressure of his lips, seductively slow, while his tongue
stroked my lips very gently, almost teasingly, and asked for admittance. I
instantly granted him his request, and when our tongues found each other, it
was as if a rush of el ectricity was running through my body. My heart stopped
beating for a moment, then continued to beat at a much faster pace, and for the
first time in my life all my senses really and truly awoke to life, something I
hadn't experienced ever before, and he achieved that with only a kiss, making
it very enjoyable for me.
 
We were still kissing each other deeply as he shifted back slightly to bury his
hands passionately in my hair, pulling me closer possessively, making me moan
into his mouth in pleasure. I had to start admitting something now: whether I
wanted it or not, he was the first person for whom I felt more than just lust
or desire. Being with him I felt so much more, it was almost too much, almost
painful. It was overwhelming for me, a person who had always kept her feelings
well hidden, and a bit scary in its intensity. I think he felt the same,
because this ever growing passionate kiss enthralled us more and more. I clung
to the front of his sweater because I was afraid of losing myself otherwise.
 
I could feel our tongues performing an unprecedented, unbelievably exciting
duel. It was intoxicating to taste him, to feel and be so close to him. Our
bodies pressed together tightly and eagerly. I could feel him completely
pressed against me, an indescribably warm feeling spreading through me. After a
long time, we broke away from each other, breathing heavily, his hands
releasing my hair and we looked at each other in absolutely shocked awe at what
we had just done, what we had felt, what only this kiss had emotionally done to
us.
 
"Wow!" He was the first to find his voice again and probably his balance too.
"What will happen if we take this further?" he asked hoarsely, his eyes
sparkling expectantly and adventurously.
 
"Draco that was... unbelievable I..." My reply came out clipped, because I was
very out of breath.
 
“Shush... I've never felt this way before, it's special.." He whispered,
pulling me back to hug me so tightly that not a sheet could fit between us. He
kissed my forehead very tenderly like he always did. And so I lay with my head
in the crook of his neck. I could feel his chin on my head. I was still a
little bit breathless as this unexpected turn of events had unsettled me. I
hadn't planned for anything like this to happen between Draco and myself.
However, I was no person who'd seriously question that development, as I hadn't
really done that with Sirius either, but I had to ask Draco something that
concerned me.
 
"Draco, my detention with Snape is going to start on Monday. I know that I'm
always driving him mad. If it's going to go as I fear, I would say Minna will
soon get an owl again... Actually it's overdue, it has been a long time" I
mumbled embarrassed into his sweater.
 
"Severus's been out ev ery night lately, the outbreak had to be planned, and a
few other things where father and Severus were indispensable... Alas, by the
way, I can tell you that he really likes the secret path. He warned me not to
tell anyone about the passage, as this could make Hogwarts unsafe. He sometimes
still thinks I'm a kid..." I could feel his body shivering indignantly.
 
"But to your question: if he calls, you have to go. It goes without saying that
he would instantly become suspicious should you refuse, and after the last
time, it wouldn't be good if he knew you were the same person," he said
affably, though I heard a faint regret in his voice. However, he recognized the
need for it and was just thinking the same way I did. One did what one had to
do. Meanwhile, he held my right hand in his and pressed it to his heart.
 
"You're weird. Don't you mind at all?" I didn't know what to think about his
words, after we had kissed like we just did.
 
"Do you mind?" He answered with a counter question, which I found very
annoying.
 
"What? Because I have to jump into bed with Snape again?" I asked and thought
about it. "No, I mean, he's good in bed, there's worse than him and it's over
quickly, after the sobering motto, grit your teeth and just do it..." I was
very cold as I often was and returned Draco's intense gaze.
 
"Then everything is fine! As long as it's just Severus, everything else would
be unacceptable, and as Hermione, it's out of the question," he said, with
astonishing coldness. But I knew how to deal with that much more than if he
would have confessed his love.
 
"Draco, are you going to have sex with others, too?" I dared to ask timidly
after he showed himself so controlled.
 
"Maybe, but not because I want to... You don't know what's going on at revels
like these. You could maybe compare it to some of the situations you get
yourself into. You just grit your teeth and do it! Sometimes it’s not possible
to make your own choices... Nox,” he murmured with a tone of finality in his
voice. The room was now covered in darkness.
 
I had briefly held my breath at his ‘maybe’, but now I let it slowly out again.
I had looked deeply inside myself and thought about how that made me feel and
to my shame I had to say that I could accept his argument. If it really had to
be, there was no way around it. Though I didn't like it any more than the
realization that I wouldn't escape from Snape. At the same time he held me like
I was something very valuable, which he wouldn't ever let go anymore. His hands
roamed tenderly over my whole body, which made my insides go pleasantly fuzzy
and so we fell asleep in each other’s arms.
 
We fell asleep because we were exhausted and it was late, but we were also
emotionally overrun and worn out. What we had felt had been very intense. It
was new to me. Not only that it didn't end in sex right away, no, but also
trusting someone enough to sleep with that person and I don't mean it on a
sexual level. No, to trust enough to sleep next to each other and to spend a
whole night together in one bed was something completely new. But with Draco,
lying there in his arms, it was a wonderful feeling. The next morning I opened
my eyes, and as usual was awake immediately. Thanks to the unfamiliar
environment I was just barely able to stop myself from startling. The memory of
last night started to come back, when I noticed that I was lying on something
soft that was slowly moving up and down.
 
A satisfied smile spread over my face. It was Draco! My Draco. I raised my head
slightly to look at his face. He was still sleeping. Draco was really
beautiful! His even, noble features... While I was relishing his aristocratic
appearance and remembering yesterday's world-shaking kiss, I realized that we
were still in our clothes. The realization made me chuckle. The sound woke him
up. Draco opened his eyes. The look he gave me was alert, but then he smiled
happily.
 
"Morning, my Mudblood," he said cheerfully.
 
"Morning, Draco!" I kissed his cheek and snuggled into his arms again. They
welcomed me easily.
 
"Slept well?" he whispered into my hair.
 
"Very well, thank you. I don't know how I’ll sleep without you from now on!" I
replied, causing his chest to tremble slightly as he stifled a laugh.
 
"Why are you up already, it's only just before six!" he wanted to know
curiously.
 
"What, it’s already this late?" I exclaimed in shock. Crap! I jumped out of bed
and frantically searched for my shoes.
 
"Why, what's going on?" He pulled himself up, leaning on his arms, and watched
my actions, puzzled.
 
"I have to hurry if I want to go for a run today!" I hastily explained further.
He let himself fall back onto his bed.
 
"Just skip it," he said succinctly and crossed his arms behind his head.
 
"No, not a chance!" I couldn’t allow myself to slack off even once.
 
"Then I thank you for the beautiful night, Hermione!" he explained in a velvety
voice. I was about to throw my coat over my shoulders and almost lost my
balance in shock, which made him giggle evilly.
 
"You're doing this on purpose, aren’t you? Until then, my Pureblood and thanks
for the wonderful night!" I said and fled unseen out of Slytherin.
***** Room of Requirement *****
Chapter Notes
     A late update!
     Why?
     Well Christmas and Fam before Fan, right?
     And I wanted to upload the chaps on every single page on the same
     day, so, since FF Net is being a bit mean, it had to wait.
     But now we're back on track!
     And tell you what: You'll get the other chapter tomorrow.
     Wishing you a merry late Christmas and I hope you enjoy!
     xxx
Room of Requirement
 
Sitting by myself once again at breakfast the next day, drinking my hot cup of
coffee, my good mood was untouchable. I had had looked at myself in the mirror
some time ago, while changing clothes after my run, and I had seen that I
seemed to glow today. Even my normally brown eyes had a slight golden glint,
which gave them an elegant touch. I was quite glad to have found a friend who
understood me so well in Draco. When he entered the Great Hall with his clique
right after me, one could see the aftereffects of the relaxed, enjoyed night
together on him as well. He seemed both satisfied and as though he felt really
good today.
 
Yes, that night had been good for the pair of us.
 
While we communicated with each other across the tables without arousing
suspicion, I felt the weight of two hands on my shoulders and saw dark brown
hair move into my field of view. A mouth got close to my ear and warm breath
was tickling my skin. I could see how Draco’s mood fell, courtesy of Harry’s
intimate action and how his lips, his so very soft, warm lips narrowed into a
dangerously thin line. He didn’t like this at all. Did I mention how very
possessive Malfoys were, but never jealous?
 
“Good morning, Hermione. Are you better today?” Harry said into my ear, clearly
worried.
 
“Yes, thank you Harry. A good morning to you too. What’s up?” I whispered back.
 
“Good news,” he replied. “Last night I was up very late, and so I saw Dobby
when he came to clean our Common Room. I told him about my, well our, problem
concerning the practice room and he mentioned something interesting. He told me
about a place called the Room of Requirement, which is supposedly on the
seventh floor opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. One has to walk up
and down the corridor three times, thinking about what the room should look
like. I wanted to ask you when we ought to go and take a look?” Harry explained
in a conspiratorial whisper.
 
“Where is Ron?” I asked curiously, looking around.
 
“He’s still asleep, I couldn’t get him to wake up. The twins gave us a bit too
much of their butterbeer yesterday. Probably spiked? They were very generous to
Ron, Neville and myself. Was that your doing?” he asked, looking at me
questioningly. Again he was seeing more than I had expected.
 
“Why do you think that?” I said innocently, as he sat down next to me and took
a sandwich.
 
“Mh-hm… I’m sure you told them about Neville yesterday in front of the Great
Hall, right?” he stated with a grin. Puh, lucky me. This wasn’t nearly the
whole truth, but his assumption wasn’t entirely wrong either. He was still
thinking the best of me and not the worst, I was lucky indeed.
 
“Yes, I did do that. Wasn’t it nice of them?” I said, deflecting his line of
questions by changing the subject quickly to something more harmless. “And I
think we should have a look at the room before dinner, together with Ron of
course!”
 
We spent the rest of our day hoping the boring lessons would pass quickly so
that we could finally go and visit the room. It was very exciting, and
extremely fascinating, discovering hidden secrets of the school! Once the bell
signalling dinner finally rang, the three of us couldn’t run fast enough up to
the seventh floor, where we stopped at the tapestry in question, attentively
looking at the bare stone wall opposite it.
 
“And you really think, Harry, that Dobby knows what he is talking about?” Ron
asked quizzically, scratching his arm. He was giving the wall a dubious look. I
was starting to  question the theory as well and turned to Harry.
 
“Well then, walk up and down the corridor. You were the one to talk to Dobby!”
I ordered and watched as Harry did what I asked. After looking up and down the
corridor once more to make absolutely sure we were alone, he started walking.
Luckily, all the other students were down in the Great Hall, like a starving
horde, eating their dinner happily, without any knowledge of what we were up
to. After his third pass in front of the wall, an inconspicuous wooden door
appeared directly across from the tapestry, as if by magic, and well, I forgot
that of course  it was magic . We looked at each other, positively surprised.
 
“Cool,” Ron said, acting nonchalant about this.
 
“Well, look at all the secrets worth discovering in the castle. There was
nothing about this in Hogwarts: A History!” I said in thought. The boys rolled
their eyes, but I could not change who I was.
 
“Come on, let’s have a look behind the door!” Harry stated, excited. Once it
was completely open, there was revealed to us a huge practise room, more like
the Great Hall in size, with mats and other equipment. Big silk pillows for
sitting were generously distributed across the floor.
 
The Room was amazing. Oh, what made me especially happy were the books, whole
shelves of them covering many aspects of magical defence, and other magical
equipment like Dark Detectors, which were items specifically designed for
detecting threats, secrets and deceptions of any kind. There were many of these
also in the room, and among them were Sneakoscopes with different levels of
sensitivities. This kind of magical item had been invented by Edgar Stroulger
back in the 18th century. They functioned like a kind of magical alarm system,
looking like a gyroscope on a mount and would sound a loud piercing tone if
untrustworthy people were around. Then there were Secrecy Sensors, which could
detect magically hidden security flaws, like faked identities, dark devices or
simple lies. The gadget looked like a baroque, golden antenna. It hummed
quietly and vibrated in the case of discovery.
 
Finally, I found a Foe-Glas. It looked like a mirror, but didn’t show a
reflection. It only showed something if someone with bad intentions got close
to the looker. I knew about all of these devices from books in the library, but
to have them in one place and be able to study them hands on made me really
happy. I was turning here and there, marvelling at the devices, grinning
happily.
 
“It looks like Dumbledore’s office!” Harry said, impressed.
 
“What do you mean?” Ron asked curiously, and I turned to listen, interested as
well.
 
“Well, these things here, Dumbledore has some in his office!” he informed us as
he walked towards the magical devices.
 
“Wow, that’s cool! We have never been to his office. Whatever does he need them
for, you think?” Ron asked all at once. I had lost interest in the conversation
as it changed away from Dumbledore in favour of walking up to the shelves
overloaded with books. I pulled out a copy of ‘Jinxes for the Jinxed’,  ‘Self-
Defensive Spellwork’, ‘The Dark Arts Outsmarted’ and finally, ‘A Compendium of
Common Curses and their Counter-Actions’, and sank down onto one of the silk
pillows.
 
Opening ‘Jinxes for the Jinxed’, I started to read, intrigued at the content.
It was perfect; the perfect scenario for our needs. I loved this room. What
else could I have wished for that it would create? I already knew how I would
spend the next few nights. A wild, crazy-looking smile crept its way onto my
face.
 
“...Hermione, are you listening at all?”
 
“Hello… Hermione… Miooooneee!”
 
I was shaken rather roughly and saw red hair too close to my eyes.
 
“What…?” I snapped, irritated and blinking in surprise.
 
“She didn’t hear you, mate!” Ron said in a capitulating tone.
 
“What?” I asked again, still unsure about what he was on about..
 
“We asked you what you thought about the room and what to do next?” Harry
explained with a smirk. Oh, I hadn’t heard that. I mean, wasn’t that obvious?
 
“Sorry, I was distracted, but this room is incredible. It’s exactly what we
need!” I exclaimed, and we were smiling at each other in understanding.
 
“I think we should try to tell one person of each house that they should all be
here at half past eight at the latest, in front of the tapestry and then we
will guide them in,” I suggested.
 
“Mhm… isn’t it a bit noticeable if there are like thirty people in one place?”
Ron asked.
 
I was already shaking my head in response. “Only Harry will wait outside,
everyone else will come into the room immediately!” I suggested.
 
“Oh, yeah, sure, you are right!” Ron agreed at once.
 
“And why do I have to wait outside?” Harry complained grumpily.
 
“I for one don’t care if Ron stays outside as well,” I pondered aloud.
 
“And why not you, Hermione?” Harry countered, his smile looking downright
nasty. How could one person be this mean, I asked myself in that moment.
 
“Very funny, Harry!” I snapped, slightly irritated.
 
“Harry, stop making her angry and let her go to her books, otherwise there will
only be trouble,” Ron said, trying to mediate because he knew me and had
already given up on the attempts to keep me away from my interests. It seemed
as if the discussion between us at Grimmauld Place had been successful after
all.
 
“Yes, but isn’t riling her up still allowed?” Harry was grinning like a rascal.
 
“Er... boys, is it alright if I stay here, I’m not that hungry and I have an
idea how we… well, could inform the group about upcoming trainings, but for
that I would have to prepare a lot…,” I was begging slightly, acting naive. I
was looking up at them, surrounded by books, some even on my lap.
 
“Sure, stay here, we can manage getting all the others!” they said,
understanding passing between them. They were feeling sorry for themselves for
having a bookworm as a friend. And like that, they happily went to the Great
Hall to speak to at least one person each from the other houses. This was great
for me, and after Ron and Harry had left the room, I started to experiment with
the room to see what it could do.
 
I wished for a room which could teach me more about the Dark Arts and look,
although Hogwarts was supposedly against this sort of magic, everything and
more appeared in front of me. And then a thought came to me. It wasn’t Hogwarts
which was against this kind of magic! Because Salazar Slytherin was using and
teaching it here, which I knew from books. And that was with the knowledge and
agreement from the other founders. Maybe I could find more documents on the
topic here, because everything I had found until now was rather sparse.
 
I stared at the selection of books and magical devices, overwhelmed. The
equipment was the opposite of the devices for defense. They were used to fool
them. It was fascinating, the room I had wished for even contained a hospital
wing in the back. Not because I had wished for one, no, it seemed like the room
thought that practising this kind of magic would certainly cause injuries.
 
My decision stood. Here I could continue to learn and practice. It had been
awhile since I could practice, because I had not found an opportunity to give
in to my interests without being interrupted, like it had been possible back in
the Black library. But here, this was a unique opportunity to learn much more
on a far broader scale than I could have dreamed of. I was in heaven. I was
really happy. It was incredible, but true, I was very very happy. Next I wished
for a room for making potions and look - I was thoroughly awed - a potions lab
appeared which would have brought tears to Snape’s eyes. I couldn’t control
myself any longer and clapped. There was more than just a bit of reading
material on the shelves here as well. The books were ones I didn’t know and the
selection of cauldrons in different sizes, different forms and made of
different materials was exciting. Even the ingredients on the shelves or
hanging from the ceiling were versatile. Well, I couldn’t find unicorn blood,
but at first glance I saw many ingredients you needed to brew the most common
of potions. After that I tried a bedroom, which appeared without much surprise,
but just wow! Why couldn’t we have found this oasis sooner?
 
Unfortunately, I had to discipline myself and so I ended my continual changing
of the room. I tried to control my excitement, even my nipples got hard. I was
aroused because of the possibilities this room brought. But I didn’t have time
for that now and so I called for reason. I finally dealt with the galleons and
wished for the defense room once again. I pulled out the bag in which my fake
galleons were. I had created them during the last few days by transforming
small stones to look like golden galleons.
 
Of course, the twins’ coins, my own and Draco’s were real, but the rest of the
group didn’t need that. Did I have too much money...? The answer to that
question was no. I meticulously charmed thirty coins with the Protean Charm.
The fake coins looked exactly like the real ones. I did well with the
transfiguration. In class it would have gotten me an Outstanding. It took time
and effort, because it was high level of magic and in this form it was only
taught in the seventh year at Hogwarts. The Protean Charm I had used last night
with Draco was slightly dark, well, okay, it was really dark magic!
 
Because I got the idea for communication from the Dark Mark and that wasn’t
light magic either. The magic was in the tattoo, directly inside the skin of
the person in question. Everything dealing with blood, rituals or similar
things belonged to the forbidden parts of magic. What complete idiocy! As long
as the blood was shed voluntarily, in my opinion… but I have never been normal
when it came to blood. I had already liked it as a small child, when I had to
see the doctors to get my blood samples taken.
 
The people there were always like: “Don’t be afraid! It will be quick, it won’t
hurt and look away?” What I didn’t do obviously. I loved to see the bright red
lifeblood flow out of me.
 
It had fascinated me to see how it had flowed directly into the small tube and
the more blood there was the darker it became. It was captivating and
fascinating! Which had me watching attentively and had the nurses and doctors
look at me strangely, but hey, it was my blood. I liked it! Why should I be
afraid of one of the most important things inside my body? I thought it was
beautiful and since learning about magic I also knew about its importance. Its
strength and power, and that knowledge was intriguing. And like that I had only
just finished as soon as the door opened and the twins together with Ginny and
the other Gryffindors came inside. They were looking around the huge hall,
marvelling as  they came closer to my seat.
 
“Hey! You are here already?” I said, beaming at them. “Where is Ron?”
 
“Still outside, with Harry! Here, I should give that to you from them,” Ginny
stated and handed me a sandwich and a small bottle of water. Oh, how sweet, my
boys had thought of me. And the water, that had to have been Harry, because he
knew I despised that sweet, sticky pumpkin juice he, Ron and all the other
children liked to drink.
 
“That’s nice, thank you Ginny!” I accepted it from her and took a bite
hungrily.
 
“Wow, that’s great. What room is this?” Fred and George asked at the same time.
“It’s overwhelming!”
 
“Harry will tell you that once everyone is here. Sit down,” I tapped onto the
pillow next to me in invitation. Once they sat, I leaned towards them and
whispered: “Stay after the meeting, I will need our coins again…” They all
raised a bright red eyebrow each, but nodded well-behaved. Suddenly the
students from other houses entered and Ron and Harry appeared at the rear. I
stood up and walked over to them. I managed to talk to Harry for a short while
because most of the others were still distracted by the unusual room.
 
“Thank you for the food, Harry!” I gave him a kind smile, which he returned
wickedly.
 
“Why do you think it was me and not Ron?” he asked quietly.
 
“Come on, he would have gotten pumpkin juice!” I answered with a wink. Harry
burst out laughing and winked conspiratorially back at me as well. I really
liked this boy very much.
 
“Whatever. You’re right,” he stated boldly, grinning impishly. “I’m excited, do
you think I can really do this?” It came from him suddenly. He was insecure.
 
“Yes, Harry! You can do it. Your speech as a leader in the Hog’s Head was
impressive enough already, and if something goes wrong… you’ll still have me!”
I laughed and touched his shoulder in confirmation. One or the other female in
this room was pulling a face at that again. “I will make them quiet down, just
you wait… then you’ll have your big appearance,” I said, winking at him. And so
I started to quiet the loud pack down.
 
“Hello! Nice to have you here. Would you please calm down for Harry, so he can
tell you about how… about where and why you are here? Quiet please!” And
wonder, oh wonder, my perfect teacher voice had made them silent. “Please, sit
down on the pillows and listen!” I asked again and they did as they were told.
I stepped back into the shadow, beckoning at Harry to walk to the front but he
wanted me to stand next to him and I obeyed his unspoken plea. I stood on his
right side and Ron naturally walked up to stand at his left.
 
“Good, the meeting time worked out and you all made it here! It wasn’t easy but
we’ve found the perfect practice room for us to use. It only appears if you
call it for practice. No one can enter if someone is already inside and doesn’t
want anyone else to enter. This means we are safe from Umbridge and her new
decree against new groups and gatherings,” he explained confidently, pausing to
emphasize the gravity of the situation.
 
“I think having solved the problem with the location, we should start Saturday
with having the first lesson,” he said, giving them a questioning look. “What
do you think?”
 
“How did you find this here?” someone called suddenly, I think it might have
been that Smith boy from Hufflepuff.
 
“By chance, even we need luck once in awhile! I just want to make clear that
you have to stay absolutely silent about this room!” he stated. I would have
loved to curse them with my spell but I shouldn’t show off that I was capable
of inventing spells. People didn’t like that.
 
“Saturday is okay.”
 
“Yeah, I think that as well.”
 
“Yes, the day is fine, so Saturday,” they eventually agreed.
 
“Good to find common ground! My suggestion would be from one in the afternoon
until we have enough. Is that ok?” Everyone nodded. I stepped forward then.
 
“One more thing. As we are a group,I think we should elect a leader who’ll make
decisions so we don’t start to argue over every matter. That would be
unproductive!” I presented.
 
“Who do you think?”
 
“I like this idea.”
 
“Should we choose you?” they asked.
 
“No, I suggest we elect Harry, and I would ask everyone in favour raise their
hand!” My voice drowned them out, and they went quiet. Harry’s head turned to
me, a startled look in his eyes with his mouth hanging open.
 
“What Harry? You should teach us to defend ourselves. I think it’s clear that
you should also lead us!” I explained. He continued to look puzzled.
 
“I think Hermione is right, I’m for it!” the Twins said and raised their hands,
which got house Gryffindor to raise their hands at once. Luna and Cho followed
and one after another every other hand went into the air. Only Smith was left
undecided, but in the end he didn’t want to be the only one not voting in
Harry’s favour and so his hand was slowly raised as well. And like that we had
an unanimous vote for our leader.
 
“What are we called?” Luna asked dreamily, looking up from her long, blond hair
which she was in the process of braiding. Now suggestion after suggestion was
called out until Cho raised her quiet and delicate voice. I couldn’t stand it
when girls purred like that, but she talked during a brief pause.
 
“What do you think about the Defense Association?” she asked shyly, blushing.
Oh man, how could Harry like someone like her? Oh well, if it worked for him! I
would slap someone that was that shy and delicate after some time. However,
here I had to suppress my temper, which I always did anyways, so it wasn’t
anything too special. And her suggestion was absolutely fine. I nodded because
I liked it, as did some of the others. Ginny raised her voice suddenly though,
which was obviously because Ginny couldn’t let Harry’s flame have the best
suggestion. Like how she didn’t only have Harry’s attention, but she had
everyone else’s as well. Ginny’s tactic was very obvious, unimaginative and
predictable! Poor Michael Corner. He was just another stepping stone in my
opinion. But everyone should do whatever they liked. I really shouldn’t judge
if you took into account everything I did.
 
“I’m for Dumbledore’s Army!” she said. The suggestion made me grit my teeth. It
seemed like Harry had faltered as well for a second because he didn’t know what
to make of the old professor and so the suggestion wasn’t well received from
us, the heads of the group, but the badgers and the ravens saw it much
differently. The twins, who caught our reaction, started to speak instead of
us.
 
“Well, the two suggestions from Cho and our little sister were received the
best. What do you think about only taking the first letters? It’s the same for
both, the D.A.!” Fred suggested with a grin. Didn’t I always say that the twins
were great?
 
“The group will be called the Defense Association, or the D.A. for short, so
that no one knows what we are talking about!” George said. “And everyone who
likes Ginny’s suggestion better could read the D.A. as… yes, as Dumbledore’s
Army!?” said George confidently. I clapped and everyone else joined in.
 
“Well then, to the D.A.!” called Harry and he beamed happily, relieved. Once
some people began to stand up to leave, I started speaking again.
 
“Just a moment, please wait, I have something for you!” I said, which got many
of them to look at me in surprise, maybe they were afraid of having to sign
something again.
 
“So that Harry can inform you whenever there is a meeting, as there is no fixed
date, I have thought of a possibility to communicate!” My grin was wide and the
group was curious. Harry looked at me. I seemed to have thrown him off his
guard because I had kept quiet about it until now.
 
“Here are your coins, they’re not real ones, I transfigured them!” I explained,
opening the bag and taking one out. “Look, they look like galleons,” I added,
giving one to Harry. “See, here you can change the numbers to give them a date
and a time and then you can also change the letters but we don’t need it
because we will always meet in this room!” I explained and showed him. “Every
other coin then changes as well and they will get hot…” I saw complete surprise
and astonishment all around. I was looking around a bit uncertain.
 
“What, what is it?”, I asked, wanting to know.
 
“You, Hermione, are a genius!” Harry happily stated, grabbed me by my hips and
spinned me around in a circle. I was surprised by how strong he had gotten
since we first met. I laughed, relieved, and I liked that Harry was so happy.
Once he let me down, most of the others were looking at us with smiles, except
for Smith, Chang and Ginny. They looked a bit sour.
 
“Excuse me, but is that the principle of the Protean Charm?” Terry Boot, a
Ravenclaw, asked in disbelief.
 
“Yes, you are right, Terry. That is the Protean!” I agreed.
 
“Wow, that’s heavy stuff! This is seventh year material! It’s is extremely
difficult. How did you manage it, did someone help you? You’re only a fifth
year,” he said in excitement.
 
“No, I didn’t have any help and it isn’t too hard...” I disagreed and tried to
seem modest. Many looked at me in surprise. They didn’t think I could do it. I,
the teacher’s pet, who could only quote books which I had memorized word for
word. But that wasn’t true, I only had an eidetic memory. It wasn’t my fault
that the books got imprinted in my brain nearly identical to their originals.
 
“Hermione, you are handling things admirably. Without you or your ideas we
wouldn’t be here!”
 
“Great, we will see each other on Saturday at one p.m. Should the time change,
the coins will react. Please leave in small groups of two people, try to be
inconspicuous and everyone take a coin from the bag!” Harry stated matter-of-
factly as I gave everyone a coin before they left, until only the Weasleys and
us remained.
 
“Er, Hermione, could you please explain the charm you put on the coins to us?
We’ve just had a brilliant idea. If you could teach us that spell, because we
would only learn it around Easter according to the syllabus…,” George said
smartly, gazing at me with puppy dog eyes..
 
“Sure. But that might take a while!” I said, looking to Harry and Ron.
 
“Please, please, please…,” Fred begged, sinking to his knees dramatically, and
crawled towards me which got the others to laugh.
 
“Come on, let’s leave and let the three of them alone…,” it seemed as if they
all wanted to have their fun.
 
“I could also teach you!” I suggested to the boys and Ginny.
 
“No, no, thank you, but no. It’ll be enough for me if I learn it as a seventh
year!” Ron made a defensive gesture with his hands.
 
“Come on, mate, I’ll play a round of wizard’s chess with you. What about you,
Ginny?” Harry said as he walked up to the door, waving back at us. “Have fun
and don’t stay too long!” Sometimes I didn’t know what Harry thought or if he
completely believed everything that we told him. I just didn’t know! Because
now appeared to me as if he figured that we were planning something else. Yes,
Harry was underestimated by many, but he wasn’t stupid and he was growing up.
 
Once the door had shut we were alone and I could feel as George got closer to
me and started to talk in a more serious manner, like only Fred and I knew him,
when he wasn’t up to nonsense.
 
“This room is perfect. What is it able to do, Hermione? You wanted to show us
something, among other things, right?” I turned to face him and thought how
nice it was to not have to explain every detail to the twins.
 
“Yes, you are going to like this!” and I wished for the potions lab and
immediately after that for the practice room for dark magic.
 
“Wow, we are speechless!” they said, turning around in a circle to see
everything. It reminded me of my own reaction.
 
“What a pity, after seven years of school and only now we’ve found this
wonder…!” Their eyes had a devilish tint.
 
“I will be here from now on every day, because what is the library compared to
this here? Harry and Ron didn’t understand at all what this room is able to do.
And the other members of the D.A. won’t dare to show up here outside of
meetings. I wanted to ask you both how well trained you are within the Dark
Arts?” I explained and looked them up and down.
 
“Not as good as you are, although the restricted section knows us quite well!”
Fred said, grinning like a little devil.
 
“I think you should train a bit here, as many of the books even I don’t know,”
I stated happily.
 
“Sure, we’ll do that. An hour from now on, every day, at the least!” Fred said
enthusiastically.
 
“Don’t promise me things you won’t do,” I reprimanded them with a smile.
 
“Er, she’s offending us, Fred!” George said.
 
“Well, she knows us though, doesn’t she? But Hermione, the room is so awesome,
I swear I will come here for an hour every day, too! Huh, that sounded pretty
suggestive, didn’t it?” he laughed loudly and George looked at him in slight
despair.
 
“Why the potions lab?” he asked at once.
 
“I will brew here and thought that as some of your products need potions as a
base, you could practise here and experiment and…,” I gesticulated.
 
“That’s genius… I already love this room. You know what? I’ll move in here!”
Fred said confidently.
 
“Yes, I also don’t want to leave here ever again. Couldn’t you have your dates
here?” I said with a deep sigh, which got them to glance at each other with
eyes full of love. I shook my head to get back to the original topic. “Give me
your coins!” I ordered and pulled out mine as well.
 
“Here you go… but why exactly? Don’t they also react to Harry’s call?” they
asked, slightly irritated. “Why? I want to personalize them, I did the same to
Draco’s and yes, they will receive Harry’s call as well. But if I write the
message, only you and Draco can see that and the other way around. You should
think about letting him do the same…!” I explained and touched my thigh,
removing the horus knife from under my skirt.
 
“Wow, you’re wearing weapons inside Hogwarts?” they said, looking at the weapon
in my hand.
 
“Sure, always. I don’t go anywhere without weapons, but they’re invisible,” I
explained to them happily.
 
“Great, awesome knife!” Fred stated less shocked. I cut my finger on the blade
and let one drop each fall onto the twins’ two coins which they watched,
intrigued. Then I cast an Episkey on myself and gesticulated for the twins to
come closer. Fred walked up confidently and gave me his finger, which I
grabbed, cutting it with the knife quickly. A slight sound of pain escaped him.
 
“Shit, ouch! This hurts… ouch!” I guided his finger so that his blood dropped
onto our three coins. “Why didn’t you say anything, this hurts a lot!” he
complained and sniffed. Which got me to chuckle evilly. I healed his oh so deep
cut as well. Oh well, it was a scratch, nothing more. He always had to
exaggerate.
 
“I’m used to pain like this, and you are oversensitive. That’s nothing, really
now!” I said disparagingly. His act was way over the top. “George, are you a
man or the same softy your beloved brother is?” My provocation got George to
take a step forward and confidently present me his finger. His scream was even
louder than Fred’s, as if I was killing him, those scaredy cats! Really, pain
wasn’t something they could handle and I couldn’t hold back my dirty laugh,
which got me an uncommonly evil eye.
 
“Not everyone has to like being cut regularly…!” Their tone was condescending.
 
I was still chuckling: “Of course, me neither. But this? You are acting as if I
were killing you!”
 
“Well, for just a few drops you don’t need such a huge butcher’s knife, a
needle would have done the job!” they explained to me, offended.
 
“Why look for another way, if it can be done fast this way?” I replied simply,
putting my weapon back.
 
“You’re insensitive!” Fred stated as we all put our necklaces with the coins
back on.
 
“It’s better that way!” I answered impassively. “Oh, if it’s of interest to
you, Draco was more like me, we can deal with pain very well! We could work on
your sensibilities too, the room is perfect... You might even like it!”
 
“Are you crazy, why should I like being in pain…?” one of the twins gasped,
thoroughly shocked.
 
“It was only a thought, don’t get all huffy, I was only thinking out loud!” I
grinned. “And now let’s have fun, we still have time. Today, nothing will get
me out of here before one p.m.! Let’s see what we can do with dark magic!” And
so we split up and started to look through the room in interest.
***** Harry's first training *****
Chapter Notes
     A Happy New Year to you all!
     And now:
     Enjoy the Chapter. ♥
Harry’s first training
 
I woke up the next morning, thinking how everything was wonderful. We had had a
lot of fun yesterday in the Room of Requirement and had found some new,
exciting things. The Twins were doing nothing but creating new pranks, plans
and products.
 
I got through the rest of the day successfully, it was nothing but routine.
After presenting Harry with an elaborate proposal on how to start his first
training session and him vowing to prepare for the upcoming lesson I excused
myself with the fact that it had gotten too late the night before. I conjured
my Geminio and escaped to London to devote myself to physical training this
time. My Sensei informed me that he wanted to introduce me to the Brazilian
martial art ‘Luta Livre’ today, which was fine by me because  I was at a loss
after his proclamation. Luta Livre… what?
 
He elaborated that it was a Portuguese free fight system.  Aha , I thought,
all right!  He explained that Luta Livre enabled a fighter to safely bridge the
gap to his opponent, bring him down and remain in control and finally to force
him to surrender or to incapacitate him. Neat. I was all for incapacitation, I
knew no mercy in this regard. Now he asked me if I wanted to learn ‘ALL’ or
‘MMA’. Eh, I... what, please? So he explained that there were ‘ALL’, the
wrestling ‘Luta Livre Esportiva’, and ‘Vale Tudo’ / ‘MMA’, a style without
rules which would include kicks and punches. Okay, the decision was easy,
without rules always sounded good to me, as good as kicks and punches. For now,
I didn’t want to think about that to learn the art I would have to experience
it myself, but as I always said, grit your teeth and get on with it! What use
would I have of a simple wrestling style? No, I didn’t need that, so I chose
the option ‘MMA’.
 
Sensei’s face showed his satisfaction when I told him of my decision and he
declared that therefore the free wrestling elements of the ‘Luta Livre’ would
be supplemented with kicks, punches and thrusts with knees and elbows which
could be used while standing or while wrestling on the ground. All right, and
next? He was pleased, as he thought that these specific techniques would enable
me to defeat physically stronger opponents. While fighting on the ground a
weaker fighter could use technique to compensate for disadvantages in height
and weight. Well, what were we waiting for?
 
After our lesson I knew once again why I shouldn’t jump into a new martial art
without any preparation, as it was just too painful afterwards. Wow, the
Brazilians had a really creepy imagination. However, I would learn it, as I
hadn’t been able to even count to three after going down before I had been out
for the count. But enough, I winged my battered body back to Hogwarts! I had
been away long enough to get to the Room of Requirement without being seen. My
Geminio was still sleeping soundly in my bed and so I could savour the Room to
my heart’s content.
 
Saturday afternoon arrived fast and we all gathered in the Room of Requirement
to be taught some offensive Defense by Harry.
 
“Alright, my dears, today we start with the disarming spell, the Expelliarmus!”
he proclaimed cockily.
 
“Why? We already learned it in Second Year, that’s much too simple!” Smith
interrupted.
 
“Firstly, we have to start low, as everybody should progress together as a
group. I don’t want to leave someone behind. And secondly, the Expelliarmus did
me good service in Fourth Year against Lord Voldemort!” A collective groan went
through our school mates. “Come on, it got me enough time to escape, I am
sentimental in this regard. And now show me how good you are. The better, the
faster we can move on. Line up in pairs!” Harry demanded unyieldingly and
looked around with a stern expression.
 
I experienced some minor difficulties to adhere to his demand, as this was a
really easy spell. Who should I take as a partner? Maybe it would be the best
to choose none of them. I could merge with the shadows and help Harry to
correct the others, I pondered. Yes, that would be smart. Just then wild
shouting and screaming started. People were hit with the disarming charm, flew
through the room and landed painfully on the mats or even on the floor. Chaos
reigned, pure chaos. Spells whizzed through the air, flashing and bolting
around wild and totally uncontrolled.
 
“Stop! Stop!” Harry yelled loudly. “Stop it!” he roared now magically enhanced
over the noise and one after the other everybody did as ordered. A lot were
lying around and whining about there ungentle landings, which prompted me to
internally roll my eyes even harder.  Guys, you should have experienced my
training yesterday, that’s what I call pain!  Some spots on my body were still
hurting severely and what did I do? Nothing, I just lived with it! This here
was nothing, I thought derisively and slightly arrogantly, but come on, I was
entitled to a bit of arrogance. How could one be such a pussy?
 
Harry was looking around attentively and suddenly focussed his gaze on me,
which made me look directly into his eyes at once. It was as if he was
scanning, assessing and appraising me with his extraordinary eyes, which was
strange, as Harry never acted like this, but then he was already talking.
 
“Hermione, come here. People, it doesn’t work like that!” he declared with
determination and pointed to the middle of the training hall. I looked at him
in surprise, however, I simply shrugged and walked towards him.
 
“So listen, what you are doing won’t do you any good! You should not cast the
charm without aiming properly. Some of you were not hit by the spell of your
opponent, but by stray spells and that’s not the goal. Precision and focus on
your target, that’s what you have to pay attention to!” Harry was good. He was
right and he presented his point very competently.
 
“Hermione, we will show them how a disarming charm works and that works best in
a duel!” He looked at me, silently asking for permission. Funny, his look
wasn’t very innocent.
 
“Should I fight back and move or should I let you hit me?” I asked him, giving
him nothing but  emphasized coldness and indifference. I would do exactly what
he asked me to. Unfortunately I had my dark brown school wand in my hand. I
loved my white one much more, but well, one could not have everything one
wanted.
 
“No, of course you will fight back. I know that you are good!” His lips formed
into a winning smile.
 
“How could you know that? You have never seen me fighting!” I was flirting with
him in front of the others and that was really fun.
 
“I am not blind. You are perfect in everything you do, certainly you are with
this as well. Give it your best shot!” he cheered me on. All right, I would
give them a show, although that Harry would and had to win was without
question. I just hoped that my temper wouldn’t get the better of me. I knew, in
situations like this I sometimes got tunnel vision and here, in front of so
many witnesses, no, that would not be good, not good at all.
 
“Alright, Harry. But no duelling style. We will just start, okay?” He just
nodded and I could watch how the others stepped back and we stood face to face
opposite each other. With that the background noise got less and less important
while I focussed on my opponent.
 
The battle began.
 
“Expelliarmus,” Harry chanted immediately and I twisted to the side with
lightning speed, not a second too early, and flung my own “Expelliarmus” at him
while coming out of the turn. But he was fast as well, thanks to Quidditch, as
I knew, that’s why his ability to react was ridiculously good. He was able to
escape my counter attack, but only by quickly throwing himself to the floor. It
had been a close call, the spell grazed the ends of his hair, fizzling out, but
apart from that he was unharmed.
 
It continued blow upon blow, in quick succession. Again and again I was tempted
to cast a spell nonverbally and I think a few times it might have happened in
the heat of the moment, but it was an exciting duel. Harry was an impressive,
powerful fighter. Where he was otherwise only average in class because of his
lack of interest and laziness, here he was a born warrior. I loved to see how
flexible, agile and supple his body operated. I must have given a similar
performance, the way we danced together like this.
 
Physically I was not inferior to him, thanks to my excessive training, and he
was in good shape thanks to Quidditch and so we exchanged hex after hex, spell
after spell, in rapid succession. We were permanently and constantly in motion.
The Room had erected a protective glass wall in front of the group along the
outer wall, thus Harry and I didn’t have to be considerate of anybody during
our battle and we fell into such a rage that I forgot my intent and gave him as
good as I got and more. We didn’t give anything away for free, Harry treated my
as an equal opponent. The room was filled with a blur of colours from the
different spells and curses, the sparkling and flashing reminded of a mirror
ball.
 
“Avis,” I threw at him and small birds shot out of the wand tip to confuse him.
Harry reacted immediately with an Aguamenti, which drenched my poor birds
thoroughly and robbed them of their attack momentum. I jumped out of the way
quickly and sent a Babbling Curse at him, so that he could only talk nonsense.
Sadly, Harry escaped by a hair’s breadth and the curse crashed into the stone
wall behind him. He answered with a Leg-Locker Curse, which I could only avoid
with a daring dive that ended in a roll. Phew, that had been close, and before
I could get to my feet again, the next, colourful beam was coming my way,
directing way too many batlike, winged nuisances at me. I was still sitting on
the floor because I hadn’t managed to rise in time, an extremely bad position
to defend from.
 
“Ring of fire,” I chanted quickly and a flick of my wand erected a burning
barrier around me. The flames of the fire soared high, scorching the little
beasts Harry’s hex had conjured. They burned mercilessly and I got the
necessary time to get to my feet again. And not a second too soon! He attacked
my ring of fire with a freezing charm, which modified my flames in a way that
they could no longer do harm and thus let every spell pass. I had to end the
spell. In next to no time I sent a Stupefy, which manifested as a red beam
shooting out of my wand. Harry parried competently with a Protego and my
stunner visibly bounced off his shield, then he instantly countered with a
quick Petrificus Totalus, which I could block with a loudly yelled Salvio
Hexia. The safe room encased me and repelled his Oppugno birds as well.
Unchivalrously fast he followed up with an Impedimenta which broke the safe
room and I was once again operating in the entirety of the training hall.
 
My Levicorpus found its target and, totally unanticipated by Harry, he was
abruptly hoisted into the air by his ankle. Skilfully he cast the counter-curse
Liberacorpus in the same second and dropped ungently to the floor, but rolled
lightning quick to the right and with a smooth motion he was back on his feet,
therefore the Incarcerous I had sent after him missed. He conjured a hex
deflection as protection and thus repelled the Rictusempra expertly. We got
faster and faster, so that the world was reduced to a sea of colours and the
blood was pounding in my ears. It was fascinating to duel this way, but I
reminded myself that this was Harry and I had to hold back and just then the
decision was taken from my hands.
 
I didn’t manage to dodge the next spell shot at me and it hit me in the middle
of my chest. At first I was frozen with fear, but then I realised what had
happened, I had been hit with the Tongue-Tying-Curse, and I was able to
continue fighting! Which brought a horribly distorted smile to my face and that
apparently frightened Harry, who had started to beam confident of his victory.
That was something I had learnt from my Sensei, you should never get your hopes
up too soon! And thus my body straightened and I started a surprise attack and
sent a nonverbal freezing charm at him, which he escaped only through a daring
roll forwards. He quickly overcame his initial shock that I was now casting
nonverbally and prepared his counter attack. He shot a Stupefy at me, which I
blocked once again skilfully with the Protego. This prompted him to lift his
eyebrow in recognition, as it was a strong shield, despite the wordless magic.
 
Harry’s stunners had a lot of power, which he and I both knew. Now I flung the
Confundus Charm at him to make him disoriented. And my acting made him confused
enough that I indeed hit him. But Harry spoke the spell which counteracted this
particular charm that swiftly that he actually managed to disarm me with the
Expelliarmus. That caused me to applaud him after he had caught my wand and I
had realised that he had won.  
 
Wow, I was massively out of breath! Harry and I had not given the other
anything for free, but it had been a good duel. I had not shown everything I
was capable of and the duel had been limited to white spells, nonetheless it
had been fun.
 
We were facing each other, squatting slightly, and were bracing the hands
against our knees, to calm down our breathing and heartbeat. The duel had been
straining and truly nerve-racking. But we hadn’t been injured, which was too
sweet, though highly unrealistic if it had taken place in the real world.
However, this was only the beginning.
 
Harry, too, was still breathing heavily in front of me, when I looked up, but
grinning openly, as I must have been smiling. He threw my wand back at me and I
catched it and wordlessly cast the counter-curse against the one paralyzing my
tongue. Harry wiped the sweat from his brow, the duel had been really
exhausting for the both of us. The DA members could now join us again as the
glass wall had vanished and walked towards us while we were still recovering.
 
“That… that… that… Harry… Hermione, was incredible, world-shaking!”
 
 “Yes. From where… how… Where did you learn that?”
 
 “That was awesome... “
 
 “I have never seen something like that before.”
 
“Will we be able to do that as well someday?”
 
 “Yes, can you… can you both teach us? That was so impressive!”
 
Harry started to laugh and I was chuckling as well.
 
“Easy, guys. Calm down, everyone!” Harry called loudly and racked his hand
through his unruly hair, disturbing it even more. “That has been a very
challenging duel, but why shouldn’t you be able to learn how to fight like
that? That’s why we demonstrated it for you, so that you can see what it is we
can offer you to teach!” Harry dangled the possible award of this training in
front of them.
 
“Hermione!?” He spoke quietly to me now. “You didn’t tell even me that you are
this good. Since when are you able to cast nonverbally?”
 
“Yes, we only learn that in the upper classes!” Terry interjected, the oh so
smart Terry who could never shut his mug. I would have liked to kick my own ass
in this moment.
 
“By exercising… It’s actually not that difficult,” I claimed succinctly and
brushed a strand of my hair behind my ear.
 
“That was a really tough duel!” Neville exclaimed in awe.
 
“Yes, Hermione, we didn’t hold anything back. Thank you!” Harry complimented
me, clearly happy and I smiled contently at him.
 
“My pleasure, Harry. Anytime!” I answered and touched his arm to pat him, as I
was proud of him.
 
“What could I teach you?” he now asked solemnly.
 
“A lot. You won! Besides, one does not stop learning,” I shared my own belief.
The duel did more than thrill the DA. Every one of them saw the next fighter in
himself or herself now. We inspired ambition in them with our show battle. Now
the training could start for real. The members looked at Harry like an eighth
wonder of the world, idolizing him. I mean, he was the Boy-Who-Lived. But I was
also aware of the looks I got, which were nothing like the adoration Harry was
receiving. Instead, they were full of fear and apprehension. Why?
 
I had fought exactly like Harry, he had even won. They could not know that I
had not exhausted my whole repertoire. I pondered what could explain these
reactions. Ron was standing in the back with a very pale complexion, keeping a
low profile. I could guess what thoughts were plaguing him. He knew who
couldn’t keep up with us on a large scale, which didn’t particularly faze me. I
had worked hard for these skills, but he couldn’t comprehend that! That
constant exercise was necessary to master them was beyond him.
 
And thus the others followed Harry’s instructions without further complaints,
and worked hard and achieved much. It was revealed that it was truly necessary
to start with this simple charm, as many were showing deficiency already. After
four long hours of intense training the first signs of exhaustion became
visible and we ended the training for the day. I had helped Harry supervise the
exercises and participated in several demonstrations, as nobody volunteered to
train with me. Everyone was afraid that they would have no chance against me.
Which was in no way unfounded. Especially in groups it was always glaringly
obvious that I didn’t belong, always a misfit. But hey, I was used to it.
 
I could observe how Harry tried to help Ron, and how Ron reacted very
dismissively. I knew, Harry had realized the problem Ron kept postponing, which
was perfect for me. Thus I signalled George and Fred to stay behind, which they
confirmed immediately with a nod of their heads and so we waited and were the
last who remained.
 
“Can you two tell me what problem the others have? They don’t even look at me
anymore,” I exclaimed in frustration and disappointment. “I mean, Harry fought
the same.” I looked at them questioningly.
 
“You truly don’t know it, do you, Hermione?” George asked with visible
bemusement and I shook my head unhappily.
 
“You looked like an amazon, a warrior princess, ready for anything, capable of
everything. Your hair was flowing around you, it was really impressive! Not
that the others are actually aware that you are ready to do anything. However,
your demeanour did command a lot of respect from everybody! I mean, you were
very impressive, your whole fight was. Harry amazed me as well. I always knew
he was good… but that he has that much talent surprised me, in a really
positive way! How was he different? Well, he looked determined for sure, though
not as ready to go as far as you… I mean, your ring of fire was genius, but
truly scary and we can only tell that now because we know you so well! The
others have an inkling at most, a vague idea that you are dangerous! But we
know it one hundred percent and it shows when you fight, Hermione. You didn’t
pretend, you rather restrained yourself, which is a frightening prospect in
itself! I think, you had to struggle enough… not to hurt Harry?” George’s
intense gaze was locked on to me, the question obvious in his eyes. I turned my
head away in shame, because he was so excruciatingly right.
 
“I mean, it was a battle amongst friends. The others will ask themselves what
havoc you would wreak amongst your enemies even limited to white spells.
Although we certainly know that you would resort to dark magic as well in a
fight for life and death!” Fred stated seriously and both pointed out to me
that I had to consider what kind of impression I made on others.
 
“Yes, I used a lot of my concentration on restraining myself and to prevent me
from doing something stupid,” I confessed. “And it was difficult for me,
because normally I would hold nothing back when I fight!”
 
“Didn’t I tell you?” he addressed Fred who nodded in confirmation.
 
“Don’t worry too much. I mean, you have always appeared a bit scary to most of
them! And you told the members of the DA about the Proteus charm that you used
a while back and now this battle. And to top it off you used nonverbal spells
as well, something many of them will never be able to do in their whole life.
Combat spells are some of the most difficult spells in existence and to manage
them with enough power to prevail in such a duel frightens a common witch or
wizard!” George clarified further.
 
“Most people are scared stiff by ingenuity! Why do you think we act so over the
top, so chaotically? It’s just to fool them into thinking us harmless jesters,”
Fred interjected smartly.
 
“Yes, great, now all of them are scared of me even more,” I fretted, for I
should have controlled myself more.
 
“Yes, though never mind! Once your reputation is gone, you can boldly carry on!
And don’t compare yourself to Harry. Everyone expects incredible, inexplicable
performances from him!” Fred uttered next, laughing freely. Sometimes I really
appreciated the way he saw the world.
 
“But the fight, woah, brilliant. But now you should rest. The things you
accomplished in the last few days must have taken their toll on you. Please
rest. You won’t help anybody when you break down. We will leave you alone now,
Beautiful!” George hugged me.
 
“Wait a moment,” Fred said and made a strained face and a bedroom appeared.
“So, and now rest. We will keep the world at bay!” He pulled me out of his
brother’s embrace and lifted me up as if I weighed nothing, then carried me to
the bed and laid me down gently.
 
“Thank you,” I whispered to him, moved by their words and gestures and snuggled
into the gloriously soft bedding.
 
“Sleep tight, most beautiful.” The Twins tiptoed away quietly while I dozed
off. I jerked up again when I suddenly remembered that it was Saturday and I
was not able and didn’t want to sleep for hours because “I have to get to
Draco!” He would be waiting for me. It was shortly before seven o’clock, but
when I went to sleep now, I wouldn’t be able to raise again at ten to stumble
down to the dungeons, to Draco.
 
“Forget him. We will find a way to tell him that you are too tired to get to
him, but that he shouldn’t worry…!” George offered.
 
“Oh, good. Please tell him, I will be in the Great Hall in the morning, okay?”
and slumped back into the pillows.
 
“Now relax. You need that once in awhile as well!” Fred stated thoughtfully. I
agreed with them, because I could still feel yesterday’s combat training and
the duel today in my bones. I mean, I was only human, no machine and thus I
didn’t care about anything or anybody at the moment, not even Draco, and so I
sunk into a deep, restorative sleep.
***** Slytherin Chiefs *****
Chapter Notes
     A big thanks to reader Carol for always being so nice. ♥
     And another big thanks for all the Kudos and new readers.
     Have fun and enjoy. xxxx
Slytherin Chiefs
 
As expected, I saw Draco on Sunday morning in the Great Hall. He gave me a
friendly, but covert nod, which meant that the Twins had been able to tell him
yesterday that he didn't have to wait for me. I quickly finished my coffee and
rose again, signalling him that I wanted to speak to him now and tried to make
him understand that I would be waiting for him. A brief, barely perceptible
tilt of the fair head told me he had understood. So I waited near the portico,
from where the large gull-winged doors of the Great Hall were in sight and only
minutes later Draco headed towards me in a rapid pace.
 
"What are you doing here, Mudblood? Out of my way!" he hissed and in passing he
pointed to the end of the corridor. He strode purposefully towards one of the
classrooms which was unused on Sundays and I followed with some distance. Today
I wore a green, simple college dress with a high collar and long sleeves. A
winter dress made of a warm, woolen fabric, because today, on a Sunday, we
didn't have to squeeze ourselves into school robes. When I closed the open door
behind me, I found myself in an embrace so fast, I couldn't even blink. Arms
pulled me tightly to a male chest covered by a form-fitting black pullover made
of the finest material, topped with a longer cut jacket. It fit him very well
and fortified his noble appearance.
 
We stood in the classroom and held each other tightly until he pushed me away
slightly and let go, just to cup and hold my face with both of his pale, well-
groomed hands, whereupon he leaned towards me and laid his lips over mine with
infinite gentleness and tenderness. That sent an incredible tingly feeling into
my stomach, as if thousands of bees were buzzing inside me. The kiss started
slow, so that at first only our lips touched each other chastely but then
pressed against each other more and more passionately, which caused an
indescribable feeling of happiness inside me! When his tongue began to caress
my lips with passion, I forgot where I was and opened my lips with a pleased,
throaty sound. I could feel the small smile on his lips when I welcomed him.
Our tongues began to dance with each other. We started out slowly and quickly
build up to a passionate finale in which our tongues fought a hot, fierce duel.
When we parted, overwhelmed from the kiss, my legs were as soft as pudding.
Draco had to hold me with one arm around my waist, otherwise I would've lost my
footing. Additionally I pulled myself close to his body.
"Draco, you’re so passionate today!" I tried to regain my balance.
 
"You didn't turn up yesterday, Malfoys can't handle that well!" he whispered
into my hair, caressing my neck with his hand.
 
"How did they inform you?" I asked curiously and eagerly.
 
"They stopped us in front of the stairs to the dungeons and offered us their
products, saying that they were generous enough to allow Slytherins to
participate in their ingenuity, because money is money, no matter where it
comes from and that it wouldn't stink! Then they started talking about
themselves in third person, very confusing! But the next thing they did was to
complain that they were very tired and that the earliest one would be able to
see them again would be the next morning, and that we should quickly grab their
products now, before they were gone, since one shouldn't be hopeful of seeing
them before tomorrow and they were staring at me intensely the whole time. I
would have to have been brain dead not to understand with that amount of
emphasis that you wouldn't be able to come that night!" Draco explained
extravagantly and made me giggle because of the mental picture I got. His
description was really hilarious.
 
"Draco, you should become a comedian, seriously! I'm sorry, but I was too
exhausted! First the martial arts training in London, my Sensei..."
 
"I told you, I want to know when you leave the castle...!" he hissed downright
angry and kept me at a distance to scowl at me.
 
"You know that I always have martial arts on Fridays!" I said perplexed.
 
"I want you to let me know with the coin, that you're leaving Hogwarts whenever
you do, and when you arrive well, inform me as well, is that too much to ask?"
he growled, his fingers now buried in my shoulders, shaking me with slight
annoyance.
 
"Oh, of course I can do it that way if you want me to," I tried to reassure him
with my cooperation, raising my hand to his smooth cheek and looking at him
apologetically. "Won't happen again, I promise," I promised solemnly and pulled
out of his grip. I went to a desk and sat down on the top. "Where was I? Um...
He taught me a new discipline. I still feel sore today. And then we formed a
secret defense club with some students here, in which Harry teaches us
offensive spells. Yesterday we had a really tough duel! I think most of our
classmates are terrified of me now!" I told him with a certain mischievous
satisfaction, forgetting the brief, slight disappointment of yesterday.
 
"Good!" it came indifferently from him.
 
"Uh, what do you mean?" I was confused.
 
"It's good that they're afraid of you! One has to be afraid of you. Most of
them are also afraid of me, one is naturally scared of Malfoys!" he said quite
arrogantly, as ever, standing proudly in front of me.
 
"Draco, I'm sorry to tell you that, but the Gryffindors aren't as scared of you
as your Slytherins are!" I said cynically, trying to put him down to earth.
 
"Oh, you're mistaken, my Mudblood! They are scared! Everyone in your tower!
Only you, the weasel and Potter are not! But everyone else, even the Twins have
the decency to not joke in front of me, ask them!" he offered nonchalantly and
I frowned thoughtfully, my legs swinging back and forth. He was right, I
thought. Draco had never been a victim of their sometimes very gross jokes,
even though otherwise Slytherins certainly were among their favorite targets.
Did the lions really fear and respect Draco? I started pondering, I knew that
all the girls, from all the houses, fancied him and the boys saw him as a
constant threat and competition! But scared, of him directly? Um, maybe? Or was
it because of his constant group of followers, I asked myself. I would have to
observe that in order to be able to judge!
 
"But you know that such groups have been banned by Umbridge?" he interrupted my
thoughts.
 
"Oh, that Bitch...!" I started to rant with contempt, but was harshly
interrupted by him with a sweeping gesture.
 
"Hermione,... don't say that...!" he stated sharply, looking at me chidingly
and showing a certain disapproval about my statement on his noble features.
 
"What do you mean Draco?" I frowned, perplexed about his words.
 
"That word, don't say that, that's beneath you. Did you read the books?" he
asked indignantly and only answered my question in an evasive way.
 
"I was just about to tell you about that. We've discovered a room, it’s
something really awesome, but I’ll have to show you to truly do it justice.
When do you have time? It's on the seventh floor! Oh, there are so many books
in there, you can't imagine. And yes, I've already read your first book, but
not the second, why?" The enthusiastic flow of my words ended with confusion.
 
"Good, then internalize what you've read. When I'm at yours for Christmas, you
need to have internalized the books!" he ordered quite harshly and I only
nodded.
 
"And regarding your room, it's going to be difficult the next few days. I'd say
we ought to do that after Christmas. It won't be long until we can get out of
here," he said, rather annoyed, but then grinned mischievously causing me to
reach out for him. I was still sitting on top of the table, so my face was the
same height as his chest and he stepped closer, looking down at me with a
tender look in his eyes whilst his hair fell in front of his face. I reached
out to ruffle through his gorgeous hair, which made him grin.
 
"That's how we'll do it then. I'll have my first detention with Snape
tomorrow... after dinner..." I groaned in suffering, because I was  so  looking
forward to tomorrow.
 
"Afraid of Severus?" he asked, grinning viciously.
 
"Oh yes! His moods can be devastating!" I replied, being realistic, but was
also sorry for myself.
 
"I’d have to agree with you, since Aunt Bella is out of prison, his mood has
gotten even worse than it was before!" Now Draco pitied himself very much.
 
"Why, what is she doing?" I asked curiously.
 
"Annoying him with her shrill voice and her crazed behaviour, as he says and
and I quote verbatim... this woman has nothing but ‘stirred dementor breath’ in
her brain!" he  cited scathingly while stroking my side with gentle up and down
movements, which made me purr pleasantly.
 
"Poor Snape!" I breathed sympathetically, as I continued to enjoy Draco’s
touches.
 
"Not just Snape, it gets even worse! Father has written that he has given them
access to Lestrange Manor. He's the secret keeper and he did that very quickly,
as he couldn't have suffered them in our home any second longer without using
 an Avada, or so he said. He only wasn't sure if he’d turn his wand on himself
or on Bella!" He shook his head sadly, thinking about his relatives. It
perfectly personified the saying: you can’t control who your family is.
 
"This woman seems to be pretty good at making both their lives miserable!" I
bravely suppressed my malicious joy at this realization.
 
"Yes, and my fear of going home isn't lessened in the slightest by that!" he
grumbled sadly.
 
"If I hear it that way, I can understand it," I said sympathetically, before
his hand went into my hair and he pulled my head back so that my throat was
exposed and I stared at the ceiling.
 
"Draco, what..?" I asked, irritated and swallowing visibly. I could feel by the
stretching of my skin that my throat moved. Immediately I placed my hands on
the tabletop, as I had to support myself so that I could keep my balance in
this very uncomfortable position. He dominated me and wanted me to submit to
him, but why? I could hear him take a deep breath, and I was a little confused
about what had caused his abrupt change of mood.
 
"What's going on with you and Potter, that he's allowed to touch you like
this...?" His voice was stern and menacing. I couldn't see him anymore in my
rather uncomfortable position, let alone being able to move.
 
"Draco stop, what do you mean? Harry just touched me, he often does!" I reacted
defensively. He pulled on my hair a bit more so that I could feel the pull on
my scalp and the pain made me hiss quietly.
 
"Ouch, Draco, that hurts.." I complained about his rude treatment.
 
"I've never seen him touching you like this. Does he want you? Is something
going on between you two?" he hissed, his voice dangerously soft.
 
"Draco, Harry doesn't want anything from me, I can promise you that," I said
urgently, because this was ridiculous and his threats were unnecessary.
 
"You may be sure of your feelings, but can you put your hand in the fire for
him, too?" He growled angrily. That made me think, no, Harry didn't want
anything from me, I was very sure.
 
"Let go of my hair now, otherwise I'll get very angry!" I said provocatively,
but he didn't let me go, which made me groan in annoyance. "Even if you don't
like it, Harry is like my brother and I'm ninety percent sure that Harry sees
it that way too!" I informed him regarding my relationship with Harry rather
gruffly and brusquely. I could hear a deep growl in response.
 
"Never forget that he is your brother, Mudblood!" And now he put his mouth
abruptly to my bared throat, I could feel his lips against my skin and how he
started kissing along it. He also used his teeth and nibbled and bit my bared,
exposed throat, which made me moan even in this uncomfortable position. His
caresses on this sensitive and now unprotected spot caused goosebumps over my
entire body! Eventually, he blew gentle kisses onto my jaw and lifted my head
slightly. He finally released it from the uncomfortable position and kissed me
at once passionately on my mouth. I wrapped my arms around him and we started
kissing each other fervidly again. My and his arousal grew enormously. I
briefly saw stars, it was like we had lost our inhibitions.
 
When I pulled back and saw his red-swollen lips, I could see in his eyes that I
looked the same! His thumb stroked my slightly bruised lips. His eyes were
filled with lust.
 
"You look like you've been thoroughly kissed, Mudblood," he already confirmed
to me very satisfied.
 
"You too, Pureblood. Unfortunately I have to go before the boys start a search
party!" I replied and shrugged regretfully. He too sighed heavily.
 
"I, what?" I squeaked as he grabbed my hand and pulled me from the table
recklessly, and only stopped at the door to kiss my forehead again as always,
sending a comforting shiver down my back.
 
"You don't have to be jealous of Harry, honestly," I explained again,
conciliatory.
 
"Malfoys are never jealous. I just don't like it when another touches you like
that!" he replied irreconcilable.
 
"I see... Take care!" I said cynically and opened the door, peering outside and
around me. What a scandal and outcry of indignation it would be if we got
caught together, I didn't even want to think about it!
 
"I rather think, you should be the careful one.  I  am not getting constantly
injured!" he retorted and I couldn't really decide if he made fun of me or was
worried. I looked at him appraisingly and disappeared.
 
For the rest of the day, I was hanging out with Harry and Ron. Ron hadn't
managed to calm down about the duel, but Harry and I both did our best to make
it clear that the only thing he could do about it was to improve his own
fighting abilities and that we weren't to blame that we were so good at it and
he wasn't. I was painfully aware of the looks we got from the members of the DA
when they were watching us, the trio, eating, and noticed as well the anxious
glances they gave me. And I could see Draco, who took all this in again
attentively. I think he would have been able to uncover all our comrades only
by their overt glances. He gave me a cheeky, reassuring look at the end of
dinner and then immediately put on an indifferent, icy mask, telling me with
this that I should wear one too. It made me smile, because it was his way of
reminding me that I shouldn't care about their opinion.
 
Now, on this Monday evening, I stood in front of Snape's door to his private
office, as he hadn't been in the potions classroom. Did I feel uneasy? Probably
not. After all, I had shared the most intimate interactions possible with him;
but I didn't really feel well either, because I knew he thought we had a score
that had to be settled. At the same time, I didn't bear any grudges against him
anymore about what he had done in the tower. Sometimes you win, sometimes you
lose! One shouldn’t take anything too seriously. Otherwise you would always run
around with a grumpy face. I forgot, did one ever see him with a different
expression?
 
So I worked up my courage and knocked because I didn't want to give him the
chance to say I was late. My knocking echoed from the door and a very friendly
"Come in" answered in the usual amiable tone. Yes, he was good at it. You knew
right away that you were very ‘welcome’ and that he was looking forward to
seeing you. I tore the door open and briskly entered the room.
 
"Professor, sir!" I said respectfully, nodding politely to him and walked to
his desk, behind which he sat like an egomaniac judge and looked at me from
behind his mask.
 
"Miss Granger, on time!" he snarled coldly.
 
"Sir?" Sentences as short as possible, then he couldn't use them against me.
But he just stared at me disdainfully with his arms crossed in front of his
black clothed chest. That these Slytherins knew no colors. Like Draco, he
always wore black. It was difficult to find fitting labels for them: black,
night black, jet black, ink black, dark black. Well, I couldn't think of any
more shades of black that nicely described the colorful appearance of the
snakes.
 
"Shall I start, sir?" I dared to ask the cheeky question.
 
"Did I say anything, Miss Granger?" He hissed sarcastically as usual.
 
"No, sir!" I said abashed. One could only lose, he seemed to be ill-tempered.
 
"Then, why do you think you could start, Miss Granger?" he replied cynically.
Oh no, did he have to play his psycho-games with me now? I couldn’t stand it.
 
"Excuse me, sir?" I said neutrally, but I thought:  why else was I here?
 
"Are we unapproachable and tight-lipped today, Miss Granger?" he snarled
sarcastically, one of his black brows raised calculatingly.
 
"Never, sir!" I tried to stay calm, because I stood above his nature.  Just
don't react to his insults and scorn, that's how you’ll irritate him a lot
more,  I told myself.
 
"Good that you agree that you aren't unapproachable, because if you were as
unapproachable as you are just now, how could it be that I saw you leaving the
Slytherin's common room just a few days ago, a little before six in the
morning?" He spoke openly and full of irony, making fun of me, his dark eyebrow
staying in place. "What were you doing there?" he asked predatorily.
 
"I had lost a book and was looking for it. It's not forbidden to be out shortly
before six, sir!" I sounded amiable but irritated. Why did he have to sneak
through the dungeons exactly when I, a lone girl, was sneaking around as well?
I think that's where my unfailable luck came in!
 
"Are you sure you didn't get lost and mistook the snakes pit for the lions’
den?" he asked dryly, and I wondered if he didn't have a sense of humor. Argh,
why did this man always aggravate me so?  Don't listen to what he says, go
deaf,  I advised myself and gave him a mild smile.
 
"If you say so, sir, then it must be right." I watched as his chin shot up,
giving his nose a special emphasis. I mean, he had a hooked nose, aquiline nose
or as high-bred people said, a Roman, aristocratic nose. The busts of the
ancient Romans had all such a conk. Exactly! Distract yourself with his
physical attributes. No, wait, stop! Definitely wrong direction. When I thought
about the size of his nose… - ! Just don't think about it!
I was here to re-brew the potions I'd stolen and nothing else.
 
"Miss Granger, how come you think that you can talk to me like this?" He still
sounded calm and controlled.
 
"Not at all, sir. Of course, never, sir!" And then I realized that I was still
standing in front of him. Gosh, wasn’t he finished soon?
 
"Did you do it with Draco? Have you gone too far?" he asked, astonishingly
unemotional. I could only just prevent my mouth from opening in indignation.
Professor Snape asked me, his student, such a personal question: whether I had
landed in bed with Draco. What was going on here? I was speechless for a moment
and eyed him in bewilderment before I found my voice again.
 
"Sir, I do believe that's none of your business!" it came harshly from me.
 
"I see that differently, Miss Granger." He now banged his hand down on his
desk, so that the objects on top of it shook.  Um... pretty sharp blow,  I
thought to myself. Was his hand hurting now? I hoped it was; my spite got the
better of me. But everything he could do, I could do, too. I didn't simply put
up with such questions.
 
"Oh, stop this neverending 'Miss Granger', it's annoying!" I shouted now into
his pale face, my temper going a bit overboard, but this everlasting,
disapproving ‘Miss Granger’ got on my nerves.
 
"Miss Granger, how dare you...?" He hissed furiously, staring me into the
ground.
 
"This is all a stupid game. Should I brew now or not, sir?" I exclaimed
angrily, not backing away, for he didn't scare me. I was going to stand my
ground.
 
"If it's really so important to you, please!" He took all emotions out of his
voice and talked now quite nonchalantly and very quiet. He really wanted to
annoy me. He shooed me, like a troublesome fly, to the only workspace the room
offered. This man suffered from mood swings, from 180 to 0 in one second.
 
"I think you know best what you have stolen," he breathed silkily. Vicious git.
How he said it like that, from above, quite the master!
 
"Of course, sir!" I graciously expressed through my clenched teeth. What he
could muster of self-control, I could muster too, and better. And so I stayed
friendly, stood a little taller and went to work, setting up a healing potion
skillfully and with routine.
 
"Oh, I wanted to let you know about Potter. I could drop the hint at an
appropriate moment, and Professor Dumbledore wants Potter to get Occlumency
lessons after the holidays," he suddenly said out of the blue and I jerked my
head up.
 
"But...," I looked up from the slowly bubbling brew inside the cauldron,
because this would be far too late. Why did the old man want to waste so much
time before teaching Harry?
 
"Don't interrupt me, Miss Granger!" he snarled and I answered with a devoted
roll of my eyes.
 
"Did you just roll your eyes?" he asked predatorily, looking at me like a
dangerous feline seeing its prey, sitting behind his desk, watching me.
 
"No, of course not, sir!" It was wonderful, this exchange. If I didn't have to
endure it, I would laugh about it. However, like this, I just felt sorry for
myself.
 
"Miss Granger, you forget who you are talking to. I'm neither the mutt, as I
thought I had already made clear to you, nor my immature little godson!" he
said softly with a threatening undertone.
 
"Of course, I never forget who you are, sir. But you underestimate your godson.
You should take him seriously, sir," I advised quietly, stirring in the
cauldron like mad, being rather angry.
 
"I don't think you're in the position to advise me!" he declared now quite
snobbily.
 
"Of course not, sir!" My mockery went crazy.
 
"Stop with this 'of course'!" he snapped at me loudly, apparently I had
exhausted his patience or at least had strained it heavily.
 
"Then you stop with your endless 'Miss Granger', sir!" I actually dared to tell
him. Sometimes I was exceptionally brave and exceptionally stupid, but I
couldn't help it. He aggravated me incredibly, so I talked back. It was like a
compulsion, a dangerous, idiotic compulsion, but still it was there!
 
"You're an unbearable woman. What Draco finds in you is beyond me!" he told me
unflatteringly and threw up his hands in a helpless, uncontrolled gesture,
which made me frown. Unusual for Snape. He was otherwise very sparing with his
movements.
 
"Umm, ask him?" I merely replied, looking at him ill-humoured. "So, it’s
finished. The base is completed. It has to simmer." Then I threw the ladle
moodily onto the shelf. He cocked his head and looked at me very appraisingly.
 
"And what are you trying to tell me, Miss Granger?" he asked with
consternation.
 
"I'm done!" I said curtly.
 
"Well, that's still my decision to make, don't you think, Miss Granger?" It
came from him very maliciously and a desperate... "Ahhrrr," escaped my lips,
while I slapped my hands onto the countertop. I was allowed to see a
mischievous lifting of the corner of his mouth when he saw my frustrated
reaction to his stubbornness; it seemed like he enjoyed annoying me and that I
was helpless about it.
 
"What are you trying to articulate, Miss Granger?" His voice dripped with
conceit. I was close to go for his jugular. Wait, he may have had similar
thoughts since our last conversation, most likely! Was this insight reassuring
me? Not at all, it only fueled my temper more.
 
"That was an almost orgasmic exclamation, because of the joy that I have
succeeded with the base!" It came ironically from me and I grimaced a smile.
His brow furrowed at my cheeky answer, unfortunately inappropriate because he
was my teacher.
 
"What did you say? Where is your respect, Miss Granger?" he hissed softly,
threateningly.
 
"I have the greatest respect for you, Professor!" I emphasized very clearly and
seriously.
 
"Then show it and leave your cynicism at home. It's not yours to use!" he
informed me brusquely.
 
"But you're, of course, allowed to use it, sir! It suits you so much better!"
Couldn't I shut up just once?
 
"There. You do it, again, Miss Granger. That's unacceptable. If you go on like
this, you won't get out of here, ever!" he said venomously, his voice greasy,
grinning at me nastily.
 
"Oh, Professor, is that a promise or a threat?" I answered provocatively, but
also with a lascivious tone. I seldom knew anybody who shoveled his own grave
as eagerly as I was doing just then.
 
"Miss Granger, is this the famous Gryffindor bravery, or your own abysmal
stupidity, trying to goad me?" he whispered softly through his clenched lips,
so that I could barely hear him. His face was a shade paler and looked even
unhealthier than usual. I think I was just claiming all of the self-restraint
that he could muster to avoid approaching me like Sirius did. Why did I always
have to enrage the men in my environment? Stupid, just very stupid, he was an
opponent I would still be inferior to.
 
"No idea, sir, but your statements almost scream at me to answer you, sorry,
sir!" I chickened out, as I had noticed his inner struggle to maintain his
composure. I couldn't help but grin. My statement and amusement didn't seem to
trigger any reaction except that he didn't move. He sat there, as if he had
swallowed a broomstick. I didn't dare to move from behind my counter either.
But then he got up with a jolt and strode with his robes billowing to the door
of his shelf.
 
"Come along, Miss Granger!" he ordered abruptly and opened the passage, leaving
me behind speechless now. Okay, I once again would go to his private rooms.
Why? What did he want now? But well, I had the courage, so...
 
He was already sitting in his chair and had his red wine in front of him and in
front of my seat, on the small table, there was also one for me, as I noticed
in amazement. I sat down and carefully picked it up to gently raising my glass
towards him, what he replied appraisingly and so we drank silently and kept our
eyes on each other. He had beautiful eyes, in his pale face, they were like
black gems and the most attractive thing about this man. The atmosphere was
relaxed and tense at the same time.
 
"How am I supposed to punish you? If I know that nothing means anything to you,
I couldn't hurt you with anything?" He suddenly raised his voice and I could
hear slight resignation about this fact, in his otherwise neutral statement.
 
"I could chastise and beat you, and I think, no, I know you'd endure and accept
it! You wouldn't even complain to the other professors, so it wouldn't be a
punishment. I can make you brew all the potions in the world, but you already
do. That is an exercise for you, a voluntary extra task, not a punishment. I
could subtract you so many house points that no one could ever make it to black
numbers. I know they haven't mattered to you for a long time, as well as the
opinion of your house, should your housemates get mad at you. Thus, this isn't
a punishment either," he took a deep breath and continued to speak almost
devotedly.
 
"I could punish Potter and Weasel because of you, but most likely you wouldn't
even feel sorry for them, thinking that the two idiots should learn more
anyway. So you would approve rather than see it as a punishment. It's hard to
stop you from disappearing, thanks to your spell, and I can't keep you away
from Draco because he doesn't allow it. So tell me, Miss Granger, how can I
punish you?" he asked pragmatically, taking a sip of wine, seeming totally
relaxed.
 
Wow. I sat there, flabbergasted, and took another sip of wine too; his words
had to sink in first. He was right, with everything he said, that man was
really good. He couldn't hurt me with any of these actions, nor hit me in any
way. He had seen completely through me in regards to this, I realized in
astonishment.
 
"You're right, sir!" I was shocked by this sudden revelation and realization.
He just looked at me with his head tilted.
 
"I know!" he sighed uncharacteristically heavily. Oh, now I felt guilty because
he didn't have the opportunity to punish me anymore. Hello, Hermione, be happy.
Yes, but I had really annoyed him in the snakes’ common room. And he was my
lifesaver who had helped me many times. I was indebted to him and I was sorry
to see him sitting there so stubborn and even though he didn't show it, he was
unhappy that I always slipped away between his fingers.
 
"Shall I show you another spell?" I suddenly offered in consolation and
shrugged, because I had a real crisis of conscience. Then it tore him out of
his thoughts and his eyes opened in surprise, threatening to pierce me.
 
"What do you mean, Miss Granger?" he asked indignantly, as I slowly got up to
go to him, sinking down on the carpet in front of him and kneeling at his feet,
leaning against the bottom of his chair. He leaned forward, slightly surprised,
so that his chin-length, smooth, and dark hair hung into his face as he looked
down at me.
 
"Miss Granger?" He asked perplexed and wanted to touch me with his hand, but
stopped halfway.
 
"Please listen, Professor, and please don't interrupt me. It's one of my well-
kept secrets that I want to reveal to you here! The spell I put on you is a
joke against that one! I have been working on this spell for two years. It has
been completed in the summer holidays. It works and is fully operational. I had
a guinea pig. Stop, that's not right, rather a test beetle," I giggled nastily
for a brief moment and he gave me an unreadable look, but remained silent.
 
"For this you need - different to the Credere Tacientiae that you know - well
you need no consent for this to hex someone, the only thing you need is...
blood!" I confessed in a whisper. This made him take a breath with a hissing
sound, since it was obvious now that I was actively practicing dark magic,
which he had probably only suspected so far, but hadn't really been able to
prove. And now I had frankly admitted it.
 
"The blood of both and no, it doesn't have to be given voluntarily...," I
licked my lips nervously, because I was only too aware of the intense gaze of
these deep lakes.
 
"You cut yourself and your opposite, for example in your hand and then you hold
the others hand tightly together to allow the blood to connect, meanwhile
aiming your want on your hands and reciting Impetus Impedive, which means
'preventing an attack and securing loyalty'! That's the correct movement," I
said industriously and showing him the movement.
 
"I invented the curse so that the bewitched person can't harm me in any way,
nor attack me directly. The spell would respond immediately and sent the cursed
person into a coma from which the person can no longer be awakened. Unless I
would take the person from that coma," I went on, biting my lip in uncertainty,
wondering what he would think about it, but continued, drawing small circles on
my arm-rest with my fingers, so that I wouldn't need to look at him.
"Understand, sir, this is an inseparable bond, like an Unbreakable Oath! Just a
little modified, you can see that it has worked, because white smoke appears
around the hands, so the ritual is completed and sealed!" I ended my
explanation.
 
I was finished and kept my head down, not daring to lift it because I didn't
want to see his reaction.  It was deathly silent; no one would've guessed that
two human beings were in this room, with this absolute silence. Suddenly I
could hear a faint rustling and soon felt a finger, which touched my chin
gingerly and lifted it gently but surely, so that I had to lift my gaze and
look at him for better or worse and saw his usual emotionless facial
expression, this mask of indifference, but there was a definite sparkle in the
obsidians that stood out strongly.
 
"Miss Granger, that's an impressive achievement. Two years you say? Then you
started in your third year with such studies?" it came from him appraisingly.
He shook his head slightly. "Unusual for a little girl, since this is the very
dark, forbidden and dangerous kind of magic. I don't have to tell you that,
right?" he whispered softly but very velvety, still holding my chin almost
gently, thus I stared fixedly at him and didn't move a muscle. I could see him
take a deep breath and his chest lifting under his frock-coat. "You are a very
weird child..." Which made my lips twist into a thin line, I had outgrown that
name, my dear, dear Professor, when he realised himself that this was very
wrong, because he started again.
 
"No, that's not true, a strange and fascinating young woman! That fits better!
This spell is ingenious, though what made you want to do it in your third year,
based on what intention?" he asked, intuitively correct, tilting his head to
the right and looking at me kneeling in front of him in intense
contemplentation. In spite of his long, slender finger, which was still under
my chin, I began to speak, feeling encouraged.
 
"I've always been interested in developing and exploring. From there it's just
a small step to creating one's own spells!" I explained coldly.
 
"Truthfully, Miss Granger: Who did you try this nasty little spell on?" he
asked now, slightly predatorily, but also with real, wicked, glittering
interest in his eyes.
 
"I can't tell you that, sir. However, I can reassure you that the person isn't
at Hogwarts and is an adult, so that person knows exactly how to behave to not
fall prey to the curse," I conceded and could see something almost like
amusement shining in his eyes.
 
"You shouldn't be underestimated, Miss Granger! With what did I earn your trust
for you to provide me with the specifics to this ingenious invention?" He
continued to dig for information. I wriggled away from his finger, jerking my
head to the right, causing his finger to land in my open hair and, to my
surprise, he took a strand of it and rubbed it between his thumb and
forefinger. A gesture that made me swallow!
 
"Sir, I owe you a lot and you do a lot for me, I'm grateful to you. I'm not an
ungrateful bitch, no, certainly not. Your words earlier, they are all correct!
I felt obliged to give you something, even though it is difficult for me and I
feel uncomfortable...," I laughed hoarsely.
 
"That's my way of asking you for forgiveness for what happened in the common
room of both houses and that it was too late to keep me away from Draco!" I
confessed apologetically and again didn't look at him.
 
"I understand!" It came coldly from him.
 
"No, you don't understand. I'm sorry!" I exclaimed a little outraged that this
guy always had to be so stubborn.
 
"No, I understand, you think you're in my debt! But you're not, Miss Granger,"
he said dismissively. This man was hopeless, you wanted to do him a favor and
what did he? He picked it apart until every petal was off and it looked so
different to what it should. I was about to scream. He managed so well to make
me crazy. I didn't know what to do to get through this shield of ice, and then
it happened so fast that I didn't know how I managed to move so quickly. I
straightened my back while still kneeling in front of him, putting my hands
forward, grabbing his head and pulling it towards me while approaching him at
the same time, putting my lips onto his. I resolutely closed this venomous,
sarcastic mouth with mine. I could see his wide-eyed, shocked eyes. I'd never
before experienced that emotion in Snape, but I liked doing something that
shocked him and threw him off track, doing something that could break that
shield of ice.
 
I began to caress this hard, unyielding mouth, but looked him in the eyes
unflinchingly. In them I could see a restless flickering and as the tip of my
tongue playfully stroked his unexpectedly soft lips, he unconsciously - as it
seemed to me -  opened his mouth, which was enough invitation for me to conquer
his mouth and slip my tongue into it. My eyelids closed slowly but surely, as I
enjoyed tasting him and I gave myself completely to the kiss. I didn't release
his head, but now I could feel his hands searching for their place. He put one
firmly on my back and pulled my whole body closer to him and his other hand
firmly gripped my neck and held me tightly, which made him tore the lead from
me, becoming the superior in our hot duel of tongues. Now he plundered my mouth
ruthlessly, which made me elicit hoarse, tiny sounds of enjoyment. My hands
fell away from his head and I clung to his frock coat. He was demanding and
unyielding. I moaned lustfully, which made him pull me even closer to him, so
that now you really couldn't fit a leaf between us. I gave myself to him and
turned off my oh-so-intelligent mind, only the regret remained that he would
never kiss Minna so enticingly.
 
Why  did  I kiss him, after the sensual kiss with Draco? I didn't know, really!
The only thing I knew was that it was very different from Draco, not to
compare, and that I didn't feel sorry in doing so. When I could feel his teeth
biting hard in my lower lip I was torn from my trance, and I opened my eyes and
yelped in unexpected pain! He had bitten really hard! I pushed myself away from
him and landed hard on my arse on his carpet. I looked up at him, still lying
stretched out, breathing heavily. It seemed he had come to his senses. So I
straightened up on my forearms. Even my school skirt had slipped up dangerously
far up my thighs through this action. I must have given a very inviting picture
as I was lying in front of him and he sat in his chair and stared down at me
with clearly accelerated breathing, because the events hadn't passed him by
without a trace.
 
I too was breathing heavily. What had I done here? I had kissed Snape for the
first time on my own initiative, or rather for the first time approached him of
my own volition. Why? I mean, I had Draco, but like he had said very nicely,
that was family! And at that moment, it had felt right and damn good. I licked
with the tip of my tongue slowly over the slightly bleeding bite at my lower
lip and licked up the blood lasciviously, which he'd left on me. I could see
his eyes following this movement almost compulsively and I could see the lust
in them was clear as day, desire and arousing excitement. But honestly, did I
really want to go through with this? Here I was his pupil, his ward, not a
whore, and getting intimate with my teacher as Hermione, could I do that? What
would Draco do?
 
The same thoughts seemed to wander through his mind, even though his lustful
gaze wandered greedily over my body and I didn't let him out of my sight. I
could see how he was fighting, too. He summoned all his self-restraint and
discipline to stay strong.
 
"I think I should go, sir?" I breathed questioningly. I had made it sound like
a question and swallowed down my own feelings and looked at him. He pulled
himself together, casually crossed his legs and leaned back in a decidedly
succinct manner.
 
"I think so too, Miss Granger!" It came coldly out of this positively hot
mouth. Should I be angry that he had bitten me? No, that had been necessary to
bring me back to my senses and probably him too. Though the professor was never
gentle, very different from Draco. I pulled myself up and smoothed down my
skirt, reached for the glass and drank it on empty on ex, I needed that now,
and then a nasty idea came to me of how I could irritate him and I smiled
wickedly into my glass. Because let's be honest, the game was far from over.
 
"Oh, Professor, I hope you don't think I've done that out of pity. You kiss too
good, that was pure selfishness!" I said very cheekily, which gave me a quick
turn of his head and he raised his eyebrow calculatingly.
 
"Don't forget about your detention next Monday, Miss Granger!" he said
sardonically. But he had taken them unexpectedly equanimous, the words I had
said ambiguously.
 
"Of course, sir!" I gave him a wicked look and walked slowly and leisurely
through the rooms, until I stood in the corridor of the dungeon and couldn't
suppress my chuckles anymore. It hummed inside me. Thanks to the wine? Thanks
to Snape? Thanks to his kisses? Who knew that?
***** Hogsmeade *****
Chapter Notes
     Careful guys, it's time for some nice smut.
     Enjoy. ;)
     And thanks so much for the lovely review and the Kudos. ♥
Hogsmeade
 
The next morning I woke with a smile on my lips and during my run around the
snowy Quidditch patch, where my breath condensed into small, white clouds in
the freezing air, my thoughts drifted back to the day before. In my mind the
encounters with Draco and Snape replayed again and again in an infinite loop.
If the icy wind hadn’t colored my cheeks already, they would have been red with
shame and from the butterflies in my stomach, ‘cause, hell, they both knew how
to kiss. I myself couldn’t believe it. First the heavenly kiss with Draco and
then the kiss with Snape that I had initiated. What the hell was driving me to
carry things so far with two men on the same day. I mean, I was no slut, right?
Was it slut like to kiss two guys on one day?
 
Arrg, my thoughts moved in circles. Damn it! At first I had only wanted to shut
Snape up, feeling furious and helpless, as he had been driving me mad. And
apparently nothing better had come to my mind as to seal his mouth with a kiss…
But, shame on me, I had enjoyed it immensely. If only he would kiss me as
Minna! I regretted this circumstance deeply.
 
I drifted off into a dream world.. He was no handsome man, not like Draco! Who
was sometimes almost too pretty to be real. Snape though was impressive,
charismatic in his whole demeanour and attractive in his own way, but not
handsome, not beautiful… Mh-hm, I think my behaviour had turned the good
professor’s world upside down, at least I hoped so. I loved nothing more than
to make him speechless.
 
And then I breathed in deeply and felt the piercing pain in my lungs when it
was filled with cold December air. Ow, that hurt and called me back from my
daylight dreams.
 
Today it was freezing cold and now I was on my way back, covered in sweat and
out of breath. Meanwhile I pondered how right he was with his analysis that it
was impossible to punish me! He was an excellent observer and took stock from
his collected knowledge with precision and without mercy. The resulting insight
had not pleased him and when he presented his observations to me, which I had
never given  thought before, they didn’t appeal to me as well, as it portrayed
me as quite... Yes, well, as what? As a not very nice, friendly or kind person.
What should I do with this new perspective which he had disclosed to me? I
knew, I had to analyze such a critical perception of myself and draw the
necessary conclusions. In this dangerous game we were playing here thanks to
the permanent danger to be nearly unpunishable or unsusceptible to blackmail
could be worth one's weight in gold or better yet worth one’s live.
 
There were so many fronts one had to think about and fight on. Here the Dark
Lord, there the Order of the Phoenix, the ministry, and then Hogwarts with its
professors and students and at last the people I was most closely attached to,
like Harry, Ron, … Snape and Draco. I had to think about all of this
unhurriedly… but then I had arrived at the showers and had to clean up for
classes.
 
When we had all gathered, well wrapped up against the cold, we set off for
Hagrid’s hut across the grounds, which were covered more and more in snow, as
we had Care of Magical Creatures today.
 
“I don’t know for sure, but I have a bad feeling because of the Bitch. Do you
think she is going to inspect his class today?” Ron inquired distressed at the
thought and looked around slightly chilled through.
 
“I’m certain. Now that he is back to teach. She is through with everybody, only
Hagrid’s missing!” and groaned quite hopelessly, as I couldn’t imagine our
slightly awkward and clumsy giant handling this evil woman well.
 
The class had arrived completely when Hagrid joined us. His wounds still hadn’t
healed and if I weren’t mistaken a new one had been added, for his nose hadn’t
been looking that crooked the last time, had it? Or were I seeing things?
 
“Hagrid isn’t looking good, he has new… Is that a broken nose?” Harry whispered
into my ear, which Draco complemented with a venomous glare, whereon I gifted
him with an appeasing roll of my eyes. This totally not jealous Malfoy was hard
to bear.
 
“We’re working in here today! C’mon!” Hagrid beckoned us in the direction of
the Forbidden Forest. When we got close to the tree line we could see a still
bloody carcass of a slaughtered cow on the white forest floor, rapidly turning
red and brown through the dead cattle’s blood. “How fortunate that it’s so
cold,” I mused not without irony. In the summer the dead meat would have been
swarmed with flies and the stink of decay would have been repugnant.
 
The reactions happened as expected.
 
“Yuck!”, “How disgusting!”, Gross!”, “I’m getting sick!”, “Why do we have to
look at that?”, “This dumb, blithering idiot. That’s the worst of taste…!” Such
it went back and forth with outrage. Lav and Pav were close to a screeching fit
thanks to the bloody sight.  Please don’t,  I grimaced in dread of the things
to come. I mean, it wasn’t pretty, but bad? Bole’s dead body had been bad. That
here, though, that was live. After all I hadn’t met any vegetarians in the
school. Did they think the food grew solely on trees?
 
“Easy, kids. That’s just a cow, nothing bad! We will go just a little bit
further into the woods. Keep together and follow me!” Hagrid kept his calm,
bend down and threw the dead cow easily over his shoulder and trudged
confidently into the forest.
 
The way the blood now  dripped over his shoulder onto his scraggy coat had
something positively disgusting and even I wrinkled my nose over the fact that
he obviously didn’t care. A look the right, yes, Draco looked very nauseated.
But Harry tried, showing solidarity to Hagrid, not to appear too grossed out.
We stopped on a small clearing, the snow still gleaming white and pristine. The
tree’s limbs hung low with their heavy loads of snow and the wan sunlight
shining through the branches made the snow sparkle and glitter. Hagrid
deposited his macabre burden in the middle and started to lure something with
an odd, shrieking cry.
 
When I already spotted them: Thestrals, who trotted slowly out of the thicket
of the dark woods, drawn by the carrion and Hagrid’s call. Immediately I tore
my eyes away from the animals. I knew them already. And I put an expectant,
clueless expression on my face, letting my gaze run over the waiting class,
bored, and took in the reactions of the others with idle curiosity.
 
I believed a knowing look flashed over Theodore Nott’s features, but Neville
regarded the winged horses with wary recognition, too. Draco once again showed
a slippery, smug and most of all annoyed expression. He didn’t betray the least
that he could see the creatures, though he had to, as he had watched when
people were tortured and killed, but he wouldn’t disclose that to the rest of
the class. Consequently, he used the same tactic as I, to let nobody notice how
much one truly knew. And above all I was allowed to see the telltale twitch at
the corners of his mouth when our eyes met before he announced:
 
“What are we doing here? There is nothing here… This half-witted oaf!” He
should pursue a career as an actor. A mutter of agreeing voices arose, as the
clearing appeared deserted to the students who couldn’t see. Well, and Harry
was not really good in not letting anything on. I am sure he couldn’t get his
head around the fact that the animals he had seen in front of the carriages at
the start of the year actually stood before him now in the forest and were
presented to the class. As brave, courageous and gifted he was in fighting, in
moments like this I dearly wanted to stomp him into the ground, questioning his
common sense, only because he was too lazy to pick up a book. I shook my head
in resignation.
 
When the skeleton like creatures had reached the dead cow, they pitched into
the feast Hagrid had served them. Which prompted very diverse reactions from
our classmates, as to them the meat was suddenly torn up while levitating, and
that had to be a truly terrifying sight and resulted in frightened exclamations
and scared students taking cover behind the backs of the strongest. Hilarious!
 
“Quiet, class! What you can see here are thestrals. Unfortunately, or thank
goodness, not everybody can see them. These animals are very useful, not only
do they pull the carriages which collect you from the train station each year,
they can take you everywhere you want and find the way themselves! They look
like…!” Hagrid was interrupted abruptly.           
 
„Chrrrr…“ Oh no, this was distinctly Umbridge’s annoying habit to call
attention to herself. Probably she was afraid that she would be overlooked
otherwise because of her short size.
 
„Eh, yes, please?” Hagrid was shocked out of his explanation.
 
“Whhhaatt aaarrree yooouuu doooiing heeerrre?” she asked extremely loud and
pretended to talk to an idiot hard of hearing and understanding. Hagrid in his
good-natured thick-wittedness responded to her mean game and answered her
questions with clumsy gestures to emphasize his statements, which didn’t help
to make him look more intelligent. I could just expel my breath in an angry
huff. She laid trap after trap, twisting everything around, which made me
furious. This conceited toad. Only because she didn’t like half-humans, this
racist bitch.
 
“If I assess that correctly, you can only make the subject matter accessible to
the class by communicating with the help of your hands and the mutual
understanding isn’t easy as well…” she summarized with a drawl and noted
something down on her clipboard. I turned around and disappeared quickly, as I
could no longer bear to watch the farce the toad was performing.
 
The week went swiftly. Wednesday we held another DA meeting, in which Harry let
us practice shield charms to defend against the Expelliarmus! It ended like
always, very successful! Harry was a great teacher and the members did well. It
was a pleasure to see how everyone improved.
 
And then Saturday had arrived, Hogsmeade day, and the day on which I had
planned to buy my presents. So I stood alone in the Forbidden Forest now and
adopted the look of Minna before apparating to Hogsmeade. I stepped onto the
market place heavily mummed by my black winter cloak, both against the cold and
to not get recognized.
 
Oh, it was packed when Hogwarts opened its gates and the mass of students
descended on the small magical village. It was a mad house! It was funny to
walk through the crowd and see all the familiar faces without anybody paying
heed to me. There, back there I could make out Ron and Harry, who were in high
spirits, going straight to Zonko’s, laughing freely. They should savour the day
and treat themselves. I didn’t begrudge them that.
 
Meanwhile I was making my way determinedly to the less populated, darker part
of Hogsmeade. Here was where the Hog’s Head was situated as well, but it was
not my target today. When I turned a corner, I saw Draco who sauntered through
the alley with his Slytherins in tow.  Yes, if one was part of the snakes, one
felt drawn in by such shady places.  It seemed my irony made itself known.
 
I could observe when he halted for a short moment and looked at me
calculatingly when I passed him. However, I left him behind unheeded. I had
things to do and entered Dervish & Banges, a speciality store for magical
instruments and tools. Here I scored and stocked myself up with christmas
presents. I dug systematically through the chaotically arranged assortment of
products and found more than one treasure in this treasure trove. I was elated.
Why were the best shops always hidden in the most dubious alleys? When I was
happy to have this task completed and left the dingy shop, I lost my hood. I
had pushed it back a bit inside the shop and now I stood on the front steps
with my face clearly visible. I closed the door behind me and quickly stepped
down and pulled my hood up again to continue on my way.
 
And here we were again by the aforementioned luck and that I, even if I enjoyed
it from time to time, belonged rather fell into the category of the
fortuneless. Because I couldn’t even blink before a - oh wonder - blackclad
Professor Snape stood in front of me, grabbed my upper arm roughly and dragged
me through the snow less than gentle.
 
“Mr. Snape?” I cried out, startled, and stumbled gracelessly in his wake. Only
a couple of students were watching us, preferred Slytherins, though they were
looking exceptionally stupid as their professor hauled a woman in a black cloak
in the direction of an undisclosed destination. He didn’t mind them and I
didn’t care as well, as I had different problems at the moment. Not to trip at
his speed, for example. I tried to wind out of his unrelenting grip, as he was
hurting me and not responding.
 
“Mr… ?” I protested, when he sent me an intense look out of icy, dark eyes over
his shoulder.
 
“Be quiet, Miss Cale, and come along!” he hissed angrily and I was left
speechless. Uh-oh. Well, say something, wasn’t I lucky? I didn’t even think
about the fact that he could visit Hogsmeade as well and I expected even less
to cross his path.
 
He wouldn’t want… Or would he? I mean… No, he wouldn’t. Right? To catch me on
the hop like that… I mean, he couldn’t assume I would jump whenever he called,
not even as a whore. I mean… I was unsure about a lot of things at that moment.
It didn’t help me to muse, as he dragged me on mercilessly. Okay, now I spotted
Draco as well, he stood near the Hog’s Head and talked with some other boys.
They all turned around to us in surprise and I was allowed to witness when an
abrupt spark of realisation alighted in Draco’s eyes.
 
When he saw us, Snape and me, like this, something happened that I hadn’t
thought I would ever experience outside of intimate situations: he erupted into
honest, roaring laughter. He held his head with one hand, laughing loudly and
couldn’t stop, which earned him widely bewildered glances from his companions.
Normally you wouldn’t catch a Malfoy acting this undignified in public. But he
didn’t see everyday how his godfather trailed a woman like a sack of potatoes
driven by his sexual needs, without knowing who it was he was desiring so
desperately.
 
I shot Draco a heartfelt, venomous glare, which he unfortunately couldn’t see
as my hood shaded too much of my face and Snape wasn’t paying attention to our
surroundings anyway. He headed for the pub of Dumbledore’s brother without
regard for anything else, kicking the door open with brute force and storming
towards Aberforth.
 
“I need the small booth for a short time,” banging a hand full of coins on the
counter with his left hand, for his right was still holding me in a vice like
grip. I was getting my breath back only slowly because of the total
astonishment that had overcome me, when the barkeep nodded already in agreement
and I felt myself jerked forwards ruthlessly immediately. Help! From Draco, the
giggling monster, I couldn’t expect any, the wretched ferret. Snape opened
another door forcefully, shoved me into the small room and slammed the door
back closed. I flailed my arms to keep my balance. When I had succeeded I
turned around to my kidnapper, incensed.
 
“Mr. Snape. How dare you! What is this about!? This assault?” I snapped back
the hood so I could stare him down in outrage.
 
“I am sorry, Miss Cale, if I made the … decision for you. Only, I have little
time and wanted to seize the opportunity when I spotted you by chance!” he
snarled with unbelievable arrogance and didn’t look intimidated, merely,
impatient.
 
“I see, only that you seized my arm instead!” My voice dripped with irony.
 
“As I said, I apologize for my temperament, I will compensate you adequately!”
he dismissed my objection and I gritted my teeth at the huge amount of
ignorance on display. I gritted them so hard it hurt. Only because of my ‘job’
I should accede? I didn’t like the taste of that. I couldn’t believe it, he
wanted to fuck. I should spread my legs for him, here, now. It was enough to
drive me up the wall… I was incredibly angry!
 
“Mr Snape. If you had asked, I would have told you that, unfortunately, I don’t
have the time to offer you my services!” I declared politely, albeit I didn’t
sound very friendly and turned determinedly, almost indignantly, to the door.
 
“Miss Cale, now that I have you here, I won’t let you go! You will be late only
by a very short time,” he remained uncompromising. Great, very great. Could you
believe that? I didn’t have a will of my own anymore! He didn’t leave me the
time to contemplate further or to protest against my fate, as he embraced my
waist with both of his strong hands, claiming my body and pulling me
relentlessly towards his own, pressing his lower body against me, so that I
could feel that indeed he wouldn’t take long, as aroused as he seemed already.
 
Gulp. What should I do? He had in fact always been polite to Minna, though I
knew as well that he was not a nice man if he didn’t get from a whore what he
paid her for. What else could I do but accept my fate. Thus I grasped the clasp
of my cloak obediently and opened it, so that the garment could fall to the
floor. At once he understood it as it was meant, my capitulation to the
inevitable.  He let go of me, pulled the chair out from under the table and sat
down, as always fully clothed, and just opened his trousers and freed his fully
erect member without disrobing further. It was twitching in anticipation.
 
I was slightly ashamed. I would right now once again have my professor… Snape
inside of me. Oh goddess, he now started to pleasure himself and didn’t let me
out of sight for even a second, while his hand stroked his swollen cock with
slow movements. I stood before him feeling a bit helpless. Should I blow him?
And licked my dry lips at the thoughts, which he must have understood as I
meant it, because he reacted with an answer.
 
“No, sit down on my lap, quickly!” he commanded already, sounding on edge and
out of breath. Well, I could follow orders.  Here it goes! Get it behind you,
Hermione!  Thanks to the cold weather I was wearing black cloth slacks and a
warm sweater over a tight shirt. I did as he demanded and shed my slacks and
took off the large, loose fitting sweater swiftly and stepped up to him like
that.
 
“Take off your panties, come on…” it came hoarsely and impatiently from him. He
didn’t stop his masturbation while ordering me around. And, in a last brave
act, I pulled my panties off my hips, straightened up and, after gathering my
courage once again for a final heroic act, sat down on his hips, bracing myself
on his fully clothed shoulders. And now he finally let go of himself, placing
both of his hands demandingly on my hips, holding me tight. Next his hands
travelled lower to my cheeks, and began to knead them thoroughly. I could see
the lust in his eyes while I remained in this waiting position, before he
pulled me down on his hard, rigid cock, and when I felt him at my entrance I
closed my eyes, resigned to my fate, and took heart, impaling myself on him in
a single thrust. I cried out, for I was not really prepared to welcome a man
into my body, as he had done nothing for my arousal, but that was what I got
paid for after all, was the sad thought going through my mind.
 
Which, after I had snapped my eyes open again and noticed his unfocused gaze,
didn’t seem to bother him. He appeared to feel quite comfortable inside me.
And, oh yes, I could feel him deep, thick and firm and couldn’t resist the
desire stirring inside me. Slowly but surely I got wet for him, and for myself,
too! While I sat on him, waiting and beholding his pale face with the prominent
nose, I wished for myself to be allowed to kiss it, though I knew it couldn’t
be. He wouldn’t want it and no real whore as well, something like that wasn’t
up for discussion. I started to move. I had never done it with him like that, a
completely new feeling to sit on Snape’s lap with my legs spread wide.
 
“Oh!” I gasped, when I let him slip out of me slowly bit by bit, before falling
back down abruptly, which prompted Snape to groan louder as usual. I could see
him closing his eyes, savouring the feeling with his head laid back, and now I
picked up the pace, increasing my efforts to make him moan. My arousal mounted
as well when I rode him in earnest and the clenching of the muscles in my mid
showed me  how much  I liked it to be so close to the dear Professor once
again. Overcome by desire I bit my lips when he placed a hand on my still
covered breasts and started to attend to them in a way that couldn’t be called
gently. When I moaned softly his head shot up and he opened his eyes again. Now
he forced me to arch my back. While his hand on my hips held me down, I let my
head fall back as he wished, and he leant forward and bit into my aroused
nipple through the shirt and my bra. It shot through me like lightning.
 
“Arrrhhh,” I cried out loudly. It was a feeling equal part pain and lust, when
he attacked my bust so ruthlessly. During it all I had my eyes wide open and
from my reclined position I had a view of the only window this room possessed.
And I believed to be hallucinating. That was the platinum blond hair of Draco,
who was flattening his nose against the glass, watching me and his godfather
having sex. I tensed and froze. My brain stopped working for a moment… What?
Draco shouldn’t… couldn’t see that, that was embarrassing, awkward. That was
not good!
 
Snape had felt me growing stiff and pulled me upright, which made him slide
back into me deeply, making both of us gasp. He looked at me, aroused. I could
read the animalistic lust in his gaze with ease, when he already grasped my
ass, holding tight, and stood up smoothly. I clung to him at the unexpected
move and additionally wrapped my legs around his slim waist. He put me down on
the table, in the process slipping out of me more and more. I released him and
he pushed me down, so that I was lying flat on the tabletop.
 
At the same time he forced my legs apart, which made me growl, and then I felt
him pushing inside me in a single, brutal thrust and he started to pound me in
an incredibly merciless manner. I writhed below him, wriggling in front of him
back and forth. I felt so much during our voracious union. Snape between my
thighs and his member, which hit my pleasure centre, again and again. And I
moaned desperately, while the sweat was running down our bodies. Within, I
could feel the climax building-up, as I had nothing to set against the fast and
hard penetration of Snape’s cock thrusting in and out of me. Besides, yes,
besides my knowledge that Draco was standing at the window and watching us,
which might be the only thing hindering my orgasm. Snape’s hands by now were
digging painfully into my hips, as he launched an even more powerful, more
reckless assault on my body. By now I was reduced to wimpers, biting my lips
hard enough to draw blood to keep from screaming. And then I stopped caring!
 
Draco was already witnessing how Snape was hammering into me like a berserk,
why should I deprive myself of the only fun of this whole affair, after all I
was lying here, not he. And I surrendered to the onslaught of my own passion
and could feel… my orgasm ripping through me like a storm, shaking my body like
gusts of wind. I seized up from head to toe, clenching around Snape’s thick,
hard member like a vice, screaming out my orgasm, which possibly was the final
straw for him and his self-control, as he threw his head back and released a
low, drawn out, tightly repressed cry, while thrusting inside me furiously two
more times, before collapsing on top of me. Thus we both were lying on the
table in this drinking hole, with me feeling battered to death. My body felt
very used, very abused, but the aftereffects of my climax told me that pain
should be regarded positively.
 
Heavily breathing he lifted himself off of me and looked into my face. I found
it bewildering that he stood fully clothed in front of me while his deflating
member still stuck inside me. Strange, truly and utterly strange.
 
“Miss Cale…” he said, when he slid out of me and straightened his attire. I
closed my legs quickly, as used as I was lying on that table. “As always a
pleasure to meet you,” he stated soberly and began to search for something in
his cloak, and I used the opportunity to slide off the table and dress myself
again. It was time for the payment. How I hated that part.
 
When I had made myself presentable again, I looked up and he placed the purse
distinctly and visibly on the table and turned away.
 
“Until next time, Miss Cale.” And gone he was. I slumped down on the chair.
Why? Why did things like that always happen to me? I would bet my fortune that
Draco was waiting outside… I was not in the mood to move, a considerable amount
of me was hurting and my head was starting to ache as well.
***** Confrontation *****
Chapter Notes
     Thanks so much for all your amazing reviews.
     I really like this chapter and I hope you'll too. xxx
     Have fun!
Confrontation
 
Thus I stepped into the street, my head held up high proudly and spotted Draco,
casually leaning against the opposite wall. He'd pulled up a leg to brace
himself upright and crossed his arms over his chest, so he seemed very casual
and relaxed. His head was tilted slightly and his hair, appearing even whiter
through the snow, was being blown gently into his face by the wind!
 
He displayed a face that was rarely seen in the many masks of a Malfoy: A
terrible, dirty smile twitching on the corners of his mouth, while his eyes
sparkled with amusement when he saw me in person! His smile became a broad
grin, and his body shuddered with suppressed giggles. The amusement Draco
offered made me unbelievably mad. Where was the pity, or something? I was
outraged. The guy had dared to secretly watch me having sex, which was
absolutely unacceptable! I walked towards him like a fury, which seemed to
amuse him. Haha, hilarious, ferret!
 
"Hello, are you alright?" he asked with a chuckle.
 
"Very funny, Draco. Did you like the show?" I glared at him as I approached, my
arms crossed angrily.
 
"Well, well, so grumpy? The way you... you two did it, the satisfaction should
make you purr like a kitten!" he snapped playfully.
 
"Funny. Nice to know that you liked it so much that I had the professor between
my legs!" Man, was I in a bad mood! I was sore, it was cold and this wasn’t
funny at all. I had gone shopping here unsuspecting of anything and then had
been taken by a raging professor and once again had a full purse in my pocket,
bah...
 
"What's wrong? It wasn't that bad." He looked now seriously curious. "I ... it
looked like you had your fun, really!"
 
"Not bad? Not bad?! In what world do you live, Malfoy? I go shopping, then I
get roughly tackled, taken to a room and have to fuck, whether I like it or
not. I was dry! Okay? I'm sore, he's not tender with... he's not nice to
hookers!" I hissed furiously at him and looked ashamed aside, thinking of the
kiss between Snape and I, and I thought I was almost sure that he would be
different to Hermione than to Minna. Not that I thought he'd be tender then!
No, of course not, for as I said, Snape was never a nice man, but he would make
sure that I, too, would find my pleasure, I firmly believed that.
 
"And then, to top the whole thing off, you are playing voyeur and laugh your
ass of," I said beaten, throwing my hands up. "Did it really cheer you up this
much?" I didn't see him pushing off the wall and was taken by surprise when he
pulled me into a possessive, capturing gesture, hugging me tightly. I let it
all happen to me, perplexed.
 
"Shh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you, please believe me! Only seeing
Severus like that, how he pulled you behind him, so driven and not even knowing
who you are, that was a picture for the gods! I think he doesn't want to
realise that you're Hermione. Because then he would be seized by his morality
and he would have to let go of you, so he plays blind deliberately, I know him
too well. But all the more exhilarating was the act of how he took you! This is
so unusual for him, the only other person that makes him lose his composure
like that is Father! You must have provoked him very badly on Monday, that he
lets himself be so overwhelmed, not even I see that often! And it is impressive
how you see it through this! Forgive me laughing at you, darling!" he breathed
apologetic kisses on my short, blond hair.
 
"Why have you been watching me? My heart almost stopped!" I now said, my tone
sad and reproachful.
 
"I can't think what came over me. I wanted to see it, sorry, even though I have
to say, it was a memorable show! I'd like to just grab you and take you,
because it has really aroused me! But I can wait, I have the control for it. It
should be the right time!" he whispered passionately into my ear and I put my
cheek to his chest.
 
"You really don't mind? I can't believe it, seeing me with him like that!" I
whispered in disbelief.
 
"Well, what do you want to hear? I'm not like the others! I know when you can't
change some of the situations you're in and with Severus... oh, let's face it,
it's just sex! I have to tell you, if it was Hermione I would mind much more,
because there would be more behind it... but like this, as being this person,
whom I hardly know myself, it only bothers me a little. I'm a Malfoy and I
would've liked to join in. And I told you, I'm not nice!" he chuckled again
into my short hair and I experienced his wicked side, which was probably not
unlike mine.
 
"You're impossible Draco!" I declared, hitting him on the chest. He caught my
fist and kissed it affectionately. "I... we argued during detention and then I
kissed him, for real, to shut him up," I confessed softly, licking my dry lips
and peering at him from under my thick long appraising eyelashes, not knowing
how he would react to my confession.
 
"I know, he told me the next day, to make me realize what a bitch you are...,"
Draco confessed very relaxed and I flinched back a little shocked over these
sneaky snakes. First Snape, who played both ends against the middle, and then
Draco's emotional coldness, it was enlightening.
 
"What? Oh that viper!" I hissed angrily. He just ran to Draco to tell him that
 I -  that we got close to each other and rubbed it under Draco's nose. I
couldn't believe it! If I hadn't intended to confess it to Draco, he might have
taken it as an abuse of trust. But not with me, dear professor, I could play
those games about honesty as well. Draco laughed loudly again.
 
"You’ll still have to practice that. A viper, he'd be happy to hear that. Well,
we  are  snakes, don't forget that," he mocked me, but then he pulled my hood
over my face, wrapped his arm around my shoulder, told me: “Come along,” and
walked leisurely towards the castle.
 
"I wish he would kiss me while we were... well, you know!? He's a good kisser!"
I told him pleasantly. If he could laugh about me like that, he had to go
through that now, too. Besides, this was my less than subtle revenge about him
having the nerve to enjoy himself so much over my troubles.
 
"Hey! What are you telling me with this? I can kiss a lot better and anything
he did there, I can do as well and, believe me, much better!" he said cockily.
I would’ve liked to contradict him now.
 
"Yeah, well, Draco, about you kissing better... uhm, I can't say anything about
that. Maybe you should kiss Snape too and then form your own opinion. His
kisses are very different to yours, but whether yours are really better, I
can't answer that!" I shrugged coldly. You needed to take him down a peg too,
once in a while. "And to your quality of performance in bed I truly can't
contribute anything. Maybe we should ask Pansy?"
 
"Are you trying to challenge me?" he growled, pulling me closer, but he didn't
really seem upset with me.
 
"Never, Draco!" I said not quite seriously, the corners of my mouth were
twitching. He could be really funny in his Malfoy-pride.
 
"That's better!" He pulled me even closer to his side and breathed a kiss on
the top of my hair, which was still blond.
 
"Hey, Draco! Wait for us!" We heard the demand voiced behind us all of a
sudden. He didn't let go of me, but still held me close to his body, turned his
head, though then he quickly looked at me and whispered: "Even if it hurts,
become Abraxina again!"
 
"Uh, who?" I said, perplexed at his request.
 
"Well, the one you turned into once before in the common room!" I understood
and started to change quickly. The others were still a bit away. The pain was
intense again. However, it was a good exercise, so I didn't want to complain
and when I finished I asked him:
 
"Abraxina? How did you come up with this name?" He then flipped my hood back to
study my transformation and yes, to admire her too, as his grey eyes told me.
 
"My grandfather's name was Abraxas! If I ever get a daughter, I would give her
this name and you look exactly like a Malfoy," he explained. Wow, Draco was
able to surprise.
 
"Thank you for making up names for my disguises! Was your grandfather named
after the Abraxas horses?" I asked curiously. The Slytherins Zabini, Nott,
Crabbe and Goyle had reached us, but Draco deigned to ignore them for the
moment, which they accepted wordlessly and kept a certain polite distance.
 
"As always correct. Yes, his father started our Abraxas stud farm. He loved
these animals, so he named his firstborn after them," Draco explained
snobbishly, and that could really only be done by Malfoys. "How do you like the
name?" he smirked mischievously.
 
"Pretty. The name is suited for a Malfoy."
 
"I knew that you’d have the right attitude," he grinned, pleased now, and
pressed his lips firmly on mine and that in front of the others who were close
to us and watched us. He became more demanding, he devoured my lips more and
more eagerly, which elicited a soft groan from my mouth. Above all, it seemed
to me as if he wanted to do right what Snape had done wrong and refute my
assumption after my statement earlier. Our hot kiss, as we could hear, made the
Slytherin boys laugh dumbly, but we didn't care and we ignored it. We all
suddenly turned around when we heard and perceived something different.
 
"But that's disgusting, Malfoy. Are you into incest now? She looks just like
you!" Ron’s voice carried obvious disdain and much disgust. He approached us
together with Harry, Neville, Dean and Seamus.
 
"Do we even know her?" Dean said contemptuously and now the snakes came up
close to me and Draco, flanking us protectively. It was unfamiliar to be on the
other side of this hostility and to experience what it was like when Harry and
the Gryffindors stared at the Slytherins in such a nasty way.  But Ron, don't
talk that big. If you pursue this topic you might burn yourself,  I thought
grimly thinking about the twins, but I remained silent. Draco still held me
tightly in his arms, glaring at the five Gryffindors.
 
"Oy Weasel, you're just jealous that I am able to hold such a girl in my arms
and you’re not! Who even wants you? Believe me, no one!" Draco spat arrogantly
and earned malicious laughter from his boys for it, which made Ron red with
anger.
 
"Don't be smug, Malfoy, I don't need that kind of hooker you have in your pit!"
the Gryffindor hissed. All right, I stiffened at these words as they brought
the previous happenings only too clearly back to me, which was unpleasant to me
and the bag of gold weighed only heavier in my pocket. Draco, of course, felt
that I stood motionlessly in his arms, and lowered the corners of his mouths.
He was angry. I think Ron aggravated him again, because he had distracted me so
effectively from the experience in the Hogs Head Inn before.
 
"Where is your Mudblood?" he hissed and I jerked slightly when he mentioned me,
which made him turn to my face and he quickly gave me a brief kiss on my mouth,
whereupon some surprised faces appeared on both sides. Nobody had thought of me
until he had deliberately brought me into the game. Then he glanced again at
the group of lions and now really started, because the Gryffindors looked
confused, of what I had to do with the matter.
 
"And should you have the hope of holding her in your arms, I unfortunately have
to teach you better, Mudbloods don't like red!" It came wickedly from Draco and
it shocked me. What was that? He wasn't supposed to say that, he was going to
reveal us! What was going on with him, where was his fucking jealousy when it
came to Snape? With Snape he would be dying of laughter. But with Ron and Harry
he went crazy and became a time bomb.
 
The people addressed were so speechless after his words and how he still
provocatively caressed me before their eyes, that they hadn’t yet responded to
his insolence.
 
"You like that, don't you?" I whispered, asking. Only the snakes around us
understood my words. I thought Draco always found the point that hurt, and then
he used it mercilessly with no ifs or buts. He was not nice!
 
"It's too funny, isn't it? Look at their dumbfounded faces, they don’t show any
intelligence!" he said softly. Harry seemed to have caught himself and now knew
how to use his voice again.
 
"Don't call Hermione that, you ferret!" Harry exclaimed very angrily. "And what
do you even assume to know? You know nothing!" Harry raged.
 
"Why? I don't know, she just doesn’t seem to mind when I call her that. And I
know more than you!" he hinted to what we always called each other.
 
Oh, heaven! Draco could be so impossible, but his manner made me laugh
mockingly. He was right, it had always meant less to me than to Harry and Ron,
who had always obsessed badly about the insult.
 
"You think that's funny, right? When this pompous, arrogant creature
discriminates and insults other people!" Harry got fed up with my amusement and
looked at me angrily. His eyes flashed ominously behind his metal-rimmed round
glasses. Oh, Harry, when will you finally learn that Hermione doesn’t need any
help? But it was also very informative to experience the situation from this
perspective, because I had to realize to my displeasure that it wasn't the
Slytherins who had sought this confrontation, but us, the good Gryffindors and
only because Draco and I had kissed each other. So far, none of the Slytherins
had said anything except for Draco. And unfortunately, I also had to realize
that we were in no way inferior in terms of toxicity and malignancy. Let's face
it, we didn't care.
 
"Don't talk to him darling, he's unworthy of you!" it came sternly and
absolutely blasé from Draco and the way his stormy grey eyes looked at me as
well he had meant it ambiguously. He still didn't like it when Harry came close
to me! I just didn't understand him, when his godfather fucked my brains out,
he got a laugh attack, but when Harry whispered something into my ear, he saw
red. Malfoy should be your name! The worst part was that I could live with
that. I had changed so much in the last months that I could live with it, if I
was completely honest. My morale allowed that, I could even live very well with
it, what did that make me? But the young men wanted my attention again and so I
turned back to the action.
 
"Are you forbidding your women to talk? Let's see how long they can put up with
that? How can you even like someone behaving like this?" it came venomously
from Ron, who had adopted an unhealthy shade of red. "Who is the real unworthy
one, who crawls on the ground in front of others on all fours?" Harry now said
ambiguously in his allusion to Draco's father, when he stood as a Death Eater
before the Lord.
 
"Oh, right, I forgot that your Mudblood can never shut up." He grinned nastily
now and I covertly rammed my elbow into his side - Hey, that was mean! - which
made him give me a dirty smile from above that made me roll my eyes. I really
shouldn't forget I was dealing with a Malfoy here. Unlike my boys, who obsessed
over these fights and were very upset, it seemed to amuse Draco and match his
humor, which was deeply black. Nobody would believe me, but this man was funny,
laughed a lot but always hid it, and was blessed with a very idiosyncratic,
dark and dry sense of humor. He had to have it inevitably when Snape was his
uncle.
 
"Who are you anyway? I have never seen you at Hogwarts!" it came boldly from
our black-skinned Dean and I could see his scanning eyes, and that he actually
really liked what he saw, whatever he wanted to say on the contrary.
 
"I can easily believe you that you know nothing and see nothing and now fuck
off! You aren't welcome here. Go to your beloved Mudblood," Draco said
haughtily, waving at them as if chasing away annoying mosquitoes.
 
"Who do you think you are? You don't own everything Malfoy, we can stay here as
long as we want!" Harry pointedly took a few steps towards us.
 
"That's not true, I already own everything that matters!" he gave me a big
compliment and roamed his hand possessively over my neck to seize me there
gently. This man was incredible, he loved the big, provocative performances.
Even his Slytherins around us held their breaths as he made a statement that
wasn't a little thing. It warmed my heart, because of earlier and the snakes
knew who I was, after my unforgettable appearance in their common room. Draco
once told me that they called me the Untouchable because Draco had made me
‘untouchable’ in his speech in front of his house. The fact that he now
admitted this in front of strangers was probably really surprising for the guys
behind us.
And for myself too as I still wondered what Draco saw in me, why he had sought
me out and had initiated that bond, this relationship with me! But I was glad
and I wasn't the type to pick on it, though I found it interesting myself.
Blaise, Nott, and Co. had to be careful for their eyes were threatening to fall
out, and the Gryffindors looked very pissed off.
 
"Thanks, Draco, you can be so charming if you want to be! Shall we be on our
way? This kindergarten bores me!" I replied snobbishly, worthy of a pure-blood
Malfoy. I wanted to get away from the lions, the situation was worsening.
 
"Who are you? A Malfoy?" Harry’s questions were charged with distrust. He
stepped even closer.
 
"What's it to you, Potter?" Draco asked coldly.
 
"One always has to be careful with you and your ilk!" Harry hissed furiously.
 
"Potter, are you slightly paranoid? I'm going back to the castle!" Draco said
and made a dramatic gesture.
 
"With an unauthorized person? Who tells us she's not a Death Eater?" Harry put
in suspiciously.
 
"This is too stupid for me, come on!" Draco ordered and on his command our very
silent group set into motion. Harry then pulled out his wand and pointed it at
us ostentatiously. I was shocked. Was he always so uncontrolled and aggressive?
Poor Slytherins, if they had always been approached by us in this way... Even
though they weren't innocent either.
 
"Tell me Potter, what do you want?" Draco now rolled his eyes, annoyed over so
much heroism, while his entourage, just as all the lions, had now drawn their
wands, only Draco and I hadn't.
 
"You won't smuggle anyone else into our school. I won't let that happen!" Harry
said firmly.  Sometimes Harry can be quite heroic . Even my thoughts were not
free of deprecation and I shook my white-haired head slightly, one could almost
feel embarrassed for Harry.
 
"Abraxina, darling, do you see now what I'm always trying to tell you? Potter
and Co. are such idiots, it hurts," Draco said soberly, dryly and matter-of-
factly, and didn't make it any better with that. He looked desperately at me,
which made me press my lips together, because I was on the verge of a
hysterical laugh attack.
 
"There's no one with that name in the school," Neville announced.
 
"Send Zabini and the others away, let them go on. I don't want that when we're
gone the Gryffindors grab them and question them about us or me!" I whispered
quickly. I had a plan, I wanted to disapparate us and get back to Hogwarts via
the secret passage to avoid this nonsense.
 
"Command them, they'll follow any of your orders," he said generously as Harry
and Ron excitedly discussed how to stop us. I turned to our bodyguards.
 
"You, go to the castle quickly, we don't want them to get their hands on you,
they outnumber us..." Zabini interrupted worriedly.
 
"But what about you?"
 
"Don't worry, Draco and I will disapparate as soon as you're gone," I showed
him a typical Malfoy-smile. "Go now!" I ordered quietly but strictly and they
nodded obediently and started to turn away.
 
"Do you know that it makes me totally hot, when you're like that!" he whispered
so close to me that his breath grazed my skin and gave me goosebumps. The
Slytherins retreated slowly and unobtrusively.
 
"Hey, the poisonous snakes want to get away!" Seamus exclaimed already and
excitedly pointed at us.
 
"Oh, your oh-so-faithful snakes are leaving you, what a bunch of chickens!" Ron
said spitefully to us, which made Draco snort in disdain.
 
"Since you're outwanded now, talk, what are you planning?" Harry demanded,
looming threateningly in front of us.
 
"Potter, you never learn. Not everything is always as it seems!" Draco said
ambiguously. We should talk about bad and good luck again, because Zabini and
Co. were still within eyeshot in the background when a figure with flowing
robes quickly walked toward us. And believe me, I really didn't want this
person near me right now, but, as I said regularly, I was blessed with fortune.
I wanted to burst into tears or cackle aloud. Wasn't it enough to be confronted
by Harry and my house mates? No, Snape did have to rush to our rescue. My head
slumped forward and Draco pulled me protectively into his arms, but thanks to
this closeness, I could feel that he enjoyed it all and he was laughing again,
as his chest was vibrating. A jester like him wasn't easy to bear. Well, I too
had to admit that all this was a bit ironic.
 
Zabini, Nott and the two fatties also halted their retreat and came back to us
and we could see that Snape wasn’t alone. Parkinson and Bulstrode came running
after him.
 
"We've seen that the idiots threatened you and brought the professor," said
Parkinson eagerly. Should we be thankful for that? I guess so. Only I was more
in the mood to trash her, when I saw him again, only this time recognizable for
him and thus I had to deal with him as Hermione.
 
"What's going on, Mr. Potter?" he thundered already.
 
"You should ask Malfoy and Co. They want to smuggle a stranger into Hogwarts
and we stopped them!" Harry said so stupidly  smugly that my stomach turned and
his boys nodded excitedly and approvingly. Snape turned his attention to the
Slytherins and found me in the arms of Draco, who released me so that Snape
could inspect me. And of course disapproving recognition immediately reached
his eyes. I could read an amused glint in his eyes, the humor of the situation
didn't escape him, just as it did with Draco, who was now beaming at Snape. It
was too funny, I, Hermione Granger, had triggered this chaos and stood on the
wrong, the ‘evil’ side.
 
"Glad you're here, Professor Snape. These Gryffindor idiots don't recognize
Abraxina and threaten us. Please help us, sir!" Draco said incredibly slimy. I
sho uld register myself and everybody here in a theatre class, we all belonged
on a stage, I decided silently.  Snape's dark eyebrows almost reached his
hairline when he heard the name Draco had forced upon me. He had to know what
it meant as close as he was to the Malfoys.
 
"Well, Potter, you and your friends are utter imbeciles. How dare you threaten
these Slytherins. Abraxina, come here!" he suddenly ordered and I looked at
Draco in shock. I didn't want to end up in Snape's arms yet again, and Draco
knew that, as he had sensed very well that I had enough of Snape today, and
thus his hand moved reassuringly to mine, holding it tightly, and he joined me
next to the Professor.
 
"What do you wish, sir?" I breathed.
 
"Would you explain to these students why they don't know you?" he snarled and
seemed to enjoy the situation more than just a little. This man was a sadist.
 
"Of course, sir. I'm not going to this school, I attend Durmstrang, where the
Christmas holidays start earlier. I am curr ently visiting Draco, thanks to
your generous permission, sir," I made something up from thin air. This was the
fir st thing that came to my mind, though I certainly knew that their holidays
started sooner than ours, thanks to Viktor. I also knew why the professor had
left the explanation to me, since he had no idea what Draco and I had told
everyone else and he didn't want to destroy our lies with rash inventions of
his own, he was really very clever. But we were too. Because of that statement,
Harry and Ron looked quite uncertain. Their faces were now pale.
 
"But... but..." Ron stuttered nervously.
 
"Yes, I'm all ears, Weasley. What do you want to say? Do you really think the
castle is so unprotected that you have to take care of it?" Snape sneered
wickedly and humiliated the boys.
 
"But Malfoy behaved suspiciously," came their baseless defense.
 
"Gentlemen, no one else is to blame for your excessive paranoia. You will have
to spend the next few days until the holidays in detention with Filch, starting
at eight o'clock, for drawing your wands here in Hogsmeade, and now leave, just
get out of my sight! Understood?" he hissed through his teeth, annoyed.
 
"Thanks, Severus," Draco whispered as the beaten lions returned to Hogsmeade
with their heads down. After the shock they certainly needed a butterbeer.
 
"Abraxina? Are you crazy Draco?" Draco was now reprimanded by Snape as well.
 
"Why? I like the name," he protested.
 
"But you can't just give her that name!" waving his hand in front of my face.
 
"Why not?"
 
"What are you doing here with Draco...?" Snape whispered, so that the snakes
wouldn't hear.
 
"Draco and I wanted to have a nice day in Hogsmeade as well," I offered, which
was a wonderful alibi for Minna as well. Man, I almost had to be careful that I
didn't get confused.
 
"Mhmh, both of you should be more careful when you dare to leave the castle!"
He straightened resolutely.
 
"Mr Zabini, oh, all of you, get yourself back to the castle," he now shooed us
out of the village and went back to resume his supervision. Nott, Zabini,
Crabbe, Goyle and the girls started to laugh.
 
"Have you seen Potter and the weasel? The professor is hilarious!" they all
said nastily.
 
"We saw that they stopped you and then we saw the professor and asked for help.
I hope it was okay Draco?" The cautious question came from  Pansy, who walked
behind us and thanks to our coats Draco and I seemed like one single person.
 
"I think to know that Abraxina would've preferred her method, however I found
this solution better and more entertaining. Well done, Pansy," Draco praised. I
could hear Bulstrode whispering something:
 
"Lucky you, apparently he's in a good mood!" The chubby girl sounded very
relieved. What were they all thinking about me and Draco? Then I heard whispers
behind us again, as the boys brought the girls into the loop and told them
everything in detail.
 
"Was it bad?" Draco asked caringly.
 
"No, otherwise I wouldn't be able to attend classes at all. It was not bad, so
soon afterwards, just unpleasant, that's all!" I admitted honestly.
 
"Sorry if I offend you, but how can you bear the weasel and his cohorts? I'd
try to kill myself!" Draco said seriously.
 
"You seem to have a lot in common with your father!" I laughed mockingly,
alluding to Bellatrix and Lucius.
 
"Haha, just you laugh. We Malfoys just don't like to be surrounded by annoying
idiots. Is it our fault that we're so sensitive?"
 
"Shall I feel sorry for you now?" I said coquettishly.
 
"Yes, please," he begged, feigning sadness. "Are you coming to see me tonight?"
 
"I'd love to, but I still have a lot to prepare, next week are the holidays," I
made my excuses and pulled away slightly.
 
"Oh, that reminds me, I can't go to Diagon Alley until the twenty-third."
 
"Why?"
 
"Because the night before is the Ministry's Christmas Ball and father wants me
to attend," he explained businesslike.
 
"That shouldn't be a problem. I have to go now, not that I run into McGonagall.
She'd certainly react differently than Snape." I pulled him to me and smacked a
cocky kiss onto his lips, which made the other two girls almost pass out.
 
"See you then, darling," he exclaimed, and then I disapparated and ran up the
secret passage way to get to the tower. This day was exhausting, I just wanted
to lie down now.  My bed was calling me loudly.  After I undid my
transformation, my face hurt immensely because this time I had been ‘Abraxina’
for quite some time. How did Draco come up with ideas like that?
 
Draco saying that he’d go to the ball had been a surprise.
***** Last DA Meeting of the Year *****
Chapter Notes
     Thanks so much for all the reviews and the amazing news that this
     story is being translated in Russian! ♥
     I'm so happy to have you all a part of our world.
     Please enjoy!
     (Translated by Aivy)
Last D.A. Meeting of the Year
 
The next days went by in a rush. Outfitted with gloves and a heavy woolen scarf
I was strolling through the arcade with its high vaulted ceiling and Gothic
lancet windows, which had no glass inserts and thus let in the cold and fresh
December wind. Where the dungeons were humid, dark and cold, the upper floors
were draughty, bright, and freezing cold as well! Nonetheless, I enjoyed the
view of the snowy inner courtyard with its stone gargoyles hanging from the
rooftops, which guarded the space with their ugly, demonic, grotesque faces,
braving the elements.
 
Further out, at the horizon, I could spot low clouds gathering, which would
bring new snow to the highlands. This winter scenery, in which everything was
so muted and silent, invited me to review the last few stressful days and
carefully think through my next steps. I was leaning against a stone pillar by
one of the windows, the wind blowing sharply into my face, reddening my cheeks
and bringing tears to my eyes. In spite of that, I was enjoying filling my
lungs with air so clear and pure.
 
Thanks to the Room, I had learned how to perform the Disillusionment Charm
perfectly! It was nice to see that one could achieve anything through hard
work. The Twins had fallen in love with the Room more and more too, and could
now cast this difficult spell as well! Unbelievable, but true. They had worked
seriously with me on the practical part and had been totally focussed on the
task, no laughing, no mischief nor any fooling around. It hadn’t been easy, as
it took a lot of concentration, just like my transformation into ‘Abraxina’ -
sometimes Draco had positively absurd ideas - in order to maintain the spell’s
effect and remain completely invisible. It was cool to stand in front of a
mirror, seeing how your own reflection started to slowly distort and then, in
the blink of an eye, vanish from view completely, even if you knew you were
still standing on the same spot. Yes, I loved magic, and all its facets.
 
Fred still had problems remaining invisible. His thoughts strayed too often
into spheres I wouldn’t follow him into for sure. When I remembered how one
time a head of red hair had appeared and nothing more, I had to laugh out loud,
which made a resounding echo in the passageway I was standing in. Since last
Sunday I hadn’t had a chance to speak to Draco, and thus I had filed away the
whole incident with Snape and him under ‘done’. From my point of view the whole
Hogsmeade incident was a thing of the past. Let’s be honest, things were seldom
as bad as they seemed at first glance!
 
If I made a drama out of it, then it would become one, and if not, then not!
Therefore, I didn’t care, I determined very coldly and controlled. The only
thing still mesmerising me was the realization that we Gryffindors were not as
innocent regarding house enmity as we always claimed to be. It’s really
astonishing to notice how perceptions changed when you were part of the other
side. Though it was hilarious how slyly the snakes wriggled out of a situation
like this, while the lions with their hotheadedness dashed headfirst into the
hunter’s trap, which made them seem ham-fisted occasionally. Harry and Ron were
so aggressive and pigheaded in the way they handled confrontations, which
didn’t cast them in a very kind light. However, I think Harry was very much
influenced by Ron’s antipathy against Malfoy in that regard!
 
At least that was what I hoped for. When Ron became fixated on something you
should just save your breath instead of trying to reason with him, but I had
still hope for Harry. A fine example of this was during Third Year, when he had
given Sirius and Remus the chance to explain themselves. Nonetheless, those
were dreams of the future, as far away as the moon, or perhaps even Jupiter? I
addressed myself to a more important topic. Today would be the last D.A.
training of the year and tomorrow the holidays would begin. I hoped to catch
Draco on the train ride home, as I wanted to tell him something after his
revelation that he would attend the Christmas Ball at the Ministry, or rather
something I  had  to tell him. I turned away with a shrug and resumed my walk
at a slow pace after I had internalized the beautiful, dreamy view. Today I
felt a slightly melancholic.
 
Harry and the Weasleys would spent the holidays at Grimmauld Place, and that
inevitably brought Sirius to my mind.
 
Sirius. We hadn’t talked for month, as after Umbridge’s hand appeared in the
fireplace, trying to grab him, no further attempts at conversations with him
had taken place. Did I even want to talk to him? Thusly engrossed in thoughts I
only heard the click of my heels echoing loudly from the nearly a thousand
years old, well-trodden stone tiles. Oh, why did I waste thoughts on Sirius? I
had other worries. I was near to the Room of Requirement. Today a revision of
all spells we had learned to that point would be taking place, Expelliarmus,
Stupefy, Protego, and the most advanced students would show if they had
mastered the Patronus as Harry wanted to give the members fodder for the
holidays to keep their curiosity alive. This promised fun. However, there was a
matter that worried me: my own patronus. Unless Harry, Ron and Ginny were
afflicted with sudden, severe amnesia, they would undoubtedly recognize my
magpie as the bird appearing in the Blacks’ kitchen a while back and that would
lead to very uncomfortable questions, and thus I planned to remain as good as
invisible as soon as we got to that task.
 
“Hermione, you arrive late!” Harry greeted me, his excitement clearly apparent,
turning to me. In spite of his school uniform you could notice that he was
growing up and losing the ganglyness of young boys.
 
“Sorry, I... the books… Is everybody here already?” I replied, diligently
divesting myself of scarf, gloves, and coat.
 
“Yes, I think so. But good that I caught you just now. I want to demonstrate
the Patronus with you,” he stated and my blissful state of mind was crushed.
 
Stop!
 
That was not how I had planned it. When Harry reached this subject matter, I
shouldn’t stand in the front row, but in the far back, or anywhere really,
except were all eyes would be on me! Right, I won’t even mention my luck. Since
the summer holidays I could write a paper on the matter and it wouldn’t
increase my mood, be sure about that!
 
“Come on, the others can’t wait to see it!” Harry was positively hyper and
clasped my clammy hand, pulling me relentlessly into the middle of the training
hall. The D.A. formed a wide circle around us and I was allowed to look into
the expectant faces of our members, where anticipation and excitement reigned.
 Only Fred and George shot me slightly worried glances with their sets of brown
eyes. I gripped my brown wand tightly and took a deep breath. I would do it,
wait and see what happened, and I was now determined to face up to the yelling
that would ensue.  Hey, when I can stare death in the face, I should be able to
handle Weasleys gone wild and an enraged Harry,  I told myself, trying to
bolster my courage.
 
“Well, everyone. The Patronus calls a guardian in form of an animal, who can
protect you against dementors or lethifolds, but those are negligible! It is
the top of the art to produce a corporeal patronus, as most only manage a
white, glowing mist, which protects you temporarily, but insufficiently!” Harry
explained in detail, spinning around once to check the attention of his pupils.
Inside the closed circle I felt slightly, but really only minimally, pressured.
 
“Now comes the most difficult part. How do I perform the spell ‘Expecto
Patronum’? For that you need the power of a very strong, very happy memory. And
here comes the problem: you have to maintain this feeling of happiness inside a
frightening, possibly perilous setting and this is very, very difficult!” He
looked around solemnly and encountered excited expressions. I was staring as
well, though for different reasons!
 
“As I said, only the corporeal patronus is able to chase away one or more
threatening creatures. And now I have talked enough, I can see how impatient
you are to discover what your animal looks like. But please, don’t be
disappointed. I, too, did need a long time until I mastered the spell, and to
produce a patronus you need a lot of concentration!” Now he stepped back and
towards me.
 
“On the count of three, Hermione!” he already proclaimed determinedly.
 
“But Harry, why do you assume that I can perform the charm ad hoc?” I murmured
defensively.
 
“Please, Hermione, don’t take me for a fool. Don’t tell me you are not often
here in the Room and practice like crazy,” he whispered back at me and showed
me his teeth. “For that I know you too well. I am bursting with curiosity which
animal you have!” he said conspiratorially. At his statement I swallowed down
something very bitter and gave him a false smile.
 
“So, let’s start,” he declared and drew his holly and phoenix feather wand and
shouted loudly and clearly, “ Expecto Patronum ” and we all could observe how a
gigantic, white stag with impressive antlers materialized out of the tip of his
wand and burst forth. It was beautiful to watch as it cantered around the room.
 
 
“Wow,” “Amazing,” “Can I do that as well?” “How will my animal look like?” “So
pretty.”
This were the questions and exclamations sounding throughout the room when
Harry demonstrated the charm successfully.
 
“Now it’s your turn, Hermione!” he addressed me excitedly and turned to me with
a cheerful expression. I admitted defeat once more and accepted my fate,
concentrated and reached for my happy feeling. I saw myself when I learned that
I was a witch, when I found my first and second wand and when I performed my
first spell and already I was filled and flushed with an incredible feeling of
happiness that made it easy for me to call on my guardian.
 
“Expecto Patronum,” I shouted fervently and could see a glowing bright animal
bursting from my wand and diving excitedly through the room. Everybody stared
at my animal in awe, me and the Twins included. The three of us exchanged looks
of incomprehension. Here, in front of us, a large, silvery otter was gliding
through the air, looping and hunting his own bulky tail playfully. Come again?
I mean, what did I have in common with an otter? Where the hell was my beloved
magpie? I could identify with it. I mean, be honest, that animal suited me, but
an otter? I felt offended. An otter!
 
I mean, the animal in itself was cute and sweet, but nothing like me!
Considering my luck, I might have lost my magpie, but how did that happen? I
knew everything written in the books about the patronus and it was explained
that it took life changing circumstances to change the shape of a patronus. And
nothing like that had happened to me, apart from Bole, Snape and Draco.
However, Draco was a viper and no otter! And I doubted sincerely that Snape had
an otter as his patronus and I wouldn’t associate him with such an animal in
any way. A bat, any kind of snake, a cat of prey or something else big, but not
an otter. And elsewise lately no feeling of mine had come even close to
unsettling me and even the two men just mentioned hadn’t shaken me enough to
warrant a change.
 
“Boah, well done, Hermione!” “Congrats,” “You are really good!” “Such a
cuuuuute animal,” was the commentary to my successful spell, though it bounced
off of me as I was occupied with the questions of the phenomenon, unanswered
questions, and that was something that I wasn’t able to stand. The gears were
turning inside my mind, the hard drive of a computer was nothing against it. On
the other hand I should be happy. As mentioned, my magpie would have led to
questions. Thus I smiled around thankfully, made a happy face for the outside
world and didn’t led on about the conflict inside me.
 
Now Harry started the lesson and shortly the hall was filled with a glowing
mist from failed attempts of our members and shouted incantations resounded
around the room. I retreated more and more into the direction of the Twins.
 
“Most beautiful, what happened to the magpie?” Fred inquired when I reached
them, while regarding his white smoke soberly.
 
“If only I knew, guys, I didn’t expect it!” I stated and looked at them with
wide eyes and both  of them grabbed me at the same time. One grabbed my right
upper arm, the other my left one and I was dragged into an alcove, which closed
around us. It happened so fast, I couldn’t even blink, and just like that the
three of us stood in a small separate room.
 
“What… what happened here?” I asked. Both let go of me and exchanged a high
five beaming with delight.
 
“Nice, when we can take you by surprise once in a while!” Fred declared at
once, wound up, but his tone was still devious at the same time.
 
“We only created a separate room for us, in addition to the hall. We practised
with the Room of Requirement lately and learned a lot about it. It’s a bloody
cool thing!” George explained in an ecstatic manner, spreading his arms
happily. “And we thought here you could satisfy your and our curiosity what has
happened to your poor magpie. Right?” He now grinned at me insidiously. And I
reciprocated it, as it was so chaotic over there with all the mist, that nobody
would miss us for a short while. What would I do without the Twins? One had to
become downright sentimental.
 
“I figured, I mean… I am no expert on this matter, but perhaps it’s the wand?”
Fred wondered now and scratched his head in thought and made me look at him
with a jolt. Right, was that the explanation? I had been so appalled by the
intolerable otter, that I hadn’t had the opportunity to think it through. Could
that be the explanation?
 
“That thought might not be half bad!” I let him know and drew my white wand out
of the invisible holster on my left arm. I aimed and yelled “Expecto Patronum”
and my glowing corporeal patronus shot out of my white wand and flew agitatedly
around the alcove.
 
“There you go! I find it much more beautiful than the otter!” both of them
declared.
 
“Looks a lot more delicate. Though why... Can you give us an explanation,
Hermione? Why do you have two and I don’t even manage one!” Fred enquired,
slightly sulky, and stared at the floor. Meanwhile I giggled in relief. It was
a good feeling that I hadn’t lost this little companion on the way. It suited
me so well. Next I pondered unhurriedly what I knew about otters and what they
stood for, chewing my lip in the process. Yes, right, they were resourceful,
dynamic, eccentric. I couldn’t think of more than that.
 
“Oh, er, excuse me, I was lost in thought for a moment. I’m just so happy. I
too like my magpie more. I believe it has to do with the two wands. One is a
purely light wand, I have never used it for dark magic. My real wand, however,
with which I feel well connected, is so different to the brown one. So I think
that this explains the two patroni!” I explained and reasoned further.
 
“Most of the people acquiring a second wand get one similar to their first, but
my second one has nothing in common with my first wand, absolutely nothing, do
you understand? And that’s why I have a patronus for each wand, funny, though I
guess the magpie is more powerful?” and looked at the white wand in my hand.
 
“Maybe, it was stronger, more silvery than the otter. Do you really think it’s
so easy to explain? Wouldn’t everybody have a different patronus with another
wand, then?” George added for consideration, sounding excited.
 
“Mh-hm. Unfortunately I am no wand maker and those keep their experiences and
findings always to themselves, but I believe so. Say somebody has beech and
unicorn hair for his first wand and the second is made of cedar and unicorn
hair, then the patronus shouldn’t change much!” I swept a few stray strands
back into my plait.
 
“That sounds logical!” George acceded thoughtfully.
 
“And now look here…” I held up my brown wand. “Vinewood with dragon
heartstring, a light wand…,” put it away and raised the white one. “...
whitethorn with thestral tail hair, very dark. Even the maker was astounded
that such a powerful and first and foremost quintessentially dark wand chose
me. I believe with such significant differences it’s only natural.” I weighed
both of them thoughtfully and calculatingly in my hand.
 
“What is so special regarding pale wood?” Fred inquired and nearly crept into
my wands.
 
“It doesn’t get along with light materials, which is why it is part of black
magic. Draco is very proud of his hawthorn wand, as white wand wood chooses
only very powerful wizards,” I explained visibly proud myself.
 
“Cool! I want a second wand, too!” Fred shouted, already decided. “I truly want
a second one as well,” he now looked at his brother pleadingly, who just then
started to formulate an  answer and considering the way he looked it was not a
positive one, when I interjected.
 
“Then we will get you one during the holidays. When exactly will you arrive at
mine?” I asked them. When Fred wanted a second wand, both of them should get
one, full stop, I had decided.
 
“The day after Christmas. Mum won’t let us go to Lee any earlier, as it is a
family holiday!” George rolled his eyes, annoyed.
 
“Good, I’m looking forward to it. However, I think we should go back, not that
somebody notices our absence,” I pointed out apprehensively. Thus the Twins
sandwiched me again and only seconds later we were back again amidst the noisy
scenery of earnestly practicing students. I now helped Fred and George with
words and deeds, though nobody managed a corporeal patronus in this lesson.
When we set out to return to our common rooms in small groups Cho and Harry
were dawdling. We cracked up as the Twins were making lewd jokes at Harry’s
expenses and Ginny was looking as if somebody had forced her to eat lemon
drops. If she continued to pull such a face she would get wrinkles while still
young.
 
At night in front of the fireplace, which transformed the common room into a
warm, cosy nest, we snuggled down into our armchairs and couch and I embraced
the opportunity to pump Harry for information.
 
“Well, Harry, talk. What did you have to discuss with Cho?” Meanwhile I beamed
at him mockingly. If he could force me to show my corporeal patronus in front
of everybody, I would tease him with his love life.
 
“Er, er. Now… Nothing?” It came convincingly from a boy gone red, who had
directed his gaze down in embarrassment, combing through his hair insecurely.
Yes, right, Harry, I believe every word you say.  Maybe I should offer him
acting lessons.
 
“Pray tell, mate, have you cracked her?” Ron enquired extremely sensitive,
which made Harry even more shy. I glared at Ron.
 
“Ron! Only a klutz like you can be so sensitive. Just as well that no girl yet
had the honour to be cracked by you!” I spit venom at him. I mean, really,
‘cracked’.  I will crack his head right now.
 
“Of course not, Ron,” Harry said soft-spoken. “I and her, we had a conversation
and she… she… oh, I don’t know, she suddenly started to talk about Cedric and
then she started to cry…” He now took his glasses off with a frustrated
expression and ran his hand over his tired eyes, looking deflated. He groaned,
“I tried to comfort her and then, then we kissed…” He broke off. Considering
that had been his first kiss, as I knew, he looked too much like a wet blanket,
not like a young man in love who was happy about his crush kissing him. I
didn’t like the girl at all. No, that wasn’t right, I was indifferent about
her, that’s more like it. I didn’t like the way she treated Harry or rather her
overly emotional behaviour. I mean, she was beautiful, an exotic beauty with
long, black, silky hair and her delicate, Asian figure. However, when the
character was flawed, all the outward splendor didn’t help.
 
I wasn’t fond of people suffering so openly, wallowing in one’s sorrow. It
didn’t achieve anything, that was my attitude. I was pragmatic here and Cedric
had neither been a stranger to me nor unfamiliar. It had hit me hard, but I was
not one to cry and do little to nothing, like dear Cho, I did more, but tears
didn’t help in the slightest, they only managed to upset Harry for nothing at
all. Was I too hard on her? Because I was an emotional cripple and not capable
of such feelings of grief and least of all over such a long period of time?
Imagine the girl had to live through the things I had experienced, she would
break down… or worse. I wished for Harry to have a loving, but strong
personality at his side, he would need one considering the position he would
have to take on sooner or later, and not some delicate flower. Yes, the plants
came into play again. You can guess by that alone the deep affection I held for
Cho given my ability to nourish and cherish my plants.
 
“Blimey, mate, that’s not good at all, is it?” Ron only looked consolingly at
Harry.
 
“Oh Harry, never mind. You’re not at fault, she isn’t crying because of you!” I
explained, groaning loudly. The stupid cow might manage to bring Harry to blame
himself, as he was very quick to do so.
 
“Really?” He looked up hopefully. “Do you truly think so, Hermione, or are you
just talking…?” he doubted me immediately.
 
“Really, Harry! Cho is a delicate, sensitive young girl, who is totally unable
to cope. And I think she is not ready for a new relationship. She likes you,
but she knows you need strong personalities around you and she isn’t one. And
she is sad about that and hence the loss of Cedric impacts her all the more!” I
offered slyly. I had to open Harry’s eyes, this girl was not right for him.
 
“Bloody hell! If that’s so, do you think she isn’t over Cedric’s death? I don’t
think that’s bad… But she can’t mourn him forever, right?” Ron said something
clever for once and got Harry to raise his eyes
 
“That’s right, Ron, I think she is still grieving for Cedric and naturally she
wouldn’t withstand the reactions of the other students, as emotional as she
is.”
 
“What do you mean?” Ron asked. Oh wow!
 
“What would everybody say when she gets together with Harry, who had been
present when her boyfriend had died. That smells fishy and requires a strong
woman with high self-esteem, who knows what she wants. And Cho doesn’t measure
up in my opinion. I’m sorry, Harry!” I looked at him sadly and he gave me a
wistful smile
 
“Alas, Hermione. I believe you are right with everything. Even if it hurts to
admit, but I think you are right. I mean, as early as Fourth Year everything
that could go wrong went wrong and now it really is, how did you phrase it?
Fishy. Though it is hard to accept that nothing will come off it.”
 
“Sorry, mate,” Ron gave him a sympathetic slap on the back. I started to
giggle, as I wanted to lift the spirits, which got me a couple of funny looks.
 
“What...? I am sure, Harry, you will find the perfect lid. There are a lot of
pretty girls here and you look decent yourself and have good chances. Talk to
Sirius during the holidays. He should be able to help you with the right way to
approach the female kind!” And I knew that mentioning his godfather was always
able to raise Harry’s spirits, and thus he started to laugh, albeit restrained.
 
“That’s an excellent suggestion. Thank you both,” and he hugged us tightly.
Thus we went to sleep, but it wouldn’t be a quiet night.
***** The Eye of the Snake *****
Chapter Notes
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The Eye of the Snake
 
I was still in the now deserted common room and had been working through the
last pages of the second book Draco had given me when I heard excited noises
from the boys’ dorm. Then Neville sprinted down the stairs at a rapid pace and
with a lot of noise and dove past me. As I was on my own, he didn't see me at
first. When he spotted me eventually it made him jump and stumble for a brief
moment. If he hadn't had such a fearful expression on his face I would've
laughed at his bright red pajamas with the moving mandrakes, as it was I
ignored this unusual sight.
 
"Hermione, Merlin, you startled me!" he said in shock, clutching at his fast-
pounding heart.
 
"Neville, what's up, what happened?" I asked worriedly, shrinking the book and
quickly putting it away.
 
"Harry..." he stuttered breathlessly and I interrupted him harshly.
 
"What about Harry?" It came impatiently from me.
 
"I have to get McGonagall. He was dreaming, he couldn't see anything anymore,
and now he's throwing up too!" he said quickly.
 
"Go quickly to the professor!" I shouted, already sprinting up the stairs to
the dormitory, and threw the door open and stormed into the room. A totally
distraught and hysterical Harry, who looked terribly green in his face with
cold sweat pooling down his forehead, was curled up on his bed. His sweaty hair
stuck to his head and his pajamas clung soaking wet to his body. The sight was
pitiful, but so were his friends in their total helplessness over Harry's
situation. Dean and Seamus stood close to each other, whispering helplessly,
and Ron? Well, he spouted something about Harry having to calm down, that he
had a dream and a fever. But given what Harry had told us about his aching scar
and his visions, I couldn't imagine that it was only a dream. He looked so bad,
there had to be more to it.
 
"Harry, Harry, calm down, that was only a dream...," I heard Ron still
persistently trying to persuade him, "a fever dream..."
I acted and did the necessary thing first, which the accumulated manhood
present wasn't capable of, I thought contemptuously. I swung my wand, dried his
pajamas with a Seresco, let the sour-smelling vomit lying beside his bed
disappear with a Scourgify, and with a determined wipe the windows opened. Boys
were so incompetent in crucial situations. I mean, they were all wizards, young
men that were capable of using magic, and no children, but no, we just don't do
the simple tasks...
 
"Hermione!" It sounded relieved but also very shaky.
 
"Harry, calm down, you must try to calm down,... here drink!" I had quickly
conjured a cup of water and ignored Ron, Dean and Seamus, turning my attention
to my problem child. I sat down on Harry's bed and helped him take a sip, which
he managed to swallow with difficulty.
 
"What happened?" I asked calmly, stroking his now dry, tangled hair out of his
face. The boys stood there like stuffed dummies and watched us and my attempt
to bring order into the chaos.
 
"Ron's dad... I can't see anything, Mr. Weasley..." whined a very grown-up
Harry, which I meant ironically, and I reached out to his bedside table and put
his glasses on for him.
 
"Better?"
 
"Oh yes, thanks... I dreamed and then... Arthur is hurt, Mr Weasley is hurt!
Blood, blood, there was blood everywhere..."
 
We were interrupted because the door was pushed open again and McGonagall
stormed in, dressed in her tartan dressing gown.
 
"What happened here?" she asked our group sternly. "Mr Potter, what happened
here?" The old teacher sounded imperiously as ever.
 
"I, I dreamed that... Arthur Weasley, was in a dark, dark place and he's
injured... badly hurt. If we don't help him, he'll die!" he shouted in panic. I
could see her facial features becoming tense, certainly Dumbledore had told her
about Harry's dreams and feelings towards Voldemort. Had I not always said that
the old fool's scheduled Occlumency lessons were too late? Idiots, all of them.
 
"Come along, Mr Potter, we're going to Professor Dumbledore!" she ordered. "And
you go back to your beds!" She looked at the three boys.
 
"We'll come with you!" I said, helping Harry up, and Ron was standing on the
other side to help him up too.
 
"Miss Granger, what are you doing in the boys' dormitory at this time of day?"
she asked angrily as we made our way to the Headmaster.
 
"I fell asleep over a book in the common room, and when Neville stormed down
the stairs, he quickly told me, and I ran up, dried Harry, cleared the vomit,
and opened the windows, Professor!" I said quickly and clipped.
 
"Mm-hm... well done, Miss Granger. Even though I disapprove of you not being in
bed at such a late hour," I could hear her say with austerity. And then we were
already standing in front of the big, grey gargoyle guarding the access to the
headmaster's office.
 
"Cockroach clusters," said McGonagall, and the entrance opened. Harry was still
weak so we were glad the spiral staircase moved us up. We could hear a lot of
different voices behind the door to the office, talking to each other lively in
spite of the nocturnal hour, and the professor knocked loudly and determinedly
to make them aware of herself and us, which caused all sounds to fall silent
immediately. We entered quickly and found a lone headmaster sitting at his
desk, in his round office, intriguing. Here were most of the items that were
also in the Room of Requirements, with the addition of Fawkes, that flame-
coloured bird the size of an eagle, who was sitting on his golden perch, as
reported by Harry.
 
Fawkes glanced at me calculatingly with his shrewd eyes and visibly tensed,
huh? Did he feel the dark magic clinging to me? I was kinda suspicious of the
bird, however, it was suspicious of me too, considering the way it followed
each of my movements with those dark round eyes. How lucky that nobody paid
attention to me! That wouldn't have been good at all, if Dumbledore realized
that his pet didn't like me.
 
"Professor McGonagall. What can I do for you and your companions?" he asked,
putting his fingertips together and looking thoughtfully at us over the top of
his hands.
 
"Well, Mr Potter here..." She was hectically interrupted by Harry.
 
"Ron's dad is dying! He is badly injured, do something!" he exclaimed
worriedly, got rid of us furiously and rushed to the desk in panic. He had to
support himself on the desk top with both hands to remain standing.
 
"Please, Mr Potter, tell me everything in detail," he requested, in a friendly
but reassuring tone. “Tell me.”
 
"I, I was dreaming... It seemed so real. I was in a long, dark corridor and the
snake - a snake slid toward Mr Weasley and he got bitten three times. He’s
bleeding, and not lightly. Quickly you must help him!" Harry asked desperately,
while I was allowed to observe how Dumbledore looked everywhere, just not in
Harry’s face that was close to him.  Odd,  I thought to myself.
 
"Tell me exactly. What did you feel?" he demanded now. "Harry, please tell me,
were you the attacker? That would be important," he insisted further.
 
"Sir, yes sir, I was the snake..." His voice failed. "And I felt happy...," he
whispered so quietly it was almost impossible to understand him. Now we were
allowed to experience how the old professor responded with lightning speed and
we also learned from where the voices from before had come from. Ron's face was
snow-white by now, as it seemed to dawn on him that Dumbledore took Harry's
vision seriously, and what it would mean for himself and his family. Meanwhile,
the professor stood in the middle of his office and conducted is orders swiftly
and firmly.
 
"Dear Headmasters, I ask you to help me!" And thus we identified his dialogue
partners. The sleeping paintings of all the former Headmasters opened their
eyes and waited for his instructions. "Everard, alert the Ministry of Magic to
find Arthur. Dilys, I ask you to see how badly wounded Arthur is," he begged a
wizard who was already scurrying away and his second assignment went to an
older, friendly-looking witch.  Not bad, such a communication system,  I
thought to myself.
 
"Fawkes, my dear, warn us when Professor Umbridge is about to come, go!" he now
sent the phoenix away and it disappeared. Very nice. I felt very much unnoticed
from one second to the next. Now he stroked his long white-silver beard and
looked into one of his magical instruments. But as soon as a snake of smoke
emerged from it he was interrupted when Everard entered his portrait again.
 
"Dumbledore, I triggered the alarm and Weasley was found and carried out,
seriously injured," he said quickly, handing over the word to the newly arrived
witch.
 
"He was carried right past my portrait in St. Mungo's, and I'm so sorry to say
that he didn't look good. Not good at all...," Dilys finished her report
compassionately. I pressed my lips together. Ron sat down unbidden on a small
wooden stool, suddenly emotionally drained, realizing that his father was
fighting for his life. I rested my hand reassuringly on his shoulder and
squeezed it comfortingly. I, too, was shocked that poor Mr Weasley was about to
die, as it seemed. I was sorry for him, for his family and I hoped the best for
them. I was worried, but on the other hand, since the returning of the Dark
Lord I knew that there would be casualties and you always had to expect the
inevitable. You hadn't thought I would bother with my parents otherwise, right?
 
"Professor, would you please make haste and get the twins and Miss Weasley?"
Dumbledore asked McGonagall. She nodded at him with a stony, rigid expression
that expressed her concern but wordlessly turned and rushed away to complete
her task. During this time, he reached for an old cloth, which was on one of
the countless tables and began to turn it into a Portkey. He did all this
nonverbal, which impressed me. I should work on that too. I could tell that it
had worked by the blue light appearing on the cloth.
 
"Mr Black, may I ask you to go to Sirius and tell him that Arthur was injured
and I’ll send the children to him? Molly will come to him to Grimmauld Place,
please," Dumbledore asked a rather gloomy-looking contemporary politely, who
reluctantly left his painting, grumbling. Within a minute he reappeared.
 
"My good-for-nothing great-great-grandson gives his consent," the picture said
nasally and contemptuously as one of Fawkes' red feathers appeared in the air
and slowly but surely sailed to the ground. At that moment, the Headmaster's
office door opened and McGonagall came in with the rest of the bewildered-
looking Weasleys; Ginny and the Twins. The funniest thing about the whole
situation was that everyone but Dumbledore and I was running around in their
pajamas.
 
"All right. Then we can begin. We have to hurry, come here and touch the
Portkey," he pointed to the cloth. Harry and the others immediately did as they
were told, seeming to be in a trance, only I was still standing off to the
side.
 
"You too, Miss Granger, come quickly!" Dumbledore looked at me urgently with
his bright blue eyes, I looked at him now with surprise and disapprovement.
 
"Why, please? I'm at my parents’ over Christmas!" Honestly! I mean, I really
didn't want to go there!
 
"You'll get there later, but for now you go with the others!" he said sternly,
thus suppressing any objection from me. Great, really great, that's what I call
luck. Really I mean, I help Harry and where do I end up a few seconds later?
Can you believe that? With Sirius!
 
And also totally unprepared. Well, wasn’t I lucky? I had wanted to talk to
Draco on the train. That was all such rubbish, it was beyond words. My talent
for improvisation was required here!
 
I resignedly stepped up to the others now and touched the Portkey. The
professor counted to three and soon after I felt a tug on my navel, which
pulled me into the transporting whirl and thus we landed ungently on the floor
of the kitchen in the Blacks’ townhouse. I was just able to regain my footing,
so did the Twins, but everyone else lay sprawled around us like overturned
dummies. I swallowed hard and raised my head. I was rebuilding the wall around
me, slipping into my ice-cold persona. I wouldn't show anything, not the
slightest bit, that I didn't want to be shown. I could do that, oh yes, but
wasn't it scary sometimes how fate played with us, confronting us with less
than nice facts, creating terrible circumstances.
 
Sirius sat in his chair at his place at the head of the kitchen table, looking
at us sadly. When he beheld me his expression turned to shock and he stared at
me with huge disbelieving eyes.
 
"Hermione, you came as well?" were his first words, whispered aghast. Hello,
this guy was an idiot. Harry was supposed to be the main person here, not me.
 
"Hello Sirius. Dumbledore has taken the liberty to send me along," I replied
frostily, helping Harry to his feet as he was still weak-kneed and now
terrifyingly pale again. What had happened? He had caught himself before while
the Twins were helping their siblings.
 
"Harry, how nice..." began Sirius, but after a glare from me he paused.
 
"Harry, my dear, what is it? I had thought you were okay," I asked him
worriedly and he cast an insecure look at the redheaded group. "We'll be back
in a second, make some tea!" I ordered harshly and left bewildered faces
behind, only the Twins responded immediately as requested by me, and I pulled
Harry out the door.
 
"Tell me what happened. What unsettled you so much?" I just knew him too well
for that.
 
"Hermione, I don't understand. What's happened to me here?" he looked at me
with tears in his eyes. I took a deep breath. I had to tell Harry more about
it, otherwise he'd sooner or later perish because of the adults’ secrecy.
However, before he learned some of my truths, not all but a few, he would have
to get a good night's sleep and a chance to digest what had happened.
 
"We'll talk in detail tomorrow morning in the library, okay?" I asked, which
made him nod sadly as he sniffed. "And now tell me quickly: What has happened,
what made you so confused again?"
 
"I, I, you saw Dumbledore wasn't looking at me?" He looked at me inquiringly
and I nodded in confirmation. "Now, when we all had the Portkey in our hands,
we looked at each other. We had direct eye contact and, and I don't know, but
it was scary... I felt an incredible hatred for him. I, I would've liked to
bite him, like Arthur..." He looked around in confusion. "Do you understand
that?" Good question. To some degree I just figured some things out and the
result just raised more questions again. Which, I thought, didn't let the old
professor appear in any great light. Why didn't he do anything to protect Harry
from Voldemort? His only effective move was not looking at Harry and avoiding
him? What kind of tactic was that? The ‘If I don't see you, you won't see me’
tactic? Very effective... Was I getting angry again? Yes, damn it! I just
wanted to bite him myself when I heard that. This old fool... ahrrrr! And
thanks to him I was here now too...! But I didn't care for now, I would get
along with Sirius somehow. I had to take care of Harry.
 
"Harry, are you listening to me? I'll most likely have an explanation... You
are not going to like it, though I think if you hear it, you may agree with me.
But only tomorrow. I want you to have a good night’s sleep. And now listen
again: It's not your fault. Don't look at me like that! You didn't start this
attack..." Now he interrupted me:
 
"No, Hermione, I was the snake, I bit him..." he yelped like a beaten dog. I
rolled my eyes. Harry was pathetic. I grabbed him by his shoulders and shook
him, annoyed.
 
"Harry, please apply your existing intelligence, please. That was Voldemort.
Start using your brain, damn it, you're connected to him..." I spoke plainly
just now after all, otherwise he would indulge in his wildest theories in bed,
and tapped my forefinger onto his lightning scar less than gently.
 
"But now try to repress any panic reactions and pull yourself together. We both
will talk about it tomorrow." He looked at me with his mouth open:
 
"Oh my God, Hermione, you're right, but how...?"
 
"Tomorrow, Harry! Now pull yourself together and give them a short summary in
there and then we'll both talk tomorrow. Can you do that? They're worried about
their father." I saw him fight with himself and the way he tried to control his
confused feelings and thoughts and repressed them.
 
"Yes, of course, you're right. Tomorrow we'll talk about this and now to the
others...," he said now with determination and, once again the boss of his own
senses, he stepped through the door. Phew, thank goddess, I had been able to
get him back on track. Though now I also squared my shoulders, because I would
have to face a fight in there as well, and stepped self-confidently through the
door.
***** "Rose Cottage" Here I come! *****
Chapter Notes
     Aloha!
     Thanks so much for all your comments and kudos, you guys are amazing!
     This time a big fat thanks to my Right Hand: Aivy and our Beta: GG.
     I'd be screwed without you. xxx
     Pluuuus, very Important:
     Don't forget WHF's Birthday being on AO3 for already a year (19th of
     Feb)!
     *preparing a cake*
     Enjoy the new Chapter! ♥
See the end of the chapter for more notes
“Rose Cottage” Here I Come!
 
When Harry and I entered the kitchen again, everyone was sitting around the
table with gloomy faces and steaming cups in front of them. Ron remained
silent, worried, and everyone else was too, looking up at us expectantly. Only
Sirius kept giving me a curious, sad and uncertain look.
 
"Harry, what happened there?" Ron asked in a strange, hoarse voice. We sat down
quickly, Harry next to Sirius and I next to Harry, the Twins were magically
sending us two hot cups of pleasant-smelling tea.
 
Sirius watched it all with a frown, but said nothing more, just watched us
patiently. When Harry grabbed my hand and held it in a vise-like grip after
Ron's question, Sirius opened his eyes wide and air blew out of his nose. It
didn't seem to please him, the kind of closeness between me and Harry. He
reminded me a bit of Draco, an observation I would find truly amusing if the
situation hadn't been so sad. I gave Harry an encouraging smile. Harry cleared
his throat noisily and evidently took up his courage and started.
 
"Well, I was dreaming. All of a sudden I was in a long, dark, windowless
corridor and there was your father and the snake, digging it's huge fangs into
his skin three times. It wasn't nice and I don’t know why I dreamed that. I
wished I knew, it was so real and apparently it really happened, because the
Headmaster's portraits said the same thing." He looked away from his teacup and
looked up. "Ginny, George, Fred I'm so sorry, but Arthur was brought to St.
Mungos quite badly injured...," he explained and looked concerned around the
room. Ron hadn't said anything for a long time, he was just resting his head on
one hand.
 
Desperate tears ran over Ginny's pale cheeks and she stared with red eyes
around the room. Even the Twins were positively white around their noses, and
their freckles could be seen even stronger than usual. They were very serious
and calm, but also very controlled. I think they knew, since the Order had been
established again, how much danger the members were in, and they weren't naive
about it, it was life-threatening for any member. Sirius looked stunned and
dismayed at Harry when he had finished his story.
 
"We have to go to St. Mungos!" exclaimed Ron, suddenly agitated, and he almost
jumped up from his chair.
 
"Ron, calm down, I don't think so..." Sirius got interrupted by Ginny.
 
"Yes, Ron, I want to go to Dad!" she said with a strangled but demanding tone.
 
"No, that's not possible. I can't go with you and you can't go alone!" Sirius
tried to say it sternly. He was looking a little pale as well, but otherwise
quite good, in his dark blue  shirt that matched well  with his pale grey eyes
but also underlined his authority, which he now applied for the very first time
to make a decisive appearance. I agreed with him. It was pointless, we couldn't
do anything, and so I stayed silent. Harry didn't get involved in the
altercation. It was better that way, as he sat there, oblivious to his
surroundings. The Twins looked at me questioningly, eyebrows raised, and I
understood their glances. They wanted my assessment, possessing the knowledge
that I knew more about the circumstances than Harry had openly told everyone
else, hence I shook my head. I thought the idea of storming St. Mungo's was
wrong. They accepted my verdict and drank synchronously out of their cups. Thus
they didn't make any kind of claim and Sirius only had to deal with two
Weasleys.
 
But he had noticed our interaction and looked at us piercingly. He knew from
the past that the Twins and I were much more connected than everyone generally
thought. Sirius was also privy to their great secret which he had kept to
himself.
 
"I'm really sorry, but you stay here. Stop it now!" It was getting louder and
Sirius hit the table with the palm of his hand, and thus gained the attention
of Harry, who had dived into his own thoughts up until now.
 
"What...?" he asked, surprised. No one was able to answer him, because at that
moment an owl knocked on the kitchen window with its beak and Sirius opened it
with a swipe of his wand. And the little owl immediately dashed inside and
directly over to Sirius, who took the letter quickly, almost hectically in his
movements. You could positively observe how Sirius' features relaxed when he
read the content.
 
"Well, the letter is from your mother! Arthur is alive. She says she will stay
with him and you should remain here, where you're safe, and Molly will contact
you as soon as possible!" He summed it up for us and looked around with a mild
smile. George and Fred let out their breath.
 
"That's good, he's alive, that's very good," they both said at the same time,
sounding very relieved. Ginny sobbed loudly and howled heartbreakingly into her
handkerchief, causing Ron to comfort her. "Thanks, mate...," he whispered
fervently to Harry across the table, as he sat opposite him and now stared at
him again.
 
"...Tha... thank you, for what? What do you want to thank me for?" Harry asked,
absolutely confused, ruffling his own hair.
 
"What for, Harry? I'm not completely stupid, without you, Dad would’ve lain in
the corridor and slowly bled to death, without you he would be dead, Harry..."
Ron exclaimed, upset at Harry's guilty demeanor. Finally! Whenever I gave Ron
up as a hopeless case he did something brilliant like that. He was a true
friend, he didn't condemn him for him being different. And he saw behind the
scenes, maybe for the first time in his life, and drew the right conclusions.
 
"Without you, he'd never have had a chance..." His voice broke with emotion and
he buried his face in Ginny's fiery red hair.
 
"He's right, Harry, without you we wouldn't have a father anymore. Don't be so
hard on yourself, we're glad that... that you saw it and could get help..." The
Twins stood up determinedly, patted his cheek and ruffled through his hair
encouraging. "It's going to be okay, little brother, promise... We're going to
bed. Alright, Sirius?" They asked if it was okay, but they, too, seemed
unsettled by the events.
 
"Yes, of course. You'll sleep in your room, as always," Sirius pointed with his
hand and the two quietly left the kitchen.
 
"Harry, you should go to bed too!" I told him and squeezed his hand, because he
hadn't let me go yet.
 
"You should all go to bed!" came the stern order from Sirius. And, as the good
kids we all were, we rose up at once and went. We climbed the stairs like a
funeral procession and Ginny went into our room. I accompanied the boys and put
Harry and Ron to bed, saying goodbye to both of them with a kiss to their
foreheads.
 
"Sleep well, you two!" I didn't receive any proper answer, just a murmur. They
were very far away. Afterwards I headed purposefully to the library. I didn’t
work all the time to need little sleep for nothing, it was useful in crisis
situations. Now more than ever, I didn't want to and couldn't think of going to
bed. Quite honestly, I needed a drink. And thus I entered the Library of the
Blacks, which not empty - as expected - and walked briskly to my chair. I took
the glass of firewhisky already provided for me and took a larger sip. Already
I could feel the sharp tingling from the liquid running down my throat and
enjoyed the burning and the spreading peaty taste. I closed my eyes with relish
and exhaust.
 
Wow, what a night! I was here again!
 
When I opened my eyes, I looked in a pairs of smiling faces.
 
"Thanks. How nice of you to think of my needs!" I greeted the Twins and toasted
them and we drank together once again, taking a big, soothing sip.
 
"I'm glad about Dad, that he might survive!" Fred said hopefully and waved his
bulbous glass back and forth.
 
"You should be..."
 
"What is really behind this whole thing?" the more thoughtful George inquired
solemnly. "What does that have to do with Harry…? The dreams?" He stared into
my face and wanted the truth.
 
"But only under the seal of secrecy!" I told them and both nodded to me, "In
the attack back then on Harry, as a baby, there must have been a connection
created to the Dark Lord’s spirit. And I think it's not only on his side, and
now, since the lord's physical again... Well, anyway, Harry has told us that he
feels his moods and has weird dreams. And you know yourself that the Dark Lord
is a parselmouth..." I rubbed my tense neck.
 
"And you mean to imply that the Dark One controlled the snake, and that's why
Harry experienced everything from its point of view?" George concluded with
wide eyes, "That... is that good, or not?" he stuttered and looked
uncomfortably across the room.
 
"That's crazy! Poor Harry. But thank goodness, because as Ron said, father
would be dead otherwise!" Fred said crisply and took a generous gulp, which was
just what he needed.
 
"What are you planing to say to Harry? Because I don't think the 'grown-ups'
will tell him anything, when I think about how worked up they get over this
shit!" George said agitatedly. He reached for Fred's thigh, caressing it as if
to reassure himself.
 
I answered only now, after some time had passed, because so much had gone
through my mind:
 
"Everything connected to the visions. He must know what all of this means. And
no, George, the connection isn't good at all, because he can't defend himself.
Later if he could, maybe? His Occlumency lesson begin only after the holidays,
far too late, I think," I shifted angrily around in the chair.
 
"Everything is going to be fine. You'll help him, won’t you? And then it'll be
okay, we won't let Harry down. But now tell me, what is it you want do do? You
didn't want to come here, right?" George asked worriedly, trying to distract
me, knowing that I was angry.
 
"I'll leave latest by noon tomorrow. As I've planned everything so that I would
get things done right away after arriving  with the Express, nothing holds me
here." I shrugged, even feeling sad, for Sirius' sight wasn't as easy to endure
as initially thought. "Sirius will look after Harry and that will be much
better than any comfort I could offer Harry."
 
"You realize that you have never told us what has happened between you two. You
gave Sirius the cold shoulder in the kitchen, didn’t you?" came the question
from a demanding George. I knew that they were good spies, but the target of
their reconnaissance really wasn't appealing to me.
 
"What good spies you are!" I crossed my legs and looked at them coldly.
 
"We want to know now what happened then and we know that you tried to distract
us that time. You won't succeed anymore!" Fred gave me a devious look that
didn't allow any discussion. They could be very unyielding, if they wanted. I
allowed myself a tortured groan. Did I actually have to deal with Sirius’ screw
up back then?
 
"Guys, it's the past, not important anymore. Sirius and I had a fight, that's
all!", I tried to wiggle myself out of that matter half heartedly.
 
"Well, my name isn't Ronald! For Sirius, the way he looked at you, there's
nothing in the past! And I don't believe you. You're so obstinate, more has
happened than just this! Oh, I don't know, talk!" George insisted. Only very
few people got to know the Twins like that, though those who did and had the
misfortune to face their serious side, like me, should pity themselves, as I
just fervently did.
 
"Oh, you can be so annoying," I said in frustration, rubbing my temples.
 
"Always, beautiful!", Fred grinned at me wickedly.
 
"I had two appointments that evening, first the Beetle and then, I met... had
to meet a man and we had sex!" I spelled it out and admitted my offense.
However, I had generously omitted that it was with Snape, it didn't matter
here, and I took another sip.
 
"Afterwards, I came here because I wanted to talk to Sirius to tell him that
we, that I wanted to end our arrangement! I don't do two-timing. I just never
got that far!" I said sadly as I thought back to the scene in the kitchen.
 
"With whom did you have sex?" Fred’s question was fueled by intrigue and
curiosity.
 
"Fred, I don't think she wants to tell us that! What happened that you never
got to it?" George took control and looked at Fred chastisingly.
 
"You're relentless, George. He smelled it! Stupid of me not to think about it,
but since I wanted to tell him that it was over anyway, I didn't waste any
thought on it. What a mistake that was..." I licked my dry lips.
 
"Well, Sirius has a temper and is a hothead! Jealousy... oh, I don't know, he
just lost his cool."
 
"What do you mean by ‘lost his cool’? What are you trying to paraphrase?"
George insisted adamantly, leaning forward.
 
"George, we came to blows, it wasn't nice! He looked worse than me.
Satisfied?!" I hissed now and took the next sip. More such nights and I would
have an alcohol problem. I didn't feel the burning any more, too bad!
 
"You mean he started beating you?" Fred said softly and incredulously.
 
"Beating? He gave me a few slaps!" It didn't matter to me and I relaxed back
into the chair, made myself comfortable and tried not to think about the fun
Sirius and I had had.
 
"Got it!" both said disapprovingly and tensed somewhat and had a strange,
grouchy, rarely seen expression on their identical faces. Before we could
continue our conversation, the door suddenly opened and Sirius sauntered in in
a decidedly casual manner.
 
"Ah, Hermione, should I be surprised to find you here instead of in bed?" he
said smugly and walked to the bar to take care of himself. I was still lying
relaxed in the chair and refused to brace myself. I had expected him to appear.
The Twins, however, were a bit agitated by the latest news. They were holding
themselves back, indeed unusual for them, but were staring daggers at Sirius.
 
"Alas, with you it would be questionable in which bed you'd be lying right now,
wouldn’t it? One would have to start looking, isn't that so?" He spoke
viciously and drank his drink greedily, he wasn't that calm after all.
 
"You would know, wouldn't you, Sirius?" came the cold but succinct retort from
me and I looked at the Twins pointedly with the clear request to stay out of
it.
 
"Look at me when I talk to you!" Sirius snapped abruptly when I dismissed his
accusatory insinuations so casually. He had liked to ignore the Twins from the
start on, but scowled at them now. "You two are leaving, off with you, leave us
alone!" he demanded impertinently.
 
"No, Sirius, we won't leave you alone with Hermione!" George said determinedly,
jerking his head up firmly.
 
"Sorry, Sirius, that's out of the question," Fred now said seriously and looked
at him appraisingly and rather unfriendly.
 
"You told them?" He now directed his question specifically to me. I still
refused to look at him and so I simply nodded in agreement. "Then tell them to
leave," he told me, now much calmer.
 
"Forget it, Sirius! We won't leave. Even if Hermione wanted it, we would stay,"
they both declared very stubbornly, crossing their arms at the same time in
front of their chests.
 
"Oh, why do you all have to be so stubborn?" Sirius growled angrily, making me
chuckle briefly, despite the tense situation.
 
"Look who's talking!" I still smirked and now looked at him, examining his
appearance. He looked up, into my eyes and suddenly he approached me
determinedly, which made me tilt my head. He sank into the chair next to mine.
When I gazed into his grey eyes, to my astonishment, I could see that they
weren't unlike Draco's light-grey eyes. It seemed to me that I liked grey-eyed
guys, I thought cynically.
 
"Hermione, we have to talk," he said, his tone astonishingly pleading and his
expression stern.
 
" Then  talk, I'm listening," I offered no less neutral, as being forced
unprepared into his presence unsettled me a little. I realized I quite liked
this man, which was no miracle, otherwise I wouldn't have let him come so close
to me.
 
However, it looked like he gave in, as he groaned once before he started:
 
"I must apologize, I should've never, never, never allowed myself to raise my
hand against you, I'm deeply and immensely sorry. I'm not a man that beats
women... I never was!" He said it quietly though sincerely, while he looked
seriously into my eyes and I believed him and thus I nodded slowly.
 
"But...," he started to speak when I interrupted him.
 
"I knew there would be a but," I replied ironically, rolling my eyes. The Twins
were so calm that you would've thought they had made themselves invisible or
even stopped breathing, because they apparently didn't want to disturb our
discussion. He frowned at my sharp-tongued reply, but I hadn't been able to
hold it back. I hadn’t thought that he would initiate a heart-to-heart talk
with me, as I had judged Sirius to be too proud for that, and his unexpected
apology seriously rejoiced me.
 
"But, I hope you can see that your behaviour wasn't right, even though my
reaction was exaggerated and inexcusable!" Sirius said with a raised head. That
was the the Pureblood in him shining through and that was alright with me.
 
"Sirius, I'm not angry with you, I can understand you! I'm not innocent either.
I was sad that it ended so ugly, but let's forget it," I offered generously,
already thinking about Harry and that it was important that we both had a base
on which we could deal with each other.
 
"Thanks," he said, genuinely relieved, but also infinitely sad as he took a
quick sip, and then suddenly asked, "Who is it?" As I had just been drinking
myself, I almost choked on it. The Twins looked quite uncomfortable as well due
to his question. Because they knew it was Draco, and Sirius would never in his
life approve of him, as we all knew.
 
"I don't think that's of interest!" I told him coldly and evasively. He no
longer had the right to ask such intimate things.
 
"Wrong, Hermione, I want to know! Tell me, who has replaced me?" he demanded,
being very stubborn.  Men and their pride , I thought to myself, I couldn't
tell Sirius the name of the one I had sex with from time to time, nor of the
one that actually made me break up with Sirius. Because that would have
resulted in naming Snape and Draco and I didn't want to bear the consequences.
 
"There's no one right now!" I answered brusquely; it was the best answer. I got
up briskly, wanting to leave, because this would only turn into a never-ending
cycle, but Sirius grabbed my wrist and stopped me in my tracks, which made the
Twins start and want to intervene as I tried to free myself from his grip.
 
"Call your watchdogs off!" he said hoarsely while he stopped my attempts by
tightening his hold, scowling at the Redheads, and I indicated with the other
hand that they should sit down, at the same time ceasing my struggle to get
free.
 
"What...?" I whispered softly. Sirius strained my nerves, for his touch brought
back memories, and I have to say, I thought it was unspeakably sad that we were
so distant towards each other nowadays.
 
"I don't believe you, my beautiful liar!" he explained, his voice low and
hoarse, and he gave me his charming grin, with which one could fall in love,
and so I smiled back, without wanting to, because his words were almost
caressly spoken.
 
"What I still want to know: Are you playing with Harry, as close as you two are
now?" He asked now sounding concerned. I sank back into my seat, because I
understood his concern quite well and I allowed hi m to be worried.
 
"Sirius, don't worry. You and me both want what’s best for Harry! Just trust
me, I would never betray him! Promise! And whether Harry replaced you? No, I
wouldn't be the right woman at his side. Well I’m right as a friend and a
confidant, but not as a lover. I swear you don't need to worry about it!" I
said solemnly, almost fervently, because I wanted to take the worry away that
was writ large in his face.
 
"Really, Hermione, I don't think he’d be able to handle you." His voice was
faltering and his concern most palpable.
 
"I think so too. Additionally I have no sexual feelings for Harry. I see my
brother in him, no more and no less," I patiently justified myself to him and
now carefully removed my wrist from his grip. At least now I knew that I didn't
feel anything anymore when he touched me, which was good, the formerly usual
tingling sensation hadn't shot through my body.
 
"I believe you...!" he said now much calmer and I turned again to go to bed. It
was almost four o'clock and I wanted distance.
 
"Good night," I finally said goodbye and rushed out the door.
 
The next morning at seven, after my run, I sat fresh and prepared in the
library and waited for Harry, I had worked through the book Draco had given me
in bed a bit, then went running. I had then cleaned myself and my clothes and
now waited patiently with a cup of coffee in front of me. Eventually the door
opened and a head of tousled dark hair slid in, giving me a shy, slightly weary
smile.
 
"Hi, I couldn't wait any longer," Harry said nervously and sat down on the
sofa.
 
"I was already waiting. Have you calmed down?" I took his hand and caressed it
lightly, running my thumb over the back of his  hand .
 
"Mm-hm, yes, after what you said I figured some things out myself..." He pulled
his lip between his teeth and bit down on it nervously, rubbing his scar with
his other hand. "You said we're connected, which is true, otherwise I wouldn't
know when he's happy or angry! And I couldn't have been the snake after all,
could I? That was him and his mind in the snake, and I was in his mind through
my dream, that's why I saw it..." He rattled down his thoughts, uncertain about
his reasoning, looking at me to see if I was agreeing with his theory and I
did.
 
"Good Harry, go on, so far we're having the same thoughts!" I told him and he
gave me a relieved sigh.
 
"Well, and when I looked in Dumbledore's eyes, it wasn't my hatred but
Voldemort's... shit, Hermione, he's in my head!" he exclaimed angrily, pulling
his hand away and tugging at his hair ineffectually, but well, I could
understand such a reaction, who wanted someone else in one's own mind and then
especially this person? Nobody! And so I gave Harry the time to let this nice
little realisation sink in
 
"All correct. I think that there's almost nothing left to add. I don't know,
no, I asked you to go to Dumbledore because of the emotions you received, which
you didn't, but I think the more time passes, the stronger this connection
becomes and I don't think that only  you  can receive something from  him …," I
concluded so that he would understand the meaning behind my words.
 
"What, what? You mean he can read me too? That would be - that wouldn't be
good... not good at all, right?" He stumbled from one shock into the next and
looked shaken.
 
"I know, and I think the professor will teach you Occlumency now. Here," and
handed him two books that I had picked out for him from the Black library.
"These are books that should cover the subject and prepare you for the lessons,
because, Harry, it won't be easy. It's not an easy-to-learn technique! You need
to learn meditation and the like, though I think if you could control it and
could protect yourself from it, maybe you could use the connection," I tried to
make the strenuous learning of this art palatable, firstly because of Harry and
his laziness and, secondly, because I had firsthand experienced how hard and
frustrating it was to learn the art.
 
"Oh, how do you know this Occlus... so well?" he asked me, confused.
 
"What don't I know, Harry?" I answered in return.
 
"You're right. Well, I'll seriously focus on this topic. Because I don't want
that guy in my head, absolutely not! However, I still need an opinion or your
assessment. So far we haven't told Dumbledore anything about my visions, and
even if Sirius has dropped it, the professor hasn't looked at me since the
hearing at the Ministry. My thought: If he didn't know about my intensive
connection to Voldemort, since we didn't tell him, then why his behaviour?" he
concluded, slightly confused, but I understood what he meant and why he had
difficulties to get over it. Yes, from where had the old man gotten the
suspicion that Harry would feel hatred at the sight of him, or rather the Dark
Lord?
 
"Good question, Harry. Unfortunately, I don't have an answer for that and that
just brings me to the next question: Why the hell  - if he suspected something
- didn't he start helping you protecting your mind much earlier?" I asked no
one in particular, really disliking the implications of that question.
 
Harry took a deep breath.
 
"I'm glad you think so too, Hermione. And yes, it's weird. What should I do? I
have such a bad feeling." He put his hands on his stomach. Understandably,
because one could easily get a stomach ulcer from this.
 
"I think skepticism towards Dumbledore is quite appropriate, the way he
behaves. And all the rest, it'll find itself, we can't rush things," I
concluded judiciously, and suddenly a young man hung around my neck and almost
suffocated me.
 
"Thanks, Hermione, you understand me. We will we do it that way. It's such a
shame that you aren't with us at Christmas." And he stroked my back.
 
"But Harry, it's only for two weeks, don't fret. And you’ll have Sirius to
distract you. Don't worry too much, we can't change anything anyway. Comfort
Ron and Ginny! And now let's have breakfast, you must surely be hungry!",
disentangled myself from him and took his hand. We went into the busy kitchen,
because today nobody wanted to sleep in, and sat down and served ourselves.
Everything was very quiet, almost silent. We talked little and waited anxiously
for news. And eventually, we heard the front door and when the door to the
kitchen was pushed open, I saw a small, plump woman with red hair enter and in
the blink of an eye a small, just as red whirlwind threw herself around her
mother’s neck sobbing loudly.
 
"Easy, my girl," Molly said soothingly to her daughter and kissed her hair.
"Arthur got over the worst!", she exclaimed shakily and sobbed in relief.
 
"Thank goodness!" I heard Sirius say with relief and we all beamed at each
other, reassured.
 
"Some people will join us this afternoon and then we’ll all go to St. Mungo's!"
she explained. Perfect, I'd talk to someone then.
 
"Do you know when our things will arrive from Hogwarts?" I asked.
 
"Oh, yes, of course, dear. Minerva will bring it when she comes with the
others." Now she went to the Twins, Ron and Harry and all of them were being
hugged with relief. Wonderful, I hated that. I would leave if I could, but the
wardens wouldn't allow that and so we waited and the time stretched long, while
I was just too aware of Sirius’ thoughtful, sad and uncertain glances he
constantly aimed at me. I didn't know what he wanted from me and I would be
really happy when I managed escaped this stressful situation. When we finally
heard noises again we looked at each other with relief, because it could be
really annoying sitting around like this. Life filled the kitchen when
McGonagall, Tonks and Moody came in.
 
"I can finally hand over your suitcases, here," the professor pulled out six
shrunken trunk cases from her coat.
 
"Wonderful!" we all exclaimed enthusiastically and grabbed for ours.
 
"Are we going now?" Ginny asked excitedly.
 
"Bring your bags up and then we'll go!" Molly rejoiced impatiently. And so
everyone dashed up the stairs, only I remained seated, which brought me
surprised looks.
 
"Miss Granger?" McGonagall said dryly.
 
"I want to ask if I should take the bus to get to my parents, or which way did
you think I’d get there?" I asked annoyed.
 
"Oh, I totally forgot about that," the professor said in surprise.
 
"No, you can't take the bus!" screeched Molly, who was even more protective
than before and gave me a slight headache. Man, I was looking forward to the
quiet of my cottage.
 
"Side-by-side apparition?", I offered and looked around the room.
 
"Acceptable, Miss Granger. I still remember where you live! Then let us set out
immediately," the professor offered.
 
"Thank you, Professor. Sirius, thank you for the night... And Mrs Weasley,
please wish your husband all the best from me," I said quickly and politely. I
walked out after the professor as Sirius was only giving me a long look, but
didn't stop me. I wasn't sure, but I had the uneasy feeling that Sirius had
seen more in me and our affair than I had and thus I was glad to escape the
house. However, I didn't want to deal with this thought anymore. Harry and the
Twins were already in the hallway, saying goodbye to me warmly and the Twins
whispered to me that they were looking forward to the 25th. I saw Ron and Ginny
on the stairs and waved goodbye to them, following the professor outside. We
apparated and arrived in front of my parents' house. It looked a little
uninhabited, as my parents were skiing in Switzerland like every year, but the
dear McGonagall didn't have to know that.
 
"Nobody seems to be here, Miss Granger," she observed, looking at me with
concern.
 
"Well, I guess nobody informed my parents that I won't arrive by express and
they probably left to pick me up already. They always go shopping a bit before
that, so they leave much earlier," I lied coldly and smiled into her stern
face.
 
"Oh, we didn't think about that, but I can't leave you alone now," McGonagall
said worriedly.
 
"Yes, you can, Professor, it's not a problem. I’ll call my parents on the phone
and tell them I'm already at home waiting for them," I told a slightly
overwhelmed McGonagall. “Mobile phones are like old phones, only that they're
so small that you can carry them around to be reachable anytime, anywhere. Ask
Mr Weasley, he should know about mobile phones," I offered as an explanation.
 
"Oh, well then, that sounds fine. Then I wish you and your parents a merry
Christmas, Miss Granger," and the old hen was gone, I thought viciously. My
mood had reached a new low, now that I didn't have to be strong for Harry
anymore. It wasn't good that I hadn’t been able talk to Draco anymore, that
would've been very important.
 
I wondered how he would react to tomorrow night. I knew that he would be so
engrossed  in his family affairs by now that I couldn't reach him. I looked at
my parents beautiful town house and immediately apparated and now stood under
the huge, old tree opposite "Rose Cottage", which I entered and with a few
cleaning spells I tidied it up. After changing my clothes, I sat down to think
about the next steps. First, I had to go grocery shopping. When Draco and the
Twins arrived here, we would need some food stuff, but that wasn't important
right now, I would do it tomorrow morning. I was running out of time and had to
get some few necessities for tomorrow evening that were more important and so I
planned to go to London to Harrods.
 
Unfortunately, Harrods had lousy opening hours, usually weekdays until 6pm and
Sundays until 7pm, but thanks to the holiday season it was kept open until 8pm
so I had almost five hours to shop and I would need them, too.
 
At half past eight I almost collapsed under the load of bags. But I was very
satisfied, I had gotten everything and so I had a nice evening in front of the
fireplace and read a novel for a change, able to enjoy the absolute solitude
and tranquility for once that was never granted at Hogwarts.
Chapter End Notes
     You might wonder why Rose Cottage is in "-".
     There's no special reason, the author just really likes it like that.
     Mahalo guys,
     Cate and Co. xxx
***** Ministry of Magic and the Ball *****
Chapter Notes
     Thanks so much for all your Kudos, Reads, Clicks and Amazing Reviews.
     (You know who you are. :P)
     Sending Butterbeer to you all. ♥
     Enjoy the two new guys. xxx
Ministry of Magic and the Ball
 
On the next morning, the twenty-second of December, I welcomed the day with a
long run, which I enjoyed heartily, through the Wiltshire countryside, despite
the freezing cold, after which I set out to get the groceries.
 
Shopping could wear one out pretty easily was my summary when I carefully, so
as not to burn myself, slid into the old, filigree bathtub. I had oils and
herbs in the water as bath additives, which would help to make my skin
especially soft and fragrant. Tonight I wanted to look perfect, and the dolling
up would take the rest of the day. I coated myself in a seductively scented
body lotion using Ambra I had specially purchased from a very expensive shop.
Afterward, I painted my finger and toenails with a light rose colour and
smoothed out my hair magically. I had turned it into a shimmering mass after
several rinses and cures.
 
Then, I started beautifying my face. Primer, make-up, eyeshadow of a delicate
grey-silver tone, black eyeliner which emphasized my eyes, mascara to accent my
thick eyelashes even more, a little rouge, all in all very beautiful. The face
I saw in my compact mirror had softly drawn contours and looked very delicate
and dainty, I liked it. Now, all I wanted to do was tame my hair into a set
hairstyle, and thanks to magic, I had succeeded and smoothed it down
cumbersomely. Using my wand, my long hair now fell over my shoulders, and shone
in a soft, light chocolate brown and was draped in a teased knot around my
head. But it wasn't tightly combed back, no, rather it was loosely hanging
around my head, and I pulled out some long strands that played around my face
and neck. I curled these strands, so that they gently fell down in playfull
corkscrew-curls and underlined my romantic appearance.
 
Now things looked even better, and downright beautiful... I didn't know I could
look that way. This was better and different by far when compared to the Yule
Ball in my fourth year; now I was looking at a very beautiful young woman,
whereas before I had been merely a pretty girl. Glancing at the clock, I noted
that I had one more hour to prepare, so I started to put on the dress. I
carefully took it out of the garment bag. It was overwhelmingly beautiful, and
would look good on me. When I was finished dressing, and stood in front of the
floor-length mirror to admire it, I concluded that I liked it a lot, and found
myself continuing to  turn around myself, looking at every angle. I was curious
as to how the men would react to it tonight.
 
Lastly, I put the lip gloss onto my lips, which had a light, rose shade which
made them shine seductively. Grabbing my chiffon stole and purse, I left. I
quickly walked down the stairs, took my dark winter cloak from the hook, threw
it around my shoulders and left the house and apparated to the central
apparition point of the Ministry of Magic. Once I arrived, I looked around with
interest, for I had never been here before. I had read brochures about the
Ministry, but seeing it myself was exciting. I went over to the built-in
wardrobe desks to give them my cloak, straightened my stole, draping it around
my shoulders, and headed for the designated meeting place. Once there, I walked
over the polished, dark parquet floor, the clack of my silver stilettos loud in
my ears and my long dress playfully stroking my ankles. I absorbed my
surroundings and stored in every detail, there were countless golden ornaments
and lattices decorating the corridor. There was gold everywhere, on the
peacock-blue ceiling, in the door frames, and covering the many open fireplaces
that lined either side of the black stone wall. The gold and the black created
a nice contrast of color.
 
It was bustling with people, despite this late hour and from the fireplaces
many noble and sophisticatedly dressed wizards and witches emerged, who joined
the stream of arriving guests. When I saw the magnificent, grand hall of the
Ministry directly in front of me, which was many stories high, due to the
Ministry being underground, I was amazed at its sheer size. In the middle of
the impressive hall stood a round fountain. This must have been the "Fountain
of Magical Brethren", which as I knew was a sign of the incredible arrogance of
the magical society. It portrayed golden, life-size figures, and in the middle
of the whole monstrous decoration stood a pretty pair of magicians, surrounded
by various magical beings. A centaur, a goblin, and a house elf, who all, to my
grief, were looking up at the couple of humans, admiring and adoring them.  How
populist,  I thought to myself.
 
Disgusting,  I thought,  just as where the jets of water are coming from.  For
the couple it came from the tips of their wands, while for the centaur water
gushed from the tip of his arrow. The goblin had water coming out of his hat,
and finally the poor, poor house-elf had it spurting out most despicably from
its bat-like ears. How awful! Had I already said how much I loathed something
like that? Mind how the magical community really thought about each other, then
this was its biggest lie. The centaurs didn't recognize wizarding law, and who
could blame them? They despised us, and didn't want anything to do with us. The
goblins fought for centuries against the domination and patronage of wizards,
where they were in the right. And the house elves, my favorite subject. Their
submissive attitude came through their enslavement, nothing else, and was
despicable. You could see the ignorance of wizarding kind which one had to
fight against in the abstract monstrosity they had built themselves, indulging
in self-adulation, and the way they were masterfully ignoring the Dark Lord.
But alright, I could get het up about it all day, but nobody would pay
attention to me if i did so, so I saved my breath and shrugged after completing
my examination of the hall.
 
Here I stood, at the meeting point and watched the going-ons around me. I liked
watching my surroundings, because that was the best way to find out the most
things. When I saw a young, self-confident, dark man approaching me
purposefully with a wide, beaming smile, I returned it and was truly glad to
see him. He looked good in his smart, black tuxedo, slightly different in style
from Muggle ones, and wore a shiny black cloak that left one shoulder free,
very neatly showing off his strong, well-toned body.
 
"Hermione! Nice to see that you're early. You're beautiful, a real feast for
the eyes! How are you? I've missed you," he said flatteringly and took my hand,
pulling it to his lips to kiss. He breathed a tender kiss onto my skin and
looked at me with sparkling eyes.
 
"Viktor," I replied in delight, shaking his hand. "I'm fine, it's so nice to
see you again. Thank you for thinking of me as your partner for the Minister's
Christmas Ball, that was very nice of you!" I said, linking arms with him.
 
"I always think of you!" he flattered, and if one saw him like that, you
wouldn't believe it, but he had something intellectually sexy about him. Yes,
Viktor was my partner for today and I had wanted to tell Draco about it, but
now he'd see it tonight, and that would be fun, I thought sarcastically and
sighed resignedly. We walked to the elevators that were in an adjoining room
next to the hall which once again, just guess, had gold for safety bars! The
elevator brought us to the top floor, where not only Minister Fudge's office
was located, but also the festive rooms of the Ministry of Magic, which opened
their doors only for special occasions. As we approached the gull-wing doors
that led to the ballroom, I grew a little nervous, but I refused to show it.
Keeping myself very straight, and going onward with a proudly stretched chest
next to Viktor Krum, who was a personally invited guest to this Christmas ball
that Fudge hosted today.
 
Actually, I had wanted Rita to get me an invitation in order to get access into
the Ministry, but that had been taken care of when, one morning at breakfast,
Viktor's letter arrived and stopped my other efforts.
 
We had lined up in the queue outside and now we had our great performance,
because the couples only entered the ballroom one after the other. The hall
shone in the light of thousands of candles, and the ivory-colored marble
brightly reflected their light. The numerous, extravagant ornaments were held
in even more lush gold. Someone clearly had too much gold in mind, where the
black and gold in the hall had offered a harmonious picture, here it was almost
blinding.
 
I was well dressed for the occasion however, my chest was embroidered with
large, round silver, with both light and dark green sequins which flattered my
cleavage, and small, green, spaghetti straps held it in place. Underneath my
chest was a ruffled, moss-green band, dividing the dress into two parts, as in
the Imperial style. The rest of the dress fell loosely and gracefully down my
body. The delicate, transparent chiffon complimented my body in long strips of
fabric, alternating mind green and moss green. It was a romantic dress.
However, in order to not show too much skin, I wore a stole of the same fabric,
and in the same colors, which ran into each other, around my shoulders.
 
My outfit was underlined by silver, high heeled stilettos and a small, silver
bag. I looked good and that's how I was able to present myself confidently.
Just as the ladies of wizarding society glittered and flashed, I was also very
noticeable in my distinguished, reserved elegance. I had deliberately left out
jewelry of any kind and on the arm of the black-haired, handsome, famous
Bulgarian, we gave an imposing image.
 
Thus we walked very confidently into the ballroom and I could feel the looks of
those present directed to me, as I wasn't unknown. People recognized me as
Hermione Granger, the best friend of the boy-who-lived, Harry Potter. Yes,
Fourth Year had done a lot for my popularity, thanks to Rita! But even if my
appearance here would make the press with me as Hermione Granger, I didn't
care, as my parents had allowed it in my lively imagination! And Viktor, as the
adult, had picked me up, so I’ve already got my excuse as well. Nobody could
forbid me to go to a ball with a friend. I had spotted Rita Skeeter at the back
of the stairs in a greenish iridescent dress that looked dangerously like the
chitinous exoskeleton in her bugform
 
Well, at the sight of her I couldn't think of anything other than ‘dung
beetle’! Wow, but to everyone their own tastes, and I gave her a gracious
incline of my head and when she recognized me, her eyes went very large, she
stiffened visibly.  We've got to work on our acting skills a little bit, Rita,
I thought to myself, noting that if I had a suitable opportunity, I would be
teasing her with it. And there, on the right, Minister Fudge personally greeted
his guests with his wife at his side and an overbearing and pompous demeanor as
usual. Fudge, a dumpy man with grey hair, today wore a tuxedo and a grey cloak
over it, appropriate for the occasion. His wife... we'd better leave that. She
looked like a Christmas tree, wearing a glittering red dress and too many
diamonds, but as I had said, we'd better leave it at that, I would risk getting
blind if I looked at her any longer.
 
"Viktor Krum, how delightful that you were able to accept my invitation. I'm
very pleased to welcome an internationally known and famous athlete! And your
enchanting escort is... uh, Miss Granger!" He had called out less than
gallantly when he caught sight of me. We had seen each other a couple of time
up close at the tournament, but never talked, but he recognized me.
 
"Pleased to see you, Minister," I said politely, bowing my head in front of
him.
 
"Is Mr Potter here, too?" he asked curiously, looking past me.
 
"I'm sorry, Minister. No, I don't think Harry got an invitation. Viktor was
kind enough to choose me as his companion!" In pointed out curtly and moved the
corners of my mouth into a restrained smile. I could see a head of the typical
Weasley-red hair behind the Minister, and thus Percy Weasley, who whispered the
names of the incoming guests in case Fudge didn't know them. Percy still
displayed an extremely pompous behaviour and looked at me disapprovingly
through his thick horn-rimmed glasses.
 
"In that case: Welcome and enjoy the party!" Fudge said jovially and gesturing
with his hands. We said goodbye and I linked my arm with Viktor’s again and
walked with him down the stairs into the hall below. Just then, I caught sight
of the Malfoy family, which were standing out from the festive crowd with their
unique, white-blonde hair, attracting attention with their appearance, which
was very imposing just from the way the three stood, as if the world belonged
to them and lay at their feet. It was probably necessary to practice this blase
appearance in order to do it so convincing that it didn't look ridiculous, so
that people actually would believe them that they were of a better class than
any other earthlings and almost wanted to go down on their knees in front of
them.
 
The head of the Malfoy family stood aloof in a royal stance, looking like he
had just stepped out a painting in his perfectly tailored tuxedo. He wore a
deep blue velvet cloak on top of it bearing the crest of the Malfoy family. It
was made of elaborate silver embroidery, depicting a large ornate ‘M’, which
was entwined by fine, floral patterns. He held himself very straight, he had
loosely gathered his long, silky hair that flowed over his shoulders into a
ponytail bound with a dark blue velvet ribbon. His face was beautiful, as was
Draco's. In this regard, the Malfoys were blessed, one couldn’t question their
good looks. Father and son looked remarkably similar when they were standing
side by side.
 
They were nearly equal in size and stature, both seemed to be in good shape and
you could see that they knew it, too. Lucius Malfoy had an aristocratic,
distinctive profile, a perfect face, and smooth skin, distinguished by its
noble pallor, and his eyes, which were of a darker grey than Draco's, looked
around with an expression of contempt and boredom. The way he held his walking
stick confidently, which, as Harry had told us, contained his wand, an
impressive, detail-loving piece. The ebony cane was topped by a silver serpent
head with emerald eyes and an aggressively opened mouth.
 
All in all, he offered a sight for the gods, if only his no less impressive son
wouldn't stand beside him, whose hair was shorter but caressed his face. He
wore exactly the same exquisite robes as his father, and his velvet cloak wore
the same crest. I had to chuckle about this partner look. And then not to
forget Narcissa, slim, tall and blonde with expressive, cold blue eyes, she was
a beautiful woman. Though she didn't have the same pure white-blonde shade her
men had, she possessed beautiful shoulder-length, shiny blonde hair that she
wore open. She only wore two white gold combs in her hair shaped like snakes
and studded with sapphires, to keep it out of her pretty face.
 
Her face was in no way inferior to her husband's. Smiling didn’t seem to come
naturally to her and she looked at what was happening in the hall with a
disgusted, arrogant expression. Her well-formed body was dressed in a tight,
long, white silk dress with silver accents on the half-length sleeves and the
décolleté, which had a submarine cut and left part of her shoulders bare. For
such a flowing dress you couldn't have a gram too much on the hips. The choice
of color gave her something almost ethereal as graceful as it appeared. As
accessories she wore a white gold necklace with large sapphires and her rings
and bracelets picked up the theme again. She made an impression and showcasted
that openly, too. They were a truly impressive trio. The proud man, in whom one
could see his long line of ancestors, and his wife didn't let anyone forget
that. This man here was the right hand of the Dark Lord, surrounded not only by
the smell of money and influence, but also by the breath of danger.
 
"Come along, I'd like to greet Draco. I've always got on well with him at
Hogwarts," Viktor said, ignorant that he was in danger of running into a knife
he couldn't see coming. However, he didn't give me a chance to speak and pulled
me toward the Malfoy family. Hence it came a s no surprise that they quickly
became aware of us, the couple approaching them. Huh, wasn’t that going
marvellously once again? I could see Draco's eyes narrow in suppressed rage, a
storm brewing inside them as recog nition flashed in their depths. Otherwise
the super cold mask was perfect. Mr Malfoy looked at us expectantly, as he had
recognized me as well, even though I had thought to notice a short flicker of
emotion in his grey eyes, and his wife looked at us as if we were cockroaches,
which in her eyes we actually were.
 
"Mr Malfoy, I'm Viktor Krum. I just wanted to wish your son a nice evening, as
we had always gotten along well at Hogwarts," Viktor said politely, performing
a pureblood-greeting and bowing slightly to Malfoy, which seemed to please him
as he raised the left corner of his mouth and nodded slightly.
 
"Pleased, Mr Krum. May I introduce you to my wife, Mrs Malfoy, before you turn
to my son?" Viktor took the offered hand of Narcissa and kissed the air above
her hand, not touching her skin.
 
"And your companion, Mr Krum...?" Draco’s father asked with a raised eyebrow
although he had long before identified me as The Mudblood.
 
"Of course, Mr Malfoy. May I introduce you to Hermione Granger?" Viktor
gestured in my direction in an introductory way.
 
"Miss Granger, finally I meet you face to face!" I could hear Lucius deep,
pleasant sounding voice that still contained coldness, while also revealing a
trace of interest that showed briefly in his grey eyes, too. I sank into a deep
curtsy, following the Pureblood-rules that Draco put so much emphasis on, and
that I had learned from his books, holding my upper body straight as though I'd
swallowed a broomstick and slightly bowed my head, which he observed with
something probably close to astonishment. I felt a bit idiotic performing this
submissive, old-fashioned gesture, but I think I didn't do anything
incorrectly. I could see how a hand suddenly reached for mine. He had leaned
down to me, as I was supposed to remain in the pose until I was greeted. Yes, I
had learned everything from Draco’s dusty tomes. And you could be sure, I never
forgot and excelled in implementing the things I had learned.
 
I could imagine that many would wonder where I had gained the knowledge about
this ancient greeting between Purebloods, because this was the correct, perfect
conduct in the nowadays not-too common version and I had learned it from books
borrowed from the Malfoy library. In contrast, the books from the Blacks’
library said that a quick curtsy was enough. And let's be honest, which young
girl who hadn't grown up in those circles would know such rules of behaviour
and especially me, a Mudblood despised by this snobbery society. Or could you
imagine Lav or Pav doing something like that? No? Good! Me neither.
 
So he took my hand, pulling me out of my submissive position with a fluent
motion, and raised it to his mouth and breathed a flawless kiss onto the back
of my hand. I looked deeply into his stormy grey eyes, which were locked onto
me. It felt like all the noises were fading into the background in this moment
when we stared at each other. He still had my hand in his and held it in front
of his chest.
 
His keen gaze made me aware that this man was a master of manipulation. He
tried to stare as deeply as possible into my eyes in an attempt to unsettle me,
to make me nervous. But please, not with me, I returned the look without
batting an eyelid. I also knew how to play the game ’who flinches first’! I...
it didn’t feel unpleasant to touch his skin, to know my hand in his and it
seemed like he didn’t care either. Since he hadn’t released my hand yet, but he
continued to look at me, focusing on me and my face. I didn't know what was
going on here, why Lucius Malfoy was so interested in me. Suddenly I heard a
less than gallant and ladylike snort followed by the rustling sound of heavy
rustling silk moving away. Narcissa had left, freeing us from our trance.
Resolutely, I withdrew my hand from him and he released it. I shook my head
slightly and looked at Draco, who was talking with Viktor though never took his
eyes off me or his father.
 
"Draco, I think I don't need to introduce you to Hermione, do I?" Viktor said,
turning his head to me, enabling Draco to briefly let his mask fall to glare at
me when his father followed his wife into the fray and thus making our exchange
pass unnoticed. I widened my eyes and shrugged apologetically while smiling at
Viktor.
 
"No, Viktor! There is really no need for that, I know Granger and if I may,
I'll kidnap her for a short dance!" Draco’s declaration came coldly and he
didn't wait for an answer from the speechless Viktor before he grabbed my hand
extremely gently to lead me to the dance floor. There he skillfully whirled me
around to face him and took over the lead of the slow waltz which was playing.
Draco was a fantastic dancer who performed every move with great grace.
Fortunately, I was able to keep up quite well by surrendering to his excellent
lead.
 
"Draco, you're out of your mind, I'm a Mudblood! What will your father and
everyone else think?" I whispered, exasperated, safely cradled in his arms and
would've loved to give myself to this feeling, however, unfortunately, it was
impossible under these particular circumstances.
 
"Let this be my concern, Mudblood! What are you doing here? Especially with
Viktor Krum?" he hissed very quietly and very angrily, but kept an indifferent
expression on his face.
 
"Don't be upset, Draco! Viktor asked me to accompany him weeks ago and I
agreed. But not because I wanted to see him, if that's what upsets you. I've
planned to do something different and Viktor's invitation was convenient.
Otherwise I would've asked the beetle to get me an invitation. This way was
just better, easier. I planned to tell you this on the train, but something
came in between..." I said softly while keeping an expression of indifference.
Actually, we were putting on a great show here, in which none of us moved a
muscle in his or her face.
 
"Really, you are no longer interested in the international Star Seeker...
Viktor Krum? And where have you been anyways? I was looking for you," he shot
the questions at me and growled slightly when he said Viktor’s name. I loved
non-jealous Malfoys, they were quite amusing in their not-being-jealous state.
 
"Yes, Draco, really. I'm not into Viktor and I don't even think about him for
the time being, and even if... I would gladly decline! I had to leave Hogwarts
at night with Harry and the Weasleys. I'll tell you when we're in the cottage."
I didn't want to tell him anything about Sirius now, he'd just freak out,
considering that Viktor already seemed to strain his nerves. How would he react
to the revelation that I had been back at the Blacks’ townhouse of Black? Not
well at all, I was sure of that.
 
"Don't forget it. It's incredible from what kind of situations I always end up
rescuing you. But what was that with father? Lucius is dangerous, stay away
from him! His greeting to you was... surprising. Mother didn't just walk away
without reason, be careful, don't provoke him too much," he said urgently,
warning me. He looked down at me and over my appearance appraisingly.
 
"Why? I only followed the rules of your book?" I asked slightly perplexed. I
hadn't done anything wrong.
 
"It's good that you memorized the book, but you seem to have impressed father
and  that' s not good, if you arouse his interest! He's not who he is because
of nothing!" he whispered urgently. "Why have you dressed yourself so
seductively? The whole room is focused on you because of your look and all the
men would love to have their way with you, sooner rather than later!" he said
slightly upset.
 
"Seriously, Draco, the dress doesn't look  that  great. You're exaggerating,
here are many beautiful women!" I emphasized. I looked great, but not that
amazing. "Coming back to something else, is it as dangerous as arousing your
interest? I mean, you're certainly not jealous, just because I'm accompanying
Viktor! But I promise you I will try to avoid your father!" I offered
indifferently as I could spot the truth behind his words, Lucius Malfoy was not
to be trifled with.
 
"Really, even father's eyes almost popped out when he saw you and let me tell
you, he's picky! He's a Malfoy. And that's right, at last you got it, Mudblood.
I'm never jealous, I just don't tolerate this... Krum by your side, no,
absolutely not! And the way he proudly strutted around with you on his arm
because he knows how amazing you look and complement him! Stay away from father
and the Bulgarian too!" he demanded sternly. Unfortunately, in that moment the
dance ended and he escorted me back to his father and Viktor, who were talking
about Quidditch.
 
"And Draco, how did you like to dance with a Mu... with Miss Granger?" Lucius
inquired arrogantly, obviously having severe difficulties not calling me
Mudblood, which made me smile. I know Draco had said I shouldn't provoke him,
but it was just too funny. A Malfoy who bit back an insult!
 
"Yes, thank you, father, it was fun! Does anyone want something to drink?" He
asked politely, the two men nodded, I shook my head and turned to the
illustrious group. I, a Muggleborn, between Purebloods and we were all so
polite to each other that it could make someone puke.
 
"If you'll excuse me? I would need to retreat for a short time," I gave Viktor
an apologetic smile and explained that I wanted to freshen up, and quickly
dived into the crowd. I left the crowded hall, the fun, festive activity behind
me and immediately a serious expression appeared on my face. I had to focus on
my task from now.
 
I had to be determined, quick and focused, so no one would notice that I had
disappeared.
 
My target was far below, here in the Ministry of Magic, and I had to get there.
It was on the ninth floor and named Dumbledore!
***** Department of Mysteries *****
Chapter Notes
     Aloha and I hope you're all good. ♥
     Thanks so much for all your amazing comments, notes and Kudos! You're
     amazing!
     Big thanks goes to: Aivy and C. (Beta and Translator of this
     chapter).
     Warning:
     A bit of Violence and Some sort of Harassment.
     But you'll be fine. :P
     Enjoy. xxx
Department of Mysteries
 
My goal was to find out more about Dumbledore’s past.
 
Well, that had gone well. Malfoy one and two had been busy with themselves and
Viktor and so I could get closer to my real goal. I wasn’t here to amuse
myself, to flirt with men or to pit people against each other, oh no, I had a
mission. I was here for a specific reason and I couldn’t and wouldn’t let this
opportunity pass to come here when security was less strict than usual. I was
certain that no one here was even thinking about what I had planned to do.
 
I was heading towards my goal with quick steps. The loud sound of my shoes was
very audible. Because my time was limited, I had to hurry up. I took the shawl
off from my shoulders, folded it and put it into my purse. Determined, I went
to the lift.
 
I had to get to the ninth floor, the so-called Department of Mysteries. I knew
that from my research, which hadn’t been easy... just to mention that.
 
I pressed the button for the ninth floor and the lift started to move
squeakily. Next I pulled up my dress without much decorum and drew my white
wand. I had the good sense to carry a dagger on my left leg. As I had said, I
never went anywhere without weapons.
 
I prepared myself for my undertaking and didn’t spell myself invisible, as
there were curses in the Ministry that prevented attempts like that, but used
the Disillusionment Charm to adapt to my surroundings and put a Sonus Ex on my
shoes so that my footsteps couldn’t be heard anymore.
 
Was I excited? Was I nervous? No, I had clearly been more self-conscious in
front of the Malfoys. Why should I be afraid? Because I was about to break in?
No, I had already done that. It was more anticipation that I felt. I was
curious how I would manage to act out my plan and how hard it would become and
in what way my knowledge would be challenged.
 
But I wasn’t afraid, I was looking forward to this challenge. Given that I was
about to do something forbidden, the tingling in my belly was getting stronger
again. I could feel the adrenaline starting to rush through my veins and how it
made be more attentive.
 
The Department of Mysteries was a mystery even inside the Ministry itself. It
was the best kept secret here. No one in the Ministry could say something
specific because even if you worked for the Department of Mysteries you knew
next to nothing and could not offer any information. The employees were called
the Unspeakables because they didn’t talk about their work.
 
There were many dangerous levels of magic and I didn’t mean Dark and Light. No,
there was an incredible diversity in the magic they were probably experimenting
with here. Time was one of them, I guessed, because my time turner had come
from the Ministry. But there was much more to it than that.
The door of the lift opened loudly. Behind it lay a long, windowless, deserted
hallway and on its end I could make out a simple, dark, wooden door.
 
Thus I left the lift in a hurry, heading towards the wooden door while mumbling
some spells to see whether there were detection spells which would sound an
alarm.
 
There were some though to my great disappointment they couldn’t compare to most
of Snape’s crazy and nasty inventions. Like I said, to get into the bad-
tempered professor’s potion storage had been more of a challenge than this.
Wow, I was very disappointed. They were way too trusting! If I had been the
Dark Lord, the door would have opened in invitation at once. How depressing.
 
I could only hope that the secret behind the door was going to turn out to be a
bigger challenge.
 
I stepped, still disappointed but no less attentive, into the entry hall of the
Department of Mysteries. I stood inside the door and held it open. All of that
was just too easy, which made me suspicious and so I examined the empty hall
from this safe position and saw a round room made of stone which was
illuminated with unusual blue candle light.
 
A sly grin took over my face. How cute. I guess this should confound visitors?
Along the walls were a dozen identical doors, without handles, very clever. I
was chuckling, amused. I bit my lips, thinking. I was certain that once this
door was closed, I was trapped. It wouldn’t be possible to make out the exit
from all these identical doors.
 
I was thinking fast, looking over my shoulder to see if someone was coming. But
there was no one. Good!
 
I had a crazy idea that I wanted to test first, so I pointed my wand at the
door and used a Flagrate on its inside which marked the wooden door with a
flaming cross.
 
Satisfied, I looked at the mark and overcame the urge to keep the door open. I
stepped into the round room and shut the door determinedly. It closed with a
loud click. I waited with anticipation, curious about what would happen.
 
Suddenly the walls started to rotate so that the entry wouldn’t have been
distinguishable from the other doors. Keeping orientation was impossible but my
idea proved to be the right one.
 
The concept was good, that I had to admit without envy. But it wasn’t a
hindrance for me, Hermione Granger. Their system had too many flaws. I had been
confronted with magical riddles at Harry’s side since first year, when the
magical world had still been a big question mark for me. I still had had so
much to learn and discover. I had already had to solve magical traps as a first
year and had done so successfully. This here was not more to me than small
traps and no real obstacles… This was not high magic at all, it was more like a
children’s game because my Flagrate was still very visible, the mark glowing
brightly.
 
I was rolling my eyes confronted with this ignorant thoughtlessness. One could
easily ban all forbidden access with a curse but, well, they made my job easier
and I should be grateful for that. To be on the safe side, I opened the marked
door and yes, it was still the exit. I was just too sceptical. However, to be
careful was never wrong.
 
Great, it was good to see that everything worked out so well. Now I would have
to be quick to find the right door, because Draco and Viktor wouldn’t wait for
me forever without looking for me.
 
I tried the easiest thing that came to my mind and nearly died of vicarious
embarrassment because the door opened with a simple Alohomora.
 
There was a long room with some black desks. In its midst there was a glass
container, filled with a dark green fluid. And were that brains swimming in
there? Did I see that right? I was still at the door, not stepping into the
room. How disgusting. Sometimes it really was pretty tasteless what one got to
see. I shook myself in obvious disgust and spelled a Flagrate on this door as
well. I closed it again and let the room spin once more.
 
If every door was going to take me so long, I would still be here tomorrow. And
if one thought about my luck, which was my companion day in, day out, then the
last door would be the right one!
 
Now I opened the next door and what it revealed made my blood run cold. There
was an unnatural dark hall with even more doors. This hall was huge and there
was something that reminded me of an old greek stone theater. There were even
stone benches.
 
In the middle was a podest on which a worn down, age-old gateway stood from
which I could hear quiet whispering and hissing which made this place eerily
spooky. It made my skin crawl. Quickly I spelled the door shut. What an
uncomfortable place.
 
With what creepy things was the Ministry playing here? That hadn’t been
anything good, this much could be said.
 
Could it be real? All good things came in threes and apparently I wasn’t
completely without any luck because I had just opened the right room.
 
I didn’t put a mark on this door, I just stepped into the room and closed the
door behind me.
 
This hall was literally enormous. Forget Hogwarts, forget the Ministry’s
atrium, forget all of that and put all of them into one box. The result
wouldn’t be great enough for this hall, just to try and describe its
immeasurable size.
 
I had reached the Hall of Archives and my heart beat was increasing steadily.
Why couldn’t I lock myself in here for a few weeks? I would be really happy…
However, I didn’t have the time for it and so I gave the ceiling high cabinets
only a calculating, nearly sad look. Some of the cabinets were askew, I don’t
know how they hadn’t already fallen down. Must be magic. I was looking for a
way to specify my search.
 
There was cabinet after cabinet and this continued into endless depths. Here
was the archive of the history of magic, every known detail about an event or a
person was here, not only news paper articles, but real references, cross
references and every magical relation was noted down to have complete family
trees. What was done to the family trees in the homes of the purebloods
including blasting unwanted members off of it was their business, here they
recorded every member of the family meticulously as soon as the Ministry got
note of a magical existence.
 
And exactly that was the reason why I had to come here. No one, or as good as
no one, got access to this hall because there were a lot of shady secrets that
many people wanted to be left unknown. Satisfaction was spreading through me,
because I had done it! I was here and it had been way too easy, I thought
doubtfully, but oh well.
 
How the hell would I find the right papers now? What system did they use here?
 
I could see index card boxes on the magical desks that were placed in front of
each row. I walked up to one and lifted the lid. There were a variety of
labelled index cards… Mh-hm… 1300-1350! Okay, that was obviously some centuries
too early, hence I continued to hurry down the hall. Time was running out.
 
Why was the entry door in the middle, with the year 1300?
 
It was obvious that such a stupid idea could only come from magical people. Do
you know how fucked up it is to walk such a long distance in heels? It’s not
very comfortable! Unfortunately I was still looking for the year, or rather, I
would be happy if I even found the right century.
 
Finally I got closer to the right century, the 19th!
 
I opened the box impatiently and read that I was in front of 1850-1900! Great,
finally, I couldn’t believe it! I took the card for the year out and looked at
it. Ah, here you had to point your wand and name the event, the person or the
date. Magic would do the rest and search by itself.
 
Well, this shouldn’t be too hard.
“Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore with family and Grindelwald in
England.” I heard a suspicious rumble in the dark depths from the askew
cabinets, which looked like a very wobbly tower made from books. Suddenly
something rattled and once again I was making sure that I was still alone. Two
files came flying and landed with a loud clap on top of the desk. The air that
now blew towards me was moldy and stale.
 
Determined, I opened them and got a short overview. Yes, that looked good. I
spelled the files smaller and put them into my extended purse, deleted the
memory of the index card with a Evociato Restinguere so that no one would know
that I had searched for Dumbledore and Grindelwald and went to the next desk.
Here I repeated the procedure, but this time for 1900-1950!
 
“Albus Dumbledore and Grindelwald!” This time the paper that was flying towards
me was very thin. I only needed a short look, then put it into my purse. I
mumbled a spell to get rid of any traces of myself, turned around brusquely and
hurried from the room. This had taken way too long already.
 
I hurried towards the door and closed it behind me. The room was spinning again
around me. Fortunately I only had to test three crosses. The first door I
opened was the entry to the dubious archway again. I used a counter curse to
erase my Flagrate and spoke a Reparo for the wooden door. It looked as good as
new once I had closed it again. Wasn’t it nice that magic existed?
 
The next door was my exit and so I pointed my wand from here towards the last
door and vanished all suspicious traces. Once I closed the last door behind me,
every trace that could point towards a trespasser had been painstakingly
erased.
 
I ran towards the lift and reapplied the curses that I had erased or changed
before and hurried inside. I had been gone for about three quarters of an hour,
like my Tempus showed me. That meant I had been quick, but to need more than
thirty minutes for the toilet… my companion and the Malfoys must think that I
had flushed myself down.
 
I tried to calm down my breathing and my heartbeat, removed the two spells from
myself, and put the wand back in its place on my thigh to mime once again a
well-behaved guest of this ball.
 
Thus I had re-entered  the glossy, bright hallways on the upper floor and let
the darkness behind me, and was now in the secluded anteroom of a washroom,
looking at myself in the mirror. I was picking at my hair-do when I froze
because suddenly I could feel that I was not alone anymore.The prickling in my
neck was telling me that I was being watched.
 
I quickly turned around and saw Lucius Malfoy in all his glory and masculinity
opposite me. He was looking at me with an undeniably frozen expression, but his
eyes were assessing me. Suddenly he moved towards me, which prompted me to try
to avoid him by taking a step to the right. Tactically not a very smart move as
I could see now, because he was lifting the corner his mouth with quiet
satisfaction. Now I no longer had the mirror in my back, but a marble wall and
as he was standing in the way, I couldn’t get past him.
 
He came slowly but surely closer, appearing very threatening in his confident
and self-satisfied manner. It seemed as if he wanted to play.
 
“Miss Granger, you are being searched for!” he stated with his deep voice
quietly and very silkily and I had to suppress a shiver.
 
“Oh. Sorry if I made things inconvenient. I’ll be there shortly!” I turned
around brusquely, but didn’t get very far. Now I was staring at his broad
chest, clothed in expensive fabric. He had managed to sneak up to me quietly
and swiftly. My small size was quite inconvenient sometimes, as big and
intimidating as he stood before me.
 
If I didn’t want to keep my face in his white shirt, I had to back up. And so I
stood with my naked shoulders and my back pressed against the cold, smooth
marble, which let me to take an audible breath and gave me goosebumps. All of
this was watched closely by the blonde, long haired beau, every movement was
obsessed over eagerly.
 
“Mr Malfoy, I think we should head back to the hall!” I looked courageously
into his eyes. This man was impressive in all aspects of his appearance.
Knowing about his power and charisma, he seemed to be much more dangerous than
Snape, who made a secret out of himself and became one with the darkness, which
was something that would be impossible for the man before me and not only
because of his bright hair.
 
“Do you, Miss Granger?” He gave me a derisive look while getting continuously
closer, so that there was no place left between our bodies. Just as good that
situations like this weren’t new to me and so I managed to keep a calm and
collected mask, even if I understood the danger of this gesture very well. He
wanted to unsettle me and hoped that I lost my composure so he could revel in
my fear. But I wouldn’t make it that easy for him.
 
“My son fancies you!” he whispered hoarsely and imprisoned me with a flowing
motion by putting his hand next to my face and using the other to stroke my
throat and collarbone with the head of the snake of his cane with slow and
insinuating movements while giving me a very evil grin, which made me swallow
in discomfort.
 
Phew, my pulse quickened. I could feel the cool silver on my heated skin and
turned my head to the side to get away from his lascivious touch.
 
“I’m a mudblood, in which way could your son fancy me?” I scoffed. My own,
derisive tone made him lift his cane so that he forced me to look into his
impassive, ice cold grey eyes because he raised my chin.
 
“There are ways to have fun with mudbloods, Miss Granger!” I read something in
the depths of his eyes that, together with the words he whispered, made me
afraid.
 
“If you say that, Mr Malfoy!” I was looking into his eyes unwaveringly and felt
the hard head of the snake when he pressed against me without warning. I gasped
because he forced the air out of my lungs. His powerful, trained body was flush
against me and let me feel his excitement against my stomach.
 
Why always me? Why did all of the snakes think I was at their disposal? Hello?
This was the father of my boyfriend, this was Draco’s father who was pressing
his cock against me in obvious enjoyment. Did I want this? No, I was certain I
didn’t. Why did I always end up in crappy situations like this?
 
I tried to stay very calm because to lose my nerve now wouldn’t be good. He had
taken me by surprise and because of that I was in a position that was pretty
bad to fight back from. Did I really want to risk a scandal?
 
“Mr Malfoy, you are the hand of the Dark Lord, shouldn’t you try to kill me,
Harry’s friend, instead of… this here?” I started an offensive because it
didn’t matter anymore. He had made his point clear.
 
I had spoken with a surprisingly calm voice considering he was pressing against
me intimately, but I acted as if we were talking at a tea party. Snape had
already made me a whore, so I could handle being confronted with a randy Malfoy
in a relatively confident manner. Especially as I internally forbade myself any
kind of protest. I had to keep a clear head.
 
I could hear a rough, very deep laugh. He started to play again with his snake
and stroked my shoulder and then my arm slowly, sensually.
 
“You are not afraid to say things where most people would prefer to stay
silent…! Interesting… Why should I kill you so soon? There are other ways to
get to ones goal! Why should I deny myself the pleasure? And you, you promise
me fun…Miss Granger! So calm, so aloof, so little Gryffindor… so perfect for
me!!! And the next time you should better keep quiet instead of shouting your
assumption regarding the Dark Lord and my roll into the world… I’ll give you
another reason to scream!” he was hissing nastily and seized my hair painfully
with the hand that he had put against the marble earlier. He turned his head
quickly and bit into my right, naked shoulder violently and ruthlessly.
 
I was paralysed. At first I wanted to scream, the pain was incredible. His
teeth dug deeper and deeper into my flesh, with brute force, as if he was a
snake and would sink his venomous teeth into me, until they were completely
buried.
 
He was biting me in earnest!!! And pulling my hair unrelentingly.
 
I was biting my tongue harshly until I tasted blood. I wouldn’t give him the
pleasure to hear me scream. Tears of pain were gathering in my eyes. I tried to
push him off me with my hands, but he just stood there like a rooted tree,
pressing his body even closer to mine so that I kept still. My hands were still
imprisoned by his chest and damned to motionlessness. Why hadn’t I paid
attention to the simplest and most common rules of self defense?
 
The reason was quite simple: Who would have thought that Malfoy was crazy
enough to attack me like this, in public, at a public function like the ball at
the Ministry? Well, I hadn’t. Stupid, it was a mistake!
 
I would like nothing more than to slam my knee into his private parts but he
had already managed to push my legs apart brutally and to put himself in
between in the meantime. One couldn’t say that he didn’t think of everything to
protect himself from me. He didn’t underestimate my will to fight. Smart man,
but had I ever claimed that Malfoys were stupid?
 
That whole mortifying situation couldn’t have been going on longer than a
minute, if not less. Finally he let my aching shoulder go, lifted his white
blonde head and looked into my tearfilled eyes with unmistakable hunger.
 
“You didn’t scream!” he whispered hoarsely and audibly aroused. It seemed to
surprise him and also turn him on, causing him to show me his teeth, baring
them to me. The teeth which had been sunk into my shoulder with brutal force
were red with my blood. A macabre sight which made me swallow heavily. The pain
was a strong, steady throbbing in my shoulder and I didn’t want to do him the
favour and cry. Instead we held each other’s gaze.
 
Finally he turned away and looked at his bite. He lowered his head and started
to lick my wound with his tongue lasciviously and slowly in a move that
appeared almost crazed, tasting my blood and caressing the bite, slowly tracing
the wound’s outline and the imprints of his teeth.
 
I let my head fall back and suppressed a whimper, which wasn’t easy, however,
my pride wouldn’t let me give him the satisfaction. I would’ve loved to hit him
against the marble.  This can’t be real, this isn’t happening to me, please no,
I thought!
 
Suddenly, I could hear steps, someone was coming. Goddess be thanked, I hoped
he would let go of me now.
 
Unfortunately, I couldn’t see anything because I wasn’t in the right position
and his unrelenting hand in my hair was keeping my head in place. I had to
wait. Again I was cursing my small 163 centimeters. To feel Lucius Malfoy this
close and demanding wasn’t comfortable at all.
 
Where would this lead if the one who had just arrived, whoever it was, wouldn’t
say anything, I asked myself desperately because the steps were now silent and
I knew we were being watched. Should I scream after all and make a scandal and
give Lucius Malfoy the satisfaction to have won?
 
Goddess be thanked the formerly silent voyeur started to say something because
Malfoy, who was now giving my throat small bites in his crazy furor, hadn’t
noticed that we weren’t alone or was ignoring it in his arrogance.
 
“Father? Mother is looking for you. Fudge wants to give the speech with your
assistance and Krum is looking for Granger!” I heard Draco’s cool, emotionless
voice and I let the breath I was holding go.
 
Heaven be thanked, it was Draco! Lucius lifted his head abruptly, looked at me
once more longingly and stepped back. Finally, he released me, nodding
politely. One had to be a pureblood, he observed manners as if nothing had ever
happened.
 
“I’m coming, Draco! Until the next bite, Miss Granger!” he threatened and
turned around, leaving the small room majestically, not heeding his son with
another look.
 
Without his body keeping me up, I now stood there a bit shakily. But Draco
stepped in front of me, taking my upper arms tenderly, giving me footing. I was
rattled up by his father’s deed. He had bit me! Bit me like an animal!
 
“Hermione, what has happened?” he asked, shocked. “What is that?” He looked at
my injured shoulder and I shook him off, turning towards the mirror to see what
Lucius Malfoy had done to me. It looked really bad. The still bloody bite
seemed unreal, like a drawing, and it hurt still as well. Wasn’t that great?
Even my hair was in disarray now. I looked thoroughly disheveled.
 
“He bit me,” I said, still not believing what had happened. I stared at the
very visible imprints of teeth.
 
“I can see that too and it wasn’t something that could be overlooked, the way
he tried to crawl into you. What happened?” Draco took a step towards me and
tried to heal my wound with his second, black wand which he always carried with
himself. It didn’t work out too well because an Episkey wasn’t enough. It
didn’t close all the way and a red, swollen mark stayed which would be a
reminder of the incredible situation I had just lived through.
 
“Thank you, Draco,” I said matter-of-factly, looking at his reflection
resignedly. He returned my gaze, the demand clear in his eyes, and I started to
explain.
 
“He said that his son would fancy me, then I said that that couldn’t be the
case… because I’m a mudblood…” I turned around and fell into his opened arms
which closed around me immediately. “...and said that he should rather try to
kill me! He… he stated that there were other ways to have fun with mudbloods.
You didn’t have to kill them and he would get me to scream, after that he bit
me!” I told him quickly, stammering a bit. Draco stroked my back continuously
and calmed me.
 
“Oh, shit, that isn’t good! Why doesn’t it surprise me that it is you this is
happening to? And let me guess you didn’t even make a sound?... Hermione, this
only turns him on more. Father is a hunter and he made you his pray. That isn’t
good, not at all! And he has already marked you. No… not good at all! He never
loses his composure, especially in public! Shit, come, we have to leave now,
because he won’t stop until he… Let’s go! He loves the hunt!” He took my arm
and hastily pulled me out of the bathroom towards the lift. Fortunately the
hallway was empty because of the midnight speech of Fudge and generous
financier Lucius Malfoy had just started.
 
Draco’s statement had shocked me. Here I was, letting him move me like a doll.
Now there wasn’t only Snape after me, it was Lucius Malfoy as well who would
look for me everywhere!
 
Well, sometimes, only sometimes, I wanted to scream… but I calmed myself down
again and saw reason. It would neither help me nor safe me to lose my cool.
 
Draco and I walked through the black atrium and got closer towards the
apparition point.
 
“My cloak,” I said, befuddled.
 
“Forget it, I’ll buy you a new one!” He tightened his hold on my arm and pulled
me forwards unrelentingly. It was like a flight.
 
“Well, apparate us to your cottage!” he ordered curtly and I did as I was told,
putting distance between Lucius Malfoy and us, but especially between Lucius
and me.
***** A Night with Draco and the Consequences *****
Chapter Notes
     Hello most beautiful readers,
     so we continue with the main story. Have you read the Special I
     posted last week? There you can revisit chapter 57 and 58 from
     Lucius' POV. If you want to be notified in case of any Special
     chapters yet to come, please subscribe to the series. For now, enjoy
     this week's chapter and I will see you next week.
     Aivy
     Chapter beta: our new team member Dani!
     Chapter translator: Aivy and Sophie
Draco and I materialised below the big, old tree in the cold, fresh December
air. I was freezing in my flimsy evening dress and hurried us along.
“Come on!” I pulled him firmly towards the cottage, signalled him to lay a hand
on the door and uttered a short incantation that included him into the house
wards.
“Pretty,” he declared after a glance around as he was now actually able to see
everything and I beckoned him in briskly.
“When are you going to perform the Fidelius? After what just happened I am all
for ‘as soon as possible’!” He sounded grave and businesslike though fiddling
with the silver clasp of his dark blue velvet cloak.
“Actually I had wanted to wait until the twins arrival on the 25th,” I replied,
irritated.
“No, it’s too late, we’ll do it tomorrow morning!” he decreed harshly before he
strolled into the living room in a self-important manner to lit a fire non-
verbally with only a flick of his hand.
It seemed like he felt already at home here, the fire crackled in the fireplace
and the room started to warm up.
In the meantime he breathed a sigh of relief after he had taken off his thick
velvet cloak and dropped it over a chair without a care. Just then I saw that
it had a silver silk lining… It must be quiet heavy I figured.
“What is happening right now, Draco?” I asked unsurely and looked at him, my
gaze intensified, while standing in the middle of the room like I had been
lost.
“Much, sadly!” he said with a timbre in his voice that I couldn’t pinpoint.
Very helpful, Mr Malfoy, I thought cynically and snorted disgruntledly.
“Do I have much to worry about?” I asked thoughtfully and remembered the
incredible feeling when Lucius’ teeth had, as if in slow motion, dug
unyieldingly into my skin and I shuddered slightly in horror.
“For fuck’s sake, yes! Do you think he is a Death Eater for nothing?” Draco’s
answer resounding from his place at the fireplace was filled with fury. “He bit
you…” he then whispered in so low a voice that I had difficulty to understand
him at all, and he shook his head as if he couldn’t believe it.
“When will you leave again?” I tried to sidetrack. As I had said, the past was
in the past. Now we could only take potluck. It was my pragmatism speaking.
“Not at all. We had planned to meet tomorrow morning anyway. Now, I’m already
here!” he stated succinctly and ruffled his blonde hair restlessly.
“Yes, but won’t your father be suspicious that you … went missing after the
ball? After you had… um, interrupted us? … Thanks for that!” I got more and
more quiet, while wrapping my arms around myself as I was very cold all of a
sudden. From shock or because of the sheer fabric of my dress? Whatever the
reason might be, I felt very insecure from one moment to the next, though I
called myself to order and asked:
“And what about your things?”
“No, I will write him a letter shortly saying that I had to pursue an urgent
need… and that I will go on straight to Blaise, with whom I will spend, as
agreed, Christmas and the rest of the holidays. Do you have ink and parchment
at hand?” he inquired businesslike and as he looked at me with such scrutiny
his expression turned worried.
“I will arrange with Father that my things will be sent to Blaise, I will
collect them tomorrow!” he decided determinedly.
“Yes, sure, here’s everything. I like the idea with Zabini!” I encouraged him
while handing him over the requested items. He wrote a short massage, opened
one of the little windows with glazing bars and called his owl with a spell,
which amazingly worked even over a greater distance.
“He’ll arrive soon, then this will be done as well.”
While he wrote the letter I took off my high heels and poured each of us a
glass of whiskey. The Muggle version, Lagavulin, a 16 years old ‘classic Malt’,
which I bought especially for us. I wanted to offer Draco the non-magical
alternative so he could broaden his mind. And I definitely needed a drink after
my successful break-in and especially after Lucius Malfoy’s attack.
“I’ll have to inform Viktor as well, after I left without notice” I reasoned,
handing Draco his drink.
“No, you don’t!” He claimed very firmly and his features gave an impression of
rejection before he immediately took a big gulp. I was dismayed about his rude
reaction when he looked at me with surprise.
“What is this?” He examined at the amber-coloured substance carefully even
going so far as taking a sniff.
I chuckled slightly. It was amazing how, just by wrinkling his aristocratic
nose, Draco still had the ability to make me laugh besides all the
circumstances. “This is a Muggle Whiskey, ‘Lagavulin’, sixteen years old. What
do you think? “ I asked coquettishly and took a seat on the couch giving him a
questioning look.
He now took a smaller, much more cautious sip and swallowed thoughtfully.
“Well it is surprisingly good, I wouldn’t have thought the Muggles capable of
that. It is not as spicy as our fire whiskey, something different though,” he
gave his merciful judgement. “One can drink it”. Well, I knew I wouldn’t get
anything further from him, but considering how appreciatively he took the next
sip, I was pretty sure he liked it better than he wanted to show me.
“You should know, the Muggles have a huge variety available. There are lots of
different versions from Ireland, Scotland, America, and and and..” I gave him a
detailed explanation, I really welcomed the distraction.
“Oh, really? Muggles are a strange folk - ” he replied with surprise when he
got interrupted by the arrival of his owl.
“Ah there you are, Ianus. Please bring Father this one, but only when he
arrives at the Manor!” he commanded as bossy as usual while tying the letter
around the leg of the beautiful brown-white animal and sent it on its journey.
“Wow, Draco, was that a Bay Owl? They are extremely rare, but I guess they
really do fit a Malfoy very well though, what with always wearing masks, or is
it just a coincidence?” I exclaimed really ecstatic, since you didn’t see those
owls very often, and I knew for sure he had another much more unremarkable one
in school.
“Yes, Ianus is a Bay Owl. It was a present from Severus, I don’t know whether
he wanted to imply something or not, but I wouldn’t put anything past him. I
really like Ianus. He is something very unique and extremely smart,” he gushed
readily. He displayed his feelings for the owl openly on his face and now,
after I had learned whose gift Ianus had been, I was sure that it was a mean-
spirited allusion to the Malfoy habit to hide all emotions behind masks. Snape
was the right one to speak.
I was reclining against the pillows with my drink in hand, relaxed, my pretty
dress billowing around me, and I put the potential danger Mr malfoy posed for
me on the back-burner, as I wouldn’t be able to change anything about it. That
was something I was indifferent about. I would face the problem when I
encountered it, I decided resignedly.
“So, that is done.” Draco came over to the couch with a swing in his step and
sat down beside my, raising his glass to me with a wink.
“That has been an eventful evening!” Draco summarised with little enthusiasm
and raised his arm invitingly and I didn’t hesitate and cuddled up to him. His
pleasant scent calmed me.
“We are going to work it out, whatever happens. As long as we stick together,
we’ll get off lightly, more or less, and there is Severus, too,” Draco
explained, reassuring me. I had to laugh out loud, my body shaking with
amusement. It seemed as if Draco was drawing up a game plan, reassuring himself
as much as me.
He looked bewildered at my burst of amusement.
“Sorry, D… Draco, but you are talking with so much pathos. You don’t have to
comfort me. I know we shouldn’t make a drama out of it, it would only make it
worse! As is all too often the case, it isn’t nice, but unchangeable, and I
don’t plan to make a point of it, seriously. The only thing that bothers me
really and truly: What did I do wrong that he took so much notice of me?” I
declared honestly, openly and now looked fervently at the bottom of my glass as
if it contained the answer to my question. Right now it reminded me of a
crystal ball used in Divination. I had never seen more than a wafting,
meaningless smoke in there as well.
I felt Draco pulling me into his embrace, holding me tight and mumbling into
the ruined remains of my hairdo: “You really don’t know, do you, Granger? You
are always so smart, taking everything into consideration and planning
everything in advance, though so blind as soon as something concerns yourself.
And no, I will not list your attributes here, but as I already said once, you
are someone special and people that are neither totally blind nor dumb will see
that at first glance. And we don’t have to talk about your looks… One can feel
and see the power, the might and level of your magic! Look at those other
idiots calling themselves Mudbloods. Creevey, the badger in a lion’s pelt, for
example. Most of them barely able to hold their wands,” he insisted. With his
other hand he raised his glass and took another greedy gulp of Whiskey.
“Mh-hm, I think I could come to like it!”
Wow, was Draco right? Was I really this different from other Muggleborns? Yes,
I might be. I knew practically no other that mastered so many spells on their
first try. However, having Draco share his views of myself was something like
an epiphany, and so I mulled over his words.
Even the pure-blooded kids didn’t manage that most of the time, just look at
Ron or Neville, and that had nothing to do with exercising! And might it be
true that this was one of the reasons snobistic and vain people, like most of
the snakes were at their core, took so much interest in me? And were able to
overlook my low-born status? Because they recognized the level of magic I was
capable of, which was apparently quite powerful? I would have to contemplate
that later.
We sat in front of the fireplace a while longer and simply talked. At the same
time, Draco stroked my hair gently, loosening it in the process, until it fell
down my back unrestrained. And we drank one or two more glasses of Whiskey,
before I stood up, as I wanted to get rid of my dress.
“I’ll go and change. Come, I’ll show you what little is left of the house you
haven’t seen yet,” I offered amicably, took his hand and started a tour of the
house.
At last, I entered my bedroom. For the first time, I felt something akin to
trepidation. How would the evening conclude? I hadn’t wasted a thought on it up
until now.
 
The room was small, but comfy. Lots of wood and the flowery print of the
curtains contributed to a Laura Ashley chic. A large bed, a vanity, and a
floor-to-ceiling mirror were all it offered.
“Granger, don’t look like… You don’t think you will escape me tonight?” he
breathed into my ear in his most velvety voice. With a mischievous smile on his
lips he stepped forth, dominating the small room with his self-confident manner
in a way that it left me speechless. I mean, I must never forget that he was
his father’s son, for better and for worse.
For I couldn’t even blink before I was pulled against his chest. He held me
tightly and lowered his head to lock our lips passionately and kiss me
demandingly. Not as tenderly and sensually as usual, but still gently, with a
badly suppressed impatience underneath. I welcomed his tongue, wrapping my arms
around his neck, and moaned blissfully into his mouth.
The kiss was hot and it didn’t take long until his hands started roving over my
body somewhat erratically. Fervently, his caresses moved down my sides. I
didn’t hold myself back either. He had already lost his jacket and bow tie, so
I unbuttoned the silver buttons of his shirt, which I did quickly with skilled
fingers. We didn’t break our liplock at any time. He pulled my bottom lip
between his teeths which made me squeal to his throaty laughter.
Then, he broke away from me and unzipped the back of my dress with a smooth and
practiced motion, then brushing the straps from my shoulders with a single,
long, white digit in a lascivious gesture. My dress slipped to the floor,
billowing around my feet.
The chiffon spread out around me like the petals of a flower and I stood in
front of him clad only in a green silk thong adorned with light coloured lace.
Hey, after all I did know what snakes fancied and I had dressed accordingly.
He had stepped back a bit and examined me in the bright moonlight illuminating
the room and I was eying him as well, noticing his eyes lighting up with
desire, sparkling auspiciously.
He did cut a striking figure himself and, considering the way he now approached
me determinedly and once again kissed me hungrily, it would be the perfect time
to do it after all the time we had taken.
Eagerly, he pushed me back towards the bed. Already, I could feel the the edge
and sank, thanks to his relentlessness, onto the bed. He was still standing,
his gaze sliding up and down over my body, grinning lewdly, making me swallow
heavily. Lucius had had a similar expression.
I had averted my eyes, but looked up again when I felt the mattress dip under
his weight. He knelt at my side, still contemplating me as if I was, I didn’t
know - beautiful? Something truly precious? Right, keep on dreaming, I tried to
reprimand myself, when he whispered hoarsely:
“You are gorgeous, Hermione, flawless!” I knew it couldn’t be true, at least
since Bole’s knife left a large scar, but the look in his eyes didn’t belie his
words. He meant what he said, he considered me ‘flawless’, which made me smile
at him brightly. I raised my hands and grabbed his shirt, ripping it open
impatiently. I didn’t care, the Malfoys had enough money, he could buy a new
one. The last silver buttons that flew off hit the floor with a loud ‘pling’.
“So wild, Mudblood?” He laughed, amused, and took off his white shirt
completely.
Wow! For the first time I saw him shirtless. His upper body was a pane of
smooth skin, shining like alabaster in the pale light. He had well defined
muscles, quite fit. Okay, he had a body to die for. Unconsciously, I licked my
kiss-bruised lips, which prompted him to action, and I felt his weight settling
on me at the same time he reclaimed my lips.
Goddess, he could kiss. He blew my mind with the level of devotion he displayed
for pleasing me. Caressing and kneading my breasts with passion. After a long
time he broke away and looked down at me, his blond hair framing his handsome
face, just before he slipped down the bed and worshipped my peaks with the same
dedication, pleasuring them with tongue and teeth. I could do nothing else but
enjoy his ministrations. He nibbled and bit lightly into my nipples until they
stood erect. I writhed under him, thoroughly aroused, and was moaning quietly,
from time to time letting out a whimper.
I had buried my hands in his soft hair, letting it slip through my fingers.
Inside me I could feel the smouldering of embers that caught fire when his hand
moved to my stomach, stopping shortly at my belly button to tease me some more,
letting my muscles clench in anticipation.
He delayed the moment when he would touch me at my most private of parts, first
giving attention to the inside of my thighs with featherlight caresses before
spreading them playfully. I yielded to his gentle demand and opened up for him
willingly. He snapped his fingers casually and promptly I did no longer wear
any objectionable fabric. How convenient that we had magic.
I could barely wait as I felt so hot, the lambent flames inside me screaming
for a quick release. However, Draco’s expression told me that he wasn’t
inclined to grant it.
The way he smirked mischievously I couldn’t expect any mercy from him and hence
he dragged out the moment torturously until he finally deigned to touch my
folds gingerly, the velvety flesh already wet with my arousal.
In that moment I groaned blissfully, arching my back and sticking out my chest,
when he entered a finger inside me simultaneously.
„ARRRRGH...Draco!“ I exclaimed desperately, as he continued to increase the
tension. I‘d never been so passive as I was acting towards Draco.
„I like it when you‘re touching yourself,“ he whispered to one of my breasts
and bit playful into my hard nipple, what made me toss my head around in my
pillow.
He moved his single finger in an unbearably slow rhythm, driving me into
proverbial madness, as he was simply laying beside me, watching me biting my
lip in frustration, meanwhile attending to my breasts with my own hands.
I tried to increase the pace with which his finger thrust inside me by lifting
my hips and moving them in sync. My inner fire burned hotter and hotter from
minute to minute as I was chasing my own release.
He regarded me with a languorous smile, which was pretty mean. I silently hoped
that he would burst, as he was still wearing his tightly fitting black suit
trousers while I laid bare before him.
“Draco… please… !” I begged him, my voice faltering.
“Do you want to cum for me, my Mudblood? I thoroughly enjoy having you this
helpless at the mercy of my fingers. You are seldom so powerless,” he breathed
seductively into my ear, liking it provocatively afterwards, raising goosebumps
that would spread over my whole body.
“Why, no. I think I would rather see you suffer a while longer!” he decided
after a moment of thought after noticing my reaction to his words.
He laughed, deep and dark, at the sight of me completely and utterly at his
mercy. And at long last he started to use his thumb to knead my pleasure centre
relentlessly, Goddess be thanked.
This man was impossible, I thought despondently. By now my fluids were leaking
freely, meanwhile he hadn’t even been truly touched by me and was still wearing
his bloody suit trousers, which I could feel rubbing against my leg. At least
he was in a similar position, as hard and demanding as his boner pressed
against my leg. Serves him right, I thought nastily and cried out again when he
found an especially sensitive spot inside me, by now using two of his fingers.
He raised to his knees, leaving his fingers inside me though, by no means
stopping his slow, thrusting motion. With another snap his trousers vanished
magically from his body. I supported myself on my arms and beheld Draco in his
birthday suit in the soft light of the moon.
His cock stood proudly erect and I wanted to reach for it when I felt him
demanding my attention by driving his finger faster and harder into me.
“Hermione, spread your legs wide, for me!” he murmured. I was mesmerized by the
look in his eyes, I could not and didn’t want to deny his wish and fell back
into the pillows. I spread my legs wide, opening myself up to him good and
proper.
“More…,” he urged me on, his voice husky, and I could feel his fingers sliding
out of me only to be pushed inside of me again forcefully, until he didn’t. He
had left me for good and I growled in protest, but then he did what I had
yearned for this whole time and slithered on top of me, positioning himself in
front of my entrance, where he was awaited eagerly.
When he squeezed into me with vehemence, impaling me with a single thrust, I
moaned wantonly and raised my chest towards him, seeking contact. He lingered
inside me, obviously relishing the feeling of my tight passage and the grip of
my twitching muscles. It was all so overwhelming for me and I was still
trembling. Finally… finally I got to feel Draco.
He once again took possession of my mouth, kissing me with a fervour that left
me completely blissful and I obliged with everything I could offer.
He started to move slowly and in no time he had me on the edge to madness again
with his sensual movements, this slow gliding motions when he retreated, only
to hammer into me with a fierceness that took my breath away, driving his hard,
thick cock inside me right up to my cervix. A wildland fire was raging inside
me. He let me drown in a flood of sensory impressions and I had to shout out in
ecstasy.
“Arrrgh…” He elicited a lot of incoherent sounds from me.
Meanwhile, I was simply panting, and he solely in charge of our union. Not ever
had I let another man do this, but him I trusted absolutely. With everybody
else I had been more active and had taken the lead, very unlike my behaviour
right now.
However, Draco completely dominated what took place in my bed this evening.
When my mind cleared for a second I could see that his face was screwed up in
concentration and his eyes were aglow with unleashed passion that was bleeding
into his firm, rigorous movements and it spurred me on.
I could feel him so deep, filling me up, so hard and thick inside me, I was so
aroused that I was seeing stars behind my closed eyelids.
Now his self-restrained was slipping as well, he was groaning and panting just
as much, when before he had been denying himself, until he suddenly sped down.
“Do you trust me, Hermione?” His lust addled voice sounded very serious.
Abruptly, I opened my eyes widen to look at him with surprise, when I slowly
got what he had just said. I nodded briefly as I realised what he meant.
“Yes, Draco, yes” I answered. What followed was… unexpected, indescribable,
astonishing.
Due to my affirmation he started moving again with a much faster, more
animalistic rhythm, taking my breath away, as I totally lost myself in desire …
But then he got back on his knees and pulled himself out of me, leaving a
disturbing emptiness inside of me. My eyes widened. WHAT? Why..?
“What..?” I exclaimed, flummoxed, and lifted my head to see him sitting between
my wide open legs with his wand in his hand, while looking down to me with an
expression in gaze that I couldn’t interpret. Suddenly he aimed at his hand to
cut it open with a non-verbal cutting-spell. Without transition, he laid his
hand on my belly and wetted it with his blood.
I stared speechlessly at the resulting smear, my white belly stained with his
red blood, and followed everything that happened with my mouth wide open,
totally surprised and paralyzed, as I had no clue what Draco was about to do.
Then, without any hesitation, he pointed the tip of his wand at my left side, a
little below my navel. I was still frozen, completely blindsided about what was
going on. My wild curls were hanging into my sweaty face as I continued to gasp
for some air. I was still in no condition to realise nor understand what was
happening.
“Ahhrg, Draco, what...?” I called, when I was interrupted by an insidious pain
spreading through my body and I bit down on my lip to stop myself from
screaming. I tried to get away from him, but with firm pressure to my chest, he
pushed me roughly back into the mattress. Due to the pain which got worse and
worse every second, a burning agony, blazing like fire and rushing through my
veins like lava, I was unable to think clearly. I didn’t know what Draco was
doing and tried to pull at his wrist, to move it away from my chest. But
instead of staggering even a little bit he trapped me only tighter.
“Shhhshh, it’s alright, it’ll be over soon...shhh,” he said soothingly, when a
few tears ran down my cheeks and some blood pooled in the corner of my mouth
after I had bitten through my lip.
Then, finally, after an amount of time that appeared endless to me, I felt how
the pointed piece of wood that had been digging into my flesh was lifted away
and his fingers ran gently over a patch of skin that felt painfully burned and
made me hiss.
When the stinging abated slowly and gave way to a steady throbbing I regained
my capability to think. I just wanted to snap at him and demand an answer to
what this was all about, however, I never got there ‘cause he pulled me back
into position, penetrating me slowly inch by inch which made me hiss in
outrage. I was still somewhat flummoxed about his actions.
“Draco!” I snarled furiously and could taste the metallic tang of my own blood.
I tried to escape him, pushing against his chest, but he held me down, taking
me downright captive with his body.
“Shhh,” he tried to appease me, kissing away my tears and licking the blood
from my mouth, and when my arousal returned his movements got faster and more
forceful.
To my shame I had to admit that I was still horny and aroused, despite the
pain. Or maybe because of? Who knew? The fact that I couldn’t be measured to
normal standards was nothing new, I realised with a start. Whatever he had done
to me, I was still mad with desire and again submitted to him until my lower
body clenched and we both cried out our release with a loud, ecstatic scream. I
was contracting around him and he was spilling himself inside me in several hot
bursts.
He trapped me fully under his body. I could still feel the waves of my orgasm
coursing through me and tried with difficulty to give my mind the upper hand
over my body, recalling the last minutes.
Draco had… he had… done something. I would kill him!
I tried to push him off me, which wasn’t easy as he was much heavier and larger
than I. He had buried his hands in my free-flowing hair and whispered hoarsely:
“It had to be done… Understand…” I understood very little right now. I had to
see what he had done.
“Draco! Let me up!” I commanded now very bluntly and relinquished my attempt to
shove him off me.
He did immediately as demanded and rolled off of me to the side. At first, I
took a deep breath as soon as I could breathe freely again.
I tried to ignore him for now and struggled to my feet. Nude as I was I stepped
in front of the large mirror and took a look at what Draco had done to me.
What I saw let my eyes nearly pop out of my head. Shock would be an
understatement. I was aghast, disconcerted, scandalised, all at the same time.
My knees were trembling when my hand carefully run over the outlines of the
blood-smeared mark, the fire-red lines slowly fading to black, while I was
watching my reflection, lost for words.
Draco had tattooed me with the same bloody sodding crest he had worn on his
bloody coat. He had branded me with the large, ornate “M”, including the
dragons and their family motto. I was on the brink of a hysterical fit, or
maybe I would fall into a rage. A dangerous amount of fury was festering inside
me. He had blemished my skin, my stomach with an “M”, had marked me for
eternity.
Suddenly, I felt a naked body pressing against mine from behind me. He rested
his chin on my shoulder and gazed at my reflection with his storm grey eyes.
Mine were almost black with rage. In the mirror, I could see his left hand
moving to the mark and how he traced it almost affectionately.
“It had to be done, so I won’t say that I am sorry…” he whispered softly in my
ear. I swallowed hard, but I wanted to know:
“Why? Why did you do it?” I whispered falteringly. We were standing there
looking at our naked bodies illuminated by the light of the moon.
“You read the books, you know why. It was the only way out to keep you save, so
I did it!” he told me solemnly, emphasizing the importance of his statement,
meanwhile covering the stigma with his whole hand.
I roughly wrested myself free from his hold and put on the dressing gown that
had laid over the back of the chair.
“Well, and you think you don’t have to ask me when you make such far-reaching
decisions and make me…me..” I almost choked on my anger and ran my hands
through my straggly hair in a gesture that showed my desperation.
He looked at me with an almost sad expression on his face and sat as naked as
he was back down onto the bed. Unbelievable, this self-confidence! He appeared
to be waiting for me to calm down. Therefore you may wait forever, Mr. Malfoy,
I thought bitingly.
“Even if you’re now wallowing in righteous anger against me, when you give it
more thought, you’ll figure that I did the right thing!” he explained, assure
of himself. Oh, this arrogance!
“Well, thank you, scumbag, for branding me with a stigma. You disfigured me!
Thank you so much. And I forget to mention, it is sooo easy to remove it!” I
yelled now in outrage, loud enough that our eardrums were ringing. Draco looked
at me coldly.
“Be thankful that it isn’t removable. It gives you protection. No man will dare
to get close to you as soon as he sees the mark. It grants you full protection
against strangers, as nobody would want to take on our family. You are now a
member of the family. Be glad, it will help you, to a certain extent even
against Lucius. That’s all mentioned in the book. So why are you throwing such
a fit, Hermione?” he explained, his question sounding rather indignant and I
stomped up and down in the small room, still furious.
“Draco, I hope I don’t have to explain everything to you, but… How the hell
will it protect me against your FATHER…? He is the head of the family!” I
hissed, my voice dangerously low. “And I am not a possession of your family!”
He rolled his eyes, laying back into the pillows and folding his arms behind
his head and crossing his ankles. He looked very relaxed, very confident and
not the least intimidated by my fit of rage.
“Hermione, yes, he is the patriarch. However, the things I do have importance
as well, I am the heir. Only he and I can admit someone through the ritual. And
it will protect you from Lucius insofar that he won’t be able to kill you or
hurt you badly if he gets hold of you, whatever he might want to do to you. He
couldn’t do it, because of this…” He pointed boastfully at me and had an
incredibly satisfied expression on his face. I sighed in exasperation. Why was
everything so complicated?
“Additionally, the mark has another significant implications. You are a member,
like a daughter, sister, niece, cousin, though not related by blood, but… Well,
choose yourself, but no possession!” I listened to his list of relations and
closed my eyes, distressed when I became aware of the dramatic consequences of
his action.
“Very well, then, but why did you act so hastily? It changes everything, so
much. You did actually make me a member of one of the most ancient, pure and
rich families of our society! Me, a Mudblood! That can’t end well,” I whispered
almost fearfully. Still shocked, I looked at him, then another, even more
terrible thought flashed through my mind.
“What about the Dark Lord? If he ever learns about this, you are done for!” I
breathed and, as if in a trance, reached for the mark on my stomach that was
now covered by the fabric of my dressing gown, feeling queasy.
Yet, he appeared still relaxed, reclining against the pillows and watching me
with pity in his eyes. I didn’t like this kind of look and pressed my injured
lips into a fine line, which reminded me that I should probably heal the bite
marks.
“Hermione, Father isn’t the Right Hand for nothing. And, as I already told you,
the exception proves the rule. Believe me, the Lord is the least of our
problems. I always approach difficulties in the order of their urgency and to
thwart Father was the most urgent,” he explained calmly in a terribly
patronizing tone of voice.
“Oh, don’t lead me up the garden path. I know you! What else is behind all
this? Just must have toyed with the idea since you gave me the books. Otherwise
you wouldn’t have set such a high value on the bloody etiquette,” I spat at him
contemptuously. I was neither stupid nor did I like it when he pretended that I
couldn’t look right through him.
“Astounding as always… Hermione, you are frighteningly perceptive! Yes, I
admit, I have toyed with the idea for quite a while. I wasn’t about to let you
go. At first I had different plans… But then you got more and more interesting
for me. Now you belong to me and my family! I am a Malfoy, whatever I own I’ll
never let go. You are too important for me!” He summed up his thoughts for me
and I was just short of laughing about his impudent manner. He was right, one
had to be a Malfoy to show such boundless ignorance, but also arrogance under
any circumstances.
“And now come here, I want to hold you. I told you everything would be alright.
Please, I need you. Also, I’m deadly serious about Father… The way he acted, I
truly don’t want to know what his sick mind might have dreamed up for you…
Come, darling…,” he purred and held out his hand to me, his request clear.
I got up, letting the dressing gown fall down to the floor, and slipped below
the duvet. I was very tired and knew that what had happened today went beyond
my comprehension. However, I would deal with it tomorrow.
“Just that you know, this is not the end. I am still angry with you, and I
won’t ever be your property!” I declared haughtily. He didn’t answer, but
pulled me closer into his arms, embracing me completely, which I accepted
reluctantly.
I was so angry with him, I knew he wouldn’t be forgiven any time soon. But I
was also consequent. I swallowed hard. As soon as I knew I would be absolutely
unable to change the circumstances, I had to accept them as they were. Once
pragmatic, always pragmatic.
***** The Morning After *****
Chapter Notes
     I am still perplexed that last weeks chapter hasn't got a single
     review. It is quite important to the story, after all.
     Chapter beta: Faykan and Dani
     Chapter translator: Aivy
The next morning came much to soon, as I had fallen asleep rather late due to
my less than encouraging thoughts. The rays of sunlight tickled me and their
brightness, shining through my closed eyelids, unfortunately managed to awaken
me fully. Grudgingly, I flung myself on my side. I didn't want to wake up. That
meant facing reality, and I wasn't sure if I was ready for that. Sometimes I
was afraid that it was all going to become too much for me, but I didn't want
to bemoan my fate, as it was already too late for that.
But what should I do? I had to be strong and rise to those new challenges. I
was tough, after all, and what were three snakes against me? I gave a tortured
groan. When had it begun to get so far out of hand? I asked myself this
question with resignation. When had the control slipped from my hands, or had
it merely begun to slip?
Was it when I approached Draco on the train? Or was it when I engaged in
friendship with him, starting a relationship? Was it because I did so without
knowing the exact reasons that urged him to agree? After all he was a cunning,
manipulative young man. Oh help me; there were questions upon questions, but no
answers!
I reached next to me and felt nothing… Draco had apparently already gotten up.
This was good, very good, as I didn't know how to act towards him
Did I struggle with myself in the end? Was I conflicted about yesterday
evening? Of course! I mean, thanks to Draco I had a tattoo; I was marked!
Forever! After I arrived at this horrible realisation with my dream addled
brain, I groaned loudly, pulling the pillow over my head, and released a
frustrated scream, muffling it with the pillow.
Did I feel better now? No? What a shame! It was so annoying! However, on the
fly nothing else came to my mind to relieve my frustration.
I glumly removed the pillow and got up. As might be expected my eyes were drawn
to my fancy, new, and incredibly beautiful tattoo, etched unmistakably into my
skin. Just great. Once again I ran the tips of my finger reverently over the
now pitch black lines. It was smooth, the outline of the mark only slightly
raised, but I could feel it in its entirety! That resulted from the tattoo
being drawn with Draco's blood and branded into my skin with black magic.
How dare that swollen-headed, smug, inbred, degenerate asshole brand me,
Hermione Granger with a - no, with his mark! Did I look like a cow, or a horse?
Was it a burn mark, as if I was a lowly possession?
My gaze darkened. I was much too proud and strong, physically and mentally, to
let myself be claimed like this by anyone. I might need help or protection, but
I still chose for myself. How dare he take this choice from me!?
I believe I told you earlier how much I liked magic, especially blood magic,
and didn't care that it was counted as black magic. I revoke that hereby,
because it meant that rituals and curses evoked this way were practically… oh
well, I should be honest to myself… they were completely irreversible! Once up
shit creek, you remained there. And did you know what that was? Crap!
It was such a dead-end situation, from which I saw no avenue of escape. I had
to make the best out of this messy state of affairs. I was confident, sure of
myself and self-centered, I could do this. First, I had to find out everything
there was to know about the ritual. And as for Draco? Well, I wouldn't kill him
immediately; I would not ram a knife into his intestines, then turn it slowly
first one way and then the other with relish, but to imagine it felt good, very
good in fact, and so I indulged myself for a moment.
Maybe I could salvage the situation to my advantage. Let's wait and see, I
thought, trying to boost my confidence.
Three snakes, all sly; all cunning; all dangerous! All not to be
underestimated! What had I done to deserve this? And as loath as I was to admit
it, I wasn't blind; I never shut my eyes against the facts: I needed
protection! Excellent protection, against so many. I only wished he hadn't
acted so rashly, and above all that he'd asked me first! Was that too much to
ask for? Once again I was working myself into a frenzy.
We weren't living in the Dark Ages. The boy would come to know me, all right.
But wrath, revenge and fury were never best served hot. They were much more
effective when served cold, and thus I would be able to wait. After all, I was
an exceptionally gifted actress, wasn't I?
Okay, I would go shower now. I had enough complaining, otherwise I would go
stark raving mad and that would help nobody, least of all me.
When I climbed down the stairs, clad in jeans and a cosy red turtleneck
sweater, it was Christmas after all, the scent of coffee wafted from the
kitchen. It smelled heavenly. I could use some right now, so I turned the
corner cautiously and saw something unbelievable: a head of bright blonde hair
with the corresponding body, who was standing in front of the old gas stove,
hazardously brandishing a frying pan. What was this about? Malfoys did nothing
of the sort, it was unbearable to look at.
Before I gallantly intervened, I searched my heart for the feelings the sight
of Draco elicited after last night. The discrepancy between the thoughts I had
concocted earlier and what I was truly feeling was alarming. Once more I was
cursing my flexible morals, though I could live with it. I would have to until
I had learned what the new circumstances meant for me. And should I become a
slave to the Malfoy family, he would die, that I vowed to myself earnestly, as
long as my name was Hermione! I was not so sure about my surname at the moment.
However, I could remember the solemn and honest declaration in his eyes that he
was worried; that he had viewed it as the only option to protect me and that
was what counted first! The intention and not the deed! Thus, I was prepared to
hear him out and not hurt him seriously for the time being.
We all knew that a Slytherin never did something for a single reason. However,
I had engaged with him with my eyes wide open, so I shouldn't whinge about him
acting in a way that had been reasonably foreseeable. I had been shaped by the
school of hard knocks in the meantime, and was too strong and too proud to hide
my face in the pillow for too long. I would meet my fate with my head held high
and fight it as well if it should be necessary.
I sighed silently. Draco could be such an idiot. Men! Would I be able to
conceal the "M"? Ahrrrg… Questions upon questions… And still no answers.
"Bugger. Bloody eggs…" I could hear annoyed grumbling, while he was wielding
the spatula like a weapon to murder someone at that moment. Where was the
camera when I needed one? Nobody in the whole world would believe me if I told
them about the scene in front of me, absolutely nobody.
Draco, the domestic one, dirtying his hands with household chores. I smiled
benignly, honestly amused, still leaning against the door frame.
A moment later I approached him, resolved to put an end to the tragedy.
"Draco, the eggs are already dead." I said. He spun around, holding his weapon
in his hand in a not exactly manly manner. "Or do you want to attack me with
that?" I added, biting the inside of cheek to stop myself from roaring with
laughter at the delightful sight he was presenting me with.
After yesterday, I wouldn't have thought that I would be this relaxed when
encountering him again, though I hadn't expected to find him in a situation I
could only describe as… - I tried to not think it, but I had to permit the
thought - cute! Simply cute, the way his hair was flying around and his face
was displaying a slightly haunted expression.
"Pour me a cuppa and hand that over, I'll finish that. Okay?" And I divested
him swiftly of the tool in his hand. Not that he offed himself with it in the
end! He was only allowed to die at my hand.
"Hermione… uh, awake already?" He ran his fingers through his hair with a touch
of insecurity. Before I could react, he hugged me, planting a kiss on my brow.
"Good morning, darling!" he greeted me determinedly. Never let it be said my
heart couldn't melt. Ever seen a Malfoy with a guilty conscience? Well, I just
did. And with it came the comforting realization that all of us were still
human at heart, no matter what parts we were playing or what we were ready to
do, all of us were humans. Only humans. Flawed humans.
"Good morning, Draco!" I greeted his shirt. "Since when do Malfoys show their
emotions?" I tilted my head back provocatively, looking at him calculatingly
and quiet coldly.
"Well, you are kind of one as well now. I believe, I can risk it to show them
to you," he stated with pronounced nonchalance, placing a careful kiss on my
lips, then turned around and got the coffee while I stood there slightly
confunded. The man was truly unbelievable!
I tried now to salvage the eggs, a pointless endeavour, and so I chucked them
out, picked a new pan and dropped a piece of butter inside, which started to
melt immediately, sizzling loudly.
I summoned green onions and bell peppers with my wand and spelled a knife to
chop them into small pieces, meanwhile I placed the bacon in another frying
pan, from which it dispersed its tasty aroma into the whole kitchen while I was
calmly pottering about. From time to time I grabbed for my elixir of life and
gulped the coffee down greedily.
Draco had sat down at the country-style kitchen counter and was observing me
closely. He appeared slightly insecure and nervous, though still arrogant and
confident enough that I recognized the young man in him I was so used to.
I fetched the eggs from the fridge and scrambled them, at the same time adding
the bell pepper to the butter. While the vegetables stewed I seasoned the eggs
with white pepper, salt and a bit of cream, then poured it into the pan as well
and let it simmer. As soon as the eggs began to set I threw the onions in as
well and once again I had to wait, using the time to prepare the bacon. I laid
it down on a paper towel and let the excess grease drip off. This systematic
work gave me the time to collect myself and I needed it for sure.
"Will you cut the bread?" I enquired. Draco didn't look up, just did as asked.
"Done," I announced and immediately two plates were thrust into my line of
sight and I transferred the scrambled eggs to one and the bacon to the other
with the floral pattern. This was practiced normality, at least I tried to
convince myself of that.
I didn't want anything, I wouldn't get anything down.
When we sat down at the small, cozy breakfast table in the kitchen bay, it was
very quiet. No further words had been uttered. The annexe with the floor-to-
ceiling lattice windows had a beautiful view of the gardens powdered with snow,
which looked very idyllic. It couldn't compare to the amounts of snow in the
Scottish Highlands, which could seem downright threatening in its mass, though
that was a crucial part of Hogwarts' atmosphere in the Winter months.
But right now the atmosphere was stretched to a breaking point as well.
"Very good. Where did you learn that?" He picked up his fork with impeccable
manners. We were all very polite, weren't we?
"From my mother," I replied non-committedly. Taking a long drink from my
coffee, I plucked up my courage.
"Draco, we have to talk… That book… That rite is old. If not ancient?" I
inquired and looked around slightly miffed after all.
"Yes, very old. The rite is believed to be lost to the world, though we, the
Malfoys, had it in our collection all the time!" He explained with much
empathy, meanwhile looking so smug, I would have liked to punch his face, alas
I only stared at him with an expression inviting him to elaborate.
"I see. Why did the spell, get lost?" I got to the point quickly.
"Because people stopped to get married and witches and wizards couldn't allow
that to happen. Many pure blooded girls back then, hundreds of years ago, fled
to their lovers and got their marks, thereby saving themselves from arranged
marriages," he explained forthrightly, nodding, and resumed his meal
unconcernedly, causing me to stare at him, dumbstruck.
"Therewith, they were under the protection of their new family and threw a
dangerous spanner in the plans of their parents. Hilarious, isn't it?
Technically, its purpose is to tie you to a family and make you a part of it,
similar to the clans and their oaths... only with magic!" He shrugged lightly.
"Naturally the spell doesn't provide only protection, its a mixed blessing,
there are responsibilities as well…" He didn't dare to face me during this
revelation, instead looking out into the garden.
At that I muttered sarcastically: "Of course there are, there is always a
catch!" I put my elbow on the table and leaned heavily on it to keep myself
from crawling over the table to wring his aristocratic neck.
"So, where was I…? Responsibilities, right. Well… obedience towards the head of
the family and the one who marked her. Though I would never demand that. As
customary in all ancient families loyalty, fealty, yada-yada-yada. However, now
comes the good stuff. It works like in a normal family. If you defy the
patriarch and don't obey a command given, nothing happens magic wise. If he
finds out, he will punish you, but that's it. And that's one more reason the
spell got lost. The family heads of old regarded the rite as not fulsome
enough!" he explained flamboyantly and I began breathing more and more easily
as his explanation progressed.
I would have done it differently as well, if the ritual had been an invention
of mine I would have incorporated some type of punishment. As it looked, it
would bring me more benefits than disadvantages. But I didn't let relief
overwhelm me. Considering my fickle fortune I wouldn't celebrate too soon!
And Draco hadn't had any right to go over my head and act without my consent, I
didn't want to forget that.
"You never eat in the morning?" Draco inquired after he had finished. I had
been so lost in my thoughts that I hadn't noticed when he concluded his meal.
"Yes, you know that, as much as you monitor me while in school," I showed him
an artificial smile, swishing my wand and the used dishes vanished and cleaned
itself. I was a witch, after all.
"Don't sidetrack, Draco Malfoy. What do you mean, you won't expect obedience? I
will give you obedience right now, I… You are not out of the wood, my friend,
you presented me with a fait accompli!" I stated calmly and casually as I
believed that would make more impact on him than screaming or raging could.
"Hermione, I… I am sorry that I acted so rashly in the heat of the moment… I
might have acted a smidgen too hasty…" He looked ruefully at me with wide grey
eyes.
I couldn't reply, for that I was still to angry, instead pouring myself another
cup of coffee. Right now I could relate very well to Snape's habit to throw
glassware at Lucius, as I was very much tempted to hurl my own cup at Draco and
thus I clutched it tightly to keep myself from losing my temper, as it was one
of my favorites.
"Come, let us move to the living room. I have some questions left," he said
carefully for he definitely noticed my battle for control. Oh, bugger, what was
coming now?
A short while later I sat stiffly on the couch, my legs folded below me, and
Draco boldly took the seat next to me and placed his hand possessively on my
thigh, caressing me absentmindedly.
"You wanted to tell me why you haven't been on the train," he started already
and I wanted to smother myself with a pillow again. Why did he pick the one
topic I certainly didn't want to talk about right now?
I cleared my throat awkwardly. "Well, Harry had a vision… that came to pass
just as he had seen. He saw that Mr. Weasley was gravely injured and we all
went to the headmaster and he sent us off with a portkey when Umbridge
approached," I provided willingly.
"Where did he sent you?" Due to the pitch of his voice and the way his hand
stilled on my thigh I suspected my clever little viper might have guessed where
I ended up.
He didn't look at me when I answered "Black House" and I could feel how his
fingers digged harder into my leg.
"At Black's. And how did it go? Your last encounter didn't go so well! Did you
come to blows again? Did you kill him? If so, congrats!" He tried to show a
facade of indifference, but today Draco's mask didn't fit as well as usual and
I could hear the jealous bitterness in his voice.
"You are hilarious as always, Draco!" I retorted cynically and slapped his
knee.
"We had a talk in the library…" I carried on, when he interrupted me harshly.
"What? You were alone with him?" he hissed furiously in between my words.
"Draco, please let me finish!" I reprimanded him, annoyed, and he shot me a
haughty look and pursed his lips, but didn't dare to talk back to me.
"Thank you. So we were in the library together with the Twins!" I sneered at
him, which turned into a smirk and he almost snorted in relief.
"They refused to leave me alone with him, aren't they sweet?" I tried to
imitate Pansy's squeaky voice. It was funny to see him this defensive, as he
looked very pleased that I hadn't been alone with Sirius, but at the same time
displeased and ill-humoured that the meeting had happened at all.
"It seems like the redheads have some brain cells left in the right place! Why
did he want them to leave?" he inquired with consideration and watched me
carefully.
"Oh, I don't know. I was happy, though, that they stayed… I don't trust me and
him, in the end we would have attacked each other after all. He suspected I had
something with a snake!" I replied sardonically while shrugging my shoulders
unconcernedly.
"Oh, did the mutt attempt to resurface his buried intelligence and try his hand
in divination? But he had no idea who of the Slytherins in particular would
want you?!" He seemed so full of himself, I had the desire to take him down a
peg or two.
"Draco, that statement doesn't do you any good!" I disclosed coldly.
"Furthermore, 'want' is not 'have', I belong to no one but myself, you would do
well to remember that!" I clarified vigorously. To provoke me today could prove
hazardous.
"Sorry," he replied sheepishly.
"Well, we made peace, more or less… We will probably never like each other
again. Which I find sad. However, we don't go for each other at sight and he
interrogated me regarding my intentions towards Harry... " I related further,
rolling my eyes when I remembered that Draco had implied something similar
once.
"He has seen it, too?" He was downright gleeful for his pinched expression
disappeared.
"Draco, you… I only comforted Harry, he was down, I couldn't stand it. I can't
conceive what you always believe to see, you and your bias against Harry!" I
looked at him with indignation.
"Pity that you didn't punch the mutt!" He tried to divert the conversation with
his vindictive petty-mindedness.
"Draco, I am sorry to have to call your attention to it, however, he gave me
nothing that will last!" I stated quietly, expertly packaging my criticism as
he flinched visibly under my harsh words.
"Ow, that was below the belt! I told you, I won't apologize for that!" He
showed me his perfectly stubborn Malfoy face, he appeared very implacable.
" The way it happened though, for that I will…" he whispered suddenly, his
voice positively raw, catching me off-guard with the quickness of his changing
emotions.
"Oh, you are moping now?" I somehow remained surprisingly calm in the face of
that behaviour and showed myself unforgiving.
"Oh, Granger. How does Severus phrase it? How can one shut you up? And do you
know what? I know just the right way!" He grabbed my upper arms seamlessly and
pushed me into the couch to kiss me forcefully. He then breathed feathlight
kisses upon my lips and caressed them playfully with his tongue, and I
reciprocated. It was nice to see that the balance of our relationship had
changed this way. I was definitely on top considering the way he tried to cosy
up to me, as he was very affectionate and gentle.
Quickly we succumb to the gorgeous feeling the kissing brought upon us and much
too quickly we had to end our amorous play.
"I prefer you this way, with your cheeks shimmering red and your eyes
sparkling," Draco said smugly, though he could have described himself instead
for he looked the same. "Unfortunately I have to go to Blaise. I think I will
be back in one hour or two, if that's right for you?" He showed honest regret.
"Alright." Good, I would have time to delve into the stolen records that had
sparked the whole mess. If they didn't contain the information I expected from
them I would be in for a temper tantrum and it would be better if I was alone
for that.
Wow!
A short time later I was positively flabbergasted. Who would have thought that
the good old professor had such a shady past? Rita had made a good attempt in
her 'book', however, she didn't dig deep enough yet, the way I had.
Dumbledore, Dumbledore, you have done well to conceal, cover up and hide the
past, but not well enough for me.
Though I sincerely doubted that Rita had tried or dared to break into the
Department of Mysteries, for that she was lacking the courage.
I accepted thereby and instantly my destiny as a member of the Malfoy family,
being Lucius' prey and being stuck with Draco, the records were worth the
trouble. The benefit for Harry alone was worth the trouble.
I shrunk the files and carried them to the safe behind the large landscape
painting above the fireplace and locked them up, warding it for good measure.
I would have to think about what to do with the information gathered from the
records, but that could wait. For the moment I set out for the attic to fetch
the box of christmas decoration. With the help of magic I would manage to
decorate the house before Draco's return and the distraction would do me good.
It was funny to watch the green garlands wrap themselves around the banister,
the mantel shelf which was already adorned with green tinsel and baubles by
now, and not even the door frames were safe before my frenzy, I let my
creativity run wild. With a swish of my wand the fake sprigs were real, that's
what magic was for, filling the house with the heavy fragrance of fresh pine
needles, which put me right into a festive mood and lessened my anger for the
moment.
I directed some more baubles and wreaths to fly through the room when I heard
the door open all of a sudden.
"Wow, what has happened here? Do we live in the woods, now?" Draco stepped up
to me with a bright smile and kissed me once again, which I returned happily
and instantly in my good mood.
"Do you like it?" I hadn't ceased my Christmas decoration frenzy when he
entered the room.
"Yes, it's something different. Maybe a bit too much green," he looked around,
turning in a circle.
"I would have thought you could never tire of the colour green," I teased him.
"Haha. We still have to cast the Fidelius. Are you coming?" All at once he
looked serious, it appeared to be very important to him and I trusted his
judgement, as Lucius was his father.
"Oh, I had pushed that successfully to the back of my mind..:" I replied
earnestly and came back down to earth with a bump.
"That's what you have me for… Who is going to be the secret keeper?" he
enquired while helping me into my coat like a gentleman.
"I thought I could be the secret keeper myself. Thank you." I answered. He
opened the door for me chivalrously.
"Sure," he followed me out of the house.
When we stopped in front of the gate, I drew my white wand without hesitation
and started casting the Fidelius Charm by reciting the incantation. That's the
way I tackled most things, by throwing myself into them. I was confident that I
could manage it. Wow, I could feel the magic coursing through my body, from my
arm into the wand, it felt like getting tapped. It was magic with an intensity
I had never experienced before. Now I understood why the books said that the
spell should only be attempted by very experienced wizards or witches, as it
was quite tricky. Beads of sweat formed on my brow and breathing felt more and
more difficult, as did holding my wand steady, while the magic took hold around
the property.
Focused and with grim determination, I aimed my wand on the house and performed
the charm. There was a reason Dumbledore was the secret keeper of the Order, it
was outrageously hard and exhausting as I was learning the hard way.
It was a very complex spell and by now I was swaying slightly, then I felt two
arms embracing my waist while steadying me, for which I was extremely grateful.
If I didn't finish soon, I would collapse.
"Huc Focus Sevare, Fidelius," I spoke the final part of the incantation and we
were able to observe a large silver dome forming above the plot not unlike a
waterfall, encompassing the house, it was an exhilarating experience. I had
done it.
"Impressive," Draco whispered in my ear. "It is gone, completely!" I turned my
head to him and gave him a beaming, happy smile, albeit I felt very tired. For
this was proof that it had been successful, my first Fidelius had been a raving
success.
"Here," I handed him a slip of paper from my jeans pocket containing the
address. He read it swiftly and set it aflame immediately after with a silent
Incendio.
"You are as white as a sheet, darling… Was it very taxing?" He sounded worried.
With a flowing motion he scooped me up and carried me into the house. How
chivalrously, Malfoy men could be so terribly old-fashioned. It appeared he had
a very guilty conscience, which he would never admit openly, probably. However,
it had been exhausting.
"Draco, stop it, I can walk by myself," I laughed, feeling liberated and very
proud of myself, not everybody accomplished a Fidelius Charm. But I admitted
freely that had been the most difficult spell I had ever cast, I had positively
felt the magic get sucked out of me. I was tired but content and incredibly
proud.
"Forget it, I'll decide that and I say you will get spoilt today... No, no
backtalk, young lady." He closed the door with a kick and carried me to the
couch as if I weighed nothing, laying me down gently.
"What should I make us, what do you need? Blaise and the charm took longer than
anticipated, it is afternoon already… Tell me what you want," he asked me
insistently, swiping a strand of his fair hair out of his pale face.
"Tea, please, and some sandwiches. Wait, I'll cast the spell," I aimed my wand
at the kitchen and was robbed of the slim piece of wood in the twinkle of an
eye.
"Hey!" I yelled, enraged.
"No, Hermione, for today you are finished with doing magic. I can do that,
Malfoys can do everything if they want it. And you know I'm right… Otherwise I
wouldn't have managed to take it from you," he stated very arrogantly and left
the room very sure of himself.
I was dumbfounded for a second. He had my wand, but to my chagrin he was
correct, I would have to replenish my reserves first.
When he reappeared with a floating tray which was ready to collapse under the
sheer amount of food stacked upon it, I was baffled, astonished. He had
actually done it. And he showed me a diabolic grin when I gulped down the first
piece hungrily.
"Yummy." My appreciation seemed to please him.
"I told you, don't underestimate me…" He smirked.
"How did it go… with your aunt at home?" I asked him a short while later
curiously.
"Oh no, don't even start. She is truly mad, giggling permanently and blubbering
about torture and nonsense like that. Strange woman! Unfortunately I recognise
traits of Mother in her, seems to be hereditary." He crossed his legs
elegantly, making himself comfortable in the armchair.
"Alas, now that I think of it, what was your purpose of attending the ball? I
presume you didn't show up to see Krum, or father, or me… So what was the
reason for your attendance?"
"You are good. Yes, I had a reason though I won't reveal it to you until I have
everything together and I'm afraid I am still missing a piece, but as soon as
it is complete I'll tell you, I promise!"
"I can accept that. However, I want to know where you went. You were gone for a
long time! I am dying of curiosity," he declared, and I had to admit, even if
he made some mistakes, he was nice and, sadly I still liked him.
"Does the 'Department of Mysteries' ring a bell?" I was ready to let him in in
my deeds.
"Sure, they are performing a lot of strange experiments, and apart from that,
what everybody knows, about their employees, the Unspeakables. That's it."
"I broke into the department!" I grinned like a Cheshire cat.
"You did what...?" Draco's teacup was wobbling dangerously. It was nice to see
his face fall. "That can't be true, it's impossible, they don't let just
everybody in!" His voice was loud and his tone agitated. "Hermione, you are
pulling my leg!" He fought to regain his composure. I believe, I wanted to
shock him for good right then, so he knew for sure that I was no possession of
his.
"Draco, I don't lie to you! It wasn't my first break-in and it won't be my
last. Honestly, either I am much too good, which I don't believe in, or the
protective measures in the wizarding world are good for nothing!" I projected
arrogance and took a sip of warm tea.
He stared back, overwhelmed, appearing downright stunned that I, goody-two-
shoes Hermione, committed burglary. Though I had to say, it was very amusing
for me every time I got to rob other people of their illusions.
"Why do you still manage to astound me? I should be used to it by now, that you
are a walking surprise. You are serious, aren't you? You really did break into
the Ministry and somewhere else… I mean, honestly, you looked like always… Not
anxiously?" He spoke with an unfamiliar stutter, his beautiful eyes looking at
me wide with shock.
"Draco, did I ever say I couldn't act? Although, actually I wasn't nervous!" I
dragged my lip between my teeth deep in thought. "And seriously, Snape's
stockroom in my second year had been more of a challenge, and I know it because
he told me that I had overlooked a hex which let him know someone had broken
in. Alas, he would have noticed anyway with some ingredients missing," I
shrugged my shoulders nonchalantly.
"You broke into Severus' storage with twelve. How did you…? The spells… I know
he has powerful wards." Draco seemed deeply shocked, his mouth pressed into a
narrow, indignant line.
"Well, I am a born burglar. I did it, and believe me, it wasn't easy, I was
sweating blood ensuring that I did it in time. Other than that I paid a visit
to the flat of the beetle and nicked one thing or the other from the hospital
wing," I listed my crimes, pushing some hair out of my face.
"You are incredible. I don't know anybody who would dare to steal from Severus.
Now I know why you always end up in situations like that. You have yourself to
blame. Bad things happen to someone who seeks danger like you. Do you know what
would have awaited you if somebody had seen you? Azkaban! How can I ever again
sleep restfully? I will get grey hair worrying about you, and Malfoys never get
grey hair!" He sounded truly distraught, looking at me openly and with honest
concern in his eyes. I had never seen him like this before. I meant something
to him. An intriguing thought indeed.
"I think I agree with you, regarding Azkaban. But believe me, if somebody had
seen me, he wouldn't have been quick enough to tell someone that I had been
there! Believe me when I say that the Ministry isn't half as... oh, even less
than half as well protected as Snape's things. The risk was relatively low and
you don't have to worry, I can take care of myself," I let him know quite
coldly.
"You did really break into that department and would have been ready to…? Oh, I
don't want to know." He tousled his hair in a gesture very uncharacteristic for
him, though it didn't take long until he seemed to resign himself the
circumstances as his head jerked upright determinedly.
"Well, tell me, how was it like inside the Department of Mysteries?" His
curiosity won out and he looked at me demandingly. So I told him in detail
about my detour into the depth of the department and about the halls and rooms
hidden inside and he listened with rapt attention.
"Wow, wicked. What might they be doing with all of that? And that you
remembered to cover your trail… And, did you find what you were looking for in
the archives?" he asked, excited. However, my eyes were falling shut right now,
as I was still tired from the Fidelius and hence I was yawning heartily behind
the cover of my hand while scooting lower until I was lying flat between
cushions.
"No idea what they are doing. And do you think I'm stupid enough to let
everybody know I was there? Maybe I'll have to return and then I'll be glad
when it goes quicker. Most of the time I plan my trips through till the end.
And yes, my search was successful, but raised some more questions. I don't have
the whole picture yet and I don't want to get ahead of myself. That wouldn't be
like me!" I emphasized the latter in allusion to last night and his - in my
eyes - more than rash act of marking me.
I was falling fast asleep after this eventful time, succumbing to a deep,
exhausted sleep.
End Notes
     Please, do not share this story on other fanfiction portals. If
     someone does it, then it would be me, or Queenie herself.
     It belongs to her, and no one else.
     No Copies.
     I would be very happy if you would share your time with me, and let
     me know what you think of the chapters you read. No matter if it’s
     about the story, or the translation itself.
     We are still searching for betas to correct any grammar and spelling
     mistakes. Please contact me if you are interested.
     Wishing you a lovely weekend.
     Aivy and Queenie
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