Hermione Granger sat in her usual spot at the Quidditch field, watching Ron and Harry discuss the strategies of the upcoming tournament with great enthusiasm. For the life of her she couldn't ever understand why they obsessed so much over it, although they could say the same for her and her appetite for learning. She knew the difference though, Quidditch was just a game, which gave you a momentary sense of satisfaction, and learning and books were something invaluable. What she put her time and effort into would last her a lifetime, the values should be great indeed. Hermione looked back down to her book and turned the page casually, this was a book she had read twice for school, but now she was reading it just for the pure pleasure of a good learning experience.

"Oh, come off of it Hermione, stop reading for two minutes and listen. Harry just asked you a question." Ron yelled from the field, about ten feet in the air on his broomstick.

Hermione shot him a death glance and looked over to Harry who was smirking at Ron and shook his head. "Don't mind him Hermione; he's just being irritating because he saw Ginny flirting with ol' Draco Malfoy in the Great Hall after breakfast yesterday."

Hermione nodded, she knew of Ginny's crush on the youngest Malfoy, and that he most likely reciprocated. "It's ok Harry I'm use to Ron's attitude, now if you'll excuse me I'm going to find some peace and quite."

Hermione collected her things and quietly left the stands as a lone figured stepped out from a well concealed spot and watched her walk away, a smirk forming on his thin ghostly pale lips, a dark gleam in his charcoal eyes.

Hermione made her way into the Gryffindor dormitories and up to her room, as she opened the door she saw a note with Dumbledore's seal on the envelope. Her eyes scrunched in confusion, usually Dumbledore did not send message under doors. It was addressed to her; the ink was red and beautifully scripted. Carefully she broke the seal on the envelope, nervously taking out the contents of the envelope. A simple card was all it held.

Hermione Granger,

The pleasure of your company is requested in the dungeons tonight at nine o'clock. I believe it will be something you would be interested in hearing. It is important that you keep this meeting a secret and make sure no one follows you.

Professor Dumbledore

'How odd' Hermione thought as she tucked the card in her robes and brushed her massive red mane of hair for dinner, 'Why would Dumbledore want to see me in the dungeons and why is it so secretive.' Hermione looked down making sure she looked alright. No one would ever now that secretly the book worm of Gryffindor was a girl that liked to look pretty. Not that anyone would appreciate if they noticed. Nodding in satisfaction to herself she nodded, set down the brush, and headed downstairs to the Great Hall.

Nine came around quickly for Hermione and she was becoming ever the more nervous about venturing down to the dungeons at such a late hour of the night. But, she figured if Dumbledore was requesting that she go down there, and then everything would be perfectly alright. Grabbing her wand and tucking it in her robes with the note, she ventured down the dungeons. She would never understand why Snape liked it down here so much; it was cold, and eerie.

In the dungeons the lights were pitch black, as she rounded a corner she noticed movements in the shadows, suddenly becoming afraid she grabbed her wand, pulling it out. "Hello? Is anyone there? Professor Dumbledore?" Her voice remained steady and her brave front shone through, but inside she was panicking, she could already feel that something was not right. Something was happening that shouldn't be happening at Hogwarts, there was pure evil in this dungeon on this night and it seemed to be all around her, smothering her and breathing down her neck.

He felt her panic and he almost laughed at it. 'Such a brave girl Hermione, I can't see your fear, but I sure smell it.' He then stepped out from behind her. "Well, well, well if it isn't Little Miss know-it-all Granger, ever obedient aren't we. Welcome to your nightmare, and your going to have a front row seat on the destruction of Hogwarts, and your precious friends."

As Hermione spun around she felt her stomach drop as her wand slipped from her hand and rolled away across the stone floor. If there was one person you didn't want to meet down in the dungeons at night it was the man standing before her, and as she felt a jolt to her head and her world fading to black, she knew something was terribly wrong. She fell into the arms of Severus Snape.