Title: Aeternum Flore

Author: Enthymema

Summary: Hermione has a secret, a secret that has kept her separated from the whole world, one she intends to never let out. But one fateful encounter sets things in motion bringing back memories, family, and old curses.

Author Notes: This is my first try at fan fiction, so be gentle! ;)

Chapter 1

"I honestly didn't mean it!"

And I really didn't mean to do what I did; usually I have some sort of conviction about my actions. A thorough thought process that weighed the outcome with the act itself. It was supposed to be a joke, something that would wear off in fifteen minutes… that was coming up on two hours ago.

Harry looked back at me with a face that made me cringe. Not because it looked like he'd rather feed me to a Norwegian Ridge Back, no, because he believed me, wholly and heartily.

"I know. I just… I look like a bloody Malfoy!" His green eyes were so distressed; you could almost see the thoughts racing through his head. Harry ran his hand through his once black tresses, now a light blonde that rivaled the Malfoys' own.

"If I could change it back, I would." I wringed my hands, my new wand safely in my holster; away from me and my nervous habits that I'd developed in the past year worrying about our N.E.W.T.s that we'd be taking at the end of the year. The Ministry had decreed that all students involved in the war (which meant everyone) had to retake the last school year which had been either ended short by the Death Eaters playing "teacher" or because you happened to be running halfway across the island of Brittan trying to destroy Horcruxes. Either way, no one was allowed to escape it, not even the "Heroes and the Boy Who Lived".

"I know, like I said before; I know, Hermes." I clenched my teeth hard, a coppery taste lightly drifting over my tongue. That nickname was growing older than the gods themselves. He coughed it up one day after I decided to reveal how much their last nickname made me irritated. "Hermes", where'd my honor and respectability go? Forget it. I don't feel sorry anymore. "But… if you do end up figuring out a way that Poppy, Flitwick, and McGonagall haven't been able to, don't hesitate to hit me with it. Even if it hurts. I don't know how much more 'blonde' I can take."

I nod and give him a small smile. We were currently in the Gryffindor common room, waiting for Ron to come down. Though we were no longer together –something we never should have done, we just were too different- we were still good friends and the 'joke' had been one he had created; mind you the spell was mine. I found it, and accidently missed translated it, I take full blame for that. Sanskrit before the 3rd century was hard to translate; it's changed so much in just a thousand years. Though the words "permanent" and "temporary" had two different symbols I should have caught them.

The sound of someone running down the stairs caught my attention.

"You know, you actually look good, mate." Ron chuckled and ran a hand through his hair, his eyes filled with mirth. "Your eyes are your saving grace. Grey just wouldn't suit you, now would it, Hermes?" He tilted his head at me, and I growled while reaching forward to pull them behind me.

"We are going to be late. And if you don't hurry and we actually are late, I'm leaving you to the rats and dungeons."

The door slammed open with a flick of my hand, currently I was taking private lessons with Kingsley to learn Wandless Magic, and so far I could only push things in the five foot radius. Harry though, he could do it easily within fifteen. I tugged impatiently on them, though they were happening to listen and walk with me. Potions was the first class of the day, thankfully we'd left the Great Hall with enough time to surprise Harry with his new looks, and now we had to head off to the dungeons. Talk about your first day back welcome.

The Potions room was closed, and like any other time, the Seventh year students were milling about like mindless sheep with mouths to talk through, though the Syltherins were quiet and glaring from the walls, pressing themselves against the castle like the Gryffindors had a pathogen that'd kill them on contact. I grin from behind my Potions book, a thought springing into my head. We're like the mafia. We'll kill our family, but when others start picking on us, suddenly we're a united front. I paused, and then shook my head. At least it's a cogent illusion of one. But the moment the threat is gone, we're at each others throats again.

"Hello, Hermione." Her voice is still dreamy, like she'd woken from a peaceful sleep. Luna Lovegood, a good friend, if a bit confused. I pull the book to my chest, and turn a bright smile on her, careful not to show my teeth. My potions stock is getting low, and I tend to be a bit… pecky?

"Hello, Luna. How was your summer? I didn't catch you at breakfast, sorry about that."

She smiles; again it looks to be slow and languid. "Wonderful, Daddy and I were experimenting with Faerie dust. Did you know it glows in the dark? Changes your hair color green, too. Speaking of hair, wonderful color on Harry, Hermione. How ever did you get him to allow you to change it?"

I turn at the mention of Harry. He was talking to Neville and Ron while avoiding the stares from the other students. "How did you know I did it?" I ask with a small frown on my face. My magical signature was not added to that spell.

"Oh, the Scurflings told me." I nod; anyone who's been around Luna knows not to try to dissuade her. It doesn't work.

"Oh hi, Luna. Hermione, do you think Snape's canceled the first day of class?" Harry flashes a grin as Ron walks up behind him, scowling.

"Not bloody likely. The bat is probably terrorizing poor first years who don't know where they are going." He shakes his head. "It's bad enough the castle is crowded, add that git into the mix, and we have a more explosive situation than Seamus and Neville combined doing potions." I had to giggle at that. I did try to save Neville's potions, but somehow they ended up either melting the cauldron, or sending shrapnel flying at all directions. This year, I'm sitting as far away from the two of them as possible.

"It's Professor Snape, Ronald, not 'that git' nor 'bat'. Honestly, he saved our lives plenty of times. Show him a little respect." Harry retorted, and then turned to the girls once more. "So, on the thought that our class will begin today, what do you think he'll be having us make, hmm?"

Luna smiled. "I heard the infirmary was low on Blood-Replenishing Potions. Odd, that, considering it's only the beginning of the year. You boys aren't getting in any more trouble, are you?"

I didn't know they'd notice so soon. It was the storage stock I had retrieved them from as well, not the ones directly in the infirmary where Poppy could reach them quickly and easily. Someone was being more observant than the previous years. But, if we were making more today, I could snag a vial or two.

Harry shrugged his shoulders, and opened his mouth to answer, but a dark voice interrupted the conversation. "What are you fools doing? Go in! I do not have all day, or the patience to teach you to open a door!"

Professor Snape, in all his dark and not-so handsome glory glared at the Seventh years while parting the students like a wizard Moses through the not-so red sea.

The door opened without a problem, and I quickly darted in before Harry and Ron, narrowly avoiding a side collision with Draco, who thankfully just glared and made his way to his seat. He struts like a peacock.

I grimaced at the jars on the professor's desk, more pickled creatures. I suppose a near-death experience doesn't change much, maybe just the fact that he's a bit nicer to the other houses and not just his own. The summer had been spent trying to repair Hogwarts from the war, and preparing it for the new year.

It was a surprise when Harry was explaining to McGonagall how Snape was dead, then the man himself interrupt calling Harry a blubbering fool and snitch. I'm just glad he never caught on that it wasn't Harry that stole from his private stores, but me. Though I made the ingredients as random as possible leaving him guessing as to what I'm making, I was still cautious around him.

The students sat; thankfully the seats around me were already taken by the time Neville and Seamus sat down. The Professor strode in from his office, and glared at us. "Now that you've taken a large portion of my time, get to work. You'll be making either a Blood-Replenishing Potion, or a Memory Potion. Choose wisely, if you blunder this, I won't hesitate to throw you out. You are all Seventh years, and I expect the best."

I sigh. Potions were just as before; stressful to the student who doesn't know not to take what he says to heart. That's not to say I wasn't one of them, before. Now I separated my feelings –hurt or otherwise- from school assignments. Especially potions, emotions made you muck up quicker than angering a Hippogriff.

I stay seated for a few moments, opening my potions book to the proper page for the Blood-Replenishing Potion and read over the ingredients, though I know them by heart. Pretense that grew tiring quickly, no matter how needed they were. I stood without looking up to the desk, knowing that he was either watching us move about and get to work, or looking through papers.

Walking back to the ingredients cabinet I smiled at Harry had sat in the back, surprisingly Snape hadn't commented on Harry's hair color. Perhaps he was giving up on insulting the former; Harry had grown up quite a bit since the battle. Verbal attacks and snipes didn't make him angry; rather he resorted to laughing or politely leaving the room. I don't know how well that'd work in school, but it's a start.

I grabbed the ingredients needed, but paused as I looked at the Hellebore. Nine fresh petals and two stalks of the herb was needed for the potion, and only eight were completely blemish free out of the ten that were left. Of the last two, one was so bruised it would probably poison the drinker, and the other had a small diagonal line. I took the lightly blemished petal and put it in my own container, then went back to my seat.

I finely sliced the stalks of the hellebore as I listened to the students around me, already two students had managed to burn the base of their potions and from the smell wafting from behind me, another was on their way. Shaking my head and lean over to examine the directions again, reading my notes I had written down in the margins. A few of them were shortcuts which I had experimented with over the years; others were just notes on how long to wait between adding the ingredients. A fine bubbling, not roiling bubbles that would signify a burning potion, but a smooth roll, lightly shimmering. The color changed from a deep blue to violet, and I transferred the sliced stalks into the cauldron and increased the heat marginally.

Twenty-eight figure eight stirs, then five counter-clockwise… The potion turned a deep red, and my stomach growled. Ron started to chuckle beside me, I looked over at his potion.

"What are you laughing at? And isn't that supposed to be yellow at this stage?" I whispered, sparing a glance up at the front desk, and narrowing my eyes when the professor wasn't there. When did he get up?

"Shit. What'd I do wrong?" He grabbed his potions textbook and looked through the directions, though I could have guessed that the ignored Jobberknoll feathers had something to do with it. I tugged on his arm, and point to them.

"If you add them quick with some Rue, you should be okay." I smile and turn back to my own potion, noting the bubbling was slowing down, soon it would stop all together and it would be time to bottle it up.

"Thanks, Hermes." You could hear the smile in his voice. "And to answer your question, I was laughing at you and your insatiable stomach, honestly, you should eat more. All you ever do is-"

"Where's Professor Snape?" I had to interrupt, talking about my eating habits was not a conversation I liked to have, no one save the old headmaster knew what and who I truly was, and the glamour that hid me was strong enough to confuse certain spells and wards from detecting me. Now, I had no one to confide in. Not unless I wanted to go knocking on my mother's door, she'd probably have something nasty in store.

Ron huffed, and I turned my attention back to the potion, watching it as the bubbles disappeared. I turned off the fire underneath the cauldron, and swiftly pulled out a vial. Watching the surface settle completely still, I grabbed the ladle and began to fill the medium sized vial. Once filled I corked it and set it in my book bag, making sure that no one saw me sneak it. I deftly flipped another vial out and filled it as well, corking it and setting it beside my books, then cleaned the cauldron with a murmured "Scourgify."

I sat down and looked at Harry sitting by Luna. We were in an Advanced Potions class -though how some had made it in here with Professor Snape's approval completely confounds me- and it was a mixture of Ravenclaws, Gryffindors and Slytherins, only one student was from Hufflepuff. I was only thankful we hadn't tried to kill each other yet, though the Quidditch game tomorrow might fix that.

The door to the class room opened with a light slamming against the wall, causing several students to jump. And a stir utensil landed in my lap with a loud hiss. I stared at it for a few moments, and then looked up to the student sitting beside me on the opposite side which Ron sat. He was fiddling with his hands while looking apologetically at me. I sighed and cleaned it for him, and returned it to him. "Next time, try to toss it on the floor instead of my robes."

"Y-yes, ma'am, I'm truly sorry about that."

Honestly, I do know what I sound like, and I'm sure I don't sound like the grim reaper, so why is he stuttering? I look where the boy is now looking, and see that Snape is watching us –or to put it more accurately- looking straight at my finished potion sitting on my workspace.

Grabbing my book I start to read, I know better than to try to pass my potion in early. Last time a student did that, he threw the potion away and gave the student a 'T', and I'd rather not start my school year with such a grade. My stomach twists uneasily -like it's trying to eat itself- and my mouth salivates. I wonder if I can escape to the bathroom before heading off to my next class with Harry, he wouldn't mind, but the new DADA teacher might. Another sigh and I make myself comfortable on the hard wood chair.

A hundred and ninety-seven pages later we are called to bring our potions up to the professor and we are given a reading assignment, as well as a two foot essay on the benefits and hindrance of dittany combined with vervain. I nimbly stack my books together then shrink them so they'd fit in my small book bag which really was a hand bag enlarged to hold a few more items and pockets on the inside. After grabbing my vial of potion I walk up to the desk and set it down.

"Miss Granger," I look up at Snape, his voice is calm, but not the sort that'd you trust, not like Kingsley's or the late Lupin's. "If my class is so boring to you, please, don't waste my time and stay. Take your insufferable self to another class, one that you'd actually make progress in."

The nerve! How dare he? I finish early and suddenly I'm the one with a problem? And 'make progress in'? I'm probably the best student he has! I breathe in heavily, and I can see the smug look in his black eyes, but I say nothing for a few moments, letting myself calm down. I don't need detention for mouthing off at a professor, no matter how much he deserves it, I simply don't have time.

"If that's all, Professor, I need to get to my next class." I turn and leave, not waiting for him to dismiss me; after all, the whole class was already out the door.

Author's Notes: How's that for a beginning chapter? Please, Read & Review! But no hateful comments!