A/N: AU. Snape is alive so is Dumbledor and Severus' parentage (If thats a word) is not related in anyway to the books. I do not own anything except the plot, I will not state that in each chapter because a) i mean no disrespect, because b) i always forget to re-state it! If you don't like it, don't read it. There is a method to my madness so if you just read further along you will understand better, but if you find by the second or even this first chapter, it's still not your cup of tea thats okay, Just don't leave rude or bitchy reviews. Its not wanted nor needed.
Hermione sat laughing at the dinner table. 'It feels good to be home.' She thought, taking a sip of wine that her mother had poured. It was August 31 and tomorrow, Hermione would be making her way to kings cross for her last year at Hogwarts. The table was set in a tropical theme as they sat in the dinning room. Her father laughed as Hermione retold a funny family joke. Mrs. Granger reentered the dining room from the kitchen, giggling like a schoolgirl, as she brought out a pan of peach cobbler.
Hermione smiled at her mother, in her white sundress. Her Father sat across the small table wearing his ridiculous flora print shirt. "Dad, Dinner was amazing! Please send some to school for me when you make it again, Yeah?" Hermione smiled hoping he would say yes, knowing he would. "Okay sweetie." replied Mr. Granger. The whole night was filled with music, laughter and happy memories.
Morning came all to fast, as the sunlight pooled into French doors of her balcony. There was nothing like being home, Hermione had learned that the hard way. Sometimes she missed it so much; she would watch one of the old home videos in her dorm room just to remember the way it was before she was a witch. Hermione didn't resent the life she now led, nothing about it was anything that she didn't already love. She just got homesick sometimes. A pancake smell drifted up the spiral staircases to her room on the second floor. Hermione was rubbing the sleepiness from her eyes, when a knock at her door came then the familiar creaking of it opened to revile her Father stepping in.
"Morning dad." Hermione said flipping on her stomach as Mr. Granger came to sit next to her. He gently rubbed her back; while asking to see if everything was packed and ready for her to take. "All ready dad." She smiled before getting up and pushing him out of her room so she could get in a shower and get ready for the day.
The morning seemed to fly by as she waved goodbye to her parents for the final time until Christmas. "Write me every week okay?" Hermione stated to her parents. Both had replied 'yes' in union as the train started and began to roll away. As the train rounded the corner, Hermione sat back down with her closest friends, Harry and though it felt great to be home, It felt good to be going back no matter how much she'll miss it.
"Alright there 'Mione?" Ron asked, with a smile.
"Yeah Ron, I'm alright." Came her smiling reply. The whole trip to Hogwarts was filled with laughter and jokes, even stories about there summer holiday. As they arrived at the Hogwarts train Station, It seems to have passed in a blur as they were led into the school by carriages. In the Carriage it seemed the whole entire Dumbledore's Army, were squashed together having a good old time. If there was one day she would never forget it would be this one and yesterday. It was perfect, Filled with laughter, filled with hope for the future, it would be the strongest memory alive in her life.
The night seemed to go by so fast as she lay down in the four post bed of her new Head Girls' room. Her room was next door to the common room, so she could still hear the voices of some of the younger ones, too excited to go to sleep. Hermione was tempted to get up and tell them to go to bed, for Merlin's sake, but a knock on the portal door leading into the hallway outside, sounded through the room. Groaning, Hermione pulled herself out of bed with shear frustration, grabbing her cotton royal blue robe. She shrugged into the casual robes, before removing her wards. When the portal opened, Minerva McGonagall stood on the other side of it with her forest green teaching robes.
"Miss. Granger, Can you please follow me to the Headmaster's office?" Professor McGonagall was pale and her lips thinned in a straight line almost trying to bite back a comment she wished to make. Hermione was confused about why she was being summoned by the Headmaster, more importantly, at this time of night. The young woman nodded, and followed her Head of House to the Headmaster's office. The walk down there was silent and almost like a blur. They entered the office to find Professor Snape, pacing around. Hermione noticed at once that he wore His Death Eater robes, this only casued her to grow even more confused on why she would be present at a time like this.
Severus stopped pacing to see the confused girl following closely behind her Head of House. He suckled in a breath; trying hard not to crack from the pain he was experiencing internally. He knew what it felt to lose parents, to lose them to raging lunatics.
Dumbledore stood up when the door opened; He did not try to school his features into a pleasant one, because the news she was going to receive would be otherwise. He noted that Severus had gone a shade paler from his normal coloring. Turning his attention back to Hermione and Minerva, He gestured for Hermione to take a seat in front of his desk.
Hermione sat down, she noticed that all three of her mentors held a pained look to there faces, 'Professor Snape look's a bit paler then usual.' She had noted mentally. No one seemed to speak for what felt like ages to her. She was becoming agitated from the silence. Hermione cleared her throat, which seemed to get their attention, because immediately Headmaster Dumbledore began to speak with a saddening tone,
"Miss. Granger, I am terribly sorry to disturb you at such a late hour, but we have been informed that a tragedy has occured. Severus here, was called to the Dark Lord's side earlier this evening. Severus appeared in muggle Londen and witness two muggle's, tortured and killed." Dumbledore finished.
Hermione felt stupid on why she was being informed about all this, she felt like she had missed something. She was hurt that the Dark Lord had killed an innocent couple, that his servants got away with a murderous crime yet again, but "-Sir, I don't understand. I fail to see why I'm connected to this?"
"Miss Granger-" Came Minerva's voice, weak and shaky, "The two muggle's who were killed, Were your parent's my dear girl. I am so terribly sorry." Minerva, Albus, and Severus watched at how the girl seemed to handle the news.
Severus was surprised to see that she didn't burst out screaming or crying. She sat still, hardly breathing which concerned him a bit. Her facial expression was blank and her once fiery eye's, which lusted for knowledge, were now dark and black like a wall.
Hermione finally let out a shaky breath that she didn't notice she was holding in. She lost all senses, she felt cold and numb. When she spoke, she didn't even recognize her own voice. "M-my parents. M-m-mum, D-dad?"
"I am terribly sorry, my dear girl. I never would have thought, that they could be targeted, but Severus informed me that they were targeted randomly, so they did not know that you were connected to them in anyway. Miss Granger, I know it's to hard to swallow, to comprehend, but we think it's best that you should leave tomorrow and take care of all the necessary's for the remainder of this week and next week. Severus and Minerva will stay with you for the whole two weeks, I will come next week on the 10th to help in any way I can. Please Miss. Granger, Hermione, if there is anything you need please let us know." Dumbledore's voice was soft and reassuring as he explained some of the details to her.
Hermione tried desperately to comprehend everything but it was like she was watching a movie, that the characters died, but you'll see them again in another movie. With out even thinking she look at Severus and said shakily, "Can I see what happened?" It was like a gunshot still ringing in everyone's ears.
Severus' gaze bore into her blank ones, He was tempted to say no, not wanting so much information to over load her, but he knew she had the right to know. "Yes, follow me."
Hermione struggled on shaking limbs to follow him, after gaining some sort of composure; She stood next to him as he extracted a sliver thread from the template of his head with his wand. The silver thread floated into the stone pensive as she leaned over the edge to touch the clear water. She felt a tugging sensation and then a falling one. She closed her eyes tight, so as not to witness herself plummeting to death but then her feet felt the floor and she was standing upright. Opening her eyes, Hermione saw the surroundings of her street and she was standing in her front yard.
Her parents were sitting for a quiet dinner. They sat next to the window in the front of the house, where Hermione, Just a day ago had a wonderful dinner with her parents. Hermione forgot herself, She started yelling and screaming, she ran to the window and started banging on it to try and get their attention, but nothing.
Couldn't they understand that she was trying to save them? That if they stayed any longer they would die?
Severus felt for her, he knew what it felt like, but if she wanted to find out the truth; she would need to calm down. He grabbed her from behind, holding her tightly against himself, as he tried to calm her down. His voice was stern as he spoke to her, "Miss. Granger, control yourself, or you will not see the rest."
Hermione's screams and yells stopped, she blinked tears from her eye's to see everything more clearly. She heard rustling cloaks nearby which captured her attention. Five death eaters including a figure Hermione knew all to well, loomed near her and the real one who had a firm hand wrapped around her. One of The Death Eater's raspy voices broke the silence. In a raspy tone; he spoke one single word,
"Kill."
"No!" Hermione yelled, watching in terror as a blue light blasted open the door and the five figures stormed in. Hermione broke free of Severus and ran franticly inside, only to witness both her parents withering under an unforgivable curse. One of the figures's grabbed her mother roughly and threw her onto the sofa. Hermione watched as her mothers' long flora dress ripped open. She turned her face away in disgust when she heard a zipper and a scream of terror slip from her mothers' mouth. "Please stop, Please, Greg! Someone Help! HERMIONE! HELP!" Her mother pleaded and screamed. Hermione couldn't take it and ran to shove the pig off of her mother, but the frantic girl ran right through the two and the sofa. She pleaded for anyone to help, her father tried to fight his way to her mothers side, but a green jet of light hit him in the face and immediately stopped struggling. He wasn't even breathing. Hermione looked up to see the out stretched wand, She noticed the familiar potion's master next to the real one.
Hermione screamed in full terror as she sunk to the floor on her knees, crying, screaming for anyone to help. It was too much to handle. "WHY! LEAVE THEM ALONE!" She screamed with such force, Severus was sure that the memory would break. Soon another jet of green light hit her mother in the chest and she went limp immediately. Another scream of pure horror escaped from her lips.
Severus rushed to her side, he picked her up and cradled her against his chest, soon he stood in the middle of the headmaster's office.
Hermione still cried and shook violently in his arms. She held onto him tightly, in fear of her falling into the same fate as her parents, and then suddenly everything went black.
Severus took note at how Hermione fell limped in his arms and her head lolled against her shoulders.
"Let us take her to her room, she has had a most tiring shock." Albus spoke, as he led the way to her Head Girls' room, followed by Hermione in Severus' arms and then closely by Minerva. Before they left, Hermione whispered ever so lightly, that Severus himself almost missed it, "Thank you for everything." she slumped back.
To be continued…