"Why don't you take a break?" She said placing her hands on his shoulders. "I'll go buy you ink and a quill and be right back."

"Thank you Hermione, I'm really glad you're here." He covered one of her hands with his.

"You bet." She grabbed some coins from her room, shoved them in her pocket and left, walking for the town.

Chapter 3-Surprising Host

The little town was humble and sweet, tucked away in the outskirts of muggle Kingston. Hidden by muggle repelling charms and wards, it was a wonderful wizarding village. After buying Remus' quill and ink she decided to look around at the shops. Some held items common to the wizarding world, things she had seen in not so far away Diagon alley. Others held interesting things she hadn't seen before. One apothecary caught her eye and she stepped in, barrels and shelves and ropes hanging from the ceiling held all manners of strange things.

There were chimera eyes in barrels, separated by which belonged to the goat, lion or snake head. There were racks of pigs' tails and chicken combs. She crinkled her nose at what could have been a preserved brain sitting on a shelf in morbid looking goo and turned to look at what was hanging from the ceiling. There were many hairs from unicorns and bushels of strange plants. Snape would have loved this place. She shook her head at the thought and turned to see the owner watching her.

"You have an amazing collection." She said to him.

He was a grizzled old man with silver hair and wise eyes, had he been tall and elegant rather then short and limping, he could have been Dumbledore's brother. Remembering the man released a pang of home sickness, she missed her London flat and her trips to Diagon alley.

"I spent most of my one-hundred and forty years collecting these items. I did the more dangerous things, like chimeras and dragons when I was younger, now my sons do that."

Hermione nodded, she doubted anyone in Diagon alley had been at it for that long. She opened her mouth to ask something but the wizard stopped her.

"These are all things I am willing to sell; I have a more private collection of items I am more attached to. Would you like to see?"

Hermione nodded, again, honored that as a stranger she'd be invited to see the man's private stores. She followed him behind the counter through a curtain to a room she could tell was heavy with wards as he lowered them one by one.

"The name's Fielius by the way."

"I'm Hermione."

"Hermione Granger?"

Hermione nodded wondering where that would lead. Fielius just simply nodded.

"I knew you had a good feel about you."

Hermione gasped at the collection. She didn't have to be told what any of these items were. They were rare but recognizable and she had read about many of them. There was one shelf to her right loaded with acromantula venom, the beads of a rattle snake's tail, shredded sphinx claws and the bone marrow of an ogre.

Hanging from the ceiling was a special type of Spanish reed that played an eerie music if touched, and next to it feathers from a Pegasus. But behind all of that there was a large table and on it, what looked like a just killed lammasu*, Hermione couldn't stop staring.

"Aye, he's a beauty isn't he? Put him in stasis so I could keep looking at him. Make a wonderful gift he would."

Hermione's mind once again flashed to Snape and a conversation she had over heard under the invisibility cloak in her fifth year.

"What I wouldn't give to get my hands on a lammasu. That man is lucky to have found such a creature, much less survive the encounter and get the body." Snape had been whispering with jealous venom.

"I know it would be invaluable to your collection Severus." It had been Dumbledore.

"It would be. There are far too many uses to count for such a creature. The irritating thing is that there are plenty of them, they just know how to hide, that is why they are so rare."

Hermione reached forward to touch the fur and then the feathers of the lammasu. "I know a man who would love it." She whispered.

"Well why didn't you say so? I could have it ready for you in a matter of thirty minutes and you could take it to him."

"I don't know where he is and right now isn't a good time." Then she laughed bitterly, "I very much doubt I'll even see him again any way."

Fielius frowned, "Well, how much would this man appreciate it?"

Hermione thought about that and smiled. "I think it would be the first time anyone would see any emotions on his face for a very, very long time."

"Private man is he?"

"Very. But a lot of people know he loves his potions."

"What would you say if I kept this beauty here until you do see him again?"

Hermione stepped back shocked. "I couldn't ask that Fielius."

"I insist. This man sounds like he'd love it, who else am I going to sell it to?"

"Anyone who would appreciate it! You don't have to hold on to this for me when I'll likely be de-" She just barely stopped herself from saying 'dead'. She wouldn't tell Remus, but she was terrified that it would be only a matter of time before Lucius figured her out and would get her, or that she would forget the list somewhere and she wouldn't be able to escape.

Fielius looked at her quizzically then let it slide. "Really Hermione, I wouldn't mind, I've been holding on to him for too long, it's nice to think there is a potential buyer out there who would put this creature to good use."

Hermione chewed her bottom lip, her hand still hovering over the lammasu's wing. Fielius was really insistent. Maybe she could make a deal with him, one that would be unlikely to come true but wouldn't sound too ridiculous. She thought about it and decided that she'd still be fleeing from Lucius Malfoy with no chance of seeing Snape in a year.

"Okay, Fielius, here's a deal for you," the old man nodded, his eyes bright. "Hold on to this for a year, and if I don't come between now and then to get it start looking for another buyer yes?"

Fielius looked at her thoughtfully. He supposed she would need time to find the man and/or get the money. "Sounds like a deal. This lammasu is yours for a year."

Hermione nodded. That was easy, but she still wanted to buy something, just for the man's troubles, or to carry one of these wonders with her. It sounded silly but it sounded nice too. She looked around her at the phials and jars in Fielius' private stores.

"In the mean time," She grabbed a bottle of the powdered sphinx claws, one of the blood of a griffin tongue, and a tiny phial of whole pixie wings. Rare enough that they were very impressive, but not rare enough to cost her a fortune, though she figured it would be expensive.

Fielius smiled and directed her to the front of the store. She paid and left, tucking the bottles safely into the bag on her shoulder. She continued down the street, her hand over her bag as if any of the passer's by knew what treasures she carried inside. The farther she walked the more she felt nervous, something was wrong, very wrong. She was about to turn around to head back to Remus's when a hand snatched out at her from the shadows. Another covered her mouth before she could scream, and no one was close enough to see her suddenly disappear.

She grabbed for her wand which was immediately snatched out of her hand. She bit on the hand that covered her mouth and squirmed as far away as the other hand would let her, which was not far enough. Looking around she could see Lucius Malfoy glaring at her.

"Damn it Granger that hurt." He sounded calm, amused but his enraged face said other wise.

"Good!" She spat.

He slapped her as hard as he could, the sickening sound that echoed a mix between the contact of their skin and the blood that smacked between them. She was knocked to the ground and lay there for a second feeling as if he broke her jaw. She glared up at him, fists clutched at her side in defiance.

"All it would take is one scream, Malfoy."

"Ah but you see, that wouldn't do you any good." He twirled his wand in between his fingers. "There is a silencing charm around us and if anyone were to look down this alley it would appear empty." His wand stopped its twirling and was pointed at her. "I'm not sure what I want to do with you, torture you or beat you into a bloody pulp. I suppose I could do both but which to do first?"

"Beating me into a bloody pulp before torturing me wouldn't do any good." She had to keep talking, keep him talking.

"I suppose not. So let's see, sectumpsempra or crucio?" His wand sparked a little and Hermione used all her will not to flinch away. "I suppose crucio, but I just can't wait to make you bleed and rid your body of its filthy blood."

C'mon already, she thought desperately, did she have to wait until he practically cast the curse again? She tried to stand but this time his staff made contact with her face; he kept it pressed into her chest with a warning eyebrow crocked above a malicious eye. She clenched her jaw and tried to ignore the pain.

"Alright you filthy mudblood, time for a little fun. Sectumsempra!"

The list suddenly flared hot and Malfoy senior finished his curse to an empty alley. His hand frantically searched his robes for her wand which he had so ingeniously put there, but it was gone. "Damn her!" She wasn't apparating, he knew that now, so what the hell was happening?

888888

Hermione's eyes flew open at the thunderous crack she recognized from the list moving her, she barely had time to understand what spell he was casting and all of a sudden, she wasn't there. She heaved a sigh of relief and let the tension slowly ease from her muscles. She was vaguely aware of the sound of a door opening and closing somewhere behind her.

She stood up and brushed the dirt from her robes and grabbed her wand. If I ever see Snape again I'm not going to send him after that lammasu I'm going to kill him for inventing that spell!! There were footsteps behind her and they were getting closer, she slowly turned around, her wand still clutched in her hand.

"Malfoy!"

*A lammasu has the body of a lion, the wings of a giant eagle and the face of a human.

.hu/Files/baxa_

Thanks to my loverly beta Lumora the White!!

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