A/N: To all of those who haven't read the big A/N or couldn't read it, I recommend you go back and read the first two chapters of this story, since I changed some of the things to fit with the tweaks I made to the whole plot during this almost one year long hiatus. If you don't want to read them completely, I suggest to at least read all the Aslan-Hermione parts in Chapter 1 because those are important, and in Chapter 2 the Hermione P.O.V.'s after having gotten out of the tunnel. The changes in Chapter 2 aren't as crucial, but this is all the changes I made in case you want to know about them.

With that said, let's get on with the story since you have waited long enough for it already. Hope you'll enjoy it.

Chapter 3: Hope comes with Christmas

Hermione's P.O.V.

She barely slept that night. Peter's words kept repeating over and over in her head, and her brain refused to shut down. As much as she'd like to pretend he didn't affect her, it had hurt. It wasn't his words alone, though; it was how they related to the rest of her life.

In muggle school, it had been her brains. At Hogwarts it was her blood, but at least she had a lot of talent to make up for it. In Narnia, it was that talent she was so proud of that doomed her. It seemed like no matter where she went, she was always signaled out as undeserving. She felt like she didn't belong anywhere.

A disgusting creature like you.

She tried to stop feeling sorry for herself, but when she attempted to think of anything else, she felt her blood boil at Peter's insult to Aslan. How dare he say anything bad about him; he hadn't even met him! She decided that train of thought wasn't going to help her sleep either. She didn't allow the thought of the curse and how much it might have advanced with the little amount of magic she had used to plague her mind. This would only make her feel even worse. She did her best to push all these thoughts to the back of her mind, but it still took her a while to calm down enough to rest.

When she finally did manage to fall asleep, her dreams were filled with Death Eaters and a bunch of doors everywhere she looked. When she chose one door and went through it, she came into a room made of ice. She found herself surrounded by stone statues of many different creatures; men, animals and some in-between. She heard their tortured screams, their cries for help. Overwhelmed, she curled up into herself and covered her ears to try and muffle the sounds.

She woke up with a start. Light was beginning to shine through the trees. She sat up and turned to look at where the fire had been, clinging to her cloak to try and get some warmth. Everyone else was still sleeping. The beavers had lied down close to each other near the fire; Lucy and Susan were sleeping side by side a little ways from her. She noticed a figure lying down with his back to them all the way at the other side of the clearing. Ah, so there he was. It seemed like everyone else had turned their backs on him. Served him right.

As the sun started to rise through the trees, she decided they should start their journey soon. She got up and went to the beavers first, shaking Mr. Beaver gently. He swiped his paw at her and grumbled something about not wanting to take a bath. Hermione chuckled and shook him slightly harder.

"Mr. Beaver, wake up. We have to go soon," she murmured softly. He finally opened his eyes and looked around a little disoriented. She could tell when all the memories from the day before reached his brain as his eyes widened a little. He looked at her with sympathy and a little awe. It made her slightly uncomfortable, so she continued speaking.

"Help me wake up the others, we should eat and leave as soon as possible," she told him and then got up without waiting for an answer.

She made her way over to the two sleeping girls and crouched down in front of Lucy. She was snoring softly and had an adorable look on her face. Despite everything, she couldn't help smiling a little at the sight. She started shaking her softly and murmuring her name. Thankfully, Lucy woke up easily enough and, upon seeing Hermione, a huge smile spread on her face. She didn't say anything though, and Hermione was grateful for that.

After waking up Susan, Hermione got up and motioned for the girls to follow her back to the fire and sat down.

"We need to eat breakfast and leave shortly after that." She saw Mrs. Beaver cutting the bread and cheese she had brought while Mr. Beaver looked over her shoulder with an eager expression on his face that reminded her a lot of Ron.

Peter was sitting not too far from them, looking uncomfortable. She noticed he avoided looking her in the eye and couldn't help feeling satisfied. It was good that he felt bad about what he had done. She wondered if she'd be able to forgive him if he apologized, and decided that she would. She could understand where he came from, although that didn't make what he said any better. She wasn't about to let him know that though, so she shot an icy glare in his direction before turning back to the others.

"Eat quickly, we have to get to Aslan's camp before nightfall," she said in an all-business manner. They nodded their heads and started eating the food Mrs. Beaver had spread out between them in silence. It was awkward, but she tried to ignore it as best as she could, making sure to eat fast.

"Do you really think Aslan will be able to save Edmund?" asked Lucy hesitantly.

Hermione turned to look at the young girl. She looked lost and desperate for someone to give her a sliver of hope for her brother's well-being. Her mind registered that all the others had stopped eating and were also staring at her but she didn't take her eyes off of Lucy's face. She didn't want to give the young girl any false hope, so she took a moment to really think it over.

It was true that the Witch wanted all of them dead, and Edmund was probably in great danger, but she didn't think the Witch would kill him yet. Using him as bait had a lot of potential, just as his siblings had proved by almost barging right into her castle and consequently her clutches. Hermione didn't see how Aslan would be able to save him, though, but after having met him she had faith in him. Her gut told her that she could trust Aslan to be able to get him back some way. It didn't escape her how she had trusted her feelings more than her rational thinking since she had gotten here, but chalked it up to the magic of the place.

"Yes, I believe he can," she answered finally, and saw how the relief swept over the young girl's face. "I have faith in him, and you should too."

"Thank you," said Lucy softly, a wide grin across her face. Hermione gave her a small but sincere smile before turning back to her food like all the others. Hermione could feel Peter's eyes on her, but pretended not to notice.

When they had all finished eating, she got up and sighed. They had a long journey ahead of them. She turned to look at Mr. Beaver and gave him a smile before speaking.

"Well, we better get going. I'm hoping to arrive to Aslan's camp before nightfall." Everyone got up after that and started gathering their things. When they were all ready, Hermione looked at Mr. Beaver and gestured for him to lead the way. He gave her a big grin and clapped his paws together.

"Follow me and don't lag behind. If you keep up the pace we'll get there soon enough," and with that Mr. Beaver marched on with his head held high, his wife right by his side with a humorous and indulging smile on her face.

Hermione made sure that all the Pevensies were walking in front of her before advancing herself, ignoring the slightly hesitant look one of them shot at her.

As they walked, she got lost in her thoughts, barely hearing Lucy and Susan talking in front of her. She wondered about how things were going back home with her gone, if everyone had gotten out of the Department of Mysteries alive and well. Hermione prayed to Merlin that Harry and Ron were OK, and wondered if she would ever be able to find out.

Looking at the Pevensies again, Hermione wasn't sure if she would be able to keep them safe. In reality, she didn't know that much of what was really going on in that strange place. Then again, the siblings were probably just as clueless as her.

Deep in her thoughts, Hermione almost didn't notice when one of the siblings fell into step beside her.

"So," started Lucy hesitantly, "you went to a school of magic, right?"

Hermione stared down at the young girl, unsure of where she was going with this. After what had happened the night before, she felt rather hesitant to speak about anything related to magic. For some reason, though, Hermione didn't think Lucy would judge her as harshly as her brother had, so she answered with a slightly cautious yes.

Hermione could almost literally see the wonder shining through the young girl's eyes, thus she didn't feel surprised at all when Lucy asked her next question.

"What was it like?"

Hermione was unable to resist the curiosity displayed by Lucy, so she proceeded to tell her all about Hogwarts. She talked about her classes and professors, she talked about how professor Mcgonagall was her favorite. She describe the beautiful castle with it's moving stairs and talking portraits. She described the magnificence of the Great Hall and explained how the students were divided in different houses.

She talked about her best friends. How Harry was one the kindest and bravest people she had ever met, with his talent for attracting trouble anywhere he went. She talked about Ron and his hilarious food obsessions, his easygoing way of being and goofy acts. Hermione felt a pang of longing for her friends, and wondered yet again if she would ever see them again. Probably not, she thought.

It wasn't until then that she noticed how everyone had quieted down and seemed to be just as enraptured in her story as the youngest of the siblings was. Hermione was glad she had decided to leave out any of the parts that had to do with Voldemort. She didn't want them to have any other reasons to distrust magic.

"What was it like," started Susan, "to grow up with magic?"

"I didn't," Hermione began, and then explained how she hadn't known she was a witch until she received her Hogwarts letter when she turned eleven. They all seemed very surprised by this. Before any of them could ask any other questions, Mr. Beaver spoke up.

"Do you hear that?" he asked with a sense of urgency. We all fell quiet for a moment, and she felt dread settle in her stomach. Hermione could hear the sound of tinkling bells in the distance, accompanied by the sound of a sled being pulled across the snow.

She didn't truly understand what was going on until Mr. Beaver talked again.

"It's the Witch. Run!"

Hermione tried to think of a way to get out of this situation while she ran, but she could only think about using magic. She knew it wouldn't be good for her, but she would risk it in order to save the others. As she dug through her pockets in her coat she let out a curse, suddenly remembering that Peter still had her wand. She prayed they would be able to find some other way to get out of this.

They reached the edges of the woods and kept running until Mr. Beaver spotted a cave that was fairly hidden from sight. They all went it and tried to keep quiet.

Hermione felt a hand grab her shoulder and whipped around, expecting to see a stranger ready to attack her. Instead, she found Peter holding out her wand to her.

"I hope I won't regret this," he said. Stunned, Hermione hesitantly reached out and grabbed her wand. As she looked into his eyes, she hoped that he'd be able to read what she wanted to say in her own. You won't.

Suddenly, they heard the sled get closer and finally stop. The unmistakable sound of steps soon followed. Rationally, Hermione knew that whoever was out there wasn't able to see the cave, but she was still scared that they'd be found out.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Mr. Beaver slowly make his way to the mouth of the cave. Hermione reached out to try and stop him, but he turned to her. "You need to stay here to protect them, I'll go look," he said, a note of finality in his voice. Hermione knew that was the logical thing to do, but she still felt uneasy as she watched the beaver make his way out of the cave.

Tense seconds soon followed, which felt like hours to her. Suddenly, Mr. Beaver appeared in the entrance of the cave again, looking very excited.

"There's nothing to worry about. Come out, someone's waiting for you!" he said before disappearing from their view again. Slowly, everyone started to move towards the entrance of the cave. Hermione managed to leave first, being totally caught by surprise by what she found once she was out.

It was surreal. A big brown sled with red decorations was parked- if that even is the correct term- out in the snow between the trees. It had a huge brown bag in the back, which Hermione felt apprehensive of its contents. There were eight reindeer attach to the sled by reigns. To finish the picture, there was an old man standing in front of the sled with his hands on his waist. He had a white beard that reached his chest and a face that looked like it was permanently fixed on a happy expression. He was wearing an orange shirt with a golden sash tied around the waist and black pants with brown boots. He had a red cloak over his clothes.

Father Christmas let out a jovial laugh as the rest of the Pevensies left the cave. "Merry Christmas, sir," said Lucy in awe, slowly walking towards the old man.

"Merry Christmas indeed, Lucy," he answered, "since you have arrived."

"Unbelievable," Hermione heard Susan mutter, and she couldn't help but agree. A wicked witch, talking animals, a cursed land, she could take it all in stride. Yet Father Christmas actually existing seemed like a bit of a stretch. Regardless, he seemed harmless, so Hermione stood back and simply watched.

"We thought you were the Witch," said Peter.

"Yes, yes, I apologize about that," Father Christmas answered, looking slightly bashful, "but in my defense, I have been driving one of these longer than the Witch," he continued, gesturing at the sled.

"I thought there was no Christmas in Narnia?" said Susan, in a slightly accusing manner. This came as a surprise to Hermione, it seemed like Narnia would be a place where Christmas was celebrated. Then again, being under a curse by a witch might have put a damper on all celebrations.

"No, for a long time," she started, "but the hope that you have brought, your Majesties, is finally starting to weaken the Witch's power." Hermione wasn't surprised by this; it seemed like anything was possible in this place.

"Still," continued the old man, "I dare say you could do with these". He turned back to his sled and pulled out the bag in the back.

"Presents!" exclaimed Lucy, and Hermione felt a fond smile form on her face. That girl was adorable.

Father Christmas beckoned Lucy to come closer and pulled out of the bag what seemed like a little glass bottle in a red case attached to a belt of the same color. "'The juice of a fire flower," he explained. "One drop will cure any injury." Hermione raised her eyebrows while he handed the bottle to the young girl. This will come in handy. "Even though I hope you won't have to use this," he said, leaving the rest unfinished. He handed Lucy a small dagger. Its hilt was a dark red color and ended in the shape of a golden lion.

"Thank you sir," Lucy answered and continued hesitantly, "but I think I could be brave enough."

"I'm sure you could," he agreed, "but battles are ugly affairs." Hermione agreed wholeheartedly with this, remembering the incident at the Ministry of Magic before she came to Narnia. She felt a pang of worry hit her, but did her best to push it aside again.

It seemed that while she had been distracted with her own thoughts, Father Christmas had taken out a beautiful white quiver full of brown arrows with blood red fletchings. It also had a brown bow with delicate red and gold designs wrapped around it.

"Susan," he began, "trust in this bow, and it will not easily miss" he told her.

She stared at it for a moment in confusion, and then looked back at the old man. "What happened to 'battles are ugly affairs'?"

Father Christmas chuckled. "Well you don't seem to have a problem making yourself heard," he said. He took out a white horn that ended in an open lion's mouth. "Blow on this, and wherever you are, help will come" he told her.

Susan whispered a thank you and he turned back to the bag. This time he pulled out a sword in a red and silver sheath, which also had a red hilt with a golden lion's head, and a shield made of a metal that shined like silver with a red roaring lion standing on its hind legs right in the center.

"Peter, the time to use these may be soon at hand," he said as he handed them over to the eldest brother. Peter pulled out the sword and Hermione couldn't help but admire it as it glinted with the sun's rays. Thus, it took her by surprise when Father Christmas turned to her.

"Hermione," he said, a silent command to move forward. Everyone turned to stare at her as she advanced, but she tried to ignore their looks. Father Christmas once again pulled something out of his bag, but this time it was two sai swords which, just as the other weapons, had a dark red hilt which ended in a golden lion. "I hope you haven't forgotten," he said.

She hadn't. When she was younger, she remembered having gone to a Japanese Culture festival and seen a fight between two women using sai swords. Hermione had been awed by the strength they showed, and had been convinced that no one would be able to defeat them. Having been bullied during her elementary school years, the idea of being strong like them appealed to her. Hermione thought that if she mastered the art, nothing would be able to hurt her. So she begged her parents to let her take a class in the art of sai swords, and after months of insistence, they had finally relented. She took the class until the day she had to go to Hogwarts, and sometimes even took out her own sai and practiced when she was home.

Hermione grabbed the weapons that Father Christmas held out to her almost reverently, unable to express her gratefulness with words. She immediately felt comforted just by touched their hilts.

"No matter what Hermione, stay strong," he told her in a completely serious voice. "Face your fears head on, and always have hope that things will turn out ok in the end." She instinctively knew he was talking about the curse that was eating away at her soul, and could only give a slight nod.

Father Christmas gave her a smile that seemed slightly wistful and stepped back to look at all the others. She felt their stares gradually turn away from her, except his of course. He didn't glance away until Father Christmas spoke again.

"These are tools, not toys," said the old man. "Bare them well and wisely. Now, I must be off, winter is almost over, and things pile up, when you've been gone a hundred years," he said, chuckling while he put his bag back in the sled.

"Long live Aslan, and Merry Christmas," and with that he climbed back on his sled and was off. Hermione was still too stunned to utter a word as the others yelled their goodbyes. She looked down at the sai in her hands and tightened her grip on them before tying the belt their sheathes were attached to around her waist.

A slightly awkward silence descended on the group, and Hermione remembered she still had her wand, which she had put away after first seeing Father Christmas. She pulled it out of its pocket in her cloak and started to hand it back to Peter when his next words stopped her.

"Keep it. Somehow I don't think you'll try to murder me in my sleep with it anymore," he told her, a slightly humorous tone to his voice. When she met his gaze with her own she saw the silent apology in his eyes and felt relieved, not truly having known the extent of how much it hurt her knowing he thought of her as an evil monster.

"Thank you," she answered him, the simple words charged with meaning. His only response was a slight smile.

"Well," Hermione continued in a stronger voice, now that she had recovered her wits about her, "let's keep going. We want to get to Aslan's camp as soon as possible."

With that, the group resumed their walk and eventually started chatting among themselves again. Hermione once more made sure to walk behind everyone, but was happy to notice that the dreadful feelings with which she had started the journey that morning were now gone.

A/N: I had wanted to update this chapter earlier today but my family decided we should have an impromptu outing and it wasn't possible. I just finished the chapter and hope you liked it. I have to admit that I'm not entirely happy with it but I hope the next chapters will be better.

This chapter didn't have any Peter P.O.V.s but I assure you there will be more in the future.

I wanted to thank all of you for reading/favoriting/following/reviewing my story, especially those last ones. Getting emails with reviews from you guys was what inspired me the most to continue this story. I also want to thank the reviewers who pointed out different faults in my plot since it's because of you that I rethought my plot and am now much happier with it than it was before.

Lugia'sChallenger13: Thank you for your question. I must admit that it left me scratching my head and wondering how I missed something so important. Since this little piece of info is crucial to my story, especially now that I have altered the plot, please bear with me and let's just say that the Old Magic of Narnia works in strange ways. I hope you reread the conversations between Aslan and Hermione, which had to do with this and I altered a little. Keep it in mind since it will appear more in the story.

ro781727: Thank you for pointing out that important detail about Jadis' background. I have, in fact, read all of The Chronicles of Narnia books, though it's been years since I did. I'm embarrassed to say I totally forgot about that important piece of information, but I went back and change my error. Please bear with me because I'm pretty sure more mistakes will appear throughout the rest of the story. I'd really appreciate it if you could point them out to me if you ever come across them.

Lioness2012: I appreciate your suggestion but I have to admit I have too much fun writing from both P.O.V.s and couldn't imagine not continuing to do so.

AliceEnchanted: I love getting reviews from you and reading about your opinions of my story. I hope you'll keep reviewing.

Thank you all for your support. I'll do my best to not let this hiatus happen again. Until next time!