Author's Note: Hey everyone :) So i definitely enjoyed writing this chapter more than the last. i really hope you all like it. This is my first fanfic so please help me and review :) love you all 3 p.s. listen to this music! :p tehe

"Pride can stand a thousand trials. The strong will never fall. But watching stars without you. My soul cries. Heaving heart is full of pain. Oh, oh, the aching. 'Cause I'm kissing you. "(Kissing You by Des'ree)

Hermione was running and ignoring the searing pain in her chest. Fireworks. She raced her shadow up the stairs toward the 3rd floor. Fireworks. She made it to her room and collapsed on her bed in awestruck sobs.

"It was a fireworks kiss!" She sobbed to herself. I'm with Jimmy! Jimmy! He's amazing and sweet and fun and…fireworks. That was all she could feel. Coursing throughout her body was an electric current and it was driving her insane. Hermione pulled her legs to her sore chest. She lay there silently waiting for the world to stop again. It stopped in that kiss. "Stop it Hermione! That was Snape!" Severus. Her breath caught in her throat. She walked over to her mirror above her dresser and wiped away her tears. "You were just caught in the moment." She told herself. "You were confused and scared and happy all at the same time." Her voice was confident but her eyes told a different story. She chose to ignore them. "So was he. He was just caught in the moment. Besides I did kiss him…" Hermione froze. "I kissed him." Shit. "I kissed him!! What was I thinking?! How can anyone be so idiotic?! What is wrong with me?!" She replayed the moment in her head. "I made the potion right so I hugged him. Then he told me I wasn't a lost cause."Goosebumps rose on her arms remembering this. She forced herself to focus. "Then I looked at him and saw…" What did I see? She had seen something real in his cold eyes. Something she wanted to capture. So she did. He kissed me back. Hermione brought her hand to her lips. "Oh, what does that matter?" She thought shaking out of her fantasy. "He is a teacher! And I'm a stu.." She stopped herself mid word. I'm not a student anymore. I'm an adult and a teacher. "I can be an adult about this. I can handle this maturely." Hermione said this but she didn't feel very mature. She felt like a child again. Like she had just unlocked the door hiding a three headed dog and she was terrified of expulsion. So, she curled up in her blankets and drifted off to sleep.

"Hermioneeeee." A cold breeze blew through her hair and she shivered. The forest was dark and damp. Goosebumps rose oh her arms and Hermione waited for her eyes to adjust to the lack of light. "Hermione, don't be afraid." But she wasn't. None of this was real. She remembered falling asleep. "Be a good girl Hermione. Follow my voice." She knew this wasn't good. But she had to find the voice. She had to walk toward the whispering. "That's a girl love. Come and find me." Hermione walked in a trance almost she tried to tell the voice that she was coming but her mouth stayed closed. Obediently she strolled through the trees. She knew where she was going. "Perfect. Hurry along now. You're needed." Her pace quickened. Hermione slowly realized that one does not know they're dreaming in dreams. She attempted to turn around but responsibility kept her moving toward her destination.

She could see solemn lights ahead and soon entered a dimly lit clearing. Within the area was a cauldron producing a gray light. Besides this there was nothing. Hermione wanted desperately to search around herself but her eyes stayed forward. Before long a cloaked figure produced themselves next to her. Others soon followed. The cloaks reminded her of a mixture of Dementors and Death Eaters. Fear welled in her brain but her body buzzed with excitement. They were terrifying like Death Eaters but they didn't stand quiet they spoke to one another in random sentences, somehow making sense. Only Hermione remained still and the others found this normal. She couldn't see any faces but she knew them all. Hermione felt a great tug on her heart and knew something was about to happen. She motioned with her hand and the followers grew quiet. She had authority but no idea why.

Then it happened. A fiery whoosh of death and insanity presented itself. There stood less than 5 feet away Bellatrix Lestrange. Hermione wanted to vomit but her knees bent in a bow. The others followed suit and Bella nodded to them. She approached Hermione and stood facing her. Her eyes flickered with madness but she froze in her spot. Hermione didn't dare move but it wasn't out of fear. It was out of respect. Seconds passed as hours. She just stared unmoving face to face with her enemy. My superior. Hermione struggled to push these thoughts away. But as she breathed in Bella's smell she felt a sick sense of friendship. Bella's mouth contorted into a crazy smile and she laughed manically. The others laughed with her, including Hermione. She and Bella embraced and Bella whispered into her ear. "My protégé." Hermione felt as if she was going to pass out but she stood well aware of her surroundings. Bella pulled back and grasped Hermione's face lovingly. "I've brought you a present."

She walked toward the cauldron waving her wand madly causing sparks to fly out. Bellatrix always liked to entertain. "Pay attention!" She yelled to her disciples. "Watch how I reward my favorite!" She laughed again and pointed her wand to the cauldron. Before long a figure rose out and into the air. The person was covered with a sack over their head. Hermione could tell from its structure that it was a man. Bella held him up in the air with her wand then without warning let it drop. "Whoops." She faked and laughed while the prisoner groaned. "Shut your trap!" She kicked the masked man in the ribs. "Now you were all skeptical of Missssss Granger when she arrived to me." She paused to laugh in spite of herself as she circled the group. "But! She has proved herself MORE than worthy of my admiration. She is definitely not a MUDBLOOD anymore! Hahahahahahaaha!!!!" Her head tilted back as she chuckled. She turned to Hermione. "You have killed and maimed and made me so very proud." She whispered the last part sending shivers all around." Hermione's body was anxious for her gift and Bella sensed her energy. "Are you ready?" Hermione's head nodded. Bella stood next to the victim and addressed the group. "Ladies and Gentlemen! I give you the last living emotional connection to the mudblood Hermione Granger! Please join me and welcoming to the stage, the ONE the ONLY, HARRY POTTER!" She yanked off the covering and Harry blinked his eyes. He stared up at Hermione not wanting to believe it.

"No. I didn't think it was true." His face changed to anger. Bella pointed her wand at him threateningly.

"Quiet you!" Harry refused to remove his eyes from Hermione. She wanted to die from the look that he gave her. Fury released from him. He couldn't stop himself.

"You've killed everyone! EVERYONE who's ever loved you! Who are you anymore! EVERYONE IS DEAD!" Hermione was sobbing inside but in the clearing she stayed calm. Bella laughed.

"This is really something. Now we get down to it! Do it! Do it before it loses its fun!" She was almost in laughing hysterics. Hermione's lip curled into a sick smile. Inside she screamed at herself. Bella's excitement mounted. "Yes! Yes Hermione! This is your moment! I have brought you who my master could never defeat! The ultimate gift THAT YOU DESERVE!" Harry's eyes were wide with fright and anger.

"Don't do it Hermy. Please you're not a killer. You're not. You can end this all." Bella laughed and cast Crucio upon him. Harry yelled out of pain making Hermione's heart wrench.

"He held you back for so long! Now end this madness! Don't you want to be the most powerful?!" Hermione's smiled stayed plastered on her face. Harry was still being tortured. Finally her real voice broke through.

"Stop." She said to Bella. Bella stared at her and pulled her wand back. Harry fell to as a heap on the ground. He gasped for air. They all watched Hermione as she moved close to Harry. They watched her footsteps. Harry stared at her waiting her next move. They were all waiting. She pointed her wand at his scar. Harry opened his mouth to stop her but her own voice covered his. "AVADA KEDEVRA!" Hermione screamed in her head as a flash of green light left Harry's eyes lifeless. She wanted to die alongside him. Especially since she felt happiness wash over her body. Bella was laughing and clapping.

"Bravo ! Well done!" The others followed and applauded. Hermione smiled and took a small bow. Just then Hermione's eyes went dark.

She floated back to reality. Hermione awoke in her bed. She was still herself, still in control. Everything had been real though. She had felt it. She remembered it so vividly. The dim lighting, Harry's eyes, Bella's smell, and the smile on her lips from the knowledge that she had killed everyone she loved. Hermione stood and ran to her bathroom where she promptly vomited. ~

They worked in silence. They didn't have a choice. The potion needed to be finished and it had to be done by the both of them. Neither looked at each other. They stood as far apart as possible. They were scared. They both knew. She knew, Severus knew. The kiss had been something. Something real and special. But they were pretending it hadn't occurred. Severus would catch her eye now and then and they'd share a secret. Though it would quickly be forgotten as soon as eyes were averted. Severus thought he could deal with it. It was working out fine even though it ate at his insides. But overall they were surviving maturely. That was until she had to leave early.

She had been gathering her things and readying to leave. She caught the puzzled look on his face and explained without thinking.

"I have to go. I have a date with Jimmy." Tiny sharp daggers stuck Severus all over. Hermione's eyes widened realizing what she had just said. She tried to say something else but instead rushed out. Severus breathed a heavy sigh. This isn't working at all. I have to get over this. Besides I have bigger matters at hand. The second potion was taking a long time and Severus needed to do something to prevent this oncoming war. He put away the potion with a wave of his wand and went to the room and made sure to lock the door. Severus pulled a trunk out from under his bed and unlocked each one of the 4 locks. He peered within at all his Death Eater paraphernalia and pulled out his dark magic book. Severus rolled up his sleeve and gazed down at the dark mark sewed into his skin. He stared seeing all his old pain envelop it. He pointed his wand at the deranged tattoo and muttered a select section of phrases from his text. A red light shot into the mark and Severus' eyes winced slightly from the mounting pain. The skull turned white as the snake filled with blood. The pain was insurmountable but Severus was more compelled to stare at his inking. It swelled and moved as if it had a heartbeat. Severus' couldn't tear his eyes away. Around him the room spun and blurred. Out of his peripheral vision Severus watched the images of his room dissolve and a new location develop. It was all blurry but he could make out trees and darkness.

"Come on." Severus muttered to the snake. He needed to see where he was. Tracking Bella was painful but it had to work. It was old dark magic that Severus hated to use. Desperate times calls for desperate measures. The area became slightly clearer and Severus felt his hope rise. He just wanted to get an idea for where Bella could be. Then maybe he could end this before it got out of hand. Concentrate Severus! Or this will never work. He focused on his arm. Now the limb was covered in blood though the snake was still prominent. He knew the worst was yet to come. He could feel the outside source of Bella's mind resisting. The more he pushed the greater his pain and the more the blood flowed freely from his veins. It was becoming hard to ignore the stinging especially since a crazy laugh was sounding in the distance. Severus was desperate to reach that voice and destroy it. But the laugh grew closer and his pain doubled. Severus let out a small yell as he watched a hole form on the other side of his arm. The magic was literally eating through him. Severus tried not to look at the gaping puncture and remembered his old training. Live the pain, become the pain, and learn to enjoy it. He had always hated that saying. Bella's laugh was so close. He could almost see her. Then it hit him. Two things broke his control. The first was the wave of cold enveloping his body followed by fire that literally covered his arm. The second was that Bella was laughing at him. Severus lost all hope at this point and tried desperately to stop the fire on his arm.

Suddenly, it all stopped. Severus was clutching his arm, laying flat on his bedroom floor. The fire was gone, the pain was gone, the trees, Bella, they were all gone. All that remained was a charcoal colored scar on the other side of his arm, where the hole had been. And of course their still was the dark mark. Severus wanted to scrape it from his skin. He couldn't believe how strong Bella was. He couldn't break down her mental barriers, which made him nervous to an extreme. Severus angrily threw the book back into his trunk and stuffed it under his bed. He lay on his king sized bed covered in cream-colored bedding. Severus' lifted his arm and stared at the mark. It was red now. He sighed, exhausted and distraught. He knew that Bella was hiding in a forest. But the where was fuzzy. Severus knew at least one good thing had come from this experience. He had forgotten about Hermione Granger. Damn almost forgot. ~