Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
AN: This chapter bumps up the rating to M. Sorry all T readers. The wording and content will only get more mature from here. Also please note that I have changed the Anamagus Spell! (7-4-16)
/parseltongue/
Thoughts
Lyrics
~Letters~
The weeks between Halloween and Christmas passed slowly. Each week getting worse than the last, Ron and Ginny were getting worse and worse, arguments were abounding throughout the school, causing factions to arise in all four houses. Hermione took to spending as much time as she could with her cousin and Aunt. Things came to a head when she returned to her common room one day dangerously close to curfew. She walked in to find Ron sitting on the couch glaring at her.
"So the Slut arrives close to curfew. How many people did you fu-" He was cut off by Crookshanks lunged at him and took a swipe at his face with one paw and his groin with the other. "YOU DAMN CAT! I will make you pay for that!" He shouted at the kneasle sitting in his lap. Hermione lifted her familiar off of Ron's lap and walked away to her dorm depositing her cat on her bed.
"Crooks, don't antagonize Ron he will try to hurt you. He never did like you." She commented more to herself than to the cat. She pulled on her night cloths and slid under her blankets falling asleep quickly. The following day she had potions, defense, and transfiguration, all double periods. She was running late to potions and skipped breakfast, heading down to the potion's classroom right away.
"Your late, Slytherin." Snape drawled lazily. "Ten points from Gryffindor." He added when she looked at him and smiled.
"Yes, sir." She answered politely. She joined Harry at one of the long tables.
"As I was saying, we are working on the Wolfsbane Potion." Snape stated flicking his wand and making the recipe appear on the board. "This potion takes nearly a month to make, and after the steps that are on the board are completed you will have to let it simmer for a week. Hence us beginning today. The potions that pass my inspection will go to helping working werewolves, like your DADA professor." He told them causing several students that like Lupin to smile. "Any that don't pass all inspections will be dumped, no matter what stage you are at, you will then begin again." He sneered at Nevile Longbottom. "You may chose your partners, other than Ms. Slytherin. She will help all groups and do her own work as well." He informed them when they all tried to claim her as a partner. She smile up at him and turned to the board noting what ingredients she would need. Hermione then rose and after gathering what she needed she began working, correcting Nevile and Harry, who were partners, along with some of the Slytherin students. She finished her steps quickly and once setting her potion to simmer she walked around helping. She stopped at Ron and Lavender's potion and grimaced.
"Ron you need to cut those before you toss them in." She informed him showing him how to cut the wolfsbane plant. He snarled at her and went to throw the whole plant bundle into the cauldron. "RON!" Hermione shouted, "That will make it explode and could kill several people in the process." She snapped at him. "Lavender, maybe you should handle this part." She recommended to her roommate. The girl nodded and took the bundle and following Hermione's instructions she cut the plants and then looked up for more guidance. "Put the buds in then stir 3 times clockwise, then add the stems, stir 3 times counter-clockwise, then add the roots stirring 2 times clockwise, and once counter-clockwise." Hermione stated. "Then let it simmer."
"Thank you Hermione." Lavender stated doing as she was told. Hermione walked over to Draco and Pansy, and showed them the proper way to cut the plant as well. She then left them to it. Hermione returned to Nevile's cauldron when she noticed he and Harry were on the plant as well. She peered into the cauldron and sighed in relief.
"Nevile, you stir, Harry you cut and add as told." She said startling her friends. They nodded and Harry began cutting the plant carefully, adding them in the correct order, and Nevile stirred properly. Just as Hermione was heading back around she noticed Ron was at her cauldron. "Ron, what are you doing?" She asked calling Snape's attention to his actions as he dropped a handful of something into her cauldron. Knowing how dangerous it was she put up a shielding charm around herself, Harry, Nevile and Ron, shouting "Shield yourselves, it's going to blow." Snape noticed the reactions were instantaneous, all students were shielded and so were their potions. Hermione threw a bubble charm over her cauldron to try to contain the explosion. While the bubble charm worked, it also caused Ron to jerk in shock.
"Mr. Weasley, 50 points from Gryffindor and Detention for the rest of the year." Snape growled angrily. "You nearly killed yourself and everyone around you with that move." He informed the sixth-year. "I will be contacting both your Head of House and your parents." Hermione looked at her clock and cursed slightly. She moved to see what remained of her cauldron and growled angrily.
"Professor Snape, I regret to inform you that I will need to begin again after I get a new cauldron, seeing as that one is in shards all over the floor." She sighed, thinking about how much it would cost her to replace her cauldron. She closed her eyes and waited for a second centering herself. "Aunt Cissy." She called causing Narissa Malfoy to appear in front of her.
"Ms. Slytherin?" Her aunt asked questioning why she was there.
"Are you teaching today?" Hermione asked softly, when Narissa shook her head negatively she continued. "Can you please go buy me a new cauldron, mine was just destroyed." She begged.
"Sure dear. Just wondering though, how many cauldrons do you use a year?" Draco's mother asked curiously.
"I have had that cauldron since first year." Hermione answered shocking everyone.
"That is amazing, Mione, I go through five a year at least." Nevile stated in shock.
"What happened to your second one?" Harry asked without thinking.
"Nevile is using it right now." Hermione answered with a smile.
"And why would she need two cauldrons at one time?" Snape asked causing Harry to jump in surprise.
"I got a second one in second year, so I could brew Polyjuice Potion." Hermione answered as if it was nothing.
"You made Polyjuice Potion as a second year?" Snape repeated as a question.
"Yes, sir. We wanted to know if the Heir of Slytherin was in Slytherin House, so we used it to question Draco." She answered. "Well Harry and Ron asked Draco. I just made the potion." She shrugged as if it were not a big deal.
"And turned into a cat." Harry added with a grin. "She used cat hair on accident." He told Snape giggling lightly at the memory. "Ended up in the Hospital wing for 3 days."
"Harry! You promised me you would never tell that to anyone." Hermione snapped at her best friend blushing with embarrassment.
"Sucks to be you." Ron snarled at the others of the 'Golden Trio'.
"Right back to cauldrons, you need to restart your potion, Ms. Slytherin." Severus reminded the Heir. "You may begin again at lunch." He decided as the bell rang, signaling the end of the double period.
"Yes, sir." Hermione said with a small smile. She packed up her stuff and headed to DADA class, where she sat in the front smiling at Remus. "Good morning, Professor Lupin." She called to the werewolf.
"Ms. Slytherin, good morning to you as well. Any ideas on your plans for the Christmas break?" He asked his favorite student.
"Yes, sir. I am joining my cousin, aunt, uncle and Father at Malfoy Manor, we have also invited Harry to join us as well." She told her teacher.
"Very nice. I am sure Harry will have fun." He stated as the rest of the class entered the room chatting amongst themselves. "Class, today we will be working on the Patronus Charm." He informed the students with a smile. "The incantation is Expecto Patronum." He said, the students mimicking his words, making him smile. "Now the movement is just like this." He showed them how to move their wands to produce the best results. The class began moving their wands without using the incantation to get the movement down. "Unlike many spells, the Patronus Charm can't be produced without visualizing something happy. Most use a memory, others fantasies. Mr. Potter, would you please show them?" He called on Harry knowing that he could produce it with little difficulties. Harry stood and after concentrating for a moment, he spoke.
"Expecto Patronum" He cast a stag exited his wand glowing brightly.
"Very good. Ten points to Gryffindor." Remus stated with a grin. "Please understand that this spell is exceptionally hard to do and can take years to get a corporeal Patronus." He looked around the room, "Can anyone tell me what this spell is used for?" he asked. Harry, Hermione, and Draco's hands all shot up. "Mr. Malfoy?" Remus called.
"The Patronus Charm is used to repel Dementors, causing them to feed off of the Patronus instead of you." Draco answered. "They also can be used to distract someone or to blind them for long term, long enough to escape from the situation." He added, gaining a nod.
"Very good 10 points to Slytherin." Lupin stated. "Now let's see who can produce one already." He said.
"Please sir, may I try?" Hermione asked. Lupin nodded. "Expecto Patronum." She cast, she was shocked to see not her otter, but a cobra exit her wand. She tilted her head and thought for a second, after her Patronus dissipated she smiled at the teacher. "Well that was different." She said almost to herself.
"Hey Mione, I thought your Patronus was an otter." Harry called to his friend.
"It was, but with the changes that have occurred in my life must have changed it." She answered her friend with a shrug.
"Professor, may I give it a shot?" Nevile asked timidly.
"Why not, everyone will have to do it before they are allowed out of the class." Lupin stated.
"Expecto Patronum" He cast, causing a misty barrier to appear instead of an animal.
"Very good, that is the shield form, and while it is not as powerful as a full Patronus it will work against small numbers." Lupin congratulated. "Next student." He looked around and pointed at Pansy. "Ms. Parkinson, your turn."
"Expecto Patronum." She cast getting only a few wisps from her wand. Seamus stepped up and took his turn, and a dog raced out of his wand running into Pansy, knocking her over. Seamus was followed by Dean, Dean was followed by Ron, and soon all of Gryffindor sixth-years were done, leaving the Slytherins to finish up. Draco stepped up and took a deep breath.
"Expecto Patronum." He cast calling on his favorite memory. To everyone's surprise his Patronus wasn't a serpent, but a large panther. Once it faded, Lupin stopped gaping long enough to speak.
"10 points to Slytherin, Mr. Malfoy. I haven't seen anything like that on a first time ever." He congratulated the blonde boy. After everyone had finished Hermione spoke up once more. "Professor, is it possible for Parselmouths to cast this spell and get a different result?" She asked looking at Harry who looked interested.
"Why Ms. Slytherin, I don't know, that would be a question better asked of your Father or Ancestor." He answered, thinking. "Why don't you try it and see?" He asked looking at Harry and Hermione, raising an eyebrow at the two. They turned towards each other and raised their wands in unison.
/Expecto Patronum./ To the shock of the room and themselves both had a different Patronus animal. Hermione's was back to her otter, and Harry's was a Basilisk. The bell signaling the end of DADA sounded breaking both students concentration, sending all students into a flurry to gather their things and head to their next class. Harry, Hermione, and Draco all ran to Transfiguration and entered the class before many of the others even had a chance to get out of the other classroom.
McGonagall let them into her class and watched as they sat talking amongst themselves, quietly.
"Hey Mione, why don't you tell you dad about the Patronus charm?" Harry asked his friend, trying to distract her.
"That is a great idea, Harry." Hermione said pulling out her necklace. "Daddy." She called into the locket.
"Yes, princess? Is something wrong?" Voldemort's voice came out of her necklace drawing the attention of the students arriving to the room.
"No, nothing is wrong. I just wanted to ask you something." Hermione said. "Is this a bad time?"
"Not at all dear, what do you need to know?" He asked the smile evident in his voice.
"Did you know that the Patronus Charm cast in parseltongue makes a different Patronus than when cast normally?" She said with a grin.
"No I didn't know that. Humm. I will have to try that." Hissing could be heard from his side of the necklace. "Wow, all be." He said, back in English. "What did you get for your Patronuses?" He asked his daughter.
"I got a cobra as my normal, and an otter as my parsel. Harry has a Stag as his normal and a Basilisk as his parsel." She informed her father smiling at his sharp intake of breath. "Oh, darn, Daddy, I wish I could continue talking but it is time for classes to start back up." She said closing her locket with a grin.
"Right now that we are no longer distracted by that, let us begin class." Minerva called drawing attention back to herself. "Today I will test everyone on if they can achieve an anamagus form. If they can they will glow blue, if not they will glow red. Sometimes, very rarely, there will be someone with the ability for 2 anamagus forms." She informed the class. "In that case you will glow blue and another color." She stated drawing her wand. She cast the spell at all the students in her classroom, 15 students glowed blue, 19 red, and 3 were both blue and another color. "Potter, Slytherin, Malfoy I will need you all to stay after class." She told the multiple anamaguses. She then went on to begin lecturing on how to gain your anamagus form. After assigning an essay on how to become an anamagus she left them to work, calling the three up to her desk. "You three should begin working on the spells to unlock your forms." She told them causing them to grin at her. "The spell is Mutatio Animali. You will have to say that spell 2 times to unlock both forms." She informed them smiling at them.
Hermione raised her wand and spoke the spell causing her body to jerk and she suddenly was no longer human. Her first anamagus form was a Blue and Silver Phoenix, a rarer creature than most will ever see. She trilled and concentrating on her human form returned to it, causing her to stagger for a moment. She grinned and turned to her friends to see their gobsmacked looks. Harry returned her grin and spoke the spell as well his first form was a shadow falcon. He flew around the room shrieking at the students then landing on the ground he transformed back to human form. Draco smiled and followed suit using the spell and turning into a blood python. Hermione smiled and spoke.
/Cousin, can you understand me?/ She asked shocking him as he hissed back an affirmative. He slithered up to Pansy and when she saw him she screamed in fear.
"SNAKE!" She shouted jumping up on the desk. Draco smiled and returned to human form grinning at her.
"I think you are way to scared of our house mascot." He told the girl.
Hermione rose and spoke the spell once more, this time she felt herself become a shadow panther she padded up to her cousin and purred against his chest. He laughed lightly and pulled back so she could take her human form again. She hissed at him and pranced back to her seat sitting in her new form with her tail wrapped around her legs. Harry grinned and after chanting the spell again he too turned into a land-bound animal, his form was just like that of his father's, a stag. He stood by his desk looking at everyone with a proud look on his face. Draco followed suit and once more was casting the anamagus spell, taking on his second form, a pure black Peregrine Falcon. He swooped around the room and landed on one of Harry's antlers. The three of them all remained in animal form for the remainder of the class. Harry nudged Hermione and after she returned to human form and gathered all their things placing them on Harry's back she returned to her Phoenix form and landed beside her cousin on the other side of her friend's antlers. Harry then led the way back to DADA classroom and pushed open the door walking in, surprising Remus. Both birds flew off of him and returned to human form they gathered the bags and other things off of Harry and then he returned to human form as well. "Moony, I got dad's anamagus form." He called out to his honorary uncle. Remus smiled hugging Harry tightly.
"Harry we need to get to the Great Hall." Hermione reminded them. Harry nodded and smiled.
"I am going to fly." Harry said with a smile.
"I will go in as my serpent form." Draco said.
"I will go as my panther." Hermione decided transforming with her bags and everything else she had in her hands. They all entered their chosen forms, leaving Remus shaking his head as he followed behind them. They entered the Great Hall causing several people to yell in shock. Lucius who was there to see his wife, looked down at the serpent that slithered up to him in slight fear. Draco returned to human form and looked at his father, who's fear filled face turned to one of pride.
"You have a serpent anamagus form." He said his voice carrying throughout the room. "Well done, son." Draco smirked at his father and transformed once more this time to his black falcon form he flew in a circle and then landed in front of his mother, lightly pecking her cheek in a bird kiss. He turned towards the panther approaching his family and settled down to see his father's reaction to Hermione's forms. Hermione placed her front paws on Lucius's shoulders and nuzzled his cheek. She pulled back and then returned to her human form. "Hermione?" Lucius asked in shocked pride. "You startled me." She gave him a hug and walked to her seat where Harry as his shadow falcon was waiting. He turned human and sat down sitting between Hermione and Neville. Draco flew to his spot and returned to human form as well. Once dinner was finished Hermione headed down to see Severus, and work on her father's potion.
"Professor, do you think that Phoenix tears might help?" She asked. "It could aid with the bending of his soul, and as a bonding agent." She said looking at his perplexed face.
"That is true but how would we get Phoenix tears. Fawkes won't give them to me." He informed the girl. Hermione grin became feral.
"Leave that to me Professor." She told him, causing him to look at her in shock. "I will get them." She said smiling at his confused look. "We should rework the recipe to add the tears." She suggested setting up her new cauldron and beginning to brew the Wolfsbane potion for class. Once she was caught up she set up a time loop that put her potion to the same amount of time as all the others in her class. She then put it into a status bubble so it could simmer for the week. Once they reworked the recipe they began working on the potion, after they were at the second to last step before needing the tears he spoke once more.
"How are we going to get the tears?" He asked the girl beside him. Hermione smiled and pulled out a vial and handed it to him. He stood there holding an open vial while she closed her eyes and transformed to her Phoenix form. She hopped up and landing on Snape's shoulder she began to cry filling the vial quickly. She then flew over to a set of vials and filled them with her tears as well. "That works." Severus stated dryly.
"I thought it would work." Hermione answered returning to human form. "Now you have tears for whenever you need them." She said pointing at the filled vials beside them. "Professor, I did have a question for you that has nothing to do with school." She said looking at him, her own expression becoming clouded with confusion.
"What is it?" He asked softly.
"Why did you ask for a contract with my father for my hand in marriage?"
"Who else is on the list?" He asked looking at her wondering what her choices were.
"There was you, Lupin, Greyback, Nott-Theo, Blaise, and a few other Slytherin students." Hermione looked slightly disgusted at her prospects. "Of the ones I know there are only four I would consider." She said.
"Who are they? The ones you are considering?" Severus asked, hoping she was considering him.
"Well Professor Lupin, Greyback and Blaise are three I am considering." She answered hedging around saying that he was one of them as well. Severus's face fell before he counted what she said, he jerked his head when he realized there was one more name she was considering.
"The fourth?" He asked.
"Why do you care? Why do you want me?" She asked ignoring his question, in favor of getting answers herself. She turned back to the potion and added the last of the ingredients and her tears stirring all the while, once it was finished she bottled it up and cast the revealing spell to see what it would do. The words above the bottle were 'Soul return.' She shouted happily and turned towards Snape seeing he wasn't paying attention she waved the potion under his nose and redid the spell. Once he saw the results he actually smiled at her. She wrapped her arms around the stuffy old potion's master, shocking him with her hug. "We did it. It worked. We did it. We helped Daddy and we..." She trailed off when she saw him looking at her with something unrecognizable in his eyes.
"This is one of the reasons that I care and want you." He stated huskily. "You care so much about what you are doing, be it potions, homework, research, or other things you do on a daily basis. It is mesmerizing." He said his husky voice causing shivers to run down her back.
"Professor, I..." She started only to stop when he spoke once more.
"Severus. You may call me Severus when we are alone." He granted her, gaining a smile from the flustered girl.
"Severus, then, I was wanting to this for the entire last 2 years." She said leaning up and pressing her lips against his. "Severus I may be a sixth-year, but I am for all intense and purposes legally an adult. I am seventeen." She informed him, his thoughts shuddering out when she kissed him again. He responded pulling her closer and running his tongue along her lips, gaining entry when she gasped at the sensation. They pulled apart when he heard someone knocking on his office door.
"Enter." He called annoyed at the interruption. Lavender's head poked into the room she looked around and seeing Hermione she spoke.
"Hermione, I am sorry, but you need to come to the room right now." She said looking at Hermione sadly. Hermione walked out of the room and headed towards Gryffindor Tower. Lavender looked at Snape once more and spoke. "Professor she will need a calming drought when she gets there." She said, causing Snape to grab on from his store room and rushing out after Hermione. He reached the Fat Lady's Portrait just before it closed behind Hermione and spoke.
"Let me in I am a teacher." He ordered the painting. The Fat Lady opened once more to let Snape in along with Lavender. He followed Lavender up to the sixth-year dorms only to rush ahead of her when Hermione screamed. He ran into the room to see blood covering the floor, and her bed, and a note written to her pinned on her canopy. He then noticed that Hermione was cradling a headless cat's corpse. He pulled the note off and read it.
~Dear Spawn of Slytherin,
I killed Crookshanks and have taken his head. This is done in revenge for how you have made me look stupid throughout all of our schooling years. You will pay for what you have done. I hope you find this and realize that if I could get to your familiar, then you can't be safe from my revenge. I will kill you for what you have done. Good luck finding me.
Gryffindor's Protector.~
Snape snarled at the note, recognizing the handwriting on the letter as Ronald Weasley's writing. He pulled Hermione into his lap and while cradling her rocking gently back and forth he pulled out the calming drought out and pouring it down Hermione's throat. She calmed quickly and pulled herself together. She reached for the note only for Snape to pull it away from her. "Hermione, you don't need to see this. I promise it will do you no good." He told the young woman. "I will take care of this so that it affect you anymore than necessary." He promised her. When she calmed down even more so he released her from his lap and stood up to lead her to her Aunt and Uncle. She pulled him back and using her Patronus she asked her Aunt and Uncle to join her in her room in Gryffindor Tower. She looked at Lavender and asked her to wait outside the Tower for Lucius and Narissa Malfoy to arrive and then lead them up to her. Lavender nodded and walked out to wait for the Malfoys. It took a total of four minutes for the Malfoys and Lupin to arrive, at a run.
(AN: the bloodshed at the end of this chapter is why the rating went up.)
