Author's Note: Another update? So soon? Wow I don't even know who I am anymore XD
Disclaimer: I unfortunately do not own any of JK Rowling's wonderful work.
Severus's words rang in Hermione's mind as she quickly exited the alcove he had pulled them into. Lucius Malfoy would like to meet with her. Tonight. And Hermione, despite being a 'know it all', had no idea what to expect out of this meeting, which made her extremely uncomfortable with the situation. But she supposed that was something she would have to become acquainted with, the constant guessing, the unknown. Hermione had long ago accepted that she would never be able to find all of her answers in books, but she missed the days she thought she could.
Despite the crazy adventures her and Harry and Ron had found themselves sucked into – the troll, the chamber of secrets, breaking Sirius out of prison, and so many others- her life had been much less complicated then. She knew who she was, Hermione Granger, muggleborn witch, best friend to Harry Potter, member of the Golden Trio, brightest witch of her age, and she knew what was expected of her. Now, in this new time, all alone, Hermione knew that she wanted to end Voldemort's reign, she knew that she wanted to stop the needless deaths and the fighting, and she knew she would have to give up her values and maybe even her life to accomplish that goal, but she wasn't exactly sure how her plans would play out. Things could change at the drop of a hat, and then Hermione would be left defenseless and alone in a time she didn't belong in in the first place.
Hermione wondered, as she wandered the halls not wanting to go the breakfast, but too early to go to class, if this was how the Severus Snape of her time felt. Granted he wasn't a time traveler, but he was a double spy. The Light did not completely accept him because he was a Death Eater and the Death Eaters did not completely accept him because he served Dumbledore. He went from master to master, ever the pawn on two different chess boards. He made himself into a weapon, shielding his mind, and creating potions and spells to shield his body from the pain he had to endure. Hermione would have never admitted this to anyone, as it certainly would have resulted in condemnation from her fellow Gryffindors and even the Order members, but she looked up to Snape. She saw him as more than a Death Eater or the greasy bat of the dungeons. She saw a master in the art of deceit, a valuable member of the Order. Now she looked to him as what she had to become.
The Severus Snape of her time even inadvertently prepared her for what she had to do, for she learned the art of Occlumency, the art of protecting her mind from invasion, from him. Well from memories of him. Harry had thought her crazy when she asked for his memories of his Occlumency sessions with Snape, but never being able to say no to Hermione, he put them in a Pensive for her to view as she pleased. And view them she did. She spent hours in Harry's memories, listening to the snide voice of Severus Snape as he struggled to teach Harry the art of protecting one's mind. Hermione didn't blame Snape in the slightest for being frustrated at Harry's failed attempts and lack of progress, even just watching the memories she could see that Harry was simply not putting forth the energy or the effort to learn. But Hermione was not Harry, and she knew that this skill could come in useful one day. So day after day she cleared her mind when the memory of Severus told her to. Day after day she built layers upon layers of her mind palace, until it was no less than perfect. Until it was a fortress.
And this skill had proven to come in handy, not only today with the younger version of Severus, when she managed to convince him that her intentions were not aimed towards helping the Light, but rather more suited towards serving the Dark Lord, but also on that fateful night in Malfoy Manner, where she was able to lie while under the knife of Bellatrix. If Hermione could withstand torture and come out alive with her mind palace intact, then she could definitely survive a meeting with Lucius Malfoy. A meeting she had to thank the present Severus Snape for.
Damn, she really did owe both Severus's a lot. Her mind immediately went to ways she could express her gratitude and for an unknown reason the first thing that popped to mind was a fruit basket. Hermione could not hold back a chuckle as she imagined either version of Severus Snape receiving an anonymous fruit basket via owl with a note attached saying, "Thanks for helping me stop Voldemort." Her chuckle turned into full blown laughter as she imagined her disgusted reaction to such a display of gratitude.
Her laughter gained the attention of a certain Marauder, who shoved past her with a sneer.
"I don't know what you have to be laughing about." James hissed. "Unless of course you tortured some poor soul before breakfast, which wouldn't surprise me." His eyes held such hatred for Hermione, causing a pang of pain in her chest. Seeing someone who looked so much like Harry look at her that way was incredibly painful, but besides ending her laughter, Hermione refused to let it show. She continued on to the Charms classroom, feeling James' glare at her back but not having the energy to turn around and say anything about it.
As she took her seat in Charms, in the back corner of the classroom, Hermione sighed. She knew it was too good to be true when the Marauders befriended her and now they had all turned completely against her, believing her to be a Death Eater. Maybe it was better this way. After all, if all went according to plan Hermione very well may be wearing the Death Eater's mark by the end of the year. And if that was the case then anyone she was friends with could very well be in danger. She nodded her head, further cementing this belief in her mind. Thinking this way made it more bearable for Hermione to brave the coming months without the Marauders and their carefree attitudes by her side. She would not put them at risk merely so she wasn't alone.
And it wasn't like being alone was anything new to Hermione. Growing up the single child of two hardworking dentists, Hermione was often left to her own devices. She turned to books to occupy her mind and found friendships in between the pages of daring tales. Then in school the children shunned Hermione for the very thing she loved. They called her a bookworm and a teacher's pet. Now, Hermione knew that those insecure children must have been jealous of her high marks, but back then their words cut like knives. When Professor McGonagall brought Hermione her Hogwarts letter she had hope that she would finally fit in somewhere, however, that hope was dashed when she got to school and learned that her blood made her a lesser witch in the eyes of some. She strove to overcome this thinking and worked hard in everything she did to prove herself as capable a witch as anyone else, but this only further estranged her from her classmates. It wasn't until Harry and Ron saved her from the troll that things took a turn for the better, but even then she didn't truly feel like she belonged. She spent countless nights alone in the library, hoping to study away her insecurities and doubts, to take in as much knowledge as she could about the world she would never completely belong to.
And now here she was again. Alone. Trying to save the world that never truly accepted her. Hermione felt a stray tear slip down her face, but she quickly wiped it away, shoving these feelings of loneliness back behind her Occlumency walls. She did not have the time for such thoughts today, not when she was only a few hours away from meeting someone she hoped would jumpstart her plan. Hermione's mind went to planning, but only a few rows ahead of her someone else's mind was whirling.
Sirius Black sat in Charms class surrounded, as usual but his friends, and many admirers, but he wasn't paying them any attention. Instead he was subtly watching the new Gryffindor, the girl who had been shunned by the Marauders, Hermione Granger.
She was sitting in the back corner of the classroom, a stark difference from her earlier seating choices in some of the other classes they shared, and instead of flaunting her abundance of knowledge as she usually did, her head was down, her face covered by her masses of hair. To Sirius it seemed as if she was hiding and though part of him was content with this, another part of him was unsure. Granted he did not know the girl well at all but she did not scream 'Death Eater' to him. In fact, he would have guessed that she was the exact opposite of a Death Eater if her entrance and the story he heard about her parents was true.
But still, somethings did not make sense to him. Like how this new girl knew about the Chamber of Secrets and how she was able to even get in when only the heir of Slytherin could gain access. Or why she had freaked out so much when the Marauders demanded that she show them her arms. If she was innocent that action would not have been a big deal, but instead she refused, sending off warning alarms in Sirius's mind. Even James and Remus believed the worse of the girl and she did nothing to prove otherwise. Instead she allowed herself to be isolated, allowed the boys to make mean and derogatory comments, never saying anything harsh in return, never lifting a wand to them. It was as if she had accepted that she was to be alone.
Looking at her now, a shell of the passionate girl he had got a glimpse of when she first arrived, his heart ached. It became too much for him to bear when he watched the girl hastily wipe away a tear that had fallen from her eyes, and he turned away, his mind going at a hundred miles per hour, trying to figure out the mystery that was Hermione Granger.
Author's Note: Do you guys like seeing Sirius's side of things? I enjoyed writing from his perspective because I see him as someone who understands that the world is not simply black and white. He knows that there is more to Hermione than he's seeing, but he can't quite pinpoint exactly what it is. He's also very afraid of going against James, so I don't think he'll say anything on Hermione's behalf for quite some time.
Next chapter will be Hermione's meeting with Lucius Malfoy and her first venture into the world of Death Eaters. Sorry for waiting you wait another chapter for this part but I thought it was important to see where Hermione's mindset was and develop her character a little more.
As always please tell me what you think! I love to hear from you guys!
