Chapter 11

Hermione stared at the map, watching Harry and Ron head back to the common room. She made sure they went in before stashing the map into her school bag. They had all just left the Great Hall after dinner.

Well, Ron eating and Harry eating bits here and there. Hermione had been too mad then to consider eating. She had just blindly turned pages on a small book all the while lost in thought. Too many things were going on at once. She didn't have enough time even with the time-turner.

She had to talk to Sirius but she also had to go searching for anything to do with Horcruxes. She was so busy thinking about it all that she missed the presence following her.

Snape hadn't been in Great. That only left one other place in which she knew he would be in. She knocked once, and the door opened. She walked in and shut the door. Hermione froze when she noticed the state of the classroom. It was bare. No tables or stools just a clean stone floor.

He was standing in the middle of the room, wand out. He gave her no warning as he pointed his wand at her.

"Legilimens"

She felt him brutally slam into her mental shields.

Dropping her bag in surprise at his attack, she winced and staggered back under the mind blow. Another second passed in silence before she let him in after feeling her nose began to drip with warm blood.

"You need to be able to take that. This is nothing to what the Dark Lord can or will do if you're ever in his presence. Dumbledore would do it with a twinkle in his eyes but if he didn't get what he wanted he would ask me to do it. Over and over again if he thought you were hiding something from him."

For the next two hours, he savagely tore through her mind. Time after time she noticed that he became colder with every cast. He must have been using Occlumency in order to remain so untouched by what he was doing. Or at least that was what she told herself to feel better about it. But it really didn't make her feel better as her head began to ache with every minute that passed.

Her nose continued to bleed.

Near the end, he seemed to realize the state of her mind and body.

"Begin using Occlumency all the time. Especially around Dumbledore. Dimitry and Zephrine have taught you well but it isn't what you will need to stand up to him and Dumbledore. I am a master in both but so is Dumbledore. The Dark Lord prefers Legilimency. But it comes with a touch of cruelty. I will see you tomorrow again." Snape turned away from her, shoulders ridge. She limped away from him and picked up her bag from where she had first dropped it.

Not saying a word to him, she slipped out and into the cold corridor. Her mind bloody hurt, almost like he had taken a hammer to her head. She moved slowly and almost ran into Malfoy and Zabini.

Running behind a pillar she waited for them to pass her before heading towards the Gryffindor Tower. She would take a warm shower and head straight to bed. But she also needed to wake up early so she could meet Sirius before Harry and Ron met him. That meant using the time-turner to get a few more hours of sleep.

…0o00o0

"It's good to see you, Hermione," said Sirius as he let her into the room.

She had arrived under the Disillusionment charm to The Three Broomsticks.

It was a bit crowded but it helped since she snuck in without anybody seeing her.

She walked in and placed her bag on the bed, her head still hurting even after hours of resting. Sirius sat down by the window while she sat on the bed.

"Sorry for coming so early. I wanted to speak to you about something without the boys listening in."

Sirius frowned as he sipped from his cup,"What did you want to talk about?" His eyes searching her face but she knew he wouldn't find anything.

Hermione stared straight into his eyes,"How loyal are you to Harry?"

Sirius stilled, cup half-raised for another sip. He set it down none too gently, "He's my godson. I love him. I would do anything for him. What is this about Hermione?" He replied, his voice holding a bite to it.

Hermione sighed."There is something about Harry that you don't know. Dumbledore doesn't want you to know either."

She grabbed the two pieces of parchment paper and walked towards him."Would you please promise to listen to me first?" She asked him, Sirius wryly agreed.

She leaned back against the window as she told him about what had happened since the beginning. How she replicated the time-turner, finding the full prophecy about Harry, her parent's deaths, and who she was living with. Sirius's face became grave but his gaze became heated with anger.

She didn't tell him about Snape's involvement. She knew he would think her bunkers to trust him. Hermione handed him the two pieces of parchment.

One containing the prophecy, the other, the small note was written in Dumbledore's handwriting. She looked outside as he read them over and over again. Touching the dirty glass with one finger as she contacted Dimitry and Zephrine through thier blood bond.

"Come to room 394."

The drain of magic wasn't as bad as it had been the last time since she had told them to wait nearby in case something went wrong with Sirius.

She waited for them to knock, waving away Sirius who had gotten up and opened the door with a wave of her hand, no wand in sight. Which Sirius noticed right away. Dimitry stepped in first and ignored Sirius as he walked over to Hermione.

She hugged him for the second time ever. He hesitated for a second before embracing her gently. Zephrine stepped around him and smiled warmly at Sirius.

"Mr. Black, sorry for the intrusion."

Sirius gaped at her before snapping to attention. He got up and grabbed Hermione's arm.

"I didn't believe you when you said that you were staying with the Pucey's."

Hermione had figured that out earlier. She transfigured more chairs for the others.

"Have you told him everything?" Dimitry asked her as he took the seat closest to the door. Zephrine walked over to Hermione and began braiding her hair.

Hermione nodded, eyes closing at the gentle touch, "Yes, I have explained everything up till now."

"Just, not Snape", she whispered into his mind.

Dimitry gave a slight nod before turning to Sirius. "I think it's prudent that you don't meet with Dumbledore till you have some sort of protection from him. Occlumency is something you have to know how to do or at least be able to use when somebody tries to read your mind. Not many can do it. If you can't, I can offer a measure of protection. But that is only if you agree. Or else…"

His voice drifted off but the implication was there. If he didn't agree with them, they would obliviate him.

Sirius turned towards Hermione,"You really think he would do that to Harry?"

Hermione stood and put away the parchments before answering.

"I really do think that Dumbledore is up to something and if I'm right about it, he will use Harry for his own benefit. I don't want you to start distrusting anybody associated with him but at the moment I only have a handful of people helping me. From what I have gathered so far, Riddle went to Albania then came back to London. He worked at Borgin and Burkes where somebody died right around the time he left."

She didn't mention where she had gotten the information. It was something that Dimitry had told her to keep quiet about. The wrong word could be heard, and Snape's cover would be blown. Putting everybody in danger. Keeping quiet was the only way. She wouldn't even tell Harry or Ron.

Especially not Ron.

She sat down on the bed again as she took out a quill and fresh parchment. She began writing as she continued to speak.

"Before I say more, I need to know if you're on with us. Dimitry will know if you're lying."

She looked up when Sirius cleared his throat."I am. So that isn't everything?"

Hermione smiled grimly."No, there is so much more and it will hold until the summer break when we can talk. For now, try to convince Harry to stay away from Karkaroff and Dumbledore. Teach him stuff that you think he will need. I can only teach him so much."

Hermione stood up and handed him a written piece of parchment. "This is my parent's villa. Near The Forest Of Dean. I'll let you know when we're meeting later."

Sirius took the letter and tucked it away without looking at it. "Do you want Remus to go as well?"

She nodded, "I need as many people as possible, protecting Harry. Plus, you won't be able to hide something like this from him."

Sirius gave a nod as he stood up.

He still looked weary of Dimitry.

Sirius gave her a newspaper that had been laying on the coffee table the whole time. "I was going to ask Ron to look into this or more like pass it along to Percy since he might be able to help since he works in the Ministry. Dumbledore doesn't know since Arthur wanted me to keep quiet. He was actually the one that suggested Percy. Bertha Jorkins has been missing for a long time now. She went missing in Albania. I also have several dark books in the Black family manor. They haven't been touched since Bellatrix's imprisonment."

Hermione accepted it, "Thanks, bring them to the villa and I'll have Dimitry pick them up. I had asked Dimitry to look into Jorkins but he kept running into problems. Bagman hasn't really made effort to find her. He's actually looking to replace her post soon."

Dimitry took the paper, "I will keep looking but I don't think the Dark Lord is in Albania anymore. There have been rumors in the Pureblood circles. He is here."

Those words unsettled everybody in the room. If he was here then that meant he was that much closer to power than they had thought.

…..0oo0

Hermione had just left the owlery, leaving Ron and Harry behind. They had just told her what had occurred with Mr. Crouch. She needed to tell Dimitry. The attack on Viktor aside, Snape should have said something to her. She marched down the stairs and was near the Wooden Bridge when she saw somebody in the corner of her eye.

Snape.

He looked back at her and made sure he had her attention before going into a shaded spot under a large tree.

Hermione glanced around but didn't see anybody so she followed him and waited for him to speak.

"I'm sure Potter told you what had happened? Mr. Crouch was there, I think I saw him at the gates right after that? Somebody else was there as well. But I didn't see them. Dumbledore has asked me to look into it but not to leave the school grounds. As for stopping Potter…"

Hermione glared at him, "You need to stop with the hate! He has done nothing to you!"

Snape's blank look disappeared for a split second, "You have no idea what you're talking about, Granger."

Hermione let out a frustrated sound and changed the subject. "I told Sirius about our plans. I'm hoping that he won't go running to Dumbledore with this if he does. Well, Dimitry will be watching him for now. Zephrine told me to tell you to go see her tomorrow night for dinner. Dimitry doesn't want her alone in case something comes up. He trusts her to protect herself but against more than three or so…"

Snape nodded and would have spoken, but he hissed instead and grabbed his forearm. Hermione would have touched him, but he staggered away from her touch.

"Go." Snape gritted out as he leaned back against the tree.

Not giving him the chance to yell at her, she walked away from him. The further she moved away from him the more she wanted to turn around and return to him.

Hermione shook her head; it didn't concern her. He had made it clear that she wasn't anybody he would talk to given the chance.

Not that she cared.

Hermione stared out into the sunny sky. It had been a couple of weeks now and it was starting to get warmer. No clouds in sight, the weather changed so drastically between Winter and Spring. It only served to remind her that the school year was ending.

She was sitting on a ledge, legs sprawled out in front of her in a rare moment of rest when she saw Harry walk quickly by. He was heading towards the hospital wing. She closed the book on Healing Arts and followed him.

"Harry!"

Harry turned around, his hand covering his forehead.

"Hermione." His tone held a hint of pain.

She frowned. "What is it?"

Harry uncovered his scar, "It hurts, so I was going to Madam Pomfrey for a potion for the pain."

She followed him down the corridor while he told her what had happened in Divination with Professor Trelawney. Hermione still couldn't believe that Ron and Harry had taken that class again. Harry went on to tell her what he had seen in the "vision" and explained to her that his scar has been burning since then.

Hermione opened the doors to the infirmary and let Harry straight to Madam Pomfrey's office.

Madam Pomfrey gave him a potion and asked her to stay with him for a while since she needed to pick up a couple of things from Hagrid. She helped Harry lay down on a bed before looking around the room. It was empty so she waited till he dozed off before pointing her wand at him.

"Legilimens."

With a lurch, she was inside his mind.

She viewed his memories of the vision. A vision of betrayal. One that left a bad tast in her mouth.

She watched silently as Voldemort tortured the older man. Something about the location seemed a bit familiar. It was a large but old house. Almost like Pucey's Manor. Locking that away for later, she focused on his conversation with Dumbledore. He was talking to Moody and the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge.

Fudge denied Dumbledore about the seriousness of Jorkins disappearance. Hermione moved on from the conversation and would have left Harry's mind but saw memory Harry move towards a Pensieve. Had Dumbledore one? She noticed several vials stacked beside it.

Harry drew nearer and hanged his head over it. He was sucked in just as she was into memories left behind. She knew he didn't know what it would do since he probably never heard of them before. She had read about it but never used one.

They landed in a dark room filled with many men and women. In the center of the room sat Karkaroff in chains. Instead of his usual fur coats he wore now, he was wearing something similar to what Dobby wore.

Rags.

He had a desperate look on his face which turned into murderous anger when he glanced to her left. She turned just like Harry had done in his vision to see Dumbledore sitting next to Moody, who actually had both of his eyes. His face wasn't as bad looking.

She turned back to see Mr. Crouch. The man seemed to be years younger. He asked Karkaroff a series of questions. She took note of every single name he said.

Travers, who helped murder the McKinnons. Mulciber, he specialized in the Imperius Curse, forced countless of people to do horrific things. Augustus Rookwood, the spy from the Department of Mysteries. She thought it over as Karkaroff continued talking to Mr. Crouch.

Her attention went back when Karkaroff accused Snape. With open interest she noticed Dumbledore stand and defend Snape. Something in his eyes belied what his mouth was saying.

All of a sudden the voices faded. Hermione thought it was the end of the memory when she noted that the misty darkness of the Dungeon Room remained.

This time the one standing in the middle was Ludo Bagman. Hermione listened to them argue about his innocence. He had given Rookwood information. The scene changed once again.

Mr. Crouch looked different, gaunt and tired. But his voice was firm as he sentenced the four men in the room to life in prison. The dementors began taking them away, but Barty Crouch Jr. pleaded his father not to send him. Soon after Harry was pulled from the pensive. Dumbledore stood in his office with Harry, both talking about the dream like the vision he had in Divination.

Then Dumbledore answered Harry's question about the scar.

"I have a theory, no more than that...It is my belief that your scar hurts both when Lord Voldemort is near you, and when he is feeling a particularly strong surge of hatred."

Hermione frowned at that. Harry had been just as confused as she was now. But her confusion was laced with dread.

"Why?"

"Because you and he are connected by the curse that failed," said Dumbledore. "That is no ordinary scar."

The scar?

No...Hermione had a really bad feeling about that. She needed to talk with Dimitry and Snape. Dumbledore then told Harry about the recent disappearances.

Starting with Bertha Jorkins. Who had vanished in the same place that Voldemort was certainly known to be last in? Then Mr. Crouch who had also vanished from the Hogwarts grounds. Then he mentioned somebody she didn't know. Frank Bryce, who had lived in the village where Voldemort's father had grown up in. He hadn't been seen since August.

Soon the memory faded, and she was back in the Infirmary Room. Hermione realized that she had grabbed Harry's hand, and his fingers were turning red from her grip. She let go and left once Madam Pomfrey returned. She had much to speak about with the others.

...0oo0

The day of the third task came a lot quicker than Hermione had thought it would. She had prepared Harry with as many hexes and other useful spells that could help him in the maze.

During that time she had also used the time-turner to meet with the others and had gone over everything they had been able to piece together. Dimitry had even sent her several new Dark books, but none of them had specified any kind of bond with the intent of killing.

She now sat in the Great Hall with Harry and Ron while she spoke with the Adrian and Marcus.

"So do both of you recognize the man in the memory?" Hermione asked, setting her pumpkin juice down.

Adrian's voice filled her mind. "He looks like Theodore's father. But he hasn't been seen in the last two years. He had gone to Romania for a business deal with a distant relative. Never came back so Theo has been living alone. Although the Malfoy's have been "seeing" over him. I have never spoken with him since he's a quiet fellow. Nott Sr. has been doing all his business from different places."

Marcus made a rude sound as he added to it. "He's a coward and bloody mad. He killed his wife and half of his house elves. He was ruthless during the First War. He killed dozens of Muggles and had even taken a couple as 'slaves'. But nobody could 'prove' it so he got away with it. He was the lowest of them."

Hermione forced the bite of jello down her throat. She had known that the first War had been horrible but to this extent? Marcus continued after a minute.

"My Father," Marcus said with complete disgust and anger, "Was second to him. When the time comes...Well, I will take care of him. Once he's gone I'm going to sever all ties with the Purebloods."

Hermione choked and was slapped harshly on the back by Ginny who had been watching her the whole time. She smiled blandly and looked down at her jello. The color reminding her of dried blood.

"You will not be doing anything of that sort," Hermione said helplessly against the hate she felt coming from him. Nobody said anything after that so she left the Great Hall without saying anything else.

Now wasn't the time. The third task was in a couple of hours, so she needed to pack and get ready. If anything went wrong she would have to be prepared for anything.

0o0

She followed Ginny and Ron with Mrs. Weasley right behind them. Mr. Weasley and Bill had gotten there before them, they had saved them seats. Hermione made sure she sat near the entryway.

From right across her sat Adrian and Marcus as well as Montague who was slouched between them, his familiar smirk in place. Snape sat with the other professors, talking quietly amongst themselves. She noticed that Professor Moody was standing away from all of them, staring at Harry quite hard. The Minister of Magic was sitting next to Dumbledore, his face stern.

She looked down back at Harry and smiled reassuringly. She wouldn't let anything happen to him.

But some things were set in stone.

The Third Task had begun.

It was about thirty minutes later when Adrian's shout exploded inside of her head. "He has called his followers!"

Hermione stiffened under his fear and anger. She could only guess how Zephrine was feeling at the moment. She looked over at Snape who had gone deathly pale and was clutching his forearm tightly.

No, something had gone. She knew it. Fleur and Viktor had already been brought in so it was just Harry and Cedric. Something had happened to them. The task wasn't supposed to take this long. She inched away from the Weasley's and towards the entrance. She stopped when she saw the look of glee on Moody's face.

Why was he...

Seconds later her attention was snapped to the clearing and she would have sighed in relief to see Harry but stopped short when she saw him lying over Cedric.

Harry was crying.

The applause and cheers died down when Harry's voice penetrated the field.

"He's dead! Cedric is dead! HE KILLED HIM! Voldemort is back!"

Harry's cries made her heart clench with his anguish but also with dread. Dumbledore moved towards him with Cornelius Fudge right behind him. Hermione watched them from afar, not knowing what was the right decision. She could go back and save him. But where would that leave her and Harry? She watched silently as everybody moved towards them.

Leaving her alone with the Slytherins.

A few moments later, she saw Moody grab Harry and steered him towards the opening of the field. She glanced around, catching Adrian and Marcus, both watching her for a signal that wouldn't come. Hermione shook her head; she didn't want to change the outcome of this night. Harry was safe, even if the night's events had somehow given way to Voldemort coming back. She took out the map and frowned when she once again saw Barty Crouch's name. But this time it was not in Snape's classroom.

No, it was right beside Harry. In Professor Moody's classroom. But the thing was, that Moody's name was nowhere to be found.

Then all the pieces began falling into place.

She turned and raced down the steps and towards the entrance. Nobody paid her any attention.

Except for the Slytherins, who had never taken thier eyes off her.

...0o0o0o0

0o0

o0o

Thanks for Reading! Comments are welcomed! Bad or Good.

Slightly Edited as of 1/4/2018 Happy New years!

Newly Updated 3/3/2019

Vanee