All Hail the amazing Google! Recently discovered they have something called 'Google documents' which means I can write on any computer, laptop, ipad or phone with internet without having to deal with the pain of writing on Fanfictiondotnet. Which also means another chapter, yay!

Think of this as a present for being so patient and still following my story, even with the two month break!

Thanks to AliceEnchanted and purple breeze for the wonderful reviews. And thanks to anyone following this story, and the people who have put it on their favorites list.

YAY IT'S OCTOBER; HALLOWEEN IS ONLY 30 DAYS AWAY!

xxx

Storm Brewing

Her circle of friends was not what one could consider the slightest bit normal.

Out of all of them, neither seemed to like the others, maybe it had something to do with house, maybe it was an age question for some, or maybe it was just who they were as a person.

For Hermione, this quality was a relief. Being used to only interacting with books and the ghost Moaning Myrtle, she was not accustomed to a lot of people around her actually making conversation.

Sadly Lorry decided to change that a couple of weeks in. In her own mind nothing would be better than them all sitting down together and doing homework.

Had it not been for her annoying crush on Rosier, and the way she exploited the whole 'body guard' situation, Hermione would have accused her of being a Hufflepuff.

"Isn't this cozy?"

Screw it, she was a damn Hufflepuff.

The grumbles from the henchmen told her they were just as displeased by the situation as Hermione was. Usually Hermione being fixed to one location, like the library, for hours meant they could either take shifts watching her, or go away for a couple of hours before returning to find her in the exact same spot. The only thing that usually moved in her library session, was the pile of books being moved from the "to read pile" to the "read" pile. Being forced to spend time with the "Ice Queen" and study made them very grumpy goblins.

Rosier looked like he wanted to murder Lorry, but the girl was oblivious to the look he sent her. The angry glare with the narrowed eyes made it hard for Hermione not to laugh. The boy had never even been that mad at her, and she made his life hell.

But Lorry did not have an ounce of insight, or feminine viles, something Cissa and Bella apparently had in bucketloads. Thankfully, her father being who he was and so against her dating, they had not made a remark on her own 'feminine viles'.

"Are you having fun Merry?" she smiled up at Hermione, who cut a grimace. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Rosier's lip twitching as he tried not to laugh at her sour expression.

As far as Hermione was concerned, they were all bloody bleeding hearts Hufflepuffs.

"Sure." She stared Rosier down, and noticed he gulped from the intensity of her gaze. "I was just thinking I need volunteers for some new spells I've found."

The intense staredown between the two was unnoticed by Lorry yet again, but the Henchmen shifted nervously in their seats.

Evan's eyes looked like the center of a storm, while Hermione's warm chocolate eyes turned almost red in her fiery rage. As Blue met Brown in a battle of where neither really understood what it truly was about, Lorry nervously chatted on. But the droning of her voice faded into the background with the noncommittal sounds of Shoulders and Lanky. As they tried to drag their 'leaders' out of whatever death stare competition they had, the two very similar teens dared each other to give in first.

It got awkward when they had not moved for several minutes. The three others at the tiny library table desperately trying to think of a way to get out and away without being punished in some way for it later. The new arrival made them snap out of the trance they had fallen into, but they did not relent in their staring.

"I thought you two hated each other?" Regulus Black was a brave man for entering into unknown territory. But then, he had grown up with a now infamous prankster that had defied his family more than Hermione had managed when she had decided on Ravenclaw. Sirius Black had the gall to chose Gryffindor over Slytherin, and the hat hadn't even hesitated in the decision.

"We do." they answered at the same time. Hermione narrowing her eyes with indignation over that fact, while Rosier lifted his eyebrows at the same time.

"Then why are you undressing each other with your eyes?"

That snapped them completely out of it, both heads turned so fast to face the little Black traitor so fast you wondered if their necks might be broken.

"What did you just say to me?" Hermione's tone made the two Henchmen get up and make remarks on how low the candle had gotten, and how they really must be going now, trying to drag Rosier away with them.

Lorry, unused to the dangers of angering Hermione, looked confused between the three boys making a hasty getaway (Rosier being more or less dragged by the other two while swearing profusely at Regulus), Hermione, and Regulus.

"I think he meant that it looks like you fancy Evan." Lorry supplied.

She turned and glared at the first year girl "I got that, thank you."

Regulus was creeping back slowly, realizing that he had really stepped in it. Before Hermione could turn back and face him to really yell at him Lorry cut in.

"You're welcome." she smiled that oblivious smile of hers, and Hermione decided to let the Black kid go for now, she had bigger, or at least more annoying, fish to fry.

"I was being sarcastic." she stood up, towering over the little girl. "What is it about you Lorry, that make you so incapable of understanding what is going on around you."

Her eyes looked sad, but before she could say anything, Hermione picked up her private books, stuffed them in her bag and left. She turned around and barked a command for the first time in her life.

"Make yourself useful and clean up after us." and with an upturned nose she left the Library earlier than any other day she had gone to it.

As she stormed down the corridors of Hogwarts, Hermione for once was free of her relentless pursuers. Her mind was too occupied to notice this fact though.

She already felt a little bit guilty for the harsh tone she used with Lorraine.

Groaning, she realised she had commanded the first year to do something. Previously she had made a vow to herself to not become anything like her dad, which had meant making a list of things she was never allowed to do. Very near the top of that list, was the vow to never command another fellow witch or wizard to do her bidding.

She blamed Regulus Black somehow. Maybe it was the anger of not being able to yell at him for his comment about her and the despicable Evan Rosier. Whatever the reason, she soon started planning elaborate schemes to get back at him.

Somehow her schemes distracted her from making her way back to the tower. She had somehow walked the school for hours, her side hurt from lugging around her heavy book bag for so long. And she had gotten herself lost somewhere down in the dungeons.

The maze of corridors by the Slytherin common room was why nobody ever tried to find the entrance to it. That and the fact that it was filled up with a bunch of slimy snakes waiting to bite your head of. Sometimes they literally wanted to rip you in two.

The thought made her shudder, and she looked around for any clues as to where she had gotten herself lost. Walking without looking ahead of herself she suddenly bumped into someone.

The ompf and carfuffle alerted her to somebody else being present, but she couldn't see anybody.

"Hello?"

She thought she heard a mutter of "you're the charmer!" and a "she is practically a snake!" but that could all be in her head.

"Where are you?"

Looking around herself, she still saw no signs of anybody, but the corridor was dark so maybe she wasn't looking properly. Then in the corner of her eye she saw movement and lo and behold, there was Sirius Black himself.

"Sorry about that." He flashed her a grin that Lorry had deemed 'dreamy' on one occasion, it had little effect on Hermione however.

"What are you doing down here Black?"

"I could ask you the same question Riddle."

They stared at each other, Sirius grey eyes reminding her a little of Evans, which made her shake her head.

"Since when does a Gryffindor walk into the snakepit?"

"Does a Ravenclaw fare much better?"

"This one does."

"Ah Yes, the Holiness of Hermione Merope Riddle, how could I forget?"

"I don't know, most Blacks know better than to speak to me like that."

And suddenly an idea clicked into her brain.

"Looking for your brother?"

He scoffed "What is it to you?"

She shrugged "Just so happens I have a bone to pick with him as well."

"Really? Your merry band of followers not living up to your standards."

"Don't call them that." her teeth were clenched, and she had to control herself from lunging herself at him. Everybody knew this Gryffindor rarely ventured out alone, his friends must be close by, and she wasn't about to let herself be overpowered like that.

"Why not, it's what they are isn't it?"

"Stop it Black, I am offering you a deal."

"What do I get out of it."

"A chance to prank your brother, I'll deliver him right to you."

"I can easily do that by myself."

"Without any other Slytherins protecting him? He is smarter than to meet you alone, you and I both know that."

"What do you get out of it?"

"Revenge without any ties to me."

"Sounds like a bad deal for me."

"And I'll make sure you have safe passage out of the Snakepit tonight."

"I don't need-" he was cut off as he heard the steps coming closer.

She raised her wand at him, getting close enough to let it dig into his esophagus. "Do we have a deal?"

"Hermione there you are! We have been looking everywhere-" Lucius stopped as he saw the Gryffindor she had at wandpoint.

"Black." was the entire greeting he offered the Gryffindor that suddenly found himself facing five more foes, one of them his very own brother. Regulus shifted nervously at the sight of him, guiltily looking away and avoiding his big brothers eyes.

Sirius growled in a low voice."Deal."

Putting her wand down she gave him a sickeningly sweet smile "good."

She turned around to address her stalkers "Boys, I've just made a deal with Mister Black here that he can go unharmed out of the snakepit."

"We made no such deal."

"If you promise not to harm him and follow him out of her with us, I will make you a deal."

In the voice Hermione had started to call his *impression of her dad* he said "I'm listening"

"I'll give you one week of no grief. I'll let you follow me around, I won't hex you and I won't try to escape you."

"No deal-" Rosier started to say, but Hermione's eyes bored into him.

"I promise, this is the best deal anyone has ever gotten with me. Just ask your parents." She raised an eyebrow at them, and they all looked to Lucius who raised an eyebrow himself.

"You have yourself a deal Miss Riddle."

And with the shake of a hand, Hermione found herself for the first time at Hogwarts, truly embracing her Slytherin side.