"Messing with Fire, Dealing with Ice"

Summary: Snape has assigned an unusual project to our Griffindor and Slytherin 6th years.

Pairings: her/r her/d d/pa pa/h h/lav lav/r

Rating: PG-13 may change

Disclaimer: I don't own them!

A/N: *First fanfic* please review with suggestions or comments. Constructive flames only. The more reviews I receive, the faster the chapters will go up. I have the plot all figured out, but since this is my first fic ever, I need the motivation. I think that's it, so happy reading!

Last time: "Hermione, now that you are sixteen, you must take on new responsibilities. Before we inform you of these, we must be honest with you. You are our daughter, and whether or not you agree with our beliefs; a part of us is instilled within you. Through this connection, our beliefs will become yours as well." Thoughts of worry filled Hermione's head as her father continued on. "You mother and I are not muggles, and you are most definetly not a mudblood. Before you were born, we were great supporters of the dark lord. As you know, you were born shortly after the attack on Harry Potter. At this time, we had made a promise to the dark lord that you become his heiress one you had come of age. We know that this will talk a while for you to process, take you time."

Hermione was shocked. She grabbed her car keys and ran out the door.
Chapter 2- The Unavoidable Binding
Hermione drove for miles on end. She had no clue as to where she was going, but she felt that anywhere far away from her house would be just fine. While out on the road she thought about what her parents had told her.
*Why did they keep this from me? Will I really turn out like them? What will Ron and Harry think? Should I even tell them?*
All of her thoughts were mixed up in a jumble. She continued asking herself these questions and thought back to this morning's events. Suddenly, she blurted out, "WHAT ABOUT THE RING?! IF THEY REALLY AREN'T MUGGLES, THEN IT MUST BE REAL!"
She quickly pulled off of the road and parked her car. She pulled out her I-book, (which she had conveniently placed in her car before leaving) and connected to the web. The Hogwarts homepage loaded, and while mentally thanking Dumbledore for putting up a website, typed "Ashiana's ring" into the search engine box.
A page from Witches Weekly popped up , showing the article on the ring that she had seen in Lavender's magazine. She compared the ring in the picture to the ring on her finger, and sure enough, they were identical. Hermione began to read the article.
"Ashiana's ring belonged to the beautiful goddess Ashiana. The ring holds great power, both light and dark, which can only be released in the presence of Oshido's ring. Wearing either ring causes the wearer to act solely on their true heart's desire. When the bearer of the ring is in danger, the ring will protect it. A most powerful bond is created between the bearers of the rings. This bond cannot be avoided, unless the rings are not in the hand of the true owners. As the rings become closer, the rubies shine brighter."
Hermione slowly closed the laptop, and examined the ring on her finger, amazed at the power it held. After an hour, she started receiving some odd looks, and decided to go back home.
Assuming that her parents were asleep, she snuck up to her room and turned on the light. She walked over to her bed and spotted a note in her mother's handwriting.
Hermione-

Your father and I are so sorry to have given you this news in such a hasty manner. We are sure that you have many questions that you would like to have answered, and we will discuss them with you tomorrow. Please understand that what we have told you today, was something that we wanted to tell you long ago, but couldn't for reasons beyond which I am able to explain. We love you very much, and hope that your opinion of us hasn't changed too drastically. Please come and talk to us at breakfast, for we really do want to help you understand.

-mom
A pang of guilt suddenly shot through Hermione as she realized how hard it must've been for her parents to tell her. She changed into her pajamas, and crawled into bed, drifting off into a much needed, dreamless sleep.
A/N- how'd you like it? I'm sorry it took so long to write, but in order to make it up to you, I'm going to type up and post the next chapter by the end of the day. Also, I'd like to thank all of my reviewers, you guyz r awesome! Also if you want me to send you an email saying when I update, just type **e and then your email address in a review. Thanks again!

-mandy