Hermione's POV

I left Draco in the common room after some insane male bonding between him and Ron. Draco had actually given me an idea. The day after Swell introduced herself to me, she pulled me out of potions. Snape seemed to know her quite well. I must question him.

"Professor Snape?" I knocked on his office door.

"Come in." I heard mumbled from within. I opened the door and stepped inside the dungeon room. "Ms. Granger?" He asked looking straight into my eyes. I nodded. "Ah, yes. Dumbledore held a teachers conference yesterday informing all of us of your heritage."

"That's good. I already explained myself once today." I said quietly as Snape offered me a chair.

"Is there something you wanted?" He asked as politely as Snape could possibly risk.

"I came to ask you about Swell." At this he cringed a bit. "Something wrong?" Snaped looked away from me and than shook his head no.

"Swell is very powerful. She is proud of you I'm sure."

"I know that you were once a Death eater, Professor. I want to know how you came in contact with Swell in the first place."

"Erm. I was afraid you would come to me." He paused and swallowed. "You see I was in school with your father. Bitter rivals him and I." Snape gave a little smile in remembrance. "It wasn't until the end of our seventh year when I met her. She had searched me out and offered me a spot in the Dark Lord's plans." I held in a gasp as he approved what, for the past week, I had been trying to convince myself was a lie. "I was pushed aside for the position of head boy, everything seemed to look down on me. I took her offer." Snape looked down and clenched the arms of his desk chair. "Swell tricked me, she let me see the protection I would get if I joined him. It all seemed so great, but one day she brought me to witness a murder. It was so grotesque and she laughed like the monster she is. The same day she forced me to get this mark." He lifted his robe on his left arm and turned it over showing me a black skull shaped scar. "She keeps tabs on us all by means of it. From that day forward I was expected to be a mirror of her." Snape finished with an intake of breath.

"And what of Voldemort?" Snape looked up at me and his face softened.

"I bet you want me to tell you that he is exactly what he seems to the public." Snape smiled a bit, "but in reality he is just the first one Swell imprisoned with her propaganda. Of my time in her service I barely saw him. The supposed front man of the Death eaters was hidden from all. Only the first of us were contacted by Swell in person, soon as more people were touched by her insane ideals, she found a new way to give us commands. I am not sure how she did it, but she used Tom Riddle like a puppet. Even though it was his voice...he was speaking her words. After a while I wondered if the boy that she had stole was even alive anymore."

"You refer to him as if he is no threat."

"Ah, Hermione. I was there when you arrived. Swell left you with him alone for days at a time. If you could only see him when you two played...you would never think..." Snape smiled more brightly. "It was a shame when Swell took you away. It was than she possessed Tom." Snape frowned a bit. I stood up from my seat. Snape had told me everything I had wanted to know about Swell. I was still curious to what Swell and him had talked about in front of the Potions class that one morning long ago.

"Professor?" Snape looked up at me. "If you don't find me prying, what happened 9 years ago?" Snape shook his head.

"My wife and unborn child were murdered." He said in a whisper, thinking that if he said is softly it would not stir the memories. I wanted to ask why and how they were murdered, but this was too harsh of a subject to be conversing. I doubt anyone but a select few knew that he had a wife at all.

"Thank you Professor." I bowed a little to show how grateful I was and I left.

AN: I was reading over a few bits in my story and it turns out I found a little mistake on my part. In the first real chapter Toma as big eagle owl lands on Swell's shoulder. But when I describe an eagle owl in the Grandpa! chapter...well it seems near impossible that something as big as a human being could possibly land on someone's shoulder. But instead of fuddling around with changing it I am just going to rectify it as the second hint that Swell is most definitly unhuman and strong as ever.