She glared into the cold grey eyes of the boy that sat next to her, before glaring into the infinitely deep black ones of the man that sat in front of her, and gave an involuntary shudder. "Is it cold in here Mis-"he started, but she knew the look on her face was enough to get him to use her given name "Hermione?" He questioned, again with the silky cruel voice that he used so often in his classes, a voice that put some of the deepest fear she'd ever felt into her, and she knew it had a similar effect on many of his students.
"No sir." She replied, And fought hard to keep her cheeks from burning the bright shade of red that she knew that they were.
"I'm sure by now both of you know that the government," The word was said harshly, and she knew better than to wince at the anger that he spat out, "Has seen it fit to incarcerate those of us who happen to have magical abilities." She nodded, and she saw Draco doing the same out of the corner of her eye. "They know who we are, what we stand for, what we eat for breakfast, there isn't a detail of our life that they don't know. All of us, even those of us who've renounced magic and gone on living a muggle life. They can't do anything to us as long as we remain good muggle citizens, but the instant we stray..." He let his sentence trail off, and she gulped, knowing full well what he implied.
A long silence blanketed the room, and she found herself following his gaze over to the fireplace. Next to her, Draco started on his third cigarette of the evening, and she reached over to grab her second one, if only to do something with her hands, and lit it, surprising herself when she lit it again, with a cam temper, without the use of a wand, she just thought about it, and it happened. She could see Snape was pleasantly surprised as well.
She fought hard to keep the smoke down, not letting either man have the pleasure of seeing her choke on it. She felt the effects of it course through her, calming her, and she allowed herself to relax after Draco's last infuriating comment, which had hit her hard and deep. She reflected on what had happened with her life in the past few years. Her life had been a failure, she had nothing. Her parents had welcomed her back, at first, but as laws were passed, she found herself drifting further away from them.
They had never disowned her, or said anything of the sort, but they slowly stopped welcoming her into their lives, they slowly estranged themselves from her. She had never been very close to her parents, and the break had happened so slowly, she barely even noticed, over the past two years, she had neither heard nor seen of them. Her parents always had been busy with things, with their work, and they had never had a strong love for magic, although they had tolerated it. But now, over the past few years, they looked on her as almost a mutant.
And her tries to find a decent job were just as bad. She worked as a waitress in what was, she had to admit, a good restaurant, and she made more than decent pay, but she felt like she should be doing more with her life. Here's your chance Granger, she thought to herself. This was her chance to actually do something with her life, to finally do something where she was useful, and not just in getting some of London's ritziest their meals. And maybe put a bit of what else had happened over the past seven years, the other things that she didn't even want to think about, behind her.
"Miss Granger, if you'd be so kind as to grace us with your mental presence once again." The cold voice dragged her out of her depressing thoughts of how her life was going nowhere. She felt her cheeks burn once again. "As I was saying before you saw it fit to disappear into your own little dreamland, I was telling the both of you that it seems the only way to regain our old lifestyle is to put the fear of Merlin into them if they try to do anything else to us."
The voice was cold, detached. She knew what he meant, although she didn't want to. She knew how he wanted to put fear into the British Parliament. "They have their spies, always watching us." He told them. "I want the two of you to find out whatever you can about these people. Do whatever it takes to get the information out." Draco flicked the cigarette butt in the fire, the same way he had the previous two, his eyes as cold and unfeeling as Snape's she noticed. "I want names, addresses, what they eat for breakfast, everything. They spy on us, we spy on them, it's that simple." He told them, before turning his gaze back to the fire.
Draco chose this opportunity to leave. "Uncle Severus, I'm afraid that it's late, and I must be getting back to the manor." She watched as Snape nodded, and Draco walked out the door. She went to follow him when she heard his voice.
"Miss Granger, stay here a moment." He said, breaking his gaze from the fire, and she found her eyes meeting his, and they had lost all the cold blankness they had held a moment before, now they seemed to be almost compassionate as she sunk back into her chair and awaited what he had to say.
END OF CHAPTER 8
Thanks again to all my reviewers. Sorry if this chapter was a little boring, but I needed a way to introduce the topic of the next chapter, as well as provide a bit of a hint as to why Hermione doesn't want to talk about the past.
"No sir." She replied, And fought hard to keep her cheeks from burning the bright shade of red that she knew that they were.
"I'm sure by now both of you know that the government," The word was said harshly, and she knew better than to wince at the anger that he spat out, "Has seen it fit to incarcerate those of us who happen to have magical abilities." She nodded, and she saw Draco doing the same out of the corner of her eye. "They know who we are, what we stand for, what we eat for breakfast, there isn't a detail of our life that they don't know. All of us, even those of us who've renounced magic and gone on living a muggle life. They can't do anything to us as long as we remain good muggle citizens, but the instant we stray..." He let his sentence trail off, and she gulped, knowing full well what he implied.
A long silence blanketed the room, and she found herself following his gaze over to the fireplace. Next to her, Draco started on his third cigarette of the evening, and she reached over to grab her second one, if only to do something with her hands, and lit it, surprising herself when she lit it again, with a cam temper, without the use of a wand, she just thought about it, and it happened. She could see Snape was pleasantly surprised as well.
She fought hard to keep the smoke down, not letting either man have the pleasure of seeing her choke on it. She felt the effects of it course through her, calming her, and she allowed herself to relax after Draco's last infuriating comment, which had hit her hard and deep. She reflected on what had happened with her life in the past few years. Her life had been a failure, she had nothing. Her parents had welcomed her back, at first, but as laws were passed, she found herself drifting further away from them.
They had never disowned her, or said anything of the sort, but they slowly stopped welcoming her into their lives, they slowly estranged themselves from her. She had never been very close to her parents, and the break had happened so slowly, she barely even noticed, over the past two years, she had neither heard nor seen of them. Her parents always had been busy with things, with their work, and they had never had a strong love for magic, although they had tolerated it. But now, over the past few years, they looked on her as almost a mutant.
And her tries to find a decent job were just as bad. She worked as a waitress in what was, she had to admit, a good restaurant, and she made more than decent pay, but she felt like she should be doing more with her life. Here's your chance Granger, she thought to herself. This was her chance to actually do something with her life, to finally do something where she was useful, and not just in getting some of London's ritziest their meals. And maybe put a bit of what else had happened over the past seven years, the other things that she didn't even want to think about, behind her.
"Miss Granger, if you'd be so kind as to grace us with your mental presence once again." The cold voice dragged her out of her depressing thoughts of how her life was going nowhere. She felt her cheeks burn once again. "As I was saying before you saw it fit to disappear into your own little dreamland, I was telling the both of you that it seems the only way to regain our old lifestyle is to put the fear of Merlin into them if they try to do anything else to us."
The voice was cold, detached. She knew what he meant, although she didn't want to. She knew how he wanted to put fear into the British Parliament. "They have their spies, always watching us." He told them. "I want the two of you to find out whatever you can about these people. Do whatever it takes to get the information out." Draco flicked the cigarette butt in the fire, the same way he had the previous two, his eyes as cold and unfeeling as Snape's she noticed. "I want names, addresses, what they eat for breakfast, everything. They spy on us, we spy on them, it's that simple." He told them, before turning his gaze back to the fire.
Draco chose this opportunity to leave. "Uncle Severus, I'm afraid that it's late, and I must be getting back to the manor." She watched as Snape nodded, and Draco walked out the door. She went to follow him when she heard his voice.
"Miss Granger, stay here a moment." He said, breaking his gaze from the fire, and she found her eyes meeting his, and they had lost all the cold blankness they had held a moment before, now they seemed to be almost compassionate as she sunk back into her chair and awaited what he had to say.
END OF CHAPTER 8
Thanks again to all my reviewers. Sorry if this chapter was a little boring, but I needed a way to introduce the topic of the next chapter, as well as provide a bit of a hint as to why Hermione doesn't want to talk about the past.