~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
As the sun outside was setting its warmth and grace floating over the horizon, an ice cold blanket of rage washed over Hermione Granger as she starred into the black obsidian eyes of Severus Snape.
Her thoughts were rapid as he held her pinned to the wall, as her rage and anger mounted the pain in her shoulders from where he held her to the wall lessened. She gazed into his eyes coolly; did he already bare the mark, and the mark of that vile bastard who had taken all she had ever known? She had to know. With out her knowing she unconsciously had lifted her right hand to cover the burning patch of skin on her left.
Snape saw her movements; a look of confusion mixed with the impact of her last words sprawled across his face.
" What did you mean?" he spoke in a dangerous tone. " That I will kill us all?"
Hermione just starred a slight spasm crossed her face. " I meant just that, you will kill us all. You don't know it yet but your about to make the biggest mistake of your life!" she snapped, and gave a mighty heave, pushing him back away from her and walked calmly towards Dumbledores office, the pain in her arm was screaming. She gripped it tightly trying to make it dissolve with pressure. She was five strides away from Snape when she was thrown into the hard stone wall again. She winced in pain and saw the dark for of Snape looming over her.
" Where do you think your going?" He spat at her.
" God are you that stupid I thought we already cleared this up!" she roared.
He looked like he was going to hit her, but then relaxed. "You know Mudblood you're on dangerous ground, one word from me and you won't be able to show your face in our house again!"
She exploded. " God Snape! What the hell is your problem, I wasn't going to tell Dumbledore about what you idiots are about to do" she saw a look of amazement cross his face. " Yah Snape that's right I know all about you little gathering, and frankly I don't give a damn if you ruin your life!"
" You know nothing! Its not going to ruin my life or the rest, it will improve it!" he sulked.
" You know Snape I used to think you were an intelligent human being who had everything going for him in life, who would never use the fact that Im muggleborn just to protect his own ass!" she stopped to catch her breath. " I don't care any way, that's how it's supposed to go! Nothing will change it, I just hope you'll be happy knowing that you'll be responsible for thousands!"
Snape now looked generally confused. " What the hell are you talking about, how can playing a trick on Gryffindor house make me responsible for thousands!"
Hermione stopped. What! Oh bugger! It wasn't the first death eater meeting! Oh bugger how could I have been so stupid! Hermione you're an idiot she screamed at herself.
"Oh" was all she managed to say. " Sorry um I was um talking about something else, I had no idea that's what you were talking about."
Snape looked at her like she was crazy, and she certainly felt it. " I'll ask again, what the hell are you talking about?"
" Nothing it doesn't concern you at this time." She whispered. " Look Im not going to tell dumbledore on you or the other Slytherin's, I really do have to see him though."
He bought the change of topic but still was very wary of her. " Ok but if I find that you did!" his voice was low and warning.
She just nodded and after he released her, she continued her journey down to Dumbledores office.
~~~~~*****~~~~~
"Did she tell?" Lucius inquired.
" No, and she wont either, I let it slip that we were doing something else." Mumbled Snape, something about what she had said was bothering him. Her words kept circulating in his head. " You'll kill us all."
" You ok?" Lucius inquired seeing that Snape seemed troubled by something.
"Yes Im fine"
" Good, while you were gone we got a message from one of the inner circle."
Severus immediately came to attention. " What did it say?"
" We get the marks on new years eve."
~~~~~*****~~~~~
Dinner that night was completely uneventful compared to the day before. Hermione found that she had put more food into her mouth then there was tangled into her hair the day before. She had gone as planed to Dumbledores office and he performed the numbing spell on her arm once again. He however did seem worried about something, but wouldn't speak a word of what it was
Snape and Malfoy both arrived twenty minutes into dinner, along with a few other Slytherin boys that she didn't know. Malfoy gave her his usual smart assed cocky smile as he sat down, Snape however just gave her a confused look, much like he had when she had almost let vital information slip.
The whole hall came to attention when Headmaster Dumbledore tapped on his large glass of pumpkin juice in a twanging motion. He stood, towering over all in the hall. Hermione couldn't help but notice that the sky had turned a deep purple indicating a coming storm.
"Students as of tomorrow quidditch try outs will be commencing." There was a cheer that was issued from the masses of students, Hermione on the other hand groaned, Snape who had heard her chuckled to himself.
" Also I would like to inform all of those students interested in our annual dueling championship please seen Professor Lacouse of Slytherin for details."
Hermione's head shot up at hearing this, a dueling club, memories of her only dueling club meeting flooded into her head. She vaguely remembered being shoved under Millicent Blustrode's armpit, and the pain that she had induced for a week after her neck had been put out of line. She chuckled.
"Thinking about entering?" Snape mumbled to her.
" I might, never thought of my self as the dueling type but who knows." She retorted. " Why are you entering?"
" If the whim strikes me I might." He said in a very smooth but rather cocky tone.
Ha I doubt you'll have time, you soon to be death eater, she snapped at him in her own mind. She gave him a cool glance and then listened as Dumbledore went on about other things that held no importance to her.
Having eaten her fill she decided that it was time for her to leave before she was forced into conversation with her new house mates, she nodded a quick goodbye to Snape and Malfoy, leaving them in the great hall.
She walked out into the long winding corridors, they were silent and empty, not a sound except for the wind that had begun to pick up out side. She had been right about her judgment of the storm; it was going to be a monster. She walked along, alone listening to the slight taping of her shoes on the cold stone floor, a crash of thunder echoed through the corridor. She increased her pace running to the large door that served as an entrance to Hogwarts, she threw open the doors and gazed out side. Thunder boomed again this time accompanied by brilliant white and gold lightning burning into a massive purple sky. It was like magic, the magic of nature.
Over the years one of the few thing Hermione enjoyed was storms, she found that the power and brilliance of them, the one thing that muggle or wizard could never control. She found a certain peace in the winding winds, the triumphant booms and the lacerating light that clashed together to create a certain perfection.
She walked out of the entrance and out onto the grounds, knowing perfectly well that she could be in danger from the storm. It was a risk she was willing to take, this was something that gave her freedom. She let out a wild scream as the sky thundered again, still not ready to surrender its life giving rain, jumping down the stone steps she raced into the flied of twirling grasses and screamed her soul to the heavens.
She cast a quick glance around to make sure that no one had saw her wild abandon, and with a whoosh she flopped her body down onto the welcoming grasses and watched as the heavens battled.
As Hermione watched she was unaware that in the large dark forest to the north of were she lay down, there were a pair of beady vermin like eyes watching her, slowly the creature clad in black moved towards her. It moved with a quick stop and start pace, very much like a sewer rat.
As the sun outside was setting its warmth and grace floating over the horizon, an ice cold blanket of rage washed over Hermione Granger as she starred into the black obsidian eyes of Severus Snape.
Her thoughts were rapid as he held her pinned to the wall, as her rage and anger mounted the pain in her shoulders from where he held her to the wall lessened. She gazed into his eyes coolly; did he already bare the mark, and the mark of that vile bastard who had taken all she had ever known? She had to know. With out her knowing she unconsciously had lifted her right hand to cover the burning patch of skin on her left.
Snape saw her movements; a look of confusion mixed with the impact of her last words sprawled across his face.
" What did you mean?" he spoke in a dangerous tone. " That I will kill us all?"
Hermione just starred a slight spasm crossed her face. " I meant just that, you will kill us all. You don't know it yet but your about to make the biggest mistake of your life!" she snapped, and gave a mighty heave, pushing him back away from her and walked calmly towards Dumbledores office, the pain in her arm was screaming. She gripped it tightly trying to make it dissolve with pressure. She was five strides away from Snape when she was thrown into the hard stone wall again. She winced in pain and saw the dark for of Snape looming over her.
" Where do you think your going?" He spat at her.
" God are you that stupid I thought we already cleared this up!" she roared.
He looked like he was going to hit her, but then relaxed. "You know Mudblood you're on dangerous ground, one word from me and you won't be able to show your face in our house again!"
She exploded. " God Snape! What the hell is your problem, I wasn't going to tell Dumbledore about what you idiots are about to do" she saw a look of amazement cross his face. " Yah Snape that's right I know all about you little gathering, and frankly I don't give a damn if you ruin your life!"
" You know nothing! Its not going to ruin my life or the rest, it will improve it!" he sulked.
" You know Snape I used to think you were an intelligent human being who had everything going for him in life, who would never use the fact that Im muggleborn just to protect his own ass!" she stopped to catch her breath. " I don't care any way, that's how it's supposed to go! Nothing will change it, I just hope you'll be happy knowing that you'll be responsible for thousands!"
Snape now looked generally confused. " What the hell are you talking about, how can playing a trick on Gryffindor house make me responsible for thousands!"
Hermione stopped. What! Oh bugger! It wasn't the first death eater meeting! Oh bugger how could I have been so stupid! Hermione you're an idiot she screamed at herself.
"Oh" was all she managed to say. " Sorry um I was um talking about something else, I had no idea that's what you were talking about."
Snape looked at her like she was crazy, and she certainly felt it. " I'll ask again, what the hell are you talking about?"
" Nothing it doesn't concern you at this time." She whispered. " Look Im not going to tell dumbledore on you or the other Slytherin's, I really do have to see him though."
He bought the change of topic but still was very wary of her. " Ok but if I find that you did!" his voice was low and warning.
She just nodded and after he released her, she continued her journey down to Dumbledores office.
~~~~~*****~~~~~
"Did she tell?" Lucius inquired.
" No, and she wont either, I let it slip that we were doing something else." Mumbled Snape, something about what she had said was bothering him. Her words kept circulating in his head. " You'll kill us all."
" You ok?" Lucius inquired seeing that Snape seemed troubled by something.
"Yes Im fine"
" Good, while you were gone we got a message from one of the inner circle."
Severus immediately came to attention. " What did it say?"
" We get the marks on new years eve."
~~~~~*****~~~~~
Dinner that night was completely uneventful compared to the day before. Hermione found that she had put more food into her mouth then there was tangled into her hair the day before. She had gone as planed to Dumbledores office and he performed the numbing spell on her arm once again. He however did seem worried about something, but wouldn't speak a word of what it was
Snape and Malfoy both arrived twenty minutes into dinner, along with a few other Slytherin boys that she didn't know. Malfoy gave her his usual smart assed cocky smile as he sat down, Snape however just gave her a confused look, much like he had when she had almost let vital information slip.
The whole hall came to attention when Headmaster Dumbledore tapped on his large glass of pumpkin juice in a twanging motion. He stood, towering over all in the hall. Hermione couldn't help but notice that the sky had turned a deep purple indicating a coming storm.
"Students as of tomorrow quidditch try outs will be commencing." There was a cheer that was issued from the masses of students, Hermione on the other hand groaned, Snape who had heard her chuckled to himself.
" Also I would like to inform all of those students interested in our annual dueling championship please seen Professor Lacouse of Slytherin for details."
Hermione's head shot up at hearing this, a dueling club, memories of her only dueling club meeting flooded into her head. She vaguely remembered being shoved under Millicent Blustrode's armpit, and the pain that she had induced for a week after her neck had been put out of line. She chuckled.
"Thinking about entering?" Snape mumbled to her.
" I might, never thought of my self as the dueling type but who knows." She retorted. " Why are you entering?"
" If the whim strikes me I might." He said in a very smooth but rather cocky tone.
Ha I doubt you'll have time, you soon to be death eater, she snapped at him in her own mind. She gave him a cool glance and then listened as Dumbledore went on about other things that held no importance to her.
Having eaten her fill she decided that it was time for her to leave before she was forced into conversation with her new house mates, she nodded a quick goodbye to Snape and Malfoy, leaving them in the great hall.
She walked out into the long winding corridors, they were silent and empty, not a sound except for the wind that had begun to pick up out side. She had been right about her judgment of the storm; it was going to be a monster. She walked along, alone listening to the slight taping of her shoes on the cold stone floor, a crash of thunder echoed through the corridor. She increased her pace running to the large door that served as an entrance to Hogwarts, she threw open the doors and gazed out side. Thunder boomed again this time accompanied by brilliant white and gold lightning burning into a massive purple sky. It was like magic, the magic of nature.
Over the years one of the few thing Hermione enjoyed was storms, she found that the power and brilliance of them, the one thing that muggle or wizard could never control. She found a certain peace in the winding winds, the triumphant booms and the lacerating light that clashed together to create a certain perfection.
She walked out of the entrance and out onto the grounds, knowing perfectly well that she could be in danger from the storm. It was a risk she was willing to take, this was something that gave her freedom. She let out a wild scream as the sky thundered again, still not ready to surrender its life giving rain, jumping down the stone steps she raced into the flied of twirling grasses and screamed her soul to the heavens.
She cast a quick glance around to make sure that no one had saw her wild abandon, and with a whoosh she flopped her body down onto the welcoming grasses and watched as the heavens battled.
As Hermione watched she was unaware that in the large dark forest to the north of were she lay down, there were a pair of beady vermin like eyes watching her, slowly the creature clad in black moved towards her. It moved with a quick stop and start pace, very much like a sewer rat.