~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
After Hermione had dried Narccissa's tears the two of them completed their journey to the great hall. Both of them after throwing open the large dark oak doors that allowed entrance to the hall gasped in surprise.
The great hall had been transformed. No longer were there long washed house tables lined up before the great teachers table, but now there was a long platform covered in a silky marble black and blue cloth. It was longer then two of the house tables and just as wide.
The dueling platform.
Her thoughts traveled back to her second year at Hogwarts when the dueling club had been re - opened (for only one lesson only of course, due to the lack of competence of the defense against the dark arts professor). She laughed to herself as she remembered Professor Snape knocking Gilderoy Lockhart on his pretty boy tooshy.
Narccissa gave her a weird look, and Hermione changed her look on her face. She had been giggling out loud and grinning like a person who belonged in St. Mungo's.
The great teacher's table was still there but behind it was a large board emblazoned with the Four houses crests on each of the corners. There were scores and placements written in shinning silver lettering on the board along with the standing house points for each of the houses. Hermione almost smacked herself, of course there would be house points awarded to each of the battles.
Narccissa gave Hermione a wish of good luck and ran off to join to group of Seventh year Ravenclaw's that had gathered before the head table. Leaving Hermione on her lonesome. She truly didn't want to join her "House" knowing she would not be welcome.
She gave an exasperated sigh and moved off on her lonesome to a nearby corner, waiting for the competition to start.
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
Severus Snape walked into the great hall with a look of pure determination on his face, followed closely by Lucius Malfoy, who looked rather smug.
A few of the other house participants gave Snape a frightened look, it was no secret that he knew more curses and jinxes then any one else in the school save the teachers. What was worse was that he was not afriad to use them and he could do them perfectly.
Snape looked around the room, blowing a stray piece of black raven hair out of his face, he sneered. This was his element. This was what he had grown to know from his family. War, fighting, searching and gaining of knowledge, they ran through his veins like a second blood.
Now he was searching. Searching for her.
He turned to Lucius. " Where's Granger?"
Lucius came out of his trance; he had been eyeing a pretty Hufflepuff girl, gaining furious looks from the other boys of her house.
"How the hell should I know, I want nothing to do with her!" Lucius spat.
Snape just chuckled. " Aren't we in a mood this afternoon"
"I'm not!" Lucius mumbled like a spoiled baby.
" Haha, your just pissed because you cant get over the fact that she saved your sorry ass." Snape prodded.
Lucius just grew red like a balloon, it was true. For some reason the girl had saved him, true she had given him detention but still it was better then expulsion and the fate that accompanied such failure.
" I just don't get it, why? Why did she do that? Would you? No didn't think so!" Lucius stammed confusedly.
Snape himself was also confused by the girl's motives, removing Lucius would have protected herself from his harassment's, but she chose to save him. First this then the miraculous change over night to a fiery young woman who had more knowledge locked with in her then all the books in the Library. He should know he had read most of them.
" Who know.." Mumbled Snape, searching for the very object of there conversation. " All I know is that we have to keep tabs on her, I would rather face expulsion then Tom."
Lucius nodded in agreement. " As would I"
The two were stopped from any further conversation when Dumbledores voice boomed across the hall.
The Competition had begun.
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
" I believe you are all clear on the rules?" Boomed Dumbledore, shaking the very foundation of the school.
There was a mass of nodding heads from all different houses.
Dumbledore clapped his hands. " Good, now out first competitors are!"
Professor Lacouse stood up from her sitting position. " The first Competitors are. NARCCISSA ASCISK FORM RAVENCLAW HOUSE!" There was a mist of clapping. " AND PETER PETTIGRUE FROM GRYFFENDOR HOUSE!"
Hermione watched as Narccissa moved up from her group of Ravenclaw's and walked onto the platform shakily. She caught Hermione's eyes and Hermione gave her a grin of encouragement. Soon after the blonde haired, slightly pudgy Peter Pettigrue walked onto the platform. Grinning.
Something wasn't right. Turning to her left she noticed that Snape flanked by Lucius as always had positioned himself to her left. She scanned his dark features, his long nose, dark black eyes and raven shoulder length hair; he wore a worried look on his face. He to seemed to notice something amiss with the competitors. Without looking down at her he spoke.
" This isn't going to be pretty."
Deep inside Hermione knew he was right.
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
Narccissa took a deep breath, and walked toward the center of the dueling arena, Peter mimicked her actions. Once they were both in the middle they both saluted to the other. Out of the corner of her eye Narccissa noticed Remus looking up at her from the sidelines. He gave her a proud look and the thumbs up sign.
Both Peter and her turned on their heels and began to walk their ten paces down the line. At the end they both quickly turned and took there dueling stances.
Professor Lacouse boomed out. " Let the match begin."
Narccissa was the first to react. Shouting out clearly. " Incendio" A long fiery blast shot fourth from her wand and headed speedily towards Peter. It looked like it was going to be a direct hit when out of no ware Peter ducked down onto his knees and rolled, the spell pasts harmlessly by.
Everyone gasped as Peter reacted with lightning quick reflexes and screamed out. " LAMECHRA!" A Blinding electric blue shot out from his wand and sped down so fast towards Narccissa that she barely had time to blink. It hit her with the force of a cannon, cutting her, slicing her arms, breaking them, and causing her to fly back off the platform and into the cold stone hall walls.
She fell to the ground in a bloody heap.
There was a race of Med. witches to help the girl, but all of them were beaten in the race to get to the girl by a sandy haired Gryffindor. Remus Lupin screamed out Narccissa's name as she crumpled to the ground.
Dumbledore stood and looked at Peter, who had a smile on his face, the boy had won, but had played a dirty curse on the poor Ravenclaw girl. It was his duty to announce it however displease he was. This was not becoming of a Gryffindor.
He walked over to Peter and lifted his hand high into the air.
" First Match Gryffindor!" He boomed. There was a halfhearted cheer, most in the crowd were stunned by the brutal end of a very quick match.
Peter Just smiled and looked around like the victor he was. His eyes settled on one person in the crowd.
Hermione Granger.
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
Hermione took a step back trying to get her self as far away from Peter as possible, She shivered as he turned a glare at her; it was dark and cynical. She sqweremed, this was not the Peter Pettigrue that she remembered.
Then something else hit her like a thunderbolt, it was so clear now, why hadn't she though of it before. His eyes. Peter's eyes, the man, the one who had tried to take her, hurt her during her first few weeks in this world.
She panicked. In her desperation to move away from him she backed up into Snape. Knocking them both to the ground.
Amazingly enough as she fell down on him, his long arms wrapped them selves around her to cushion her fall. They landed with a humph.
" Gods Granger, what's wrong." Snape whispered in her ear, it sent shivers down her spine. She began to shake. Her eyes looked like a wild animal caught in headlights.
People looked away from the body of a very unconscious Narccissa who was being assisted by the mediwitches on site to the crazed Slytherin on the floor.
Hermione caught the eyes of Lucius Malfoy looking down at her with concern. Concern?
" Hermione?" Snape whispered still holding on to her. It was safe in his arms she felt his heart-beating deep with in his breast. Steady and assuring.
She looked down into his eyes; they were laced with concern. Why though? She could see her own through his, they were laced with fear.
" Its him!" She whispered, only loud enough for Snape and now Lucius who was kneeling down beside them.
" Who was him?" asked Lucius, looking plainly confused why he was hanging around her.
She turned to Lucius, forgetting all that had happened with him in the last week, there friendship gone, now she looked at him, like he was the same boy who had befriended her and she could trust.
" He was the one who attacked me."
After Hermione had dried Narccissa's tears the two of them completed their journey to the great hall. Both of them after throwing open the large dark oak doors that allowed entrance to the hall gasped in surprise.
The great hall had been transformed. No longer were there long washed house tables lined up before the great teachers table, but now there was a long platform covered in a silky marble black and blue cloth. It was longer then two of the house tables and just as wide.
The dueling platform.
Her thoughts traveled back to her second year at Hogwarts when the dueling club had been re - opened (for only one lesson only of course, due to the lack of competence of the defense against the dark arts professor). She laughed to herself as she remembered Professor Snape knocking Gilderoy Lockhart on his pretty boy tooshy.
Narccissa gave her a weird look, and Hermione changed her look on her face. She had been giggling out loud and grinning like a person who belonged in St. Mungo's.
The great teacher's table was still there but behind it was a large board emblazoned with the Four houses crests on each of the corners. There were scores and placements written in shinning silver lettering on the board along with the standing house points for each of the houses. Hermione almost smacked herself, of course there would be house points awarded to each of the battles.
Narccissa gave Hermione a wish of good luck and ran off to join to group of Seventh year Ravenclaw's that had gathered before the head table. Leaving Hermione on her lonesome. She truly didn't want to join her "House" knowing she would not be welcome.
She gave an exasperated sigh and moved off on her lonesome to a nearby corner, waiting for the competition to start.
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
Severus Snape walked into the great hall with a look of pure determination on his face, followed closely by Lucius Malfoy, who looked rather smug.
A few of the other house participants gave Snape a frightened look, it was no secret that he knew more curses and jinxes then any one else in the school save the teachers. What was worse was that he was not afriad to use them and he could do them perfectly.
Snape looked around the room, blowing a stray piece of black raven hair out of his face, he sneered. This was his element. This was what he had grown to know from his family. War, fighting, searching and gaining of knowledge, they ran through his veins like a second blood.
Now he was searching. Searching for her.
He turned to Lucius. " Where's Granger?"
Lucius came out of his trance; he had been eyeing a pretty Hufflepuff girl, gaining furious looks from the other boys of her house.
"How the hell should I know, I want nothing to do with her!" Lucius spat.
Snape just chuckled. " Aren't we in a mood this afternoon"
"I'm not!" Lucius mumbled like a spoiled baby.
" Haha, your just pissed because you cant get over the fact that she saved your sorry ass." Snape prodded.
Lucius just grew red like a balloon, it was true. For some reason the girl had saved him, true she had given him detention but still it was better then expulsion and the fate that accompanied such failure.
" I just don't get it, why? Why did she do that? Would you? No didn't think so!" Lucius stammed confusedly.
Snape himself was also confused by the girl's motives, removing Lucius would have protected herself from his harassment's, but she chose to save him. First this then the miraculous change over night to a fiery young woman who had more knowledge locked with in her then all the books in the Library. He should know he had read most of them.
" Who know.." Mumbled Snape, searching for the very object of there conversation. " All I know is that we have to keep tabs on her, I would rather face expulsion then Tom."
Lucius nodded in agreement. " As would I"
The two were stopped from any further conversation when Dumbledores voice boomed across the hall.
The Competition had begun.
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
" I believe you are all clear on the rules?" Boomed Dumbledore, shaking the very foundation of the school.
There was a mass of nodding heads from all different houses.
Dumbledore clapped his hands. " Good, now out first competitors are!"
Professor Lacouse stood up from her sitting position. " The first Competitors are. NARCCISSA ASCISK FORM RAVENCLAW HOUSE!" There was a mist of clapping. " AND PETER PETTIGRUE FROM GRYFFENDOR HOUSE!"
Hermione watched as Narccissa moved up from her group of Ravenclaw's and walked onto the platform shakily. She caught Hermione's eyes and Hermione gave her a grin of encouragement. Soon after the blonde haired, slightly pudgy Peter Pettigrue walked onto the platform. Grinning.
Something wasn't right. Turning to her left she noticed that Snape flanked by Lucius as always had positioned himself to her left. She scanned his dark features, his long nose, dark black eyes and raven shoulder length hair; he wore a worried look on his face. He to seemed to notice something amiss with the competitors. Without looking down at her he spoke.
" This isn't going to be pretty."
Deep inside Hermione knew he was right.
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
Narccissa took a deep breath, and walked toward the center of the dueling arena, Peter mimicked her actions. Once they were both in the middle they both saluted to the other. Out of the corner of her eye Narccissa noticed Remus looking up at her from the sidelines. He gave her a proud look and the thumbs up sign.
Both Peter and her turned on their heels and began to walk their ten paces down the line. At the end they both quickly turned and took there dueling stances.
Professor Lacouse boomed out. " Let the match begin."
Narccissa was the first to react. Shouting out clearly. " Incendio" A long fiery blast shot fourth from her wand and headed speedily towards Peter. It looked like it was going to be a direct hit when out of no ware Peter ducked down onto his knees and rolled, the spell pasts harmlessly by.
Everyone gasped as Peter reacted with lightning quick reflexes and screamed out. " LAMECHRA!" A Blinding electric blue shot out from his wand and sped down so fast towards Narccissa that she barely had time to blink. It hit her with the force of a cannon, cutting her, slicing her arms, breaking them, and causing her to fly back off the platform and into the cold stone hall walls.
She fell to the ground in a bloody heap.
There was a race of Med. witches to help the girl, but all of them were beaten in the race to get to the girl by a sandy haired Gryffindor. Remus Lupin screamed out Narccissa's name as she crumpled to the ground.
Dumbledore stood and looked at Peter, who had a smile on his face, the boy had won, but had played a dirty curse on the poor Ravenclaw girl. It was his duty to announce it however displease he was. This was not becoming of a Gryffindor.
He walked over to Peter and lifted his hand high into the air.
" First Match Gryffindor!" He boomed. There was a halfhearted cheer, most in the crowd were stunned by the brutal end of a very quick match.
Peter Just smiled and looked around like the victor he was. His eyes settled on one person in the crowd.
Hermione Granger.
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
Hermione took a step back trying to get her self as far away from Peter as possible, She shivered as he turned a glare at her; it was dark and cynical. She sqweremed, this was not the Peter Pettigrue that she remembered.
Then something else hit her like a thunderbolt, it was so clear now, why hadn't she though of it before. His eyes. Peter's eyes, the man, the one who had tried to take her, hurt her during her first few weeks in this world.
She panicked. In her desperation to move away from him she backed up into Snape. Knocking them both to the ground.
Amazingly enough as she fell down on him, his long arms wrapped them selves around her to cushion her fall. They landed with a humph.
" Gods Granger, what's wrong." Snape whispered in her ear, it sent shivers down her spine. She began to shake. Her eyes looked like a wild animal caught in headlights.
People looked away from the body of a very unconscious Narccissa who was being assisted by the mediwitches on site to the crazed Slytherin on the floor.
Hermione caught the eyes of Lucius Malfoy looking down at her with concern. Concern?
" Hermione?" Snape whispered still holding on to her. It was safe in his arms she felt his heart-beating deep with in his breast. Steady and assuring.
She looked down into his eyes; they were laced with concern. Why though? She could see her own through his, they were laced with fear.
" Its him!" She whispered, only loud enough for Snape and now Lucius who was kneeling down beside them.
" Who was him?" asked Lucius, looking plainly confused why he was hanging around her.
She turned to Lucius, forgetting all that had happened with him in the last week, there friendship gone, now she looked at him, like he was the same boy who had befriended her and she could trust.
" He was the one who attacked me."