Hello all you faithful readers, thank you for putting up with my life and I
apologize for the long times no chapters. Hopefully this long one will
appease you until I can figure how to get the romance part up. There is
more Snape in this chapter and in the next chapter leading up to new years
eve (by the way that's when the tearjerker will be up) chapter. Sorry it
has been taking so long to get to the deeper essence of the romance. But
all good things come to those who wait.
Special thanx to Kelly my beta tester who will soon be receiving my chapters to make it easier on all of you to read.
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
If Snape had been expecting anything it wasn't this. Hermione accusation of Peter Pettigrue as her attacker just didn't make sense. The boy was a wreck, granted Snape had to admit that the boy had put on a rather impressive show, there was still now way that he could have attacked Hermione that night. Severus was there, the man was a death eater and one of Tom's followers, and Pettigrue wasn't one of them. He knew that, there was no possibility that Pettigrue one of Potter's lanky had become a death eater before him.
The very thought made his rage boil.
Hermione was now looking at him with pleading eyes; her honeyed brown one's boring into his thunderous black. Her entire face was a picture of fear, one that he had never though possible on any ones faces. There was more to this then what Hermione was letting on. He just knew it.
He quickly pushed her off of him; standing up and brushing imaginary dust from his robes he grabbed her hand roughly and dragged her off the floor, out of the crowd and into the hallway.
He could feel her tiny creamed skin wrist's shaking in his long powerful hands. There were two voices inside of him, giving him orders. One knew that he was hurting her with his iron grip telling him to let go, the other was telling him too never.
He turned around and faced Hermione. She was white as the sheets in the infirmary.
Dropping her wrist he began to speak. " Granger! What the hell is going on!"
She just looked blankly at him, like he wasn't even there. He felt his anger welling up inside of him, grabbing her shoulders roughly he began to shake her.
"Granger?" he yelled, she just continued to ignore him. He stopped only when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Snape Whats going on?" It was Lucius Malfoy.
Snape just growled at him. " That's what I was trying to find out!" He looked as though he was going to start shaking her again, when Lucius wrapped his own strong hand around his wrists and pulled him away from Hermione, who just slumped to the floor. Shaking and looking blankly before her.
Lucius kneeled down before her, Snape followed. Now recovering from his initial anger, he could see more clearly.
She was in shock.
He felt a great well of guilt well up inside of himself for treating her so roughly, some thing had scared her beyond comprehension.
Lucius turned to Snape. " Looks like something scared her pretty bad.." He mumbled, trying to sound disgusted that he was worried about some stupid little "Mudblood", but failed miserably.
Snape caught his attempt, letting a smile pass over his features; he two was forgetting his hatred for Muggle born wizards and witches. After all Hermione had proved in the class room that she was more then capable then half the pure blood witches and wizards in the school. He was caught now in the medium of the dilemma, to hate or not to hate.
" Did you hear what she said?" Snape mumbled. " About Pettigrue?"
" I don't believe it for one second, but something in there scared her petty bad." Growled Lucius, finally giving in to his resolve, no longer trying to hide his concern.
Snape moved toward the tinny body of Hermione. Gathering her into his long arms and pulling her up into them. She continued to stare blankly and shake, her brown haired head slumped against Snapes powerful yet lithe chest.
" Gods she's lost a lot of weight since the last time I had to pick her up." He whispered.
Lucius just nodded, something was wrong with this girl. Both of them watched her open eyes. They were swirling madly like she was caught in a nightmare, screaming out to them.
Little did they know that she was?
"Common lets get her to infirmary. " murmured Snape. Marveling at a warm feeling that had begun in the pit of his stomach while hugging her body close.
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
Twenty minutes later something very weird in Snape's opinion happened. As he brought her to the infirmary, Lucius close in tow; Albus Dumbledore caught up with them. Taking one look at Hermione he directed that she be brought to his office.
After laying Hermione down on one of the soft brown leather couches in his office, Dumbledore directed that they were to leave no word of comfort or whether or not she would be ok. Just to leave. There was no twinkle in his eye.
Something was going on, and He intended to find out what.
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
The minute she had let out the source of her attacker, something very strange happened to Hermione. A powerful force seemed to draw herself back inside of herself. Locking her mind inside of a shell with windows. She was able to see the word around her, and the world behind her. However she could not interact with it.
She was locked in a dark room, with only little holes to peak through to the outside. There were no real walls just shadows.
Then there were the screams. Screams, of people that she knew, like in her dreams there was one voice that stood out from the screams, dark and cool. Comforting yet sharp as a blade. Taunting her, criticizing her.
" STOP BEING SUCH A KNOW - IT - All!" It roared, like a teacher commanding an unruly classroom.
" PUT YOUR HAND DOWN YOU SILLY GIRL!" It breathed out like acid vapor.
" I SEE NO DIFFERENCE!"
The room began to spin. The shouting grew louder, rougher, stronger! In her desperation she gripped her head with her hands and crumpled to the non- existent floor.
" STOP IT" She screamed! Over and over again, her voice growing raw from the shouting.
Suddenly it did.
Hermione looked up from her now cradling position. The room was quiet. Her mind was quiet. Rubbing her hands over her face she felt tears, she had been crying?
" Why me?" She whispered, only out loud to her self.
The room was silent for once, no words were offered.
" Am I going crazy? Is this all a nightmare?" She was beginning to wonder if anything was real, was she really a witch, did she really know the people she did. Or was it a lie, a lie her mind had made up to keep her from the outside world, if so why was everything so painful?
" Fight!"
Hermione looked around the voice had returned, no long criticizing her, but commanding. She shivered from the silkiness of it, the dark coolness. IT was like a calming drug.
" There's nothing left to fight for." she whispered, tears beginning to fall again.
All that could be heard now was the voice breathing, seething.
" Lies, you tell your self lies.." The voice spat at her.
"No!" Hermione screamed.
"YES!" I retorted. " You do because you have not the courage to find the power that you hold in your hand!"
" I don't know what to do!" she sobbed openly. Tears falling like never before, she sobbed like a child who had just lost its mother, which in truth was fact.
The voice again was silent. Her crying slowed at the piece and the silence.
The it happened, a faint glow, blue light, peaceful and moving began to move in the shadows. Moving closer to her self. The light began to thicken, and swirl. From the blue color sped green, then from the green sped red, and the red to yellow. Surrounding her in a comforting circle of light. Balls of light began to zoom over head, quickly then softly.
The through the light spun shapes. Tall and short, thin and fat, old and young.
" Oh gods" she whispered as she recognized the shape forms.
They were human beings.
People she knew. People she hated. People she loved.
The colors began to move in a circle each to there own area. Red, Green, Blue, Yellow.
The faces from each area of color became more defined. First the yellow, Children she grew up with, some older. The faces of Anna Habbot, Professor Flitwick, Professor Sprout, the seeker Cerdric Diggory. All dead but they were hear. Soon more .people formed from the color yellow.
Then it dawned; they were all Hufflepuff's!
Soon blue followed, friends long gone, faces she hadn't seen in almost four months, some longer. Then a face appeared amongst the bodies of blue.
Narccissa? But she wasn't dead. Then something happened, an older Narccissa appeared, battered and bruised beside her, draping her arm over the younger.
Why? They weren't dead, not even in the future.
Next followed the red. Hermione held her breath. She knew what was coming.
Out of the mist walked hand in hands, walked Harry Potter, Ronald Weasly, Ginny, Percy, Fred and George Weasly, their parents, and two older brothers Bill and Charlie. Next out of the mist came Professor Magonigal, Neville Longbottom, Parvati and Lavender. Oliver wood, Katie Bell, Angelina, Lee Jordan.
Then for some reason, Lily Evan's, James Potter, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin arrived, arm in arm. All younger, the ones she knew now. Young and full of life.
Then came the older, Remus, broken and worn out. Sirius, mangled and bruised.. Lily and James did not follow.
They were never aloud to grow old.
Her Family of Griffendor.. She wanted to run and hug them all but she was frozen to the spot. Fearing if she moved she would startle them and they would disappear.
They smiled at her and the color red seemed to grow brighter. Tears of sadness and happiness stained down her face.
Then came the green...
She gasped at what she saw, there were beaten faces of a broken house. Now her house. Poking through the mist, like lost lambs in a slaughterhouse.
She didn't know what to expect.
Slowly one figure broke away from the mist. A tall broad shouldered, blond haired boy.
Lucius Malfoy.
He gave her a smirk, cocky yet unsure. Yet still some one who she had cared for at one point in time, he had been her friend. Now no more.
She gasped as his older self came through.
He glared down at her, his long blond hair seemed to move with an invisible wind. The coldness of his eyes were nothing like the life full ones of his past. The looked at her, like she was a bug. One that would be exterminated.
This was a man who had caused the death of thousands. Rapped hundreds of girls, her age, older and younger. He was a man who had helped kill her parents!
She wanted to kill him.
Slowly he moved away to join he younger self who seemed to be pleading with her. For what she didn't know.
Next came other Slytherin's. There older selves, they're younger. Some only the younger. Ones that had died resisting the powers of dark and chose to die for the light. These were smiling.
Slowly the mist grew brighter as the last of the of the Slytherin's came through. She had no doubt of whom it was.
Severus Snape.
He strode forth with the same cat like walk that he always used. His younger self, the one she had befriended. His dark eyes traveling the length of her. Resting on her eyes. His raven black hair fanned out like wind with color. He stood taller then all the other Slytherin's, His lean frame was like a predator. Strong but thin. He held his traditional scowl. One that she hadn't seen since before she came here. The younger one had not yet mastered it in real life. Why had this one?
He moved off to the side and she braced her self for what she would see next.
He came through, much like the first. Except that he walked right up to her. So close that she could see the fan of gray beginning in his ink black hair. She could see the light brushing of facial hair that he droned, having not shaven in a few days. Just like she remembered him. He held himself proud. Like his younger self. Except his shoulders seemed to bare more weight.
She could see the scars on his well-defined face, long and grueling. His eyes glared into hers and hers into his. Just like she remembered, just like the last night she saw him..Alive.
HE continued to watch her as a white light framed out behind him.
Something else moved through that light. Severus gave her a nod and moved out of her line of view. They're standing in the white light.
Were her parents.
Just like she remembered them, Her father had short sandy brown hair and a light beard, her mother had her trade mark rats nest, only slightly more managed.
She ran towards them, but they only got farther away.
"You see.... there is something left to fight for.." Snape said softly, softer then anything he had ever spoken to her in her entire life, from the side of her. He was no longer warring a robe but only slightly baggy dress pants, he was bare cheasted. It looked like the chest she had held onto the night on Halloween had felt.
Except it was older and beaten, scared and broken. She turned to get a better look and noticed a dark patch on his arm.
The dark Mark. Snape nodded to her. She lifted up the hem of her sleeve on the arm, which bore her own mark. It was black and angry just like his own.
" I see no difference.." she whispered, the phrase that had been yelled at her countless times, and plagued her the day Malfoy had enlarged her teeth. Said by..... Snape?
"You're the one? The second voice.?" She whispered.
The lights grew brighter and began to swirl again. The people's faces began to meddle together. Hermione screamed for it to stop. It only moved faster.
She turned to Snape who glared at her.
" Look inside your self!" He growled. " You are more! Then what you have become!"
Then he to fell into the spinning light.
The screaming began once again.
This time however, Hermione didn't hear it.
" I will fight!" she growled.
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
Hermione awoke once again in the office of Albus dumbledore.
" I will fight!" she screamed not releasing where she was.
"We'll then perhaps you should get down to the great hall or you're going to be late for you match." Came the voice of Albus Dumbledore.
Hermione shot up and looked once again into the aged eyes, they were looking at her with a confident sense of humor.
" How long have I been here for?"
Dumbledore chuckled. " Well you were brought here after the first match, which was on November 15th and it is now.." He glanced at his very complicated clock with more nods and dials then a switchboard. " November 27th it would appear."
Hermione clapped a hand over her mouth to keep her from screaming. " Ive been on this couch for 13 days?!!" she yelled in horror.
Dumbledore chuckled at her. " Please keep your voice down Miss Granger, Im not hard of hearing, and I can assure you that I do know how to " do the math".
Hermione laughed.
Dumbledore turned serious. " Do you have anything that you wish to discus with me?"
Hermione was going to tell him every thing, but something inside her told her that she best keep it to her self.
" Yes I have to fight." She whispered.
Albus's eyes twinkled.
"Then I suggest you get going or you will be disqualified from the match down in the great hall. I believe you are facing Mr. Black. Good Luck Hermione."
"Thank you professor" she smiled. Feeling something she hadn't felt truly in over four months. Determination to win, to be the best. Time to show every one what you're made of Hermione.
She got up and walked to wards the door.
" Oh and Miss Granger?" Chimed Albus from behind.
She turned. " Yes Headmaster?"
" Please tell Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Snape to stop trying to break into my office, I don't know how many time I caught them trying to sneak into here to see you over the last few days."
Hermione's jawed dropped.
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
Hermione raced through the doors of the great hall. Every one was there from before, including a very bruised looking Narccissa who smiled at her, next to her was and equally bruised Remus Lupin. Giving her a toothy grin.
Looks like Snape won that match.
Speaking of Snape and Malfoy where are they. Hermione could still not get over the fact that both of them had tried to " Break into" Dumbledores office to see her. Malfoy especially, he hated her. She was Muggle born after all and he was a Malfoy.
" Well, Well I was beginning to think that you had chickened out Granger!" Came the snarky voice of none other then Sirius Black.
She turned to face him.
" What and Miss out on the chance to wipe the floor with your poor excuse for a face?" she snapped.
Sirius chuckled. "you know Granger, I would have thought better of you, faking illness just to get out of a match you know you can't win."
" I just thought you might like some extra practice time before I get a chance with you, after all I don't want to win to easily Black." She spat.
Sirius took a step towards her menacingly, pulling out his wand. " I'll make you regret that comment Bitch."
" And I'll take that piece of wood and stick it up your ass Black if you take one more step towards her!"
Hermione looked behind her to see a face she would have never expected to see. " Malfoy?" she whispered.
Lucius didn't even look at her, he was to focus on Black. " Just get in the ring Granger and kick this poor excuse for a wizards ass."
Hermione just nodded and walked towards the ring. Dazed that Malfoy had come to her rescue.
Sirius growled and followed her onto the long platform.
" You really are developing a soft spot for that Mudblood aren't you Lucius." Came Snapes voice from beside him.
Eyes still following Black Lucius responded. " No more then you are Snape. No more then you."
" This is going to be interesting." Smiled Snape.
Special thanx to Kelly my beta tester who will soon be receiving my chapters to make it easier on all of you to read.
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
If Snape had been expecting anything it wasn't this. Hermione accusation of Peter Pettigrue as her attacker just didn't make sense. The boy was a wreck, granted Snape had to admit that the boy had put on a rather impressive show, there was still now way that he could have attacked Hermione that night. Severus was there, the man was a death eater and one of Tom's followers, and Pettigrue wasn't one of them. He knew that, there was no possibility that Pettigrue one of Potter's lanky had become a death eater before him.
The very thought made his rage boil.
Hermione was now looking at him with pleading eyes; her honeyed brown one's boring into his thunderous black. Her entire face was a picture of fear, one that he had never though possible on any ones faces. There was more to this then what Hermione was letting on. He just knew it.
He quickly pushed her off of him; standing up and brushing imaginary dust from his robes he grabbed her hand roughly and dragged her off the floor, out of the crowd and into the hallway.
He could feel her tiny creamed skin wrist's shaking in his long powerful hands. There were two voices inside of him, giving him orders. One knew that he was hurting her with his iron grip telling him to let go, the other was telling him too never.
He turned around and faced Hermione. She was white as the sheets in the infirmary.
Dropping her wrist he began to speak. " Granger! What the hell is going on!"
She just looked blankly at him, like he wasn't even there. He felt his anger welling up inside of him, grabbing her shoulders roughly he began to shake her.
"Granger?" he yelled, she just continued to ignore him. He stopped only when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Snape Whats going on?" It was Lucius Malfoy.
Snape just growled at him. " That's what I was trying to find out!" He looked as though he was going to start shaking her again, when Lucius wrapped his own strong hand around his wrists and pulled him away from Hermione, who just slumped to the floor. Shaking and looking blankly before her.
Lucius kneeled down before her, Snape followed. Now recovering from his initial anger, he could see more clearly.
She was in shock.
He felt a great well of guilt well up inside of himself for treating her so roughly, some thing had scared her beyond comprehension.
Lucius turned to Snape. " Looks like something scared her pretty bad.." He mumbled, trying to sound disgusted that he was worried about some stupid little "Mudblood", but failed miserably.
Snape caught his attempt, letting a smile pass over his features; he two was forgetting his hatred for Muggle born wizards and witches. After all Hermione had proved in the class room that she was more then capable then half the pure blood witches and wizards in the school. He was caught now in the medium of the dilemma, to hate or not to hate.
" Did you hear what she said?" Snape mumbled. " About Pettigrue?"
" I don't believe it for one second, but something in there scared her petty bad." Growled Lucius, finally giving in to his resolve, no longer trying to hide his concern.
Snape moved toward the tinny body of Hermione. Gathering her into his long arms and pulling her up into them. She continued to stare blankly and shake, her brown haired head slumped against Snapes powerful yet lithe chest.
" Gods she's lost a lot of weight since the last time I had to pick her up." He whispered.
Lucius just nodded, something was wrong with this girl. Both of them watched her open eyes. They were swirling madly like she was caught in a nightmare, screaming out to them.
Little did they know that she was?
"Common lets get her to infirmary. " murmured Snape. Marveling at a warm feeling that had begun in the pit of his stomach while hugging her body close.
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
Twenty minutes later something very weird in Snape's opinion happened. As he brought her to the infirmary, Lucius close in tow; Albus Dumbledore caught up with them. Taking one look at Hermione he directed that she be brought to his office.
After laying Hermione down on one of the soft brown leather couches in his office, Dumbledore directed that they were to leave no word of comfort or whether or not she would be ok. Just to leave. There was no twinkle in his eye.
Something was going on, and He intended to find out what.
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
The minute she had let out the source of her attacker, something very strange happened to Hermione. A powerful force seemed to draw herself back inside of herself. Locking her mind inside of a shell with windows. She was able to see the word around her, and the world behind her. However she could not interact with it.
She was locked in a dark room, with only little holes to peak through to the outside. There were no real walls just shadows.
Then there were the screams. Screams, of people that she knew, like in her dreams there was one voice that stood out from the screams, dark and cool. Comforting yet sharp as a blade. Taunting her, criticizing her.
" STOP BEING SUCH A KNOW - IT - All!" It roared, like a teacher commanding an unruly classroom.
" PUT YOUR HAND DOWN YOU SILLY GIRL!" It breathed out like acid vapor.
" I SEE NO DIFFERENCE!"
The room began to spin. The shouting grew louder, rougher, stronger! In her desperation she gripped her head with her hands and crumpled to the non- existent floor.
" STOP IT" She screamed! Over and over again, her voice growing raw from the shouting.
Suddenly it did.
Hermione looked up from her now cradling position. The room was quiet. Her mind was quiet. Rubbing her hands over her face she felt tears, she had been crying?
" Why me?" She whispered, only out loud to her self.
The room was silent for once, no words were offered.
" Am I going crazy? Is this all a nightmare?" She was beginning to wonder if anything was real, was she really a witch, did she really know the people she did. Or was it a lie, a lie her mind had made up to keep her from the outside world, if so why was everything so painful?
" Fight!"
Hermione looked around the voice had returned, no long criticizing her, but commanding. She shivered from the silkiness of it, the dark coolness. IT was like a calming drug.
" There's nothing left to fight for." she whispered, tears beginning to fall again.
All that could be heard now was the voice breathing, seething.
" Lies, you tell your self lies.." The voice spat at her.
"No!" Hermione screamed.
"YES!" I retorted. " You do because you have not the courage to find the power that you hold in your hand!"
" I don't know what to do!" she sobbed openly. Tears falling like never before, she sobbed like a child who had just lost its mother, which in truth was fact.
The voice again was silent. Her crying slowed at the piece and the silence.
The it happened, a faint glow, blue light, peaceful and moving began to move in the shadows. Moving closer to her self. The light began to thicken, and swirl. From the blue color sped green, then from the green sped red, and the red to yellow. Surrounding her in a comforting circle of light. Balls of light began to zoom over head, quickly then softly.
The through the light spun shapes. Tall and short, thin and fat, old and young.
" Oh gods" she whispered as she recognized the shape forms.
They were human beings.
People she knew. People she hated. People she loved.
The colors began to move in a circle each to there own area. Red, Green, Blue, Yellow.
The faces from each area of color became more defined. First the yellow, Children she grew up with, some older. The faces of Anna Habbot, Professor Flitwick, Professor Sprout, the seeker Cerdric Diggory. All dead but they were hear. Soon more .people formed from the color yellow.
Then it dawned; they were all Hufflepuff's!
Soon blue followed, friends long gone, faces she hadn't seen in almost four months, some longer. Then a face appeared amongst the bodies of blue.
Narccissa? But she wasn't dead. Then something happened, an older Narccissa appeared, battered and bruised beside her, draping her arm over the younger.
Why? They weren't dead, not even in the future.
Next followed the red. Hermione held her breath. She knew what was coming.
Out of the mist walked hand in hands, walked Harry Potter, Ronald Weasly, Ginny, Percy, Fred and George Weasly, their parents, and two older brothers Bill and Charlie. Next out of the mist came Professor Magonigal, Neville Longbottom, Parvati and Lavender. Oliver wood, Katie Bell, Angelina, Lee Jordan.
Then for some reason, Lily Evan's, James Potter, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin arrived, arm in arm. All younger, the ones she knew now. Young and full of life.
Then came the older, Remus, broken and worn out. Sirius, mangled and bruised.. Lily and James did not follow.
They were never aloud to grow old.
Her Family of Griffendor.. She wanted to run and hug them all but she was frozen to the spot. Fearing if she moved she would startle them and they would disappear.
They smiled at her and the color red seemed to grow brighter. Tears of sadness and happiness stained down her face.
Then came the green...
She gasped at what she saw, there were beaten faces of a broken house. Now her house. Poking through the mist, like lost lambs in a slaughterhouse.
She didn't know what to expect.
Slowly one figure broke away from the mist. A tall broad shouldered, blond haired boy.
Lucius Malfoy.
He gave her a smirk, cocky yet unsure. Yet still some one who she had cared for at one point in time, he had been her friend. Now no more.
She gasped as his older self came through.
He glared down at her, his long blond hair seemed to move with an invisible wind. The coldness of his eyes were nothing like the life full ones of his past. The looked at her, like she was a bug. One that would be exterminated.
This was a man who had caused the death of thousands. Rapped hundreds of girls, her age, older and younger. He was a man who had helped kill her parents!
She wanted to kill him.
Slowly he moved away to join he younger self who seemed to be pleading with her. For what she didn't know.
Next came other Slytherin's. There older selves, they're younger. Some only the younger. Ones that had died resisting the powers of dark and chose to die for the light. These were smiling.
Slowly the mist grew brighter as the last of the of the Slytherin's came through. She had no doubt of whom it was.
Severus Snape.
He strode forth with the same cat like walk that he always used. His younger self, the one she had befriended. His dark eyes traveling the length of her. Resting on her eyes. His raven black hair fanned out like wind with color. He stood taller then all the other Slytherin's, His lean frame was like a predator. Strong but thin. He held his traditional scowl. One that she hadn't seen since before she came here. The younger one had not yet mastered it in real life. Why had this one?
He moved off to the side and she braced her self for what she would see next.
He came through, much like the first. Except that he walked right up to her. So close that she could see the fan of gray beginning in his ink black hair. She could see the light brushing of facial hair that he droned, having not shaven in a few days. Just like she remembered him. He held himself proud. Like his younger self. Except his shoulders seemed to bare more weight.
She could see the scars on his well-defined face, long and grueling. His eyes glared into hers and hers into his. Just like she remembered, just like the last night she saw him..Alive.
HE continued to watch her as a white light framed out behind him.
Something else moved through that light. Severus gave her a nod and moved out of her line of view. They're standing in the white light.
Were her parents.
Just like she remembered them, Her father had short sandy brown hair and a light beard, her mother had her trade mark rats nest, only slightly more managed.
She ran towards them, but they only got farther away.
"You see.... there is something left to fight for.." Snape said softly, softer then anything he had ever spoken to her in her entire life, from the side of her. He was no longer warring a robe but only slightly baggy dress pants, he was bare cheasted. It looked like the chest she had held onto the night on Halloween had felt.
Except it was older and beaten, scared and broken. She turned to get a better look and noticed a dark patch on his arm.
The dark Mark. Snape nodded to her. She lifted up the hem of her sleeve on the arm, which bore her own mark. It was black and angry just like his own.
" I see no difference.." she whispered, the phrase that had been yelled at her countless times, and plagued her the day Malfoy had enlarged her teeth. Said by..... Snape?
"You're the one? The second voice.?" She whispered.
The lights grew brighter and began to swirl again. The people's faces began to meddle together. Hermione screamed for it to stop. It only moved faster.
She turned to Snape who glared at her.
" Look inside your self!" He growled. " You are more! Then what you have become!"
Then he to fell into the spinning light.
The screaming began once again.
This time however, Hermione didn't hear it.
" I will fight!" she growled.
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
Hermione awoke once again in the office of Albus dumbledore.
" I will fight!" she screamed not releasing where she was.
"We'll then perhaps you should get down to the great hall or you're going to be late for you match." Came the voice of Albus Dumbledore.
Hermione shot up and looked once again into the aged eyes, they were looking at her with a confident sense of humor.
" How long have I been here for?"
Dumbledore chuckled. " Well you were brought here after the first match, which was on November 15th and it is now.." He glanced at his very complicated clock with more nods and dials then a switchboard. " November 27th it would appear."
Hermione clapped a hand over her mouth to keep her from screaming. " Ive been on this couch for 13 days?!!" she yelled in horror.
Dumbledore chuckled at her. " Please keep your voice down Miss Granger, Im not hard of hearing, and I can assure you that I do know how to " do the math".
Hermione laughed.
Dumbledore turned serious. " Do you have anything that you wish to discus with me?"
Hermione was going to tell him every thing, but something inside her told her that she best keep it to her self.
" Yes I have to fight." She whispered.
Albus's eyes twinkled.
"Then I suggest you get going or you will be disqualified from the match down in the great hall. I believe you are facing Mr. Black. Good Luck Hermione."
"Thank you professor" she smiled. Feeling something she hadn't felt truly in over four months. Determination to win, to be the best. Time to show every one what you're made of Hermione.
She got up and walked to wards the door.
" Oh and Miss Granger?" Chimed Albus from behind.
She turned. " Yes Headmaster?"
" Please tell Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Snape to stop trying to break into my office, I don't know how many time I caught them trying to sneak into here to see you over the last few days."
Hermione's jawed dropped.
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
Hermione raced through the doors of the great hall. Every one was there from before, including a very bruised looking Narccissa who smiled at her, next to her was and equally bruised Remus Lupin. Giving her a toothy grin.
Looks like Snape won that match.
Speaking of Snape and Malfoy where are they. Hermione could still not get over the fact that both of them had tried to " Break into" Dumbledores office to see her. Malfoy especially, he hated her. She was Muggle born after all and he was a Malfoy.
" Well, Well I was beginning to think that you had chickened out Granger!" Came the snarky voice of none other then Sirius Black.
She turned to face him.
" What and Miss out on the chance to wipe the floor with your poor excuse for a face?" she snapped.
Sirius chuckled. "you know Granger, I would have thought better of you, faking illness just to get out of a match you know you can't win."
" I just thought you might like some extra practice time before I get a chance with you, after all I don't want to win to easily Black." She spat.
Sirius took a step towards her menacingly, pulling out his wand. " I'll make you regret that comment Bitch."
" And I'll take that piece of wood and stick it up your ass Black if you take one more step towards her!"
Hermione looked behind her to see a face she would have never expected to see. " Malfoy?" she whispered.
Lucius didn't even look at her, he was to focus on Black. " Just get in the ring Granger and kick this poor excuse for a wizards ass."
Hermione just nodded and walked towards the ring. Dazed that Malfoy had come to her rescue.
Sirius growled and followed her onto the long platform.
" You really are developing a soft spot for that Mudblood aren't you Lucius." Came Snapes voice from beside him.
Eyes still following Black Lucius responded. " No more then you are Snape. No more then you."
" This is going to be interesting." Smiled Snape.