~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
" Your Lying Snape! There's no way!" Cried Lucius Malfoy in alarm.
Snape just glared at his young friend.
" Im not Lying Lucius, I know what I saw and what I saw was that on Granger!"
Lucius just shook his head and leaned up against the wall next to the entrance hall near the great doors. Both he and Snape were waiting for Hermione to show up so that they could go down to Hogsmead together. The whole time they had been waiting Snape had been trying to convince Lucius (since the morning) that Hermione had the mark on her.
" Snape it just doesn't add up!" Growled Lucius. " Im telling you, Hermione wouldn't go out for that kind of thing, she doesn't believe in any of the things we and the rest of us do. She would never in a million years go searching for the kind of power " Tom" could offer." He thought for a second and shook his head full of blonde hair. " If she hadn't been put in our house I would have sworn she was a Gryffendor with all her morals and other agenda's!"
Snape just looked at him, crossing his long arms across his chest. His black eyes drilling holes into Lucius's.
"Don't look at me like that Snape!" mummered Lucius. " You give me the creeps when you do that."
Snape smirked loving the fact that he could torment his friend with a single glance.
" Maybe your right maybe I'm not thinking clearly on this. I will tell you one thing though Lucius." He whispered. " Something is very odd about Granger .and no matter what that is we still have a job to do for "Tom".
"Finally we agree on something." Smiled Lucius, although there was a hit of regret in his eyes.
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
An hour later the unlikely trios of Slytherin's were crossing through the streets of Hogsmead, enjoying the wonderful relish of the feeling of Christmas.
Hermione however noticed that her two companions were watching her every move ever so closely and were more silent then usual. Some thing was going on and the twisting feeling inside of the pit of her stomach told her that it wasn't going to be a good thing.
Her un comfortableness however subsided when the trio met up with Narccissa and Remus outside of the "Three broomsticks" which much to Hermione's amazement had truly been around for a very long time; it according to Remus had been around since the fifties.
It truly did amaze her how much the two of them seamed to care for one another, how both of them cared for the Slytherin trio. They weren't drawn into the normal prejudices that were flaunted around the houses. The two of them only saw Severus, Lucius and herself as human beings not warriors from a house of evil.
On the other hand Remus still did hang around the other Gryffendor's, the marauders mostly. However not as much as he had originally. IT made Hermione wonder if her presence being in this time was breaking the bond of the Marauders of Gryffendor.
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
The five of them all entered the three broomsticks eager for a light and warm lunch, almost all of there robes were soaked from the snow, which from this morning was still continuing to descend on the earth.
The strangely assembled group of teenagers took one of the larger tables inside of the warm candlelit pub at the back.
Hermione smiled as Remus pulled out Narccissa's chair for her and sat down to her left, as she herself took the seat on the right of the blondes, next to Snape. Leaving Lucius whom wouldn't meet Narccissa's eyes and vise versa to sit between Remus and Severus.
From the look of how ell Severus and Remus got along together it seemed that Sirius and James had yet to pull there little prank in this time. It was a pity that it would happen because Snape even in Slytherin had very few friends and from Hermione's experience Remus Lupin was one of the best people to be friends with due to his " no Prejudice" attitude."
"So what time did you two arrive at Hogsmead?" inquired Hermione to the Gryffendor and Ravenclaw.
"We got here at eight, how about your selves?" answered Narccissa.
Snape decided that it was his turn to speak, he turned a large and unimpressed sneer at Hermione who just scowled at him. " We got here an hour ago, eleven o'clock to be exact."
" Wow, you three sure took your sweet time getting here." Laughed Remus, who earned a sneer not quite as venomous as the one Hermione received from Snape?
"We would have been here earlier but " Miss Granger!" over her couldn't seem to find her wand!" He barked.
Hermione gave an involuntary shiver from Snape using the words " Miss Granger" just like he had used in the future when he was her teacher. She wanted to punch his not yet crooked nose and make it so.
She settled for a growl and a " Will you just let it drop Snape?"
Snape just growled at her.
Lucius laughed. Earning a scowl from the both of them, causing him to sink deep towards the floor in his chair.
" Boy do those two ever fight like there an old married couple" Narccissa whispered to Remus.
Both Hermione and Snape's heads snapped up to the two of them and screeched. " WHAT?!"
"Nothing!" Replied Remus and Narccissa in unison.
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
After a very interesting and warm lunch the three boys set off to go look at quidditch supplies. Leaving the two girls on their own in side the three broomsticks.
"Some things never change." Mumbled Hermione as she watched the three boys leave the pub and walk out into the elements.
Narccissa looked at her strangely. " What do you mean by that?"
Hermione just wanted to bite her tong but decided to change the subject, instead of having to explain the little comment she had just made.
" So have you and Lucius talked at all?" she whispered to the blonde.
Narccissa blanched a bit and shook her head. " No and I don't want to, it's just to difficult, Lucius just always ends up yelling and I always just end of crying."
"But you both don't want to go through with it right?" Hermione pressed.
" God No! The last thing we both want is to be married to one another! Hell we can't even stay in the same room with one another for more then two minutes!" Screeched Narccissa.
Hermione began to vaguely wonder what home life had been for the son of the two of her friends.. Draco Malfoy. No wonder he was such and ass, there must have never been a pleasant family moment in his entire house hold life.
" Would you mind if I talked to Lucius?" Hermione inquired.
Narccissa stopped for a moment and weighed the consequences of that option, who know it might even help the situation.
"All right!" Narccissa finally mumbled in a bit of self-worry.
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
Leaving the Pub and into the cold snowy streets of Hogsmead both Narccissa and Hermione set about there Christmas shopping. Narccissa's parents had given her an allowance for the holidays and she was planning on exercising it completely. Hermione on the other hand had Galleons to spend from her working with Hagrid but decided to only buy one special gift for each of her friends instead of many meaningless ones for them.
After promising to meet up with each other in an hour the pair of girls split up to hunt for gifts.
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
Both Narccissa and Remus were easy to shop for, For Remus begin the keeper of the Gryffendor quidditch team and completely interested in playing the sport proffesionaly (he was so much like Ron it made her want to weep), Hermione found a very interesting collectors item in the Quality Quidditch supplies shop. It was a Qwauffle signed by the whole "London Lancers" team, which was his favorite quidditch team.
For Narccissa she found a moving model (magic, not in ball form, with black whips smoke for space and balls of light for the planets and stars.) Because Narccissa was deeply interested in the art (Hermione scoffed at this) of divination.
However Hermione had not a clue in hell what to get Lucius and Severus for Christmas. Wrapping her cloak around her tight as the wind and snow picked up, Hermione looked around at the shops on the street.
Deciding that first she would concentrate on Lucius. To try and help her she began to define what exactly Lucius was like.
He was arrogant, hostile and a would be bigot, striving for attention, but also could be very gentle and caring, he also seemed to be very lonely at times, for one so full of him self.
Looking around she found the perfect shop, she knew he would love this. It was just so him! After a few minute of searching inside a very dark and stuffy shop Hermione exited the large building caring in her hand a crate covered with a white cloth to keep the creature inside safe and warm.
He was going to love it.
Finally she came to the last person on her list. Severus Snape. There was absolutely nothing that she could think of to buy him. He liked quidditch (being a superb Beater for the Slytherin team) but didn't live and breathe it; in fact he usually got annoyed if a conversation turned to that topic. He enjoyed school immensely and often gave her quite a challenge to try and out wit him, He loved to read, and was never far behind her to the library.
That's it!
It was simple but if she could find something special he would enjoy it more then all the other's gifts put to gather.. She hoped at least.
She went to the local book store and searched and searched. " Emeries guide to potions for dummies? No I don't think so.How to feed your flubber worm? God does this bookstore have anything that isn't remotely pathetic..." cried Hermione softly while picking up a copy of "Removing your fungus".
"Well so much for that idea" mumbled Hermione in defeat as she exited the store, truly unimpressed with it.
"GODS! I can't believe that there was not a single thing in that entire store!" she growled to her self-walking rather hotly down the streets of Hogsmead. Still watching all the stores.
She skidded to a halt as she noticed a small worn sign on the side of the road, it was almost unseeable.
" Assorted Magical Artifacts and trinkets." Was the shops name enblazed on a worn wooden sign, with a small quill and parchment on it.
With in a few minutes she was inside of the store, looking wildly around her. There was every thing here, and yet nothing. Little trinkets that would take years to decipher a use for. Models, statues, assortments of magical artifacts.
There was a distinctly odd smell to the store, it was the sent of ages. Gods know how long this shop had been here. There was everything and anything in the store all cluttered and shuffled together.
Finally there were books, large leather bound tomes of knowledge calling out to her to read them, devour them. Some with silver or gold texted writing on them, some with none at all.
So busy looking with longing at the books was she that she didn't notice a very old and wiry looking man had come up behind her.
"Looking for anything in paticular Madam?" inquired the old man with a very ghost like voice.
Hermione was startled and gave out a small cry of surprise. She looked him over, he was shorter then herself and was warring a long silver and blue worn suit and tailored jacket. His eyes were an eirie acid green that flickered in the constantly moving candlelight. He had long silvery hair tied back into a noted ponytail at the back of his very aged head. His skin was so pale and held a glare to it that had she not been paying more attention to it she might have noticed that you could see right through it.
"Ah.. Yes Im looking for a book for my friend." She managed to whisper.
The man looked thoughtfully at her, his eyes seemed to be reading her soul.
"Very well then, now this friend.. Male or female?" he asked his voice giving out almost an echo.
"Male" she whispered, in creaky voice.
"Very well then Very well then." He walked over to the masses of books laden on his worn shelves, taking a good look at her once again he began pilfering through the leather bound tomes.
"Hmm. no. maybe.no I don't think so.heavens no!" he said as he looked over each tome and gave it a searching look. Hermione stepped back in fascination and slight fear from the very odd man.
"AHHA!" screeched the man pulling out a very large and very old looking book, there were worn almost un seable silverish black lettering emblazed on the dark blue leather book.
Hermione's eyes bulged at the title. " TWO MAGICS, ONE WORLD.by.." She couldn't make out the author's name it appeared to be. " Mer..Lin". Strange she had never heard of that author before.
"This is what you are looking for my dear, your young friend will enjoy this is he had half of the lust for books as you do." whispered the old man as he moved behind a counter and rung up the price on the book.
How did he know of her love of books? More so how did he know what book Severus would want? Something worried her about this place. it made her soul feel like there were spiders crawling over it, spinning their webs.
Her eyes bulged when she saw the price of the book. good gods. that was almost every thing she had earned since ccominghere. Over sixty galleons worth...
Yet something inside of her told her that she " Needed " to buy this book.
" I'll take it." She said handing over her gold to the man who placed the book in a cloth and covered it tightly.
" Good luck my Dear, Good Luck" the man whispered to her as she left the store rather quickly, desperate to get away from the strange person.
"Your gonna need it, my dear, your going to need it."
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
"Hey Hermione!" Narccissa called out to her from the other side of the street as she came out of the store with her book in hand.
"Hello Narccissa! Get everything you needed?" chirped Hermione, indicating to the large bags of items in each of Narccissa's hands.
Narccissa just laughed. " Have you seen the boys?"
Hermione crossed the street so that they wouldn't have to yell to talk to one another.
" No sign, you know them probably off goggling at quidditch supplies or other things not so appropriate." Hermione laughed, earning a smirk from Narccissa.
" Or maybe they have just been looking for you two for the last hour!" Came Snapes voice from behind Hermione. She jumped as he poked her in the sides.
"Dammit Snape don't scare me like that!" She screeched trying to find her heart because she was sure it had just flown out of her rib cage from fright.
" Ah but that's one of my few joys in life!" he sneered, giving her a very loft look.
" Get a hobby!" she growled.
Remus came out from behind them and walked over to Narccissa giving her a playful poke in the arm. Lucius followed and took a place standing beside Remus.
" Yup you were right Remus, Definitely an old married couple." Laughed Narccissa.
This time all three of them broke out into fits of laughter, each earning murderous glare's from both Hermione and Severus.
" HAHA they even sneer the same!" Roared Lucius. Earning a box in the head from Snape.
Hermione however blushed, trying not to look Snape in the eyes or even at him at all. She was dumbfounded that the two of them had even a smidgen of something in common, however in another way she was beginning to see just how much alike they were.
Remus checked his watch. " Damn we have to get back to the castle, you know how that old bat Lacouse gets if were late back from Hogsmead."
No one but Hermione noticed the look of rage on Severus's face at the un - intentional attack on the Potions teacher.
Walking back she slipped beside Snape, who was still giving murderous glances to Remus's who was walking in front by Narccissa.
" I don't think he meant to insult your mother Snape." she whispered.
Snape stopped immediately in his snow blown tracks. Turning infront of her, his large black robes gave a familiar swish of hostility.
"What did you say?" he whispered, laced with a growl.
Hermione didn't think he would act like that. " I said that I don't think Remus meant anything by that indirect attack on your mother."
His eyes searched hers; they were laced with concern and mortification.
" How do you know?" He questioned.
Hermione relaxed where all of his hostility was coming from, it was concern for his mother, no one she guessed knew except maybe Dumbledore. Of course he would be concerned. To have some one who was a family member on the faculty at Hogwarts could raise suspicions about certain aspects of school life.
" I just noticed the way you two try to hid any affection for one another." She answered with a knowing tone.
" For all you know she could be my "lover" why do you think she was my mother." Sneered Snape, but in the end just turned a lofty grin to her.
Hermione faltered. " Well for one thing SNAPE you two are so much a like you would think that you are a male clone of her. You both are highly intelligent, have the same annoyingly dark and amazing eyes AND YOU BOTH NEED TO START WARRING A BELL BECAUSE YOU POP OUT OF NO WHERE WITH OUT A SOUND!" she roared.
Snape looked like he was going to kill her. She backed up a bit. Then for some strange reason he began to laugh. Putting his long arm around her shoulder he began walking to catch up with the others. It felt so strange to fell herself up against him as he pulled her close to him, she could feel his chest contort and shift as he gave out his magnificent throaty laugh. She shivered at the vibrations that echoed from him.
She began to feel warm inside, a strange feeling it was. A name less feeling, filled with power and grace. Even stranger was the cause of it. IT was Snape. Severus Snape was the cause of it.
Dead down inside of her, beyond the reach of her mind she knew what the nameless feeling was.
No longer laughing he turned once again to her.
" You know you're the first to figure that out.." He said looking at her with what appeared to be a new respect.
" I won't tell any one you know." She whispered.
" Thank you Granger, thank you." He smirked, giving her a friendly poke in the arm. Moving his arm from her shoulders back down to his side he didn't noticed the look of loss that Hermione aloud her self for a brief moment.
" Your welcome Snape." She gripped her parcels tighter.
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
Upon arriving back at Hogwarts the five of them, an odd group they were, walked by the dueling board. There were only a few weeks left of the tournament.
Snape and Remus were going to be competing and whichever one of the two won would be facing there second to last challenger. Hermione if she won her next match would face the winner of that one for the tittle of the champion.
However she had to beat Peter Pettigrue, and from his match against Narccissa he was going to be tough.
More then what she would have ever given him credit for.
Both Remus and Snapes match was set in a week, and Hermione's match was set for December 27th.
Only three days before new years Eve.
" Your Lying Snape! There's no way!" Cried Lucius Malfoy in alarm.
Snape just glared at his young friend.
" Im not Lying Lucius, I know what I saw and what I saw was that on Granger!"
Lucius just shook his head and leaned up against the wall next to the entrance hall near the great doors. Both he and Snape were waiting for Hermione to show up so that they could go down to Hogsmead together. The whole time they had been waiting Snape had been trying to convince Lucius (since the morning) that Hermione had the mark on her.
" Snape it just doesn't add up!" Growled Lucius. " Im telling you, Hermione wouldn't go out for that kind of thing, she doesn't believe in any of the things we and the rest of us do. She would never in a million years go searching for the kind of power " Tom" could offer." He thought for a second and shook his head full of blonde hair. " If she hadn't been put in our house I would have sworn she was a Gryffendor with all her morals and other agenda's!"
Snape just looked at him, crossing his long arms across his chest. His black eyes drilling holes into Lucius's.
"Don't look at me like that Snape!" mummered Lucius. " You give me the creeps when you do that."
Snape smirked loving the fact that he could torment his friend with a single glance.
" Maybe your right maybe I'm not thinking clearly on this. I will tell you one thing though Lucius." He whispered. " Something is very odd about Granger .and no matter what that is we still have a job to do for "Tom".
"Finally we agree on something." Smiled Lucius, although there was a hit of regret in his eyes.
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
An hour later the unlikely trios of Slytherin's were crossing through the streets of Hogsmead, enjoying the wonderful relish of the feeling of Christmas.
Hermione however noticed that her two companions were watching her every move ever so closely and were more silent then usual. Some thing was going on and the twisting feeling inside of the pit of her stomach told her that it wasn't going to be a good thing.
Her un comfortableness however subsided when the trio met up with Narccissa and Remus outside of the "Three broomsticks" which much to Hermione's amazement had truly been around for a very long time; it according to Remus had been around since the fifties.
It truly did amaze her how much the two of them seamed to care for one another, how both of them cared for the Slytherin trio. They weren't drawn into the normal prejudices that were flaunted around the houses. The two of them only saw Severus, Lucius and herself as human beings not warriors from a house of evil.
On the other hand Remus still did hang around the other Gryffendor's, the marauders mostly. However not as much as he had originally. IT made Hermione wonder if her presence being in this time was breaking the bond of the Marauders of Gryffendor.
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
The five of them all entered the three broomsticks eager for a light and warm lunch, almost all of there robes were soaked from the snow, which from this morning was still continuing to descend on the earth.
The strangely assembled group of teenagers took one of the larger tables inside of the warm candlelit pub at the back.
Hermione smiled as Remus pulled out Narccissa's chair for her and sat down to her left, as she herself took the seat on the right of the blondes, next to Snape. Leaving Lucius whom wouldn't meet Narccissa's eyes and vise versa to sit between Remus and Severus.
From the look of how ell Severus and Remus got along together it seemed that Sirius and James had yet to pull there little prank in this time. It was a pity that it would happen because Snape even in Slytherin had very few friends and from Hermione's experience Remus Lupin was one of the best people to be friends with due to his " no Prejudice" attitude."
"So what time did you two arrive at Hogsmead?" inquired Hermione to the Gryffendor and Ravenclaw.
"We got here at eight, how about your selves?" answered Narccissa.
Snape decided that it was his turn to speak, he turned a large and unimpressed sneer at Hermione who just scowled at him. " We got here an hour ago, eleven o'clock to be exact."
" Wow, you three sure took your sweet time getting here." Laughed Remus, who earned a sneer not quite as venomous as the one Hermione received from Snape?
"We would have been here earlier but " Miss Granger!" over her couldn't seem to find her wand!" He barked.
Hermione gave an involuntary shiver from Snape using the words " Miss Granger" just like he had used in the future when he was her teacher. She wanted to punch his not yet crooked nose and make it so.
She settled for a growl and a " Will you just let it drop Snape?"
Snape just growled at her.
Lucius laughed. Earning a scowl from the both of them, causing him to sink deep towards the floor in his chair.
" Boy do those two ever fight like there an old married couple" Narccissa whispered to Remus.
Both Hermione and Snape's heads snapped up to the two of them and screeched. " WHAT?!"
"Nothing!" Replied Remus and Narccissa in unison.
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
After a very interesting and warm lunch the three boys set off to go look at quidditch supplies. Leaving the two girls on their own in side the three broomsticks.
"Some things never change." Mumbled Hermione as she watched the three boys leave the pub and walk out into the elements.
Narccissa looked at her strangely. " What do you mean by that?"
Hermione just wanted to bite her tong but decided to change the subject, instead of having to explain the little comment she had just made.
" So have you and Lucius talked at all?" she whispered to the blonde.
Narccissa blanched a bit and shook her head. " No and I don't want to, it's just to difficult, Lucius just always ends up yelling and I always just end of crying."
"But you both don't want to go through with it right?" Hermione pressed.
" God No! The last thing we both want is to be married to one another! Hell we can't even stay in the same room with one another for more then two minutes!" Screeched Narccissa.
Hermione began to vaguely wonder what home life had been for the son of the two of her friends.. Draco Malfoy. No wonder he was such and ass, there must have never been a pleasant family moment in his entire house hold life.
" Would you mind if I talked to Lucius?" Hermione inquired.
Narccissa stopped for a moment and weighed the consequences of that option, who know it might even help the situation.
"All right!" Narccissa finally mumbled in a bit of self-worry.
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
Leaving the Pub and into the cold snowy streets of Hogsmead both Narccissa and Hermione set about there Christmas shopping. Narccissa's parents had given her an allowance for the holidays and she was planning on exercising it completely. Hermione on the other hand had Galleons to spend from her working with Hagrid but decided to only buy one special gift for each of her friends instead of many meaningless ones for them.
After promising to meet up with each other in an hour the pair of girls split up to hunt for gifts.
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
Both Narccissa and Remus were easy to shop for, For Remus begin the keeper of the Gryffendor quidditch team and completely interested in playing the sport proffesionaly (he was so much like Ron it made her want to weep), Hermione found a very interesting collectors item in the Quality Quidditch supplies shop. It was a Qwauffle signed by the whole "London Lancers" team, which was his favorite quidditch team.
For Narccissa she found a moving model (magic, not in ball form, with black whips smoke for space and balls of light for the planets and stars.) Because Narccissa was deeply interested in the art (Hermione scoffed at this) of divination.
However Hermione had not a clue in hell what to get Lucius and Severus for Christmas. Wrapping her cloak around her tight as the wind and snow picked up, Hermione looked around at the shops on the street.
Deciding that first she would concentrate on Lucius. To try and help her she began to define what exactly Lucius was like.
He was arrogant, hostile and a would be bigot, striving for attention, but also could be very gentle and caring, he also seemed to be very lonely at times, for one so full of him self.
Looking around she found the perfect shop, she knew he would love this. It was just so him! After a few minute of searching inside a very dark and stuffy shop Hermione exited the large building caring in her hand a crate covered with a white cloth to keep the creature inside safe and warm.
He was going to love it.
Finally she came to the last person on her list. Severus Snape. There was absolutely nothing that she could think of to buy him. He liked quidditch (being a superb Beater for the Slytherin team) but didn't live and breathe it; in fact he usually got annoyed if a conversation turned to that topic. He enjoyed school immensely and often gave her quite a challenge to try and out wit him, He loved to read, and was never far behind her to the library.
That's it!
It was simple but if she could find something special he would enjoy it more then all the other's gifts put to gather.. She hoped at least.
She went to the local book store and searched and searched. " Emeries guide to potions for dummies? No I don't think so.How to feed your flubber worm? God does this bookstore have anything that isn't remotely pathetic..." cried Hermione softly while picking up a copy of "Removing your fungus".
"Well so much for that idea" mumbled Hermione in defeat as she exited the store, truly unimpressed with it.
"GODS! I can't believe that there was not a single thing in that entire store!" she growled to her self-walking rather hotly down the streets of Hogsmead. Still watching all the stores.
She skidded to a halt as she noticed a small worn sign on the side of the road, it was almost unseeable.
" Assorted Magical Artifacts and trinkets." Was the shops name enblazed on a worn wooden sign, with a small quill and parchment on it.
With in a few minutes she was inside of the store, looking wildly around her. There was every thing here, and yet nothing. Little trinkets that would take years to decipher a use for. Models, statues, assortments of magical artifacts.
There was a distinctly odd smell to the store, it was the sent of ages. Gods know how long this shop had been here. There was everything and anything in the store all cluttered and shuffled together.
Finally there were books, large leather bound tomes of knowledge calling out to her to read them, devour them. Some with silver or gold texted writing on them, some with none at all.
So busy looking with longing at the books was she that she didn't notice a very old and wiry looking man had come up behind her.
"Looking for anything in paticular Madam?" inquired the old man with a very ghost like voice.
Hermione was startled and gave out a small cry of surprise. She looked him over, he was shorter then herself and was warring a long silver and blue worn suit and tailored jacket. His eyes were an eirie acid green that flickered in the constantly moving candlelight. He had long silvery hair tied back into a noted ponytail at the back of his very aged head. His skin was so pale and held a glare to it that had she not been paying more attention to it she might have noticed that you could see right through it.
"Ah.. Yes Im looking for a book for my friend." She managed to whisper.
The man looked thoughtfully at her, his eyes seemed to be reading her soul.
"Very well then, now this friend.. Male or female?" he asked his voice giving out almost an echo.
"Male" she whispered, in creaky voice.
"Very well then Very well then." He walked over to the masses of books laden on his worn shelves, taking a good look at her once again he began pilfering through the leather bound tomes.
"Hmm. no. maybe.no I don't think so.heavens no!" he said as he looked over each tome and gave it a searching look. Hermione stepped back in fascination and slight fear from the very odd man.
"AHHA!" screeched the man pulling out a very large and very old looking book, there were worn almost un seable silverish black lettering emblazed on the dark blue leather book.
Hermione's eyes bulged at the title. " TWO MAGICS, ONE WORLD.by.." She couldn't make out the author's name it appeared to be. " Mer..Lin". Strange she had never heard of that author before.
"This is what you are looking for my dear, your young friend will enjoy this is he had half of the lust for books as you do." whispered the old man as he moved behind a counter and rung up the price on the book.
How did he know of her love of books? More so how did he know what book Severus would want? Something worried her about this place. it made her soul feel like there were spiders crawling over it, spinning their webs.
Her eyes bulged when she saw the price of the book. good gods. that was almost every thing she had earned since ccominghere. Over sixty galleons worth...
Yet something inside of her told her that she " Needed " to buy this book.
" I'll take it." She said handing over her gold to the man who placed the book in a cloth and covered it tightly.
" Good luck my Dear, Good Luck" the man whispered to her as she left the store rather quickly, desperate to get away from the strange person.
"Your gonna need it, my dear, your going to need it."
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
"Hey Hermione!" Narccissa called out to her from the other side of the street as she came out of the store with her book in hand.
"Hello Narccissa! Get everything you needed?" chirped Hermione, indicating to the large bags of items in each of Narccissa's hands.
Narccissa just laughed. " Have you seen the boys?"
Hermione crossed the street so that they wouldn't have to yell to talk to one another.
" No sign, you know them probably off goggling at quidditch supplies or other things not so appropriate." Hermione laughed, earning a smirk from Narccissa.
" Or maybe they have just been looking for you two for the last hour!" Came Snapes voice from behind Hermione. She jumped as he poked her in the sides.
"Dammit Snape don't scare me like that!" She screeched trying to find her heart because she was sure it had just flown out of her rib cage from fright.
" Ah but that's one of my few joys in life!" he sneered, giving her a very loft look.
" Get a hobby!" she growled.
Remus came out from behind them and walked over to Narccissa giving her a playful poke in the arm. Lucius followed and took a place standing beside Remus.
" Yup you were right Remus, Definitely an old married couple." Laughed Narccissa.
This time all three of them broke out into fits of laughter, each earning murderous glare's from both Hermione and Severus.
" HAHA they even sneer the same!" Roared Lucius. Earning a box in the head from Snape.
Hermione however blushed, trying not to look Snape in the eyes or even at him at all. She was dumbfounded that the two of them had even a smidgen of something in common, however in another way she was beginning to see just how much alike they were.
Remus checked his watch. " Damn we have to get back to the castle, you know how that old bat Lacouse gets if were late back from Hogsmead."
No one but Hermione noticed the look of rage on Severus's face at the un - intentional attack on the Potions teacher.
Walking back she slipped beside Snape, who was still giving murderous glances to Remus's who was walking in front by Narccissa.
" I don't think he meant to insult your mother Snape." she whispered.
Snape stopped immediately in his snow blown tracks. Turning infront of her, his large black robes gave a familiar swish of hostility.
"What did you say?" he whispered, laced with a growl.
Hermione didn't think he would act like that. " I said that I don't think Remus meant anything by that indirect attack on your mother."
His eyes searched hers; they were laced with concern and mortification.
" How do you know?" He questioned.
Hermione relaxed where all of his hostility was coming from, it was concern for his mother, no one she guessed knew except maybe Dumbledore. Of course he would be concerned. To have some one who was a family member on the faculty at Hogwarts could raise suspicions about certain aspects of school life.
" I just noticed the way you two try to hid any affection for one another." She answered with a knowing tone.
" For all you know she could be my "lover" why do you think she was my mother." Sneered Snape, but in the end just turned a lofty grin to her.
Hermione faltered. " Well for one thing SNAPE you two are so much a like you would think that you are a male clone of her. You both are highly intelligent, have the same annoyingly dark and amazing eyes AND YOU BOTH NEED TO START WARRING A BELL BECAUSE YOU POP OUT OF NO WHERE WITH OUT A SOUND!" she roared.
Snape looked like he was going to kill her. She backed up a bit. Then for some strange reason he began to laugh. Putting his long arm around her shoulder he began walking to catch up with the others. It felt so strange to fell herself up against him as he pulled her close to him, she could feel his chest contort and shift as he gave out his magnificent throaty laugh. She shivered at the vibrations that echoed from him.
She began to feel warm inside, a strange feeling it was. A name less feeling, filled with power and grace. Even stranger was the cause of it. IT was Snape. Severus Snape was the cause of it.
Dead down inside of her, beyond the reach of her mind she knew what the nameless feeling was.
No longer laughing he turned once again to her.
" You know you're the first to figure that out.." He said looking at her with what appeared to be a new respect.
" I won't tell any one you know." She whispered.
" Thank you Granger, thank you." He smirked, giving her a friendly poke in the arm. Moving his arm from her shoulders back down to his side he didn't noticed the look of loss that Hermione aloud her self for a brief moment.
" Your welcome Snape." She gripped her parcels tighter.
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
Upon arriving back at Hogwarts the five of them, an odd group they were, walked by the dueling board. There were only a few weeks left of the tournament.
Snape and Remus were going to be competing and whichever one of the two won would be facing there second to last challenger. Hermione if she won her next match would face the winner of that one for the tittle of the champion.
However she had to beat Peter Pettigrue, and from his match against Narccissa he was going to be tough.
More then what she would have ever given him credit for.
Both Remus and Snapes match was set in a week, and Hermione's match was set for December 27th.
Only three days before new years Eve.