Chapter 6 -- When everybody was Strange

When Snape closed the door behind him, Hermione was rather vexed with the headmaster. However, she soon realized the joke and joined in laughing. Such that it was, Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts and greatest wizard of all times, along with the head girl and know-it-all Hermione Granger spent the better part of five minutes trying to regain their composure and get to more important business.

"Professor, do you think the points have really been deducted?" Hermione asked finally.

"I really don't know, Miss Granger, I really don't know." For once, Dumbledore was being very truthful indeed.

"Poor Gryffindor..." she mock-sighed.

They were silent for a moment; both knowing that the fun had ended and serious matters would soon be discussed.

Hermione did not know very well how to begin. She tried to reorganize the points she wanted to bring up to Dumbledore. It was habit really, her being a very systematic and practical person. She pondered for a time but it was Dumbledore who broke the silence.

"Miss Granger, is there anything you would like to tell me? Anything at all?" He surveyed her carefully.

All right, here goes, she thought. She went straight to the point.

"Firstly, I think Voldemort sent five Death Eaters to Hogwarts for a purpose. It wasn't coincidence that they found me or maybe it was. I am not too positive but for some reason or other, Voldemort wants some part of my body. My deduction is that he might want it to use for potions and the like. He might even try to use Polyjuice to impersonate me so as to harm Harry."

She paused for a while, wondering how she should bring up the next point. Dumbledore didn't speak. He merely tried to look mildly curious. She took a deep breath and went on.

"Secondly, I think Voldemort had forged some kind of connection with me, using presumably my hair. I could see him in my dreams. I watched as a third person though. And just now..." She was at a lost as to how she should explain

"Yes, Professor Snape told me."

"But Professor, it wasn't painful at all. In fact..."

"Yes? "

Ashamedly, she replied, "It felt good."

She gained her confidence from Dumbledore's encouraging look and told him about her encounter with Harry as well. When she finished, she felt strangely relieved of her burden. Dumbledore surveyed her, making her look naked as if he could see through her very soul. Finally, he replied.

"Miss Granger, how much do you know about Blood Magic?"

Hermione went through everything that she knew about Blood Magic. Being a know-it-all, she knew quite a lot, but not enough to realize the implications of the situation...yet.

"It is very powerful and once blood connection is made, acknowledged and used, it is almost impossible to break. There is a possible way to break it but it was lost through time. It is usually connected with dark magic."

"Usually, Miss Granger does not mean always. And there is no such thing as impossible. Almost doesn't make it impossible. Blood is a very powerful object, you are right."

Suddenly, Hermione realized something and it showed on her face. Dumbledore didn't even blink as he noticed the change.

"Blood can destroy, yet it can also protect, as demonstrated seventeen years ago. Somehow, your blood and Tom's are connected, I suspect, through Salazar Sytherin. He also had Harry and Lily Potter's blood, due to the blood sacrifice. A tricky situation indeed."

Hermione was flabbergasted. She did not expect this although somewhere deep down, she knew it would come to this.

"But professor, its impossible. The combination will kill him. It's so opposing that his soul wouldn't take it." Hermione tried to use a level voice, as if she had just spotted a problem in the class and argued with her professor about it.

"Voldemort is no longer human. He can do whatever he wants but it takes much, much more than a simple spell or potion to kill him." At this, Dumbledore, who were his usual cheery self just moments before, looked weary and dispirited. There had been too many casualties, too many risks, too many deaths and too much sadness. It was war, and it was unavoidable.

"There is still hope Professor. The prophecy states so. We can always hope. All is not lost as long as there is something we can hold on to." Where did that come from, Hermione thought. Yet she felt a very strong need to console the old man in front of her. He had suffered so much, endured so much, given others so much, yet was never given credit for it, and never received it from others.

Dumbledore nodded. For sixty years, he had always been viewed as an important figure and people came to him to ask for advice and consolation. Yet he never got any in return. Everything has a first, he thought.

"You have to work very hard child. He will seek you, his blood relative. Sometimes...sometimes I wish I were like what everybody thought of me. The great Albus Dumbledore no doubt knows everything. Yet I don't. Be very careful and take care of yourself Hermione."

He saw himself in her. She has great potential, he thought, and fervently hoped that it be in the right side.

"What do I have to do now Professor?" Hermione asked.

"For now, we wait." He replied grimly.

She knew it was time to go. She could see Dumbledore was as troubled as she was. It showed that he was human actually, she thought. Seeing him brooding, she stood up and silently left his office.

Snape braced himself for another Cruciatus. He was so used to it by now that he wasn't afraid of it, although he knew it would hurt. Voldemort was in a funny mood today to be sure. He had summoned his Death Eaters and he came late, not to mention having not much to report.

It was a depressing job really; getting bouts of Cruciatus and seeing others get it too. It was for the Order, he inwardly reprimanded himself and forced his mind to stay alert. Voldemort did not punish everyone today. He went through many trivial matters, but the whole group was holding its breath for something more spectacular.

Finally, having completed his little Crucio with the pathetically whimpering Wormtail, he turned to Malfoy, whose face held a superior smirk.

"Now, my faithful followers, is a good time to reveal a very important secret I have been keeping to myself for sometime." Voldemort paused, to let his sentence sink into the slower Death Eaters, who seemed to be unable to tell left from right, for example, Malfoy's goons, Crabbe and Goyle.

"I seem to have a blood relative. Severus," He suddenly turned and faced Snape in the eye but he remained still and betrayed no emotions while Voldemort continued in the same chilling tone. "Now, tell me about the Gryffindor turned Slytherin Head Girl from your house."

Snape needn't even think. He had prepared himself for this question for quite some time, knowing that the Dark Lord would ask. He was quite predictable sometimes.

"Her name is Hermione Granger and she is a bossy know-it-all of a mudblood, who never fails to interrupt my lessons with..."

"Crucio." Before Snape completed his sentence, Voldemort had cursed him. It was painful and he tried to keep his head sane. He should have known the Dark Lord wanted a more positive comment but he couldn't risk the Dark Lord knowing the extent of his knowledge. Hermione, you better appreciate this, he inwardly thought.

Wait, where did that come from, the practical side of his brain told him it was not time to ponder such questions. The curse was lifted after a full minute, which left Snape trembling and shaking. He was putting half of it on, if only to show Voldemort that he had really suffered and did not want a second dose.

"Now, that will teach you a lesson not to insult my niece. She is no mudblood and will never be. She has, in her veins, the great, untainted blood of Salazar Slytherin. And you will say nothing to degrade it." Voldemort hissed angrily.

And then he was back to his sarcastic and sadistic mood.

"But you, my dear Severus, never think highly of anyone or anything do you? Strangely, I like that about you. Now, let us make this clear. Beside me, she shall be second-in-command and you will all give her the respect she is due for. She is the grand-daughter of my mother's twin, Sepherania." Loud gasp could be heard. "She will come soon. As my summons goes."

He laughed evilly and inhumanly. If it wasn't the fact that Voldemort was notorious for his abnormal behaviour, Snape would have thought of him as crazy and politely suggested that he be admitted to the St. Mungo's lunatics' ward.

From young, he could not be bothered with his father's lecture about history. Yet, as the son of the prestigious wizarding family of Snapes, he had to learn history, and a lot of it. The only thing refreshing about his father's teachings were the stories told. Really, his father wasn't a bad man.

Sepherania was the twin of Selda, Voldemort's mother. She was thought to be dead for a long time, until she turned up on the doorstep of the Riddle family, demanding to see Tom Riddle senior and look for her sister. He drove her off and oddly, she went without much ado. When she came back again, Voldemort had risen to power and she had ruled by his side, giving him advice and taught him many things that he overlooked. It was well-known among the Death Eaters that Sepherania was the only one who had power over Voldemort.

She had some misgiving with muggles and hated them with all her passion and soul. She sought to get rid of them purge the world free of them. Some said she was mad, others said she was merely power-hungry. Yet, Snape knew better. She was in mourning and tried to drive herself to distraction. He pitied her sometimes. Yet, she was cruel and enjoyed torturing people. Remembering her made him shudder. She was a Potions Mistress, his teacher actually, and once when he displeased her, she fed all sorts of nasty potions to him, just for experimenting.

It wasn't strange really, if Sepherania had given birth to children. After all, there black periods in her life where no one knew what she was up to of where she was. He only secretly hoped that Hermione, if indeed related to Sepherania, had the same kind of control over Voldemort, which was unlikely.

He jerked himself back to the present, only to find Voldemort doing a Blood Summoning Ritual. And to his horror, one Hermione Granger appeared.

"Blood of my blood, my line and my heir, welcome." Voldemort concluded the ritual.

And more to his horror, not a frightened submissive Miss Granger appeared but a very cheeky niece teasing her favourite uncle.

She walked forward casually and looked around, being a talkative person, couldn't resist a comment.

"Hello Uncle dearest. What a horrible place you live in."

Life is so busy,

Teachers are so fussy,

Students are so antsy,

And here I am,

So lazy.

Why can't I drop all sciences???