Snape was sitting at his desk when Hermione first arrived. He was a little surprised to see her there, especially since she had graduated. Working to prepare for the school year had made him tired, and he wished to send her away. But then he saw the look on her face, fear mixed with pain, and he wondered what would have driven her far enough to see him.

"Miss Granger?" he asked casually. She looked at him and forced a smirk,

"Professor, I need to talk to you," she muttered. He raised an eyebrow.

"About what?" Hermione struggled to figure out what she wanted to say. There were so many things on her mind, and she wondered how to say it all at once.

"Ginny," she blurted after a minute.

"What about her?"

"She won't be coming back this year..." She stopped and he nodded.

"Yes," he said nodding cooly. "I heard."

"I need to ask you if you know anything about it?" He shook his head.

"I heard her body was found along with someone else's in a house that's been abandoned for a while..."

"The house," she growled under her breath. "It's that house. That damn house..." She stopped for a moment to compose herself and looked at him again. "I wanted to know if you had any explanation for it?" He stared at her curiously.

"Why are you coming to me with something like this?" he asked.

"I know for a fact you know a lot about dark arts. I figured you could tell me what was happening." She sighed and leaned against the door frame. "I know it has something to do with that house, but I can't put my finger on it. I think it's haunted."

Snape leaned back for a moment, seeming to be thinking about something. He sighed and pulled open a drawer from his desk, removing some newspapers from it. Standing up, he walked over to her and placed them in her hands. "I was going to give these to Dumbledore," he explained. "Two bodies in the same house, and then an entire family wiped out without a discovered cause. I knew something sounded wrong. So I looked up that house."

Hermione flipped through the newspapers and found the same articles on the family who lived there.

"I already know that the father drowned everyone and killed himself later," she said softly. "I would say it was their ghosts haunting it, but they were muggles. All of them."

"Miss Granger, have you not heard the legend of a muggle grudge?" he asked cooly. She shook her head.

"No, sir."

"It's been said it's only a myth," he muttered. "But I know it isn't. The so-called myth says that whenever a muggle dies within the grip of extreme anger or suffering they leave behind a curse. It doesn't forgive, and it never forgets. Anyone who gets caught in it cannot escape it."

"How do you know the myth is true?" she asked curiously. He walked over and pointed to a headline that had been written about a week ago.

"That man," he said, pointing to the photo. "Something drove him to the point of insanity. His wife states right here that he had gone the day before to deliver something to that house. When he returned he wasn't the same. The next morning she awoke to see him throw himself out the window."

Hermione's eyes widened. "Whoa," she muttered. "Hey, I know that apartment," she whispered, looking at it closer. "I passed it the day I went to..." she stopped and nodded, not really wanting to finish her sentence.

"You've been in there?" he asked. Hermione nodded, knowing she'd never be able to lie in front of him without him seeing right through it. He turned and walked away a few steps, not facing her. "So have I," he muttered. "I came to see Ginny's body. I felt like I was being watched."

"So did I," said Hermione with a shudder. "And I saw something, or someone in there."

"Death was in that house, Miss Granger," said Snape as he turned to look at her. "Anyone who enters there, whether it be through stepping in the doorway, or even calling into it on the phone, they are cursed."

"Isn't there a counter? There has to be."

"There's no counter curse to death." She stepped back, her face devoid of any color. Her hands were shaking terribly. "I'm sorry," he muttered. She nodded and left without saying another word.

"Are you alright, Hermione?" asked Harry. They were on a bus, trying to get home faster, rather than shuffle through the crowds on the streets. Hermione nodded, but she was lying. She was not alright, nor did she think anyone would be if they learned they were going to die. Her eyes strayed to the window, and she saw herself. Her face was still pale, and dark circles had begun to form under her eyes from not sleeping. Then, her eyes seemed to change, becoming more slitted than normal, it took her a minute, but she soon saw it was a different face she was staring at. A chineese woman with her eyes opened terribly wide and her mouth stretched open, creating a horrid sound that scared her. She jumped and looked away, still feeling the eyes boring into her.

"Hermione?" whispered Harry. She shook her head as tears began to fall.

"Dae profundus clama ad te domine," she whispered.

(translation: out of the depths I cry to you, oh God.)

Snape stepped into the abandoned house. Things had gone too far this time. By the end of the week, he and Granger would be two more dead victims of the curse if he did nothing. Even though he told her there was no counter, he thought of something. If there was no house standing, the curse could not continue its coarse. He carried with him, two large containers, filled to the top with gasoline. All he had to do was burn down the house and it'd all be over. The house seemed so much darker that day, and he was even trembling with anxiety as he took off the top of one of the containers.

"This ends now," he muttered. Bang!

Something crashed upstairs, and he poked his head up. There was the sound of splashing and struggling, and he jumped to his feet, running up the stairs. Something was wrong, and he wanted to know what. Running quickly, he barged into the upstairs bathroom, the only room where the splashing sound could have been made.

A boy was on his knees, bent over the edge of the tub, his head in the water and making no movement. Snape gave a shout, and pulled the boy out, holding him in his arms and shaking him. The boy lay there, eyes closed and his body completely still. Snape began to panic. What sort of sick person would try to drown a kid in the bathtub?

Just when he was about to give up and call for an ambulence, the boys eyes snapped open. And icy chill surged down Snape's spine and he jumped back. Those eyes... he had seen them before... The newspaper article came to mind, and he realized it was the same boy from the family. The one who was supposed to be dead.

Something struck him violently in the back of the head, and he was forced down into the water and held there until his body stopped fighting and he went completely limp...

Hermione stepped into her apartment, tired and ready to sleep, probably never to wake up. She wondered how Snape was doing. The green light was blinking on her answering machine, and she pushed the button to play the message. It was Viktor.

"Hermione? Are you there? I've been worried about you. Did you go back to the house? I'm going to head over there right now to find you. Take care." BEEP!

Hermione's stomach hit the floor, and she whipped around, taking her coat with her, and ran out the door and into the night.

(A/N: ooooh! Perfect place to end it. Sorry, but y'all have to wait till tomorrow to know what happens. Well, those of you who've already seen the movie know what happens, but for those of you who don't, mwa! hahahaha! Now I know what true power feels like...

But, I already have the next part typed up. I could post it today as well, if you begged me...

From Smeagol's (evil but cute so deal with it) girl.)