Disclaimer- I do not own Harry Potter

Author's Note- I hope you like this chapter because I spent as much time as I could on it. It was a pain to write because I kept messing up my grammar and mixing my words. I went over it a ton. I did say that I would have It out by Thursday at the latest and I followed through! Thank you to those who reviewed for me and those who answered my question. I appreciate and you will never know how cheerful those silly things make me! Cheers!

Chapter 15

The funeral for Pansy had been a sorrowful affair. Students who did and didn't like her remembered her fondly. The professors had even found themselves missing the snooty girl. Draco's speech had gone over well and the Slytherins had been deeply moved by it while the students in the other houses were surprised at the passion he spoke with. Hermione had also spoken and her speech had been so well written it caused Snape to give Pansy a second thought. Perhaps, he pondered, Ms. Parkinson just had a rough exterior.

Just before the dismissal of the attendees, Dumbledore stood to face the students. His eyes didn't twinkle and his skin looked a bit sallow. "Students," He began, "I am greatly saddened by this affair. Ms. Parkinson was a good student, a little hard to get to know, but a good student. With most of the undergraduates from all the houses in attendance, you really showed me that second chances are available for everyone. I urge you to follow in Pansy's footsteps and not die, per se, but help to become united. Don't let the colors of a person's house keep you away. This is a hard time for us all and we need to remember that while we are witches and wizards, we are, first and foremost, all human."

The students looked at Dumbledore in understanding. They all knew what he was urging them to do: make friends with one another. Some of the Gryffindors scoffed and turned to face the Slytherins menacingly. What shocked them was that a few of the Slytherins were talking to students in other houses. They stared around in confusion and cautiously approached their friends.

The tension in the air was ignored as the students began to loosen up and talk to each other. Eventually, everyone was laughing and getting along with one another. Dumbledore smiled from his place on the podium, "What do you think is going on?" He asked his staff quietly. The teachers looked around and noticed the conversational exchange between students.

"Albus," McGonagall said, startled by the groups the children had broken off into, "What do they think they are doing?" Dumbledore chuckled.

"I'd say they are finally getting to know each other. I'm surprised they are taking my advice." A few of the staff members scoffed at Dumbledore but Professor Flitwick practically giggled.

"I heard the Slytherins talking on my way down here. They decided that they wanted to try something new." Dumbledore nodded.

"Did you notice Mr. Parkinson anywhere?" Madame Hooch asked, changing the topic, "I would have thought he would be here for his daughter's goodbye." Snape groaned.

"It's probably best that he's not here." He turned to the headmaster and raised an eyebrow. Dumbledore nodded a fraction of an inch.

"I think it would have been worse if he had been here." Hagrid grunted in agreement.

The professors began to chat animatedly with each other. After covering a variety of topics the conversation had begun to dwindle.

"Well, if that is all, I think we should get the students into the school and we should head in too." The professors nodded in agreement and went to get their students. "Professor Snape," Dumbledore called before Snape was too far away, "Please come to my office when you are done. We need to discuss recent events." Snape nodded placidly.

"I'll be there as soon as I can headmaster." He replied.

-

The funeral ceremony had been long and Desmond Parkinson was in no mood to sit around some more. Unluckily for him, the tree he had been behind didn't offer him a covered path into the Forbidden Forest. He was stuck until Professor Dumbledore decided to bring his students inside. He grumbled unhappily then realized he could use this time to watch over the students at the school. Voldemort needed this information for his plans anyway. He started to observe the students and what he saw surprised him.

The students weren't acting like they normally did and Voldemort would not be pleased by his report. It actually looked like all the kids were talking and laughing with each other. This was not good.

While scrutinizing the behavior of the children, the elder Parkinson began to think. He had only come to Hogwart's grounds to bid farewell to his immoral daughter. He couldn't believe that she had sacrificed herself for a light sider. His face began to take on a pinkish hue as he seethed over his only child's stupid actions. After hearing of what she had done he hadn't wanted to come and say goodbye, it just seemed like the right thing to do: he had once loved his girl and saying goodbye was the least he could do for her. He and Pansy had gotten along extremely well until she was about six and his wife found out she could no longer conceive.

After the day his wife came home from the mediwitch's, his home had gone to hell. With no male heir, Desmond Parkinson was a wizard filled with hate. He regretted having Pansy and he regretted the fact that he had to take care of her when all he wanted was a son. He didn't get any sympathy from his wife either. Mrs. Arianne Parkinson loved her daughter down to her snooty toes. For this, he had taken all of his pent up anger out on them and he had pushed them both away. Luckily for them, his search for Voldemort had kept him busy and they had only occasionally experienced his extreme temper.

When Pansy was eight years old he and Lucius Malfoy had come across the spirit of their master. Voldemort was weak and small at the time but the potential to take out everyone and everything was still as strong as ever and for that, the death eaters had reorganized.

Pansy was nine years when old Desmond Parkinson had begun to weaken. With all his new stresses his already feeble immune system was failing. His master had noticed this and, at one of the many revels, pulled out one of the darkest looking books he, or any of the followers, had ever seen.

The spell that he had chosen was the spell placed on Pansy when she was ten years old. This spell put a little bit of love back in his heart for his child. His daughter would now die for him! Though he was perfectly pleased, Pansy hadn't seemed to like her future plans and had become more withdrawn, as had his once loving wife.

Now, with Pansy dead, he was sure to die soon. The spell had had him feeding off some of her life force without her knowing. Without that extra bit of magic, Mr. Parkinson had already begun to get sick. His daughter had kept him alive and now, now, she was dead. She was dead because of her.

He would kill Hermione Granger, if it was the last thing he did.

-

Dumbledore watched Pansy Parkinson's father walk through the Forbidden Forest from his large circular window. The poor man's head was downwards and the steps he took were calculated. The bright headmaster believed the man to be sorrowful and grieving. He watched him sadly and wished him the best of luck from his perch in the tower in which his office was located. For a few more minutes the headmaster simply stood and stared, taking in all that was happening around his school. He was thinking about Hermione Granger when the potion's master entered the room

"Severus," He questioned, "What do you think has been going on around this school?" Snape shrugged and meandered over to the large desk the Headmaster owned.

"A lot has been going on headmaster. I am sure that it will be nothing less than hectic for the rest of the time being." The headmaster nodded understandingly and motioned for a seat.

"Let's go over what happened last night, shall we?" Snape bobbed his head up and down after sitting in a large chair. Snape took a deep breath.

"Albus, I'll tell you about the revel." The aging man sitting behind the desk gave him a signal of affirmation and he began to relay the information he learned.

-

The days had passed quickly since Monday, the day of Pansy's funeral. The students in the four houses had been more at ease with one another around the school. The Gryffindor – Slytherin rivalries were still as strong as ever, but lately, they had been more in fun than in hate. Hermione had found herself enjoying school more now that she could talk to Millicent without receiving glares from her housemates and the Slytherin students. All in all, these days had proved to be some of the best of the year.

Though there was a certain freedom in the air, Hermione found herself locked away in the restricted section of the library most often. She had taken Snape's warning to heart and had been brewing every potion and learning every incantation that she could.

Her studying hadn't helped her as much as she would have liked. She figured that Madame Pince and Professor Dumbledore had the really powerful books in a special room locked away from the students. The restricted section was just like the cookies her mom always baked. They were always on the highest shelf of the pantry and no matter how many you ate after finally getting to them, it just wasn't enough. The information wasn't enough for her, she needed more.

On Thursday evening Hermione had been sitting in a dark corner of the library. Her wand had been lit and she was reading from a book she had almost gone over in her search for useful curses and potions. The book, Once Used, Now Forgotten, was old and the pages yellowed. The cover itself had the words almost worn off. She had stumbled across it after literally stumbling on a groove in the floor. She had caught herself with one hand against the wall and one hand on the moldy book.

When she had begun to read, she had been surprised by the curses and potions. Most had been light spells and though she knew few of them (always a chance to learn!) none had proved useful for her cause. The book had looked so promising but the light spells wouldn't work when matched with the darkest hexes thrown. Flipping to the last few pages, she grumbled and had leaned over to put the book back when one of the yellowed pages fell to the floor. She picked the page up cautiously and read over the name and the ingredients. Surprisingly, it wasn't that hard to make but the outcome was exactly what she was looking for! She held the paper tightly in her hands and rushed to her room to begin the brewing of the potion she wanted to create.

Thursday night was spent on the bathroom floor brewing one of the most concise potions she ever had to make. The timings had to be so exact that her hands had been shaking in nervousness while she added each ingredient.

She was so tired after the brewing and bottling of her potion that she had spent Friday sitting dazedly in each class while recording as much as she could without opening her eyes. After classes had ended she had practically run to her bed and as soon as she shut her eyes she had slept clear through until the next morning.

Hermione woke up Saturday morning with a hand splayed across her stomach and a toe digging into her leg. She sat up immediately, throwing Draco's limbs off of her. "Draco!" Hermione said, shaking the sleeping boy, "It's a Hogsmeade weekend! Let's go meet everyone in the great hall!" Draco grumbled.

"You don't want to go?" Hermione questioned, trying to figure out the mumblings that Draco had incoherently spewed at her. He nodded into the pillow. She took pity on him and laughed, then rushed into the bathroom where she hurriedly took a shower.

After finishing up, Hermione reached under the sink for the six necklaces she owned. Each necklace had a small vial, not bigger than her petite thumb, and a thin silver chain. She filled each vial with her potion. Hanging the six necklaces from her neck, she walked from the bathroom and sat on Draco's side of the bed. "Draco!" He groused and turned over. "Draco!" Hermione said louder and Draco protested more by putting the pillow over his head. "Draco Malfoy, you know I can use this wand against you, sit up now or forever hold your peace." That statement pulled him from his sleepy state and he turned to look at her.

"What do you want, you insufferable woman!" He inquired hostilely. Hermione huffed. After a moment of containing her brief pang of anger, Hermione took a breath.

"Malfoy, I want you to have this and wear it from now on." Draco grasped the silver necklace carefully.

"What in the world?" He asked irritably. "You woke me up for this?"

"I have a feeling that you will need it. If you are ever in trouble drink the whole thing down, I promise it will help you." Draco eyed her and saw the five other chains.

"Who are those for?"

"These chains are for Harry, Ron, Millicent, Ginny and me." She answered, "I don't want to be a widow at a young age. Take this and use it wisely, it will save your life if you drink it as soon as you see yourself in a harmful situation. I gave you fifteen drops which means it should last about three and a half hours. Please be careful today." Hermione leaned over and pecked a surprised Draco on the lips. Grabbing her purse and throwing on her shoes and coat she headed to the great hall leaving a slightly baffled Draco in her midst.

-

When she reached the Great Hall, a large smile was plastered on her face. She rushed to her friends happily. Hugging each of them, she slipped the necklace into their hands and explained quietly when to use each vial and how long the potion would last. After a positive signal from each person, except Millicent (she couldn't just hug the girl… both of their housemates would STILL have a fit), she hurried the boys on. "I'm ready to start shopping!" She told them excitedly and they agreed. They finished their breakfasts quickly and exited the large room.

The three were just about to open the doors to the castle and follow a few other classmates down to Hogsmeade when they heard footsteps behind them. Hermione spun around defensively as did Harry and Ron. Draco Malfoy looked surprised but a smirk quickly lit up his face. Hermione sighed, exasperated with her beau, and told Harry and Ron to go ahead.

"So tell me what this is really for." Draco said to his wife after he had pulled her away from her friends. She gave him a look.

"Is that what was so important? I was finally getting to spend time with my buddies!" Draco grinned mischievously.

"Why won't you tell me?" He pouted.

"Draco, I found this spell in the library. Dumbledore has ears everywhere so I don't want to scream out the name of this potion. You'll find out soon though, I know it." Draco grumbled yet again, "Oh, and sweetie-cakes, give this to Millicent for me. Don't be brash about it. I want this to be a secret." She laughed inwardly at the name she had called him. Draco frowned.

"Fine, but if you ever call me that name again, you'll be wishing you had a potion like this to stop the killing curse." He lifted the vial up to eye level. Hermione paled and Draco noticed. "Hey, I was only kidding!" She gave a faint smile.

"Ha, yeah, I know." Draco stopped to think and then frowned once more.

"Alright, I'm hungry, I'll see you later." Hermione nodded to him and they both went their separate ways.

-

Draco sat down at the Slytherin table looking slightly troubled. Millicent got up and moved from her seat to sit by him. "You okay?" She asked pleasantly. Draco furrowed his brows.

"I think Hermione made a potion to stop the killing curse." Millicent paled.

"She did what?"

"Thursday evening she spent all night in the bathroom. I thought she was sick but I didn't check." He paused at the reproving look Millicent gave him. He stuck his tongue out at her. "I think she was making this potion. She came back from the library looking flushed and excited clutching this paper in her hands." Millicent chuckled.

"Sounds like Hermione. Now how do you figure about this potion?" Draco handed his housemate the thin necklace.

"This." Millicent hooked the necklace on her neck when she was sure nobody was watching her.

"This holds the potion?" He nodded.

"Hermione said to use this when we were sure we were in trouble." Millicent smiled at him.

"I'll take good care of it." Draco eyed her cautiously.

"Why are you smiling so much lately?"

"I never had a reason to, now I do."

-

Hermione hummed to herself as she skipped along the worn trail to Hogsmeade. A lot of the students chose to take the carriages but she opted to go by foot. She wanted to experience nature and now, right before winter set in, was the perfect time to do so.

Hermione skipped out of the school gates and saw the small town just a couple hundred feet in front of her. She smiled to herself and began to slowly walk to the entrance. A shaking feeling passed through her body and Hermione began to worry. The feeling was a lot like when the tipard was near. Walking a bit quicker, she realized there was someone behind her. She whipped out her wand and spun around.

It was too late.

Invisible ropes wrapped around her lithe form and a drugged mask covered her nose. Her head began to spin and she was about to drift off when she felt a strong pair of arms hoist her up. She laughed happily though she wasn't quite sure why. The world was beginning to twirl. Hermione looked into the eyes of her attacker and laughed. He smiled cruelly at her.

"Where are we going mister?" She giggled. The man gripped her harshly.

"Somewhere I promise you won't like." She giggled again and pouted.

"Oh pooooey!" She said unhappily. The man pulled out a small amulet and Hermione became distracted and giggled again. "That's so pretty!" She told him. He grabbed her hand and held it to the amulet, right by where his own hand was placed. Hermione watched carefully, a speculative gaze in her dilated eye.

"Why are you looking so suspicious?" The man asked her angrily. Hermione shrugged happily and giggled again before the world became a swirl and the familiar pull from her belly button occurred.

The feeling of a portkey filled Hermione. Something clicked in her mind and the dizziness that had been clogging her brain began to fade away. Once she regained full consciousness and she was sure that land was under her kidnapper's feet, she began to think. Every once in a while she let out a giggle to make sure that the man didn't know she was no longer drugged.

Her brain began to process what had just happened to her. This drug, she was certain, was HGF. HGF wasn't used often because of its qualities. It faded quickly and, if the person drugged was asked specific question by the person who used the drug, the effects would fade even more quickly. She didn't have time to think over the drug anymore because the man had halted his walking. He had stopped at a small white door.

He mumbled a spell in a very low voice and the white door swung open. The man practically threw Hermione in the room and, making sure he had her wand, he undid the ropes that were tied around her body and shut the door.

"I'll be back soon, mudblood." He called through a small slot in the door.

"You better bet your ass you will be." Hermione called back, surprising the man who thought she was still drugged. He slammed the slot shut and walked away.

An hour passed and Hermione was beginning to get hungry. She was also brimming with anger. She was just about to get up and bang on the door when she heard a low voice chanting by it. Reaching into her shirt and pulling out her vial, she downed the contents in one swoop. The vial was placed inside her shirt just in time, for when the door swung open, there stood the men she least wanted to see.

Lucius Malfoy, a man who looked to be a Parkinson and one who looked to be a Bulstrode stood in the doorway. They backed away from the door after each giving her a rage filled stare. She glared at each of them in turn and then stomped, with her back to them, to a small chair across the room.

"I don't think that isssss ssssmart, mudblood." A snake-like voice filled the room. "IT jussst might causssssse ssssome problemssssss."

Hermione froze.

A/N—What do you think? I rewrote this chapter like 10 times and I am still not proud of it. I'm such a gal-darn perfectionist. I would have written more but my dad is telling me to come empty the dishwasher and I have to make a 'Hershey's Kisses' banner for my mom. I hope you enjoyed and I will try to have the next chapter out by… well… let's hope for Monday.

No school for me tomorrow! I will start the next chapter then.

REVIEW!

Regards, Kate