Chapter 36

Andraste woke up the next morning to Severus laying a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Good morning beautiful, are you ready to be my wife?"

"After I get some more sleep," she said groggily, and then rolled back over. "What time is it?" he heard her muffled voice say from under the pillows and blankets she had pulled over her head.

"10:30, I waited as long as I could to wake you up, but we need to pick out the rings so I can send the rest back before Sevan's shop opens." Andraste sat up, tossing the pillow to the side, and looked at the tray he had sitting in front of him.

"They're all so pretty," she said, and then raised her hand, making the box containing the rings Alexandra had given her appear in her hand. "But I want to give you your wedding present before we chose."

"That's fine, but you're still going to have to wait until tonight for your gift." Andi smiled at him and put the small box in his hand. He removed he lid and poured the two rings into his palm. "They're perfect," Severus said gently. "Should I assume this is why you went to Hogsmeade?" Andraste shook her head, smiling brightly.

"Yes, but there's something special about them. You will, however, have to wait until after we're married to put it on and find out what it is."

"I trust it will be wonderful."

"I hope you'll think so," Andraste said, kissing him on the cheek. "Did you get Remus something yet?"

"I do have manners, Andi."

"Excellent, now get out. Hermione will be here any minute, so I'll see you later."

"Three o'clock, beautiful."

"I'm not going to forget what time my wedding is Severus. Now, I love you and get out." Severus smiled and obeyed, opening the door just as Hermione was walking up to it.

"Miss Granger is here, Andi," he shouted behind him as he left. Andraste walked out into the living room, dressed and carrying the second small box that Alexandra had given her.

"You're getting married today. To Snape," Hermione said as soon as she saw Andraste. "That's almost a bit creepy."

"I could see how it might be," Andraste said laughing. "I bet you never would have thought that you'd be the maid of honor at Professor Snape's wedding."

"Even I am not that smart," Hermione replied, humor echoing through her words.

"And yet, here you are. Now sit, I have something for you." Hermione sat on the couch, opening the box that Andraste had handed her. Inside was a silver bracelet with a flat black stone on it. Prowling back and forth on the stone was a small, but detailed lioness that occasionally stopped and let out a silent roar.

"Oh my God, Andi! Is this what I think it is? It is! Oh my God!" she screamed, jumping up and giving Andraste a big hug and then sliding the bracelet on her wrist. Immediately it shrunk to fit her perfectly, and the lioness settled peacefully in the middle of the stone.

"Actually Hermione," Andraste admitted, "all I know is that it's a pretty bracelet. A shop owner in Hogsmeade thought it would be the perfect thing for my maid-of-honor." She purposely omitted the part about Alexandra, not wanting to go into the full story of how she happened to meet an Elvin Guardian.

"It's a Leaena Lapideus, Andi," Hermione told her, still sounding very excited. "A Stone Lioness. Look." Andraste watched as the young girl held her wrist up and muttered a few words that Andi couldn't hear. A strange feeling filled the air as Hermione dropped to her knees, and before Andraste had the time to rush to her side, she had turned into a pure white lioness, a perfect copy of the one from the bracelet. "Rrooaarr," Hermione said, her voice and accent still intact. Hearing the pathetic sound come out of such a fierce looking creature made Andi laugh out loud. The lion held her paw up, to show the bracelet to Andraste; it was the only thing that Hermione had been wearing that hadn't turned into fur. But now, however, the small lioness was now a small replica of Hermione. "Isn't it incredible?" Hermione said, changing back into her normal form. "Can we go show Ron and Harry?"

"Of course we can," Andraste replied, wondering to herself why Alexandra had wanted Hermione to have the bracelet. She followed her out of the room and towards Gryffindor tower. Just before they reached the painting that served as a doorway to the house's common room, a voice called out from behind them.

"Andi, wait a minute." They turned around to see Remus running up the stairs towards them. "I need to talk to you," he said as he slid up next to them.

"Go ahead, Hermione," Andraste told her. "I'll catch up with you in a bit." Lupin gave Andraste a strange smile, and then flashed an even odder grin at Hermione as he pulled Andi away by the hand.

"It'll be a while, Miss Granger," he said, "Andraste and I have much to talk about."

"Okay, Professor Lupin," she replied jokingly, "just be sure to have her back in time to get married."

"Oh, I will," he said, pulling Andi away. "Don't worry about a thing, princess." He disappeared with Andraste down the stairs, and Hermione headed into the tower, trying to shake an unsettling feeling.

"I just saw Professor Lupin," she said to Ron and Harry, forgetting momentarily about the new bracelet she wore. "He was acting rather weird."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Andi was with me... oh! Look at what she gave me!" She held out her wrist so the two boys could see the lioness on the stone.

"That's bloody cool for being jewelry," Ron said. Harry gave it a cursory glance before changing the topic back.

"Forget the jewelry. What were you saying about Remus?"

"Oh yeah," Hermione said, brought back to the odd conversation she had just had. "Well, he called me Miss Granger, for one. He never does that."

"That's really not that weird Hermi," Ron said. "Now let's see that bracelet again."

"It was Ron," Hermione said insistently. "He told me not to worry if she was gone for a while, and then pulled her away." The boys watched as Hermione's face paled.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked just before Hermione set off in a run towards the door she had just came in.

"He called me princess," she shouted over her shoulder as she disappeared down the hall.

"Come on," Harry said, grabbing Ron and taking off after her. They skidded to a stop right behind Hermione, who had frozen at the top of the stairs.

"Go find Snape, and see if you can find Remus too," she ordered, and then they watched as their friend turned into a lioness and darted down the stairs.

"Did you... what was... how did she?" Ron stammered. Instead of responding, Harry shook his head and took off down the stairs.

"We have to find Remus first," Harry said as he ran. "We need to know if he's with Andi or not." The boys hurried through the school, making a sharp turn at the Great Hall to cut through to Lupin's office. They were happy to find, however, that several of the teachers were there eating lunch, Lupin and Snape among them. "Where's Andraste? Did you see her?" Harry asked Remus as they skidded to a stop in front of teachers table.

"No I haven't." Lupin replied calmly.

"She's with Hermione. Why do you need her?" Severus asked them, a look of worry starting to crease his eyes. Harry and Ron were still bent over trying to catch their breath, but did their best to reply.

"Hermione...lion," Ron gasped.

"Lupin came for Andi... It's Jeremy...obviously," Harry said, trying to take deep breaths between thoughts. "Hermione is looking...for them." Severus jumped up, knocking his chair over in the process.

"Where are they?" he demanded.

"Don't know," Ron replied.

"The map would be of assistance," Dumbledore reminded gently, and the two boys took off towards Gryffindor tower, with Severus and Remus right behind them.

Hermione, in her lioness form, rushed through the halls, stopping only occasionally to smell the air in hopes of picking up Jeremy or Andi's scent. Most of the students she encountered did little more than shriek in terror and jump to the side at the sight of her running by; with the exception of two overzealous prefects that she had to dodge curses from. Finally, thankful for her heightened senses and faster form, she picked up on a trail that she was sure was the trademark rose scent that tended to cling to Andraste. She followed the smell to a second floor corridor that was rarely used, and ran as fast as she could towards the voices that she could hear coming from down the hall.

"I knew you weren't dead," she heard Andi say.

"I'm not that easy to get rid of," Jeremy retorted, his voice cold and harsh.

"We'll see about that," Hermione thought to herself; every ounce of anger and fury that she had ever felt in her life building up inside her. As a lion would when it was stalking it's prey, she silently followed the sound of the argument until she was sure that they were around the next corner. As if the animal instinct had taken over, she heard herself growl at the knowledge of how close the man that she hated with everything in her was; and without ever considering any other courses of action, she rounded the corner at a full run, and leapt onto Jeremy, knocking him over and the wand out of his hand. By the time they hit the ground together, her teeth were clutched around his throat, and her claws were imbedded an inch deep into his chest. She clenched her jaw, letting the frenzy of her rage take over, and finally pulled away when she was brought back to reality by a bitter metallic taste seeping into her mouth. She stepped off of him, removing her claws from his skin roughly and went over to Andraste. Once she had turned herself back into her normal form and hugged her teacher tight, she looked back at the man laying on the floor.

"Is he dead?" Hermione said, her tone much more curious than upset. Andraste cocked her head to the side and leaned in a bit, trying to get a closer look at him without getting too close.

"Judging by the blood and angle his neck is at, I would say yes," Andraste said with an odd hint of humor.

"Are you mad at me?"

"Nope. Are you okay?"

"Yes... I just killed someone."

"And how do you feel about that?" Andraste asked her, remembering how it was for her the first time she took another's life.

"He deserved it, so I'm okay with it. I think that's what's weird. That I'm not upset and I should be."

"That's pretty much how I felt when I killed someone too. He deserved it, but I thought that I was supposed to be freaked out. I wasn't then, and I'm definitely not sad to see Jeremy go now. You did me and this world a great service."

"I'm glad you feel that way," Hermione said, looking up at Andraste with a half smile. "You're not going to postpone the wedding because of this, are you?" Andraste laughed, and shook her head.

"Think I should?"

"No. I want a new dress," Hermione said with a grin.

"Yeah, me too." Just then, they heard voices down the hall calling out.

"We're over here," Hermione called in response. Soon Severus rounded the corner at full speed, followed closely by Remus, Ron, and Harry.

Snape looked down at the figure laying on the floor, and then back up to Andraste and Hermione before rushing to Andi and sweeping her up into a hug.

"What happened?"

"Somehow he made himself look like Remus and he brought me here. He's dead now, it's finally over."

"How," Lupin interrupted, tilting his head the same way Andraste had before, "did that happen to him?" Andraste looked hesitantly at Hermione, unsure of what the young girl was comfortable sharing.

"He fell," Hermione said with a bright smile.

"Hard," Andraste added.

"Bloody hell!" Ron interjected. "What'd he fall into?"

"I do not think," Dumbledore interrupted from behind them, "that is of any consequence. And seeing as how he was already thought to be dead, I do not believe that this will be a problem." Albus waved his wand, and the body disappeared.

"Where'd he go?" Harry asked the headmaster.

"Into the casket that he was supposed to be in already. I think it would be best if we not tell anyone of this." Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. "Although, Hermione, if you ever want to explain, now is the time." Hermione gave it a moment's thought and then offered the group a quick version of what had happened.

"Andi gave me this bracelet," she said, holding it up for everyone to see. "It let's me change into a lioness and back whenever I want. I followed them here in that form, and then jumped on him. I think I broke his neck."

"Bloody brilliant," Ron muttered. "Wish I could do that."

"Andraste and Hermione are safe," Severus said, "that's what matters."

"You're quite right, darling," Andraste agreed. "Now if you'll excuse us, we were getting ready for the wedding." Andraste gave them all bright smiles, and walked past them, pulling Hermione behind her by the hand; and both of them laughing. The other five watched in amazement as the two girls disappeared around the corner.

"Do you really think they're okay?" Remus asked after a few moments.

"I suspect," Dumbledore said, "that Hermione has not yet accepted what happened, but Andraste, no doubt can handle it."