Disclaimer: I'm pretty sure you know I don't own anything you recognize from Harry Potter, and if you don't know. . . I feel for you. . .
Author's Note: I'm SO sorry the last chapter was so short! Hopefully this chapter will make up for it! Please read and review! The minimum of 5 per chapter still stands people!
Previously on Phoenix Flames:
"Hermione, we really need to talk."
Hermione could tell what was coming just by that phrase alone. "Yeah Blaise?"
"There's something that's been on my mind for three or so days now. Every single day I have walked in on you and Draco in what I could probably consider compromising positions. Now I know you two are just friends, but I can also see how much you two care for one another. I'm not jealous or anything . . . far from it actually . . . I'm very happy about the two of you having such a deep bond. And I know that you will deny all of this, but it has to be said. You're falling for him . . . you just don't see it yet . . . and I'll let you figure that out on your own. What I'm trying to say is that I think we need to break up. I want you to be truly happy with whoever you are with, and I can tell that we are just meant to be friends. That is, if you still want to be . . ." said Blaise rather quickly.
"Oh . . ." said Hermione trying to process all the words. She smiled, "Of course we can still be friends."
"Good, I was hoping you'd say that."
"And you're wrong . . . Draco and I are just friends . . . I'm not falling for him as you said."
But as Hermione fell asleep that night, she couldn't help thinking, 'Am I?'
Chapter 15 – Dangers of Playing with Arachnids (pt. 1)
Hermione was growing agitated with all the guys who kept hitting on her, even when she was supposed to be unavailable. But she was even more frustrated that the moment someone broke up with her, the entire Hogwarts male population already seemed to know about it. Then it was a fight to see who could get to her first to lay claim on her.
The two and a half months following her break up with Blaise had her dating a new guy almost weekly. Some couldn't last for a week though because they had become friends with her in the duration of the year, like Seamus, Neville, Colin, and Justin. Others still shared the same views as Blaise had expressed like Dean and Su. While others were nearly killed by Hermione with some of the brazen things they said and did, like Ernie.
After breaking things off with Ernie, there came a much-needed resting period in Hermione's joke of a love life. Apparently, word had spread that she was impossible to break and she wouldn't put out. The general interest in her decreased quite a bit, at least from most of the guys… there were still some that wanted her, but lacked the guts to ask her out. She figured Ernie had spread the word about the ugly nature of their break up, and the guys who were out to corrupt her had backed away from her quite fast.
She finally had time to think, particularly about a certain platinum blonde Slytherin Head boy. . .
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"Hermione?" asked Lavender, who was waving a hand to get her attention. "Are you listening to me?"
Hermione shook herself out of her reverie, "Sorry Lavender, what was that?"
Lavender could see that she was still distracted and took advantage of the other girl's ignorance with a mischievous smile she plunged ahead, "I said, I haven't heard of you and Malfoy being caught in compromising positions recently, is the rathernon-obscure love affair over? That's a shame, you guys are so cute together."
"Oh! No… I haven't had time for that lately what with school work and all…" Hermione was very obviously not paying attention to what she was responding to. Although, after a moment's thought she realized what she had just said, "Lavender! What a cruel thing to do. What gave you that impression in the first place? Draco and I are just friends and nothing more."
Lavender smirked, "Then why are you daydreaming about him constantly? I know you are because every time I mention him, you get this weird far off look."
"I do no such thing. I happen to have a lot on my mind as of late. Now, can we get back to the conversation we were having before you side tracked?"
Lavender looked at her knowingly, "Ron and Harry told me you broke things off with that Ernie bloke yesterday and that you haven't been asked out by another one of your entourage quite yet. I'm glad; he was bad news for you just like the rest of them. Not to mention Ernie would have cheated on you if you'd stayed with him much longer.
They went silent as they heard two sets of footsteps passing. Ginny walked up to them and said, "Hey guys." They said their hellos and waited for the other footsteps to cease. Once they were certain they had gone, Hermione said darkly, "Ernie's just lucky I didn't kill him. . . course, Draco and Blaise saw to that. All I know is, if anyone ever has the nerve to be like him, they're in for a world of pain from me. And next time I see Ernie, he'd better hope there will be someone there to prevent me from punching his bloody lights out; or burning him to death."
"Slytherins. . . were protecting a Hufflepuff. . . from a Ravenclaw? Oh that's rich! I wish I could have seen that," said Ginny laughingly.
"The only reason they did it was because they don't want me to get expelled. They would rather I had – Professor McGonagall. . . what's the matter?" asked Hermione seeing that the Deputy Headmistress approached the trio in the back of the library.
Tight-lipped and pale, she said, "Come with me Miss Turoe." Without any more warning she walked towards the exit. Not sparing another word, Hermione followed McGonagall to the Headmaster's office.
"What's going on Professor McGonagall?" Hermione inquired again.
"I cannot tell you precisely what is going on since I'm not sure myself. I can only tell you this: If an opportunity presents itself, get out as soon as you possibly can," she said walking off after giving the password to the stone gargoyle.
Hermione walked up the circular stairs and with no forewarning, opened the door to his office, "Headmaster Dumbledore, you requested to see m-" Dumbledore stood aside, "-You!" Hermione instantly recognized the man clad in expensive black designer clothes. "What could you possibly want from me?"
Chuckling darkly, he moved to her side, "Now, Hermione is that anyway to treat a member of your family?"
Hermione glared at the man, "You are no family of mine. You gave up that right about fifteen years ago. I have to go Headmaster, I don't feel comfortable being in this room right now, it's not safe for me in here."
Dumbledore looked at the girl gravely, "I am afraid Miss Granger that you must leave with him immediately."
Mouth agape, Hermione said, "Headmaster, no! Surely there must be something that can be done to stop this!"
He sighed in defeat holding the release form out to her, "Unfortunately, I am completely powerless to prevent anything like this from happening now."
Hermione looked over the paper to see that it was in the Wizarding Witness Protection Program mandate to hand her over to any family member that asked it. In Hermione's case it had to be anyone more closely related to Hermione than Snape. . .
"Come on Hermione, your things have been gathered already by the house elves," said the man indicating that he was leaving and it would be well advised of her to not dawdle any longer.
Hermione nodded wordlessly and followed. Once down by the Great Hall, she was approached by Lavender, Draco, Blaise, Harry, Ron, and Ginny (who had been acting strangely lately around her.)
"Phoenix, what is going on? Where are you going?" asked a worried looking Lavender.
The man in black glared at her and answered for Hermione, "I am with the agency that adopted Miss Turoe out to the Grangers. However, now that her family is dead, we are returning her to her real family, her biological parents have been searching for her for five years."
"What!" exclaimed an outraged Ron trying to hide his knowledge of Hermione's identity, "She's an adult, doesn't she have any say in this?"
"Ron, it's okay. . . really," said Hermione giving them a pointed look even though four of them knew perfectly well that the whole story they were just given was a lie.
Sullenly, the duo walked away to the awaiting carriage outside. Once they were safely inside the carriage, Hermione rounded on the man. "What the hell is your problem? How dare you come back now!"
"How dare me? How dare you, disgracing my name like this! I'm disgusted to even know you with who you've been associating with," said the man as though Hermione had soiled the Granger name.
"I disgraced our name? I'm not the one who abandoned my family fifteen years ago! I'm not the one who broke mum and dad's hearts by joining up with Scorpions!" Hermione crossed her arms and looked away from the man, as the carriage began to move.
After about a minute of unbearable silence the man spoke, "Look. . . Hermione. . . I'm sorry for all of that, but you've got to understand something. I was approached by Jack Willis fifteen years ago, and he threatened to kill me if I didn't join up with the Black Widows. I didn't want to get involved seeing what happened to so many people if they wanted to get out. The Scorpions approached me and offered to protect me, but at a cost. I had to leave you guys, but I also had to get mum and dad out of the Widows and make sure that you never associated with anyone from the Black Widows, Death Eaters, the Scorpions, or any other magic gang. I took that promise to heart, and I've been watching you ever since, but now I have found need of your cooperation. . ."
This did nothing to quell Hermione's anger, "You have been spying on me for all of these years? My own brother, and you couldn't even give me the slightest indication that you were alive? And to top it off, you just took me from the only home and family I have left, to ask me to cooperate with you?"
"I don't have a choice. Listen, you brought this on yourself as soon as you started associating with that Death Eater spawn, but what really did this was your befriending that Black Widow spy. My boss ordered me to get you out of there until we could guarantee the Black Widows would be unable to touch you."
"I was perfectly safe there! None of the Black Widows even know I'm alive!" Hermione looked him straight in the eye. "I can take care of myself without you or your gang's help."
"Really. . . if they don't know you're alive, then why are they out looking for you again? Are you really that naïve to think that they wouldn't have figured out who you were? Especially with that Black Widow spy constantly tailing you all the time."
"Blaise is my friend. He would never betray my trust!" Hermione said, outraged with her brother.
Her brother looked at her strangely, "Blaise. . . you think I'm talking about Blaise."
"Yes! Who else could you possibly be accusing? I don't know any other Black Widows than Blaise."
"Is that so. . . Well I would have thought that you could figure this one out on your own, but I guess I was very wrong indeed. . ." he said with an air of superiority.
She knew he was baiting her. . . and it was working, "Jeremy, wipe that damn smirk off your face and just tell me who you're talking about already!"
"Are you daft woman? You mean to tell me that you couldn't sense her spying on you and she's been there the whole time? She's only been acting strangely around you ever since she found out who you are."
It couldn't be. . . Hermione refused to believe such a preposterous notion. "You can't seriously be accusing Ginny Weasley of being a Black Widow spy!"
Jeremy sighed heavily, "You really can be thick sometimes, not even seeing what's right in front of your face. . . no it's not Ginny Weasley. She doesn't have an evil bone in her body. You really should have been more careful about who you keep around you as a friend. She weaseled her way into your life and is trying to destroy it and you can't even see past her bubbly personality and happy exterior. . ."
Hermione was really getting agitated with her brother's jumping all around the answer, "Jeremy, tell me who it is before I punch your bloody lights out!"
"Dear, dear Hermione. . . I can't believe you didn't figure it out yet. . ."
"Jeremy!"
"Fine. . . there's no need to yell. It's your other friend-"
Despite the fact that he was toying with her, Hermione finally figured it out and cut him off, "-Lavender Brown. . ."
"I see it finally clicked. . . now are you willing to cooperate with me?"
Too shocked at the revelation to speak, she nodded her head slowly. She couldn't believe that one of her friends sold her out to the people trying to kill her and she didn't even see it.
Her eyes flashed with fire the longer she sat there. The only thought on her mind was, 'You are going to pay Lavender. . . don't ever doubt that. You best be watching your back from now on. . .'
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Hermione arrived back at Hogwarts just after supper still very much in shock over her most recent discovery.
She had always wondered why it always felt as though someone was watching her everywhere she went. Part of that was true in the sense that Jeremy had been watching her from the side lines. But he was not the potentially harmful presence she always sensed and watched out for. It had in fact been one of the people she happened to have trusted most. She realized then that Snape had been right . . . she didn't know who she could trust.
A/N: I bet most of you weren't expecting that! Well, please review cause I'm more inclined to update really soon!I already have the next chapter ready (it's over 4,000 words,) and it'sgoing to have a lot more explanations that you'll want; so once again, REVIEW!