Chapter Two: Arrogance down to a science

A/N- Not mine.Darn.

Hermione sat glaring at Minerva McGonagall in stone silence as the woman fidgeted nervously. Her gaze shifted directions momentarily. She let her eyes rest on the dark man in the corner for a moment, he was sipping on her brandy, wearing a smug expression. His eyes met hers and she narrowed her eyes at him before turning back to the elderly woman as she began to speak.

"Hermione," she began, but was interuppted by the girl herself.

"I prefer Miss Granger," she said hotly.

"The woman looked slightly taken aback, but hid it well. "Miss Granger, why do you think these death eaters were here tonight?" she said.

"I don't interrogate them, i kill them." Hermione said pouring herself a stronger drink. "But i would assume that they were here because this is a magical school, they wish to kill muggleborns correct?"

"Well Miss Granger, one, there were no deaths tonight, so your statement is false. And secondly they were no here for some child, they were here for you." Snape said from his seat in the corner.

"I can't say im not offended, they sent some rookie bastards after me? Did they really think that they could send some poorly trained children to kill me?" She said with obvious distaste.

"They seem to have lacked your abilities, that is shameful on their part. But make no mistake, they were not here to kill you." Snape said.

"Well what did they want? To make friends? Did they want some lovely Beauxbaton's Tea?" She said sarcastically.

"They were here to take you back to London, for your impending marriage. To whomever it would be to."

The red of her cheeks that was evident from her rising anger vanished quickly. "Marriage?" She choked out.

"You are the target as of yesterday. Not Potter, or myself, you." Snape said quietly.

"Why? Why the hell would they be after me now?" She said angrily.

"You remember the law, correct?" McGonagall questioned.

"The law?" Hermione said, grasping the area of the woman's question.

"They haven't thrown that out yet?" She said, the venom in her voice being replaced by a slight waver.

"No Miss Granger, they have not. And as of yesterday they have changed the boundaries. The purebloods are now able to petition for any muggleborn or half bloo, they have the ability to petition anywhere and bring the petitioned witch or wizard to them." She finished with a lowering of her eyes.

"You are now in danger of being petitioned to a death eater that has more than marital bliss at mind. You will be killed if you do not find a way to manipulate this law in your favor."

"I've had this conversation before." Hermione said.

"Miss Granger, i am aware that this is not the ideal conversation, nor are the circumstances bu any means wonderful, you are going to have to do something though. Otherwise you will be killed, or worse."

"Why does that sound like a threat? Nevermind." She said exasperated.

"The death eaters who find themselves as your enemies, Miss Granger, have already found themselves in favor of this law. They have already petitioned for most of the half bloods and muggleborns that were on the side of light during the war." Snape said.

"Harry would have been petitioned had he not married Ginevra last year. Numerous others were too late to do anything to stop their marriages to dark men and women, we don't want the same fate to befall you."

"Your name has just been added to the list, you will have offers in the morning, that i am sure of." McGonagall finished sadly.

"Spiteful bastards," She said placing her glass on the table and laying her head in her hands. "What am i to do now?"

"We are here to ask you to return to London with us, at least there we can face the problem head on, and you wont have to face it on your own. We aren't leaving until the morning, so we will come for your decision then." She said standing and walking to the exit.

Snape rose as well, and with a small nod to the woman on the sofa, he followed his employer.


After an hour or so of sulking in her chambers, Hermione stood and pulled her cloak from the chair. She tied it around her and walked out into the hall, unaware of any surroundings that may have been there that night, or any students walking after curfew, she walked out onto the ground.

She looked around without nervousness and walked to the small space bewtween the building and the garden wall and sat with her back against the school. She pulled her knees to her chest and lit a cigarette out of habit.

She had left her entire life behind her once before for this stupid law. She coudn't run this time. There was no excuse of a job offer to escape, if she tried to run they would break her wand.

There didn't seem to be enough hours in the night to develop a scheme to get her out of this one. 'Might as well start digging my grave now.' She thought sadly.

She sat watching the smoke drift out into the night sky for what seemed like moments when she felt a presence beside her.

"Snape."

"Miss Granger."

She pulled out a cigarette and handed it to him, he lit it and sat back against the wall as she had previously been.

"What are you doing here?" She said without looking away from the sky.

"I was asked to come along, in case i was needed." He answered.

"What am i supposed to do now?" She said flicking her cigarette butt across the wall, where it rebounded and hit the man beside her in the face.

"Grand." He spat as he wiped multiple ashes off of his nose.

"Right now you are supposed to be, i dont know, reflecting?" He said with no assurance.

"Im reflecting on the face that ive been through this law once before and it ended badly. Why exactly did you think i left?" She asked hotly.

"I had no idea. I figured you were either running from the law, or as i hoped, you had finally realized how idiotic Potter and Weasley were, i figured it was the first though."

"In a way you're right on both counts. Granted, no one else knows this, so i will probably kill you when i finish." She said looking at him for the first time. He nodded for her to continue.

"It was the end of my Seventh year when the law was passed, as you know." She said, pausing slightly to make sure he was following her.

"Im actually surprised Dumbledore didn't have you in on this, but regardless, i was a prime target of some of the darker intentioned beings. It was right before we defeated Voldemort, when i found out about the law. And of course, Ron and i agreed that he would be the one to petition for me."

"Weasley? Didn't know he had the balls." Snape said from his spot against the wall.

"Apparently he didn't. The fight between ourselves and Voldemort came to pass, and as we were victorious i expected my last year to be easier. Ron and i were to meet at the Order Headquarters and he was to send off the petition to the ministry."

She stopped at this point to chew on the inside of her cheek.

"A few days after the final battle, after everyone had been released form the various hospital wings, Harry and Ron stopped by and proceeded to lecture me on how it was best to forget all about the war."

"Its not as if you can rewrite those years of your life or-" Snape was interrupted as he became slightly angered.

"Its not the war they wanted to erase, it was me. I was at the deadline of my petition search. The ministry gave me a week to accept a petition of my own choosing or they would choose one for me. Ron and Harry walked out on me."

"Why? Wasn't it you that basically overcame every trial or measly tribulation that the wondrous trio came across?" He said putting his cigarette out on the ground.

"Exactly. I think i stopped being of real use to them. And due to all of the rumors that Ron and I or Harry and I were a couple their groupies weren't as fervent as they wanted them to be. So they left me there without friends and without a way out of this ridiculous law." She sighed and pulled another cigarette out of her pocket and lit it with a flick of her wrist.

"Wandless magic, Miss Granger?" He said with no surprise evident in his voice.

She mumbled in agreement and continued to stare into the sky. Several moments passed in a companionable silence until Severus spoke.

"I told you they were idiots." He turned at that and walked back into the bulding smelling slightly of tobacco and chamomile.

Hours after he had left her there, in her place in the shadows she replied.

"No kidding."

A/N- Next chapter to come. Hermione's decision and some angry meetings. Review and we can make babies. :