Disclaimer: Not mine, as you know.

A/N: Okay….so why is everyone so confused? Yes, I am not handing you everything on a silver platter…if I did not what would the fun of reading it be? But please review…even if its just to say you like it…it helps me to continue you know! Well, enjoy this bit. And please review!

Chapter 8

Secrets

I watch you coming to me
Walking in the pouring rain
I can't help looking at you
Wishing I could stay away
So many times I've tried in vain
To close my eyes and pray it goes away

--Heart

Lucius stood transfixed on the image in the mirror. There was one major difference between the image in the mirror and the Hermione he found in his time—the image was of an unharmed Hermione. The memory of her state was interrupted by a hissing voice behind him.

"The Dark Lord knows you are still alive, Lucius."

Keeping his head held high, Lucius turned to look at his old friend.

"And I take it you are here to undo Miss Granger's fine work?"

One corner of his visitor's mouth turned up in the closest thing to a smile one could get from this particular man.

"No, that is not why I am here."

Silence surrounded them.

"Then why are you here, Severus?"

Severus looked around the cabin.

"Interesting little hide-out Lucius."

Lucius watched Severus slowly walk around the loft area and peer at boxes and odd objects here and there lying around. One box, in front of the mirror, was partially open with pictures spread on top. Severus reached down and picked one up. He quickly looked at the writing on the back with a quirked eyebrow at Lucius. Lucius snatched the picture from Severus. He froze as Severus surveyed him for his reaction. This picture was at Halloween. Someone sitting across from Lucius and Hermione had taken the picture—they had put their arms around each other for it. On the back was written 'Lucius and Hermione—Halloween 1971.'

Despite curiosity at what else that box held, Lucius dropped the picture back in the box. He would not give Severus the satisfaction of a reaction. Severus waited a moment before descending the stairs. Lucius stood at the railing of the loft and watched Severus pause at the door. Severus looked up at Lucius.

"The Dark Lord has drawn a line in the sand Lucius. Which side are you on?"

Looking down his nose at Severus, Lucius' lip curled in a snarl.

"The same side I have always been on, Severus."

Severus nodded at Lucius. He held up a small phial filled with something white and swirling. Lucius recognized it as a memory.

"Just as I suspected, Lucius. I shall see you soon."

Severus placed the memory on the end table before walking out the door.

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Hermione sighed in frustration as she closed another book. She sat at her usual library table littered with various book. Harry peered over a stack of books at her. She seemed to be thinking. Her eyes grew wide.

"Of course! Why didn't I think of it before?"

"What?"

Hermione smiled quite pleased with herself.

"All these pictures were taken at Hogwarts. There is an entire section of Hogwarts' history and its students. We would have better luck looking through those books."

Harry nodded in agreement.

An hour later, Ron found Hermione and Harry both in the library laughing. He had not seen Hermione smile genuinely in so long that it took Ron back a moment. A brown leather bound book lay between them.

"What is so amusing in there?"

As Ron sat down, they told him what this book was. It was found in the Hogwarts section. There was a book for each year with a compilation of various stories dealing with anything from funny potion accidents to why some of the coffers in the Great Hall had to be replaced along with the archway entrance. The reason for bits of the Great Hall being replaced was what currently had Hermione and Harry in rolls of laughter. A duel took place during some sort of social event. Not just any duel—two seventh year girls from Slytherin had an all out war against each other. Only one name was given though—Bellatrix Black, now known as Bellatrix Lestrange.

As they left the library before curfew, Harry checked that particular book out. On their way back to the common room Harry and Ron began discussing an up coming Quidditch practice and at first did not notice Hermione's slowed pace. Her mind was racing through the cabin. The bookcases. There were several bookcases on one wall that reached the ceiling. Harry noticed Hermione's disappearance from their side and stopped, looking back at her.

"Did you just think of something, Hermione?"

She nodded her head.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I did. I have several large bookcases at the cabin. There may be something there."

Harry's forehead crinkled in confusion.

"That's strange. I don't have book cases."

"Me neither," chimed in Ron.

Hermione's curiosity was piqued.

"You don't? Then what do you have?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders.

"Mostly just DADA stuff…there is one shelf with books, but its all defense stuff."

"Wicked," Ron said rather impressed. "I have a chess table and all kinds of different maps and such."

Hermione's eyes narrowed in deep thought as she began walking again. Harry and Ron looked at each other and then rushed to catch up with her. They knew that look. She was placing pieces of a Dumbledorian puzzle together. When she abruptly stopped, they nearly ran into her. She turned around.

"Don't you get it?"

They looked at each other, both clueless and shook their heads.

"These cabins Dumbledore left for us…they possess items that play to our strengths. We must search our cabins. He had to have left something there telling us what for."

Harry and Ron both wore looks of total enlightenment on their faces as they nodded in agreement. For that moment, it was as if their old Hermione was back.

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Lucius' jaunt to Hogwarts followed by the unexpected events involving the Mirror of Erised and Severus Snape left him exhausted. His eyes fluttered open when he heard the front door open and close. Hermione was there. She did not spare him a glance as she dropped her school bag and briskly walked to the extravagantly tall bookcases.

She let out a small squeal of excited accomplishment when she found a book right away on the bottom shelf. A small table was set up in front of the bookcases. She plopped down in the seat and immediately began thumbing through the book. It was a journal of sorts written by Dumbledore. The more she scanned the pages the more she discovered it to be a chronicling of sorts about the Order of the Phoenix and the fight against Voldemort.

Hermione ignored Lucius' presence in the room and he did not particularly like that. Climbing out of bed, he strode over to the little table. Lucius took a book off the shelf, not paying attention to what book and sat down across from Hermione. He knew she noticed his presence by the startled blink that accompanied his arrival. His mouth slowly turned up in a smirk.

"What ever has your rapt attention?"

Hermione cautiously looked up from the book at Lucius. There was a glint of amusement in Lucius' eyes that set her on edge. That couldn't be good.

"A chronicling of the Order of the Phoenix and the fight against Voldemort."

She turned back to the book not noticing how rigid Lucius suddenly became in his chair. His nerves prickled him wondering what the old coot put in that blasted thing. Hermione was too wrapped up in reading what the old Headmaster wrote. She was still reading about the first war. She noticed one thing—Dumbledore did not name the spies. Hermione knew—she had read and been told—there were several spies on both sides and one never knew who they were. Dumbledore knew of course, but even in this chronicle, he would not name a one. It drove her mad. The spies could have been anyone…

Bloody hell! Lucius could have been one…

That stopped her train of thought as she burst into laughter. Lucius' eyebrow slowly rose as he watched her in her fit of laughter. What could the old coot write that was that amusing? Deciding to read for detail at another time, she quickly flipped through pages until she found any reference to the cabins. It finally happened. It was dated back in her, Harry's, and Ron's first year at Hogwarts.

I have procured the first three cabins I will need in case Hogwarts can no longer be a safe haven for the children. These three cabins are the most important—keys to winning this impending war. A cabin of knowledge, a cabin of defense, and a cabin of strategy. Three students—nothing more than first years at this moment—will be leaders, my lieutenants if you will. An old spy of mine will help guide them. The cabins are set up outside of Hogwarts to allow muggle electronics to operate properly. A computer, as the muggles call them, is stored in each cabin. Communication will be accomplished without fear of interception by Lord Voldemort will be through these muggle contraptions. Each cabin has been christened with a most potent potion as well. This potion will not allow just anyone to enter. If one bares the Dark Mark in their heart, the cabin will not allow entrance. These children will be safe…

Quickly grabbing a scratch piece of parchment Hermione marked the page and placed the book in her bag. She was piecing everything she read together in her mind. Still, she had found nothing of the pictures though. Sitting back down at the small table, Hermione glanced at the book Lucius was reading. Her eyes grew wide.

"That's a Dark Arts book!"

Lucius lowered the book and looked at her in a slightly disgruntled fashion. Standing up, he carried the book to the fireplace where he sat on the sofa. Hermione stood and looked at the bookcases. Farther up, almost out of reach were many…many Dark Arts books—not defense books. Lucius watched her indignation in amusement.

"Why would Professor Dumbledore have such books?"

Her back was to Lucius, so intrigued by the books before her. A slight tingling swelled in the pit of her stomach. These were books banned by Hogwarts…books she could not get without raising suspicion…books that held a knowledge she wanted desperately whether she would admit it aloud or not. Lucius heard the desire in the inflection of her voice…the awe at what was before her. She didn't hear Lucius cross the room. When he spoke, he was directly behind her causing Hermione to jump slightly at his sudden close proximity.

"Know thy enemy," his silky voice caressed her ear. She turned swiftly and jumped back, eyes wide in fright. He stood there looking down his nose at her. "Did I frighten you?" He took a step forward…she took one back…he took another step forward…she stepped back into the bookcase. Lucius' victorious smirk grew when Hermione gasped at the sudden contact of the bookcase. The whole mouse-trapped-by-the-cat look reminded Lucius of the first time he laid eyes on her. He understood now why she held such a look, but it did not curb his amusement at watching her squirm under his gaze. There was not enough room between them for Hermione to pull out her wand so she pulled out the only thing that could possibly hold enough ammunition to stop Lucius Malfoy.

She pulled the picture out of her pocket and held it up.

"Who is this?"

Her words were quick, panicked, and curious. Lucius' eyes narrowed on the couple in the picture. He was aware that Hermione recognized him; it was the girl she was questioning. He did the only thing he could think of to send her off the trail and further into her hate for him. He leaned in close and looked her in the eyes.

"Not you." He stood up straight again and walked away just a bit before turning back to look down his nose at her, a look of disgust at the mere thought on his face. "I assure you that girl is of no relation to you either."

She stepped away from the bookcase, confidence returning.

"How can you be so sure…"

"Because," Lucius said in a deadly whisper, "even in my youth I would not associate myself with a Mudblood."

Hermione stood there as if she had been slapped. Shaking her head, as if coming to her senses, she began to walk toward the door, picking her bag up on the way. She stopped at the door and turned around to look at Lucius.

"Just remember, Mister Malfoy, if it wasn't for that vile woman I would have left you to die."

She heard a slow, controlled chuckle from the man as he looked her in the eyes once again unsettling her very being.

"No, you would not have."

Without giving Lucius the satisfaction of a come back of any sorts, Hermione left the cabin. As the door snapped shut and he watched her disappear from the path, Lucius felt the searing pain in his left forearm—Voldemort was calling him home.

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Hermione stepped into the common room mumbling to herself in such a fashion that to others it sounded as if she were trying to speak parseltongue. Harry looked up from his homework at her entrance and shook his head. He knew where she had been. As she made her way to the table he sat at, a few second years scurried out of her way fearing what the Head Girl would do if they were in her way. Harry said nothing as she sat down, waiting for her to talk.

She crossed her arms over her chest in a huff before finally calming down enough to show Harry the chronicle of Dumbledore's. Harry read the passage and then looked up at Hermione.

"We'll have to search the cabins and get things set up so they are ready when needed."

For a time, Hermione was able to forget Lucius Malfoy residing in her cabin and tormenting her and concentrate on Harry's destiny and the fate of the Wizarding World. Harry also found it strange that Dumbledore would not mention any spies by name—it's not like this chronicle was meant for the public eye. They spent the remainder of the night toying with who the spies could be and seeing who could come up with the most ridiculous idea as to who they were.

But that is the thing with spies…it's always the last person you suspect.

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Lucius, on hands and knees groveling before the Dark Lord. It made his stomach churn. What had he become?

"Thank you, master…you are most forgiving…thank you."

Voldemort motioned for the man to stand.

"Yes, Lucius…my slippery friend. You have proven your loyalty well and as such, you will be rewarded…"

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Halloween morning found Hermione, Harry, and Ron walking into the Great Hall for breakfast. Excitement was in the air. Never had they had a masquerade, not since Lily and James Potter's first year at Hogwarts and even then, it was an unexpected affair. Girls huddled together whispering and running to other house tables. Boys looked pale and frightened. Hermione shook her head at it all. Ridiculous.

As they sat down, Hermione noticed Harry look at Ginny. They stared at each other for a moment before Ginny looked away. Hermione shook her head as she began to gather up some breakfast for herself.

"Really Harry! You are taking this whole noble thing too far."

Harry turned and looked at Hermione as if Voldemort had just sprung from the back of her head this time. She rolled her eyes, swallowed her toast down with some pumpkin juice, and turned to Harry.

"Do you honestly think Ginny is safer because she can no longer officially call you her boyfriend?"

Harry said nothing, just looked at Hermione with nothing short of deep contemplation on his face.

"Harry, she wasn't your girlfriend in second year when the chamber was open."

Ron leaned over Hermione.

"She does have a point mate."

Harry's eyes shifted to Ginny in defeat this time. The swooping sound of the post flying in caused the entire hall to look up. The Daily Prophet landed in front of Hermione and she paid the owl before it flew off. Unfolding the paper, Hermione took a drink of pumpkin juice only to begin choking on it. Harry began patting her on the back wondering what in the name of Merlin caused her to drown in pumpkin juice. All she could do was point at the paper. Harry picked it up. Lucius Malfoy's picture was on the front page with the headline: Lucius Malfoy Cleared of all Charges.