Hey readers! This is my second fanfic for HGSS; the first one is Out by Choice. Go check that one out! And please review. Those who are authors know how much they keep us going.

I was very surprised to see a fanfic of a similar plot line already posted a week or two ago. However the two are different and I'm working hard at this one.

Enjoy!

Ta ta

undrappreciatedsib

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Hermione raced through the Hogwarts corridors taking great care not to clutch too tightly to the severely injured Crookshanks.

Flashback:

"Hey, Ron! Check this out!" Harry yelled as he proceeded to plaster himself to the Quidditch shop in Hogsmeade. Both boys began to 'ooh' and 'aah' at the month's new contents.

Hermione rolled her eyes as Remus chuckled at the boys' childish glee. Shifting Crookshanks's cage to her other hand she said, "I think I'm going over to the apothecary now, Remus. Crookshanks doesn't like his cage very much." Her cat hadn't changed that much over the years.

"Well hurry with that! I don't think Ron could stand it if he found his shoes covered in cat vomit again." The DADA professor smiled at the seventh year girl. While he had not been able to witness the scene, Harry gave him quite an impersonation. Ron didn't say anything at breakfast but with his cherry red face he didn't have to.

It was those moments of laughter and happiness that fueled all of them on in the darkness surrounding all thoughts of Voldemort and the impending war. Even if the Dark Lord was the most powerful evil wizard of the time he couldn't ruin these carefree moments.

Harry pulled away from the glass window a second before it exploded into shards of flying glass.

Then again, maybe he could.

Harry gave a yell and his body hit the sidewalk. Ron slumped against the side of the building moaning into his hands as Hermione and Lupin whipped out their wands. More Deatheaters Apparated onto the Hogsmeade cobbled street while a protective semi-circle was formed around the boys and the cage holding Crookshanks by Remus and Hermione.

"Hello, werewolf, tainted anybody yet?"

Lupin's jaw tensed. "Hello, Bellatrix."

"Enough!" screamed a Deatheater. "Crucio!"

He was obviously a new one as it streaked past Hermione's head by three feet. An 'Impedimenta' from the girl rendered him useless for the time being. Stupid fool hadn't even tried to get out of the way.

Curses and hexes flew through the air as the people on the street ran for cover.

'Why couldn't the townspeople see that if all of them attacked these eight Deatheaters at once, the latter could be easily defeated?' Hermione grumbled as she deflected a curse and sent two back. By now, three were down, this must've been an exercise for newbies even if Bellatrix was there and proving to be quite troublesome.

It wasn't until Moody, Tonks, and Shacklebolt showed up that it finally ended with most of the Deatheaters Disapparating and a couple of arrests.

Hermione headed towards where Harry and Ron were bing tended by the four Order members. Ron was the worst with the blood from his face trickling down and staining his robes past his shoulders. Harry could do almost nothing but clutch the right side of his head and contort his face in agony.

Hoping to spare her the sight, Remus suggested to her to go find Crookshanks. During the battle a curse or hex must have glanced off his cage setting him free.

"Please, Hermione. Tonks and Moody are taking them to Poppy so there's not much you can do for them."

Seeing her DADA professor's face she decided he'd be put more at ease by her absence. Besides, he was right. There was nothing she could do for her two best friends right now. "Alright, but as soon as I'm back with Crookshanks I'll be going straight to Madame Pomfrey's."

Remus smiled with relief and Apparated as close to Hogwarts as he could as Tonks and Moody followed. Shacklebolt had to go back to work and couldn't stay longer.

The ginger-headed girl set off intently to find her cat. Looking down both streets she observed that most streets held some kind of damage. Everywhere Deatheaters went destruction was always in their wake. Hermione mentally berated herself at the most obvious statement. 'Of course they always leave destruction, it's what they do, silly girl! Now go find your cat!' Hermione reasoned, 'The sooner you find him, the sooner you can go to Harry and Ron.'

"Crooks?"

Turning down an alley Hermione clumsily fell over a crate and gained a nasty cut on her shin. Wincing at the bruise forming around it she slowly stood up and glared at her cat strolling out from behind the offending crate. Sighing to herself knowing it wasn't Crookshanks' fault, Hermione picked up her cat only to have him claw her as he scrambled down.

"Ow! Crookshanks what's wrong with you?"

"I think the question is what's going to be wrong with you."

Hermione looked sharply up as the Deatheater advanced towards wand pointed at her heart. And it looked like the multiple 'Impedimenta!'s had worn off. 'Oh bugger.'

He yelled a spell she'd never heard and didn't know how to deflect.

Praying, she yelled "Prote-Crooks!"

Her cat convulsed and went limp as the unknown spell hit him. Hermione lunged to catch his falling body before he hit the ground. She slammed into the wall from her momentum, twisting so she hit first. She also ended up scraping her shin against another crate, gaining her some splinters. This however, she paid no mind.

"Crookshanks?" Hermione's tears started gathering in her eyes as she looked at her brave cat who'd jumped in front of the spell for her.

Crookshanks remained silent. A lattice pattern of blood began seeping through his furl.

The new Deatheater then learned a very valuable lesson that many in Hogwarts already knew: an angry Hermione is a very fearsome sight to behold. And a very dangerous adversary.

End Flashback:

Hermione skidded to a stop outside Madame Pomfrey's doors and burst in keeping a careful hold on Crookshanks wrapped in her cloak.

Gasping for air from the sprint up to the school she stumbled over to where the nurse was bustling about Harry's and Ron's beds.

"I'm sorry, dear, but you can't see them right now." the nurse said without glancing at the breathless girl.

"What's wrong-with-them?" Hermione asked adjusting her hold on Crookshanks. Something was wrong or both boys would be healed by now and talking about when the next time they could go to Hogsmeade was.

"Whatever spell that window was shot with apparently absorbed itself into it." Madame Pomfrey moved around giving both a boys a Blood-Replenishing Potion. "The spell stayed absorbed into the glass when it exploded and the spell was no doubt fixed to make healing very hard for injuries done by it." She glanced at the pale young witch. "But don't worry, it's just taking a long time for healing potions and charms to take effect. They'll be alright."

Sighing with relief that her two best friends would live, fear once again rose in her as she looked at the bundle in her arms. "Madame Pomfrey, my cat was hit by a spell and I don't know what to do. I think it's in the same nature that hit Ron and Harry."

Unwrapping Crookshanks, Hermione had to choke back tears as she saw how bad her cat had become. The ginger-colored fur could barely be seen for all the blood. "Can you do anything for him?"

"I've got my hands full with these two, I'm sorry, dear." Madame Pomfrey looked over as she cast another charm on Ron. "But I can give you a Blood-Replenishing potion for him until I can deal with him."

Giving the horrified Hermione the bottle and a sad smile she muttered darkly when she saw Harry's bandages leaking.

Hermione stared after her before racing back out the door. She was Hermione! She needed to be level-headed and calm in tough situations! So if Madame Pomfrey couldn't save Crookshanks then she, Hermione, would have to find someone who could!

Bam!

Hermione reflexively protected the bundle in her arms as she rebounded from whoever she'd ran into. Looking up, she stared straight into the sneering face of Severus Snape the bat of the dungeons.

"With all that knowledge in your head you can't even figure out how to walk properly?" he said smirking.

"I'm sorry, Professor, but I must be going." Hermione said before turning to head towards her planned destination.

"Miss Granger, there's blood on your sleeve."

Hermione stopped and stared at her cat's blood on her arm that had seeped through her cloak. Giving a cry, she knelt on the floor.

Snape, thinking she was injured, rushed over and placed a hand on her shoulder kneeling down to her level.

Looking at him she saw Snape seem. . . . .concerned for her? She thought she saw a flash of something else but Snape couldn't be capable of . . . .fear. . . could he? Besides, why would he be afraid? It was gone in an instant and Hermione put it out of her mind.

"It's my cat Crookshanks, sir. He got hit by something in Hogsmeade." She didn't know how he'd take this next bit of news about his colleagues but she plunged ahead anyway. "There were Deatheaters there and he jumped in front of the spell for me and Madame Pomfrey's too busy treating-" she broke off as she remembered the reason she'd knelt in the first place. Carefully setting Crookshanks on the ground she uncorked the bottle of Blood-Replenishing Potion and carefully poured it into her cat's mouth. "She's too busy with Harry and Ron so I need to get to Headmaster Dumbledore and see if he can do something but I don't know what, I mean-"

She was cut off by Snape who was scrutinizing her cat, "You don't need the headmaster." He paused. "I'll help you, now wait here." He stood up and strode over to Madame Pomfrey's doors where he disappeared inside with flasks in hand that Hermione'd now noticed.

Dumbstruck, Hermione gathered up Crookshanks and stood up. She didn't have to wait long.

Snape came back out cloaks billowing empty-handed. "Come."

Hermione trotted after him trying to keep up with his long strides. Looking at her cat's condition she sped up.

Even though she didn't notice, Snape looked at her out fo the corner of his eye and walked even faster.

'Why is Snape offering to help?' A part of her yelled back 'Don't ask! Just accept and be grateful!' 'But he's never offered help before.' 'Because you've never needed it before.' By now Hermione was studying the back of her Potions professor pondering on why he was helping her. Maybe he did have a heart. Or was he just doing his job knowing the other teachers would give him flak if he didn't help her? So then, he was helping her out of obligation? The young witch was so wrapped up in her thoughts she was looking Snape in the eye as she ran into him for the second time.

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I actually had this chapter and part of the second one done weeks ago. It's just taken me a while to type the thing.

Well please review! It really keeps writers going.

I don't plan on giving up on this fic and I don't know how long this is going to be since this was meant as a oneshot but has quickly escalated into more and more.