Mysterious, that's what I call You.

I'm Curious about You.

I'm scared and not sure that You are safe, But your eyes seem to say that you are good.

This is not a dream that I'm living, This is just a world of Your own.

You took me from all that I know, Shown me how it feels to hope.

With you with me, facing tomorrow, Together I can learn to fly.

Feels like I'm living in the lion's mouth, but the lion is...an angel.

-Lion, Rebecca St James.

Chapter 20: Living In The Lion's Mouth.

April 1995-Hogwarts

Ron and Hermione were once again talking after the Second Task rescue. Their friendship was still strained but Ron seemed content to simply turn a blind eye to her friendship with Malfoy and Hermione was content to let the matter rest.

As February turned into March and then April; the weather began to warm and the cold snow became warm spring rains.

With no clue for the next Task she was left to focus on looking into other subjects; like finding out more on the Ring and Diary. One Evening while she had been up late sneaking into the restricted section, she spotted something curious on the Map. She had left it propped up in her work space as she looked through books. 'Rita Skeeter's label could be seen leaving the grounds. Picking up the Map to get a better look she watched as the woman's marker disappeared out of range of the Map's magic.

It was suspicious seeing as she was sure Dumbledore had banned the woman from the grounds. She was going to have to keep an eye out for how the woman was slipping in. It took another three weeks but eventually she spotted the Reporter on the Map again when checking the item after her last class of the day. She arrived at dinner late that evening but with a satisfied look on her face. Eating quickly she gathered her things to leave before she was stopped by Ginny.

"Hey, Hermione what's the rush?" She asked as the older girl grabbed her bag, half a roll shoved in her mouth.

"I need to talk to someone then check out something in the library, don't wait up." She said heading out the door of the Great Hall. She was still chewing on the remains of her roll and licking the melted butter from her fingers when she approached the door she wanted. Raising her hand to knock she paused at the sound of raised voices. She was contemplating coming back later when the door was thrown open roughly by Snape. Karkaroff and Snape turned and looked at the girl, one hand raised to knock the other with two fingers in her mouth as she cleaned them of butter, cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk. Karkaroff violently tugged down his sleeve and stormed out of the room, pushing past Hermione who had to restrain herself from kicking the man in the back of the knee for the action. Wiping her hands on her robe and swallowing her mouthful she looked back at Snape.

"Is this a bad time, I can come back."

Snape let out a sigh before gesturing her in. "What do you want now Granger?" He asked, seeming uncharacteristically tired as he grabbed a nearly empty glass from his desk and drained it. She had a good guess that it wasn't pumpkin juice.

"I found something and thought you might want it." She said digging in her bag and pulling out a small jar. Holding it out for him to take. Snape walked over to her, empty glass dangling from his fingers as he took the jar with his other hand. Holding it up for closer in inspection, a common looking beetle scurried about the bottom.

"Don't tell me this is Malfoy again." He deadpanned, looking over the Gryffindor. She shook her head as a rather unsettling grin pulled across her face.

"Even better, Rita Skeeter." She flicked the glass side of the jar causing the beetle to run to the other side. This caught the Potion Master's attention as he took a closer look at the beetle and noted that the insect had markings on its body that looked a lot like Skeeter's unique glasses.

"Interesting," He mused, tilting the jar causing the bug to roll on its back and seemed tempted to shake the jar violently. "The Headmaster will be glad his security breach has been solved, an unregistered Animagus." He glanced over at the girl again remembering she was there.

"Thank you for bringing this to me Ms Granger, I will handle this for now."

"I caught her spying on me and was going to take her to Dumbledore or McGonagall but thought you might want to deal with her yourself."

"Very perceptive." He commented before setting the jar on his desk. "If that is all then you should be heading off, I'm sure you have homework to get done." Heading to the door she muttered a quiet goodnight before she was brought up short. "Granger, don't mention this to anyone if you haven't already. Until the Headmaster has dealt with it."

A few days later the papers were still quiet of Skeeter's illegal form or that she had been sneaking into the school after she had been banned. Though it seemed that she was still writing, after a few days she was publishing another article though bare of any mention of her or Snape. It would only mean something had been done to keep Rita in line.

Like the year before, one spring morning found Hermione receiving a note informing her that Snape would expect her to meet him at the usual spot for their morning run. When she walked up to him he seemed to brace himself for a barrage of questions. Obviously expecting her to demand answers on what had happened with Skeeter.

"Good morning Sir." She said stretching out her limbs before moving along their usual route. She paused and looked back as if to ask if he was coming, he seemed to realize she wasn't going to demand answers and moved to follow her and like that they were back to their normal routine.

The Final Task was approaching and the taller Hagrid's hedges grew the more Hermione's nerves began to fray. She had begun to obsessively check her watch when Harry was not in sight just to make sure he hadn't been snatched away even though she knew full well that it would chime should anything concerning him or Ron's location change.

Things were made worse when Harry went to Sirius one afternoon with news that he had another dream of Voldemort. One where he was extremely pleased with the progress of some task he had set to his follower, the man he had seen over the summer. Sirius had said the man was Barty Crouch Jr, the same man who had infiltrated Hogwarts at the beginning of the year as Mad-Eye Moody.

"How do you know all this? Does Dumbledore know what my dream means?" Harry asked as he sat in a conjured chair in Lupin's private chambers where Lupin was sitting tiredly in one chair, still recovering from one of his transformations.

"Yes, Dumbledore knows about Crouch Jr and his aligns to You-Know-Who." Sirius said, glancing at Lupin before continuing. "Harry there are some things you need to know, things concerning you. Dumbledore doesn't want you to know, but you need to be prepared."

"What is going on?" Harry asked, getting worried now.

"Our 'Friend', the one you saw over the Summer." Sirius said cautiously.

"The woman?" Harry asked, recalling the woman who Remus had shown out of the house.

"Yes, but Harry you can't tell anyone about her. Dumbledore only knows her by name and we have led him to believe she's a man. You must not mention anything about her to him or anyone, do you understand?" Sirius said sternly, he wouldn't have told him that much but Harry needed to know some things and 'Nemo' was tied up in all of it.

"I understand." Harry said, feeling privileged seeing as Sirius was sharing information that not even Dumbledore knew.

"Her name is Nemo and she's been doing her best to protect you all year." Harry was confused by this so Sirius continued, "Your name was supposed to be the one to come out of the Goblet, not Hermione. Nemo had tried to stop Crouch Jr from placing your name in, that was his mission here the one You-Know-Who set him to over the summer that you saw in your dream. Nemo entered Hermione instead in hopes that she might be chosen and keep you out of the Tournament."

"You mean Hermione was attacked because that woman put her name in to protect me!" Harry said, angrily remembering how Hermione had been sent to the Hospital Wing without much detail on what had happened other than she had been attacked. "Hermione shouldn't be risking her life in that Tournament just to protect me! She doesn't even want to be in it, she told me so before it happened."

"Harry, Harry calm down. Hermione can take care of herself that is why Nemo put her name in instead of one of the other students. There are much bigger things at play than you know." Remus said soothingly as Harry had begun to shout as the guilt of the situation hit him. He calmed but only slightly.

"Nemo wanted to keep you out of the Tournament, because You-Know-Who planned on using it to weaken you and then during the Third Task abduct you to use in a ritual to restore his power, then he would have killed you." Sirius said, bringing Harry's attention back on him, he wasn't going to sugar-coat the news. Harry had to know the danger he was in was real, he couldn't allow that picture he had seen on Hermione's wall to come to pass. "She kept you out but You-Know-Who will definitely be trying again to take you before the last Task is over. Your dream only makes it more clear that he had a plan in place. You need to be prepared."

"What am I supposed to do?" Harry asked, this wasn't his first death threat by the Dark Lord but the look in Sirius's eye was beginning to scare him.

"Nothing yet and hopefully you will not have too." Remus said, pulling himself shakily to his feet and moving to Harry's seat, kneeling down beside the chair where he was at eye level and more steady. "Dumbledore knows of the threat and he will be adding more security to the Task, Sirius and I will be with you the whole time. Nemo seems to think the ritual has a set time frame. If we can keep him from you till it is over, then the danger should pass."

"We are not trying to scare you, Harry." Sirius said seeing he may have been a little too blunt with the teen, leaving his chair and pulling Harry into a hug. "but if something does happen I want you to keep fighting no matter what, you hear me. Help will come, you just need to keep fighting."

"I will." Harry whispered.

"Hermione, you need to eat, you're going to need all your energy." Ginny said as Hermione pushed her plate away, Ron moved to snag a piece of sausage but Ginny beat him to it and swatted his hand away. It was the morning of May twenty-fourth and Hermione's agitation was reaching a high point as the Third task was only hours away. They had their last exam of the year that morning before they would be free for the rest of the day.

"Come on, Mione. It's just nerves, I was the same way with my first Quidditch match. You've faced a dragon, this maze is going to be easy for you." Harry said, pushing a bowl of jello toward her. "Try this at least."

Hermione accepted the bowl, he had no idea he was the cause of her nerves. She was going to be stuck in a maze where everything was going to be trying to crush and eat her, while he was outside and despite his talents in defense class he was not nearly as ready as he needed to be for what was coming. She was going to have to trust Sirius and Lupin to look after him but even having known the men for two years she hated relinquishing the task to them. This was why she had come back and she couldn't even help.

"Ms Granger, the Champion's will be meeting with their families in the chamber off the Hall after breakfast."

"But Professor, I thought my Guardian wasn't available to come." She said knowing full well that she couldn't be in two places at once and had sent an owl saying she was traveling for business and could not attend, her mail from home had been forwarded to her at Hogwarts along with her newspaper. There simply was no way to play Emma and Hermione at once; she had played with the idea of asking Sirius to take a Polyjuice Potion to change into her, he had the most free time after all but had discarded it. Sirius needed to stay himself and near Harry for the Task and when she suggested it he seemed eager to find out what it was like walking in her skin.

"What afraid I will pull you off better than you do?" Sirius had said when she had proposed the idea but dismissed it while they were coming up with ideas of how to handle the Final Task.

"I would be relying on the fact they don't know a thing about me therefore wouldn't notice how unalike we are." She said with a dead-panned expression. Sirius retaliated by strolling around the room in a rather feminine fashion, swishing his hips as he walked one hand propped on them before striking a model pose and moving as if swishing long hair over his shoulder as his own was barely brushing his shoulders.

"Look at me I'm Emma; I like books, knives and scaring the crap out of men since I was knee-high." He was met with Hermione's sneaker to his face. "Remus help me, I'm wounded and need healing." His voice was still pitched high as he pretended to be Emma, throwing himself on the couch Remus was sitting on. His head hanging off the side of the couch as he draped himself dramatically over Remus's lap.

Remus, used to Sirius's more dramatic quirks, did not even bat an eye as he got a lap full of grown man. Merely readjusting himself so that his tea was out of range of being knocked over by Sirius's flailing arms. Hermione through her other shoe at him.

It was with that memory in mind that she made her way to the side chamber half expecting Sirius to have stolen some of her hair to mess with her, but she was pleasantly surprised to see Molly Weasley, Bill and a woman she did not recognize.

"Surprise," Molly said, coming to give her a hug.

"Mrs Weasley what are you doing here?" She asked, returning the hug.

"Remus wrote us saying your parents and guardian could not make it so I wrote McGonagall and asked if we could come in their stead."

"Wow, thanks." she said not having thought she could call in another family to come. Her attention drifted to the woman holding on to Bill's arm; she wasn't overly pretty with short black hair and a heart shaped face. She was rather common and definitely did not have near the stunning looks of Fleur who was eyeing Bill over her mother's shoulder.

"Charlie and dad wanted to come as well but couldn't get time off. I hope you don't mind that I brought my girlfriend. She was really excited when she heard mom and I were coming to see the last Task of the Tournament."

"Hello." The woman greeted, still attached to Bill's arm, her voice was almost unbearably high in pitch; it sounded forced and Hermione had to wonder if she was doing it on purpose just to grate on the nerves of those around her.

"Hermione this is Jessica Bradbury my girlfriend." Bill introduced, "Jess this is Hermione Granger, she's a friend of my youngest brother and the youngest Triwizard Champion. Charlie said her fight with the dragon was something for the history books."

"Wow you must be really talented to be chosen to compete in such a dangerous tournament." Jessica said, a smile crossing her face but something in her eyes made Hermione not like the woman.

"Well come along dear, why don't you give us a tour and tell us how you've been." The four spent much of the remainder of the day touring the school and even Molly was beginning to notice how much the girl was checking the pocket watch she carried.

"Don't worry everything is going to be fine." the older woman said when it was time for Hermione to leave and head down to the maze, she gave her a hug. "We will be in the stands cheering you on the whole time."

The Third Task had finally begun, Cedric had entered and Hermione was waiting for her turn to enter. Krum would be following her and then Fleur. Glancing at the crowd she saw the attending Weasley's, Sirius, Remus and Bill's girlfriend all cheering for her as the cannon sounded and she was given the signal to enter the maze. Stepping in the path behind her became blocked as the hedge moved to cover the entrance.

Casting her Patronus she moved deeper into the maze, the light from her otter was not as bright as a Lumos but it was constant and allowed her to keep the light even when using her wand for other spells and was a good way of scouting ahead for any dangers.

"Oh come on Hagrid why could you not take-up crossing cute creatures like bunnies or kittens." Hermione whined as she dodged the scorpion like tail of a massive Skrewt Hagrid had managed to grow to over ten-feet long. She had run into a few spells blocking her path that she had to counter in order to pass through but this was the first of what was sure to be a number of creatures she would encounter. Rolling under the creatures legs she ran down the path and turned down a few more corridors till she was sure it had lost interest. Fluer and Krum had long since joined her and Cedric in the maze but she had yet to see more than a passing glance of them.

Suddenly something large and grey burst out of a hedge and Hermione's flight reflex kicked in and she ran throwing hexs over her shoulder but none seemed to affect the beast behind her. It passed into the hedge wall like a stone in water, ripples in the leaves the only sign of its passing. She slowed and turned in a circle watching the walls like it was an ocean with a shark just waiting under the surface. The corridor was silent save for her breathing as she waited for something to move.

A hulking form burst out of the hedge above her and she rolled out of the way as the Were-brid slammed into the ground, claws scraping trenches in the dirt as it slid. It spun it's yellow eyes on her, glaring as it laughed it's yipping laughter. It was a Boggart, she realized feeling stupid for not figuring it out sooner; of course there would not be any of those creatures here and Halt least of all. Halt was far from the Island and Fowl was dead.

"Ridiculous," She cast and the Were-brid turned into a puppy that was sent rolling into a hedge as it tripped over it's over sized paws. Chuckling half-heartedly at it, she checked her watch just in case, before casting the Point-Me spell to check her direction and headed toward the center of the maze. She had made it through half a dozen more of the identical corridors before a large feline creature stepped out of the hedge wall and began pacing the width of the path.

"You are still far from your goal, but closer still you will be if you get past me." the Sphinx purred out her tail flicking back and forth behind her.

"Stand aside." Hermione said, the creature did not seem to be hostile but blocked her path all the same.

"I can not." she said, seating herself before the Witch. "Answer my riddle then you may pass, fail and I eat you bones and all."

"Lovely," Hermione said with a sigh. "Alright what is your riddle."

'Who makes it, has no need of it. Who buys it, has no use for it. Who uses it can neither see nor feel it.

What am I?'

"Something made and bought but used by only those who can not see or feel." she muttered pondering the riddle before looking up at the feline. "A coffin."

The sphinx was quiet for a long moment before she stood and stepped aside. She had turned on another long corridor that looked identical to the one she had just been on, the hedges around her were towering and silent, the grass under her feet muffled the sound of her footsteps as she moved. She felt something watching her but could see nothing in the light of her otter as it circled. Suddenly her watch gave a shriek causing Hermione's heart to nearly stop, as she fumbled to pull it out.

The wolf and paw print were dark on the green hand as it moved to 'Mortal Danger' before jumping to 'Unknown', it jumped between the two points as if it could not decide where to be. Hermione cursed at the sight when something caught her attention reflected in the open lid of the watch. A pair of red eyes glowing in the grassy turf behind her, a Scrunt. A large wolf-like creature with venomous fangs and claws, and fur the consistency and color of grass. A stealth hunter, its body was able to lay nearly completely flat, allowing it to disguise itself as a lump in the grass. The only sure way to spot it while it was hidden was that its glowing red eyes showed up in reflective surfaces.

Holding her wand to the sky she sent off red sparks, Dumbledore had said if they wanted to leave at any time or could no longer continue they could send up the sparks and one of the patrolling teacher's could come and pick them up. She needed to get out, Harry was in danger. The Scrunt growled lowly as Hermione turned to face it, the corridor appeared empty. She turned her back to it again and held up the watch and saw the two eyes looking back at her, with a deep breath she spun sending an Incendio at the place she thought the creature to be. It howled and leapt out of hiding as the flames scorched its flank; snarling it stood to its full height, it was nearly as tall as a Were-brid and charged her.

She dodged and fired another Incendio sending it flying back into one of the hedges; its tail and flank on fire as it ran off. Moving to grab her watch where it had fallen on the ground she felt a sting in her leg. Coaxing her otter closer she saw the Scrunt had caught her in the thigh with one of its claws, it wasn't deep but the venom in its claws could be dangerous if not fatal if it wasn't properly treated. Ripping a piece off her under shirt she tied off the wound and pulled her robes back down over it, hiding the makeshift bandage.

She was stashing the watch away when a figure approached on a broom, holding her leg as it had begun to burn she made her way to the figure.

"Done already Granger," Snape commented, before taking in her condition, "Are you injured?" he asked, watching her hold her leg, the ground around them was scorched and burned. The area illuminated by the soft light of her otter Patronus as it floated around them; it twisted around his head before sliding down the broom shaft as he dismounted.

"Just a cut, it was a Scrunt and-." Her watch gave another shrill alarm, she pulled it out and looked at it. Harry's arrow was steady on 'Mortal Danger'. "Harry's in trouble!" she breathed the shaking in her voice betraying her fear.

"Isn't he always, come on then if you want out of here." he remarked remounting his broom. Hermione hesitated in climbing on the broom, she glanced at the watch and put it back in her pocket.

"The things I do for you, Harry," she darkly muttered before climbing on and her otter disappearing suddenly, Snape heard her and scoffed.

"If you rather walk out on your own you are more than welcome." He napped bitingly, only for her to practically attach herself to his person the moment they left the ground. "Kindly loosen your grip, Granger." He snapped as the arms wrapped around him tightened even more.

"With the utmost respect Sir, No!" Her muffled voice came from where she had buried her face in his back. He tried to pry her loose at first before stilling.

"You're not afraid of flying are you?" He asked turning in his seat to get a better look at her.

"Eyes on the road-sky-front! Look where you're going dammit!" She shrieked even though nothing in their flight path over the maze had changed with his altered attention.

"I asked you a question, Ms Granger." He said not turning back to the front as she pulled her face from his robe and glared at him in panic. She hated flying, she always had ever since her first lesson with Hooch. Trolls, dragons, werewolves and dark wizards; all these things were nothing compared to the terror that was flying on that little collection of wood and straw sent through her.

"No." she denied even though her voice was pitched considerably higher than usual. Snape raised a brow at her as if to say 'Oh really?' right before allowing the broom to do a slight sudden drop in altitude. Hermione squeaked, tightening her arms around him and even going so far as to throw her uninjured leg around him as well. To any outside observer it would look as if Snape was riding a broom with a Hermione shaped tick attached to his back, as she was more being held on by her grip on the Potions Master than actually sitting on the broom.

"Yes, yes alright." She admitted, reburying her face in his back so she wouldn't have to look down. "Just don't do that again, please."

"Let me be able to breathe freely again and I will." He grumbled, grabbing her ankle with one hand and unwrapping it from his waist. Hermione reluctantly loosened her grip but only slightly. She mumbled a list of obscenities under her breath for the remainder of the trip. They landed soon after and Hermione practically jumped off the broom. Running to the crowd where she had last seen her friends, she found the adults of the group talking off to one side of the stands. Completely bypassing her school friends and limping up to the adults.

"Hermione dear are you-"

"I need to go to the Hospital Wing," She said, cutting the woman off and looking from Remus to Sirius pointedly.

"I'll take her." Remus offered, quickly taking her arm and leading her off toward the castle before anyone could say more. Behind them they could hear Molly saying that Pomfrey was by the announcer stand, but her calls were ignored.

"How?" Was all she asked as they changed course to the Whomping Willow.

"Jessica, must have been a portkey. One minute she was showing Harry this necklace she had and the next they were gone. I was so stupid to simply trust her, but we were right there and Bill vouched for her, said they had been dating for months. I even asked some questions while we were waiting, just to see if she had been acting strange recently, you know but Bill had said no. Either she was working for You-Know-Who all along or whoever has been controlling her has been doing so from the beginning."

"You remember the plan?" She asked, Lupin nodded as he prodded the knot on the tree to still it.

"Don't worry we will cover everything on this end. Sirius will keep everyone focused away from you and bring Dumbledore to the meeting place when you get back. You just worry about getting Harry back here." He said as they slipped in the tunnel and into the shack where Hermione pulled off her Champion robes and pulled on her leather jacket and voice altering necklace. "Are you sure I can't come with you?"

"No." She said slipping partway out of one of the lower windows where the boards had been loosened. "I don't know what condition I will be in when I get back, but I will probably need you here to help get me back up to the castle." She slipped out of the Shack before Remus could question why she was so sure she would need help getting back up and Apparated away with a crack.

Arriving at the Riddle home Hermione stumbled as she landed before throwing herself on all fours in her Animagus form, she would move faster in it. The Cemetery Harry had been taken to and killed in her time had been near the Riddle home, she had heard about it while she had been digging up information about Riddle. Even now as she ran she could hear raised voices and see the flashing lights of spells.

"Harry Potter, you face me when I kill you! I want to see the light leave your eyes when you die." Nemo snarled even as she moved to run faster, the cut on her leg bleeding freely in this form as she pushed herself to ignore the pain. Slowing just enough to take stock of the situation she saw a pale figure blasting chunks off a large tomb stone, she could make out a figure huddled behind it. Around the pale figure of Voldemort was his inner circle of Death Eaters all of whom had their masks removed. Crabbe and Goyle's fathers were there as was Lucius Malfoy and a number of Wizards she did not recognize, but there was one there that she did. Barty Jr was there as well, stripped down to his trousers the discarded clothes of Jessica in a heap to one side. His chest was decorated in Azkaban tattoos and the Dark Mark stood out against the flesh of his inner left arm. His right arm was bleeding freely as it looked as if he had skinned the inside of his own arm, judging by the bloody knife in his hand.

Barty Jr was grinning like a mad man as he watched Voldemort taunt Harry into fighting him. Nemo snarl drew the attention of the Death Eaters as the mountain lion ran at them, with a roar she jumped on a tombstone and onto Barty Crouch Jr. Before he could react she had sunk her teeth into his throat, her knife-like fangs sliced through flesh and muscle, crushing his windpipe and severing the artery there. Spells were thrown her way but Nemo jumped away, releasing Barty Jr to bleed out. Her muzzle and neck covered in his blood as she snarled at the one who had been closest to hitting her. Lucius backed off slightly as she hissed at him; her ears flat to her skull as lips pulled back from sharp bloodstained fangs, the crimson liquid dripped off her face.

"Stop, stop." Voldemort called in his soft spoken voice that demanded obedience from all. "What have we here? Do go on and show yourself, I do not bite." He laughed at his own words as he nudged Barty Jr in the face with one bare foot, tsking at the mess she had made of his neck as he lay there twitching and choking on his own blood. "Though it appears you do, such a waste. I had high hopes for that one. Oh well." He shrugged it off.

Nemo snarled at him, moving slowly until she was between him and where she had last seen Harry before shifting back into her human form. She was quite the intimidating sight in her dark pants and leather hooded jacket, blood coating the visible portions of her mouth and neck.

"Ah there you are, and who might you be?" Hermione ignored him, spitting a mouthful of blood in his direction, grimacing at the taste before calling over her shoulder, her voice indistinguishable as male or female.

"Harry are you there," there was a pause where she thought she may have been too late before Harry's voice replied from behind the grim reaper tombstone.

"Yeah." Hermione let out a sigh of relief, before focusing on the threat before her. Her element of surprise was gone now and she was out numbered.

"I am sorry, I don't have time to talk your Lordship; but you know how it is, places to go, people to save." She said in a mock bravado, her leg was burning now and things were beginning to lose focus as the venom spread. "Bombarda!" She cast at the ground around her, a number of tombstones exploded as stone, dust and dirt went flying up in a cloud. Quickly she darted behind the stone where Harry was hiding.

"Follow me!" she hissed out grabbing his arm and dragging him after her curses were sent out randomly from the dust cloud, Harry tripped a few times holding one of his arms close to his chest as if shielding it. Finding a more sheltered place as the dust began to clear she pulled out a device from her jacket. Setting the Omniocular to record she zoomed in on Voldemort as he screamed at one of the Death Eaters she did not recognize. The others were still shadow forms in the dust, she would have liked to get a look at some of the others but they were running out of time. Stuffing the device back in her jacket she fired another spell to cause another dust cloud before turning to face Harry. "We are leaving." tightening her grip on him she Disapparated with a crack.

"You are sure about this Sirius?" Dumbledore asked as the group of three walked out of the school grounds. When Harry had been confirmed missing, Dumbledore had ordered a search of the ground around the maze, Sirius insisted that they would find him in Hogsmeade and so Dumbledore had agreed to go along to check with Snape in tow, several plans already forming if the information Black had proved false. The three arrived outside the Shrieking Shack, but the area was barren of Harry or anyone else for that matter.

"There is no one here Black, you're just wasting our time." Snape said, making an open arm sweep at the path outside the Shack.

"He will be here." Sirius snapped back. They were kept from breaking out into a full argument by a loud crack. Two figures appeared at the end of the path, the shorter one stumbled forward clutching their arm to their chest while the taller one stumbled and fell to one knee.

"Sirius," Harry gasped, stumbling into the man's arms. "He's back. Voldemort's back."

"Shh, it's okay Harry," Sirius soothed, taking off his jacket and draping it around the boy's shoulders before pulling him back into a hug. "You're safe now."

The other figure stood on shaky legs, blood coating what was visible of the lower part of their face, and front of their jacket. Slipping their wand up their sleeve out of sight.

"Nemo I presume." Dumbledore asked, when he got no answer from the figure he turned to Snape who nodded. Nemo pulled something out of their jacket pocket and tossed it at Dumbledore's feet. Dumbledore picked it up and turned the Omniocular over in his hands. "What is this?"

"You will need proof that he is back." Nemo said, turning to leave, "That should be enough proof."

"Thank you," Sirius said, looking at her over Harry's shoulder, giving her a pointed look. "I'm going to take him up to Madame Pomfrey." The 'I will see you there' was unspoken but implied as he turned and headed up to the school. Nemo simply turned away, shifting into her scarred lion form, looking over the four before running off into the forest. She had not wanted to show this part of her abilities but Harry was sure to tell them and she could move easier on four than two with her leg injured.

Moving through the forest and back to the loose board at the back of the Shack, Hermione shifted back before hauling herself through. Remus rushed over as she slipped in falling to the floor covered in blood.

"Hermione are you alright?" He asked, pulling her hood off to get a look at her face. "You're covered in blood!"

"It's not mine. I need to get back." she groaned, pushing him back and trying to stand, but her leg wouldn't hold her any longer and would have fallen had Remus not caught her. Pulling at the makeshift bandage on her leg, she pulled the blood crusted cloth off. The cut in her leg was inflamed and streaks of black and green were spreading out from the wound, if she didn't get an antidote for the venom soon things were not going to end well.

"Here let me." Remus said casting a cleaning charm on her to get all the blood off and helped her out of her jacket, redressing her in the Champion's robes. Hermione recast her glamours with some difficulty before Remus picked her up and took her back to the school. He was sure to get an earful for not bringing her in sooner but Harry was safe and alive, he had seen so from the window of the shack.

Author's Note-Well here is chapter 20 and the end of Year Four. I will be taking a bit of a break I need a breather, I have been working on the last 13 chapters back to back and I'm getting run down to the point that I had to force this last chapter out. I don't want my writing to be like that, it effects the quality of my work and unpleasant for me to work on. So i will be focusing on my plot for years five and six when things will be getting exciting and we can finally get into the romance. Also i messed with the date of this task because with my dates June is in the summer but in the book apparently they are still at school so I just moved it up a month.

Next Chapter 21: Dreaming Of The Day You Wake Up And Find, What You're Looking For Has Been Here The Whole Time-Snape's POV of a number of events from last chapter before picking up with Hermione in the Hospital Wing. Reestablishing the Order of the Phoenix and see what is going on with Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Snape and Lucius have an interesting conversation about a certain Muggleborn before Snape steps up his investigation into the illusive 'Nemo'.

Edited-08/08/18

German Translation by the wonderful and patient Alea Thoron.