The marks of battle, they still feel raw

A million pieces of me, on the floor.

I'm damaged goods, for all to see

Now who ever wanna be with me?

I've got all the baggage, the drink, the pills

Yeah, this is living but without the will.

I'm blacking out, I'm shutting down

You've left a hole when you walked out.

-Exit Wounds, The Script.

Chapter 26: The Marks of Battle, They Still Feel Raw.

December 1995.

Hermione didn't recall dozing off, but she must have because the next time her eyes opened it was to Madame Pomfrey coming in with a tray of breakfast. The chair by her bed was missing one Potion's Master she noted, gingerly sitting up in bed.

"Best eat up," Pomfrey advised with a clinical detached air as she laid out the simple meal, the witch left as soon as her work was done.

"What time is it?" The brunette asked when the Medi-Witch returned with an assortment of potions for Hermione to drink.

"A quarter till ten," came the terse reply, Hermione paused in between choking down the first and second potion, before the witch could slip out again without talking to her.

"Wait!" She half shouted, between repressed coughs. Pomfrey's back stiffened visibly before she turned to face the occupant of the bed. Her hands were clasped about her wand before her, as she leveled Hermione with her best reproachful gaze.

"Sorry, I-" Hermione paused, clearing her throat, taking the time to down the remaining potions and gather her thoughts before swinging her legs over the side of the bed. "Before anything else is said, I wanted to thank you for healing me, Madame Pomfrey."

"I'm a Healer, regardless of your motives, if I'm presented with someone who is in need of healing it is my job to do what I can for them," the Witch stated coolly.

"Are you going to tell anyone?"

"For the moment, no." Hermione let out a sigh of relief she hadn't realized she had been holding, at least she still had some of her cover intact.

"Thank you," she said, an arm was wrapped around her aching middle, the wound pulling painfully with every movement.

"Don't thank me for my silence, it is not for your benefit." the woman stated shortly.

"I see," Hermione said, nodding, before she slipped fully off the bed, gathering her uniform from the side table. Looking around she felt a brief wave of panic as she searched around for the two most important items that had been on her person. "Where is my wand and locket?"

"I believe Professor Snape has them along with your school things." The Medi-Witch supplied, as Hermione propped herself against the bed and began to get dressed in her uniform. "You are free to go, but I would suggest that you remain here for the holidays. Your injuries still need tending if they are going to heal properly."

Hermione struggled, tugging on a stocking as best she could without being able to bend over. "Just give me a list of what I need to do and I'll take care of it."

She left the Hospital Wing with a list of Potions and instructions, to rest as much as possible; by then she had to agree with the Medi-Witch; she couldn't deny that even the simple task of dressing was an exhausting ordeal and she was far from being over her injuries. Pomfrey had been surprised when she had reapplied her glamours with little more than a gesture, realizing then that despite Snape relieving her of her wand, the witch wasn't exactly unarmed.

Making her way down to the dungeon, using a series of passages not normally used by the students, she did her best to avoid anyone that was already beginning to gather their things to be loaded on the train. Pausing at the base of yet another flight of stairs, Hermione leaned against the wall briefly to catch her breath before continuing the last few yards to Snape's office door and knocking on it loudly.

There was a long silence that followed, leading the injured Witch to begin to dread that she had made the long journey for nothing and should have just gone to the Tower first for the Map. She was about to knock again just in case when the door swung open and she nearly fell through the doorway.

"Dammit!" she hissed out in pain, holding her side and taking a deep breath through her nose, breathing through the pain while bracing her other arm on the door frame.

"What are you doing out of the Hospital Wing?" Snape asked angrily, clearly he hadn't wanted to see her again so soon.

"You think I wanted to walk all the way down here! You have my things," she snapped back, still gingerly hunched over her side and glaring up at him as if he should have known why she was there. "I want them back, the train is leaving in an hour."

"You'll remain in the Hospital Wing for the break." He barked out like it was obvious. "I still have questions that need to be answered!"

"If I'm going to go any place, it's home," she shot back, before compromising. "If you still have questions that can't wait until after I've had some time to recover, then you're more than welcome to come visit. I'm sure you remember the address, you spent enough time skulking around last summer, getting all chummy with my neighbor." At his shocked expression, she gave him a condescending smile, "Didn't think I knew about that, did you?"

Snape seemed to need to compose himself for a minute, pinching the bridge of his nose as if fighting off a headache.

"Fine," he snapped, turning to stalk across the room and retrieving her school bag from the floor where she had left it yesterday, shoving it into her hands. She immediately began sifting through it.

"All my things," she stated glaring at him with an extended hand. He visibly ground his teeth before procuring her wand from an inner pocket and handing it to her. She dropped it in the bag before extending her hand out again, to which Snape cocked an eyebrow as if to say 'you're not getting anything else out of me.'

"Accio," she said with a 'come here' gesture and the locket darted out of another pocket into her hand. "Thank you." She said mockingly and left the office, only to hear the door shut with a loud bang before she made it halfway down the hall.

Trunks and pets were gathered on the train, where Hermione had collapsed on a seat and fallen immediately asleep before they could even leave the station. Trekking down to the Dungeons then up to the Tower had exhausted everything she had. Neville had chosen to sit quietly across from her instead of with Dean, keeping an unasked watch so that she could sleep undisturbed; and for that she was grateful of the kind young man who asked no questions.

Remus had met her at the station and led her to a waiting car, it was then that she broke the news of her partly blown cover to him shortly after they had pulled out of the parking lot. She told him about Snape's stripping of her glamour and then her trip to the Hospital Wing when her injury was becoming too much for either of them to deal with. Pointedly not mentioning the fact that she had passed out in Snape's office or the extent of how badly she had been injured; judging by his white knuckled grip on the steering wheel, Remus could tell she wasn't telling him everything and was likely berating himself for his condition and not being able to do more the night before. Truth be told he had not been surprised that someone had noticed her injury but that both Pomfrey and Snape knew now had come as an unsettling shock.

He had failed, again.

Those simple words were eating at him, why couldn't he do anything right the first time? He always seemed to light his bridges aflame as he crossed them, only to realize he had been burned after the fact.

When he was sixteen he had lashed out in a bout of anger and no matter what he did, nothing could resurrect the childhood friendship from the ashes. Just a few years later he had realized too late he had lit yet another bridge ablaze. He had tried to make it right, douse the flames before they could get out of control, begging on his knees for Dumbledore's help and Voldemort's mercy and she had still died. And all he had left was the smoldering ashes of yet another wrong choice.

Fourteen years ago he had sworn to make amends for it all, by keeping her son safe. His one redemption in all the wrong he had done and he had failed.

In everything he had learned from Granger's mind; time travel, the Dark Lord's return, a lost war and what shook him the most were three simple words. Harry is dead.

All his work in the shadows, years of playing the double agent and it hadn't mattered in the end. Even Dumbledore, with all his wisdom and power, had not changed the fact that Harry had died.

And yet...

A knock on his office door disturbed his thoughts, he was going to ignore it but after a brief moment of wondering who would disturb him when they should be readying to leave, he realized that it could only be one person. Stuffing the locket he had been rolling in his hands into an inner pocket, he stalked over to the door and threw it open.

Granger had changed things, stopped the flames before they could even begin to catch and suddenly Harry is dead had become Harry is saved. Six months ago she had saved Potter when no one else had; not even the Great Albus Dumbledore had been able to do more than twiddle his thumbs.

She stood there, on her own two legs, beaten and battered but not broken, in his doorway before demanding her things returned. He had shoved her bag into her arms before retrieving her wand from an inner pocket and placed it in her expectant hand.

Then her hand was out again, demanding without a word, but he wasn't about to comply. She summoned the locket from his robes regardless, in a rather dramatic display of wandless magic and left.

He slammed the door closed in frustration, what was he going to do now? Both Dumbledore and the Dark Lord were expecting information from him concerning Nemo. He could stall the Dark Lord for a while longer but he should tell Dumbledore, shouldn't he? Knowledge of the future would be paramount to the Light's success, yet Granger had refrained from going to the Headmaster. She had claimed to know more than had been revealed in her memories and a conversation from a previous holiday break had come to mind. Nemo's claims that the Dark Lord had hidden away items worth the placement of dark and powerful protections.

He needed more information and he knew just where to get it. Barely a day passed before Severus found himself bundled in his wool lined Muggle coat, hands tucked in the deep pockets out of the biting wind as he trudged through the snow that had drifted over Granger's walk. It was dark already even though it was still early evening, light spilled from one of the lower windows, lighting the way clearer than the scattered street lights did with the falling snow. He had just begun to climb the steps when the door opened.

"Well," a familiar voice commented disapprovingly, "that didn't take long."

"Lupin," Snape greeted curtly, dusting the snow from himself as he reached the more protected porch. Remus hesitated a moment, his form blocking the open door way before he finally moved aside to let the other man enter.

"Wait here," he requested, before disappearing into a room further down the hall.

He could hear the sound of quiet talking but it was drowned out by the louder sound of recorded talking and music so he made due with analyzing the room he was in. Retrieving a wrapped parcel from where he had tucked it under his arm, he noted a worn jacket that was obviously Lupin's hanging on the otherwise empty coat rack. A meow at his feet announced the entrance of Granger's beastly orange cat as he entered with a leisurely stretch, before heading off deeper into the house, tail twitching behind him. Unbuttoning his coat, the Spy was interrupted by Lupin's re-entrance with a bag in hand and a book under his arm.

"She's in the living room," a gesture to the doorway he had just come from while slipping on his shoes.

"You're not staying?" Snape asked, watching the werewolf stand stiff backed to retrieve his coat.

"Hermione seems to trust that you're not about to drag her off to Dumbledore, despite any of my misgiving, I trust her judgment concerning her affairs." Slinging the bag over his shoulder he paused in brushing past the Potion's Master. "Try to not keep her up for too long."

"Afraid I'll overstay my welcome?"

"She didn't tell me much, but I got the impression you know what could have-. About her past, who she is, what she is doing." Severus dropped his head in a measured nod, images coming to mind unbidden; Hogwarts as an empty ruin and the Order in shambles. Watching his own body being laid out on a shabby wooden table as he slowly bled out. "She's tired," Lupin continued, shaking the dark haired man back to the present, "she's not good at admitting it or even letting herself recover before she is off again." Lupin admitted softly with a grimace, "besides, the things she knows. It's not a wise decision to take it all in at once."

"I'll," Snape paused to clear his throat, "keep that in mind."

Lupin nodded briefly before continuing out the door, it snapped shut cutting off the burst of cold wind and snow.

"Well," Hermione remarked dryly from her living room doorway. She had been enjoying an early dinner with Remus, he had brought over some of the stew Dobby had prepared for the residence of Grimmauld Place. They had finished and had been watching some old television reruns about an army hospital when her wards had let her know someone unknown had entered her property. A glance over the back of the couch, out the front windows resulted in a familiar figure trudging up her sidewalk.

Remus had gone to let him in before she finally convinced him that it would probably be best for her and Snape to talk alone. Especially given their past and what she had told him so far, she admitted that he might not be that comfortable in close quarters given their unique history.

"You didn't waste any time." She remarked watching him hang up his coat in her entry room. She pushed off the doorway, having briefly lent against it or risk falling over, leading the way further into the house with a cautious slowness and an arm about her middle. "Let's get this over with."

Severus paused to take in the room, a warm wood paneled office with bookshelves along one wall. Granger gingerly lowered herself into a chair behind a worn desk that was occupied only by a single picture frame turned away from him.

"So um," she paused a moment in thought before shrugging, "What do you want to know about?"

Severus reluctantly broke his gaze away from studying the elaborate collection of papers, pictures and colored strings adorning one wall, taking a seat in the chair across from her. It was almost humorous at the site of their roles reversed; her behind the desk and him ironically in the place of the student.

"I believe last year you mentioned you know something important that could destroy the Dark Lord, among other things but that seems the most pressing issue at the moment. Care to elaborate on that?

"Ah, right to the point then." came the rueful reply. "What do you know about Horcruxes?"

"Horcruxes?"

"Yes," she nodded, pulling a slip of paper out of her desk. "That note was left by Regulas Black after replacing the Horcrux he stole with a fake. This one in fact." She explained setting her locket on the desk. "That day last Christmas when you found me wondering the halls after the Yule Ball."

"You had drunk that potion," he surmised, recalling the events of that morning and later meeting with Nemo who had claimed to have drugged Granger with a particularly dark potion he had admitted to brewing for the Dark Lord.

"Not entirely, I took advantage of a loop hole in the spell work but it did have some nasty side effects." She shuttered.

"No doubt." He sneered at the memory and his lack of realization at what had really been going on.

"I found the real one over the summer, it's locked up safe with the Gaunt Family Ring. That Ring was the leading cause of Dumbledore's death in my time from what you've"—she paused pondering tenses before correcting—"you'd told me. There was also a diary Harry destroyed in my second year that I believe was one of these Horcruxes as well."

"You've been tracking down these items yet you don't know what they are?" He asked skeptically, reading over the note before returning it to the desktop.

"No," she shook her head helplessly, pulling out Dumbledore's list of books and the circled title she had failed to get a hold of. "These are all I really have to go on," she waved a hand indicating the two pieces of paper. "I have some of Dumbledore's memories but none were of much use other than that he believed there were more of these items than just the Diary and Ring, and that they were tied to Vold- his life force." She corrected, recalling his mark was active again. I haven't been able to destroy the ones I have either. I can find them all if there even is any more and yet it's useless if they can't be destroyed."

"This book, do you have it?" He asked, tapping the circled title on the list, before steepling his finger in thought at her head shake.

"No, and the only copy I could find is currently in the hands of Lucius Malfoy." This bit of information caused the Potion Master's eyes to turn steely.

"Is that why you have been befriending Draco?" He questioned, looking back at her past actions of befriending the youngest Malfoy in a new light.

"What, no I owed him a debt." This addition seemed to catch the man off guard, "I mean I sort of repaid that when I saved him from that hippogriff I suppose but he's not that bad once you get to know him a bit."

"A Debt?"

"Yes," she admitted tiredly, it has become more and more difficult to think straight as her exhaustion crept up on her. "He sort of helped me find out about the basilisk back when the Chamber was opened. If he hadn't I wouldn't have known what to keep an eye out for and would have died that day instead of being petrified." She explained quickly, Snape's only reply to this was a nod.

"I have some contacts," he said, tapping the book list again before standing, "I'll see if I can track down another copy." Taking his leave without so much as a farewell. Hermione ignored his abrupt exit in favor of collapsing on her couch as soon as he had exited her wards. Too tired to make the trek up the stairs to bed and was asleep before she could even finish pulling a blanket from the back over herself.

After leaving Granger's, Severus had done just as he claimed, owling every contact he had. Most he kept in contact with for their access to some of the rarer and more expensive potion ingredients, though several were known to dabble in rare, and dark, items in general and not simply ingredients. This was how he spent much of the next several days of break leading up to and through Christmas, he had pretty much exhausted his address book and was currently waiting on replies when Dumbledore had approached him nearing New Year's with a special request.

It was this request that found the Potion's Master sitting across from a scowling Sirius Black at the man's kitchen table, waiting for Molly Weasley to round up Mr. Potter for him. The longer they sat in silence the more sure Severus was, that his robes were running the risk of catching fire with the intensity of Black's glare.

"Why so hostile, Black?" He sneered at the Dog. "Displeased about something, maybe secrets concerning a certain female friend of yours."

"Don't you dare," Black snarled softly, leaning forward across the table. "I don't pretend to understand why she trusts you, but you even so much as hint as betraying that trust and she won't be the only one you have to deal with." He threatened, and Severus couldn't help but jump at the chance to provoke the man further.

"Why Black, I'm positively shaking in my boots at the thought."

"Er," Potter spoke, poking his head through the kitchen doorway cautiously.

"Don't dawdle in the doorway, Potter. Get in here!" Severus ordered before directing his next statement at the man across from him. "I am supposed to be having this meeting in private, per Dumbledore's orders."

"Dumbledore can order what he wants. As Harry's legal guardian, I'm not leaving unless he wants me too." Sirius snapped back as Harry sat down next to him. "Now what did he send you here for?"

"Very well," Snape drawled lazily, he wanted to be here about as much as he suspected Black wanted him there. Ignoring the other man, just to further irritate him, and turning his attention on Potter. "Dumbledore has seen fit to inform me that you have been teaching yourself Occlumency with the help of Ms. Weasley."

"Yes, Sir."

"I am here to test your defenses and determine if more experienced lessons will be needed to prevent further unexpected intrusions into your mind." He had no desire to teach the boy, but Dumbledore had seen fit to not only volunteer his time to test him but to also provide any further training to the Potter Brat. In hopes of keeping any more of the Dark Lord's thoughts and emotions from leaking over, and hopefully prevent him from learning of the links existence and actively popping in for a peek anytime the urge came upon him.

"And what are you going to do, Sir?" Potter asked, eyeing his wand suspiciously, glancing over at Sirius who nodded stiffly before back to himself. At least the mutt had enough sense to realize this was something that had to be addressed after what had happened with Arthur and Nagini.

"I am going to attempt to break into your mind," he said softly, "we are going to see how well you resist. I have been told that you have shown an aptitude for resisting the Imperius Curse. You will find this to be a very similar experience. Brace yourself now, Legilimens!"

It wasn't the most efficient of ejections but Severus could admit that the boy had succeeded in throwing him out of his mind before he could delve into anything too personal. It was a passable first attempt. He made a few more attempts just to be sure it wasn't beginner's luck. While the boy couldn't prevent his entry, he could at least repel any intruders once they were in. Not surprising considering he had been working with the Weasley girl, who after having dealt with a foreign mind intruding on her own, this was likely where she had focused her studies on. It was more than he had expected to find, and Severus was pleased to admit enough that he could reasonably get out of any further lessons with the boy. He would advise Dumbledore to provide Potter with materials on passive shielding which should prevent any further nighttime incidents from occurring.

All too soon the winter halls had come to an end, and Hermione boarded the Express back to school. It had been two weeks since the incident at the Ministry and Hermione was still recovering from her injury. The wound, while no longer life threatening, was healing unusually slow. While she was thankful at having her mobility back, being practically bed ridden and unable to stay on her feet for longer than an hour without being utterly exhausted was trying on her patience. If Voldemort made another move now, she was in no fit state to protect anyone, let alone herself. With the last couple weeks of near constant bed rest and potions the wound had slowly begun to close from the inside out, meaning while it wasn't as deep as it had been and most of the internal damage had been healed, her pelvis was very much only being held together with magical sutures.

Arriving early she boarded the train and made directly for the Prefects compartment, intending to hole up there for the entirety of the trip. Ron and Harry had been under the impression, even before the whole ordeal with Mr. Weasley, that she had been going to visit her parents on a family skiing trip over the break. Not that she needed to worry about running into them quite yet, Sirius had let her know that Harry and the Weasleys would be taking the Knight Bus back to Hogwarts, so she didn't have to dodge any uncomfortable questions from the boys in the confines of the train cars.

"You're looking a lot better," Neville commented quietly as he stashed his trunk and took a seat next to her. "Good holiday?"

"Yeah, and you?" She replied, stroking Crookshanks who had sprawled across her lap.

"Not bad," he admitted with a shrug. Anything else was cut off as the main rush of returning students bombarded the train's corridors. Pulling out a book, Hermione tuned out the chaos in favor of losing herself in the pages. A shriek from a singed Pansy alerted her to the arrival of the Slytherin Prefects, Dracarys spitting sparks if she dared come near his current roost. Hermione had to stifle a laugh, secretly wishing she had a camera.

Red was slowly beginning to creep up the Malfoy Heir's face; the little Horntail was perched on his shoulder, his scaly head tucked behind the teen's left ear. The wizard made an attempt to brush off the dragon for the sake of his dignity. Dracarys was having none of it and kept nibbling at his platinum locks, making the most adorably loud purring squeaks. After a few attempts Draco managed to dislodge the creature which only led to the Horntail letting loose an extremely displease screaming shriek before climbing right back up on the wizard and returning to his ministrations.

"Can't you do something about your bloody dragon Granger!" Malfoy complained, from his spot further down the car, all the while scratching the dragon's flank helplessly.

"Can you blame him, you are the only other dragon here, Draco. He must think you're his brother or something with the way he keeps grooming you."

"Delusional reptile," the Pureblood grumbled folding his arms in a petulant sulk even as the little lizard rubbed his little scaly head against his cheek in udder affection.

Much to her surprise, Harry, Ron and Ginny were already in the common room waiting for her when she arrived back at school.

"Hey Mione." Ron greeted looking up from the game of exploding snap.

"Did you have a fun holiday?" Ginny asked, tossing her cards to the pile on the floor and pulling the older girl into a hug before she had a chance to dodge. Hermione let out an unintentional groan as arms wrapped around her in a crushing hug.

"Sorry," Ginny quickly apologized, "I didn't mean to squeeze that hard."

"Are you alright Hermione?," Harry asked in concern.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Just a little sore." She placated with a dismissive wave. "I fell down a lot on the slopes until I got a handle on the whole skiing thing. Still have a few lingering bruises. How was your holiday, how is your dad?"

"He's doing great, Mungo fixed him up brilliantly."

"That's great," She was relieved, apart from a few updates from Sirius and Remus on Arthur's stay at the hospital she had not heard much about his recovery. She couldn't imagine how she would have faced her friends if he had been irreparably injured, from what she had been told, the venom from the snake had given the healers at Mungo's quite some trouble. They had even dabbled in some muggle medical treatments, in hopes of finding some way to treat the bites. She was glad she didn't have the man's death on her conscience.

Heading up to her room to unpack, she noticed a sealed piece of paper lying on her pillow. Putting away Crooks' carry crate, the cat having already wandered off into the depths of the castle; she picked up the blank missive and turned it around looking for a sender, but only found her name written in a familiar scrawl. She couldn't help but smile a bit while shrugging out of her coat and gloves, putting them away before breaking the seal.

Granger,

Your presence is expected in my office, 6pm this evening.

-Professor S. Snape.

Punctual as always, Granger was knocking on his office door at the specified time. Snape ushered her in quickly, with a clipped order. She looked far healthier than the last time they had spoken, which he took with a grain of salt given her current glamoured state. She had hidden her critical state before, he wouldn't put it past her to do so again.

"You seem to be healing well." He commented, once they were both seated on either side of his desk.

"Not as quickly as I would have liked," she replied sourly, "but I'll manage."

"Perhaps you should have Pomfrey check you over?" He offered, knowing that she wouldn't be doing so unless he dragged her there again. The stubborn Gryffindor that she was.

"I'm not dying." she muttered, folding her arms over her chest. "Is she going to tell anyone? I'm guessing since I never had Aurors at my door that nothing has been mentioned yet, but Pomfrey doesn't seem the type to remain quiet about a possible intruder in the school."

"She will keep her silence," He had had to have a long conversation with the Witch before the students had arrived, leaving out the fact Granger was a time traveler, he had informed her of the good the witch had done these last two years and assured that no harm had befallen the 'real' Hermione Granger. It was a long interrogation with a lot of 'I can't answer that for your own sake's before he was able to convince Poppy to keep the events of that night to herself. "Though I would suggest avoiding the Hospital wing for the foreseeable future, she is still most upset with your current deception."

"I see," She said dubiously, considering he had just tried to send her to that very place not a minute ago. "Did you find anything out about that book?"

"Nothing at present." he admitted reluctantly, before they lapsed into an awkward silence both unsure of how to proceed with this new dynamic between them. Eventually Hermione dismissed herself, part of her wishing her secret had stayed that way given whatever tentative understanding they had had as teacher and student was gone. They were back to short talks with a distance they hadn't had since those first weeks of detention two years ago.

Classes started up the next day, quite interestingly when Hagrid gathered them all up for a trek through the snow for Care of Magical Creatures.

"We're workin' in 'ere today!" the half giant called, plowing a path through the snow the students were more than happy to follow. "Bit more sheltered in 'ere! Anyway, they prefer the dark."

"What prefers the dark?" Malfoy asked sharply, with an embarrassing crack to his voice. "What did he say—prefers the dark—did you hear?" Hermione could practically see the flashbacks to his detention in the forest with Harry, when they had run into Voldemort drinking the unicorn's blood. Harry on the other hand seemed far less traumatized by the event, though he was eyeing the trees around them cautiously.

"Ready?" Hagrid called in a hushed tone that did not hide his excitement. "Right, well, I've bin savin' a trip inter the forest fer yer fifth ear. Thought we'd go an' see these creatures in their natural habitat. Now, what er're studyin' today is a pretty rare, I reckon I'm probably the on'y person in Britain ter train 'em— " The class proceeded to ignore the rest of his speech and burst into concerned whispers.

"And you're sure they're trained, are you?" Lavender declared practically glueing herself to Ron's side.

"It wouldn't be the first time he's brought wild stuff to class, would it?" Pansy stage whispered.

"'Course they're trained." Hagrid declared back in offence. Emptying the sack he had brought along on the ground, with a wet splat a pile of fresh unidentifiable meat fell out.

"Gather roun' gather roun'," he called, waving them closer, which was met with reluctant shuffle steps. "Now, they'll be attracted by the smell o' the meat but I'm goin' ter give 'em a call anyway, 'cause they'll like ter know it's me..." Hagrid gave a shrieking call that left most of the class too scared to make a sound.

Hermione peered warily into the gloom of the forest along with the rest of the students, arms folded in her winter cloak for warmth. Something shifted in the treeline and Neville gave a barely audible whimper beside her.

"Oh, an' 'ere comes one!" the bushy man praised as the thestral plodded over to the meat pile with a keening cry. In a moment more came filtering into the clearing drawn with the promise of food. "Now...put yer hands up, who can see 'em?"

"Yeah...Yeah, I knew you'd be able ter, Harry," Hagrid said regretfully, Hermione swallowed hard trying not to dwell too much on the fact that it was her actions in the graveyard that were the cause of Harry's new ability to see the spectral horses. They had spoken a bit about the beasts that apparently pulled the carriages after the opening feast that year, but neither had spoken of why they each could see them and neither was forthcoming about for how long they had been able to. Beside her Neville's hand went up cautiously, Hermione gave him a sympathetic smile before raising her own hand. "An' you too, Neville, eh? An'—"

"Excuse me," Lavender asked, "but what exactly are we supposed to be seeing?"

"What's doing it?" Parvati demanded, terrified, "What's eating it?"

"Thestrals," Hagrid declared, patting the flank of the closest steed. "Hogwarts has got a whole herd of 'em in here. Now, who knows—?"

Hermione tuned out the Professor's next words as her attention was captured by a shape darting about the edge of the clearing. A lone thestral was skittishly flitting about the outskirts of the herd; too enticed by the smell of food to flee and too cautious of the group of students to approach, even if most were blind to it. "Righ', now, who can tell me why some o' you can see them an' some can't? Hermione!"

"The only people who can see Thestrals," she slowly lowered her hand, eyes still not leaving the skittish thestral with the familiar notch in its ear. "are people who have seen death."

As class was finally dismissed, most of the herd beginning to make its way back into the forest, Hermione found herself lingering behind as her classmates headed back to the welcoming warmth of the castle. The notched-eared thestral was pawing about the area where the meat had been thoroughly picked clean by the rest of the herd. It snorted with a toss of its head before eyeing the lone student walking toward it.

"Remember me?" she asked softly, stopping a few yards away and pulled off a glove. Holding the bare hand out to the skittish creature, it danced in circles in the trampled snow but made no move to bolt. Slowly, ever so slowly it took a step forward and then another. Long minutes passed before her chilled fingertips brushed the warm nose of the reptilian horse. It tossed it's head with a snort before giving a keening cry and planting it's snout back firmly in her palm for a hesitant scratch.

"You've got a way with the beasts." Hagrid commented, coming back to the clearing from escorting the bulk of the students out of the forest.

"This one at the very least," Hermione admitted, running her hand over the creature's surprisingly fine and glossy coat. Fingers catching on barely visible ridges in the coat; old scars. Chunks of mane had been cut off, stood out unable to grow back even with the rest.

"Skittish that one, new to the herd. Took weeks before she le' me near witho' runnin off." Hagrid handed her a morsel of meat from one of his pockets, "Poor thin', ya can always tell the one's from bad homes, some people hav no respect for them." Hermione offered the treat to the thestral, who snatched it up greedily before nosing at the hand in search of more.

"Does she have a name?"She asked curiously, wiping her hand off on her cloak before pulling her gloves back on. A movement that startled the beast and sent it bolting to the otherside of the clearing, wings flaring.

"I bin callen 'er Echo."

"Echo," Hermione mused, before giving the much taller man a small smile, "I like it."

"So do I." Hagrid chuckled, as Echo bolted off into the gloom of the forest, "Naw let's get ya up ta the castle before ya freeze."

The tentative calm that had settled over the first week back to school was broken on Thursday morning. Hermione had been taking things slow while she was still recovering, on her best behaviour in Defence and having not even started up pranking the toad woman in this new year. That short lived peace was broken when Hedwig showed up near the end of breakfast and well after the normal mail call. She dove through the open window in an unusual clumsiness. Close on her tail was a large dark feathered hawk, it snatched at her and was rewarded with a talon full of snowy feathers before the owl changed direction abruptly and landed in a mostly empty bowl of dry cereal. Harry leapt forward and snatched his beloved owl to his chest, shielding her in his arms and robes as the hawk made a grab at her again.

There was shouting around him from the few remaining students, who had yet to head off to class as the hawk dove and clawed at Harry trying to get the owl. Hermione grabbed one of the near empty platters of toast and swung at the bird, it never made contact as the hawk dodged and continued its mission to get at the snowy owl. Ignoring the twinging in her side, she shoved the metal dish over Harry's head and neck, shielding his more vulnerable bits and digging around in her pockets for her wand.

"Oi you," a voice boomed as a large hand snatched the raptor up as easy as one might pick up a chick. The hawk screeched but as soon gave up its struggle when it was enclosed in Hagrid's massive hand, "Ya ar'ight Arry?"

"Yeah," the boy said, taking stock of himself and finding that while his robes were a little rumpled he was relatively unscathed. "yeah I'm alright." he pulled Hedwig from his robes and placed her on the table. She hooted pitifully, leaning heavily to one side and a wing held out from her body. "Hedwig is hurt!"

"Here let me take her," the large man said, pocketing the hawk as it gave a protesting squawk. It was tucked in one of the large pockets in his moleskin coat and the flap closed preventing any escape. With hands now free, he took the owl from Harry with great care. "I'll see to 'er and ya can come check on 'er after class. Hurry on now or ya'll be late, I'll take good care o 'er.

Hermione tossed the platter back on the table and collected her things, whatever peace she had been willing to extend to the woman had just gone out the window. Friday found every item in Umbridge's Office shifted slightly to the left, not enough to be noticed but so much so the woman was obviously off-kilter everytime she entered the room. By Monday the Defense classroom had received the same treatment. By the end of the second week back to school Hermione had once again shifted the pink pest's office and charmed one of the toad's prized kitten plates to begin growling and hissing at her for no reason.

Author's Note: My deepest and most sincere apologies my dear readers for such a long absence. Life had been crazy these last few years, first with the dying of my computer and what I thought at the time death of all my notes chapter outline and already written content. I have since then retrieved and backed up all of my content through a temporary fix, and only recently fixed fully my computer. On top of that as in writer's block, a temporary loss of interest in the act of writing(not the story itself) and the bundle of insanity that has been Covid, thankfully me and my family have remained health threw out these trying time and I hope the same can be said for you my faith full readers. I apologize again for such along delay and hope that this chapter makes up for it in part. I is not as long I would have liked but some plot related issued came up that forced me to cut it in half, bad news this chapter is about 2k-3k shorter than I intended, good news next chapter is over half done! I hope to see you all again next time, hopefully not too long, with the next chapter. fear not this story will have it's ending!

Next Chapter 27: If There's One Thing That's True, It's That I Believe In You-Fifth year is finally wrapping up, a lead on the Horcruxes comes from an unlikely source and Umbridge hits the breaking point.