Christmas Holiday
(Lily POV)
Awe filled Lily as she and Severus arrived at Potter Manor. She had known that James and Hermione were purebloods, that they came from an old family and old money, but seeing it was something else altogether. The front foyer, with its ornamental floo fireplace was breathtaking. There was more marble and gilding than she'd ever seen outside a museum. She glanced at Severus and saw a strange, tight look on his face. She knew him better than almost anyone else, perhaps better than Hermione, and she knew what that look meant. It was longing, desire. Severus wished that he belonged to this completely, fully. He was only a half-blood, and that fact bothered him more than she liked to think about.
"Lily! Severus!" Hermione was running down the grand staircase waving at them. She flung herself into Severus' arms and then hugged Lily tightly. "I can't believe you guys came."
"I can't believe we did either," Severus muttered irritably. Stuck in the same house as James Potter. What the hell had he been thinking?
Hermione pulled back from them, and beamed at them both her happiness making her hazel eyes glow. Lily suddenly felt out of place, which was an uncomfortable feeling for the normally self-assured witch. Hermione was wearing silk. Silk! It was an old-fashioned looking dress that fell to mid-calf with a high neck and long sleeves. She looked completely natural wearing it and the style flattered her peaches and cream complexion, and Lily realized that Hermione must dress like that all the time. She must wear silk every day. Lily looked down at her jeans and thick wool sweater and flushed slightly. She glanced at Severus in his slightly shabby black robes and realized that he was slightly flushed as well.
"Hermione Canopia Potter! How many times have I told you that a lady does not gallop down the hall, nor does she tramp down the stairs. A lady floats, a lady glides effortlessly." A stern voice floated down the stairs and Hermione blushed furiously.
"But mother, James and Sirius sound like a herd of elephants and you never criticize them!" Hermione complained. Lily could tell that this was a common argument. A lady descended the staircase in a manner similar to that which she had described; she seemed to glide effortlessly down the stairs until she was standing in front of them, smiling gently.
"Lily and Severus, welcome to our home," Her voice had softened, and Lily could see the infinite kindness there. "My husband Charlus took the boys to find a tree, they'll most likely be back in a few hours."
"Thank you for having us, Mrs. Potter," Severus said with stiff formality and executed a painfully correct bow. Mrs. Potter smiled affectionately at him.
"The pleasure is ours," she said firmly. "Now follow me and I shall show you your rooms. Normally, I would have put you with the other boys, Severus, but Hermione became quite upset and insisted that James and Sirius might attempt to make your stay unpleasant. In light of that, your room is closer to the girls' rooms."
They followed Dorea's graceful form back up the stairs and down a long hall. Lily's room was first. It was an exquisite room, tastefully done in a pale green. There was a canopy bed, with pale green fabric decorating the top of the canopy. It was the largest bedroom Lily had ever seen, and Lily was a little overwhelmed. She'd never seen anything like this…ever. Severus' eyes were wide, but Hermione just looked happy. Dorea was smiling fondly at all of them. She showed Severus to his room and then left the children to amuse themselves. The two guests followed Hermione to her room, which was just as beautiful, and just as tasteful as Lily's room done in cream, gold, and dark burgundy.
"What do you want to do?" Hermione asked them as soon as the door closed behind them. Lily stared helplessly at the delicate wallpaper of Hermione's room and shrugged.
"I've never been anywhere like this, what is there to do?" Lily asked carefully. Hermione frowned thoughtfully for a moment.
"Well, we could go pester the house elves for some cookies and cider and think about what we want to do," Hermione said at last.
"House elves?" Lily asked curiously. Hermione nodded. Lily glanced at Severus and saw that he knew what she was talking about. "What is a house elf?"
"Magical beings that are bound to serve a particular magical family. They're rather like brownies, but they're bound to the people not the house itself," Severus said quietly. Lily frowned for a moment.
"Bound? As in enslaved?" She asked sharply. Hermione laughed, she could not help herself. Apparently, Lily and Old Hermione would have gotten along famously. Hey! I resemble that remark!
"No," Hermione said with a shake of her head. "It's rather complicated, but I've got some books that discuss it in detail and I'd be happy to lend them to you. I think once you meet our house elves, you might understand a bit more."
"Cookies and cider sound nice," Severus said cautiously. Hermione doubted that Severus had ever had a pleasant winter holiday. She smiled at him and grabbed his hand.
"Come along then!" Hermione said cheerfully and dragged them down to the kitchen.
"Mistress Hermione!" A house elf was smiling widely at Hermione. Lily thought that they didn't exactly look the way she thought they would look. They were wrinkly, and pink, and had great bat-like ears. Hermione smiled back at the house elf with genuine affection.
"Notty, these are my friends from school. This is Lily Evans, and this is Severus Snape. I want you to treat them with the same courtesy that you treat Sirius and Remus." Hermione said firmly. Notty nodded and smiled at Lily and Severus.
"Of course, young Mistress," Notty agreed. "Now is the young Mistress and her friends wanting some snacks?"
"Oh, yes please! Cider and what kind of cookies did you bake today?" Hermione asked eagerly. Notty danced in place and clapped her hands.
"We is making ever so many cookies today Mistress Hermione. There were gingersnaps, chocolate crinkles, sugar cookies, snickerdoodles, gingerbreadwizards, and macaroons."
Severus and Lily's eyes glazed over as Notty brought out a fairly large platter piled high with cookies. Lily glanced at Severus who looked as though he were having fun, but couldn't quite credit that any of this was real. The cider was just hot enough, and more delicious than anything she'd ever had before. Lily was feeling rather overwhelmed at the moment. She wasn't sure what to think or feel, and it was sort of surreal to see Hermione looking so natural and comfortable here. Hermione had been Lily's friend since first year, but she had never really thought about Hermione's home life. Maybe that was because she knew how horrible Snape's home life was, and from several sarcastic comments she'd overheard she could guess that Sirius and Regulus' home life wasn't all that great either. She'd felt smug, she realized with embarrassment, that her home life was so much better than children raised in the wizarding world. Hermione and James didn't brag or boast or complain like that, so she just hadn't thought about what their home might be like. Dorea Potter was so gentle and sweet that Lily felt instantly drawn to her. One could only assume that Mr. Potter would be just as wonderful.
"So now that we've eaten, do you guys want to see my favorite room in the whole house?" Hermione asked with a wicked smile and a glint in her eyes. Uncertainly, Lily and Severus nodded.
"Merlin," Lily whispered as she stared at the Potter Manor's library. Severus' face was blank, unreadable.
"You're more than welcome to borrow any volume you want to," Hermione said graciously. "I believe we have several volumes that Hogwarts does not have."
The rest of the morning was spent reading companionably, the three friends spread throughout the library. At one point, Hermione ended up on a small couch curled up against Severus. He had one arm wrapped around Hermione, his hand playing absently with her curls. Her head was on his shoulder, and they both were reading quietly. Lily was curled up in a nearby chair so that she could occasionally reach out and touch Severus's hair. It was not greasy, not since Hermione permanently charmed it. It was soft and silky and inky black. Lily idly twirled a lock as she read. A throat cleared uncertainly.
"Er, your father asked me to come get you," Remus said. Hermione glanced up and smiled at him.
"Father's back? Oh, splendid! Come on you guys, let's go!" Hermione jumped and grabbed Lily and Severus' hands.
Decorating a Yule tree at Potter Manor was one of the most interesting experiences of Lily's life. Hogwarts was so magical that you got used to it, but then when you went back to the muggle world it was so different…it was so not like Hogwarts. This was like being at Hogwarts. Lily wondered if that was the reason that she didn' t care for James or the other marauders. They had seemed arrogant to her, and far too full of themselves. What if it was a misunderstanding? Hermione didn't seem full of herself, but she seemed to understand on some special level that certain things needed to be explained to Lily. She always took the time to carefully explain certain facets of the wizarding world to Lily. She never did it with a superior air, and she never acted stuck up. Lily kept sneaking glances at James while they decorated the tree. Here in his own home, with his own family, he seemed natural. He was a teenage boy, so he still managed to be brash and a little wild, but here it was endearing rather than irritating. He obviously loved his family, and respected his parents greatly.
"I think the tree's done, don't you Sirius?" James announced in a loud voice with a sly smile for his mother and father. Lily understood that this was some sort of family tradition and found herself smiling in anticipation, just like James' friends.
"Yeah, I think it's completely decorated," Sirius drawled with a smirk. Hermione jumped up immediately.
"No, it isn't!" She said with a look of surprise. "Look there, and there. You left huge holes Jamie!"
"Oh, well, yeah, I suppose," James teased her and the marauders filled in the holes with ornaments. "Now, though. Now it's done, right?"
"But, but," Hermione took a quick tour of the tree, looking at it from every angle. She pointed to the top of the tree. "The star isn't on. It's not done until the star is on."
"I think we should let one of our guests put the star on, don't you, Hermione?" James teased her shamelessly. Hermione's eyes had widened in surprise, and her mouth formed a round "o".
"Oh," she whispered softly staring up at the tree. She looked at her father, but didn't see that he was trying desperately not to laugh at her. "That would be the right thing to do, wouldn't it? You're right, of course, Jamie."
"Princess," Charlus Potter said contritely, never able to do anything that would make his only daughter sad even for a moment. "Your brother is teasing you. Surely, you realize that."
"Teasing?" Hermione echoed, looking up at her father. He put an arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head.
"Who else would put the star on the top of the tree, My Own?" James asked her softly, slipping an arm around her waist and kissing her brow.
Lily smiled widely. Her family had a similar tradition, but she and Petunia took turns, alternating years. Here, because the Potters had only one daughter, Hermione had traditionally held the honor since she was tiny and Charlus had had to hold her up in his arms to place the star on the tree. Dorea Potter smiled fondly at her husband and her two children and held out a beautifully carved wooden box to Hermione. She carefully set down the box, and reverently lifted the lid. Nestled in tissue paper was the most beautiful star Lily had ever seen in her life. It looked as though it were made of silver and crystal. Hermione cupped it carefully in her hands, her face soft. Her father carefully lifted her and she placed the star on the top of the tree.
"There," Dorea said with a warm smile for her full parlor of family and friends. She flicked her wand and a thousand tiny lights began to twinkle around the tree. "Now it's done."
The Christmas holiday with the Potters was wonderful, and Lily felt welcomed as though she belonged. However, it was hard to be in the same house as James Potter when he was behaving like a normal, decent human being. It was much, much easier to be around him when he was an arrogant git. Then she could yell at him and hex him. When he was behaving like a decent sort of person everything became very murky. She began to wonder what his lips would feel like pressed against hers. She flushed as she hurried down the stairs to meet Hermione in the library when she hit a solid wall.
"Oof!" All the air left her lungs at once.
Lily looked at the wall, which was wearing clothing…how odd. She looked up and saw the cocky grin of James Potter. He caught her gaze and pointed up at a sprig of mistletoe. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she blushed. His eyes blazed at her, and that cocky grin vanished. He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. Lily had never been so grateful for mistletoe in her life. His lips, moving against hers, were silky soft, but she could feel electricity crackling between them. His hands came up to touch her shoulders and he nibbled on her lower lip. Lily opened her mouth beneath his, and his tongue teased hers until she was breathless.
"Lily?" Hermione's voice seemed so far away, but Lily sprang back from James and looked around her guiltily. She stared up into James' hazel eyes, blazing into hers, and felt her heart start to pound in her chest.
"I…I have to go," she whispered and she hurried down the steps toward the library. She could feel James staring after her, and her cheeks burned.
The rest of the Christmas holiday passed in strange whirl. Lily enjoyed herself, and she had never felt happier or more relaxed because she was able to spend so much time in close contact with her bonded siblings. However, she started to avoid James even more than normal, and she was always careful to never, ever be found under mistletoe. It wasn't that she hadn't liked his kiss—it was that she had liked it, perhaps a bit too much. She thought about it at random times, and Hermione had caught her more than once staring off into space her fingertips touching her lips. The knowing look in her sister's eyes had been disconcerting. Going back to Hogwarts was almost a relief because she knew James would go back to being his usual arrogant prat self, and that was far safer for her.
Toward the end of the holiday, the boys disappeared for great swathes of time, and Lily wondered if James was just as affected as she was. Hermione had looked pensive during this time, and Severus had made a specific effort to cheer her up. The day before they went back the boys seemed disgustingly jovial, slapping each other on the back constantly, and kept calling each other the most ridiculous nicknames. Hermione's lips had thinned and she had a certain look in her eye. Lily knew that Hermione understood the weird, cryptic things that the boys were talking about, but it didn't make her happy. She looked almost sad.
HP/HG/HP
(Hermione's POV)
It was good to be back at Hogwarts, but she could not help the twinge of sadness that seemed to hang on her. To know that her twin and his friends were now officially the marauders complete with animagus forms, and that she was completely excluded from it all, hurt more than she wanted to admit. The only thing that helped her when she was this upset was running through the woods in her animagus form. It was a new moon, so she figured that that would be safe enough. She knew that the marauders only ran under full moons. She slipped out of her bed in the girl's dorm and snuck out of the castle using Old Hermione's knowledge of the castle. She cast a disillusion spell on herself nonverbally, and ran soundlessly on bare feet through the castle. Her senses were becoming more alert, more aware because of her alter-ego. She needed almost no light, and her feet made no noise. Running through the woods on a regular basis made her very muscular and fit. She made it out of the castle and hurried to the woods. As soon as she reached the safety of the trees, she removed her concealment spells and transformed. She roared all her anger and rage and hurt to the woods. She heard a bark in the distance and slunk deeper into the woods.
Are you kidding me?
The dark of the moon, this was her time in the woods, damn it. The stupid boys with their stupid no girls rules got to play at the full moon. She was snarling under her breath as she raced faster and faster. She heard a distant bark again, and she changed her direction slightly. Old Hermione came in quite handy here, because she knew quite a bit about the Forbidden Forest. She knew how to avoid Centaur herds, aracumantula land, and other various pit falls. Really, once you knew how to avoid those sorts of things the Forbidden Forest was quite lovely. She was thinking of building a summer home here someday. Hermione zig-zagged through the woods in a pattern meant to throw off her scent. The bark sounded slightly closer. Stupid boys. Well, one thing they weren't counting on was Hermione being smarter than the average animagus. She picked the likeliest tree and raced up it quickly. She sat in the branches and waited.
Majestically beautiful, the stag entered her line of sight. Hermione was so proud of her brother, her heart swelled in her chest. A huge dog was racing around him in crazy circles. Was it just the two of them? No…Remus had come with them, and he was carrying Peter the rat. Well that was idiotic to say the least. He was too vulnerable in these woods as a human. She sat in her tree and watched them. The giant dog whined at Remus who nodded.
"I can smell her, too. She's got to be around here somewhere." He said clearly, not trying to whisper even. In her tree, Hermione-Lioness wished that lions could roll their eyes. Could they be any less stealthy?
Picking his way carefully, the stag, well…Prongs then, walked around the clearing looking all around. The dog, oh fine, Padfoot, sniffed all around the clearing carefully, trying to trace her scent. Hermione stretched out on her branch and relaxed her muscles. She was going to be here for a while. Her tail twitched restlessly. Suddenly, her keen hearing picked up a noise.
Are you kidding me?
Hermione sighed heavily and leaped down from her branch.
"Hey! There she is!" Remus said brightly.
The lioness advanced on him deliberately. She looked right at him, head butted him and tossed her head toward Hogwarts. Remus stared at her. She carefully took his robes in her teeth and tugged.
"You want me to leave? But…but we came to see you," Remus said uncertainly. The lioness looked over her shoulder towards the woods and snarled softly. Then she grabbed his robes and tugged again, more urgently. "There's something in the woods?"
At this point, Hermione wanted to shift and start yelling, but she wasn't quite ready to reveal herself yet. She head-butted the stupid boy again, more frantically.
"Okay. I believe you," Remus murmured. She licked his hand. He turned and ran back towards Hogwarts. She shadowed them carefully, making sure they left safely. They stood watching her pace back and forth, her attention on the forest.
"Hey!" Remus called. She turned her head to him and cocked it slightly to a 'listening' pose. "Will you come back on the full moon? Please?"
She snorted at him and did the feline equivalent of a shrug. Then she moved deeper into the woods, snarling at something. There was some sort of a crash and then she roared in rage and there was a scuffling sound. She emerged a half-hour later, looking incredibly smug with herself, and stopped in surprise when she realized that they had waited. Remus would swear later that the lioness sighed at them. She shook her head, anyway, and then bounded off. They tried to follow her, but they weren't able to keep up with her. Yet.
HP/HG/HP
Breakfast in the Great Hall was quiet the next morning, the boys weren't used to the transformation yet, and they had yet to make an appearance at the Gryffindor table. Remus sat across from Hermione and Lily eating quietly. Lily had smiled warmly at him when he sat down, but Hermione seemed slightly cool. He worried that maybe he'd done something to upset her, but he couldn't imagine what it might be. Perhaps it was that incident from before the winter break, when she had asked if he could keep a secret from James. No, he didn't think Hermione would stay angry about that. She knew how close all the marauders were. He frowned and chewed his toast slowly. The owls flew in and an elegant black owl landed in front of Hermione who stared at it in shock. Her fingers trembled slightly as she untied the note. Someone else might not have noticed, but Remus did. He could hear her heart racing and saw her eyes widen slightly. The owl took off immediately, and Hermione unrolled the scroll. He heard her sudden intake of breath and saw her cheeks darken in to a dusky rose. Lily tried to sneak a look at the note, but Hermione palmed it.
"What was that?" Lily asked curiously.
"Um, a secret admirer," Hermione lied, blushing even darker. Remus frowned to himself. Why was she lying to Lily? They were very close. As far as he knew, they shared everything with one another.
"Ooh," Lily said with a wicked grin. "Someone to give Amos Diggory a run for his money."
"I wish," Hermione said with a snort and a roll of her eyes. "Remus, do you want to study with us this afternoon? O.W.L.'s are coming up, and Lily and I have designed a comprehensive study plan."
"I'd like that, thank you," he said with a grin. Maybe Hermione wasn't mad at him after all. It also looked as though Hermione wasn't all that happy with Amos Diggory, maybe he'd tell Sirius later, it would probably make the other boy's whole day.
"Hermione? I thought I'd walk you to class," Amos Diggory said gallantly from behind Hermione. Remus saw her slight grimace and the tiny smile that Lily hid behind her hand. Then Hermione turned and smiled brightly at her boyfriend.
"That sounds lovely, Amos. You are so thoughtful," she gushed at him. Remus thought she batted her eyes at him as well. He almost choked on his toast. The couple moved off, Hermione clinging to his arm and fawning on him.
"What was that?" Remus asked, the disgust evident in his voice. Lily snickered.
"Promise you won't tell anybody?" Lily asked him seriously, frowning slightly. The tips of his ears turned pink. He thought for a minute.
"I can't promise not to tell James. Especially if something happens to Hermione," Remus said finally. Lily tugged on a lock of her hair and thought for a minute.
"I guess…I guess that works. Okay, so Regulus has a crush on Hermione, right? She told me you saw the kiss." Lily leaned across the table and spoke as quietly as she could. Remus nodded.
"Yeah, I thought James was going to come unglued," Remus said softly.
"Well, Hermione adores Regulus, but more like a little brother or a friend. She didn't want to lose him as a friend, but she wanted to make it clear that he didn't have a chance as boyfriend material. Enter Amos Diggory." Lily spoke quickly, glancing around her periodically to make sure no one was listening.
"Oh," Remus said. "So she doesn't really like him?"
"Not really. He's condescending. I've watched the way he treats her. If any boyfriend of mine ever said half of what that idiot says I'd hex him, but good." Lily said viciously, stabbing a sausage. James sat down next to her and slid an arm around her shoulders.
"What were you saying about me?" He asked brightly. Lily rolled her eyes at Remus and then chuckled.
"You know, it's a sad day when Potter here would be a step up. Well, if it weren't for the whole ick factor," Lily said with a smile for Remus. He laughed with her until he saw the molten glare coming from James' hazel eyes.
"Uh…er…she wasn't saying you were the ick factor," Remus explained quickly. Lily looked up at James. Her heart started to beat a little faster and her cheeks flushed.
"Oh! No, that's not what I meant at all," she said her green eyes wide. James frowned at her.
"Well, what did you mean then?" He asked. Lily jumped up and looked at her bare wrist.
"Oh, is that the time? I'm going to be late! Sorry, I have to go!" Then she fled from the Great Hall as though dementors were chasing her. James frowned at Remus who took a quick sip of pumpkin juice.
"She doesn't like Amos Diggory, she says he doesn't treat Hermione well," Remus gave the shorter answer. "That's what the ick factor was, you can't very well date your own sister."
"Oh," James said in sudden comprehension, his eyes widening and a grin stretching his lips. "So that means I'm decent boyfriend material, right? Right?"
"Sure, Prongs," Sirius drawled with a roll of his eyes. "I've thought that for ages, but you always turn me down."
"That's just because I know you'd end up breaking my heart," James said with a mock-sniffle.
"What can I say, I gotta share the me. I don't want the poor girls to do without now, do I?" Sirius drawled and winked at the Ravenclaw table. A group of girls giggled inanely and Remus rolled his eyes at Peter who snickered.
HP/HG/HP
It was midnight and Hermione's heart was in her throat as she climbed the steps to the Astronomy tower. The note she'd received earlier had already been destroyed. She tried to breathe deeply, to be calm. She wasn't sure why she was doing this, she just knew that she had to. When she reached the top of the tower she saw him. His long hair gleaming silver in the moonlight, his arms crossed across his broad chest. Hermione swallowed convulsively.
"Lucius?" she whispered. He whirled around, his silver-grey eyes pinning her where she stood.
"You were right," he said dully.
"I was?" she asked, confused. He nodded.
"The things I saw," he shuddered, but then immediately controlled himself, a calm mask slipping into place.
"You're willing to fight against him, from the inside?" Hermione asked carefully.
"We would have to be very, very careful," he said carefully. "I can't do anything that would put my family at risk."
"No, of course not," Hermione agreed. "Would you be willing to swear an Unbreakable Vow to me?"
"It would depend," Lucius said slowly, his eyes narrowing in thought. "What would it entail?"
"Basically? Fealty to me," Hermione said bluntly. Lucius was quiet for several minutes.
"What else?" He asked cautiously.
"A vow of secrecy and fidelity. You won't be able to talk about what we will do with anyone who isn't already part of it," Hermione explained further. "I will need you to be the semi-public leader. Anyone we deal with will think that you are the head of this movement. Any recruits, Dumbledore if we decide to approach him. Everyone will think that you are the leader."
"Why?" He asked with a frown.
"Purebloods usually have difficulty taking orders from a woman, and most of the people you will be dealing with will be purebloods. Even Dumbledore, who is fairly liberal for a wizard, has certain blinders on when it comes to the ability of witches," Hermione said bitterly with Old Hermione's experience foremost in her mind.
"That's true," he said thoughtfully. "Is that why you want me to take an Unbreakable Vow? You don't think I'll listen to you?"
"Not exactly. I know things you do not. I have information you do not. Occasionally, you may be asked to do certain things that you will not immediately understand. I can't have you hesitate, or question what I ask you to do. I need your full compliance." Hermione stated flatly. Lucius frowned darkly.
"You won't share any of this information?" He asked.
"Eventually, I will probably share everything with you," Hermione said with a shrug.
"You're not sure of me," Lucius said flatly. Hermione sighed.
"I'm not sure of anyone except Jamie," Hermione said quietly. "These are dangerous times, Lucius."
"True," he said with a sigh. He looked at Hermione. "I've missed you, you know."
"Hmmm. Narcissa Black seems to have softened the pain, a bit," Hermione said with a slight smile. Lucius shrugged.
"I am fond of her. I shall most likely ask for her hand after she graduates," he said matter-of-factly. Hermione nodded. It was a smart move from a pureblood perspective. The Malfoy family was only distantly allied with the Blacks, and that was five or more generations back.
"She will prove to be a good wife to you," Hermione said softly. "She, too, values family above all else."
"You do not miss me then?" Lucius asked with a slight curl to his lip. Hermione hugged herself, wrapping her arms around her middle.
"I care for you, and yes, I miss you," she whispered finally. Lucius' face relaxed and he watched her for another moment or two.
"Fine. I will swear fealty to you," he said at last. "Who will witness it?"
"Severus. He has already sworn the oaths to me."
"When?" Lucius asked with a quirked brow.
"The night of the full moon." Hermione said quietly, looking out at the night sky. Lucius nodded.
"Hermione," he said softly. She turned to look at him and shook her head at the look in his eyes
"No," she whispered. "I can't. You have Narcissa."
"And you have Diggory," he sneered. Hermione nodded.
"Yes. I have Amos." She said softly, grateful for the lie. She turned and ran from the Astronomy tower, from the look in Lucius' eyes, from the strange fluttering feeling in her stomach.
Slipping into the Gryffindor common room was not quite as easy as she might have hoped. Sirius was standing by the girls' dormitory stairs, his arms crossed across his chest, watching her.
"Sirius?" she whispered in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"Waiting for you," he growled at her. She blinked.
"Why on earth were you waiting for me?" She asked.
"Why are you with Amos if he doesn't treat you well? Does he hurt you?" Sirius seemed incensed. His eyes were difficult to read in the darkness. Hermione sighed heavily.
"No, it's…it's complicated," Hermione said distractedly. Sirius moved toward her and grabbed her arms.
"Explain it then," he demanded. Hermione stared up at him, his face shadowed in the darkness. The traits of the lioness were bleeding into her life more and more. She could see him clearly, even if he thought she couldn't, and he had allowed emotion to shine through. He looked concerned…and something else. Something that made his eyes flare at her and darken. She tilted her face up to him, trying to see him better, and suddenly his lips were on hers. She gave a muffled gasp of surprise, and he used that to kiss her thoroughly, his tongue sliding in easily and plundering her mouth. When he pulled back she was panting slightly, staring at him, and his face had become closed, distant. He almost fled up to the boys' dormitory and she stared after him in shock.
HP/HG/HP
The full moon rose in the sky. Hermione watched as Padfoot, Prongs, and Wormtail bounded across the lawn with Moony. She sighed and wiped the tears from her cheeks. When had life become so complicated? She stood and slipped out of Gryffindor tower, making her way to the room of requirement where Lucius was waiting with Severus. The two young men stood some distance apart and both turned to the door as soon as she entered. Lucius moved forward.
"What is this place?" He asked curiously.
"The room of requirement," she replied. "It will suit the purpose of the user."
"Are we ready?" Severus asked quietly. Hermione nodded.
The oath-taking was slightly different, and a great deal more binding than those promises wrung from Severus. Hermione Potter was not stupid, and she was a careful witch. When they were through, Hermione showed Lucius her patronus, and her animagus forms so that he would know them. She frowned for a moment and looked at Severus and Lucius.
"There will be others, eventually, and you might need a way to prove who you are to one another, and to me," Hermione said thoughtfully. Severus nodded.
"Perhaps some sort of sign," he muttered, thinking. Lucius bared his arm, and Severus and Hermione flinched.
"Something like this?" He asked dryly.
"Not quite," Hermione said with a thoughtful look. "What happens when we win? How do we prove that some of you were actually helping?"
"A mark, but not a Dark Mark," Lucius muttered, pacing. Hermione frowned and began pacing herself. Severus snickered.
"What, Sev?" Hermione asked curiously, her head cocked to the side.
"A Light Mark," he drawled. "Something that looks innocuous."
"Okay, but why are you snickering about it?" Hermione asked. He shook his head.
"The first thing that popped into my head was a lioness," he confessed, his lips twitching. Lucius snorted. Hermione tapped her chin slowly.
"What about a paw print?" She asked. She pulled her robe aside from her collarbone, exposing the creamy expanse of her upper chest. "Right here. You don't do anything naked, do you?"
"Not usually in the middle of Death Eater meetings, no," Lucius drawled.
"Do you think it would work?" Hermione pressed him. He shrugged.
"I suppose that it would." Lucius conceded at last. Hermione smiled.
"Fine then. Both of you, strip." Hermione ordered. Both men took off their outer robes and removed their shirts. Hermione transformed to her lioness form again. She sat on her haunches and very carefully pressed her paws against the skin of Lucius' naked chest, one print on either side of his collarbone. Her paws glowed momentarily, but Lucius knelt and endured in silence.
"I must say, it beats receiving a dark mark," Lucius told Severus when it was done. "It tingles a bit, but that's it."
"I would imagine that's because it's not dark magic, and because Hermione's not a sado-masochistic sociopathic megalomaniac." Severus observed dryly. Lucius was right, it did tingle slightly, but not in a bad way.
"There," Hermione said in satisfaction, observing her work. "Now, if they burn and turn black, I'm dead."
"Do you plan on that happening?" Severus asked, concern evident on his face. Hermione shrugged.
"I'm trying to plan on everything happening at some point, Sev. When things get bad, I might not be able to contact you at all. It's a failsafe, so you'll know the truth. If you hear rumors, but the marks are fine, then you'll know they're false. Too many people have made stupid mistakes because they believed lies spread by the other side." Hermione explained to her brother. He nodded.
"We can't stay here too long, people might notice. I'll go, then you two can go," Hermione said firmly. She stood and shook out her robes. She looked at both Severus and Lucius, and her face softened slightly. "Be safe."
HP/HG/HP
To her everlasting disgust, Severus and Lucius took delight in calling themselves Knights of the Lady and members of the Order of the Lioness. Hermione threatened them with hexes, but they persisted. She threw up her hands and gave up.
"Hermione, it actually makes good sense. If we have code names for everyone, it's safer. When we're caught, and when we're tortured, they'll only get what the members know. It will sound ridiculous, and the Dark Lord will never believe that it's the truth," Lucius pointed out. Hermione paled.
"When you're tortured?" She repeated. Lucius shrugged.
"You said to plan for everything. Now, what is the first step in this amazing plan?" Severus asked. Hermione took a deep breath.
"Do you know what horcruxes are?" she asked them. The tightening of both men's jaws told her everything she needed to know.
"So when he boasts of his immortality?" Lucius whispered, his silver eyes wide with horror.
"Wait, are you suggesting he has more than one?" Severus asked, visibly repulsed. Lucius glanced at him quickly and then looked to Hermione for confirmation.
"Surely not," Lucius said weakly. "The process is grotesque, murdering another person is only the beginning…"
"At this point, I believe he has at least five, with plans for two more, ultimately," Hermione said softly. Both men blanched.
"Hermione," Severus whispered, his black eyes wide. Hermione turned to him.
"We must destroy them. He will have his Death Eaters protect them for him. You all, when it is your time, must appear like eager young men, desperate to prove yourselves." Hermione explained. "Do not attempt to destroy the horcruxes yourselves. The items are cursed, and if you attempt and fail…the results will be less than pleasant."
"How then?" Lucius asked.
"Basilisk fang will work. The sword of Gryffindor is goblin wrought, it will absorb the dark magic. There may be other ways, I'm researching them." Hermione stated. "Lucius, I'm sure the Malfoy library must have books on horcruxes. I want you to look, but make sure your father doesn't realize what you're up to."
"Of course, my Lady," he murmured. Hermione rolled her eyes. Lucius smirked.
"Sorry, that was not on purpose." He drawled.
HP/HG/HP
Remus was eating breakfast and thinking about the lioness. She hadn't shown up for the last two full moons. He was starting to think maybe she didn't like them, even if she did try to save him. He suspected that she might be an animagus, and he was hoping to befriend her. He was also worried about Hermione who seemed preoccupied a great deal of the time, and her 'relationship' with Amos Diggory seemed to be getting progressively worse. One morning, she arrived at breakfast with her head down, her wild curls loose around her face. Remus was the only one at the table and he greeted her politely.
"Good morning, Hermione," he said in his gentle voice.
"Remus," she whispered, her eyes on her lap. He frowned at her. He could smell that something was off.
"Hermione," he said firmly, a warning note in his voice. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," she whispered bitterly. "You wouldn't believe me any way."
She stood up and hurried out of the Great Hall. He stared after her, a frown on his face. When James came to sit down for breakfast, Remus was still frowning. Sirius poked him. James waved his hand in front of his friend's face.
"Moony? You in there?" James teased. Remus shook himself. He looked up at James, his face serious.
"There's something wrong with Hermione." His voice was quiet, but firm. James stood up immediately.
"Let's go find her."
They hurried to an empty hall and opened the map. All four boys looked for Hermione. She wasn't anywhere.
"Well, that's just not possible," Sirius muttered. Peter shrugged.
"Maybe she left the grounds?" He offered.
"How on earth is she supposed to do that?" James asked sarcastically. "Fly?"
"I don't know," Peter muttered. "But she's not there."
"Let's find Lily," James said. "She usually knows where Hermione is."
Lily was sitting in the library with Severus, both of them working on their potions essays. She looked up warily when the marauders entered the library trailing James. His eyes were doing that weird thing again. They looked dark, and she knew he was upset. She nudged Severus with her foot and they both watched the marauders warily.
"Do you know where Hermione is?" James asked Lily urgently, his voice rough with worry. Lily shook her head.
"No, she said she was going to come work on this potions paper with us, but she never showed. I was going to come looking for her in just a minute." She said.
"We can't find her anywhere," James said running a hand through his hair in agitation. Lily frowned.
"That's not normal," she said slowly, and she started to worry. Her palm tingled and she rubbed it absently. She knew about certain things, things that Hermione had sworn her to secrecy about, and this did not sound good.
"Could she get out of the school, off the grounds?" James pressed. Lily frowned.
"I don't know, but I think she's here somewhere," Lily said. She glanced at Severus. "Why do you keep rubbing your collar like that?"
"What? It started aching a little while ago, and I just thought…" Severus frowned and looked at his hand. Then he paled dramatically and leapt up, knocking his chair back. "Bloody hell!"
Severus ran out of the library faster than Lily had ever seen him run. Her palm was still tingling and she rubbed at it, again, absently frowning after Severus.
"Um, Lily?" Remus asked politely. She glanced up at him.
"Hmm?"
"Why are you rubbing your hand like that?" He asked her. She glanced at her hand and then paled. She stared up at them in horror.
"Oh, no," she whispered, her eyes huge. "Oh, no."
She jumped up and ran after Severus. The marauders stared after them and then stared at each other. Suddenly James slapped himself.
"I told you," he muttered and then ran after Lily.
"Wait," Remus panted racing after his friend, "what did you tell us?"
"She marks her own," James snarled over his shoulder. He stopped in the hall and started pacing. "Damn it! I lost her."
"What do you mean, she marks her own?" Peter asked in confusion. Remus and Sirius rolled their eyes.
"Don't you ever listen, Peter?" Sirius growled. Peter shrugged and looked miserable.
"I just don't remember the conversation," he said coolly. James sighed and rubbed his face.
"Hermione is possessive. If she thinks you belong to her, she marks you. I don't know why, it's just this thing that she does. Obviously, she's marked Severus and Lily magically so they'll know if she's in trouble," James muttered, pacing.
"Why Severus?" Sirius demanded, a flash of jealousy overtaking him for a moment. James shrugged.
"I don't know. I imagine for the same reason she marked Lily—friendship." James said finally. "We have the twin bond, but it's not the same as whatever she's done to them."
James sunk down to the floor, on his knees, his eyes closed, his brow furrowed. My Own, where are you? His eyes snapped open. He jumped up and started running again. The remaining marauders raced after him, jumping and dodging fellow students. They recognized this section of the school. It was where the hospital ward was located. James burst through the door panting. Hermione was sitting on a bed, with Lily next to her and Madame Pomfrey on the other side.
"My Own?" His voice sounded ragged in his own ears. She turned to him, her hazel eyes wide and he felt the bottom drop out of his stomach. Her beautiful face was bruised and there was a cut on one cheek. He ran to her and crushed her to his chest. He held her tightly against him and she started to cry. Before he knew it she was sobbing against his chest, clutching his robes. He glared at Lily.
"Who?" He growled at her. She paled slightly and swallowed.
"It's being taken care of," she whispered, glancing at Madame Pomfrey. He frowned slightly. Lily looked at him, and he realized she would tell him later. He nodded.
"My Own, are you…okay?" He asked her tenderly. He wasn't sure how to ask if she'd been raped or assaulted without upsetting her even more. She nodded mutely, her face pressed against his chest. He sighed gratefully.
"Only because they were interrupted," Lily muttered darkly, her glare promising retribution. James stiffened and stared at Lily. His eyes turned molten. Lily realized she'd spoken aloud and she glanced up at him in horror.
"It's being taken care of," she whispered again when Madame Pomfrey went to get a potion. "Severus was so furious. I've never seen him so mad."
"She's my sister," James growled. "I would like to know who did this to her."
"Oh, they'll be here soon, I'm sure," Lily said with satisfaction. "You might not be able to tell who they are once Severus and…well, once Severus is through with them."
"Jamie," Hermione whispered. "I don't want to be here when they come. I want to go back to the tower."
"But," James was conflicted. He wanted to know who had hurt his sister, but he didn't want to leave her alone. "Will you go with Sirius?"
Hermione turned to look at Sirius who flinched when he saw Hermione's face. He looked agonized, as though somehow he'd caused her injuries himself. She seemed to consider it for a moment, and then she nodded.
"If he wants to take me," she whispered, looking away from him sadly. James glared at Sirius, daring him to say that he didn't want to take his sister back to the tower.
"Of course I will," Sirius said softly, his voice pained.
Hermione reluctantly let go of James, her hazel eyes entreating him all the way out of the hospital ward. Sirius walked next to Hermione, but he didn't touch her. He was afraid to touch her, afraid of scaring her. When they arrived at the tower, he motioned for her to go ahead of him. She looked at him, her expression pensive and he realized that she was afraid of people seeing her like this. He tried to exude calm confidence.
"It's class time for most people," he said softly. "I bet there's nobody in here."
She frowned and then pulled out her wand. She tapped herself silently, and Sirius watched her disappear in front of him. His eyes widened. He knew for sure that that was a nonverbal spell. Suddenly, he felt a hand grab the robes of his arm, but not his arm, and tug. He casually walked into the commons room, like normal. There were two seventh years studying by the window and they looked at him with amused glances. They thought he was skipping class. He shrugged and headed up to the boys dormitory because that's where the tugging was leading him. They walked into his dorm room, and the tugging stopped. James' bed dipped slightly under invisible weight.
"Could you undo it now? It's weird to know you're here when I can't see you," Sirius said nervously, and then she was there again. He grinned at her. "You're amazing, you know?"
"No, I'm not," she said with a shake of her curls. Sirius frowned.
"Yeah, you are. Listen, I'm sorry that I'm such an ass. I try not to be, but I end up doing it anyway," Sirius muttered, his face and neck a dull red. Hermione snorted softly.
"You're just trying to be nice to me." Hermione said quietly, not looking at him.
"I suppose I am," he muttered. "That doesn't mean I'm not sorry for being an ass."
"It doesn't matter," she said, still not looking at him.
"It matters to me," he said firmly. She didn't say anything for several minutes.
"Will you turn your back? I'm going to change," she murmured softly. He stood up and turned his back. He heard the rustle of clothing and the sound of James' bed shifting again. He turned back around to see her in James' pajamas, with his blankets pulled up to her chin. She looked tiny and fragile and he wanted to hold her and tell her that everything would be alright.
"What happened?" He asked softly. She bit her lip and sat there for several minutes.
"I'm not sure," she said finally. "I'm usually more alert than that. I think part of why I'm so upset is that it was just so stupid, such a rookie mistake. They just popped out of nowhere and disarmed me."
"How many were there?" Sirius asked as calmly as possible. He was trying very hard to avoid frightening her, but the rage that was building inside him to hurt whoever had tried to hurt her was difficult to control. She shook her head.
"I don't know. More than two," she muttered.
"So they were Slytherin?" Sirius said flatly. Hermione shook her head again.
"Oh, Sirius," she whispered. "It would be so much simpler if that were so. Do you honestly believe that Voldemort won't attempt to recruit from all the houses? What a coup for him to turn a Gryffindor! Do you think he won't try it?"
"He'll fail," Sirius declared hotly. Hermione's gentle smile held pity, and it irritated him.
HP/HG/HP
The marauders held a meeting that night in the common room.
"They were almost unrecognizable," James said with grudging respect. "Didn't realize Sniv—er, Severus had it in him."
"Oh, he had help," Remus said rolling his eyes. "There's no way that he took down four seventh-years all by himself."
"Lily checked, they all had dark marks," James muttered. "It was kind of creepy how matter-of-fact she was about it."
"I think Severus told her to look," Peter offered. "He was whispering something to her."
"I can't believe that they dared touch her," Remus said with a shake of her head. The others looked at him, frowning. "Think about it, she's got us, the marauders, but she's also friends with Severus and Regulus, and I know that Lucius still cares about her."
"What do you mean, you know?" Sirius demanded with a frown. Remus rolled his eyes.
"Padfoot, I can smell it on him," Remus said dryly. "His heart rate accelerates anytime she's near, too."
"Have I ever mentioned that I really don't want to hear how much the men of Hogwarts are lusting after my sister?" James said in a pained voice.
"You do realize that she's going to get married someday?" Peter asked curiously. James shrugged.
"It's hard to walk down the aisle if both your legs are broken," he muttered under his breath. Remus snorted.
"Someday, she's going to fall in love, and then you're going to have to let her be happy," Remus said with a smile.
"Sure, when she's thirty, or something," James said flatly.
"Thirty?" Sirius asked curiously.
"You remember, my dad said she could get married when she's thirty. He doesn't want her to leave either." James said firmly.
"When the time comes, I don't think you two will be able to stop her," Remus said wryly.