Title: Little Spark of Madness

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter in anyway, that belongs to JK Rowlings. I don't make any money from this either. I just do it for fun :) All original characters are my own, those would be the ones that you don't recognize from the books.

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"What happens when people open their hearts?"

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Hogwarts - Girls Dormitory

December 5th, 1976

Hermione was standing in a towel next to her trunk trying to decide on something to wear. She was thankful that it was winter and frightfully cold out so she could justify think clothing that covered her completely.

She'd cringed last week when she got a letter from Kosco Zabini asking to take her to lunch on her upcoming Hogsmeade trip. She'd successfully been able to dodge his requests up until now.

She turned holding up a dark grey turtleneck top with a black knee length skirt. "What about this? Black tights and my boots? I am going to be wearing my dark winter cloak as well."

Lil glanced up from her Charms book and nodded. "It looks great if you are attending a funeral or a date with an older creepy man."

Sighing she turned back to the closet pulling out her thick tights and then moving to the bed to get dressed. "Where are you guys going to be?"

Lily flushed slightly, but kept her eyes on her book. "Well I am going to Tomes and Scrolls and then James asked to take me to lunch."

Hermione lifted her eyes to lily while pulling her skirt on, "Oh, and when were you going to mention that one?"

Shaking her head, "I wasn't going to unless you asked. Remus, Harry and Peter will probably spend their time at Zonkos or the Quidditch Supply shop." Watching Hermione struggle getting her hair through the turtleneck, "So why isn't Sirius going again?"

Hermione huffed as she freed her hair and pulled it back, "He got upset about Zabini asking me and decided to put dung bombs in the Slytherin changing rooms before their game. He is currently in detention with my Aunt. He lost out on being able to go this week."

The redhead gave her friend a knowing look, "Yes, well I hope you don't let him get away with it." Shutting her book and placing it on her bedside table, "I mean he can't think it is okay for him to act out when he doesn't get his way."

She sighed and wondered briefly if he really was doing that, she didn't think so. He knew what they were working towards with Lucius, he knew Zabini wasn't even an option. She all but picked him already, they just needed to wait a bit before Lucius brought it up to Voldemort. "I don't think that is what this is Lily. He knows how I feel about Zabini, I cannot stand him. I am only going because I have too. I don't think he is acting jealous. He is just mad at the Slytherins in general. I'll talk to him though, the younger students don't deserve that. Then again it is not like they are innocent. They jinxed the Gryffindor brooms last month, remember when James' arm got broken?"

Fiddling with her bedspread trying not to show the blush staining her cheeks, "Yes I remember, your right it was probably partial payback. Just don't let him get all jealous."

Hermione nodded, "I won't." She sighed pulling up her thick tights and boots. Grabbing her thick cloak before looking to Lily, "So?"

Lily gave her a sorry look, "Perfect for a funeral."

Hermione tried smiling, "As long as it isn't mine, I guess."

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"Come now girl, you don't need that cloak on while we are eating." The lecherous man complained as he leaned back in his purple brushed suit.

Biting her cheek so she wouldn't blurt out what she was really thinking. Finally after the moment passed, "I apologize, but I am quite cold actually. I am just hoping not to fall ill before the holidays."

He looked at her with a disgusted look, "Ill? Girl, I better not become ill because of you."

She could see rage filling him at the thought that she might be ill. She felt her hand twitch for her wand at the sight of him, the unease steadily grew in her gut. "I cannot help it if I am Mr. Zabini, and I only said I was hoping not to fall ill. Not that I was ill. I am cold, that is all."

Suddenly his demeanor changed and the lecherous smile was back on his face. "Well then tea it is." He waved his arm in the air asking for a pot of tea. She thought that was the end of it, but under his breath she heard him follow with, "and then maybe she'll take the damn cloak off."

Placing her hand in her cloak to rest with her wand in her palm. She just internally scoffed, she didn't care if it was one hundred degrees in here. She wasn't losing a single layer.

The rest of their lunch went much the same, Mr. Zabini making a comment and Hermione pulling her cloak tighter. The battle of wills lasted the rest of the hour that they had together.

As they stepped out of the little diner she turned to thank him for lunch. Her words however stopped short seeing Rabastian with him. With both men in front of her, her grip on her wand tighten. She realized that they were alone on the street and suddenly Lucius words ran through her head like someone amplified his voice in her ears. "I put in my marriage request prior to the order. All the rest are orders from him."

Nodding her head, "Hello Rabastian, I wasn't expecting to see you today."

He simply nodded his head and looked to Kosco, and said to low for Hermione to hear "He wants to bring her in."

The old man's eyes glittered in amusement which ran down her spine like ice water. She took a step backwards, not wanting her back to them if possible. "I am just going to go. I think I am going to go lay down so I don't get sick."

Suddenly there was a loud blast and smoke started rising from the next street over. Her wand was out and in her hand before the first screams reached her ears. Looking back at the two men in front of her, "We should go see if they need help." She didn't know if they knew she was suspected of them, so she figured her best shot was to play ignorant on the matter. She turned and ran out of the alley. Breathing out a sigh of relief when she was surrounded by others she turned and glanced behind her but neither man followed her.

Turning her head back she saw a third year crying and ran to him, "Are you okay what happened?"

The boy pointed down the street and she saw cloaked figures walking down the street firing off spells into random shops.

Pulling out her wand she crept up behind a few. There was a third year running as one of the cloaked figures aimed a curse at the boy running. "Protego!"

The spell deflected from the boy and into the near wall successfully, but one of the cloaked figures turned towards her throwing a curse at her. She deflected it with ease as the figure toss others as well. She didn't understand why the curses felt so weak, she could have handled this as a first year.

Done with her opponent Hermione flicked a stunning spell followed by a body bind at him and turned to go after the others. Seeing them going down another street she followed.

Turning the corner quietly she gripped her wand getting ready to go after them when something hit her hard in the back of her head. She heard someone scream close to her, but the sound was muffled as the world around her began to darken with her consciousness fading as she tried to push herself up from the snow. Seeing red staining the snow from where her head had been before collapsing back down and rolling to her back.

The last image that she saw was a hooded figure leaning down over her, his arms reached out to grab her.

As the world darkened around her finally, she heard a single shout that sounded as if it was far away. "'Mione!"

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Hogwarts - Infirmary

December 7th, 1976

Madam Pomfrey had been quite busy the past few days running from patient to patient after the attack in Hogsmeade two days prior. Most students had minor injuries, however there were a few that required more assistance. A few even had spell damage that needed to be reversed.

She could help these students, it gave her something to do. However, there were two students unaccounted for. Some of the students claimed they saw the Death Eaters taking young ladies from the alleyways. Two were missing and she knew the Headmaster was currently in his office with Aurors to find the girls.

Seeing Professor Slughorn walking with Severus Snape each with a box full of potions. "Ahh right on schedule Professor, we just ran out of calming draughts. Will you have time to make more pain reliever? We are running low on that now. If we can't keep up I may have to send some of the students to Saint Mungos. I just need to know dears."

Slughorn shook his head, "We are already working on pain relievers and more skelegrow. I have Young Mr. Malfoy assisting as well as my apprentice. Luckily the dear boy heard what happened and came straight to me to help. I can have the Newt students work on others as well. Only a few more days I think."

She nodded as looked up, "Miss Evans, please come catalog these and place them in the cupboards for me."

Lily nodded and rushed over taking one of the boxes with Severus still holding the other and followed her to the back.

He placed the box next to her as he watched her busily start counting the vials and placing new quantities into the Infirmary ledger. "How is she Lily?"

Lily looked up for the first time, her eyes puffy and red rimmed, "She isn't awake yet." Sniffing as she started writing again furiously, "Her head finally stopped bleeding through the bandages. She is probably better off not being awake. I am not sure any amount of pain potion would help her headache." She scratched through what she wrote and started counting again in frustration.

Severus nodded and looked at her frustration, "There are forty-two new vials Lily. I bottled them all myself."

She nodded with gratitude in her eyes before updating the ledger and putting it back. "I don't think I will calm down until Hermione is awake. The boys haven't left her side, well except when Sirius had to get his broken nose fixed."

Severus couldn't help but internally chuckle at the image of Harry breaking Sirius' nose before nodding, "Well maybe Black won't get detention again. That being said it wouldn't have made a difference if he had been there as well. It wasn't his date that she was on. He still would have been with Harry and the others. They didn't even see her attacked, James only saw it because he was with you on that side of Hogsmeade."

She sighed, "Everything was happening so fast and then James yelled out her name and he took off running with his wand out." Sniffing, "I saw one of them standing over her and she was trying to get up, but..." She looked at him, her eyes misting over, "It is bad enough they took two others, but when I saw her lying there I knew they were going to take her."

Severus stood there a bit uneasy not sure what to do, "James stopped whoever that was though. She is unconscious, but right in there being tended to. Safe in Hogwarts."

Sighing Lily nodded but leaned against a table, "For how long? What happens at the next Hogsmeade day? Should there even be another day with what happened?"

"Probably not. However unless the Headmaster sends everyone home you know people will eventually want to go back. It is best we stay though, Hogwarts is safe."

"Safer than our homes?" Lily looked up at him.

He only nodded not wanting to say more on the matter. He'd heard murmurs around the common room about things about to happen. He usually got up and left not wanting to be apart of their group. He had Lily, Hermione, Lucius, and even the Marauders to an extent.

As they left the room Lily stilled as she saw Harry holding one of Hermione's hands while Sirius had the other. He seemed to be talking to her and she could tell that Sirius was on edge, he hadn't taken his eyes off her. They'd been doing this since they were allowed in, the difference was that she was awake this time.

Lily let out a squeak before rushing to her bed, "You are awake! How are you feeling? Dizzy? In Pain? Foggy?"

Hermione looked up at her with a pained smile and suddenly there was a hand slightly on the small of her back. "Lily she just woke up. Breathe."

James voice brought her out of her healer mind as she flushed slightly and unconsciously leaned back into James a bit, "Sorry, I've just been so worried."

Hermione nodded her head slightly afraid to move it too quickly, "Thank you Lily. My head does hurt though, a lot of pressure."

Madam Pomfrey came over quickly, along with Professor Slughorn and Lucius who had just entered the room. Madam pomfrey shooed Sirius from her side handing Hermione the first of a few vials. "Drink these dear." Handing Hermione four different vials one at a time. She swallowed them without complaint or asking what they were.

Hermione looked up, her eyes moving between everyone around her. Her eyes landing on Sirius and Lucius both at the foot of her bed sharing matched expressions of guilt and worry before a yawn overtook her, "I guess I can't be surprised there was a sleeping draught in there." She gave a tired smile. Right before succumbing to sleep she whispered, "I'll be okay, just please don't leave."

Sirius just nodded and perched himself next to her on the edge of her bed, his eyes moving between the gauze around her head to different parts of her face and her hand. Lucius stood tall next to the bed his mind quickly making a list of people who would be paying for this.

Harry had been so angry at everyone after the attack and realizing that she had been hurt. Glancing back up to Sirius he knew he'd been wrong when he went after Sirius for not being there, "Sorry for breaking your nose. Again." He added the last part with guilt in his eyes.

Sirius finally glanced up at Harry, "I wasn't there. I am mad at myself too." Looking back to Hermione.

Lucius raised a brow as he looked between Harry and Sirius before watching James and Remus as well, "Why would you hold Sirius responsible for what happened?"

Harry flushed slightly, "I was mad."

Lucius was not sure how to respond so he sat back in a chair and elegantly crossed a leg over his other while pulling out a book to read.

Lily looked at him odly, "Um what are you doing Lucius?"

His eyes didn't raise from the pages in his book, "She asked us to stay. I will stay until she wakes. I am nothing if not a man of my word."

Remus and James shared a look before James cracked a small smile turning his attention back to his group of friends. In a hushed voice, "You know we need to find you, Harry, and Peter girlfriends now too."

Lily bristled and stepped away from James, "Yourself included Potter. And Hermione technically..."

He just grinned at her, "She technically has a bunch of them. Besides, I already know you'll marry me one day."

She huffed and turned her back to him, although everyone noticed that she didn't deny his claim this time.

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Thank you for reading! Let me know what you all think!