A/N: A hundred thanks to all those who have followed this fanfic and also to SB- Potterhead Budgie Lover for your comment. Also, I'm sorry that I took this long to post my next chapter. But I'm juggling a lot of things right now. And don't hate me, but my school (I'm in 9th grade) opens on May 24th and it'll become harder to post chapters. But I promise that I won't leave this story hanging. I'm aiming for like 20 chapters. Stick with me, okay? This chapter is a bit dark, but I'll try to add some funny bits to it. Love you: 3
Disclaimer: This storyline is mine though Harry Potter and all those amazing characters are JK Rowling's.
Chapter 2
"Nothing much, really, Hermione. Just saying that I've seen you ogling at Ernie Macmillan and Roger Davies," Blaise said with a snigger.
"Come on. They are two very interesting male specimens of Hogwarts, okay? Especially now that Ernie is growing his hair out a bit."
"I never took you for the giggling daydreaming type," Blaise said amusedly.
"Hey. I'm a girl. I may be a bookworm, but I do have girlish tendencies sometimes," she smirked.
Blaise's eyes widened comically and Hermione asked, "What, you saw a butterfly?"
"I told you not to mention that again. It's not funny," Blaise said.
"It is, and you know it. You're scared of butterflies."
"They have six legs and antennas and powdery wings. How can you not be scared?"
"They don't bite? You're worse than Ron, really. Butterflies are better than spiders," Hermione said.
"Don't go comparing me to Weasel. Anyway, how did we get on this topic anyway?"
"You looked at me weird."
"Oh, that. You did the Slytherin smirk," Blaise said, with a smirk of his own.
"I know. I'm spending way too much time with you."
"I know. Draco never misses a day without whining about it to me," he said exasperatedly.
"I'm sorry. Does Malfoy feel that I've stolen you?" Hermione asked kind of guiltily.
"He can survive."
"I suppose he can. Bye!" Hermione said as she turned to the doorway.
"Where are you going?"
"Just, you know, to roam around." Hermione didn't know why she didn't tell him that she would be going to visit Snape's grave. She felt that it was her own private business. Blaise held the position for her now best friend, even if Ginny was there. Ginny wasn't even technically in her year, but Blaise was. She supposed that that was the reason.
"Okay. See you, Hermione," Blaise waved at her as she walked out. Blaise then proceeded to approach an owl to send his Mum a letter. She had requested him to send her a letter every week. The only reason that Blaise had come back was because of the fact that is stepdad was on trial for siding with Voldemort during the war.
Severus Tobias Snape had been buried next to Albus Dumbledore right there on the Hogwarts grounds because he had spent more than half of his life in Hogwarts. It was a serene and secluded place near the Forbidden Forest. It was almost like a meadow. The violets had just started blooming, but the ground was still half frozen and covered with snow.
Hermione had plucked some roses from Hagrid's garden, and she put one on Dumbledore's grave. His portrait smiled at her with his usual twinkling eyes. She walked past Dumbledore's grave and reached Snape's. She put the rest of the roses on his. His tomb was simple, made of black flagstones, and his name, birth and death date engraved on it. On it was also engraved:
In honour of a loving son and an approachable teacher.
She almost wanted to laugh, despite how bad that sounded. Snape was dead. It was no time to make fun of him, however unapproachable he was.
Snape's portrait was there, although he was not. He had probably gone to visit some other portrait inside Hogwarts. She just stood there, wondering what to say. Knowing Snape, he wouldn't prefer anything cheesy or sentimental. Just as she was contemplating if she should start with a quote, she heard a crack and a crunch. As if someone had stepped on a dry twig or branch. She looked down at her knee high boots, firmly planted on the snow covered grass with the occasional violet here and there.
She took out her wand. From years and years of being in the face of danger with Harry and Ron, she knew that not a sound out of the blue should be taken lightly. She looked around her. The meadow was just near the Forbidden Forest, so there were some wild trees behind her. She turned around slowly.
From behind the tree, a man in a dark cloak with a hood appeared. And from behind him, others. Almost nine or ten- she guessed. The men in the cloaks moved, so that she was surrounded. The man who appeared first lowered his hood and her fears were confirmed. But she put her fear which would soon override her mind if not put behind, out of her head. She focused on the man that had just removed his hood. Soon all the others too lowered their hoods and she knew most of them. Nott, Rodolphus Lestrange, Goyle Sr., Crabbe Sr., Dolohov and some others, whose name she didn't know.
"Nott, I thought you found your place in Azkaban," Hermione said casually.
"Nah! I escaped before I even got there," Nott said with a sneer.
"How did you find me? I mean, I don't want you to be hanging around me all the time."
"We tracked you. You were involved in our Lord's death and we have come to avenge him. We still believe, you filthy little Mudblood. You are first and millions will follow."
"That is, if you actually manage to kill me. First take a bath, dude. You smell worse than Crookshanks' poop. And that's saying a lot!"
"You filthy-"
"Mudblood? Seriously? Is your vocabulary so small that the only swear word you know is Mudblood? I get bored you know. In fact, Expelliarmus!" she shouted and in a snap of fingers, Nott's wand zoomed into her hand and in another, she broke it.
After that mayhem ensued. Nott stormed around screaming, and trying to snatch someone's wand, but curses were being thrown left and right, and he couldn't get close enough to someone. At one point, Dolohov screamed "Crucio" or at least tried to. He accidentally screamed "Curcio" instead and the effect was awesome. The Death Eaters' black clothes turned into heart polka dotted pajamas and mittens and a pom- pom cap. And let me just say that the Death Eaters did not appreciate their new attire.
Hermione couldn't help it. Even though she was engaged in a fight with Death Eaters, and the whole shindig was completely serious, she couldn't contain the laughter that made her eyes threaten to overflow. But she was also quite strategic. She took their surprised stance to Stupefy almost half of them. Thus she had almost gained the upper hand when Nott came at her.
His huge and calloused hand closed around her slim throat before Hermione could react or even aim her wand at her. Hermione was already quite thin, and no matter how much she ate, the stress made her thinner than ever. She was inches smaller than him, and he was a muscled and tall men. He lifted her just by her throat into the air.
Hermione was already turning blue, and if he kept choking her, then…
She saw stars at the back of her head, and she felt her vision going black. Her eyes watered and she thrashed her legs in the air. She should have finished off Nott at first, her mind managed to think up.
She was sure she would die. Why would he spare her? But, when she felt his hand loosen off of her throat and finally fully off, she was surprised. She thumped back onto the ground with a thud. She looked up, and finally her eyes adjusted to see a pale hand. She took it to see Draco Malfoy in front of her, gray eyes flashing. Before she had time to register her surprise, though, a Death Eater aimed the killing curse at her. She tiredly moved out of the way. Finally, she mustered the energy to lift up her wand and expertly aim Expulso at one of them and managed to blast out his whole body and threw him at a tree.
She saw Malfoy firing curses at the Death Eaters out of the corner of her eye. She went near hi m and started firing curses of her own at them. They fought back to back, and one of them Stupefied Malfoy at one point, and Hermione used Enervate on him to wake him up. They fought until the last Death Eater was down. They slumped down next to each other, completely exhausted and sweaty.
"Thank you," Hermione said breathlessly.
Malfoy just nodded.
"I know it was my luck and all, but why were you here in the first place?" Hermione asked, curiosity spiked.
"It's Snape's birthday," he said, looking at Snape's grave.
"I know it's rude but, um, what's it to you?"
"He was my Godfather, and he's dead, is that reason enough for you?" Hermione wasn't sure, but she thought she heard some offense in his voice.
"I'm sorry. I really shouldn't put my nose in other's business."
Malfoy didn't answer or say anything back. For a while, it was quiet, except for the rustling of the leaves, until he asked, "Why are you here?"
"Same as you," Hermione replied.
"What, Snape was your Godfather too?" Malfoy asked sarcastically.
"No. No. Just paying my respects."
"I never thought I'd see the day when I would spend my birthday with Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy," a snotty and greasy (no offense, Snape's hair) voice said.
Both Hermione's and Malfoy's heads swiveled around to face Severus Snape, reunited with his portrait.
"Don't forget me, Severus," Dumbledore cried out from his portrait in a pouty voice.
Hermione couldn't help but sigh at the two immature professors. Malfoy just scowled weirdly.
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