A/N: I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter. This next one will reveal who Hermione is replacing herself with during the horcrux hunt, and we hear again from Voldemort…also, please visit my profile and answer my polls so I can get my readers' opinions. Also, I have my beta…or rather betas. Which is awesome

Chapter 4

Hermione was worried. Knowing what Severus was going do, assuming he was being truthful; she couldn't help but be worried about Harry. Right now, no matter how much she still loved him, she had no care if Ronald had been hurt. But everyone else she did worry about. Carefully she slipped out of bed and changed. As she walked out of her room, she could hear the soft snores emulating from Severus' room. Hermione sighed a little in relief and began to slowly creep through the house until she was outside. Then she walked a block over to a little coffee house.

Once in the dark empty alley, she apparated to the edge of the barriers to the burrow and walked slowly to face her fate. She needed to tell someone the whole truth. She knew Ron, Harry, and the rest of the Weasley family, but there had to be someone she could tell, that would understand. And then she realized, she could tell George. While like his twin, he joked about everything, he was the more serious and more trust worthy. George was more than his twin's twin, he was a human who Hermione had come to trust and care deeply for, though only as a brother.

She slowly made her way towards the Burrow.

"Mrs. Weasley?" She called out.

Almost immediately the large homely woman ran and scooped up the girl in her arms. "Oh dearie! We have been so worried, where were you last night? Harry was so upset not to see you."

"What happened last night?" Hermione asked, needing to know that everyone was ok, especially since she had let them down by not going, but after speaking to Ron, she simply couldn't go.

The woman went from relieved to teary practically right away. "Oh dearie," her voice revealed the sobbing she was trying to hold back, "Ge-george got hit b-by Sev-v-erus."

"Mrs. Weasley, what did Professor Snape do," Hermione begged, not saying his first name and causing anyone to think anything about them

"George lost his ear."

Hermione couldn't help but feel relieved that he had not been more seriously injured. Yet she saw in his mother's eyes that something more had happened, she saw that someone had died. "Who-who else was hurt?"

"Mad-eye was killed, and" Mrs. Weasley took a deep breath to prevent any more stuttering, "And his body wasn't found. Mundungus Fletcher disapparated away and abandoned him to die."

Hermione found no words, she could not think of anything to say, and so she merely wrapped her arms around the woman to comfort her. They remained like that for a while, and Hermione held back her tears from the lack of being able to be comforted by her own mother.

"Could I go speak to George?" Hemrione finally spoke, pulling away from Mrs. Weasley.

"Of course Dearie," the older woman responded, "he would love to have a little company other than his family. Try to get him to eat would you?"

Hermione nodded and took the tray of warm waffles and cold glass of milk upstairs. She opened the door and found George sitting in bed reading a book about the history of practical jokes, something she had gotten him a few years before hand.

"George," She spoke soflty, "I have breakfast. Your mum would kill me if I didn't convince you to eat something."

George laughed his happy deep laugh and took the tray from Hermione. As he looked at her, he noticed a deep sadness in her eyes. Hermione might have appeared strong to everyone, she had to, but if they ever looked deep into her eyes and if they knew her like he did, they would be able to tell how she really felt.

"What's wrong, 'Mione?"

Hermione felt scared at the prospect of telling anyone her whole story, but if there was anyone she could trust right now, it was him.

"Well for starters, I'm getting married."

And so she told h everything. Where she was when she got captured, why she was there, Voldemort's odd plan with her, everything. She cried as she explained about what happened between her and Ron and she cried as she explained how her parents no longer remembered they ever had a daughter. Her whole life felt like a mess right now and she couldn't rely on the man she loved or anyone else like she thought. Some how George made her feel better. She wished had grown up with a brother like him. She cried long after telling her story and George just held her, being the shoulder to cry on that she needed. He knew she didn't need more people trying to talk out her issues, she did enough of that on her own, she needed someone to listen to her, someone that, if they did speak, would only say five simple words, "It's going to be okay." Which is exactly all George ever did for her.

Once she had calmed down, George finally spoke, "Hey, Bill told me to tell you that he'll never forgive you if you don't attend his wedding. I would invite you to go with me, but that might get awkward." A small girlish laugh burbled out of Hermione. "Besides, maybe you could bring your new fiancé."

"Maybe," Hermione mumbled. Going to a wedding certainly would be a quick way of getting out her engagement, but Ron might explode and do more horrible things.

"Well, George, I would love to stay, but I need to talk to Harry and get home before my controlling husband goes crazy."

"I would hate to cause you any trouble 'Mione,, go do what you need to." He kissed her cheek gently and she got up to leave the room. "And 'Mione, Don't be to rough on Snape. I bet you 20 galleons that he might come to truly care for you, and you will care for him."

"You're on," Hermione accepted, counting on her lack of trust to keep her from developing any feelings for the old bat.

"Harry, I can't tell you how I fell in love with Severus," Hermione explained, bile rising in her throat as she lied through her teeth to her best friend, "It just happened. But, I can't leave him to help you. I promise I will find someone just as good to replace me though, lord knows you two will need it."

Harry nodded slowly. As much as he hated to admit it, he could see the two intellectuals falling for each other, but h was still shocked it had been with Snape. "'Mione, I'm not going to pretend to be happy for you, or understand, because I'm not. However, I will try to support you. I'm sure Ron didn't take it very well."

Hermione shook her head, trying not to go down that road again. "Ok, well I have to go Harry. I promise to help in anyway I could."

Just then Mrs. Weasley called out, "Hermione! Harry! You need to come down here!"

Hermione held the Tales of Beadle the Bard close as she walked into the house on Spinner's End.

"Hello?" She called out, in search of Severus.

She continued upstairs looking around, waiting for him to come out of no where and yell at her. She slipped quickly into her room and placed her new book on the shelf. When she turned around, Severus stood glaringly in the door way. Hermione took in a deep breath, preparing herself for the loud lecture she was surely about to receive.

"Miss-," Severus started, then cut himself off, to trying to remain calm, "Hermione, would you please accompany me downstairs for lunch?"

Hermione looked at him with skepticism. Severus was not known for being calm and collected with his students, especially her. Slowly she stepped forward and walked down the stairs behind him. It was the longest walk through the small house she had had yet. She wondered what he was thinking, what he was doing. They reached the kitchen and Severus turned to face her.

"Please," He spoke, "have a seat."

Hermione did as she was asked and sat down. Severus walked over to the counter and placed a bowl of mac-and-cheese with broccoli and asparagus down in front of her. Leave it to Severus to make comfort food about three times healthier. She mused to herself.

"Hermione, I need to know where you are at all times," Severus started, "If I don't, I cannot keep you safe."

"I was safe. I don't need you to keep me safe. I only needed you to protect me then. I was talking to Harry. I was making sure everyone was okay. The fact that you could have killed George had your aim been better makes me wonder if this really is the safest option for me."

Severus took a deep breath. After yelling at her the night before, he had felt guilty. And it was obvious that yelling would not get through to her. "Hermione, I was not aiming to kill. I aimed to hit as little as possible. And believe me, I am your safest option. I know what the others would have done to you. Do you remember anything after crying the other night?"

"I remember you stroking my hair, that's about it." Hermione responded hesitantly.

"I carried you to my bedroom and I made a promise. One that was not as easy as you might think to make. I promised I would do everything I could to protect you. Not just as a professor. I did not make that as a professor to a student. I made that promise as a man to a woman. I cannot keep it, if you do not allow me-," Severus stopped abruptly, his face twisting in pain.

"Severus?" Hermione asked, wondering about the suddenness.

"It's, Him. He's calling us."

Hermione only nodded and stepped forward, grabbing her 'fiancé's' arm. He immediately disapparated and they appeared outside of Malfoy Manor. Hermione watched Severus' face relax and she assumed the pain was gone. He led her to the door and they walked in.

"Severus, Miss Granger, I'm so glad to see you," Voldemort hissed, "Miss Granger, please follow Narcissa."

Hermione nervously looked at Severus, and could read the fear in his eyes. Narcissa reached out and led Hermione away.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this. I have two betas now, but I wanted to post this because I felt so bad about break. Things will change a lot as they get edited and all chapters from here on out will probably be betaed before you get to read them so there are less mistakes. I hope you like the chapter, i'm curious to know what you think is going on right now. I do so love cliffies...lol