Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything related.
A/N: Yay! A new chapter! I got this one up as soon as I could, I hope you guys enjoy it. I won't be updating for a while because I'm going to be gone during the Thanksgiving holidays. I'll make up for it when I come back, though. And thank you guys for all the reviews! They're wonderful! - Min
Reanne1102: Thank you so much! You're review made me smile; it was by far the best one I've every had! I'm glad that people enjoy my writing skills (if that's what you want to call it) and that it's not going to waste. Thank you so much for being a great reviewer!
LaxGoalie: Thank you! To answer your question, and to be honest about it, I forgot about that. Thank you for filling me in on the plot hole and problem! I wasn't thinking when I wrote that, but I can't be perfect, you know? So, I'll find a way around that. For now, just think of it as she trusted Peter and didn't feel any, erm… what's the word for it, distrust(?) towards him at the time and thought it best to do so. Though, to be blunt, since I hadn't looked into that, nothing bad will come from him knowing. Sorry about that!
Thanks go to -- jeez claudine, Torri-Chiobie, Evil Cat Hater, SuperGirl0026, the-kaiba-heir, wally4ever, LunaLovegoss, Reanne1102, Amareth's Shadow, Jellyjade Bean Potter, Hawaiian-Rachael, little mimi, LaxGoalie, Born2Shop1377, Katsheswims, childoftheorient, swirlywhirlynutcase, Mimi, and Hermione-Leia Skywalker-Potter -- for the wonderful reviews!
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"
Severus and Hermione pulled away from each other, startled by the sudden appearance from someone in the shadows. Both of them turned around to see the placid, emotionless face of Lucius Malfoy. Hermione paled visibly, recognizing him to be the boy that she had seen Severus speaking to the other day, and Severus paled because it was, well, Lucius.
"Good morning, Snape." He inclined his head slightly in greeting to his fellow housemate, then turned his attention to Hermione. He took a few steps forward towards her and took her hand in his before bowing down slightly to brush his lips against her knuckles. "Good morning, my dear. I am Lucius Malfoy."
Severus watched as Hermione seemed to, if possibly, become paler, but responded neutrally, "Hermione Granger."
The blonde smiled charmingly at her, "It's a pleasure, I'm sure."
Severus didn't give Hermione time to respond before he said, "What can I do for you, Malfoy?"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, Snape. Who said I was here for you? Is it such a sin to want to meet this beautiful young lady?"
"Of course it isn't, Lucius." Severus answered, though rather stiffly, "But it is rare that you would come so far, especially by yourself, just to meet someone whom you could easily become acquainted to at the castle."
"I just decided to take a simple stroll on my own. I grow weary of having those goons follow my every footstep. I just simply came across you two and decided to introduce myself. Though, I'm rather sorry if I interrupted anything intimate." Lucius spoke pointedly while he brushed his long, blonde hair off of his shoulder.
Hermione blushed deeply, but Severus stayed impassive. "You will not speak of anything you saw here, Malfoy."
"Of course, Snape. I wouldn't dream of it."
Severus scowled at the other boy, clearly not trusting him. Hermione on the other hand seemed perfectly fine -- for the majority of the situation -- and smiled slightly at the both of them. "So Lucius, how have you been fairing?"
"Wonderful, and yourself?"
"Oh, I could say I've been better, but I'm content." She continued smiling, though nervously and Severus caught her glancing at him.
Severus didn't trust Lucius. He couldn't be too sure of how long he'd been standing there, listening to their conversation. He knew for a fact that the Malfoy's were one of the top ranking families that came out to be Death Eaters, and he wouldn't be surprised in he had already joined Voldemort. He would just speak to Hermione about it later; they couldn't be trustful of Lucius.
It was quiet now, besides the low whistle of the wind and the occasional sound of snow falling from some unknown place. Severus didn't mind the quiet, Lucius didn't notice because he was watching Hermione with interest, and Hermione, aware of being watched, tried to act oblivious to the others. The silence was soon broken though, when the blonde spoke up timidly.
"Snape, I overheard part of your conversation on the way here--" Hermione looked at him in silent horror now, but his eyes locked onto Severus', "and I'm curious to know what you plan to do about your fathers wishes."
"I don't know what you're talking about." The raven haired boy's voice was cold and menacing.
"Don't worry, Snape. I have no intentions on telling anyone what I've heard today." Lucius said icily.
"I can't trust you. All of us know how Slytherin's are, not to mention that you're a Malfoy." Severus spat at the boy, crossing his arms across his chest out of nervousness.
Hermione was looking slightly frightened but Severus couldn't tell why she would be scared of anything at the moment, unless Lucius was about to send Death Eaters or his own groupies on them.
To his surprise, the other boy let out a loud sigh before murmuring quietly, "You're not the only one that has been expected to join the Dark Lord by New Year's."
To say that Severus was shocked by hearing him sounding so resentful was an understatement. "You mean you don't want to join him?"
The look on Lucius' face was priceless. His cheeks turned a dark red color and he trembled slightly with clenched fists. "Join him? Join him! I will admit, the Malfoy's have been a family that has followed in his footsteps for decades, but I don't see what is to be gained by following some lunatic around and killing people. I don't like mudbloods that much, and I don't care for halfbloods, but I don't want to go and murder them! Not to mention I hate being told what I will do, or what I'm expected to do. After seeing what happened to Mother after she found out Father's loyalties, I cannot bare to join willingly."
The other two listened to Lucius tell them about how his Father expected 'nothing less' of him than getting the mark and joining the Dark Lord since it was like a family tradition. He didn't fill them in about the information that involved his mum; that was something he kept quiet and tried to avoid when he spoke. Severus and Hermione smartly didn't speak while he spoke to them, partially because they were both shocked beyond speech.
The raven haired boy was confused though. Malfoy didn't want to be a Death Eater? That was something he thought that he'd never hear. Glancing at Hermione, he could tell that she was confused too. She was openly gaping at the boy, eyes wide in surprise.
Lucius looked annoyed, along with angry now. "If you find a way out of this, Severus, I would like to know. I do not wish to join the Death Eater ranks, but if there is no way out of it, then I must obey my Father's wishes."
"Of course…" Hermione whispered softly. Severus stared at her quizzically but she paid no mind. "Lucius, you wont speak of this to anyone, will you?"
"No, if you do not wish me to. I've already stated this." He sneered slightly. "Though I will tell you, there are quite a few Slytherin's that do not wish to join as we don't. If either of you find an alternative to this, then I will inform them about it; though you two will remain anonymous in the process."
Hermione nodded slowly, looking thoughtful. Severus though, was thinking that it was impossible to pull off. From what Hermione said earlier, would he be able to go to Dumbledore and be safe? Would Lucius be safe if he did the same?
There was a long pause in which no one was saying anything and the snow picked up until it was coming down heavily and in large flakes, all beams of light that had broken through the clouds now gone. A colder wind picked up, icy and bitter as it whipped around the vicinity and the three people who stood idle between the trees and fence. All three of them tightened their cloaks around themselves, though Severus noticed that Hermione hadn't dressed as warmly as the others and was now shaking noticeably beside him in her snow drenched cloak.
"Maybe we should go somewhere else…" He offered, looking pointedly at her.
She only nodded again, her gaze flitting from Severus to Lucius. The blonde haired boy, however, just sneered at Severus and silently slipped off his cloak in a fluid movement then draped it over the girls shoulders. She was about to protest but Lucius silenced her.
"I'm not called a gentleman for nothing." He raised his eyebrows at her as she blushed, but she didn't object. "Now, I think we should go to The Three Broomsticks for a drink, or we could go to the Hogs Head. I'd rather not be somewhere too crowded, so how about the Hogs Head?"
Severus shrugged as Hermione nodded and began walking back towards the path they had come from, his black cloak billowing out behind him sinisterly, knowing that the other two would follow soon and was soon proved right when Hermione came up next to him on the left and Lucius beside her; this was truly one of the oddest trio's either of them had ever seen.
At that moment, four people stepped into The Three Broomsticks, shivering from the cold weather. They hurriedly slipped through the crowd and found a table in the very back that was usually saved for them on Hogsmeade weekends. Almost everyone who had come to Hogsmeade were now in the pub, mostly for the warmth that it provided.
The four people took their places and ordered a Butterbeer each and awaited the arrival of the drinks. Said people just so happened to be some of the most popular people in Hogwarts; or at least three of them out of the group were. Peter wasn't admired that well with the majority of the population of Hogwarts but he still managed a bit of spotlight.
Remus, Sirius, and James were considered the heartthrobs of Hogwarts though. Sirius was the ladies man and couldn't keep one girlfriend for very long, James had his eyes set for one girl in particular, and Remus turned down countless girls because of his lycanthropy. He couldn't bare getting attached to a girl who would turn him down after she'd find out about his cursed life.
Vaguely thinking about this, Remus realized that he too had his eyes set for someone, though the sense of it was still fuzzy and confusing. He hadn't noticed any girl in particular until Hermione came around, but now she was on his mind all the time. Maybe it was just because she wasn't of this time, or it was the fact that she accepted him for what he is. Could it just be something as simple as a crush, or was it going to become a James and Lily problem?
With a sigh that no one heard, Remus picked up the mug that was placed in front of him and took a sip of the warm butterbeer. In the corner that they usually sat in, the noise in the pub wasn't so loud and Remus was grateful for that. He could already feel the beginning of a headache coming around, but he could get by if he stayed somewhere that wasn't blasting with noise.
"Those new filibuster fireworks in Zonko's will be great for pranks!" Sirius was telling James who was nodding enthusiastically.
"We should stick some in the Slytherin's scones over breakfast so that when they bite into them, the fireworks shoot out at them!"
Remus rolled his eyes slightly and tuned out his friends plans for destruction. Out of all six years he'd gone to school, he realized that it was useless trying to keep the others from causing mass chaos, especially so close to holidays. It was a known fact that before Christmas came around each year that the Marauders-- namely James and Sirius-- would prank as much as possible before they went home for Yule.
Remus was looking forward to going home to see his family and was also looking forward to seeing Mr. and Mrs. Potter. It was like a tradition for both of their families to meet up on Christmas eve and exchange presents, and usually he got to stay over at the Potter's. Peter even said he might be able to join them. The only people that had ever really accepted him for what he is would be gathered together; something that Remus enjoyed greatly.
"Remus? Remusss? Remus! MOONY!"
His head snapped up and he looked into the amused face of James. "Huh?"
"Finally! You were off in your own little world for a moment there. Anyways, we were discussing what we should plan for the Christmas Holidays since all of us will be able to hang out."
"Yeah, Peter and I were thinking about persuading the Potter's to take us to their vacation home near the beach." Sirius said casually while taking a gulp of his drink.
"I believe mum and dad wouldn't mind. They might actually enjoy it. Do you think your mum would be okay with that, Moony?"
"I'm not sure. I mean, she shouldn't really mind. As long as you can floo there, it shouldn't be a problem."
"Right-o. Alright fellow Marauders, now we need to plan what we will be doing there." James rubbed his hands together then slapped them onto the table top, causing the mugs to rattle slightly. "How about a party?"
"With just us?"
"Yes and no." James replied and thought while speaking, "If no one else is around, it will be just us, but if we can, we could gather up some of the locals on the beach to have a party with a giant bonfire."
"Won't it be a bit cold on the beach?" Peter squeaked from beside Remus.
"It wont be as cold as it is here. It's a beach and the vacation home is located farther south. It'll be mild winter weather, I suppose, maybe cold. No snow, thank Merlin." James informed him.
"Sounds great." Remus said. He hadn't ever been to the Potter vacation home and he'd never been to a beach.
"Alright, me and Prongs here will persuade the parents to let us go. Cheers to vacations!"
Remus grinned as the others lifted their butterbeers up into the air in unison and said "Cheers!" together. The russet haired boy shook his head slightly, lifting his own mug up and clanging it loudly against the others.
"Cheers!"
Lily and Alice were making their way to The Three Broomsticks for a couple butterbeers before they went back to the castle. Lily was slightly put out that Hermione wasn't with them, but she just shrugged it off. It wasn't like she didn't know other people at Hogwarts.
When she had woken up, she hadn't seen Hermione in her bed, and she didn't see her anywhere during breakfast; she wasn't even in Hogsmeade, for all that she knew. Shaking her head slightly, Lily turned to Alice who was complaining about the cold weather and smiled.
"Don't you like the snow?"
"No!" The girl whined through chattering teeth. "I can't stand it! Winter is just horrible!"
"No it's not. I happen to think that the snow looks pretty."
"It looks pretty, but that's about all it's good for." Alice huffed.
Lily laughed and steered her friend towards the doors of the cheery looking pub. Warmth greeted them both and they made their way through the crowd, spotting Erica with two Ravenclaw girls and a Hufflepuff boy sitting down at a table near one of the many windows.
"Erica!" Alice called out and waved when the girl looked their way.
Lily followed her friend over to the table and seated herself next to one of the Ravenclaw girls. Alice sat next to the Hufflepuff boy, introducing herself.
"Hey Erica." Lily smiled.
"Hey. Did you have fun shopping?"
"I did." Lily said beforee Madam Rosmerta came and asked for their orders. A/N: Madam Rosmerta would be Madam Rosmerta's (From the current HP books) mother. That sounds very confusing…
"Did you see the new shipment of candy in Honeydukes? They have five new flavors for the Sugar Quills!"
"I know, I bought some of the kiwi Strawberry and Strawberry-Banana." Lily replied.
"So, how's the love life going?" Erica asked after a long pause with a wink and a jerk of her head.
Lily looked behind her in the direction she indicated and saw, near the back of the pub, the Marauders. James was facing her, but he was laughing at something that Sirius had said. His cheeks were flushed from the heat and his eyes sparkled with mischief and laughter; his already messy black hair was windswept, no doubt, from being outside.
She hadn't realized she was staring for so long until Alice poked her really hard in the side, causing her to yelp in surprise. "What?"
"What are you staring at?" The light haired girl asked in a teasing voice.
Lily's face flared with heat and she was glad that they had just came in from outside since the warmth would make her cheeks a reddish color anyway. "Nothing."
"Nothing? I don't think that a certain James Potter is nothing." Erica chirped happily.
Lily didn't know if her face could get any redder. She sunk down into her seat, wishing her friends gazes would leave her. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Right." Erica drawled, winking at her again.
Lily rolled her eyes, then instinctively let her eyes wander off towards the table in the back. Her eyes locked onto mocha colored ones and she felt her heart thump violently against her chest in that half-second. James' eyes widened slightly in surprise and Lily could have sworn she saw his cheeks flush.
The girl shook her head slightly and averted her eyes away from his. She looked pointedly at Erica and Alice and said, "I'm going back to Hogwarts. I'll see you later."
Picking up her bags, she stood up after one last glare at the girls that were her friends and wove her way around the crowd, not seeing the smug looks on her friends faces and the amused looks from the Marauders.
Hermione couldn't believe it. She never thought that she'd be more shocked in her life but here she was, in company of Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape, in the Hogs Head, having a civil conversation.
She was equally shocked about what she'd found out not too long ago about Lucius. The Lucius Malfoy, Voldemort's number one henchman in the future, didn't want to join his forces. Didn't! Hermione wasn't even sure if she was in her own world anymore; nothing made sense. She had always thought that Lucius had joined the Death Eaters willingly. Had he really not wanted to be one?
Was it possible that he was as loyal to Voldemort as she herself? The girl groaned inwardly as she felt a headache coming onto her. Every time that she had met Lucius in her own time, he had been a royal pain in the arse, not to mention, devoted to the darkest wizard in existence. Had he possibly been manipulated to turn to the wrong side? This hero act was going to be a large challenge…
Oh the confusion.
Hermione laid her head in her hands and groaned slightly, drawing the attention of the two boys.
"Something wrong?" Lucius asked in a cool voice.
"Not really." She lied. "Headache."
Lucius nodded, then turned back to Severus. "So, after Julie told that to Father, he said that he might let me go to Romania with her during the holiday's as long as I'm back before New Year's…"
Hermione closed her eyes against her palms and thought once more. If they didn't want to join Voldemort, they would have to think of something soon that will be able to get them away from the wrong people. Her first thought would have been to go to Dumbledore, but she didn't want to add anything onto his shoulders. He already had to deal with the Order, and herself. She was scheduled to meet up with the rest of the Order at the beginning of Christmas break; which she didn't mind since she didn't have anywhere to go.
Since Dumbledore was not an option, and neither was anyone else, the three of them would have to think of something themselves. Hermione knew that once the two boys loyalties were shown by the next year, they would have to put up some resistance against the Death Eaters. No doubt that Lucius' father would go after him, along with Snape's.
But what happened to Severus being a spy? A voice in her head questioned. I might as well give voice to the thought…
"Hey… I was thinking about something." Hermione said quietly so as not to be overheard. There were remarkably quite a few people in the pub, probably because it was cold outside. Most of them were older customers, but there were a few Hogwarts students scattered about.
"What?" Severus looked at her, waiting for an answer.
"Well… You two don't wish to serve Voldemort--" Lucius hissed at her and told her not to say his name, but she rolled her eyes and continued, "What would one of you guys think about being a spy for the light?"
There was silence that followed this until Lucius said coldly, "What do you take us as? That'd pretty much be a death wish!"
Hermione shook her head slightly, eyeing Severus out of the corner of her eyes. This would be harder than she thought… "For your information, there are people who have done it; still are in fact," She lied, knowing she couldn't just say, 'yeah, the older Severus is a spy!'
"The Dark Lord would see through that though." Severus put in quietly.
"Not unless you learned Occlumency."
"That's near impossible." Lucius sneered. "Only some of the most powerful wizards can fully use Occlumency."
Hermione let out an exasperated sigh and stared Lucius in the eyes before saying, "Just so you know, I've had practice with Occlumency. One of my best friends had to learn it, and in the meantime, I helped him with it, therefore, I learned it as well. I'm not great with it, but with practice, I can get better. If I can do it, then I know that either of you two could also. Both of you can, if you tried."
"You know Occlumency?" Severus questioned, a slight hint of surprise in his voice.
"Yes, to an extent. By blocking out your mind, you can't really tell if your barriers are strong enough to be broken through, but maybe, if you two wish, I will try to teach you, and if it goes well, we can ask Dumbledore to test it for us with Legilimency. After quite a bit of practice, you will be able to do it with ease. The only thing though, is that we don't want to go to Dumbledore unless it's absolutely necessary."
Both Slytherin's sat silently, thinking over what she said. Eventually, Severus spoke up. "I suppose that could be worth it. The only problem is learning this before the holidays…"
"Well, we'll use this as plan A." She smiled slightly, "We'll think up plan B, so that if we can't master this by the holidays, we'll have an alternative."
"Who will be the spy though?" Lucius asked.
"Well, that'd be up to you two."
More silence.
Hermione sighed and rested her forehead against the rough tabletop. They were a stubborn lot.
"You don't have to pick which one of you will do it right now, but I suggest that whoever is better at learning Occlumency should do the job. I wouldn't put you in immediate danger either; I think I can come up with something that you can use in case you get found out or if you're in trouble…"
"I'll give this thought, Granger." Lucius told her.
"Alright but we still need a plan B. If neither of you want to go through with plan A, then we still need an alternative."
"I'll disown my family." Lucius said lazily and leaned back against the wall behind him.
"Touché." The other boy drummed his fingers against the tabletop quietly.
"Great. Plan B: Disown families." Hermione said dryly. They're hopeless….
"I don't see another way around it. Either way, it's a do or don't situation." Lucius commented coolly.
"I guess you're right…" Hermione sighed once more. "This is going to be a long school year…"
"Oh?"
"I've gotten myself into a right mess. Who knew saving the wizarding world would be so complicated…" She mumbled, not realizing what she said until the last moment then clapped her hands over her mouth.
"Who said you have to save anything?" Severus asked with raised eyebrows.
She groaned loudly and banged her head against the table a few times before looking up, "It was in a prophecy I was told about. It pretty much said that I would come here and defeat Voldemort."
"Defeat him?" Lucius laughed coldly. "You're just a teenager who's not even out of school yet. You don't look powerful enough to defeat him."
"So?" She hissed, eyes flashing dangerously. "I've done enough in my life to know what I'm capable of. I've gone against the Ministry more times than you could think to help fight against Voldemort! I've even done illegal stuff that could throw me in Azkaban but that never stopped me. I'll use whatever means necessary to kill him, even if I do end up in Azkaban in the end."
Both of the Slytherin's eyes widened at her small rant. Hermione couldn't stop herself from saying what slipped out of her mouth, but she didn't really care. They weren't being spied on at the moment and they would eventually find things out; so why not let it slip?
"You've done illegal stuff?" Severus inquired.
"Who hasn't?"
"Good point." He mumbled.
"What have you done that's illegal?" The blonde haired boy asked while linking his hands together behind his head.
"I've used a time-turner illegally, hid an top-of-the-list escaped convict accused of murder from the Ministry and the Dementors from Azkaban, and I've snuck into the Ministries Department of Mysteries. I've done other minor things that wouldn't really cause me to go to Azkaban, but none of it is really a concern to you." She told him in a calm voice.
"Is there anything you haven't done?"
"Actually, yes." She said thoughtfully. "I never got to go down into the Chamber of Secrets."
"But the Chamber of Secrets is a myth, not to mention that it's in Hogwarts. You've been here for only a few days and you're complaining that you haven't been in the Chamber of Secrets!" Severus cried out indignantly.
"Yes, well… It is real, and I know where the entrance is." She huffed and turned away from him.
"What?" They practically yelled in unison.
Half the pub turned in their direction from the outburst. Hermione huffed again and stood up. It was a little after noon, and she wanted to get some shopping done before she went back to the castle; that is why she came here in the first place.
"I'm going to do a bit of shopping now. If you want, you can stay here--"
"We'll come." Severus said, feeling uncomfortable from all the stares they were now receiving.
"I suppose I'll go too." Lucius replied and stood up in a fluid motion that caused his platinum hair to swing lazily over his shoulders which he just brushed back.
The odd trio once again departed, earning odd stares from quite a few of the occupants of the pub, including the bar tender who was in the process of 'cleaning' a mug with a dirty rag.
Seven shops, two awkward snowball fights, and three rests later, Hermione, Severus, and Lucius made their way back to Hogwarts, each exhausted from the days events. It was starting to get dark outside, darker by far with the thick overcast, and snow was still coming down in a thick blanket, concealing everything that was three feet away from someone.
Hardly anyone was in Hogsmeade now, everyone having gone back to the castle for dinner. The gusts of wind that hit them was arctic and bitter, causing Hermione to burry her face against her scarf every time it hit. She had tried offering Lucius his cloak back countless times but he refused, telling her he had a warming charm placed on himself.
They were now nearing the gates that provided entry to the Hogwarts grounds. Hermione was doing all she could not to run ahead to the castle, but she stayed with the group. Her eyes were stinging painfully because of the cold air and her hair whipped around her unceremoniously.
"I'm cold." She whined, wrapping her arms around herself.
She heard someone huff, and then Lucius said, "Yes, yes, we know. Bloody Gryffindor's."
She rolled her eyes behind the two boys who were making their way across the grounds. "You know, all three of us can't just walk in together. That'd be really noticeable, especially since over half the school will be in the Great Hall."
She heard someone groan in exasperation. "I don't know about you but I don't feel like standing out in this bloody weather!"
"Then you guys hurry up and go ahead, I'll go in a few minutes later." Hermione yelled to them over the roar of the wind.
"It's your funeral." She heard one of them mutter.
"What about your cloak?" The girl asked the blonde in front of her.
"Just keep it for now. I have others; you can give it to Severus to give to me during a lesson."
"Right. Well, hurry up before I change my mind." Hermione told them. Severus glanced back at her, then with a nod, hurried off. Lucius did the same, following behind him until both black clad figures disappeared from her sight.
With a sigh, Hermione pulled her scarf up higher and tightened Lucius' cloak around her small figure. She mentally scolded herself for letting the boys go before her, but she knew they wouldn't have it any other way; they were Slytherin's, after all.
The girl stopped walking for a moment to look around her. To her right, it was darker than to her left and she figured she was close to the Forbidden Forest. There was hardly any more light left in the sky, but the white of the snow gave off a gentle glow, keeping complete darkness at bay.
Hermione blew on her hands and shifted from foot to foot, wishing that she knew how to use a warming charm. She decided to wait under one of the nearby trees, hoping that it would block off some of the wind and snow.
Leaning against the truck of a large oak, she closed her eyes against the onslaught of snow. It hadn't even been a minute yet and the time just seemed to tick away slowly. Oh well, she chided to herself, I can think properly now.
She mulled over the days events, going from her conversation with Severus, the encounter with Lucius, the conversation at the pub, and so on.
The irony of everything was astounding. Never in her life would she have thought that Lucius Malfoy wouldn't want to be a Death Eater. She had grown up, learning to hate him and anyone that he was associated with.
Could she save both him and Severus from the darkness that had encased them in her own time? It would be a tricky thing to do, but she was sure she could pull it off. As long as they stood up for themselves against their fathers, then they wouldn't have much to worry about-- besides Voldemort.
Hermione rolled her eyes and sighed, annoyed at herself. Watching the vapor of her breath, she kicked off of the tree and made her way towards the entrance to the castle. It hadn't been five minutes yet, but by the time she got there, it would be past that.
After fighting her way through the thick snow on the ground, she found herself standing outside of the double doors. She could faintly hear the chatter and laughter coming from the Great Hall, indicating that dinner was already in progress. Her stomach growled slightly and she opened the doors, the warmth and aroma of food welcoming her back from her very odd day in Hogsmeade.
A/N: So what do you guys think? Confusing? Ridiculous? What do you think about Lucius' loyalties? I sort of rushed this chapter (like I do with most, but hey, as long as it's here, right?) so if it seems to be off, just tell me and I'll redo it when I have the time. Anyways, thanks for taking the time to read this! You guys are the best! Since I'm going on a little 'vacation' with a friend of mine, I wont be updating for at least a week. Sorry! I'll update as soon as possible though. I'll probably even write some while on the road. Anyways, have a great Thanksgiving everyone! - Min