Disclaimer: Anything you recognize from the HP books and/or movies is not mine.

A/N: Eeh! It's been forever! I'm so sorry, guys! But! I'm back on track, and writing this story once more. Though, I will have some trouble updating often. I recently got a job, and I've been utterly busy. I've hardly had time to sleep, that's how busy I am. -Sigh.- Ah' well. I'll promise to try to update at least ever week! If I don't, make it two weeks, but I'll try my best to get it at least once a week. AT LEAST! Anywho… this chapter isn't great, but it's getting somewhere in the plot. I hope. And,I want to point out, that there will be some romance drama in my story. THOUGH! It will be Hermione/Remus in the end, there will be some conflicts on the way. I mean, what's a good romance story without drama? But nothing serious will happen. Just a bit of confusion, jealousy, and whatnot between a few people. Well, here's the next chapter! Enjoy! (For anyone that I didn't reply to your reviews, I'm so sorry! I had so many, that I couldn't just reply to all of them -- not to mention that a bunch of them were from a while back, and I figured it was too late to respond. I'm sorry guys!) -- Min

Thanks Angelic Bladez, Evil Cat Hater, Ivory Black aka Torri-Chiobie, The Insane Imortal Dragon, KeLpIeenoch, wally4ever, rocknrollchck, Katsheswims, LoveroftheTwins326, Nocturne, LunaLovegoss, Black-rose23, ibelievinsnorkack, Lovin'Moony, BexyLou, little mimi, Reanne1102, animerocksjapanrocks, Soiel, Imogen262, Spunx182, maraudersrock77, DarkPortAtreides, and Dark-Compassion for the reviews!

Seasons Change

By: xScenex

a.k.a. Min

Chapter 17

It was nearing Christmas Eve. The sun was shining, the waves were gently caressing the sand on the beach, and the Marauders were having the time of their lives.

At the moment, the four boys were out on the beach, wooing a group of girls. Ever since they had arrived there, all they had done was cause trouble, flirt, and do what the Marauders usually did.

Well, actually, it was mostly James and Sirius doing the flirting. Though out of all of them, it was mostly Sirius. James, it seemed, had lost his interest in flirting with random girls. This confused Sirius, but he didn't mention it. He was too occupied anyway when the thoughts resurfaced.

Remus was having fun, though not as much as he would have thought. He kept getting a deep sense of foreboding and it caused him to become edgy and jumpy. It really wasn't like him, and his friends had begun to notice. But like Sirius, none of them said anything about anything odd because they were too busy with their own affairs.

It was a cool day, not blistering cold, but not warm either. The beach was practically deserted except for the small clusters of teenagers and children who had come out just to hang around.

Sirius was in the middle of having an animated conversation with a pretty brunette and James, along with Peter and three girls were playing a very interesting game of volleyball. To Remus, it looked as if they were playing 'keep away from Peter'. When he asked James about it moments before, he just said something along the lines of, 'Peter's the net!' though the shorter boy seemed oblivious to it all.

The games continued on and on, and quite a few times, Peter was clonked on the head with the volleyball or some other random object. Remus began wondering if the boy would be affected by any of it by the time they were finished; the pudgier boy might end up getting a concussion.

At the current moment, the werewolf was sitting on the ground, legs stretched out in front of him as he enjoyed the slight breeze that wafted over him. The laughter around him soothed his mind and he stared out into the ocean. Everything was peaceful.

Throughout the whole school year, he hadn't felt anything like what he did now. There had always been tension, confusion, or something else to unsettle the group.

But none of it had been like that before Hermione came -- unless you counted the time when Sirius nearly killed Snape.

Something about Hermione made each of the four boys uneasy. For Sirius, it seemed that it was because of her knowledge and of her alliance with some of the Slytherin's. James was unsettled because of the looks she sometimes gave him. Peter didn't trust her much, but otherwise, he didn't care. Now, Remus was only uneasy around her because of the growing feelings that had engulfed him.

Truth be told, he was scared of the feelings.

"Mooooony!"

The boy looked up into the grinning face of Peter.

"Huh?"

"You were dozing off for a moment. The others wanted to know if you wanted to go grab something to eat?"

"What? Oh, uh, sure," he replied, standing up.

He brushed the sand off of his clothes and joined the other boys, who were talking enthusiastically about how they had been caught by the police the other day for shooting off numerous fireworks in a public restroom.

"Remember the look on that old man's face? That was priceless!" Sirius crowed loudly, waving his arms around. He nearly hit the others upside their heads, but they decided to move well out of the boy's range.

"He wasn't the only one," James snickered, then shot Remus a look, "Moony here could've gave that man a run for his money with the face he gave."

"Excuse me for having good hearing and a ridiculously great sense of smell," Remus replied dryly.

"Ah, you have to admit though, it was pretty fun," Peter cajoled.

"If you consider being held in a police station for two hours fun."

"It was, Moony. I had fun at least," Sirius grinned, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Yeah," James waved a hand lazily towards the other dark haired boy, "He got to flirt with that one gorgeous officer -- what was her name? Tiffany?"

Sirius tried to keep a strait face, "Hey, what's that supposed to mean? I didn't flirt with her."

"Then what did you do?"

"I just persuaded her that the firework incident was an accident --"

"So that's why they let us go eventually without calling our parents," Peter mused.

"Pete here's a smart one!" James and Sirius said in unison, causing Peter to blush deeply. Remus couldn't help but notice the sarcasm in their voices. Peter really was oblivious to everything going on around him.

"You know," he began, "it's a wonder I ever ended up with you blokes in the first place."

The others looked offended. "Dearest Moony, are you saying you do not enjoy our company?"

"Well…" Remus said teasingly, "It depends."

"On what?" James squawked.

"On how much trouble is involved."

"Tsk, tsk. Moony, Moony, Moony. Don't you remember the guidelines to us Marauders?" Sirius asked gravely. "Rule number one: Thou shall always cause trouble for thy elders and peers. Rule number Two: When there's a Marauder in need, there are rules you don't heed. Rule number--"

"Okay, okay, I remember!" The russet haired boy cried out in disdain.

"Always the smart one, you are." Sirius grinned, then leaned over to whisper to James, "Good thing he cut me off at number three. I didn't remember it, so I was just going to make something up about Snivellus."

"Or you could have made up something about flirting," James added with a smirk.

"Okay, come on guys, I'm hungry," Remus rolled his eyes, "I'd rather talk about other affairs than of IQ's and flirting."

"Spoilsport," came three voices.

Meanwhile, back at Hogwarts castle, things weren't as cheery as they were on the beach.

"Minerva, they're coming through the gates!" Professor Sinistra shouted.

"Karen, make sure that the front entry is blocked off -- we can't allow them inside the castle," McGonagall urged the other woman before turning her attention to the elderly wizard standing in front of her, "Albus, there's too many of them!"

"We'll hold them off," he replied, a determined glint in his eyes. "They will not get what they came here for."

The transfiguration teacher gaped, "Wh-- Albus! What are you talking about? They want something? Why, by Merlin, would you bring something into the castle and endanger the lives of the students!"

"It's not exactly a 'something' that they want. It's more of a 'someone'."

A look of dawning appeared on the woman's face and the determined glint appeared in her eyes as well, "No, they will not get what they came here for."

The Death Eaters were advancing. Step by step, they came, white masks glinting in the afternoon sun.

Across the grounds, almost all of the professors were standing in a small line, each with their wands outstretched in front of them. They were horribly outnumbered.

Meanwhile, inside of the castle, Hermione and the rest of the remaining students were all waiting anxiously in Dumbledore's office. The Headmaster had thought it safer to keep them there, since no one would be able to get in if something happened and the Death Eaters stormed Hogwarts.

It was rather crowded, and the younger students were frightened, causing panic in the room.

"Everyone, calm down!" Hermione finally shouted, "Nothing is going to happen!"

Severus gave her a look and mumbled, "That's for you to say."

Hermione glared, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Don't you realize? The Death Eaters are here for you -- but the professors are out there and they are outnumbered, in case you haven't noticed."

The girl glanced out of the window. She could faintly see the professors standing idly below, with the advancing mass of Death Eaters moving towards them. Severus was right. "I realize that, but Dumbledore can find a way," she told the black haired boy.

"How can you be so sure?"

"I…"

That's when she realized that she wasn't so sure. When she had spoke to the Headmaster about what was going to happen, he seemed to be at a loss of what to do. When she questioned him about it, he told her it was nothing and she let it go. Now, thinking back, she knew that the look in his eyes was one of cost. He was planning on protecting her 'till the end, and Hermione wasn't prepared to let him go before his time.

She stood up quickly, causing Severus and Lucius to stare at her.

"And pray tell, what do you think you're doing?" The blonde asked.

"I can't just let them stay down there!" Hermione replied, "The Death Eaters are only here because of me--"

"And you're going to go down there and sacrifice yourself, right?" Severus drawled icily.

"I can't let them just die down there!"

"Typical Gryffindor," Lucius muttered. "Bloody insolent fools, the lot of them."

Hermione just glared coolly at him. "What would you like me to do?" She asked after a moment. "Just sit here while they die down there? I'm not about to have that guilt placed on my shoulders."

"It's a wonder I even talk to you!" Lucius flung his arms above his head in a un-Lucius fashion, causing some of the younger students to gawk.

"I'm not one to let people do my dirty work," hissed Hermione, undeterred by what the Slytherin said.

Severus took this time to speak up, "If you're going, then I'm going too."

"What! You're both INSANE!"

Silence echoed in the room after the blonde's outburst. Hermione was rather amused as too red spots appeared on the Malfoy's face as numerous pairs of eyes glued onto him.

"I don't care about what you do, Lucius, but I'm going out there," Hermione told him seriously as she pointed towards the window before she walked determinedly towards the door.

Severus glanced at his fellow housemate, then stood up and followed the time-traveler as promised. Lucius didn't make any move to budge from his spot in his chair, though the girl could have sworn she saw a glint of concern flash across his face and his eyes seemed to be clouded with worry. But just as fast as the emotions came, they were gone, and all of it could have easily been passed off as a figment of her imagination.

As the spiraling staircase took them down to the first entrance, Hermione said, "Severus, I just want you to know, I appreciate you coming with me."

The raven haired boy looked at her without any emotion on his face -- which reminded her strongly of the Snape of her previous time. Silence followed the look, and Hermione took that as her cue to stay quiet. He must have felt as horrible as her at the moment. Knowing they were about to go into a battle full of Death Eaters didn't settle well with most people.

The halls seemed to echo with every little noise around them. Creaks from the staircases, their own footsteps, the slight whispering of the portraits, and the groaning of the castle itself.

The duo were almost to the Great Hall when a loud 'BOOM!' echoed through the castle. Dust fell from the ceiling and the ground seemed to shake dangerously underneath them.

"I don't like the sound of that," Hermione managed to squeak out.

The boy looked pointedly at her, "Do you still think this is a good idea?"

"I'd rather risk my life out there, than have my friends die."

"Friends? Don't tell me you've gone and had tea and biscuits with the professor's," the boy replied dryly.

Hermione couldn't help but reply with: "And did I ever have tea and biscuits with you?"

"This is no time for jokes, Granger!"

The girl winced slightly at the last name bases he was using. That only meant he was absolutely serious about what was going on. "You're the one talking about tea and biscuits."

Another 'BOOM!' cut off whatever remark Severus was about to say. They both held their arms out for balance and looked fleetingly at one another before they exchanged a slight nod. Then they took off for the main doors, wands drawn and ready.

"We have orders to get the girl!" A rough voice grumbled over the shouts and cruel laughter.

"We need to get inside the castle, first," a softer, more feminine voice replied as a figure appeared next to the one who had spoken.

"We need to get passed the mudblood lover's defense fields first. Line up some of the best and have them start on tearing down the barriers!"

Shuffling could be heard, and then someone shouted names out through the thick mass of black cloaks and white masks.

"Malfoy! Avery! Nott! Black! Parkinson! Jenkins! Up front, now!"

Six figures detached themselves from the mass of black and made their way to the front of the line. The pervious woman then gave orders for them to begin working at un-weaving the barriers in front of them.

They set to work.

It took mere minutes before the first wall fell, but the backlash of magic that followed left a quarter of the Death Eaters on the ground and a large booming sound echoed through the grounds.

"TAKE THE OTHERS DOWN!" The gravely voice yelled over the panicked shouts. "GET THROUGH ALL OF THE BARRIERS!"

The followers obliged. The second barrier took three times longer to get down, but as soon as it was down and the backlash hit, they were once again trying to get through the third one.

This didn't look good.

"Bloody hell," Severus cursed as he set eyes on the soon to be battle before them.

Hermione shot him a look, but didn't reply straight away. "You know, Sev. This might be the end of it if we aren't careful."

The boy shifted slightly from where they stood in the shadows and peeked over at her. He too didn't reply right away, but when he did, his voice was even and calm.

"This won't be the end. This can't be. I know that this won't be it."

The brown haired girl stared at the boy a moment, then a gentle smile graced her face. "Thanks, Sev. That's what I needed to hear."

Severus' face turned a bit pink and he smiled slightly at her in return. "Are you ready for this?"

There was a slight pause, in which the icy wind picked up forcefully, whipping their scarves and cloaks around. The girl set her eyes on the mass of people yards away, though her eyes seemed to be taking in something beyond that.

"As I will ever be," came her response.

"Well.." the Slytherin tucked his scarf into his robe and readjusted his grip on his wand. "Then here goes nothing. Lets go."

The too figured ran from the shadows of the entrance doors simultaneously. The sky was clouded over with dark grey clouds that threatened to shower them with freezing cold rain, or maybe even more snow. The wind continued to press coldly against them as they ran towards the Death Eaters and professors on the ground before them.

Hermione wasn't exactly prepared for this, but she was still determined. She ran through the barriers that the professors had put up, with Severus hot on her heels. Shouts of protest echoed towards them, but neither paid any mind to what was being said. Hermione wasn't about to falter on her courage. As soon as she came within striking distance of the nearest cloaked figure, she shot out a curse. It hit its target full on, causing the person to fall down onto the ground, stunned.

Severus followed after her, shooting off hexes and curses left and right without more than a two second pause between each one. Hermione noticed that the majority of them were dark curses, but she wasn't about to say anything about it when she was in the middle of dodging curses being flung at her from all sides.

We seem to be doing well, Hermione grimaced to herself as she jumped aside as a cutting curse came towards her. She wasn't so lucky though, and was cut on her upper arm. She gritted her teeth and blinked rapidly, as if trying to rid herself of the searing hot needles that seemed to pierce through her arm. She was too occupied with the recent wound, that she didn't noticed the next curse that came from behind her.

She vaguely heard someone shouting behind her. She turned around, and everything seemed to slow down remarkably, until it seemed as if every second were a minute.

An orange streak of light flew towards her, glowing eerily in the odd contrast of dark sky and cloaks, and white, bloodied snow. Sparks flew out from behind the strip of light, giving it somewhat of a sparkling tail. The sounds around her seemed to be egging the spell on in some odd sense, and the girl just stood there, unable to move. It was almost hypnotizing.

The light came closer and closer, until it was mere inches away. Hermione felt herself reaching forward slightly, as if to touch it, but as suddenly as she was in the daze, she felt herself being ripped out of it as something solid collided with her.

But she didn't fall out of the way in time, and the orange light struck her in the shoulder.

The girl gasped in pain and she heard someone curse from above her. It felt as if someone had taken a branding iron and shoved it into her skin.

She looked up, her vision becoming blurrier every second; though she wasn't sure if it was because of the tears she felt welling up in her eyes from the pain, or if it was just because of the darkness she felt pulling at her from the corner of her sight. She saw dark eyes staring back at her. Whoever was laying on top of her seemed to be trying to get her to respond, but she couldn't get herself to part her lips and make any noise.

The last thing she saw before she fell into unconsciousness was the look of surprise on the person face before he, too, fell to the ground beside her.

It was cold.

A chill seeped into every corner of the surrounding area without mercy. A draft blew through the thin slit windows high up near the ceiling, letting in a flurry of sleet that fell from the angry sky.

The grey stone of the structure didn't provide any warmth for the two figures that lay in the small cell, completed with a large, metal door with a large bolt on the other side.

One of the figures had his back up against one of the walls. The person cradled the other in his arms, though unmoving. Anyone would have thought them to be dead, for all the movement that came from them.

These people inside of the cell just so happened to be recent prisoners from the raid on Hogwarts.

One Hermione Granger and one Severus Snape. Neither of them were in any condition to be moving much anytime soon.

"Hermione…" Severus said with a raspy voice.

The girl was breathing slowly, and her pulse wasn't very strong. Even as a Slytherin, he was worried about the girls well being.

She had been one of the only people to ever accept him for who he was, and he wasn't ready to lose her. She was the only beckon of hope he had left in the world. She had led him to know the life he had always wished he could have -- one with friends, love, and more importantly, control.

"Hermione, wake up…"

The girl stirred slightly, but that was the only sign she gave to indicate that she might have heard him.

The boy sighed and shifted his body into a more comfortable position. If anyone ever saw him in such a position, he would never live it down. Severus Snape, trying to comfort a Gryffindor girl? No one would believe it. He didn't really believe it either -- he had wished over and over again that everything was just a dream. But it wasn't; the pain from his wounds guaranteed that it wasn't.

Severus looked down at Hermione's flushed face. She looked as if she had a fever, but the only thing that the Slytherin could do about it was make sure she was warm enough.

He moved a strand of hair out of her face slowly. How he wished he could be back in Hogsmeade on the day she confronted him about his problems. That day had been of nothing but innocence compared to the current situation. And he preferred Hermione's carefree attitude rather than the lifelessness that she had now.

And he found it odd.

Almost all of his life, he had preferred the company of no one. He hated almost everyone, and envied almost everything. That is, until she came into the picture.

This mysterious girl, who he knew so much about, though also so little.

Sure, he'd put together what her favorite color was, what her favorite book and food was. And he'd never do that, usually. It felt odd, knowing things like that; Slytherin's didn't bother with that stuff. They only cared about ambition and themselves. But other than those simple, ordinary things, he knew almost nothing about her past. It was unnerving, in a sense.

Severus shook his head slowly, clearing his mind. It wouldn't do to worry about the girl's past -- he wouldn't ever find out about it if she died there in the cell from a fever.

He needed to look out for her.

The boy looked at her with a mixture of emotions, then whispered quietly, due to his dry and sore throat, "Don't worry Hermione… you'll be fine. I'll make sure of it."

"I have some grave news."

Everyone turned to look at Albus Dumbledore, who's eyes were no longer twinkling their normal twinkle. They were dull, with a hint of sadness and remorse swirling in them.

"Two of the students of Hogwarts have been taken captive this evening during the raid. It seems that the whole raid was to get a hold of one of our students, and they have succeeded in getting what they came for."

Some of the professor's looked at each other with confused glances, but a few of them nodded solemnly.

"Who have they taken?" Professor Ian asked quietly from the right of the group, where he stood a yard away from a rather upset McGonagall.

The Headmaster looked gravely at his hands, "They have taken Severus Snape of the Slytherin House, and Hermione Granger, from the Gryffindor House."

There was a uproar of confusion and bewilderment.

"Why would they take both a Slytherin and a Gryffindor?"

"What's so special about Mrs. Granger and Mr. Snape?"

"I don't understand --"

"Does this have anything to do with their families?"

"I noticed that those two had been on good terms with one anoth--"

"Please, settle down," the wizened man said with a sigh. "We wont understand for a long time. I myself am not too sure why they have taken the students, but we must do our best to get them back. Merlin, bless his soul, only knows what will happen to the children. We must wait to see what happens, and hopefully, we won't be too late to save them."

The Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher looked Dumbledore squarely in the eyes. He gave the man a small, knowing smile and said, "Only time will tell."

A/N: So, how did you guys like this long awaited update? Now I want to get something strait here, because I don't want to receive a bunch of reviews from people asking if this is going to be Hermione/Remus or Hermione/Severus. In my summary, it says that this story will eventually be HG/RL. So, it will be Hermione/Remus. But there's going to be a bit of trouble with Severus along the way, okay? If you read my A/N from… a long time ago, it says that Severus will get feelings for Hermione. But it will only be a one-sided love coming from him. Hermione will fully be in love with Remus.

I hope that's settled. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter -- I've deprived myself of sleep because I wrote this… ah, I have work in a few hours. -Scurries off to bed.- Take care, guys! - Min