Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Well, this can't be good, Snape thought. He was hiding behind a wide tree some feet away from Hermione and Remus. He had watched with interest as Granger begged Lupin's forgiveness. What could the little girl be hiding? Something huge no doubt, but since Dumbledore apparently knew about it, Snape knew he couldn't bring them trouble that way. Still, there was the little issue of the annoying Gryffindors being out after curfew, and in the Forbidden Forest no less. He was moments away from summoning the Headmaster (and making a hasty retreat - he didn't want to be caught, after all) when he saw Malfoy and his cronies. Snape had plans to join the Dark Lord after Hogwarts, and he had no illusions about what he was going to have to do. But Lily was there, too, and he didn't want her harmed. Also, he knew he had saved Granger from almost certain rape at The Hog's Head. That was one thing Snape had no stomach for, and from the looks of this little raiding party, that was Malfoy's intention again. If Lily was spotted, she would get the same treatment. Now what was he supposed to do? Go against Malfoy? Help his enemies? Not likely. By the time Dumbledore arrived, it might be too late. I should have stayed in bed.

"Boys, this pretty little mudblood is mine," Lucius stated in the same lazy drawl. "We've a budding relationship I wish to explore. I feel it's unwise to harm Dumbledore's students too much, so I would appreciate if you would just keep this one at bay. When the young lady and I have had our chat, we'll obliviate them both. A shame, really, but the rules of society make it impossible for us to be together, my dear. I've no doubt you'll always remember me in your heart."

"Is she just for you, then, Lucius?" a big, black-eyed death eater asked. He was leering at Hermione, who tried to remain calm. She had her wand this time, and she had Remus, too. Obviously the men didn't know the rest of her friends were there, so perhaps they would be able to sneak up on them. She held Remus's hand tightly. "That hardly seems fair."

"And we come upon one of life's crueler lessons, I'm afraid," Lucius answered. His eyes had not left Hermione. "Life is so rarely fair. You're here as backup tonight, nothing more. I told you this charming young girl and I have a special connection. What kind of gentleman would I be if I passed her around? I merely came to express my dismay that she's leaving so soon."

"Do not think about touching her," Remus spoke. Hermione could sense the danger radiating off of him. They were outnumbered, yes, but Hermione was not so sure that they were outmatched. "I assure you, it will end in your death."

Well, that's not going to happen, Hermione thought. Lucius is alive in the future, so how is this going to turn out? The sight of him still made her nauseous, but the abject fear she felt the last two times was not there. That alone made her braver.

"You don't frighten me, boy," Lucius said. "I've no doubt you're a regular knight in shining armor, but you'll not come out on top this time. Stay quiet, and no further harm will come to you. I'm not going to hurt your little friend. We just have some things to... discuss."

"Don't come any closer, Ferret," Hermione spoke boldly. "You're not catching me off guard this time. I'm more than ready for the likes of you."

"Really, where does this 'ferret' nonsense come from?" Lucius asked, looking honestly puzzled. "Is that your little pet name for me? Hmmm... Ferret and Mudblood. I've heard worse. Please excuse me for my little terms of endearment, I've not yet bothered to learn your real name. No offense, dear, but since our time is limited, it's best if I don't get too attached. You understand."

Hermione narrowed her eyes but said nothing. She could not allow Malfoy to bait her into making any rash moves; she had already let him know he was getting to her. From now on, she would not give him any more satisfaction. No one had yet drawn their wands. Malfoy's men were betting on their physical strength and greater numbers to keep Hermione and Remus in line. If they thought Remus was going to hand Hermione over without a struggle, they were mental. For that matter, they must expect Hermione to draw her wand as well. Right now, they were in a standoff. Whoever drew first would plunge them into battle.

X X X X

"What in the hell are we still doing over here?" Sirius whispered furiously. The four friends were huddled under James's invisibility cloak, which he brought so they could spy on Moony and Hermione. Sirius was sneaking under it when he spotted Malfoy and company. He'd sprinted back to the other three, who were thankfully too far away to be heard, and pulled them under with him. They were now all riveted to a spot about twenty feet away; close enough so that they could hear and see everything that was happening, but far enough away that the Death Eaters wouldn't wander into them. Sirius and James were shaking in anger; Peter in fear. Lily was maintaining a calm composure, but she was sick to her stomach. They had all heard stories of Death Eater raids, and the less one thought about it, the better. Still, there was no real proof that these men were Death Eaters. That didn't make them any less dangerous, however.

"Padfoot, we can't run in wands blazing," James answered. "That's a good way to get everyone hurt and us expelled."

"I don't care about expulsion," said Sirius hotly. "I care about Granger and Moony!"

"So do we, Sirius, so calm down," Lily ordered. "We need to have a plan. We need to distract them, and we need to get help. Peter, go get Dumbledore. You can get out of the Forest without anyone seeing you, so do it."

"Why do I tell him we were out here?" Peter asked miserably.

"Figure something out," Sirius said. "Do not let him see you as a rat."

"Brilliant, Padfoot, I was going to make that the crux of the story." Peter rolled his eyes and then transformed. He scurried off in the direction of Hogwarts.

"Lucius Malfoy can cause Hermione some real damage in the mean time," James said. "Moony, too. We can not let that albino freak get his hands on her. Padfoot, distract them. Lily and I will sneak in while you occupy the others. What you told Peter goes double for you. No matter what, do not let them see who you are."

"Right-o, Prongs." Sirius slipped easily into canine form. The big, black, lumbering dog wagged his tail at Lily and James and began creeping over to his captured friends. He could hear Malfoy's oily voice taunting Hermione and resisted the urge to go for his throat.

"Mudblood, come here," Malfoy said. His voice had lost some of the "playful" quality it held earlier. Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione saw Sirius drawing close. She inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Remus," she said. He was still glaring at Malfoy. "We're going to be fine. I"m going to talk to Malfoy for a moment; please trust me."

"I am not letting you go to him," he said, outraged. "You know better than that."

"Now, don't get in the way of true love," Malfoy said. "Be the bigger man."

Hermione ignored him. "I know you won't let anything happen to me. Give me a minute to talk to him. Please." She lowered her voice. "They're coming for us. Please don't let this get any more out of control. I can handle him for the time being. He won't get the chance to do anything."

"No secrets now," Malfoy said, a nasty edge to his voice.

"Please, trust me."

"You've given me such reason to," Remus said. "How am I supposed to let you walk off with him?"

"You have to," she said simply. She could see Sirius waiting for his chance and nodded imperceptibly toward him. The Death Eaters didn't notice, but Remus did. He took a bracing breath and nodded.

"No more than five minutes," he said.

"Now, now, no fair judging my prowess by what you school boys do," Malfoy said. "We'll be considerably longer than five minutes."

Hermione put a hand on Remus's arm as he gave a decidedly werewolf-like growl. She fixed Malfoy with a glare so contemptuous he actually looked uneasy for a moment before his smirk resurfaced. She squared her shoulders and breathed deeply. This was taking all of her resolve, but she knew she had to do it. Lucius's resemblance to Draco was even more pronounced when he smirked, and she thought she could perhaps handle herself better if she thought of him as Draco. After all, that twitchy little ferret wasn't exactly to be feared.

"Come here," Malfoy said again, and Hermione's resolve wavered a bit. Draco never sounded like that. "Don't make me tell you again."

Hermione walked to him slowly. She could still feel Sirius's presence, and prayed he would wait a little longer before he attacked. She had a plan. Malfoy took her hand and smiled sickeningly at her, pulling her toward him and away from the others. He led her behind a group of trees; she could no longer see Remus but could still faintly hear the disgusting taunts Malfoy's cronies were tossing his way. She hoped he would control his temper.

"Alone at last," Malfoy said. He backed her against a tree; although confident they would get away, Hermione could not help her fear. She had no idea why he hadn't taken her wand; perhaps in his eagerness to get her he'd simply forgotten. Hermione thanked God Lucius's libido was making him stupid, but her heart hammered so hard against her chest she was sure Malfoy could hear it. Malfoy wound his fingers through her hair, gripping painfully. She resisted the urge to yelp. "At first I was sad our last date was interrupted, but I think I owe Severus some thanks; what do you think? The Hog's Head is hardly a fitting location for a romantic rendezvous, pet. Let's keep this meeting friendly, shall we? I understand you might be a bit shy, and I would hate to have to force you. I abhor violence." The malevolent twinkle in his eye said differently. "Lets see... This was working so nicely the first time. Imperio."

Hermione felt herself begin to drift away and fought against the Unforgiveable. When Malfoy had cornered her in The Hog's Head, she had been unable to fight him. Wandless, alone, and caught utterly by surprise, Hermione's Gryffindor spirit had left her when she needed it most. Harry, Ron and Hermione spent much of their training trying to throw off the Imperius curse; had she not been so completely overwhelmed the first time, she might have fared well against Malfoy's intended curse. Now, she was ready for him.

Malfoy leaned in and kissed Hermione lightly. The feel of his lips on hers broke through the slight haze Imperio was causing; in that moment she was able to throw off the curse entirely, though outwardly she gave no sign. Instead, she swallowed her repulsion and kissed him back. At her encouragement, he shoved her more firmly against the tree and fisted his hand in her hair, kissing her ruthlessly.

"Now, isn't his nice, Mudblood?" he hissed. "Doesn't it feel good to serve your superiors?"

Hermione didn't answer, merely kissed Malfoy and drew him even closer. She could feel Malfoy relaxing against her and knew it was working; he obviously thought she was completely in his control. She counted to ten in her head, and then wham! Hermione brought her knee up hard between Malfoy's legs and whipped out her wand while he was doubled over, gasping for breath. His eyes watered with pain and he looked up at her in frank astonishment.

"You bitch," he panted. "You are going to regret that in so many ways."

"Save it, Ferret," she said. "You're lucky I didn't throw up all over you, too. I'll tell Fred and George to add your tongue to their Puking Pastiles; that should give them extra oomph. I feel sorry for Narcissa. Oh, and incarcerous. Silencio, too, you great Death Eating prat."

Instantly Malfoy was bound in great ropes; he was still staring at her as if he couldn't believe his eyes. She gave him a smirk and shouted: "Padfoot, now!" Although she could not see them, Hermione could hear Malfoy's lackeys yell in shock and the furious barking of one large, angry Animagi. She raced to join them...and ran smack into Severus Snape.

"Granger, you idiot," he breathed. "If you thought Malfoy was after you before, what do you think he's going to do now?"

"Something you seemed far too eager to watch," she retorted.

"I wasn't going to let him," he said, not meeting her eyes. "I was getting ready to sneak up. Where did that dog come from? Is it one of Hagrid's beasts?"

"Yes," she replied. "Get out of here, Snape, before James and Sirius catch you. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt this once, but you'll not be so lucky from them."

"Go quickly, Granger, and get Evans out of here," Snape said. "I have to let Lucius free; if any of them find out I was here and didn't help them, I'm finished. I can't let Dumbledore catch him. I can only give you five minutes. Go now."

Hermione didn't wait for more; she broke through the trees, wand outstretched. Sirius was sitting on top of a Death Eater, who was covering his face and whimpering in fear; James was dueling a large, lumbering man and getting the better of him; Lily had one Death Eater subdued at her feet. She didn't see Peter, so she assumed he had gone for help. Hermione started to aid James, when she saw yet another horrific sight. Was this the worst night of her life? It was certainly looking that way.

The remaining two Death Eaters had Remus pressed against a tree, their wands at his throat.

"Where's Malfoy?" one of them asked.

"Performance anxiety," she answered, fixing Remus with as reassuring a look as she could manage. "Call off your other dogs."

"I believe that's my line," said the Death Eater. "Where did that great brute come from?"

"You should always check your perimeters," Hermione said. "Make sure you know who's around. Our other friend already went to get Dumbledore. Leave right now and you can escape a sentence in Azkaban."

"You're bluffing, mudblood," he snarled.

"Do you want to test me?" Hermione snapped. "I've already incapacitated Malfoy, and my friends beat you in about three seconds. Let him go and you might get out of this without permanent damage. Dumbledore is on his way. What do you think he will do when he sees you harming his students?"

The Death Eaters exchanged glances. "Alright. Your boyfriend can live a little longer. I hope he likes used goods. Even if Lucius didn't get you this time, do you really think he's going to stop? You're marked, mudblood. All of you. Hear this: your deaths will come at the hand of the Dark Lord and his followers."

Hermione felt a chill down her spine and struggled to keep her face calm. You don't know how right you are. And once again, I'm doing nothing to stop it. Nothing but running away.

The Death Eaters slowly backed away from Remus. Lily, Padfoot and James released the ones they were fighting and without another word, they disappeared into the forest.

Remus ran to Hermione and engulfed her in a hug. "I'm going to kill that pureblood son of a bitch. I should never have let him put his hands on you."

"It's okay. I'm okay," she reassured him. "We don't have any time; let's get back to the castle. Maybe we'll be lucky and Dumbledore won't expel you guys. I'm so sorry; I had no idea he would come after me here."

"Hermione, why was he after you?" a now-transformed Sirius asked. "When did you meet my lovely cousin-in-law?"

She took a deep breath. Well, it wasn't like anyone would be shocked she had lied. "I met him in Hogsmeade the day Lily and I went there. He cornered me in the Hog's Head-"

"I told you that place was no good!" Lily exclaimed.

"And I barely got away," she finished. For some reason, Hermione still wanted to keep Snape out of the story. It was better for everyone if her friends remained ignorant of his involvement. "Then I saw him there again today; I don't know why he came here after me. Maybe he was mad I got away the first time."

"I told you about him," Remus said, frowning.

"And I lied," she said. "I wasn't talking about him when you brought him up; there really is a kid from home who looks and acts just like him. But I had already met him. He scared me, and I knew what you would do if you found out, so I didn't say anything."

"What's one more lie, right?" he asked bitterly.

"Look, I know you're angry with me, but I thought it was for the best. I had no idea it would put the rest of you in danger. I'm beyond sorry. But we need to get out of here now. You can yell at me in the dorm." She turned and and started toward the castle, leaving her friends to follow her. She felt numb from the ordeal and from the entire day. She wanted to go to sleep and wake up home with Harry and Ron.

"Remind me to give Wormtail congrats on his Forbidden Forest idea," Sirius said as they trailed after her. "That was a real winner."