Hey all! So sorry this took so long. I'm in the process of moving and my movers came Monday. Lots and lots of packing! Anyway...I'm not officially moving till the 28th, so I will have some more time to write before I am without a computer for a few days. YAY!

Anyway...thanks again to everyone who has been reviewing my story! Hope you will continue to read.

-smiles-

boots!


"Ouch! Watch it Ron, that was my foot!"

"I can't help it if you've got abnormally large feet!"

"Shut-up!"

"Make me!"

"Both of you- Shut it!" Harry whispered under the protection of the invisibility cloak. He knew they would need quite a bit of stealth to sneak up on the brightest witch of their age. They rounded a corner of bookshelves and made their way towards the said "rendezvous point".

Hermione had in fact arrived moments before the clumsy trio and had taken a seat at her usual spot near the restricted section. It was quiet and dark back there; utterly perfect for brooding and plotting schemes…which is exactly what she was set on doing. She knew that while her mother may not be referenced in any yearbooks,the other two schoolmates she knew of would be, provided that Dumbledore didn't know of the postcards. She set the lily she had snatched from Snape's strewn bouquet next to her and drew the postcard book from her bag. She studied the cover for what seemed an eternity before opening it.

Harry observed his watch, it was just five o'clock; their mystery man would be showing up any minute. Though he had the proof of the postcard, he found it rather difficult to imagine Hermione being romantically involved with…well, anyone. True, there had been that brief romance with Viktor Krum…but she had on several occasions confided in Harry that she was bored and terribly uninterested in the whole relationship. He began to doubt Ginny's "reliable evidence". What if there was no secret boyfriend at all?

"That's it!" Ginny quietly squealed as they approached Hermione's table, "That's the book I took the postcard out of!"

"Shh! Are you mad? She'll hear you!" Ron shushed his excited sister.

"It's not like she can see us anyway!" she sharply whispered back.

"For the last time…will you two please shut up!" Harry was now getting rather aggravated with the squabbling siblings.

They moved out of the aisle to avoid any unwanted collisions with other students and stood exceptionally close to a bookcase which was diagonally positioned in a corner near Hermione's table. They anxiously waited; Ginny and Ron eyeing every boy that walked even remotely close by. But Harry's focus remained solely on Hermione and he watched her slowly turn the pages of her book with a heart rendering stare that made him wonder whether the mysterious letter had any role to play in all of this unfolding drama.

Hermione flipped the page and discovered that the fourth postcard was a stunning picture of a Hippocampus. Its finned hooves brushed the surface of the sea and its tail was an explosion of color and reflected light. There was, much to her disappointment, nothing written on the back; but the card was very weathered and appeared to have been handled a lot. Perhaps it had been a personal favorite of her mother's, she thought as a warm smile pushed through her frown. The fifth postcard was also avery worn picture of what looked like a pair of snakes entwined around a sword. Hermione flipped it over to examine the back for writing and was delighted to find that it was written in someone else's handwriting, though there was no postmark.

Kat-

Hope you like this postcard, but I hope you like your present even more! Happy Birthday! I hope we'll have time to go to Honeydukes and get some of those licorice wands you love so much!

- The Bad Egg

Hermione laughed out loud as she read the funny little note. "The Bad Egg"? The postcard from Africa had referred to her mother's brother as "impetuous", could he be the "bad egg"? Or could it have been a boyfriend? It suddenly struck Hermione that her mother could have been in the same classes with Harry's parents! She could have been friends with the Marauders…or sworn enemies! She wondered if it would do well to question any of the other teachers that might have known her mother; then sighed, realizing that Dumbledore would surely inform the staff to keep tight lips on the subject, should she start inquiring. Hermione glanced at her watch; 5:25. She cringed, remembering her detention with Professor Snape was scheduled for seven.

Harry watched her painfully glancing at her wristwatch. Had she been stood up? Was she upset about it? His eyes followed her as she crossed to a bookshelf that was far too close to their little stakeout for comfort. Her hands delicately skimmed the binds until they found what she wanted. "An old yearbook?" he mumbled under his breath. Hermione whipped her head around and stared wide eyed at the dark corner.

"Is someone there?"

Harry bit down on his bottom lip. If their cover was blown, their friendship with Hermione might be too! Ron and Ginny, suddenly realizing the position they were in, stiffened their bodies and tried not to breathe. Hermione inched forward a little then hesitantly turned back towards her table with the yearbook under her arm. Harry motioned his friends to move in closer.

She opened the cumbersome book flat on the table in front of her. She had chosen the year 1978 to start with, since that was when James Potter and Lily Evans had graduated; and that seemed as good a place as any to start from. She turned the pages with heavy anticipation; scanning the names for some sort of "Gretchen" or "Warrick Raspin". Her eyes lingered for moment on the school photo of Severus Snape. His gaunt face was set in an eternal scowl, and his arms were folded across his chest in normal fashion. He hadn't changed at all, she thought. After nearly ten minutes of flipping through the Slytherin pages to no avail, she was quite ready to give thought crossed her mind that her mother's friends could have been from other quickly scanned Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff and was about to check out Gryffindor when suddenly a strange sound coming from a darkened corner caught Hermione's attention.

"Achooo!"

"Ron!"

"Shhh!" Harry was sure Hermione had heard that.

"Who's there?" she quietly rose from her seat and listened…nothing. After another minute of silence she crossed again to the bookcase to return the yearbook. As she reached her arms up to the shelf she felt as if she had tripped over something, causing her to lose her balance and drop the book on the floor.

"What on earth?" she softly spoke aloud and waved her hand out at the air in front of her. She grabbed the air so hard that she thought she could almost feel it between her fingers.

"Oww!" Ginny screamed.

Hermione pulled the invisibility cloak off with her free hand and discovered her other hand wrapped tightly around Ginny Weasley's hair!

"What are you three doing sneaking around like this!"

"We…um…well…we sort of…" Harry was lost for words.

"Who is he then?" Ron blurted out rather ineloquently.

"Who is who?" Hermione looked at her friends with an empty stare.

"S…who is S?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Hermione…" Harry began "We just want to…help…you, you've been so distant and we just thought…well…"

"Why didn't you tell us you had a boyfriend!" Ron interjected yet again.

"Boyfriend?" Hermione gasped.

"We had to find out from the school poet laureate over here!" Ron teased.

"Shut-up!" Ginny embarrassedly frowned "Sorry Hermione…I…I just thought you'd…"

"Thought I'd what? What are you all going on about?" Poor Hermione was truly confused and looked to Harry for an answer. He had justbegun to speak when she noticed him gripping some sort of postcard.

"What is that?" she pointed, her eyes suddenly brimming with tears.

"It's a…well…Ginny found it and…"

Hermione tore it from his hands and examined it carefully. She ran back over to her table and frantically flipped through her mother's postcard book until she found an unfilled page. She understood.

"How could you just take this from me?" she snapped at Ginny.

"I just… I thought…"

Hermione stared at Ron, who had picked up the lily beside her books to examine it, "Don't touch that!" She yelled, snatching it from his clumsy hands. "What on earth were you doing? Spying on me? Some friends!"

"Hermione….we…I'm sorry, I just was worried about you. You've been different since you got that letter. I just wanted to know what was wrong…" Harry pleaded.

"What's wrong is… people thinking they can just…they can just take a piece of your life away and hold it over your head like a piece of candy! I'm so sick of all of you!" She grabbed her things and ran out of the library, leaving her stunned friends behind. Harry looked at Ginny with a feeling of guilt and anger.

"I guess you were wrong after all".

The snow had turned back into a light rain and water slipped down the windows like Hermione's tears dripped down her heart shaped face. She felt utterly defeated. Her friends were spying on her, the girl she had counseled this morning had stolen from her, Dumbledore was withholding information about her family and in a little under an hour Professor Snape would be berating her once again. What else could possibly go wrong today? She drew the now wilting lily up to her face and wiped her tears away with the soft petals. Hermione slowly wandered the halls until she found herself outside of Professor's Snape's menacing classroom. She slumped onto the floor and decided to wait until seven. There was no way she was heading down the dining hall. At this moment, she never wanted to see her so-called friends ever again. She thumbed the postcard that Ginny had stolen from her and noticed it was in fact a picture of a lily. She turned it over and read the back. "S?". She twirled the lily around in her hand and thought about what the postcard said. A matter of the heart. Was it a secret admirer? It had been written in such a formal way that it made her laugh out loud.

"Something amusing to you Miss Granger?" Professor Snape appeared at the other end of the hall; his black robes billowing behind as he approached. Hermione quickly hid the lily in her sleeve and shoved the postcard between some papers in her bag. "No sir"

"You're early".

"Yes sir…I…I wanted to make sure I was on time".

He said nothing, but sneered at her sincerity. "Very well".

They entered the room together and Hermione took her seat, where she noticed a pad of paper and a quill on her desk. Professor Snape continued to a small storage closet at the opposite end of the room and began rummaging around.

"Um…sir?" she queried, appearing at the door of the closet.

"I am very busy Miss Granger. I trust you will have no problem spending your detention writing lines as you suggested last time you served detention with me." His eyes were ice.

"No sir…no problem". She returned to her seat and took up her quill. She let the lily slide out of her sleeve onto her paper andtraced around the decrepit lily with black ink, which left small stains on the white withering petals.

Snape unexpectedly emerged from the storage closet. "Miss Granger, it just occurred to me that I neglected to mention what line you will be scribing. You will write four hundred times; I will not be …where did you get that?" His tone suddenly changed to an even darker and thicker growl. Hermione was unsure what he was referring to until she noticed him staring at the lily.

"I…I…"

"Where?"

"I found it sir…down by Black Lake"

"Put that silly thing away."

"Yes sir"

He turned on his heel and headed towards his desk.

"Professor Snape…you never finished saying what I am to write"

He lunged at her with a sinister glare "You will write that you will keep your nose out of other people's business and you will also write an additional two hundred lines saying 'I will not be an insufferable brat when addressing my professors' – do I make myself clear Miss Granger?"

"Perfectly clear" she sneered back at him and crumpled the lily in her fist, letting it fall in pieces to the floor.

"Ten points from Gryffindor for your blatant defiance".

For about five minutes he watched her watching him. After a moment, Hermione lowered her eyes to the paper in front of her and began to write. Severus smiled smugly and turned his attention to the desecrated lily. Had he been seen? What was she doing out by Black Lake? Furthermore, since when did Hermione Granger openly challenge a teacher in such a way? It was rather out of character for her. He sat at his desk and began to grade papers, periodically looking up to admire his favorite student. There was no denying that this spunky little witch had been the bane of his existence in her seven years at Hogwarts, however it was also true that she had been the only student to gain his respects in those seven years. He studied her smooth face and felt a strange pang of guilt in admitting to himself how beautiful she had truly become. Everything about her was like a renaissance painting; unruly curls, soft curves, rigorous wit and ineffable charm. He truly treasured her.

After nearly an hour and a half had passed, Hermione stood and strode over to Snape's desk. He closed the book he was reading and observed her every movement as she angrily stacked the numerous pieces of paper in front of him, never tearing her eyes away from his own. She promptly returned to her seat and removed from her book bag what appeared to be several vials. As she approached him again, he watched her intently place the missing bottles of blood replenishing potion onto his desk without saying a word. Her eyes were distant and hurt and afraid all at the same time. He wondered what could possibly be going on in her life to cause the sort of emotional turmoil he was sensing within her.

As she turned to leave he grabbed her wrist tightly.

"And what of my memory potions and Veritaserum?"

The young witch's eyes began to shake with anguish. She clenched her teeth over her bottom lip. Severus suddenly displayed an odd look of concern on his face.

"I have to get back to the Gryffindor common room now" was all she could say without breaking down into tears of panic.

He released her wrist and watched her collect her things. "Yes…I imagine your little boyfriend will be quite anxious to have you back" he slyly hissed.

Now he had done it. Hermione's head whipped around and she shot her professor a look that could have thrown him sixty yards had it been a wand. "I don't have a boyfriend! I never have! I do not intend to have a boyfriend anytime soon! And no one in Gryffindor common room is even remotely close to anything I would even venture to call a friend let alone a boyfriend!"

Snape's jaw dropped and his eyes narrowed on her fiery expression.

"Ten points from Gryf-"

"What do I care? Take twenty…take thirty …what does it matter? I don't even know who I am anymore!"

They were locked in a stare again and Hermione had no intention of backing down this time. He stood and slithered towards her slightly shaking body.

"Fifty points from Gryffindor" he whispered. "Tomorrow night…seven o'clock"

"Fine" she broke her gaze and hurried out of the classroom.

Severus returned to his desk. His heart was pounding very quickly and the blood was steaming in his veins. What had she meant by saying she didn't know who she was anymore? And why did she seem so angered at her friends? He ran his hands over his face in annoyance and let his fingers run unbridled through his thick black hair. As he stood to head for his private chambers, something caught his attention on the floor near the desk Hermione had been seated at. He bent down to have a look and his face drained of what little color it possessed. In Hermione's haste to leave, the postcard must have slipped out of her bag. Severus picked it up and examined the back to confirm what he feared. It was written in his handwriting. Where had it come from? He choked on what he knew was regret, guilt and sadness welling up inside of himself and returned once again to his desk where he placed the postcard securely in the bottom drawer. As he lingered there for a moment, something else caught his attention; Hermione's lines. He reached for the papers and looked at each one thoroughly. Written over and over again were the words:

I will not rest till I know the truth.