DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER. I ONLY OWN THE PLOT

Twenty-Six

"I don't think I understand. Voldemort was the man reason for our concern and he's dead now." Hermione looked at the two men who were gazing back at her with a solemn look.

"That was true but that doesn't mean he was the only threat. There are a lot of followers of Voldemort who have not been happy with the results of the battle." Hermione was still confused. Of course there would always be people like that in the world. That didn't mean that all of them had to like the outcome of the war but it was still acceptable.

"But what do the shadows have to do with this?"

"Have you been doing research on this?" Snape asked and Hermione blushed. The last time she had gone into the library had escalated into things happening and research had gone out the window. Snape looked at her and rolled his eyes.

"For once in your life you didn't research anything!" he bellowed causing Hermione to jump.

"I believe that these ghosts as you say have been coming to you as a sign of warning," Dumbledore said frowning at professor Snape.

"Warning for what? Are you trying to say that Voldemort supporters are going to try to do what he couldn't do?" Hermione asked her eyes wide. If that were true then the whole school was in trouble, again.

"Shadows are very interesting things, Miss Granger. It doesn't necessarily mean that it is a warning. No, I believe that your shadows are meant to help you get over something you haven't gotten over yet. As the muggles say your mind has a grudge and you haven't moved on."

"I assure you Professor Dumbledore I have no grudge against any one. I have moved on with my life and I have-"

"Miss Granger, think deep within yourself. Have you really moved on from everything?" Hermione opened her mouth to assure him she had but stopped. The former headmaster had been referring to Emily and Lucius Malfoy. Hermione looked away. There were things in a person's life where they were capable of doing certain things and something's that they could not do. Hermione had sworn vengeance against Lucius Malfoy and she was going to carry out revenge on him even if it was the last thing she ever did.

"No headmaster. I cannot forgive that man and what he has done even if I was on my death bed."

"Hermione, my dear you cannot go on and live a normal life if you do not forgive him! I know it hurts you deeply but-"

"But what head master? Just let him go? Let him walk away and not give a damn about the lives he has taken? Just let him go free when he killed my Emily?" Hermione screamed, forgetting that Snape was in the room. None of them knew that he already knew what Hermione was talking about. He sat behind the desk, staring at her raging form. The man behind him sighed looking at Hermione with saddened eyes.

"Now if I may leave?" Hermione asked, looking at Snape with glistening eyes. He nodded, ushering her out with a wave of his hand and Hermione left, refusing to cry. She had done enough of crying. From now on, her only goal was to bring Lucius Malfoy to his knees and have him at her mercy and give him the most ultimate pain ever. Hermione knew that stripping him of his money would do no good. He wouldn't feel anything and killing Draco would be taking it a bit too far. No, she wouldn't kill any one close to Lucius Malfoy because he didn't love any one. If she did kill Draco, Hermione doubted that he would shed a tear or even feel saddened.

No she would do what he had done to her. Emily had been her world and he had destroyed it when he had killed her. Hermione would find a way to destroy his world and take her revenge bit by bit as he fell apart. She would find it within herself to fight back the anger until it was time to let it out and worm her way into Lucius's heart and make sure he fell so deep in love with her that there would be no way out. Then, Hermione Granger would attack the most fatal organ in a human body. Even if everyone said that Lucius Malfoy had no heart, Hermione was going to tear the walls around his heart and expose him to her and then she would break it and watch him crumble in front of her. Lucius Malfoy was going down.