Nodding her head, Hermione turned back to her notes but was thoroughly distracted; for once she felt actually anxious for a relatively interesting lesson to end.

She began making a list of questions then, ranging from least to most important.

Finally the bell rang making Hermione spring up and scramble to get her things back into her bag. She froze though when the Pures stayed with her, staring them with open shock.

"What? You've caused enough trouble for one day..." Malfoy spat, shooting her a glare.

"Yeah, and we just want to get this over with as fast as possible." Pansy answered snootily, gazing down at her nails.

Hermione rolled her eyes but was secretly relieved; it would be too much if suddenly Malfoy and Parkinson showed her concern.

"Merlin, Granger, you're slower than a Troll. Pack!" with an impressive swoop of his wand, Blaise managed to pack all of her belongings neatly into her bag.

"Thank you." Hermione said, impressed with his spell. Blaise gave her a saucy wink to which she rolled her eyes at and ignored.

Awkwardly, they walked together to the room they were in last night. Hermione squeezed her books to her chest and stuck her nose in the air, ignoring the leers and whispers igniting as they walked. She knew they probably thought she was surrounded by the Pures to be 'dealt with'. She wanted to rage at them and scream that they were all wrong; to mind their own business!

Yet, at the same time she was distinctly aware of each one of the Pures. Harry beside her walked with purpose, his eyes always fixed ahead, seeing and not seeing at the same time. Neville walked similarly but seemed less... forceful about it. Draco and Blaise both strutted like Princes; Blaise more of a saucy Casanova type prince and Draco more an arrogant 'of with his head!' prince. She didn't need to look at Pansy to know she walked like a Queen, looking down her nose at everyone and moving with a slow arrogance as if to give everyone enough time to look and marvel at her.

And then there was Ron.

Hermione peeked over her shoulder to glance back at him.

His shoulder's were hunched, hands stuffed into his pocket and eyes on the ground. As if he sensed her gaze, he glanced up and met her eyes, surprise changing the dull glaze they normally had. She couldn't help but frown at him and purposefully straightened her back and lifted her head, wordlessly telling him to change his posture.

Suddenly, unexpectedly, his mouth lifted upwards in a slight amused smile, his eyes crinkling with amusement.

A thrill shot through Hermione, making her heart stutter. She stumbled slightly much to her embarrassment and felt her face heat up.

Quickly turning her head so he wouldn't see, Hermione blanched at herself with mortification.

"Okay we're here. I'll get the door." Harry announced, interrupting Hermione's embarrassment.

She watched with wonder as Harry paced in front of the door, her forgotten curiosity at the appearing door sparking again.

"How are you guys doing that? Is it invisible? Some sort of charm?" She couldn't help but ask not seeing Draco roll his eyes at her.

"Honestly mudblood, do you have to know everything?" Pansy said making Hermione frown and cross her arms.

"I was just asking a question! It is rather curious that there's an appearing door-"

"This is Hogwarts Granger, hardly the strangest thing to happen considering..." Blaise said with amusement as Hermione blushed.

"That's true," she admitted, thinking of their curse, "but I still want to know..."

"We call it the Room of Requirement. You have to pace the floor and think of what you want and then the door appears. Only we know about it and we rather like it that way." Harry said giving her a pointed look.

"It's not like I have anyone I would tell...Now, when you say, anything I want do you mean quite literally? What if I said I wanted to travel to the moon or pluto... It has to follow Gamp's five laws of Elemental Transfiguration-"

"Stuff a bezoar down it Granger!" Draco cut off.

Hermione couldn't help but snicker at his words.

"Stuff a bezoar down it?" she chuckled making Draco frown as Harry opened the door and they all clamored inside.

"What? You've never heard that saying before? What, do you live under a Whomping Willow?" Laughing outright Hermione shook her head.

"It's just funny to hear wizarding expression sometimes." she responded.

"Ah, right...muggle's must say something different. Well, come on let's hear it."

"Well we say things like, put a sock in it, and, what do you live under a rock?" she said making Draco balk.

"Those are bloody stupid. Who would put a sock in their mouth? Who would live under a rock? Muggles are warped."

Shaking her head with amusement, Hermione turned back to Harry.

"You still didn't answer-"

"Miss. Granger, I'm sure there a better ways to pass the time here than to answer your questions about this room." Professor Snape announced his presence, swooping into the room with his black cloak swarming around him like bat wings.

Closing her mouth shut with a snap, Hermione couldn't help but bristle at his comment and drawling voice.

"I wasn't-"

"Yes you were Miss. Granger. I have been your professor for four years..."

Reluctantly conceding, Hermione plopping down onto a nearby chair as the others arrived and found seats.

Luna gave her an airy warm smile and wave as she came in and took the closest seat she could to her making Hermione feel slightly warm.

"Hello Hermione, I see the the lilacs helped with the nargles." Luna greeted; Hermione smiled at her kindly with some amusement and frustration.

"Hello Luna." she replied

"Enough dallying, we'll let you start asking questions Miss Granger." Professor Snape started gruffly.

"Alright," Hermione said reaching down into her bag and pulling out her list of questions. She glared as she straightened back up when someone groaned.

"Is that a bloody list? Are you kidding Granger?" Pansy whined.

"I thought I was supposed to be asking the questions, Parkinson?" Hermione retorted hotly, gearing up to row as the girl opened her mouth to respond.

"Okay, that's enough. Ignore her Hermione..." Harry suddenly piped up, waving his hand for her to start.

"Hey! Don't you talk to me like that Potter!" Pansy spat to which he ignored.

Heeding him, Hermione turned back to her list and decided to start from the bottom up.

"Right, so my first question is why am I being 'watched'? I already said I wouldn't tell anyone and considering that I would die if I did..."

"I can answer that," Professor Lupin piped up, stepping forward and giving Hermione a slight smile. "Hello Miss. Granger. Unfortunately, in obtaining this secret knowledge and consenting to keep it, you have placed yourself as part of the Cursed... convenient I suppose is an eloquent word. This means that you are always put under a surveillance of sorts; not because of anything you might do but because of what might be done to you." He answered.

Confusion welled in her as she mulled over the answer. She could tell right away that something was off about it.

"And why would anyone in this 'convenient' need to be under surveillance? What might be done to us that would warrant this?" Hermione asked.

Immediately, the air changed in the room, a sort of tension piqued from their stiffness at her inquiries. She realized that she must have just stumbled upon the heart of some other secret. She refused to back down however, crossing her arms and sitting in her chair stiffly.

"Is someone trying to find out about the curse? Am I in danger now?" she pressed.

"There are liabilities, Granger." Blaise answered.

"What liabilities? Who is it? Why would I need surveillance in Hogwarts? Is this the real reason why I have to live in...Grimmand?" She pounced, making Blaise shuffle back slightly.

"Grimmauld, and yes it is." Harry answered, her eyes shooting to meet his.

"And as to who would try to use me to find out this secret and why I wouldn't be protected in Hogwarts...?"

Peering around the room, Hermione waited for an answer, noting everyone's reluctance to answer her.

Malfoy had his head tilted back, staring at the ceiling as if he mentally checked out of this conversation, though Hermione nodded his tension and clenched fists. Pansy beside him seemed to find her nails fascinating, messing with her cuticles with a sort of 'don't bother me' expression on her face. Blaise sat with his arms braced on his spread legs, staring at the floor, his tongue nervously licking his lips. Cho sat perched on the arm of his chair, her legs and arms crossed and her body half turned away from her as if to say she wasn't fully committed to listening though from the corner her eyes she watched everyone faces. Ginny looked practically one with the couch, her long red hair strewn over the back of it as she sat much like a boy with her legs outstretched onto a small table in front of her peering down at her feet, though she kept fiddling her hands. Luna on the table where Ginny's feet were on, looked positively merry as she smiled back at Hermione, her long shinny blonde hair touching the top of the table.

"Luna?" she asked, putting the girl on the spot.

"It's-" Luna readily began but stopped as Neville reach out across from her and placed his hand on her knee in warning just as Harry cleared his throat.

Raising an indignant brow at Neville, she felt taken aback when the boy glared angrily right back at her, his body still slightly hovering protectively over Luna. Quickly turning away, Hermione fixed her eyes on Harry and raised her brow as if to say 'well'.

"I suppose we'll just have to tell her everything..." Harry spoke, his eyes shifting to Snape as if to gauge his reaction.

It was small, a mere incline of his head, but everyone in the room seemed to relax at this gesture.

"Right," Harry started, running a hand through his hair as he turned pensive. "I know you're muggle born but have you ever read the tales of the beedle and the bard?"

Hermione's brow furrowed as she tried to recall any reference to the book. She slightly recalled stumbling on the name when researching a text in muggle studies on the difference between muggle and wizarding upbringings.

"It's a children's book right? Nobody knows who made up the stories, only that they were passed down through the generations much like myths and legends until 1642 when someone named J.K Rowling put all the stories together."

"Merlin, how do you even know that? That can't be normal..." Blaise piped up. Shooting him a glare, Hermione sat straighter in her chair.

"I read, honestly its not a foreign concept..."

"Hey, easy there little one, I'm not insulting you. We're hardly normal ourselves..." Blaise said, throwing up her hands and making her blush.

"Oh sorry." she mumbled embarrassed.

"Anyway, let's get back to the point." Cho interrupted, surprising Hermione with her Scottish lit; she had never heard the girl's voice before.

"Right," Harry said, "so have you read the stories in them?"

"No, can't say I ever had."

"Oh really? What a surprise! A book the bookworm hasn't read." Pansy spat, rolling her eyes as Draco chuckled.

"Anyways," Harry cut in sharply glaring at the girl. "There's a story in there called Voldemort and the Great Race-"

"Oh wait Harry!" Luna cut in with a dreamy smile, her blue eyes alight. "Can I tell the story?"

Sighing impatiently, Harry slapped his head but gave on okay gesture. Springing up, Luna eagerly bounded to the front of the room, her long wavy blonde hair swinging behind her back as she spun back around to face her with a surprisingly serious face.

"Once upon a time, a long long time ago, there was a boy who lived a lonely life on a faraway hill...

White.

It was all he could see in front of his eyes; the world painted white. He felt so very cold, his breath visible with every exhale as he continued to trudge along. His teeth chattered at an alarming rate, his fingers and lips turning blue. He knew that if he didn't find some shelter soon from this blizzard he was going to die...He almost wanted to just give up, his body underfed, his soul tired.

But...

Wearily, he hugged his arms closer around himself, feeling the press of his wand on his side.

Purpose flooded his being as white swirled all around him; blindly, he pressed forward knowing he would not stop until his last breath. He needed to see how this was going to go, how his life would play out. He wanted to think that he had a greater purpose than being a 'devil child' cast out from his tribe. He wasn't evil, what he could do wasn't wrong!

Was it so horrible to talk to animals? Was it so wrong to be able to heal other people? To have things happen with just a thought?

Sluggishness made him stumble but it was the harsh winds that really pushed him down into the snow. Frost covered his face and hair as snow seeped into his body, into his bones.

His eyes closed on their own accord as he felt his breathing wane.

When he opened them again his first feeling was warmth, glorious warmth. Opening his eyes, he found the strangest sight before him...thirteen different kind of animals... no, not animals, creatures, lying all around him, some helping to keep him warm, other's assisting to keep him safe, and nourished.

It took three days for him to heal, the creatures helping him, keeping him safe. When his strength allowed, he started to build a home for them using his magic with prompt from the creatures.

Time passed and pretty soon, the lonely boy found friends with these strange creatures. Soon, he was living a pretty comfortable life, learning more about magic, creating spells until one day he got an idea.

He wanted to turn his friends into humans like him.

So one day he told his friends that he would preform a ritual to turn them into humans so they could be together always. He would do it elaborate way; making it an extravagant banquet in which they would eat delicious food and enjoy each other's company as they turned into humans.

And although the creatures had saved his life and stuck by him, the boy was still but a fickle child, wounded by the cruelty his fellow villagers had shown him. So he hatched a cruel plan in which any creature that did not show up on time to the banquet would be cursed to turn into something so foul it could not be spoken out loud...

Twelve made it to the ritual, one did not, eliciting the curse upon the poor creature. What the young mage, Voldemort, didn't realize was that in turning the magical creatures into humans he irreparably damaged their souls when he bonded them to him. So, in reality, he had cursed them all...

"Of course, he didn't know at the time just what he did..." Luna finished, her tone pleasant despite the somber atmosphere in the room.

"What exactly did he do?" Hermione asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"He bonded our bloodline. This curse is passed down through generations of our families." Neville answered.

"Also, there normally is only one or two of the families that get the curse at a time." Ginny said,

"You mean that each of your families get turns?" Hermione asked.

"In a way, I suppose. And normally it skips a generation so that the same creature isn't 'reborn' twice. There's only ever one animal reborn. This is the first time that it worked out for all of us to be around at the same time." Luna said happily looking around.

"Why? Is there a sort of rule to this thing?"

"Well, the only other time that all the creatures were together was the first time, when Voldemort performed the ritual." Harry answered.

"So this is the only other time that you all have been together?"

"Yes Granger," Malfoy said with a tone that scream 'keep up!'

"There's just a couple of things that confuses me," Hermione said "Why was there only twelve, what happened to the thirteenth? How does Professor Snape sort in?"

"The thirteenth didn't make it on time to the banquet but that doesn't mean he didn't get cursed," Ron said, his voice deep and eyes downcast. "He just got something else."

"What-?"

"Snape used to be part of this but his curse was broken somehow. He can't change into his creature anymore." Ginny cut in, sufficiently distracting her.

"What? So the curse can be broken?" turning on her heel, Hermione stared at Snape with fascination, questions ready to spew from her mouth. Snape met her gaze with a deadpanned look, his arms crossed across his chest.

"Yes, Miss Granger, as Ginerva just said. Please do refrain from asking redundant questions." he drawled, managing to ruffle Hermione's feathers just like in class. Glaring, Hermione took a deep breath and prepared her questions.

"Right, so how long ago did this happen?" she had to restrain herself from shooting off all her questions at once.

"Nearly for as long as you have been born, Ms. Granger." he replied, his voice strangely dangerous sounding, as if warning her to tread lightly on this subject; she did not heed it.

"And do you know why? Does Voldemort know? How does he-"

"Enough Ms. Granger! Those questions aren't relevant to you so don't presume you have a right to ask questions of everything!" Snape hissed, his dark eyes flashing.

Snapping her mouth shut, Hermione reddened as an uncomfortable silence took over.

"I just..." clearing her throat, Hermione lifted her eyes and gazed around the room. "I just have one more question; I know that you all don't have to leave school when you guys...transform, so, where do you all go when you leave skip out classes?"

Tension filled the room again as all the Pures went still.

"Err..."

"Since, she's living with us she might as well know." Harry said, turning his eyes to Snape; sighing, he gave Harry a curt nod.

"We told you before that there are some people who are curious about the curse." Harry said, turning back to her and fixing his green gaze on hers intently.

"Yes, and you said that was dangerous for me and anyone else in the family because they would want to use me to get information on you." she reiterated.

"Exactly," he said with a nod, "So in order to stop them, Voldemort sometimes sends us out on these missions to lead the guys astray..."

"Pfft!" Draco interrupted, his face scornfully smiling as he gazed at Harry. "Oh come on! I thought we were being honest here..."

"Draco..." Harry said with a stern warning look as Hermione looked back and forth between the two with curiosity and suspicion.

"So you don't only give false leads for these folks trying to dig up your curse? Do you pay them off or something?" Hermione asked as she noticed everyone getting even more uncomfortable as her mind came up with the possibilities of why.

"Among other things. Things that would keep you up at night, Granger." Draco piped in with a dangerous smirk on his face. Aghast, Hermione gaped at him for a moment with horror as he all but confirmed her thoughts.

"Shut up Draco!" Ginny bellowed, throwing a pillow cushion at him, which he caught without looking.

"What I can't tell her how we strike the fear of Merlin into the hearts of our enemies with underhanded, despicable means-" He hissed, his eyes like his dragon as he locked gazes with Hermione.

"Shut up Malfoy-"

"That we hunt and prey on weak little wizards and witches that dare cross us-" he practically purred as Ginny went red faced with anger, Harry's face grew incredibly closed off, Luna turned her face away, Neville put his head in his hands, Blaise gazed dispassionately up at the ceiling, Cho bit down on her nails, and Pansy just smiled humorously.

"Enough, Malfoy-"

"That we snatch them away from their little lives, interrogate them, threaten their families, beat them down, fuck with their heads, make them beg to let them go-" he kept on, leaning forward as he stared into her eyes, a cold deadpanned glint in his eyes that backed up his words, his inhumanity.

"Draco please," Luna whispered, her voice sounding choked up. Without removing his hand from his face, Neville reached out and gently squeezed Luna's shoulder.

"We tear apart people's lives to protect our own and we enjoy it, Granger. It is after-all, the nature of the bea-"

Faster than Hermione could blink, Ron was in his face, his hand clenching Malfoy's shirt as he gazed down at the blonde, his eyes cold and for more frightening than Draco's words.

"Shut your fucking mouth Malfoy! That is not true!" Ron ordered, his face red like his sisters, as he gave Draco a hard shake.

Everyone was frozen, watching him with open fear and through the clouds of Hermione's own petrified mind, she realized something...something that she had been suspecting since the beginning of the conversation.

He's the one they were talking about. He's the creature that was cursed for being late to the banquet.

As if suddenly noticing the change of atmosphere in the room, Ron tensely let Draco go, his shoulders slumping slightly as he stepped back. It was audible to even Hermione the breath of relief that went around the room.

Something arose in Hermione as she gazed at Ron's slumped shoulders. She wanted to see his face properly but his fringe covered his eyes so she could only see his lips in a grimace. She wished she knew how to break this horrible atmosphere, make the others stop staring at him with that look in their eyes.

"It's not true." he all but whispered, shifting slightly away from everyone and closer to the door.

Something about his movement, the way he carried himself, raised a sense of empathy in Hermione. She couldn't count on five hands how many times she'd been outcast-ed, misunderstood, alone even in a room filled with people. She knew that Ron was the same as her; even with the Pures, he was regarded differently. It was the same for her, even among magical people, she didn't have a place.

Before her mind could even think, she was already moving closer to his side. Reaching out, Hermione placed a hand on his clenched fist, making him jolt at the contact. His eyes immediately met hers, wide with shock as she met him head on.

Finally, she thought, I can see his eyes.

"I believe you. Even if those things he said are true, I don't think you guys enjoyed it," Hermione said, looking away as she gazed at the others. "I don't think anyone of you wants to hurt anyone."

She couldn't tell what was going on in any of their heads at that moment, but they all were now staring at her.

"And what makes you so sure Granger?" Blaise asked with a hint of bite, but Hermione was prepared for that question.

"Because if you all were really that cruel, you wouldn't be so afraid of what I thought. Even you, Draco. You said all that to scare me but isn't that because your bitter about the fear we get over your ability. It was written all over your face, your scornful because you've been disappointed by others in the past-"

"AND HOW WOULD YOU KNOW MUDBLOOD!" Draco bellowed, shooting up from his chair as his face twisted into one of anger. She felt Ron get a little closer to her as if to protect her but Hermione knew it wouldn't be necessary. Draco hadn't even taken a step closer to her.

"I know because of your actions-"

"Your just think you know it all, don't you? I was plainly threatening you-" He continued to rage as Hermione shook her head.

"You have never once threatened me Draco," Hermione said simply.

"Don't you say my name mud-"

"None of you have ever hurt me and you've never hurt anyone here-"

"Of course we haven't idiot! We'd get kicked out of school, thrown into Azkaban," Pansy spat.

"No, that's not why and you know it!" Hermione said, getting impatient with the arguing. "If that was so you and you're really evil as you claim to be than you would have done something over summer. You can't tell me that if you really wanted to you couldn't find a way of hurting someone with no way of tracing it back to you!"

"Besides," Hermione continued, on a roll now, "none of you asked to be born this way and all of you still are humans! Plus, there are a ton of people who turn into animals! There called animagus and you they're all normal!"

"That's different, Hermione. You know it is. We're not animals, we're-" Harry started but Hermione just waved him away.

"I know what you are. Honestly, there isn't a much difference between an animal and a magical creature. They're both equally as dangerous in the right circumstances-"

"Exactly!" Cho suddenly bellowed, surprising Hermione the most out of all the outbursts so far. "We're dangerous-"

"Dangerous, yes, you all can be very dangerous, if you wanted to be," Hermione said seriously "but evil? cruel? no. I don't anyone of you would want to do what you do if the situation was different and that won't change no matter how loud you yell at me."

"As touching as all this has been," Snape suddenly interrupted, startling Hermione who had forgotten he was there "Miss. Granger has learned everything there is and there is no reason to further waste our times here arguing a pointless argument." Snape said as he moved towards the exit, his cloak fanning like black wings.

"And by the way, its five o' clock" he drawled, his dark eyes briefly meetings Harry's before the door shut with a soft click behind him.

"Bullocks!" Ginny exclaimed as everyone immediately scrambled up, gathering their things. Hermione watched them move with curiosity and shock as they all looked rather alarmed.

"We're late for dinner," Ron answered her unspoken question, "We always eat dinner with Voldemort that's why we never eat at the Great Hall."

"Oh," Hermione said "That must be nice, I suppose?" she said more like a question. She couldn't help but frown a little at Ron's bitter smile.

"Take care on you way back," he responded, quickly turning around on his heel and out the door, but not before Hermione spotted his ears going bright red.

She smiled at his back, feeling suddenly very happy with what she accomplished despite the rough start of the day. Lost in her thoughts of her success especially with Ron, she didn't notice Harry coming up beside her until he spoke.

"I feel like I have to say thank you, Hermione." he said making Hermione jump.

"And why is that?" she asked, placing a hand over her racing heart as Harry smiled at her.

"I don't know. I think you meant what you said back then, that whole argument thing and so, err... Thanks for thinking that way, I guess. I know you're right with Draco; he likes to pretend he's meaner than he really is so he pushes a lot of buttons but you nailed it right on the head with what you said. He only does that to defend himself from being hurt. It's the same with all of us." Harry said, his green eyes breaking away from hers.

Clearing his throat, Harry awkwardly took a step towards the exit.

"And as a thank you, I'll make sure those rumors are set right about you. I don't know how they got started but I can promise you that it wasn't any of us." he said as Hermione gave him a skeptical look.

"Are you sure? Pansy-"

"No, I know she acts bitchy but Pansy didn't do it. Anyway, it will be over by tomorrow so just make sure you stay clear until then, yeah?" he said walking out the door.

"Alright..." Hermione said to his back.

"Oh!" he suddenly turned back around, "and you can err...sit with us during class and meals if you want to. I know Draco and Pansy might kick up a stink but your invited to." he said, blushing slightly.

Hermione would be lying if she said that she didn't feel a rush of happiness at his words.

"Maybe," she whispered, feeling a little too choked up as she averted her eyes, missing Harry's knowing look.

"Alright, bye then, Hermione."

"Bye Harry." She responded, smiling broadly at the ground.

A:N Thanks for the reviews! Another chapter due this week! Thank God It's Summmerrrrr!