Chapter 4

"The Unknown Emotion"

James POV

James silently followed his friends to the Great Hall while pondering what happened back there in the corridor with Hermione. He couldn't understand why his heart suddenly constricted when he watched Hermione interact with Sirius.
He sighed deeply while forcing himself to forget that nagging unknown emotion that the new girl brought out in him but Merlin knows it was hard to do. He didn't understand what was happening to him. What was with the girl that he couldn't stop himself from thinking about her because for freaking sake even Lily didn't have this much of an effect on him.
Sighing deeply, he silently followed his friends, forcing himself to forget the new girl for a moment.

Hermione POV

Instead of going to the Gryffindor common room Hermione found herself walking the familiar path to the astronomy tower. She didn't want to go to the Gryffindor common room for fear that she might see the Marauders there. Her one encounter with them today was enough.
From her position near the window she watched as darkness fell over the school then sign that the day was ending.
"This is pathetic!" She harshly wiped her eyes as tears started to fall…I battled a lot of death eaters. I was able to cheat death Merlin knows how many times, but here I am crying like a toddler just because of one encounter with the Marauders."
"I am pathetic!" She said louder than intended.
"Indeed you are." Said a baritone voice from behind her.
Hermione spun quickly wiping her face and cursing herself for not noticing his presence. She felt her heart beating erratically when she recognized the intruder."Lucius Malfoy!" Even in his younger years she could still recognize already noticed him while being sorted and tried to avoid him even more than the Marauders. Thank Merlin that Slytherin and Gryffindor don't share any classes unlike in her future.

Lucius just looked at Hermione as if assessing her whole being. When he first saw this girl he had felt an unfamiliar tug towards her and just couldn't explain why, he had noticed the Potter boy also take an interest in her.
It was funny watching the dumbfounded expressions of the Marauders every time the new girl escaped them, although he himself was beginning to wonder how she was managing it.
His interest towards the girl increased whenever he caught a glimpse of her eyes and all he could see was deep pain that would vanish so quickly when she caught someone looking that, it was as if it wasn't even there. However what confused him the most was the overwhelming urge to protect the girl and a great desire to be near her. He had never felt like this before.

"Calm down! Calm down! Calm down!" Her told herself. If she thought that meeting the Marauders was bad it was nothing compared to seeing and interacting with Lucius Malfoy . She could feel her heart beating loudly.

Hermione grabbed her chest where her heart was beating furiously in an attempt to lessen its eratic beats before she suffered from a panic attack.
"Are you okay?" Lucius frowned with concern. He reached out towards her only for her to step back as if afraid of the contact. Lucius knew that he should feel insulted by this move but for unexplained reasons all he feels is more sympathy towards the girls pain.
Hermione could see Lucius approach her but didn't understand why. All her logical senses were covered by the greater urge to get away from him. Her senses were overcome with panic. She could feel her magic shifting inside of her.
Lucius tried again to touch Hermione who by this time was shaking. "Hey are you okay?" He could feel his worry rising for the girl.
Hermione's magic was reacting to protect her and if she didn't stop Lucius would be in danger. She tried to calm herself down and grasp control of her magic but when she reached deep within herself all she felt was pain. When Lucius tried to touch her again she forced herself to talk even though doing so increased her pain.
"P-please L-leave…". Hermione fell to her knees. The magic inside her was building up. It was taking all her will not to scream out.
He tried to get closer to the girl, he didn't understand but seeing the girl in pain almost broke his froze heart.
"Don't!" Hermione shouted loudly making Lucius stop in his felt like she was in hell as if her body is on fire. Her magic was screaming at her to let go but she couldn't allow it.
That is the position that the Marauders saw when they arrived at the scene after James insisted on looking for Hermione when they didn't see her in the Great Hall during dinner, but his worries increased when he saw who was with Hermione on the Marauder's Map.
Without a word he ran to the Astronomy Tower, his friends despite not knowing what was happening followed him. What James saw when he arrived at Astronomy Tower made him see red.
Anyone who saw Hermione and Lucius would of thought the worst, Hermione was on the floor looking scared and in pain, hugging herself tightly to support her. Lucius on the other hand was an inch away from Hermione hand extended towards her.
"Malfoy!What are you doing to her!" James didn't wait for him to respond he punched Lucius with all his strength in the face making him fall to the floor. Remus and Peter ran to Hermione's side while Sirius helped James beat Lucius.

The hard punches of Potter woke Lucius out of his stupor and before Potter or Black could throw another punch he raised his wand towards the two stupid Gryffindors, he wasn't stupid enough to fight the two pranksters by hand.
"Are the two of you insane!"
James drew his wand too followed by Sirius. "I know you snakes aren't trustworthy but I never thought you would stoop so low as to attack a defenceless girl"
"What are you..." Lucius stopped when he realized what this idiot was implying and he could not help but growl due to this persons stupidity but before he could point out their mistake he was interrupted by Lupin's loud and frantic shout. When he looked he was shocked to see him holding the pale and limp body of Hermione.
"What happened to her?" James asked in a frantic tone, running to Hermione's side followed by Sirius. It seems that they had already forgotten about Lucius who was silently assessing Hermione from his position.
"I don't know she just suddenly lost consciousness."
"Then do something Moony!"
"Padfoot If I knew what to do then I would of already done it!"
"Try to ennervate her!"
"I already did that Prongs but nothing happened."
"W-what are we going to do then?" Peter spoke for the first time.
Lucius couldn't help but groan at the Marauder's stupidity, it was expected of Pettigrew but not the other three especially Lupin who was second after Evans academically. Well before Hermione arrived he was third now with Hermione the best. Not that anyone knew with the way she acted in class. He growled out in frustration and before any of the Marauders could react Lucius was already by Hermione's side and scooped her up gently, bridal style.
"What are you doing Malfoy!"
Lucius couldn't surpress his irritation. "Potter if I just stood here and watched you and your friends foolishness, Granger's life might be in peril!"
Lucius didn't wait for their response he carried Hermione and ran out of the Astronomy Tower and down to the Hospital Wing. Granger was too light for Lucius liking and he doubted that she was one of those girls who are so conscious of their figure.
"Are we just going to leave Hermione alone to that snake?"
"If you are that worried we can follow them Prongs."
James didn't need to be told twice by Sirius when he broke into a run to follow Malfoy.
"If I didn't know any better I would think that our Prongs has finally found a new bird." Sirius said while slightly shaking his head but followed James nonetheless.
Remus sighed tiredly but also moved to follow his two friends but he stopped immediately when he noticed that Peter was not following.
"Wormtail?"

"It's really weird."

"Huh?"

Remus walked closer to his friend and look at Peter questioningly.
"Malfoy…The w-way he look at Hermione, it was full of concern."
Remus didn't know what to say to that.
Peter smiled sheepishly."Its really silly…I-I think I just imagined it.".
A deep blush formed on Peter's face and he silently followed after James and Sirius.
"It's not silly…" Remus wanted to say but he chose to remain quite instead.
The truth was that he saw it too but also thought he was just imagining or he might just be thinking too much but when the usually non observant Peter noticed it then it was really there.
"Hermione Granger who are you really?" Remus couldn't help but think just how much Hermione's presence might change everything.