Alright! Here's chapter 3; the second half of Hermione and co's first year at Hogwarts.
Maintanence:
Thought
"Normal speaking"
"Spell"
Nonverbal Spell
Disclaimer: Insert witty response for why I don't own Harry Potter or Severus Snape…no matter how much I wish I did
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Hermione blinked, how did I get to the castle door? The last thing she remembered was, wait, what did she remember? She saw Harry and Draco walking ahead of her as if nothing was wrong, but her feet seemed to be on autopilot, and she found herself walking to the dormitory. NO! Her mind said. I need to figure out what happened.
She forced herself to change directions and walk to Snape's room, and timidly knocked on the door. "Come in" the voice of the Potion's Master drawled. Hermione stepped into the classroom, still concentrating on her memories, trying to sort out what happened.
"Miss Granger." No answer. "Miss Granger." Still, Hermione remained ignorant of his presence. He walked up and placed a hand on her shoulder. She blinked, and looked up with fearful eyes, then flinched and backed up two steps before she could control her reaction.
"Damn, I forgot," Snape mentally criticized himself for forgetting her jumpiness.
"Miss Granger, what did you need?" he asked, while taking a step back to show her that he would give her the space she required.
"Well, sir, I'm a bit confused." She paused, unsure of how to express what she was feeling. He remained silent, giving her the time to work it out. "We had detention tonight, and I barely remember any of it. I found myself at the castle door with no memory of how I got there. I also have- two, yeah I guess that's it- two separate memories of the events of the detention. One is a bit hazy, and the other is clear, but I don't remember doing anything from the second memory. And my head hurts a lot." She said all of this calmly, although it was clear that she was confused and upset.
Snape was confused as well. He knew that using Legilimency on her would make it very clear as to what happened, but, given what he thought her childhood had been like he didn't want to enter her mind without permission.
"Miss Granger, there is a branch of magic that will allow me to view your memories. I will be able to determine what is going on and what happened, but I don't want to use it without your permission. I will be entering your mind and viewing your memories" he said gently.
After he said this he saw her eyes widen with alarm at first, only to be replaced with a mask of detachment. "You have my permission, Professor." With that, she sat down at the table and looked up at his expectantly.
"Look right into my eyes," he told her. She looked into the black depths of his eyes, seeing everything and nothing all at once. She felt herself becoming lost in his eyes, until the scene changed, and she found herself watching Snape.
"I must be in my mind," she thought. She recognized her surroundings instantly; they were in Diagon Alley, she could see that all of the shops were closed, except for Ollivander's. She wondered at that, since she had never taken the time to consciously store her memories or organize her mind. It was something that apparently came naturally to her. She walked quickly into Ollivander's, seeing that Snape was still looking around.
After seeing the rows of wand boxes that lined the shelves, she realized that her memories must be stored in them, but when she opened a box, there was a wand inside. Experimentally, she gave the wand a wave, and found that it projected- for lack of a better word- the memory it was connected to.
She saw that in the center of the room there were two wands connected by two separate memories, but the memories were melded together, so it made one erratic picture. She decided that it was this that was causing the problem and went back outside to get Snape.
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Snape, meanwhile, was still gathering his surroundings. Incredible, he thought. Her mind is far more organized than half of the members of the Outer Circle of the Order. She really is an incredible witch if this is something that comes to her naturally.
He saw her coming towards him and walked to meet her halfway. "Sir, I think I found the problem." She said, and he followed her into Ollivander's and noticed the wands.
"To already be storing memories in objects and be able to recall them at any moment," he looked around the room, entranced by the number of boxes he found. "She must be storing them according to her current needs." He thought, as he saw several wands out and projecting streams of light that had images of books he assumed she had read. He noticed that an entire shelf in the back was dark, as if the light in the rest of the room couldn't penetrate the darkness of the memories stored there.
He also noticed that he couldn't read her thoughts or the emotions tied to any of the memories that surrounded him. In almost every student, and certainly every Muggleborn student that he had tested with Legilimency he had been able to read them like an open book. With Hermione, it was like he was dealing with a shell, and he shivered at the thought of one so young being so emotionless.
He turned his attention to the wands in the center, and after studying them, realized that one of the memories was hers and was the true account of what happened, and the other was a false memory that had been implanted.
"Someone tried to Obliviate her." Snape thought, and moved in to examine Hermione's memory closer. And she was able to resist it to a degree.
He studied her memory and suddenly his face went ghostly pale. "We need to go to the Headmaster, now" He told her, and he left her mind immediately. But when he awoke in his own body, he realized that she was still unconscious. I probably overreached her limits, staying in her mind that long. He floated her body to the Hospital Wing and told Pomfrey to keep an eye on her, but that she would be fine in the morning. Then he hurried to Dumbledore's office.
"Albus, our security has been breached" He said. "My boy, what do you mean, the castle hasn't been breached" Dumbledore said, although the perennial twinkle in his eyes had clouded somewhat.
"Hermione Granger just came to me, she said she was having trouble remembering what happened during her detention and had flashes of two different memories from the occasion. With her permission, I entered her mind and I saw something most disturbing" He paused, trying to gauge Dumbledore's reaction. When he saw that the Headmaster looked entirely serious, he continued,
"I saw Hagrid being murdered by Bellatrix, Rodolphus, and Rabastian, and then I heard Rodolphus ask about a Polyjuice potion. The potion that Rabastian pulled out, however, did not look like the traditional Polyjuice, which concerns me. There are several other brewers for the Dark Lord, one of them had been experimenting with potions that change people's appearance and other physical aspects in order to hide Death Eaters better, even to cloak the Dark Mark. He might have developed a longer lasting or an improved version of the Polyjuice Potion."
Severus saw that Dumbledore's face was tight, and he knew that the older man would miss Hagrid's kind nature, but hoped that the Headmaster would concentrate on the bigger picture; that there was now a Death Eater in Hogwarts.
Dumbledore looked at Snape and told him to keep an eye on Hagrid. He then sent Fawkes to summon the other teachers and tell them what happened. He warned them all to be careful around Hagrid and not to go see him alone, since they didn't know yet who was impersonating Hagrid and what exactly their orders were. He told the Heads of Houses to inform their students that no one was allowed off the immediate grounds of Hogwarts without a teacher accompanying them, as a new security measure Dumbledore has decided to enact in light of the recent attacks. They all nodded, knowing the students would understand and comply with the rule.
Snape waited in the corner of the room for the other teachers to leave, knowing that McGonagall would stay behind and that he needed to stay as well. He had come to know the woman quite well throughout his years as a teacher and looked to her as a favorite aunt of sorts.
She was the one who usually helped him after the revels when he was too stubborn to go to Madame Pomfrey and too weak to take care of his wounds himself. She never judged him or tried to get him to change his mind, of which he was eternally grateful. She didn't mollycoddle him or beat around the bush; she told him exactly what injuries he had and how she was going to treat them, and he treated her to a half-lie about the revel- always sparing her the details of what she didn't need to know.
As such, he had developed a strong attachment for the older woman, and was fiercely protective of her. Although they were supposed to be rivals, like their Houses were, they were very friendly and enjoyed the show of sharp words and witty retorts they put up for the students. They even bet on the Quidditch games.
Snape was snapped out of his reprieve by a sudden thought; Why didn't the Dark Lord tell me of this plan. Surely if this was done on his orders, and it had to have been done on his word, he would have approached me about another Death Eater at Hogwarts. Realization came to him suddenly, like a sharp punch in his gut, He doesn't trust me anymore.
Snape looked into the Headmaster's eyes and saw understanding in them. Dumbledore had come to the same conclusion. McGonagall, who was used to these silent exchanges, quirked an eyebrow and said "Are you going to tell me, or is this another secret?"
Snape thought it would be good to tell her, but as he opened his mouth a shooting pain jabbed his left forearm. "Damn! Speak of the devil" he thought as he clutched his arm. "I will be back as soon as I can, hopefully informed about the plan."
With that he strode down a familiar path that led to the edge of the protective wards around Hogwarts. He took out his Death Eater robe and mask, that had been shrunken, from his pocket, enlarged them, and put them on before touching his Mark and apparating with a resounding "Pop."
No sooner had his feet touched the ground than he had been hit with the Cruciatus Curse. Judging by the amount of pain he was in, he knew it was the Dark Lord who was casting it on him; a very pissed off Dark Lord.
After thirty seconds he lifted his wand and Severus breathed deeply, trying to regain control over his muscles and soothe his screaming nerves.
"Severus, why do you not have any information for me?" Voldemort hissed quietly.
"My Lord, Dumbledore has kept me under tight guard these past weeks and I could not jeopardize my position as your spy by raising his suspicions."
Another Crucio followed this answer; Snape knew that no matter what he had said he would have been tortured. Voldemort must be really desperate for something if he's this angry. He thought
Voldemort ended the curse with a flick of his wand and looked at Snape. Snape took a second to strengthen the wards around his mind and then met the Dark Lord's gaze, knowing that he needed proof of Snape's word. It was by no means painless, and Severus flinched several times from the intensity of the mind probe. Flashes of staged memories with Dumbledore flitted across his mind, showing Dumbledore restricting Snape to the school's grounds.
"One of our own betrayed us over the summer, Severus," the Dark Lord began. "He came into contact with the child of the prophecy and did not come to me with the child or any information. I sent Lucius, Rodolphus, and Bella to deal with him, but I am frustrated that the traitor took the child's identity with him to the grave. I need to find and destroy the child before they become a threat" Voldemort looked at Snape appraisingly.
"It must hurt you, Severus, to pretend to be the old fool's lapdog" Voldemort said. "Therefore, to help you along, I have planted a Death Eater within the grounds of Hogwarts. I have Rodolphus impersonating that fool of a caretaker and I want the two of you will work together for two common goals: obtaining the Sorcerer's Stone that is in the castle, and discovering the identity of the child of the prophecy. I expect results by the end of May."
Severus knew a dismissal when he heard one; he kneeled and then apparated away. Coming to the gates, he swayed, dizzy from the after-effects of the Cruciatus curse and apparating. He walked to the Headmaster's office, sorting through the information he received and trying to formulate a plan.
He needed to delay Voldemort learning Hermione's identity until it was no longer possible to shield her. He also needed to protect the Sorcerer's Stone and if possible, capture Rodolphus. He noticed that he was at the gargoyle, and said with a sour face, "kit kats" then entered Dumbledore's office.
After explaining what Voldemort told him, Dumbledore exhaled softly. Snape looked at him questioningly. "I was afraid for you, my boy. I thought for a moment that Voldemort didn't trust you anymore and you might not return tonight. I can see now that he was waiting for the right time to tell you. It is heartening, however, that he doesn't yet know of Hermione. We are fortunate that Ben helped her get here where we could watch her. She should be safe over the summer."
Dumbledore looked up when Snape snorted. Snape debated telling Dumbledore of his suspicions and decided not to say anything for the moment. He shook his head and said instead, "I trust that will be all? I would like to retire and rest."
Like clockwork, McGonagall came in and shooed Severus to Pomfrey's office to make sure he was as healthy as he claimed. McGonagall walked with him and on the way, he explained the fears that he and Dumbledore shared before the meeting with Voldemort. Poppy came in and gave him a Calming Draught to loosen his nerves after the bouts of Crucio. She told him that rest would fix the rest of the tremors from the after effects of the curse. He nodded, although he knew that nothing would ever fix the tremors completely.
As often as he could, he avoided Minerva and Poppy after his meetings with the Dark Lord. He didn't like being around people after the revels, and he often ended up snapping at them and leaving as fast as his injuries would allow him. Only on the rare occasions when he returned relatively unharmed did he allow Minerva to herd him to the Hospital Wing and Poppy to cluck over him. He knew they meant well, but it was hard for him to open up to them.
She told him that Hermione was simply exhausted from the probe in her mind, and that she would be fine for classes in the morning. Snape nodded to both women in wordless thanks and went to his room.
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The next day was a trial for Severus, he was still recovering from the Cruciatus curse, and randomly twitching in the middle of class wasn't good for the students. Although the Gryffindor-Slytherin potions class for the first years was quieter than the older classes, he still received several looks from the Gryffindors that were less than kind whenever he would seize. He dismissed class early, but saw that one student remained.
"Is there a problem Miss Granger, or do you need something?" he asked without looking up.
"Well, sir, I wanted to thank you for helping me yesterday. My headache is gone; but I was wondering what exactly happened. I know that Hagrid was murdered, but I don't understand why or what that means for me and the other students" She explained.
She's thought this through a little bit if she's looking at the effects of what happened. Most students would be more upset that someone had been killed in front of them. He answered, "I think it would be best if you didn't mention this to anyone, Miss Granger. Suffice it to say that it is being taken care of and that you should not approach anyone that resembles Hagrid."
"Thank you sir." She turned to go, and then said "I hope you feel better."
Snape blinked; he could count on one hand the number of students who actually cared about him in Hogwarts. Draco, of course, since I'm his godfather, Harry to a degree. Snape grimaced, was that it? He shook his head, I have more important things to worry about than who cares that I'm not feeling well. Snape made it a point to keep his distance from Rodolphus, hoping that if he stayed away, the fool would try a plan on his own and then get captured.
Classes continued as they normally did until it was almost May. By then Hermione, Draco, and Harry had developed a reputation as three of the smartest and most powerful students in the school. Draco and Harry had also begun working with the Weasley twins and the pranks they created wreaked havoc in the school. One memorable occasion left all of the teachers with high squeaky voices for two days. It was two of the best days of class, except for Potions; the Potions Master wouldn't belittle himself by speaking, so all of his instructions were written and he sent Howlers to students who made the potion incorrectly. From then on, Snape was left out of any of the pranks that were pulled.
Harry, Draco, and Hermione all attended classes and meals together, after dinner, Hermione would go immediately to the Common Room or the Library to do research or homework, and Harry and Draco would go to the Quidditch Pitch and watch the Slytherin team practice. They would all meet in the Common Room an hour before curfew to finish any homework or study for an exam, and then they would go to the Room of Requirement to train.
The training was slowly paying off for all three of them; they were all able to cast more powerful spells than their classmates, in addition to firing faster and more accurately. They were physically stronger, which made it easier for them to cast more advanced spells and it increased their magical core. They had to dumb it down in class so they wouldn't draw any unwanted attention, but it made dueling between them fun.
One night they were coming back from the Room of Requirement and Hermione spotted Hagrid's name on the Marauder's Map, right next to Professor Quirrell. Against her better judgment, she put the Cloak on over the three of them and went in that direction.
"Guys you have to be absolutely silent, there's something I want to check out." They came to a stop behind the pair, and slowly circled them until they could see both of their faces. Hagrid was talking to Quirrell, who looked rather nervous, although that was normal for him.
"I could use ye help wit sumthin" Hagrid was saying to Quirrell. Quirrell nodded slowly and said, "A-anyth-thing that would h-help, Hagrid. What do y-you need?"
"I need t' find a certain Stone," Hagrid said, then pulled out a wand and said "Imperio." Hagrid looked smug and said, "At least I don't have to pretend to be an imbecile now. Alright, Quirrell, you will assist me in anyway necessary to retrieve the Sorcerer's Stone tonight. You will help me get through the obstacles blocking the Stone and you will not try to alert any of the teachers."
With that, they both walked down the nearest flight of stairs, with Quirrell walking a little mechanically than Hagrid.
"Hermione, what was that about?" Harry asked. "And what's the Sorcerer's Stone?"
"We need to get to Professor Snape" She said. She threw the Cloak off while running towards the dungeons. Harry and Draco looked at each other, and then followed Hermione. Harry was stuffing the Map and his Cloak into the bag he carried.
Hermione reached Snape's classroom and went in, she realized that she didn't know where he was and it would take too long to find another teacher.
Snape was at the desk in his chambers, grading the last of the fifth year papers when he felt the ward in his classroom being breached. Probably the Weasley twins trying to steal some ingredients, he thought as he put on his familiar black robes with a scowl.
He entered the classroom through a hidden door that connected to his chambers and looked around for the red heads. He was surprised when he saw Hermione looking around the room, and Harry and Draco walking through the door.
"You know, there is a rule about being out after curfew" he said while coming out of his hiding place. Harry and Draco jumped, but Hermione turned to him calmly, as if she had known he was there.
"Professor, you have to hurry. Hagrid used the Imperius Curse on Professor Quirrell and they're both going to get the Sorcerer's Stone" She told him frantically.
Snape stood there for a moment, contemplating the best course of action. "Alright, first you three need to get back to the Common Room. Given the circumstances I will not ask why you were out late or punish you, but you need to get back now and not discuss this with anyone."
The three first years walked out of the classroom while Snape was using the Floo to call Dumbledore and McGonagall. Hermione asked Harry for his Cloak and he handed it to her, confused. She put it over herself and told the boys to go back to the Common Room. They looked at each other and shrugged, long experience with Hermione while they were doing homework told them it would be better if they didn't argue.
Hermione waited for Snape to come out of his room and then silently followed him. She didn't dare follow him when he went into the Headmaster's office; instead, she waited for the three of them to come back and followed them from there. Even though she kept her distance, she still heard parts of their conversation.
"Are you sure it's wise for only the three of us to go?" McGonagall asked. "Actually, it will be just the two of us, my dear, Severus will wait where he can't be seen and help if we need it. It wouldn't do for a supposed Death Eater to thwart the plans of his master. And there was no one else I could ask for. Filius is a wonderful duelist but he hasn't been the same since the first war, and Remus is still recovering from his monthly visitor."
This answer seemed to satisfy McGonagall, because she nodded and they proceeded silently through the halls until they came to the out of bounds door in the third floor corridor. Dumbledore nodded to them and said "Remember that Hagrid isn't who he seems and is not to be taken lightly and Quirrell is under the Imperius curse, if we can avoid hurting him permanently I would be glad, but act as necessary."
They entered the room and Hermione had to run in before they shut the door. She looked around and almost gasped at what she saw; in the middle of the room there was a huge three-headed dog sleeping.
Dumbledore had already jumped down a trapdoor when Hermione had come to her senses, she waited until McGonagall and Snape had jumped through as well to look in. She knew she was risking exposure if she jumped in and landed near one of the teachers, but she jumped anyway. She bounced on whatever she landed on, and then a bright light made it shrink away. She felt the thing's grip on her legs loosen and she fell to the floor. She made sure she was still covered in the Cloak and then continued to follow the teachers.
They walked into a room filled with flying keys and Snape raised an eyebrow. "I hope you're not expecting me to retrieve the key. I haven't flown in years" Dumbledore laughed at this, but said nothing. Instead he raised his wand and Summoned the correct key.
Hermione wondered what was going on after they walked into the largest room yet and saw a giant chessboard. Maybe it's protection for the Stone, although they seem to be handling the obstacles easily; did they think these tasks would really stop anyone?
McGonagall laughed a little when they came to her protection and waved her wand in a complicated motion. The chess pieces stood aside and the teachers continued through the room unhindered. Again, Hermione had to suppress a gasp when she saw the creature that the next room yielded. She thanked her lucky stars that the troll was already knocked out; otherwise the teachers might have noticed her in the scuffle to knock it out.
Snape had a wicked grin on his face when they went through the next door. "I would have liked to see if either of you could figure my riddle out, but now's not the time" He walked forward and picked up the smallest bottle then tapped it with his wand. "I made it refill itself so we can all get through. You two go first, I will follow once I Disillusion myself."
McGonagall and Dumbledore nodded then each took a mouthful of the potion. They walked through the black fire without looking back. Snape cast a Disillusioning spell on himself, then also took some of the potion and went through the fire.
Hermione was late entering the room, so that by the time she had walked into the room, the teachers had already walked through the fire. Because of this, the potions reset themselves and it was left to Hermione to solve the riddle.
She looked at the parchment on the table and read:
Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,
Two of us will help you, whichever you would find,
One among us seven will let you move ahead,
Another will transport the drinker back instead,
Two among our number hold only nettle wine,
Three of us are killers, waiting hidden in line.
Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,
To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:
First, however slyly the poison tries to hide
You will always find some on nettle wine's left side;
Second, different are those who stand at either end,
But if you would move onward, neither is your friend;
Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,
Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;
Fourth, the second left and the second on the right
Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight.
She reread the riddle three times before picking up the smallest bottle and drinking it. That was easy; the biggest and the smallest bottles couldn't be poison, the second on the left and on the right couldn't be the potion since they're twins, and the ones on the end aren't the potion to move forward either, which leaves only the smallest one. Confident in her choice, she swallowed the potion and walked through the black fire.
Upon entering the room, she saw two duels; McGonagall was fighting Quirrell, and Dumbledore was fighting someone that was looking less and less like Hagrid. The Polyjuice Potion must finally be wearing off. That's the Death Eater from my memory!
Hermione looked around for Snape but couldn't find him. She turned back to the duels when she heard McGonagall give a triumphant shout and saw Quirrell's wand fly from his hand, he was then bound by ropes from McGonagall's wand. Soon after, Dumbledore caught the Death Eater with a Stunner, and then he and McGonagall walked over to the giant mirror that was standing in the center of the room.
The Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress had their backs to the captives, so they didn't see that Rodolphus had faked being hit with a Stunner. Snape couldn't move fast enough to stun him and the Death Eater had already gotten off two spells; both of them were "Avada Kedavra." They soared towards the pair in front of the mirror as Snape looked on helplessly.
"Servotutus" rang out in the silence after the curses were cast, and Dumbledore and McGonagall were surrounded by a blue sphere that absorbed the Killing Curses and left them unharmed.
Everyone present looked to where Hermione Granger had thrown off the Invisibility Cloak she was wearing. She was holding her wand up with a determined expression on her face. Seeing that the Professors were okay, Hermione lowered her wand and promptly fell to the ground; exhausted from the effort it cost her to perform the spell.
Snape took advantage of the confusion to Stun and bind Rodolphus from behind, so he wouldn't know who did it. With that done, he walked over to Hermione and cast a diagnostic spell. Her pulse was steady, so he knew she had just overused her magic.
He looked up at Dumbledore, who for once, looked surprised. I would be too, if an eleven year old saved my life because I was too careless to bind a supposedly stunned Death Eater. That magic, though, I've never heard of that spell. Snape asked "Dumbledore, have you heard of that spell before?"
He shook his head "No, but that is an extremely powerful bit of magic. I've never heard of anything that could block the Killing Curse. She really must be the most powerful witch the world's ever seen to use magic like that."
McGonagall looked down at the girl who had saved her, How sad that she must bear this burden so young.
McGonagall levitated Hermione to the Hospital Wing, where she would rest and be fully recovered by tomorrow afternoon. Dumbledore stayed with Snape and the two bound men to fix the situation in their favor.
Together, Dumbledore and Snape put a powerful memory charm on Rodolphus to make him forget most of what happened, including Hermione's appearance, and put a false memory in its place to keep Snape from getting blamed for the mission's failure by Voldemort. They found that being under the Imperius Curse had damaged Quirrell's mind beyond repair, and Flooed him to Saint Mungo's. They didn't have to worry about anyone discovering anything of importance in his mind.
Dumbledore and Snape talked late into the night about the ramifications of that night for Hermione and also for Snape himself. They agreed that Snape should tell Voldemort that Rodolphus acted against Snape's plan and that he was captured and is being kept in a place not even Snape knew about.
Dumbledore also decided to destroy the Stone, and sent an owl to Nicholas Flamel, the man who helped him create it. Though Snape was against it, they decided not to tell Hermione about the Prophecy. Instead they went to ask her about the spell she used.
Hermione sat up with a frown; she did not like the Hospital Wing. She had nothing against the kind matron, but ever since her mum had died she hadn't like hospitals.
She looked up when Snape and Dumbledore entered the room and sighed inwardly. She hadn't known that they were safe until now since she didn't want to ask Madam Pomfrey.
Snape walked over to her bed and asked her how she was. "I feel better, just a bit of a headache" She replied. He handed her a potion to get rid of the headache and turned to her.
"Miss Granger, I would like to know what you were thinking when you foolishly disobeyed my order for you to return to your dorm."
Hermione looked down; she didn't want Snape to see how much his disappointment hurt her, "I don't know, sir. I just felt like something was going to happen and I would be needed."
"Well, due to the fact that you saved two staff members from being killed, the Headmaster has told me that you should be exempt from punishment" Snape inclined his head to Dumbledore.
"Miss Granger, I would like to thank you for saving me, as would Professor McGonagall. I was wondering, though, where you learned the spell you used." Dumbledore smiled to encourage her.
Hermione was torn; she knew that she could trust the two men before her, but she also didn't want to tell them about Ben's letter and the spells he gave her. He had explained to her that the spells could only be used by someone with a lot of magical energy, and that if someone didn't have enough magic, the spell would kill them. She also didn't want to reveal her source to Dumbledore since she felt that the letter was her last link to Ben and she didn't want to give that up.
"I can't tell you that right now, Professor. I promise I will tell you later, but right now I can't" She looked into Dumbledore's eyes to show that she was sorry that she couldn't tell him.
Dumbledore knew that she most likely wouldn't reveal her source, so he nodded and said "Of course, you may take as much time as you need. For now, rest and get better. I believe you have exams coming up" He patted her hand lightly and left. Snape gave her a Dreamless Sleep Potion and then followed the Headmaster out the door.
The last weeks of school passed too quickly for Hermione, who was becoming more withdrawn as she came closer to going home for the summer. Harry and Draco chalked it up to her being nervous for the exams and she didn't correct them.
The exams, though, were actually a let down for the three of them; after studying for hours each day, the exams seemed extremely easy. All three of them passed their exams with time to spare. Hermione, of course, earned the highest of all her yearmates, with the second highest going to a boy in Ravenclaw.
The Leaving Feast was almost as rowdy as the Welcoming Feast. Everyone was writing down addresses so they could owl each other over the summer. Hermione told Harry and Draco that her dad wasn't used to her being a witch yet, so it wouldn't be a good idea to owl her.
They both nodded, and said they shouldn't get any owls either. Draco explained that his house, or manor, rather, was a second headquarters for the Death Eaters, so he didn't think any of the Death Eaters would be too understanding if he got an owl from Harry Potter, a known supporter of the light, or Hermione Granger, a Muggleborn student.
He and Harry shared a laugh at that one; even Hermione smiled. Harry said almost the same thing, except that Grimmauld Place was a safe house for Order members, so the owl had to be recognized by the wards to get through.
Hermione chatted with some of the girls she shared a dorm with; Katie Kirby was an interesting character and she was always fun to talk to.
The train ride home was mostly quiet; they had managed to secure a compartment to themselves. Harry and Draco spent most of the ride talking about Quidditch and trading stories of pranks they had pulled.
Hermione added in some remarks from time to time, but for the most part she remained silent. She wasn't looking forward to her summer at all. She actually spent most of the train ride doing the summer homework that each teacher had assigned. Harry tried to distract her by charming the book to float, and Hermione managed to give him a real smile before canceling the spell. "Harry, I have a really busy summer ahead of me, and I want to get this done now so I can enjoy my summer" she said as she resumed her work. What he doesn't know won't kill him. And it's safer this way.
Harry smiled and said, "Alright, alright, I'll leave you alone." He and Draco put their heads together to talk about a strategy for next year and what Draco should "pass on" to the Dark Lord.
In her first year, Hermione had come to enjoy almost all of her classes, but especially Potions and Transfiguration. It was mostly due to the teachers. She admired and respected both of them because of their knowledge and passion for their subjects. McGonagall was strict but fair and had an underlying sense of humor. Snape was extremely strict, but Hermione had also noticed that he was incredibly brilliant.
As the train pulled up to the station she sent up a quick prayer that she would live to see her friends and the castle again.
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Alright, here's chapter 3.
Hope you like it (enough to review)