AN: Woooo hi guys! See I didn't make you wait months this time, yay! Okay so here pretty soon time jumps are going to become like a regular thing, so be sure to start paying extra attention to the dates I post. Very soon the larger plot is going to be introduced! YAY! Although if anyone has figured anything out, I would love to hear your guesses about what is going on, or even about what you think is off. Hints have been hidden away in these chapters, let the hunting begin!

Also, things are going to be interesting with the head hoping here because I'm going to be trying to get everyone's individual plotlines rolling a bit more, so hold onto your hats! We've got some more Goyle, Seamus, Pansy, and Daphne coming (maybe even some Minerva) and you're all going to have to trust me that everything is actually relevant. Cause it is. Or I wouldn't write it ; ].

You guy are all amazing, I love reading your reviews, and I love that you're still sticking with this story!

Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own Harry Potter because really on what planet would any of this actually be happening.

October 13th

Great Hall, Morning, Pansy:

Things could maybe have been settling into a type of normalcy. If, of course, you didn't define normalcy as being anything near normal.

That was the point, though. Pansy was used to battles and fear and plots and life or death situations- the strangeness that had taken over her life was still strange and unnatural, but it wasn't what she would have usually defined as normal. Like without the threat of war everyone was finally able to act like a regular teenager. To take a break and relax a bit.

To heal.

She would admit that in the beginning she thought having everyone redo a year was the silliest thing she had ever heard of. But sitting there at the Slytherin table (that was still painted in Gryffindor colors) Pansy was able to appreciate that coming back to Hogwarts gave them all a chance to come down off of battle-fever before entering the real world. She thought that it was working, too, despite the attack on Dean and the threat that several of her gender swapped classmates presented.

She could feel a weight that was missing from her shoulders, and judging by the easy smiles of those who surrounded her, she wasn't the only one who felt that way.

Daphne:

She was rubbing her shoulder again; it seemed to be the Pratil twins' very favorite spot to send a stinging hex hurdling towards and if they kept at it much longer Daphne was pretty positive that her shoulder would forever hold the pain the hex dealt. Some cool brushed against the spot she was rubbing, and Daphne turned to see Neville putting his wand back in his robes- and the rest of her little section of table glaring at it.

Well, everyone except for Weaselby who was content to submerge himself in conversation with his undead brother and pretend like she didn't exist. It was strange, he could put up with sitting at the same table and she and Theo, but whenever Granger came over the coward scurried away like the rat he was. Whatever.

"Daph, you either need to do something about them or let us do it, but this cannot continue," Harry said from across from her, with his arms crossed over his chest. Small nods were shared among her friends and judging by the way Little Red was fingering her wand it didn't look like Daphne had much more time before things were taken out of her hands.

"Listen, I-"she began, before being interrupted by Theo.

"No. I don't care what you're about to spew, or what shoddy excuses you're going to make. You're like my little sister Daphne and I did not protect you all throughout that bloody war just for you to go and get yourself offed by two little twats with their heads up their arses," he said. It felt like Theo's eyes were boring straight into hers- she hadn't seen him this intense in all the years she had ever known him. Not even when they were forced to take the Mark.

She narrowed her eyes and bit and sat up a little straighter. "I don't need protecting, Theo."

"Yeah? Prove it!" he spat.

Daphne glared and was about to do exactly that when Neville put a palm on her arm and gestured up to the podium when the Headmistress stood, greyfaced. Silence gradually fell over the Great Hall, and then the Headmistress spoke.

"I am not, as some of you are probably assuming, here to discuss the events of Friday night, but instead to address another matter. A matter that I wish could be kept from you completely. You may have been wondering why the post has not yet been delivered, and the answer to that is that it has been stalled. News has been released this morning that I feel I should explain before the papers reach you." McGonagall paused and closed her eyes for a breath before continuing.

"There have been attacks. Attacks by a Wizarding group that has not yet given us a name, a motive, or a long-term goal. We are certain that all of the attacks are done by the same people… which is doubly disturbing because their actions make it nearly impossible to decipher who they are, or their specific targets. We are unable to decipher this because they have been attacking those on either side of the War. Both those who were loyal to Riddle and those who fought for the Order have been slain and it has been made clear that these attacks are not going to stop.

Now despite what the papers may say, this is not the start of another war, not yet at least. However, those who assisted this summer will once again be needed- I will be meeting with you to discuss the details. Very well, the post will be here in a moment or two."

The Headmistress went to sit at the Head of a Great Hall that barely even resembled the one that she had stood up to greet. There was a chill in the air, one that was all too close to the one Daphne remembered from the year before. A weight settled that she had thought she would never have to feel again, and the all too familiar feel of it made her want to cry.

"What did she mean," Daphne asked softly. "When she said that those who had helped before would be needed again? What did she mean?"

Neville spoke up beside her. "After the Final Battle there were a lot of Death Eaters who weren't too happy with how things ended. So during the summer they attacked anywhere and everywhere that they could, in many cases all at the same time. What with rebuilding and everything else going on the Ministry didn't have enough manpower to handle it all, so those of us who led the Final Battle were given a special type of Galleon that would transport us to where the battles were taking place, so that we could try and help out. We even started hunting the dirty bastards there in the end, too. I caught about 3 Death Eaters this summer, on my own."

Daphne's head shot up at this, and she was all too aware of the Mark on her arm as she looked at Neville. "You hunted them?"

"Well, yeah. Of course I did…" Neville's brow furrowed at her, like he couldn't figure out what the problem with that was. Did he really not know? She could feel all eyes on her while she reached she move up her sleeve and shove it under his face.

"Must kill you to know that you've been sharing your bed with a- what was it? Oh yes, a dirty bastard. Ever wonder how many of those you hunted were only running or in hiding because they were afraid? Ever stop to think about whether or not they had a choice in the matter?" Daphne demanded, but Neville was too busy gaping at the brand on her forearm to answer her and she could feel stone forming around her heart. Just like old times.

"I thought not," she said and she yanked her arm back from him and rolled her sleeve down once more. The table was silent and still, save for Theo who reached over and gripped her hand as hard as he could. Her chest was pounded and there was so much raw energy inside her that she wouldn't be surprised if she were actually humming with it.

"Daph-"was all Neville was able to say before she sent a silencing charm his way. Shortly after, the post finally arrived and she was glad for the distraction.

Newspapers were dropped all over the place as owls swooped around. Students were tearing into the articles and gasps of shock could be heard all around, and as those around her scanned the lines a voice to her right spoke up in horror.

"Oh no… Hermione…"

And just as Ronald Weasley moved to run towards the Slytherin table, an anguished scream filled the air.

Hermione:

No!

She didn't even notice the yell that had torn from her throat when she read the name of the village her parents lived in under the list of those that had recently been attacked. In a panicked frenzy Hermione raced through the pages to find names, names of those who had been killed, injured, anything. Upon finding it she saw that her parents were nowhere listed. This, however, did nothing to stop the horror seeping through her veins. Why?

Everyone targeted by the attacks, as far as she had read, was either a wizard or the family of a wizard- and there was only one person in her village with magical blood.

Her.

Hermione's parents were in danger again, in danger because of who she was. She would have to obliviate and send them away again but she had only just gotten them back.

She wasn't aware of the fact that she was hyperventilating and sobbing, she wasn't aware that all of her friends had rushed to her table, led by Ron. She wasn't aware of anything until a pair of strong, firm hands took ahold of her shoulders and shook her for everything she was worth- when Hermione finally came back to her senses she was staring into a very familiar air of grey eyes.

"Malfoy? What are you-"she stammered through her sobs.

Sobs that came from knowing just what it was she was going to have to do next.

Again.

"Miss Granger," said the headmistress from behind her, and Hermione turned to face her, attempting to hold her chin up high.

"I need to use your floo, Minerva," Hermione stated, uncaring of her informality.

"Miss Granger, I'm afraid I cannot allow you to do what it is you intend-"

"Why?" she demanded. "I've done it before, I can't bloody well do it again and then I'll just fetch them back when all of this has blown over but I can't just leave them there!"

"To perform a charm of the strength and intricacy of this once and have your parents make a full recovery is standard and expected, yes. But it will not work a second time, Miss Granger…" McGonagall's voice was soft and sad as she continued. "If you were to obliviate your parents and give them memories a second time, you will be unable to undo the charm."

There was a roaring sound in her ears and her legs went out from under her as her heart stopped. Somebody caught her and pulled her up against them to keep her steady, but the weight of the statement that had been dropped onto her… how could that be possible?

If she didn't obliviate her parents then they most likely wouldn't survive out on their own much longer- not if the attack was so close already. But if she did what was needed to make sure her parents were well and truly safe, she would lose them forever.

People were trying to talk to her, to grab her attention, but her mind was too bust racing through her knowledge of every single protective charm she knew, every loophole she'd ever heard of, searching frantically for a solution. But to every idea that her mind came up with, and thousand reasons sprouted explaining why it wouldn't work. There had been a reason she had resorted to Obliviation in the first place last year, and that was because it was the only option she had left to her. Still she keeps going round and round inside her own mind, desperately searching for anything that wouldn't end in her having to give up her parents.

Until, that is, a voice whispered in her ear "Granger, don't make me have to hex you. But if I have to hold you up much longer I may end up having to do just that."

Hermione was startled back to the present to find that she could feel her legs beneath her once more. Realizing this she stood on her own, wiped her tears, looked the Headmistress straight in the eye and said, "I really need to use that floo of yours."

Pansy:

She was positive that the look on Hermione's face as she stared down the Headmistress would be forever burned into her mind, just like the one of Draco surging forward to catch her friend as she collapsed in her own despair. The look on his face when he pulled her in close and held her up would definitely be something that she'd need to confront him about, but now there were more important things to worry about.

Like how far Pansy was willing to go to keep someone else from losing their parents, parents that actually cared about them. With an ache in her heart she thought back to what had happened to her and her family on the night of the Final Battle, shortly after she had been released from the castle.

Pansy reached forward and grabbed onto Dean's hand while she listened to the argument raging around her, in the hopes that it would distract her from the battle going on inside her own mind.

Draco:

How could she possibly want to go through with this? Try as he might, Draco simply couldn't wrap his mind around how willing Granger was to sacrifice something such as this. It was about as insane as Potter stopping the Weasel King from hexing Draco when he had caught and held her earlier.

Obviously this was a morning for insanity.

"Hermione, you can't do this. There are other options for you to consider-" Little Red began, but Granger simply cut her off.

"None them are fool proof. They can't protect themselves Ginny, I can't afford to leave things to chance," Granger whispered.

"But Hermione they're your parents! You don't… once they're gone you can't… I can't let you do this. Not when you don't know what-"

"Harry James Potter don't you dare tell me that I don't know what it's like! I've preformed this sell before, remember? I know exactly what I am getting myself into and I'll be damned if I let any of you try and stop me!" Hermione yelled, jabbing her finger at Potter who snapped his jaw shut.

Others looked as if they wanted to say something to try and stop her; others were simply made uncomfortable by the scene going on around them and might possibly be remembering what had unfolded in the Slytherin Common Room the last time the witch had been this upset.

Draco was simply wondering how on earth a person in that much pain could have as much composure as Granger had in that moment. Her world was falling apart, shattering at the seams, and there she was, glaring down anyone who dared to stand in her way. Not too long ago Draco had been in a situation similar to hers, and he hadn't dealt with the emotional backlash of it half as well as she was doing.

The girl was a marvel, and he couldn't take his eyes off of her.

Until, of course, Pansy strode over and spoke up.

"Good thing I have a plan C, then, isn't it? You'll keep them at my Manor. They'll have it to themselves, except for the house-elves. And since the Dark Lord himself was unable to break into the grounds, I'm positive that they'll be safe," Pansy announced, pale and shaking, as everyone turned to face her.

Hermione:

She couldn't believe her ears- could there really be a way around this?

"He couldn't break through?" Hermione asked the girl in front of her.

"No," Pansy answered. "Not that he didn't try, there in the end. But it's an ancient type of magic that I suppose he never got around to studying. It wasn't Dark Arts which is why he didn't bother, I suppose, but the point remains the same. You can't lose your parents, Hermione, don't be daft."

"Pansy," Malfoy cut in, "Your parents-"

"Are dead," Pansy snapped, grimacing as she did so. "They won't exactly be a problem anymore. I wasn't kidding when I said it would just be them and the house elves, Hermione."

She didn't know what to say. It was a decent solution, and if Voldemort himself couldn't get through the barriers then what were the chances that anybody else would be able to do it? Precautions could be set up; a permanent floo could be open in the manor so that should something happen her parents could simply floo to Hogwarts! It could work, and that would mean she wouldn't have to rip her soul out and stomp on it once again.

Truth be told the idea of losing her parents killed her, but she couldn't allow them to die because of a war they were never even a part of.

They couldn't die because of her.

"Thank you, Pansy. I… thank you," she said and she sprang forward to embrace the girl. There was a beat before the embrace was returned, but it was returned nonetheless.

"We will contact your family immediately Miss Granger, and explain the situation," McGonagall said, and Hermione was about to reply when there was an outburst from Ron, who was addressing her for the first time in weeks.

"Have you bloody well gone mental?! She's a Death Eater and you're going to just send your parents off to her home? You might as well sign their death warrant Hermione, are you really such a fool to trust her?" he exclaimed, waving his arms for emphasis.

Some people gasped in shock, several people reached for their wands (whether they wanted to attack Pansy or Ron she couldn't guess) but the only person Hermione looked for was Pansy, who was grasping her forearm and attempting to make herself invisible with her mind. Seeing Pansy like that, vulnerable, was what decided her.

Glaring at Ron, Hermione reached out and took Pansy's hand and holding it in her own.

"Yes, Ronald, apparently I am," Hermione stated before turning and leaving the Great Hall alongside the Headmistress, with Pansy in tow behind her.

AN: Wow. Okay, goodness. So I guess be prepared for a bunch more head-jumping coming up, but I'm going to need you guys to let me know if the jumping head's gets to be too much or something, alright? But we've got a bunch of stories all going on at once.

Also, don't get mad at Neville! Pleaseee!