CHAPTER IX

Narcissa woke to the sound of her only son crying out. Without a moments pause she was out of bed and running down the hall. Her heart pounding as she opened the door. Draco lay tangled in his sheets. She whispered in his ear that everything was okay and he was safe. She whispered that she was there now and he didn't have to hurt anymore. She begged him to wake up, to realize that it was only a dream, a bad memory.

Slowly Draco's cries stopped and he lay peacefully in his sleep once again. Narcissa stayed there beside her son. Watching over him as he slept, brushing the hair from his face. She kissed his forehead before she got up to leave. Closing the door quietly she headed to the library.

Lucius was sitting in a chair beside the fire when Naricissa walked in. He could tell by the look of worry on her face that Drace had, had another nightmare.

"What are we going to do?" Narcissa asked

"I don't know," he replied. "But I will find us a way out of this. I will find a way out for ALL of us."

"Should we go to Dumbledore?" she asked worriedly.

Shaking his head he answered. "No, he is very powerful with many connections and he is the only one the Dark Lord fears, but Severus says that to go to Dumbledore for help would be a most unwise decision." Noticing the confused look on his wife's face he continued on. "Severus has hinted that Dumbledore isn't exactly as he seems to be. He never says what exactly what is wrong, but he has many side comments that suggests he isn't very happy."

"Then what are we going to do? How are we going to get out of this" Narcissa asked. Dumbledore had seemed like a good idea, but if Severus says we shouldn't then what other options were left to get them out?

Closing his eyes as if in silent prayer, Lucius answered, "I don't know. Hopefully through friendship.."

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"What is an animagus?" McGonagall asked the students before her.

Almost everyone in the class raised their hand. McGonagall nodded her head in satisfaction. Give the students something interesting to learn, something that they would really want to know, and they'll go the extra mile all by themselves.

Answering her own question, "An animagus, is a witch or wizard who has the ability to physically transform themselves into another animal. Now this animal can be anything from a snake to a lion. However, each witch or wizard only has one animagus form, which cannot be chosen.

Many groans could be heard through out the class. Some students exchanged worried glances, worried their animagus form might be something like slug or something even more embarrassing.

Continuing on, "and that is what we will be doing in this class and the net. I trust you have read the required material. Instructions are in your book, pg 362. Grab a bowl for you and partner and pour some of the mixture in and you may begin." And with that McGonagall returned to her desk.

Harry went and got their bowl and mixture while Hermione conjured some comfy pillows they could use to sit on the floor. After taking their socks and shoes off they began to rub some of the mixture onto their feet, hands, and a little on their foreheads. "This mixture is safe, right Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Of course it is Harry." Hermione answered. "Its all natural ingredients that are just meant to relax you and help you to connect."

"Good!" Harry said brightly. After a few moments of awkward looking around, Harry asked "How are we supposed to do this?

Laughing Hermione told him, "Close your eyes, and just relax. Now here is the hard part. You have to focus on who you are and not force it. The animagus form is actually jus t an animal representation form of you. So just be completely you, and then imagine yourself changing. Don't picture what it is you're changing yourself into just feel the change. And then you'll know what you are."

After making sure that Harry had the idea of what he was supposed to do Hermione got comfy on her own pillow. Sitting cross-legged, Hermione closed her own eyes and took deep breaths. She wasn't sure how to do it exactly either, but she figured the best way to begin would be to meditate. Taking deep breaths Hermione began to go to her special place. She could still smell the mixture that she had rubbed onto herself. The smell of the earth was most dominant. Hermione continued to take deep breaths relaxing even more and just letting her mind take her wherever it needed to go.

The smell of the earth was stronger now. She could hear something. It sounded as if it were raining. Opening her eyes she saw she was in a car. And it was raining. Looking out the window into the rain, Hermione saw she was parked outside of a church. It was hard to tell, with the rain pouring down as it was who was at the door of the church. Squinting her eyes, she saw it looked to be her parents. They seemed to be talking to one of the priests.

Putting her head in her hands, Hermione couldn't understand what was going on. She had no idea how she had gotten there, to mention the splitting headache she had seemed a little off. Hermione touched a particularly tender spot and looked at her hand. She was surprised to see some blood on it. Maybe she had hit her head, but that didn't give her any clue as to why her parents would be talking to a priest at a church.

Suddenly her father was there. He opened the door and pulled Hermione out into the rain. Holding tight to her arm he pulled her towards her mother and the priest. Looking at her father, "What's going on, Dad? What are we doing here?"

He didn't look at her when he answered. "We're going to save you." He kept pulling her to the church with a determined look on his face.

"Save me?" Hermione asked. She was confused. Why did she need to be saved? And what was she being saved from?

When they reached the door, Hermione's mother took hold of her other arm. Hermione now stood between both her parents as they followed the priest inside. Nothing made sense. What were they doing? Looking up ahead, only made things more confusing for Hermione. There were more priests standing up ahead. They all stood surrounding a table, each with a grave look on their face. They watched as Hermione and her parents walked closer.

The priest they were following turned around and looked at Hermione. "God will save you, child. Listen to his words and let him fill your heart. Let his spirit flow inside of you and may he purge you of the demons that hold you captive."

Scared, Hermione tried to pull away from her parents, but they kept a firm grip onto her arms. Struggling she cried out, "But I'm not possessed! There's no demon in me!" She looked at her dad, but he still wouldn't look at her. "Daddy, please! I want to go home, I just want to go home."

No one answered her pleas. Her parents put her on the table and her father held her down. The priest standing around the table closed their eyes and began to chant. One priest stepped forward and began to sprinkle oils and water on her, all while he kept chanting. Not knowing what was going on Hermione began to cry, the tears fell down her face as she tried to get up. But no matter how hard she tried her father wouldn't let her up.

Looking around, Hermione cried out for her mother. When she finally saw her mother she was lighting a candle. And no matter how loud Hermione called out to her, she never looked back. Hermione's mother cried as she knelt down to pray.

The priests' chanting echoed througout the church, but Hermione could no longer hear them. All she could hear was the sound of her mother's prayer. "Save my daughter, Cast out the demon in her. Pull her out of the Devil's grasp…"

Frantically Hermione began to struggle more, trying to get free. Her father only continued to hold her down, the priests' chanting only getting louder. It was all too much. Closing her eyes she hoped it was all a dream, that none of it was happening, but she could hear it. It was all she could hear. The priests' chanting get louder, her mother's voice desperately praying for her redemption. It was all too much…

Suddenly Hermione opened her eyes. Immediately looking around, Hermione heaved a sigh of relief when she realized where she was. 'It wasn't real. It wasn't real. Just another bad dream.'

Hermione took another deep breath to calm her racing her heart.

"Are you alright, Hermione?" Harry asked.

" Yes." Hermione answered him.

Harry looked at her skeptically. "Are you sure? You look like you've just seen a ghost or something."

"Everything is fine, Harry. I promise." Hermione smiled at him to ensure him she was okay. Though she was quite honestly freaked out by what had just happened, she knew Harry didn't need to know. His burdens already to great without the need to add something that had happened in her past. 'Besides, it's just a distant memory. It's nothing to worry about, just another thing to forget about and move on.'

"Alright class, begin cleaning up class is over. For homework tonight I want to read the rest of the chapter and write an essay over the risks and their preventative measures, when learning to be an animagus. You may also want practice on being more relaxed, and open to everything before you go to sleep tonight. It may help you to be more comfortable, rather than trying to force it, so that you will be more receptive to your animagus form, during our next class." McGonagall announced.

As they began to clean up, Hermione thought about what had just happened. Out of all the times that she had meditated before nothing like this had ever happened. Whenever she had meditated before it had always relaxed her, and helped ease her pain, both physically and mentally. Never had it brought up memories better left forgotten, or leave her feeling scared and broken as that had.

Noticing Harry watching her, she turned to him. "So how did it go for you? Get any idea of what you might be?"

"I think I felt something. I'm not sure exactly what it was. I felt like I was something, I just couldn't really tell what it was, though." Harry said. "Did you get anything?"

Hermione shook her head. "Nothing really. Maybe next time I will."

" Do you want to eat lunch in the RoR?" Harry asked.

"Yes. I also want to get a head start on that paper McGonagall assigned us. So why don't you get Ginny and grab some food from the kitchens, and I'll stop at the library and meet you guys there." Hermione suggested.

Harry nodded. "Sounds like a plan. See you there."

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"Severus, I don't know what were supposed to do to get out of this." Lucius told his friend. The two of them sat in Severus's study. "You told us not to go to Dumbledore. So I'm asking what we need to do instead."

"How is Draco holding up?" Severus asked in response.

"He is well, except for the nightmares and self disgust." Lucius said.

Flinching, Severus knew that becoming a Death Eater was not easy. And it never did get easier. Severus took a deep breath asked Lucius a question that would help to determine how he could help. "Lucius, how do you and your wife really feel about those who are not pureblooded wizards?"

"I don't see what that has to do with getting my son out of being a Death Eater." Lucius said.

Sighing, "Just answer the question, Lucius." Severus said. "Are you against them or not."

Lucius looked at Severus. He could tell from the way Severus had asked the question that he was completely serious. He thought about the question for a few minutes before he had his answer. "No, we are not against them."

"Are you sure, Lucius?" Severus asked. "I need to know the truth, right now. I don't want to find out later on down the road that you are lying to me, because you think it'll help you get out of this mess."

"I'm sure, Sev. I have no doubt in my mind that I don't hate them." Lucius said. "However," He continued. "That does mean I'll be the best of friends with them. Yes, I don't hate them. But I'm not particularly fond of them."

Severus nodded. All the pureblooded families, made sure to pass down through the family what had happened when wizards and witches began to fight with muggles. How it used to be one world, and was now split in two. With one world hiding from the other.

"Well, then first things first, you'll have to be nicer to them." Severus said. "But make sure you don't get caught doing it, by other Death Eaters."

"I'm not stupid Severus." Lucius said. He knew that if he were to get caught being nice to a Muggleborns would be disastrous to him and his family. It could very well mean their lives. Continuing on, "And as for the whole start being nicer, we've already started."

Startled, Severus looked at Lucius with a shocked expression. "Really? When?" He asked.

"At the train station at the start of term, that Granger girl dropped some folder she had with her. I gave picked up and gave it to her without calling her any names." Lucius said with a satisfied look. It wasn't often that he surprised the great Severus Snape. "And Narcissa and I had instructed Draco to be nicer to them. I figured that they might be able to help us if you couldn't."

"Well, I must say Lucius then you're already on the way out." Severus said. He wouldn't say it, but he was proud of his friend. They had been good friends, when they were still students, but he thought they would always be going they're separate ways when they joined the Death Eaters. Severus didn't believe that Muggleborns were not as good as he was. And when Lily died he knew immediately that joining was the biggest mistake he could ever make. But now he knew that Lucius did not hate them, he would help hi m in any way he that he could. And maybe he would also be able to help Lucius change his mind altogether about them.

"So what should we do next?" Lucius asked.

"Well just keep doing what you already have been doing. We'll probably need Potter's help in the future." Severus said unhappily. He didn't have anything against Muggleborns, but he most certainly had something against Potter's father, James Potter. This made dealing with any Potter an unpleasant experience.

Lucius saw the look on Severus's face when he mentioned needing Potter's help. Though to give Lucius some credit, he did try not to laugh, but some things just can't be helped. "Having some trouble thinking about Potter?"

"It would be most wise for you to stop laughing." Severus said.

Gaining some control over himself, Lucius got up. "Well, Severus I must take my leave. I have some business to attend to at the ministry."

Severus got up to shake his hand. "I'll call for you when I know what should be done next."

"Thank you, Severus." Lucius said gratefully. And with that he walked into the Floo and was gone.

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Here's another chapter all finished. I know its been like forever since I've posted a chapter up. Sorry about that. Anyways thanks for reading!!