A/n: Hello readers! We will see no more lyrics within the story because there are no more to use! As always, enjoy the update and feel free to look on my profile for my facebook and other links! Thanks again to my beta Tessa Cresswell!
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters belong to J. K Rowling.
Disclaimer: You've probably seen plots similar to this in multiple books. Hopefully this story will be just a tad different :)
Part 1: My Little Secret, 1999 (Life Six)
Draco Abraxas Malfoy and Hermione Jean Granger
Hermione couldn't help noting that he was having a hard time stopping their conversation, despite the fact that the class was almost over and she would need to speak to Snape in a few short minutes.
"I'll be outside the room," Malfoy hissed, and she continued to write as he spoke since they were all that Snape was watching anymore, "I'll listen. If he says or does-"
"Malfoy," she cut in, glancing at him, "Calm down. He has another class after this. He cannot do anything truly horrible to me. All he can do is talk."
The blond frowned. "Yes, but about what?"
She shrugged, beginning to collect her items as the bell was about to ring. "I don't know, but I guess we will find out." The bell sounded and she stood, making her way to the Professor's desk. Draco moved slower, eyeing the pair closely. She was certainly putting on a brave face for someone who had been afraid of this conversation ten minutes ago. But he couldn't blame her; she was a Gryffindor, she would never let anyone believe she was afraid.
Although she already has.
He stood, waiting until everyone one else was up before departing. He knew Snape's next class was full of Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, and neither house fancied coming to the dungeons. He could wait outside the classroom for a few minutes without seeming suspicious.
Hopefully that was all it would take.
"You wanted to speak with me Professor?" she asked when Malfoy finally left. Snape had been pretending to read more papers until now.
"Yes, I did," the man drawled, setting the papers aside. Only then did she note that they were blank, and that he was studying her. She tried not to flinch beneath his gaze. "You and Mr. Malfoy have become close in recent weeks, haven't you?"
She blinked; surprised by the way he chose to start this conversation. "We are the Head students of the school; it makes sense for us to learn to tolerate each other. We have to constantly attend to things together, so we may as well accomplish something in a shorter amount of time."
He didn't look satisfied with her answer, and leant forwards in his desk as he spoke. "That would be a perfect answer Miss Granger, were it not so cliché and overused. Something monumental would need to have happened for yourself and Draco Malfoy to call a truce, otherwise it would not last a single day. I am only left wondering what exactly that might be." His eyes were glimmering, as though he knew what her real answers should be.
Hermione narrowed her eyes, wondering what exactly he was hoping she would say. What was with Snape? "We want to get through our last year easily, not around hours of yelling."
The dark haired man inclined an eyebrow, reaching forwards to grasp her wrist. His hand locked around his skin, and it was happening again. Snape said something, but she could no longer picture him as Severus; in his place stood Alabaster, and her heart hammered. She tore her wrist from his grip, and a startled look crossed his features. She backed up, feeling on edge, and didn't feel any comfort as the back of her thighs hit the table behind her.
"Something wrong?" he asked, rising from his chair, although he already knew something was very wrong indeed. Her eyes were panic-filled now, as they had always been in another life. But was she seeing him as Severus, or another? He could not determine this.
She shook her head, trying to clear her mind. So what if Snape had been acting strange lately? There was nothing to fear! However the terrifying vision of Alabaster did not fade and she could only clutch at her skirt, hoping her sight would return to normal once again. This was not good. "Nothing," she said quickly, noting that he was drawing closer. Why did he have to do that?
"You're very edgy Miss Granger, perhaps you should relax."
"I'm fine, thank you." She moved away from the table, taking a few steps back down the central hallway between tables. "So what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?"
He tilted his head at this, stopping as though he now had to think. She was relieved to see that he was done stalking her around the classroom, but wondered what exactly this pause meant.
"Perhaps you can explain to me why Mr. Malfoy is constantly seen leaving your dorm room at night, and lately in the morning? Perhaps you would care to inform me what the Head's are really doing together at night."
Hermione's eyebrows shot up. How did he know that? The man would need to be watching her door constantly- which was quite disturbing to consider- or he had someone watching them for him. The portraits rarely ever moved to tell on misbehavior among students, for there was simply too much of that, and unless what they were doing could severely harm people in the school, many of the portraits let things be. "He has come over in the morning occasionally to help me finish a few things off, but that is all. If you are insinuating that perhaps more is going on between us then you would be wrong."
"But am I?
Severus was prying at her personal life, and she could not for the life of her keep speaking about this with him. The atmosphere was uncomfortable, and she almost wished Malfoy had stayed in the room if only to assure her that things were alright throughout her ever-changing vision. She was developing a headache as Alabaster flashed back to be Severus Snape once more.
"What do you want Professor?" she snapped, shaking her head again. If he did not tell her soon, she was leaving.
His hands came to grip her shoulders roughly, and she realized that he had gotten closer as her vision was shifting in and out. A wicked grin was plastered on his face, his hideous nails digging into her flesh. "Tell me Miss Granger," he breathed, getting too close for comfort, "Who do you think I am?"
She jerked her arms up and shoved him away, but the man only took a few steps back. He was close enough to touch her again. "I think you are overstepping your boundaries between a staff member and a student," she snapped, backing away quickly, but that wicked look on his face never faded. The door to the classroom opened and some talkative underclassmen stepped in, baring the colors of Ravenclaw. They gave the duo strange looks as they went to find their seats, and Snape backed off further, almost leering at her as she got to the door.
"Miss Granger, we will talk another time. Perhaps you should relax though. You have no reason to fear me now."
Now. The way he said that sent chills up her spine, the underlying meaning pecking at her brain. But she only nodded in response, before turning and darting out of the room. She was quite surprised when she collided with Malfoy outside the door- she had thought he had left by now. Upon noticing her terrified look, he locked a hand onto her arm and dragged her into a nearby alcove, out of sight of the upcoming students who were finally coming down for class.
"Granger," he said immediately, spinning her to face him. Nothing was wrong with her vision now, and he clearly stood out in her mind as Draco. His hands were both now on her arms, forcing her body to stay facing him. "Are you alright?"
She shook her head, clearing her thoughts. "Yes," she breathed, gently pushing his arms away. "Nothing happened," she assured him quickly, rubbing her head at the concerned look on his face. It was unnerving to know Draco Malfoy could actually be concerned about her, but lately this hadn't been so uncommon. Snape's words continued to dance in her head, his actions replaying even as she spoke.
"Why do you look so pale then?" he snapped, gripping her chin so he could examine her face on one side then the other for any sort of marks.
She shoved his hands away again. "I just saw something," she said, brushing her hair back. They had discussed this once before, why do it again?
"What did you see?" he questioned, and she could see the tension in his face as he spoke. Wow, he really was concerned, and due to that alone she decided it would be alright to open up to him.
So she told him what had gone on. He explained that there had been too many students lingering around for his to use anything to help him hear, but as she told him about the things his supposed Godfather had to say his face seemed to draw together more and more; he looked perplexed.
He rubbed his chin when she finished. "It seems that Snape is hiding more than I thought." He began to pace, and she watched him, unsure what that meant.
"What does that mean?"
He glanced at her, his movement continuing on. "I have noticed so many changes in him recently, it is quite ridiculous. He hasn't been himself since the war, since school began. Like I have told you before Granger, I think he has begun to remember the past, just like you-"
"You never said that," she interrupted slowly.
"Then I have thought about it. Either way, something isn't right and I wouldn't doubt it if he knew more about the past than he wants to let on."
Hermione processed that. "Then why does he only bother me? If I remember correctly, when he was Alabaster Snape decades ago he had a strong dislike for you as well." At that, he stopped his pacing to look up at her and smirked. She frowned at him. "What?"
He walked up to her, brushing hair from her forehead. "You said if you remember right. That means you're starting to believe me Granger."
He met his eyes. "Perhaps I am, but that isn't our topic now is it Malfoy?"
"No," he replied, but his voice seemed airy, light even. "If Snape is remembering anything at all, then it could be very bad for us. We only shared one other lifetime with him, our second lives, for then his family moved to another town for several centuries. He cannot have any more opinions of us than that one life, and you are right then, because he did not like me then either." He pulled his hand away, rubbing his chin. "It's interesting that he can remember at all. I have never encountered something like this before. It was a miracle in itself Granger that you can recall and somewhat accept the lives you have led, but to meet someone else who is going through the same thing? It's strange, almost too much so to be a coincidence."
She frowned. "Well it's not like he could plan this Malfoy. If he didn't remember then he had nothing to think about before either. Something had to have driven those memories back into his mind, just like mine were given back to me. It has to be a coincidence, right? What other options are there."
He shrugged. "I honestly don't know. But that brings up another question as well Granger; what does he want? I don't think it is in his best interest to spill too many things at once; otherwise he won't have anything to hold over either of us. Whatever he wants has to be gained through informing you of such strange things, but what?"
She sat down, the blond following suit. The bell had just rung signaling their next class, but it appeared they had things to discuss before heading there. "I don't know Malfoy. He was strange, creepy even. Do you think… do you think he has the same wants as he did centuries ago?" She remembered very well the man's attack on her person, the almost forceful actions that could've proceeded had Malfoy's past life, Dreu, not have been around to assist her. The thought of her potions Professor wanting to do sinister things to her made her shiver.
"It could be possible," he replied, reaching over to rub her arm as he noted her discomfort. He would not admit it at this time, but he enjoyed this. Not the topic at hand, but the fact that she was willingly sitting there for once speaking with him about these things. A smile pulled at his lips but he refused to let it show. It wouldn't do them any good right now. "But if that were the case I think maybe situations would be different. If he was aiming to do something of that nature wouldn't he have asked you to come back for detention or something, so no one could disturb? I don't know Granger; your idea seems logical but something about Snape's own actions makes me think that is not really the case."
"Yes, but what else would he want then?"
Silence followed. It seemed that neither of them knew the answer to that. Out of the man's grasp, sitting in the alcove, she had to agree with Malfoy that although Snape had been disturbing to be alone with the man had not groped her or done anything in that sort of nature. Hermione could only assume- and hope- that Draco's speculation was right.
"So what do you propose we do?" she asked, glancing at him. "You're the one that deals with this; you have to have some sort of idea as to what we should do from here."
"I already told you, this is something I have never really encountered before. I can't quite say what we should do from here."
"So we wait?"
"No Granger, we watch and wait. Everyone's motive is revealed at some point, and sometime Snape has to reveal what he is after."
She sighed and rested her head on his nearby shoulder. Although she didn't seem to really note what she had just done, he did, and his head whipped around to look at the top of hers. Was she actually allowing herself to be vulnerable around him?
"Malfoy," she said, drawing him from that thought.
"Hmm?"
"Has it always been this complicated for you? Is there always something unanswered like this that you have dealt with in your lifetimes that you just don't understand?"
He reached up, daring to softly stroke her hair. When she didn't hex him, he decided it was just the mood of the moment that was allowing this to happen, but he would take it. "It's always hard to live with the memory of your past Granger; you just have to learn how to cope." He moved his hand down to her shoulder so he could hug her closer. "This is just a minor thing; one person. It will pass and we will find out what he is after."
"I hope so."
They sat in each other's silence, both contemplating the man who was currently teaching across the hall. Did he truly remember? And why did he seem to want to isolate Hermione if what he wanted was not sexual like it had once been? They didn't know, couldn't know at that point, they just knew that something heavy and daunting had suddenly come down to rest over them, waiting for the perfect moment to rear up and strike one of them.
Draco hoped it was Snape. He had waited six centuries to have this girl, to have her remember him. Now she was beginning to accept and maybe even believe what he had been saying, and was using him for comfort in this moment. He didn't know how in Merlin's name this lifetime out of all of them had become the one that led him to this near happiness, but he wouldn't argue.
Someone like Alabaster Snape was not about to take that away from him.
Part 2: Tears that Fall, 1489 (Life One)
Lowell Belmont Malfoy and Penelope Elliana
The congression was held the same day for both of the fallen, their coffins set on either side of the Minister, the gathering of people split down the middle with Malfoy's on one side and almost-Krum's on the other. Penelope's whole family had com of course, but so had her future family. They stood beside their son that day as they buried his would be wife, never knowing the hand he had played in her death.
No one there knew she had been murdered, and certainly not by Henry. There was no explaination to the girl's death along with Lowell's suicide, and it left many questions unanswered. Had he killed her when they were planning to run away together, and then decided to hang himself in the aftermath? Was this a set up for bigger plans, created by someone that wanted to see the pure, rich family lines die one by one? No one knew, and no one ever would.
His sister's cried for him, his brother held back the pain. It was Lowell's parents that seemed unfazed by the death as his body was placed beneath the earth. Their expressions were unreadable, revealing little of what they thought. The same could not be said for Penelope's father, who let the tears stain his old cheeks. Her brother allowed no tears to fall, but his eyes said it all. And if anyone had asked him, he would have told them the suspicions he had harbored for years.
He knew she had someone visit at night, someone that made her happy. He could see that joy still lingering in her eyes in the morning at breakfast. And looking at the bodies now, he could understand.
Lowell had been her lover, not her husband. And the man who had lost her as a wife was nothing more than a shadow of someone she couldn't have. If anyone had asked him, he would've told them that they had died for each other.
He thought it was as cliché as it comes, but it was romantic and so very like his sister, and for that he could not judge.
Part 3: Sent and Signed by Someone You have Reason to Hate, 1999 (Life Six)
Draco Abraxas Malfoy and Hermione Jean Granger
They did not speak again until nightfall. Hermione had excused herself from dinner when she saw the blond get up and beckon that they should go with his head, when hurried footsteps behind her caught her attention. She glanced back to see Ginny running towards her, and stopped walking to await the girl's arrival. Better to speak to her there than up by her room where Draco would have to wait.
The first words out of her mouth were not pleasant. "Tell me you aren't going to go see him" she begged, and Hermione immediately knew who she was referring to.
"I don't think that is any of your business," she snapped in return. Ginny had butted her way into situations that had nothing to do with her earlier that morning, and Hermione was in no mood to deal with that again.
"I saw him get up when you did," she said, crossing her arms. "Hermione, he is bad news! What would Harry and Ron think?"
"Well, if you weren't constantly following me around Ginny, perhaps I would be able to tell them on my own. If I want to spend time speaking with him then that is my own business-"
"He slept over," she hissed, keeping her angry tone low as a couple of first years passed by. "That isn't friends- that is friends with benefits-"
"Oh Ginny," she snapped, crossing her own arms, "Will you please shut up? Like I have told you before you don't know anything that is going on so will you please give it a rest? If anything between myself and Malfoy was going on I would tell my friends, but there is nothing to tell about! We talk, that's it."
The girl's eyes narrowed. "Are you sure Hermione? I just don't want you making mistakes-"
"Oh Merlin Ginny you are not my mother! Will you please give it a rest? I heard you preach the same things this morning and I don't need a second dose. Will you kindly remove yourself from all my activities now? It's tedious, and although I am sure you are just looking out for me I don't need my own personal shadow."
The ginger's eyes widened. "I am not trying to be your mother! I just want to make sure you remember who you are dealing with- this is Malfoy we are talking about after all. You never really know what is going on in that slimy git's head! I just want you to be careful."
She sighed, deciding that Ginny was probably going to keep denying any of the points Hermione brought up. She really didn't have time for this girl right now anyways. "I am being safe Ginny, now will you please trust me that I know what I'm getting into? I have been going to school with Malfoy longer than you have; I know how to handle him." A mental image of their third year flashed through her mind, and she couldn't help her smile at the memory; no matter how she felt about the blond now, in that moment punching him had felt amazing.
The girl gave her a look. "Well, if you're sure…"
"I've been sure since I stepped out here," she huffed, tired of the conversation. "Now I do need to go; I have some things to attend to with Malfoy, and the longer I stand here speaking with you the harder to work with he will be. He will make the rest of my day a living hell if I make him wait any longer."
Her words did nothing to comfort the redhead on this strange relationship, but she only nodded in response. Hermione gave her arm a quick "thank you" squeeze before she turned and continued on her way. She didn't hear any footsteps, and by the time she had rounded the next corner she decided Ginny had finally taken the hint and was not going to follow along. Perfect.
On her way she passed Snape. It was just a normal reaction, but she felt herself unconsciously moving further across the hall from him until they were past each other. Only when her shoulder hit the wall did she realize how out of her way she had gone to be away from the man. Damn him, she would have to figure out just what was up with him, and soon, before she lost her sanity trying to come to a conclusion. She was already letting herself believe that Malfoy of all people was telling the truth, and she hoped that she could come to terms with all of this someday. But for now, she had other things to attend to.
When she arrived at her dorm door, she noted that Malfoy was nowhere in sight. Whispering her password, she glanced around.
"This came for you Granger," he called, startling her. She looked over in the direction of his voice, watching him come out of the shadows from behind an armor suit, something thin in his hand. He tossed the piece of paper to her; it was a letter actually.
"Do you always have to sneak around," she hissed, stepping inside her room with Malfoy hot on her heels. The portrait slid shut as she dropped her bags on the couch.
"I am a Slytherin; of course I have to sneak around." He crossed his arms, inclining to the letter in her hand as she took a seat. "Read that."
It was a demand, not a request, and she turned her gaze hard as she continued to look on at him. "Must you be so persistent? It's my mail after all, I will read it when I please. I am certain you didn't bring your own letters up here just for me to read."
He rolled his eyes. "Quit being fucking difficult and read it will you?"
Hermione inclined an eyebrow at this. He seemed a bit tense concerning this piece of mail. Flipping the letter over, she discovered why. There on the front was her name, postmarked by one of the few people Malfoy still seemed to truly hate; Viktor Krum.
Part 4: If They Only Knew, 1999 (Life Six)
Severus Snape
He sat at his desk, fingering a quill. The discussion with Hermione Granger earlier in the day had gone exactly as he had hoped; the girl was confused, on edge, and worried, just as he had expected. And to make matters even better, Draco Malfoy was shooting him death glares in the corridors now, which was something that only made the greasy man smirk.
He knew they were the ones. It had taken a lot of thought at first when things started coming to, and he had slipped into hiding for a while. Confused and unsure about what was going on in his very mind, he had missed out on the very end of the war and Voldemort's defeat. That didn't really matter though, since he was having an inner war.
It had taken almost two months for him to realize why his memories only dated back to the 1500's. It seemed that this set of years had a specific meaning to him, something that had once bothered him but was now slowly piecing itself together. And when school began again and it was out that he had survived, the answer to everything came to him.
Hermione Granger had once co.-existed in his past lives with him, and she had once been someone of his fancy. But it seemed that she would forever be kept in the dark about the hidden truths. Her close involvement and perhaps even trust with Draco could only be the result of her own memories coming back into her mind. But the real question was, how much did each of them understand about his current role within Hogwarts's? By this time they had to understand that he did remember something, especially after the specific things he told the girl. It was his entire point to strike at her first.
She might not understand, but he knew that Malfoy did. He may have only ever crossed paths with them in one other lifetime, but it was enough. After so much time contemplating and using his advanced potion skills to help ease the kayos of his mind, he had come to some horrible conclusions that he was all too eager to fulfill.
He had not died in this life yet, and he had been granted something more in that near death moment. But was this sight of his past a gift of a curse? He knew naught, only that those two students were key pieces in one of his lifetimes, the only time he could recall that he died an ill-fated death.
He wasn't sure yet if the Granger girl understood fully what was happening, but he could almost assume that Malfoy did. For a boy of eighteen, his eyes held the knowledge of someone centuries older than he, and that was the indicator to Snape that perhaps the boy possessed the same ability he now did. And perhaps if the boy was not a star in his memories, a star that went through with evil deeds, he could've gone to the boy for help in this situation, and they may have spoken.
But there were reasons they could not do that, reasons that would be brought into the light very soon. He picked up his wand, thinking of all the things that slim piece of wood could do to a person. The only question was who deserved the punishment for what had happened? Hermione or Draco?
He tapped his chin thoughtfully. That truly was the daunting question in his mind.