Finally! I kind of had to force them but the creative juices are flowing again! Pre-cal sucks and anthropology (a nice math free major with all the history and culture I love) is sounding more tempting but I will not give up on aerospace! Not until they kick me out for such horrific math skills that put pilots in danger. Okay I'm joking, I'm not that bad but I know I'm not the top of the top in that area so I do get nervous about it.
I am hoping some writing will make you guys happy and make myself less anxious about these classes. A win-win for all.
Disclaimer: unnecessary at this point
Hermione wove her way quickly through the crowded room until she reached Severus and his friend. She kept her head down trying to avoid drawing attention to herself and was happy to see that the attention had shifted from her dress back to the stories she inspired and finally to completely unrelated topics typical for the event.
When she reached her destination she was prevented from greeting the boys by Slughorn's booming voice. "Miss Jean, how wonderful it is to see you at my little gathering finally. I am not at all surprised that you would find the time despite your busy schedule or to see you coming to talk to Mr. Snape so quickly. You know, Mr. Malfoy, I was the first one to put these two together and they make wonderful potions partners, best in the class of course. Not a surprise given his skill and her apparent talent at everything. Yes, this young lady will go far in the world. I hope you don't mind if I steal her for a moment, they are some people here she just has to meet." Hermione did not even have a chance to object before being thrown back into the crowd to meet with various scholars and politicians.
"How long do you think he'll keep her?" Lucius asked.
"A while, he likes her," Severus answered.
"Of course, she makes an interesting addition to his collection. A mystery girl of very high intelligence, no past, and apparently a decent amount of power; she could go far and he would claim a lot of the credit. So tell me what did he mean when he said he first put you two together?"
"First day of school she didn't have any supplies and he told me to share my text book because I just happened to be the one she sat next to."
"Oh yes he is a true genius," Lucius said sarcastically. "So how much have you told Miss Jean about the Dark Lord's offer?" Lucius' voice was barely a whisper now despite their position in an out of the way corner in a room to noisy to be overheard in anyway.
Severus sighed in his head, "Nothing yet, I'll tell her over the break, tomorrow perhaps."
"You are running out of time."
"I know that but you of all people should know this isn't an easy decision. Not something to decide on a whim."
"It is more difficult for you because it is unknown thanks to your upbringing in that disgusting muggle neighborhood. I had my father and family to guide, I have been prepared for this since I was very young."
"Some could call that brainwashing," Severus countered. "It seems my only choice would be to accept."
"It would be stupid not to," Lucius growled quietly.
"Hermione will not be so easy to convince and Lily will be impossible so don't even bother to mention it."
"A shame she wouldn't even consider it but at least there is a chance with Miss Jean who is much more valuable. I was hoping I could help you sway her tonight but that will become a bit more difficult. It would help if she knew what I was talking about."
"I'm sure you can come up with something. I'll talk to her in depth later, what exactly does the Dark Lord want with her anyway? I know I will be used for potions but I can't think of what her job would be."
"For now her support will do," Lucius replied as he waved over a floating tray of drinks to replace his empty glass. "She won't be asked to take the dark mark yet."
"But I will be," Severus stated surely, he knew there was no question about it.
"No, my dear friend, you will not be asked," the blonde said surprising his young companion, "You will be told."
"That does sound more accurate," the dark haired wizard mumbled under his breath as he saw Hermione coming back their way. She wasn't as gone as long as expected making Severus wonder how she escaped Slughorn's presence.
Hermione wasn't sure how she did it either but she was relieved nonetheless to be left to her own devices, hopefully for the rest of the evening. She headed back to where she had seen Severus earlier and once again spotted the two wizards. Severus had cleaned up his appearance a bit and looked almost handsome aside from his scowl. She briefly wondered how he would look with a smile on his face instead of a scowl or smirk.
Then her attention turned to his friend that Professor Slughorn had called Malfoy, a name that triggered her intuition once more. This time with irritation and a bubbling undertone that could almost be identified as hate. A hint of humiliation tinged the feeling and helped finalize this Malfoy in almost the same category as Pettigrew. Almost. She really needed to find out what the insecure Gryffindor did to her in the future. What surprised her though, after processing the initial feelings his presence and name caused, Hermione realized that she felt pity for him for who he had become. She examined his person quickly and precisely. One glance at the blonde's clothing and the self confident expression on his face gave evidence to the fact that this man was born into wealth and prestige. Even just standing there he seemed elegant and graceful; a trait the occasionally clumsy Hermione found herself jealous of. He looked as if he was above everyone else in the room and Hermione could see how easily such a man could cause the feelings that she was experiencing now. But she could not betray her feelings like she did with Dolohov, as far as she could tell this man had not attacked her directly at least so she put on a happy face for the party.
"That man does not take no for an answer. Is it like this at every gathering?" Hermione inquired when she finally stood beside Severus once again.
"He talks nonstop and brags about is connections but he'll only drag you around like that during the larger gatherings," Severus replied. "Hermione, I would like to introduce you to my friend, Lucius Malfoy."
The blonde aristocrat smoothly took Hermione's hand that she had held out for a handshake and placed a polite kiss on the back of it before smiling in a charming way. "Hermione, may I call you that? I have heard so much about you it seems your sudden appearance caused quite the stir, no one seems to know what to make of you."
"Mr. Malfoy…"
"Please, call me Lucius."
"Lucius," Hermione said hesitantly, "I was unaware, until tonight that is, that news of myself had gone beyond Hogwarts aside from the occasional comment. I wonder which of the fantastic rumors I've heard made it to the outside world."
"There are too many theories and hypothesis to count and a few are quite ridiculous. I was hoping you would tell me the real story."
Hermione shook her head, "I'm afraid that it is mystery even to myself. Surely you heard about the amnesia."
"Indeed I did but hoped that perhaps you remembered something."
"I'm sorry but I don't," the witch said a little annoyed. Couldn't she have a normal conversation with anyone?
Just then Slughorn announced that there would be music and dancing as he enlarged a corner of the room for this purpose. A waltz began to play and couples moved en mass towards the dance floor. There were no dances at Hogwarts so this was indeed a treat for many of the girls. Hermione however was not interested in dancing at all. She would have happily stayed right where she was if Lucius hadn't held out his arm for her. "I would be honored to have this dance, Hermione."
She didn't want to be rude to Severus' friend and soon found herself dancing a waltz with Lucius Malfoy. It was not so bad, he was quite talented, but he insisted on talking to her when awkward silence would have suited her better. At least he kept a respectable amount of distance between them as they danced unlike some of the other boys who were trying to mold themselves to their dates. Hermione noticed a wedding band on his left hand and figured that explained it. Not that she thought he found her attractive but it seemed to be a common action with everyone else.
"I've been told that you are quite the duelist, it is rare to find a female so talented in that field," Lucius began as they spun amongst the other couples.
"Yes I guess I am," Hermione said simply. There was nothing else she could say about the situation unless she wanted to tell him that it was a natural reaction against some kid who would eventually hurt her.
"And intelligent according to Severus who, as I'm sure you know, does not hand out compliments lightly."
Hermione blushed slightly and turned her eyes away from him minutely, missing the amused look on Lucius' face. "I'm surprised he does at all, he much prefers to insult people."
The dance was halfway over and Lucius wanted to get in something about the Dark Lord and gauge her reaction while he had her full attention. He would not dance with her again; after all she was most likely a mudblood. "Do you have any plans for after school?"
Hermione hesitated before giving an answer, "No, I'm not sure about anything after graduation."
"Understandable given the circumstances, do you know much about what is going on outside these walls right now?"
"I've heard things about a war."
"More like a very tense atmosphere due to some opposing politics. There have unfortunately been a few deaths in result."
"Sounds like more than just tension to me. What is it about exactly?"
"Mudbloods." Hermione froze at the word before collecting herself.
"Fear turns to prejudice which turns to hate," Hermione said mostly to herself, "History has a way of repeating itself for humans seem incapable to learn from their father's mistakes."
"I take it you are pro-mudblood?" Lucius sneered.
"I am most likely one myself and even if I'm not I do not see the difference. We are all human and our ability to use magic should only strengthen our bond. I can understand—but do not agree with—why some believe muggles are inferior because they do not possess the powers we do but no matter who your parents are if you possess magic then you belong in the wizarding world."
"Allow me to help you understand, it is not merely out of hate. We wish to preserve our heritage. To protect our culture from outsiders who can never truly understand. Is it so different than when muggles exclude immigrants?"
"It is no different but that doesn't make it right."
"We only wish to keep our magic strong and keep the future bright. Besides you may not be a mudblood, you are intelligent and powerful you must be at least halfblood."
"Then why has no one claimed me?"
"Perhaps you were orphaned."
"Impossible to prove and irrelevant. I will not agree with anyone who senselessly kills because of a label."
Lucius began to speak in a hissing whisper, "The Dark Lord is not unwise. He and his followers know that not every pureblood is perfect and that a few mudbloods are worthy of their magic. Yourself included."
"You're a Death Eater aren't you?" she accused. Lucius did not respond though and instead led Hermione off the dance floor as the music ended. He took her to where Severus was standing. He had watched the entire dance and became angrier by the second. Hermione obviously did not want to dance with Lucius and he was only upsetting her. He also found himself glaring daggers of jealously at his friend for getting to dance with her.
As the next song started Lucius practically pushed Hermione into Severus' arms and took his cane from his friend who had held it during the dance. "Good luck," Lucius whispered into Severus' ear with a double meaning as he nudged the reluctant couple to the dance floor.
Severus could kill Lucius right now. He was going to humiliate himself attempting to dance with Hermione, he had never learned to before. He watched the other couples and attempted to copy their movements. Thankfully the song was such that everyone pretty much ended up just swaying to music, unfortunately that just made it seem more awkward between himself and his partner. Without any steps to focus on he could only focus on how he was holding Hermione, how close she was, and how angry Lucius left her.
"How do you know him?" Hermione asked accusatorily.
"From school."
"He's involved with You-Know-Who," she stated quietly.
"Not here," Severus cautioned, "I'll explain tomorrow, there are a lot of things you need to know."
"I have a feeling I won't like any of them."
"Trust me you won't." The rest of their dance was nondescript aside from the fleeting moment when Hermione's eye caught sight of Lily, James, and Remus watching her dance with Severus Snape.
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