Winter's Shadow

Chapter 16

All She Wants For Her Birthday

Draco promised Hermione he would wait for her instead of leaving ahead of time to meet the guys before they flooed to Diagon Alley. He waited and watched Hermione exit the Head Girl's room with a long Scarlet jacket on.

"Granger, do you really think it will be that chilly?" Draco asked as they entered the corridor.

She looked at him and smiled patting his cheek. "No, in fact, it will be rather warm this evening."

Something told Draco he didn't want to know. Especially when he noticed Harmony, Ophelia, Pansy, and Ginny all wearing similar jackets.

Dumbledore smiled at Draco's arrival with the girls. Dumbledore sat at his desk watching the gathering. Remus stood near the fireplace talking with Harry and Ron. Professor Snape stood by the window alone and scowling. Sirius stood in front of the Headmaster's desk talking to him. Draco walked in shaking his head at the voice in his head telling him they were up to something. Everyone looked up at their arrival.

Hermione saw Sirius immediately.

"Sirius! You made it!" She rushed to the man wrapping her arms around him hugging him tight. As she hugged him she saw Snape scowling even more so at the window in front of her. With a smile at Snape, Hermione turned her attentions to Sirius. "I am so thrilled you made it!"

Pulling away Sirius looked Hermione up and down and then to the other girls.

"What's this about?" He asked indicating the jackets.

Winking at him, she walked away. "You'll see."

Dumbledore stood noticing they were all ready for their departure.

"Alright. Professor Lupin and Professor Snape have your itinerary. Everything is settled with someone named Jerry at your first stop?" Hermione nodded to the curiosity of the others. Each took a pinch of floo powder in turn and left Dumbledore's office for Diagon Alley.

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Remus held the door of the Leaky Cauldron open for everyone to exit onto the London streets. Sirius stood next to him. As Hermione passed by Sirius leaned over to whisper into Remus' ear. Snape was not far behind Hermione.

"So, Snape," began Remus, "I hear you lost your house house points." Sirius howled with laughter while Snape glared. A smile formed on Hermione's lips. "Yep," Remus continued, "it would seem our Hermione is growing up."

"You can say that again." Sirius mumbled hoping no one heard him, but Snape and Remus did.

Together the group walked until they came to a club called Mysticus. They all entered and to Snape's dismay there was a table waiting for them front and center to the dance floor. A short plump man approached the table.

"You girls ready or do you need a dressing room?"

"Hey Uncle Jerry!" Hermione hugged the small man. "We need the dressing room for the final touches." He motioned for them to follow. Harry and Ron looked at Draco for answers.

"Come on! You share a common room!" Ron was frustrated with the lack of answers.

"Yes, and my life was threatened if I revealed anything so I stayed away. I am as clueless as you are."

They waited. The music stopped and the dancers cleared the floor--apparently the patrons understood why the music stopped. Snape's curiosity was not peaked however. Not until the lights displayed on the dance floor as if it was a stage and the music started. And that was not what peaked his curiosity--it was those around him. Harry's mouth fell open as did Ron and Draco's.

"Oh Merlin save me!" Draco verbalized what every male in the place was thinking. Snape turned his head to the dance floor.

The girls were there with Hermione in the front. It would not have truly been a shock anymore if not for the fact that they wore their Hogwarts uniforms minus the sweater, the skirts were about five inches shorter than they were supposed to be and their shirts--well, who knew the girls had THAT kind of cleavage at that age. Their hair was in pig tails adorned with ribbons matching their house colors. Snape felt all the color, what color there was, drain from his face. Never, in all his years of teaching, had any student looked like THAT in a school uniform. There was absolutely NO sign of that eleven-year-old first year under that uniform.

As the girls stepped into the light Hermione began to sing with a look directed at Snape that would make any man nervous.

"Oh baby, baby

How was I supposed to know

That something wasn't right here..." Hermione and the girls moved across the floor as if sneaking up on their prey. She stopped in front of Snape and saw he had trouble swallowing. She smiled knowing she was going to enjoy this.

"Oh baby, baby

I shouldn't have let you go

And now you're out of sight, yeah..."

The girls moved and Hermione danced her way from in front of Snape to Draco who sat next to him. Snape watched Hermione as she kicked her foot out to head toward Draco. The miniscule skirt flitted up flirting on lookers with a near view of more than her upper thigh. Sirius howled at Snape's reaction. When she stopped in front of Draco she danced around him stopping behind him to run her hands around his shoulders and down his chest as she sang out.

"Show me how you want it to be

Tell me baby cause I need to know now,"

She felt Draco's leg vibrate with nervous energy when her hand reached his upper thigh. Quickly she danced around in front of him again.

"Oh, because..."

Turning her back to Draco she danced over landing perfectly on her knees at Harry's feet. Her hands slowly moved up his legs.

"My loneliness is killing me and I

I must confess I still believe still believe..."

She could feel Harry shaking beneath her touch. 'Interesting...Harry reacting in such a way to ME?'

"When I'm not with you I lose my mind..." She danced her body up off the floor in front of Harry and moved across the boys again pausing in front of Snape.

"Give me a sign

Hit me baby one more time" As she turned to leave Snape for Sirius he watched her skirt swing dangerously across her thigh. She swung a leg across Sirius and slowly moved onto his lap. Her hands moved up his chest to his hair.

"Oh baby, baby

The reason I breath is you..." She barely moved her lips up Sirius' neck and felt him shiver. 'Odd...why would HE react like that?'

"Boy you got me blinded"

Reaching up she quickly bit his ear playfully.

"Oh pretty baby"

For a moment she thought Sirius stopped breathing.

"There's nothing that I wouldn't do"

Slowly she raised herself up from Sirius and threw herself onto Remus. He was not expecting one of his students to do this, or one of Harry's friends. He saw her skirt was only barely covering necessary parts when she landed in his lap. Quickly she moved her hands into his hair and tugged playfully yet forcefully.

"It's not the way I planned it..." She placed Remus' hands on her hips and leaned over only inches from his lips. She could hear a wolfish growl escaping the depths of his throat. 'Weird.'

"Show me how you want it to be

tell me baby cause I need to know now

oh because..."

Slowly moving off of Remus, who looked ready to attack, she circled Ron as the girls joined her for the chorus. As with the others, she left Ron trembling in his seat. When the girls rejoined closer to the center of the dance floor Remus and Sirius both shifted in their seat and looked at Snape. He was the only one she had not so much as touched. And now he seemed to be in a trance. Hermione's gaze centered on him again and everyone in the room felt the fear for Snape.

"Oh baby, baby how was I supposed to know..." She was looking up at Snape from kneeling at his feet. He wanted to look away to ask someone to get her off the floor in that skirt...to just get her away. But his eyes would not move. Slowly she found her way into his lap and placed her hand on his cheek and leaning into him just enough. 'Oh Gods! Does she KNOW what she is doing?' Hermione felt him jump slightly and could see his quick intake of breath. 'I was a Death Eater--she should FEAR me! I am going to kill Dumbledore!'

"Oh pretty baby, I shouldn't have let you go..." she moved her hands down his neck to his chest and with a shove lifted her self off and away from him..."I must confess, that my lonliness is killing me now..."

They watched the girls finish up their act. Remus turned to look at Snape and chuckled despite his own reactions to the girl.

"I think we know what Hermione wants for her birthday." The others laughed as they moved their chairs back up to the table.

Snape glared at Remus trying to seem repulsed by the idea.

"Lupin, not all of us wish to devour small children." Before anyone could comment the girls were running up to the table still in their outfits.

Sirius' mouth just hung open a bit as he watched Hermione. "And I know what I want for my birthday."

Everyone turned to look at Sirius as he smiled sheepishly. "I said that out loud didn't I?"

Snape looked away from Sirius rather irritated. "Unfortunately."

Harry looked as if he didn't know whether to laugh or be sick by Sirius' comment. The dance floor started to fill up again as the girls sat.

"Want to dance?" Sirius looked at Hermione. She nodded her approval and hopped up.

"Miss Granger." Snape's voice halted her movements to the dance floor. "Are you not going to change into something more...appropriate?" He eyed her up and down and then thought it best not to do that.

Hermione smiled at Snape in mock innocence. "I will change...after I dance with Sirius."

As Hermione took Sirius' hand and hopped off onto the dance floor with him, Sirius quirked his lips into his infamous Black smirk and looked at Snape. At a nearby table someone yelled to Hermione.

"Oh...no! Bring some of that over here." The man was patting his lap. Snape's head jerked toward the man's direction and eyes narrowed. Sirius dropped Hermione's hand and was already heading toward the man. Snape, seeing this, jumped up and intercepted Sirius. No one moved.

"Black, do you think this is wise?" Sirius glared at his old school mate hating that he was correct. Dumbledore would be furious if anything happened. Snape slowly turned toward the man. To anyway Snape could appear menacing when provoked--you don't have to be a Hogwarts student to experience this.

"Apologize." Snape said through gritted teeth. The man looked from Hermione to Snape and then back to Hermione. He looked her up and down in a way that caused Hermione to unconsciously take a step behind Sirius. Snape saw this and it angered him. Why couldn't she feel protected by Snape enough to stand behind him? Then he became angry with himself for even thinking such childish thoughts--'ridiculous.'

"Dishy little thing isn't she?" The man looked from Hermione back to Snape. "I fancy a go when you're done with her."

Snape would have been the one to fear if Hermione had not stepped out from behind Sirius at this.

"Pardon me?" She stood with her hands on her hips--complete confidence. Harry, Ron, and Draco exchanged looks trying to figure out whether to pity the man or enjoy the entertainment. The man smiled at Hermione in a way that made everyone around him uncomfortable as to WHAT he was capable of--but then this man didn't plan on Hermione Granger. She stepped forward in front of Snape. She moved forward still to close the space between her and this man, but on instinct Snape's arm reached out and grabbed her arm. She jerked it away still looking at this man--fire burning in her eyes. "You will NOT have a go at me! The only man in this room that I will even ALLOW to touch me in any way beyond platonic is THIS man!" She pointed at Snape who sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.... 'that damn Granger headache.'

Thankfully, the owner of the club, Jerry went over to see what was going on.

"Leave, now! I will not have my niece attacked in any way when visiting with friends." Two bouncers came up at Jerry's command and saw the man out. Hermione turned on her heals and led Sirius back out to the dance floor they were originally headed to.

Snape sat at the table watching the others dance. He watched Hermione dance with Sirius, Remus, Harry, and Draco. She was dancing with Sirius again and Snape did not like where his hands were. They were a little too close to areas he felt Sirius did not need to be near. Watching the skirt swaying across her upper thighs made him wonder if he would EVER look at the Hogwarts uniforms the same again. Quickly he squashed the thought and opted for the conversation he needed to have with his student.

Hermione's heart stopped when she saw Snape standing behind Sirius. It seemed he was trying not to sneer at Sirius when he asked to speak with Hermione. Sirius kissed her hand and walked off to sit at the table. Hermione moved to dance with him, but Snape stopped her arms before they made it around his neck. The force of the halt caused Hermione to gasp slightly.

"Miss Granger, we need to talk...now." He turned and walked off confident she would follow.

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Wormtail stood trembling in front of the snake-like lord. Lord Voldemort absently caressed his wand with the fingers of the hand he held it in...waiting. Waiting for Wormtail to tell him something useful.

"W-we know w-where he is, my lord."

"Get to the point."

Wormtail knew the Dark Lord's patience ran in short supply. Nervously he pointed to the blank wall behind Voldemort.

"Yes?" Ask Voldemort. Wormtail walked up to the wall and with a wave of his wand an image appeared. Snape was sitting at a table watching girls in very small Hogwarts uniforms dance and sing and one in particular seemed to stand out above the others--and she favored Snape. They watched in silence as the girl danced with Potter and his godfather and watched Snape approach the girl...

The evil grin on Voldemort's face let Wormtail know he was safe this time.

"Very well done Wormtail. It would seem the traitor does have a weakness and it is the girl destined with power to equal Potter's in my defeat...seems she would be quite fun at a Death Eater's meeting...don't you agree?"

Wormtail nodded his head spastically trying not to remember she was the eleven-year-old girl his "owner" Ron met in their first year. Together he and Voldemort continued watching the nights events unfold...