Winter's Shadow

Chapter 19

Firewhiskey

As anything in Hogwarts, rumors spread like wild fire as to why potions was cancelled that day. It ranged from the Head Girl petrifying him the night before to Snape the "vampire" being weakened from lack of blood to drink. Of course, one of these assumptions was correct. Hermione smiled as she walked the corridors to the common room.

Dropping her books off, she looked out her window and saw Harry, Ron, and Draco sitting under a tree near the lake. She laughed slightly as this was the same tree Harry watched his father sitting under with Sirius, Remus, and Peter in the pensive in fifth year. Odd, how history can repeat itself though with significant differences. Smiling, Hermione grabbed a book and headed out by the lake.

Walking across the grounds, Hermione noticed the sun was just starting to set as the brightly lit sky took on an illumination of orange. The boys seemed to be into their conversation and laughing about whatever it was. Draco, who was facing the direction Hermione was coming from, noticed her approach and waved her forward. Harry and Ron turned around seeing her and urged her forward. She began to jog slightly to get to them a bit sooner, anxious to join her friends.

"Hello, everyone." Hermione sat down on the grass across from Draco and next to Harry. She opened her book in her lap and began to read. The boys watched her for a few moments and then started to shake their heads.

"Why did you come over here?" Ron asked.

Hermione looked up and straight to Ron with a look that sent chills down the boy's spine.

"I don't know, Ron. I enjoy being with my friends, but that does not mean I must discuss quidditch in order to enjoy the company." She went back to reading. Harry and Draco were suppressing their laughter.

The boys' quidditch conversation continued. While Hermione read, she noticed something small, gold, and fluttering in front of Draco. She didn't think anything of it until the gold object fluttered its way over the book she was reading and Draco snatched it. Seeing his hand shoot out in front of her face suddenly startled her more so than seeing the golden snitch hovering above her book.

"Draco, what are you doing with the golden snitch?"

Draco smirked and looked at Harry and Ron and then back at Hermione who was obviously expecting an answer. "I nicked it." He let it go and just as it got out of reach, he grabbed it winking at Hermione.

"How DO you ride your broom with such a large head?"

She went back to her reading. The boys' were laughing still when Remus and Sirius walked up. The two men seemed amused about something themselves. Harry scooted over for Sirius to sit next to him in between him and Hermione and Remus sat on the other side of Draco. Everyone looked at Remus waiting to hear some word on Snape. Well, that is, everyone except Hermione.

"He's fine. WHOEVER petrified him was quite powerful herself and thus it took a while to undo." Remus' mouth twitched.

"Yeh, he's in a right state too." Sirius stole a glance at Hermione and then at Remus. "Apparantly he had been asleep on his sofa and he must have been dreaming when whoever petrified him woke him."

"How do you know he was dreaming?" Harry asked.

"Because when he was petrified, he was in quite a stiffened state already."

Harry, Ron, and Draco immediately began laughing. Hermione's head jerked up from her book.

"WHAT?"

All laughing stopped and heads turned toward her. Draco's mouth turned up into a sly evil grin. "So it WAS you?" A hint of new found respect for her sounded in his voice.

"Blimey, Hermione!" Harry was shaking his head in disbelief. "If I didn't know you were muggle born I would swear you were meant for Slytherin."

Ron nodded his head adamantly. Sirius turned to look at Harry a bit confused. "What? Harry, your mother was muggle born."

Remus cleared his voice, pulling Sirius' attention to him. Harry crinkled his forehead looking at Sirius. "Yes, I know. What does that have to do with anything?"

Hermione watched Remus give a quick shake of his head as Harry asked his question. Sirius looked back to Harry. "Nothing, Harry." Through the corner of his eye, Sirius could see Hermione watching him curiously. Sirius and Remus said their goodbyes and left the students to carry on.

After another fifteen minutes, they decided to go back to the castle. Students and staff were already heading to the Great Hall. After dinner Hermione and Draco, as Heads, had a meeting with the prefects concerning the Halloween ball. Dumbledore already told Draco and Hermione that it would be a costume/masquerade ball. After the meeting Hermione went to Dumbledore's office to give him the list of which prefect was assigned which task.

"Miss Granger?"

Hermione stopped and turned around. "Yes, Professor?"

Dumbledore seemed to study the girl for a moment before he beckoned her forward. She slowly made her way back to her seat in front of his desk. With a smile, he pulled out a necklace--the onyx necklace. Hermione opened her mouth to protest, but Dumbledore held a hand up.

"Miss Granger, I am asking you to wear this for your own safety. This is not about Severus, but you." Nodding her head, knowing it was the only acceptable answer, she let the silver wrap around her neck again.

"Thank you, Professor."

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Hermione kept her distance from Snape the following week. He was not sure if he should be relieved or worried. He decided to be worried during the Gryffindor's last Potions class before their Hogsmeade visit. As usual, Snape was scanning the mundane thoughts of his students. Hermione's set him on edge. As she typically did in class, music was in her thoughts. She did this because he only scanned surface thoughts therefore she would maintain music on the surface while in deep thoughts of him. Why did he bother to kiss her if he sees her as nothing more than a child? Which, she is not. Why does he get so defensive when she affects him in any way?

The music playing in her head was the same that was in his dream the night she petrified him. He chose to ignore this and continued with class as if nothing ever happened. To his dismay, Hermione left the dungeon class after the bell rang without so much as a glance back. He didn't want to think about why it bothered him so. Instead he tried to distract himself with a weekend afternoon's escape to Hogsmeade and his need to purchase another bottle of Firewhiskey.

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Hermione stood in front of one of the racks at Gladrags Wizardwear. Flipping through the costumes, she paused long enough to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear. She was slowly becoming exasperated. She needed the perfect Halloween costume for the costume party. Dumbledore thought it would be an excellent idea if masks were required no matter the costume. The evil side of Hermione laughed manically at the thought and what she could do to Snape...well, really she just wanted him to accept the fact they kissed, to accept the fact she had feeling for him and he, her.

Harmony, Ophelia, and Ginny joined her search when they found their costumes. Every costume they held up Hermione seemed to detest stating it had to be perfect--something to get Snape's attention no matter who she was or who he thought she was. Finally, an uncharacteristic squeal came from Hermione.

"I found it! It is perfect!" She held it up for the others. Ginny dropped the costume she was holding. Harmony and Ophelia looked at each other and exchanged their usual evil grin that typically warned danger ahead.

"H-Hermione?" The sound of Harry's apprehensive voice pulled Hermione's attention to the boy-who-lived that now stood off to the side looking shocked.

"Harry, my costume is NOT to be public knowledge. If you tell a soul I will hex you in so many ways Voldemort won't recognize you. Is that clear?"

Harry found it hard to swallow or speak so he nodded his head in agreement. It wasn't until Hermione paid for her costume that Harry found the ability to speak.

"Everyone is waiting for us at The Three Broomsticks. Sirius came to see us."

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Snape sat at the bar in the Three Broomsticks slowly drinking a goblet of firewhiskey. The ring of a bell let him know someone had entered and out of curiosity and habit, he glanced at the door. Potter was walking in with the young Weasley at his side and followed by Granger and her two friends.

He watched them walk over to Malfoy, Weasley, and Black. Black stood holding a chair out for Hermione and she hugged him hello. Something gripped Snape at seeing this and he didn't really want to think about why. Sirius seemed to have noticed however. When they all sat down Sirius looked in Snape's direction and put his arm around Hermione's neck. He used his arm to pull her in closer and whispered something in her ear that made her smile. As he pulled away from her ear, Sirius looked directly at Snape and with his typical smile he winked.

Snape stood up, grabbing the bottle of Firewhiskey he had purchased and swiftly left for the castle.

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"Wormtail!"

The mousy rat-like man ran through the manor to his master. He knelt pleading his allegiance and then stood wringing his hands in anxiety. The snake like man stood before him--grinning.

"Halloween, Wormtail. It will happen on Halloween."