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Not As It Seems	By : SailorSol Category: Harry Potter > General > General Views: 4953 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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Not As It Seems

Chapter 15

The first Hogwarts trip to Diagon Alley was very nearly a disaster.

Students flooed to the Leaky Cauldron by special arrangement and went out into the Alley in groups. They had been cautioned to be in groups no smaller than three.

Pansy nearly dragged Hermione to a less-frequented part of Diagon Alley and through a lacquered and polished door with nothing but the street number on it.

�Miss Parkinson!� a slender man with elaborate makeup on bustled up to them, his face alight. �We were expecting you and your friends! Your mother and the other ladies are in room A. The instructors are waiting for you.�

�What instructors?� Hermione asked. �What have you gotten me into, Parkinson?�

�What you need,� Pansy said firmly. �If you want this relationship to be serious, you have to learn some of the things that are expected of high-bred witches. One of them is looking beautiful no matter what. Since you obviously don�t have a clue, we decided to take it upon ourselves to help educate you.�

�Are you sure this is necessary?� Hermione asked.

�Absolutely,� Millicent said, helping to pull Hermione towards the designated room. �You can look whatever way you want during school, and if you�re working or studying. When the occasion demands it, though, you need to be able to transform yourself into a creature so lovely that every man in the room will drop to their knees in worship.�

�You�ve done this?� Hermione asked, eyeing the other Slytherin in disbelief.

�Well,� Millicent said. �Spells and such can only do so much. I promise you, though, that I go from offensive to acceptable.�

�Don�t listen to her,� Pansy said, dragging Hermione through the door. �The spells you are about to learn could turn Ronald Weasley into a pretty girl. We do the day to day ourselves, and then we go someplace like this for a special occasion or when we need some extra pampering.�

�Pansy and came here after OWLs,� Millicent said. �We needed it, after that. After the staff here is done, you wouldn�t care if you failed your exams.�

Hermione froze and fixed Millicent with such a look of outrage that both of the other girls burst out laughing. More laughter came out from the room they were entering.

�Well,� Pansy said. �Maybe YOU would.�

�Girls,� Pansy�s mother, a woman who bore very little resemblance to her daughter spoke up amongst the merriment. �We don�t have all day. Shall we begin?�

~*~*~*~

When Hermione exited the spa two hours later, she bore little resemblance to the bushy-haired witch that had entered. She had been taught spells that would tame her hair and hold it in place even in a hurricane. She knew charms to keep her makeup in place even if she got thrown in the lake. She could dry her hair with a murmured word, and remove wrinkles or stains from her clothing with two others.

All three girls were wearing new clothes, and they had been primped within an inch of their lives.

All of their happiness disappeared when they heard several shrill screams and the shouts of spellcasting.

Without thinking of any danger, all three girls drew their wands and rushed towards the commotion.

When they reached the chaos, they immediately knew that the situation was very serious.

Harry, Draco, Castor, and Pollux were in a square facing outward, defending themselves from several dark robed wizards. The twins seemed to be countering or deflecting curses while Harry and Draco fired back at their attackers.

All around, Aurors were engaged in duels with figures wearing the masks of Death Eaters. At the far end of the fight, Lucius Malfoy, Snape, and Aquila were fighting a desperate battle to get to the four boys in the center.

�Which fight do we join?� Pansy asked, looking back and forth in confusion.

Hermione looked around quickly, trying to figure out what to do. A glimpse of purple caught her eye and she turned her head towards the source.

Dumbledore was framed in a second story window, watching the fighting. Another wizard was standing next to him, his chin held high. Hermione concentrated on him, trying to commit his face to memory.

A cry of pain from Draco made her turn back to the fighting. Draco had dropped his wand and was holding his arm, where there was a bloody rent in his shirt and jumper.

�Draco!� Pansy screamed. She jumped forward, casting whatever spells she could think of, trying to get to her friend. Without question or pause, Millicent followed her, guarding her and sending a few hexes of her own at the wizards attacking the quartet.

Hermione started forward, intent on helping Harry, when suddenly her world filled with a flash of red light, and then she knew no more.

***** *****

Hermione regained consciousness lying flat on her back. She could hear other people around her, and could smell cotton sheets � and blood.

She opened her eyes wide and she sat up quickly, looking around. A bloody shirt was on a chair next to her bed.

�Harry?� she called out.

�Miss Granger, hush!� Madame Pomfrey scowled at her, and then turned back to a bed where Aquila and Snape bent on either side of a pale, still form. Lucius and Draco Malfoy stood at the foot of the bed, watching. Draco�s shoulders were heaving with silent sobs.

Aquila straightened and looked at the nurse.

�I�ve done everything I can,� she said. �It would be easier if we knew what curse hit him. I remember that there were a lot of them flying, but the one that hit him wasn�t just some random occurrence. Someone deliberately targeted him, and quite possibly arranged the whole fight as a diversion.�

�Do you have any theories, Madame Snape,� Lucius said softly. �Or are you as in the dark as the rest of us?�

�It wasn�t Voldemort,� she said. �From everything I�ve been told, he wants to kill Harry himself, preferably with many witnesses. This tactic would have left too much to chance, including the certainty that Harry died by his hand. This makes me think that someone else has entered the war.�

�There were Death Eaters there,� Lucius said.

�They didn�t attack the students,� Aquila argued. �They very well may have been parents, summoned by the danger to their children. Many pureblood parents put such charms on their underage offspring. How did you know to be there, Malfoy?�

�As you said,� he said, smiling. �I knew that Draco was in danger that had nothing to do with school.�

�That proves my point,� Aquila said. �I also notice that no one said anything about seeing Voldemort or my parents.�

�Of course not,� Lucius said smoothly, smiling at his liege�s child. �You are a grown witch, and presumably able to defend yourself.�

�I think you should be gone before the Headmaster gets here,� Aquila said. �And remember that Draco is no longer your responsibility.�

�He is still my son,� Lucius said. �I will come to defend him when it is necessary. Whatever you may think of me, madam, I love my son.�

�I never said you didn�t, Lucius,� Aquila said quietly. �I�m sure you need to get back and report � to Draco�s mother, if nothing else.�

�Yes,� he said. He squeezed Draco�s shoulder once, nodded to Snape, and swept out of the room.

�Professor?� Hermione said, climbing out of the bed and crossing to stand next to Draco. �What happened to Harry?�

�We are not certain, Miss Granger,� Snape said. �Anything further should not be said here.�

�Yes sir,� Hermione said without taking her eyes from Harry�s face. There was a healed cut on one cheek, and a bruise on his chin. Neither of them looked like they should keep him from consciousness.

She was distracted from contemplating her friend by the doors to the Hospital Wing opening, and Dumbledore entering, followed by McGonagall.

The Deputy Headmistress walked straight to Hermione and began looking her over carefully and casting diagnostic spells so that she could see for herself that her ward had suffered no permanent damage.

Dumbledore walked over to stand next to Snape, peering anxiously at Harry through his spectacles.

�Has he moved at all, Severus?� Dumbledore asked. �Perhaps he would react better if Mister Weasley came in. They have been friends for many years.�

�He didn�t respond to my voice, Headmaster,� Hermione said. �What can we do?�

�Everything that can be done has been done, Miss Granger,� Dumbledore said, regarding her over his glasses. �All we can do now is hope and wait.�

Dumbledore walked over to Hermione, patted her shoulder in what was meant to be a comforting gesture, and left the room.

Hermione watched him go with a pensive look on her face, and then sidled up next to Snape.

�Professor,� she murmured, carefully watching Madam Pomfrey as she tended to other injured students. �Can we talk later?�

�Yes, Miss Granger,� Snape murmured. �In the meantime, I think you should know that Castor Von Der Lippe is at this moment sitting at his brother�s bedside, behind that screen over there. When you see me leave, you should make your way down to the dungeons. Be careful that you do not run afoul of Mister Weasley. He is haunting the corridor outside, at the moment.�

�Thank you, Professor,� Hermione said. She hurried away and carefully made her way around the screen that Snape had indicated.

Castor was sitting on the edge of a bed, and Pollux was sitting in the bed. There were bloody bandages in a basin in Pollux�s lap, and he was holding a fresh bandage to the left side of his face.

The two of them were speaking quietly in German.

Hermione cleared her throat, looking anxiously around to see why no one had stopped Pollux�s bleeding.

Both brothers looked at her, and then Castor got to his feet and indicated the side of the bed.

�He was just asking if you had wakened,� Castor said. �Pay little mind to the blood. The nurse has given him a blood replenishing potion. The bleeding will not be stopped magically. It must stop on its own.�

�What happened?� Hermione asked, sitting down on the bed.

�I was hit with a spell, liebchen,� Pollux said, reaching for her hand. �I am told that a potion can make the scars disappear as soon as the healing process is finished.�

�Can I see?� Hermione asked.

Pollux lowered the bandage so that she could see three parallel cuts from his forehead to his chin, barely missing his eye.

�That�s terrible,� Hermione said. �I may know some way to stop the bleeding, although I�m told it hurts.�

�It cannot hurt more than these bandages on raw flesh,� Pollux said. �Will I still have your attention with my face disfigured?�

�You know that your face has nothing to do with my attention,� Hermione said, smiling softly. �I don�t care what you look like.�

�Speaking of which,� Pollux said, lifting her hand to his lips and kissing her knuckles gently. �You look marvelous, even disheveled after the fight.�

�Thank you,� Hermione said, blushing.

�You said that you may know something to stop the bleeding?� Castor asked.

�Yes,� Hermione said. �I have to check with some of the muggleborn boys. It�s something that muggle men use when they cut themselves shaving. I�ll go see what I can find out.�

She squeezed Pollux�s hand and then released it. She got up and hurried out, eager to do something, anything, to help.

***** *****

Hermione crept down to the dungeons after everyone was in bed. She had been unable to get away to talk to Snape, but she felt the need to speak to Snape even more urgently than before. She had never had a feeling like this before, but she also felt that she should not ignore it.

She reached Snape�s office without incident, and she slipped inside, only to find it dark and silent. A door at the far end of the office was ajar and light came from beyond it.

She walked over to the door and put a hand on the latch, and then froze as she heard a strange voice.

�We still have been unable to discover who instigated the incident in Diagon Alley today,� the voice said. �I will not stop until we do. No matter what may be said about me, I never deliberately involved children. Upper years are one thing, they are near enough to adults. First through third years are too young.�

�You�re a fine one to speak, Father,� Aquila said quietly. �Who was it that insisted I know more curses than the average Slytherin before I went to Beaubaton?�

�That was for your protection,� the other voice, apparently Voldemort�s said. �You were going in as Rudolphus Lestrange�s daughter. You were going to be a target.�

�It certainly stood me in good stead,� Aquila said. �I just wish this generation were as well prepared.�

�How is Pollux?� Voldemort asked.

�Miss Granger found a compound that stopped the bleeding,� Aquila said. �After that, a few potions made the cuts close up. As soon as they�re healed, Severus can give him a salve to make the scars disappear.�

�So, Miss Granger knows more than spell work,� Voldemort said. �That is good. How are they otherwise?�

�The curriculum at Durmstrang is more demanding than here, father,� Aquila said soothingly. �They were well prepared to defend themselves. Pollux got distracted when Miss Granger was hit with a stunning spell.�

�Which is why I sent their mother away as soon as she was pregnant,� Voldemort said. �It is also why I made certain that Bellatrix and Rudolphus sent you out of the country for your schooling. A battlefield is no place to have someone you care for nearby.�

�It seems to have made Severus more vicious,� Aquila said, chuckling. �I don�t think the Aurors cared for being hit with his potions and spells combined.�

�One of those aurors was aiming at you,� Snape�s voice joined the conversation. �I was not about to allow him to cast whatever spell he had in mind.�

The door in Hermione�s hand moved a bit, she looked down to see what was causing it, and then gasped in terror.

The largest snake she had ever seen was staring up at her.

�Come in, Miss Granger,� Voldemort�s voice invited her. �You have no doubt been listening, and I would like to know what you needed to tell Severus earlier.�

The snake nudged the door open further, leaving Hermione revealed in the doorway. It then turned away, passing near Aquila for a caress, and then coiling around Voldemort�s chair.

TBC
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Not As It Seems