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This Is The Way The World Ends.	By : tulipsaside Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Snape/Hermione Views: 7312 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
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.

Chapter List
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Chapter 3. The Living Dead.

The start of term was just as nerve wracking as it was in her own time. They were expected to wait by the lake for Hagrid to bring in the first years. Hermione could feel the tension radiating off Harry as they watched Hagrid float to the shore. The last time either of them had seen the friendly giant was during the battle, and it was an unpleasant memory like so many others.

She could remember flashes of it as the trio ran to Hogwarts screaming that the Death Eaters were poised for attack. Even as they were shouting to the professors to hurry, the Death Eaters were storming the grounds. She could see Hagrid throwing the cloaked figure from his chest toward the forest by his hut as they attacked from all sides, could see him as he fell to the ground, gleaming with the deadly mist of green around him. She shook her head vigorously trying to rid herself of the memory. Watching as Hagrid pulled the boats onto the shore.

"All�ight you two? I�m to take �yer to the castle with the rest �o this lot." He said in his big friendly and booming voice.

Harry coughed before reaching his hand out to the giant. "I�m Harry Granger and this is my sister Hermione."

Hermione stuck a shaking limb into Hagrid�s massive paws.

"Rubeus Hagrid, though Hagrid will do fine." He chuckled. " Right, First Years this way." He stepped aside and trudged to the boats that would take them to the glowing castle.

Hermione let out a shaky breath as she followed close behind with Harry. The castle never ceased to impress her with its brilliant glow and warmth that seem to wrap you up in it as soon as you stepped through the front doors. She looked fondly at the suits of armour and moving portraits on the walls. Even with her aching knee and horrid memories, she felt the nostalgia of being eleven once again. She heard the whispers of the children around her, the glee of wonder in their tones. She felt her eyes tear as she longed to be in their shoes. To feel the weight lifted from her shoulders, to be young and naive, to simply forget what was.

"First Years, this way please, this way." Professor McGonagall�s voice broke through Hermione�s thoughts. Her breath hitched in her throat to see her beloved Professor, so much younger, so very alive standing before her. Her mind shifted and she could feel herself recollecting the horrid death of her mentor. Harry�s hand was on her shoulder in a second.

"�Mione, it is all right, calm down. Keep your head." His words were soft and commanding and she found that she could focus better now.

"Thank you, Harry." He smiled down at her.

The front doors to the Great Hall opened as Harry and Hermione moved swiftly behind Professor McGonagall. They strode down the main isle eyes sweeping over the house tables. Nothing seemed to have changed really, apart from the new faces of the students around them and the new or rather old Professors at the head table, nothing seemed any different from their time at Hogwarts. Hermione smiled, even twenty years in the past Hogwarts still felt like home.

Her foot faltered as Harry stopped quickly in front of her, sending a jab of pain into her knee. She looked to where his head was turned and understood immediately what he had halted her for. There, two tables down, where the Marauders, or more importantly where his family sat. A family he had never properly known.

"Harry, don�t draw attention to yourself, move." She whispered, dragging him along, hoping to blend in with the other students. �Idiot,� she thought, was he trying to muck everything up before they even had a chance to sit down.

They reached the head table where the Sorting Hat and stool waited. Dumbledore stood raising his hands to the chattering students. The hats brim split open revealing a wide leathery mouth from which it started to sing.

" A hat like me is capable

Of quite a many things,

However, what you choose to use me for

Is that of yearly sortings.

You�ll shove me on your tiny heads

For me to read your thoughts.

I�ll listen quite attentively

Before I sort the lot.

And then I�ll sing from my brim

The house to which you�ll go,

And scurry off the podium

To the place, you will call home.

Listen well, for I sing it once,

The houses and their traits.
In Gryffindor, you will find

the bravest of the lot,

Who have no fear, with lions

living in their heart.

Ravenclaw, the bright and quick,

Who think before they talk.

Hufflepuff, just and true,

The loyal ones through and through.

And Slytherin, a mighty house,

Who hold something from all three

They�re brave and loyal,

though to themselves,

With quite a lot of smarts,

these cunning friends had no qualms

About getting what they want.

So put me on

And let me see

If I�ve yet to lose my touch,

For only then shall you know

The trueness of your heart.�

The Great hall broke into applause as the Hat finished his song. McGonagall then stood before them unrolling the scroll in her hand and began to read of names.

Three Hufflepuff�s, two Slytherin�s, a Ravenclaw and two Gryffindors later.

"Harry Granger" Hermione poked Harry in the ribs to remind him that he was indeed Harry Granger now. He walked slowly to the hat before taking a seat on the stool. The Hat fit snugly around his head for a few moments before its wide brim opened and "Gryffindor" rang through the hall. She could see his face light up as he sprinted towards the table. Taking a seat, three students down from Lily and Remus.

"Hermione Granger." Professor McGonagall called.

Hermione walked up to the hat still seething about how easy it was for Harry to forget why they had come, and what they needed to do. The hat fitted to her head before its voice rang in her mind.

"I�ve sorted you before, in Gryffindor I suspect, but now I see a better fit. You may not be devious but very clever, cunning and astute. You have a plot that you�ll see through despite your brave and foolish heart"

Hermione held her breath. She needed to be in Gryffindor to keep an eye on Harry. He was bound to let something slip if she was not there. She could not trust him to be alone with them.

"Slytherin!" The hats brim yelled causing her to yelp.

�Slytherin?� She thought, �Oh, if that wasn�t the last place I needed to be.� She caught Harry�s round and questioning eyes before she slowly walked to the Slytherin table. As much as a set back as this might seem, it was quite to her advantage. She could see how being a member of Slytherin could further on her plans to seek out Voldemort or at least keep a heads up on certain events.

She sat down, careful of her throbbing knee, at the end of the table. A few older students eyed her curiously before nodding to her. She watched the rest of the sorting, all the while trying to strain her eyes to the Gryffindor table to see if Harry had lost his patience in all the excitement and jumped across the table to his parents. The boy was literally fidgeting with delight. "Could he be any more obvious?" She shook her head. Dumbledore stood at the last of the sorting.

"Tuck in," he exclaimed.

The food was apparently always amazing even twenty years ago. She filled her plate and ate quietly. Harry, she had noticed had scooted down another seat in an attempt to reach the pumpkin juice which Hermione noticed was conveniently placed next to Remus Lupin. Hermione glared at his back, forcing her thoughts into the back of his mind with all her might.

"I take it you aren�t thrilled with the prospect of your brother being a Gryffindor?" Said a low and droning voice to her left.

She turned to stare at the boy next to her.

She stared at him in shock, Professor Snape, or what would be Professor Snape in a few years. Her heart missed a beat and felt her stomach drop out from underneath her. The traitor, the murderer. She covered her start with a cough.

"He has a tendency to get himself in to unsavoury situations, I had hoped we would have been sorted in the same house, he needs a lot of, " She paused, "attention." She said trying valiantly to be vague.

He raised an eyebrow at her and she had to bite back a laugh at the remarkable similarities. "In that case, you might want to warn him away from that lot." He said pointing vaguely to where James and Sirius were sitting.

"He will no doubt find himself in quite a few unsavoury situations if he continues to befriend them."

"I�ll make the suggestion to him as soon as possible." She said returning to her plate as a wave of memories flooded over her. How many ghosts from her past would haunt her thoughts. It was tough business she decided, Time Travel after a war was not something she would like to experience again, especially when she had to look into the faces of all men and women she had seen murdered.

"Severus Snape," he said looking at her coolly over his nose that she noticed had yet to be hooked.

"Hermione Granger."

"Dumbledore asked me to show you to the common room tonight. Our Prefect is currently unable to attain to you." He sneered. She was beginning to wonder if the Professor was born irritable.

She nodded to him before returning to her meal taking a bite as she looked up at the Gryffindor table again. Harry, she noticed was already adamantly talking to Remus and Sirius and for once in her life she prayed it was about Quidditch.

Hermione finished her meal quickly waiting for Dumbledore to make his start of term announcements before hopefully sprinting off towards Harry. Finally, Dumbledore stood to address the hall.

"Welcome back students and welcome to all the new faces. I hope this year is as rewarding as the last. I would like to remind all of you that the Forbidden Forest is still out of bounds to all students and the list on Caretaker Filch�s door is still prohibiting dung bombs and other dubious items. May I also, introduce Harry and Hermione Granger from Durmstrang who will be finishing their sixth year with us here. Please, make them both feel at home." He smiled warmly at Hermione before settling again into his chair.

Students then started to get up from their seats moving toward the doors to adjourn to their Common Rooms. She looked quickly to Professor Snape.

"Severus, please excuse me for a moment." She said hurriedly before limping quickly to where Harry was rising with the rest of the Marauders. She felt a wave of anger flood over her as she noticed, he had not once tried to get her attention through dinner.

"Harry," she called, not too kindly.

"Oh, hey �Mione," he said with a huge grin across his face.

"Might I speak with you a moment?" she said hissing through her teeth in what she hoped was a smile.

"Sure thing," He moved away from the group after asking if they would wait a moment.

She took a deep breath. " You do remember what I explained to you, right?"

"Of course, I haven�t breathed a word about it. I hadn�t even sent a dirty look Wormtail�s way." He said good-naturedly.

"I need you to promise me that no matter what happens or what you hear that you keep your mouth shut until we�ve had a chance to talk about this thoroughly."

"Absolutely, Hermione." He grinned then whispering into her ear. " I�d love to see Ron�s face after hearing you were re-sorted into Slytherin."

She smiled quickly, " Yes, imagine that a Muggleborn in Slytherin."

"I�ll talk to you tomorrow Hermione. Good luck." He grinned before hurrying off across the great hall to where Sirius and James had been waiting for him.

She groaned, " As if I don�t have enough to worry about." She said before walking back to her table.

"Ready?" Asked Severus looking up from his book as she reached the edge of the table. She nodded, following him out of the hall towards the dungeons. The quick walk was quiet and brooding. She tried hard to wipe the thoughts of her proud Professor fleeing into the night after murdering Dumbledore. Truth be told, she was not looking forward to Harry coming across this Snape.

Hermione, however had a nagging feeling that all their close calls and flawless information back in their future was coming anonymously from Severus Snape. Though Harry would hear no such thing from her mouth. But, still there just seemed to be missing pieces in the story of Severus Snape and his Unbreakable Vow.

She had watched him for years in the classroom, the steel in his posture, the rigid structure of his features, the arrogance and dignity surrounding him like the black cloaks he wore. Now she noticed twenty years prior to his austere soldiers march, his rigorous directives, and his sharp and biting commands. He seemed at sixteen more indulgent, less vicious, and even boundless.

Hermione sighed, even her aloof and distant Professor brought a torrent of emotion from her past. She shook her head, now everything had changed and instead of feeling young, playful and clever she felt tired. "So very tired," she sighed.

"We�re almost to the dorms." He said softly over his shoulder.

She quickened her pace keeping a matching stride with him.

Finally, they stopped at a dead end. Severus muttered, "Montreux," and tapped his wand on the third stone from the bottom. The wall then swung back revealing a small hallway leading to a glowing common room. She could hear the voices of the other dorm mates and a small uncertainty welled up in her. She could not help shaking the feeling of walking into the proverbial lair of snakes.

"The girls� dormitories are up to the right. Bellatrix will show you to your rooms." Severus waved a hand to the tall girl to his right, before turning on his heel and sweeping up the staircase to the boys� dormitories.

Bellatrix gave her an appraising look before stepping closer and whispering, "He�s always like that, you�ll get used to it."

Hermione nodded, it was much harder keeping her anger in check around this girl. She tried hard to separate the two identities of Bellatrix. On one hand she was Bellatrix Black a seventh year, young, arrogant, intelligent and on the other this was Bellatrix Lestrange who killed Sirius in Hermione�s fifth year, tortured Neville�s parents, murdered her classmates and professors, slithered to Voldemort on her belly to do his biding. Hermione breathed in deep through her nose trying hard to concentrate on the present. There was still hope, and for the first time Hermione felt concerned for Bellatrix and Severus and all the others that were getting ready to enter into a life that nothing could be gained from. If she needed any more incentive to work hard against Voldemort, this very moment solidified it for her. This was much bigger than just her future; it was everyone�s.

"There�s an empty bed over there to your right," said Bellatrix, "I�m here and Sophronia is next to me in that bed, Docherty next to you." She looked to Hermione.

"It�s a pretty quiet bunch, most of us have a lot of extra projects and clubs we go to, but they don�t start till a week into term."

"That�s fine," said Hermione, wondering how many had already joined a particular club that had nothing to do with exploding snap and chessboards.

"Right, well if there�s anything you need." Bellatrix shrugged.

"I�m sure I�ll be fine, it�s very similar to my old school."

Hermione said, distractedly walking to her bed. She worried her lip quickly before adding, "Thank you for your help."

Bellatrix stared for a moment before nodding, "Goodnight."
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This Is The Way The World Ends.