The full moon rose in the sky. Hermione watched as Padfoot, Prongs, and Wormtail bounded across the lawn with Moony. She sighed and wiped the tears from her cheeks. When had life become so complicated? She stood and slipped out of Gryffindor tower, making her way to the room of requirement where Lucius was waiting with Severus. The two young men stood some distance apart and both turned to the door as soon as she entered. Lucius moved forward.
"What is this place?" He asked curiously.
"The room of requirement," she replied. "It will suit the purpose of the user."
"Are we ready?" Severus asked quietly. Hermione nodded.
The oath-taking was slightly different, and a great deal more binding than those promises wrung from Severus. Hermione Potter was not stupid, and she was a careful witch. When they were through, Hermione showed Lucius her patronus, and her animagus forms so that he would know them. She frowned for a moment and looked at Severus and Lucius.
"There will be others, eventually, and you might need a way to prove who you are to one another, and to me," Hermione said thoughtfully. Severus nodded.
"Perhaps some sort of sign," he muttered, thinking. Lucius bared his arm, and Severus and Hermione flinched.
"Something like this?" He asked dryly.
"Not quite," Hermione said with a thoughtful look. "What happens when we win? How do we prove that some of you were actually helping?"
"A mark, but not a Dark Mark," Lucius muttered, pacing. Hermione frowned and began pacing herself. Severus snickered.
"What, Sev?" Hermione asked curiously, her head cocked to the side.
"A Light Mark," he drawled. "Something that looks innocuous."
"Okay, but why are you snickering about it?" Hermione asked. He shook his head.
"The first thing that popped into my head was a lioness," he confessed, his lips twitching. Lucius snorted. Hermione tapped her chin slowly.
"What about a paw print?" She asked. She pulled her robe aside from her collarbone, exposing the creamy expanse of her upper chest. "Right here. You don't do anything naked, do you?"
"Not usually in the middle of Death Eater meetings, no," Lucius drawled.
"Do you think it would work?" Hermione pressed him. He shrugged.
"I suppose that it would." Lucius conceded at last. Hermione smiled.
"Fine then. Both of you, strip." Hermione ordered. Both men took off their outer robes and removed their shirts. Hermione transformed to her lioness form again. She sat on her haunches and very carefully pressed her paws against the skin of Lucius' naked chest, one print on either side of his collarbone. Her paws glowed momentarily, but Lucius knelt and endured in silence.
"I must say, it beats receiving a dark mark," Lucius told Severus when it was done. "It tingles a bit, but that's it."
"I would imagine that's because it's not dark magic, and because Hermione's not a sado-masochistic sociopathic megalomaniac." Severus observed dryly. Lucius was right, it did tingle slightly, but not in a bad way.
"There," Hermione said in satisfaction, observing her work. "Now, if they burn and turn black, I'm dead."
"Do you plan on that happening?" Severus asked, concern evident on his face. Hermione shrugged.
"I'm trying to plan on everything happening at some point, Sev. When things get bad, I might not be able to contact you at all. It's a failsafe, so you'll know the truth. If you hear rumors, but the marks are fine, then you'll know they're false. Too many people have made stupid mistakes because they believed lies spread by the other side." Hermione explained to her brother. He nodded.
"We can't stay here too long, people might notice. I'll go, then you two can go," Hermione said firmly. She stood and shook out her robes. She looked at both Severus and Lucius, and her face softened slightly. "Be safe."
HP/HG/HP
To her everlasting disgust, Severus and Lucius took delight in calling themselves Knights of the Lady and members of the Order of the Lioness. Hermione threatened them with hexes, but they persisted. She threw up her hands and gave up.
"Hermione, it actually makes good sense. If we have code names for everyone, it's safer. When we're caught, and when we're tortured, they'll only get what the members know. It will sound ridiculous, and the Dark Lord will never believe that it's the truth," Lucius pointed out. Hermione paled.
"When you're tortured?" She repeated. Lucius shrugged.
"You said to plan for everything. Now, what is the first step in this amazing plan?" Severus asked. Hermione took a deep breath.
"Do you know what horcruxes are?" she asked them. The tightening of both men's jaws told her everything she needed to know.
"So when he boasts of his immortality?" Lucius whispered, his silver eyes wide with horror.
"Wait, are you suggesting he has more than one?" Severus asked, visibly repulsed. Lucius glanced at him quickly and then looked to Hermione for confirmation.
"Surely not," Lucius said weakly. "The process is grotesque, murdering another person is only the beginning…"
"At this point, I believe he has at least five, with plans for two more, ultimately," Hermione said softly. Both men blanched.
"Hermione," Severus whispered, his black eyes wide. Hermione turned to him.
"We must destroy them. He will have his Death Eaters protect them for him. You all, when it is your time, must appear like eager young men, desperate to prove yourselves." Hermione explained. "Do not attempt to destroy the horcruxes yourselves. The items are cursed, and if you attempt and fail…the results will be less than pleasant."
"How then?" Lucius asked.
"Basilisk fang will work. The sword of Gryffindor is goblin wrought, it will absorb the dark magic. There may be other ways, I'm researching them." Hermione stated. "Lucius, I'm sure the Malfoy library must have books on horcruxes. I want you to look, but make sure your father doesn't realize what you're up to."
"Of course, my Lady," he murmured. Hermione rolled her eyes. Lucius smirked.
"Sorry, that was not on purpose." He drawled.
HP/HG/HP
Remus was eating breakfast and thinking about the lioness. She hadn't shown up for the last two full moons. He was starting to think maybe she didn't like them, even if she did try to save him. He suspected that she might be an animagus, and he was hoping to befriend her. He was also worried about Hermione who seemed preoccupied a great deal of the time, and her 'relationship' with Amos Diggory seemed to be getting progressively worse. One morning, she arrived at breakfast with her head down, her wild curls loose around her face. Remus was the only one at the table and he greeted her politely.
"Good morning, Hermione," he said in his gentle voice.
"Remus," she whispered, her eyes on her lap. He frowned at her. He could smell that something was off.
"Hermione," he said firmly, a warning note in his voice. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," she whispered bitterly. "You wouldn't believe me any way."
She stood up and hurried out of the Great Hall. He stared after her, a frown on his face. When James came to sit down for breakfast, Remus was still frowning. Sirius poked him. James waved his hand in front of his friend's face.
"Moony? You in there?" James teased. Remus shook himself. He looked up at James, his face serious.
"There's something wrong with Hermione." His voice was quiet, but firm. James stood up immediately.
"Let's go find her."
They hurried to an empty hall and opened the map. All four boys looked for Hermione. She wasn't anywhere.
"Well, that's just not possible," Sirius muttered. Peter shrugged.
"Maybe she left the grounds?" He offered.
"How on earth is she supposed to do that?" James asked sarcastically. "Fly?"
"I don't know," Peter muttered. "But she's not there."
"Let's find Lily," James said. "She usually knows where Hermione is."
Lily was sitting in the library with Severus, both of them working on their potions essays. She looked up warily when the marauders entered the library trailing James. His eyes were doing that weird thing again. They looked dark, and she knew he was upset. She nudged Severus with her foot and they both watched the marauders warily.
"Do you know where Hermione is?" James asked Lily urgently, his voice rough with worry. Lily shook her head.
"No, she said she was going to come work on this potions paper with us, but she never showed. I was going to come looking for her in just a minute." She said.
"We can't find her anywhere," James said running a hand through his hair in agitation. Lily frowned.
"That's not normal," she said slowly, and she started to worry. Her palm tingled and she rubbed it absently. She knew about certain things, things that Hermione had sworn her to secrecy about, and this did not sound good.
"Could she get out of the school, off the grounds?" James pressed. Lily frowned.
"I don't know, but I think she's here somewhere," Lily said. She glanced at Severus. "Why do you keep rubbing your collar like that?"
"What? It started aching a little while ago, and I just thought…" Severus frowned and looked at his hand. Then he paled dramatically and leapt up, knocking his chair back. "Bloody hell!"
Severus ran out of the library faster than Lily had ever seen him run. Her palm was still tingling and she rubbed at it, again, absently frowning after Severus.
"Um, Lily?" Remus asked politely. She glanced up at him.
"Hmm?"
"Why are you rubbing your hand like that?" He asked her. She glanced at her hand and then paled. She stared up at them in horror.
"Oh, no," she whispered, her eyes huge. "Oh, no."
She jumped up and ran after Severus. The marauders stared after them and then stared at each other. Suddenly James slapped himself.
"I told you," he muttered and then ran after Lily.
"Wait," Remus panted racing after his friend, "what did you tell us?"
"She marks her own," James snarled over his shoulder. He stopped in the hall and started pacing. "Damn it! I lost her."
"What do you mean, she marks her own?" Peter asked in confusion. Remus and Sirius rolled their eyes.
"Don't you ever listen, Peter?" Sirius growled. Peter shrugged and looked miserable.
"I just don't remember the conversation," he said coolly. James sighed and rubbed his face.
"Hermione is possessive. If she thinks you belong to her, she marks you. I don't know why, it's just this thing that she does. Obviously, she's marked Severus and Lily magically so they'll know if she's in trouble," James muttered, pacing.
"Why Severus?" Sirius demanded, a flash of jealousy overtaking him for a moment. James shrugged.
"I don't know. I imagine for the same reason she marked Lily—friendship." James said finally. "We have the twin bond, but it's not the same as whatever she's done to them."
James sunk down to the floor, on his knees, his eyes closed, his brow furrowed. My Own, where are you? His eyes snapped open. He jumped up and started running again. The remaining marauders raced after him, jumping and dodging fellow students. They recognized this section of the school. It was where the hospital ward was located. James burst through the door panting. Hermione was sitting on a bed, with Lily next to her and Madame Pomfrey on the other side.
"My Own?" His voice sounded ragged in his own ears. She turned to him, her hazel eyes wide and he felt the bottom drop out of his stomach. Her beautiful face was bruised and there was a cut on one cheek. He ran to her and crushed her to his chest. He held her tightly against him and she started to cry. Before he knew it she was sobbing against his chest, clutching his robes. He glared at Lily.
"Who?" He growled at her. She paled slightly and swallowed.
It's being taken care of," she whispered, glancing at Madame Pomfrey. He frowned slightly. Lily looked at him, and he realized she would tell him later. He nodded.
"My Own, are you…okay?" He asked her tenderly. He wasn't sure how to ask if she'd been raped or assaulted without upsetting her even more. She nodded mutely, her face pressed against his chest. He sighed gratefully.
"Only because they were interrupted," Lily muttered darkly, her glare promising retribution. James stiffened and stared at Lily. His eyes turned molten. Lily realized she'd spoken aloud and she glanced up at him in horror.
"It's being taken care of," she whispered again when Madame Pomfrey went to get a potion. "Severus was so furious. I've never seen him so mad."
"She's my sister," James growled. "I would like to know who did this to her."
"Oh, they'll be here soon, I'm sure," Lily said with satisfaction. "You might not be able to tell who they are once Severus and…well, once Severus is through with them."
"Jamie," Hermione whispered. "I don't want to be here when they come. I want to go back to the tower."
"But," James was conflicted. He wanted to know who had hurt his sister, but he didn't want to leave her alone. "Will you go with Sirius?"
Hermione turned to look at Sirius who flinched when he saw Hermione's face. He looked agonized, as though somehow he'd caused her injuries himself. She seemed to consider it for a moment, and then she nodded.
"If he wants to take me," she whispered, looking away from him sadly. James glared at Sirius, daring him to say that he didn't want to take his sister back to the tower.
"Of course I will," Sirius said softly, his voice pained.
Hermione reluctantly let go of James, her hazel eyes entreating him all the way out of the hospital ward. Sirius walked next to Hermione, but he didn't touch her. He was afraid to touch her, afraid of scaring her. When they arrived at the tower, he motioned for her to go ahead of him. She looked at him, her expression pensive and he realized that she was afraid of people seeing her like this. He tried to exude calm confidence.
"It's class time for most people," he said softly. "I bet there's nobody in here."
She frowned and then pulled out her wand. She tapped herself silently, and Sirius watched her disappear in front of him. His eyes widened. He knew for sure that that was a nonverbal spell. Suddenly, he felt a hand grab the robes of his arm, but not his arm, and tug. He casually walked into the commons room, like normal. There were two seventh years studying by the window and they looked at him with amused glances. They thought he was skipping class. He shrugged and headed up to the boys dormitory because that's where the tugging was leading him. They walked into his dorm room, and the tugging stopped. James' bed dipped slightly under invisible weight.
"Could you undo it now? It's weird to know you're here when I can't see you," Sirius said nervously, and then she was there again. He grinned at her. "You're amazing, you know?"
"No, I'm not," she said with a shake of her curls. Sirius frowned.
"Yeah, you are. Listen, I'm sorry that I'm such an ass. I try not to be, but I end up doing it anyway," Sirius muttered, his face and neck a dull red. Hermione snorted softly.
"You're just trying to be nice to me." Hermione said quietly, not looking at him.
"I suppose I am," he muttered. "That doesn't mean I'm not sorry for being an ass."
"It doesn't matter," she said, still not looking at him.
"It matters to me," he said firmly. She didn't say anything for several minutes.
"Will you turn your back? I'm going to change," she murmured softly. He stood up and turned his back. He heard the rustle of clothing and the sound of James' bed shifting again. He turned back around to see her in James' pajamas, with his blankets pulled up to her chin. She looked tiny and fragile and he wanted to hold her and tell her that everything would be alright.
"What happened?" He asked softly. She bit her lip and sat there for several minutes.
"I'm not sure," she said finally. "I'm usually more alert than that. I think part of why I'm so upset is that it was just so stupid, such a rookie mistake. They just popped out of nowhere and disarmed me."
"How many were there?" Sirius asked as calmly as possible. He was trying very hard to avoid frightening her, but the rage that was building inside him to hurt whoever had tried to hurt her was difficult to control. She shook her head.
"I don't know. More than two," she muttered.
"So they were Slytherin?" Sirius said flatly. Hermione shook her head again.
"Oh, Sirius," she whispered. "It would be so much simpler if that were so. Do you honestly believe that Voldemort won't attempt to recruit from all the houses? What a coup for him to turn a Gryffindor! Do you think he won't try it?"
"He'll fail," Sirius declared hotly. Hermione's gentle smile held pity, and it irritated him.
HP/HG/HP
The marauders held a meeting that night in the common room.
"They were almost unrecognizable," James said with grudging respect. "Didn't realize Sniv—er, Severus had it in him."
"Oh, he had help," Remus said rolling his eyes. "There's no way that he took down four seventh-years all by himself."
"Lily checked, they all had dark marks," James muttered. "It was kind of creepy how matter-of-fact she was about it."
"I think Severus told her to look," Peter offered. "He was whispering something to her."
"I can't believe that they dared touch her," Remus said with a shake of her head. The others looked at him, frowning. "Think about it, she's got us, the marauders, but she's also friends with Severus and Regulus, and I know that Lucius still cares about her."
"What do you mean, you know?" Sirius demanded with a frown. Remus rolled his eyes.
"Padfoot, I can smell it on him," Remus said dryly. "His heart rate accelerates anytime she's near, too."
"Have I ever mentioned that I really don't want to hear how much the men of Hogwarts are lusting after my sister?" James said in a pained voice.
"You do realize that she's going to get married someday?" Peter asked curiously. James shrugged.
"It's hard to walk down the aisle if both your legs are broken," he muttered under his breath. Remus snorted.
"Someday, she's going to fall in love, and then you're going to have to let her be happy," Remus said with a smile.
"Sure, when she's thirty, or something," James said flatly.
"Thirty?" Sirius asked curiously.
"You remember, my dad said she could get married when she's thirty. He doesn't want her to leave either." James said firmly.
"When the time comes, I don't think you two will be able to stop her," Remus said wryly.