Three\'s Company

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize, not mine.
Beta'd by: Meagan! Thanks so very much!!!!
A/N: I'm going on vacation in two weeks. I will TRY to have another chapter posted before then, but I won't swear to it.
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Hermione was leaning back against Blaise but sitting in Draco's lap in their common room while Ginny, Pansy, and Becca sat across from them. "We need to find the others. It can't be just us that he's gotten to, I know it can't," Becca stated.

Pansy nodded her agreement. "They'll want to help get revenge. And we won't find a suitable curse in any book in this library, Hermione," She added. It was three days after the memorial for Susan and the three of them were finally sitting down to talk about revenge.

"I don't know, I think the three of you could do it yourselves. I mean, you're a Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Hermione," Hermione laughed at Blaise.

"That's not the point, Blaise. The point is that they would WANT the opportunity for revenge," Hermione stated.

"Fair enough. You should find them first then. Before you get too involved in planning, I mean," Draco suggested.

Hermione nodded in acceptance. Before she could say anything though, there was a tap on the window. Hermione flicked her wand to raise the window and let the raven in. The bird landed on her stomach and dropped the letter it was carrying in it's beak. She tore open the letter and read,

Hermione,
I have something for you, once again. It is very time sensitive so, while we would normally wait until Hogsmeade to meet you, would you be able to get away tomorrow and meet Cissa in the same clearing as last time at 4pm?
-Luc

Hermione tossed the letter into the fire before simply writing, 'Yes' on a scrap of parchment before giving it to the raven that flew out.

"What was that?" Pansy asked.

"That was a Death eater spy. He's passing information, through me, to Dumbledore. I have to go meet his wife tomorrow afternoon," Hermione answered honestly. "And I need you guys to stay here. This isn't the first time I've been to meet with one of them," She informed everyone strictly. She'd been meeting with them

"You're sure you'll be alright?" Draco asked concern on everyone's faces.

"I'll be just fine, I swear," She insisted. "Ginny, Pansy, and Becca, while I'm gone tomorrow, look for the others. We'll figure something out, I know it," She said with conviction.

The next day, Hermione quickly left Hogwarts grounds and headed for the clearing in the woods beside the village. Cissa was already waiting for her. "Hello, Cissa," She smiled at Draco's mother and embraced her. "How are you?"

"We're well, thank you. I heard about Susan Bones. Was she a friend of yours?"

"Yes. But I'm doing alright, now. Tell me, what is so important this time?"

"Potter's muggle family. True, he hasn't gotten any new information on them, but they're not very well protected. He's going to attack the entire street. He wants no survivors. The attack is set for the day after tomorrow," Narcissa explained.

"Thanks, Cissa. I have to go back up there now then," Narcissa smiled and Apparated away. Hermione turned and hurried back to the castle. She went straight to Dumbledore's office.

"Miss Granger, if you would just wait a moment please?" Dumbledore smiled at her before turning his attention to whatever he was writing. Hermione sat in the chair across from his desk and patiently waited. "Now, what may I do for you today?"

"You know that normally I would write to you, but this is important. I just came back from meeting with my informant. The Dursley's street is going to be attacked the day after tomorrow. Voldemort wants no survivors," She explained, quickly.

"Thank you very much for this, Miss Granger. I will call together the Order immediately," She nodded and stood to leave the office. "And Miss Granger, I am very proud of you. Most adults would not have given your informant the time of day, and yet you keep meeting with him. You are far more mature than some members of the Order."

"Thank you Headmaster," She smiled and took her leave.

When she got back to her dorm, there was a small group of girls waiting there. "This is everyone we could find, 'Mione," Becca informed her.

"It's not true, is it, Hermione? Did Susan really kill herself because she found them together in her bed?" Demelza Robins, a fellow Gryffindor the year below Hermione, asked.

"It's true," Hermione confessed, looking over the group of girls. She, Demelza, and Vicky Frobisher who was in Demelza's year were the only Gryffindors. There were only two Slytherins, Pansy and Daphne Greengrass. Mandy Brocklehurst and Su Li, both in Hermione's year, were the two Ravenclaws other than Becca, and Megan Jones, Heidi Macavoy, Tamsin Applebee, and Sally-Anne Perks were there from Hufflepuff. Megan and Heidi were both 6th years and Tamsin and Sally-Anne were 7th years.

Hermione glanced at Pansy to see that she had rolled her eyes at Demelza. The Gryffindor had obviously not been willing to take Pansy's word. "You've still not told us why we're here," Daphne pointed out.

"Two reasons really. We can't let what happened to Susan happen to anyone else. We're the only ones who know the truth about Terry and Michael," Hermione explained.

"And revenge, of course," Pansy added, filing her nails.

"And revenge. Just as soon as we find a good curse to use," Hermione added.

"So what do you propose we do about it, then? It's not like we can just broadcast what he's done," Sally-Anne stated.

"Even if we did, he could easily deny it. Just claim we're jealous exes or something trying to get back at him," Su Li reasoned.

"We have to attack him anonymously. Pansy, Hermione, and I can't do anything because he knows that the two of them told me to begin with," Becca said. "He'd suspect us immediately.

"Why not post a bulletin in every common room warning everyone that they both have some sort of disease?" Tamsin suggested.

"Who would date a guy you can't get close to because he has a disease?" Mandy asked, though everyone realized it was rhetorical.

"Okay, but what?" Vicky asked.

The group lapsed into silence as each thought about a perfect disease. "Chtypo*!" Heidi shouted. "It's incurable and spread through contact with the infected area."

Chtypo, Hermione knew, was like a magical version of genital herpes except that there weren't blisters and there was no 'outbreaks', the boils were always there. Some days they oozed green pus and other days they didn't. "Perfect! Heidi, you're a genius," Hermione declared. Heidi blushed at the praise.

Instantly, the girls began working on a bulletin to post in each common room. Going with Daphne's suggestion, it was very simple and very sweet sounding, as if they were concerned for a girl who might get the disease that Terry and Michael didn't have. In bold letters in simply said,

A word of caution to all witches and wizards in the castle. Terry Boot and Michael Corner are infected with Chtypo. You have been warned.

After that all of the girls left but Pansy, Becca, and Hermione of course. "That was very good actually. I hadn't expected a Hufflepuff to come up with that kind of revenge," Draco stated, an amused expression on his face. He, Blaise, and Ginny were all sitting in the corner of the room.

A quick look at Becca and Pansy told Hermione that she wasn't the only one who had forgotten that they were there. "Did the three of you have nothing to add then?" She asked.

"At the moment, no. It's a good start and if we think of anything, we'll let you know," Blaise smirked.

"'Mione, I want to hear more about the differences between full and half-vampires," Pansy stated after Becca left.

"Like what?"

"Well, obviously you eat and sleep. And I know these two don't need to eat as often as we do," Pansy began.

"I don't eat. Not human food at least. Obviously I can, but it's pointless. I just end up throwing it up later. But I have to keep up a normal appearance," Hermione shrugged. She held up a finger to forestall more questions. Closing her eyes and concentrating, her wings tore through the back of her shirt. They were leathery looking and black with red swirls throughout them. "Much better," She sighed.

"You have wings? So not fair," Draco pouted. Hermione just grinned at him.

"Why do you have more skin color than Draco though? I mean, even I'm paler than I used to be, before our Inheritances kicked in," Blaise said.

"Glamour Charm," She shrugged. "Again, I have to appear normal."

"So, do you still have all the speed and everything of half vampires?" Pansy asked.

"Actually, I think I might be faster. And I know I need blood more often than they do," Hermione answered. "I also think, because of how much blood I take in and how often, that I might be stronger than half vampires. Let's see, I don't need to learn Legilmency to get into someone's head. But unlike a Legilmens," She broke off. "I can speak inside someone's head," She spoke into their heads.

"Holy shit!" Ginny jumped. "How about you don't ever do that again?"

"I make no promises. I may need to one day," Hermione shrugged again.

"Is there anything else?" Blaise asked.

"I don't know if it happens to you guys or not, but when I'm feeding my eyes turn blood red. It's why I close them," She aimed her last sentence at Ginny.

"And the sun doesn't bother you either, does it?" Draco asked.

"After an extended amount of time it does. I just start to feel very dry. My skin starts to feel all leathery and if I stay out long enough, I end up shriveling up until I look like a raisin."

Ginny laughed. "Thanks for the image, 'Mione," As soon as the others pictured it, they started laughing too.

"What about your cousin Rylie then?" Blaise asked.

"We were both adopted from the same family," Hermione answered.

Half an hour later, Hermione declared herself ready for bed and headed upstairs to shower and change before bed. She lay in her bed and thought about her cousin Rylie as she stared at the canopy. She missed Rylie. The girl was just as intelligent as Hermione, but she was much freer. She refused to care what anyone thought about her and grabbed life by the throat, experiencing as much as she was able. But she never took the little things, like quality time with her dad, for granted. Hermione fell asleep with a smile on her face.

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Severus stood beside Lucius Malfoy and Charisse Zabini. "My Prince, how can we possibly find both of your sisters? Perhaps they don't want to be found," Charisse stated, looking at Severus.

"You know you don't need to call me that when no one else is around to hear it. But that is not why I called you here. I need to know if either of you has been anonymously sending me gifts recently," Severus responded.

"No," Charisse answered.

"It sounds like someone's got himself a secret admirer," Lucius smirked.

"Lucius, you've gone completely insane. There's no one who would admire me. Secretly or otherwise," Severus sighed.


A/N: *Chtypo is Greek for bumps. I just needed a disease name. *shrugs* Timeline note - This chapter ends at the very beginning of February. The next chapter will be Valentine's. Oh, and three guesses on who's sending Severus the gifts. ;) The vampire stuff I just gathered from novels, and fanfiction I've read. Some of it I came up with on my own.