Okay, so I'm back with a...different fic. This one's a little creepier, but I've always wanted to go this angle. I'm hoping you guys will like it. It's inspired by the Evanescence song "Snow White Queen" -- love that song. As soon as I heard it, I knew I had to write a fic for it. Or based on it, whatever. I promise I'll write a sequel to my last Rose/Scorpius fic, you could stop me if you tried. I just felt like spending a little time with Hermione. She's a character that I've always loved, and I hope, if you don't love her, that I can...help you to? xP

Just read and review, please. That's what keeps all authors going.

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The day had started out nothing more than average. Hermione Jean Granger had left the flat she was sharing with her soon-to-be sister in law, Ginny Weasley. After meeting with her fiance, Ron Weasley, for breakfast the twenty year old headed over to her job at the Ministry. Currently, she was working on a document that would help improve the quality of life for House Elves, and other equally disenfranchised creatures. Those that knew Hermione couldn't have expected any less. Even at a young age, she had accomplished more than a middle aged witch or wizard could have hoped for. It would only be fitting for her to impact the entire wizading society, right? The girl that had a hand in defeating Lord Voldemort, the girl that Harry Potter himself swore was the reason he was still living. Well, she didn't like to stroke her own ego. There was no time for that, she had things to do.

"Morning Ms. Granger." A rosy cheeked old man greeted the brunette as she walked through the door. Horace Johanson was his name, he had worked at the front desk of the Ministry of Magic ever since Hermione could remember, even when she had visited back in her school days.

"Good morning Mr. Johanson." She replied with a polite smile, "How are you feeling today?" Normally she would've paid attention to his drabble about how he staid up all night because his knees were aching, and that meant that there would be a thunderstorm today or whatever it was. But something -- rather, someone -- caught her eye.

Theodore Nott. At first she didn't recognize him. They had been in the same year at Hogwarts, but Mr. Nott had changed quite a bit since those days. When she thought back to her first year, she could remember him being about a foot taller than the rest of the boys in their year, and he had always been rather gangly. Of course, they all had skin problems back then, but she could recall Mr. Nott always having the greasiest skin. Little Hermione never pointed this out, of course. She was having self image issues back then as well, but she did remember others commenting on his appearance. Theodore had always been just below herself in academics. Vaguely, she could recall seeing him a few times in the library, but other than that, her memories were few and far between. His father had been a Death Eater, but as far as she knew, Theodore hadn't participated in such events.

Hermione had grown out of her more awkward phase while she was still at Hogwarts, but Theodore hadn't been so lucky. One would never guess that now, though. He was still quite tall, though he had defintely filled out in the muscle area. Though, he wasn't exactly what one could consider "muscular"...he was more "lean". And Hermione was surprised at how handsome he had become. While he had never had any sort of boyish charm while he was in the age rang considered "boy", he had plenty now. With a lopsided grin and dark blue eyes, it was a wonder he was still single. Hermione had never questioned him for that, of course. It would be rude and not very appropriate for the workplace. They could hardly be considered friends, merely casual, office...acquantances. They maybe shared a short greeting every other day, and an occasional chat in the break room. When Hermione took a break, of course.

The reason for her distraction was simple. Or, it could be simple, though for some reason now, it was not. He was watching her. Now, she had caught him watching her before, but for some reason or another, this time it was...different. When he realized she saw him, the reaction he had was not what she would have expected. He smiled slightly, like he was amused, nodded his head a little and walked through the door towards his office, watching her until the walls separated them. That's when she felt an odd nagging sensation in the back of her mind. Noticing that Horace was finished with his lecture about joint pain and it's connection to the weather, Hermione quickly dismissed herself to her office, trying to shake the feeling away and focus on her work.

--

By lunchtime, the brunette was covered in paperwork. Fighting for disenfranchised creature rights wasn't as glamorous as one might think. At first, she had pictured herself going to a bunch of press conferences and meetings with big wigs in the Ministry. Not so much, actually. There was a lot of writing. Hermione wasn't too concerned about this, of course. She was the one upset when exams were canceled back in her second year. And, after the epic adventure she survived back in her seven year -- not to metion the adventures previous -- she figured that a little down time was only right. And some exciting things still happened, of course. The life of Hermione Granger couldn't always be boring. Why, just the other day Ron sent her a flower that turned out to be a rather poisonus plant that took the form of a bat every other hour. It took her a little while to track it down and dispose of it, but it made the day interesting nonetheless. With a sigh, Hermione noticed a signature that was left off of the current document she was working on.

"Horace, could you brin--" Her bored tone was interrupted by her own shriek of panic as she heard a loud booming noise and felt her office floor shake. As she rose quickly to her feet, another explosion shook the ground, causing her to fall sideways into the corner of a table. There was an eerie silence that settled before all the screaming began, and Hermione noticed that she was bleeding from a gash in her side, caused by her fall. Before she could pull out her wand and cast a minor healing spell, Theodore Nott appeared at her door.

"There was an attack in the Department of Mysteries." He said in a hurried voice. Normally she would've noticed that there was no panic in his voice, but currently her state of mind was a little thrown off. Ron and Harry were both in the Department of Mysteries today, she didn't know why, but Ron had mentioned it at breakfast. Quickly, she pushed past the former Slytherin, not quite noticing how his fingers brushed against her bloodied hip. She had more important things to focus on.

The chaos outside her office was hard to ignore. There were papers and shattered glass everywhere, people screaming, even some crying. Hermione knew how to stay calm in the face of danger, but she couldn't blame them for their panic. She could feel herself on the verge of it as well, her wand ready at her side. Theodore was right behind her, saying something about how she shouldn't go by herself. If she were in the mood to be smart, she would've pointed out that she survived one of the Unforgivable Curses performed by none other than Bellatrix Lestrange, and still managed to tell a convincing lie. But she wasn't really in that mood right now.

The pair, figuring it a bad idea to take the elevator in such a circumstance, opted for the stairs. Who knows how long it had been since they were last used -- there were a lot of them. The lights had given out about half way down the stairs, so Hermione quickly lit the end of her wand, fully absorbed on the task at hand. So absorbed, that she barely even noticed her company. Theodore Nott hadn't fallen a step behind her the whole way, which was certainly saying something. No words were spoken, and it was quiet, so it was easy to forget he was there.

Finally they reached the level that the Department of Mysteries resided on. There was smoke still rising, debris everywhere and no noise. The thing that unsettled the former Gryffindor the most was the absolute stillness of the place. She felt much more comfortable on the top level, with all the screaming and cries for help. Tears threatened to form behind her brown eyes as she thought of her two best friends, buried somewhere, in need of help. Quickly, she glided down the halls, until she stopped right in front of a dusty old fireplace. There was no sight of anyone.

"Hold still, Hermione." Theodore was suddenly all too close, whispering in her ear. Instinctively, she went on the defensive and flung herself forward, away from him. But by then it was too late. Her mind slowly was being consumed by a dull darkness.

--

Cliffhangers are fun, eh?

No, I know. They suck. Sorry the first chapter had to end this way. xD

I really hate cliffhangers, myself. But over half of you are guilty of them, too.

Don't deny it!

Anyway, this first chapter was short, and really just an introduction to everything.

I promise the creepiness is to come.

In the meantime, you know I love me some reviews.

They really keep me going.

So, take a little time, will yah?

xoxo