The sound of rain pattering off leaves and his tent, the swell of air that held a swift warm undercurrent, his magical ball of light floating above illuminating the words on the page as he read the last page of the book he had purchased not but days ago. Severus Snape sat with his legs crossed, feet tucked under his legs, and the book perched on his knee. Idly swiping his long, bony finger across the last words as the rain pattered on his shield over a warm crackling fire. The forest surrounding him, though dense enough to provide a dark overture, held enough light to see his hand glide over the page as his concentration remained focused on that last paragraph. As the thunder rumbled his organs, his breath stolen from it's intensity, finally his finger reached the last word. Setting it aside, he stood stretching his legs, inside of his shield the rain stopped in a shape of a dome, providing a dry area for the fire to continue to crackle, and his food to continue cooking. With a cup of coffee and his tent already providing a warm beckon of sleep, Severus sighed with content taking a moment to survey his surroundings. The trees stood tallest he had ever seen, their leaves forming a sky of green with small cracks of blue. Rain falling heavy with consistent rumbling thunder as an undertone. The serenity of daily life in this forest continued to provide just the atmosphere Severus had been seeking during all those years of war. Peace, Nature, and comfort in a place.
He took a last look at his fire, allowing the embers to die out, and his food to be put on stasis until the morning, always starting to cook hours before the time to eat to ensure all bacteria was killed before consumption. With the knowledge of his most recent book of the day still fresh in his mind, the rain and it's thunder allowing the bone tired sensation to sweep through his body, Severus finally expanded his shield and returned to his tent. Magic was a beauty in times of Nature, his tent opened to a wide foyer that held a sitting area with it's own fireplace, a door to the right and left corners. Walking through, extinguishing any candles previously lit with a wandless wave of his hand, Severus slumped through his tent feeling the wards lock in place and made his way to the room on the right. Opening into a medium size room with floor to ceiling bookshelves, he floated the book to it's proper spot as he began to shed his clothing whilst eyeing his large queen sized bed. The bed being his only spoils of a modern society, with it's large size and mahogany bed frame with four ends that extended to the ceiling to hold his black overhang around it. Sliding in to his forest green silk sheets, he curled to his side with a hand cradling his cheek, while his other arm cradled a pillow against his chest. Allowing his heavy eyelids to slide close, his last thoughts were of the bliss his current life allowed him.
In the far reaches of England, she ran with all her will, leaves slashing into her cheek with the brunt of force her speed allowed them, causing her eyes to well slightly in surprise. Her breaths came short and quick as her muscles continued to burn, but she kept pushing forward. Suddenly her instincts made themselves known. Turning right with such forceful means that her right ankle slipped, she stumbled catching her self with her hand pushing her momentum off a tree and continued on, her ankle now throbbing. Ignoring the sudden pain while idly thinking of an ice pack, Hermione found a tree with branches low enough to leap onto further ahead. Quickly calculating the fastest maneuvers to the top most branch, she leapt gracefully onto the lowest and allowed her training and strength to do the rest. Climbing the tree faster than most would think possible, she swiftly crouched with her hands out and allowed her wandless magic to break through their bonds, building in a steady force ready to attack. Hearing the crackle of leaves and branches snapping under her assailant's boots, with a quick mental judgment, her eyes closed allowing her senses to take over. After all they never failed whereas her eyes sometimes misled.
When the crackle reached within striking distance, she swiveled on her sore ankles, extended her legs and gracefully leapt into a back flip off the branch whilst opening her eyes. Landing soundlessly behind her target, a smug smirk and a growl leapt from her lips as she released her magic in a blowing strike to his back. Hermione watched with triumph as the life faded from his eyes, and his body fell lifelessly to the ground. Closing the 5 foot difference between them, with a wave of her hand she conjured her Phoenix Patronus with a message for Kingsley telling him of her success and consequent minute transport. Laying a hand on Greyback's shoulder she apparated to the Ministry as the smirk left her face. Landing softly in the older wizard's office, Greyback's lifeless body landing aside her, she smiled as Kingsley waited patiently next to his desk.
"Hermione, dear, how are you?" She shook off his concerned gaze and turned to the werewolf's body with a blank expression.
" He was hiding out in the Scotland forest Kingsley, as your informants suspected. Took me a few days due to his increasingly annoying preference to be the hunter and not the prey." She could feel his concern annoyingly on her, knowing she looked a mess as usual after a hunt. The concern and wishes for her wellbeing only added her to annoyance of people as of late, ever since the war. Turning from his gaze, keeping her Occlumency shields in tight order, and striving to look as though her body wasn't about to collapse, she grasped Greyback's wand and handed it to Kingsley.
"Another successful hunt dear, I couldn't be more proud of you. So I ask this lightly knowing the small amount of merit you will give it. Give yourself a break Hermione, please? Everyone is worried sick about you, Harry and Ron owl almost every day you are gone. Go see them."
Hermione grimaced at his words, it had been four years since the day the Dark Lord fell, and she hadn't seen anyone aside from Kingsley, Minerva, and Pompfrey. The latter two even less, and only due to injuries sustained during her hunts.
"As appreciated as the concern is Sir, I'll be needing the name of my next task now. I've only got a day or two turnover you know this."
His eyes clouded over with sadness and understanding of the younger woman, a look Hermione had come to hate with all her being this past year. Each hunt, it only got deeper and more engrained in her memory, that look. As if she wasn't a woman of sound mind, but one of deep secrets and pain, the truth of it was something she refused to focus on.
"As you wish my dear, at least sit with me for some tea and a sandwich, you look a bit pale if you grant me the freedom to note it. I'll look through the files and see who is left."
Taking a moment to analyze the situation, and take stock of her wilting body, she nodded in reluctant acquiesce as her stomach growled in need. Realizing it had been days since her last meal was not something that shocked her, but the growling noise from her stomach something that annoyed her. Her body never seemed to understand her and the need to push through.
As the tea found it's place on the tray of sandwiches that the Minister had placed before her, the body of the werewolf already dispatched to the proper aurors, she grabbed her cup and took a sip. Immediately, she grimaced silently in pain, her body's injuries held ignorant slowly became evident. She had forgotten of the gashes, the stab wound to her lower back, the throbbing in her ankles, and the pain in her shoulder. All rushed to the surface as the blood left her face, the last thing she saw was Kingsley's barked orders to his Patronus as it flew away, and his arms circling her shoulders as the darkness won.
Minerva paced the small space beside the hospital bed as Madam Pomfrey continued her diagnostic tests, Kingsley standing to the far corner of the closed off hospital room with concern burning in his eyes. Finally after what seemed an hour, but could only be mere minutes, Madam Pomfrey turned to Minerva with pain and confusion on her face.
"I've found four different deep gashes along her body that I'll mend and give her blood replenishing potions for, as well as a stab wound I'll have to stitch the muggle way. She has sprains in both her ankles and a dislocated shoulder." The Mediwitch listed her findings, while already having begun to charm her room's wards to privacy as she stripped the younger woman's clothes and slid a hospital gown on to replace them.
"She seemed fine Minerva, not in any more pain than usual after one of her hunts." Kingsley's concern evident on his face caused the older woman to stop her pacing and turn to him with a look of understanding and pain.
"It's not your fault Kings, Pomfrey and I both know what type of woman Hermione has grown to become."
The Mediwitch nodded in consent, "Almost worse than Severus ever was, this one." Beginning to wash the younger witch's body with care, paying special attention to her wounds.
Minerva turned back to the Mediwitch, "How long before she wakes?"
"Could be hours, days? Not sure this time. This might be the worst she has endured since she started her hunts."
Minerva shook her head in earnest, "She couldn't have settled down like the rest of the survivors after the war, no this one goes off to become the wizarding world's greatest huntress." Pride, anger, sadness, and pain swept over all three of the elder's faces.
"We will leave you to it Poppy, I'll be back tomorrow to check her status, if she wakes before then I'm sure I'll know."
Minerva turned to see Kingsley already leaving, "How's that?"
"She made it plainly clear, she wanted the name of her next hunt as soon as possible." With a last concerning glance to the unconscious witch he turned to leave, stopping just before the wards to her room. A sigh leaving as his body slumped in resignation, "Have you heard anything from him, Mini?"
"No word, last my contacts found he was camping out in the Conifer Forest in Norway."
The Minister shook his head even as his hand began to form a hole in the wards, "We both know he is the only one who can put a stop to Hermione's destructive path." With that said, Kingsley left Minerva with tears forming in her eyes, and the Mediwitch who paused on his words only to continue her labors once he left.