Thanks to Thanatoslives for both Beta reading, and encouraging this monstrous obsession. Here's looking at you, kid. Also, never fear, Pain Management fans. I'm not abandoning you. I promise. I still love you forever and always.
Hermione wasn't sure what she was looking at. She knew it was bright, that it was heating her entire body to the point of outright pain. She knew in some corner of her mind that she should back away, that what she was looking at was bad. The heat flickered and danced and she gasped when she came to the sudden realization that it was fire. It was fire. And that was her house. And the last time she saw her parents, they were inside of that house. All at once, Hermione wanted to back away and run inside. She did the latter. Her feet carried her up the steps of the porch and through the front door-into a wall of flames. The heat was almost unbearable but she waited and listened. She listened for screams, for any sign that her parents were inside.
Suddenly, she felt something clamp around her waist like a vice. She was dragged from the house and away from the heat and forced behind a tree. The air felt very cold against her skin and she shivered both from the air and she thought maybe from shock. Her eyes couldn't register what she was seeing, but her body registered that she was being restrained and she fought it. Her fingernails raked at wool and then her hands were restrained.
"Granger-Granger, stop. Granger, stop it!" She looked up into a mask. A silver mask and screeched, wrenching her hands away and fighting harder. The man pulled the mask off and Hermione looked up again into sallow skin and dark eyes. He dropped the mask and gripped her wrists in his hands, lowering his face to be level with hers. "You're not supposed to be here. What are you doing here?"
"Where are they?" Hermione gasped, lowering her head so her face rested in the vee of her wrists. "Where are they?" She felt his hands release her wrists, but grab her by the upper arms and crush her to him. And then they apparated. She felt the tug at her navel and the sickening twisting and spinning and then they landed so hard her ankles throbbed with the force. He gripped her upper arms again and pressed her against a fence. She recognized that they were on Hogwarts grounds. "Where are they?" She repeated weakly.
"I removed your parents before the raid. They're safe. You were not supposed to be there," Snape growled, his hands gripping her shoulders painfully. He watched her eyes widen, and fill with tears. Her breathing quickened and she started to shake. He growled his frustration and steered her through the gate, up the grounds, and into the castle.
The Headmaster seemed to be waiting for them. The moment he saw Hermione, he leapt forward, taking her other arm and leading them both up the stairs to his office. Snape barked the password and they pushed her into the expanse of a room. Snape pushed her into a chair and he paced behind her. The Headmaster fixed Snape with a hard stare.
"What happened?" He demanded. Hermione had shrunk into herself, but looked more aware and a little less like a broken doll.
"A raid, Albus. Her parents were targeted." Albus stopped where he was pacing in front of her, but Snape hadn't stopped pacing behind her.
"A rai-Severus. Did you know about this ahead of time?" Snape must have nodded because Albus suddenly looked very angry. "Severus, I trust you to keep me informed. I trust you to tell me if someone is in danger, and you chose not to inform me of this, and now Miss Granger's parents have paid the price."
"Albus, her parents are safe. They have been moved and are not harmed. Their home, however-"
"Does Voldemort know about this?"
"No. It was done discretely." Albus seemed to relax somewhat and held his hands wide.
"He'll find out eventually, Severus. And then all four of you will be in danger." Snape dropped into the chair next to Hermione's and ran a thin hand across his face.
"I know," he said and Hermione noted that he sounded exhausted.
"Severus, we need to do something about this. Where are her parents now?"
"Brussels," Snape grunted. "I moved them to Brussels."
"Why Brussels?" It was the first time Hermione had spoken since they'd returned to the school. Snape looked at her like he'd forgotten she was there.
"Why not Brussels?" he countered. "It was the first place that came to mind." She nodded mutely.
"Severus, take Miss Granger up to the Head Girl's room. Return here when she's safe. We have more to discuss." Severus stood, refusing to speak aloud that the girl may well never be safe again. Hermione stood and moved her arm away from the hand he held out. She crossed her arms over her stomach and bowed her head forward so her hair concealed her face.
They walked side-by-side through the corridors in silence until they reached the stairs to the Head Girl's rooms. When they reached the door, they turned to look at each other and a mutual understanding seemed to pass between them. He nodded to her and she returned it with a small twitch of her lips. Almost a smile.
"Thank you, Professor," she said softly before disappearing behind her door. It shut with a soft click and only then did Severus descend the stairs to return the Headmaster's office.
-v-
"What is your plan, Headmaster? I'm sure you've had sufficient time to hash one out. I'm all ears." Severus dropped into the seat Hermione had previously inhabited and steepled his fingers beneath his chin.
"Severus, I'm afraid our only course of action is to hide all of you." Albus said, fidgeting with a sherbet lemon before finally popping it into his mouth. "Temporary relocation of you, Miss Granger, and her family is our only option if we're to keep all of you safe." Severus' mouth fell open but he quickly recovered himself.
"You intend to put is in some sort of witness protection program?" He demanded. Albus nodded.
"That's precisely what I intend to do. You're fluent in French, are you not?" Severus lurched to his feet and held his hands up in front of him.
"This cannot be the only option." He said. Albus smiled sadly.
"Severus, I don't mean to put the blame on you for this, but you chose not to include me in your decision making. Now I have to clean up the mess. If you are intent on dying, by all means, stay. I can't control you, you've made that much clear. My advise would be to relocate. You are far too valuable an asset in this war." Severus made a noise in the back of his throat, something like a choked growl, and backed into the chair he'd been sat in.
"France, then?" He asked resentfully.
"I believe so, yes."
-v-
Hermione sat cross-legged in the middle of the Head Girl's bed-a bed she was sure would he hers in the coming year. She must have been in shock; it was taking her much longer to settle and calm. She kept reminding herself that her parents were safe. But the loss of their home still stabbed at her, regardless. She yanked a pillow to her chest, shoved her face into it, and released the wracking sobs that she'd been fighting for hours. After a hot, lavender scented bath, Hermione crawled into bed wearing only her shirt and knickers. She would marvel in the morning at how quickly she was able to fall asleep.
-v-
Hermione woke with a gasp and a start to a loud rapping on both her door and her window. She climbed out of bed quickly, going to the window first to alleviate the owl that had a rather large parcel hanging from its beak. She took it and apologized for not having any treats handy. It looked at her reproachfully and took off again.
"I'm coming!" Hermione shouted at the door, still being banged on mercilessly. She tugged her jeans on from the day before and yanked her hair back into a ponytail. She pulled the door open and left it wide for Professor Snape to step through.
"What took you so long?"
"I was asleep," she grumbled. "I could have answered the door pantsless, would that have been better?"
"I don't appreciate your tone, Miss Granger," Snape said, his tone dangerous. Hermione sat on the edge of her unmade bed and nodded.
"I'm sorry, sir. You're right. I mean no disrespect," Snape nodded and stood before her, crossing his arms, and looking completely uncomfortable with being in a student's sleeping quarters. "Have you and Professor Dumbledore thought of a solution?"
"Indeed…" he paused, and Hermione looked at him impatiently.
"Well? What is it?"
"Albus is relocating us for the time being. To France," he said hesitantly.
"Relocating-but what about school?" She demanded, standing up now.
"Don't be child, Granger, our lives are at stake here. Your parents', too." They glared at each other for a moment before Hermione finally shrugged.
"Fine," she said. "Fine, I suppose I could study whilst abroad and finish school later-" she stopped abruptly. All of her belongings, including her school books, had been lost in the fire. Snape seemed to pick up on her train of thought.
"I will tutor you while we are away." His tone implied that he was less than willing to do so, and she chewed her lip carefully.
"If it's not too much trouble...I can't stand the thought of not graduating."
"Your priorities, Miss Granger, seem to be out of order," Snape commented, rolling his eye toward the ceiling. "Come with me, we have the fine details to discuss with Albus." Hermione nodded and followed him to the door.
She struggled to keep up. His legs were about two miles longer than hers and she hadn't eaten since lunch the afternoon before. Snape looked over his shoulder, noticed her several paces lagging, and slowed his gait so she could catch up. They ascended the stairs and Snape pushed open the door to the Headmaster's office.
Hermione barely made it through the door before warm arms enveloped her. Not just one set, but two. She immediately recognized her mother's perfume and her own arms wound around her parents. She realized suddenly that all three of them were crying and when she pulled away, even her father's cheeks were moist and his eyes red and swollen. Her parents kissed her and they all turned when the Headmaster cleared his throat politely.
"So glad to see all of you reunited and safe. So very glad. Now," he clapped his hands and rubbed them together, "we have much to discuss. You've all been filled in on the basic details, I assume?" Snape nodded, looking uncomfortable again. "Wonderful. Now we just have the finer points to work out." Albus conjured two more chairs and all four of them took seats, Hermione's parents next to each other, and Severus and Hermione beside one another. Hermione leaned forward with her elbows on her knees, watching the Headmaster with apprehension. "In my brilliant mind, I have worked out the perfect cover story. You'll be moving to the small, mountainous town of Gordes, France. Severus, Hermione, you will have new identities as Mr. and Mrs. Andreas and Christine Bronston-"
"I'm sorry, Albus-I may have misunderstood. Mr. and Mrs.?" Snape leaned forward, as well, looking almost angry. Hermione felt her expression melt into a similar one and both of her parents protested loudly. Albus held up both of his hands in defense.
"Silence," he commanded and everyone's mouths snapped shut almost audibly. "This needs to be believable, understand? How strange would it look for four separate people to move into a town of 2,000 population?" Severus sat back in his seat, seething. "A family moving together is far more believable. Albert, Jean, your identities will be changed to Frank and Nora Carey, Christine Bronstons' parents-Severus, I want no more arguments from you. Remember our discussion last night." Snape had sat up straighter and opened his mouth again to protest, but resolved to simply glare at his employer.
"Now, there needs to be a legal document." Albus waved his wand and a certificate floated to his desk. Snape leaned forward to take a better look. It was a marriage license with the Bronstons' names already printed neatly between two lines. The other lines were already signed, it was only missing theirs. Snape growled low in his throat and Hermione gasped softly, clapping a hand to her mouth. Her parents looked as though they were going to be sick.
"Professor Dumbledore, please," Jean said weakly. "Hermione's not of age yet, she can't possibly get married."
"Miss Granger is of legal age in the wizarding world, but you're correct. In the muggle world, she is still a minor. However, according to her new identity, she is twenty-four years of age." Albus wasn't kidding when he said his brain had been to work, Snape thought. Hermione lurched forward over her lap, her hand pressed to her mouth.
"Miss Granger, are you ill? The loo is just over there," Snape leapt to his feet, ready to take her there himself to avoid a mess. She held up both hands to keep him at a distance.
"No, I'm fine. I'm just overwhelmed, is all. This is a lot to take in." He couldn't disagree with that. Hermione straightened up, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. Her parents watched her with sympathy while Snape and Albus simply waited for her to collect herself. Snape reached forward and snagged Albus' quill to scrawl 'Andreas Bronston' above the printed name. There was no way around it. He handed the quill to Hermione, who signed Christine's name in turn. Albus rolled the license up and it disappeared. Snape glanced over at his new wife who looked absolutely terrified.
"Ah, one more thing I forgot to mention," Albus said, and Snape got the distinct feeling that he had not actually forgotten at all, but simply neglected. "You can't use magic."
"I beg your pardon?" Snape and Hermione said together, startling her parents.
"Magic is too easily traceable, Severus. If you leave a trail of residue, this entire project is for naught. No magic. In fact, both of you give me your wands now." Snape gripped his wand in his hand and finally, after a moment, placed it on the desk. Hermione's followed his, although even more hesitantly.
"Now, two homes have been procured in Gordes. Mr. and Mrs. Bronston, you will be living in a small house right in town. Mr. and Mrs. Carey, you will have a farmhouse on the outskirts." Hermione held back a smile. Her mother had always been an avid gardener. That ought to help her transition more easily. "And as I understand it, you've lost everything in the fire," when the three of them nodded, he smiled sadly. "My condolences. Miss Granger I took the liberties of retrieving your funds from Gringotts and converting it to Pounds." He produced a stack of notes from within his robes and handed it to her across the desk. She counted it carefully.
"Professor Dumbledore, this is more than what I had," she said, confused. He waved her off.
"Don't worry about it, dear. When one of our own needs help, we step up." Hermione gaped at him and when he motioned for her to put the money away, she tucked it into the pocket of her denims, blushing. "I'll ask you to wait until you get to France to shop, dear. You understand." She nodded mutely.
"Right!" Dumbledore exclaimed, "A portkey is set up at the gate, and you four have twenty minutes before it activates. Off you go! Severus, I'll be in touch via post. You can send any letters to me to The Black Horse in London. I will retrieve them there." Without another word, the four of them stood numbly from their chairs and left the office.