Author: Emily Waters
Title: Radius of Action
Pairing: Hermione/Severus
Word Count: 490
Summary: Severus Snape thinks he passed his point of no return. Hermione disagrees.
Radius of Action
"I know."
Hermione's confident voice sent a chill down his spine.
"And what is it that you think you know?"
"I know you're on our side. I know that killing Dumbledore was a trick. I know you are conspiring with Dumbledore's portrait. I know you're watching over us."
Dread, coupled with despair, coursed over him. Of course the little, all-too irritating, ever-so-logical, know-it-all would guess.
He had no strength left to bluff. He simply stared at her, unblinking.
"I know the Dark Lord will kill you get the Elder Wand, and I know that you know," she said, lowering her voice. "You should make your escape now," she continued with determination. "We need to tell the Order. They'll believe you. They can hide you until the war is over."
Severus shook his head mutely.
"Why?" she whispered.
"It's too late," he said simply.
Her arms crossed on her chest, she looked at him. "Are you familiar with the term Radius of Action?"
"No."
"Muggle air navigation terminology," Hermione explained. "It's also known as point of no return, the point on a flight at which, due to fuel consumption, an aircraft is no longer capable of returning to its starting point, and must continue to its destination."
"Ah. I'm well past my… half-way point, so to speak."
"That's the thing, Sir. Radius of Action is never at half-point. It's much farther than that. You see, planes carry far more fuel than they need to. Furthermore," she continued, ignoring the half-amused, half-irritated expression on his face, "the farther the aircraft travels, the less fuel it requires, due to decreased mass. Some aircrafts increase their efficiency by ejecting empty fuel tanks to extend their Radius of Action." She gave him a pointed look. "So really, the point of no return is not at halfway. It's near the end of the journey. You could expend as much as seventy-five percent of your fuel, and still not reach your point-of-no return."
"Miss Granger..."
"What I'm trying to say, Sir, it's not too late."
He smirked derisively, unwilling to admit how touched he was by her obstinacy.
She took a step towards him. She radiated warmth.
"How much fuel have you got left, do you figure?" she asked, matching his smirk with one of her own.
"About five percent," he said, keeping his tone light.
She surprised him then. She took his face into his hands and kissed him.
Had he been prepared for it, he would have managed to evade her, but as it were, their lips merged, and he found himself kissing her back, with reckless self-abandon that he didn't think he was capable of.
When she pulled out of the kiss, her face was slightly flushed.
"Five percent?" she said with a sad smile. "Very well. I can work with that."
~ Fin