Title: Holding Out For a Hero
Author: FlamingRosesInDarkness
Warnings: None, I don't think. Other than blood and it being an AU.
Summary: Hermione is taken prisoner and waits for her hero to come save her.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series nor anything associated with it. (Other than a Ron Weasely t-shirt.) It's all J.K. Rowling's. I also don't own the song Holding Out For a Hero by Bonnie Tyler. That's hers.
A/N: This is an AU. It's during the war and Deathly Hallows isn't taken into account. I'm sorry if that bothers you. Be forewarned, I wrote this in under an hour at four in the morning so it might not be totally well written. I guess it could be considered a songfic but I don't know. Anyway, read, enjoy and review.
Hermione Granger sat in the corner of a dirty cell in Azkaban prison. Voldemort had taken over and turned it into a holding place for captured Order members.
She looked around her cell. The walls were made of cold stone and there was a single small, barred window that didn't let much light in.
On the other side of the room, lay a small pile of hay that served as her bed. Next to it, a metal bucket, that served as her toilet. She grimaced at the bucket and looked away.
She'd been there for two months if she went by the marks on the wall she'd made with a small rock. Too long, she thought and closed her eyes. She leaned her head against the wall and tried to get some sleep.
Sleep wouldn't come to her, unfortunately. She grumbled and stood, stretching her limbs. She strode over to her pile of hay and lied down. She closed her eyes again.
She thought of Harry and Ron. Were they looking for a way to her out? Or were they going to leave her there until they killed Voldemort? She pushed the pessimistic thought out of her mind and tried to think of something happy; a task that wasn't accomplished easily in that place.
Her thoughts turned to her parents. How did they react when they were told their daughter had been taken prisoner? Had they been told? She sighed.
"This isn't helping. Stop it," she said to herself. Won't someone come and get me already? She thought angrily.
This thought made her think of a song her mother had sung to her as a child.
I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero till the end of the night
He's gotta be strong and he's gotta be fast
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight
I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero till the morning light
He's gotta be sure and he's gotta be soon
And he's gotta be larger than life
Larger than life
Somewhere after midnight
In my wildest fantasies
Somewhere just beyond my reach
There's someone reaching back for me
Racing on the thunder and rising with the heat
It's gonna take a superman to sweep me off my feet
I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero till the end of the night
He's gotta be strong and he's gotta be fast
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight
I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero till the morning light
He's gotta be sure and he's gotta be soon
And he's gotta be larger than life
I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero till the end of the night
Even though she sang quietly, her voice echoed around the room, doubling back on itself and becoming louder.
She stopped suddenly when a scream sounded from down the hall. She opened one eye and looked toward the cell door. She didn't see any feet under the door but she could tell someone was coming.
Up where the mountains meet the heavens aboveOut where the lightning splits the sea
I can swear that there's someone somewhere watching me
Through the wind and the chill and the rain
And the storm and the flood
I can feel his approach like a fire in my blood
I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero till the end of the night
He's gotta be strong and he's gotta be fast
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight
I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero till the morning light
He's gotta be sure and he's gotta be soon
And he's gotta be larger than life
I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero till the end of the night
He's gotta be strong and he's gotta be fast
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight
I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero till the morning light
He's gotta be sure and he's gotta be soon
And he's gotta be larger than life
I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero till the end of the night
She looked away, closed her eye and started singing; louder this time.
She finished as footsteps pounded outside the door. She sat up and the door opened.
A cloaked figure entered, cloak fluttering behind them. Hermione opened her eyes and looked up at the tall figure.
Even though it was dark and they wore a hood, she could see greasy, black hair peeking out of the hood. "Snape?" He growled and said, "Yes, you stupid girl. Lower your voice before you have ever Death Eater in the place in here."
She nodded. "What are you doing?" she asked as he pulled out his wand a muttered a spell under his breath. A dark cloak, identical to his, appeared in his hand.
He threw it at her and snarled, "Put it on, hurry. We don't have much time."
Hermione quickly stood and put the cloak around her shoulders, fastening it at the neck and pulling up the hood. Snape checked to make sure her face was covered, then pulled out another wand and thrust it at her.
"Keep it concealed." Hermione stared at it a moment. "It's yours," Snape said and turned to the door. Hermione tucked it into her pocket.
"Keep your head down and don't speak to anyone we come across," he hissed as they left the room, closing and locking the door behind them. She nodded and followed him down the hallway.
They passed many cells and when she dared to look inside a couple, she almost gasped. In one, sat Luna Lovegood, her hair matted with blood and a bruised face. In another, Remus Lupin, blood pouring out of a cut above his eye, was unconscious. Lying on a pile of hay, his chest barely rising with each breath.
She slowed down as tears formed at her eyes. She wanted to throw open the door and help him but Snape grabbed her arm and dragged her along. "Don't worry. He'll be fine. We'll get him out soon," he whispered. "The same with Lovegood."
This calmed her a little and she continued on, not looking in anymore cells. They made it to the exit when Lucius Malfoy stepped in front of them. Hermione quickly lowered her head and Snape glared at him.
Lucius folded his arms across his chest and drawled, "Where are you off to, Severus?" His eyes moved up and down Hermione's body, trying to figure out who she was.
"I'm on a mission for the Dark Lord," Snape said, coldly. Lucius' eyes momentarily flickered to Snape but returned to Hermione. "Oh? What type of missions, may I ask?"
Snape glared at him again. "One the Dark Lord assigned to me, Lucius. Now, move out of my way." Lucius smirked.
"Fine, I accept you answer. But, I have one more question." His hand reached out toward Hermione's hood, preparing to tear it off. "Who is this?"
Snape grabbed Lucius' arm. "A new recruit. The Dark Lord asked me to bring him along." Lucius looked at him for a moment, as if ready to contradict, but instead, wrenched his arm from Snape's grip and left.
Outside, Snape and Hermione walked to the edge of the water. "Do you have your Apparition license?" he asked turning to her. She shook her head. "Never had a chance to get it. What, with the war and all."
Snape scowled. He had hoped she'd gotten. Side Apparition was a nuisance. "Fine," he said. "Grab on to me and hold on tight."
Hermione wrapped her arms around him and felt him stiffen at her touch. The song played through her mind again as the Apparated with a loud crack.
When Hermione opened her eyes, she was standing outside the Burrow. She almost cried in relief. Above her, Snape cleared his throat. She'd forgotten he was there.
"Miss. Granger, would you kindly let go of me?" Hermione blushed lightly and jumped away from him. She mumbled an apology.
Snape straightened his robes and said, "They're inside waiting for you. You shouldn't worry them any longer." He turned to leave. Hermione watched as he walked away.
Snape nearly fell over when another body collided into him, wrapping its arms around him. He froze. What the hell is this girl doing?
Hermione squeezed tighter and mumbled into his back, "Thank you for saving me." She let go and walked back to the house, a deep blush staining her cheeks.
Snape watched her retreating back with a small smile. "You're welcome," he said to the night when the door shut. He spun on his heel and Disapparated.
Yay! I finally finished a story. I've had major writer's block and haven't been able to finish a story. This is the first one. I feel good and now have a lot of ideas for my other fic. To those of you who have been reading my PotC story, I'm sorry I haven't updated. As I mentioned before, I had writer's block and have been pretty busy. I'm going to write another chapter today and, hopefully, it will be posted tomorrow or the day after. Review please!
