The private suite seemed to echo with a cruel laughter when he apparated inside it. He didn't waste any time throwing a pinch of floo powder into the fire and using it to travel to his private chambers. He threw off the mask and robes, tossing them unceremoniously over a chair before snatching a piece of parchment and his quill from his desk. He loaded the quill with ink and quickly wrote a single sentence on the scrap of parchment before laying it back down. The parchment held in his hand by the corner so that the ink would finish drying while he ran, he left his quarters. His feet carried him through the corridors and up the stone staircases until he was running upwards to the owlrey. Most of the birds had left for their nightly hunt, but there were a few perched there who had already returned, and one sitting alone as she pined for the master who had seen fit to leave her on the school grounds during the holidays.
"You there! Potter's owl! Come down here." He grabbed a piece of twine from a box that was attached to the wall by the door and rolled up the now dry parchment. The snowy owl came down to him, landing on a perch by his elbow. "Your master is in trouble. He and his friend were forced to flee for their lives tonight and their whereabouts are unknown." Wizarding owls, being almost as clever as their masters, understood human speech quite well. The owl began to grow agitated, snapping her beak nervously. "I know that you can find him. Take this message to him. If he is well, remain until he sends back a response. If he is unwell, return here instantly and fetch a teacher to take to him." He tied the note to her leg, which she held out towards him without question, then lifted the bird on his arm and walked her to a window. "Try to keep unnoticed, stay to areas where you will blend with the snow. Use your color to your advantage and don't delay." She gave him a hoot to confirm that she understood and then took off through the window. He had no doubt that the owl would find the boy.
He turned around and ran back down the stairs, hurrying towards the Headmaster's office. As he approached the stone gargoyle he bit out "acid pops" and stepped onto the moving staircase revealed when the guardian hopped aside. He ran up the stairs for extra speed and didn't bother to knock as he entered. Minerva was there, as was Madame Pomfrey. The school nurse was always present when he returned, ever prepared to tend to him after having to put him back together when Voldemort had finished punishing him for his lack of faith. It had been some time since he had been tortured by the Dark Lord, but the woman was the mother hen sort, cut from the same cloth as Molly Weasley. Both women stood and faced him as he entered.
"Severus! You're back already? What happened?" Minerva gripped her hands together tightly as Poppy hurried forward to run her wand over him in search for injuries. Albus sat in his chair, his blue eyes sharp and focused on him.
"Albus, it was the Grangers. Lucius Malfoy led an attack on the Grangers." He heard Minerva give a strangled cry. She clutched her chest as her knees appeared to buckle, forcing her to reach out with her other hand to brace herself on the arm of a chair.
"And the children, Severus?"
"They weren't there. I don't know where they were, but I've just sent Potter's owl to find him."
The Headmaster leaned back in his chair, suddenly looking old and frail. He pursed his lips and fiddled with his beard. "Any survivors?"
"No. I almost had one, but Lucius interfered." His black eyes moved to Minerva who appeared to be on the verge of tears. "I'm sorry, Minerva, but it looked as though most of her immediate family must have been present. There were several adults as well as their children." He lowered his eyes respectively. It always hit Minerva the hardest when one of her Gryffindors was orphaned. Though stern and a strict disciplinarian, she loved each of her students like a precious nephew or niece. With Hermione, it had crossed into something more like a surrogate daughter. Minerva, he suspected, saw something of herself in the girl.
The Headmaster got up and crossed over to the hearth. He took a pinch of powder and threw it in. The flames roared emerald and he shouted to it clearly. "Molly Weasley!" A moment later the head of Bill Weasley came into view.
"Sorry, Professor. Mum's not here. The Ministry contacted Dad about another attack, and once Diggory said it was the Grangers, Mum insisted on going as well. Charlie, Percy and the twins went with them, too. I had to stay here to make sure Ron and Ginny didn't run off to follow them."
"Harry and Hermione have not shown up there, then?"
"No, Headmaster." A second head with silvery blond hair crowded into the fireplace as well.
"You 'ave 'ope that zey are all safe, then?" Fleur Weasley looked anxiously up at Albus.
"It appears that they may, Fleur. Bill, keep an eye out for them. Contact me if they should appear at the Burrow."
"The very second they do, Professor. Oh, and if they show up there, you'd best let Mum know. She's about to have kittens." Bill tried to smile, his wife had vanished again. It was the way of most Weasley's to try and inject a little light hearted feeling into a tense situation, but even Bill was having trouble. His weak smile had faltered and faded before his head vanished.
"If they're not with the Weasleys, then where did they go, Albus?" Minerva was back to gripping her hands together so hard that the blood had fled them.
"There is one other place they might have gone. It is possible that Harry took her to Privett Drive." He pursed his lips again, as though he wasn't sure this was a viable option.
"Privet Drive? To the Dursleys? Albus, surely not. He can't stand those horrible people!"
"Be that as it may, Minerva, I placed some very strong protections around that house. I suspect that Harry knows this, and if he was able to gather his wits about him through the tension of the moment, he may have had the clarity of thought to know it was the one place outside of this school where no one could touch him. They would be safe there." He turned to them both. "Minvera, there are things that must be seen to. We need to act quickly if we are to prevent Miss Granger from being placed in a Muggle orphanage or sent to some relation who may stop her studies here. There are papers to be altered and arrangements to be made. Am I safe in assuming that you would be willing to petition for guardianship?"
"Of course, Albus." She straightened her shoulders and nodded.
"Good, you will need to come with me, then. Severus, I feel that a wizard with a more ruthless streak should go after the children. I need you to go to the Dursley's and wait for them there. I'll send word if they arrive at either The Burrow or here first."
Severus nodded wordlessly and left the room. He would return to his rooms and fetch his traveling kit before leaving. Every good Potions Master had one, a small but eclectic collection of ingredients that could be used to brew a variety of different medicinal potions. There could be injuries or signs of exposure if they were outside in the snow, and there would definitely be mental trauma if the pair found the house. He walked into his study and pointed himself towards his private lab when there was a momentary roar from his hearth. He usually doused the fire when he came back, to prevent any unexpected visitors, but he had apparently forgotten to do so in his rush tonight. Lucius' head was in the fire.
"Severus, did you make it back in time?"
He quickly reigned himself in before answering. "Apparently. Dumbledore was just summoning me when I arrived. I told him I had been in town for a drink."
"Good. I didn't know if you'd make it back before he noticed you were gone. He knows about the attack, then?"
"He does, and so does McGonagall. They're together discussing it now."
Malfoy scowled. "And the girl?"
His target had been Hermione, then. Severus forced himself to remain expressionless. "No sign of her, yet. If she returned after we disapparated, it's possible that the Ministry wizards have her."
"Just what we need. We can't talk like this. Come through to the manor." The head vanished, but the flames remained green. He glared at the flames before stepping through them and exiting into Lucius' well appointed study. The other wizard was pouring burbon into a pair of elegant tumblers. "The Ministry is growing more and more troublesome by the day. It was one thing when Fudge was convinced that Dumbledore was mad in his beliefs that our lord had returned, but now that he has come to the realization that old meddler was right he has become worse than any dog nipping at our heels. He's given more and more responsibility to that Muggle Lover, Weasley. Arthur's always waiting for a chance to put me under investigation for one thing or another. If they have that little Mudblood, they'll hold her up to the press as the tragic victim."
Severus accepted the glass. "If I may point out, Lucius, they would have done so if we had killed her. You're forgetting that there are some prominent wizards and witches who know and respect Hermione Granger. She made so many O.W.L.S that she broke the record set by the Dark Lord in his time. It even made the front page of the papers."
"She's a mudblood, Severus. She would have been forgotten in time. It's a pity she didn't have the decency to be there when we arrived." Malfoy drained his glass in one gulp. He scowled and set the glass down on his desk with an irritated thump. "Tonight didn't go nearly as well as I had hoped. They lived too close to their neighbors. There wasn't enough time to have any proper fun with them."
Severus said nothing. He didn't drink from the glass, it had been a long time since he had drank anything that a Death Eater gave him. He didn't trust them not to poison him. He merely made some sound of agreement without actually vocalizing anything. Lucius' gaze turned to him. "You missed out on most of the fun, Severus. Why did you go upstairs, anyway?"
"Making sure that there were no other family members hiding there. I didn't expect to find the Granger girl, a Gryffindor would have charged at us with her wand in hand, but there could have been younger children already put to bed."
"Ah, of course." The other wizard gave him a conspiratorial smile. "You always were there to clean up when we'd been sloppy, weren't you, Severus? Sometimes I wonder what we would have done without you." He crossed the room to place a hand on Severus' shoulder.
"Most likely you would have been caught because of something those idiot lapdogs of yours had done." He didn't shrug off the hand, although he felt as though he would need to scrape the skin from his shoulder to clean the taint from it. Lucius let out a laugh.
"Yes, Crabbe and Goyle are somewhat of a bother. Their sons, if the truth were to be told, are not much better. However, Draco suffers their incompetence well." He let go his grip and went to his chair, falling into it with the cocky air of someone who knows they have just gotten away with murder. Though the temptation was there to kill the man before him, Severus couldn't help but reflect on how this had been him as well, at one time. He had once been just as arrogant and certain that nothing could touch him. The difference between himself and Lucius Malfoy was that Severus had not entirely lost his conscience. There had still been a spark of humanity within him, enough of a spark to send him back to Albus and confess his sins. The same conscience that tortured him on a regular basis had saved his soul.
"They were such a lovely family, weren't they, Severus? And so very brave, it's easy to see where the little bitch got her nature from. We didn't stun those boys quickly enough; one of them nearly broke McNair's jaw. Although, I hadn't expected so many. I can't imagine why they would have gathered for their Christmas dinner the day before. We might have gotten the girl if it had just been herself and her parents."
"What girl?"
Lucius and Severus both looked over to the doorway of the study. Draco was standing there, apparently having gotten up for some odd reason as he was still wearing his bed clothes and his robe. His pale hair was tousled from sleep and he looked even paler than usual. His father smiled at him. "You're awake? Not having trouble, I hope."
The boy shook his head. "I was thirsty." He cast a confused glance at his teacher, and then looked back to his father. "What girl, Father? What family?" Severus noted that in half-sleep the boy's voice lacked the arrogant drawl that he used at school.
"Just an attempt to make you life a bit easier, son. We paid a call on that Mudblood's family, the one that is always upstaging you at school." Lucius gave him a warm, indulgent smile. "Unfortunately, the little chit didn't have the manners to be there when we arrived."
"Granger?" There was a look of shock and, dare he believe it, horror? Just as quickly as it was seen, Draco banished it and replaced it with his usual snide demeanor. "Pity. It would have been fun to go back after the holidays and see how Weasley took it. He's got a soft spot for her, has had ever since our fourth year." He gave Severus another look. "Well, perhaps next time. Her luck's bound to run out on her soon. I'll just be going then. Good night, Father." He vanished from the door into the dark hallway behind him, and Severus thought that he caught a worried expression on the boy's face in the reflection of a display case when he turned from his father's sight. Could it be possible that there was still a chance to save the boy? Severus tightened his self-control and promised himself to keep a closer eye than ever on Draco Malfoy, in hopes that he could stop him from becoming the same monster his father was.
"You will let me know how the girl does when she returns to school, won't you? Perhaps this will put her in her place, if nothing else." Lucius stood, his smile friendly and triumphant. "I'm sure that Draco will be willing to help in any way possible."
Severus nodded, a curt jerk of his head. "Of course, Lucius." He noted that the sky was growing lighter outside the windows. Where had the night gone? It had felt as though time was standing still, but the dawn was approaching. "If you will excuse me, I must return to the school. The nurse always asks me to help restock her infirmary stores during the break in preparation of the students' return. If I leave now, I may be able to manage a few hours sleep before she invades my privacy."
Lucius laughed, amused by this. "Certainly. I hadn't realized the hour." He clapped a hand on Severus' shoulder and squeezed it lightly. "It was good to have you with us, my friend. We had thought we had lost you." Yes, they had thought that they had lost him, that he had deserted them for good.
"My loyalty to our lord is complete, Lucius. You know this." He sat his untouched glass upon a low table and nodded his farewell. Lucius threw a pinch of floo powder into the hearth for him. Severus stepped in, called out his chambers, and then vanished.
As he stepped out of the hearth into his chambers, he snarled to himself. Lucius had delayed him and cost him precious time. If his suspicions about those Muggles Potter lived with were close to accurate, then it would have been better for him to have been there when the children arrived, if they were headed there at all. He went back across the room to once again try and claim his traveling kit when there was a knock on his door. A very solid, very firm knock.
"What now?!" He snarled before shouting towards the door. "Come in!"
The door swung open and Severus was not surprised to see the giant, hulking form Hagrid there. Through the wild tangles of bushy, black hair, he could see that the man had been crying. "Professor Snape, sir…"
"Yes, Hagrid, it's true. No, I do not know where they are, I was on my way to one of the possible locations. And, no, you cannot come with me." He sounded tired, even to his own ears.
"But, Hermione might need me, might need someone to hold her." He was trying not to cry again, making little hiccoughing noises in his throat.
"I'm going into a Muggle community, Hagrid. You'll draw too much attention to us. If you want to help, stay here for when Potter's owl returns. She'll have a response to the message I sent him." He didn't close the door but instead walked back and finally got his potions kit. "And put out this fire after I'm gone. I don't want any surprises when I get back."
"Yes, sir. Good luck, an' take good care of 'em." He knew that it was taking a great deal of willpower for the half-giant to entrust the care of those two with him. He trusted Severus because he knew that Albus trusted him, but he also knew that the Potions Master had no love for the Gryffindors, especially Harry Potter. Still, he was willing to take the chance if it meant that the children would be returned safely to the school. "An… an give those relatives o'his a sound thrashing if they've upset her more than she already is."
A smirk tugged at Severus' mouth as he shrugged the strap of his kit over his shoulder. "I'll do that." Once again he threw some of the powder into the hearth, stepped into the flames, and traveled to his quarters at the inn. From there he apparated to the walkway before Number 4, Privet Drive. He raised his hand and knocked upon the door. He was about to do so again when it took so long for an answer then the door opened and a boy about Potter's age look out at him. He had pale blond hair and, judging from the size of his face, was quite possibly the most obese person Severus had ever seen. The boy stared at him in shock, but when he had opened the door the sound of angry voices had been able to reach him.
"You will not take that tone with me, boy!"
"You don't know anything about her! Nothing at all about what kind of people her family was!"
"I know that you've brought some little tart you met at that freakish school of yours into my home!"
"She's NOT a tart! Don't you dare call her that again!"
The boy at the door swallowed hard. Severus arched a brow at the inside door that the voices were traveling through. "I take it that they arrived here, then?" The boy didn't answer. "I'm here to make sure that they are safe." The boy still didn't respond, apparently too afraid. Severus gave him a disdainful look, and then graced him with his most terrifying voice. "Move."
The boy gave a squeak and run towards the inner door, leaving the outside door standing wide open. The wizard stepped over the threshold and made his way to the now open door. The voices had stopped when the large boy rushed through it, and now a taller, more slender form came into view. When he saw who had come, Potter's eyes widened behind his glasses. "P… Professor Snape?" A large man with a purple face and no neck appeared, knocking Potter aside as though he were nothing more then refuse.
"I demand you leave my house at once!"
Severus gave him a look as though the man were something disgusting on the bottom of his boot. He did not stop walking towards the door, and as he suspected, the man's courage faltered. He moved his considerable bulk aside to allow the wizard entrance into what turned out to be the kitchen. Snape's eyes immediately sought out Potter. "You made it here, then. The Headmaster thought that you might."
"Oh, is that how you got here so quickly? I only sent Hedwig back with a reply this morning." He shifted on his feet nervously. "I… I thought that Professor McGonagall would come, or perhaps Professor Dumbledore."
"They are busy at the ministry, taking care of Miss Granger's future needs. I am here to see after the two of you." He gave a glance towards the Dursleys, Harry's aunt and cousin trying to hide behind the man of the house, though it was laughable to think that fat boy actually thought he could hide behind his father. "Where is she?"
"U… upstairs. We put her in the guest room." He stopped, concern darkening his green eyes. "She's bad off, Professor. Really bad."
"Show me."
The boy was edgy as he moved past his teacher and out of the kitchen. He led the way up the staircase and down the upstairs hall and opened a door leading to a bedroom decorated in blue and white. Hermione lay on the full sized bed within, her face turned towards the window. Her knees were drawn up, arms before her with elbows bent, much like a babe still in its mother's womb. Though she faced away from them, he could tell that she was staring at the wall, unblinking. He recognized the signs all to well. Potter's voice was barely more than a whisper when he spoke. "She's been like that since last night, Professor. I don't think she even slept." He didn't doubt that to be the case. Stepping back, he pulled the door shut again and motioned for the boy to follow him back down the stairs to the kitchen.
The Dursleys were still standing there, apparently too afraid to move although the man was now holding a large kitchen knife. "I'm warning you, I will not tolerate this intrusion!"
Severus pulled out his wand and gestured to the kitchen table with its chairs. "Sit down over there, all of you, and do not move unless told otherwise." He forced himself to hide his amusement as the Muggles immediately obeyed. He had wondered if their shabby treatment of their nephew didn't grow from fear of magic and wizards. Apparently it did, but they were too thick to realize that one day Potter would no longer be bound by the laws restricting underage wizards, but would in fact be a powerful adult wizard himself. Rather foolish of them, in his opinion.
He took his traveling kit and unpacked a few items onto the kitchen counter. With a wave of his wand, he reversed the shrinking spell used to make the items more compact before handing a thick root to Potter. "Make yourself useful and begin shredding this." Severus filled the now enlarged cauldron with water and set it atop the range, studying the knobs for a moment to discern their uses before turning it on. The water needed to be boiling before he began adding ingredients. "Now, tell me exactly what happened."
Potter launched into the story, clearing away the mystery of where he and Hermione had been while the Death Eaters were tearing apart her world. His voice caught in some places and Severus suspected that he was wrapped up in sympathy pain for his friend's loss. He found himself wondering how the boy managed to carry on when he felt so deeply. Potter's life, he had come to suspect, had been little more than misery before his coming to Hogwarts. After that point in time he had found some happiness at the castle, but that happiness had always been intermingled with tragedy. Still, he could not put aside his personal feelings towards the boy to show him any kindness or risk word reaching the Death Eaters that he favored the child who had once defeated their lord. Also, he felt it wrong to pamper the boy as Molly Weasley did when he cried. The boy needed steel in his spine if he was to survive the trials life had in store for him.
"I… I knocked her down to the ground to keep her from running to the house, held her down and kept her from screaming. When… when it was clear, I summoned the Knight Bus and had it bring us here. Stan took one look at the Dark Mark and didn't even charge us. He and the driver just wanted to get us away from that place as fast as they could."
"The Ministry will reimburse them as they always have. It was one of the unwritten duties of the Knight Bus to get those who needed help to safety when the Death Eaters attacked. I had wondered if you wouldn't show up soon. In truth, I was afraid you would show up before we left." He didn't elaborate; he just let the statement fall to the floor like lead as he stirred the potion.
"We?" Potter's voice was suddenly a hoarse whisper. "You were… you were there?" He held out the now shredded roots automatically as Severus held his hand out for them. The Potions Master took them and added them to the simmering potion.
"There was a Revel called last night. I was summoned along with several others. Unfortunately, the Grangers were the target." When he stopped talking, the only sounds left in the kitchen were the gurgling bubbles of the potion and the ticking of a clock on the far wall. After a long silence, Potter's voice ventured again.
"Did… did you save any of them?"
The potion turned a shimmering blue, indicating that it was ready. He reached down and turned the range knob to the 'off' position. "No." He reached into his potions kit and pulled out a large, clean vial into which he ladled some of the potion until it was filled. He replaced the ladle into the cauldron and turned away, heading back through the kitchen door after giving a warning glare to the Muggles still seated at the table.
The boy followed him as he walked up the stairs, turned left down the narrow hallway and opened the door to the bedroom. She was still in the exact same position as she had been earlier. Potter hovered at the door as Severus walked over to the bed and knelt down upon it with one knee. With his free hand he tugged the covers down so that he could slip his arm underneath her, maneuvering so that he was eventually cradling her head before he began his attempts to turn her over. "This way, Miss Granger."
As if he had her on some sort of leash, she turned towards him. The emptiness in those wide, brown eyes would have made a weaker man cry out in pain, but he had expected to see it. He lifted her up and placed the vial to her lips. "Drink this, it will help you." He did not keep frivolous ingredients in his travel kit, so there had been nothing that would have safely sweetened the mixture. Her face contorted as the bitter substance hit her tongue but he knew she needed this. "All of it."
"What is it, Professor?" Harry's voice sounded concerned as he watched his friend drain the contents of the vial. Severus kept himself from snapping at the boy, from pointing out that now was a little late to worry if he was going to poison the girl.
"Dreamless Sleep. She cannot sleep because her subconscious is aware of the nightmares that await her. This will allow her to rest somewhat from her ordeal and grant her the strength she needs to face what happened when she wakes." The last drop slid from the glass and into her mouth. "There will be plenty of time for nightmares later."
And believe me, Mr. Potter; you want her well rested before she dreams. A strong, we rested Hermione Granger would be able to handle the pain. This broken, drifting girl before him just might be capable of suicide. An unwelcome image of her lying in a steaming tub of water tinged pink with her own blood swam into his mind, and he banished it quickly. The potion was already working, her body going truly slack for the first time in hours as she surrendered to the blackness. Tucking the vial into his pocket, he straightened the girl out into a more comfortable position before pulling the covers back over her.
"Come, Mr. Potter."
"How long will she sleep, Sir?" He stepped back into the hallway, allowing Severus to close the door behind him.
"Hopefully a day or more. We'll need to stay here until she wakes. That will also give time for Minerva to bully the Ministry into assigning her as Miss Granger's legal guardian. After tonight, it's obvious that she's better off within the castle, where the Death Eaters can't reach her." With a swish of his robes, he turned away and started to walk towards the staircase.
"Who was it, Professor? Who was there?" Snape stopped and turned back around. The slight boy was still standing outside the bedroom door. His fists were clenched tightly and his eyes were flashing with a light that could only be from a wizard pushed to near breaking point. The expression on his face was murderous. He had seen that look on the face of James Potter once, long ago, when he had confronted his best friend after a prank gone horribly wrong. James had looked as though he would have gladly torn Sirius Black apart, for both attempting to seriously injure himself and for using their mutual friend, Remus Lupin, to do it.
Severus turned around fully and looked at the boy. He contemplated him for a long, heavy moment. "No, Potter, I will not tell you that."
"I want to know! I want to know who did this to her! Who killed the Grangers?" Picture frames, all containing images of the Dursley's depressingly rotund child, began to shake from an unseen force.
"And what good would it do to tell you? Do you plan to run off and fight them? You would be killed in a heartbeat. There are other tasks you must perform in your life and you must be whole to do them. Besides, this is Miss Granger's fight. If there is to be blood spilled in the name of revenge, it is her right to spill it."
"She can't do it. She's just a girl."
Snape arched a dark brow and leveled a quelling glare at the boy. "Just a girl?" He put the ice back into his voice, the tone that had students quaking in fear behind their cauldrons. Slowly, he walked back towards the boy, and Potter faltered his ground, hands unclenching. "Do not fool yourself into believing that Miss Granger's rank in class is solely based on her addiction to books. It takes power to work magic as we as knowledge. Minerva McGonagall is 'just a girl', and Albus himself considers her his superior in Transfiguration. Your mother was 'just a girl', and before her death, there were Death Eaters who trembled in fear at the mere mention of her name. Do not discount your Miss Granger as 'just a girl', Potter. The most dangerous creatures in nature are female. Do not let the natural instinct to mother and protect that women possess lull you into the belief that they are harmless. Women are capable of more violence, of more bloodshed, than even the darkest of wizards. They just require a better reason to do so."
He let these words sink into the boy's head for a moment, and then turned from him. "Come, Potter. We should return downstairs, before your relations do something stupid."