Disclamer: I sadly still own nothing.
A/N: Snape will seem OOC, it was intentional and will be explained as the story progresses.
Thank you to all my reviewers!
Chapter Two: Serpents Nest
Under the stone serpent
A cursed child will be born.
The light of the day with protect them.
The dark of the night will hunt them.
Guard them, loved them,
Only they can save the world you love
From eternal darkness.
"There, you've seen it, now leave!" he tried to hiss, though it only came out as a weak whisper.
Hermione shook her head, "Not a chance. Come on, since you won't go to St. Mungo's then I'll take you to my house."
"I'm not going anywhere with you, Granger," he stated, "How many times do I have to tell you that I don't need your help!" He tried again to sit up and again failed. When he endeavored to again she propped him up against her. He tensed at her touch, but apparently didn't have the strength to pull away.
"If you don't need my help, then why did you come back?" He refused to look her in the eye. "Did you get the potion to your mother?" Malfoy nodded and she pulled out her wand, "Then let me help."
"Magic won't work," he said feebly, "I was given a potion so magic can't heal me. Hermione, I don't want to die." He called her Hermione.
"Then I'll heal you the muggle way. It's not too deep; it doesn't have to have stitches. It's going to be okay, come here," she said pulling him into a hug. At her touch, he shocked her by clinging to her tightly. He was shaking so badly all she could do was wrap her arms around her enemy and rub his back. He was oddly cold. Words flowed from his mouth and she struggled to make sense of any of them. Hermione slipped her arms under his shoulders and tried to pull him to his feet. "Come on; let's get you inside." Upon her words he stood clumsily and allowed her to guide him to her house. She thought over the years, never had she seen him cry or weak in any form. He had always been at the top of the food chain. But now, he was so scared he could barely take a breath.
At long last they made it back to Hermione's house. She helped him up the stairs, with much difficulty, and laid him on her bed, they didn't have a guest room.
Gently she lifted his shirt over his head and gasped at what she saw. He was almost nothing but skin and bones. The excitement he'd shown earlier at the mention of food now made sense. His chest, stomach and arms were covered in bruises, scars and cuts at a variety of healing stages.
"Oh Malfoy," she said, her voice full of sympathy, "Who did this to you?"
He wouldn't say anything, but she had a pretty good idea of who was responsible for Malfoy's current condition.
Running down the hall she grabbed a few clean towels from the linen closet and the first aid kit from the bathroom.
Hermione sat on the bed beside him and for a moment feared that she was too late. His face had lost most of its color and at first she didn't notice his shallow breathing.
"Malfoy," she called softly, touching his cheek, "come on, please, wake up."
His tired eyes opened wearily, "I thought you left."
She just smiled, reaching over to move his hair from his eyes before conjuring a bowl of warm water and began sponging away the blood from his chest and stomach. What kind of crazy wizard would create a potion to prevent magical healing? That was just nuts! But hadn't she read of a potion that counteracted all others in Snapes' book? It would be worth a shot at the very least.
He had his teeth clenched against the pain. Silent tears collected in the corners of his gray eyes.
"Hang in there, I'm almost done." Hermione applied anti-bacterial cream to the mark. It was deeper then she had originally thought. "Can you sit up for a minute? I need to wrap the bandage."
Sliding her arm under him, she aided him to sit up. As quickly and gently as she could Hermione wrapped his wound before lowering him back down.
"Are you hungry?"
"Yes," he answered hopefully.
"I'll go make you something, you rest," she said, pulling the comforter over his bandage clad chest.
Hermione pulled the strawberry preserves from the fridge after deciding that a peanut butter and jelly sandwich would be a safe idea. Plus, the protein and sugar would do him good. She made him two, knowing how much Ron could eat. Pouring a glass of orange juice she returned to her room.
Sitting him up against the headboard, she handed him his food and he dug in hungrily. As he ate, Hermione grabbed Snapes' potion book from the desk where Malfoy had left it earlier that day.
"What are you doing?"
"I remember a potion that Professor Snape created; it cancels out any other potion a wizard has taken. Here it is," Hermione gazed over the ingredients. "I don't have everything. I've never needed Spreek moss. I bet Snape would have it. Stay here, I'll be back."
"You can't just walk in to his house, like I said earlier; he thinks his house is being watched."
"I'm not going into his house exactly; I'm going to call him through the fire place. Don't you dare try and get out of that bed. I'll be right back."
Hermione almost fell down the steps as she descended them and skid to a stop in front of the fire place. She said the spell and leaned in. Hermione loved that she was old enough to use magic outside of school.
Slowly, the sight of glowing embers dimmed and a dimly lit house came into focus.
"Professor Snape?" she called and saw a dark figure that she hadn't noticed in the chair jump.
"Miss Granger! What is the meaning of this?"
"I apologize, Professor, but I didn't know who else to go to. Malfoy's hurt and he's at my house. I can only heal him with muggle remedies because he's been give a potion that won't allow magical healing. Then I remembered in your book that you had created a potion that cancels out all others. Only I don't have all the ingredients."
"Spreek Moss?"
"Yes, Sir."
He got up from his seat, "I will be at your house in just a moment with it. Is Mr. Malfoy well enough at the moment?"
"Yes, I've cleaned and bandaged his injury."
"I'll arrive shortly."
Removing herself from the fire, Hermione ran a shaky hand through her wavy hair.
"So you do have my book." Was the first thing Snape said when he appeared.
"Yes, Sir. I didn't feel like it was a good idea to simply hide it should some else find it."
Hermione saw a slight smirk appear on the potion masters lips, "Well I must admit, I'd much rather have it in your possession then Potters." Wow, an almost compliment from Snape.
Malfoy was asleep when they arrived to her room, so Hermione grabbed her potions kit and cauldron and they retreated back to the living room.
She expected Snape to take over and make the potion himself, but he didn't. When she had set up her cauldron he simply handed her the missing ingredient and watched as she prepared his creation.
He shocked her once more when she was finished, "Well done, Hermione."
"Thank you, Professor."
"Aren't you going to brew a healing potion?" he asked as she shut her ingredients case.
"Now that I'm allowed to use magic outside school, I made several potions my first few days back. A healing potion was one of them." He seemed impressed, but said nothing as he followed her back to her room.
Malfoy wasn't asleep, in his eyes reflected agony, "It hurts."
"It won't after this," she promised, pulling a bright green vile from the drawer next to her bed. Hermione pulled him gently on her lap. Snape handed her the potion canceling concoction. "Drink this." She poured the orange slime in his mouth. Once swallowed, she emptied the contents of the bottle that held the healing potion.
"It doesn't hurt anymore," Malfoy whispered with a relieved sigh.
Hermione undid the bandage to discover his wound had completely vanished. Now, he just looked extremely tired.
"You should sleep," she said, letting him lay back down, "You'll be safe here for tonight."
Malfoy just nodded and shut his eyes as Hermione and Snape left the room.
"Thank you, Professor," Hermione said once they were back in the living room. She sat on the couch, astonished when her teacher sat at the opposite end.
"You were right to come to me and not his father."
"Professor, you know as well as I do that his so called 'father' was the one who did that. Malfoy came here earlier with his tail between his legs asking to make that No-Harm potion and he told me it was for his mother. So I assume Lucius Malfoy hurts his wife as well as his son. Not that it surprises me really. Can I ask you something, Professor?" He gave a nod. "Why can't he be seen with you? I thought you were a…"
"A Death Eater?" he finished for her. "Yes, technically I am, but as you know from the Order, I am a spy. I cannot risk The Dark Lord questioning why I express a particular care in Draco unless He commanded it. It's very complicated, Hermione. May I ask why you helped him? I would think that you'd hate him."
"Oh, I do hate him. He's always been a rude, selfish little ferret who's done nothing but create annoyance to my friends and I. But I'm also not a killer. No matter how much I may dislike Malfoy, he needed my help and I couldn't just ignore him. Especially after he swallowed his pride to come to me for his mum."
Snape thought over her words for a moment then stood, "You should get some rest too, Hermione. Let me know if Draco needs anything." Before Hermione could say anything he apparated with a pop.
Suddenly exhausted, she summoned a blanket and a pillow without moving from her spot on the couch. It a moment's time she was curled up in the darkness.
"Hermione run!" Snape cried in the split second Lucius released his throat, "Leave! Save yourself! Meet Draco at the Serpents Nest!"
Hermione shook her head, "I'm not going anywhere without you!" She pulled out her wand and pointed it at Lucius. He looked at her, eyes full of hatred and disgust.
"You thought you could get away with it, didn't you, Mudblood?" Lucius hissed at her, "You thought you could get away with sneaking around with my son, your secret romance you thought no one but your classmates knew about. That seems like nothing to what you've done now, yes, I know your true secret. The secret that lies within you. The secret about the night at the Serpents Nest."
Hermione awoke with a start. Her and Malfoy? Now that was a scary thought. It suddenly hit her how nice Snape had been. And not once during the evening did he refer to her as Granger. Every time, he had called her Hermione.
