Chapter Four Hermione and Snape
"Now Ron, don't get overly excited," the woman said, her head bent over the writing desk. Her quill moved across the parchment with lightening speed as she dictated. "No...no, don't write that down!" she said, reprimanding the quill. She looked up with a frown on her face, one brow lifted. "So what if they found the Gryffindor wand. No one has tested it to see if it is a real Horcrux. Secondly, even if it is that doesn't mean Voldemort will return. We have one intact Horcrux at the Department of Mysteries and he hasn't resurrected himself. There are none of his Death Eaters left, or none that would dare to assist him. We searched and found nothing left of him as you well know."
She stood and walked forward ignoring the old man that faced her.
"I really don't have anything to say to you. I've answered questions about this for years and really it's gotten boring. If you must then read my autobiography." She stood, hands on hips, her spine straight as an arrow and clenched her jaw in defiance. The spark of her temperament had not faded in the years since her youth.
"You have, have you? You're probably the only one that's ever read it then," she muttered and turned back to Ron Weasley. "You haven't bothered Harry with this have you?"
He didn't answer. He dropped his head and stared at the floor and that was enough of an answer for her.
"Well don't!" She pulled her long skirt around, marched back up to the desk that sat on a small stage and lifted her wand once again and prepared to sit. "Let the Ministry handle this. Minister Cobb is a capable man," she said quietly and waved a hand of dismissal in his direction.
It seemed that Ron Weasley was about to turn and make his way back to the door through the darkness of the classroom. The only light was the candelabra that sat at her writing desk. It illuminated that corner of the room well enough but left elongated shadows along the walls that reached up into the cathedral ceiling. Their own shadows cast horrific images on the stone and it made the room feel creepy.
It was obvious that Hermione Granger had spent many hours in this room and must have found it comforting. It was well past midnight and she was still working even at her age.
She hesitated, her head down studying the work at hand and then raised her head. "Have you gone to Snape?"
"That ancient old..." Weasley didn't finish his words.
"He's old but not senile Ron," she snapped. "We both know that he would know what to do. Go to him first before you bother Harry." She waited and added, "Nothing of this can be made public. If there is any danger it must be kept quiet until a decision is made. What happened before cannot happen again. The fear and panic and bloodshed would be unbearable." Her face was lit by the candlelight and she studied the room as if it were empty and she was alone. "I don't think I could stand it if it happened again." She whispered the words and seemed to collapse into the seat.
Ron turned to leave.
"Wait! I'm coming with you." She rose and flicked her wand, adorning herself immediately in a traveling robe. "He's always less cranky when I come with you."
She marched ahead through the dark corridors. Lamps came on suddenly as they passed, the soft light warming the cold hallways. The castle had not changed over the hundreds of years it had been in existence. There were scars, yes, from the war that threatened to destroy Hogwarts and all the wizards and witches that sought to protect it. But there were older scars and marks that spoke of other battles. The castle seemed to watch them, to breath, to whisper in inaudible words. It seemed alive.
The only place to apparate was on the boundaries. There were old ruins off to the side that were Hagrid's old hut. He had long since returned to the hills to live with his brother and what was left of their kind. Through interbreeding they had managed to hang on, although they were a much smaller version of the true-blood giants of old.
The cottage was hidden in a grove of trees. A small walkway curved through the front garden and only until the front door was reached could one see any light on in the windows. It was the glow of a fire burning in the grate and nothing else.
"Well he's blind," Ron said. "He doesn't need light does her?" He reached for the door knocker and lifted it and hesitated.
"Oh, go on Ron," Hermione grumbled behind him. "It's cold out here. We needn't stand here like school children."
The door opened and a tall man stood in the dark. His voice was low and deep. "Hello Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley. You have brought a stranger with you and it is the middle of the night and so it must be important for you to disturb my peace. Come in."
The foyer suddenly brightened with light. The furnishings in the hallway and the study were a surprise. Although somewhat austere, the tables and shelves were adorned with beautiful and interesting objects d'art and the room was warm and inviting.
He moved easily around the furniture and returned to a leather chair. A book lay on the table next to him and was still reading to him. He waved a hand and the book stopped and lay silent.
It was easy to see the scar that stretched across his face running through his eyes and turning them into cold gray orbs. They stared sightlessly into the dark over their shoulders.
His hair was still black belying his age and his face was heavily lined with wrinkles. There was no expression on his face and he didn't speak.
"Yes, he brought news that the last Horcrux was found," Ron said. He wiped his hands on his trousers nervously and cleared his throat. "It was the Gryffindor wand as I surmised years ago."
The white eyes turned.
"You know this for a fact?" he asked quietly.
There was silence in the room for a heartbeat.
"Do you have any suggestions Severus?" Hermione asked. Her voice was warm and tender. Unlike her friend, Hermione did not appear nervous or anxious.
A discussion ensued.
"So it was found and then lost again," Ron was saying. "It's not in a safe place Snape. That's what we're trying to tell you. There's a chance it will find it's way to Harry."
"Oh that would be horrible," Hermione gasped. "You didn't say anything about this before!" She was hissed at Ron.
"First, there is no way to determine if it is a real Horcrux," Snape said, rising and going to a side table where a pot of tea and four cups rested. He waved his wand and poured the tea into the cups and levitated it to a table before them. "Secondly, it may just mean someone is up to some schoolboy mischief. This has been tried before by dozens of pranksters. They read the history and think it funny to stir up everyone's fears."
"But..." Hermione began and he raised a hand.
"I am not finished Miss Granger."
"Severus, when are you going to call me Hermione. Isn't it about time especially if we are once again facing danger."
The pale face and dull sightless eyes turned to her. "And thirdly," he continued, "Mr. Potter is quite capable of dealing with it if it is a hoax. Just send him an owl and outline what you know."
"The evidence says that we are dealing with the real thing," she said stirring milk into her tea with a little more vigor than necessary. "I wouldn't...we wouldn't have come at this late hour if I thought it a hoax. Perhaps we should look into it a little more, take it more seriously. Think of the consequences if we don't."
Snape sat, his hands folded in his lap, his tea untouched.
Hermione continued, "You...we know that you have found a way to test these objects. If it were brought to you then you could determine its authenticity."
He nodded.
"Then we'll find it," Ron said.
"Aren't you a little too old to be on a scavenger hunt?" Snape said crisply.
"Oh really!" Hermione snapped. "Enough! The two of you have snarled at each other for too long. This is important. If the information is correct then we must act. I'll contact Harry. However, Severus, I would like some suggestions as to how to identify this thing if it is real so I don't end up at St. Mungo's with a bad case of mental rot."
The room was quiet except for the crackling fire.
Snape finally reached for his tea without groping. It was as if he were still sighted. "Perhaps it is best left to the Ministry. I am old and tired Miss Granger. I would prefer to spend my last years in peace and not think of such matters anymore."
"What he's telling us matches the descriptions of the Gryffindor wand. I looked it up at Hogwarts library." Ron spoke quietly and sipped at his tea.
Hermione and Snape stared at him.
"I've been known to frequent a library in my time," Ron said in a huff. "I have the empty case as you well know. There's every reason to believe that my family is related to Gryffindor. I've done the research into our family tree. I know what it looks like and the inscription on the gold handle." He turned. "You tell them. Tell them what it looked like and what it said.
Hermione listened and frowned and Snape sat thoughtfully rubbing the chair arm. There was a worn spot there as if he had worried at it for some time.
"See. That's it exactly. It's eight inches long with a gold handle and a lion head on the end. It's made of oak. The inscription says, 'Courage lives with those in the arena who continue to strive, to err and to succeed, and call not brother or sister those timid souls who have never tried and have never known victory or defeat'.
"That's what the inscription says?" Hermione mumbled her tea left to turn cold in her hand.
"Yeah," Ron nodded. "Gryffindors are chosen by the Sorting Hat for their courage." He shrugged as if to say it wasn't his fault.
"I'll go to Harry tomorrow," Hermione said and nodded, sighing heavily. "I wouldn't want one of his children to run across it. If it is a saboteur or a terrorist who has it and approached Harry then he needs to be warned. I'd feel awful if it were given to Harry Jr. or Savanah. He's kept them out of it for a long time. And his grandchildren are still too vulnerable. They've lived with his legacy all their lives. He would go out of his mind if any of them were hurt."
Snape turned to answer the question. "Yes, I have found the way to destroy a Horcrux. Since it was not necessary to divulge the information to anyone then I have kept it to myself."
Ron glared at him. "You know how to destroy one?! How?"
Hermione shushed him and then kept silent as if waiting for Snape's answer.
Snape rose once again and walked to the side bureau once again, produced a gold chain from a pocket which held a key. he unlocked a drawer and brought out a small ring box of purple velvet, turned and handed it to Hermione. His reach was accurate and she had all but to reach up and take it, which she did.
She opened it and gasped and turned to Ron who paled when he saw the contents. She sat the box on the table and the small jewel glistened in the light of the fire.
It was a time-turner.
Time crawled by as they sat and looked at it. Snape returned to his chair.
"You mean to go back in time," Hermione whispered. "To destroy Voldemort before he can make the Horcruxes. That is my guess."
Snape nodded.
"It would change history."
He nodded again.
Hermione looked at Ron. Our lives could be totally different then they are now. Maybe better."
"Or worse," Snape said evenly. "It is a risk I have not been prepared to take."
It was Hermione's turn to nod slowly. Ron remained silent and looked glum.
"I thought they were all destroyed," Hermione said, once again picking up the box.
"Minerva McGonagall gave this to a student so that student could attend a number of classes simultaneously." This time Snape's face slowly transformed. It almost looked like he was smiling.
Hermione sucked up her breath and she and Ron shared a glance.
"I stole it from her," Snape admitted. "I thought it might come in handy sometime."
"And you never thought to use it so that you could stop Bella from blinding you?" Hermione said.
Snape shook his head slowly. "That would have been a waste wouldn't it."
She looked at him with a look of admiration. "Tomorrow then. I'll go to Harry. We'll all agree to keep this quiet. If others were to find out they'd think that Harry would be corrupted by the Horcrux in the wand and the witch-hunt would begin."
She sat the box down and looked up to see everyone staring at her. "Oh, sorry. It's a muggle term. It means...well never mind. You all know what it means. Good night Severus."
She rose and walked to the door and stepped into the night.
