At Present

Part:1

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"Severus, it's me." I shook him awake.

"Leave me."

"I will never abandon you. You know that. But, I've said all this before."

"Maybe you will listen to me this time."

A frustrated sigh escaped my lips. At present we are held up inside a small cave in Bonn, Germany. Even out here Greyback has tracked us with his cursed pack. We have been on the run for a long time. Back in merry ole London there might had been a place for me, but not Snape.

I love him. I would not leave him to die especially after what he has been through. It seemed mere moments from Voldemort trying to kill him to a pack of Death Eaters on our tail. Snape was too weak to run, but if he stayed he would had died.

Ever since the night I packed a few knapsacks and whisked him away from St. Mungos he has tried to convince me to leave him. Stubborn as I am I refused. Together we faced Death Eaters in Lille, Paris. Thieves in Brussels. Greyback's hellish hounds in Germany. It took some daft thinking to outrun him, but it wouldn't last long. While it still rained we needed to move.

Our next checkpoint was Leipzig. Although it is a rather famous German city, even Greyback wouldn't dare make his kind known to the public. Or at least I hoped.

Taking a deep breath I made sure our bags were packed before I helped Snape to stand. With the three packs on my back and him on my shoulders we left. The rain obscured our view. E relied on our wands as compasses to guide us east.

328 miles were between us and our destination. I wished dearly that we could stay in one place longer. If we could maybe Severus would be healed by now. Instead his shallow breaths mingled with the silence of a rainy night.

An hour or two later he decided to be brave and remove himself from me. He stood for a moment or two before falling to his knees.

"This is hardly the time to have an ego!" I scolded.

"I tier of being useless. I can't even carry a pack."

"I never asked you to."

"You shouldn't have to." He said reaching around until he found a long, sturdy, stick, "I'll use this as a crutch."

"Men." I rolled my eyes as we continued onward. The darkness had consumed the sky after a few more miles had been walked.

"Maybe we should take a trolly in Brush?" I asked him.

"No, if Greyback finds us, he'll kill us and if he finds you …"

"He?" I stopped walking, "What do you mean by that? There's no one after me."

"I misspoken."

"Don't lie to me Severus!"

(howling noises)

"We need to go … fast!" I said picking up the pace. Snape did his best to keep up always remaining a full trot behind me. I hoped it was only the native wolves, but I knew that we weren't one to get lucky.

"Let's hide in there." Snape said pointing out the hollowed bottom of a tall tree. We both squeezed in as he charmed the tree. Any passerbyers would think the tree was whole. No one would see us. Not that they needed eyes to find us.

I pushed myself closer to him once I saw feint shadows. Then I saw a boot with a metal clip attached to the shoe string. Greyback had found us.

"There here." He snorted as he sniffed the air. His minions looked around for us. One had almost fount us. His bald head cocked as he sniffed at the imaginary wall that divided us. For a split second I thought he saw us before he took off back to his master.

"They have to be around somewhere!" he growled. I didn't realize I was crying until Severus whipped the tears from my eyes. How were we going to get out of this one? At times like this I almost wish I had Harry and Ron here. One of them, namely Harry, would know what to do.

"Shh. Stay here." I thought he said, His voice was so silent it didn't even carry on the wind. Instinctively my hand reached to pull him back but he swatted it away. I watched as he crawled out. He turned quickly to wink at me before the howling started up again.

"Aww yes, there you are!" Greyback sounded triumphant.

"Don't you tier of chasing me?"

"Never traitor! You killed a lot of good men on the Queens in the English Channel. You sunk the cruise ship and escaped with your little whore!"

"Apparently I did not kill enough."

That was when Severus cast a silent spell then I saw double, triple, wait quintuple! There were Snape's everywhere. Greyback lunged at the Snape in front of him, but it was an illusion.

"Kill them all!" Greyback ordered. As the pack attacked Severuses left and right the real one came and got me.

"We must hurry. We haven't a lot of time." He said as we made our way out. We escaped, but for how long? Not long enough in my opinion and dammit all did Germany have to have so many hills and mountains? It was like the end of a Julia Andrews movie.

"We must scale the cliff! You first!" Severus told me. He helped me up as we began to climb. Judging by the fact that the howling had grown louder he had realized we escaped. I could only assume that Severus wanted to Bottleneck them. At the top we'd have the higher ground. The advantage.

I climbed as best I could with all the weight I had. It took me thirty-two minutes to make it to the top. Severus on the other hand needed some help.

"Windgardium Leviosa!" I shouted. I placed him down beside me once the werewolves came back in sight.

Greybacks 'pack' used to consist of himself. Apparently he had gotten lonely and recruited a few more members. No doubt poor victims who had no choice. I knew it was either Snape and I or them, but it felt wrong.

I didn't want to push them off to their deaths.

"Hermione I know what you are thinking. We must do this."

"But …"

"Think about it Hermione. How do you think they feel? We are simply putting an end to their suffering. As they climb, push them off."

I nodded. He was right. He had always been right. As the wolves climbed I shouted, "Tarantallegra!" causing their legs to dance uncontrollably underneath them. While good for a Yule Ball, a cliff was not the next best thing. Hey fell. It hurt to watch them die.

Greyback was smart. He had sent all his servants first. Even he knew not to climb. He had shot a few curses which were deflected by Snape before he left, but he'd be back soon. While he went to gather more servants we needed to make it to Leipzig.

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By the time the sun rose we had managed to find a man driving a small truck with chickens in the back. He was kind enough to offer us a ride. Not to Leipzig, but hey, I wasn't going to complain. During the ride he played his music on high. Whatever it was it was dreadful.

Pushing an adoring chicken off his lap, "Look at what we've been reduced to."

"I know." I smiled happy to not have to walk for a good solid hour and a half.

"What do you miss most," he asked lost in thought, "about how things used to be?"

"Honestly, I miss my friends, my family, and of course being a war hero did have its perks, but what I could have lost meant more to me."

"Hermione you escape all reason. I am an old man girl. I am worth nothing to you or anyone …"

I interrupted, "You only believe that because you've been treated that way for so long."

"That may be true, but I am worthless. Hermione please go home and forget about me. I will manage."

"Manage yourself into a grave." I said under my voice.

"Come again?"

"How many times must I tell you? WE – ARE – IN – THIS—TOGETHER!"

After that he went silent, but scowled at me. In his state his scowl was nowhere near as menacing as it once was, but it was getting there. I was seeing him more and more as of late.

"I wish I would have died. I wish that you did not save me …" he said a few minutes later.

"Severus are you thick? How many times …"

"If I were dead you'd be spending Christmas with those god awful Weasleys or your parents instead of here with me in this dump. No one has ever … cared the way you do. It pains me to see you suffer. Do you understand? I want better for you Hermione. Not only because you deserve it but because I love you."

I … didn't have a comeback there. My mouth was agape, but no noise came out. What exactly did you say after that? He was staring at me. Should I answer? What do I say? Instead I crossed over to him and rested my head on his chest. His arm snaked around my waist protectively.

"Severus I know, but how do you think I would feel if I let you die?" I whispered.

"Terrible. For … a while you would morn. Then you would move on and have children to grow up and pester the professors of Hogwarts."

"But I don't want a life without you. Do you think I'm selfish? Selfish for doing this. For keeping you alive for my own personal gain?"

"Yes. You are being selfish which is uncharacteristic of you."

"You're being kind. That is uncharacteristic of you."

"We're here!" the man called.

"Thank you!" I smiled at him before we took our bags and jumped off. When he was gone I put the bags on and walked alongside Severus and his walking stick.

"Since you're in the sharing mood do you mind if I ask you something."

"I do not mind …" he said hesitantly.

"Who's after me?"

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Note: This is what's happening now. Not what has happened in her years at Hogwarts