Chapter 4

Hermione did her best not to let her apprehension about trusting Malfoy show externally, but she wasn't sure that she was entirely successful. Taking hold of his arm, she prepared for the highly unpleasant sensation of Side-Along Apparition. The part she hated most was that she would be completely giving up any control of the situation. And since she had no idea where she was going, she would not be able to Apparate back out by herself.
Though the logical part of her mind realized that it was highly unlikely to be some sort of trap. After all, she would be easy enough to kidnap in her day-to-day life if that were the point.

After they arrived and the unpleasant sensation in her stomach finally subsided, she looked around and saw that they were in a rather unremarkable room. The only things in the room were a hospital bed very much like the ones in St. Mungo's, a table and chair next to the bed, and in the bed, a very silent and unmoving Severus Snape.

At first glance, he appeared very much as she remembered him from Hogwarts, but looking closer, she noticed he was not breathing. Cautiously she moved closer and reached out tentatively to touch him. She found his skin cool to the touch. "Is he…?" She knew he had to be alive, but she could see no sign of it.

"He is in stasis. Think of your Muggle fairy tales of Snow White or Sleeping Beauty," he offered, unable to completely keep the smugness out of his voice.

"But those are… Right. And I can treat him when he's like this?" Once again she realized that her magical education had been woefully incomplete.

Malfoy patted his pocket. "I have the antidote to his stasis. When you have the antivenin ready, I will administer that, and then you in turn can treat him."

"Uh-uh-uh. I haven't agreed to treat him. I just wanted to see him, to make sure you were telling the truth."

He dramatically placed his hand on his heart. "I am wounded that you would doubt my veracity."

"Quit the dramatics. Why don't you just take him to St. Mungo's. Time is clearly not of the essence." She wasn't sure that was entirely true not being familiar with the state that Snape was in.

He sighed. "As I have explained, you have the curiosity, the innate intellectual prowess to find the antivenin. Not to mention the laboratory now. And no one doubts that you will honor any commitments you make to the very best of your ability. As Severus remarked, you are indeed Gryffindor to the core. "

"Hire a Healer to use the laboratory."

As he spoke, he walked around the other side of the bed so that he was facing her over Snape. "That's not possible. It is your laboratory and you are the only one who can use it."

"What are you talking about?" she asked defensively.

"I realize that you may still not be aware of all the intricacies of the magical world, so allow me to explain. Due to the nature of the laboratory and it's contents, it may only be accessed and used by it's owner. That is now you."

"So give me the name of a Healer and I'll leave it to him."

He chuckled in a slightly condescending way. "Magic does not work like that. The only way for ownership to be transferred is through the death of the previous owner."

She pointed at Snape. "He's not dead, yet I now own his house. It can be done."

"That's not entirely true. As far as the wizarding world is concerned, he is dead. His will was executed by Magical Probate. The house, and by extension the laboratory, are yours until you depart this world for the next. You are the only one who has, and will have, the resources necessary to find the cure. His life is in your hands."

"What are you saying? If I refuse to help…?" She was starting to feel trapped, as though someone else had suddenly taken control of her life.

"If you chose not to help, he has left instructions that heroic efforts to keep him alive are to be ceased."

"You would let him starve?" She was outraged by this thought.

"Is that not the humane thing to do? Why should someone with no hope of recovery be forced to cling to the fragile human frame?"

Her head was starting to hurt with all the information she was being fed. She knew that she could not just let him die. Her Gryffindor sensibilities were forcing her to realize that she had to do something for him, had to at least try to cure him.

"Give me a couple of days to get things in order so that I can start work."

"I'll deliver blood samples and Nagini's head as soon as you are ready for them."

"The head?" The thought of working with the head of a snake, and especially that snake, made her slightly queasy.

"It was the best way to preserve the venom for analysis."

She didn't want to dwell on this thought. "Fine. I'll send you an owl when I'm ready. Can we go now?"

"Of course, my dear." He extended his elbow for her to take hold.

As she reached out, she focused on how much he had changed since the war so that she would not think about the gut-wrenching feeling she was about to experience again. She was brought back to the present when he said, "Miss Granger?"

Realizing they were back at Spinner's End, she quickly released his arm.

"I shall await your owl," he said before Disapparating with a pop.

Looking around the deserted street, she tried to decide what she wanted to do next. The house here was clean, but not really fit for occupation. It would be easy enough for her to spend the night going through the books in the library, exploring the laboratory – see if it was as dangerous as Malfoy claimed it was. But she knew that she also had to face Ron at some point, and the longer she took in returning, the angrier he would be. It would be easy to return to the house, pop out in the morning to get a bite to eat and bury herself once more in her research, but that would not make Ron go away.

After taking a deep, cleansing breath, she Apparated back to her flat. She stood staring at her door for several minutes before she worked up the courage to open it. As she had expected, Ron was sitting in the chair, waiting for her.

"It's about time you got home. Where have you been?" he demanded angrily.

Rubbing her temple, she replied, "I don't want to argue, please?" She knew there was no chance of her being allowed to go to bed without talking with him.

"Fine," he snapped. When she glared at him, he tried to moderate his tone further. "Where have you been?"

Knowing that telling him the truth was a bad idea, she settled on a half-truth. "I needed
to be alone for a while to take in what the letter said."

He opened his mouth, as though to start arguing, closed his mouth, and then opened and closed it several more times before asking, "Why would Snape leave a letter for you?"

She thought that it was a very well asked question. From the tone of his voice, she could tell that he was still angry with her, but he was at least holding his temper. "He was in the midst of a research project and his letter asked that I complete it."

He eyed her suspiciously. "And because of this you ran out of the house?"

The excuse had sounded better in her mind. "Well obviously the details of the project couldn't be put in a letter. He left instructions regarding where I could find the research. I was eager to see it for myself."

"So are you going to do it?"

She sounded very excited as she replied, "Oh, most definitely. He has postulated several new theories on the uses of—"

Ron cut her off. "Spare me the details. How long will this take?"

"I have no idea. It's very complex. Since I'm still waiting to hear from the Ministry, reading through the notes from the preliminary research will give me something to do to keep my mind off it." She could see his eyes losing focus. Her deception was working and she was elated. She didn't even mind that they slept with their backs to each other hugging their respective edges of the bed.

Note: For those curious as to why Malfoy would be polite and pleasant to Hermione, remember that he is doing this at Severus' command and he owes the life of his son to Severus. Plus lets be honest, he was abandoned by Voldemort in Azkaban for a year and then made a prisoner in his home, completely emasculated. I'm sure he had plenty of time for introspection about the stupidity of Purebloods are best. And likely had to spout that to Ministry to gain his freedom.

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