Wwwoooo. Thankyou for all the reviews everybody :) as a reward I'vewritten an extra long chappie :D XXXxxxXXX
Morning light of the first day of November flooded through the window of the hotel room, where two young adults lay sprawled across a dishevelled bed. Hermione was the first to awake, noting a dull ache in her limbs and back. She stretched out, groaning softly and felt her upper arm come into contact with Snape. She turned to face him and realized that he was still asleep. And somehow during the course of the night she had moved closer to him than what would be considered appropriate. Hermione sat up, crossed legged, inching a few centimetres away from Snape so she could observe him properly. He seemed a lot younger and childlike from this sleeping perspective. Just young and innocent. He mumbled in his sleep and Hermione let out a small giggle. He moaned and opened his esyes , staring at Hermione in an annoyed fashion.
"Morning." she whispered. Snape was tempted to make a snide remark about her bushy hair but instead kept his mouth shut. The rays of sunlight poured into the room and shined upon Hermione, giving her an angelic quality. Snape swallowed awkwardly, this was only the second time he had woken up to a woman in his bed. And this woman wasn't asleep at the time either. A smile tugged at Hermione's lips as she watched the perplexed emotions race across Snape's face.
"Morning." he replied, a little stiffly. Hermione seemed unaffected at his less than warm greeting.
"I'm going to take a bath." She said before sliding off the bed. She looked at him again and walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
Snape let out a sigh of relief. He had only known this girl for a few hours and she acted like she had known his his whole life. She wasn't the one being awkward, unfriendly and antisocial. He was. That was just the way he was and that's how everyone saw him. Just a cold, uncaring jerk, who betrayed the girl he loved. He couldn't afford to be weak. The only person that had seen him at his weakest was
Dumbledore. He trusted him, when no one else didn't. And yet Dumbledore wasn't stupid, he knew Snape was sorry but forgiveness wasn't offered up on a silver platter. He wanted Snape to earn it, to
gain his redemption. That's why he had made Snape perform the vow. Now he could never take it back.
If you truly loved her, you will devote your life to protect her son,to protect Harry.
Dumbledore's words repeated in his mind over and over again. He had gone to Dumbledore for an explanation and had come back with a life- debt and a secret that threatened his very core. No one was to know, not even Hermione. He wasn't going to tell her and if she asked him, he would ignore her. It was for Lily. And as her face merged into his mind, very confusing feelings arose. She was dead, but the day was like any other. The sky did not fall down, the sun kept shining and the earth kept spinning. Lily's life may have stopped for the world, but the world did not stop for her life, no matter how much Snape loved her. She was dead and there was nothing he could do about it.
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Hermione stood in the bathtub, holding the detachable shower head over her body. She didn't feel like taking a bath, it felt counter productive and very unnecessary. She wanted to stay alert and she couldn't do that if she was relaxing blissfully in a pool of warm water. Besides, having a proper shower always made her think better. She and Snape needed a plan. They needed to go somewhere safe and unknown, out of the public eye , far away from anyone that would recognize them and give up their whereabouts. She didn't know where such place was though, that in itself was the real problem. She was certain Snape had a house but there was a great chance that death eaters or Voldemort himself knew where it was. Where were they going to go?
Still musing to herself, Hermione stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around body. Her robes and the top and jeans she had been wearing earlier were soaking in the sink, in an attempt to clean them. She had worn them since yesterday morning. It had felt like a lifetime ago, where she, Harry and Ron had broken into Gringrotts , escaped on a dragon , and began the fight at Hogwarts. Hermione felt a pang when she thought of Harry and Ron, so far away. She had no idea what had happened. Were they still alive? She didn't know and she wouldn't know for nineteen more days. She had never been in such a hopeless situation since the night Bellatrix tortured her.
Hermione scorgified her clothing and then cast a few drying spells. The clothes were stiff but Hermione didn't care at the moment. She put on the jeans and top and walked out of the bathroom. The bedroom was empty and Hermione frowned. Where was Snape? Of course he wasn't entitled to tell her where he was going but still a mix of irritation and unease washed over her. She sat down on the unmade bed and began to wring out her wet hair. That was until she heard a curious sound.
It was like a muffled bang, but Hermione was still unsure. She cautiously stood from the bed, her wand at the ready and listened hard. She could hear voices, from downstairs but she could not tell
what they were saying. Slowly, she made her way over to the door , pressing her torso against it while her head was bent sideways in an attempt to interpret the commotion below.
Maybe it was just a bar fight. At ten-thirty in the morning? Unlikely.
Hermione was barely even aware of her clenched fists and her tightened jaw. She strained her ears and focused hard. She heard a creaking sound and then footsteps. Her eyes widened in panic and she raised her wand, counting down each step. Suddenly the door burst open, revealing Snape. Hermione lowered her wand immediately, taking in a large breath of relief.
"Where have you-" Hermione was about to raise her voice into a shriek when Snape covered her mouth with is hand. Hermione struggled and grabbed at his hand but all Snape did in response was push her against the closed door, his body firmly pressed on her, restricting all movement.
"Quiet!" whispered Snape furiously, glancing around. Hermione stopped her fruitless attempt to free herself and looked up at Snape. She could feel his heart beat wildly in his chest. With horror, Hermione realized that he was afraid. He removed his hand from her mouth and placed it on the wall next to her head.
"What's going on?" she gasped, trying to ignore rising panic. There was only one reason that Snape could be so unsettled.
"He is here."
It was the truth, the ultimate truth. The look in his eyes could have told her that much. The room felt like it was spinning and Hermione willed herself to focus.
"W-what a-are we going t-to do?"
Snape furrowed his brow, listening for any presence in the hallway outside. They had to escape but they couldn't go downstairs. Snape was at loss.
"Why don't we apparate?" asked Hermione, weakly , her pleading eyes gazing at Snape as if he could determine the outcome of the situation.
"Apparation is not possible within the walls of this hotel." he explained, keeping his tone as low and wary as he could manage.
"What about the window?"
Snape considered for a second and concluded that this was their only option. It wasn't a bad plan if you thought about it but then again, jumping from a hotel window could warrant undesired attention. And
that was exactly what they didn't need right now. Especially if Voldemort disguised as a menacing stranger was downstairs interrogating innocent members of the public for the location of a traitor and his bushy-haired saviour. Snape's mark had burned with agony as soon as Voldemort had entered. Then he knew it was either fight or flight. If you wanted any chance to survive, you chose the latter. It was not about being brave, it was about being rational.
With a complicated wand movement, Snape cast disallusionment charms on him and the girl. Grasping her arm tightly, he pulled Hermione away from the wall and took her to stand in front of the window. After casting an opening charm, the two window doors swung outwards. The cool breeze blew into the room, rustling Hermione's curls.
"Jump." Snape demanded. Hermione cast a cushioning charm at the ground and hesitated, turning towards Snape.
"Jump!" he repeated. They were three stories high. Hermione shivered.
"Together."
Snape stepped forwards before hearing an almighty racket from down the hallway, followed by a scream. A hand grasped his.
"Now" she whispered.
Snape swallowed, his feet left the ground and before he knew it, he was falling. It should have hurt but the landing was comfortable. He and Hermione quickly scrambled off the ground, oblivious to the by-passers who did not notice a pair of disallusioned people drop three floors.
Snape and Hermione were on their feet in a flash. And for the second time in twenty four hours they were running for their lives. Snape was faster than Hermione but less apt at navigating his way through large crowds. The morning rush of people were filling Diagon Alley, an high number for a Thursday morning. Some were yelling, but not out of fear Hermione realized, but out of celebration. Of course Diagon Alley was packed , everyone was over excited because of Voldemort's downfall. A firework exploded over their heads and the crowd burst into applause. It was mid morning, but no one seemed to care.
"Severus!" Hermione yelled.
He twisted in the engulfing crowd to meet her eyes. She made her way to him , glancing around warily.
"We don't need to run. That will only make us look more suspicious."
Severus frowned. Instinct told him to run but Hermione's words unfolded in his mind. Maybe she was right. She grasped his upper arm and stepped closer to him, ignoring the pushes she was receiving from the over zealous, jovial passers by.
"Just act normal." Hermione whispered.
Severus nodded. She waved her wand and removed the disallusionment charms. Severus did not disapprove of this, but he didn't approve either. He wanted to argue with Hermione , but for once he held his tongue. She seemed smart beyond her years and Snape couldn't help but be reassured by this.
They walked steadily through the crowd, keeping their heads down. It seemed so impossible that in the joyful , celebrating mist would be two people in serious danger. Everytime a scream was heard, Hermione would flinch. And every time she would take relieved breath when she realized that it was just an over excited bystander. Noticing Hermione's distress, Snape took her arm in an effort to comfort her and steer them through the crowd.
"Severus" Hermione said, sounding strained. , "We really have to find a way out of here."
"We can use the floo network in Borgin and Burkes, come on." Snape decided, taking them into the direction of Knockturn Alley. Hermione felt very unsafe. They turned the corner and the atmosphere took on a more gloomy and subdued feel, no one was celebrating here. Even the air felt colder and Hermione shiverred. There were a few witches and wizards milling around, not stopping to chat, some of their faces hidden by dark cloaks. Hermione subconsciously leaned into Snape , fear over riding any rational thought process. They reached the shop dedicated to the selling and buying of dark objects and stepped inside.
It may have been Hermione's imagination but what she saw greatly unsettled her. It couldn't be real. But the glimpse she got in the second she had turned before entering Borgin and Burkes was shockingly vivid.
Snape saw Hermione shaking. Her face was whiter than snow and her forehead was covered in beads of cold, waxy sweat. It seemed like a struggle to breathe. Acting quickly, Snape placed both hands on the girl's shoulders and looked directly in her eyes. Her face was making him sick with fear.
"What is it?" he asked hoarsely, glancing over her shoulders to the empty counter. Mr Burke was probably in the back somewhere, hung over from last night's celebrations.
Hermione swallowed and Snape began the feel the panic well up inside. He waited for her to answer.
"Hermione!" Snape repeated, hoping to snap her into action, "What did you see?"
Her eyes found his, suddenly looking very wide.
"How was Voldemort disguised?" Hermione demanded Snape , borderline hysterical , but very intent on getting an answer.
Snape stuttered, feeling unsure of replying.
"Severus! How was he disguised?" Hermione shrieked desperately, now grabbing Snape's shoulders and shaking them. She seemed demented with terror.
"Me," choked Snape , "He was disguised as me."
Tears flooded Hermione's eyes. Images of a cloaked figure, a hooked shaped nose, a veil of obsidian hair. But the eyes, they were not Snape's. Instead there was a pair of scarlet, serpentine eyes , filled with evil and malevolence.
"He's coming!" whispered Hermione. She grasped Snape's hand and hurtled towards the counter before crouching behind it. Their heavy, rattled breathing cut into the descending dimness of the room. Hermione's head was spinning with trepidation, white spots appeared in her vision. Snape caught her hand in his own, squeezing it.
And then, with an sickening creak which sent waves of alarm through the pair, the door of Borgin and Burkes opened and a figure stepped inside.
XXXxxxXXX Oooo! Cliffhanger! Who just entered? Find out next time!