Disclaimer: See Chapter 01. I'm still making no money from this, despite the fun I'm having writing it!
Chapter 07
"I thought the old codger had finally lost it," she admitted, laughing bitterly. "He expected me, a Know-It-All Mudblood, not even of age, to achieve what even he could not. He was asking me to bring about the fall of Voldemort himself, all on my own. And he asked me to take care of you."
She looked at him oddly. "I probably would have done that anyhow, you know. Regardless, it took me two months of seemingly endless days to get through all of Albus's memories in the Pensieve," Hermione said softly. "The portraits kept me aware of the Order's worthless plotting, as well as the goings-on in the castle. In the entire time I was studying, not once did Harry or Ron, or anyone else for that matter, come by to see how I was getting along. At that point, I knew with complete certainty that I'd be left to my own devices; I'd have no help from anyone."
He interrupted. "But the Dark Lord said…that you…your parents…"
Pain flickered across her face. "It was about six weeks after Albus died…I'd gone home to see them; it was their anniversary, and I wanted to be home one last time before I had to take on…everything." She shook her head ruefully. "Bloody bastards got the drop on me…the Death Eaters were already at the house, and caught me with a stunner from behind. After…" she swallowed tightly and took a deep breath. "They left me for dead, and set the house on fire. I managed to crawl out, but was badly burned in the process. I stole a few potions from the Infirmary, fixed myself as best I could, and went back to the Lair. Fawkes helped with the pain somewhat, but grief and healing were put aside; there was work to be done. I designed the Glamour I now wear, and moved forward."
She sighed. "But that's neither here nor there. Albus was right…by the time I was done with his memories, I had the beginnings of the answers I needed. Moody had taken over the Order completely; Harry had become little more than a figurehead to parade out and increase morale. He was being encouraged to 'live a normal life while he could', or some bloody nonsense, and had ceased all of his studies in Defense and Occulemency."
"That ignorant boy," Snape murmured, his eyes wide.
"I finished going through the Pensieve, then started reading through every book in the Restricted Section; since I'd been through a good portion of them already, it only took a few weeks. Then I went to Drumstag and read through their library. The information on the Dark Arts was much more complete there, so I spent almost three full months there. As I read, I began to shape my plan…it had the potential to be a brilliant success, or a spectacular failure. To accomplish my goals, I knew I'd need practical instruction, not just books. One of the Professors at Drumstag was all too happy to further my studies in Occulemency and Legilimency, once he'd been paid handsomely, and another worked with me on my dueling and spell casting…I trained with them for six months or so, but then realized that I needed to approach things differently."
"Differently how?" Snape asked.
"All of the spells and techniques I was learning were commonly known," Hermione explained. "Even the less-used ones carried a sense of familiarity; they were predictable, as was the way the professor taught. I realized that if I wanted to have any kind of tactical advantage, I needed to learn dueling techniques from Masters who weren't from this region…they had different spells, you see, ones the Wizards here didn't know and wouldn't be able to counter. They also had different styles of approaching dueling.
"After a bit of research, I had my list set…twelve dueling experts from around the globe. I figured that I'd at least be able to convince some of them to teach me, but it turned out that every one of them agreed to take me on as a student, particularly when I removed my Glamour and told them of my mission. I worked with each of them for nine months apiece, and then I completed five years of intensive study with a Potions Master in South America."
Snape did some calculations in his head. She'd done around six months of studying, another six months of Occulemency, Legilimency, and dueling lessons at Drumstag, then nine months apiece with twelve different dueling masters, and five years of potions. Almost twenty years of study, and yet it had only been six months since he'd fled Hogwarts.
"The timeline doesn't add up, I know," she said tiredly, though her voice was tinged with mild amusement. "I'll explain that later, when we have more time. For now, you're at the house Albus left me; all of your things are here, and you have somewhere safe to recover...I'll explain that in greater detail later on."
She fixed him with a hard look.
"I'll ask you straight out, Severus…I need your help. I can't finish this by myself. And I believe Albus when he said I could trust you."
She held up a hand when he opened his mouth. "We have a bit of time before you have to answer. Think on it, and drink this." She held up a vial containing an iridescent white liquid. At his questioning look, she elaborated. "It's a potion I've devised that will prevent the Dark Lord from reaching you through your Mark…if he tries, it gives the impression that the Mark is inactive due to your death. You got a dose right before I brought you here, in case he checked sooner, and subsequent doses with the healing potions I've been pouring down your throat for the last few days. It must be taken every six hours; in case I'm longer than that, there are extra vials on the nightstand, and the rest are down in the lab…I brewed an extra week's supply, and the instructions are in the lab downstairs as well if I don't return."
Snape's eyes widened again.
"I told you, you're safe here. It's only a temporary solution, really…I'm almost done with the research that should allow me to remove the Mark completely. Frankly, I can think of more aesthetically pleasing tattoos, can't you? I'll leave my notes for you to read over, if you wish."
Too stunned to reply, he nodded dumbly.
"Good." She hissed and grabbed her left arm. For the first time in twenty years, Severus felt nothing. "I have to go. I've made sure the Dark Lord thinks that you killed Malfoy, and I came along just in time to kill you. With two positions available in his Inner Circle, I might have a chance of moving up in the ranks. If he doesn't kill me." She stood, snatching up her silver mask. "I'll return as soon as I can."
And before he could generate any sort of reply, she was gone.
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A/N: I think we've reached Official Countdown Time. Book 7 comes out Friday at midnight, so I have essentially 5 days to write 3-4 chapters (depending on how long it takes) and post the rest of the story. WOO is it gonna be a fun week! Hugs to all of my wonderful reviewers…I can't tell you how happy your comments make me.
