"Let's see Tom fight his war without an army"
The defection was quick, massive and devastating.
Almost all of the inner circle, who'd been with him since the beginning and were raising their children to be followers, had left Voldermort's service.
Old noble families, called in their relatives to return to the homesteads, as eons old blood wards were raised on manors across England to protect their families, while the children were safely at Hogwarts.
Even the Malfoys, as soon as Voldemort left on an errand, raised the manor's wards and prevented his re-entry much to his dismay.
Voldemort was left with no home, but a handful of loyal followers. The Lestranges, Mucliber, Yaxley... and a few younger death eaters and new recruits.
Though many of those scattered when seeing the elite had defected.
Word was that he was taking accommodation with the Lestranges, though Bellatrix's husband was apparently not too happy with that.
Some defected families agreed to fight for the light, others agreed to remain neutral. They wouldn't fight for the light, but they wouldn't oppose it either, instead choosing to close ranks and safeguard their families at home.
The high ranking Slytherins used every inch of sway they had in their respective positions, and called in all their political and legal favours, there would be no more influencing on Voldemort's behalf. Tom Riddle broke the first rule of Slytherin house. We protect our own. He was officially blacklisted among Slytherin.
And at a school, aurors were called and as the unsuspecting students carried on none the wiser, Severus identified every student that was a known follower, and a shoe-in for taking the mark.
There were students from every house.
Each student was innocuously pulled away, interviewed and given choices. Many defected, they'd only been followers because their parents were, or they'd been intimidated into it and instead chose to be cuffed with Azkaban monitoring band, the equivalent of a muggle prison tag.
Two remained devout, and were taken to Azkaban.
One attempted to fight and flee the aurors, the resulting fight left one auror permanently scarred, and the student comatose in St Mungos, awaiting a life sentence when they awoke.
Severus sat by Miss Granger's bedside.
When news of the attack had finally been fully released to the students, she'd had a few visitors.
Most all of them were Slytherins, they came and did whatever was asked of them. They volunteered in the hospital wing, they brought flowers for her room, or those that knew her better brought books and read to her.
The Lovegood girl visiting frequently, and held one sided conversations with her.
But no Gryffindors.
Not one.
Minerva had shakily confessed that she'd been called to Gryffindor tower, where all of Hermione's belongings had been thrown into the hall, after being charmed permanatly green.
Slytherin green.
Even her poor familiar had his fur dyed green.
All attempts she had made at soothing the irked Gryffindors had been fruitless. They had closed ranks. Hermione Granger had the choice between Gryffindors and Ravenclaws or Slytherin, and she'd chosen the snakes. Hermione Granger was a traitor.
The divide between the school didn't seem to be much worse than it ever had been, on the surface. Though they worried how things would change, if and when she was returned to classes.
oOo
It was the middle of the night, and Severus sat by her bedside listening to her steady breathing, aided by the machine and the rythmic beeping that signified her heart. She was breathing on her own, but the machines provided her with oxygen and the monitors closely watched her heart.
Why her? He thought to himself as he sat there like a sentinel in the dark. She was such a good person, she'd never do anything to harm anyone, and she was loyal to a fault. A champion for the lesser and downtrodden, she didn't deserve any of this, It simply wasn't fair.
It was then that his own words came back to haunt him. It may have escaped your notice but life isn't fair.
"I am sorry Miss Granger, for the way that my snakes and I have treated you over the years, you never deserved it. Know that it was never my desire to treat you so abysmally, nor to deny you the praise that you so rightfully deserve. But that is all going to change now, thanks to you. Would that you could, see what your actions have done...the lives that you have saved. Not just the children in the forest, but their families and friends. The eyes that have been opened to your actions. The inner circle is decimated, Death Eaters and sympathisers alike have deserted the dark lord and left him practically destitute. When we win this war, for I am now certain that we shall, it will be because of your actions that we succeed. Your selflessness. Thank You, Hermione"
Suddenly the machine began to beep more rapidly, and as he looked to it he thought he was mistaken when he saw a movement from the corner of his eye. He looked back to the bed, and after a short while, sure enough, there it was again. Her hands twitched just slightly.
Was she waking up?
"Miss Granger?"
Her eyes were fluttering behind closed lids, and her lips moved as though trying to form words. He leant forward as though to listen, when suddenly her hands clenched tightly in the bedding as her back arched off the bed. The monitor at the side of her let out a shrill scream, as her teeth bared in a grimace and her head threw back, as her back arched even further, almost unnaturally.
Blood began seeping through her white gown at an alarming rate as the motion tore at her stitches, and still the monitor continued to scream.
In panic he grabbed his wand, only to feel the thing dead and useless in his hands. Not a moment later Poppy barrelled into the room, knocking him out of the way.
He stepped back, unsure and wrong-footed, not knowing what was going on or what to do without magic until Poppy called out to him.
"Severus! Get the mediwizard here now, she's having a seizure!"