*Author's Note; Hey guys thank you all for your feedback and for hanging in there as I keep posting chapters. I am back in school now so I'm trying to work on these in the evening, but I would warn you all to prepare for a few grammatical errors from a sleep deprived imagination. I understand how frustrating it can be to wait, so I will continue to put these out as quickly as possibly for you guys...ALSO looking for a BETA to edit these chapters if anyone is interested please message me! I am unfamiliar with how the process works seeing as this is my first fanfic, but writing this story as fast as I can is giving me little room to read and catch my errors. Will try to post more soon. Enjoy*
Chapter 9 "Desperation Gaining"
Hermione knew Severus traveling to the future with her again was a bad idea. She removed the time turner from their necks and she childishly took a step away from him.
"You really shouldn't be here." she snapped at him. She realized the more time she spent with him the more of his mannerisms she took on. If she had a mirror in front of her she wouldn't be surprised to see the same brooding expression he always wore in her own reflection.
"Actually, yes, I really should be here. You dunderheads need someone to make sure you don't get yourself killed."
"I am not your student anymore and I am certainly not a child so I would appreciate if you kept your insults to a minimum Sir." Hermione huffed.
Headmaster Snape remained passive for a moment.
"If you want me to stop speaking to you as a student then stop calling me sir. I suppose if we are working together you may call me by name."
"Severus?" Hermione said, not meaning for it to come out as question. She was merely surprised that he was suggesting she use it.
"Yes, that's it." He said rolling his eyes.
"Fine, then stop calling me Miss Granger. I have a name too. It's Hermione." she said jutting her chin up like they were still arguing even though this was the closest conversation they had ever had together.
"I am aware of that." he sighed. "Fine, Hermione you should go back to Potter and the orange one and I will stay here and step in if something goes amiss."
She took a deep breath. Nodded once, noting that his eyes were black, wide and his pupils were dilated. They were beautiful. She shook her head and walked back towards their campsite.
She had been more precise with the time turner this time. She had only been gone for a few moments and Harry and Ron were still catching up from the time he had been gone.
They looked up when she walked towards him.
"Hermione, you're back!" Ron said going over to her. She saw the look in his eyes. She knew that the sex they had was carrying on something for him and she knew that if the last few turns of time hadn't happened she might still be thinking about him in that way. However, she just couldn't get herself to feel anything romantic towards him.
He seemed to sense it. He stopped from embracing her and frowned. She wasn't trying to be cold towards him. She just didn't want to lead on a friend that she had since childhood.
"Harry, I saw what you meant about Godric's Hollow, but I think it was the only way we could get the sword. An act of true gryffindor." she said, looking past Ron, trying not to feel as bad as she did. What was wrong with her? So, she had seen Severus naked, once. Why should that change what could potentially be something great. She looked at Ron again and frowned...well, maybe not.
Hermione couldn't deny it. As mad as Severus made her she was attracted to his brilliance and his courage. It was something that Ron lacked. She now knew they were qualities that she needed in a partner. She wasn't suggesting that partner be Severus. The thought was obviously ridiculous, she just wanted someone kind of like him.
Ron backed away and went back and sat down on a log next to Harry.
"So what now?" Harry said.
"While I was gone I was looking at the book Dumbledore gave me. There was a mark written into the page." she opened the book from her bag and showed them. "I remember seeing that mark on Luna's Dad's arm at Bill's wedding. I think we should go there and find out what it means. Harry I know you're faith in Dumbledore is a little shaken right now, but I believe he put that in the book for a reason."
Ron nodded, trying to please Hermione and Harry pursed his lips.
"Alright, Hermione let's go then."
She had never been to Luna's house, though she had once or twice imagined what it would look like. Her father and herself were very different, to put it plainly, so she had imagined something colorful and imaginative.
On the outside Hermione noted the similarities of it to what the borrow had once been before Voldemort had burned it to the ground. She felt fearful for Luna, but she already found that she trusted Severus and if he didn't seem that worried about her being held captive, then she was probably unharmed. It had to have been another trap.
She was the first to knock on the door. Harry and Ron stood on each of her sides and she could feel Severus's presence not too far away in the distance. There was still so much he hadn't told her about the specifics of the bond, but she was starting to realize it kept them connected when they were in the same time zones and it kept her mouth shut when she was away from him.
Mr. Lovegood did not seem surprised to see them at the door. She knew from meeting him previously that he was not a bad man, but she knew that stress changed people. Losing Luna had taken a toll on him. He was nervous and he looked guilty. She could only hope to get the information out of him before he told Voldemort where they were.
She hated to admit it, but just seeing the desperation on his face, made her realize that Severus returning to the future with her was a good choice. There seemed to be several charms on this house and it would take a mere flick of the wand to get the message for them to get captured.
"Mr. Lovegood," Harry began, "We have a few questions for you if that's alright."
"Oh, yes, yes, of course come in. Luna is just outside, but she should be a long shortly. I'm sure she'd be very happy to see you. Should I put the kettle on? How do you three take your tea?" He was rambling nervously. It was pretty transparent, but Severus had been right about Harry being oblivious and blundering into the house anyways.
She trusted Harry and even Ron with her life, but she was worried that the boys had a far more extensive list of people to trust then she did. The war had already blurred evil and good together. What seemed to be was no longer as clear cut as Hermione had once believed. Severus certainly had a dark side, but even without telling her hardly anything about himself she was blown away with how much good was actually in him. Just in the contrary, there was an innocence and liberation to the lovegood's mannerisms, but she knew that in an act of desperation Mr. Lovegood was still capable of betraying the cause for someone he loved.
It hadn't been that long ago she had found out that Severus was a spy, but she still felt that her whole world had been turned upside down and although it might help her harden in this war, she wasn't sure how it would change her in the long run. She wasn't sure what was happening to her. She felt older now, like they had been on the run for more than just a few short months. The life when she had attended Hogwarts as a student seemed like it belonged to a different person. She wondered if Severus felt the same way after becoming Headmaster. She made a note to herself to ask him when she saw him again.
"Hermione?" Ron said, nudging her. "You okay...you seem a little out of it."
She smiled weakly at him. She still felt guilty. It was her voice that had led him back to their camp he had told her. When she had sex with him, she really hadn't meant to use him. There had been something brewing between them since third year, but just as school felt to her now, the feeling she once had for him felt like they had been experienced by a different person altogether.
"It's all the time jumping I think." she admitted honestly. It is helpful in giving me time to figure out how to help Harry, but I'm starting to feel like i'm constantly in two places at once."
She felt better being able to tell him this. She was afraid with the binding spell she would have to lie to her friends until the finishing of the war and she was glad that as long as it didn't mention Severus she could speak about it.
"Hopefully Luna's father will be able to lead us in the right direction. You said you wanted to see him because of a mark right 'mione?" Ron said.
She nodded, her thoughts once again focussed on the fact that she was here with a job to do. She once again took out the book from her magically sized bag and opened the page she had turned down dog eared revealing the symbol Dumbledore had hidden in its pages.
"Sir, I was hoping you would be able to tell us what this meant?" Hermione said. "I saw it on your arm so I thought you might know."
He put three cups of tea on the coffee table in front of them and sat down in the chair sitting directly across from the couch where the golden trio sat closely together.
He rolled up his shirt and revealed the mark Hermione had shown him in the book and she was glad that she had been right to at least come here to find out the meaning of it.
"What you are referring to is the story of the Deathly Hallows." he said.
Ron nodded vigorously, "Of course. How did you guys not know that?"
"Ron, Harry and I grew up in the muggle world we didn't hear stories about wizards. Please, Mr. Lovegood continue."
"It is the tale of three brothers. The Preverell brothers, although most just believe it to be an old wise tale so I'm not sure how it would be useful to you."
"The tale of the three brothers is in the book, but I don't see how it relates to the symbol." Hermione said as the same time Harry spoke.
"We've learned to believe in a great many things and anything that might be helpful to stop Voldemort is worth at least examining as potentially true." Harry said.
Mr. Lovegood leaned back in his chair, took a sip of tea and then nodded.
"Alright then. It is said that three brothers were traveling together when they came across a river that was too treacherous to swim across and too deep to swim. Being wizards they decided to conjure a bridge to walk across and continue on their way. However while on the bridge Death appeared to congratulate the wizards and grant them one wish. The first brother and the eldest desired power so he asked death for the strongest wand that ever been. Death grant his wish by fashioning the most powerful wand out of a branch and he called it the elder wand. The second brother was an arrogant man he sought to humiliate death by asking for the ability to bring the dead back to life. Death obliged by taking a stone from the river and and he called it the resurrection stone. The third brother was more wise and humble than his two brothers. He did not trust death so for his wish he asked for something that would hide him from death as lived out the rest of his days. Death was reluctant to do so, but inevitably gave the third brother his own cloak of invisibility.
Afterwards, the three brothers went on to their separate ways. The eldest brother began to boast as he won duels claiming that he had taken the wand from death himself and it was the most powerful that would ever be. That same night another wizard snuck into his room while the brother slept and stole the Elder wand and slit the brother's throat for good measure. And so so death took his first victim. The second brother used the stone to bring back a woman who had died before she had the chance to marry him. However, being back in our world was not normal for her and she grew depressed and cold towards the brother. Driven mad from longingness the brother killed himself so he could join his lost love and so death took the second brother.
As hard as Death tried he was never able to find the third brother. The youngest brother lived a long and comfortable life and when he was ready to pass on he removed the cloak and met death as an old friend."
Hermione crinkled her brow as Mr. Lovegood's story came to an end.
"I do see the message of the story sir, but I still don't see how it's connected to the symbol." she answered honestly, frustrated that she was still unable to figure it out on her own.
Mr. Lovegoood suddenly stood up and walked over to the corner of the room that looked like a pile of clustered mess. He quickly returned with a pencil and piece of paper. He put it on the table in front of them and on it he drew a triangle.
"First, The cloak of invisibility" he continued to draw a line down middle of the triangle "then the Elder wand." He finished drawing the symbol by adding the circle, "Last the resurrection stone. All together you have the Deathly Hallows. It is said that if a wizard were to obtain all three he would be unstoppable."
"So these items are real then?"" Ron asked. Both Hermione and Ron stole a quick glance at Harry, thinking of his invisibility cloak."
Before Mr. Lovegood answered he stood up again, "More tea?" he asked heading towards the kitchen. In the next moment objects in the living room began to rumble as if there were a many earthquake had begun. None of the three of them believed it was an earthquake and they all stood up, preparing to leave before Voldemort's inevitable arrival.
Harry looked at Mr. Lovegood with accusing eyes, "Shouldn't Luna be back by now?"
"No, she's at school." he said, not looking at any of them in the face.
"But when we got here you said she was outside and would be along in a minute." Ron said.
"I think it's time we left." Harry said.
"You can't!" Mr. Lovegood said finally revealing the desperation that had been hidden in his eyes the entire time they had been here. "They have Luna. They offered a trade. You for her."
"Voldemort is a liar. Turning us into him would not get you Luna back" Harry said angrily"There are more important things at stake here."
Mr. Lovegood bowed his head, chargrined. "I'm sorry, but it's too late."
Just as he said that the ceiling of the house began to blow in on top of them, burrying them under debris making it impossible to them to escape. Hermione's hands were pinned under some sort of heavy concrete and she was unable to reach her wand. Harry and ron were shutting their eyes against the wind that was shooting all kinds of items around them and they cuddled together, waiting to be captured. Hermione closed her eyes tightly as well and thought of Severus.
If their bond called out to her the other night when he was having a nightmare, perhaps he would hear her now and save them. Just as she began to doubt her logic, she felt a soft hand grab her around her waist. She grabbed a hold of Harry and Ron and all three of them were enveloped in a smoky black robe before they reappeared in the forest, just as the house had began to tumble around them.
Her eyes scanned the forest for Severus who had just saved them, but he was no where to be found.
"Hermione you got us out of there!" Harry said, hugging her. Ron hugged both of them. They had gotten so close to dying in that house that they all felt off guarded and shaken up.
"I can't believe that traitor almost got us killed when were risking our necks trying to save the wizarding world." Ron said bitterly.
Hermione put a hand on his arm.
"Didn't you see his face, he felt awful and he was desperate. Think if it had been Ginny or Fred or George, Ron and see if you could honestly say you might not do the same."
"Regardless," Harry said, "We made it out of there. I think what we can do now until we get more clues about where to find the next Horcrux I think it might be a good idea to try to find the Deathly Hallows."
"Harry, we don't even know if the Deathly Hallows are real. It's a children's fairytale." Hermione said skeptically. She didn't want to discourage him, but she was worried that they were running out of time and she didn't wish to run a fool's errand when they still couldn't destroy Voldemort while the remaining Horcruxes were out there somewhere."
"But Hermione, I already have the cloak. What's not to say the wand or the stone isn't real." he said. His eyes looked distant and she glared at him.
"What, aren't you telling us Harry?" Hermione demanded.
"I had a vision from Voldemort again" he said carefully.
"Harry we've talked about this" Hermione scolded. "The connection between you and Voldemort is two sided. If you see him then he can see you and you have no idea if he's manipulating the image to set you in yet another trap!"
"I know Hermione, but honestly sometimes I can't help it. It just pops in, but that's not what is important here. I don't think Voldemort knows exactly about the Elder Wand, but Luna isn't the only one he's holding captive. He has Oleander as well."
"Oldeander?" Ron said, "Bloody hell."
"I don't think my wand was the only one destroyed the night at Godric's Hollow. Oleander has told Voldemort that there is a very powerful wand and Voldemort wants it desperately."
"So he's holding them captive." Ron said, "Any idea where?"
"I have a hunch. Malfoy Manor."
"Harry you can't be serious. That would be even worse then when we into the ministry. Without your wand and the other horcruxes Voldemort could kill all of us easily." Hermione said.
"I've got an idea. It might get us killed, but so has pretty much everything else we've done." he replied nonchalantly. "And here it comes." he nodded through the trees. Hermione and Ron turned around to see a couple death eaters who were looking for muggle borns on the run.
"Harry, no, bad idea." Hermione said, whispering loudly. They weren't in a protective circle.
"I'm going to agree with Hermione on this one mate." He looked behind his shoulder. "It's too risky. Run!"
And so that's what they did. Just as they began racing trying to find safety the death eaters spotted them and started gaining on them. They were much faster than any of them three. Without being able to consult with Severus on what was probably the stupidest thing they've done yet, she threw a hex at Harry, causing him to fall over and his face to boil up like he had been stung by a hornet several times and was now swollen. It changed his appearance though and she hoped even with the scar it would keep the scavengers from figuring out just whom they caught.
The shorter one, with choppy hair and a bad odor grabbed Hermione first and took her purse out of her hands. "What do we have here? What's your name witch?"
Hermione spoke without missing a beat. "Lavender Brown, half blood." she said. She was certain they may almost be able to get away, but in the next moment her bag was opened and the sword of gryffindor shined like a diamond, impossible to miss."
The other one stepped forward. "Hold on I recognize you from the photos. You're that girl who Harry Potter spends his time with." he then suspiciously eyed the deformed Harry.
The shorter one looked at his accomplice, "Do you think that's him?"
"Hard to tell with his face beaten up so badly, but I know where to take them to find out."
Fuck, Fuck, Fuck. Hermione thought to herself. There was only one place he could be referring to. Malfoy Manor. She wasn't sure what was in store for them, but she had a feeling Severus wouldn't be able to risk blowing his cover saving them there and there was a high chance they weren't going to make it out alive.
She looked somewhere off into the trees, hoping that Severus was still lurking near by, ever watchful, coming up with a plan because Hermione, Harry and Ron sure as hell didn't have one.
