Chapter 10

Hermione flipped to one of the first pages. 'This book belongs to the Habsburgs.'

'Yes. The poisoner was not one of the guests at the dinner party. It was someone with a fair knowledge of what wouldn't interact poorly in a potion and it was someone with access to this book, which the arciduca has assured me is- and was- locked up and heavily protected. It had to be someone very close with the Habsburg family,' Severus said solemnly.

'Or one of the Habsburgs themselves.'

Sitting across from his wife's sick bed, the arciduca stared into space. Worry and sleeplessness were etched on his face. The woman he loved with his entire soul, whom he would give anything to, do anything for, had almost died. He mentally grasped onto the almost, reassuring himself for the hundredth time that day that she was still with him. His mind moved to skimming over everything: the threats, the fear. This ultimate act was not to be born. Whom could he trust? The gossiping servants, some of whom fought his rule? The other families, who sought his power? The well-meaning strangers from L.? No. Setting his jaw, he stood slowly and went to his wife's desk where he pulled out a small mirror from an inner pocket of his robe.

Turning away from the bed, he whispered, 'Signore, I need you here. There have been some...developments. It is too much for me to do this alone. I would not ask if it were otherwise. I'm aware you are in the Americas, but there is no one else. Please.'

Hermione shifted restlessly in her bed. Worry for the arciduchessa and spinning thoughts on the identity of the poisoner had deprived her of sleep. Sitting up, she pushed her hair back from her face and sighed. Deciding there was no use lying here when she was clearly getting little sleep at best, Hermione slid out of bed, donned her robe and slippers, and grabbed her wand. Only a few stars twinkled now in the sky and a light grey was slowly bleeding in from the horizon.

The empty, silent corridor seemed to frown on sound, so it was with the utmost stealth that Hermione slipped out of her room. Noiselessly shutting the door, she wandered down to the library in hopes of attempting once more to put this case together.

Her numerous trips to the library had brought her feet familiarity, and they guided her, leaving her mind free to bury itself in details of the case. Passing through the main room of the guest wing, a sudden soft swish brought her senses back into sharp focus. Hermione froze, listening. Hearing nothing, she chalked it up to her apparently over active imagination. But as she moved, she heard another sound, that of a door latch locking into place. This time Hermione kept moving. There's someone else here. Either that, or an animal that knows how to close doors. In any case, it's far too early for anyone to be sneaking around.

She changed her course for one of the other rooms instead that lay closer to the circular staircase. Hiding in the shadows by the staircase, she lay in wait and scanned the room for the mysterious occupant. The silence grew more deafening with each minute until- finally- she saw a something shifting at the other end of the room. A shadow straightened, paused, then swished quietly out one of the doors.

Frowning, Hermione watched the person- probably a man, she thought- go, internally debating whether or not to follow him. After a brief pause, she disillusioned herself and went through the same door. Fortunately for her, the hallway beyond it had only one door at the end. Opening it, Hermione shivered at the cold morning air rushing in. A beautifully organized garden lay before her. It was not that large compared to the other gardens the villa boasted, yet it was composed of eight square sections. Each was surrounded by tall trees and appeared to contain a different object in its centre. Peering anxiously for the person she saw earlier, Hermione caught him barrelling into the second division on the left.

She flew down the stairs as adrenaline rushed through her. Mentally preparing herself for an encounter, Hermione took out her wand and began recalling all the defensive spells she ever knew, along with a few of the offensive. Reaching the bottom, she hesitated just a moment to orient herself before continuing her pursuit. The trees that seemed tall even when she was up by the house now loomed over her threateningly as she ran.

Hermione slowed once she passed the first division and saw the entrance to the second. Heart pounding, she cast a defensive charm on herself and crept towards the opening in the hedges. She could hear the person digging and shifting dirt and other objects around as she neared. Hermione stood right outside the opening now and gathered her mental strength around her. Just then, the digging stopped. A whispered phrase and soft creaking replaced it. It's now or never, she thought.

Whirling into the square, she saw a man vanish into a hole in the ground. 'Blast!' She ran towards the hole, which was rapidly shrinking shut. Pointing her wand down into it, she yelled, 'Stupefy!' A sharp pain on her own skull and darkness responded.

An hour later, a tall greying man strode up the steps to the main entrance of Villa D'Este. The same servant that greeted Hermione and Severus stood waiting for him at the top.

Bowing deeply, the servant murmured, 'Signore, it is my pleasure to welcome you to Villa D'Este. Please, follow me.'

'No welcome is needed.'

Smiling briefly with a slight nod, the servant turned to unlock the door. The man's eyes followed every movement of his wand.

'I hope you had a successful trip, signore,' the servant said, guiding him inside.

'Of course. You know I did.'

'Yes, signore. The arciduchessa has instructed me to lead you to your room. She has assigned you the visitor's suite at the end of the guest room corridor. If that is not acceptable-'

'That will be fine, maggiordomo. Right now, I want to see the arciduca.'

'He is in his study at the moment, signore. I will take you there, if it pleases you.'

They walked in silence through the many hallways to the arciduca's study. The visitor's eyes swept the path as they went. Finally, they stopped in front of the door.

His hand on the door handle, the man paused. 'The...incident. Is it serious?' His stately bearing betrayed nothing.

The servant seemed to shrink into himself ever so slightly. He replied haltingly, 'No, signore, not at all. I believe it will resolve itself.'

'Good. I would not like to hear otherwise.'

Opening the door, he entered the study. The arciduca looked up at the sound and a quick, intense look of relief passed across his face.

'Prozio. I am so glad you have come.'

'Ennervate.'

Hermione's eyes blinked open to find a concerned Severus crouching over her. Disoriented and dizzy, she sat up slowly, looking around.

'Your head may hurt for awhile. You sustained a severe blow. Don't touch it,' he warned as her fingers inched back towards an area on her head that now pulsed insistently. 'I have some ointment and potions in my room that will heal it and ease the pain.' He proffered his hand in aid. 'Are you able to walk?'

She took his hand and staggered to her feet, leaning heavily on it for a moment before righting herself. 'Yes, I suppose I can as long as I have support.'

Nodding, Severus tucked her hand around his arm. 'If anyone sees us before we reach my room, we will say that you tripped during your morning walk.'

She murmured her agreement and they slowly made their way back.

To Hermione's relief, they reached Severus' room sans encounters. As the door closed behind them, she sagged onto the bed.

'Wait here. Try to stay alert. You'll be able to rest soon.' He withdrew into the bathroom, returning moments later with an ointment and two potions.

'Here. Take this one first. It will help with the pain.' Hermione shakily took it and swallowed it, immediately feeling the pulsing lessen. 'Turn around.' Blindly obeying, she faced away from him. 'You will feel a slight cooling sensation. The ointment will sterilize the wound and then begin to repair the skin.'

'How...?'

'I adapted another salve that only repaired the skin. In...earlier times, I often found it beneficial that this salve did both.' His fingers gently smoothed it over her wound and Hermione found herself relishing the sensation. She began to relax under the circular motion.

'This last potion is not necessary, but I believe that it would be very beneficial. It is a less severe version of Dreamless Sleep and will help catalyze the skin formation.'

'Is it addictive?'

'No. It merely has the same purpose as Dreamless Sleep. I have removed the more dangerous, addictive ingredients and replaced them will safer substitutes. You will not sleep long: only about half an hour.'

Hermione took the bottle from him and unstoppered it.

'Before you take it, however, I must know the basics of what happened. I need to know if there is anything urgent to deal with.'

'I saw a man and chased him to where you found me. He was sneaking out early in the morning. I thought he could be connected to everything. I think there were two of them and I didn't see one.'

'Did you recognize the any of them?' Severus' lips thinned and he leaned in eagerly.

'I only saw one. And no, I didn't. He vanished before I could get close enough to see him.'

His posture relaxed and leaned back. 'Take the potion. We will talk more when you wake.'

Hermione downed the potion and pulled herself further back onto his bed before drifting into a deep sleep.

A/N: Things are starting to take off! There should be some wonderful plot unfolding ahead. I believe I only have one note to make about this chapter: the word Prozio is Italian for great uncle (according to several different language sites). Thank you to all of my readers and a huge thank you to duj for catching my silly mistakes and giving me invaluable feedback. For those of you who love fantastic stories, her newest story Unexpected is a wonderful read! I highly encourage you to check it out. Have a very happy March celebrating Pi day, the Ides of March, St. Patrick's Day, Passover, Easter, losing an hour of sleep for Daylight Savings, and any other wonderful holidays I have neglected to mention.