Chapter 11

Hermione's idea proved fruitless. Nothing penetrated the stone around the chains which held them. "We've got to find a way out of here and get to Madam Mason and Daniel. Madam Prince wants Daniel for some reason." She was actually mumbling to herself but Snape had been listening. When she mentioned Daniel he opened his eyes and stared up at her.

"Daniel? Why does she want him?" he asked.

Hermione stared down at him and frowned. "I don't know Mr. Snape. I don't understand what she was thinking. She…." She glared at the wall in front of her trying to make sense of what she had seen on the woman's mind. "I'm afraid she learned of his existence through me. However, that is hardly my fault is it? If you had warned me…." she left off and studied the wall before her, her mind elsewhere. "She has the Horcrux, too." She rubbed her temples with her hands, frowning into the distance. "She seemed to think Daniel had some special gift. Does he?" She turned to him.

Snape's eyes widened his pupils so dilated his eyes looked completely black. If she hadn't known better she would have guessed he was a vampire.

"Anyway, I think we should find him and make sure he's safe," she mumbled, slightly frightened by the look on his face.

He nodded, attempted to rise but slumped to the floor and into unconsciousness.

Hermione pulled aside Snape's coat and the torn shirt and studied the area once again with her lit wand. It looked very bad and she was not surprised he was unconscious. This time she was astonished to discover something she had not seen before. Tattooed on the upper right side of his torso was the Snape family crest, as she had seen it on Madam Prince's neck in the portrait in the vaults at Gringotts. It was the briar wrapped around the rose.

Of course they were not tattoos in the muggle sense of the word. Like his mothers', they were embedded threads of gold and red and green and various colors of the rainbow so that the sum of the whole looked almost alive. It would not have surprised her if the bud of the red rose had blossomed before her eyes; or, if she had placed her hand on the briar, to have it prick her with real thorns.

She studied this and while she did his eyes opened.

"Where are we?' he gasped, pressing his hand to his wound and covering himself with his torn clothing.

"Still in the depths of the castle," she answered. "We are in the dungeons chained to the wall."

"She knows about Daniel and Georgia?" he murmured.

Hermione nodded again.

"She will use Daniel as a trade if she can."

"A…a trade!" Hermione repeated.

"She'll want Daniel and she has the Horcrux…the Medal," he took a painful breath. "She'll ask for the Dark Lord's help in finding the boy and in return he'll want the Horcrux."

She nodded.

"My loyalty was guaranteed with Albus' death. It may come into question now that Morilla has been in your mind. He will want additional assurances since this is a very dangerous time for him. Two of the Horcruxes have been destroyed. However, he won't hesitate in giving her the boy if she has one of the them."

"He won't kill her?" she asked.

Snape shook his head slowly but remained quiet.

"What will she do with Daniel?" Hermione asked.

He waved his hand feebly, brushing her question aside. "Can you free yourself?"

She shook her head. "But if we are still at your family home, then Remus may find us." She covered him with her cloak and sat back to think. He remained conscious but said nothing.

"What do you think she wanted by coming here?" she asked after a few minutes.

"I don't know," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Why didn't she kill us? She wanted to, you know?" Hermione asked.

He coughed and turned his face away.

"Actually, it's surprising to find anyone that doesn't want to kill you," she mumbled grimly. At this he turned back to look at her once again. "I mean…well. You are a Deatheater, at least in most people's eyes, and you did kill Dumbledore." She dropped her chin on her knees and wrapped her arms around her legs. The dungeon was chilly. "And truth is, although it may sound unkind, you have been a cruel teacher, at least to Harry. Unaccountably so, I should say."

"Are you lovers?" he asked.

Her eyebrows shot almost to her hair line. "No!" She rearranged herself and leaned into the cold stone. "We are friends! We are a little young to be…lovers, aren't we?" She snuffed and continued, "We are friends and we do love each other. WHICH is not the same thing. Since we are being personal here, you should know that Georgia Mason loves you." He didn't answer. "Harry says so. He went to talk to her before meeting you at the Shrieking Shack."

"Is there anything you do not share with one another?" he asked in disgust.

"Mr. Snape. Perhaps it's beyond your understanding," she huffed. "Friends do that kind of thing you know. He has no family to speak of and we are all that he has. He's had a terrible life really. And he's had no parents. I've watched him suffer all these years and yet he is the kindest person I have ever known. If he did not have these terrible troubles…" she shook her head, tears in her eyes. "There's nothing I won't do for him."

"Miss Granger…"

"You might think about calling me, Hermione," she said quietly, trying to calm her voice. "Seems a bit formal to call me anything else given the circumstances in which we find ourselves."

They sat in silence for a long while until Snape broke the silence. "If I don't survive you need to find something."

She was at his side instanteously. "You are not going to die!" She pressed a hand against his wound as if it would help heal it and he stared at her face without emotion.

"I left here after I finished Hogwarts and I left all my personal belongings here; my Hogwarts trunk…" he was struggling with the words but continued. "Lily Potter's wand is in the trunk. You should probably give it to Potter."

She nodded, gravely concerned about his worsening condition. "I'll try and find it."

"There is a journal I kept," he managed. "Make sure Georgia has it. Tell her she must read it."

"I will."

He grabbed her arm, his grip a vise in his spasm of pain. "It will explain…"

"So you did love Lily Potter! Please don't tell me you wrote about your feelings for her," Hermione said, holding his hand which remained fastened to her arm. "Would you confess this to Georgia Mason now? Really, Mr. Snape, sometimes it's kinder not to be honest."

He shook his head weakly and turned loose her arm. "No. It will explain why she must protect Daniel from Morilla."

"Yes, I see. Alright. I will search for it," Hermione said, faintly. "You did love Lily Potter didn't you?"

Snape looked at her and then said, "We were friends Miss Granger. Do you understand?"

Hermione studied him and then nodded. "Yes. I do."

"Tell her, tell Georgia I have always loved her," he mumbled and closed his eyes. "I lived in agony not knowing where she was. Tell her I have loved her to my dying day."

"This will not be your dying day, Mr. Snape!" She rose to here feet and aimed her wand at the cell door shouting out her spell.

The noise had drawn attention. They both heard the sound at the same time.

"Hermione," Remus Lupin called. "Are you down here?"

"Hermione!" Harry called. Their voices were unintelligible as they talked to one another and searched the rooms.

"Here! Here we are Harry," Hermione shouted, pressing herself against the bar. "Hurry. It's Snape. He's badly wounded."

They found her within minutes. Lupin was able to open the doors of the cell, rushed in and bent to his knees beside Snape. He pulled the bloody clothing aside and inhaled in surprised. "Your mother did this to you?" he asked Snape.

Snape nodded.

"Wicked, wicked witch," Lupin said. "How did you ever let her escape?" he said conversationally. "I understand you took Hermione along with you, Severus. You'll have some explaining to do to me about that." He waved his wand over the open wounds and a blue light shimmered from its' tip. "Nasty bites, but you'll live, I think. Luckily, they weren't werewolf bites."