Chapter 14
"What do you think you're doing?" Hermione hissed at Severus when they landed in the forest. "This place is dangerous! Especially at night!"
Severus smirked at her. "Interesting. So you trust me enough to protect you from The Dark Lord but don't think I can handle the threats of this forest."
"You know what I mean," she huffed.
"Well, I'm not the one that came up with ridiculous demands. Ridiculously expensive and rare demands." He motioned for her to stand close to him and held her hand in his. "It's best to gather the unicorn hair ourselves rather than purchase it from an unknown. Most of the time, it's a poor replica of the real thing, making it highly unstable to work with." He looked down at his hand. He had reached for hers without knowing what he was doing. "Want to tell me why you require such items?"
She squeezed his hand lightly. "I just want to be prepared for anything that might happen." Had she been looking up at the wizard next to her, she would have noticed a small smile linger for a few seconds before vanishing.
Companionable silence washed over them as they silently, yet swiftly, made their way through the forest. Hermione looked around, curious, as every time she had been in the forest it was either for a Care of Magical Creatures lesson or she was sneaking around with Harry and Ron trying to save someone.
For those who appreciated beauty of all kinds, the forest had a dark beauty. Mist hovered above the ground, lending an eerie atmosphere to the near inky blackness of the woods. Roots, some thicker than her leg, twisted around each other above ground before plunging into the soil below. There was an occasional rustle in the distance followed by the howl of a werewolf. In other words, the forest boasted mystery and danger.
Wariness settled over Hermione at the thought of a werewolf. "Are the werewolves here particularly vicious?"
Severus glanced down at her, noting the lack of colour on her cheeks and frowned slightly. "Not especially so. They made a pact with Dumbledore a number of years ago to not harm a human, especially students that wander into the forest out of curiosity. However, if provoked, they do attack."
"I see." Hermione shot a furtive glance at him before continuing. "Severus, may I ask you something personal?"
His brow furrowed ever so slightly. "What is it?"
"Uhm, well, you see," she began, "it's about Lily…." Her voice trailed off, and she looked unsure at how to proceed. "Why did you fall in love with her?" she blurted out. It's best to be direct in such matters.
Severus felt his heart constrict as memories came tumbling back. "She was the only piece of happiness in my life for quite some time," he answered. "When you have lived with desolation and hopelessness for so long, you tend to latch on to any form of happiness you get." He laughed without joy. "And of course, I ruined it in the end. She wouldn't even forgive me….I don't blame her though." Words are falling out of my mouth before I can stop them. What the bloody hell is happening to me?
Hermione felt her eyes well with tears and almost tripped over a root. "What happened?"
"I called her a mudblood," he said shortly.
The young witch gasped. "How could you?" Recollecting Draco spewing the same distasteful word at her made her nose wrinkle.
"Potter and his friends had a habit of…..harassing me when I simply wished to be left alone. It didn't help that Potter had developed an interest in Lily and hated the fact that the two of us were friends," he said bitterly. "One day they decided it would be of great amusement to them to simply disarm me, suspend me upside down in mid-air and proceed to divest me of my trousers. Of course, Lily saw this and tried to help, which would only fuel Potter's anger, so I did what I thought would drive her away. I told her that I didn't require the help of a mudblood." He laughed softly. "Apparently I did too good a job of it. It drove her away, alright. It drove her straight into the arms of the man who tormented me during my schooling." Perhaps it is okay to tell her this?
He brushed his free hand over his face. "She never forgave me, you know?" Severus studied Hermione's face, searching for pity, disgust or some similar emotion but all he found was sadness.
"I'm so sorry Severus," she whispered.
"Why are you apologising?"
"I can only imagine what it would be like to lose a close friend. But I also know that I have forgiven Draco for calling me a mudblood. I don't understand why she didn't forgive you. It's what friends do." She shot him a smile. "Well, you have me now!" She made a silent promise to herself: I will save this man. At any cost.
Severus returned the smile and brought her hand to his lips to place a soft kiss on her knuckles. "Yes. I do have you now, don't I?"
"Why did you kill Greyback?"
He arched a brow at her. "Is an explanation for that really necessary?"
She paused, thoughtful. "I guess not…Did you know that Draco was there that night?"
A flash of outrage appeared on Severus' face. "And he didn't think to help you?" he growled angrily. He would need to have a word with his godson.
"No no no. He was actually summoned just before Greyback decided to attack," she replied quickly. "He's changed, somehow. He apologised for his actions in the past and warned me about Greyback's intentions….he….even offered to walk with me." Her head lowered and she smiled sadly. "He seems to have changed quite a bit."
Severus cast her a curious glance. It was quite possible from what she told him, Draco was beginning to develop feelings for his wife. Well, too bad. She's mine. "He has….been through a lot in the past year. More so than your precious Potter." He flickered a glance her way and saw a small frown develop on her pretty little face.
"Hey, Harry has been through quite a bit as well," Hermione stated.
"Yes. But not to the extent Draco has," he replied. "Potter's parents are dead; he doesn't live under constant threat and fear of having his parents killed viciously in front of him. On the other hand, Draco has had his parents Crucio'd in front of him countless times, either for hesistation in carrying out an order or for simple amusement."
Hermione inhaled sharply.
"Add to that, being Crucio'd on a near monthly basis, Draco seems to be doing rather well." Severus felt a flicker of pride in his chest for his godson. It seemed that the boy inherited Narcissa's strength and resilience, and very little of Lucius' cowardice.
Hermione decided that she should probably change the topic before Severus lost his patience with her questions. "Do you know where we're going?"
"Do I look like a wizard who's lost?"
"You look like a wizard who won't admit he's lost."
He cracked a smile at that one. "The unicorns have delved further into the forest following the rise of The Dark Lord – " Severus' voice broke off as the sound of hooves echoed in the night. He drew Hermione closer to him and raised his wand, ready to stun, as the sound drew nearer and nearer.
"What is the reason for your entering the forest?" came a calm, yet firm voice.
Both Hermione and Severus spun around and found themselves staring into strikingly blue eyes – Firenze. Severus lowered his wand. "A simple excursion of sorts to gather ingredients for potion making," the wizard replied smoothly.
"May I ask what sort of ingredient you require?" the centaur enquired.
"I don't see how that is any of your concern," Severus said.
Firenze gave Severus a patient smile. "Such a prickly man. It is a wonder that you managed to get a wife," he teased, and looked pointedly at Hermione.
Severus' eyes narrowed at his jibe. "How do you know I've got a wife?" For all his teasing, Firenze helped him numerous times to gather hard-to-find ingredients from the forest.
"It was foretold in the stars," came the simple reply.
"I see." Centaurs were widely known for their high level of skill in the art of Divination as well as Astronomy.
"Maybe he can help? We have been walking around for some time." Hermione asked Severus. He gave her a short nod.
Firenze smiled at the girl. "What do you require?"
"Uhm, well, you see, it's unicorn hair…" Hermione's voice trailed off, unsure at the reaction she would receive.
The centaur seemed unsure and looked up at the stars. After a few minutes of silence, he threw Hermione a considering look. "I…will help you obtain what you require. However, if it involves harming the animal then consider yourself unwelcome in the forest." Motioning for Severus and Hermione to follow him, he led the way.
"What did you see in the stars?" Hermione asked, curious.
Firenze cast a sideways glance at the young witch. "Nothing of great importance." He sighed. "But I will say this: you're heading in the right direction, young one." He gave her a small smile and Hermione returned it.
Severus watched the exchange between the two. Firenze was hiding something. Typical. Centaurs. So bloody cryptic when you ask a straight question. He glanced around. Firenze brought them to a small clearing and motioned for them to stop. He then let out a soft whistle, almost like he was singing. As soon as he was done, Severus picked up on the sound of hooves.
Minutes later, a unicorn came clopping through the clearing and stood next to Firenze. He motioned for Hermione to come next to him.
Hermione took two steps towards him and stopped. Nervousness and excitement filled her at the thought of touching one of the most precious creatures in the magical world. Oh god. It's so beautiful! Tears filled her eyes. The silver colour of the unicorn was so pure that it rendered an otherworldly glow to the creature, creating a halo of sorts.
"Come forward, Hermione. Unicorns prefer the touch of a woman." Firenze threw her a kind smile and beckoned once more.
She made her way forward slowly and conjured a small brush. Standing next to Firenze, she waited for further instructions.
"Hold your hand out in front of it. Slowly…slowly. Fast movements will startle her." Firenze's voice was soft and gentle, serving to calm both the unicorn and Hermione.
Hermione reached out with her left hand, trembling slightly, and held it mid-air. Firenze let out a soft whistle and the unicorn inched forward, gently sniffing her hand before nudging her palm with its head. Hermione smiled. It wanted to be petted. So cute! Carefully, the young witch stroked its head before bringing forth the brush and sweeping it though its mane. The brush glided smoothly through the silver strands, picking up a few loose hairs.
Severus watched the exchange with a small smile on his face. Having never seen a unicorn up close before, this was, to put it bluntly, amazing. He watched silently as his wife withdrew the brush and pocketed the silvery strands before giving the creature a final pat on its head. The centaur gave another low whistle and the unicorn, being fleet footed, appeared to vanish within a second; a contradiction to the way it initially appeared.
"I hope this will aide you," the centaur stated, breaking the silence.
"I know it will!" Hermione exclaimed. "Thank you Firenze. This means a lot."
Firenze smiled and nodded in Severus' direction before galloping off without a word.
The dark wizard arched a brow at Hermione. "What was that all about?" he asked as he made his way towards her.
Hermione threw him a cheeky grin. "Nothing."
"Hermione…." he growled warningly.
She snickered. "It's just a….a fail-safe of sorts."
"I see." He knew enough to realise that he was not going to get a straight answer out of the witch, so he fell silent.
Hermione bumped him with her hip playfully and set him faltering in his steps. Whirling around to ask her what the devil was going on he was met with a mischievous grin.
"Race you back home." She blew him a kiss before apparating, the sound of her laughter fading with a pop.
"Minx," he growled and followed suit.
Author's note:
Ermagherd. It's been so long since I've uploaded! Sorry sorry and a thousand sorries.
Buuuttt, (mm dat ass) - Sorry I'm being an idiot hahahaha :D
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I hope you lovely readers get everything you deserve. Thanks for the support so far ^^ I am so grateful that you take the time to read my story and I get very happy when you review. Constructive criticism is always appreciated yo!