Chapter 14: Trust the Plan

The only thing that got Hermione through the next weeks alone with Harry was her memories of Severus. She felt justified in referring to him so familiarly after all that had happened, even if she could only do so within her own mind.

Harry was still being obstinate, but at least he had seemed to come out of his depression a bit. Hermione was able to get him to talk to her more by being less adamant about the need for Occlumency. She figured if nothing she said could convince him, perhaps she could at least get him to trust her and tell her what he was seeing in those visions. At least then she could attempt to interpret which parts might be real, and which parts might be coming form Voldemort as manipulation.

Currently, Harry was focused on Voldemort's search for a wizard, whom Harry called 'the thief', who had stolen something from the wand-maker Gregorovitch. Hermione tried to remind him that they had been given a specific mission, which did not involve wands or wand-makers, and that the last place they should be was in Voldemort's path as he hunted down other people. Though she was curious as well, she felt they should spend their time researching places to look for Horcruxes rather than trying to figure out Voldemort's interest in this thief.

Sometime mid-December, Hermione and Harry discussed the possibility of visiting Godric's Hollow. Hermione tried to determine if Harry's interest in the place was truly his own idea, or if it came from his visions into Voldemort's mind. She was not completely convinced when Harry told her he had not had any visions recently.

Hermione had been certain they would have to go to the scene of Voldemort's first defeat by the-boy-who-lived, but it would be the first place Voldemort would expect him to go, whether or not there were actually any Horcruxes hidden there. Perhaps the sword would come to him there. Dumbledore's portrait was unusually silent on the matter, which made her think her hunch was correct.

When the visit to Godric's Hollow did not go well, Hermione found herself glaring at the portrait while having a hushed, angry argument one evening on her watch outside the tent.

"You let me think this was going to get us the sword! We nearly died and all for nothing! I'm going to ask Severus for it, I don't care if you say he can't bring it to us or that it's not the right time. He will find it, and we will find a way to get it here without Harry being suspicious. I'm tired of waiting around!"

"Severus..." said the portrait thoughtfully, ignoring her anger. "Very well, I will assist him in finding the sword and instruct him to bring it to you without being seen. I believe you are right Miss Granger, it is time."

They were in the Forest of Dean, and the night was bitingly cold.

"You should have sent him to Godric's Hollow with the sword!" she exclaimed. "It would have done Harry good to be right about something. Do you understand how discouraged he is right now?"

"Trust the plan," the portrait said, its usual refrain.

That night after Hermione had gone to bed and Harry had taken over the watch, Dumbledore made his move. She was furious when she heard how it had happened. Severus should have warned her of his plan to lead Harry to the sword at the bottom of a bloody frozen lake in the dead of winter so that she could at least have been awake and ready to help! She fired off a message conveying her feelings on the matter as soon as she got the chance.

It was a good thing Harry and Ron had told her the entire story of the incident in detail, because she was prepared to see his return message arrive in the form of a new patronus – a tall, lanky, shimmering white wolf. When Hermione had asked Harry why he had thought it was a good idea to follow a strange patronus off into the woods, he had simply said, "Well, I figured a bad wizard wouldn't be able to cast one, would he?"

Hermione had let it go without further comment, though she was certain that magical folk of questionable character might still be able to produce the charm, as long as they had not been practicing too much Dark Magic or given part of their souls up to it.

She was so intrigued by Severus' change of patronus that she barely heard it's message.

I would have stepped in if the weasel hadn't shown up to save him. Trust the plan.

Hermione dispersed the patronus in a huff. The next person or object that demanded she trust the plan was going to get an earful in response.

The boys were best of friends again. Harry was both greatly encouraged by their success in destroying the locket and grateful to Ron for showing up just in time to save his life. Both of them were in much better spirits, to the point that Hermione found them unbearable to be around. Ron was especially annoying now that he had returned, nagging them constantly to get moving on a plan to find and destroy the next Horcrux. Not only that, he seemed to have developed sudden hope that Hermione would not only forgive him for running off, but would be interested in renewing their brief romantic relationship from the previous year.

Any time Harry was out of sight or earshot, he tried to make a move on her. Hermione repeated her conviction that it was not the time to be thinking about such things, and that they both needed to concentrate on the mission. He did his best to convince her otherwise, apologizing over and over for accusing her of liking Harry. Apparently, Harry had recently assured him that he had no romantic feelings for Hermione whatsoever, and that she had been devastated by Ron's departure.

"Hermione, please talk to me," he begged one evening. "I know you were more than just angry at me. Harry told me."

She had frowned.

"Harry told you... what?"

Ron looked sheepish. "That you cried every night when I left."

"What?!"

"It's okay Hermione. I... I feel the same way about you."

Hermione dropped her head into her hands. She could not tell Ron the truth, but she should at least try to let him down easy. She really did not want to be dealing with it at the moment, with many more pressing concerns demanding her attention, but Ron was not going to let it go.

"Ron... I told you I don't want to start anything, especially now. I don't know why Harry told you that – if he did see me, er, crying once or twice, it was because I'm so overwhelmed and scared, and confused about what we are even supposed to be doing. While you were back at the Burrow eating your mum's cooking and sleeping in a nice warm bed, we were still out here trying to figure things out and not be killed, all while getting nowhere with the mission. It was really... stressful."

"I know, but I'm here now, and I know we can do this – together. Me and you have always been together, haven't we? You can't tell me you don't feel this too."

He attempted to hold her hand, but Hermione crossed her arms.

"It's not that simple, Ron. Please respect my answer, and just be the friend I need right now. I can't think about anything else but helping Harry do this without getting us all killed."

Ron was silent for a few minutes. Finally, he sighed.

"Okay. Look, are we going to try to talk to Harry again about going to see Luna's dad? We need to get out of this forest and do something."

"Yes," she replied.

Hermione sent word to Severus through the portrait that they would soon be moving again. She longed to see him in person, but he was unable to find opportunities to leave the castle. The Death Eaters at the school with him required constant supervision, so that he might intervene before they were able to really hurt anyone. They seemed to never sleep, always prowling the castle and grounds, watching Severus' every move.

She did not see him again until after they narrowly escaped the Lovegood house, after Luna's father had alerted the Death Eaters to their presence, hoping to turn Harry over to Voldemort in exchange for Luna. She had been captured by Death Eaters on the way home for Christmas break.

As soon as Hermione saw Severus waiting for her, she jumped to her feet. The boys were sleeping soundly, thank Merlin. She hurried over to him, speaking before he could say a word.

"I'm ready to toss that damn portrait into the fire, just so you know!" she exclaimed. "If it had given you my full message, you would have been able to tell me that Luna had been captured and I wouldn't have gone to visit her father."

"I, too, have expressed my displeasure to dear Albus' portrait," he replied calmly. "Though, even he could not have known that Lovegood would so easily deliver 'The Chosen One' to the Dark Lord."

"Yes, but obviously Death Eaters had targeted them. I wouldn't have dared go if I had known! We could easily all be dead right now."

"It seems the portrait thought Lovegood had information you could use."

"Well, he didn't. What he told us hasn't gotten us any closer to completing our mission, and now Harry wants to go off on another tangent because of something that batty old traitor said!"

Severus stared at her in silence, and Hermione tried to calm her mind.

"I've missed you. It's probably good that we couldn't meet before. I was not happy with how you decided to give Harry the sword – why the bottom of a freezing lake?"

"It had to be somewhere not just anyone would find it, Hermione. I had to leave it there while I lured Potter away from you."

"You could have done it while I was awake. I would have stopped him from jumping in the water like a moron, or at least put a few charms on him before he did. I certainly wouldn't have let him wear the locket while retrieving the sword. Did you know Ron was there? It's lucky he didn't see you."

"By the time I was aware of Weasley's approach, it was too late to abandon the plan. If he had not come through, I was prepared to stun him and save Potter myself without being recognized."

"Polyjuice Potion?"

He ran his hands up her arms.

"Indeed."

She smiled.

"I like your new patronus. Harry is an idiot though, for following it like that. How did you know he would?"

Severus smirked.

"Because Potter has always been an idiot, Hermione. He is impulsive and life has proven to him that he is invincible. He does not understand how to exercise caution."

Hermione sighed.

"True. I'm still not sure I want to take any more orders from the portrait. I shouldn't have trusted it again after it nearly got us killed in Godric's Hollow, and the sword wasn't even there. It let me think that's where it was hidden, when all along you had it tucked away at the school, just waiting for orders to deliver it to Harry."

"I did not know where the sword was hidden until the portrait told me," Severus answered. "As you know, the sword of Gryffindor won't just present itself to a Slytherin even if he wants it for a good cause. And the intention was to leave the sword in Godric's Hollow for Potter to find. However, the Dark Lord must have realized that Potter was thinking of going there through their mind link. Nagini had not been planted there long, for I saw the snake the last time I was called to his side."

Hermione sighed again.

"It took nearly dying to convince him to use Occlumency again. I don't know if it will matter now though, now that we've got the sword and have destroyed..."

She stopped, remembering that she was not to speak of the Horcruxes in Severus' presence, even though they both knew what Harry's mission was and why he needed the sword. His eyes warned her to keep silent. She leaned into him and slid her arms under his to complete their embrace, eyes closed.

"Did Luna's father tell the Death Eaters that I was with Harry?"

Severus tightened his hold on her.

"No. He only reported seeing Harry."

Hermione opened her eyes and stared at the rough, dark fabric that covered his upper arm.

"Good."

They stayed that way for a while, enjoying one another's warmth in the cold winter air.

"Does the Dark Lord never wonder why you have so few memories of me? We haven't created any for him in a while."

Severus looked down at her.

"He knows I am busy at the school, and believes that you are recovering from weeks of following Potter. Your last intelligence was that Ron Weasley had deserted him, and that you were going to speak with him about Harry's whereabouts. Unfortunately, you were unable to get much from Weasley before he disappeared again."

"Am I recovering at the house, or in the castle with you? After all, you are my husband. You could hide me away in the headmaster's rooms."

"No," he said firmly, squashing her hopes of playing out a few fantasies she had developed recently. "You can not be seen with me, and in addition to there being unmovable portraits on damn near every wall in my quarters, the house-elves would know you were there and a few of them are not likely to keep that information to themselves."

"Fine. Do I need to go to the house tonight? I've set the usual charms on the tent and the beds."

He nodded.

"Briefly."

They went back and Hermione pretended to be weak to the point of magical depletion, exhausted and delirious with worry for Harry and Ron. Severus fed her and forced her to bathe, watching her undress and slip into the clawfoot tub that he had prepared while she was eating. Hermione was unpleasantly surprised when she glimpsed her rail-thin body in the mirror and noticed the deep, dark circles under her eyes. At least it would be believable that she was ill – she looked terrible.

Feeling she should get the most out of the moment as possible, since she did not know when she might see him again, she reached out and grabbed his hand as he placed a towel on the floor next to the tub.

"Stay."

His eyes glittered.

"You might regret that invitation, Granger."

"I don't think so," she said, with a shy smile.

"You are too weak," he stated, even as he kicked off his shoes. "You need rest."

"There are other ways to heal," she said. "Or so you've told me."

He had removed his shirt and was unbuckling his belt. Hermione felt the warm glow of happy anticipation wash over her. The last time they had been together, it had been dark, and he had not even undressed. Her eyes took in his lean form with satisfaction. It was the first time she had seen a man completely nude in real life, she realized. Nobody ever got naked when messing around at Hogwarts – it was too risky.

"Move over," he hissed, stepping into the tub. She scooted back to make room for him, attempting to look appropriately surprised and nervous. He was soon leaning over her, demanding a kiss while pinning her arms down under the water. She complied, her body suddenly burning with the pent up desire that had been pushed to the back of her mind for weeks.

It was most unfortunate that minutes later, something tripped one of Hermione's alert charms and warned her that she needed to be back at her post immediately.

"Damn it!" she said breathlessly. "They've set off one of the charms."

She jumped out of the tub, as Severus sent a terrifically effective drying charm at her. Her clothes were on in seconds, and she ran across the hall to the tiny bedroom while pulling her jacket on. The last thing she saw before Disapparating was a naked, dripping wet Severus standing in the doorway with a worried look on his face.

Thankfully, the alarm had only been set off by one of Ron's legs hanging sideways off his bed. He was still asleep. She sent a message to Severus to let him know it was a false alarm and that all was well. Hermione was relieved, but could not help feeling cheated and was short and cross with Ron the entire next day.