***I do not own these characters just borrowing for a little while.***
Over the course of the next month Hermione and Severus' relationship started to change. Even though they had never spent a lot of time in conversation their evenings together became quieter, sometimes going whole days without saying a word to each other. They would work together side by side; Hermione would occasionally reach out and link her hand with his. He was taken aback at first when she did this but soon became grateful for the comforting gesture as she nearly always did it when his thought started to go in the direction of his application.
The summer that had come early seemed to decide it was going to end early as well and March saw the weather taking a turn for fall.
Hermione was looking out the kitchen window admiring the late summer sun as it hit the changing leaves of the tree in their neighbor's yard when she thought she heard a noise out front. She got up to go look for the source of the sound. Severus came out of the garage and into the kitchen as she made her way into the front hall. Just as she reached for the handle, the door was blasted open and Hermione went rigid and fell against the wall as a wizard burst in and cast a body bind curse on her. Severus ran into the hall, his wand drawn to find two wizards returning the gesture.
The one in front spoke first, "Master Snape, I suggest that you put down your wand and come with us." He said in a commanding tone.
Severus moved his wand to point it at the speakers head. "I know why you are here and I will lower my wand as soon as you release my roommate. She has nothing to do with anything going on here." He growled back at the man.
The first man nodded to the man behind him who searched Hermione quickly, removed her wand then the curse holding her in place. She slumped against the wall and looked at the men all still pointing wands at each other. Seeing she was free, Severus lowered his wand. The first man spoke again. "Toss it over here now. No deatheater will keep their wand on my watch."
Severus stiffened and reflexively tightened his grip on his wand before tossing it at the other man's feet.
They men ran forward and grabbed a hold of him. Seeing Severus grabbed roughly and shoved against the wall made Hermione spring into action.
"Wait, what are you doing? Let him go." she yelled. Not having her wand there was little she could do other than run forward and pull at the men, trying to get them off Severus. They wiggled free of her grasp and she pressed forward again furious at what they were doing.
"Hermione!" Severus called out to her. "Stop, it is okay."
The man in charge looked at Severus then back at Hermione, "I suggest you stop as well or I will take you in."
She stopped and stared at Severus, wondering how any of this could be okay. They men placed what looked to be a type of hand cuff on him and started to lead him towards the door.
Right before they got to the door Hermione stopped them. "Wait, please."
They stopped and Severus looked back at her. Before they had a chance to stop her, Hermione ran up to him and threw her arms around his neck.
She held on to him hard not wanting to let go. His hands bound together he was unable to put his arms around her as he wanted, as he felt was needed by the way she was gripping onto the back of his shirt. At first the men were surprised by her action but now they recovered and were attempting to pull her away. They were having a hard time moving her because on the grip she had on him. Suddenly, she let go and put her hands on the side of his face. She stood on her toes and pressed her lips to his. His eyes widened at first shocked by what she was doing before he relaxed against her leaning forward. All the confusion and suppression he had been going through for the last few months melted away leaving only her. He had been worried about what would happen to her if he was taken away and for the first time he realized it wasn't because she was his friend or even because she was still his student. It was because he wanted to be near her.
Hermione was going through a similar situation. She had been fighting her rising feelings for a while. Her coworker had made sure to bring it up at every passing moment, barely ever letting her mention Severus without questioning the meaning behind it. Now watching him being taken away she no longer cared about all the reasons she couldn't feel the way she did. Now she would give anything to make him be able to stay. She knew she didn't have the time to tell her what she was thinking so she showed him. They finally broke apart when the ministry official pulled her away.
She was tossed backwards roughly, the men not appreciative of what was going on. She fought back tears as she was torn away, not sure what was going to happen now.
"You may pick up your wand tomorrow morning at the department of Magical Law Enforcement." she was told before they apparated away.
Hermione fell to the floor unable to take her eyes off the place Severus had been just moments ago. She sat there with her mind in a jumble for several moments before dragging herself from the floor. Not having a wand she was unable to apparate anywhere. Not sure where else she could go, but knowing she had to get out of the house, she made her way out the door, walking towards her parent's house. She reached their neighborhood two hours later. She stumbled her way up to the door and knocked loudly. Her father came down and opened the door a crack peering out at her. "Hermione, is that you?"
Once she saw her father she started to cry again, reaching out for the side of the house as she was about to collapse again. He rushed out and grabbed hold of his daughter keeping her from hitting the ground. "Hermione what is wrong? What happened?"
Unable to speak, she allowed her father to lead her inside where he sat her down and called for her mother.
Elizabeth Granger came running at her husband's frantic call. "Thomas, what is going on? I'm getting ready for bed."
All thought of going to bed was banished at the sight of her daughter clinging to her dad crying uncontrollably. She ran over and wrapped her arms around her daughter. "Oh sweetheart, what is going on?"
Amid her sobs Hermione finally managed to speak, "They took him," she sobbed, "they took him away."
Elizabeth exchanged a glance with her husband. This couldn't be good. "What do you mean dear?"
"The ministry, they came and they took Severus."
"What?!" her father exclaimed, "Why would they do that?"
"He put in his application for his mastership and they found out who he is and they arrested him."
Everything their daughter had told them about the ex-potions professor came flooding back. He was a spy, he had committed several crimes during the war, and that he wanted the British wizarding community to think he was dead. Whatever he had done it must have been much worse than Hermione had let on.
"Hermione," Her father started, "Why would they come for Severus? What are you not telling us?"
Hermione looked back and forth between her parents knowing she could no longer hide the truth of Severus' crimes. "He… he killed Dumbledore." She said hiccupping through her tears.
"He WHAT?!" her father yelled.
Hermione jumped up and glared at her father her grief at once being replaced by anger at her father's reaction. "I told you he did things he didn't want to. Don't you dare hold this against him. He doesn't deserve this. He saved us all, you included, don't you dare condemn him too."
Her mother pulled her back down to the couch they had been sitting on. 'Hermione don't yell at you father. This is a lot to take in. You come in her a wreck, saying he was taken away by the wizarding ministry and tell us he killed the headmaster of the school. That is a lot to take in. You said he committed crimes. You never said he committed murder. We let him into our house and you live with him knowing this. How can you do that Hermione?"
Hermione sank back into the cushions. "Because I love him." she said her voice a whisper.
Her mother's jaw dropped and her father's eyes went wide. Neither of them had gotten the courage to ask about her feelings for her professor. They more they discussed it, the more the thought they would only escalate things if they brought it up. They last few times they had seen them together nothing seemed to any further developed, so hearing their daughter profess that she was in love was shocking to say the least.
"Hermione, how?" was all her mother could get out.
She was taken aback by her mother's question. In all honesty she wasn't she herself. She just knew that she wanted him near. "I… I'm not sure. It just kind of happened. I don't think I was even sure of how I felt until tonight. I just feel like a part of me was taken away. What do I do? How do I stop all this and get him back?"
Her mother considered her words for a moment before speaking. "I don't know honey. I don't fully know what is going on. Is there anything you or Harry can do?"
She hadn't thought of Harry. While she had kept the secret of Severus being alive carefully she knew at this point her friend would find out soon if he hadn't already heard.
"I have to get back to Europe. I have to do something."
Her mother thought of the cost of getting a last minute plane ticket and doubted if Hermione could afford such a thing. "Dear, even if there is a plane heading for England in the next few days I don't know how much that would cost."
"A plane, no I can get there faster with a portkey I just need approval. I know I can get one. I have to get one. I can't leave him alone. He has no one other than me."
Although still not understanding how her daughter felt for the older man she recognized the look in her daughter's eyes and knew that she wouldn't stop until she had fixed what had happened. "Well it is late and I doubt you can get one tonight, besides you look exhausted."
She knew her mother was right; there was nothing she could do tonight with the ministry closed. She was tired, wandless and had no money on her so she couldn't get to the building tonight and camping outside wouldn't accomplish nothing. "I am tired, they took my wand away so I walked here."
"They took your wand? Why on earth would they take your wand from you? You did nothing wrong."
Hermione sighed, "I don't know. I guess they were worried I would do something to stop them. I did kind of try to get them off of him. It was just so horrible; I couldn't just let them take him. They didn't even let us have a moment to say goodbye."
"Go upstairs and get soon sleep. In the morning we will take you into Sydney, you can get your wand back and then you can figure out a plan. I know things look bad but you will find a way, you always do."
After she was upstairs Thomas turned to his wife. "I was not prepared to handle our daughter being with someone so much older than her, but it is nothing to the fact that he is a murderer. Are you serious about helping her with this? There is a point where we can't just wait for her to come to her senses we need to do something about this."
She took his hand in hers and gave it a squeeze, "I don't think there is anything we can do. Hermione is a strong young woman and she will make up her own mind whether we are there to help her or not."
"But that's just the thing, what if it's not her mind. Look what she was able to do to us, and she was only 17. He is much more powerful and knows more than she does what if he did something to her, brainwashed her into helping him?"
She shook her head and attempted to put her husband's mind at ease. "I don't think so. You have to remember she saved him. She did that all on her own there was no one telling her to do it, no spell cast on her. She did it because whatever it was that he did to help end everything was bigger than what his previous crimes were. Hermione wouldn't just save a murderer if she didn't truly believe he was innocent. We don't know the whole story and until we do I think we should trust what she is doing, even if we do not agree with it."
Hermione lay awake long into the night. She couldn't stop thinking of where Severus could be. Was he still in Australia or was he already sent back to England? How was he being treated? What would happen once he returned home?
A/N: I might try and put some more up later but for now I hope you enjoyed the updates.