Times passed slowly. That's what it felt like to Severus. Perhaps because he could not stop thinking about what Hermione would think of him once he ended the headmaster's life. Would she question everything that had occurred between them in the past two years? Would she hate him? He couldn't fathom why these thoughts plagued him, but they created a dull ache in his chest he had felt once before and he didn't dare identify it. He withdrew from Hermione as much as possible. He now only saw her in classes and every other day for their afternoon chamomile. She had seemed confused at first, then hurt, but he figured she was adjusted now because she didn't make strange faces at him in class anymore. He knew though that he was causing her more pain than she showed, sometimes he could reach into her mind and with a gossamer scanning of her thoughts and emotions, she could see that his suddenly pulling away was making her more lonely than she had been in the entire two years. He thought it was foolish that she put so much worth in him and his presence. He was nothing after all. Especially in comparison to her.
…
TWENTY-FIVE – The End of The Beginning
Hermione glared up at the head table. She had just had about enough of Severus Snape. Somewhere along the line they had developed patterns, a certain comfort with each other. And while he was still harsh and taciturn, he was not as bitter with her and he was with everyone else. But suddenly, it was like she didn't exist. She couldn't quite remember the last time he had acknowledged her. What baffled her was that it was weeks, maybe more, after he had passionately cornered her in the classroom during the Christmas party. so there couldn't be a correlation. It plagued her at every idle moment her mind had, what had she done to earn his blatant disregard? Why did he hate her? What was wrong with her? But the torment of her only rock suddenly letting loose in the river was worsened by the confusing fact that he never removed the gifted ring from his finger. What was he playing at?
Hermione turned to stab viciously at her food but she paused, there was a small commotion further down in the hall and she watched as several students rose to greet Katie Bell, finally out of the hospital wing. Hermione watched carefully as Harry approached her, they exchanged a few words before her vision was blocked and she looked up to tell the person to move but closed her mouth when she saw Malfoy. He stood perfectly still, also watching the scene unfold when suddenly he turned and tripped his way out of the Great Hall, something was wrong with him, she could tell. When she looked back to find Harry he was moving quickly through the students and she realized he was following Malfoy. She turned her attention back to the staff table and hurtled her mind against the walls of Severus' head until she felt him push back into her own head, he was furious and irritated, she could feel it and she quickly offered him what she had witnessed and what she expected from the Harry she once knew. She watched numbly as he rose from the table and existed through the private staff door.
Severus didn't expect any more trouble than usual, surely Potter had a limit to how much madness he could cause. But the moment Hermione had offered him her information, the Unbreakable Vow ripped at his chest, knowing before he the kind of peril the Malfoy boy was in. Severus let the vow lead him as he attempted to find the boys and found them easily once he saw the gathering of people outside of one of the bathrooms. He billowed past them and upon entering saw Potter standing frozen over the fallen, bleeding Malfoy. Severus tossed his best glare at Potter before coming to stand over Malfoy. The vow felt like it was about to rip his life blood from his veins.
Severus' face went even colder and he looked back up at Potter who took one step back. "You will serve two months of detentions with me every night! GET OUT!" His boom was enough to scatter both Potter and the crowd and he quickly knelt next to Malfoy to counter the spell Harry Potter should not have known. No one should have known it! Then it suddenly it dawned on him. He had forgotten his old potions textbook, tossed carelessly into a pile when he graduated. But it made sense now, why that blasted boy was doing so damned well in potions. He needed to get that book away from Potter immediately! When he was done he levitated Malfoy to the infirmary and marched down to his rooms when he was sure Malfoy was safe. It wouldn't be long now before something would truly go awry. He could feel it in his bones.
SHSHSH
"We can't leave them to their own devices!"
"That is very damn well what we will do!"
"They are children! How dare you leave them unprotected! That is your job!"
"My job Miss Granger, is to stuff information into your harebrained, hormonal skulls and do as Dumbledore bade me!"
"Oh that is preposterous!"
Just then there was a tumble of noise outside his room and Severus shot Hermione a glare to kill and went to answer his door.
"There are Death Eaters upstairs professor."
Hermione would know that voice anywhere. She made to rush forward but she was suddenly stopped by a swift wave of Severus' wand. Severus invited Luna Lovegood in and just as soon as she was there, he cast a spell on her and piled her onto the couch. Severus glanced around the room and Hermione realized he had disillusioned them both, he had never needed to invite Luna in, they had both already known of the break in. And she realized that he was going to leave them. She struggled against his spells but it was useless and she wondered how long until they wore off.
Severus knew it was stupid, but he could not think of any better way to protect Hermione than hiding her in his own quarters, invisible and under all of his wards. His spells would wear off eventually, probably just as he was leaving the castle because he knew that without a doubt tonight was the night that would change everything. The Unbreakable Vow promising to rip his ribcage apart told him so. And while Hermione Granger might hate him for the rest of her life, she would be safe. And that was the best he could hope for.
Severus was in the tower quicker than he thought he would be, the voices above him gave away Dumbledore and Bellatrix. But also Draco, who sounded decently terrified and Severus was suddenly certain the boy would never be able to kill the old man, Severus would have had to do it anyway. He approached the top of the tower to find Harry, hidden below, his wand pointed towards where Draco stood. Severus approached him, raising his wand. When the boy turned around, he held a finger to his lips. He watched in pain as Harry Potter lowered his wand, at this critical moment, Potter trusted him, and he knew he was going to disappoint him, just as he was going to disappoint Hermione. He was going to let her down.
"No." Severus interrupted as he breached the top of the tower.
Every head turned towards him and he stepped up behind Draco, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Severus," Every head turned back towards the Headmaster, "Please."
"Haha! Oh how sweet, the old man begs Severus Snape for his life!" Bellatrix cackled.
It pained Severus how wrong she was. He gripped his wand tighter, slowly raising it.
"Severus, please."
"Avada kedavra." There was no heart in his words, but there was enough hate, enough resentment, enough of Albus pushing at his buttons in his head that he could just barely make it happen. There was a long moment of silence as the old man tumbled backwards off of the tower only broken when a strange sound came out of Draco. "Come Draco, we are leaving."
Severus lead the way as the rest of the Death Eaters followed him out of the castle, Bellatrix ruining everything she could reach magically and physically. Severus pretended not to notice Draco flinching every time she did, the boy would have to be dealt with later. For now, escaping was the most important thing. They marched down the hill, through the trees and along the path to Hagrid's hut. Bellatrix cursed it to flames just as Severus heard it.
"Snape!"
He turned just in time to see Potter stumbling down the path at an alarming rate, his wand drawn as he flicked a curse towards the man. Bellatrix thrust the boy back but Severus stopped her from attacking, claiming him as the Dark Lord's prize. She huffed away. The boy rushed to his feet flicking another curse that Severus easily deflected. Again. A third time.
"Come on you coward, fight me!"
Snape spun in a flurry of robes and tossed Harry back with a well-placed expelliarmus. "DO NOT CALL ME COWARD!" He turned to leave again, hoping the boy would let him get away. But the word cried out behind him made him stop.
"SECTUMSEMPRA!"
Severus flung the boy away even harder and bore down on him like a predator about to feast. "You DARE use my own spell against me, Potter?" He saw the confusion, the slowly processing surprise. "That's right, I am the Half-Blood Prince." Something in Harry's face fell and Severus kicked his wand out of reach with a sneer.
"DON'T YOU DARE!"
Both Severus and Harry's heads spun to look at the voice.
SHSHSH
At last! The spell on Hermione broke and her constant struggles against invisible bonds won. She hastily stood and felt for Luna on the couch, making sure the girl was alive and well before she ran out into the hall. As soon as she was there, she realized she had no idea where Severus was, if he was alive, or what was going on. She need information before she stormed into unknown circumstances. How would she even find him now? Frustrated, Hermione growled out her anxiety loudly. The echoing animalistic sound reminded her of plaguing dreams, odd visions. Hermione smacked her own forehead. Of course! The Sight! She had never done it on purpose before, but if there was a time for anything, it would be now. Hermione took a deep breath and thought hard, what creature would be best to help her now? The owls! And she already had a connection with them, surely it would be easier to link now? She pushed, remembering the memories they had shown her before, pleading her way into them now, begging them for the dark man who had so often stood watch in their tower. Hermione gasped and froze against the stone, but she was unaware of that world. She was an owl now, swooping over the grounds, searching, her vision heightened by her species. She could see the dark mark hovering over the school but she could not worry about that now, nor the crowd of people gathering under the astronomy tower. There! He was rushing down the path to Hagrid's hut. Suddenly the hut was on fire.
Hermione jerked out of the owl's mind, nearly collapsing, she gasped again but did not pause as she bolted up from the dungeons. Coming out the great double doors, left swinging wide open, she could see Harry was also taking after the small group of Death Eaters. She ran as fast as she could but she was so far behind. What if she couldn't catch up? What if she missed them? Panicking, she pushed herself harder, if Severus Snape truly left her behind, she would have nowhere to go, nowhere to turn to. The thought caused an ache in her chest so painful she thought she might actually collapse and die right where she was. As it were, she had caught up, just barely catching the tail end of Severus' confession that made no sense to her.
"DON'T YOU DARE!" She screamed and several heads spun to look at her. She ignored the faint, almost non-existent glimmer of hope in Harry's eyes. "DON'T YOU DARE LEAVE ME BEHIND!"
Severus only stared at her swooping down on the two of them, reminding him eerily of himself. "Stay back!" He finally snapped.
"No! You don't get to leave me here!"
Bellatrix cackled, "It seems like Big Snapey's whore doesn't like being left out."
"Silence!" Severus boomed at Bellatrix.
Harry took the second of silence, "Hermione don't! He killed Dumbledore! He killed him!"
Severus saw her hesitation, it showed for a fraction of a second before it was gone. He knew no one else saw it, he knew that even though her body no longer showed the signs of it, she was still pondering Harry's words. This was the moment he had been trying to avoid, seeing the hate, the scorn. He watched as her eyes moved from Harry to himself.
"You don't get to do this on your own!" He suddenly heard layers in her voice, she knew something, she was okay with him. It wasn't possible. But she was getting closer and closer to him until she grabbed his hand, her fingers squeezing around the ring. "You don't just get to walk away and I refuse to be left behind!" Her face, it was not possible. The robotic, mask-like Hermione he had gotten used to was gone, her face was pleading with him, begging.
"You are my rock." It was a whisper, her lips barely moved, he barely heard her, but he felt them reverberate in his soul. He grabbed her upper arm and drug him along with the rest of the group, rushing from the grounds, at the gate they all disappeared.
SHSHSH
"You all did well." Voldemort hissed his glee. "With Dumbledore gone Harry Potter has no one left!"
Hermione and Severus both knew it wasn't true. He had the Order, he had Ron and Luna, Neville and Ginny, and even though he didn't know it, Harry had them. But they kept their thoughts privet, their heads down. They were both exhausted, something more than just tired, but a true weariness deep within them. Draco looked worse than them, something in him had finally and officially cracked. Everyone in the room knew 'you all' did not include him, his family would be shamed by the Dark Lord. But Severus saw the slight smile creeping around the outer most edges of Narcissa's face. He had fulfilled his Vow, Draco was safe and alive and she was happy.
The Dark Lord descended upon them. "Sseveruss, you did well in completing Draco's tassk. I would like to...reward you."
Severus silently begged for anything but a revel, he couldn't handle it right now.
"I need you ssafe for a while Sseveruss. Leave, and take your girl with you, go ssomewhere far away where you cannot be found."
Severus resisted releasing a sigh of relief. "Thank you, master, you are so gracious."
"Oh and Sseveruss, one day I will call you back. You will both come then."
"Yes, master." The pair said simultaneously.
They were dismissed. Severus led her out of the manor and down through the gardens and out the gate. He paused a moment, looking up at the sky. They were alone and he found he could not look at her face, certain there would be scorn and hatred, a thousand questions he couldn't answer. He felt her at his side and was waiting.
"Where are we going?"
It wasn't what he expected. "Sorry?"
"To escape, to get away until we are summoned."
Severus let out a long sigh. "There is a place. Alb- The Headmaster was the only one who knew about it. It will be safe."
She noted the pain in his voice, the way he stopped himself from saying the name, but she didn't say anything. She also heard something else in his voice, a clause. "But?"
"But I've never been. It will be a little difficult to get there."
"We'll manage."
She sounded so confident he had to look at her. She offered him a small smile and took his hand again, this time she was gentle, she looked down at the ring on his finger, rolling it back and forth between her index and thumb. "Will this work?"
"It might actually." Hermione's head snapped up to look at him. "Better than apparating anyway." It was a half comment but she accepted it.
Hermione closed his hand between hers and he wrapped another hand around hers, she searched his mind for the memory that might take them where they needed to be. He opened it to her in full, the more she knew the better. He was focused enough not to be entirely distracted by her hands but it was difficult, they were warm and small and soft and for the first time in a while he thought about their night at the party. Hermione was more distracted. It was rare that she ever got to touch him, especially like this, and his hands were her fascination with him. His long, talented fingers, the callouses at the base of each digit, his soft palms. She wondered if they would ever touch her the way they once had.
Hermione gasped, jerking towards Severus when she was suddenly met with impossible cold. Her eyes flew open to the snowiest panorama she had ever seen.