A/N: My apologies for the delay... Let's see if we can pick up where we left off nicely here...
Special thank-you goes to bluefirefly5! Thanks for stepping in and helping me with this chapter!
Luna de Papel... I always appreciate your magic touch!
Disclaimer: Not Mine.
Chapter Twenty-Six - Running Out of Time
"Are you certain Potter will listen to your reasoning?" Severus voiced his doubt.
"Harry is a reasonable person. I'm sure he will." Hermione leafed through a thick stack of research notes on Severus' desk absentmindedly.
"A reasonable person?" The wizard narrowed his eyes at the young witch. "I wish I had as much faith in him as you do. And you think he not only will believe your stories, but will also agree to come to Hogwarts to see me? Don't forget the last time when he was conscious before me, he had just witnessed me murdering his idol."
Hermione took a deep breath and gathered her thoughts. It would definitely take time for her to explain everything to Harry, as it would for the two wizards to see eye to eye. Slowly, she turned away from the desk and walked up to Severus. "The three of us were there together when Xenophilius Lovegood explained the legend of the Deathly Hallows. I doubt I'm the only one who suspected that the invisibility cloak handed down in the Potter family is one of those three. And if you ask anyone, the snitch would have been the perfect place to hide the Resurrection Stone. Your description of the stone embedded in the cursed ring sounded like a confirmation of its existence. After reading Skeeter's book, I can't blame him if Professor Dumbledore used the stone hoping to see his sister. Since the stone wasn't mentioned in his will, he must have hidden it on purpose. Perhaps it's his plan to have Harry getting help from his parents when the time comes. It's only logical. Why wouldn't Harry believe my hypothesis?
"As far as the horcruxes, I'm almost afraid that our concerns are unnecessary. Don't you think after living with that scar all these years and experiencing those strange nightmares with You-Know-Who getting straight into his head, Harry wouldn't be already expecting this? It will be a shock to confirm his status as a horcrux, of course, but at least we are also offering a solution. After I give him the details of your analysis and hypothesis, I have no doubt he will be convinced that our plan is the only way to help him rid of that nasty piece of dark magic inside of him. As far as explaining to him your motive to help him, I promise I'll only share with him what must be said. I'll leave out as much about your past with Lily as possible, if that's what you're concerned about."
"That's probably the last thing that's on my mind," he sighed as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm only concerned that Potter and the lot of them won't believe you, and will accuse you of being a traitor and helping a murderer."
"Quite frankly," she chuckled lightly, "that's probably the last thing that worries me. You really don't know Harry, do you? He's one of the most compassionate people I've known. Besides, Sirius is with him. He can verify what he saw when he was here last week. If you hadn't been helping him, how would he have been able to leave with the diadem?"
Severus nodded slowly. But the frown never left his brows.
"You, on the other hand, are worrying me." Hermione reached up and placed a palm on the wizard's cheek. "Are you sure you want me to reveal your secrets to Harry? What would happen if You-Know-Who gets into his mind again?"
"We'll just have to take our chances this time." Severus gave the witch a weak smile, and took her hand into his. "It looks like the Dark Lord hasn't had much luck reaching into Potter's mind since last summer. I'm hoping that brat has been practicing on blocking the Dark Lord's access like he was told to do. Even if he didn't pick up any Occlumency skills, this is the only way. The potions are too unstable to be taken out of my lab; and we are running out of time."
Hermione sighed and walked into the wizard's open arms. She closed her eyes and rested her head on his chest, trying to hold on to every moment being next to him.
Indeed, they were running out of time.
It was only about a week ago when Hermione was in the Room of Requirement with Sirius, looking for the Lost Diadem of Ravenclaw. The task of finding a small piece of jewelry in a large room full of clutter was nearly impossible. Fortunately, Solfryd was able to provide Sirius with a sketch of the piece based on what she saw in an old drawing kept in the Romanian wizarding village; and Harry was able to tell Sirius the general area where he spotted the item when he left the old text belonging to the Half-blood Prince in the previous year. But even with the help of the picture and Harry's memory, the time that took the wizard and the witch to finally find the cursed diadem felt like forever. They barely made it out of the come and go room when the school assembly was over. Hiding under Harry's invisibility cloak, Sirius and Hermione watched students filing down the corridors. Sirius snickered when they saw a couple of young Gryffindors sneaking back into the Room of Requirement.
"That's the Gryffindor spirit," the wizard commented in a low voice proudly, before turning his attention to the witch next to him. "Come with me, Hermione. We can leave through the portrait hole in the Room of Requirement to the Hog's Head. Harry will be thrilled to see you."
Hermione smiled at the wizard and shook her head. "Harry has you, and is surrounded by all of his friends. But Severus doesn't have anyone. I want to stay here and help him."
The wizard gave her a long look, but only nodded in reply. He left the invisibility cloak with Hermione so that she could return to the dungeons. "I'll use the underground tunnel in the Room of Requirement," he explained. "The students in there will help me. And the Dementors won't be able to detect me as long as I don't walk into the grounds." He soon followed Seamus Finnigan into the students' secret gathering hall and disappeared through the enchanted wall.
Hermione ran her fingers along the magical garment as she made her way down the corridors. As she always remembered, the material felt amazingly light and soft in her touch, like a combination of silk and velvet. Suddenly, it occurred to her that it was unusual for the cloak to have the permanent invisibility power, quite different from any other invisibility cloaks sold in stores. Could this actually be one of the three Deathly Hallows? If that was the case, Hermione quickly realized, could this be part of the reasons why Dumbledore left her the book? Was the old wizard trying to clue them in the other two Deathly Hallows? Could the Resurrection Stone somehow help them control the length of Harry staying in a "near death" condition?
She could barely contain her excitement when she returned to Severus' private quarters. But she didn't get to share her discovery until much later - Severus didn't return until three in the morning, and he didn't come back alone.
Hermione was warned by a silver otter only minutes before the wizard came through the green flames. "Hide the lab area as quickly as you can and stay in the bedroom until he's gone," was all the otter said to her.
Hiding behind the bedroom door Hermione carefully peeked through the crack. To her absolute horror, it was Lucius Malfoy following Severus into his private sitting room.
Hermione later learned that Severus had been called to a gathering by Voldemort right after the school assembly. The Dark Lord was more than agitated by the recent breach of security guarding Gringott's Vaults. After personally inspecting the Lestrange family vault that was supposed to be guarded by the dragon, Voldemort was furious to discover that the Hufflepuff's cup left in Bellatrix's vault was a replica. Without Bellatrix around to interrogate, the dark wizard lashed his anger on the goblins and his followers. Severus was among the inner circle members who received the last round of "discipline."
From where she was hiding, Hermione could see the after effect of the Cruciatus Curse as she watched Severus' trembling form walk through the green flames, with Lucius Malfoy following closely behind. The blond-haired wizard seemed quite attentive on this day, as he carefully helped Severus settle in a sofa by the fireplace.
"I really don't see the point for you to follow me here," Severus stated in a calm voice. "It's not nearly as bad as it seems." Hermione wondered if Severus was saying it for her benefit. "Of course he's angry. He's been betrayed by that delightful sister-in-law of yours," the wizard went on. "If he had only listened to my doubts months ago . . . He only intended for the Cruciatus to serve as a reminder. You of all people should know - he could have made it much more painful than this. I assure you this is quite benign comparing to what he did to you lot after you let Potter slip through your fingers."
"You're right, Severus, quite," Lucius' voice was surprisingly soft. "I know you'll be fine after a day of rest and taking some of your special healing potions. But I have to speak with you. And this is probably going to be the only opportunity I may have to follow you here in a while."
"Why do you need to speak with me? If you have anything to discuss, you could have spoken to me when I was at your place!" Severus inhaled sharply as a wave of pain seemed to have washed over him. "Or I can certainly pay you a visit when I'm fully recovered in a day or so. What's so important that you can't talk to me in your own house?"
"Nothing is safe at my own house anymore." Lucius sighed. "It hasn't been since . . ." he hesitated." Since the Dark Lord returned."
"How dare you!" Severus voiced a warning, as if he was terribly offended by Lucius' statement.
"Listen to me, my friend," Lucius pleaded. "Let me finish. I opened my home to him because I admired him, I worshiped him, and I believed in everything he preaches. I've always respected him. That hasn't changed. You must know, Severus, none of that has changed! But he's become . . . dangerously unstable, just like my half-witted sister-in-law. She spent years in Azkaban, which must be the reason for her madness. But for him, Severus, I'm telling you, he's mad! He doesn't care about us, not me, not you, not Bellatrix. He was angry when he heard about the loss of Bella, but not because she died, but because she didn't inform him sooner that she had captured Potter!" Heaving a deep sigh Lucius continued. "My home is full of his eyes and ears these days. I don't even dare speak to Cissy about this inside our home."
"What is this that you wish to speak to me about?" Severus drawled.
"I'm telling you this because we go way back, Severus. I did stand up for you when you were bullied in our school days, did I not? Your family brought you no connections when you entered the Slytherin house. It was me, Severus! I was there to take you under my wing, protect you and guide you through those school years! You wouldn't have been presented to the Dark Lord that quickly if not because of me making the introduction," the blond-haired wizard began again timidly. "Please . . . for an old friend . . . don't hate me for saying this . . . but . . . I . . . I want out," Lucius whispered.
"What do you mean?" Severus raised his voice coolly. "Are you going to betray our lord? Have you not benefited enough from his grace? Do you not agree with his teachings?"
"No, no, no, Severus," Lucius Malfoy's voice shivered. "You mustn't come to such a terribly wrong conclusion. I'm still behind our lord, one hundred percent! But I just . . . I just want to stay out of the war. I don't want to die . . . I've come too close to it. And I definitely don't want to tempt fate. And Draco . . . I can't live with the fear that Draco will be harmed . . ."
"So you want to run away," Severus stated coldly. "You want to be a coward."
The blond-haired wizard stayed quiet for a very long moment before rasping his answer. "You can call me whatever you want, Severus."
Then there was another very long pause of silence between the two wizards, until finally Hermione heard Severus' voice again. "You didn't come to me with a confession tonight, Lucius. What exactly do you want?"
The truth behind Lucius Malfoy's visit soon became clear. The Death Eater had been desperately trying to find an escape route for him and his family to leave for Germany, where he held a significant investment through an anonymous wizarding bank account. Fearing the Dark Lord's eyes and ears placed in his own house, the blond-haired wizard came to Severus as his last resort for help.
"Cissy told me about the Unbreakable Vow you took under her request last summer to protect Draco. I must thank you for that. I'm asking you to do quite just the same. Draco has taken the Dark Mark, but he is certainly not ready to take on any of the Dark Lord's mission when he graduates in a month. I'm begging you, Severus, please help us keep Draco safe in the castle when I find a way to get my family out of the country."
"Don't expect me to make another Unbreakable Vow, Lucius. I don't do such a thing for cowards," Severus spat out each of the words slowly and coldly.
"I understand, and I didn't expect that from you," the Death Eater sighed again. "All I'm asking is for you to keep Draco at Hogwarts, give him something to do after he graduates, just don't let him out of here. This is the only place the Dark Lord doesn't care to visit. I suppose we have Dumbledore's wards to thank. I want to keep Draco away from him, as much as possible. If the Dark Lord doesn't see him often, he might as well forget about my boy over time. I've noticed the way he talked to Draco lately. There is something about my boy that irritates him. It must be his father, of course, I'm probably his biggest disappointment. I don't want to risk it, Severus. I can't see my boy being punished because of my failure."
"Draco is hardly a boy anymore, Lucius," Severus spoke again. "Are you really willing to sacrifice the future of your son? You don't think he just might be better than you someday, and get you back into the Dark Lord's graces?"
"You don't know Draco," Lucius' answered in a hushed voice. "He's afraid, terribly afraid. The things our lord made him do have already been too demanding. Draco knows he will never be able to please him. I know my son. I know . . ."
"If that's what you wish, I may be able to find him a temporary position after graduation," Severus replied coolly. "However, I must ask, what's in it for me? Don't play the old friendship card with me, Lucius. We both know that you benefited a great deal by introducing a capable potioneer to the Dark Lord. Did he not reward you for being 'resourceful' after my initiation? I have no plans to run away from the opportunities before us. But when you someday leave the country, what do you expect me to say to the Dark Lord when he inquires about our long lasting 'friendship'?"
"Tell him whatever you like! Call me a coward, a traitor, whatever name that will please him," Lucius volunteered his suggestion.
"Empty words," Severus spat. "How would that benefit me?"
"I'll make you rich!" The blond-haired wizard offered eagerly. "I can transfer a large portion of my savings into your vault. How much do you want?"
"Money won't do me any good if the Dark Lord is angry," Severus pointed out plainly.
"You can come with us to Germany," Lucius suggested.
"I'm not a coward, Lucius. May I remind you again - I don't intend to leave the country," Severus replied coolly.
"What do you want, Severus? You name it! I'll do all I can and get it for you. I'm willing to pay any price in exchange for Draco's safety. Just tell me, please," the Death Eater was practically begging.
"I deserve a higher position within the Dark Lord's ranks," Severus began arrogantly. "You and I both know that I can easily impress our lord if only I have the right information. Anyone with keen observation skills knows that you have your special elf-ways of getting exactly what the Dark Lord wants. The information will no longer benefit you, as you won't need to impress him by getting one step ahead with what our lord desires. But I, Lucius, am loyal to him, and deserve to be rewarded."
"Very well, that can be arranged," the blond-haired wizard sighed in reply. "Only be careful what you wish for, my friend," Lucius finally bid Severus good-night when the grandfather clock on the wall struck four. "He's a dangerous man to follow."
Hermione waited eagerly behind the door when silence returned to the sitting room. And then finally she heard Severus' soft voice addressing her weakly. "Are you there? He's gone."
The witch ran to the wizard's side and held on to his shoulders tightly. "Are you okay?" She couldn't help her tears when his arms wrapped around her.
"I'll be fine soon enough," he assured her, and pulled her into his lap. "Were you able to find it . . . the diadem?"
The corner of his lips curled up into a small smile when Hermione informed him that the diadem had already left the castle with Sirius. Drawing a deep breath Severus leaned back into the sofa. "You must have heard our conversation? We now have access to Lucius' sources. That'll bring us much closer to the Dark Lord's plans."
"But it'll also push you deeper into his lair," she sobbed softly into his chest. And he only rested his head on top of hers and sighed.
The deal Severus made with Lucius brought him and Hermione important news sooner than they had expected. Two days after their secret meeting, Lucius' head appeared in the green flames in Severus' office again. This time the Death Eater was making his first "payment" by offering some words his house-elves had picked up.
"The Dark Lord is quite anxious about verifying the existence of some things called horcruxes, Severus. One of my house-elves heard him murmuring to Nagini. If you have any idea about what he's after, my friend, you may want to locate them and make sure that they are safely guarded, and make sure you can present them to the Dark Lord when he gets there. It sounds like he's going to personally inspect all of those things in the next few weeks."
The information provided by Lucius was soon confirmed by a gathering summoned by the Dark Lord.
While meeting with his inner circle, Voldemort informed the group that he would be traveling in the next few weeks, visiting certain things that were very important to him. And then he turned his attention to the young Headmaster of Hogwarts.
"Severus," he began in his cold high voice. "I have always thought highly of the safety at Hogwarts. I trust you have maintained the order and security there as usual?"
"Yes, my lord," Severus inclined his head obediently.
"Nevertheless, it requires a close inspection," Voldemort stated coolly. "It's about time that you work out the spell to undo Dumbledore's wards, isn't it? If I recall correctly, haven't you been the one in charge of the castle for the past eight months?"
"Forgive me, my lord," Severus bowed lower towards the Dark Lord. "Distractions got in the way. I will look into it immediately."
"Very well," Voldemort seemed to be satisfied by the answer. "I shall pay you a visit at Hogwarts at the end of my travel. I have a little something I'd like to personally inspect at the school."
The identity and the fate of that "little something" was very clear to Severus and Hermione, given that they had just held a small celebration the night before when Crookshanks delivered them another message from Sirius, informing them of the "death" of the "crown." They knew that by the time Voldemort returned from his travel he would be furious about his discoveries, and certainly would not be fooled by a replica of the diadem.
"I can't let him into the school," Severus stared into the roaring flames in his fireplace. "As soon as he discovers that the diadem is gone, he'll be lashing out on everyone at Hogwarts. He'll certainly want to search the teachers' quarters. When that happens, all of this," he waved his hand and gestured at the makeshift lab he had set up in his rooms, "will be revealed. That will be the end of our efforts, and the end of your hope to keep Potter alive while curing his horcrux condition."
"But what about you? You can't defy his orders," Hermione's brows were knitted into a tight bow.
"I'll just have to tell him I've failed him, and cannot find the spell to undo Dumbledore's wards." He replied quietly. "But you never know if he would force his way in," Severus frowned at his thoughts. "We'll need to try to stabilize the potions and get them to Potter before the Dark Lord returns."
In the following days, Severus and Hermione worked for hours on end trying to find the right ingredients to add to the bubbling potions simmering in Severus' makeshift lab. Time after time they failed to keep the potions' quality stable after the liquid had left the cauldron. After the third day, Hermione was in tears.
"We have the solution but we can't bring it to Harry. What are we going to do?" She cried in frustration.
Severus was quiet for a long moment. When he finally spoke he sighed, "I suppose there's only one way left. If we can't bring the potions to Potter, he'll have to come here himself. The question is: how on earth are we going to explain all this to that Potter brat."
Hermione looked up through her tears and blinked. A moment later she said, "He will listen to me. I can explain everything to Harry."
That was how the couple came to the decision that Hermione would go to Shell Cottage to meet with Harry the following morning. Dobby had confirmed that he could Apparate with the witch from inside Hogwarts' dungeons, and return to the school with both Hermione and Harry, so that Severus could administer the potions to the young wizard. It was truly a plan out of no other options; and neither Severus nor Hermione was eager for morning to arrive.
"Are you sure you'll be fine when I'm gone?" She voiced her concern quietly when they returned to his bedroom together. "How long will it take for You-Know-Who to make his rounds?"
"Don't worry," he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "When he last summoned us he mentioned something about a few weeks. And Lucius' house-elves saw him leave only two days ago."
She pulled him down to the bed to sit next to her. "I hate to see you having to carry the burdens alone," she said softly. Reaching up with one hand, she began to trace the crease between his brows gently. "See what all the worries have done to you? I wish I knew the spell to take all the trouble away."
He studied her quietly before pulling her into the bed. Like they had done it so many times, she straddled on top of him and rested her hands on his chest. He ran his long pale finger along her jaw down to her chin. "Take away all my worries? I'm afraid that's an impossible task," he murmured. "Although if there were such a spell, you certainly know what it is."
She corked a brow mischievously. "Is that a quiz or a challenge?"
The corner of his lips curled up into a small smile as he drawled. "Do I dare challenge a fearless Gryffindor? And quizzing the insufferable know-it-all seems to be a pointless sport."
Hermione looked down at the wizard through her thick lashes seductively. "Kiss me?"
He let out a small chuckle. "Is that a request or an offer?" He asked under his breath as he pulled her down towards him, capturing her lips with his own.
"Both," she whispered her answer, before running her hands through his silky hair and deepening the kiss.
He followed her lead and welcomed her embrace. With a swift flip, he pulled her underneath him. Quietly, he reached for his wand resting at the edge of his nightstand. A quick flick of his wrist Vanished the annoying pieces of garment between them. A smirk spread across his face as he took in the view of her hungrily. Very gently, he began to administer his kisses along her cheeks, on top of her nose, and finally, the corner of her mouth. Her soft rosy lips parted, letting a small moan escape, leaving him no choice but to give into his desire.
It was indeed a spell, a powerful spell that could only be cast by love. With her in his arms he could forget about everything: the potions brewing in his sitting room, the threat made by the Dark Lord, and the war raging outside of the castle walls. Severus closed his eyes and surrendered to her spell, setting himself free into the clouds. A triumphant roar rushed out of his chest as he finally let go and sailed down the cliff of pleasure. Feeling her body shiver with the surge of magic, he tightened his arms around her and buried his face in the crook of her neck.
Hermione smiled as she felt the wizard's chest rising and falling next to her. She wished she could stop the time from passing, and have him hold her like that forever. With her eyes closed, she savored his gentle touches as he caressed her along her neck, and couldn't help but giggling when he caught her earlobe with his lips.
"Stop!" She laughed. "You know I'm ticklish there!"
"Too tempting . . ." he breathed, "can't help it."
Reluctantly she opened her eyes, and found his tender gaze pouring down upon her. "I love you," she whispered.
"I love you, too," he placed a small kiss on her lips. "Don't ever forget."
She smiled brightly at him when he slowly pulled away. She could almost forget everything with him next to her. Everything . . . almost everything . . . A thought suddenly occurred to her and her eyes widened. "Oh, I almost forgot! The potion! Can you hand me a vial? There should be a few more left in the drawer of your nightstand."
He frowned at her request for a long moment before shaking his head. Without a word he got out of bed and disappeared through the bedroom door. When he returned, he had a vial of lavender colored potion in his hand.
"What's this?" She took the vial from his hand and got up from the bed. "Shouldn't the contraception be a clear potion?"
"I brewed a new batch today, and added some ingredients with healing properties," he explained plainly. "If it was up to me, you should still be resting after the ordeal at the Malfoys'. Nevertheless, since you'll be getting out of my sight tomorrow, I need to know that you'll at least get some proper care through the potion."
She narrowed her eyes and examined him suspiciously. "Is that really the reason why the potion is lavender? You're not trying to follow Io's instruction, are you? Because I need you to know," she sighed. "Although I'm pants at hiding my wishes to have Toby back in my life, I don't want to force you into anything that you're not ready for . . ."
"Would you please just drink the bloody potion?" Severus stopped her before she could finish and huffed. "I know I'm not a good influence; but Slytherin paranoia doesn't suit you. Go on, drink the potion and come back to bed with me."
She studied him for a long moment, but couldn't read the emotions in his dark eyes.
"Please. It will make me feel a lot better if you drink this new batch," he gestured at the vial in her hand.
She let out a sigh and did what she was told. When she got back to bed she was quickly pulled back into his arms.
Silence fell between them. The room was dark, with the only light radiating from the fireplace burning quietly. Hermione nestled against Severus and rested her cheek against his bare chest. She had found the rhythm of his heartbeat soothing to listen to, and could almost always relax when she cuddled with him like this. It didn't work this particular night, however. Hermione simply couldn't let go of her anxiety.
After a long moment she felt him taking a deep breath. Looking up slowly, she found him staring at the ceiling, wide awake.
"Can't sleep?" She asked.
"No," he answered.
"Neither can I," she sighed. "Maybe we should just stay up and talk until we tire each other out."
He chuckled at her suggestions and arched a brow. "Tiring each other out by talking? Only a bookworm would suggest such a thing."
"Pot and kettle," she slapped his shoulder teasingly.
He only chuckled again at her words. A moment later he looked up at her, with his brows furrowed. "Can you tell me something?" He began. "It's been bothering me for some time now . . . Say . . . In this other world . . . Was I able to at least do something nice for . . . Our son?"
"Oh, you have no idea," Hermione smiled as her memories took her back to the days with Severus living next door to her and Toby. "You've always been his biggest hero even before he met you. And ever since you magically came into our lives when he was nine, you were practically all he could think of after school. You two spent lots of time together in your lab and your garden. You even managed to have him registered here at Hogwarts. I have no idea how you did it, since he wasn't even born in the country in this other world."
"I wonder who I had to torment to get that done without revealing the boy's relationship with me," Severus murmured thoughtfully. He didn't understand why his question made Hermione burst into a fit of giggles.
"If I remember correctly," she said as she tried her best to catch her breath, "you mentioned something about owling Longbottom. If this other world is any indication of our future, I think Neville is going to be the Headmaster sometime around 2060."
"Longbottom?" Severus raised his brows. "Neville Longbottom? The headmaster? Are you quite sure the future will be a better place? Or are you confusing a bright future with the end of the world!?"
Hermione laughed even harder as she looked up at the expression on Severus face, she almost forgot about what they would soon need to accomplish in the coming days.
TBC