Disclaimer: As we all know, this is not mine.
A/N: Okay…fanficnet seems to be having a problem…I haven't received any reviews in my mail and I didn't receive the chapter alert in my mail, so I'm assuming most people haven't. Ah…don't you just love it. Anyway…I checked my account and a few people have reviewed. A few of those were kind of freaked out by what Bellatrix did in the last chapter. Why is that so gross and freaky? Because it's an older woman? Well…I must apologize ahead of time then to those people. But please review if you get this chapter update or when you get it. Okay….please? And one last thing…I am writing a companion piece telling the story of Harry and Bellatrix. It will be called Revelation, in reference to the song by Puscifer on the Underworld soundtrack. Hopefully the prologue for that will go up at the same time this chapter does, so please give it a read also if the idea does not freak you out too much.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Warm Shadows
Remus and Lucius remained outside the train compartment guarding the door, which was just fine with them. Severus and Rabastan remained inside the compartment. Severus' dark eyes scanned the room. The infamous trio was back together. Hermione sat by the window with a book held up blocking her face from view, but from Snape's position he could see the smile on her face.
"Stop laughing, Hermione. It's not funny," Harry said sounding rather distressed. Hermione dropped the book and she and Ginny were in a fit of giggles. Zabini was simply shaking his head along with Draco.
"I'm sorry, Harry," Hermione said trying to stifle her laughter. "It's just…"
"Funny," Ginny finished.
The girls dissolved into a fit of laughter. Harry rolled his eyes, looking away from the girls. Harry felt guilty. Yes, Hermione had been told what had happened when they went to the Lestrange's, but not the part where she was to be dueling Bellatrix. They were still in arguments with Snape over it. As Ginny and Hermione continued their laughter, Draco and Blaise stood up to return to their compartment right next door. The remainder of the train ride passed pleasantly with nothing more than an amused smile from Hermione or Ginny every now and then.
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Hermione sat at the Gryffindor table slowly eating as she read from a textbook propped up against the jug of pumpkin juice when Harry and Ron sat down across from her. They watched her slowly place a bite of food in her mouth as she turned a page. Looking at each other, they shook their heads and proceeded to pile their plates up. Hermione reached out for her goblet of pumpkin juice and glanced up noticing the boys. Setting her goblet back down, she slowly closed her book, placing it in her bag.
"Have you heard," she said gaining back the boys' attention. They looked at each other and shook their heads. "Well, with Professor Slughorn missing they need Professor Snape to teach at least the Advance Potions classes as well as his Defense classes so the Magical Literature pilot class is over."
She smirked in a weird twisted delight at seeing her two best friends turn pale and look nervously up at the head table. Hermione sat her goblet down and snorted in amusement.
"Honestly, Harry. You live in the same tower as Professor Snape."
Ron turned to look back at Hermione as if she had gone mad.
"Hermione, do you remember what it was like taking Potions with him?"
Hermione simply looked at Ron and rolled her eyes.
"Well, you both better hurry. You don't want to be late for Potions."
They eyed Hermione moodily as she rose from her seat swinging her bag onto her shoulder and leaving the Great Hall as if she were on a mission. At the entrance of the Great Hall Hermione was met with Draco and Blaise leaving as well. Draco smiled and stepped aside motioning for Hermione to go on ahead of him.
The three of them were the first to enter the empty Potions classroom. Blaise and Draco took their normal seats, calling out to Hermione when she passed them for the seats her, Ron, and Harry normally sat at.
"Hey, Granger," Draco said pointing to one of the empty seats at his table. Hermione's eyes wandered from the proffered seat to her normal one. "Potter and Weasley can sit here too if you are worried about it, but I don't have to be a perfect gentleman with them." Hermione stood there for a moment thinking about it. With a deep sigh and a silent prayer to get through the class with no fights, she sat down at the end of the table.
As soon as Hermione sat down and pulled out her Potions book Draco tossed the Daily Prophet toward her. It landed on top of her book. She looked down at the headlines. She looked up into the smirking face of Draco Malfoy as the doors opened and Harry and Ron entered. They looked at her strangely when she motioned to the two other seats at the table.
Harry and Ron sat down warily. Blaise chuckled shaking his head at their behavior and Draco simply glared. They would probably never get along. Hermione seemed to be doing everything she could to contain herself at the moment though.
"Hermione, what is…?"
Harry didn't get to finish as Hermione slapped the Daily Prophet in front of him. Harry stared down at the headlines. Rodolphus Lestrange was found dead. He looked up at Hermione's wide eyes. He knew she was thinking about what had happened when they went to find the horcrux. What was the real reason behind Bellatrix cornering Harry and kissing him?
Draco smirked, leaning over the table taking back his paper.
"So, is it Uncle Harry now," Draco drawled.
Hermione gave Draco her not-now-look. Harry's eyes narrowed slightly.
"No, its not, brother."
Hermione looked to Harry quickly.
"Brother," she asked. "Harry, what haven't you…?"
The door to the Potions class burst open and the dark imposing figure of their old Potions Master swept through the room. His robes billowed behind him and the room grew silent as he rose up on the small platform at the front of the room. He turned abruptly around eyeing each of the few students individually. He sneered upon Potter and Weasley. His eyes fell upon Hermione noting how she had already removed her robes in preparation for potion brewing in class. Reminding himself of what he should not be doing, Snape turned toward the board. With a swish of his wand directions appeared.
"Begin."
He turned and sat himself behind his desk. He would wait for them to be further along in the brewing process before he began his stalking through the classroom.
Hermione was the first one finished with nothing more to do than to wait for the brewing time of her potion to be done. She sat back down in her high seat and took out a book to read in the meantime. Snape had already started his wanderings through the classroom. He was across the room badgering a couple Hufflepuffs when he looked over at Hermione. Her right foot was balanced on the bar under her seat while her left foot just dangled there moving slowly, hypnotically, back and forth. She slowly turned the page in her book, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. With a deep sigh, she looked up from her book at her potion. Closing her book, she picked up a vial and turned the light out from under her cauldron. He watched her take the labeled vial full of her perfect potion up to the table and set it down.
As Hermione sat back down, she pulled out parchment and quill beginning the essay he had assigned as well. When the class ended and most of the vials were sitting on the table, Snape was sitting behind his desk watching the students file out as quickly as they could. He smirked. He hadn't lost his touch. Then someone was standing in front of him. His eyes slowly rose to meet her defeated gaze.
Ah…the insufferable girl has figured out it simply will not happen. Good.
She held a parchment out to him. Taking it, he nodded his head in acceptance. It figures Hermione would be the only one to complete the essay in class and hand it in. His eyes never left her as she swept from the room heading to her next class of the day.
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Harry held his broomstick in one hand as he carefully thought about how much to answer Hermione's question. She was standing before him with her hands on her hips tapping her foot impatiently. She wanted to know what the boys weren't telling her about their trip to the Lestrange's. And why Harry referred to Draco as brother in Potions.
"There were curses on certain key areas of the house. It had to recognize me as having enough Black blood…" Harry explained it as quickly and thoroughly as he could. He had Quidditch practice and didn't want to be late. He was the captain after all.
Hermione watched Harry leave the tower with Rabastan in tow. Ginny had already left with Lucius. She looked over at Blaise sitting at the table working on his Potions essay. She sat down on the sofa and began to re-read her defense lesson for the following day.
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
The figure standing on the edge of the Forbidden Forest was shrouded in a black cloak. Her dark wild eyes glowed with their own intensity as they followed The-Boy-Who-Lived and Rabastan's trek across the grounds to the Quidditch pitch.
So, dear Rabastan has betrayed us all.
She watched, inhaling sharply, painfully, as the cold wind whipped around her cloak fighting to get in. As Boy Wonder vanished into the Quidditch pitch, her wild eyes drifted to the tower window she saw him standing at only moments ago. She knew he was being kept under protection…she knew he was staying in a tower with others under the same orders…she knew that window must be his room. With one last wild look around, she jumped onto her broomstick and shot up into the air toward that window…toward warmth…toward the possibility of safety.
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Snape drifted down from his room and sat in a chair by the fire with a book in his hand. Hermione watched him as covertly as possible. It was at the point that she couldn't be around him…it was simply too much for her. Every time she was in the same room with him she kept seeing him leaning in for a kiss and stopping, only to kick her out of the room. Still, in the back of her mind she could hear Rabastan telling her it would take something drastic to get Snape to admit any feelings for anyone under any circumstances. So, she sat there—her mind swirling in thoughts of what she could possibly do and not being able to handle being in the room with him at the same time.
Her eyes drifted around the room finally coming to rest on Harry's chamber door. He told her he had snuck out some of the darker books from the Black library in hopes it would contain more horcrux information…information that would help determine what the last horcrux could possibly be. Deciding to put her efforts and concentration into that task instead, Hermione snapped her defense book shut and stood up. Snape watched her cross the room and move up the stairs to Potter's door. The only thing preventing him from saying anything about it was that he was aware that Potter was at Quidditch practice.
Hermione rushed into Harry's room, looking around for any clue as to where he placed the books. Her eyes fell on the table off to the side of the room, noticing the small pile of books. She didn't notice the cloaked figure tucked away in the shadows of the room watching with a mad glint in her eyes. Hermione grabbed the books and rushed out of the room and back down to the sofa.
She was still immersed in the books when Ginny and Harry returned with Lucius and Rabastan. Ginny went straight up to her shower, anxious to be clean again. Rabastan plopped down next to Hermione and looked over at what she was reading. Hermione glanced up from her book and looked at him and the way his dark brown hair fell forward slightly when he looked over at the book.
"Sorry about your brother."
His eyes looked up from the book to her eyes and he could see the sincerity in them. With a small bittersweet smile, Rabastan wrapped his arm around Hermione's neck and squeezed her close to him, placing a gentle kiss on the top of her head.
"Thanks, princess."
The sound of a book snapping shut as if the book itself was angry brought their attention to Snape still sitting in the chair.
"What do you think you are doing?" Snape's voice was tense as if he were fighting a losing battle with controlling his anger. "Might I remind you, Rabastan, that Miss Granger is your student?"
Hermione stood up, snatching up the books she had taken from Harry's room.
"What is wrong with you," she said glaring down at Snape. "Angry are you? Angry that Professor Lestrange isn't afraid to do something you so clearly are afraid to do?"
She didn't give Snape time to respond. As his eyes narrowed on the girl, she was already sweeping up the stairs and slamming her door shut.
Harry shook his head at the sound of the argument beginning down stairs. Shutting his door, he hoped to block out the sounds. It worked to turn them into angry sounding muffles. Harry sat his broom by the door and threw his dirty t-shirt off. He sunk down on the end of his bed with his head in his hands.
From a shadowy corner wild eyes watched Harry flick his wand casting a silencing charm around the room. He hadn't looked up when he cast the spell. His hair was growing as it often did as if it had a mind of its own, obscuring his eyes when he leant forward in such a way. Lowering his hand from his head, he slowly looked up—an intense anger shining in his bright green eyes, seeming to darken them to a degree. In the shadows, her tongue unconsciously shot out, licking her naturally red lips.
Harry stood up, anger causing him to breath heavily…his chest moving up and down quickly. He stalked over to a desk set up in his room. In one quick angry motion, accompanied with an angry yell, he cleared the desk. Books, parchments, quills, ink bottles flew across the room. He moved from one thing to the next…trashing the room….breaking the room.
This wasn't the first time Harry had done this. Ever since Sirius' death Harry had had many similar outbursts. He simply learned not to do so in front of others. If anything it was therapeutic…kept him from verbally bashing those around him…kept him from turning into something vile and hateful like Voldemort. It was simply an outlet when it all got to be too much…when the world and the prophecy were simply too much for one person to handle.
Harry fell back onto his bed, removing his glasses and placing them on the bedside table. With a deep sigh, he closed his eyes, exhausted from the energy his outburst took. In the shadowy corner, the dark cloaked figure sunk to the floor, sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest watching The-Boy-Who-Lived.
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
She was flying. She was flying above the tower…above the castle. The wind swept through her hair, chilling her to the bone. She looked down at the lake below her…then the forest. She was scared…would she fall any minute? The anxiety of the possibility was overwhelming. She never liked flying on a broom…it frightened her. She wasn't on a broom though…she wasn't on anything. She looked down. There was a circle in a clearing of the forest. Red eyes looked up at her with an evil smirk. She started to fall…
Hermione's eyes shot open and looked around. As soon as she did that she felt her body come crashing to the ground. She groaned in pain and looked around. Red flags seemed to be going off in her head as she looked at her bed across the room and she was on the floor by the door.
Bloody hell!
She jumped up onto her feet and ran from her room. She ran down the stairs, across the tower, and up another set of stairs. She threw Harry's door open and rushed in across the room diving with her knees onto his bed shaking him frantically awake not caring that he had no shirt on. The cloaked figure in the shadows sneered at the girl. Harry woke up, thinking something was really wrong. He grabbed his glasses and then grabbed Hermione's shoulders, looking her in the eyes.
"What is it, Hermione? What is wrong?"
The sound of Harry's concerned voice and the feel of his hands on her shoulder calmed her slightly…enough to speak coherently anyway.
"I woke up and I was flying, Harry."
Harry looked at her funny before his face contorted and his laughter echoed in the room. Again, red lips were licked unconsciously.
"Harry, why are you laughing?"
Harry could see the flush of anger on her cheeks as he tried to calm himself.
"Hermione, you are afraid of flying and you are telling me you woke up flying?"
She rolled her eyes. Yes, she had to admit it sounded…off.
"Fine, I'll show you then," Hermione said gathering up the bottom of her long gown and stepping up on the bed. Harry looked up at her and rubbed his head. Was his best friend finally snapping? Hermione took a deep breath, nervous about the possibility she really was flying and nervous at the possibility that she was simply losing her mind. She closed her eyes and took a step off the bed fully expecting to fall to the floor.
She didn't.
Hermione slowly opened her eyes to peer into Harry's green shocked eyes. He had risen off the bed walking around Hermione's form as if he had to be dreaming. Hermione looked down at the ground…her feet were even with the bed as if she had stepped off the bed onto an invisible platform.
"I'm not crazy," she whispered looking down to Harry.
Harry was shaking his head no when his door burst back open again and Hermione lost concentration falling to the ground.
"Princess!"
Rabastan rushed into the room and helped Hermione up off he ground. Hermione gripped his shoulders as he helped her up.
"You don't understand, Professor…"
"Rabastan…remember? We are not in class."
Hermione nodded her head quickly.
"She was able to fly," Harry spoke for her.
Rabastan looked from Harry to Hermione running his hands through his dark hair trying to take it all in. Placing his arm around Hermione he led her to the door.
"Come on. If Severus discovers you missing he's liable to have a coronary."
Harry snorted at that, but understood Rabastan needed time to think about what they just divulged to him. Rabastan followed behind Hermione to make sure she got to her room. She turned around at the bottom of her stairs.
"I think I know what to do to get Professor Snape to admit his feelings…to get him to face his demons."
Rabastan watched her turn back around and make her way up the stairs, her gown flowing behind her.
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
They stood at the top of the Astronomy tower looking over the edge. Harry swallowed nervously. The last time he stood here Dumbledore had been killed. Draco also looked down remembering the last time he was there as well. The two boys looked up at the same time and each could see the sadness in the other's eyes. Harry looked down at the slight scar running across his palm as a reminder of the connection between him and Draco now. They both turned to look at Hermione standing beside them still in her school uniform from the day's classes.
"Princess, I'm heading down. I'll be on the broom ready just in case."
Hermione looked at Rabastan and nodded as he took off on his broom to wait further down, closer to the ground. Draco and Harry took a step back as Hermione tentatively began to place her foot up on the ledge.
"Wait," Draco yelled out. "The stone. It will alert Snape won't it?"
Hermione paused, looked down at the stone and removed it handing it to Harry. They watched her once again step up on the ledge.
"So, Potter, how did you get her out from under Snape's watchful eye?"
Harry laughed.
"We flew out my window. I had to pry her hands off me when we got here."
They both laughed forgetting that they don't get along for a moment. They watched Hermione look down the tower. She grew pale, sucked in her breath, and reminded herself that she was in Gryffindor for a reason.
Rabastan was waiting closer to the ground than what Hermione would hopefully end up. He was the back up plan…the one to catch her if it didn't work…if she didn't stay above ground. Rabastan looked up the tower. He could see the dark image of Hermione silhouetted in the moonlight. The wind whipped around her tousling her hair. With every ounce of Gryffindor courage the girl possessed she stepped off the ledge.
When Rabastan saw her falling he immediately took off to catch her before she got too far down. He knew Severus would kill him if any harm came to her. Suddenly he stopped. Hermione was no longer falling, but seemed to be floating there in midair. Harry and Draco stood on the ledge looking down in amazement. She turned in circles in the air laughing…forgetting that she hated flying…feeling totally in control and loving it.
She squealed in surprise as Draco and Harry both jumped off the ledge onto their brooms speeding through the air toward her. They circled her laughing and cheering at what Hermione could now do.
In the shadow of a nearby tree sat a lone dark figure on her broom watching them all. Her Dark Mark was burning sending pain through her entire body…calling for her to come to her master. She was breathing heavily…trying to ignore the pain. She watched them.
Sweet Draco has betrayed the Dark Lord as well.
Harry and Draco stopped circling Hermione as she noticed Harry reach up and rub his scar slightly.
"Harry, is it your scar?"
He looked at Hermione and nodded. From the distance the dark figure saw The-Boy-Who-Lived clutching his forehead. The master was angry…so angry. Harry flew up close to Hermione and she swung her leg over the broomstick behind him and they flew off—Harry, Hermione, and Rabastan toward their tower and Draco toward the ground.
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Snape stood in Potter darkened room with both Rabastan and Lucius—a silencing charm keeping everyone in the main room from hearing.
"Potter, for the last time, no," Snape ground out while pinching the area between his eyes again.
"But Professor, the horcrux! If you would just let her…"
"Absolutely not, Potter," Severus spat glaring down at Harry as if looks alone could kill a man. Harry was giving as good as he got though and didn't notice the look exchanged between the other members of the room. Severus turned abruptly to leave the room alerting Harry to the fact that this discussion was over. Severus was at the door when Harry spoke.
"This is no longer just a job, professor. It's easier to just admit how you feel and get on with it."
Severus turned his eyes glinting in anger. In the corner, covered by Harry's invisibility cloak, a dark head shot up with a delighted mad glint in her eye.
I always knew he was a traitor.
"Hermione can't save you, Professor. You have to save yourself."
Several things happened at once. In the corner the dark figure gasped at the Potter boy's bravery. Severus began to lunge for the boy ready to harm him in any way possible and Rabastan stepped in front of Harry—his job was to protect the boy. Lucius stepped over and quickly grabbed Severus. Lucius struggled, but got Severus out of the room reminding him that Hermione was waiting in the main room for her Dark Arts training.
Rabastan crossed the room to leave as well, but stopped at the door and turned around. Rabastan's eyes seemed to settle on some odd point in the corner of the room. Harry glanced back curious as to what Rabastan was staring at, but saw nothing.
"Harry, Severus is correct. It would not do to send Hermione into a duel with Bellatrix. True, Hermione wants nothing more than to harm those who killed her family. But you need to remember that we do not know how much of a hand Bellatrix had in that."
Harry nodded as if he were thinking of something as well.
"And she's crazy," Harry said not really wanting his best friend to go up against an unstable opponent.
Rabastan looked down sadly as if that statement reminded him of something…of a better time.
"She wasn't always like that, Harry. Like Hermione, she was quite brilliant. The Dark Lord took care of her sanity before he fell. I think your best bet is to find out what the horcrux is first."
Rabastan closed the door behind him, leaving Harry in his room to ponder Rabastan's words.
Hermione turned from the fireplace when she heard Harry's door close and saw a very irate looking Severus Snape come gliding down the stairs. He stalked right up to Hermione and just glared down at her. For a moment Hermione thought he was angry with her and she wondered what she had done this time.
Snape wasn't necessarily angry with Hermione though. His eyes glared into hers and all he could think of was what that Potter brat said. She couldn't save him. He knew that. Did he even expect her to? In fact, he had no delusions about surviving this war. Hermione looked up at him; a strand of hair fell out of its confinement into her face. Snape reached out and tucked it gently behind her ear. A student of age or not, how could he start something that may very well never have the opportunity to finish?
"Miss Granger, I think we will forgo tonight's Dark Arts lesson."
A cool breeze seemed to brush through her when Snape removed the hand that had been resting on the side of her neck…where he had left it after tucking the hair behind her ear. The fire crackled, but she shivered in the chill. Her eyes followed Snape up the stairs to his chambers. The sound of another door opening and closing behind her caused her to turn around and see Rabastan standing just outside Harry's door looking at her over the railing. She nodded her head.
"Tonight," was all she said.
Enough was enough.
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Harry was dreaming…he knew he was…he knew he should wake up…oh but he really didn't want to. He was in the Lestrange's house again. It seemed to be a replay of the events the evening Bellatrix found them inside searching for the horcrux. As Bellatrix had Harry pinned to the wall something was different…something changed this time around.
"Is the itty bitty Potter nervous," she whispered into his ear.
Harry reaching out and roughly grabbed a hold of her waist. With a quick swift sidestep and turn, he was slamming Bellatrix against the wall with a hungry growl…
"Harry…Harry…"
He felt her shaking him and heard her whispers. Hermione was waking him up again. Harry's eyes fluttered open. Grabbing his glasses off the bedside table, he sat up causing the blankets to pool around his waist.
"What is it," he yawned. Part of him wondering if Hermione discovered yet some new power she had.
"I'm going to do it now…tonight."
Harry was suddenly awake. He knew what she was referring to. Harry shook his head slightly.
"Hermione, I don't know if Snape is ready to admit his feelings…to even face them yet."
Hermione's lips pursed in a way that sent warning flags up in Harry's mind.
"Do you honestly think he will ever be ready, Harry?"
Harry sighed in defeat and shook his head no.
"Let me get dressed real quick and grab the map. I'll meet you and Rabastan on the tower."
Hermione nodded and walked out to meet Rabastan in the front room.
In the dark corner, under the invisibility cloak, the dark figure was curled up…consciousness fading in and out. The Dark Mark was burning strong…calling her…threatening her. Sweat poured from her…dampening her locks of black hair causing them to stick to her damp skin. The mad glint was still in her eyes when she watched Boy Wonder crawl out of bed and pull on some jeans. Running his hand through his unruly hair, Harry reached into his school bag and pulled out a piece of parchment. Sitting for a moment on the bed, he pointed his wand at it and muttered the words.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
The lines slowly came into view….the variously labeled dots appeared. Harry found the tower they were in. Remus was still in bed as was Ginny and Blaise. He nodded and quickly found the Astronomy Tower. Hermione's labeled dot seemed to be pacing the tower while Rabastan, Lucius, and Draco just stood there watching her probably. For one last quick check Harry found their tower again. Severus' dot was not moving…he appeared to be in his chamber asleep.
Not for long.
Before he could wipe the map clean something screamed out at Harry. He saw his dot in his chamber as it should be…in the area his bed was at. That made sense as he was sitting on his bed. His breath started coming quickly in worry, anxiety, and something else when he saw the other labeled dot in the corner of his room.
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Snape's eyes fluttered open. Something wasn't right. Climbing out of bed he listened intently for any sound. There was none. Even the silence seemed wrong. He could see Hermione's chambers through the connecting door that he insisted stay open. The fire in the fireplace was dying casting a very dim glow in the room.
Something seemed wrong, but Hermione obviously was not in any danger…the stone had not alerted him.
Snape walked slowly, silently into Hermione's room expecting to see her in bed sound asleep—part of him looked forward to that sight. He stepped into the room and crossed it to her bed. The blankets were ruffled where someone had been in them.
She wasn't there.
He felt his heart pound heavily as his long fingers reached out to touch the slight indent in the sheets…they were still warm.