Chapter 35: The Plan

Severus had left the meeting quickly, although not too quickly so as to draw attention to himself, but still fairly quickly. He briskly walked up the headmaster's office where he braced himself to be bombarded with questions. It was almost two in the morning and he desperately needed a good night's sleep, he took a breath before quietly entering the office. He looked around and saw Albus, Minerva and Lucius staring into the fire, Narcissa was asleep with her head on Lucius' shoulder, her cheeks stained with the trail of shed tears, Blaise, Draco and Harry were asleep on the floor by the fire, Harry was leaning over a piece of parchment, almost as if he had fallen asleep studying it, Blaise and Draco were on their backs as if they had fallen asleep counting holes in the office ceiling.

"Severus," Albus said noticing his appearance, "What news?"

"Umm… you're not going to like it."

"Dammit Severus, I am in no mood for your mind games," Lucius said, "Do you or do you not have any news about Hermione.

"Should we wake her?" he motioned toward Narcissa, Lucius nodded and stirred his sleeping wife.

"What is it?" She asked sleepily.

"Severus has news about Hermione." Narcissa sat up in a blink of an eye and stared at her friend.

"I went to the meeting, he talked of his want to put Potter's head on a silver platter, the final battle, and how he wanted to get back at the one that betrayed him." He looked at Lucius. "That's when he had Nott bring out his 'present.'"

"The present was Hermione?" Narcissa asked, he nodded. She gasped and put her hand over her mouth.

"He was going to kill her right then and there and have me bring her back to lay her in front of the castle." Narcissa had a new set of tears streaming down her face, "However, I wasn't sorted into Slytherin for nothing, and I thought on my feet and told him that if he really wanted to get back at you, he should hold her as bait and I could lure you there, and he could torture you himself."

"So what do we do?" Lucius asked.

"We summon the order and come up with a plan."

Sure enough, Albus called a meeting the fallowing night and they came up with a plan. Severus would lead one of the Order members into the room while they were under the polyjuice potion; Severus was half intelligent and had brewed some this summer with Hermione. As he was interrogating the Lucius lookalike, Severus would lead up other Order members, a handful or so, up to Hermione's room and they would take care of any Death eaters that got in their way. Severus would hand Hermione over to one of the order members and go and get the Lucius look alike. Numerous people had offered to take up the place of the polyjuiced Lucius; many were declined because they were needed to be here or on the ground to prepare for any retaliation.

"I'll do it." Came a female voice.

"No." Severus said.

"Severus, you can't protect me forever and you know it."

"I will certainly try; I will NOT lose you, what if this goes ary?"

"Then you improvise, your good at that," She stood and now hovered over the dark professor.

"I said No Emmeline, and that's my final stand."

"You're not my father Severus," She said.

"No but we are family and that is why I can't allow you to go."

"ALLOW? You can't allow anything, you don't run the Order, I am not exceptionally gifted in dueling so I would be useless being a wall against the death eaters, but I could defend myself."

"She's right Severus; she would be best placed there." Albus said.

"No, I won't allow it."

"Then don't, you can stay here like a good housewife and let the men go off to war." Emmeline said jokingly.

"Severus, this could be the only chance to get Hermione back." Minerva said.

"So what if it is, do I risk my only family left to save her?"

"We all make sacrifices Severus, Dad did for me." Emmeline said.

"Your father was blinded by his love for you."

"And so are you, I am going and if you are going to object then I will be forced to use an unforgivable and then we'll all be in trouble." The discussion ended there and they group waited a week before they put their plan into action, to be sure that they could get everyone out safely. The Malfoys agreed to stay in the castle and wait for the order to return, and then everyone left to their designated positions. Emmaline drank the potion five minutes before she and Severus left for the headquarters of the deatheaters. She was fully transformed by the time they apparated and then it was all said and done when they entered the grounds. Severus roughly pulled 'Lucius' to the circle room where the dark lord was waiting.

"Ah Severus, you got him to come," the Dark Lord sounded pleased.

"Not exactly my lord, he said that he didn't know if going after his daughter was worth leaving his wife and son."

"Hm, very Slytherin of him."

"Yes My Lord."

"Severus, you have done your job well. Did Dumbledore wish you to return?"

"Unfortunately so My Lord, I can't pass off anymore of my detentions to Minerva or she might actually kill me."

"Well I can't lose my best spy, please go and I will call you when you are needed."

"Yes my lord." He bowed and left the room, he smirked and stunned both guards at the door and then he quietly let in the designated Order members, they walked down the hall, two standing guard where the two unconscious guards should have been, each took turns stunning the death eaters until he reached a room guarded by five death eaters.

"Hey Severus, good job on bringing in the traitor, he must be pleased."

"He was, but he won't be after the end of today," Severus said looking at his shoes.

"Why?"

"Because of this," Severus quickly stunned the other death eater before the others knew what was going on; they were stunned by the other Order members. He quickly entered the room to find Hermione being cornered by a tall Death eater, "I know what the Dark Lord said, but I can't resist a cute little pure blood like you…" He reached out and touched her cheek which caused her to flinch away; he didn't like that motion so he slapped her. Severus sent out a stunning spell and the body collapsed, Hermione also collapsed to the floor.

Severus ran to the fallen deatheater, "Yaxley." He ran to Hermione's side and pulled her to him, she sobbed into his robes and clung to him like she would die if she let go. After a moment, she passed out and he picked her up and gave her to Kingsley, "Take her to Hogwarts; go!" Kingsley ran out the door and down the hall followed by selected Order members to take care of any deatheaters on the way. He heard a loud bang and ran to where he left Emmeline, he stunned every death eater that he came across and reached the door guarded by two order members. "Go I'll get her out of here!" They looked confused, it wasn't part of the plan, "GO!" the fled from the doors and he ran to help Emmeline.

He saw her crouching behind a couch and every now and then getting up and throwing a hex or two and then ducked again. He started hexing a few death eaters to help give her a better advantage, but he wasn't quick enough, Voldemort threw the killing curse and it hit her right in the chest. He wasn't even aware of his own actions, he was vaguely aware of himself running to her side and leaning over her body, He threw a few more hexes before he appareated away.

Narcissa had received the patronous from Kingsley ten minutes ago; she was now pacing the hospital wing waiting for the Order. She didn't have to wait too much longer, Kingsley came running into the hospital wing with an unconscious Hermione in his arms, Lucius ran to him and grabbed his daughter from his arms, quickly placing her on one of the hospital beds. Poppy came bustling in and did an examination, she didn't like what she found, not in the slightest. She was about to say something when Severus came running into the room holding a limp Emmeline.

"Poppy, she needs your help!"

She ran to the unconscious Order member and ran a diagnostic, "Severus, she's gone."

"No, run it again."

"Severus, she's dead I can't help her anymore." Severus went weak at the knees and collapsed on the bed next to Emmeline, his last remaining family, and cried. Everyone watched him for a moment before letting him grieve.

"Poppy, what did you find on Hermione?"Narcissa asked.

"I will wait to divulge the details until the Headmaster is here, I only wish to repeat my findings once."

"They're that bad?" Lucius went pale as he asked this, and when Poppy just gave him a look, he almost looked dead. Poppy had everyone sit down, including Severus and gave them all calming draught while she tended to the other members that came in with injury. Albus came in with Minerva ten minutes after Poppy finished with the injured and sighed at the sight of his granddaughter.

"Ah, Albus good you're here, we need to discuss what I found on Hermione."

"Ok," he led Minerva to the open seats next to the sleeping girl.

When Poppy saw that everyone was listening and calm, she continued, "I found that Hermione had been beaten numerous times, and by numerous different people, judging by the different hand sizes, she has suffered from the use of the cruciautus curse and…" Poppy leaned over the end of the bed, regaining her professional manner.

"Poppy?" Minerva asked.

"I also discovered that she had been cut numerous times by the slicing hex, taking her almost to death, and she was… violated at least once." Poppy said as if there hadn't been a pause. Narcissa gasped and started to cry, Lucius pulled her into a hug and allowed her to cry, Minerva leaned into Albus for support as well. Severus looked like he was going to be sick but he stayed still, suddenly he gently leaned forward and grabbed her small pale hand in his large callused ones.

"I'm so sorry Hermione, if only we hadn't dallied, we could have saved you so much pain." He hung his head to hide the pain in his eyes and the others waited for the young girl to wake up.

Hermione awoke twenty four hours after her rescue to a room full of worried people. Minerva and Severus had left only to teach class, Lucius and Narcissa never left her side, Blaise and Draco, along with Harry, Ginny and Neville came and visited her during their off hours. However, she just so happened to awaken when everyone was there. She didn't know what to do, everyone was just staring at her, she attempted to sit up but she was so sore that she just collapsed onto the bed, Blaise and Draco reached out a hand and pulled her up to the sitting position while Ginny and Neville fluffed her pillows. When she was sitting, Poppy came over and examined her finding that she was healing nicely. She instructed lots of rest and food for the young Gryffindor, which means that she was to be left alone after the Headmaster asked his questions.

Albus asked her to relay the events from after her meeting with them up until she couldn't remember any more.

"After my meeting with Grams, I went to the library and studied, I decided that after my fifteen minute warning from Madam Pince that it wouldn't hurt to go for a small stroll by the lake so that I was always in view of the castle. I sat by the shore and thought I heard footsteps behind me, I thought it was Draco so I told him of what Grams had said, I didn't get a response so I decided that it was time to head up to the castle, again I heard footsteps, and again assumed it was Draco, I turned around and found that I was face to face with a death eater. He knocked me out so I have no idea what happened. I remember waking up in a full sized bed with my arms and legs chained to the bed. Bellatrix had come in numerous times and was telling me that Daddy was going to pay for betraying them. But she wasn't my only visitor, I had a two male death eaters come and…" Hermione hung her head in shame, "They forced… well I actually can't say whether or not they forced themselves on me because they tortured me until I blacked out. I awoke and every time I came to I found that I was more sore, I sat there and endured the pain. Then Yaxley came in and told me that my father was there to release me, he undid the chains and then he tried to force himself on me too, I tried to fight him off but he cornered me, I heard the door open and then saw him collapse, I don't recall much beyond that."

"That's fine Hermione, you did great." He offered her a small smile and then he left to make his report to the rest of the order.

Hermione cried and then felt nothing, "Mother, can I talk to Severus?"

"Of course angel."

"Alone." Everyone looked unsure of what to do but stood and left Hermione to talk with her Professor by herself. When she was sure that they were alone she spoke, "Can you tell me what happened?"

"What?"

"What was the plan to save me?"

Severus relayed the events and then added, "Emmeline died on the mission, she wouldn't back down, I couldn't change her mind."

"I'm sorry, was she… close to you?"

"Yes."

"Did you love her?"

"Yes, she was my cousin, love wasn't an option, I would have died for her."

"Oh." She bit her lip, "I'm so sorry."

"I should be the one that's saying 'I'm sorry,' Hermione, I should have acted quicker, I shouldn't have dallied and I could have prevented everything, all the pain, all of the violations…" He trailed off dropping his head, not wanting to show her any sign of weakness. She leaned forward and pulled him into a hug, "Thank you." He wrapped his arms around her and they both let their silent tears fall.