A/N: See guys, I am still working on the chapters even though they're slow to be uploaded =). A big thank you again for hanging in there with me while things on this side get hectic and busy. Hope you enjoy! Please R&R to keep my motivation at its peak!
At first she thought the dark hooded robes were too much, but as Molly had pressed her she'd look out of place otherwise, she gave in and wore them. The one she had been given had been a couple of sizes too big for her, the sleeves dangling over her hands, the shoulders sloping downward, making it look like she hadn't a neck to support the droopy hood that, when pulled over her head, hung in front of her eyes so she could only see the ground inches in front of her feet. Though she wasn't pleased, it would do. A week inside the cottage had them climbing the walls, going crazy with cabin fever.
Alastor had suggested a small town he had found a few miles away that seemed calm enough for an outing, some fresh air even he needed as his eye could only give him so much freedom compared to the others. Molly had been harder to convince, but one day after her children had driven her patience to the end she had reconsidered and found that a few hours away from the cottage was not such a bad idea. It was an easy enough plan: Go to the town, pick up the items that they needed; household things and food, maybe a few books no one had read yet, new toys for the kids that would keep them satiated for a while. Hermione wanted to check out portraits as well, their failsafe if Minerva couldn't be reached by fireplace. They'd stay together, Molly, Alastor, Severus and Hermione, to keep the group small and manageable, easier to lookout for. Any sign of fight or recognition and they'd leave, shopping done or not.
A portkey was made so they could all leave together and arrive as one group and the swirling feeling it gave off when everyone had grabbed onto it slightly bothered Hermione as it felt similar to what the glass produced when she'd touch it. When they arrived just on the outskirts of the town, she had clutched Severus's arm somewhere between the cottage and landing, and he was looking worriedly at her until she noticed the time hadn't changed, he was still there, they had arrived at the planned destination.
Though the small and comfortable town was outside of Voldemort's workforce, it held much of the same feeling as they walked down the street. It was spotted with tents and tables, merchants selling artifacts from books to children's toys. Hermione's eyes rested on a booth that had framed portraits stacked and filed, the darkness of the tent making it seem like it went on forever, like it was larger than what her eyes could take in from the outside. She stepped toward it, but was held back by Alastor.
"Best to let us take care of that." He said, one eye trained on her while the other rolled to the direction of the tent, Molly doing her best to look uninterested in another booth that held fancy robes and clothing, her fingers rubbing at the ones she wore in disdain.
"Go on now, get some exercise and fresh air. Enjoy yourselves, we'll meet back here in half an hour."
It didn't take much prodding for Severus to grab Hermione's hand and continue forward with Molly yelling a shrill "half an hour sharp!" Behind them. They walked silently, slowing down when they passed a tent that held wand protectors and holders made from leather and intricately pressed with designs of dragons and faeries as the visual guardsmen, all of them appearing bored and even lifeless as the sheaths hung around the booth remained untouched. Severus had become enchanted with one that held a forest scene, when he touched it, it sprang to life with bunnies hopping past the bottom, an owl dodging in and out of view between the trees and a deer slowly and gracefully making its way to feed on the underbrush.
"Severus." Hermione whispered softly, lifting her head high enough that the hood didn't obstruct her eyes from his. She had gripped his hand tighter and wanted to apologize, but he turned before she could and pulled her away from the tent. She could feel the sorrow though his hood hid his face from her, knowing that the deer had reminded him of Lily, as she had felt it too. She had yet to voice her sympathy to him, knowing that he had loved and cared for Lily more than he had anything in the world, but any time she had tried bringing it up had thought that maybe the heartbreak was still too fresh and would sour a day that had been better than the one before it. All she could do was hold his hand and hope he had been reading her mind, or at least her feelings through legillmens. A tent full of dog-eared books had quickly captured their attention and Hermione was forced to stop thinking her mantra of 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Severus, I'm so sorry,' just to pick up a whethered and worn copy of a book 'Charles Dickens,' with gold embossed letters in the middle of the cover. She flipped through the pages, taking in the dusty scent and thin pages, watching Severus' feet and they moved away from her in a slow and careful gait.
When she flipped to the last page, she snapped the cover closed and placed the book back in its spot, her fingers running over the spines as she moseyed to the end of the row. Books turned into magazines and she gazed upon faces she had not been familiar with since she arrived in that time. They looked like tabloids, headlines of 'you won't believe what so-and-so did,' and 'behind the death of' all accompanied with pictures of witches and wizards shielding their faces or appearing too bothered to even do as much as they rush past the cameras. 'Interview with Loch Ness' had drawn her in out of sheer curiosity and she lifted that magazine from its rack, but as she did, she revealed a different one behind it and it caused her to freeze.
There on the cover, her own face stared back at her, one that only blinked ever couple of seconds otherwise devoid of any emotion. A scroll rolled along the bottom with handwritten text: Wanted: Hermione Granger, Muggleborn, Escapee, Attempted Murderer, Evading Dark Wizards...
She had picked up the paper, not bothering to read the rest of her charges nor to see the picture change to that of Severus and similar convictions. She had turned, searching the tent, the sudden grip of vulnerability sinking in as she noticed she was alone. Severus was no where to be seen, the guilt of letting his hand go eating at her as she dipped her head lower so her hood covered her face completely.
She watched the ground, her feet as she quickened her step, keeping other shoes out of her sight and allowed the bookcases to guide her down the aisle and up another. When she'd round a corner, she'd lift her chin just enough to scan for his robes and then snap it back down to her neck. Her fingers tightened around the paper she still carried. It appeared, the more she searched, that Severus hadn't been in the tent at all, knowing very well that if he had caught a sense of how fast her heart had started beating, he would have appeared. Yet, her heart beat faster, her stomach sank lower, and she stepped to the doorway.
Looking left, the strip continued and witches and wizards dodged in and out of other tents. Looking right, the same thing, but there was no sign of Severus. She dipped her head again, letting out a huge sigh and tilted the paper in her hands just enough to see Abe's face fade away and Phil's face appear soon after. She glanced up again, this time finally seeing the robes that Severus wore exiting out of the tent across from her, a bag swung from his arm.
"You won't believe the ingredients they have in there." He said as the gap between them closed. "It's like they cater to the rare—"
"—Did they see you?" Hermione asked. "Did they see your face?"
"I—I'm not sure." Severus raised an eyebrow, his lips pulled down at the edges. "Maybe, at least the lower half of my face."
"Oh god." Hermione sighed.
"I had to make conversation to get my purchase, Hermione."
She winced when he said her name, glancing around to see if anyone had been standing near.
"I couldn't just hide my face fully." Severus continued and then furrowed his brow. "What's wrong?"
Hermione lifted the paper, still scanning the area for any sign of notice, any tell-tell action to show they had been seen or surrounded. Severus took the paper from her hands, his face drawing into a long scowl as the mugshots of them cycled through.
"We need to find Molly." Hermione said. "If she had known our faces were going to be plastered everywhere, she'd never had let us out of that house."
"Any idea where they'd be?"
Hermione took another long sweeping look around the streets and bit her lip in frustration. There were too many places, looking in each one would cause unwanted attention, too many shop owners or passerby's could see their faces or inquire as to what they were searching for. It was then a high pitched wailing had softly begun to spread through the air, growing louder with every second that passed, almost as if someone had been turning the handle to a music box. Shoppers around them froze, their ears turning to the sky, unable to point where the noise was coming from as it seemed to come from everywhere at once, and then recognized the siren. A mother with six small children just a tent over had spread her arms wide and ushered her children inside of the tent they were next to. Hermione, however, had to lift only one arm and grab a hold of Severus. He covered her hand with his and they stepped out into the street, quickly leading her through the shoppers that were still undecided on where to go.
"Hey!" A voice called from behind them. "You have to pay for that!"
Hermione and Severus looked behind them and saw a spindly old man wearing bottle cap glasses that magnified his eyes three times shouting at them, his angry face turning into astonishment as he got a good look at them, and then double stepped into the middle of the street to follow them. He began to spin around, searching for something, and when he found it, frantically jumped, one arm waving, the other holding his glasses to his face.
"They're here! They're right there!" He screamed. Hermione couldn't watch any longer for Severus had yanked Hermione into a run, those around them now staring at them and shrieking as they passed, some reaching for them, others attempting to block their way and forcing Severus to shove and push through. The sirens still blazed louder, an energy filling the air that caused the hair on Hermione's arms to stand on end.
Molly and Alastor were no where to be seen, they didn't appear as she wished they would to help them to safety, and she only hoped that they weren't trapped in the tents they passed that were now snapping the flaps closed, harboring the innocent inside. The streets began to empty in this way, people running for cover instead of trying to hold them back, giving up on the chance to cash in a reward for capture. Those that did remain outside slowly became transfixed on something, hypnotized in their spots, mouths gaping open, but Hermione refused to look back, to see what they were looking at. She wanted to get to safety, hoping that Molly and Alastor had made it to the spot they were to leave at, it seemed the only smart way to go and the right thing to do.
They probably would have made it if Severus hadn't of fell into a dead stop, his hand loosening on hers and dropping to his side altogether. She shook him, unable to get him to look at her, he was staring just as the others were from the direction they came, a small smile creeping awkwardly on his face, a look she had seen before on Ronald when the Delacour's would visit or they'd attend a crowded event where other Veela's had been.
"No." She whispered, refusing the urge to look back herself and see what was undoubtedly heading their way. "No, no, no, not now, Severus, please snap out of it." She shook him again, placing her hand against his cheek. He swung his head to her side as if to tell her he was listening, but his eyes never broke his gaze. She had to look.
Far enough away to not be caught, but close enough to make them out, Hermione saw three women dancing their way down the street, their hips swaying to the sounds of the voices that echoed around them; the cause of the siren. What was just a mishmash of horrible notes faded into clarity of a melody the closer they got, a tactic to gain attention no doubt, but Hermione wasn't weak enough to fall for it. She still had her wits about her and needed to find a place to hide before they'd be seen, before those beautiful women could turn into something deadly.
"Severus." Hermione whispered, tugging at him to move, but he did the opposite, taking two slow steps in the directions of the Veela's and paying no attention to Hermione.
"Severus please listen to me." She begged. "We need to get out of here." She pulled on him again. "Severus!" Feeling the time running out she made the daring move of standing on her toes, placing her face in front of his, and kissed him.
He softened, his urge to make his way to the women lessened, though she could tell it still called to him. This she could work with though, at least his feet moved backward when she pressed forward, keeping their lips locked. Her hands lifted from his cheeks and over his ears, continually walking him backwards until they were up against a wall. She felt him give when they couldn't move any further and pulled back to see his dark eyes staring at her.
"We need to hide." She said, taking him by the hand. They were a few steps from a recessed alcove building entry that had a one foot piece of wall that jutted from the sides, providing a dry spot for bad weather and hot sun. Given the proximity of the Veela, it was their safest bet to avoid detection if they could make it around the corner and stay quiet, stay hidden. Severus had seemed to read her mind as he pulled her into it, this time forcefully pushing her against the darkened shadows and met her lips with his again. She pulled him tightly to her not knowing if the one foot allowance would keep them out of sight, hoping that the cloaks they were were dark enough, and also hoping that the moan that so wanted to escape her throat would stay deep within her chest as Severus pressed harder into her.
He was concentrating, pushing all he could into Hermione and she happily let him, the magic of the Veela having no control of him now, or if it did, maybe strengthening his want to not be under their spell, choosing Hermione instead, as the subject for which his pleasures be released. He had moved away from her lips, now nibbling her neck, nipping at it as the siren song seemed to be just outside of their space. Hermione bit her lip hard to keep her own cry of half pain, half pleasure in. She could see the Veela dancing still, in the middle of the street, advancing on those who were mystified by their presence, studying their faces to the umpteenth degree until they were satisfied with their identity before moving on to the next.
Severus gripped Hermione by the hips and he hoisted her up, his arms encircling her, holding her tightly, squeezing her almost to the point it hurt but she allowed it, wrapping her legs around him, stubborn to keep him there with her, and forced him to kiss her bleeding lips again just so she knew his eyes wouldn't wander behind them as that's where the Veela were now, in plain sight of them, making their way down the street to the opposite end.
They had not been seen and those dazed by the presence of such creatures did not give them away as they were too preoccupied to even see them. Hermione closed her eyes when she lost sight of the Veela and as Severus began to trail down the other side of her neck, taking a second to just enjoy that moment, not knowing how long it would last or if she would ever feel it again. They were public now, everyone within reach of a daily paper would have seen their pictures, everyone too scared to go against Voldemort would crumble and turn them in. Her hope of a safe haven fading as quickly as the Veela's song faded away.
When all was quiet and the Veela's gone, Hermione forced Severus to look at her. He appeared worried, dare say a little embarrassed and dug his forehead into the crook where her neck met her shoulder. She lowered her legs, he loosened his grip, and though she was sad to do so, moved herself from under him and peeked around the corner.
"We should go now, while there's no one out there." She said and led the way to the port key.