Disclaimer: Characters and the Harry Potter universe are the intellectual property of J.K. Rowling.
1.5 Millimeters of Existence
Chapter Two: Of Evasion
Kneeling down in the Slytherin common room with his head in the green flames, Severus peered across the immaculate outer hearth into what must have been a cross between a drawing room and a study. A house elf in a white doily scurried forward, vanishing shards of broken glass as he approached, to ask for Severus's name and which family member he wished to speak with. After the house elf popped out of sight, Severus looked at the veined marble tiles, the mullioned windows that spanned from floor to soaring ceiling, and if he craned his neck just a little, he could catch sight of the many armed crystal chandelier that spangled the study with prismatic light. Among the sparse furnishings was a desk atop of which sat a battered black book that looked about as out of keeping as he felt in this opulence.
Lucius Malfoy shortly ambled in, approaching the grate. The topaz clasps on his dress robes were still undone, so the dove gray silk of the outer garments hung open to frame a longish white shirt that came down to the knees, similar to an Indian kurta. From the moment Severus had met the upperclassman, Lucius impressed others with his offhand grace, a coolness of demeanor that persuaded interlocutors of their lowliness and, as a corollary, the pureblood's superiority. While Lucius maintained this veneer of lazy charm, Severus got the sense that Lucius was distracted by something.
Lucius leaned against the mantle at an angle from which to look down upon his caller. "Severus, I hope all is well. Forgive me for not conjuring a chair. As you can see, I am rather preoccupied right now. A seat on the Wizengamot has opened up, and Father and I are doing what we can to ensure the wizard with the right background gets a positive reception."
Severus nodded, picking over his words. "I hate to inconvenience you, Lucius, but I have reason to be concerned that our recent forays into the magical unknown, so to speak, will be discovered prematurely. I am mixed up in this mess, and if an investigation is held, I might not be implicated in what I am absurdly being accused of, but other things we would prefer to keep in the dark for now might come up."
Lucius's air of distraction disappeared. He remarked, "An inconvenience indeed." Severus watched him as he pushed away from the mantle, walked to the desk, and ran his finger lightly down the cover of the black book. Blond hair slipped forward, covering his expression. In the same light voice, he continued, "Your connection to me is tenuous, so your improper use of the first-person plural pronoun must cease. Do you understand?"
Severus stared at his classmate whose face was still hidden behind his hair. Even as Severus felt his chest constrict at his former classmate's snub, he forced out the words, "Lucius, I need your aid. Otherwise, there is a good chance Dumbledore will confirm that I've been…delving into…" Severus groped in vain for a euphemism for the Dark Arts.
Lucius looked up at last, his blue eyes suddenly a startling blue. He looked as if he were shaking off a dream. Lucius said, "I'll see if I can pull some strings at the Ministry, get someone I can trust involved. It's too bad that dour Unspeakable Bode got the Defense against the Dark Arts professorship before we could put in a word. Well, go ahead, Severus. Tell me what happened." Lucius pocketed the black book as Severus began to relate the events.
Less than an hour later, knees and palms aching after kneeling at the fireplace, Severus sat back on his haunches. Severus reflected that a sail through the choppy North Sea on a skipper bound for Azkaban was hardly his idea of a celebratory graduation party. He vowed that if he found himself ruined after rescuing the lunatic, he would see to her suffering.
He returned to his dormitory to sprawl on his four-poster bed and gaze at the emerald and silver hangings without really seeing them. In his mind's eye, he saw the image of the girl in the snow, and with inordinate pleasure, he contemplated the day she wished he had left her to her fate. The worry roiling in his gut was momentarily forgotten.
Hospital Wing
Hermione woke up opposite windows that were so familiar. She closed her eyes again to burrow into this feeling of comfort and safety, so rare these days when she and the boys were chasing after historic artifacts, mainly, that You Know Who irreversibly marred with pieces of his maimed soul. Her mouth puckered as she considered what Voldemort Polyjuice might taste like.
Snape's couldn't be quite as repulsive, surely.
At that thought, her eyes flung wide open. Malfoy Manor, Bellatrix Lestrange shrieking crucio, Fenrir Greyback licking his teeth, Dobby above the crystal chandelier—the pain and fear all came flooding back. Hermione took a deep breath and walked herself mentally through the sequence of events. When the crystal chandelier fell and splintered, nearly crushing her, she thought she felt Dobby grab onto her arm. Then, it was like she had touched a portkey, the rush and topsy-turviness of traveling through compressed space, only to land… where? Hemorrhaging and staring up at blue skies; twisting her head just so showed her she had fallen by Hagrid's hut. It had been strangely desolate and cold.
Just minutes later, Snape came, playing Headmaster. Her vision was slightly obscured by the slick wetness she felt drip down her face, but Snape's hateful voice and profile were unmistakable. She shuddered at the memory of the traitor's gentle hands on her arms, her collarbone and face, delivering first-aid just so he could be the one to hand-deliver her to his Dark Lord. The key to Harry Potter's whereabouts, his movements and plans, at last in the Death Eaters' possession.
Problem was, Hermione smirked now, Snape would be hard-pressed to find her in the morning. Mentally, Hermione tallied her advantages. Among the top advantages she enumerated were (1) apparent lack of the gormless guards Alecto and Amycus, (2) a member of the resistance at hand (Madam Pomfrey), (3) the fully recovered use of her limbs. To bolster her spirits, she also appended (4) the state of being lycanthropy-free.
Hermione felt for her wand but groaned when she remembered belatedly that her wand had been confiscated. That was a point decidedly against her escape, but she wouldn't dwell on the negatives, nor would she fret uselessly over Harry and Ron. She sorted that concern into a mental filing cabinet labeled To Deal With At A More Opportune Time.
With a half-baked escape plan ready to set in motion, and a Plan B should it fail, Hermione very carefully felt inside her pocket for the beaded bag. She had cast a shrinking spell on it before the Snatchers caught them. She was positive the shrinking spell in combination with the extension charm could be done without interacting effects, and it was just as she had predicted; however, an eventuality she had not been able to foresee was that the shrinking charm made it impossible for her to search for and extract items from the bag. This was a great blow. Hermione debated whether she should rely on sheer luck to get her without incident to Gryffindor Tower or the kitchens but decided against it. Although she didn't like to involve Madam Pomfrey, she had to ask, under the strictest confidence, for Dobby. He would have information she needed to return to Harry's side. On top of that, house elves possessed a unique magic and an intimate knowledge of Hogwarts' workings. She would need both to escape.
Hermione lifted the covers, just enough to shift out of bed. The floor was colder than she expected for this time of year. Making as little noise as possible, she tiptoed out of bed, past hospital beds surprisingly empty, and made her way to the mediwitch's office in the back, hoping Madam Pomfrey hadn't retired for the night. Hermione found herself in luck.
Through the glass window, Hermione saw a fire was lit, and the mediwitch (Hermione made a note to herself to tell the mediwitch that the ambient light suited her as she was looking in wonderfully good health) was speaking with someone, a man who looked oddly familiar. He was quite tall with a long face that in the firelight looked like a smile had never graced it. Hermione drew out of her pocket the Extendable Ears she liked to keep at easy access and plugged into their conversation.
The man said, "Yes, of course, Dumbledore's orders take precedence. With your permission, I would appreciate if you sent for me, too, as soon as your patient awakes."
Madam Pomfrey said, "I have worked as a healer here for more than a few years, and I have already performed thorough examinations on my patient. I do not require any assistance from a Ministry official in ferreting out how she came to be in such a state. On principle, too, I allow no more visitors than absolutely necessary."
Exasperation was evident when the man retorted in his ponderous voice, "I cannot stress enough that it would be in the girl's best interests if I had a private word with her and looked her over immediately after she regains consciousness."
With finality, Madam Pomfrey stated, "You'll have to go through the headmaster."
Hermione sprinted back to her bed, leapt under the covers, and pretended to sleep as the man who was terribly familiar left Madam Pomfrey's office and the Wing. Hermione reviewed the conversation she overheard, none of it fitting together. She doubted now if she could trust the mediwitch who seemed in Snape's pocket based on her reliance on the headmaster's judgment. Hermione felt her logic stretched beyond reason. The Mediwitch approached to check up on her sole patient who sensed the Hospital Wing grow brighter beyond her closed eyes. Hermione cast all doubts aside, trusting Madam Pomfrey who had done so much to heal and protect them over the years.
Hermione sat up quickly, facing the startled mediwitch, and as soon as her questions and petitions rose up, ready to pour forth from her mouth, they died. Madam Pomfrey was quite a bit younger looking than Hermione remembered.
Dungeons
Severus was summoned around 11 P.M., surprised to find Professor Bode was sent to escort him to the Hospital Wing, not his own Head of House. He wondered if having the Defense against the Dark Arts expert present indicated that the worst was already believed of him. This was nothing new, Severus sneered.
He trailed slowly behind Professor Bode who pushed through the doors of the Hospital Wing. Severus glared at Madam Pomfrey when she placed a protective arm around the girl who was now wide awake. The blank expression on her face seemed to flicker slightly when Severus stepped into view.
Professor Bode inclined his head in the mediwitch's direction and said, "Madam Pomfrey, as you insisted, I appealed to the headmaster that I be involved in the examination. He gave his assent. I am sure the girl is grateful for your care."
Madam Pomfrey patted the girl's arm as she said, "The girl has undergone a serious traumatic incident, and it seems that she has lost the power of speech. I don't believe that it is wise to interrogate her in her present condition."
"I understand your concern. Rest assured," he intoned in a voice that brooked no argument, "the examination will be efficient and put little undue stress on the patient." He then addressed the patient in a slow, exaggerated tone, "I am the Defense against the Dark Arts professor here. I also worked as an Unspeakable in the Ministry of Magic. If you do not know what that is, let me explain what I am at liberty to reveal, which is the Department of Mystery's research in the theoretical nature of, for instance, time and prophecy."
Severus saw another brief flicker of something like awareness pass across the girl's face. While Professor Bode droned on, Severus peered closely at the face of his erstwhile accuser and saw in the minute shifts of expression one clear truth. The girl was guarding secrets. Severus smirked. So was he.
A/N: Thanks to everyone who left a review for chapter one! It is so nice to receive encouragement and also hear about what strikes you most. To OnceUponAnArabianHorse, I think Chapter 3 will answer your question more clearly. Thanks also to everyone who tried something new and had some faith that this first-time ff author would continue to unfold the story. Please let me know what you think in a review.
Wishing everyone safe and well!