CLII
Severus closed his eyes, ruthlessly distancing himself from the wails and shouts of the witches around him. Experimentally he formed a fist with his left hand, visualising their handfasting bond, willing the connection to Hermione to awaken.
Nothing. No buzzing warmth, the answering whisper was silenced. Hissing in annoyance he fanned his fingers open, only to grasp at thin air. Desperate, he reached inward. Help me.
The God within Severus opened his eyes.
Instinctively, he faced north. Seven leagues of landscape melted away as steam from a looking glass.
Underground, in unnatural darkness lay his Queen.
"She's in peril. Hurry."
CLIII
A tugging at his shoulder jarred Severus from his trance, focusing on the worldly, concerned face of Pomona Sprout. "What peril, Severus? Explain!"
Lifting his head Severus scanned the crowd for the foul agent of chaos. "She's been kidnapped and buried in a barrow in Blair Atholl, Borenich." His voice took on a snarling quality as he said, "On Beltane. Minerva, I need you to neutralize Edgecombe, before she invites more calamity."
"I'll call in the Aurors!" Minerva whipped her wand out and was set to cast.
Severus stopped her, saying, "This is a sacred matter. You are the authority."
CLIV
Irma Pince stepped up, slipping a hastily knotted ribbon into his hand. "Tuck this in…" The librarian looked Severus up and down, gulped audibly, and then said, "Er, your belt. Mary wept, but you went all out didn't you?"
Severus couldn't remember ever seeing Madam Pince blushing. Perhaps the warmth of the bonfire overwhelmed her climate controlled constitution. "I take my duty very seriously, as you well know. Now, explain what have you pressed on me?"
Madam Hooch smacked Pince on the back to break her inattention, apparently the witch was lost in translating the runes that riddled his shoulders.
Spluttering, the librarian answered, "Just pluck out the pin, say one of our names, and as the knot unravels it will summon our aid."
"Aid." Severus quirked up a single brow in curiosity. "What... sort of aid?"
Irma fanned herself (cementing his theory of overheating) as she answered, "Research or advice."
Rolanda smirked and added, "Support. Reinforcements." Sprout nodded along with her, "Any supplies you might need."
Looking quite ill, Sybill intoned, "I can see with my inner eye that you will need help."
Molly broke in, "Severus! You must go, and you must go now! Something's very wrong!"
CLV
In ballads of old, the hero might rely on a magical steed or transform into a shooting star in a haste to rescue their lady. Severus Snape had a license for apparition.
He twisted through that space where one both is and is not, and then landed 43 miles away in a crouch, wand out and a curse readied on his lips.
It was a mere hour's travel north by car, yet the air here was significantly colder. The starlight could not penetrate the shadows at the base of the hill, the darkness itself was too deep.
"Hermione?"
Severus barely recognised his own voice, for it sounded as though he'd been listening through ears stuffed with bat dander.
He let his lips part and breathed in slowly. Under the expected scents of woodsmoke and grass there was a metallic scent laced with the sickening perfume of decay.
Senses on alert, Severus approached the mound, circling sunwise as he searched for the hidden door.
Sounds of struggle, heels hammering on stone and frantically laboured breathing of a witch… his witch in distress spurred him closer.
He shouted her name, remembering caution too late. Living shadows rose up together, blocking his way.
CLVI
Shadowkin, whispered the God, is what these abominations are called. They are outsiders, banished to the Otherlands long ago. The greed of mortals has weakened the barriers of their prison, already thin on nights such as these.
Searching his memory, Severus came up blank. How...?
His train of thought was cut off as part of the shadow started to ooze toward him in a parody of a root seeking water.
Do not let it touch you!
Nimbly, Severus stepped backwards, taking care to dodge all shadows. The wrongness of the shadowkin, the dissonance of its essence made his skin crawl.
CLVII
Severus thought to the guest in his head, Why are they here? And more importantly, how can I get past them to my wife?
The God growled. They must have found an anchor to this world.
An anchor? Surely not Hermione? Severus fought to keep his composure, dancing to the side as two more vines whipped out from the shadowkin, trying to tangle him within its grasp.
No, but that vengeful shrew who took her probably invited them as guests. Selfish, angry thoughts are dangerous, such emotions carry terrible power.
"Lumos Maxima!" A ray of sun-bright wand light made the vines recoil, but they reformed quickly.
The abomination shambled closer, filling Severus' nose with the stench of decay. His shouted " Reducto" passed through it, unimpeded.
Ware!
A blue fireball flew out of the barrow, too large for the shadowkin to dodge. A scream reminiscent of nails scraping a chalkboard was cut off as the monster disappeared into wisps of smoke on the breeze.
Go! Save her!
Severus' heartbeat slowed painfully.
Struggling to navigate the low ceiling, he reached the coffin stone only in time to brush at Hermione's reaching fingertips as she sank into the stone and beyond his reach.
AN:
Written for grangersnape100 Spring Fever Challenge. Thanks to qdrew for her beta assistance, any mistakes are my own.
So, as you may have noticed, fair reader, this format lends itself to cliffhangers. This is a HEA, cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye. Not literally!
Love, FL