Chapter 47: Preparations

One month later

Harry had learned his lesson the hard way, but he had learned. Since Hermione was taken from the Ministry more than a month had gone by but after Snape had finally started to teach him properly, Harry's concentration had only slipped two times. Thank Merlin, because the pictures he got from Voldemort were truly terrifying. His friend didn't even look like Hermione any longer, her hair tamed into soft curls while she was clad into dresses that would have been fitting for a grown woman. He shuddered at the implication of that. Hermione wore them with a grace Harry had never before realised she possessed. She seemed to have changed. Her eyes had taken on a cold, calculative glint. Whatever Voldemort had done to her, it had squashed every bit of kindness that once reflected in them. Was she under the Imperius? Had he seduced her? From everything Harry had seen through his visions, it was possible: Hermione panting and sweaty, with her eyes bright while she smiled at this monster. It was nauseating. What had happened to his friend, what was wrong with her?

But even worse were the feelings Harry experienced during those visions. He suddenly looked at Hermione with a hunger he had never known before. It wasn't love, more like an unhealthy obsession to possess her, make her his. Harry knew that this weren't originally his feelings, that it must be Voldemort experiencing them, but for some time afterwards, it was still difficult for him to ban those pictures and the lust from his head. Hermione's creamy neck haunted him for days when he closed his eyes and it took him every ounce of willpower to finally ban her from his head. He couldn't think about Hermione right now, otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to do, what Snape had asked him to.

"Concentrate Potter," Snape scolded him with an annoyed expression on his face. "If you continue like that I won't even need to cast the spell to read your thoughts."

Harry huffed in annoyance. That git could talk. It wasn't like his best friend was in the hands of this madman. "Alright. Sorry, Sir." He took a deep breath before he emptied his mind and locked away all the feelings that distracted him. He needed to prepare himself, or else he'd see Hermione torture some poor soul next time.

ssssssss

Time was running out for him, Severus knew it. Today he'd have to present his potion formula to the Dark Lord as he couldn't stall it any longer without getting to feel the consequences. As soon as that was done, he would have to start brewing.

"My Lord," he greeted his Master, kneeling on the cold marble floor again. "I finally figured the formula out. If all goes well, the potion will be finished two weeks after starting the brewing process. Do you have said item I'll require to do so? We'll need to use it as an anchor."

"Not yet, my friend. But now that your formula is finished it is time for me to procure the said item. I will contact you again, as soon as it is done."

Severus nodded devotedly. "I will anxiously wait for your call then. It is my utmost wish to help you gain what is rightfully yours." He left open what that was but he was sure, that his master would find numerous possibilities what that could be, not least Hermione. Luckily her exams at the Ministry were only days away. If everything went well, she would no longer be there, when the Dark Lord regained his old body. Still, he could not count on it. So many things could go wrong.

He'd make that damned potion, just in case, even though he never planned returning to the man as soon as he had gotten Hermione out of there. She would not be able to go back to Hogwarts as the Headmaster would not leave her in peace until she had linked herself to someone of his choosing. Apart from that, there was still an unknown number of junior Death Eaters in the castle that would try to capture her again. Severus would never let her return to that monster even though she'd probably hate him for keeping her away from her education. But it couldn't be helped.

Where should they go? Spinner's end was not an option, as the place was known to many of his Death Eater comrades. He could, of course, put it under a Fidelius, but that shit hole wasn't really worth the effort and the charm would not safe them from being caught in the surroundings of the house. Which meant that he needed a new place to stay, a place where they would not be found.

With a sigh, he started summoning his most valuable possessions as well as several vials he had used to store critical memories in. He would no longer leave them at Hogwarts as he would not be able to reach them here after he had cut ties with the Dark Lord and the Headmaster. Yes, he needed the man to get Hermione out of the Ministry, but he didn't plan to just leave her to the next manipulator afterwards. It was the most Gryffindor thing he had even planned to do in his life, even though he had planned like the true Slytherin that he was.

In wasn't long until he grabbed his travelling cloak once more ad strode out of the castle. A visit to Gringotts was in order. There he would update his will and exchange some wizarding money into muggle cash. If there was a place where he and Hermione could successfully disappear, then it was the Muggle world.

Tomorrow he'd start making the potion, his own potion. When he really wanted to disappear, he needed to get rid of that damned Dark Mark. Otherwise, the Dark Lord would be able to find him or at least torture him through it. And he'd rather avoid that experience. Unfortunately, there was no ritual or spell known to him, to rid him of the damned thing. His master had designed the thing himself and as long as Severus didn't know the details of the spell, there was no chance of finding a counterspell to it. This only left cutting his arm and regrowing it through a potion. It was a horrible idea and it would be incredibly painful to do so, which probably was why no one ever tried it. But Severus had designed a potion to return his master into his old body. Regrowing an arm was child's play compared to that.

ssssssss

"You sure that's a good idea, Freddy?" George asked his brother as they sneaked through the castle once more after curfew. Thanks to their daily duelling lesson and research for useful spells they had gotten better with defending themselves. And by Merlin, they had needed it. Several times there was a group of Slytherins waiting for them whenever they left he Gryffindor tower at night. But thanks to Snape's detention Fred and George were prepared, as the man had given them a taste, what a real non-friendly duel looked like. None of those Slytherins had that advantage, as they were all still students and had the same horrible defence teachers as Fred and George. One day they had to thank the dungeon bat for giving them a warning, as it had probably saved their lives more than once.

"I'm still not sure if we can trust the man," George continued to whisper, as they made their way through the dungeons. "Apart from that, we don't even know if he's even still in his office."

He couldn't see his brother's reaction as they were both disillusioned. Being invisible didn't only protect them from losing house points to a teacher discovering them, but it also helped them to avoid the eager Slytherins, that were still trying to hunt them down. Nowadays those snakes didn't even see or hear them coming which meant that those idiots usually didn't even have time to pull their wands against them. "We still have to try, Georgie. The man is our best chance."

It wasn't long until they were in front of the man's office. Only once they had to avoid a patrolling prefect duo, otherwise, the Hogwarts corridors had been suspiciously empty.

George only gave a hum as an answer, before he heard his brother knocking on the door. For a moment nothing happened, but then suddenly the door was pulled open and a grumpy looking Professor Snape stared at the spot where they were hidden with small eyes.

"What do you want?" he asked coldly without even having to ask who was in front of his door. How did he know it was them?

"Can we please come in, Sir?" George asked him politely and as quietly as possible. Being overheard would not work in their advantage.

For a moment their Professor seemed to contemplate his options, but finally, he stepped aside with an unintelligible grunt. Hastily Fred and George slipped inside before they lifted the disillusionment. "Sorry for disturbing you this late," Fred apologized while looking at the man with a crooked grin. "We will not disturb you for long. But we came to ask for your help."

Snape looked at them with a raised brow. "How unexpected. Why not bother your own Head of the House? I'm sure she would be more than capable and willing to do so."

George looked at his brother for a short moment, but asking him for his thoughts on the matter was not necessary. They had extensively discussed their options beforehand. "This is about Hermione, Sir. We hope you might be able and willing to help her as you're…"

"Don't even think about continuing that sentence, Mr Weasley," the man warned him with a dark expression on his face. Then he pinched the bridge of his nose with a heavy sigh. "Miss Granger is beyond my reach, as she is protected by the best wards apart from Hogwarts. She will not be able to leave those wards if the Dark Lord does not want her to. There's nothing either of us can do about that, considering we even want to do something about it."

George stared at the man for a long moment. He knew the man for many years now. Even though what he was saying was meant to discourage them, the boy found more interesting what he was not saying. He nodded. "I understand. Still, we have to try to get her back."

Fred nodded next to him. "We love her."

Snape's mouth twitched, but even though he could have flouted them for it, he didn't. "I fear I cannot help you, gentlemen."

George nodded calmly. He hadn't expected another answer. "No, probably not. But we had to ask. Could you at least take this?"

He offered the man a silver sickle. "In case you find Hermione or need help, you'll be able to reach us through this. Say the names of our Prewett uncles and the coin will take you to us."

The man looked at them with an angry expression. "Have you two lost your minds?" he asked, his voice suddenly thunderous. "The Dark Lord wants the two of you dead and you've got no better idea than giving this to a Death Eater? I could lead him directly to you and serve him your heads on a silver platter. How many more of those did you make?"

Fred looked at him with a calm expression on his face. "One. We plan giving it to Hermione if we ever see her again."

Snape shook his head with a sigh. "Only a Gryffindor would think that's a good idea."

They nodded. "Will you take the coin anyway? It's not coming with any conditions."

The man didn't reply right away. Instead, he studied both of them with dark, fathomless eyes. "Give it here then. And now out with you, before I give you detention for being out after curfew."

The twins nodded in unison. "Yes, sir," they chorused, saluted and recast the disillusionment charm. A moment later they left the office, after saying their goodbyes to a grim-faced professor. George didn't care about that though. They didn't visit the man because he was a nice guy, no. There were only two persons that could help Hermione now. Snape was one of them and he had just accepted their coin.

"Did you do it?" George asked his twin when they were halfway back to the Gryffindor tower.

Fred hummed in agreeance. "Sure. I'm not an amateur, Freddy. Whatever Snape is up to in his office, we'll be able to hear. If he's really on our side, we'll activate the code words. If not, then we just lost a sickle, dear brother."

George snorted. "We'll get over it."

sssssssss

"I'll be gone from the house for a few hours," Lord Voldemort told his lioness over dinner. She was still sitting at the other end of the table, too far away from him, but this was about to change once he'd gotten the necklace from the cave today.

"Will you answer when I ask where you'll be going?" the girl asked neutrally while nibbling on a grape. He loved it when she did that. He smiled.

"Not today. But one day I'll tell you about that secret of mine," he promised and saw her eyes widen in surprise. She was still sceptically and distant towards him most of the time. She no longer contradicted him though which made him believe, that he had slowly gotten her thinking. It was a start.

She shrugged. "Whatever. I'll go to the library then. I've found books to b excellent company."

He smiled. "They are. I've preferred them to human company myself in the past. Not any longer though." His eyes fixed her with an unmistakable gaze and for a moment she looked back again, before lowering her eyes to her plate. A few weeks ago she would have stared back at him with fire in her eyes or said something to push him back. Not any longer. Suddenly his lioness seemed almost shy, like she secretly wished to accept his attentions but didn't know how to. He guessed it could be quite intimidating to be wooed by a Dark Lord. Hopefully, she'd find his new body more … approachable.

He waited until she had settled into the library. From experience, he knew, that he would get lost in one of the books in a matter of minutes. This would make her forget everything around her, while her eyes would take on this dreamy look, that he secretly enjoyed watching. But not today. Today he had more important things to do.

The door to her room was unlocked, not that a locking charm or the wards she was able to procure were able to hold him off for longer than a minute. His girl knew that everything this room contained was his anyway, well most of the things.

With a wide grin, he stepped next to the tank that was now occupied by two of annoying witches. It had taken him a while to decide, which one to take along on this journey. In the end, he had decided on the one that was less likely to get away by chance.

"Well, Professor Umbridge. I fear your stay in this house has come to an end," he said, while carefully opening the lid. "You and I will make a little journey today, a journey you'll find most agitating. Have you been to the sea lately?"

The ugly toad tried hopping away from him, but his hand was faster than her. It darted towards her like an attacking snake and grabbed her around the middle. The ugly animal croaked pitifully before it landed in a large glass jar he had conjured for it. Closing the lid with a wave of his wand he looked at the agitated beetle with red, gleaming eyes. "And you Miss Skeeter better behave yourself. Otherwise, I'll be assigning you to help the next time."

Pocketing the jar inside of his robes he silently left his lioness' room. Surely she would ask him what had happened to her pet toad. He could always say the ugly thing had gotten away somehow but he would probably tell her the truth. The girl would be his queen and she didn't deserve to be lied to. He wanted her to trust him, after all, and she would never do so after she had discovered he had lied to him.

Using the toad to drink the potion for him was definitely easier than assigning a house-elf to do it. His girl was strangely attached to these pitiful creatures. Well, he too had his quirks, so he would gladly accept this one if it helped to let her see, that he was not the monster she took him for.

ssssssss

Hermione stared at the newspaper with furrowed brows. Upstairs in the library there was a whole collection of them, she had discovered. Voldemort had truly kept every edition of the daily prophet, going back to the end of 1926. Looks like the man had kept every newspaper going back to the day of his birth. Interesting.

Those old copies of the wizarding newspaper were Hermione's favourite reading material, when she got tired of stuffing her brain with new spells and curses. She loved learning, especially now that Voldemort's endless library was at her disposal, but learning about the past was equally fascinating to her, especially when the knowledge wasn't presented through Professor Binns.

Reporter still missing

by Jason Pickford

Rita Skeeter, seasoned reporter for the daily prophet has been missing for weeks. Shortly after her article about the missing Hogwarts student Rita Skeeter disappeared. She never came in the next day and after two days the Aurors were called in. A search of miss skeeter apartment showed no signs of a break-in but all of her belongings were still there. The Aurors speculate she was taken either on her way home or in a public place.

The daily prophet encourages its readers to please be on the lookout for our top reporter. We wish her a safe return.

Hermione looked at yesterday's article with a sigh. Jason Pickford seemed a much better reporter than Rita Skeeter, but he also seemed strangely hesitant for a Daily Prophet – journalist with formulating his opinion. He hadn't even mentioned her name in the article. Could it be that he afraid of her? Did the public now blame her for Rita Skeeter's disappearance, as they probably blamed her for Professor Umbridge's? Hermione turned the page with a sigh.

Hermione Granger still missing

by Jason Pickford

Well known Hogwarts student and Gryffindor princess Hermione Granger has still not been found. Eyewitnesses, like the renowned Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore reported, that the girl had been taken from the Ministry. Other sources say, that the girl who is said to be the Open Link went into hiding or left the country with her parents, who appear to have disappeared as well. The disappearance of Miss Granger is still a big mystery to everybody, Aurors and Ministry alike. Everybody wishes that the well-liked student and Prefect will be found soon, as numerous high ranking society members cannot wait to finally meet her in person.

Hermione stared at the article in disbelief. The Daily Prophet had sure changed its tone towards her. Was it because they were suddenly afraid of her? It was possible because the fact that she was reported being the Open Link had not stopped them speculating about her role at Professor Umbridge's disappearance. She sighed. Why was it that only fear made them treat her with respect? Was this seriously how the wizarding world worked these days? She hoped not.