A/N: Courage people. We shall conquer Coronason in the end. We will see brighter days. My country is in a lockdown. I feel you.
-.-
Harry's eyes feasted upon the dark cloud that had veiled the skies of London. He shook his head in disappointment.
Kingsley saw it and he leaned back on his chair. The fire crackled under the hearth. "Your silence is too judgmental Mister Potter."
"What do you want me to say Minister?" Harry rejoined flatly.
"The Wizengamot is breathing down my back." Came the hard reply.
"Who in the name of Merlin has such a strong hold on you?" Harry turned around.
"Not upon me. Someone has a very strong hold upon the Wizengamot…I am forced to float with the tide."
"Who is it?" Harry's eyes flared with anger.
"Do you think I know?" The Minister tilted his head.
"You do understand that we cannot do anything about this cloud, correct? It is beyond our abilities." Harry said dryly.
Kingsley pressed his lips.
"And unfortunately under the new Command, neither can the Keepers. You chose to behead that group with what you did Minister. You placed Grey in the stead of a very capable man." Harry crossed his arms.
Kingsley's brows met in annoyance. "The Professor was not bereft of all fault. Put your favoritism aside young man. He overlooked Ministerial Orders. He exposed himself and allowed the Wizengamot to push him aside. He gave me no choice, but to suspend him."
"And you gave Grey a choice to fire him." Harry glared.
At that Kingsley looked away. "I never thought she'd go that far. Believe me, I never wished for that."
"Who told you to hire Grey in Snape's stead?" Harry walked to his desk.
"The Heads of the Wizengamot." Kingsley pursed his lips.
Harry rubbed his forehead.
"This woman has very strong backing. I had to agree with her taking that position when High Judge Shofeous intervened." Kingsley lifted his brow.
Harry inhaled deeply.
"This is above and beyond my powers Mister Potter." The Minister added with a dissapointment that was tangible.
Harry turned around thoughtfully. "Alright, so Grey has solid support from the Wizengamot for some reason. Do they not see how useless she is? Has she done anything about the cloud since she took over the Keepers?"
No answer from the Minister.
"Call back Snape for heaven's sake. Bend the wish of the Wizengamot. The city is under siege." Harry turned to him with blazing eyes.
"She went Under a couple of times and she insists the cloud doesn't originate from the Underworld." Kingsley exhaled exhausted.
"And you believe her?" Harry scowled.
The Minister was silent.
"The Professor insists he saw the cloud coming from the sixth level." Harry rebuked hard.
"When he saw it he was burning up with fever and was probably delirious…" Kingsley's retort didn't have enough mettle behind it.
Harry stopped him. "He is the most resilient man I have ever met Minister. No matter his poor physical condition, his mind is always sharp. I for one believe him. This cloud makes no sense. Our spells cannot penetrate it and it clashes hard with the protective shields over the city. It does not originate from our world and you know it. Release the Professor. Ask him to enforce the shields with his knowledge of the Dark Arts. Allow him to enter the Underworld. See reason please."
The Minister lay his head back and covered his face silently.
"Something nasty is brewing down at the Sixth level and it is all connected with the abductees we found at the fifth. My Aurors cannot bring order to this chaos. You hand-picked him to lead that group of Dark Wizards exactly because of his experience. His a master of the Dark Arts, the master of the Underworld. You allowed the Wizengamot to take out your strongest player."
"Grey was his second in command. Equally skilled and you know it." Shacklebolt rebuked exasperated.
"And you believe her so readily?" Harry tilted his head.
Kingsley stood up and begun pacing in front of the bay windows. "Admittedly she got her current position with shady ways. Admittedly she has some hold over the Wizengamot that bewilders me. However she hasn't acted out of order since she took command. She entered the Underworld, she checked, she brought back her reports and she tried to manage this group a little more cordially than her predecessor."
Harry humphed. "So you care more about diplomacy than actions."
"I care for both. I also care not to anger the Wizengamot more." The Minister glared.
"She runs around like a busy bee, arranging interviews and parties while our world is collapsing. I must admit that she is indeed a better diplomat than the Professor. She brought the Keepers closer to the public, but that was not the original task of that group, was it?"
"No." Kingsley closed his eyes in defeat.
"They were created in order to protect us from Dark Magical attacks, which the Aurors couldn't handle. You chose them particularly because of their training and knowledge in this kind of unholy magic, not because they are smooth talkers or good diplomats. Correct?" Harry was relentless.
The Minister's eyes fell on him darly. "Yes."
"So…where are they now?" Harry raised his brows.
Kingsley was silent.
"One dead, one recuperating from a coma, the head fired and the ones who remain are set useless by this woman. Can't you see minister? I think someone is trying to undo the original group you created on purpose."
"I understand what you are saying, but Grey was second in command for years. I cannot call her useless." Kingsley retorted.
Harry observed him silently for several moments before he spoke. "I want to enter the Underworld with her next time she goes. I want to make sure that nothing originates from the sixth level. I don't trust her."
"Out of the question Mister Potter. I have risked my Aurors down there long enough. I cannot afford to lose you down there. This back and forth between the Aurors and the Keepers stops now. Each group to their own. You mind the city and they will mind the Underworld. If anything happens to you, I rather doubt anyone will be able to replace you easily. I trust Madame Grey. Maybe she doesn't have the abilities of the Professor, but she is good enough for the time being." Kingsley dismissed Harry.
Harry rushed to the desk and leaned his hands on it. "The ashes from that cloud are burning the shields that we have placed around the city. They won't last long. Muggleborn babies are dying from weird mutations and Muggleborns are being abducted. Talk to the Wizengamot. Make them see reason. Ask them to take back the Professor. He can help us. Ask him to fortify our shields. He can do it."
"Grey can do that also. I cannot displease the Wizengamot. I will not shake the waters on an already worried public. I am sorry." Kingsley looked at him tensely.
"I never thought I'd say such words Minister, but you are putting us all in danger." Harry's voice became heavy.
"The only think I care about is the city's safety!" Kingsley slammed his hand hard on the table.
"Then reinstate the only man who can help us with this kind of magic!" Harry snapped back.
"I am sorry Mister Potter. I am unable to do anything at this moment. Madame Grey remains." Kingsley's gaze pierced Harry.
Harry felt his back crawling with anger. "If the Professor gets released and he decides to enter the sixth level even without your permission, I will follow him."
The Minister's eyes flared.
Harry crossed his arms. "I will not only follow him, but I will also cover up for him. All my men will."
Kingsley crossed his arms and took a step back. "Very daring of you…"
"If I cannot get you to back me up, then I will act alone and pray that Snape is powerful enough to find out the cause and bring it down." Harry rejoined.
A long silence ensued were both men scrutinized each other.
Finally Kingsley looked up. "How official do you want this conversation to continue?" He asked, taking Harry by surprise.
Harry frowned. "As unofficial as you can make it."
Kingsley tilted his head meaningfully "You are a soldier Mr. Potter and as such you cannot comprehend the dynamics of politics. I cannot dodge the Wizengamot without serious consequences."
Harry scoffed.
Kingsley raised his hand. "I want to solve this cloud problem as much as you do and I am not as blind as you might think. If by chance the Professor ends up out of custody and he decides to go Under, who am I to stop him…."
"Are you giving him your blessings?" Harry's lips curled up in a timid smile.
"No. I won't be able to stop him because I won't know anything about it!" Kingsley said pointedly.
Harry smiled widely.
"I know nothing Potter….be warned…" Kingsley placed his elbows upon the desk.
Harry nodded. "Of course you don't."
The Minister looked at him long and hard before he spoke again. "Go Mister Potter, before I change my mind. Unlock his doors, loose the keys. Get him out and unleash his hell in the Underworld."
"Yes, Minister." Harry grinned pleased.
-.-
Hermione stood like a statue in front of Grey's door. She scowled and corrected herself inwardly. She was standing in front of Severus' door, which was stolen by this woman. She crossed her hands in front of her stomach and observed the dark wooden panels that seemed very expensive. The silence around the office was too heavy for her already fragile nerves.
"How are you Miss Granger?"
The kind voice that sounded behind her, made her turn around. A smile formed on her lips. "I am well Oswald. How about you?"
He showed around him with a bitter smile. "Alone."
She lowered her eyes.
Oswald sat at the edge of his desk, holding some folders loosely in his hands. "How is the boss?"
Hermione humphed. "He is being kept in custody unethically."
Oswald pressed his lips. "We are all against what happened Miss Granger. We stand behind the Professor."
"Yet you kept your job even though he lost his." She snapped.
He avoided her eyes.
She sighed and looked away also. "I am sorry, that sounded rather rude."
"It is okay. I know this must be difficult for you." He said quietly.
"More than you can think." She felt her heart twitching painfully at the honesty of those words.
A long pause came from him that made her look up.
"Someone had to remain behind and be the voice of reason in this madness." His brows met sadly.
She nodded towards the door. "Your new boss?"
"Is not the voice of reason." He pursed his lips.
Hermione humphed.
"When you see the Professor will you tell him that he is solely missed?" Oswald tried to find his eyes.
"Why don't you visit him? Why don't you tell him yourself?" She sounded more biting that she intended.
He frowned and looked at his hands.
She inhaled deeply and gazed at him. "I will tell him Oswald."
He looked up sharply. "Please tell the Professor that the moment he decides to act against this injustice we will all back him up."
"Against Grey and the Wizengamot?" Hermione tilted her head.
"Yes." His tone was heavy, but honest.
"Tell him yourself if he ever gets released from custody." Hermione tried to smile, but was unable to.
"Will they punish him hard? I heard Mister Potter is assisting him." Oswald frowned.
Hermione got ready to answer, but someone else did so first.
The door of the main office opened up and Max walked out. "He is accused for assault and battery. I don't think your precious friend is going to be released soon Mister Oswald. I heard he messed up the other guy rather bad. Too unfortunate the assailed man turned out to be such an important Pureblood Lord. I am certain the Wizengamot will feast upon that."
Hermione turned to her with a piercing glare meant to tear down.
Max placed her hands on her waist and looked at her from head to foot. "Well, if it isn't the Princess of Gryffindor. What can I help you with?"
Hermione straightened. "I'd like to have a word with you."
Max's smirked and with another degrading look she pulled aside and offered Hermione entrance. "By all means."
Hermione walked past her stiffly.
Max turned to Oswald. "What are you looking at? Finish your reports!" She barked and closed the door behind her.
Hermione gazed towards the impressive library that stood at the flanks of a large bay window that overlooked the rooftops of London. The darkness outside was relentless.
Max walked around the desk and sat down. The she offered Hermione a seat. "Impressive isn't it?"
Hermione unglued her eyes from the windows mutely.
"Both the office and the view. That is the window that Severus was looking out of when you created your little drama in front of the Ministry steps a few months ago." Max raised her brow.
Hermione sat down gingerly and tried to keep her face straight.
Max moved her wrist elegantly and conjured a tea pot and cup which floated next to Hermione. "Tea?"
"No, thank you." Came the flat answer.
The objects dissipated into thin air. "I suppose you didn't know that Severus has been watching over you all this time."
Hermione felt her throat tightening.
"Ever since you left Hogwarts. He looked after all of you." Max smirked at the way her words were visibly affecting her interlocutor.
Hermione felt her shoulders deflating.
Max caressed her chin and then laughed. "Oh, my. You thought he was looking after you especially?"
Hermione's eyes thinned.
"I see. Did your heart falter upon that thought? Would capturing the attention of such a man from early on have made you extremely proud in yourself?" Max leaned forth and placed her elbows upon the desk.
Hermione scrounged her lips. "I didn't come here to get a psychological profile made."
Max humphed and looked around her. "Anyhow, this office was created by him. Rather elegant don't you think?"
Hermione's eyes turned towards the library for a brief moment.
"And full of books of course. He was always a bookworm." Max's smile seemed malicious.
Hermione's jawline flexed.
"Oh that is also the nickname that your friends have bestowed upon you." Max pretended to remember.
"It is." She replied categorically.
"You resemble each other so much. Maybe that is what pulled you together in the end, because age-wise you are too far apart." Max added shrewdly.
Hermione tightened her hands over her handbag. "I also didn't come here to discuss my relationship with the Professor."
"Why not?" Max leaned back comfortably.
Hermione frowned.
"Why not make this visit a civil conversation between two women who have slept with the same man." Max's lips curled up in a hateful smile.
Hermione paled. "I won't do that, especially not with you."
"Why not darling? Afraid to compare notes on him? I'll go first. I'll tell you what I loved and what I hated about him. How about that?" Max flicked her brow.
Hermione forced herself to smile. "You sound like an insecure teenager quite honestly."
Max scoffed. "I am anything but honey. Snape couldn't offer me anything after a certain point. He was good in bed, I admit that. Rather knowledgeable and powerful within the Underworld, but that had its limits also. The moment he became a threat to my carrier, he stopped being interesting."
Hermione raised her brow. "So you decided to dispose of him."
"Ah, and we come to the main point. For I suppose that is what you came to see me for. Admittedly you didn't come to discuss how well the Professor knows how to fuck…or how loyal he can be to his women." Max's eyes pierced Hermione like icy daggers.
Hermione felt all the turmoil those words stirred her heart settling down, when her mind decided to take over. She settled proudly in her chair and met Max's gaze loftily. "You know how to manipulate your words well in order to cause emotional distress in others."
Max seemed nastily pleased with that.
"Other weaker personalities …" –Hermione raised her finger and Max's smile slowly died down- "…Your words are made to pierce and hurt, but they fell into deaf ears unfortunately."
"Is that right?" Max jeered.
"Your words mean nothing to me." Hermione's face settled in coldness.
Max wavered in uncertainty upon that.
"I am not here to discuss the Professor's private business. Either in the past with you or now with me. I came for something much more serious hoping that you have the decency to listen to me as the current Keeper Commander." Hermione tilted her head.
Max cradled her chin upon her palm and pursed her lips. "I cannot wait to hear."
"I came here with the hope that you are mature enough to put aside the fact that a man dumped you in order to be with someone else and discuss how we can stop this menace that has covered our city." Hermione felt her lips toying with a smile.
Max scowled deeply. "That was low."
"And your words weren't? Two can play this game." Hermione rebuked hard.
Max straightened in her chair and a menacing air escaped her. She looked Hermione for several moments before her eyes settled at Granger's lower stomach longer than felt comfortable. "I could kick you out of my office at this very moment."
"Yes you can, but first you shall listen to me!" Hermione rejoined assertively.
"Give me a reason why?" Max retorted.
"Because you are currently the Keeper Commander and your job is to protect us from the Dark Magic that is threatening to engulf the entire country." Hermione pointed out the window at the black sky.
Max remained tensely silent.
"Or isn't that your job perchance?" Hermione tilted her head.
Another mute response.
Hermione stood up and circled the office. She stood in front of the bay windows and her eyes turned towards the steps where she had lost all those signatures several months back. It seemed like a lifetime ago. "This cloud….do you know anything about it?" She said.
Max looked at Granger's stiff body. "I am not allowed to speak to the public about it. The Minister has my reports on it."
"He knows…." Hermione murmured.
Max scowled. "What?"
"Severus knows." –She turned around to face Grey- "He saw it at the Sixth Level."
"Well I didn't." Max replied coldly.
"I believe him. Severus is a man who worked as a double spy under the most powerful wizards of all time on both sides of the spectrum. He worked for the light as much as he worked for the dark. His experience is immense. If he says this cloud exists Under then I believe him."
Max scoffed.
"And I am not the only one." Hermione tilted her head pointedly.
Max smirked angrily.
"The whole Auror force is behind him." Hermione's eyes gleamed with sick pleasure.
Max's smirk slowly died down. "I won't stand here and listen to your obscenities. Neither will I be doubted."
"Your actions prove how incapable you are of dealing with this." Hermione pointed towards the sky.
Max stood up and walked towards the door. "Enough. I think this conversation is over."
"I think not." Hermione gritted her teeth.
When no answer came Hermione resumed more fiercely than before. "He fired you, I get it. He dumbed you, I get it even more. He is more powerful than you and that must sting. He has become a thorn at your side when your interplay with him seized. You were discredited as a professional, but also as a woman."
Max flared her chest at this unexpected rebuke. "Enough!" She barked.
"No it's not!" Hermione snapped back quickly.
Max tightened her lips.
"Forget what he did to you professionally or personally and think clearly. This man's knowledge is precious. His experience unmatched. You got a man who knows how to work with Light Magic as much as he does with Dark. He is the only one who can recognize this cloud for what it is, trace it and stop it. I know it, all the Aurors know it and I am sure the public knows it too. He is not the most subtle person, neither is he as pleasant with the commoners as you are…but he is stronger. No one can deny that. Not even you." Hermione walked up to her boldly.
Max crossed her arms. "So you want me to put my ego aside and save the day by reinstating your precious lover?"
"Lover? Get your mind out of the gutter!" Hermione bit.
Max raised her brow.
"I want you to allow a powerful wizard to enter the Underworld and trace that damned cloud for all of us. He can do it! Go to the Wizengamot and pull all those strings you seem to be having on them. Allow him to be released from custody and use his powers against this menace. I am sure he doesn't care if you keep this seat, but he will assist us if you allow him to be released." Hermione continued.
"What makes you think that I have the power to do all this?" Max smirked.
"Because it was you who stopped my first Wizengamot hearing. I remember…" Hermione tilted her head and her eyes blazed.
Max's features hardened.
"Severus was there with you, orchestrating the whole deal, but it was you who walked up to the High Judge. It was you the judge followed outside. It was you he saw and blanched, not Severus." Hermione's voice dropped.
Max's nose flared.
Hermione came closer. "What kind of a hold do you have on them Madame Grey? What did you do with that judge that made it so easy for Severus to delay my hearing?"
Max's gaze seared into her hatefully.
"I bet you used the same power on him this time….correct?" Hermione smiled knowingly.
Max raised her hand and made to push Hermione away.
She grabbed Grey's hand and held it strongly. "It is nice to manipulate people to do your bidding. It must feel enthralling to control emotions with words that resemble daggers."
Max pulled her hand away roughly.
"Does it feel good when other's do it to you?" Hermione smiled savagely.
Max looked at her long and hard before she spoke. "Gryffindor is proving to be more devious than I had originally thought."
"I will do whatever it takes…"
Max spoke over her. "…to save your Slytherin Prince?"
Hermione felt her jawline tensing, but she swallowed that bout of anger. "To do everything to save my country. The Professor is the only one who can help us and I will do whatever I can to release him. I will assist him in his fight against this hell, whether you like it or not."
"How can you do that little Princess when he is in custody?" Max's eyes gleamed.
"I'm sure Judge Sopheous will grant a distressed woman an audience. He might even appreciate her assistance in any kind of possible blackmail he might be succumbing. Especially is she has Professor Snape as a witness." Hermione didn't falter.
All the blood withdrew from Max' face. "Get the fuck out of my office."
"Your office for now…" Hermione smirked.
Max placed her hand on the handle and Hermione's hand fell over it hard and unmoving.
"Instead of being considerate to all these poor women who fell victims of the Underworld. Instead of thinking of those babies who are being born with peculiar mutations. Instead of wanting to protect all those women who are being abused by their future husbands…you allow your petty ego to rule. You took the position of the only man who can help us and I am sure you had your part on how easily he was led to prison also." Hermione tightened her hand around Max.
Max tried to get released but failed.
"If you don't raise above what happened with the Professor, then I will force you to do it. Either you release him and allow him to work in the Underworld or I will go speak with Judge Sopheous. Harry will get Severus out…we will try to solve this with or without your help. In the end it comes to what you wish to do with your own carrier. Do you wish to be part of this valiant effort or not? Do you wish to help all these women and children…or do you care more about what Severus did to you in the past?" Hermione felt relentless in her pursuit.
Max managed to release her hand. "I don't care about these women, neither about those newborn bastards."
Hermione's features lost their certainty.
Max's eyes gleamed with sick pleasure upon that. "They are Mudbloods….." She hissed.
Hermione paled.
Max's mouth twisted with hatred. "Try to release Snape. Speak with Sopheous, try to find out what happened. I dare you to try and bring me down."
Hermione tilted her head. "Oh, I will."
Max's black fiery eyes rolled down Hermione's body and stopped upon her lower stomach. A vicious smile spread on her lips. "I am sure you will. Now get the fuck out, before I force your future husband to pick up your pieces from my floor with a bloody spoon."
Hermione tilted her head and flared her shoulders arrogantly. When Max opened the door she noticed the Commander's hand was trembling. She walked out with a satisfied smile and didn't flinch when the door crashed behind her.
Oswald was waiting out there for her. "What happened?"
Hermione humphed and pressed her lips. "Be ready to choose sides soon Master Oswald. Just be ready." She murmured and left the office.
-.-
"Don't get all sentimental on me Miss Granger." Severus said quietly.
"And stop calling me that. I have a name. Use it." She frowned.
He pressed his lips.
Her fingers curled around his large hand between the bars. "I have called your name in longing one too many times and so have you. Stop keeping me at a distance with that damned appellation."
He looked at their hands and closed his eyes. "I am sorry Hermione."
"I understand that you have been conditioned to address me like that for seven years. What we went through these last few months was not enough to change that for you?" Her eyes found his.
He smiled. "It is part tease, part forgetfulness and part respect."
"Don't smooth talk me please. Tell me the truth. Maybe it is our age difference. Maybe that is the obstacle for you? Do you need to keep reminding me that I have been your student?" She insisted.
His brows creased. "An obstacle? Of course not…what are you talking about?"
She shook her head. "I don't know…but calling me by my last name makes me think that you cannot get over our school years."
His fingers twisted around hers firmly. "What is this now?" –His voice became a whisper- "I admit that I am used to address you like that. However that doesn't reflect my feelings for you."
"You have some then?" She scowled.
He sobered up. "Hermione? What is going on?"
She took several moments to speak. "What do you think brought us together?" She said quietly.
He scowled in confusion. "If I remember correctly you were in trouble with the Wizengamot and Mister Potter asked for my help."
She squeezed his hand and met his eyes. "I am serious."
He pursed his lips. "Alright. Circumstances?"
She tilted her head.
"Astounding chemistry?" He raised his brow.
She pursed her lips angrily.
"The Marriage Law?" He smirked.
"I am not in the mood." She made to pull away.
His arm slithered past the bars and wrapped behind her waist. He pulled her close. "I remember vividly being locked in an office one evening with you when I was rather emotionally unstable. I saw stars in my eyes that day. After that I remember little apart that I never wished to turn back time."
Her eyes raised to his and gleamed. "Are you honest with me?"
He frowned. "Indubitably."
"Don't you think that our thirst for knowledge is what bound us together first?" Her eyes toyed with uncertainty.
He remained quiet.
"Without that...would you have ever looked at me twice?" She muttered.
His hand tightened around her waist. "I remember clearly that the first thing that bonded me with you was an unmistakable chemistry that shocked my soul. Had I tried to play blind to this dominant pull towards you, I would have committed a crime to both you and I."
"Was my age ever an obstacle to you? Be truthful." Her eyes filled with nervousness.
He titled his head. "Was it ever to you?"
She remained silent.
"Silence speaks volumes. So now is the moment when a better man would say noble words that would make you shudder in pleasure." His lips curled up.
"Like sweet lies?" She smiled timidly too.
"No…he'd say more like sweet true lies that would melt your heart." He pulled her to him.
She leaned her forehead on the bars and shuddered. "And you aren't going to say anything?"
"I'll tell you the truth. Your age is a thorn on my old side. You are a blooming flower and I am a corpse. That annoys me to no end…but I cannot help it." His voice was a smooth balm over her heart.
She closed her eyes and her fingers squeezed his hand. "Why cannot you help it?"
"You are looking for trouble, aren't you?" His lips smoothed over her forehead.
She chuckled. "Why can't you help it?"
His lips offered her a warm kiss on the temple. "Because more often than not, I find myself begging that you'd set my heart in a Phoenix until the end of time."
She froze and looked up to him slowly.
He gave her one of his rare smiles. "You were asking for it."
Her lips parted and her eyes welled.
"No…no…don't get all sentimental on me again. Time to get serious." –He raised his brow- "The truth is that we are bound by the law and I cannot get rid of your little know-it-all self."
She snorted. "I want to kiss you till you have no breath left."
"You cannot." He looked at the bars.
She grabbed his lapels and drew him down until their lips met warmly. When she pulled back she was smiling. "I like your sweet true lies, better than the truth."
He shook his head. "Tell me why you sounded so insecure before? That is not the usual Granger I know."
She inhaled deeply. "You are behind bars. I deserve to feel whatever I like."
His thumb stroked her earlobe. "They are treating me like a King in here. Mister Potter must have put in a good word for me. Don't worry."
"He is not the only one who is standing by your side." The dissapointment was clear in her voice.
He frowned.
"All the Aurors are…and all the Keepers." She said pointedly.
"The Keepers?" His gaze was penetrating.
She hesitated for a moment too long and his features darkened.
"Hermione?" His tone became heavy.
She averted her eyes. "I went by your office today."
"What?!" His hand grasped her waist painfully.
"Stop, wait…let me speak." She tried.
"Did you talk with Max?" His eyes filled with shadows.
She didn't speak.
He pushed her away and grasped his temples. "Have you heard nothing of what I said? You acted so imprudently…."
"I was not going to remain in the sidelines. I won't sit back and observe this injustice on you without speaking my mind. Don't ask me to be something I am not Severus." Her eyes watered, but her voice was steady.
He turned to her angrily. "You were always the most responsible, the most reasonable of the trio Hermione. What you did was not in character. It was out of it."
"I won't stand injustice." She clenched her fists.
He looked at her apprehensively.
"I never did it with strangers who suffered. I won't do it with someone that I care for deeply." She swallowed her tears.
That seemed to mellow his face-lines slightly. "What did you tell her?"
"I tried to convince her to let go of her grudge on you. I told her to allow you to fight against this darkness as a Keeper. Not as their Commander."
"And?"
"She refused." Hermione returned flatly.
"You wasted your breath and you possibly became a target. You don't know how vengeful this woman can become." He said solemnly.
"Of course I know…Look at you." She pointed at him.
He rubbed his forehead. "I begged you to stay away from her."
"You commanded me. I don't do well with orders." She smiled slyly.
He glared at her. "You are a bright woman, but there are things that you don't know. One of them is how to handle people like Grey."
"And you do?" She crossed her arms.
He walked to the bars and grabbed them tightly. "Don't jest. She is dangerous."
"I am more dangerous." Hermione raised her brow.
He scowled.
"I have already arranged a meeting with Judge Sopheous." She said calmly.
His face blanched. "Did you blackmail her?"
Hermione shrugged. "Why not? I know she has a strong hold on him. If I manage to figure out what it is maybe Judge Sopheous will turn to our side. Maybe if you act as a witness…"
"Forget it!" –He barked- "You won't go to see anyone, do you hear me?!"
"Another command." She tsked.
"I am not jesting Hermione. You stirred the pot enough. In the name of my sanity, please stop. Go home, let me handle this. Don't get yourself entangled with this mess. It won't get us anywhere good." His eyes lost their fiery quality and filled slowly with a nervousness that echoes onto her.
She approached and wrapped her hands around his. "Whatever I am doing is for the good of the city Severus. I know you are the only one who can help us."
"Allow me to do so in my own way. Don't go to Sopheous…go home. Please…." His voice broke and his eyes clouded.
"What kind of a hold does she have on him?" Hermione came at breathing distance from his face.
The pause was long and tense. "Go home I beg you. If you ….feel anything for me…please…go home…stay away from all this."
Her hands squeezed his. "I won't stay away exactly because I feel for you."
He closed his eyes and shook his head. "No….you are not listening." He was palpitating.
Her forefingers caressed the back of his hands. "Hey, open your eyes…"
"No..." His brows met. He knew that he was close to losing control on his vision, like it always happened when he lost control over his feelings.
"Severus look at me." She insisted and her hand came up to stroke the tense lines on the side of his mouth.
"Go home Hermione….help me…by keeping yourself safe. Forget this dangerous path you have undertaken. Go home…and forget Grey. Leave her to me." His voice was beseeching and that annoyed him even more.
"Not unless you look at me." Her breath caressed his cheek.
He squeezed his eyes tight. "No…"
Her supple lips enfolded his and he felt a thunder releasing inside his veins. He began shaking under her. The fear for her safety was making him lose all sense of control…of prudence. He kissed her back demandingly for a brief second before pulling back. His eyes opened on their own accord and everything lit up. The world was colorful and vibrant with her life-force…with her feelings….with her beautiful threads.
He looked at her mesmerized and then his eyes lowered to her body. He felt conquered by the strength of those threads that were enwrapping him. Long twirls of the brightest red coming out of her chest and getting buried deep into his…making him loose his breath….threads of protection, of care, of….something that was stronger than he had ever been. His chest undulated hard as his eyes rolled down her figure to try and discover all those mystical threads that seemed so dedicated to engulf him.
Then he frowned, he paused, he fixated.
All of those threads he had seen before. All apart from a few much weaker ones that were twisting around her lower stomach. He grasped her waist and pushed her back sharply.
"Hey…what's gotten into you?" She scowled.
He was frozen still looking at those peachy cobwebs barely coming out of her stomach and then retreating in again. He inhaled sharply and opened his lips to speak, but nothing could come out. He raised his eyes to her and they held in them a new kind of trepidation. A feeling she had never witnessed mirrored in him before.
"What happened?" Her features plunged.
His hand tightened around the bars and his eyes darted towards her stomach, before closing tightly. Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
"Severus, is it your vision again?" She tried to find his regard.
He swallowed heavily and felt his heart slowing down. "Did you come here alone?"
"No Ginny is waiting for me outside."
"Get her and go straight home." His voice had lost all playfulness. It was austere and down to business.
She frowned. "I don't do well with commands."
He opened his eyes and his hands twisted upon the bars. "You find your friend and go home. Now."
She felt her certainty wavering. "Did you see something?"
He didn't answer.
"Is it my Rune? Tell me…."
"Call Miss Potter here…" Severus inhaled deeply and took several steps back.
Hermione felt confused and didn't move.
"In the name of what we have been through, please call Miss Potter for me." He repeated.
Hermione wavered with indecision for a couple of seconds, but finally obliged him. When she returned Ginny looked even more confused than her.
He turned his eyes on Hermione again and they fixated on her lower belly for an uncomfortably long time. His heart lost several beats and he had to keep himself up with great difficulty. Then he turned to Ginny. "Miss Potter I turn to you because I find it impossible to have an understanding with your friend."
"What did she do now?" Ginny smiled.
"I beseech you take her home and be in her company until I manage to get out of here. This is a very serious matter." His voice dropped.
Ginny smiled uncomfortably. "Alright."
"What makes you think I will listen to her?" Hermione's lips twisted in confusion.
"If you don't respect my request …if you cannot do this sacrifice for me then I thought that maybe you could do it for a lifelong friend." He said quietly. He kept his eyes on hers with great difficulty.
"That is unfair Severus." Hermione welled.
"Please Miss Potter…do this and I shall be in you debt till death." The look he gave her was so eloquent that Ginny faltered.
"I will do it Professor don't worry." She tried to smile.
"Severus….What's gotten into you?" Hermione made to approach the bars.
"You will keep away from Grey, you will keep away from Judge Sopheous and away from this prison. You will keep your nose out of my business, you will go to my home and keep yourself safe. Forget all your scheming, forget your blackmails, forget all the plans your brilliant mind has devised. You will make this sacrifice for your friend, if not for me. Is that clear?" His tone was bruising.
A tear escaped her eye. "Why are you treating me like that?"
"I am protecting you...you fool…." He hissed.
"I don't need protection…you do!" She retorted in frustration.
"Go home now, before I blow this place up and end up in Azkaban!" He thundered.
Hermione flinched and Ginny wrapped her arms around her. "Come on, I will take you home. He is right. That is enough." She said quietly.
Hermione tried to push her away. "No I won't leave! Severus what has come over you?"
"Take your friend home and keep her under home supervision if necessary. I will provide you with any magic needed to keep her inside." He turned to Ginny.
She nodded overwhelmed. "Of course Professor."
Hermione looked at him long and hard with teary eyes. "Why…?" She muttered.
"Go!" He barked.
Ginny led her forcefully away. When Severus was alone he grasped his temples and squeezed his eyes tight. He tried to calm down his rabid breathing, his thudding heart, but there wasn't anything that could settle him down. When his boot connected with the bench violently, it flew across the room and shattered against the bars.
Even that ferocious explosion failed to calm him down though.
-.-
When Hermione inhaled the cold night air of London she couldn't stop the strong shiver that rushed through her. She looked above her shoulder and her heart complained with the need to go back to him. Shje wished to demand an explanation as to this sudden change in his attitude. She hadn't seen him so callous and austere since their student days in Hogwarts. Not knowing what came over him was tearing her apart.
Ginny steadied her when she missed the last step. "Hey…calm down."
She closed her eyes and swallowed a bout of tears. She wiped her eyes fiercely. "Why did he talk to me like that?"
"Depends on what you told him prior to me coming." Ginny tilted her head.
Hermione opened her mouth and then closed it again forcefully.
"From your expression right now I believe you told him several things he disliked." Ginny wised.
Hermione didn't speak.
"Sopheous? Grey? What was all that?" Ginny scowled.
"I don't want to talk about it." Hermione chastised.
"Apparently you pushed the man over the edge."
Hermione glared at her.
"Don't give me that look. You can do that easily. We all know how stubborn you can be."
"And he is not?" Hermione retorted.
"Are you competing on stubbornness?" Ginny smiled.
Hermione raised her brows.
"He will win…hands down." Ginny urged her on.
Hermione's shoulders deflated and she looked towards the Ministry.
"Come on. I will escort you to his home."
"But…" Hermione tried.
"No buts. I know you want to go to Sopheous or Grey or to the hospital. Or maybe go find Harry and raise a riot towards the injustice of the Wizengamot." Ginny snorted.
Hermione frowned angrily. "You sound so much like him."
"Leave the man alone. He has enough trouble already without having to worry about you." Ginny rejoined.
"You are taking his side." Hermione sounded accusing.
"He is trying to protect you."
"I don't need protection." Came the hard rebuke.
"Or so you think. You are brilliant, but not omnipotent Hermione. If he was so adamant that you return home and stay safe then I will make sure to do that for him. He must have his reasons."
"Reasons he didn't tell me." Hermione followed moodily as they came out to the main road which was completely dark and empty, except from a few lamps that shed their sickly yellow light on the wet pavement.
"He must have a reason for that too. Now wipe that frown off your face and accept that once in a while it is okay to give control to someone else. Especially someone who apparently cares a lot for you." Ginny said as she engaged Hermione's elbow.
Hermione felt her face lines softening and then turned to look at the impressive Ministerial court that was slowly becoming engulfed by thick fog. "I hate this…"
"You hate being so deeply cared for? Even if it was done with a rather coarse manner it was clear the man feels for you." Ginny seemed amused.
Hermione crossed her arms and followed Ginny in the darkness of the abandoned roads. "I want him to get out so I can berate him." She murmured.
"I am sure he won't have a problem with that…if he acertains that you kept safe in the meantime…as he requested."
"As he commanded." Hermione frowned.
"It was a command of love. Clearly." Ginny said quietly.
Hermione looked at her sharply and tried to look angry. Instead her eyes watered and she felt a sob choking her. She sniffled and pressed her lips in an effort to look composed. "When he gets out he won't hear the last of it." She muttered fiercely.
Ginny smiled and engaged her elbow. With no more words they walked in the darkness of the abandoned streets.
Neither of them noticed two shadows that escaped one of the alley's and followed them from a distance.
-.-
