Disclaimer: see chapter 1.

Help!

by Katta (KET on ff.net) (katta_t2002@yahoo.co.uk)

Chapter 8

Hermione decided that a visit of Malfoy's manor was best left until after dark. She didn't want to worry her parents, so she let them go to bed and then she crept out of the house quietly and apparated to the address gleaned from Witch Weekly. She was careful to make sure that she landed well outside the grounds as she was expecting some pretty heavy wards. Wand drawn, she crept round the outer perimeter of the park that surrounded the large house. And then she discovered something strange: sure, there were wards, but it seemed that some very subtle charm had been laid over them to weaken their effect. And when she reached a place at the back of the park where there was a breach in the wall, she discovered a rending in the wards leaving them down altogether. Carefully she slipped through the hole.

She approached the house stealthily and crept along the wall. When she reached the terrace, she discovered a french window standing open a crack. Behind it there was a gap between the heavy brocade curtains, which allowed her a partial view of an opulent drawing room. At first she thought the room was empty, but then she spotted Snape crouching behind a sofa. He had his back to her and so couldn't see her, but he was obviously watching the room. Hermione felt a tightening of the muscles of her heart. He looked so lonely and she wanted more than anything to go to him, but he was clearly intent on stealth and there was no way she would blow his cover. So she also crouched down and peered round the curtains from the cover of the darkness of the night outside.

Nothing happened for a little while. Then a door opened and a young man entered with a cut glass decanter in his hand. Micky Maguire – Hermione recognised him instantly from the picture. He strode up to a sideboard, pulled out a glass, and added some ice from a silver ice bucket. Then he poured a large slug from the amber liquid in the decanter, which looked very much as if it might be a fine single malt whisky.

He was just about to take a first mouthful, when Snape stood up behind him and said in that silken voice which commanded so much respect at Hogwarts, 'Micky Maguire!'.

The young man jumped, dropped the glass and spun around.

'Who are you?'

'It doesn't matter who I am – I am someone who has come to help you,' said Snape, although Hermione felt that the menace in his voice rather belied his words.

'I don't need any help. I'm perfectly all right,' said Micky with a self-satisfied grin.

'I beg to disagree,' said Snape.

The two stared at each other for several long moments. Micky broke first and looked away. Snape knew then that he had a chance of winning this.

'Lucius Malfoy is not doing you any good, you know that in your heart, don't you.'

'You don't understand,' railed Micky. 'I've always known that I was someone special – that I had powers. But no one ever understood. They just tried to restrain me – stop me from achieving what I could. But Mr Malfoy, he understands. He knows what my powers are. he is teaching me to use them properly.'

'To burgle and create mayhem on his behalf?'

Micky looked away briefly, then rallied. 'I won't have a word said against him. He is a proper gentleman. He has treated me with a respect that no one else has ever shown!'

'So that you can do his dirty work for him?'

'Who are you to tell me what to do with my life anyway?'

'I'm your father.'

A moment of complete silence followed this statement. Micky and Snape stared at each other and then Micky snarled, but Hermione who could see his face could also see the dawning realisation that Snape had spoken the truth.

So intent were the two men on each other that they didn't notice the door which opened quietly behind them. But Hermione caught the movement out of the corner of her eye. Then everything seemed to happen in a blur. Malfoy burst into the room wand at the ready. Hermione stood up and shouted 'Stupefy' at the top of her voice. Her curse almost missed Malfoy, but a corner of it caught his wand arm, causing it to flop uselessly down to his side. Malfoy grabbed the falling wand with his other hand, pointed it at Hermione and shouted 'Avada Kedavra!'. But Snape was quicker. He also cast the killing curse and his was the one which hit its mark. Malfoy crumpled into a heap on the floor.

For a moment, the three remaining people in the room simply stared at each other. Then Snape shouted, 'Move! The aurors will be here in minutes! Hermione, take Micky and run!' Half of her wanted to stay and help him, but his voice carried such authority she simply couldn't disobey. She grabbed Micky's arm and they ran – literally at first. After a little while they reached a village and Micky hotwired a car and drove off at speed. Hermione was too befuddled even to ask him where he was going. He just drove and drove through the night. Twice they stopped to dump the stolen car and steal  another. Finally, they reached a motorway and mesmerised by the yellow lights, Hermione fell into a light and troubled slumber.

She awoke at dawn to find they were still driving along the motorway.

'Where are we going?' she asked.

'Away,' said Micky and she suddenly realised how shocked and drawn he looked. They both badly needed to calm down and she was also beginning to feel very hungry. At that moment she spotted the signs for a motorway service station.

'Pull in here and we'll have some breakfast, ' she said. Micky said nothing in reply and at first she wasn't sure whether he had heard her, but at the last moment he pulled into the slip road.

The cafeteria was almost empty in the early morning and they both piled trays high with food, all of it costing a fortune. Micky pulled out his pockets to show he had no money. Hermione was fervently grateful that her parents had insisted that she always carry a muggle credit card 'for emergencies'. If this wasn't an emergency, she didn't know what was.

They sat down at a table. Micky looked at her appraisingly.

'Who are you?' he said finally.

'A friend of Snape's,' she answered hoping this was still true.

'And who is Snape?'

She had forgotten he didn't know. 'Your father,' she said simply.

Micky shook his head a bit as if to clear it. 'If he really is my father – if he also knows about this … ehr … magic, where has he been all my life?'

'It is my belief, ' said Hermione slowly, thinking this through for the first time as she went along, 'that he didn't know of your existence until a few days ago.'

'But how is that possible?'

'I think that is a story for your mother to tell,' said Hermione.

'Tell me, do you believe in magic?'

'Oh, yes. I know all about magic. There is no doubt that you have a powerful talent and would make a very good wizard. But Snape is right, Malfoy was no good. He was an evil, evil man who was using you.'

'But what will become of me now? Will anyone else be prepared to help me? I'm not going back to Liverpool. Or to prison for that matter. I'd rather die!'

Hermione didn't know what to say. In truth she didn't know what Snape's plans were for Micky. She didn't even know whether Snape would be alive when the aurors had finished with him. She opened her mouth to try to utter some reassuring platitudes, but at that moment her cell phone rang and changed her life forever.