Stolen Child
Chapter 16
Winter's End
Halfway through dinner, Professor Snape had still not arrived at the dinner table and Hermione was thoroughly crestfallen. She had worn the best robes that had been given to her which were Slytherin green with small accents of gold, and she had taken special care in the taming of her hair.
McGonagall's friendly chatter had Hermione on the verge of screaming, and she found it difficult to be polite. What did she care if the school's storage room had been infested by doxies? And why on earth would it matter to her that a student had been caught in the restricted section of the library?
Five minutes in to the Headmistress's speech on the two hundred year old drapes the doxies had made nests in and subsequently destroyed, she heard the chair to her left being pulled out, but when she turn, her heart sank, it was only Professor Lupin.
"May I?" He motioned to the seat.
"Sure, I don't think Professor Snape is coming to dinner." It was extremely difficult to hide her disappointment, though of course she made a valiant effort which seemed to fool everyone else at the table.
"I wouldn't worry about it; it's actually quite rare for him to show up." He took the seat next to Hermione and smiled warmly.
She could barely suppress the urge to hide her face-apparently it wasn't just Professor Snape who could see right through her.
Lupin's smile broadened seeing the color rise in her cheeks. It was nice to see someone show genuine interest in his fellow Professor. Though they had been considered to be enemies while in school he had felt badly for Snape, having always been able to empathize with the plight of being ostracized; He only hoped that Snape wouldn't let his bitterness get in the way of something that might do him some good. "So, Minerva tells me that she has owled all of your old friends."
Hermione nodded and forced a smile.
"Hopefully they'll receive the letter before Christmas; it would be nice to see them over the holidays. I'm sure Molly will have hers by tonight as long as she isn't out of town, but it could be awhile before the owls find the others."
Again, she nodded, though her mind began to wander over the idea of meeting those who were once so dear to her and it only took a moment's thought before she realized that she'd rather they never came at all, and their visit seemed to loom a bit too closely overhead.
*~~~~~*~~~~~*
It took very little debate for Snape to convince himself not to eat dinner in the great hall. Though he would have secretly enjoyed seeing Hermione, it would have been torture, plain and simple, for both of them. Sitting alone in his study, a plate of untouched roasted turkey sitting in front of him, he continuously played over and over the memory of that afternoon in his mind. Why had he been such a fool? Why hadn't he tested the water before diving in? Legilimancy was not something to be ashamed of, the Ministry had never placed bans or restriction on its use, and Dumbledore himself was a skilled Legilimens; so why did Snape suddenly feel apprehensive about using such a valuable skill on Hermione?
It no longer mattered. He would discontinue their meetings and go about his business, he had spent too much of his valuable time worrying over the little brat already. Pushing back his chair he stood from his desk and went to the nearest bookshelf to search for something to lighten his mood. Fingers trailing along the spine of each book in an almost reverent fashion, he found nothing that might soothe the terrible feelings crawling along his soul.
Then his hand stopped; John William Waterhouse. Swallowing hard he reached to pull the book off of the shelf, paused, and then pulled his hand away and left the room, deciding, out of futility, to retired early.
*~~~~~*~~~~~*
Hermione hurried towards the dungeons, never dreaming she would be so thankful to once again be in such a lonely place. Dinner had been torture and towards the end she had wanted to strangle Lupin and McGonagall both with a garland of holly. The Headmistress had repeatedly mentioned how Harry and Ron were both still single and Lupin had poked Hermione in the ribs each time and grinned just like they were old friends. What she wouldn't have given to of had the guts to stand up in front of the entire school and staff and scream at them both, telling them that she didn't remember them, or Harry, or "Ron" or "Ginny", and didn't give a damn whether any of them were single, married, dead, or gay. They were just a picture in a yearbook and a few words in a foolish girl's diary. The only one she DID remember was. Hermione sighed heavily, passing by the closed door of the potion's classroom, having to clutch her robes to keep herself from opening it.
Back in her room she changed into her plain white cotton night robes and curled up in her armchair, continuing with chapter nine of 'Numerology and Gramatica" but if it had been hard to read earlier in the day, now it was an insurmountable task. Realizing that it was hopeless, she crossed the room to her bookshelf and placed the tome in its designated spot. She paused for a moment, her hand still on the book, her eyes scanning over the titles of the others surrounding it until they fell upon one that might be of some interest to her-"Moste Potente Potions". Smiling, Hermione pulled the book from its place and again curled up in her arm chair, spreading the book out upon her lap.
With each and every chapter she imagined that she was in the classroom with Professor Snape going over Potions and their ingredients from The Draft of The Living Dead to The Elixer of Life. She envisioned him grinding herbs intently with his mortar and pestle, a few pieces of fine hair escaping from his pony tail. It was like this, reading by the light of the crackling fire, that Hermione fell asleep dreaming of Snape's smile.
*~~~~~*~~~~~~*
It seemed like she had only been asleep for a few moments when Hermione jumped awake, the Potion's book slid from her lap to landed heavily on the floor; But the fire was completely dead, and the moon no longer shone brightly through her window. She could only see the details of her room vaguely and it seemed as though everything was continuously shifting, though she knew it was just a trick of her eyes. Palms sweaty, her body trembling slightly, and her heart pounding for unknown reasons, Hermione took a deep breath and stood up from her chair, reasoning that it had been a bad dream which had her so on edge.
Just as she had lifted her covers and was about to crawl between them, however, she was stopped mid action by a sound that made her suddenly go rigid and cold-- baying hounds. Holding her breath she listened hard, an action which was made more difficult by the pounding in her ears. She heard it again and found herself being driven into action. Slowly, her heart thrumming within her chest, she crossed the room to her windows, terrified of what she would see. Swallowing hard she crossed the final few feet and pressed her face against the frosty glass, trembling so hard she could barely stand. She reached to the glass and warily wiped away the fog from her breath with the sleeve of her robes. Eyes wide, she peered out across the grounds towards the forbidden forest, and had to clamp a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming.
At the edge of the forest there were cloaked figures on horseback, pure white, and gleaming silver in the moonlight. It seemed as though they moved in slow motion, galloping between the trees, cloaks of fine silk billowing behind them, their unearthly steeds with blank eyes wide and rolling, tails flagging, ears back and teeth bared. Skeletal hounds lead the entire group, eyes glowing eerie blue, ghostly white noses to the ground. They skirted the edge of the forest, until they were directly in front of her line of site, it was there that they stopped, and turned towards the castle.
With the suddenness of an electric shock, Hermione was jolted into action by the realization that the creatures could possibly see her and nearly falling over herself turned and began running towards the door, moving with, what felt to her, the speed one normally had in a nightmare. It seemed like and eternity before she reached her door, flung it open and stumbled into the pitch blackness of the hallway. Panting hard in fear, she turned left and ran down the long corridor until she came to the door to the Potion's classroom. She seized the door handle and went to pull the door open and found that it was locked. "No! Fuck!" Hermione yanked on it as hard as she could, her heart pounding in her ears, her legs going weak. With all her might she pulled on the door and when it didn't budge she began pounding. "PROFESSOR SNAPE! PROFESSOR!!!!!!" Bile began to rise in her throat, her terror nearly overwhelming her as she pounded the door even harder than before.
*~~~~~*~~~~~*
Professor Snape awoke with a start, peering up at the ceiling which he could barely see in the dim light of the dying fire. Swearing under his breath he sat up, mulling over the idea of going to his store room to retrieve some dreamless sleep potion. It was then that he heard a faint rhythmic banging as if someone was pounding on a door. Without hesitation he grabbed his wand from the end table and leapt out from beneath his covers.
Hastily he trotted out of his room, the stone floors cold beneath his bare feet, as was the air of the dungeon upon his bare upper body. As he crossed in to the Potion's classroom he heard it again, this time much more clearly, and accompanied by a woman's voice shouting for him.
"Alohamora!" He pointed his wand at the door which clicked as it was unlocked not a half a second before he flung it open, wand raised. Standing before him was Hermione Granger, pale and trembling. "Ms. Granger. To what do I owe this-" Before he could finish, she had already leapt into the room and slammed the door behind her.
"Professor, there's something. outside." She was panting hard, and shaking, bent over slightly.
"Don't be silly, Ms. Granger. These grounds are warded." Snape snapped at her, trying to feign exasperation, though his voice faltered.
"I'm NOT being silly, sir! There were horsemen in white robes and cloaks with..with hounds; they were on the edge of the forest." She swallowed hard and stumbled further in to the room, steadying herself on one of the classroom tables, unable to understand why the very thought of them frightened her so.
Snape's face drained of all remaining color and he immediately turned his wand once more to his door then locked and warded it. "Come with me." He whirled around and marched back towards his quarters, Hermione close behind. He led her strait through his room to his study, and did not hesitate before going to a book shelf across the room. Pulling a rather large leather bound book from the third shelf down and spreading it out against the edge of the shelf, he flipped through about half of the book before holding it open and turning to face her. "Like this?"
In the book there was a painting of pure white galloping horses, skeletal hounds at their sides and figures in billowing white silk upon their backs. Hermione nodded with grim finality, her stomach sinking in a sea of trepidation.
Closing the book heavily he put it back in its slot. "It's the Wild Hunt." He spoke with the same grimness that she had displayed. "Normally, they stay within a designated area where they roam freely, hunting whatever game they please, but they can be summoned and bade to do another's will, and that is the only time they ever leave their normal hunting grounds." Snape shivered with his own words, why where these terrible, frightful creatures haunting the edge of the forbidden forest? Surely they weren't hunting someone within the walls of Hogwarts.
Hermione went white and teetered a bit. "I. I don't feel very well, sir."
Automatically Snape went to reach for her, but held himself back. "Perhaps you should sit, Ms. Granger."
After a brief pause she slowly moved to his single arm chair and carefully sat down, her head in her hands. "It's them. My Lord and Lady. They either want me back, or they want me dead, they summoned them, I know it..I can feel it."
Taken aback by her statement, he simply glared down at her. If it was true, then they had a very serious problem on their hands. The Wild Hunt could not easily be stopped by anyone. Their hounds never lost the scent of their prey, and the Huntsmen and their steeds never grew weary. "Well, they haven't come galloping through the door yet, so we can assume that tonight they do not have their eyes set upon you, Ms. Granger,. Though I must say that I think that it would be wise if we went to Olivander's as soon as possible, just in case they return." He felt a pang within his chest as he spoke to her, If she was correct, and he had a sinking feeling that she was, then she was in danger, Hermione was in danger.
Hermione didn't respond. Her mind was reeling. It wasn't over, she hadn't truly escaped. Devon had died for nothing, and she would be made to be an animal once again that is, of course, if she wasn't killed.
"Ms. Granger?" He stepped a bit closing, bending down slightly.
Slowly she looked up, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "I can't go back.no matter what. I'd rather die."
"Don't say things you don't truly mean, Ms. Granger." He narrowed his eyes and stepped away from her, though his intuition told him that she was deadly serious.
"I AM being serious, Sir. Any fate is better than returning to them." She leaned forward, her face in her hands, and he knew that she was crying. It seemed like an eternity before she lifted her head, drying her eyes with her sleeves and turning towards him and suddenly looking, if it was possible, even graver than before. "Sir I need to request something from you."
"And what would that be?" He narrowed his eyes as if he was skeptical that her request would be worth him considering, but deep down he was simultaneously terrified and curious.
She took a long, deep breath before continuing. "If they capture me, I would be grateful if you would. if you could..save me from them, if at all possible." She swallowed hard, fighting back the renewed urge to cry.
"I don't think I quite understand what you're asking, Ms. Granger." Snape raised his voice, feigning anger, though dread was welling up within his chest.
"Kill me, destroy me, Avada Kadavra me into oblivion, SAVE me." The tears she had fought desperately to prevent, spilled forth from the corners of her eyes, and she lowered her head into her hands.
There was a long silence. For once Snape was at a loss for words, and he was afraid that he might have to hurry to the restroom to empty his stomach of the little bit of dinner he had been able to force down. She wanted him to take her life if the need be, could the Faey realm have been that horrible? What in Gods name had she gone through to make her ask for such a thing? Mind racing, he was finally able to force a reply. "I can't do that, Ms. Granger."
Looking up at him once more, her cheeks streaked with tears, she narrowed her eyes, and he could have sworn that there was a glint of the defiant Hermione Granger he had once known. "YES you can, Professor Snape. And I know that you can understand my wishes."
"I will NOT, Ms. Granger." Slowly his face was draining of color, he found himself feeling incredibly trapped, his mind racing, her words repeatedly running through his mind, echoing and reverberating off of the inside of his skull. He was reeling, and nearly had to steady himself against the bookcase.
Grinding her teeth, shaking uncontrollably, and tears running down her face, Hermione glared at him in a way that was so close to one of his own trademark expressions that he would have laughed if the situation had been different. "Professor, if you do not, If they take me alive, I will be tortured and raped into submission, then made to be a pet once again. I will eat at their feet; I will wear a collar, and be used for their entertainment and pleasure."
Snape felt his stomach lurch, was thankful that he didn't loose it all over the floor between them, and gritted his teeth trying to hold back his emotions. Suddenly, compulsively, he darted forward, grasped her shoulders and pulled her closer, bending slightly so he could look her directly in the eyes, and without a second thought dove head long into her thoughts.
Hermione tensed up as he grabbed her and her heart leapt from its previous bleak depths. She had thought that he was going to kiss her; instead she felt her mind begin to swim, to wallow in the memories of the Faey, and she found herself completely unable to stop it. She was chained to the wall on a short golden lead, arms tied behind her back, her face lowered to a plate of bread. Snape bent to kiss her hand and a thrill of joy, shock, and fear ran through her. Two towering, and terribly beautiful faey were perched upon grand twin thrones, cruel eyes glaring down at her naked form trembling before them. She stood on her tippy toes to kiss Snape on the cheek. A light colored, petite girl in ragged clothing crumpled to the ground, a dozen arrows protruding from her body. A different Snape from years ago smiled. The same two faey were sitting at a large dinner table with majestic décor and a feast set out upon it, she sat not far away, on her knees, her hands on the floor, like a dog on its haunches. The male fairy grinned maliciously and pointed under the table, and she scrambled underneath as quickly as she could on her hands and knees, sat at his feet and slowly lifted his robes. And then it was over. She was back in the real world, and Snape was across the room, leaning against a book shelf, bent over and breathing hard.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Granger, I needed to know if you were telling the truth." His voice was low, and trembled fiercely. It took and incredible amount of willpower to keep himself from crumpling to the floor and sobbing like a child. What had they done? Why?! If they had only searched longer for her, perhaps this never would have happened, she would be far away from Hogwarts, using her brilliant mind to do Merlin knows what kind of wonderful things; but that wonderful, brilliant Hermione barely existed anymore. What would happen if she returned? How much more would they warp her .. Ruin her? Snape ran his hand over his face, and took a deep breath, his mind made up. "If the time comes, I will assist you however I can."
It took only a second for what he had said to sink in. He had agreed to assist her, of course, but he had also entered her mind, and he had seen the memories that had run through it, he had seen her.like that. "Oh gods." She backed away, nearly tripping over her on feet. "Oh gods, no." Without another thought she turned and ran from his study, through his bedroom, and through the classroom to the door. only to find it locked. "DAMNIT!" She kicked the door out of frustration, and then winced as she stubbed her toe, bringing even more tears to her eyes.
Following not far behind, Snape stopped halfway across the classroom and watched her kick the door. "I apologize, Ms. Granger, I should have asked." He felt strange saying those words; he had never had to ask before.
There were several seconds where Hermione stayed where she was, bent over, her arms over her waist. When she finally stood, her cheeks were shining with tears in the dim light, but her head was held high, her jaw set. "You heard it from my mouth, but now you've seen it in my mind. Hermione Granger is a whore-an animal." She slammed her fist into the door, not even flinching, her sudden burst of adrenaline shielding her from pain.
As much as he struggled with it, Snape was unable to prevent the color rising in his cheeks and the lump in his throat, the terrible images of her cowering like a dog burned into his psyche. "Don't be a fool. You were forced, it was self preservation. Wanting to live doesn't make you a whore, or an animal."
"Ah yes, it makes perfect sense, live to not want to live, to be disgusted with yourself, wonderful idea."
Her words bit deeply into his half thawed heart. Once again he was seeing her fall, seeing the seeds of a horrible, bitter person being sewn. In a sudden wave of fury, Snape moved forward swiftly and grabbed Hermione's arm, glaring down at her, his fingers digging painfully into her arm.
"You stupid little girl. It's convenient to wallow in your own self pity, instead of picking up the pieces isn't it?"
"You would know, wouldn't you?!" She spat the words at him, though her resolve was visibly crumbling.
"Yes. I would, actually." He slowly loosened his grip and backed away from her, his eyes growing cold once more. "Take a good long look at me." He reached again with his hand and gently, but firmly turned her face towards his. "Unless you wish to be me, I suggest you learn to live with what you have done.and what has been done to you."
He released her and slowly she crumbled, sliding down the door to the cold stone floor, pulling her knees to her chest, sobbing uncontrollably.
Standing stock still, glaring down at her, he felt his heart ache in a way that was reminiscent of the feeling a nearly frost bitten limb produces when placed in front of a warm fire. She was so incredibly small, and delicate looking in her white night robes, like a tiny, frail animal. Slowly, cautiously, he kneeled close to her, expecting her to strike out.
Feeling and hearing him kneel down next to her, Hermione tentatively looked up, tears still flowing freely from her red eyes.
Snape reached forward and rested his hand on hers which was wet with her tears. What did it matter if he repulsed her? He couldn't simply let her fire go out like a snuffed candle, and even if she ran away screaming, or vomited, or slapped him, at least no one could ever tell him that he didn't try.
Alarmed by his action, she froze for several agonizing moments, feeling the warmth of his skin upon hers, an almost comforting look in his black eyes. Was he not disgusted by her; by what he had seen? How could he still bear to even been near her, let alone touch her? For the moment, none of those questions seemed to really matter, and with a burst of courage and emotion so intense it frightened her, Hermione sat up on her knees, and leaned forward, her arms going around his bare neck, pulling him into an embrace, every bit of her self control swiftly ebbing away until she dissolved in her own sorrow.
Shocked nearly beyond belief, Snape nearly pushed her away instinctually, but caught himself just in time, and after a momentary delay, slowly, gently, but firmly wrapped his arms around her. He was alarmed to hear her sob very softly, her warm body shaking in his arms. Without hesitation he pulled her closer, cradling her like a frightened child, and they remained tangled in each others arms on the cold stone floor of the potion's classroom for longer than either would ever really know.
*~~~~~*~~~~~~*
Merry belated Christmas everyone!! I feel awful for not putting this chapter up sooner, but it gave me no end of trouble *LMAO*..I was incredibly afraid to post it because of the huge leap it was going to cause the story to make. Anyways.Christmas on my end was extremely wonderful, my fiancé gave me a Slytherin AND a Gryffindor scarf from alivan's among other things, and I've been wearing at least one of them almost none stop *L*. I got him a PS2 and the HPSS game (don't look at me like that! *L* he asked for it!) anyways, I hope everyone's holiday's were nice and fun and stuff! This chapter had opened up a lot of gateways, so I think they should come even easier after this! ^_^ I apologize for not answering specific reviews this time around, it's 3:30 am and I is sleepy.but next time I will ^_^ until then, thank you all SO much for you reviews.they really are what keeps me going!!!! ^_^
Chapter 16
Winter's End
Halfway through dinner, Professor Snape had still not arrived at the dinner table and Hermione was thoroughly crestfallen. She had worn the best robes that had been given to her which were Slytherin green with small accents of gold, and she had taken special care in the taming of her hair.
McGonagall's friendly chatter had Hermione on the verge of screaming, and she found it difficult to be polite. What did she care if the school's storage room had been infested by doxies? And why on earth would it matter to her that a student had been caught in the restricted section of the library?
Five minutes in to the Headmistress's speech on the two hundred year old drapes the doxies had made nests in and subsequently destroyed, she heard the chair to her left being pulled out, but when she turn, her heart sank, it was only Professor Lupin.
"May I?" He motioned to the seat.
"Sure, I don't think Professor Snape is coming to dinner." It was extremely difficult to hide her disappointment, though of course she made a valiant effort which seemed to fool everyone else at the table.
"I wouldn't worry about it; it's actually quite rare for him to show up." He took the seat next to Hermione and smiled warmly.
She could barely suppress the urge to hide her face-apparently it wasn't just Professor Snape who could see right through her.
Lupin's smile broadened seeing the color rise in her cheeks. It was nice to see someone show genuine interest in his fellow Professor. Though they had been considered to be enemies while in school he had felt badly for Snape, having always been able to empathize with the plight of being ostracized; He only hoped that Snape wouldn't let his bitterness get in the way of something that might do him some good. "So, Minerva tells me that she has owled all of your old friends."
Hermione nodded and forced a smile.
"Hopefully they'll receive the letter before Christmas; it would be nice to see them over the holidays. I'm sure Molly will have hers by tonight as long as she isn't out of town, but it could be awhile before the owls find the others."
Again, she nodded, though her mind began to wander over the idea of meeting those who were once so dear to her and it only took a moment's thought before she realized that she'd rather they never came at all, and their visit seemed to loom a bit too closely overhead.
*~~~~~*~~~~~*
It took very little debate for Snape to convince himself not to eat dinner in the great hall. Though he would have secretly enjoyed seeing Hermione, it would have been torture, plain and simple, for both of them. Sitting alone in his study, a plate of untouched roasted turkey sitting in front of him, he continuously played over and over the memory of that afternoon in his mind. Why had he been such a fool? Why hadn't he tested the water before diving in? Legilimancy was not something to be ashamed of, the Ministry had never placed bans or restriction on its use, and Dumbledore himself was a skilled Legilimens; so why did Snape suddenly feel apprehensive about using such a valuable skill on Hermione?
It no longer mattered. He would discontinue their meetings and go about his business, he had spent too much of his valuable time worrying over the little brat already. Pushing back his chair he stood from his desk and went to the nearest bookshelf to search for something to lighten his mood. Fingers trailing along the spine of each book in an almost reverent fashion, he found nothing that might soothe the terrible feelings crawling along his soul.
Then his hand stopped; John William Waterhouse. Swallowing hard he reached to pull the book off of the shelf, paused, and then pulled his hand away and left the room, deciding, out of futility, to retired early.
*~~~~~*~~~~~*
Hermione hurried towards the dungeons, never dreaming she would be so thankful to once again be in such a lonely place. Dinner had been torture and towards the end she had wanted to strangle Lupin and McGonagall both with a garland of holly. The Headmistress had repeatedly mentioned how Harry and Ron were both still single and Lupin had poked Hermione in the ribs each time and grinned just like they were old friends. What she wouldn't have given to of had the guts to stand up in front of the entire school and staff and scream at them both, telling them that she didn't remember them, or Harry, or "Ron" or "Ginny", and didn't give a damn whether any of them were single, married, dead, or gay. They were just a picture in a yearbook and a few words in a foolish girl's diary. The only one she DID remember was. Hermione sighed heavily, passing by the closed door of the potion's classroom, having to clutch her robes to keep herself from opening it.
Back in her room she changed into her plain white cotton night robes and curled up in her armchair, continuing with chapter nine of 'Numerology and Gramatica" but if it had been hard to read earlier in the day, now it was an insurmountable task. Realizing that it was hopeless, she crossed the room to her bookshelf and placed the tome in its designated spot. She paused for a moment, her hand still on the book, her eyes scanning over the titles of the others surrounding it until they fell upon one that might be of some interest to her-"Moste Potente Potions". Smiling, Hermione pulled the book from its place and again curled up in her arm chair, spreading the book out upon her lap.
With each and every chapter she imagined that she was in the classroom with Professor Snape going over Potions and their ingredients from The Draft of The Living Dead to The Elixer of Life. She envisioned him grinding herbs intently with his mortar and pestle, a few pieces of fine hair escaping from his pony tail. It was like this, reading by the light of the crackling fire, that Hermione fell asleep dreaming of Snape's smile.
*~~~~~*~~~~~~*
It seemed like she had only been asleep for a few moments when Hermione jumped awake, the Potion's book slid from her lap to landed heavily on the floor; But the fire was completely dead, and the moon no longer shone brightly through her window. She could only see the details of her room vaguely and it seemed as though everything was continuously shifting, though she knew it was just a trick of her eyes. Palms sweaty, her body trembling slightly, and her heart pounding for unknown reasons, Hermione took a deep breath and stood up from her chair, reasoning that it had been a bad dream which had her so on edge.
Just as she had lifted her covers and was about to crawl between them, however, she was stopped mid action by a sound that made her suddenly go rigid and cold-- baying hounds. Holding her breath she listened hard, an action which was made more difficult by the pounding in her ears. She heard it again and found herself being driven into action. Slowly, her heart thrumming within her chest, she crossed the room to her windows, terrified of what she would see. Swallowing hard she crossed the final few feet and pressed her face against the frosty glass, trembling so hard she could barely stand. She reached to the glass and warily wiped away the fog from her breath with the sleeve of her robes. Eyes wide, she peered out across the grounds towards the forbidden forest, and had to clamp a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming.
At the edge of the forest there were cloaked figures on horseback, pure white, and gleaming silver in the moonlight. It seemed as though they moved in slow motion, galloping between the trees, cloaks of fine silk billowing behind them, their unearthly steeds with blank eyes wide and rolling, tails flagging, ears back and teeth bared. Skeletal hounds lead the entire group, eyes glowing eerie blue, ghostly white noses to the ground. They skirted the edge of the forest, until they were directly in front of her line of site, it was there that they stopped, and turned towards the castle.
With the suddenness of an electric shock, Hermione was jolted into action by the realization that the creatures could possibly see her and nearly falling over herself turned and began running towards the door, moving with, what felt to her, the speed one normally had in a nightmare. It seemed like and eternity before she reached her door, flung it open and stumbled into the pitch blackness of the hallway. Panting hard in fear, she turned left and ran down the long corridor until she came to the door to the Potion's classroom. She seized the door handle and went to pull the door open and found that it was locked. "No! Fuck!" Hermione yanked on it as hard as she could, her heart pounding in her ears, her legs going weak. With all her might she pulled on the door and when it didn't budge she began pounding. "PROFESSOR SNAPE! PROFESSOR!!!!!!" Bile began to rise in her throat, her terror nearly overwhelming her as she pounded the door even harder than before.
*~~~~~*~~~~~*
Professor Snape awoke with a start, peering up at the ceiling which he could barely see in the dim light of the dying fire. Swearing under his breath he sat up, mulling over the idea of going to his store room to retrieve some dreamless sleep potion. It was then that he heard a faint rhythmic banging as if someone was pounding on a door. Without hesitation he grabbed his wand from the end table and leapt out from beneath his covers.
Hastily he trotted out of his room, the stone floors cold beneath his bare feet, as was the air of the dungeon upon his bare upper body. As he crossed in to the Potion's classroom he heard it again, this time much more clearly, and accompanied by a woman's voice shouting for him.
"Alohamora!" He pointed his wand at the door which clicked as it was unlocked not a half a second before he flung it open, wand raised. Standing before him was Hermione Granger, pale and trembling. "Ms. Granger. To what do I owe this-" Before he could finish, she had already leapt into the room and slammed the door behind her.
"Professor, there's something. outside." She was panting hard, and shaking, bent over slightly.
"Don't be silly, Ms. Granger. These grounds are warded." Snape snapped at her, trying to feign exasperation, though his voice faltered.
"I'm NOT being silly, sir! There were horsemen in white robes and cloaks with..with hounds; they were on the edge of the forest." She swallowed hard and stumbled further in to the room, steadying herself on one of the classroom tables, unable to understand why the very thought of them frightened her so.
Snape's face drained of all remaining color and he immediately turned his wand once more to his door then locked and warded it. "Come with me." He whirled around and marched back towards his quarters, Hermione close behind. He led her strait through his room to his study, and did not hesitate before going to a book shelf across the room. Pulling a rather large leather bound book from the third shelf down and spreading it out against the edge of the shelf, he flipped through about half of the book before holding it open and turning to face her. "Like this?"
In the book there was a painting of pure white galloping horses, skeletal hounds at their sides and figures in billowing white silk upon their backs. Hermione nodded with grim finality, her stomach sinking in a sea of trepidation.
Closing the book heavily he put it back in its slot. "It's the Wild Hunt." He spoke with the same grimness that she had displayed. "Normally, they stay within a designated area where they roam freely, hunting whatever game they please, but they can be summoned and bade to do another's will, and that is the only time they ever leave their normal hunting grounds." Snape shivered with his own words, why where these terrible, frightful creatures haunting the edge of the forbidden forest? Surely they weren't hunting someone within the walls of Hogwarts.
Hermione went white and teetered a bit. "I. I don't feel very well, sir."
Automatically Snape went to reach for her, but held himself back. "Perhaps you should sit, Ms. Granger."
After a brief pause she slowly moved to his single arm chair and carefully sat down, her head in her hands. "It's them. My Lord and Lady. They either want me back, or they want me dead, they summoned them, I know it..I can feel it."
Taken aback by her statement, he simply glared down at her. If it was true, then they had a very serious problem on their hands. The Wild Hunt could not easily be stopped by anyone. Their hounds never lost the scent of their prey, and the Huntsmen and their steeds never grew weary. "Well, they haven't come galloping through the door yet, so we can assume that tonight they do not have their eyes set upon you, Ms. Granger,. Though I must say that I think that it would be wise if we went to Olivander's as soon as possible, just in case they return." He felt a pang within his chest as he spoke to her, If she was correct, and he had a sinking feeling that she was, then she was in danger, Hermione was in danger.
Hermione didn't respond. Her mind was reeling. It wasn't over, she hadn't truly escaped. Devon had died for nothing, and she would be made to be an animal once again that is, of course, if she wasn't killed.
"Ms. Granger?" He stepped a bit closing, bending down slightly.
Slowly she looked up, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "I can't go back.no matter what. I'd rather die."
"Don't say things you don't truly mean, Ms. Granger." He narrowed his eyes and stepped away from her, though his intuition told him that she was deadly serious.
"I AM being serious, Sir. Any fate is better than returning to them." She leaned forward, her face in her hands, and he knew that she was crying. It seemed like an eternity before she lifted her head, drying her eyes with her sleeves and turning towards him and suddenly looking, if it was possible, even graver than before. "Sir I need to request something from you."
"And what would that be?" He narrowed his eyes as if he was skeptical that her request would be worth him considering, but deep down he was simultaneously terrified and curious.
She took a long, deep breath before continuing. "If they capture me, I would be grateful if you would. if you could..save me from them, if at all possible." She swallowed hard, fighting back the renewed urge to cry.
"I don't think I quite understand what you're asking, Ms. Granger." Snape raised his voice, feigning anger, though dread was welling up within his chest.
"Kill me, destroy me, Avada Kadavra me into oblivion, SAVE me." The tears she had fought desperately to prevent, spilled forth from the corners of her eyes, and she lowered her head into her hands.
There was a long silence. For once Snape was at a loss for words, and he was afraid that he might have to hurry to the restroom to empty his stomach of the little bit of dinner he had been able to force down. She wanted him to take her life if the need be, could the Faey realm have been that horrible? What in Gods name had she gone through to make her ask for such a thing? Mind racing, he was finally able to force a reply. "I can't do that, Ms. Granger."
Looking up at him once more, her cheeks streaked with tears, she narrowed her eyes, and he could have sworn that there was a glint of the defiant Hermione Granger he had once known. "YES you can, Professor Snape. And I know that you can understand my wishes."
"I will NOT, Ms. Granger." Slowly his face was draining of color, he found himself feeling incredibly trapped, his mind racing, her words repeatedly running through his mind, echoing and reverberating off of the inside of his skull. He was reeling, and nearly had to steady himself against the bookcase.
Grinding her teeth, shaking uncontrollably, and tears running down her face, Hermione glared at him in a way that was so close to one of his own trademark expressions that he would have laughed if the situation had been different. "Professor, if you do not, If they take me alive, I will be tortured and raped into submission, then made to be a pet once again. I will eat at their feet; I will wear a collar, and be used for their entertainment and pleasure."
Snape felt his stomach lurch, was thankful that he didn't loose it all over the floor between them, and gritted his teeth trying to hold back his emotions. Suddenly, compulsively, he darted forward, grasped her shoulders and pulled her closer, bending slightly so he could look her directly in the eyes, and without a second thought dove head long into her thoughts.
Hermione tensed up as he grabbed her and her heart leapt from its previous bleak depths. She had thought that he was going to kiss her; instead she felt her mind begin to swim, to wallow in the memories of the Faey, and she found herself completely unable to stop it. She was chained to the wall on a short golden lead, arms tied behind her back, her face lowered to a plate of bread. Snape bent to kiss her hand and a thrill of joy, shock, and fear ran through her. Two towering, and terribly beautiful faey were perched upon grand twin thrones, cruel eyes glaring down at her naked form trembling before them. She stood on her tippy toes to kiss Snape on the cheek. A light colored, petite girl in ragged clothing crumpled to the ground, a dozen arrows protruding from her body. A different Snape from years ago smiled. The same two faey were sitting at a large dinner table with majestic décor and a feast set out upon it, she sat not far away, on her knees, her hands on the floor, like a dog on its haunches. The male fairy grinned maliciously and pointed under the table, and she scrambled underneath as quickly as she could on her hands and knees, sat at his feet and slowly lifted his robes. And then it was over. She was back in the real world, and Snape was across the room, leaning against a book shelf, bent over and breathing hard.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Granger, I needed to know if you were telling the truth." His voice was low, and trembled fiercely. It took and incredible amount of willpower to keep himself from crumpling to the floor and sobbing like a child. What had they done? Why?! If they had only searched longer for her, perhaps this never would have happened, she would be far away from Hogwarts, using her brilliant mind to do Merlin knows what kind of wonderful things; but that wonderful, brilliant Hermione barely existed anymore. What would happen if she returned? How much more would they warp her .. Ruin her? Snape ran his hand over his face, and took a deep breath, his mind made up. "If the time comes, I will assist you however I can."
It took only a second for what he had said to sink in. He had agreed to assist her, of course, but he had also entered her mind, and he had seen the memories that had run through it, he had seen her.like that. "Oh gods." She backed away, nearly tripping over her on feet. "Oh gods, no." Without another thought she turned and ran from his study, through his bedroom, and through the classroom to the door. only to find it locked. "DAMNIT!" She kicked the door out of frustration, and then winced as she stubbed her toe, bringing even more tears to her eyes.
Following not far behind, Snape stopped halfway across the classroom and watched her kick the door. "I apologize, Ms. Granger, I should have asked." He felt strange saying those words; he had never had to ask before.
There were several seconds where Hermione stayed where she was, bent over, her arms over her waist. When she finally stood, her cheeks were shining with tears in the dim light, but her head was held high, her jaw set. "You heard it from my mouth, but now you've seen it in my mind. Hermione Granger is a whore-an animal." She slammed her fist into the door, not even flinching, her sudden burst of adrenaline shielding her from pain.
As much as he struggled with it, Snape was unable to prevent the color rising in his cheeks and the lump in his throat, the terrible images of her cowering like a dog burned into his psyche. "Don't be a fool. You were forced, it was self preservation. Wanting to live doesn't make you a whore, or an animal."
"Ah yes, it makes perfect sense, live to not want to live, to be disgusted with yourself, wonderful idea."
Her words bit deeply into his half thawed heart. Once again he was seeing her fall, seeing the seeds of a horrible, bitter person being sewn. In a sudden wave of fury, Snape moved forward swiftly and grabbed Hermione's arm, glaring down at her, his fingers digging painfully into her arm.
"You stupid little girl. It's convenient to wallow in your own self pity, instead of picking up the pieces isn't it?"
"You would know, wouldn't you?!" She spat the words at him, though her resolve was visibly crumbling.
"Yes. I would, actually." He slowly loosened his grip and backed away from her, his eyes growing cold once more. "Take a good long look at me." He reached again with his hand and gently, but firmly turned her face towards his. "Unless you wish to be me, I suggest you learn to live with what you have done.and what has been done to you."
He released her and slowly she crumbled, sliding down the door to the cold stone floor, pulling her knees to her chest, sobbing uncontrollably.
Standing stock still, glaring down at her, he felt his heart ache in a way that was reminiscent of the feeling a nearly frost bitten limb produces when placed in front of a warm fire. She was so incredibly small, and delicate looking in her white night robes, like a tiny, frail animal. Slowly, cautiously, he kneeled close to her, expecting her to strike out.
Feeling and hearing him kneel down next to her, Hermione tentatively looked up, tears still flowing freely from her red eyes.
Snape reached forward and rested his hand on hers which was wet with her tears. What did it matter if he repulsed her? He couldn't simply let her fire go out like a snuffed candle, and even if she ran away screaming, or vomited, or slapped him, at least no one could ever tell him that he didn't try.
Alarmed by his action, she froze for several agonizing moments, feeling the warmth of his skin upon hers, an almost comforting look in his black eyes. Was he not disgusted by her; by what he had seen? How could he still bear to even been near her, let alone touch her? For the moment, none of those questions seemed to really matter, and with a burst of courage and emotion so intense it frightened her, Hermione sat up on her knees, and leaned forward, her arms going around his bare neck, pulling him into an embrace, every bit of her self control swiftly ebbing away until she dissolved in her own sorrow.
Shocked nearly beyond belief, Snape nearly pushed her away instinctually, but caught himself just in time, and after a momentary delay, slowly, gently, but firmly wrapped his arms around her. He was alarmed to hear her sob very softly, her warm body shaking in his arms. Without hesitation he pulled her closer, cradling her like a frightened child, and they remained tangled in each others arms on the cold stone floor of the potion's classroom for longer than either would ever really know.
*~~~~~*~~~~~~*
Merry belated Christmas everyone!! I feel awful for not putting this chapter up sooner, but it gave me no end of trouble *LMAO*..I was incredibly afraid to post it because of the huge leap it was going to cause the story to make. Anyways.Christmas on my end was extremely wonderful, my fiancé gave me a Slytherin AND a Gryffindor scarf from alivan's among other things, and I've been wearing at least one of them almost none stop *L*. I got him a PS2 and the HPSS game (don't look at me like that! *L* he asked for it!) anyways, I hope everyone's holiday's were nice and fun and stuff! This chapter had opened up a lot of gateways, so I think they should come even easier after this! ^_^ I apologize for not answering specific reviews this time around, it's 3:30 am and I is sleepy.but next time I will ^_^ until then, thank you all SO much for you reviews.they really are what keeps me going!!!! ^_^