Disclaimer: Not mine. See Chapter 1 for full disclaimer. Author's Notes at the end.

Warning: This fic is SS/HG and includes character death, descriptions of abuse, and adult situations.

Cloak of Courage

WendyNat

Chapter 2

~~~~~~~

"We'll fight this marriage law, darling, don't you worry… they can't do this… if we have to, we'll get your Daddy's friend involved – you remember him… the one that works with the British government…"

"Honey, just hang in there… we're getting some other parents involved… at least they've agreed not to count those time turner hours into your age…that's one small victory…"

"Well, yes, dear, we have received some threats, but don't worry about us... they're just trying to intimidate us…"

You cannot bring back the dead.

"And I told those Ministry idiots that, if nothing else, we'll take you and move to France, or… where was that other wizarding school at? It doesn't matter, everywhere needs dentists… Yes, I know, honey, you want to finish your schooling… we want you to, too… we support you…you've worked so hard, and done so well… we're so proud of you…"

"Miss Granger, I regret that I am the bearer of terrible news. Please, sit down… yes, I'm afraid it's about your parents… the Dark Mark… we believe it was a result of… I'm so very sorry, Miss Granger… so very sorry that this has happened…"

"I just heard, Hermione, I'm so sorry…"

"So sorry…"

You cannot bring back the dead.

"Since you are an adult by our laws, there is nothing more I can do… the Ministry stands in as official guardian for you in the Muggle world until you reach your majority there…standard procedure… Lucius Malfoy has taken personal interest, I'm sure you can surmise…"

"You have thirty days from the date of that betrothal proposal… if you receive others in that time you will have a choice…"

"I'll do anything to help you, 'Mione, don't worry… we won't let Malfoy get his ferret paws on you… No, I didn't talk to my parents, I don't have to, I know they'll agree…"

You cannot bring back the dead.

"Here, just sign this…It's not just because of the law, you know… I do want this… I…I think I'm in love with you… I know you don't feel the same right now, 'Mione, but maybe in time…"

You cannot bring back the dead.

"Are you sure? You don't have to… Of course I want to! I've been dreaming of it for so long now… Are you sure… I don't want to hurt you…  I don't want you to think I expect you to… Oh, Merlin, 'Mione…It feels so… Oh, Gods… Hermione… I love you…"

You cannot bring back the dead.

"No, I haven't seen him… he said he was going into Hogsmeade for something… When was he supposed to be back? It's late… of course I'll come with you, 'Mione… he's my friend, too…"

You cannot bring back the dead.

"Oh my God… Hermione, don't look! No, don't look!"

You cannot bring back the dead.

"He's… it's my fault, Harry…oh, no… they…why, why…They'll pay. He was my friend…my best friend… They'll pay. I will make them pay."

"Each step seems but a small one…"

"Your parents are dead. Your… lover… is dead."

Not my lover, my friend.

My fault.

I cannot bring back the dead.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Returning to the bedroom after speaking with Albus, Severus stood in the doorway, arms crossed, staring at the sleeping figure of the young woman. One unruly curl had drifted across her face, and he was entranced for long moments watching as it stirred with each breath. So young. So much promise. So close to following the wrong path… even now.

So much trouble for him.

She would have to be watched closely. The War was coming to a head, and they couldn't afford to let any advantage slip through their fingers.

And Hermione Granger, Head Girl and accomplished witch, was a definite advantage. Both sides sought to make use of her brilliant mind, her logic, her loyalty…

…her friendship with Harry Potter.

The young woman suddenly whimpered in her sleep, and for the first time he noticed the tension in her form. She flung her head to the side, hair sticking to the sweat that was now beading her brow. With a frown, he moved closer and placed a cautious hand on her shoulder, using the other to brush the hair from her face. To his great surprise, she quieted under his touch. Frowning slightly, he pulled back as if burned, watching her closely.

She was still asleep.

He relaxed minutely then. He doubted she would welcome his touch under these circumstances, although his inner voice saw fit at that moment to remind him of how she had settled against him earlier, clutching him desperately as she wept in his office. She hadn't seemed to find his touch unwelcome then.

But – that was an unusual circumstance.

Although - it had calmed her… and, he acknowledged silently, a young woman sleeping in her teacher's bed couldn't be seen as anything but an unusual circumstance.

Perhaps even more unusual than the scene in his office.

She began to whimper again, her legs moving slightly as if running, and he moved close to her once again, placing a hand comfortingly on her upper arm. She quieted once again. He stood unnaturally still for a moment, undecided, before sighing. The Headmaster's words rang in his head: Keep her under your eye, Severus.

He agreed with the Headmaster's unspoken assumption that she may try to leave again in the night. It would be simple for her to counteract any innocuous wards that he could erect, and the other types of wards… he would not want her to fall victim to their effects. He would simply have to watch over her, especially since she appeared to be reliving certain… disagreeable… events in her sleep. But how to keep an eye on her? He was quite sure the Headmaster wouldn't be keen on a Professor sharing a bed with a student…

…even a student to which, if all went according to plan, he would be betrothed to the next day.

As he mused over his options, the sleeping woman sighed and turned to her side, grabbing his hand in her sleep and pressing it under her cheek. Like a child with a favorite blanket. He grimaced, then. There was no way to extricate himself without waking the girl, and he had no desire to speak of things which were better left until the morning. Things which she would insist upon discussing if she were to awaken.

Indeed, he much preferred the young woman like this. Quiet. Calm.

Blissfully silent.

With an irritated breath, he kicked off his boots and pulled his wand from his pocket. Luckily, she did not have possession of his casting hand. Pointing the wand at himself, he exchanged his robes for a comfortable pair of loose-fitting trousers with a few murmured words. Then he moved back from the bed as far as he could without disrupting the sleeping woman and pointed his wand at the bedside chair. With great concentration, he muttered the incantation necessary to transfigure the chair into a cot long enough to fit his frame. Hoping fervently that his hand wouldn't fall asleep, he slid onto the cot and lay back, eyes fixed on the girl sleeping in the bed next to him as he made himself comfortable.

            *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *

The quiet murmur of voices woke her. She blinked a few times, disoriented as she looked up at green and black bedcurtains… a stark contrast to the burgundy and gold colored curtains on her own bed. The mattress also felt softer, more luxurious, and the bed itself was quite a bit larger than her bed in the Head Girl's rooms.   

Thinking back to the events of the previous night, she realized what had happened. Oh, Gods… I fell asleep on Professor Snape and he must have put me here… is this his bed? I slept in a Professor's bed? The thought would have roused more shock in the past, but now all she could summon was a dull surprise. 

She could remember almost waking, the dreams haunting her as always – just snippets of conversation, quick flashes of memories, never relenting, never allowing her rest. Then she had felt a warmth, a warmth which made the images and voices recede for a short time. The welcome relief had been a double-edged blade, however… when the warmth left her and the images returned, it had seemed worse for the comparison.

Then the warmth returned, and it seemed as if she had clutched at something… something that made the world feel right again. Warm… relaxing… and for the first time since Ron's death, she had slept.

She had forgotten what it was like to simply… sleep.

Sitting up, she was surprised to see a cot pushed up against her side of the bed. By the rumpled appearance of the bedcovers, it had been slept in recently. She frowned. Surely Professor Snape wouldn't have slept… but then, who else could it have been? She was getting more confused by the moment. Shaking her head, she crawled to the other side of the wide bed and climbed out. It was then that she realized she still wore her robes from the evening before. Even her outer cloak was still fastened around her neck – now hopelessly wrinkled. With a grimace, she unfastened it and placed the black fabric on the bed. It blended into the bedcovers – only the different sheen of the cloth gave away its presence.

Reaching a hand up to touch her hair, she grimaced again and scanned the room. There were two doors from the bedchamber. One of the doors was cracked open slightly, and she could hear the rise and fall of low voices through the opening. Assuming that door must lead to the study, she padded over to the other door and peered into the adjoining room, sighing with relief when she saw that it was indeed a bathroom.

She worked quickly to clean up her appearance - as much as she could without a long bath and shampoo - charming the wrinkles from her clothes and transfiguring some small pieces of parchment from her pockets into a toothbrush and hairbrush. Tears sprang to her eyes as she lifted the toothbrush, as she recalled the way Ron had liked to tease her about what he called her "dental hygiene obsession."

They will pay. I will make them pay.

Her hand shook.

You cannot bring back the dead.

The toothbrush dropped from her hand, falling noiselessly to the plush carpet surrounding the sink area. She stared at it a moment before bending to pick it up. 

Firmly pushing all thought from her mind, she mechanically completed her tasks and left the bathroom. Making her way across the dark room, she hesitated at the other door for a moment. She identified the low voices as belonging to Professor Snape and Professor Dumbledore. Just as she was about to open the door fully and make her presence known, she heard something that made her freeze.

"Did you tell her the plan, yet?" It was Dumbledore speaking. Pulling back from the door, she moved into a position that allowed her to view the occupants in the other room. All she could see of Dumbledore was the back of his head and part of one ear. Professor Snape, on the other hand, was completely visible as he stood in front of the other man, moving about restlessly as they spoke.

For the first time, she was seeing him without his voluminous teacher's robes, and the sight unsettled her for some reason. He was barefoot, wearing loose black trousers and an equally loose white shirt. The tails of the shirt were untucked, and he hadn't bothered to button the cuffs. Dumbledore must have shown up earlier than he expected, she guessed. With an effort, she brought her attention back to the conversation.

"No, Albus. I… there were other things to discuss, and before I was able to get to that, she had-"

"I understand," Dumbledore said. "What do you think she will do? Do you think your discussion was successful?" His voice was strained, which startled her. She had never heard the Headmaster sound… worried… before.

"I would not presume to guess, Headmaster," Snape said, running a hand through his hair. It was still rumpled from sleep, making him appear strangely approachable. "I believe so… it will be difficult for her, but she is brave. Far braver than I was."

"Your situations are completely different, Severus. You were raised to study-"

He waved the Headmaster's statement away with an elegant hand. "We have been over this line of discussion before, Albus."

"I do not blame you, child, for what happened. In your situation-"

"Yes, yes," Snape said impatiently. Hermione couldn't see the Headmaster's face, but he seemed to be saddened by the response, shaking his silver head as his shoulders slumped forward slightly. Snape stared at him silently for a moment before saying, "What do you have planned, Albus? How do we approach this?"

"I was hoping that, after your discussion last night, you would have some idea. A better idea than I have, at least." Dumbledore paused, and Hermione frowned. What were they talking about? "I thought I could gauge her responses, but I have been proven wrong, dreadfully wrong… I never would have guessed…" Hermione's frown grew. What did he expect? My parents are killed, then my fiancé of one day… my best friend… oh, Ron… am I just supposed to sit back and let Malfoy get away with it all?

"Exactly. And that's why you have someone like me on staff," Snape said coldly. "To remind you of how those who aren't walking about with halos over their heads react to devastating events." Hermione thanked him silently.

"Severus…"

Snape shook his head forcefully and interrupted, "Did you really think she would do nothing? She's determined, brave, never backs away from a challenge, frighteningly intelligent, she reminds me of…" he stopped suddenly.

"You," Dumbledore said quietly. "She reminds me very much, especially these last few weeks, of you at her age." Severus said nothing, and his words from the previous night came back to her: You are as much a fool as I was. "I'll admit that Weasley's betrothal proposal was a surprise."

"It was a foolish plan."

"They didn't know… why would they think it would result in…" Professor Dumbledore's low voice said. Snape raised his hand, the loose shirt cuff riding up his arm at the movement.

"Yes, I know, Albus… I was merely…"

"I understand, Severus. We should have come up with a plan… but everything happened so quickly. Her parents… I am an old fool," Dumbledore said, shaking his head. "I never thought Lucius would act on his own… I was sure we'd have time, with our eyes and ears in Voldemort's camp… I was sure we'd have time to act if any real threat was mentioned." So it was Lucius Malfoy… acting on his own? That must be why Professor Snape didn't know about it beforehand.

"It was a gamble on his part. Luckily for him, the Dark Lord was quite pleased with the outcome," Snape said, moving closer to the fireplace and pacing back and forth. The light from the flames glowed through his thin white shirt, silhouetting his upper body. Hermione was astonished at the lean, muscular form that was revealed. She had never really thought of any of her Professors like that before… had never thought of any Professor as a… man… before. Especially not this Professor. Belatedly, she realized that Professor Snape had resumed talking. "…hope the same will occur with our plan, or my life is forfeit."

"I don't believe we have much to worry about, Severus. We've gone over and over this since the young Weasley boy's murder. I believe Voldemort will be impressed with your ingenuity."

"And Lucius will be brought down a peg or two, if all goes well," Snape said, finally settling in an armchair opposite the Headmaster. "The higher in the circle I can maneuver, the more valuable the information I can obtain for the Order." He laughed humorlessly. "We will either be successful or I will be dead. Either way, I win."

"Severus…"

"It is of no matter, Headmaster. She may well wish to be dead herself when she hears the plan," Snape said.

"I'm sure that's not true." The Headmaster's voice sounded annoyed, and she was surprised to see a faint smile on Snape's face. He was obviously attempting to goad the other man. "Merlin's beard, man, you could try the patience of… if you could be serious for a moment, please. It's the only option we have, Severus. I know it's not the ideal solution, but…"

Professor Snape leaned his head back against the chair. "I am all too aware of that, Albus."

The Headmaster sighed and sat forward. "What do you think, Severus? Do you think she will go along with the plan?"


"I'm quite sure I'm not the expert on…" A pause, and then, "Why don't you ask her yourself, Headmaster?" Her stomach tensed as she heard Professor Snape's last words, spoken in the familiar silky voice he used when assigning detentions or taking House points from Gryffindor. She pulled back from the door, but not before she saw his black eyes turn and look directly at where she stood in the darkness. But surely he couldn't see… her heart stopped as his next words came, "She's standing right outside the door, listening to every word we say."

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A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please review and let me know what you think. I know some things are still unexplained right now, but keep reading – it will all become clear eventually. Please review! (It made me update sooner, hint hint ;) )

Michelline – Thank you, I was going for a realistic approach… or as realistic as fanfic can be, at least ;).

Winter Solstice – Thank you for reviewing, I appreciate your comments. Blushing that you could read the first chapter all day and still think it's great. That's a very big compliment, especially coming from a writer whose story is on my favorites list!

The great and masterful Yoda – Updates to both in one weekend! Sorry for killing Ron, but he had to go... his death was the final blow to her, so to speak. And I couldn't kill Harry this time… he was killed in The Loyal Servant, so it was Ron's turn.

Lyress, Joga, Claribel, Em, Lizzie, Nataly, Sweetbabe, Anarane Anwamane, Darkmoon-on-dragonwings – Thank you so much for reviewing!! I really appreciate each and every review.