Chapter 14: Suffering
"Let go of me! Let go!" shouted Severus Snape, fending off Poppy Pomfrey. "Professor Snape, you are in no condition to go off gallivanting at a time like this!" "Let go I said! I have to find Hermione!" "Someone's been sent to find her, now please lie down!" "No!" he shouted, scrambling out of her grasp and out of the hospital wing. She let out a noise of surprise and anger, but finally decided that perhaps it was better for him to go.
He ran all the way down to the main entrance doors and burst through them, knowing exactly where she would be, and he saw a tiny figure at the gates. Just one. Adrian wasn't there. He let out a noise of disappointment, and he knew that Voldemort's grasp over the boy would take effect within days. He was too powerful for Adrian to refuse, and Severus knew it.
Two minutes later he was at the gates, and he found Hermione sobbing on her knees, punching her fists into the ground. Severus fell to his knees beside her and pulled her tight against him; she sobbed uncontrollably into his chest, mumbling, "He took Adrian...he took him...he took him..." "We'll get him back," muttered Severus, not sure if he was convincing even himself, "we'll get him back." She shook her head and continued to cry, and silently he wished that Dumbledore was still alive.
For twenty minutes they sat at the entrance of the gates, undisturbed, until finally Diana Sinistra came to get them. She knew what had happened, but only said, "Let's get you two back to the castle. You can't sit out here unprotected." She seemed to be a voice of reality in Hermione's head, and slowly she looked up, "All right."
She stood up slowly and wiped the tears away from her face, but it remained evident that she was crying, for her face was red and puffy. She never wavered, however, but Severus continued to hold her all the way back to the castle. Finally, Hermione murmured, "What happened?" Sinistra glanced back at them, "The Dark Lord...he sent his Death Eaters into the hall and bombed it. Several of them were waiting at specific points around the school. They...they attacked several of us." "Everyone's all right?" asked Hermione in a tinny voice. Sinistra flinched, "I don't know."
After a few more minutes of walking they finally reached the entryway doors, and Sinistra pushed them open slowly. The corridor was slowly beginning to clear of smoke and flame, and Hermione saw Flitwick and Trelawney trying to rectify the damage that had been done. Everywhere were spare bits of floor and ceiling flung about the room, and a dusty white color was slowly settling on the flagged stone floor. Hermione looked up to see that chunks of the ceiling were missing, and as they passed by the great hall she saw that it was almost completely destroyed. A great battle had taken place, and with dread she knew that it was only the first of many.
Sinistra turned to face them, "I'm leaving you for now; I'm going to help clean up. But you both should be in the hospital wing, I think; of course, far be it from me to dictate such things to you two, but from the looks of it you've seen better days. Go rest; just go to your chambers and sleep. God knows we all need it." Sinistra disappeared into the great hall, and Hermione nodded slowly, feeling sickened and desperate, and she felt her knees quake as a blurry darkness took her eyes.
Collapsing slowly, Severus caught her, and she felt two arms around her and many voices speaking. She knew no more.
Hermione awoke the next day to a deepening twilight; it would be night soon. She shifted slowly and blinked her eyes, remembering yesterday's events. Adrian was lost now. She had to find him again.
She rolled over uneasily; Severus wasn't there. She pulled the blankets up over her face and pulled them round tightly; she didn't want to wake up. She wanted to sleep forever, and never ever have to wake up again. Let someone else worry about Voldemort. Let someone us lose their entire family to a sick lifeless bastard. Just don't let it be her.
She closed her eyes and tried to sleep again, but it would not take her. Finally, exasperated, she sat up slowly and rubbed the sleep from her eyes; it was then that she realized that Severus was sitting in a corner of the room, watching her in silence. "Hi," she said softly, wishing none of this had ever happened. "Hello," he said sullenly.
They were silent for a moment, then Hermione spoke, "What's happened since I've been asleep?" He shrugged vaguely, feeling lifeless, "Just cleaning up Hogwarts. School's cancelled for the rest of the year. The students are all home." She nodded slowly, fearing that this had happened, "How are you doing?" "Fine," he replied slowly, sitting back in the chair, "I took a potion to ease the aching from the Cruciatus Curse. It's almost completely gone."
She nodded, "That's good." He hesitated, then said, "Are you feeling better?" "Yes, thank you," she said stiffly, "although I wish I hadn't passed out. I feel like a weak fool." "You're not," he interjected, dark eyes wavering on her for a minute, "you're just exhausted. Nobody can begrudge you that." She looked away, "I suppose."
Severus shifted, and she noticed that there was something he wasn't telling her. "What is it?" she asked softly. He looked away for a minute, eyes resting upon the floor, then finally said, "Hermione...Minerva's dead." Hermione felt her as if her heart had broken, "What?" He looked up at her, "Right after the attack. They got her in the great hall. She's the only one. A few are in the hospital but..." Hermione held up a hand, quivering slightly; Minerva McGonagall was dead? Dead?
Her head spun dizzily, feeling as if nothing in the world was right now; Adrian was gone, and now Minerva was dead. Her parents were dead. Dumbledore was dead. Everything was crumbling spectacularly to pieces. She looked at Severus slowly, feeling unreal, "Who will take her place?"
His eyes darted away again, and after a moment he finally spoke, "I will." Hermione nodded slowly, feeling no relief for him; if anything, now he would be in even more danger than before. He was an exposed Death Eater, and now he would be Headmaster of the school that Voldemort wanted so badly. He was in a deadly, precarious position. 'And so am I,' she thought blandly, 'by association and by reputation, you're in just as much danger as he is.'
She looked at him tiredly, "I don't want to be here anymore. I want to go home." He nodded slowly, "I know. And we will go home. But not yet; I have to finish things up here before we can leave. Make sure everything is locked down; the school will have to be securer than ever this summer. We'll probably have to inspect it at least once every few days." She nodded, thinking carefully, and finally said, "Why does all this happen to us?"
He smiled grimly, "That I do not know."
"Let go of me! Let go!" shouted Severus Snape, fending off Poppy Pomfrey. "Professor Snape, you are in no condition to go off gallivanting at a time like this!" "Let go I said! I have to find Hermione!" "Someone's been sent to find her, now please lie down!" "No!" he shouted, scrambling out of her grasp and out of the hospital wing. She let out a noise of surprise and anger, but finally decided that perhaps it was better for him to go.
He ran all the way down to the main entrance doors and burst through them, knowing exactly where she would be, and he saw a tiny figure at the gates. Just one. Adrian wasn't there. He let out a noise of disappointment, and he knew that Voldemort's grasp over the boy would take effect within days. He was too powerful for Adrian to refuse, and Severus knew it.
Two minutes later he was at the gates, and he found Hermione sobbing on her knees, punching her fists into the ground. Severus fell to his knees beside her and pulled her tight against him; she sobbed uncontrollably into his chest, mumbling, "He took Adrian...he took him...he took him..." "We'll get him back," muttered Severus, not sure if he was convincing even himself, "we'll get him back." She shook her head and continued to cry, and silently he wished that Dumbledore was still alive.
For twenty minutes they sat at the entrance of the gates, undisturbed, until finally Diana Sinistra came to get them. She knew what had happened, but only said, "Let's get you two back to the castle. You can't sit out here unprotected." She seemed to be a voice of reality in Hermione's head, and slowly she looked up, "All right."
She stood up slowly and wiped the tears away from her face, but it remained evident that she was crying, for her face was red and puffy. She never wavered, however, but Severus continued to hold her all the way back to the castle. Finally, Hermione murmured, "What happened?" Sinistra glanced back at them, "The Dark Lord...he sent his Death Eaters into the hall and bombed it. Several of them were waiting at specific points around the school. They...they attacked several of us." "Everyone's all right?" asked Hermione in a tinny voice. Sinistra flinched, "I don't know."
After a few more minutes of walking they finally reached the entryway doors, and Sinistra pushed them open slowly. The corridor was slowly beginning to clear of smoke and flame, and Hermione saw Flitwick and Trelawney trying to rectify the damage that had been done. Everywhere were spare bits of floor and ceiling flung about the room, and a dusty white color was slowly settling on the flagged stone floor. Hermione looked up to see that chunks of the ceiling were missing, and as they passed by the great hall she saw that it was almost completely destroyed. A great battle had taken place, and with dread she knew that it was only the first of many.
Sinistra turned to face them, "I'm leaving you for now; I'm going to help clean up. But you both should be in the hospital wing, I think; of course, far be it from me to dictate such things to you two, but from the looks of it you've seen better days. Go rest; just go to your chambers and sleep. God knows we all need it." Sinistra disappeared into the great hall, and Hermione nodded slowly, feeling sickened and desperate, and she felt her knees quake as a blurry darkness took her eyes.
Collapsing slowly, Severus caught her, and she felt two arms around her and many voices speaking. She knew no more.
Hermione awoke the next day to a deepening twilight; it would be night soon. She shifted slowly and blinked her eyes, remembering yesterday's events. Adrian was lost now. She had to find him again.
She rolled over uneasily; Severus wasn't there. She pulled the blankets up over her face and pulled them round tightly; she didn't want to wake up. She wanted to sleep forever, and never ever have to wake up again. Let someone else worry about Voldemort. Let someone us lose their entire family to a sick lifeless bastard. Just don't let it be her.
She closed her eyes and tried to sleep again, but it would not take her. Finally, exasperated, she sat up slowly and rubbed the sleep from her eyes; it was then that she realized that Severus was sitting in a corner of the room, watching her in silence. "Hi," she said softly, wishing none of this had ever happened. "Hello," he said sullenly.
They were silent for a moment, then Hermione spoke, "What's happened since I've been asleep?" He shrugged vaguely, feeling lifeless, "Just cleaning up Hogwarts. School's cancelled for the rest of the year. The students are all home." She nodded slowly, fearing that this had happened, "How are you doing?" "Fine," he replied slowly, sitting back in the chair, "I took a potion to ease the aching from the Cruciatus Curse. It's almost completely gone."
She nodded, "That's good." He hesitated, then said, "Are you feeling better?" "Yes, thank you," she said stiffly, "although I wish I hadn't passed out. I feel like a weak fool." "You're not," he interjected, dark eyes wavering on her for a minute, "you're just exhausted. Nobody can begrudge you that." She looked away, "I suppose."
Severus shifted, and she noticed that there was something he wasn't telling her. "What is it?" she asked softly. He looked away for a minute, eyes resting upon the floor, then finally said, "Hermione...Minerva's dead." Hermione felt her as if her heart had broken, "What?" He looked up at her, "Right after the attack. They got her in the great hall. She's the only one. A few are in the hospital but..." Hermione held up a hand, quivering slightly; Minerva McGonagall was dead? Dead?
Her head spun dizzily, feeling as if nothing in the world was right now; Adrian was gone, and now Minerva was dead. Her parents were dead. Dumbledore was dead. Everything was crumbling spectacularly to pieces. She looked at Severus slowly, feeling unreal, "Who will take her place?"
His eyes darted away again, and after a moment he finally spoke, "I will." Hermione nodded slowly, feeling no relief for him; if anything, now he would be in even more danger than before. He was an exposed Death Eater, and now he would be Headmaster of the school that Voldemort wanted so badly. He was in a deadly, precarious position. 'And so am I,' she thought blandly, 'by association and by reputation, you're in just as much danger as he is.'
She looked at him tiredly, "I don't want to be here anymore. I want to go home." He nodded slowly, "I know. And we will go home. But not yet; I have to finish things up here before we can leave. Make sure everything is locked down; the school will have to be securer than ever this summer. We'll probably have to inspect it at least once every few days." She nodded, thinking carefully, and finally said, "Why does all this happen to us?"
He smiled grimly, "That I do not know."