Don't spam me please, this chapter is meant to be confusing, it will all
come together in the next chapter. This is just a set up.
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
With a soft pop Severus Snape apparated just outside Hogwarts main gates, soft but ice-cold wind was blowing snow around him causing most of his vision to be distorted. With a rush he called out to two figures in the snow, one holding the other.
"LUCIUS!" he called out as the icy wind of winter whipped around him.
A hand waved him over. In a bound Severus was at his side.
Lucius sat knee deep in the snow, cradling the head of Hermione Granger in his lap. Snape felt his heart fall in his chest as he glanced at the broken woman lying unconscious naked in the whistling wind and coffin like snow.
Snape's coal like eyes glanced over her broken form, there was blood and grit every where on the girl. Her once wild hair was now matted with filth and dried bits of what appeared to be animal feces. There was blood, dried and fresh over her face and hairline, one of her eyes were swollen shut and there was a thin trickle of blood falling down from a split lip where the monster had hit her.
With out a second thought Snape tore off his think wool coat and placed it around her, pulling her broken from Lucius's grasp and placing her whole body in his lap, trying to keep her from freezing.
"Severus what have we done?" whispered Lucius as her looked towards the snow covered castle.
" It doesn't matter now, Lucius go get Dumbledore." Replied Snape who was gently stroking Hermione's hair.
"Severus.." Lucius cried as he noticed the now bleeding dark mark on Severus's uncovered arm, he hadn't noticed it before because of the robe covering it.
Severus just looked sadly at it. " Gods what have I done."
Lucius interrupted him. " What have we done! How could we have ever thought to follow that! That monster, he was going to rape Herm."
"Lucius shut it, listen to me and listen good!" Snarled Snape. Lucius went silent and nodded.
" You were never their Lucius! Do you hear me! You were never there!" Snape ranted.
"But Severus I was there!"
"No you weren't! You never got the mark so there's no proof that you were ever there! Lucius listen to me! I can't get out of this, it's more then likely that I will be sent to Azkaban for this, you don't have to share that fate and you wont. Your going to go to Dumbledore and tell him that you found Hermione and I here" Severus grabbed Lucius by the arm and shook him. " DO YOU UNDERSTAND!"
"Yes Severus" whispered Lucius, and then leaving his friend he opened the great iron gates to Hogwarts and started off towards the snow encrusted castle.
Severus's eyes followed him and watched as the sun began to come up behind the castle. It's radiant light casting over the snowy world bellow. It was magic.
"Look Hermione the sun's coming up. It's a new day." Severus whispered.
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
For what seemed the hundredth time since she had come to this place, Hermione awoke in the infirmary. Her whole body felt like it was a flame; there was a soft tingle to every movement that she made. Her body felt lighter and lighter by the moment.
"Hermione." Came an old mans voice.
She opened her brilliant eyes and felt as though the world was crashing down into her, the world felt lighter and for some reason looked as thought it wasn't keeping its self together.
"Hermione, don't be afraid." The voice, she knew it, it was Dumbledore.
"Dumbledore what's going on.why can't I see right."
Dumbledore, who was sitting on the side of her bed, grasped her hand in his aged one.
" Hermione you must listen to me. Two days ago you were returned to us from the clutches of Voldemort.."
"But how? I, I." Hermione stuttered.
"Shh. listen, it is not important now, since then Voldemort has gone on many raids and made his presence known to all of the wizarding world, he has killed many in the last few days." Hermione gasped and tears made their way down her face.
"Hermione this morning your parents were killed.." Dumbledore whispered.
There was no emotion on her face; no tears were shed for her parents. " Then that's it."
"Yes Hermione I'm afraid that time is fading for you, there is nothing in the wizard or muggle world that can be done for you now, with out your parents you will never be born. Time as we speak is erasing you."
"Then every thing I have done, will never happen.. Voldemort will never be stopped." She whispered, every thing she had done was in vain.
" No child, time it would seem is a fickle thing. It chooses what stays in the web and what passes through. What you have done, my brave little Gryffendor will not be erased." Dumbledore smiled.
The world started spinning and the lights were blurring into one mass of color and shade.
" Dumbledore, I need to know.. How was I sav.." her voice failed her. " Tell Se.. tell Lu... I .."
In a trickle of gold and white blinks of snow like Hermione faded from the world, Dumbledore's aged hand passed through her own until he was clutching nothing but his own.
" I will see you again my dear, there is still much more that is needed in the world. He will need you. I will see you again, when the sun comes up."
With that Hermione Granger was gone, never hearing what Dumbledore had said, never knowing the future of her friends and loved ones.
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
With a soft pop Severus Snape apparated just outside Hogwarts main gates, soft but ice-cold wind was blowing snow around him causing most of his vision to be distorted. With a rush he called out to two figures in the snow, one holding the other.
"LUCIUS!" he called out as the icy wind of winter whipped around him.
A hand waved him over. In a bound Severus was at his side.
Lucius sat knee deep in the snow, cradling the head of Hermione Granger in his lap. Snape felt his heart fall in his chest as he glanced at the broken woman lying unconscious naked in the whistling wind and coffin like snow.
Snape's coal like eyes glanced over her broken form, there was blood and grit every where on the girl. Her once wild hair was now matted with filth and dried bits of what appeared to be animal feces. There was blood, dried and fresh over her face and hairline, one of her eyes were swollen shut and there was a thin trickle of blood falling down from a split lip where the monster had hit her.
With out a second thought Snape tore off his think wool coat and placed it around her, pulling her broken from Lucius's grasp and placing her whole body in his lap, trying to keep her from freezing.
"Severus what have we done?" whispered Lucius as her looked towards the snow covered castle.
" It doesn't matter now, Lucius go get Dumbledore." Replied Snape who was gently stroking Hermione's hair.
"Severus.." Lucius cried as he noticed the now bleeding dark mark on Severus's uncovered arm, he hadn't noticed it before because of the robe covering it.
Severus just looked sadly at it. " Gods what have I done."
Lucius interrupted him. " What have we done! How could we have ever thought to follow that! That monster, he was going to rape Herm."
"Lucius shut it, listen to me and listen good!" Snarled Snape. Lucius went silent and nodded.
" You were never their Lucius! Do you hear me! You were never there!" Snape ranted.
"But Severus I was there!"
"No you weren't! You never got the mark so there's no proof that you were ever there! Lucius listen to me! I can't get out of this, it's more then likely that I will be sent to Azkaban for this, you don't have to share that fate and you wont. Your going to go to Dumbledore and tell him that you found Hermione and I here" Severus grabbed Lucius by the arm and shook him. " DO YOU UNDERSTAND!"
"Yes Severus" whispered Lucius, and then leaving his friend he opened the great iron gates to Hogwarts and started off towards the snow encrusted castle.
Severus's eyes followed him and watched as the sun began to come up behind the castle. It's radiant light casting over the snowy world bellow. It was magic.
"Look Hermione the sun's coming up. It's a new day." Severus whispered.
~~~~~~~*****~~~~~~~
For what seemed the hundredth time since she had come to this place, Hermione awoke in the infirmary. Her whole body felt like it was a flame; there was a soft tingle to every movement that she made. Her body felt lighter and lighter by the moment.
"Hermione." Came an old mans voice.
She opened her brilliant eyes and felt as though the world was crashing down into her, the world felt lighter and for some reason looked as thought it wasn't keeping its self together.
"Hermione, don't be afraid." The voice, she knew it, it was Dumbledore.
"Dumbledore what's going on.why can't I see right."
Dumbledore, who was sitting on the side of her bed, grasped her hand in his aged one.
" Hermione you must listen to me. Two days ago you were returned to us from the clutches of Voldemort.."
"But how? I, I." Hermione stuttered.
"Shh. listen, it is not important now, since then Voldemort has gone on many raids and made his presence known to all of the wizarding world, he has killed many in the last few days." Hermione gasped and tears made their way down her face.
"Hermione this morning your parents were killed.." Dumbledore whispered.
There was no emotion on her face; no tears were shed for her parents. " Then that's it."
"Yes Hermione I'm afraid that time is fading for you, there is nothing in the wizard or muggle world that can be done for you now, with out your parents you will never be born. Time as we speak is erasing you."
"Then every thing I have done, will never happen.. Voldemort will never be stopped." She whispered, every thing she had done was in vain.
" No child, time it would seem is a fickle thing. It chooses what stays in the web and what passes through. What you have done, my brave little Gryffendor will not be erased." Dumbledore smiled.
The world started spinning and the lights were blurring into one mass of color and shade.
" Dumbledore, I need to know.. How was I sav.." her voice failed her. " Tell Se.. tell Lu... I .."
In a trickle of gold and white blinks of snow like Hermione faded from the world, Dumbledore's aged hand passed through her own until he was clutching nothing but his own.
" I will see you again my dear, there is still much more that is needed in the world. He will need you. I will see you again, when the sun comes up."
With that Hermione Granger was gone, never hearing what Dumbledore had said, never knowing the future of her friends and loved ones.