Title: From A Dark Corner
Author: MelWil
Rating: PG13
Disclaimer: They don't belong to me
Summary: He was sent to retrieve her
He found her standing in the dark corner of the room, a fine chain looped around her wrist, her hair tangled and falling into her eyes. She pulled backwards as he opened the door, her hand flying to her face, in front of her eyes.
The chubby woman who'd opened the door fastened the ring of keys back onto her belt and shook her head, her face filled with fake concern. "I tried to warn you."
Severus nodded. "I understand." He stepped over the threshold, into the dim room. "Leave us, please." He didn't turn around to look at her, didn't gauge her reaction. He waited until she'd walked away, her footsteps and the jangle of her keys echoing in the hall. He moved toward the girl – the woman – in the corner. She flinched.
"It is alright, Miss Granger." Severus spoke softly. "Albus has sent me to retrieve you."
The girl (she was still Hermione Granger, he reminded himself, despite her skittishness) relaxed at the knees and sunk to the floor. Severus crossed the room, kneeling down close enough to touch her. He didn't.
She looked straight though him. Her eyes were too big for her pale, thin face, and they were rimmed with dark shadows and hidden behind her hair. She moved a shaking hand, the unchained one, toward him, wrapping it around his wrist, gripping much harder than he had expected.
"Snape." Her voice was low and croaky, as if she hadn't spoken in months. She blinked and looked away, then turned back to him, her eyes a little more focused. "Professor Snape?"
He nodded and stood up, drawing her to her feet. She was dressed in a heavy, shapeless, grey nightgown, but it was too big for her and it hung awkwardly from her shoulders. Her legs were unsteady and she wobbled against him. He pulled a small gold key from the pocket of his Muggle trousers and removed the chain from her wrist, allowing it to fall to the floor.
"Hold on," he said. He wrapped her fingers around the portkey Albus had given him, clamping them into place with him own fingers. "We'll be back at Hogwarts in a minute."