A/N Just a couple more chapters to go... I hope you aren't
disappointed....
Chapter 5. Resolution
Hermione stared at the amulet on the floor trying to gulp back her irate gasps, trying to calm her heart. She couldn't believe she had thrown it at him, and didn't want to meet those deadened eyes.
"I'm s-sorry..." she said meekly, and chanced a glance at him. He wasn't even looking at her. His attention was focused on the amulet.
"You... have... NO... idea..." he started. He stared at the floor in front of him, looking, momentarily, like a dejected puppy. He lifted his eyes to her face, and if he hadn't been so pale already, she would have thought he had whitened in shock and anger. She pulled herself up, and stood with her chin up. She decided he was NOT going to get the better of her. He was not going to keep using her as his punching bag. She had given fifteen years of her life to try to find the countercurse to end his torment, and if he couldn't respect her for it... well, to Hell with him anyhow. Perhaps she WOULD look for a spell to summon a Demon. After all, she had broken wizarding laws to get the amulet to work, so what's one more?
She brushed past him and picked up the amulet. She turned towards him again, and this time, she noticed his eyes were shut. She frowned. He actually looked like he was trying to hold back yet another retort. As it was, she was mildly surprised that she had rendered him virtually speechless. Usually, she would have by now received a scathing lecture on something to do with immaturity or illogical females. She was setting up her own rebuttals to anything he might say, when she realized... it wasn't coming.
Snape remained still, trying to come up with something vitriolic to reply to her remark, but all that kept running through his head was *She hit me with the amulet. It actually touched me. Perhaps this time she actually has done it. But how...? Surely, she didn't..."
Snape turned to give Hermione a stern glare. "Miss Granger, please tell me, how did you get that amulet to touch me?"
This was not something Hermione was prepared to answer. She knew the magics that were used to create the amulet were not allowed by wizarding law. In fact, they touched on the Dark Arts, and although they weren't necessarily from the school of Necromancy, they were ambiguous enough to be banned altogether, just for the same reasons she needed to use them.
"I would rather not tell you, but you have to admit that considering what we have been trying to achieve all these years, this is really the only way. The amulet needs to be around your neck, and you need to be in the middle of the diagram."
With this comment, she began to move benches around, pushing them out of the way so she can create her Portal on the floor.
"Miss Granger... Hermione...," Snape moved up near her as she began to draw. "The Ministry of Illegal Magic Use will surely.." He stopped. He couldn't believe that he actually wanted to talk her out of this. He had waited so long for his release, and yet, his concern for her seemed to exceed his own personal desires. When did this happen? He knew that if (when) the Ministry caught wind that she had performed this spell she would be given a one-way ticket to Azkaban.
Hermione continued to work quickly and quietly. She would peer up at Snape every now and then, hoping that he wouldn't do anything to jeapordize her spell. She needed to do it tonight, before she lost her nerve. The next dark of the moon could find her totally unable to perform it from a paralyzation of fear. So now was the time. She could finally finish this chapter of her life and move on. It would be hard to see the last of him, but she knew that she owed him this much.
It took a while to get all the symbols and sigils right. Everything had to be just so, or else the spell would fail... and possibly drastically so. She was playing with magics that were far stronger than the average witch or wizard would dare to use. She was no longer the wide-eyed invulnerable adolescent that wanted to create a ward for the Killing Curse.
She remembered back to the first time she had ever actually heard someone use the Curse. She had found herself trapped in the Potions Lab with many of the other Gryffindor and Slytherin students that usually attended her class. Harry was nowhere to be found, but Voldemort hadn't known that. Hermione was told later by Harry that for some reason he found he had the sudden urge to go to the loo just before the attack occurred. Why he would chance Snape's anger for missing classtime they would never know.. but it was lucky he did.
The students knew something was up when they heard screams and the pounding of feet heading down the corridor outside the class. Most of the students had already had their wands out when Voldemort came bursting through the door flanked by a pair of Death Eaters. His reptilian eyes scanned the faces of the students and Snape drew himself up in surprise. He hadn't anticipated this attack. He hadn't known it was coming, and he had thought he had been privy to the innermost secrets of the Council. He surreptitiously pulled up his sleeve to check to see if the Dark Mark was even there, in case, somehow, somewhere, it had suddenly vanished. No, it was there. His eyes darted to the silver-masked figures and saw them searching the room.
"He isn't here if you are looking for Potter," he started. Every Gryffindor's head whipped around to glare at Snape.
"You wouldn't dare... " Hermione hissed at him, shocked and upset that Snape would give Harry over to the Nemesis of the wizarding world. She had grown to respect him, but she felt it begin to diminish in despair.
"Miss Granger, bear with me," he muttered, just low enough for her to hear. "He is up in his Tower with the flu," he sneered loudly.
"Stow it, Snape. We know he's not there, but it's a good try," said one of the Death Eaters. Draco sucked in his breath. He recognized the voice of his father, and backed up against one of the walls, eyes wide in fear. He knew of his father's connection with Voldemort's group, but he had not known of the extent of what he could do.
The other figure was holding back several of the other students threateningly with his wand, while Voldemort strode forward to confront Snape personally.
"Well, well, the spy is still trying to be a double agent," he rasped. " You realize now, I hope, that you have been found out. You did deceive me, but I'm going to let you go. I could use some entertainment, and using you for some... experiments ... would be most amusing. However, I can't expect my forces to spend their time guarding you when they have work to do here today."
With that, he levelled his wand towards Snape, and with a smirk, snarled, "Avada Kedavra." A green light shot out the end and enveloped Snape.
"NO!" Hermione screamed, leaping forward, and began chanting, using the charm she had come up with for her thesis. She had never had opportunity to use it before. Not too many people were willing to let themselves be killed so she could test her theories.
A golden light emanated from her wand and diffused itself within the green beam. She concentrated all her respect that she had for her teacher into the light, willing his soul to remain attached to the Earth, willing for him to cast off the Curse of Death.
She felt an arm try to clasp her from behind and struggled against it while she stubbornly refused to break her concentration. She barely registered when it vanished from around her, although she did hear a rather loud thump and an muffled oath.
Snape in the meantime was torn between agony and Hell. He screamed till he grew hoarse, and his muscles spasmed till he blacked out.
He came to, and noticed the silence, except for the occasional sob from one or more of the students. He was sure that having seen the Killing Curse performed in front of them had to have been rather distressing.
*Hold on a moment* he thought to himself. *I shouldn't even be alive...* He looked up from the floor and stared straight into Hermione's shocked eyes. He shook his head and found that it didn't hurt. Remarkable, he didn't hurt anywhere.
He pulled himself up into a sitting position and noted that the deadly trio had left.
"They left thinking that they had taken care of you. Well, two of them did at least," Hermione whispered in strangled voice. "The other is there, underneath Ron."
Snape peered over at Ron, and sure enough, he was sitting on top of a figure wrapped tightly in his own robes, with the hood twisted over his face. Ron was twirling the wand in his fingers but stopped when he noticed Snape looking. He stared back, and his skin blanched making his freckles stand out.
"Cor blimey, 'Mione. What did you do?"
Snape frowned at him, and as he stood up, he noticed, all around him, eyes widening and jaws dropping in alarm and fright, as all the students stared dumbfounded ... at him.
~~~~~~~~
A/N Ok... sorry it took me so long to get this chapter written... but as you can see, it was a rather hard one to write. I'm still not entirely happy with it, so if there are any pointers any of you can give me, please feel free to do so.
Chapter 5. Resolution
Hermione stared at the amulet on the floor trying to gulp back her irate gasps, trying to calm her heart. She couldn't believe she had thrown it at him, and didn't want to meet those deadened eyes.
"I'm s-sorry..." she said meekly, and chanced a glance at him. He wasn't even looking at her. His attention was focused on the amulet.
"You... have... NO... idea..." he started. He stared at the floor in front of him, looking, momentarily, like a dejected puppy. He lifted his eyes to her face, and if he hadn't been so pale already, she would have thought he had whitened in shock and anger. She pulled herself up, and stood with her chin up. She decided he was NOT going to get the better of her. He was not going to keep using her as his punching bag. She had given fifteen years of her life to try to find the countercurse to end his torment, and if he couldn't respect her for it... well, to Hell with him anyhow. Perhaps she WOULD look for a spell to summon a Demon. After all, she had broken wizarding laws to get the amulet to work, so what's one more?
She brushed past him and picked up the amulet. She turned towards him again, and this time, she noticed his eyes were shut. She frowned. He actually looked like he was trying to hold back yet another retort. As it was, she was mildly surprised that she had rendered him virtually speechless. Usually, she would have by now received a scathing lecture on something to do with immaturity or illogical females. She was setting up her own rebuttals to anything he might say, when she realized... it wasn't coming.
Snape remained still, trying to come up with something vitriolic to reply to her remark, but all that kept running through his head was *She hit me with the amulet. It actually touched me. Perhaps this time she actually has done it. But how...? Surely, she didn't..."
Snape turned to give Hermione a stern glare. "Miss Granger, please tell me, how did you get that amulet to touch me?"
This was not something Hermione was prepared to answer. She knew the magics that were used to create the amulet were not allowed by wizarding law. In fact, they touched on the Dark Arts, and although they weren't necessarily from the school of Necromancy, they were ambiguous enough to be banned altogether, just for the same reasons she needed to use them.
"I would rather not tell you, but you have to admit that considering what we have been trying to achieve all these years, this is really the only way. The amulet needs to be around your neck, and you need to be in the middle of the diagram."
With this comment, she began to move benches around, pushing them out of the way so she can create her Portal on the floor.
"Miss Granger... Hermione...," Snape moved up near her as she began to draw. "The Ministry of Illegal Magic Use will surely.." He stopped. He couldn't believe that he actually wanted to talk her out of this. He had waited so long for his release, and yet, his concern for her seemed to exceed his own personal desires. When did this happen? He knew that if (when) the Ministry caught wind that she had performed this spell she would be given a one-way ticket to Azkaban.
Hermione continued to work quickly and quietly. She would peer up at Snape every now and then, hoping that he wouldn't do anything to jeapordize her spell. She needed to do it tonight, before she lost her nerve. The next dark of the moon could find her totally unable to perform it from a paralyzation of fear. So now was the time. She could finally finish this chapter of her life and move on. It would be hard to see the last of him, but she knew that she owed him this much.
It took a while to get all the symbols and sigils right. Everything had to be just so, or else the spell would fail... and possibly drastically so. She was playing with magics that were far stronger than the average witch or wizard would dare to use. She was no longer the wide-eyed invulnerable adolescent that wanted to create a ward for the Killing Curse.
She remembered back to the first time she had ever actually heard someone use the Curse. She had found herself trapped in the Potions Lab with many of the other Gryffindor and Slytherin students that usually attended her class. Harry was nowhere to be found, but Voldemort hadn't known that. Hermione was told later by Harry that for some reason he found he had the sudden urge to go to the loo just before the attack occurred. Why he would chance Snape's anger for missing classtime they would never know.. but it was lucky he did.
The students knew something was up when they heard screams and the pounding of feet heading down the corridor outside the class. Most of the students had already had their wands out when Voldemort came bursting through the door flanked by a pair of Death Eaters. His reptilian eyes scanned the faces of the students and Snape drew himself up in surprise. He hadn't anticipated this attack. He hadn't known it was coming, and he had thought he had been privy to the innermost secrets of the Council. He surreptitiously pulled up his sleeve to check to see if the Dark Mark was even there, in case, somehow, somewhere, it had suddenly vanished. No, it was there. His eyes darted to the silver-masked figures and saw them searching the room.
"He isn't here if you are looking for Potter," he started. Every Gryffindor's head whipped around to glare at Snape.
"You wouldn't dare... " Hermione hissed at him, shocked and upset that Snape would give Harry over to the Nemesis of the wizarding world. She had grown to respect him, but she felt it begin to diminish in despair.
"Miss Granger, bear with me," he muttered, just low enough for her to hear. "He is up in his Tower with the flu," he sneered loudly.
"Stow it, Snape. We know he's not there, but it's a good try," said one of the Death Eaters. Draco sucked in his breath. He recognized the voice of his father, and backed up against one of the walls, eyes wide in fear. He knew of his father's connection with Voldemort's group, but he had not known of the extent of what he could do.
The other figure was holding back several of the other students threateningly with his wand, while Voldemort strode forward to confront Snape personally.
"Well, well, the spy is still trying to be a double agent," he rasped. " You realize now, I hope, that you have been found out. You did deceive me, but I'm going to let you go. I could use some entertainment, and using you for some... experiments ... would be most amusing. However, I can't expect my forces to spend their time guarding you when they have work to do here today."
With that, he levelled his wand towards Snape, and with a smirk, snarled, "Avada Kedavra." A green light shot out the end and enveloped Snape.
"NO!" Hermione screamed, leaping forward, and began chanting, using the charm she had come up with for her thesis. She had never had opportunity to use it before. Not too many people were willing to let themselves be killed so she could test her theories.
A golden light emanated from her wand and diffused itself within the green beam. She concentrated all her respect that she had for her teacher into the light, willing his soul to remain attached to the Earth, willing for him to cast off the Curse of Death.
She felt an arm try to clasp her from behind and struggled against it while she stubbornly refused to break her concentration. She barely registered when it vanished from around her, although she did hear a rather loud thump and an muffled oath.
Snape in the meantime was torn between agony and Hell. He screamed till he grew hoarse, and his muscles spasmed till he blacked out.
He came to, and noticed the silence, except for the occasional sob from one or more of the students. He was sure that having seen the Killing Curse performed in front of them had to have been rather distressing.
*Hold on a moment* he thought to himself. *I shouldn't even be alive...* He looked up from the floor and stared straight into Hermione's shocked eyes. He shook his head and found that it didn't hurt. Remarkable, he didn't hurt anywhere.
He pulled himself up into a sitting position and noted that the deadly trio had left.
"They left thinking that they had taken care of you. Well, two of them did at least," Hermione whispered in strangled voice. "The other is there, underneath Ron."
Snape peered over at Ron, and sure enough, he was sitting on top of a figure wrapped tightly in his own robes, with the hood twisted over his face. Ron was twirling the wand in his fingers but stopped when he noticed Snape looking. He stared back, and his skin blanched making his freckles stand out.
"Cor blimey, 'Mione. What did you do?"
Snape frowned at him, and as he stood up, he noticed, all around him, eyes widening and jaws dropping in alarm and fright, as all the students stared dumbfounded ... at him.
~~~~~~~~
A/N Ok... sorry it took me so long to get this chapter written... but as you can see, it was a rather hard one to write. I'm still not entirely happy with it, so if there are any pointers any of you can give me, please feel free to do so.
