Y'know, it's funny:
I really didn't consider last chapter a cliffhanger. Probably
because I know what happens, right? In any case, sorry for leaving
you hanging.
In terms of the
confusion on everyone's parts, I admit I usually explain things
earlier, but don't worry: it all comes together in this chapter and
the next. They will be very information dense in terms of Hermione
and Severus explaining to one another (and consequently, to you) what
they know. It's all smooth sailing from there! And if it isn't,
I'll fix it according to your reviews…
Time for another long
A/N: SelenityPotter was my super-quick reviewer. You're a sweetie
and I'm sorry it took me so long to post this chapter…I'll quit
with the cliffhangers (if I realize I'm doing it!)
MooMoo-Sama: Have I
mentioned that I love your screen name? Anyways, I really didn't
notice the shirt issue because I actually own some men's shirts
from when I lived in Egypt. The other explanation is that people
will notice half-nakedness long before they notice over-clothed-ness.
(Heh, did that sound halfway valid? We all know that it just never
occurred to me that she was wearing a man's shirt…)
AveryGoodun: thanks for
the review! I'm glad you're enjoying the pacing and style!
Draccy: Iowa hasn't
made the news yet, but here's another chapter anyways! Lol, I
typed your real name first before I realized that you might not want
me revealing your name to the handful of people that read my stories.
That's how internet stalking starts… :-)
TaintedAngels: Thank
you for the lovely compliment! If you enjoy the harp, I can
recommend some great recordings…just email me. Some of them are
recordings of friends of mine in which case I can just send you the
files.Shin-Tari: As stated
above, I really didn't realize that it was a cliff-hanger. Sorry
'bout that.
SlytherinsDarkAngel07: Evil cliffie is henceforth resolved:)
Hand3, Lil, it wouldn't
be a fanfic without you guys and Draccy reviewing. (Where, oh where
is Hippiechick?)
I own nothing other than the boots I just bought to go with my new jacket.
Aimes
Extra note: Draccy's the freaking coolest fanfic fangirl EVER. She made a website for my fics! How cool is that? She rocks my socks. I'm so excited!
Hermione proceeded with a neutral expression, plucking a glass of white wine from a tray. Leoretti ambushed her first, making small talk, but music began to play again and she excused herself while he was distracted. Hermione worked her way toward Snape gracefully but with single-minded determination. She quickly drank the rest of the wine and set the glass on a side table before reaching him.
Snape was surveying the room, looking for Regina. The moment he'd found out about this soiree from a contact in London, he'd known she'd show up and try to take the necklace. He wasn't sure why she wanted it, but he was confident in her obsession with it—he'd recognized the spark in her eyes when he had watched her through her window. If he was right, the information was worth the significant amount of money he'd paid for it. Snape had not been lying when he told Dumbledore that he had feelers out. The going price for info on her from any of his contacts was twice what he normally paid them with a bonus if the information was useful. Learning that Hermione Granger was receiving the necklace had been a bit of a surprise, but he wryly admitted to himself that nothing about Hermione should surprise him at this point. So far, however, he hadn't seen either of the women. He was startled when a soft voice asked him to dance, and he was on the floor before he knew what was going on. He looked down and saw hot pink hair pinned up in a French twist.
"Miss Granger."
"Professor," she replied, looking up at him now. Even with the heels he had an inch or so on her. At five feet, eight inches, the heels took her solidly to six feet. Snape was around six-one or six-two, she realized. She'd never noticed how tall he really was; beyond the fact that he was taller than her and tended to loom, she'd never paid it any mind. His hair was back to its usual black, as were his eyes, which were currently fixed on hers.
"Funny, I was under the impression that Hogsmeade was a good several hours away," he murmured, turning her as they waltzed. He decided that it was better that she was with him: Regina might try to take the necklace before Hermione received it but that was unlikely.
"How astute. I have permission from the Headmaster to be here, I assure you. Interesting, though, that this was your weekend to chaperone if I'm not mistaken." She raised an eyebrow, following his lead gracefully as they danced.
"It was indeed, but I escaped that torture by participating in the…demonstration this morning." He caught a flash of blonde hair and stiffened.
"Gina Gray," Hermione said softly. He looked down at her with a curious expression. "She's been trying for the Eternal Harpist for years. Or so I'm told. I thought she'd be pretty pissed that I got it on the first try, but…" Hermione shrugged. "She smiled at me outside and followed me when I came in."
"I don't think that was a friendly smile," he said grimly, scanning the room once more as he guided her gently, one hand on her hip, the other holding her hand. "Regina de la Gris doesn't have friendly smiles."
"Ex-girlfriend?" she asked, curiously. He glanced down at her but didn't reply. Hermione's mind raced, calculating all the reasons he might be here. Perhaps he already knew about the Chord and shared similar concerns that Gina might have received the Harpist. She was about to reassure him that there was no problem when she saw Leoretti gesture toward her.
The song ended and they separated. "I'm off to receive my award," she murmured as she pulled away from him. Hermione walked toward Iliana Postrov and Antonin Leoretti. Snape watched her for a moment before spotting Regina once more. Regina made eye contact and winked. Snape stiffened slightly and his senses heightened as he tried to anticipate what she would do. Grab it as Hermione left? No, that was too subtle for Regina.
Iliana was handing Hermione a velvet box, and Leoretti had his arm around her. Hermione smiled and thanked them, bowing slightly. She turned and Snape saw the blitz attack coming.
"Granger! Down!" Hermione dropped to the floor instantly, but Regina was on top of her, hands around her throat. Hermione vaguely heard the spell that created a bubble of space around them and realized that Snape couldn't help her. Regina slammed Hermione's head against the floor repeatedly. Hermione gasped as her vision began to swim, and drove the heel of her palm upwards as hard as she could, catching Regina in the face. Regina faltered, falling backwards, but grabbed the box. Hermione bucked her hips, throwing Regina, who tumbled away from her. Regina's wand was out and a quickly cast spell protected her. A series of vicious kicks to Hermione's ribs and stomach and she was gone. Hermione lay on the floor curled in a fetal position, trying to focus on staying conscious. She was still hurting from the beating Snape had given her earlier, and she had a feeling that her poor throat was going to have a necklace of bruises. Someone carefully picked her up amid loud protests and she slumped against her rescuer.
"Wrap your arms around my neck. I don't want you to fall." She managed to sling one arm around his neck before slumping against him once more.
"You know," she mumbled. "That really hurt."
She felt his chest shake as he chuckled. "I imagine. I'm taking you to my apartment. I'll do what I can to heal you."
"Great, I'm screwed," she groaned. "You didn't even know a spell to get glass out of my back. How are you going to deal with my scrambled brains?"
"They're not overly muddled if you're managing to talk back to a professor," he pointed out. "Or perhaps that's the best evidence for severe damage."
He Disapparated with a crack and appeared in his living room. The apartment was large, with black leather furniture similar to that in his chambers at Hogwarts. It was sparsely furnished with lots of open spaces and a soft white carpet. The walls had colorful prints and original pieces that Hermione vaguely registered.
"What about the Muggles?"
"The Ministry will take care of it. They won't know it was us—we didn't do any magic and I Apparated from a safe area."
She grunted softly in acknowledgement.
He proceeded to his bedroom and set her down on his bed. Hermione grunted and shifted onto her side as her bruised head hit the pillow. First things first: she pulled out her cell phone and left messages on the phones of her hosts, telling them that the man who'd carried her away was an old friend and had taken her to the hospital. She clicked off the phone and let it drop on a side table with a groan. "I cannot believe that jammy little blonde cow just went postal on me."
"That jammy little blonde cow was Voldemort's lover and right hand in the first war," Snape replied as he emerged from his bathroom with several vials and a glass of water. "She disappeared during the first war after Voldemort sent her after something called the Cord of Dreams. I'd heard she'd found something but she seems obsessed with this necklace instead."
Hermione pulled herself into a sitting position and touched her throat gingerly. "Well she needs an Eternal pendant to get to the temple where it's kept. But the pendants only work for their owners….she must think she's found a way to get around that. Wait, did you say she was Voldemort's lover? And right hand? Funny how no one ever mentions that."
Snape handed her the water first and she smiled her thanks. He sat on the edge of the bed and focused his attention on her. "You know about this Cord? What is it? And why do you have to have one of those pendants? Are they only given to harp players?" He fired off questions, ignoring her snide comment.
Hermione finished the water and set down the glass. She leaned her head back carefully, taking the soft down pillow that Snape handed her and positioning it behind her aching head. "Once you get the Gold pendant, you begin to hear things. Eternal pendants are awarded for nearly every instrument, but the harpist is the most powerful…no one knows why. Well, the harpist and the piccolo, of all things. Go figure. There are usually only one or two awarded every century or so. If you're good enough, and I mean really good, not just good compared to everyone else, people start to talk about the Chord of Dreams. As to why you need an Eternal pendant…well, the Chord wouldn't really be useful to anyone but a musician, would it?"
"I don't understand," Snape replied, brow furrowed, as he handed her a headache potion. "Why would a rope be useful to a musician?"
Hermione looked at him oddly before it dawned on her. "You think the Chord is a cord." She began to laugh, but let out a groan. "Damn, my head… The word Chord as relevant to us is spelled C-H-O-R-D. It's a piece of music, not a rope. The perfect piece of music." She yawned as the potions hit her and slid down in the bed, curling onto her side.
"What do you mean?" Snape gently persisted.
"The Chord of Dreams is the perfect piece of music," she repeated. "It can evoke any emotion and every emotion. Legend has it that the Chord was a random sound created by the nothingness before the universe existed. It was so beautiful, so incredible, that the universe spontaneously birthed itself. The Chord inspired the Big Bang, more or less. The Chord, or the sheet music for the Chord, is kept in a place called the Temple of Daylight. Supposedly, the sheet music for the Chord changes with the times…so it wouldn't have to be interpreted once it was found."
Snape shifted her body, tugging off her shoes, and pulled the down comforter over her. "What happens if Regina finds it?"
Hermione's eyes were half-open and her expression was dreamy. "There are lots of theories. We have two days…she has to purify herself before she can go looking for the Chord. If she accesses the temple with a pendant that isn't hers, it might trigger a domino effect that will destroy the temple, the Chord, and half of the Asian continent. If she plays the Chord…"
"If she plays the Chord, what?" Snape pushed, placing a hand on her face gently and forcing her to look at him.
"Some people think it makes you God…others think it shows you God."
"What do you think?"
"I think it will undo Creation," she sighed, falling asleep. Snape frowned as he watched her slip into a deep sleep. He unpinned her hair and went out to the living room. Snape poured himself a glass of wine and sat on his armchair, staring out the window at the city below him. He thought about Regina and the pendant. It was a wonder to him that there were so many ways to destroy the world. Sometimes he believed that wizards and Muggles alike had devoted most of their existence to finding ways to destroy themselves and everything else. No matter; Hermione obviously knew enough to make this particular episode of saving the world easier than most. At least he would not spend days trying to figure out what the hell was happening, reading endless books that contained everything except what he was looking for at the time. He smiled sardonically when he realized that Hermione had gotten involved despite his reservations about getting her help. She was a target now. The thought made him frown. Regina would have killed Hermione if she could have. Of course, Regina had underestimated Granger, much as he had. But Hermione no longer had the advantage of being underestimated, and her Muggle combat skills and wizard dueling skills alike would be useless to her against a witch as strong as Regina. But then, with such illustrious heritage, how could Regina not be powerful?
His last thought before he drifted to sleep was that he needed Hermione's help whether he wanted it or not.
Hermione awoke with a start. The room was pitch black and she was warm and comfortable. So why had she awakened? It took her mere seconds to notice the figure leaning against the wall, staring out the window.
"Professor?" she mumbled, her voice scratchy. "Severus? What are you doing?" He turned to her, surprised.
"I came to check on you," he said softly. "Go back to sleep, Hermione."
"You should sleep too," she said with a yawn. "We've got a long day tomorrow." A thought occurred to her. "Where are you sleeping?"
"In the living room on the couch," he replied mildly as he started to leave.
"Hey, hang on a minute," she said firmly, more awake now. "I'm not kicking you out of your own bed. I'll sleep on the couch." She pulled off the covers, noting with a grimace that her dress had left imprints on her. "And do you have spare pajamas or something? This dress is bloody uncomfortable to sleep in."
She stood before him, hair wild and curly, eyes sleepy but sharpening quickly. He smiled and went to the closet, pulling out an extra pair of his pajamas. He had not changed either and did so quickly. When he exited the closet, he tossed her the soft silk clothes.
"Somehow, I doubt those bottoms are going to fit you," he noted wryly. Hermione grinned and turned her back to him, unzipping the dress and letting it fall to the floor. He looked away quickly. She pulled on the pajama top and it hung down nearly to her knees.
"Good enough," she decided. "I could probably transfigure the pajamas, but I doubt I have quite enough energy for that."
"Neither do I," he yawned as he moved toward the door. Hermione caught his wrist.
"Where do you think you're going? I told you, I'll sleep on the couch."
Snape pulled his wrist free and turned to her. "You look like hell, Miss Granger," he said flatly. "You need a proper rest." His fingers probed the back of her head and she gasped. She flinched when he gently touched her throat, and groaned when he placed his hands on her back. He pulled her into a gentle hug before leading her back to the bed. "Sleep now," he said soothingly. For a moment he wondered what it was about her that brought out in him the odd urge to protect and care for her. He scowled; disturbed.
Hermione studied him for a moment. "You're different," she said softly. "Something about Regina…?" She let it go. "Look, this bed is huge. We can share it."
"That's probably not very appropriate," he pointed out.
She snorted. "I'm not going to jump you, sir. And I highly doubt you're going to jump me. We could share this bed without touching each other easily. Stop being a stubborn mule and let's go to sleep."
He thought about it for a moment, knowing that she was most likely correct. With a resigned sigh, he climbed into the bed, pulling up the covers and settling on his back. Hermione curled onto her side once more, facing him.
"As long as you don't hog the covers, we should be fine," she said before falling asleep. A small smile graced his features before he drifted as well.
