Chapter 26
After what was one of the most exiting matches in recent memory, the families and alumni gathered in the great hall to socialize. The house celebrations would take place later on of course. Hermione was sitting with her parents, the Weasleys and McGonagall at a table. Not wanting to intrude, he cast an amplification spell to hear. He simply couldn't help himself now, he had to hear her.
"….you are going to be the death of me, Hermione. The thought of you dangling by your fingertips at that dizzying height ready to plummet to the earth. My dear, what do you like about this game?" Mrs. Granger pleaded.
Snape chuckled as Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Dizzying height? Really mum, you're being overly dramatic. There were hundreds of magical folk there, do you really think they would have let me "plummet to the earth?"
"And I lost count of the number of times you were almost hit on the head with those balls. Hermione Jane," Snape watched as Hermione frowned at hearing her full name, "you almost died from a blow to the head. Or did it hit you so hard you can't remember? Well, I do." she dabbed at her eyes with a kerchief.
"There there, Rachel. She played well. She's safe. It was a thrilling game to watch. When is the next one?" her Dad asked.
"HENRY! I have one nerve left and you're getting on it. Now…." Mrs. Granger started.
So she has her mother's temper!
Hermione's hand was covering her giggling mouth as she watched her mother fuss. She leaned over to whispered something to McGonagall. The matron said something to her parents. Minerva took Mr. Granger's gallantly offered arm, Mrs. Granger followed and the three left the hall. Mr. Granger winked at Minerva, who blushed furiously. Snape snorted. Hermione shook her head joining the Weasleys.
"Your dad is a charmer, Hermione," Mrs. Weasley said.
So that's where she gets it! thought Snape.
"I know, it drives mum bonkers sometimes."
Sunday January 15
Snape really did not mind being one of the professor escorts for the student trip to Hogsmeade. In fact, he volunteered. This time, Hermione did not walk with her friends, but lingered behind them to walk at a discrete distance beside him. Coming into Hogsmeade, they noticed aurors posted at various locations along the streets, keeping watch in case any trouble arose.
Seeing Charlie Weasley and his wife with their new baby standing outside a shop, Hermione made her way to them. What no one knew was that Hermione loved babies. She melted when she saw Charlie's baby girl.
"Can I hold her?" Hermione asked hopefully.
"Sure." They handed the baby to her. She said cute silly things to her, tapped her nose, and cooed over her strawberry blond curls. Snape was watching her from across the street while he was chatting with another wizard resident. Ginny emerged from the store to join Hermione admiring the baby. The two sat down on the bench in front of the store talking over the baby. Hermione was enchanted by the infant. It was obvious she loved babies. Snape overheard Hermione say mid-sentence "-oh, I wouldn't mind having three or four-" The moment was priceless. Charlie and his wife left promising to return in a few minutes.
"Don't worry. We'll guard her with our lives," Hermione assured.
"Yes, big brother, do you think I would let something happen to my niece?" Ginny quipped.
The next few minutes were a terrifying blur. Deatheaters apparated behind most of the aurors, killing them or stunning them. This attack was a more carefully planned one it seemed this time. Harry stuck his wand in the air, sending out flares, letting Hogwarts know something bad was happening. Snape hope they noticed soon enough. As the curses flew from all directions, Hermione cast a protection charm over her and the baby, jumped through the door behind them while Ginny covered her. Then she jumped through the door too. Inside the shop, Hermione yelled at the proprietors to leave and her and Ginny turned a table over, tabletop facing the door, to act as a shield. All Hermione and Ginny knew was to protect the baby and Ginny was waiting for some evil son of a bitch to come through the door. Hermione had no heroic intentions with a baby in her arms. Charlie and his wife apparated inside the store, scooping the baby up, crying "Thank you!" and Hermione yelled at them to leave too.
"I'll stay Anna, you and the baby go."
At that, Ginny, Charlie and Hermione rushed from the shop and dodged debris from an explosion just to the left of them. Snape saw the three rush from the shop.
Good, she's alright so far.
Harry and Ron were working together well stunning and binding deatheaters until Harry's girlfriend went down. Snape saw two sixth year Ravenclaw girls go down, then Lavender Brown fell to the ground, bravely casting from a prone position.
Strange, it seems to be the women.
Hermione was casting spells with the wand in her right hand, and also casting spells wandlessly with her left, hopping and dodging flying deatheaters and spells. Ginny and Charlie had their hands full with a deatheater, who was casting and waving a sword.
A sword? How dumb is that in a magical duel? Hermione thought.
Charlie was hit with a stupefy that surprised Ginny for a split second. It was all the deatheater needed- he took a swipe at Ginny who caught the swipe in the leg. Down she went with a cry of pain. An enraged Hermione saw this and cast 'stupefy' with both hands and the deatheater was not only stunned but threw back several feet.
The wall next to Hermione exploded and she did not see the deatheater fall on his sword, going through his abdomen then sticking out of his back. The explosion threw Hermione down to the ground violently. She was not moving. Snape was horrified, but could not get to her. He had a deatheater of his own to deal with. He saw Dumbledore and the rest of the staff finally appear down the street. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hermione push herself up, a gash above her right eye and her nose bloody. She shook her head and ran towards where Severus was battling the deatheater.
"Diffindo" the deatheater said cruelly as Severus went down, a nasty gash to from hip to knee erupting with blood. As the deatheater was casting "Crucio" to Severus, Hermione jumped in front of him, absorbing the curse.
This is gonna hurt. Bad. Hermione thought bracing for the pain that was to come. Severus cast "stupefy" at the cackling deatheater.
Evil bastard! he thought as he cast. The deatheater went down.
Severus looked up from holding the artery in his leg to see Hermione hit with the crucio curse. He was horrified upon seeing a large shard of glass impaling her shoulder from the explosion, then jerking and cursing as she went down. The pain from her broken nose, shoulder and crucio was too much and Hermione drifted into unconsciousness, shaking and whimpering.
Hermione, why? You didn't have to do this. Snape thought mournfully. He looked around the street. It seemed that only the females were down. He saw only males walking around. Dumbledore and the group from Hogwarts approached the two.
"Oh no, not again!" Harry wailed as he saw knelt by Hermione.
"It was meant for me. She jumped in front of it," Severus choked through pain and sadness. He was weak from blood loss.
"Why does this shitty stuff keep happening to her? Why?" Ron asked angrily.
"This was a carefully planned, vicious attack. I don't know how they knew about the aurors, and it's odd that the attack focused on the females, I can't figure it out," Dumbledore said sullenly, glancing at an unconscious Minerva.
"I know." Draco said solemnly, looking towards Ginny.
"I heard my father talking about it once. He said that we need to be hit where it hurts."
"It worked, because this hurts." Harry said gesturing to his female classmates being taken towards Hogwarts on floating stretchers. Some, like Hermione, were going to St. Mungo's. A healer had healed Snape's gash and he needed to go to the infirmary for blood-replenishment potion. The healers prepared Hermione, Ginny, McGonagall, and Lavender Brown for the apparition journey to St. Mungo's. Severus held Hermione's soft, small hand until it faded away.