Note to Self: Don't Die
A flash of brilliant green light lit the darkened room briefly illuminating the faces of its occupants before they were plunged again into darkness. Hermione drew a deep a deep steadying breath, you can do this she told herself with more blind hope than confidence. There were four of them and only one of her. Not to mention the fact that the bindings they had about Severus were sure to have several complex charms she would have to dissemble before they could leave the fortress. Barely daring to breathe she pushed the door open far enough to slip inside.
She dropped to the floor in a tight tuck and roll that carried her quickly to the center of the round stone chamber, for the first time in her life feeling gratitude for the gymnastics lessons Mrs. Granger had felt were a necessary part of her childhood despite being told that he daughter was less flexible than the balance beam she kept falling off. She rolled to a crouch and fired off successive stunning curses smiling in silent satisfaction when two of the soaring red lights hit their marks dropping half the guard in one assault.
"Avada-"
She dropped heavily on the unforgiving stone floor and propelled her body sideways barely escaping the eager green bolt. She scrambled to her feet and backed up until her back was against the cool stone walls. Think Granger! She commanded herself angrily.
Her attacked sent yet another curse in her direction and she spun quickly away.
She sent another stunning curse across the chamber, nearly cursing in vexation when it flashed harmlessly against the wall. "Solaris!" she shouted suddenly pointing her wand at the ceiling and squeezing her eyes tightly closed.
The cell lit suddenly with a great burst of light from the flames she had conjured at the middle of its ceiling. The two remaining death eaters stood stunned for a few moments blinking rapidly to adjust to the new, and rather painful, light. She moved quickly in the few seconds' advantage she had. A quick stunning spell dropped the nearest guard and now it was a fair duel at least.
Her opponent stood several meters from her, Severus' body held up as a human shield between them. "Drop your wand girly, or the spy dies." He growled.
She gave him her most maddening smirk.
He shouldn't have been surprised at her brazen behavior after the way she had blazed into their inner chamber wand blazing, but he was. Either she was insane or a Gryffindor – he couldn't decide which was more dangerous. Probably a Gryffindor he thought wryly.
"The mistake you're making McNair," she said coolly, "is that you think I care about the spy."
He eyed her suspiciously. If she didn't care about the spy why would she be here? And how did she know who he was? He certainly didn't know her.
"What you've failed to consider is the fact that I may very well like him dead as much as you." She twirled her wand between two fingers and walked slowly towards him. "Once a spy, always a spy. No use to either side once the battle is finished. And we both know it can't go on much longer." She adopted a conversational tone but continued to advance on him like a lion on its prey. "Truth be told McNair, I've no interest in having to drag his sorry arse all the way back to Scotland and I'm certainly not going to let him have his wand back until we're at Hogwarts. Dumbledore's not the man he used to be – too many Sherbet Lemons if you ask me – and I think where our dear friend Severus is concerned," She was close enough now to push the stray hairs off Severus' face with her wand tip, "He's been entirely too forgiving. I can't think of a man I'd more like to see dead. Can you?"
She looked up at him from beneath lowered lashes and against his better judgment he found himself nodding in agreement.
"Good," she smiled coyly. "Now," suddenly the fierce lioness was back in her cold brown eyes and the painful pressure of a wand at his throat. "fact it, we may be on opposite sides of this crazy war but right now we have a very tempting common interest."
McNair swallowed nervously. He didn't like the look in her eyes and there was something distinctly dangerous in the calm conversational tone of her voice.
"What do you say to a deal?" She asked, pressing the wand a little harder into his chin to remind him of its presence.
He nodded mutely. It couldn't hurt to hear her out. Or at least he hoped not.
"You will tell your boss that Sevvie here got caught in the cross fire and obliterated and I will tell mine the same. You will give his body to me so I might have the pleasure of dispensing him to make up for the disappointment of not getting to dispose of you as well. Or, if you would prefer I can kill you first and just take him." She flashed him a charming smile.
"How do I know you'll do it?" McNair asked suspiciously. If he told the Dark Lord that Snape died in the cross fire but there wasn't a body to be found he could probably get away with blaming his underlings and escape with a mild bought of crucio, but if Snape were to suddenly mysteriously appear somewhere alive it would be his neck.
"Wake him up," She said gesturing to Severus' unconscious form with her head. "I'm sure you'll be able to see he isn't happy to be seen by me. In fact he would probably rather no one at all had come." She pulled her wand form his throat but kept it trained on his head from a slight distance.
McNair checked the shackles at his prisoner's wrists and then released the stasis spell they had him under.
The tall dark haired man raised his head slowly to face his captor with a contemptuous glare. "McNair," Severus said coldly, "should have known it was you. You always were the most pathetic of his underlings. Trying to win favor with the big boss by turning over artificial spies?" He shook his head sadly, "Tisk tisk McNair, you know the Dark Lord has no patience for these types of games. Or," He raised one expressive brow meaningfully, "the people who play them."
McNair narrowed his eyes dangerously. "Listen you..."
"As much as I hate to break up the love fest," Hermione purred into Severus' left ear, "I believe the professor and I have some unfinished business."
Severus' face lost all color, his eyes widening in what looked unmistakably like panic. "Granger?" he asked, fixing saucer-like eyes on her smirking face.
She leaned slowly towards him and placed a cold lipped kiss to his forehead.
He flinched.
"Don't worry Professor, I won't bit you." She raised a triumphant face towards McNair "Yet."
The Death Eater quickly backed away form her towards the exit, his face was a mask of fear.
She favored him with a condescending sneer and an impudent wave of one hand. "I'll be seeing you." The threat in her voice was impossible to miss.
The door creaked slightly in process as McNair ripped it open as quickly as he could. Not quick enough to avoid Hermione's stunning spell, however, and soon he joined his fellow Death Eaters on the dungeon floor.
"Cursing from behind? How very Slytherin of you," Severus said smirking over at his ex-pupil.
"That was very nearly a compliment Professor. You ought to be more careful with those people might think you've changed for the better."
He rolled his eyes, "are you going to leave me tied up all day?"
Hermione's eyes took on a very dangerous twinkle, "I considered it."
A/N: I have considered doing a sequel but it will all depend on how many of you love it enough to ask for one so PLEASE REVIEW :D