Hermione scrambled up the staircase. The world showing around them having funneled down to more distant memories of what she believed she was touching at the time. Like static on an old television, the world materialized in small chunks with the bodies of her pursuers outlined in white lined shadows like ghosts of a horror film. A heavy smoke filled her lungs from the spell she'd cast to try and conceal her escape making her breaths shallow and loud.

A spell whizzed past her head exploding a black wall forcing her to open her eyes. The image that formed was filled with blood, turning the landing of the stairs red but it was just enough for her to gain her barrings and attempt to get to her feet. Her self-image remained intact through the memory, making the visual all the more haunting.

Her face was completely turned red from the blood the poured from the wound over her eyes. Her body stumbled as a hand came out of nowhere, her reaction to open her eyes once more bringing a full-bodied image into view. A name that she hadn't had before came to her thoughts from the man who pulled the images forward. Scabior. Snatcher.

Before she could even take that new information in, her vision gave out as the memory continued on. The man who now had a body, courtesy of Severus, tried to take hold of her but she was still ready to fight. Her elbow came up, clashing the man's teeth together causing him to stagger. Her fist followed up with a rather heavy punch to his groin as she spun out of his hold completely. Tripping on the runner in the hallway she sent her blood over the wall, another image provided by Severus as he started to connect what he'd seen when he'd gone to her house with what was happening before him now.

"Fucking Bitch!"

"Catch her, you idiot!"

"Exparia!" Hermione rolled onto her back sending out a spell blindly. It missed its target but it definitely slowed her attackers, at least long enough for her to crawl her way towards a doorway and back onto her feet. The smell of apple and cinnamon told her that it was her room and the memory gained more detail.

"Diffindo!"

Hermione's sharp cry filled the room as the back of her knees collapsed, the muscle heavily torn. Her head thumped hard onto her soft area rug protecting her skull from her fall. Hands came from every direction. Too disoriented to know to whom they belonged they appeared in the memory as black featureless humanoid shadows.

"The chair! Bind her to the chair!"

"What are we waiting for? We need to get out of here!"

"The aurors aren't coming, I've got them off somewhere else. Come on!"

Hermione's body was pulled and turned in different directions as she did her best to try and shake off her attackers. That was until a rather hard punch to her temple rocked her entire world. The binds that held her cut deeply into her flesh, leaving her with barely enough room to breathe. When her head was ripped back from the hold on her hair she had just enough sense to spit the blood that had filled her mouth from biting her tongue.

"Where is he?"

The man who Severus could not name was right in front of her now, though her eyes had remained closed, his memory of the man provided him with a face, though his body and clothes were faded into darkness.

The man's only response was another spit of blood that Hermione had been sure had landed on his face. She bared her teeth from the pain pulsing through her body but there was no way she was going to answer any of their questions.

"I told you we should have waited!"

"Shut up!" A hand grabbed her jaw, the texture of his fingers something she could never forget, "Where were you going, girl? Tell us. Maybe we'll let you get on with it."

"The mall..." It was a stupid lie, and she was sure they knew it.

"She's not going to talk."

"She'll talk."

The hands left her body, and for a moment she was unsure of what was going to happen, then her entire world turned white with pain. The first spell slipped into the second then a third and she felt her hold on reality slipping. Her scream had long died out to a sharp gurgling attempt at air before he finally relented. Her body sagged forward as far as it could, but still, she did not speak.

"Where is he?"

"Hawaii..."

The man in front of her let out a deep growl. She knew they were running out of time despite what he'd previously said. She could feel his impatience in the air.

"Last chance. Where is he?"

"Fuck...you..."

"I know a guy who'd be willing to pay for your failure." Scabior's voice was smooth, albeit a bit cocky.

"Yeah? Make it worth my while will he?"

"It's that or go back empty-handed."

"I'll hardly go back empty-handed."

A hand pulled her head back and off her chest, their voices were heavy and low, as though she were listening to them from underwater. The entire conversation having been pushed aside for other matters, now brought back to the surface for a more critical inspection. There was a click, and a whirr that her brain couldn't identify before the hand left her head.

"The ministry doesn't even want bodies for identification anymore. A picture will do these days. Not enough space to hold the dead."

"Yeah? Sounds like you got what you wanted then. What are you going to do with her body?"

"Why not cash in twice?"

"I like the way you think."

The image faded out as she no longer had the power to remain conscious. The amount of blood she'd lost from injuries she couldn't even name, pulling her under.

Severus' skull was pulsing from the residual pain the memory provided. His mind was turning over and over, Scabior was a snatcher pretty high up in the ranks as well. Not one of the ones that had been blacklisted in the Dark Lord's initial sweep. He knew exactly where to find him too. His mind would be easy to ravage. Cocky bastard as he was. It was amazing he hadn't heard anything about her capture. Surely, he would have bragged about catching one of the golden trio.

A small cough returned his attention to the world around him and his head tilted down to look into the girl's face. A small sneer curled his lip as a heavy stream of blood trickled down out of the right nostril.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah..." Her response was accented with a small cough as she brought her hands up to try and staunch the blood with the sleeve of her shirt. Severus, however, was quicker and kept her hands free of her face before pushing his handkerchief against her nose.

"Sorry..."

"Why are you sorry?"

"I think it got on your shirt..."

Severus rolled his eyes to the heavens before shaking his head. Of all the things to worry about. He was actually amazed at how calm her mind was, that despite having relived one of the most traumatic experiences of her short lifetime she was so calm. So collected. As if...she couldn't fully feel the emotion that the memories held within.

"We'll continue this afternoon, for now, you need to rest." Severus pulled his handkerchief back just enough to make sure the flow had slowed enough to cast a small spell to stop it completely. Her soft noises of disagreement as he shifted her from his lap and onto her feet would not deter him.

"I don't want to..." Hermione pawed weakly at his coat as he took hold of her arm, though her eyes were already starting to close.

The amount of magical energy used to bring her memories to life leaving her feeling completely drained. She wanted to see more, understand but her body just wasn't ready for the amount of magic it would take. Not yet anyway.

Severus shook his head and guided her towards the bed. Once there, a small push lowered her down to the blankets she'd left ajar. Pulling the blankets over her, he watched with curiosity as she fell victim to the comfort of his bed. His mind was turning in thousands of ways but none of the directions yielded the answers he needed. His eyes caught sight of Minerva prancing towards the door to the office and he was very sure she had something to tell him.

A small flick of his hand allowed her through before his attention turned down to Granger once again. He'd felt everything she'd felt that day, the fear, the strength, the focus. She was surely someone to be reckoned with on an even playing field. How had he not seen it before? How had he never noticed her raw strength her will? Her drive? Even as broken as she was, she wanted to fight. It was impossible for him to understand how someone so young could possess what took him years to gain.

A muffled explosion from just beyond the door turned his head and furrowed his brows. A small check confirmed that the noise hadn't made any impact on the sleeping witch before he cautiously moved towards the office. As he moved through the door he had to duck as debris from one of the many frames hanging along the wall exploded into pieces.

"You insufferable bastard!" Minerva was seeing red. Her wand following Albus' retreat through the other frames in the office. Another frame exploded as she caught sight of him further down. "How could you let this happen! You told us, promised us!"

Severus could have laughed if he knew how, as it was, he merely closed and warded the door so that the woman's tirade would remain unheard. A slow breath left his nose as he leaned against the door to watch the amusing sight before him.

"He was a secret keeper! The entire order trusted him!" Another explosion took out three more frames before the man under assault made his escape. Minerva growled low in her throat and pushed the hair that had come loose from her tight bun from her face, turning her wand on Snape who looked to be holding himself back from an outright laughing fit.

"I take it you know the man in the memory?" His voice was smooth, too smooth.

"His name is Baxtron Alberrez, he's a ministry official. He was supposedly one of the good guys. Keeping muggle-borns off the radar of those looking to keep them from joining the magical world." Minerva was still seething, but she was able to reign herself in just enough to speak.

Severus' amusement quickly fell away from his face and he pushed himself off the door, "Any relation to Marxon Alberrez?"

"I don't know...I met his wife once, I don't know of any other family." Minerva let out a slow breath, "What is Albus planning?"

Severus shook his head not ready to answer her question at present. His mind was going back, trying to recognize the name. His eyes turned up for a long moment as he sifted through his thoughts before the stern face of Minerva came into his line of vision.

"He's creating a sociopath..."

"What?"

"A sociopath..." Severus could feel his own anger welling up inside him, the deception of that man was so complex he wondered if the man even knew his left from his right hand anymore, "His secret weapon."

"Secret weapon?" Minerva was desperately trying to jump onto his train of thought but it was simply too convoluted with her realm of knowledge.

"Harry Potter was never meant to be the hero of this war," Severus raised his finger to pause Minerva's tirade, "He's meant to die, just like me, just like you, like all of us." Severus pushed away from the desk giving her his back as his mind continued to sort itself out, "He needed someone who was powerful, connected but unconnected...someone no one would have expected to be a threat. Someone easily forgotten."

"Who?"

"Find Albus, but do not blow him from the frame. There are questions that man needs to answer." Severus resisted the urge to clear his desk in a fit of childish anger.

"Who is he turning into a sociopath?"

Severus let out a slow breath, it was all his fault. Why didn't he see what was happening right in front of him? All this time he'd been following the man's instructions with very little thought. Just wanting to get the girl out of his hair as quickly as possible. His face twitched as he tried to keep the disgust over himself from showing through.

"Miss Granger."

Minerva's anger completely deflated to shock. Her eyes growing wide as her head shook slowly back and forth. As angry as she was, she didn't want to believe that the man whom she'd come to trust so completely over the years would be capable of something so devious, so...evil.

"She's just a child..."

Severus nodded slowly, his eyes lowering down to his desk. Just a child. Barely over legal age. So naive to the workings of the world. Broken down, all sense of identity stolen away. The perfect situation to create an unstoppable, remorseless killing machine. It was always those who had the kindest hearts that held a hidden darkness inside just waiting to be unleashed upon the world.

"She was."

Minerva shook her head, she didn't want to believe any of it. What she had seen, there were no words. To have witnessed what she had just seen first hand. To have been a part of it. It was...unthinkable. Hermione was one of the kindest, strongest students she'd come to know. Always fighting for the little guy. Why of all others would she be chosen?

"He was never a good man was he?"

"That is not my judgment to make." Severus glanced at the burnt out frames for a long moment before turning his dark eyes back at the woman who appeared to have lost all hope in the world, "If you can't control yourself, perhaps you should not remain."

"No. I...I can control myself..." Minerva took a slow breath, every ounce of her being was wondering how this man before her could remain so calm.

"She will probably sleep for an hour, maybe more."

"I understand."

oOOo

Ron growled low in his throat as he pressed a bit of ice from his glass of firewhiskey to his lip. He'd got in his own good punch but Harry had one hell of a right hook. He just didn't understand how he could just sit there and carry on like nothing happened. They were completely lost. Waisting so much time, while each day the danger to his family was growing. He hadn't even been able to get in contact with them the past week and Harry nearly blew up their tent the last time he'd turned on the wireless to try and hear the reports. He'd had enough. He needed to fight this war in his own way.

"Rough day, darlin?"

Ron lifted his head to the gentle-eyed bartender who was giving him a sympathetic look, "Yeah, a bit..." He took the last drink of his whiskey, biting back a wince when it burned his throat.

The bartender hummed softly and pushed some of her curls over her shoulder, "You know, I'm off in 15. I know a place where you can rest."

"Look that bad do I?" Ron chuckled dryly at his own expense, dropping the ice cube back into the empty tumbler.

The bartender grinned and leaned her arms on the bar making sure to lower her voice, "It's nothing a hot shower wouldn't fix." She gave him a gentle smile, catching his eyes in her own soft brown.

"How do you know I'm not a bad guy?" Ron felt pulled into her gaze, her soft smell, her gentle curls.

"Don't know many bad guys who have a drink this early in the day, but if you're looking for some, they usually come around midnight." Her eyes turned down to the picture that was mostly obscured under his hand. To her, he was obviously a man on a mission.

"Noted." Ron took a slow breath, his eyes pulling away to look down at his hand. He would love a hot shower, "Fifteen huh?"

"Yep." The bartender grinned wider, pushing herself from the bar.

Ron released the glass to her hold watching her walk away to get him another no doubt. The little voice inside his head was silent. He wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or the fact the owner had been gone so long but nothing about the offer was screaming out at him. She did hint at him that perhaps she knew more and at this point in the game, he was willing to take the chance.

oOOo

Severus paced the length of his office. Granger was sat behind his desk eating her meal in heaven sent silence. He could feel her eyes watching him but his inner monologue had yet to be interrupted.

The present question, could he go through with Albus' backhanded attempt at making an innocent child into a cold-blooded killer? It was true that the light side of this war was losing but how much sacrifice could be given before one became just like the enemy? His previous understanding that he'd be returning her to the order once she was healthy was completely gone. He was angry at himself for not having seen it from the very beginning.

"Professor?"

Severus turned himself slowly, his eyes still narrowed with his thought. While he couldn't actually see the girl beyond the glamour he did idly wonder what she had been so quietly thinking about.

"Yes? Miss Granger?"

"Is it...wrong...to want to make bad people...go away?"

"Go away?" Severus brought himself closer, wanting to get a sense of just what exactly was running through her mind. As he crossed over the shield his look of anger turned into something he couldn't describe.

Hermione absently wiped away one of the many tears that had started to fall silently from her eyes, she didn't know why but the mere action made her feel weak, vulnerable. She didn't like it. She didn't want to feel that way. She wanted to take control. Of something, anything. She wanted to feel as though her life was something of her own.

"Like...where they can't come back to hurt you?"

"To kill them?" Severus came to a stop just at the corner of the desk, his eyes briefly looking down at her half-finished meal, doing everything he could not to let her face burn itself into his subconscious.

"I...I guess...yes..." Hermione took a slow even breath lifting her eyes up to the man's unreadable features. He was in pain, of that much she could tell but what was the cause?

"I don't think it's an unnatural response to wanting to feel safe."

"Have you...ever...made a bad person go away?" Hermione couldn't bring herself to say the word kill, even though that was the word that was cycling around in her mind.

"I have." Severus' jaw twitched and his eyes turned briefly towards the remains of Ablus' frame.

"What did it feel like?"

Severus frowned deeply, showing his teeth as he restrained himself. He wasn't angry, not really. It was a perfectly logical question asked by someone who held no ulterior motive against him. It was a question he had asked during his own lifetime. A question to this day he still could not find the correct answer to.

"It hurts..."