Firstly I should say sorry for the lateness in updating, I've had loads of exams recently.

Secondly thank you for all the reviews I've been getting, I appreciate them a lot!

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He wasn't sure what to think.

Ron Weasley…dead.

'What would it do to Hermione? She didn't deserve this…'

Severus walked over to Hermione, who was still kneeling beside Ron's dead body. Bending down he gingerly placed his hand on Hermione's shoulder. She didn't move.

"Hermione," he murmured. "You can't stay here." He tugged gently on her shoulder, trying to pull her away. She stayed still. He pulled on her shoulder more forcefully. "Hermione, please," This time she turned away and before he could stop her she had falling against him, sobbing hysterically. He wasn't sure what to do. Also the fact that a rather shocked Remus was standing close by made him feel extremely self-conscious.

"Remus," he said quietly while patting Hermione awkwardly on the back. "Send a massage to Dumbledore with the bad news."

Remus nodded silently and walking slightly away from the pair he conjured the patronus that would send the dark tidings back to the Order.

He secretly loved the fact that she was so close to him. He knew it wasn't the right thing to be thinking with her dead ex-husband only metres away, but he couldn't help it. He didn't want to think about how beautiful her soft brown felt so close to his skin, how nice it felt to have another human being so close to him after all these years, how…

"What's that?," Remus suddenly called, diverting the unfortunate route that Severus's thoughts had been following involuntarily.

"How the hell should I know when I can't even see what you're talking about?" Severus growled at him darkly. Suddenly, a huge explosion erupted from behind Remus, breaking the silence of the library and the impact sending him flying towards the other end of the circle. Hermione cried out in shock. Severus jumped up and pulled out his wand. Debris was now strewn all around them. Severus couldn't see anything for a cloud of dust that had risen up around them. Coughing and spluttering, he tried to conjure a gust of wind that could blow the dust away. He could hear someone laughing. A harsh, rattling tone that chilled the air around him. Eventually, the dust settled down leaving the room in darkness.

'It was a shame about the boy,' he heard a voice cry from the darkness. Hermione let out a low hiss from behind him. 'If it's any consolation, he tasted very nice indeed. Very sweet-'

"Shut up you monster!" He heard Hermione growl fiercely. The creature laughed, and Hermione climbed to her feet, wand pointing in the apparent direction of the sound. She started to walk forward.

"Hermione! Don't move-" Severus snapped at her. She ignored him.

"Come on, Show yourself!" She shouted to the emptiness. Severus thought she'd lost all reason.

'Presently.'

Severus turned swiftly as the creature appeared from behind them. It was the same black cloaked figure that had been haunting his nightmares. The red eyes burned with cold amusement. He watched, frozen, as she lifted up a skeletal-like hand and Severus only realised what she was doing too late. The demon whispered softly and a harsh, blinding red light sprung from her finger tips and hit Hermione square on the chest, sending her sprawling onto the ground. Severus cried out. She turned on him next before he even had time to react. He felt an agonising pain in his chest before falling down onto the dusty cold stone floor and into unconsciousness.

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Remus gingerly reached up to touch his head. He felt a sticky wet substance on his fingertips and wondered vaguely how it had managed to get there. He looked around, blinking from the white sunlight that was streaming through a nearby window. Where was he? It…it looked like the hospital wing at Hogwarts. How did he manage to end up here? Remus couldn't figure it out. He looked over at the nearby bed and saw Hermione lying in it, sleeping quietly. Why was she there as well?

Then he remembered. The library. Ron. Then the loud bang, the crashing, the pain and the darkness. Then he remembered voices. Dumbledore and others, someone crying…

"Glad to see you're awake Remus," he heard a voice from across the room.

"Albus," Remus answered, smiling slightly.

"I have to admit, you had us all a bit worried." Dumbledore continued.

"Tonks! Is she ok?" Remus cried in realisation.

"Tonks wasn't the one who's been unconscious for the last couple of days, Remus, but yes, she is fine. She is away finding something to eat at the moment, but I'm sure she'll be back soon."

"She's here?"

"Indeed." said Dumbledore, smiling.

"And Hermione. She's ok?"

"As well as can be expected." Dumbledore said in an uncharacteristically solemn tone. The shock of Ron's death will have affected everyone who knew him.

"Of course," Remus said quietly. "And Severus is well too, I presume?"

"Alas, I'm afraid not."

"Oh?"

"You see, I got your message and almost immediately I set off with several members of the Order. Molly and Arthur insisted on coming with us. It was indeed a shocking sight that met our eyes when we found you all. Certainly an experience I would not wish to repeat. However when we arrived Severus wasn't there at all. Hermione claims that before she too fell unconscious she saw the demon knock him out and vanish with his body…" Dumbledore paused, obviously troubled. Remus was silent for a moment, quite shocked.

"Do…do you think you will be able to find him?" Remus finally asked, not really wanting to know the answer but unable to stop himself.

"I couldn't tell you. Hermione thinks she could find a way but…I will be honest with you Remus. I'm not so sure she is mentally fit to go. Between the attacks and losing Ron twice… I simply don't think she can cope with any more pressure. No. I think we will find another way around the problem."

"If you think so then you are most probably right, but I don't think she will appreciate not being able to help,"

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes I know. However, thank you for your vote of confidence. Now despite the circumstances I took the liberty of exploring the library, in the hope of finishing the task that the three of you had started."

"I don't see how you could find anything in that place, Dumbledore, it was far too large-"

"Ah, but if you had had the time to read the inscriptions on the ancient pillars, you would have found instructions for a rather simple spell that effectively searches all the books and artefacts in the library and will even point you to what you seek,"

"So did you find information then?"

"Yes I did, however I shall tell you about it later. For now I shall leave you in peace with your darling wife." Dumbledore smiled slightly and stood up. Remus watched as he headed out of the room, pausing only to nod at a tired-looking Tonks as she came in. She saw that he was awake and Remus laughed softly as she ran over and hugged him very tightly.

……………………………….......

When Severus finally came around he didn't have a clue were he was. He was lying face down on a dirt floor and shivered as a breath of cold, damp air swept over him. He was also in pain. His arms and neck burned furiously and there was a pounding in his head that stopped him from thinking straight. He vaguely noted that he was lying against some sort of rough-cut stone wall. He was surrounded by inky black darkness but also appeared to be inside a room. The dirt on the floor irritated his cheek and he could feel some sort of rock sticking into his side. It hurt.

When he tried to move he realised that his hands were bound together tightly with some sort of rough, rope-like material. The rope rubbed against his wrists and he could feel bruises were it had been pulled far too tight. He tried to turn over anyway, but gasped as he felt a searing pain in the side of his neck. It was agony. He curled up into a ball and closed his eyes again in an attempt to be rid of the pain. He could smell burning.

Eventually he fell into a restless sleep. He dreamt of screaming, of creatures waiting in the dark. He dreamt he was constantly running… running and running. He dreamt of laughing and of bloody red eyes watching him.

Waiting for him.

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