Chapter Three: Unexpected.

Suddenly someone knocked on the door. Although Severus knew that no one could enter his home without his express permission to do, his heart still jumped from his chest to his throat. Grabbing Hermione's wrist and all but dragging her from the room he shoved her into another only a few doors down.

" Do not make a single sound! Do you understand?" he demanded ferociously. Hermione answered with a swift shake of her head showing that she understood full well.

Closing the door quietly he headed toward the front of his home. Casting a spell enabling him to see who was just outside of his door, he groaned inwardly. There stood Remus Lupin, one of them men who had made hie years in school a living hell. Giving the doorknob a death grip he swung the door wide open, against all of his better judgement.

" What do you want and what the HELL do you think you are doing at my home?" Severus spat at the man who stood in front of him.

" May I come in Severus?" Lupin asked as if Severus' words and obvious distaste for him had not effected him at all.

" No! You may not enter my home! Now leave me be."

" I can't do that."

" Oh! And why not?"

" We have a problem… and you may have answer's."

" Whatever problem you may have it does not in any way concern me so leave."

Severus tried to shut the door but unfortunately Remus beat him to the punch. Remus knew he would not be able to enter the house be he could just as easily have the conversation right where he was, but… things were getting sticky, quick, and this was a matter to be discussed in private. Using all the strength he had he pushed the door open again before it could close.

" It does involve you, more so than you would like to admit. Now are you going to let me in or risk one of you little friends find us having this pleasant conversation on the front step. You're front step might I add."

Snape looked down at tired looking man and weighed his options for the second time that night. He knew the loathsome man was right, now all he had to do was swallow his pride for a few moments and them get him out of the house. Reluctantly Severus stepped out of Lupin's way. " Your inside now say what you have to say and get out." He managed to spit out.

" Hermione has gone missing, and her parent's have been murdered. We all know who killed them and we believe that your… friends have her. We need to get her back before Harry finds out and goes off to save her. We…." This was going to be harder than he thought, " We need your help." He finished in a mumble.

" No I do not know where she is. That's what you wanted to know now leave or I promise I will purposely lose all of my self control." Severus said as he opened the door… then froze. The Dark Lord was standing on his front step looking very smug.

" Well, well Severus I see that you have had a visitor…" Tom spat out.

" Unfortunately." He said with true blue contempt, " if you want him Lord he is all yours." He knew that he could not save Lupin now, even if he wanted to. He had a frightened young girl hidden in the closet and couldn't risk letting anyone find her. " I have no desire to see him in my home."

" Then why Severus did you let him inside?" The Dark Lord asked, his amusement showing plainly in his eyes.

" This filth had lead me to believe that the impertinent old man had left some evidence that I may be innocent, I had thought that they were going to allow be back, but I think torturing the fool seems too appropriate don't you master?" Snape said to Voldemort with a small bow. " Going back to them with him beyond repair could mend any trust issues. But only if you wish it to be so sire." Severus ended with another, lower bow.

" You do have an excellent point Severus. Helping you regain your place may help me in more ways than one. I will think it over, seeing as it is a wonderful idea. For now I think, Crabe, taken this man out of here and keep him under lock and key. You and I Severus have a few things to discuss privately. Leave now Crabe!'

The man hurried to collect Remus only after Severus had stunned him and taken his wand. Severus only hoped that he would be able to save the man before it was too late. He had learned that there where necessary sacrifices that had to be made, and the girl's life was more important. If Severus could have told Remus that he would have, but something's could not be said at the moment, Severus only prayed he would have a chance to explain it to Remus before he lost his mind.

Only after Crabe left did Severus speak again, " You mentioned that you had something to speak to me about in private?" he asked, turning to look at his "master"

" Yes Severus I do. As you know the…" he smiled menacingly, " mission to the granger house was successful. However… the girl has yet to be found. She did return to the house, but by that time there were too many people and we could not risk exposure. She has disappeared, and we need to find her. She is the weak link and will be the boy's greatest downfall. If they fall for our little trick with the werewolf, find her Severus. She is too valuable to my plan. I must go now." And with out so much as a backward glance the man left.

Severus watched him walk half way down the street and then apperate. All he could think about was the child he had hidden in the hall closet, and he hoped she had not heard what he had said. But upon opening the door and looking in her eyes he realized that she had.

" I had to." Was all he said as he drug her to the fireplace in the study. " When you ever the fire say Prince Manor. I will follow."

All Hermione could think about was what she had heard him say. ' But he's helping me, isn't he? He didn't say a word about me, not one, and Voldemort was standing only a few feet away down the hall. He would have betrayed me then if he was going to betray me, right?' even as she felt the familiar spinning of traveling my floo she felt the day begin to pull at her emotions and maybe even her sanity. Even as she felt herself falling to the floor she did nothing to break her fall. Her limbs were too heavy to move and even if she had wanted to catch herself her mind would not have been ready to react. She felt the hard landing indicating that she had landed on a stone floor. But as her head bounced off the floor a second time she lost conciseness.

Severus arrived just in time to see her lose her conciseness. Panicked he picked her up off the floor and practically ran from the first floor dinning hall to a bedroom on a second level. He hoped that she hadn't hit her head too hard. Setting her down gently he began to cast a few simple spell's to make sure that she would be okay. After determining that there was nothing to be too worried about all he could do now but wait until she wakened.

Hermione woke some time latter only to see a sleeping Snape sleeping in a chair set close to the bed. For a moment she contemplated running far away as fast as she could. But looking around her she found that she was in a rather soft bed in a large and beautiful room. She doubted that Voldemort would allow her to be placed in a nice room with a soft bed. But she was still afraid. She had heard every word he had said, and she knew she would never be able to forget. Remus had come to him for help and Snape had turned him over to that evil vial excuse for a man. Suddenly the man across from her began to stir.

Severus noticed she was awake and simply looked at the fear and apprehension in her eyes.

" Don't worry your safe." He said as he looked into those hunny brown eyes. He watched the fear and apprehension fade only to be replaced by a fierce anger. " What now?" he asked more to himself than to her, but she answered him anyway.

" Why should I believe that I am safe after what you did to Professor Lupin last night?" she asked hotly.

" I told you, I had to do it. Now don't ask any questions because you wont be getting any answer's." he answered in a no nonsense tone that plainly said that the conversation was over. Apparently Hermione missed the memo.

" Well I want to know why and I really don't care if you want to tell me or not, your going to do it anyway" she said smugly with a look to match. Watching it fall out of place as he began to laugh, he admitted, was very rewarding. The perfect reward for having to put up with her for as long as it was going to be needed. But seeing the tears in her eyes stopped all laughing.

" I had to. It was the lesser of two evils."

" How? What he dies and you live? How is that the lesser of two evils?"

" Because I can still pass information to the order anonymously and with out my help you will get nowhere. And if they had figured out at the moment I had been a spy they would have searched the house and found you an all three of us would be dead. That's how it's the lesser of two evils. I had a choice, one person being returned to the order crazed or three people dead. Which would you have chosen?"

Hermione hung her head. She knew what she would have chosen looking at it that way. He had made the right choice, she realized that now. But realization didn't make her feel any better about it.

" It's what I would have done." She said in a voice barely above a whisper. Severus automatically kicked himself for his cold tone. He bowed his head and took several calming breaths.

" Do not worry your self too much. If I have any luck I will be able to tell Remus why I had to do what I did. He, at least, would understand. If this works, my plan, the one I fed to The Dark Lord, The Order should be able to find a safer place for you to hide."

" But this is the safest place for me to hide. Why in the world would Voldemort think that I would be hidden in plain sight?"

Severus looked at Hermione first incomplete and utter confusion, and then suddenly that changed into admiration. " Well, it has always been said that you are a very clever witch, but this… is a bit unexpected. To imagine that you managed to be just a little more shrewd and sly than The Dark Lord. Today is a day that I will never forget."

Hermione's eyes misted over. For the first time in the six years she had known the man before her he had never given her any praise, and he was praising her now.

" Thank you for that… whatever it was." She smiled sweetly at him. For single moment Severus felt as if his heart had done a back flip. To think that he and never noticed her beautiful smile before this moment was unthinkable.

" It was a compliment, and your welcome." He smiled at her as well and the same thoughts he had had were now running threw her head. He had a beautiful smile. She was finding it hard to catch her breath, and she didn't want to think that this new feeling was ever going to end.

" Well…" he started, " I think its time that I showed you around. After that we will eat and then I will have to leave. If I am gone too long people might start to show up here, and we really need them to think The Order has you hidden somewhere."