Tantalizing Chapter 9: Safe and Sound, a harry potter fanfic

A/N: I'm not sure if I had said before but this is a AU where they have Ipod and modern music. Not saying the old stuff is not good it is, but I heard a song that I thought suited this story and it was a newly released song, so you can tell how I can't incorporate it if this was completely canon.

Hermione was running down an endless corridor, every once and a while looking back to see if she was being followed. As her eyes grew accustomed to the dark, she chanced another look over her shoulder; a silver mask of death came into view. Her heart raced like a caged animal as her legs pushed her further away from the advancing form. Her breath came in pants as she ran for dear life.

"No!" She screamed, ready to collapse from exhaustion. Pushing on, she slammed with full force into a wall. It gave way, opening like a door, as she pushed through appearing in the Gryffindor common room. She twisted behind in search of the masked form, but was met with a solid brick wall.

Hermione turned again and was met by the sight of the Great Hall. It took a few moments to notice her surroundings and she screamed with terror. Her classmates were slumped over their tables, chairs and each other as blood dripped and pooled everywhere sounding like raindrops. As her eyes glanced towards the Head Table, she doubled over spewing vomit onto the stone floors. Her Parents, Harry and the Weasley family were dangling from individual spikes, blood trickling out like a faucet.

Severus Snape's lifeless form was sprawled out on the steps of the dais, a battle-axe sticking from his side and a sword through his heart. Headmaster Dumbledore and her Head of House were entwined together, suspended in the air by a noose around their necks.

"NO! Dead! They're all dead! Mum, Dad! Oh, no Harry! Please not Harry and Ron! The Boys! Please, why? The Weasley family, oh Gods!" Hermione was suddenly standing before the stakes, trying desperately to claw, push and kick the stakes and ropes free. She rushed to Severus and cradled his head to her. She pried the sword and axe, with what little strength she had left, all the while screaming and pleading for the man to wake up.

"Professor Snape! Professor, please! Please, wake up! Don't be dead I need you! I need you all!" She screamed a cutting spell at the noose that held Dumbledore and McGonagall hostage, but nothing worked.

"Headmaster! Please, you have to help! They're all dead! You can't die you're too powerful! You're the Great Albus Dumbledore! Professor Snape, please, please wake up! You're too strong, to smart for this to be your end! Oh, Harry! Mum! Dad, Ron someone, please wake up! Please someone help!" Hermione was sobbing and suddenly thrown roughly away from Severus' form. Hands bound her tightly as others punched and cut her. Her screams rang out as she thrashed against the human binds.

He was startled out of his dreamless slumber when he heard shouts next to him. He quickly grasped his wand out, toppling with the chair to the side as he prepared himself to attack. Allowing his surroundings to set in, he instantly recalled last night and pocketed his wand. Severus heard the clanking of a lawn chair wobbling to and fro and snapped his gaze to Hermione. The girl was clawing and kicking the air that was soon followed by screams of pure terror and he rushed the small distance to her side.

"Severus! What is going on?" Minerva shrilled, looking around to see if they were being attacked. She noticed that the room was empty and turned concerned eyes toward the younger two.

"I don't know! I thought we were being under attacked. She's screaming, Minerva, do you think it is a curse?" He growled, looking at the girl with equally great concern.

"NO! Dead! They're all dead! Mum, Dad! Oh, no Harry! Please not Harry and Ron! The Boys! Please, why? The Weasley family, oh Gods!" Hermione screamed.

"A dream Severus?"

"A nightmare!" Severus commented.

"Professor Snape! Professor, please! Please, wake up! Don't be dead I need you! I need you all!" At those words Severus grabbed her trying to wake her up, Minerva watched on with horror as she listened to Hermione's pleading voice scream and beg with terror.

"Miss. Granger! Wake up you insufferable girl!" Severus was shaking the girl violently as he attempted to wake her from her nightmare.

"Hermione!" Severus hollered a second time and Hermione's eyes instantly flew open. They stared into each other's eyes for a brief moment and then Hermione flew into his arms, giving him the fiercest hug she could muster. Severus was instantly taken aback by the gesture and his arms involuntarily encircled her.

Minerva, unsure what to make of it all, silently watched in awe. She was astonished to see such a compassionate side of her colleague and till now believed it to be non-existent. The man never consoled his own Slytherin's. Though his hug was stiff and unpracticed, the sentiment and reassurance was there.

Severus was startled by her words. The unconscious mind spoke secrets of the heart that were best kept hidden, those were things he knew all to well. It was that thought that always kept him from sleep, choosing instead to be a self-taught insomniac.

Her sobs subsided and he retracted his arms away from her as if burned. Hermione let go, unable to meet his eyes as she stared at his tear stained frock. Severus moved away from the girl and took his leave without a second glance back.

Hermione was so petrified when she finally came to. Her eyes found Severus' and she lunged for him to feel that he was real. The dream was so detailed and felt so realistic she never wanted to let him go. She sobbed harder when she felt the security of his arms wrap around her. After a few moments he let go and moved away from her and Hermione almost felt ashamed for her inappropriate reaction. Though one could hardly call showing someone compassion from a mere hug inappropriate, She couldn't meet his eyes. She could only stare at the wet puddle that was soaked up by his black frock. He instantly disappeared, only to be replaced by her Head of House and she was enveloped by an inviting hug from the elder woman.

"I am so sorry! The dream, it felt so real!" Hermione's body shook violently as Minerva tried to calm her down.

The rest of the day was of Hermione and Minerva greeting an endless stream of guest's and phone calls from those who wished to give their condolences. She was strong, never allowing a tear to slip in front of the sad faces and half-hearted smiles. As the day waned, so did her appetite and nerves. She didn't want to see any one else and allowed Minerva to take on the rest of the group. She had excused herself to the masses and went upstairs, going into her room she grabbed her Ipod touch, a gift from her parents, and left the room to go down the hall towards a door. Upon opening it, a staircase was reveled, one leading down and one leading up. It was an old servants staircase, but also the only way up to the attic that her father had recently remodeled.

It was a single large open room with one side of the triangle of the roof, made of entirely out of glass. It was Hermione's conservatory that was equipped with all of her gardening tools and a quiet lounging area to enjoy the sunset. She opened one of the long windows, letting the sweet smelling room air out and finally breath some fresh air. She placed her Ipod on a docking station her father had purchased that had wireless speakers docked around the large room.

Hermione only planted important ingredients stocking up on important potions she new would not falter if brewed by her confident hand. She stored all the ones she could not find room for to fit in her trunk, in a tall cupboard that had an extension charm. On the other side was her brewing station with another cupboard that held dried or rarely used ingredients at the ready while her fresh ones grew and were tended by her mum while away. She selected a song and let the music fill the quiet room.

"Everybody's waiting

Everybody's watching

Even when you're sleeping

Keep your ey-eyes open

The tricky thing

Is yesterday we were just children

Playing soldiers

Just pretending

Dreaming dreams with happy endings

In backyards, winning battles with our wooden swords

But now we've stepped into a cruel world

Where everybody stands and keeps score

Keep your eyes open

Everybody's waiting for you to breakdown

Everybody's watching to see the fallout

Even when you're sleeping, sleeping

Keep your ey-eyes open

So here you are, two steps ahead and staying on guard

Every lesson forms a new scar

They never thought you'd make it this far

But turn around, oh they've surrounded you

It's a showdown, and nobody comes to save you now

But you've got something they don't

Yeah you've got something they don't

You've just gotta keep your eyes open

Everybody's waiting for you to breakdown

Everybody's watching to see the fallout

Even when you're sleeping, sleeping

Keep your ey-eyes open

Keep your ey-eyes

Keep your feet ready

Heartbeat steady

Keep your eyes open

Keep your aim locked

The night goes dark

Keep your eyes open

Everybody's waiting for you to breakdown

Everybody's watching to see the fallout

Even when you're sleeping, sleeping

Keep your eyes open

Keep your eyes open"

Severus stayed closed up in his rooms for the rest of the day, tossing and turning and pacing back and forth, unable to focus or think. She needed him; it was a ruse, and a possible fluke in what he heard, yet. Yet at the same time he knew what he heard was correct. He felt wanted for once and it caused a tingling sensation to cloud logic and heart. He fought through the fog and managed to see the errors of his old ways creeping back up again. He was here to protect her and nothing more. Minerva was better at consoling people and would let her do her job.

As the day went, he could hear as people went in and out of the house, the phone ringing constantly and was glad that Minerva was there to take care of it. He was by no means a people person and took great pride in scaring people away.

Later on he heard footsteps up the stairs and then on the landing. He creaked his door open and peeked through a small crack. Hermione's bushy mane came into view and he watched as she opened her door, disappearing for a few moments and reappearing just as quickly. He watched as she shut the door behind her and Severus opened the door further to watch as she went down the other end of the hall and open a door that revealed a set of stairs he had not seen before. 'How many more surprises does this house have? It's like Hogwarts." He slipped out of his room to follow her up the stairs, silently observing like the good spy he trained himself to be.

She had left the door open and he concealed himself in the shadows of the stairwell as he took in the room. He was extremely impressed by the conservatory, instantly noticing the magical herbs growing from the planters. The room was perfect and he instantly envied it. He watched as the girl fiddled with some type of muggle contraption, or that was what he assumed it was, and was surprised to hear a soft melody play. He found that as the song went on, he found that he disliked the melody, but it was the words that gripped him.

The song ended and another tune began as Hermione sighed and began weeding and pick out dry or dying leaves. She was lost in her own world again, only to be brought out of it by the sound of someone clearing their throat. Calmly she looked towards the door to see her potions Professor.

"Sir, I am sorry for ruining your robes. I can have them washed for you if you'd like."

"No, Miss. Granger. The house elf has taken care of it. What are these songs?"

"They are from the movie 'The Hunger Games'. The song before this is titled Eyes open by Taylor Swift, an American Muggle. This one playing now is named Safe and Sound By Taylor Swift featuring The Civil Wars. They fit the mood. Was there something you needed?" She looked to him with sad eyes.

"No, I merely wanted to stretch. You have quite the garden, may I ask why you would have such a thing?" He walked in the room finally, allowing himself to view her as an equal and not just another tiresome student trying to win his disdain.

"I figure the war is growing closer each year and I thought it better to be prepared. I have been brewing my own potions because I trust my skills and am confident in my ability then to purchase some to keep for safe keeping. I would have asked for you to brew them for me, but you have more important things to do and I did not think it best to steal from you."

"You've stolen before, what stopped you this time? You didn't think I wouldn't notice the missing boomslang and bicorn did you?" Hermione chuckled lightly, not taking his evidential facts to heart and Severus did not sound like he was intending to berate her.

"Yes, but you would have come up with a plan to capture the culprit eventually and I decided to grow my own that year after. It has saved me quite the sum of galleons as well."

"The Sopohorous needs to be trimmed back so it can grow into its mature stage. Do you have another pair of clippers?" Hermione handed hers to him and retrieved another set for herself as they began to work side-by-side, commenting on the herbs at hand or to explain a certain phrase or song that played. She showed him her routine on how she took care of her garden and he pointed out some helpful facts to help better her skills at tending to them. They stayed like this until Minerva had sought them out to go over tomorrow's details.

"Tomorrow is the wake my dear, did you maybe want to hold off for one more day?"

"No, I'm ready. What time will the Headmaster be arriving? The Limo will be here to pick us up for the wake and the day of the funeral."

"The Headmaster will be here after lunch with Harry and Ron. The Weasley's have asked to come at the same time to pay their condolences and respects on both days."

"That's fine. Excuse me Professors, it has been a long day, you may stay longer if you wish to. Goodnight."

"Goodnight dear." Minerva said. Severus gave her a sharp nod and followed her out. Instead of retiring to his room he retired to the library on the first floor, looking for the book, 'The Hunger Games'.

A/N: Yay? Nay? Review, review, review, it makes the writer write faster! I saw the hunger games last night so I had to put it in here and I loved a couple of the songs. They really help set my depressing mood so I could write this story. Hope you enjoyed than you for your previous reviews. You are all amazing.