The Race to find Hermione

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. I just like to toy around with them in my imagination before putting it to paper.

A/N: Sorry that it took me a bit to update! I've injured myself quite badly and have been rather down about it lately. So sorry! I hope you enjoy the update! I'm making it long to make up for not having posted the past couple of days!

It had been approximately three days since they recovered Severus. Between Draco, Samuel, and Minerva there was always somebody at his side. The healers at St. Mungo's hadn't a clue why Severus hadn't awoken yet as his magic very slowly recovered. They could find nothing else wrong with him besides that and the fact that he had yet to gain consciousness was rather disturbing. They were working on developing possible theories, but Draco had about had it and told Harry that they needed to consult somebody who could really help his godfather, not just people who could hypothesize and make guesses.

Draco had been intolerable lately. He had been bad enough when Severus was missing, but not that his godfather had returned, albeit injured, he was entirely annoying. He was constantly in a rotten mood due to the state of his worry and couldn't get over the fact that no one seemed to know what was truly wrong with his uncle.

He sat bedside next to Severus, the latest Potions' journal in his hands as he read aloud to his uncle. The young Malfoy's appearance was actually haggard. If you asked anybody, he would proudly admit to them that Severus was a second father to him and a better father to him than even his biological father. Draco had spent the better part of the first two decades of his life endlessly trying to please his father all in vain, but Severus had always been there for him. He had always made sure Draco was as happy as he could be and he was the only person in all of Draco's life that he could truly depend on. He didn't know what he'd do if Severus didn't or couldn't recover.

Draco's focus on the journal trailed off as he remembered a time when he himself had been sick and instead of his parents or even a house elf taking care of him, it had been Severus.

SSHGSSHGSSHG

Six-year-old Draco lay in his large bedroom, alone, and hardly able to keep his eyes open. He shivered as chills passed through his body and his sniffled pitifully. His skin was turning an odd shade of puke green while he fought off sneezing, because every time he did sparks would shoot from his nose and it scared him. He had long given up crying out for his mommy and daddy, because they never came when he called. The first time his father had entered the room to find his son shivering beneath the covers he had scolded him, told him "Malfoy's don't play sick", and told him to get himself together, because mother and he did not have time for his nonsense that day. As tempted as he was to cry, he knew no good would come of it, so he fought back his tears and continued to suffer in his silence.

When the door to his bedroom opened, he quickly ducked his head beneath his covers; afraid that it might be his father. "It's alright, my Dragon. It's Uncle Sev." Came a very familiar, smooth voice. "Uncle Sev!" He squeaked, throwing the covers off of his head, and scrambling to sit up in his bed.

"Rest, Draco. I came over to bring you back to Spinner's End. How does that sound?" He asked his young godson, concerned about the little boy's health. He was infuriated when Lucius had floo called him telling him that he and Narcissa were off for a vacation and that he would need to take Draco. He had said nothing about the boy being sick and had never even thought to ask if Severus would be available. Of course he was, but it was just the fact that Lucius was a completely jerk sometimes. Or well, all the time.

"Good, Uncle Sev! Can we bring Oh-rye-in?" He asked, squeezing his most beloved stuffed dragon with him. The thing was quite worn despite all of the magical repairs it had seen over the years, but Draco absolutely loved it. His uncle Severus had presented it to him as a present when he first learned how to walk, thanks to him actually, and he had loved it ever since.

"Of course we can bring Orion, Dray." Severus told the little boy as he carefully went over to him and picked him up into his arms.

"I missed you so much, Uncle Sev! Why can't I stay with you always?" The little Malfoy asked, tears welling up in his eyes. He always asked this upon seeing his godfather, but he never could quite understand. It seemed like Uncle Severus loved him so much more than his mother or father did so why couldn't he stay with him?

"We've been over this countless times, Draco… I would if I could, but your mother and father would never allow that. Now, let's get going." He said softly, carrying the small child to the floo and dropping the floo dust in so that he could take him to Spinner's End.

Now, most people would suspect that Spinner's End was just as dark and gloomy as the master of the estate, but they would be very wrong. In fact, Spinner's End was quite the beautiful estate in all of its meager glory. Severus had Draco to thank for that. Upon the birth of his godson, he realized he couldn't possibly bring the young lad to such a disastrous place. He put so much of his time and effort into making it into the home he'd ever gotten to experience and the place was quite comely now. It breathed with life.

Draco always loved coming to his uncle's home. It may not have been anywhere near as large as his home, but he always felt so much more comfortable and free there. He could be the little boy he was there. He knew Uncle Sev didn't mind if he ran around with his toys or shrieked loudly with laughter. Uncle Sev always stopped whatever he was doing to play with him or answer his questions or even let him help stir potions. For Draco, and Draco alone, Severus had endless patience and endless love.

"You stay right here, Draco. I have to go down to my lab to get you something to make you feel better and then I'll read you a story. How does that sound?" He asked, laying Draco down upon the couch in the sitting room.

"Will you read me Babbitty Rabbit?!" Draco tried to squeal in his excitement, but started coughing rather hard. "Yes, Draco, but you must settle down." He gently ruffled the boy's platinum blond hair and chuckled at the slight scowl he gave, never liking his hair to be messed with.

Severus quickly went down to his laboratory and went into his stores. He found the cure for dragon pox on one of the shelves and was relieved that it was still good. He checked bi-weekly to make sure his potions were always up-to-date, but sometimes you could never be too sure. He was so angry with Lucius and Narcissa for not knowing quite how sick their son was and he was lucky to be the one trusted to care for Draco. He would always make sure the little boy was okay. It was one of the many vows he made to himself.

When he returned, he instructed Draco to take the potion. The boy made a face, but didn't argue, and quickly did as he was told. Severus went into the kitchen to get the boy some biscuits and tea before returning. He set the tray of treats down on the table and accio'ed the book "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" into his hand. He sat down on the couch and moved a much healthier looking Draco into his lap. He had already begun to lose some of his green hue. He cast a charm to keep the mug of tea cool to the touch before handing it to Draco and giving the boy a biscuit as well. He started to read to him and in no time his deep voice began to put Draco to sleep. Severus set the cup of tea aside, biscuit all eaten by the small boy, and carried him up to the guest room that was known as Draco's room. It was strewn with toys all over the floor from his last stay, a toy broom propped in the corner of the room, and light green and silver covers on the bed for the boy.

Severus carefully laid Draco down in the bed and began to tuck him in. "Where's Oh-rye-in?" Draco tiredly muttered, his sleepy silver eyes staring up at him. "He's right here, Dray." He said, wordlessly summoning the stuffed dragon. He tucked it into Draco's arms and leaned down to kiss the boy's forehead. "Goodnight and sweet dreams, my Dragon. Feel better." He whispered, smiling just the slightest as he watched the boy fall into a comfortable sleep.

SSHGSSHGSSHG

Draco didn't even realize he had tears running down his face until one dripped onto his hand. He quickly began wiping at them in a furious manner. He may have broken from many of his horrid habits, but the belief that "Malfoy's don't cry" had been beaten into him as a small child.

"I brought something for you, Uncle Sev." He muttered, leaning down into a bag he had brought with him this visit. He pulled out a worn stuffed dragon that had seen far better days, but had somehow managed to hold up. "O… Orion is here for you." His voice cracked at first as he placed his beloved stuffed dragon with his even more beloved godfather. Draco carefully took Severus' hand and moved it so that it was carefully clutching Orion to his chest.

He hadn't even realized anyone was in the room until he felt a soft, but firm hand at his shoulder. "Draco… You need to go home and rest. I'll stay with Sev until Minerva gets here." It was Harry Potter and as much as Draco didn't want to go, he knew that Harry was right. He just nodded, worn out both emotionally and physically, before slowly leaving the hospital.

Harry sat down beside his former professor and friend. They had a tentative friendship, but the older he became the more he was able to appreciate Severus' demeanor and sense of humor.

"Professor, I know that, although you no longer see me as the bane of your existence, I'm still not your favorite person… Not even remotely close. Those titles belong to other people and I'm okay with that… But we need you to get better, Severus. Soon. We're working hard to locate Hermione and if we find her, she's not going to want to see you like this…. Please, wake up, Severus." He begged, hanging his head down, and letting his hands clutch at his wild hair.

He sat there for so long that soon Minerva had arrived, like she always did at 6:35 as supper at Hogwarts had just ended, and she was able to leave the school premises. Samuel always visited from about eight in the morning until about two p.m. until Draco was off of his shift and then he would stay until Minerva could arrive. They had all agreed that they would feel most comfortable if someone was with Severus at all times.

"Hello, Harry. I had an informative talk with Albus' portrait. I don't know why we didn't think to do this before, but I think we've pinpointed what's wrong with Severus." Minerva told her former student, a smile on her face, because they finally had some good news.

"And? What is it, Minerva?" Harry eagerly asked, moving from his seat and offering it to her. He wasn't about to forget his manners due to some interesting and much desired news.

"Well, it turns out, Albus has been keeping quite the secret from us… Well Hermione and Severus have as well, but… They're soul mates. I don't know why none of us recognized it sooner, but apparently they realized it during the Final Battle. I don't know all of the details, as Albus didn't feel it was his place to tell us, but that's what's wrong with Severus… And Hermione could be in grave danger as well. Magical soul mates are extremely rare. What is known about them has been recorded, but not even a standard size of a single piece of parchment could be filled with that knowledge. What is absolutely certain is that these soul mates thrive best when they are in each other's presence. The longer they are together… And depending on their activities," at this she raised her eyebrows suggestively before continuing on, "the stronger they are. Now, Severus and Hermione are already two incredibly strong individuals, but together they are unmatched. That said, they've been separated long enough that their soul mate bond is struggling. No contact at all after being so dependent on one another is throwing their bodies out of whack. They need to be together. For Severus to awaken and to ensure Hermione's health, we have got to find her as soon as possible." Minerva finished sharing her discovery with Harry and gave him a very concerned look.

It had been sheer luck that they had managed to find Severus and the trail for Hermione was dead cold. Harry felt a sinking feeling fall into his stomach and squeezed his eyes shut. He had to remain optimistic.

"We'll find her, Minerva… We will. I'm going to take this news and share it with the team. I promise, Minerva… We will find her before anything worse can happen to the two of them." Harry promised, leaning down to give her a hug before leaving St. Mungo's in a hurry.

If they weren't already desperate to find Hermione, the stakes were just raised, and they knew the consequences if they couldn't; if separated for much longer, Hermione and Severus would die.

A/N: Dun dun dun! Haha, I really hoped this update was worth the wait. The next chapter you'll find out who is behind the separation of these two soul mates! So who do you guys think did it? Reviews are cherished and truly appreciated!