One attempt after the other, the door would not budge. He heard the sound of the door slamming, most likely to the office. "Come on..." he muttered, taking another shot at the door, this time with is wand. It successfully flew open, banging against the floor of the living quarters.
Draco leapt out, ready for whatever situation was waiting for him, but nothing. The room was empty, and he knew his father had taken her.
Why he was feeling so upset about this slightly baffled him. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he would be jumping to the rescue of Hermione Granger, the mudblood know-it-all...and a Gryffindor to top it all off. Not to mention she was Potter's close friend, but right now, after the two of them had seemed to put that at least partially behind them, he was furious that his father even had the nerve to show up to take him back to the Dark Lord, let alone kidnap Hermione as bait.
He took off towards the direction of the office door, intending to follow when he caught himself, grudgingly, knowing Severus would be furious if he came back and they were both gone. And who was he kidding; he knew what was happening between him and Hermione and he would be just as upset, if not more that she had been taken as a way to lure Draco out of hiding.
Draco decided upon his better option: enlisting in some help before making any rash decisions...something he was surprised he held a thought pattern to stop himself from doing.
Turning on his heels and practically running back to where he'd started from, he went without hesitation into the fake wall that lead to the kitchens where he hoped he would be able to gain access to the rest of the castle without drawing too much attention to himself.
Finding the stairs to be too time consuming, Draco simply jumped from the top, miraculously landing on his feet somehow, but still managing to cause the table to break under the strain.
"Why do people keep doing that?!" Came a somewhat worried-sounding voice from somewhere in the room ahead of him. He recognized it immediately.
"What are you doing here, Longbottom," Draco sneered. Just because he was being "nice" to one Gryffindor, did not mean he had to show the same courtesy to another one.
"Malfoy?" Neville said with the same tone of voice, causing Draco to be taken aback slightly, not thinking the great lummox had the courage in him to speak like that.
"Where's Hermione," Neville asked strongly, trying to keep his voice strong. Draco gave him a questioning look. How did he know?
"You know she's here," he asked. Was here...he added to himself grudgingly.
Neville furrowed his brow and nodded, seeming to become more worried with every passing moment Draco did not answer his question. However it had just crossed Draco's mind that no matter how much he did not want to become friendly by any means with Neville Longbottom, he could be a somewhat safer means of getting to Severus.
"Neville," he said suddenly in a strain, swallowing hard, trying to be decent. Neville looked stricken, or perhaps had the notion that Draco Malfoy had suddenly taken ill. But Draco continued on anyways, thinking of how much time was already being wasted. "I—" he paused, almost unable to say it. "I need your...help," he finished, looking away from Neville's shocked face.
Neville, however, recovered quickly. "And why should I help you, Malfoy," he shot back at him. Draco looked up at his name. The name, he just found, he did not want to be associated with at this point. But he let it go.
"It's Hermione," he said, cutting off Neville who looked like he was about to go on a rant of all the reasons why he shouldn't help. At the sound of his friend's name, Neville's mouth closed and he looked a bit panicked, listening now.
"She's been kidnapped," he explained bluntly, having no time for a lengthy explanation. Neville's eyes widened in horror and looked to be about to open his mouth to ask more questions but Draco cut him off.
"I'm not exactly supposed to be here," he continued. "I need you to go get Professor Snape and get him back to the office. Tell him what's happened. My father came for me but took her as," he paused, not wanting to say it. "Bait," he finished with hatred in his voice.
Neville didn't even seem phased at the fact he had to face Snape, he only nodded solidly, and was already walking towards the kitchen doors. Draco only hoped Severus wouldn't react as...rash as he was likely to.
Neville made his way down the corridors of the castle, hoping that Snape wasn't teaching at the moment because he knew it would not please him to be interrupted, and he could hardly blurt out 'Hermione's in trouble' in front of a whole class without giving that whole secret away.
Of course, Neville being the unlucky person he was, rounded the corner and came to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom to find Snape in the midst of teaching a third year class about Bogarts. He stood in the doorway, breathing a little harder than normal, having a fleeting memory of this class in his own third year as he waited for Snape to see him.
After what seemed like forever, Severus happened to glance in his direction, furrowing his brow slightly for a moment before looking back down at his desk again where he seemed to be grading the students on their answers to the questions he was asking.
"I'm quite busy, Longbottom," he said so the whole class turned and looked back at the doorway. "I'm sure it was difficult for you to tell, but I'm teaching, you see," he added with a pronounced sneer, causing a few snickers to wave through the room.
Neville breathed a little deeper to keep his anger at the man under control. He couldn't really lose it now.
When Neville said nothing to his rude remark, Severus glanced up again. The class, assuming Neville had left, had gone back to reading the textbook, awaiting the next question.
All Neville could think of to do at that second was mouth Hermione, a worried look on his tired face, hoping Snape would understand.
Immediately, Neville knew it had worked; Severus didn't take his eyes off of Neville's for several moments; Neville nodded very discretely, moving his head off in a direction behind him suggesting he needed to come now.
Finally, Severus looked away, glancing around the classroom with his eyes fleetingly, suddenly standing up and beginning to walk towards the door, casually dismissing the class on his way.
He brushed past Neville who stood there, not knowing whether to stand there or stay and listen to the cheers of the students in the classroom next to him.
When Severus realized Neville was still standing there, he stopped and turned. "Longbottom," he hissed. Neville jerked his head to look at the professor, understanding he wanted him to go with him. When he reached his side, Severus began to walk again, looking straight ahead, on a mission now.
"Speak quietly, speak fast," he ordered to Neville. "What happened?"
"I—I don't know, sir," he said nervously. Severus closed his eyes for a moment to keep himself from lashing out. "Malfoy just found me in the kitchens. He told me to find you because his father was here and he took her," he finished, his voice wavering at the end, obviously feeling upset about this as well.
Something inside of Severus' chest tightened at these words, a panic shooting through him as they reached the gargoyle hiding the staircase. At the sound of the password, the gargoyle stepped aside and the two of them stepped on the rotating staircase, Severus climbing two steps at a time, leaving Neville somewhat panting behind him.
Draco, who seemed to have been pacing, looked up when the door opened, reaching for Hermione's wand, which had fallen, lowering it when he saw to relief who it was.
"What happened, Draco," Severus asked, trying to remain calm, not allowing the panic to show in his face.
Draco shook his head, taking a steadying breath out of what looked to be extreme irritation.
"My father showed up," he said, sounding indeed irritated yet furious at the same time, not to mention worried himself. "I was in my room," he continued, "I would have come up and done something but she held the door down with her wand. I couldn't get out and by the time I was able to he had taken her as...as...bait. They were gone..." he trailed off sounding upset that she'd not allowed him to come out but still worried at the current situation.
Severus seemed to be doing some very quick thinking; Neville and Draco watched him, Neville seeming to just be nervous to be standing there in the presence of two death eaters who seemed genuinely concerned with the whereabouts of his friend.
"Do you still know of the wards at the Malfoy Manor," he directed to Draco, who nodded seriously.
"Then we go now," Severus stated without more hesitation and began towards the door. Draco nodded as followed, taking Hermione's fallen wand with him.
Neville didn't move. Not only was this too much for him to take in during the span of the last fifteen minutes, but he didn't know whether to follow or go back to what he was doing. He couldn't imagine why Snape would need him to accompany them either.
"Longbottom!" Severus called impatiently from the office, causing Neville to jump out of his thoughts. Startled, he scurried to the door, realizing he probably shouldn't just be standing around in the Headmaster's private quarters.
Neville didn't expect to be going on this rescue mission of sorts, but before he knew what was happening, he was practically jogging to keep up with Severus and Draco as they made their way across the grounds.
Draco's expression had made it perfectly clear that he did not approve of Neville's accompaniment, but any questioning on his part had been silenced with a subtle glare from Severus.
The somewhat chilly air stung at their lungs until they stopped at the large iron gates to the Hogwarts grounds, preparing to Apparate once outside the protection of the school's protective charms.
"You can Apparate, can't you," Draco asked condescendingly to Neville who only gave a nervous nod as if standing out there in the middle of the day with two wanted men was just the thing that would finally send his nerves over the edge.
Severus said nothing, only hoping that Longbottom would actually be able to do it. He had asked him to come along because he knew while Neville was an utter failure at nearly every task set before him, he also knew the friendship between him and Hermione and the fact that that was the reason for this entire thing would hopefully give Neville the courage to what he knew the boy was actually capable of.
Holding the gate open and ushering Draco and Neville through, he closed it behind himself and looked at them for certain confirmation they knew what they were doing...and then with three simultaneous pops, the three of them disappeared.
Malfoy Manor, once something to look at was now dismal, reminding Severus of his home he lived in as a child. The moss and other plant life had wound its way over the sides of the large house; the trees had no leaves left to them, only ghostly-looking branches hanging down everywhere. A pathway, once blooming and green but was now dead and decaying led up to the house, winding and seeming to twist. The place looked positively sinister.
Severus, Draco, and Neville stood outside of the gates, Severus trying to devise at least some sort of rough plan in his mind versus shielding his eyes and just running is, cutting down whatever may be in his path until he reached his goal.
He glanced to his left where Draco was standing, glaring through the bars of the gates at his home; a home, he noticed, Draco no longer wanted to be a part of. To his right, Neville seemed to be nearly shaking with fear. But other than the fear pouring off of him, Severus could also feel that Neville was mentally trying to calm himself, determined to do something for Hermione and prove Draco wrong.
Finally, he looked back over to Draco who just nodded, still staring straight ahead and took a few steps back. He never took his eyes off of the house as he quietly muttered the spells to take the wards down. Immediately, the gates opened themselves, slowly, drawlingly.
Severus took a deep breath and after motioning to Draco to proceed forward to take the rest of the charms and spells down, followed him, Neville falling in behind and taking up the rear.
When the three of them reached the door to the manor, Severus stopped them and looked around as if checking for any other presences before continuing.
"I know you both understand the danger in there; if I tell you to run, you will. Understood?" He looked at them both expectantly. Neville didn't move, unsure exactly of how he felt about leaving if Hermione was still somewhere in the house. Draco, however, daringly shook his head quietly, shooting his look right into Severus' face, refusing to be one to flee.
Severus looked at him warningly, moving his head to the side and raising an eyebrow as if daring him to argue. Draco wasn't fazed; he rivaled Severus' look with one of his own. Severus decided to let it be for the time being; he knew Draco would be able to take care of himself...however he did not want to be the one responsible for either of the young boys' deaths should it come to that. Besides that fact, if Draco was killed that would be certain death for Severus himself as he was, at this moment, still bound to protect him.
Moving his eyes back to the door, Severus made a few subtle wand movements and the door to the manor creaked open a few inches to reveal blackness. He glanced back at Neville and Draco who nodded; Neville only swallowed, gripping his wand tighter, waiting now.
With his foot, Severus gave the door a shove and it swung open into the black entryway...and then he led the way in.