Fear.
It grips us, hunts us, prevents us from accomplishing what we set out to achieve. Fear is ruthless, relentless, paralyzing. How you manage the fear, how you face the fear, is dependent upon the individual. Facing one's fears, or so it is called, is not simple, not by the smallest measure. Facing fear takes strength, takes courage…
…And Hermione Granger thanked her lucky stars on this very evening that these were two qualities that she possessed deep down inside of her. The girl was, after all, a Gryffindor. Strength and courage were her allies. She hated flying, hated it with a passion, but she had summoned enough guts to do what had to be done.
Hermione peered down at the golden coin she was currently gripping in her sweaty hand.
Thestrals.
Just then, one of the boys spoke, drawing Hermione out of her thoughts.
'Mione-' shouted Harry, looking at her with a serious face, '-come on, let's go!' he shouted from the back of the classroom, where he and Ron already stood.
Hermione's head shot up. She took one last glance at the Potions Master, who was currently glued in place, the sleeve of his left arm rolled up to reveal his hideous greenish-black mark. Hermione turned towards the boys, pausing to snatch the bosc pear Harry had left sitting idly on a nearby desk, and walked swiftly towards them. The boys let Hermione pass, and followed her one by one out the door. Just before closing the door, Harry turned to look at Severus. Harry paused for a moment, opened his mouth to speak, but closed it just as soon. Without a word, he was gone, and the Potions Master was alone in the room.
Severus Snape headed quickly towards his private chambers, opened the door, and entered into his bedroom. Though the room was completely darkened, he knew just where to obtain what he needed this night. From a medium-sized mahogany chest located in the corner of his room, he opened it and withdrew his Death Eater mask.
He took one look at it, regarding it for a moment.
Every time, every single damn time he looked at that mask, it disgusted him to no end. Regardless of the fact, Severus sighed inwardly, and tried to block his feelings and emotions.
This was going to be a long night, Severus thought to himself.
Severus grabbed his ebony cloak, and tucked his mask under his garb. With his head in the fireplace, he made contact with Headquarters, and clued them in to the current situation. He then headed out of the classroom, out of the school, and eventually made his way to the outside of the school gates. Turning to face the old, rusty gates of Hogwarts Castle, he raised the sleeve of his left forearm, took out his wand and attempted to touched the tip of it to the ugly marking on his forearm.
Before he did, he noticed two thestrals soaring gracefully above him. He paused for a moment, looked at the giant graceful creatures taking flight with their precious passengers. He looked down at his mark, the snake continuing to writhe. With a scowl, he touched the snake on his arm with the tip of his wand, and was gone.
Severus Snape disappeared into the night air.
Meanwhile, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, were also trying to disappear into the night.
The three students had made their way into the edge of the Forbidden Forest, and Harry was thankful to spot a group of thestrals rather quickly. There were three of them to be exact, all of adult size, Harry presumed.
Harry quickly made his way over to one of the thestrals with Ron.
Hermione, on the other hand, stood as still as a statue, not moving a single inch.
She looked at the giant, hideous beasts. Their hollowed-out eyes, rough exterior and odd shape made Hermione cringe. Not to mention the fact that in a few brief seconds she'd be feet upon feet in the air riding upon one of these creatures.
What made Hermione stop and stare at the creatures was quite simple, really.
You see, this was the first time that Hermione had ever seen a thestral.
Many months ago, Hermione had witnessed something that no child should ever, ever have to see.
She had watched her parents die.
A car crash, it was. A rainy night proved to be the end to their short lives here on earth. They had dropped their little girl off at a book shop in town that evening. Hermione had wanted to purchase a new copy of Hamlet. Her old one had torn and was purchased used to begin with, and Hermione thought that she deserved a brand new edition that had that new-book smell that she oh so desperately loved.
Before dropping her off, her Father had turned around, telling Hermione where to meet them after her purchase. Her parents were going a few blocks away to make dinner reservations for that evening, and Hermione was to meet them there as soon as she was finished. Hermione hopped out of the vehicle, and closed the door behind her. The car drove off, and her parents were on their way.
Hermione believed that it was the sound that caught her first, rather than the scene.
A horrific crashing sound, the buzz of onlookers…and then blood.
Hermione ran a block up the road to where the mangle car stood, smoking in the rain. Hermione peered in the car window first, looking at her Father who sat motionless. His head had hit the windshield, a trickle of crimson sliding down his forehead.
Hermione looked around.
There lay her mother, next to the lamppost that they had crashed into. Hermione threw herself on the wet cement, and cradled her mother in her lap. Hermione's mother looked up at her little girl, and without word, closed her eyes.
Hermione's mother had died in her arms.
Hermione, remembering that awful night, shook her head, as if trying to rid herself of the terrible thoughts that loomed in her brain. At the beginning of the year, she and her two best friends had arrived at Hogwarts a day ahead of schedule via broomstick, and they had not taken the thestral driven carriages that usually take the students to the school. So was it indeed, that this evening, this very night to be exact, was the first night that Hermione was able to view the creatures that dwelled in the forest.
'Mione!' Harry called, drawing Hermione out of her thoughts.
She turned her head to look at Harry, and trotted over to one of the thestrals that he was standing beside.
'Mione,' said Harry, 'you and I will take this one. Ron-' he motioned, pointing to a thestral that Ron was already perched upon, '-you follow us,' said Harry. With concealment charms in place as needed, they were off, flying gracefully into the night sky.
Hermione had her eyes closed during take-off, gripping Harry's sweater so tightly she swore that it would tear at a moments notice.
What was normally around half hours ride seemed an eternity to Hermione.
At one point, Hermione had scooted so close to Harry, that the pear that sat in the pocket of her sweatshirt was starting to poke Harry in his back.
Harry smiled.
'Hey Mione,' he called, '…is that a pear in your pocked, or are you just happy-'
Hermione opened her eyes and smiled.
'Oh, shut up Harry,' she said with a slight chuckle.
They landed across the street from Headquarters. Since Hermione had performed a concealment charm on the three students (and the thestrals for good measure), they were not likely to be seen. Once they landed on solid ground, once Hermione had lifted the charm, wobbly legs and all, she made her way up the steps and grasped the cool metal knob of Number 12 Grimmauld Place, letting her and the boys inside.
Alas, Severus Snape had also landed on solid ground that evening. However, his destination was much, much different. He looked up at the giant mansion that sat before him, trees lining the edge of the gray-stoned dwelling.
Malfoy Manor.
Severus sighed. He walked up a single step outside of the house, grasped the silver knob on the pristine maple wood, opened the front door and silently made his way indoors.
He stepped into the foyer, and proceeded up the main staircase. He could hear someone...someone crying out lound...like an animal in terrible, terrible pain. The howling was followed by a shriek of laughter, a cackle of sorts. A cackle that could only be from one death eater. He despised her laugh, hated her every being, wished that she would simply disappear from the face of the earth.
But unfortunately, Bellatrix Lestrange cannot be so easily disposed.
The howling continued, even worse than before.
'Good Christ,' Severus thought to himself. 'What now?'
Meanwhile, the three students entered Headquarters. Hermione took a moment to absorb the unlit hallway that led to the kitchen, the rickety steps that she had climbed so many times before, the umbrella stand that Tonks had knocked over countess times.
All of a sudden, the hairs on Hermione's arms stood up.
Something isn't right, she thought to herself. It was a feeling, a mere feeling that made the house feel unsettling that very evening.
'Come on,' Harry whispered to Ron and Hermione, and they quickly made their way towards the kitchen. Before they got to the door of the kitchen, Harry heard crying. Soft crying, almost a whimpering of sorts.
The three stood silently outside of the door. Harry was the first to open it, and he did so ever so quietly, ever so cautiously.
There, at the one end of the table, was Tonks. Her eyes were bloodshot, her nose red as a beet. A mound of tissues in front of her, and she was sobbing ever so gently into the palms of her hands.
Mrs. Weasley, dressed in a patchwork skirt and hunter green shirt was standing next to Tonks, rubbing her back, trying her best to comfort her with soothing words.
Hermione pushed through both boys and went right over to Tonks. She pulled up an empty chair next to her, and scooted in towards the distraught witch.
'Oh Tonks! What...what happened?' asked Hermione, concern and worry etched onto her face as she too rubbed Tonks' back in a mother-like sort of way.
'Oh...oh Hermione...' said Tonks, between sniffles, looking at the young Gryffindor. 'It's...it's Remus...he's...he's...gone...' she said, her voice trailing off. She squinted her eyes, letting more tears cascade upon her reddened cheeks as a sob escaped her lips.
'They...they came and took him...Death Eaters...they took him,' she sobbed, and once again put her head in her hands.
Hermione's eyes filled with tears. Her eyes scanned the crowd, and landed on the somber face of Professor McGonagle.
'It's... do...do you know…what happened?' stammered Hermione, as she shifted her focus from the Headmistress to the helpless form of Nymphadora Tonks.
The Headmistress looked at the young Gryffindor and closed her eyes for a moment.
'No,' she said softly, looking down at her lap. 'No trace of him. The other Aurors are doing their best to search any leads...' her voice trailed off, as she stared at her hands in her lap, a cup of once piping hot tea now sitting quite cool and untouched before her.
Tonks began to sob even harder. Her heart was breaking, piece by piece. She knew, deep in her heart, that this was bad. Very bad.
Severus Snape, had much the same thought.
Things were bad. Very bad.
He reached the top of the steps to find a dimly lit room. Upon entrance to the spacious room, he counted about eight death eaters, or so, all clad in much the same garb that the Potions Master was sporting. Severus turned his attention to the Death Eaters, all gathered in a circle of sorts. He then placed his gaze towards the direction of the smiling figure in the middle of it all.
Voldemort was in the center of the circle. And he wasn't alone.
Severus could see that there, along with the Dork Lord, was a figure in tattered clothing. It appeared to be a man, Severus thought to himself. It was the shoes that gave it away. And Severus was undeniably good at paying attention to detail. Severus crept closer towards the figures.
The man was bloodied and most likely bruised. Probably had a few broken bones in various places. Severus was straining to see in the candlelit room, but could only really make out shapes, and not distinct faces. The voices, though, were unmistakable - that was certain.
All of a sudden, Voldemort uttered: 'Crucio,' and the man in the middle of the floor began to writhe in pain, howling once again in agony.
Voldemort's cruel and sinister laughter echoed off of the hollow walls.
Suddenly, he turned towards the Potion Master, finally acknowledging his presence.
'Ah Severus! So good of you to join us this evening,' the Dark Lord bellowed. Severus immediately kneeled and bent his head in reverence.
'My sincere apologies for lateness, My Lord,' Snape stated in a somber tone, looking at the ground beneath him.
Voldemort laughed. 'No worries, Severus, we were just having a bit of fun! Surely, we did not want you to miss all of the festivities,' he added, voice dripping with sarcasm. The Dark Lord laughed once again, and then suddenly his face turned cross. He swept towards Severus, and stood directly in front of him, mask to face.
'Actually, Severus, You are here to do me a favor,' hissed the Dark Lord, stepping away from Severus, walking around his prey that lay almost motionless in the middle of the floor.
'You are here to give a warning. To those at the school. To those that are…against me, shall we say,' a twisted grin upon his ashen lips.
'Take back this creature, Severus. He is a mere warning. A warning to those that cross me...a warning to those that do not feed me information...' added Voldemort, his slit-like eyes peering into Severus' onyx orbs beyond the mask as he spoke.
'As you wish, my Lord,' Severus said, keeping constant eye contact with Voldemort. The Dark Lord turned away from the Potions Master and continued circling around the injured being.
'Oh, and Severus?' stated the Dark Lord, pausing to kick the heap on the floor.
'Now would be a good time to tell those that...oppose me, what shall happen to the Granger girl and her child, should they continue to oppose me. Potter is as good as gone...but her? Ah yes, she is carrying a prize, worth far more than we could have ever imagined,' he hissed, the glee in his manic state unmistakable upon his wretched malformed face.
'As you wish, my Lord,' said the Potions Master. He could feel the bile rising in his throat, imagining what Voldemort would do to the girl, or the child for that matter.
Severus walked towards the heap in the middle of the circle. He quickly bent down to grasp hold of the bloodied figure, and apparated without another word. In that second, in that mere split second that it took for him to grasp the figure, he recognized just who the bloodied face belonged to.
Holding a breath, Severus immediately apparated with the man to a place that both of them knew oh so well.
Severus apparated to the back yard of Number 12 Grimmauld Place.
In the little well-hidden yard, a tiny little space that mainly was a campground for rusted trashcans and stray cats in search of a meal, Severus peeled off his mask, threw it next to a trashcan and looked down at the man on the ground, the man that he had taken back with him.
Severus lifted him up slightly to get a better look at the figure. His eyes widened, and his brow furred at the sight in front of him. While looking at the figure, eyes holding a mixture of disbelief, hatred, and confusion, Severus spoke to the man in a whisper.
'My God Lupin - what the hell have they done to you?'