Hermione rose early and spent a while reading before she bathed and dressed, leaving for breakfast. She noticed that some of the students were absent from their tables and remembered her occasional days of skipping breakfast on weekends back when she was in school. When the meal was over she was stopped by a student who had a question about their transfiguration homework and she took a moment to explain until he understood. When he had hurried away to find his friends, she walked quickly to catch up with Hagrid, who was meandering towards the entrance hall but stopping here and there to have a few words with students.
Hermione reached his side just as he left the Great Hall and walked outside with him. Everything was covered in a blinding, brilliantly white blanket of snow, and more large flakes were falling quickly from the gray sky. It came as no surprise, then, that most of the students had come straight outside after breakfast.
Hagrid didn't speak on the way to his house, and Hermione didn't feel the need to fill the empty air with idle chat, so they walked in silence. He opened his door and let her walk in first, and Fang, who had been inside, bounded past her, running through the snow and burying his nose in the drifts. He nearly knocked Hermione over on his way past, but she grabbed the doorframe and managed to keep her footing. Hagrid closed the door behind himself while she went to sit at the table. He sat down and Hermione smiled at the sight of him; large white snowflakes had gotten caught in his tangled mane of wild hair and beard, and they were just now starting to melt.
"Here," he said, pouring her some strange, steaming brown concoction into a mug for her from the pot over the fire. She smiled and took it, trying to let the warmth of the mug sink in through her robes and also trying to avoid inhaling the steam from the substance, which reeked.
Hagrid started talking about dragons and Hermione listened patiently, answering or putting in a, "Yes," or an, "Of course!" whenever necessary. But she let Hagrid do most of the talking. She sighed, smiling as she remembered years before, when Hagrid had gotten a Norwegian Ridgeback while at the Hog's Head. It had been Quirrel—and Voldemort with him—who had traded the egg to Hagrid and waited until the half giant was drunk enough to mention the only way to get past Fluffy, a great, three-headed dog who had been set to guard the Sorcerer's Stone. Norbert had grown quickly and Hermione, Ron, and Harry had snuck him up to the astronomy tower in the dead of night to meet Charlie, who had—with the help of several colleagues who were also dragonologists—taken Norbert away from the school to be raised elsewhere. Hermione remembered that Norbert had eventually turned out to be a girl and Charlie had said that they started calling her Norberta instead.
And now Hagrid was talking about some new kind of dragon and though he never directly said it, Hermione could see in his eyes that he wanted one to raise for his own. To Hagrid, most creatures that terrified normal people were just large, lovable pets. That was all fine, but he was a half-giant and weighed five times more than Hermione did, so when he brought his pets to his classes for students, things didn't often turn out well. Granted, his first Care of Magical Creatures lesson had been about hippogriffs, and that had been interesting and safe enough. But Draco Malfoy had been stupid enough to ignore Hagrid's warning about how to act around a hippogriff and Buckbeak had hurt him, which led to Buckbeak's death sentence. He and Sirius Black would have died in the same day had Hermione and Harry not gone back in time and changed the fates of both.
Hagrid finished his long talk about dragons and at last mentioned Buckbeak. Hermione set her mug on the table and noticed as she did that the liquid inside had solidified and turned black. Ignoring her desire to poke the stuff with some kind of stick, she rose from her seat with Hagrid and they walked out the back door together. Hermione followed Hagrid into the forbidden forest, though they didn't have to go far before the trees opened up and they were faced by several hippogriffs standing or trotting around in the snow. Hermione bowed to them, and they cocked their heads at her before, one by one, bending their knees and bowing back. She approached the closest one, which was deep chestnut, and stroked his feathers. She did this to each of the creatures until she reached Buckbeak, who stepped towards her and lowered his head for her. She stroked his feathers and smiled up into his face.
She and Hagrid spent a few hours out in the snow with Buckbeak and the other hippogriffs, and then they went back to the castle for lunch. The two of them came into the entrance hall just as Severus did, and he nodded to Hermione before turning to enter the Great Hall before she and Hagrid did. She pulled the hood of her cloak off of her head and followed the half giant into the Great Hall, where all of the students were already seated at their tables. They walked to the staff table behind Severus and Hermione seated herself between him and Neville. McGonagall announced that there would be a trip to Hogsmeade the coming Saturday, and when she sat down food appeared on all of the tables and everyone began eating.
Severus ate slowly, as usual, and was careful to allow himself only occasional glances out of the corner of his eye at Hermione. She was quite wrapped up in some conversation with Longbottom, who seemed very deeply interested in whatever she was saying. Their conversation was, however, interrupted by the arrival of an owl in front of Hermione. Severus allowed himself to turn and face her with a bored expression on his face, as if he was completely uninterested in whatever the owl said.
Hermione had made sure after the hearing that the Ministry of Magic now sent all letters regarding Severus straight to him and not to her, so he didn't think it could be something about him. The owl took flight and left the Great Hall, and Hermione was opening the envelope and unfolding the parchment inside. Neville had turned and begun talking to Pomona Sprout beside him, and Severus turned back to his food, though he paid Hermione and her letter-reading an occasional glance. She seemed pensive and not quite herself after she had read whatever the parchment said and returned it to its envelope, which she then tucked into her robes.
Severus noticed that Hermione's eyes were constantly darting towards the headmistress and that she sat back and didn't eat any more food. To look at McGonagall, she had to look past him, but she seemed to see right through him. He noticed that her eyes seemed clouded with some strong emotion. Was it worry? But no, all was well at Hogwarts, his hearing was over and he was cleared of past events, and she was enjoying her job as a teacher once more now that he had admitted his true feelings for her. Severus wondered what could possibly be the matter, and concluded that the letter must be from Potter or Weasley and that they must have had some kind of bad news. He found himself hoping, for her, that nothing was wrong with any of her friends. He would never have felt any particular concern for any of the Weasley family had they not been so important to Hermione, and he would most definitely not have cared at all for Potter had he not been the son of Lily.
Now that the dark lord was gone, Potter could fend for himself. He was an auror, and of age in the wizarding world as well as the muggle world. Severus felt no need to concern himself with the boy until now, when Hermione's worried eyes saw through him to McGonagall once again. Rolling his eyes at his food, he stopped eating as well, concern for Hermione growing inside of him. He noticed, for the first time, that several girls at the Hufflepuff table were giggling amongst themselves, talking quietly and pointing at him. And then they pointed at someone else. But who? With a jolt, Severus realized that they were pointing between him and Hermione. They were smiling and covering their mouths to try to hide it, and nodding their heads or shaking them as they moved their hands emphatically while they spoke to each other about something.
Severus' eyes narrowed as he watched them. What were they up to? And then the answer hit him in the face. Of course, it was so obvious; they were second year girls who loved Hermione and were quick to think they knew about the idea of love. But had they truly caught on to something between him and Hermione or were they just pairing the two together with hopes that were based on rumor or ridiculous things that they called "evidence?" Severus caught the eye of one of the girls and they all stopped giggling and stared at him, and he gave them an especially savage glare. They all became somber right away and turned back to their meal, bowing their heads low and whispering once more, glancing at him from the corners of their eyes every now and then.
He was still suspicious that the main topic of their quiet conversation was his supposed love for Hermione, but stopped glaring at them and glanced at Hermione again. She was biting her lip, but the usual smile that accompanied this action was nowhere to be found. This turned Severus' thoughts away from the giggling second years and caused him to ask himself again why Hermione would be worried.
When the meal was over the students all rose and hurried to get outside in the snow again or back to their dormitories and dressed for the cold. This left the staff members mulling about, either remaining in their seats while they talked to one another or moving towards the doors to the entrance hall, where they would part ways and go wherever they wished or were needed. Severus noted that most of them left, including Longbottom, and though when Hermione stood she did not leave and continued to watch the headmistress, who was talking to Flitwick. Severus rose from his chair and was mildly surprised when Hermione's eyes momentarily left McGonagall and fell on his face. He raised one eyebrow to ask what was wrong, but she only answered by biting her lip again and looking back to McGonagall. He rolled his eyes at her, though he was sure she didn't see, and turned away before he strode from the Great Hall.
Hermione waited patiently, and when at last the headmistress was done speaking to Filius, she hurried forward and caught her attention. The older woman turned to look at her and asked, "Yes?"
Hermione stopped biting her lip and said, "Can I speak to you in your office?" glancing around at the remaining staff members, few though there were.
The older witch's brow creased, but she nodded. "Of course."
The two of them walked to the headmistress' office and both sat down. "Is something the matter?" McGonagall asked, though the answer was obvious enough.
Hermione had been biting her lip again, but she stopped as she nodded. She drew the envelope from her robes, and then leaned forward, handing it to the headmistress, who took the letter out and read it. She read, lips pursed, and her brow creased once more as she did. She looked up at Hermione and then back down at the letter, reading it once more before she folded the parchment and put it back into the envelope, which she handed to Hermione. "There was an earlier letter?" she asked, though it was more of a statement than a question.
Hermione nodded. "Kreacher left it in my room for me and I read it once we'd gotten back from the Ministry."
McGonagall's face was thoughtful. "He was convinced then as well?"
Hermione nodded again. "He said that he and Ron were, but that Kingsley wasn't ready to accept it yet."
The headmistress was still thinking, Hermione could tell. She had only just opened her mouth to speak when the flames in her fireplace turned green and the tongues of flame expanded and burned higher than before. A very anxious looking boy with messy black hair and a lightning scar stumbled out of the fireplace, brushing soot from his clothes and fixing his glasses back on his nose, as they had slid off and were hanging askew from one of his ears. "Harry?!" Hermione jumped up from her seat and without thinking she threw her arms around him. Then she remembered the soot and ash, and pulled out her wand, using a simple charm to remove it from both of their robes. The flames roared high and green once more, and Ron stepped out, looking a bit more composed than Harry, but just as alarmed about something. Hermione used the same charm to remove the soot from his robes and gave him a quick hug as well.
"What is it, Potter?" the headmistress asked, and Hermione remembered that she was there for the first time since Harry had arrived.
Harry turned and looked at her. "We can't stay," he said, his voice steady though he looked quite upset. "We were right," he looked at the envelope on the desk and nodded at it, "about Rookwood. He's alive and he's on the loose."
Ron looked from Hermione to McGonagall, both of whom were now standing, and said, "He's gone completely mental!"
Harry nodded and said, "We think it's something to do with the dark mark. Kingsley isn't sure whether someone saved him like you did Snape"—he looked at Hermione—"or whether he managed to scrape by and survive on his own. But we're sure he's gone mad. It seems like the pain from the mark was a bit much for his mind to handle. He came waltzing right into the Ministry last night but everyone was so sure he was dead they all thought they must be imagining things, and it took until this morning for the news to reach Kingsley and the others.
"Then he sent us to Malfoy Manor to check up on them and see if he'd tried to persuade them to cause trouble again, but when we got there . . ." he trailed off.
He winced when Hermione asked, "What? What happened?" She didn't particularly care much for the Malfoys, but a sudden feeling of dread was building in her stomach. If a madman with a wand and the knowledge of the dark arts had visited them when they least expected it . . .
Harry was looking unwilling to continue, so Ron took over. "We got there and . . ." he took a deep breath and Hermione felt herself do so as well. She hated this; she was hanging on his every word, expecting the worst but dreading the news. "Narcissa and Draco just got to Saint Mungo's not half an hour ago," he said at last. Hermione felt her stomach drop.
It was the headmistress who spoke next. "And Lucius?" she asked.
Both Harry and Ron looked as if they were about to retch. Hermione's stomach seemed to be curling up and tying itself in painful knots of frightening anticipation, and McGonagall prodded, "Well?"
Harry took a deep breath and said a single word. "Dead."
McGonagall actually gasped. Hermione's hands flew to her mouth of their own accord and she heard her own sharp intake of breath. She hadn't been too thrilled with the Malfoys' freedom, but for Lucius to be killed after all this, after the war was over . . . it was too much to grasp. "Dead," she heard herself whisper.
"How?" the headmistress asked.
Harry shook his head. "Ron and I went straight there. We got inside and it was all chaos. We had no idea what had happened and aren't sure yet because Narcissa hasn't said a word so far. When we got into the place, she was screaming and sobbing and crying and clinging to Draco and trying to pull him behind an overturned table in the dining room because he was unconscious and Lucius was nowhere to be found. Rookwood heard us coming and left as soon as we saw him."
"Left?" McGonagall questioned, though Hermione was sure she'd already guessed the answer to her question.
"He was strong enough to disapparate," Harry said. "After he was gone we went to the two behind the table and Narcissa was scared to death of us until she saw who we were. She was badly hurt, but nothing compared to Draco. He's in critical condition. We found Lucius upstairs. It looked like Rookwood had found him first and when he refused to join him, it turned into an all-out duel. We think Narcissa heard from downstairs and tried to get Draco out, but he might have run to help Lucius—but like I said, we're not entirely sure. Rookwood looked like he was hurt when we saw him before he disapparated, but not as badly as Narcissa. When we found Lucius-"
"Or what was left of him anyway," Ron cut in, making both the headmistress and Hermione cringe.
"He was dead," Harry finished. "They're trying to get anything they can out of Narcissa, but she's in a state of shock and is constantly switching between sobbing about Lucius and cowering in fear. Kingsley has a group or aurors watching at Saint Mungo's to protect the Malfoys and the other patients. But what I've said about Rookwood's motives when he attacked is just an idea. We don't really know; he could have asked for their partnership in using dark magic, or he could have just gone after them out of hatred because they were free, or he might've been furious that they betrayed Voldemort and gone to get his revenge." He paused, and when no one asked any questions, he added in a lower voice, "Kingsley isn't sure, but he thinks he—Rookwood—will go after Snape next. I know Hogwarts is one of the safest places around, and you can't apparated in and out, but you'll still want to be careful. Also, he's not right in the head, remember, so he'll try things that are stupid and daring but just might work."
The headmistress nodded. Hermione only blinked. She was still trying to grasp several things; Rookwood was alive and he had, as Ron had said, gone completely mental; Severus seemed to be in mortal peril; Lucius Malfoy was dead and his wife was in Saint Mungo's, where his son was in critical condition. Even her hate for Draco and his family in the past didn't stop her from feeling suddenly very sad for their loss of Lucius and very worried that Draco could die.
"We have to go," Ron said.
McGonagall nodded again and said, "Tell Kingsley that we will be especially cautious from now on."
Both boys nodded. Hermione hurried to hug them both and wish them luck and safety looking for the one remaining death eater, and then another thought occurred to her. "If Rookwood survived . . ." she started, but the others didn't need to hear the rest to know what she was thinking.
"It is possible that others who had not yet been caught could have survived, yes," the headmistress said.
Harry and Ron turned to the fire and flooed one at a time. Hermione turned back to McGonagall and waited expectantly. The older witch sat down behind her desk and looked up at her. "Please go and tell the other staff members to come here immediately for a meeting."
Hermione nodded and left the office, hurrying down halls and corridors. Any staff member she passed was given the message and set off to McGonagall's office. She remembered who she had already told and at last there was only one she had yet to find and tell; Severus. She hurried down to the dungeon, hoping that perhaps he was in his classroom. He was. She opened the door and he looked up from the homework he was grading at his desk. He raised his eyebrows but she didn't waste her words; this was a serious matter.
"McGonagall wants all the staff in her office right away," she said.
His brow creased but he stood immediately and joined her by the door, and they walked quickly together to the headmistress' office. Inside, all of the other people Hermione had told to come were standing around, waiting for an explanation. When McGonagall saw that Hermione and Severus were there she stood up and everyone fell silent. She relayed Harry and Ron's message to them, and everyone looked utterly shocked. Then they began discussing safety and precautions with the students and the school and the portraits of past headmasters, including Dumbledore, even joined in the conversation.
At dinner a few new additions to the rules were announced, and the warnings not to leave the grounds were stated once more to ensure the student's safety. The meal seemed to go quickly for Hermione, and soon enough she was curling up in bed with Crookshanks, though she couldn't sleep. Thoughts of Rookwood, the Malfoys, and Severus swirled around in her head, mixing together until everything was muddled and she fell asleep, dreaming that Severus had gone mad from drinking a potion and killed Rookwood, who had been the distant cousin of the Malfoy family, which was now furious with Hermione for saving Severus because of what he had done.
She woke in the morning and was relieved to find that it was a dream, but then felt terrible when she remembered the truth. Classes started after breakfast and she had enough to do for the rest of the day to keep her busy and free of troubling thoughts. She was quite busy for the rest of the week, falling into bed exhausted every night and rising just early enough in the morning to take a quick bath and get ready before breakfast. Saturday came and she realized that Christmas was only a matter of weeks away, but that thought was gone when she remembered the stack of homework she had yet to grade. She spent the day in her classroom and was surprised to hear that the trip to Hogsmeade hadn't been cancelled due to Rookwood's return.
She left the castle with the students, having been told my McGonagall to keep an eye on any of the children around wherever she went in Hogsmeade, though it was her own day and she could go where she pleased. She stopped by the Hog's Head to see Aberforth Dumbledore and ended up in the Three Broomsticks, sitting alone at a table in the corner. Madam Rosmerta hadn't yet gotten a moment to come and take her order, so she waited patiently, smiling at the charming winter decorations that floated above her head near the ceiling. The door opened and several students came, accompanied by a gust of frigid air and swirling snowflakes brought in by the wind. They found a table across the room from Hermione and she counted how many were there and tried to sort out who was who in the dim light where their faces were hidden. The door opened yet again but she was too busy, counting students and trying fruitlessly to identify who they were, to notice who had entered.
She jumped, startled, when a deep voice drawled, "May I sit down?"
"O-of course," she stammered in surprise, but Severus had already slid into the seat across the table from her.
It was then that Madam Rosmerta found her way to them and asked, "What can I get ya?"
Severus looked to Hermione, who asked for a butterbeer, and he asked for one as well. Hermione was pleasantly surprised. She felt foolish saying it, but stated, "I didn't know you liked butterbeer."
"Did you think I was partial only to pumpkin juice?" he asked.
"No," she said, "I suppose it just seems a bit . . ." she trailed off, looking for the proper word.
"A bit . . . too sweet for someone with a disposition like my own?" he asked, and there was actually amusement shining in his eyes.
Hermione smiled at him. She wasn't sure whether she was more pleasantly surprised or shocked and startled by his trying to be funny. Their drinks arrived and Severus paid for them before she could say a word, but his eyes—like melted chocolate once again—dared her to question him, so she remained silent. She sipped the hot, rich liquid and watched his face for a moment before glancing at the students and counting heads again.
Severus watched as her attention turned to a table of students on the opposite side of the room. He smirked at her. "Paranoid about students, are we?"
She blinked and looked back at him. "No. Just cautious, as McGonagall's asked us to be."
They gazed at each other steadily for a few seconds and then she said quietly, "I'm worried about more than just students."
He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Don't be ridiculous," he said airily.
She frowned at him. "I'm not being ridiculous. I have every right to be worried." Then she dropped her voice to a whisper and leaned forward over her drink, hissing, "He killed Lucius. He hurt Narcissa and Draco has yet to recover enough to no longer be considered dying. He might not be sane, but he still knows what he's doing with dark magic."
"You shouldn't worry so," Severus said, looking annoyed.
She glared at him. "I apologize that my concern for you is so offensive."
He shook his head and sipped his butterbeer, the sight of which causing Hermione's lips to twist into an annoyed, upset-but-amused smile. "I do not find it offensive," he said after a moment, his eyes drifting away from her and then back again, "I simply think that there is less reason to worry than you seem to have convinced yourself there is."
"Severus," she hissed, upset again and no longer smiling, "I've already lost you twice. Can you blame be for not wanting another?"
He rolled his eyes at her, but inside he was concerned that she would worry over him too much. Yes, he was quite possibly in danger, but no, Rookwood would probably be unable to kill him. "You never actually lost me," he said simply.
She pursed her lips. "I was sure you were dead the first time, and the second was far too close for my liking. I'll not have it happing again."
He smirked at her.
"You haven't got a heart," she said in a low hiss. Then her voice dropped to the softest whisper and she said, "Severus, I can't lose you again. And if you insist that I never did, then I can't lose you at all, even if this is the first time. Please, at least try to understand my concern?"
He merely continued to smirk and sip his drink.
She bit her lip, and he frowned and said, "Will you please stop?"
She raised her eyebrows, but did remove her teeth from her lip. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly at her obedience, but he did not smile. Of course he understood Hermione's concern; he was worried for her just as much as she was for him. If Rookwood was coming for him because he had lived and was not a criminal in the Ministry's eyes, then wouldn't he be quick to attack the person who had ensured Severus' survival? In Severus' eyes, Hermione was in far greater danger than he himself was, and she had no idea of it. She started to talk about the proper way to prepare the ingredients and add them to Amortentia, and he answered her questions, asking her some though he knew she had all the answers.
The two talked for an hour, enjoying each other's company but looking to students and everyone else as if they were discussing classes and such things when really they were having a witty contest as to who knew the most about certain potions or charms or spells or hexes. Hermione eventually ordered another butterbeer, and she actually stole Severus' tankard from him and peered into it before she believed that he'd drank the entire thing. He smirked, quite amused by her amazement that he actually liked the stuff.
Hello everyone! Sorry that this chapter is a bit short; I had a long day of school and other things, as well as a bit of writer's block. But here you are! I hope you like it! I liked writing it! Please review if you have a moment. I love to hear from you all and thank you again to all who have reviewed before and thanks if you are just doing it now! I have some interesting things planned for Severus and Hermione in future chapters so please bear with me as I keep writing! Thank you all for reading! Love, love, love you! ~Taelr