"The only artifact of Godric Gryffindor's known to exist is the Sword." Severus drawled for the third time. "That is certainly not a horcrux or I would have detected the dark magic within it." Hermione was frantically flipping through a heavy book about the founders of Hogwarts for perhaps the fifth time. The chapters all had to do with their feats and strengths and goals. There was no mention of any belongings left behind by the great leaders. "That leaves Rowena Ravenclaw, obviously. Perhaps he had intended to collect one of each, but was unable to procure the Sword because it takes an act of selfless bravery to draw it. That is the only explanation I can imagine for him using an item from Hufflepuff. To be sure, loyalty is important to him, but… no, I'm sure he was after the set."
Hermione turned back to the portrait of Rowena Ravenclaw once more. It was a painting, obviously, as photography had not been invented during her time. She wished there was some way she could speak to the portrait. Those captivating eyes seemed to dare her to ask about the secrets hidden behind them. In fact, that was the part of the portrait that kept drawing her back. The witch had certainly been astoundingly beautiful. And yet, there was something about those eyes that spoke of horrible tragedy. She slipped a forefinger under the corner of the page, preparing to lift it, when something else about the picture suddenly caught her eye. The mysterious witch was wearing a sort of crown atop her head, which she hadn't even noticed until now. Her gasp of shock shook Severus from his rambling and he looked up from the text in his lap.
"What is it?" he asked hopefully. Where have I seen that before? Hermione was certain she recognized the piece of jewelry. It was so unique. Had she seen it in Hogwarts: A History? "Have you found something?" he prodded, leaning over to look at the portrait. She didn't think she had seen it in a book. Perhaps another portrait? A statue? Merlin, she was certain she had seen it somewhere. "Of course! The diadem of Ravenclaw! But that's been lost for years…"
"Shhhh," she cut him off, trying to latch on to something. Lost… something about that stirred a memory. If only she could grasp onto it.
"Of course, if Riddle had really wanted it, he might have…"
"Shut up a moment!" That shocked Severus into silence, but she tried to rid her mind of any regret she might have felt for being rude to him. She closed her eyes for a moment, focusing on clearing her mind, just as she had learned with Occlumency. She brought the image of the diadem to her mind; just the diadem. Somehow, separating the object from the woman helped her connect it to the memory of the first time she had seen it. "Oh!" she cried out. She could picture it now! Following Harry into the Room of Requirement, watching him move around the lost objects within in a particular arrangement to mark the place where the Prince's Potions book had been hidden. There, on top of the pile of weird objects he had thrown together, had been a diadem. This diadem. Hermione's eyes flew open. "I know where it is!"
Severus listened with a scowl. She knew he was only skeptical because he had learned so long ago never to hope for anything. "What was it he was hiding?" he eventually asked.
"Oh," Hermione felt herself blush. "His Potions book." She felt her lips spreading into a grin of their own accord. "Well, your Potions book, I suppose." Severus scowled disapprovingly, but brushed it off. She was delighted that he didn't mind her having it. Especially since he had been so furious to hear that Harry did. She smiled brightly at him. "That's got to be it, Severus! I mean, what better place to hide something at Hogwarts?" Severus shut the book he was holding and tossed it onto the couch. She felt her own book slide out of her hands to land on the floor as he reached for her, finding her lips with his own. He pressed her flat against the seat of the couch, crushing her into the cushions, his hand gripping her hair forcefully to hold her face against his own. She could feel him between her legs as he moved against her, thrusting his tongue into her mouth as if it were a demonstration. She moaned against him.
She slipped her own tongue between his lips to rub against his as she sent a hand down between their bodies to grip his hard length through the fabric. He growled and ripped away from her. "We don't have time, Hermione," he scolded. She scowled. He had started it! Whisking her toward the fireplace, Severus opened a floo connection to his private quarters and pulled them both inside.
They only stopped to suit up for battle, which really only meant that Hermione slipped her little beaded bag around her neck. Then, they were out the door, running along the corridors toward the Room of Requirement. The distant sounds of explosions reached their ears and they met each other's glance in fear. What had happened since they left?! Running past a large window, they both halted suddenly and froze in horrified shock. Professors, students, and Order members were stationed all around the castle, shooting charms into the sky to bolster the shell of wards that was currently cracking under the pressure of a thousand beams of red coming from the other side. They truly were at war. Hermione started to run again, but Severus grabbed her arm.
"You have to find Potter. Without a basilisk fang, searching for horcruxes is pointless." She blinked and started to nod when suddenly Severus Snape was blown backward, smashing against the wall.
"You bloody bastard!" Ron shouted as he ran over to where his professor had fallen. "Get your hands off of her!" Hermione jumped out of her stupor to grab his wand arm.
"Ron! Stop! He's on our side!"
"Like bloody hell he is!" Ron retorted, not even glancing at her.
"Ron! Don't! Listen to me!" Suddenly, Ron's wand was twirling through the air in the other direction and when he tried to move, his feet were glued to the floor. He fell backwards, landing with a painful crack against the cold stone. Severus had regained his feet just in time for Harry to come running around the corner to meet that sight. His wand was out of his hand before he could even analyze the situation. That didn't stop Harry as he threw his body against the older man, who gracefully dodged the boy and froze him in place. Ron tried to protest and was magically silenced with a wave of Severus's hand.
"You will both listen to me. We don't have much time. Because you felt the need to begin a war when you know damn well the dark lord has two remaining horcruxes keeping him alive, we now have to find and destroy them both in the middle of battle. Don't look at me like that, Weasley. As usual Hermione was the only one to realize that I am far too intelligent to place my faith in a man who would sooner kill me than say 'good morning,' so she'll have to catch you up to speed. In the meantime, Potter, you need to reenter the Chamber of Secrets and find a basilisk fang, as that is the only weapon available to us that we know destroys horcruxes. Hermione and I have a lead on an item of Rowena Ravenclaw's. When you have procured a fang, find us on your silly, little map and come straight away so that we can destroy it immediately. Is that understood?" The magical bindings immediately fell away and Harry crashed down onto the ground next to Ron whose mouth was hanging open stupidly.
Severus handed the boys back their wands and grabbed Hermione's hand. They left them sitting there, on the floor, dumbstruck, only hoping that they would see reason and pursue the basilisk fangs instead of the Potions Master.
It took every ounce of concentration for Hermione to think about her request, rather than the war around them, as she walked past the painting of the dancing trolls three times. When the door appeared, she half expected it to open to the wrong room, but there it was, complete with mountains upon mountains of tossed trash, hidden secrets, and lost treasures. Her feet took her straight to the spot where she remembered the book being hidden, only it was all very confusing in there, and she wasn't exactly sure which pile of chairs to turn left by, or which overladen hat stand to pass. Severus was at her heels, trusting her to know the way, and panic was welling up inside of her as she retraced and retraced her steps, beginning to believe that the room rearranged itself.
Suddenly an old, ornate mirror stood out in her recollection and Hermione turned around. There, on top of an old bust, surrounded by useless junk was the tarnished treasure she had seen atop Rowena Ravenclaw's head. Her steps seemed heavy as she walked the last couple of paces to the object. Already, she could feel the dark magic emanating from it. How did I not notice that before? She reached out for it and Severus's hand closed around her wrist, restraining her.
"Be careful! The ring Albus destroyed was a horcrux and it held a curse so powerful that he would have died from it if I hadn't contained it in his hand."
"His black hand?" Hermione gasped, looking up at him standing behind her. He only nodded as his other hand wrapped around her waist, holding her to him tightly as he reached his own hand out to the diadem. Hermione laughed a little at all the dramatics and admitted, "I've already seen Harry touch it, so you're not going to die." She felt him sag behind her and he grabbed the bedazzled headgear.
"Well, now we only have to hope that Potter actually listened to me for once."
They decided to join the battle and add their powers to the cause, but finding the door turned out to be a more challenging task than they had anticipated. When they finally did, the reality of what lay beyond it caught back up to them. This was war. They might not live past tonight. They might not ever see each other again. They hesitated, turning back toward each other, and slowly wrapped their arms around one another. They stood there a moment, held in a tight, desperate embrace, before pulling away only far enough to allow their lips to come together.
The kiss was soft and gentle. Severus pulled one of her lips between his own running his tongue along it as he held it between his teeth. Hermione smirked and teased him with the tip of her own tongue. Suddenly, he pulled her waist tight against him and thrust his tongue into her mouth for one last ravishing kiss before burying his face in her hair. "It'll be alright," he said softly. "We have to go." She could only nod as he pulled away from her and opened the door.
The Death Eaters had invaded the castle. As they ran through the halls, they were thrown into the midst of several separate battles. Severus soon became a target for either side. All of the Death Eaters, apparently, had been made aware of his betrayal and immediately jumped on the opportunity to be the one to do him in. Luckily, Hermione mused, Severus was plenty skilled enough to take any of them on without breaking a sweat. Members of the other side would stare in confusion as they watched Snape fighting on their own side, but the smarter ones seemed to catch on that he was no longer a Death Eater.
A cackle of laughter filled the hall. Hermione knew that laughter. Bellatrix. Her heart leapt and her blood boiled. Apparently, so did Severus's, because he was suddenly chasing after the dark witch. Hermione tried to stop him, but another Death Eater was bearing down upon her and she could not look away to catch sight of her beloved Potions Master. He's a big boy. He can take care of himself. But it made her ache not to know where he was and if he was alright. He can beat that bitch any time, any place.
When the burly bastard was blasted backwards, Hermione turned toward the direction Severus had gone and a shock of ginger hair caught her eye. Ron. He ran over to her, arm raised, holding a basilisk fang. She met him between two ongoing duels and grabbed his wrist, leading him away from the action. "Good job, Ron!" she exclaimed as they came to a stop in a small alcove.
"The greasy git was right, Hermione! We destroyed the cup! Now there's only two left! Did you get the one you were looking for?" Hermione's heart sank painfully. She should have taken it from him!
"Severus has it!" she called out, barely noticing the look of shocked disgust on her friend's face. "Here, let me have it. I'll find him!" She snatched the fang from Ron's hand, stuffing it into her little, beaded bag and ran off in the direction Severus had gone before Ron could even object.
Don't forget to review! I think I may only have one chapter left after this!