Chapter 5

Hermione put the finishing touches on their concealment charmed clothes. "A kiss for luck?" Building from the first delicate kiss, their passion mounted propelled by years of separation. "I love you." Since Severus invoked the bond, her freedom was as much at risk as his. Even in the off-chance they could prove his innocence, he would have to defend himself against a double jeopardy with regard to the five killing curses. Which they could expunge, if they had wanted to. Hermione was knee-deep in conjecture. Their willingness had more to do with it than anything else. "Let's go get that Pensieve." Hermione held on as they were sucked through the darkness.

Their clothes and hair whipped up around them from the cool westerlies blowing in. Battleship grey water surrounded the peninsula where they were situated. They picked their way around the battle torn ruin, It was a comfort that Sev knew where he was going.

They approached a carved stone basin and pedestal. "May I?" Sev reached out a hand for her wand. Hermione handed it over, which he took gratefully. Drawing the insubstantial strands from his memories, Snape was nervous. Hermione knew Severus was out of practice. Being out of practice and without a wand, was a serious handicap. We'll have to remedy that. Might as well take care of procuring a wand my other switchblade, the two-way mirrors and extra clothes all at the same time. There was only one place to get everything, Master Pall. Now, wasn't the time to mention it. Hermione took the wand to stand guard as Severus went in. She scanned the sky and water around their perch.

"Hermione take a look, tell me what you think." She handed the wand over to him, then immersed herself into the memory.

Severus reclined on the sofa reading, somehow Severus seemed very different by comparison. I had just left. She wanted to touch him. She paced the room waiting for the intruders. Even though she knew they couldn't hurt her, it was something of a shock to see them blast the door in. Severus went for his wand, but was stupefied. Hermione's breath hitched. She extracted herself from the memory.

Life was never going to be simple with Severus, but she had known that from the start. Hermione pulled her hood up, becoming completely invisible and walked a little further away. Pressing herself against the ruin of a thick granite wall. Hermione cried silently to herself. Severus is unprotected. Hermione pulled herself together and returned to her anxious husband. He'd already retrieved his memories from the Pensieve.

Completely defeated Severus hadn't moved. "Take us back to the cottage." Hermione gripped his arm and they disapparated.

Severus entered the house before Hermione got her bearings. She followed suit, no point in avoiding him. She wouldn't tell him anything he didn't ask for. Though he surely guessed the worst of it. "You know who it was, so do I. His walk gave him away despite the fact you couldn't see his hair. Where is he Hermione?"

"Wallen Park." She didn't attempt to comfort the grief stricken Snape. "I can go get you a wand and things before we leave to get him if you're comfortable waiting here while I retrieve them." Hermione fixed a pot of tea. "I'll need to get clothes as well." Drinking the steamy brew, "Severus, we need to make a plan. We can't tear into the place half cocked.

Severus peered out the window for a long time breathing deeply. "I'm going to kill him."

"Are you? I thought you wanted to find out who orchestrated it so you could clear your name?" Hermione reasoned.

"I'm a jealous man Hermione, you know that. I can't compete against him. Severus set his jaw and looked away.

"What happened to a future. To a you and me? Don't kill him, please?" Hermione needed to bring him to his senses.

"You have a lot of gall telling me not to kill one man, when you've killed dozens? You've looked on me, so that I knew my death warrant had been signed. I know the look of death. You didn't kill me, I'm sure you had your reasons. But he's mine."

"Severus, you and I can put him behind bars and we can have the life we want together." Hermione was pleading desperately.

"Is that what the two of you decided to do, frame me and chuck me in Azkaban for the rest of my natural life?" He could truly see that she was wounded by his accusation, then recanted, "maybe you didn't but did you consider that perhaps he had?"

"Thank you Severus, for your scathing assessment. I'm feeling betrayed too just now. Don't you think I'm bothered by this at all? He held my hand, day after day following your capture. I wouldn't tell him who my heart had broken for, he never even knew.

"Oh yes he did. I mentioned you to him one night when I thought I was going to die, I wouldn't have told him anything otherwise. If I hadn't then none of this would have happened."

"Why do you think I was his motivation?" He looked shocked. "Hermione," Severus said weakly and fell to the floor. Fast on her feet she broke the spell on Severus and scrambled over to him. Crouching low she held Severus' inert leg and turned into the crushing blackness.

They came out at the foot of a wooded Bern. The dense underbrush clawed at their skin and clothes. Unhappily Hermione's hair got tangled in a mess of cockleburs. Cursing absently to herself, she used her wand to remove the menace. Severus stirred feebly.

"Severus, are you in pain?" Hermione hovered over his prone body checking for injury or magical signatures. It was some kind of stunning spell, "Severus-" He saw the look on her face and knew he wasn't going to like what he heard. "That was no ordinary stunner, it also disabled your magic ability."

"I take that to mean that I can't escape or defend myself magically."

Hermione pursed her lips together. "We need to figure out what to do."

Resigned to his fate, "I release you from the bond. You can take me in, there's no point in continuing, I can't even exact my revenge on Lucius. There's no way I'll be able to get within sight of him without any defence." I'd rather you not see me helpless, at any rate."

"Stop blithering like an idiot. I've seen you defenceless before." Severus pushed himself up to a sitting position. "I've mentioned previously my fate is now extricably tied to yours. We are in the same boat. They must have traced the owl. You'll need to stay here while I retrieve my supplies. Hermione cast the series of protective charms she, Harry and Ron had used leading up to the war. "You are as safe as I can make you. I'll be back in an hour or two." Severus pulled her into an embrace that clearly voiced his disbelief that he'd ever see her again. "Because of the enchantments, you cannot leave this spot you'll never find your way back without a wand, and also no one can hear you.