Chapter Eight
"I want to see Snape and Malfoy, before I negotiate."
Eleanor Branstone sent a patronus messenger flying from the room.
A short while later a message glided through the door. Branstone read it, then burned the missive without demure. Less smug, she stood. "Ms. Granger, Mr. Malfoy is ready to meet you."
Hermione nodded once; she wasn't entirely sure that she was up for the impending interview. However, she was sure that it was something she could scarcely avoid. Despite the familiar Ministry decor, Hermione felt lost, with only a tenuous grip on her nerves.
Overly cheery, Eleanor held a hand out directing Hermione into a visitation room. Cool, and beautiful, Malfoy sat at a table. Curtesy demanded he stand upon her entry, and he acquiesced. "My dear, you are well I hope." The door clanked behind her.
"For the moment I am well enough. Please sit. I wanted-" Hermione looked at her hands for some sign the held the answer. "I wanted, to say good bye for the last time. The Ministry, and more importantly, the Department for Magical Law Enforcement needs me. I won't see you ever again."
"Ever?" Lucius's mouth twisted up unimpressed. "You have no plans of visiting me? Even with my influence, and gold I'll have a stretch ahead of me."
"I can't forgive you for what you did to me. You knew what Severus meant to me, I know you did. He was your friend, and you were his-what treachery could make you turn on your friend. I'll never understand it."
"No, I don't expect you will. But you-are free. It must be something delicious to laud it over me." Malfoy recrossed his arms and legs, "Don't you feel any guilt? You should, you know. And too, not only because of your sexual abandon with me but your passive acceptance of Severus's sentencing and confinement."
Lucius licked his dry lips ready to continue in his smooth, steady voice except Hermione left the room following a brisk knock on the door. Before the door closed behind her, he asked, "Will you accept mine so easily?"
Hermione paused at the door, "Yes."
Branstone waited patiently on the other side.
"Ms. Branstone, I'm quite ready to meet with Mr. Snape." Granger said with some authority.
Eleanor shuffled somewhat before answering, "Of course."
The interrogation room Snape sat in still appeared to be in use. The scent of sweat and blood filled the room. Before saying anything to the shackled man, her eyes took in every detail of her surroundings. Snape looked wrung-out and disheveled, but remained silent. They cleaned him up after the interrogation at least. "Look at me," When he met her eyes, Hermione dove inside his mind. Panic seized her immediately and she fled from within. "Who are you?" she whispered barely aware of the man's sudden discomposure. He tried to shake free of the manacles without success.
Hermione left the room in a flurry. Eleanor stood looked to either side for some escape. To Hermione's pleasure there was none. "What have you done with him?"
"I have no idea what you are talking about," Branstone said automatically.
Hermione grabbed her throat slamming her into the wall. Pointing at the door behind her, she countered, "That is not Severus Snape. I want to know where he is."
Eleanor choked and cried, words drifting out unintelligibly.
Slackening her grip only slightly, Hermione continued pinning the woman who futilely tried to break her hold. "Where is Severus Snape?" she hissed.
The two words penetrated her mind, still Hermione could not latch onto their meaning. "He's dead."
"What do you mean?" Hermione shouted only inches away from Eleanor's face.
The paper-pushing bureaucrat's explanations were flimsy and utterly useless in the face of Hermione's pain. "Where is he?" Hermione demanded.
"His body-please let me go," Branstone begged.
"Him-not his body. Where is HE?" Hermione demanded.
Running feet recalled Hermione to the place and time.
"Madam Granger, release Ms. Branstone." The bumper of a man held his wand on her.
Hermione looked on the old man who'd obviously settled in for the long haul. He probably had a family, maybe a grandchild or two. She could kill him, but what would it serve? The stress of confinement, and being on the run flooded her body. He wasn't worth killing, Hermione looked Branstone in the face and released her, "take me to what's left of Severus."
Severus' body lay under a sheet on a slab. At first her breath hitched seeing him, but she didn't cry. "Leave me," she said to the guard and Branstone.
It was a smallish room, austerely lit. She pulled back the crisp white sheets, there were several over him in layers. It wasn't till she saw his face and chest that she understood. He was caked with blood, obviously they hadn't wanted it to seep through the crisp cotton.
She looked over the supplies available in the cabinets. She clumsily removed small towels and threw them in the stoppered sink then began to fill it. Starting with small dabs she cleaned his face. She had expected to find his expression drawn from whatever pain they had inflicted upon him.
Bloody water covered towel after towel as she cleaned his body of the congealed and dried blood. She took her time, not wanting to hurry. After most of his body was cleaned she rolled up several towels, placing them under his neck so she could more easily cleanse his hair. She found a cup and slowly rinsed his hair and his body, the water cascaded off the body, and slab, and onto the floor.
Her feet squelched disconcertingly in her shoes from all the water, but she could endure it, Sev had obviously endured worse. She took Severus' flaccid hand, his skin was cool to the touch but rigour hadn't set in yet. She stroked his lined brow. She attempted to place his hands over his chest but their weight caused more blood to seep from a laceration. Again she rinsed but still more blood seeped. "Branstone!"
The door banged open, Eleanor started in but stopped once she stepped in the mess on the floor. "Give me my wand, I don't think Severus is dead."
Eleanor just stood their perplexed. Hermione snatched the woman's wand. Working quickly, she closed all of his wounds and tried to Rennervate him. "Call for help, damn it!" Her hand on his throat was enough to tell her that he was hanging on by the barest bit.
Soon Medi-Wizards were swarming in and buffeting her from his side. She used her frenetic energy to good effect, "Branstone." She jabbed the woman in the chest with the butt-end of her wand. "Your wand. I want mine back by the way." This was said with every expectation of obedience.
Branstone took her wand and tried to remove the fear from her features. "I don't know if I can do that."
"I am a law-abiding citizen and I will have my wand returned to me. You and your Officers of Law almost killed my husband. If you don't want your entire clap-trap department to be drug before the Wizengamot and a major scandal to erupt then, you'll figure out how it is to be done.
Severus was packed off to St. Mungo's were he was to be cared for more fully. Hermione had gotten her wand back but she still had one more bit of business with the Head of Magical Law Enforcement, Nina Abner. "As I have said, Madam Abner, I reject the special assignment and expect to be fully pensioned." Hermione added with a thought, "I can only speak for myself, of course-but if the matter isn't resolved satisfactorily, you may find that the publicity would be wholly unwelcome."
Incredulously, Abner said, "are you threatening me?"
"No. I wouldn't do that," Hermione said blandly.
"I'll see what I can do."
"Fine. I'm off to the hospital to check in on Severus."