Holy cow this chapter took a long time to write. Sorry guys. In hindsight this should have been two chapters, but I wanted everything that happens on Snake Island in one. I did a lot of research, and also tried to keep everything as realistic as possible.
Hope this was worth the long wait, though I am sure most of you are more excited for Charlie to be back in the next chapter.
Stay safe out there everyone.
Disclaimer: JK owns HP
1989
Chapter 25
Hermione felt as if she were walking to the gallows as she exited the castle; making her way down to the Black Lake. The hollow feeling in her chest tightened with each step she took.
Though she had lived for months while on the run with Harry and Ron knowing that each day could be her last, there was something especially foreboding about this particular day. The feeling in the pit of her stomach was reminiscent of the mornings when they had broken into the Ministry of Magic, or Gringotts. It was not a feeling she had missed.
It appeared that Dumbledore was already there; his beard and deep purple robes making him easy to spot among the trees. There was a small black row-boat nearby, already in the water waiting for her. She assumed this was the reason he had owled for her to meet here instead of in his office. It would obviously be better for her to portkey from inside a boat so she could approach snake island from the water. The protection orb couldn't be cast until after the portkey had landed, so she would need a safe place to perform the spell before reaching the island itself. Dumbledore didn't want to risk the portkey dropping her off onto a giant pile of venomous snakes by sending her directly there.
"Ah, Miss Walters." He greeted her, as he checked his watch. "You are right on time."
"Yes." Hermione replied; too nervous for a formal greeting. "I see you already have everything set up." She said gesturing to the boat.
"Just finished." He confirmed as he fumbled with a robe pocket before brandishing a small black leather pouch from within. "I had Severus brew you some of the antivenin potion we talked about."
She took it delicately, but grit her teeth together at the mention of the man who would end up killing the one in front of her. She wasn't taking potions and had been able to avoid the greasy haired professor except for his presence at mealtimes. It was a sore topic that she had ignored; pressing it to the corners of her mind so she wouldn't be tempted to change the future fate of her headmaster.
Hermione also had to bite her tongue to stop herself from asking why he trusted Severus Snape. Her and her friends had been curious about his reasons ever since the discovery of Snape's death eater past, but had never been able to get the truth. If she was ever going to get that particular answer, she knew it would have to be while she was still in the past. She almost opened her mouth to ask anyway, but realized that today was not the right time; there were currently more pressing matters at hand.
"Each vial only works for a single bite." He continued, oblivious to her dark thoughts. "So if you end up going through them, you will need to use the return portkey swiftly."
"Of course. Thanks." She nodded as she pocketed them. "So I guess I'm ready to go then." She added; trying to push her current thoughts away.
"Yes, I cast the boat as the portkey there. Once you step into it you will have approximately ten seconds before it activates." He explained before dipping back into his pocket for something else. "But for convenience sake, I made this small token for your return. That way you won't have to travel back through the island to retrieve the boat. To be safe, I made it's destination the hospital wing."
He handed her a different bag; gold velvet this time. She tucked it into her cloak pocket along with the other so they would both be easily accessible if she ran into any problems. She had brought her trusty beaded bag, but it was shrunk and stowed away in her own pocket so she wouldn't have to carry it. She had dressed in her favorite jeans and jumper with a light traveling cloak that morning; knowing it was better not to be weighed down if she needed to run. She had no intention of dying on that island; determined to make it back so she could continue to spend the little time she had left in the past with Charlie.
"Unlike the boat, It will activate immediately after you touch it." He continued to explain. "So leave it covered until you are absolutely sure you are ready to come back. Unfortunately, you only get this one chance at whatever it is you need to do there."
"I understand." She nodded nervously; hoping that this trip would end up being worth the danger she was putting herself in. "Thank you."
Dumbledore stuck his arm closest to the boat out; gesturing for her to climb aboard. "After you then, if you are absolutely sure."
Hermione only nodded in response; unable to speak as a sudden spout of nausea began to creep up her throat. She forced the bile back down as she lifted the hem of her cloak to step aboard; the wood creaking under her weight as she did. The sound reminded her a little too much of muggle horror movies.
As she sat on the center thwart within the boat, her hands automatically grabbed the sides for stability; as portkey travel was not the most delicate form of transportation. She looked to her old headmaster one last time as she readied herself for the jerk behind her navel.
"Good luck Miss Granger." He bid her sincerely.
She did not have time to reply before the familiar and unpleasant sensation took over; sending her nine-thousand kilometres away.
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When the spinning finally stopped, the sound of water sloshing against the side of the small boat brought her back to reality. She barely had time to throw her head over the side before she was hurling what little she had eaten that morning into the blue water below. Her fingers dug into the wooden frame as she heaved and gasped for breath.
Once her motion sickness had calmed, and breathing returned to normal, she wiped her mouth with the hem of her cloak and turned around shakily. In the not too far off distance stood Ilha da Queimada Grande, also known as Snake Island.
It was greener than she expected; rocky, but almost completely covered in moss and other foliage. It was taller too, and beautiful as well. Though she couldn't see any snakes from here, she knew in reality that it was crawling with them. She was sure the island wouldn't look quite this entrancing once she actually reached its shores.
In fact, Hermione was not looking forward to stepping out of the safety of the boat at all. It may have been freezing and winter back in Scotland, but here on the coast of Brazil it was hotter than most of the summers back in England. She definitely didn't want to risk exposure by prolonging the inevitable first step onto the beaches of what she imagined Parvati Patil's personal hell looked like.
Very carefully, as to not risk dropping it overboard, she brandished her wand from her inside cloak pocket. With a swirling motion upward, she cast the protection orb Dumbledore had taught her the week before. A bubble-like sphere appeared in front of her and began to encircle her slowly. It was a shimmering globe; like the bubble head charm but for her entire person. As it closed in around her, she felt a wave of comfort crash over her; allowing some of her fear to subside.
With her confidence restored, she tapped her wand against the wood railing; causing the boat to take off toward the shallow beach on the right side of the island. It was where she figured her best chances of docking would be. As she had discovered with a little research, the waters surrounding the island were almost as infested with snakes as the ground itself; leaving her no desire to place oars into the predatory water and row manually.
Faster than she would have liked, the boat approached the rocky reef. The water seemed to become clearer as she neared dry land, which unfortunately gave her a visible glance of what was swimming nearby. More specifically a glance of several snakes that seemed to dance below the surface of the sea.
Hermione cringed as a yellow one poked its head out of the water and hissed in her direction. She especially didn't want to leave the comfort of the boat now, as the golden lanceheads were supposedly the species responsible for ninety percent of Brazil's fatal snakebites. Knowing that they were there was starting to make her wish she had never taken this trip in the first place, even with her protection orb in place. However, there was information she needed here, and she would have to summon all of her Gryffindor courage and press on anyway if she was going to get it.
When the boat finally reached the shore, where the bottom hit the sand beneath the shallows, Hermione stood from her seat. From close up she could finally see why Salazar's daughter had fled so quickly. There really was a mass of snakes; hanging from trees, slithering on the ground, sunbathing on nearby rocks. She was sure the next time she came across a boggart it would no longer be McGonnagal giving her a failing grade.
As intimidating as the sight of unending venomous snakes was, Hermione also knew that it was better not to stay in one place too long. She had a job to do, and the quicker she was at completing it, the better off she would be. The first step on her agenda was to make sure the protection orb actually worked against them. If she was going to discover where Slytherin's hideout was she would have to be able to make it there without getting bit in the process.
Slowly, as to not spook any snakes in the nearby vicinity, Hermione stepped off the front of the boat; her protection orb still securely in place around her. With her wand raised, she took the few steps to the left, where the nearest sunbathing snake laid. The pit viper tensed and reared its head back; ready to strike as she approached. With her next step, she knew that either her protection spell would repel it's attack, or she'd have to use the first of her antivenin.
As it lunged forward with its teeth bared, Hermione's heart skipped a beat; almost expecting to feel it's fangs sink into her. Luckily, as quick as it thrust itself at her, it had been thrown away in the opposite direction; landing roughly in the distance. It hissed and coiled in a circle from the impact before slithering away into the nearby treeline.
Hermione breathed a sigh of relief as she realized once and for all that the orb would protect her, and she continued on her journey; following the deadly snake into the forest beyond.
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This island was hell. She could see why the Brazilian government had banned anyone from stepping foot here, for these were no ordinary snakes. They seemed more vicious and predatory than any other serpent she had ever crossed before.
As she had wandered up the rocky incline in search of Slytherin's hideout, her protective sphere had repelled no less than twenty snakes. On three different occasions one had tried to drop onto her from a nearby tree; instantly being thrown into the air as if they were nothing. However, their rather bold striking tactics were nothing in comparison to all the hissing. It seemed to grow louder the deeper she came inland, and she was looking forward to the peace and quiet she hoped to find once she reached the resting place of Salazar Slytherin.
Though it had only been a few hours since her arrival, Hermione was starting to worry she would have to leave here with nothing. She had expected a smaller island with few places to hide a livable dwelling, but she was honestly no closer to finding it now then she had been an hour ago. Not to mention her time was running out; it wasn't as if she could stay until she found it, as it would be impossible to camp here even with the protection orb.
Hermione should have known this wouldn't be so easy. Salazar had been smart enough to hide the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets after all; where no one had been able to find it for centuries. In fact if it wasn't for her research and hint of the word pipes to Harry second year, it may never have been discovered by anyone other than Tom Riddle at all.
After nearly two hours of trekking up the rocky incline, she finally decided to take a break. She quickly repelled any nearby snakes with her wand before sitting on a nearby log; removing the water bottle Charlie used for quidditch from one of her cloak's pockets. She had borrowed it from his trunk that morning; having easy access to it since she was the only Gryffindor to stay behind that Christmas.
She had missed him so much the first night he'd been away, that she had taken to sleeping in his bed ever since. His scent had lingered on the sheets, which had comforted her on the eve of her journey. Once she made it back, she had the intention of spending every night until his return there.
After enjoying a small snack of a muffin she'd taken from breakfast that morning, Hermione decided it was time to pack up; hoping to find the place before the hottest part of the day hit. Her bangs were starting to stick to her forehead, but she packed the bottle back into her cloak anyway before starting up the hill again.
Not even ten minutes later, she came to a clearing; where the trees thinned and the grass turned to gravel once more. There was a rocky ledge just up ahead, a spot that would likely have a better view of the rest of the island. Maybe from there she'd be able to spot something; or at least one of the windows Sylvia had mentioned looking out of in The Founders.
Taking the twenty or so steps between the clearing and the edge of the ravine, Hermione was finally able to get a good look at the layout of the stony landmass. She committed the view to her memory so she could call upon it later. Without even having to sweep her eyes the full length of the horizon, she was able to clearly see a specific landmark she had heard about in her research of the island.
An old story had talked about a family who once lived on this island in an old lighthouse. It was constructed in 1909, but abandoned in the 1920s after the lighthouse keeper and his family were killed by snakes that had slithered in through one of the windows. Once bitten, they tried to make it to their boat to get help from the mainland, but they never made it. There were no survivors.
The old white structure stared at her from the taller incline to her left; as if beckoning her to come explore it. She was sure it wasn't her destination, as the lighthouse hadn't been built until well after Salazar Slytherin had died, but for some unknown reason she couldn't stop her feet from moving in it's direction anyway. It was clear that she should continue on her search and forget about the stupid lighthouse, but now that the hissing in her ears had subsided her curiosity was peaked and carrying her toward it of it's own accord; leaving her rationality in the dust.
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With the help of an invigorating draught, she reached it in under twenty minutes. Even though she had passed through another thicket of trees, the sound of hissing had come almost completely to a halt. One more snake had attempted to bite her through the protective bubble, but there had been no incidents other than that.
Since the snakes seemed to be acting even stranger, Hermione decided to make a loop around the building to be safe before entering the single door on the east side of the building. When she was sure there was nothing in the area besides a few docile seeming snakes on a nearby tree, she forced the door open with her wand. It wasn't easy, as several decades worth of rust had accumulated on the hinges, but it finally gave way; allowing her entry into the old lighthouse. The sight she was met with, however, almost had her scrambling back out of it and running in the opposite direction.
All along the ground sat hundreds of dark brown snakes; covering almost every inch of the lighthouse floor. If she had thought she'd seen a lot of them before, it was nothing compared to the pool of serpents she had just stumbled quite literally upon.
The ones nearest to her coiled backwards into a striking pose, though she did not step any nearer toward them. It seemed every eye in the room was on her now, and she was not only thankful for the protection orb, but for the portkey in her pocket as well. Dumbledore had been smart in not making her return to the boat just to get back to Hogwarts safely; for if her charm were to fail that very second she knew she'd use it in a heartbeat. It was either that or face certain death.
Once she had recovered from the shock of finding so many snakes in one place, she decided to take a look around from her spot in the doorway. There was no point in trying to pass them if she didn't have to, so she would see what was discoverable from her current vantage point.
Across from her stood a staircase that led to the upper floors. Though she was curious as to what was up there, she reminded herself that Slytherin had died way before the construction of this place, so there would be no reason to disrupt it's new inhabitants just for curiosity's sake.
Just as she was trying to convince herself to turn around and leave, something peculiar caught her eye. Though it was almost out of view due to the way the staircase was positioned, the corner of an opened door stuck out just far enough that she could tell there was a closet, or cupboard of some sort underneath the stairwell.
Thinking hard on what she had discovered in her research of this place, she knew there was no basement in its construction plans, so it was likely just a small storage closet. She once again tried to convince herself to turn and walk away, but for some unknown reason she couldn't help but feel that she was supposed to be here. There was something about this specific location that she couldn't shake.
Before her rationality had a chance to resurface, she had charged toward the mystery door; sending the snakes in her path flying in every direction away from her. The hissing returned as they landed on top of each other; recoiling and slithering away into the corners of the room. Hermione ignored them as she kept her eyes focused on her destination. With her wand at the ready she approached the door slowly; stepping in front of its opening so her curiosity would be satisfied once and for all.
It was empty. A single rod, with a single hanger were all that was left in the small space that was obviously meant for coats. Feeling rather disappointed, Hermione sighed and dropped her wand hand back to her side. She was just about to turn around and leave, when her observant eyes noticed something else. There was a small gap between the wall and the floor; looking as if there was a false back to the closet that someone hadn't put back just right.
Hermione tilted her head to the side in curiosity, before taking a large step backward; knocking several snakes away from her in the process. She raised her wand again and pointed it at the back of the small cupboard under the stairs.
"Bombarda!" She shouted.
The blast caused the drywall to explode; the pieces crumbling and falling through what also turned out to be a fake floor. A large gaping hole was all that was left in the wake of the blast.
"Lumos." She cast more softly as she kneeled at the edge of what was left of the closet's flooring.
Hermione lowered her hand as far as it would go into the opening; the light at the tip of her wand illuminating a much deeper pit than she had expected. About ten feet down was a dirt floor, and she could see stone walls on each side; running perpendicular to the direction of the lighthouse's walls.
In her mind, she had a decision to make. She could jump down to investigate; following what she was pretty sure to be a tunnel and hope it led her to Slytherin's hideout. Or, she could turn around, leave, and continue to search for it from above ground; where she might eventually run into a window or a door that would give its location away.
She chose the former. Jumping down into the hole without a second thought. If all of her adventures with Harry had taught her anything, it was to trust her instincts. She was pretty sure they had brought her here for a reason, and there was no turning back now.
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As Hermione traveled down the long dark tunnel, about a thousand scenarios passed through her mind. Was this tunnel constructed at the same time as the lighthouse? Or was it here long before that?
Based on the construction materials and the way they were laid out she thought it looked rather recent, but she wasn't that familiar with architecture or design; having only read a few books on the subject. As she continued along, walking further down the corridor, another thought suddenly occurred to her. Could this have been constructed using magic instead of by hand? Surely this many stones that lined the walls of the tunnel couldn't have made it to the island in a timely fashion by boat?
And not only that, but how long would this have taken muggles to build? Especially on an island infested with poisonous snakes.
The deeper she walked, the more likely it seemed that a witch or wizard had built this. Specifically one that had a way with snakes. The only problem with that theory, however, was that it did not look anywhere near a thousand years old. It seemed much more plausible that it was built sometime within the past few decades, but that meant that whoever built this could very well still be here. Even with her protection orb, she felt uneasy about that possibility. She'd have to be on alert once she reached whatever was waiting for her at the tunnel's end.
After another twenty or so minutes, Hermione finally came to a stairwell that led to a single iron door. It looked heavy, but she was almost positive that what she was looking for was on the other side of it. Without hesitation she climbed up the stone steps and tried to force it open with her wand.
It didn't budge.
Confused, and yet extremely intrigued, she raised her wand again. "Alohomora."
Hermione tried to force the door open again but it still didn't open. With a huff of frustration, she stomped her foot against the ground. She was positive now that someone magical, and with knowledge of locking wards, had been the last one through this door.
Now more than ever, she knew that she had to get through to the other side, and decided it was time for a thorough inspection. She had read about different counter spells for extensive privacy charms, so all she needed to do was figure out which one it was keeping her out.
She leaned down slightly so her head was level with the door's jamb. She couldn't detect any small wisps of smoke, so the easiest ward to break was out. When that was eliminated, her eyes traveled up to the locking mechanism itself. It was there that she noticed a very subtle and thinly etched carving around the keyhole. To her utter dismay it was of a snake.
"Oh you have got to be freaking kidding me." She cursed aloud.
In hindsight, she really should have known; a snake etched onto the lock could only mean one thing after all. This door had obviously been sealed by a parselmouth, and the only way to get through it now was to speak it's language.
Knowing what had to be done, Hermione couldn't help but be grateful that she was an excellent listener. She had paid very close attention to Ron when they had broken into the Chamber of Secrets together, and luckily it hadn't even been an hour before her arrival to the past that he had mimicked Harry; gaining them access to get the basilisk fangs. All she had to do to move forward on her quest now was to remember his hissing pattern exactly.
"Hassss…" She faltered slightly as she tried to think back to that night. "What was it?"
As Hermione tried to remember the exact dialect of asking the chamber to open, her thought flashed back to her kiss with Ron.
"No, no no." She mentally reprimanded herself. " Now is not the time to feel guilty. There is plenty of time for that later."
Once again focused, Hermione stared straight at the lock; taking another deep breath before uttering the hissy syllables needed to move on. "Hessshhaa Hathsssaa."
Almost instantly she could hear a loud click from inside the door, and a moment later it swung open of its own accord. Glad that she had been successful, she breathed a sigh of relief before peeking her head around to get a look at the inside.
It was a small and relatively empty room. There was a table with a single piece of parchment on it, and a small painting of a butterfly that hung rather crookedly. A single door was straight ahead that she assumed would lead further into the dwelling. A thick layer of dust covered almost the entire room; making her believe that this place had been abandoned for quite some time.
Taking her first step into the room, Hermione felt a sense of dread creep up in her chest. If it weren't for the fact that she had come too far to leave the island with nothing she would have turned around that very second. Deciding to just be quick about it instead of abandoning her mission completely, she leaned over the desk to look at the bit of parchment; using her wand to wipe the dust away. There was a scribble in black ink, and she blew the remaining dust away with her breath before leaning in further to read what it said.
Enemies of the Heir Beware, All who enter further shall die a most painful death.
Hermione gulped as her eyebrows lifted. She had only seen the first part of that sentence once, and it had been over six years ago. The night her, Harry, and Ron had discovered a petrified Mrs. Norris outside Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. It was the same wording that diary Tom Riddle had made Ginny write on the wall when he possessed her for the first time.
Did this mean that Voldemort had been here? Knowing that he had also discovered The Founders in the restricted section made it likely that he had been. It was understandable that he would want to find out what happened to his most intriguing ancestor. Dumbledore had also said that there was a ten year gap after Voldemort left Borgin and Burkes. Is this where he had been during that time?
Not wanting to waste anymore of her precious time, Hermione finally took her beaded purse from inside her cloak pocket, and resized it to normal. Unfortunately, her protection orb did not allow her to touch anything that wasn't encapsulated within its walls, so if she wanted to gather any items to take with her, she would have to remove it.
As unappealing as it was to get rid of her best form of protection, Hermione knew that it was her only choice if she didn't want this trip to be a complete waste of time. She wouldn't have time to study everything here before leaving, so it would be best to take as much as she could with her to read through over the remainder of the holidays.
Raising her wand in front of her she decided to make sure the rest of the place was void of any snakes before taking her charm down. The door to the left of the desk opened as she flicked her wand at it, and into the next room she went. Only, just as she took that first step past the threshold, her protection orb fell.
She could feel it burst from around her; something had disabled her charm without her consent and knew then that she was in trouble. Her plan of ridding every room of snakes before taking the charm down was now out the window. By the look of things it was unlikely she'd be able to put one back up either, as it felt like a certain magic was blocking all forms of protection. No wonder Tom Riddle had placed a warning of a certain painful death in the previous room, when he made sure not even a witch or wizard could protect themselves.
"I still have my wand." She reminded herself. "And three doses of antivenom. I'll just have to be quick."
Taking a look around the room, she noticed she was now in a kitchen, though about as antique of one as she could possibly imagine. Two cauldrons attached to chains hung from the ceiling over a rocky fire pit in the floor. There was a large wooden table on the far wall that looked to be a prep station of some sort.
A small hiss coming from inside the smaller cauldron clued her in that she was not alone. As it peaked it's head over the rim she could clearly see that it was one of the extra potent golden lanceheads. Not wanting it to have a chance to get anywhere near her, she turned her wand at it swiftly.
"Vipera Evanesca." She cast; causing it to vanish before her eyes.
Breathing a sigh of relief that she could still cast ordinary spells, Hermione began to move from room to room; vanishing any and all snakes she could find. After the kitchen, there was a living room/study that had a fireplace, two cozy armchairs, and a large desk. She had vanished another three snakes in that room before moving down the hallway where she discovered a small chamber pot room. It had a tiny window that looked directly out over the ocean, but with a shattered glass pain it was the obvious entry point for any snakes that had ended up inside.
After shutting the door behind her, she sealed it so no more could follow her back into the rest of the house, and went into the room across the hall. It was relatively empty; with only a small dust covered bed and a tiny bedside table next to it. Luckily, with no windows, it was void of any snakes. When she turned back around she noticed that the door was metal, and that there were two wall mounted candlesticks on either side of it.
"I have found it!" Hermione exclaimed excitedly. "This is the room that Sylvia described of her arrival. This really is where Salazar Slytherin ended up."
She glanced around the room one last time for any hidden snakes before moving back into the hall. There was only one more door at the end of it, which she assumed must have been the master bedroom.
As she headed toward it, she barely heard the hiss coming from above her before it was too late. A brown pit viper that had been coiled around the candle fixture on the ceiling, let go and dropped onto her from above. Hermione screamed as she felt its fangs pierce through her cloak and into her shoulder.
Though she could feel an intense burning sensation as the poison began to spread through her veins, she gathered her wits quickly. She pointed her wand at it and sent it flying off of her, its teeth ripping her flesh open in the process.
"Vipera Evanesca!"
It too vanished like all the others, and once she was sure there were no more waiting to get a bite out of her too, she dug the black pouch from within her cloak's pocket. With quick fingers, she had the first vial uncorked and tipped it down her throat. It tasted of ash and charcoal, and she coughed as it went down.
The antivenin worked quickly at least, as she could feel the burning sensation fade as the potion too worked its way through her body. She was left with only the piercing pain in her shoulder now, as blood began to soak through her sweater. She winced as she pressed her palm against it, knowing that pressure would help.
With another glance around, Hermione again headed to the last room she had left to explore in the dwelling, and twisted the knob. She needed to gather things quickly so that Madame Pomfrey could see to her shoulder.
Like the lighthouse, as soon as she entered this room, she almost ran right back out of it. Though her reason for wanting to leave the lighthouse had to do with the unending mass of snakes covering the entirety of the floor, her desire to flee this room was much different.
Instead of a sea of snakes, there was a large four poster on the far wall; and on it, laid an extremely withered and mummified corpse. There was little fabric left covering the body, as it had been centuries since they had last known life. With all of the information that she had gathered over the past few months, there was no doubt in her mind that this was in fact the remains of Salazar Slytherin himself.
Once the shock of finding his dead body had worn off, Hermione held her breath before investigating the old room. It appeared to be void of any snakes, but after the ceiling fixture incident she wasn't planning on taking anymore risks.
From a safe distance away, she acciod anything that looked useful; including a few books that had been left out on the nightstand. A hovering charm was used to dump out any drawers, and she flipped the cedar chest on it's end as well before placing anything intriguing into her bag.
When she had gone through Salazar's bedroom thoroughly, she used one last spell to cover what remained of his bones with a blanket. Though stories told of his cruelty to muggles, he was still a noteworthy historical figure to the wizarding world, and she felt he at least deserved that as a last respect paid to him.
Now that she had finished in the master bedroom, she headed back out into the living room; confident that no more snakes resided in the hideout with her. Though she was eager to take the portkey back to Hogwarts to get her shoulder healed, Hermione still had one more thing to check; the desk in the living room. She had cleared it of snakes as she passed it earlier, but hadn't gathered anything from it yet. At this point she'd gone through too much to leave any useful information behind, so she wasn't leaving until she was confident she had everything.
Unfortunately, as she crossed the hall to go back into the living room, she heard more hissing. Her wand was in a defensive position in an instant as she looked around for the source of the noise, but there were no snakes in sight.
Using the same technique she had in Slytherin's bedroom, Hermione dumped the top desk drawer out onto the floor; deciding that speed was now of the essence. She accio'd the entire contents into her bag before starting on the next one when another hiss echoed into the room.
Hermione looked up at the doorway that led to the kitchen, and immediately froze in fear. Coming through the entrance door in waves, were about a hundred or more vipers. From the looks of it, the same ones she had disrupted in the lighthouse earlier.
Now that she knew what was coming for her, she quickened her pace; accioing everything into her bag with one hand, and yanking drawers out with the other. With one eye focused on the door to make sure she still had time before they reached her, and the other guiding the flow of objects into her purse, she didn't notice the golden lancehead that had been hidden inside the final drawer.
As she yanked it out of its spot, the yellow snake had made it's own move. It lunged out of the airborne drawer, and sank its teeth into Hermione's forearm; causing her to shriek and drop the drawer directly on her foot.
The contents rained to the floor as Hermione couldn't help but cry out in a mixture of fear and pain. She abandoned her constant stream of summoning objects into her bag so she could vanish the vile snake that still had its fangs dug deep in her arm. When it was gone, she clutched her injured arm to her chest; whimpering as the venom caused her flesh and bone to burn with an intensity so hot she was sure she was about to pass out. She was lucky that the invigoration draught from earlier was still keeping her going.
Another wave of hissing brought her focus back to the situation she was still in. The rest of the snakes had now made it through to the living room, and there were only about a dozen or so steps between her and them now. Even if she hadn't been weakened and injured by a second snake bite, there were way too many to vanish. It was clear that it was time to leave.
As she stepped toward the hall with the intent of barring herself in the small bedroom while she dug her portkey out, Hermione took a final glance at the items she had spilled on the floor. Though her safety came first, she couldn't help but notice a set of leather bound books that had fallen out of that last drawer. They looked important.
Before she could stop herself, her mind had formed a rather risky plan. As if on autopilot, her body started in on the motions that went with it. If things went well she would be back inside the castle walls within seconds, those books clutched firmly in her hands. However, if things went bad... well it was likely that Charlie would have to carry out his last promise to her after all.
With her right hand she tucked her wand back into her pocket, while the left dug into her cloak for the velvet bag Just as the first group of snakes made it to the desk, she dove at the pile of journals on the floor; her now free wand hand swiping as many of them up against her chest as possible. Several vipers coiled upwards; they were vicious and ready to strike her in tandem.
With one final move, Hermione dumped the portkey to the floor and pressed her palm firmly against the white chess piece. The last thing she saw as the sensation of spinning blurred her vision were several sets of sharp barred teeth coming right toward her.