Chapter 121: Going Up In Smoke

A/N: Here's Another Update...

My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers-S.S.

Spare Bedroom, The Weasley Residence, The Burrow, Muggle World...

Hermione Jean Granger-Snape had been silent from the moment she arrived at The Burrow, where the Weasley family had been gracious enough to take her in. It had been something of a long and sorrow-filled summer as far as Hermione had been concerned with the death of Dumbledore, the loss of her parents due to her sending them away, and perhaps the most painful of all experiences being abandoned by a traitorous Severus Snape with little to no explanation as to why he'd suddenly decided to switch sides. He had been everything she had ever wanted in more as far as their marriage had been concerned and had even properly proposed to her and taken her on a honeymoon of sorts. They had been getting on quite well after the fact and she couldn't figure out why he'd change so drastically to the point of murdering The Headmaster. From the moment she arrived to the moment she'd been laying in bed with tears streaming down her now pale cheeks, Hermione had been in a state of mourning.

Everyone inside the house believed it had been due to Dumbledore's passing but it was due to her husband, the man she still loved despite all of the horrible crimes he had committed, being responsible. She couldn't close her eyes without her mind taking her back to all those nights and afternoons they'd spent together as husband and wife, the way his pale fingers moved along her body when they'd been nearby, the way he kissed her with an untamed passion that only whispered what he'd been capable of once they'd been alone with nothing in the way of attire between them.

Hermione never thought in a million years that loving anyone could hurt so much, he had warned her, in the beginning, that he wasn't much for Romanization and that she'd come to regret her choice to become his wife and she had ignored it, willing to take her chances with a man who's reputation spoke for itself.

He had given her a glimpse of the man he could have been when he held her in his arms and they sat quietly in his armchair or lay in bed so far from the issues of war and the rest of the world, They had made one of their own as a result of their every growing love for one another and there had been no doubt in her mind that Severus Sebastian Snape had indeed loved her.

Being apart and unsure of what would become of her husband, Severus, had been the most agonizing part of it all. He'd been both a hunted and haunted man as a result of what happened with Dumbledore, his only shield from the citizens of the wizarding world who had gone out of their way to cast him as the villain of their repetitive campfire tales without ever knowing him. She had seen his blood spilled on many occasions and how he'd been pushed to the very brink more than once losing himself in the wake of having been so close to darkness, yet she didn't believe for one moment that he'd gone and taken the leap, not when he finally had someone to latch on to.

Not her Severus.

Harry had tried to drill it into her mind over and over again that Severus Snape had been the one who ultimately killed the former Headmaster. Hermione was having none of it, she'd been certain that there was something they had not considered, something that Harry's well-known prejudice had overlooked.

Hermione tossed and turned in her sleep, fitful ever since her arrival as the images of her time with her husband had flooded her young and weary mind. She found herself reaching out for him and he had turned his back on her in a few of the dreams past. She'd awaken with tears streaming down her cheeks and only sadness in the dark once she recalled that she'd been so far from their shared bed.

The heartbroken young witch supposed that her desire to see her beloved Severus had only worsened due to Bill Weasley's upcoming marriage and the fact that everyone had been buzzing about it along with the decorations. She had been assisting with them when she'd been downstairs but had begun to feel lightheaded and tired from the prospect of a wedding, recalling her own to her husband and how quickly they had been wed, and by Percy Weasley himself. She had taken a moment to get some rest and found herself alone in the semi-darkness and reflecting on her relationship.

The wedding had gone very well, and it was a happy occasion for all, with Harry and Ron delighted to take part in the new brand of festivities after the loss they had taken with Dumbledore's death. Ginny had begun to make her move as far as Harry had been concerned and Ron was delighted about all the food that had been prepared. Nearly driven to tears, Hermione took a moment to step away from the party and catch her breath amid the cool night air. It wasn't as if she wasn't having a grand time at the Weasley wedding, it was that her heart and mind had once more been on her husband and what might have become of him given the number of witches and wizards calling for his blood on both sides now that Dumbledore had been dead.

Hermione found herself getting father and father from the house and toward the grassy field where she had seen what appeared to be a figure in black on the edge of it. She had only one thing on her mind when she'd seen it and made her way toward it wand at the ready as she moved walking in her chosen attire for the wedding. She had begun to wish she'd changed clothes if she was going to be doing quite a bit of footwork, but she knew that time was of the essence.

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Grassy Field, The Weasley Residence, The Burrow, Muggle World...

Hermione narrowed her eyes at the figure cloaked in black gripping her wand ever tighter as she followed getting lost amid the golden reeds and feeling her heart rate increase. It had crossed her rather brilliant mind that she could have been walking into a trap but something about the figure felt familiar and she had concluded that it had something to do with Severus Snape, her Severus, so she continued her pursuit. Ever cautious and still with her wand at the ready, Hermione followed the figure still and eventually came to a spot amid the grass where she'd caught up to it.

Much to her surprise and annoyance alike she found herself face to face with none other than Lucius Malfoy. Hermione narrowed her eyes at the senior Malfoy and aimed her wand at him. He appeared to be uninterested in engaging in battle as he stood in relative silence. For the first time since she'd met him, he had looked nothing like the smug, handsome wealthy governor she'd once known and more like a beaten and broken Muggle given to exhaustion and fear, the bags beneath his silver eyes and the frown lines along his formerly cheerful face had been quite visible. It seemed the long and blood-filled days of the despot's apparent new reign had been taking their toll on the Malfoys as well.

"What are you doing here Malfoy?" asked Hermione still poised for a fight if need be.

"I don't begrudge your caution, little sister...but I am here to see to it that you are safe for the moment," said Lucius evenly catching Hermione off guard.

"I am no sister of yours," growled Hermione defensively.

Lucius sighed.

"Like it or not you are the current Mrs. Severus Snape, and by extension that makes you my little sister in all but name." replied the rather weary older wizard.

Upon hearing Severus, name Hermione eased off on her defensive stance.

"Severus...is he?" she began not wishing to put words to her dark thoughts.

"He is very much alive, if barely," replied Lucius honestly. "Truth be told he doesn't even know that I've come to speak with you."

Hermione arched a brow at this in the style of her husband. Lucius sighed as he continued to speak his mind.

"You may hear some things in the coming months about the man you married but know that it had never been his true intention, one seldom has control when they have little to no choice in difficult matters," Lucius explained. "If nothing else, please consider that he has never stopped loving you, no matter what he says when in the presence of the dark lord or Potter."

Hermione had been at a loss for words as she stood glaring at Lucius Malfoy, it was the first time she'd heard any news about her now fugitive husband, and from Malfoy no less.

"How is he?" Hermione asked unable to help the level of emotion that filled her tone. "I haven't seen nor heard from him since..."

"Dumbledore's death," said Lucius catching on quickly. "He would not like my relaying this to you, little sister but seeing as you are family, he isn't doing so well, not in the least...he's been struggling quite a bit since that night and what's more, he's been selected to take over the school in place of Dumbledore himself."

Hermione could hardly believe it.

"Vold..." she began only to notice the hiss from Lucius as he clutched his left forearm. "The dark lord is placing him as Headmaster of Hogwarts?"

Lucius nodded while nursing his arm from the minor stinging sensation she had inflicted when nearly stating the name of the dark lord in his presence.

Hermione had recalled something similar happening to her husband and sighed with a bit of pity for Malfoy.

"I must go before I am summoned," said Lucius with something of a fearful look filed across his face. "Treed carefully going back to the burrow, I overheard rumors of an alleged attack due to a wedding party."

With that Lucius had gone and Hermione made her way back to the burrow where she'd seen bright orange flames engulfing the Weasley home and the grass around it, walls of yellow orange blazed about the area as wisps of dark black smoke and flashes of white light that could have only been the clashing of The Order Of Phoenix and The Death Eaters at war.

"Harry," said Hermione making her way back to the burrow as quickly as possible, her conversation with Lucius Malfoy still on her mind as she moved amid the tall grass.