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Severus chided himself mentally for startling Professor Granger as he removed his illusions and stepped forward into view. Although he hid his feelings, Severus had agonized in secret since he had last seen her, thinking it best to stay away.
As Hermione took him in, relief flashed across her face. "Severus, thank Merlin." Hermione glanced back to the woods, her head face tense. "A student is acting strangely, one of your house - Eloise Cartwright. She ran off into the woods. It feels like a trap."
Severus let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He could tell she had meant it; she was glad to see him.
"Something's off." Rowland agreed. "If that was her, she's either been cursed or imperioused."
Severus spoke into his wand. "Minerva, please locate Eloise Cartwright in the castle."
A gleaming silver column erupted from his wand and took form above them. It moved so fast that at first Severus could only see a cylindrical blur shooting through the air, propelled by what looked like clawed feet. They watched as the Patronus made a playful turn and looped back with effortless grace.
Severus stared in bewilderment as his patronus disappeared. Was that thing…swimming?
Severus looked between Professor Granger and Professor Rowland. "Please do not take offense. Backup is on the way. Could either of you be convinced to head back to the castle for your safety?"
His words were meant for Hermione, but it didn't hurt to include that pretty boy Rowland in this. Severus had never seen him in action. For all he knew, Rowland was a complete numpty in a duel.
Hermione leveled him with a dark look. "Please stop trying to take on all the risk yourself. Whoever is behind this is probably the same person or group who attacked me a few weeks ago. We need to apprehend them before they hurt someone else."
Severus shot a look right back. "Professor Granger, you told me only very recently that your fighting days were over."
Hermione shook her head. "Severus, I'm not out for revenge. There's a child in danger."
Rowland, whom Severus had mostly forgotten about, chimed in helpfully. "I agree with Hermione, we need to check it out."
"Alright then." He pinched the bridge of his nose briefly. "Fan out, find the girl. No unnecessary risks, no heroics." His last line was delivered directly to Hermione.
"Wait," Hermione said, tapping Severus on the shoulder with her wand. "Luminovista."
A tingle spread down across Severus' face as if his forehead and eyes had been draped with a wet towel. He shuddered, blinking, and realized that he could now see perfectly in the dark.
Radiant determination shone on Hermione's face through the eerie green glow of his enhanced vision. She looked every bit the soldier as she performed the same charm on Rowland and then looked back to him for instructions.
Rowland, to his credit, also waved his wand over them and cast a muffling charm on their feet.
"Good thinking," Severus said, nodding curtly at him.
Hermione and Rowland flanked Severus on either side, following him into the dimly lit woods.
Minerva's voice startled them several beats later as a silver cat bound into view. "Miss Cartwright has been located in the Slytherin common room."
"Polyjuice potion, perhaps?" Rowland offered.
Severus nodded, his heart racing. "Let's get out of-"
The trio ducked instinctively as they heard rustling noises to the north.
"Revelio." Hermione whispered. "Five or six of them. I think they're trying to draw us out."
Severus surveyed the dark forest. Thanks to Hermione's night vision spell, he could now identify movement in the bushes ahead of them. "Rowland, on three, fire off as many curses as you can towards your 2 o'clock. Hermione, shield us. I'll take out this side. One…Two…Three."
"Protego!" Hermione's shield was up as soon as Rowland's first staccato of red sparks sprayed out into the forest around them. One of the blasts hit a black-robed figure, who was thrown backward against a tree. The figure slumped down onto the forest floor, dazed.
Severus easily blocked an incoming curse and moved Hermione behind him, lashing out a ring of fire that expanded outwards and scorched the surrounding brush. Several yelps of pain gave away the positions of their assailants, just as Severus had planned. He lept into action, stunning them out of their hiding places, meanwhile ensuring that he stood between Hermione and any incoming fire. Her shield held strong from behind the blockade of Severus' body, as Rowland protected their other side.
There was a scuffle to Severus left, and he shot a curse into the bushes.
"SHIT!" Hissed a high, panicked voice.
Severus narrowed his eyes - a student.
Severus opened his mouth to tell Rowland to get back behind the shield, but before he could speak, a blur of silver hair shot out between them.
"LUCAS!"
In a blur of silver, Madam Hooch had launched herself towards Professor Rowland and absorbed the impact that was meant for him squarely in her chest. The white light of the curse seemed to liquify and then crystalize on her skin. Frost emitted from the angry white light, engulfing her in a whirling orb of what seemed to be freezing wind. Rolanda screamed as she was burned with the incredible cold of the curse. Shards of ice had begun to spin through the air, whipping at their faces like a razor's edge.
"Cover me!" Rowland shouted, dropping his position, and blocking his eyes from the freezing wind as he approached, banishing the cold. He lowered her unmoving form to the forest floor and ran over to tend to her.
Hermione immediately picked up his slack, lashing curses out into the darkness, making up for their lost advantage.
A voice called out from the brush. "Grab the Portkey. Let's get out of here!"
"Not yet. Not without her," a much deeper voice growled, but several pops of disapparation sounded anyway.
Severus heard only the rush of blood in his ears as he realized that they must mean Hermione since Eloise was safe in the castle. For a horrifying, ice-cold moment that seemed to last hours, he saw it happening. He saw robed figures clawing at her, hauling her away from him. He felt the loss of her as if it were happening in real-time. A pit of despair began to open in his chest, threatening to swallow him.
Adrenaline took over as Severus pulled Hermione flush against the left side of his body, shielding her from view. Hot rage coursed through him as he felt the Death Eater buried within him rise up. Severus steadied his ragged breath and centered his focus, his entire being, on one certainty: No one will take her from me.
He held her to his side and shot out several balls of fire toward the brush ahead of them. His targets screamed in agony, but Severus felt not even a hint of remorse.
Another high-pitched scream. Good. Let them burn for trying to harm her.
"Let's go!" Severus did not recognize the voice that called through the darkness.
"Shut up!" Another unfamiliar voice hissed. "We have orders!"
The sounds of disapparation could be heard as some of the robed figures grabbed at their fallen comrades in an attempt to disapparate them away.
Severus covered Hermione with his body as he moved her to where Rowland looked over Rolanda, his forehead etched with worry.
Hermione sent out her patronus with a message. "Poppy, incoming female hit with some kind of cold blast." Her silver otter looped through the air and disapparated. Severus stared as the animal disappeared, and realization dawned on him.
Hermione turned back towards Rowland. "Lucas, get her to the hospital wing!"
Rowland nodded in desperate thanks, He scooped Rolanda into his arms and disapparated without hesitation.
They jolted as a dozen pops of apparition sounded off all around them like popcorn. The Aurors, in their brilliant red robes that stood out even in the darkest of woodlands, had arrived.
A voice cursed into the darkness. "It's the ministry!"
Kingsley's sounded above the commotion. "We've got one. Three have disapparated, by our estimation. Keep searching, we detected 5 magical signatures."
Severus glanced around the clearing, red-robed Aurors had fanned out, searching for the culprits. "I'm getting you out of here."
"Severus-" Hermione protested with a panicked expression.
He ignored her, bending slightly to pull her against him once more. There was no time to ask permission, forgiveness would have to do. I'm sorry, my love. I need you safe.
Hermione only tightened her arms around him in reply.