In Demand

You


YOU\'RE THINKING OF THE WAY YOU SHOULD\'VE HELD MY HAND
 


“What have you done?” 
Sirius Black advanced on Hermione Granger, 2 wands pointed directly at
her.  “Where has my Master gone,
what sort of magic is this?”
 


She felt Draco Malfoy grab her roughly from behind and spin
her around to face him.  “You had
better speak up Granger.  Else I may
be forced to let this dog have you.”
 


“Get out of my way, Malfoy.”  Draco Malfoy was pushed out of the way.  “You’re going to let me have her? 
As if you could stop me.”  Sirius
Black resumed his advance on Hermione.  “Since
I was interrupted, I will say this one more time, what have you done?”
 


Hermione looked at the dark haired man. 
She couldn’t talk, she couldn’t breathe. 
She saw him raise a wand and his mouth moved. 
She didn’t hear the words that were spoken. 
All she could hear was this strange buzzing in her ears. 
 


“Petrificus Totalus.”
 


Sirius Black fell to the floor with a resounding thud.
 


“Accio wands.”
 


Both wands went flying from Black into the hands of Draco
Malfoy.
 


Hermione raised wide eyes from the figure on the floor to
see a smile on Draco’s face.  “Well
done, Hermione.  Not sure exactly
what you did, but well done nonetheless.” 
The ice blue eyes swam before her and the world went black.
 


Draco jumped forward and caught his former classmate before
she hit the floor.  He rushed again
to the table and laid her out.  Blood
had again begun to trickle from her nose and mouth.  Once again, his hands and wand moved across her body. 
He struggled analyze the readings his wand was giving him. 
“Damn, I should have paid more attention in Madame Pomfrey’s
Healing Arts classes.”
 


He performed what magic he could and was relieved to note
that the flow of blood had again been quelled. 
He removed the sapphire button down he wore and with a flash of his wand
she was wearing it. He performed a warming spell on her ice-cold body. 
Pulling up a chair, he took her hand in his and waited.
 AND ALL THE TIMES YOU\'D SAY YOU DIDN\'T UNDERSTAND



In the Great Hall Voldemort was trapped.
 


 Harry
Potter’s voice issued out a command and suddenly the Boy Who Lived held two
wands.  The phoenix feather
brothers, one Holly and one Yew.  The
wands quivered and hummed with a life of their own. A band of power appeared,
uniting the two wands as one. Staring at the wizard who killed his parents,
Harry Potter began to chant.  No one
was sure of the words, but the effect was clear. 
Harry Potter was stripping Voldemort of his source. 
A green, glowing stream flowed from the Dark Lord to Harry’s 11-inch
wand.
 


Calmly, Albus Dumbledore cocked his head slightly, smiled
and said, “It’s been a long time, Tom.”
 


“It certainly has Professor Dumbledore.” 
The name spewed from the barely-human creature’s mouth like a foul
word.  “I’m sure you hoped never
to face me again you senile excuse for a wizard.”
 


Albus chuckled at this, “Ah, Tom, time has not made you
any less arrogant.  You are amusing. 
Look around you.  You are wandless, you’re powers are being drained, and you
are surrounded by powerful wizards and witches who WILL see you destroyed.”
 


Dumbledore spoke now to Severus Snape, infuriating the Dark
Lord even more. Dumbledore had turned his back to him and he was unable to do
anything, helpless.  The magical
rubbish the boy was spewing was powerful, far stronger than any he was ever able
to do.  What he would give to have
his wand, to point it at Dumbledore’s back and issue the Unforgivable that
would finally make Hogwart’s his. 
 


Voldemort’s eyes fastened on the traitor in black. 
Once a trusted servant, he had crossed to the light side and helped to
bring about the end of his Death Eaters.  “Don’t
look so worried, Severus.  Even in
my absence, I’m sure Malfoy and Black will take good care of Miss Granger. 
They may even take the time to pleasure the Mudblood. 
That is, before they gut her and hang her at the gates of Hogwarts.” 
He enjoyed the look of panic that took over the Potion Master’s face.
 


Chuckling slightlyin, in, Albus patted
the tall man on the arm.  “Leave
now for Malfoy Manor, Severus.  Rest
assured my friend, I am sure you will find her safe. 
Do not act in haste.”
 


He turned look
Voldemort in the eye and explained  “Draco
has been working on our side since his father’s death.”
 


“I am sure he has
seen to Hermione’s safety.  As
soon as we dispose of the business at hand, I will send you further
assistance.”  Albus nodded
to Severus and smiled reassuringly.
 


 YOU NEVER HAD OUR LOVE WRITTEN IN YOUR PLANS


Severus moved quickly from the door, to the dungeons to
retrieve his broom, and then outside.  He
took to the sky and made for the Aparation Zone. 
He had seen the state of her condition in the Pensieve; the bruises and
the blood.  Something inside him
told him he had to hurry. He had told her there would be no proclamations of
love.  But, he was wrong. 
He had to tell her he was wrong.  “I
love her,” drove him faster.
 


Hermione’s eyes fluttered and opened slowly. 
She looked at Draco and smiled.  Every
inch of her body hurt.  She realized
that she was still injured quite badly; but, she also knew she was safe. 
She licked her dry lips and croaked “Water.”
 


“Sorry, Granger.  I’m
sure that you are still injured internally. 
Nothing by mouth for you until we get you taken care of.” 
Draco spoke softly and smoothed her hair back from her face.
 


“I want to go home, Draco.” 
Tears started to fall from her eyes. 
“I need to go home.”
 


“Ssshhhhhhhh,” he soothed. 
“I can’t try to move you now, not even to apparate. But, they will be
coming soon.  When I realized that
Black had brought you here, I sent an owl to Hogwarts before making my
appearance to Voldemort.”
 


She panicked a bit at the sound of Black’s name and
looked around a bit frantically.  “Where
is he?”  She raised her head a bit
and saw him lying on the floor, still stunned.
 


Draco followed her line of on.&on.  “Lousy SOB.  You
know, he was in league with Peter Pettigrew when Harry’s parents were killed. 
He figured out that siding with Voldemort against Dumbledore was a
mistake and tried to kill Pettigrew to cover his tracks. 
But, when Dumbledore threw him out of the castle and Harry turned his
back on him, the cur came crawling back to the Dark Side.”
 


Hermione started coughing, and, with Draco’s help, turned
to the side to allow the blood that was once again filling her mouth to flow to
the floor.  Once again, Draco cast
the charms he knew, trying to staunch the red. 
Once again, the bleeding stopped.
 


She lay on her back again, clutching Draco’s hand
desperately.  “I want Severus,”
she cried like a child.
 


“I’m sure he’s coming. 
Just hang on Hermione.”  Draco
did his best to hide the fear that had taken hold of him. 
“I just hope he hurries.”  “Severus
is it now?  Harry told me the two of
you had gotten quite close.  Never
thought you had it in you, Granger,” he teased lightly.
 


She looked confused.  “Harry?”
 


“Yes, Harry.  After
my father was killed, I realized that Voldemort had to be destroyed if the
wizarding world I loved was to continue.  I
come from an old line of wizards and we weren’t all evil. 
I was a Deatheater who managed to “escape” the ministry to return to
the Dark Side.  Still, I have been
able to keep in touch with Albus and Harry. 
We were just waiting for the right time to strike down Voldemort.”
 


Hermione smiled and closed her eyes now. 
She drifted off, lulled by the fingers that were gently stroking her
hand.  The last words she heard were
soft, “Sleep now, Severus will be here soon.”
 


At the castle, the stripping was complete. 
Voldemort lie in a heap on the floor of the Great Hall. 
Red eyes still flashed his fury.
 


Albus Dumbledore raised his wand.  “My friends if you will join me. 
This ends now.  The ministry
will overlook the use of an Unforgivable on this occasion, I can assure you. 
Together now.”
 


“Avada Kadavra”
 


In a blinding flash of green, the Dark Lord was no more.
 


Harry took the longer of the phoenix feather wands to the
fireplace and laid it inside.  He
pointed is own wand at it and it burst into flames.  The final link to Voldemort was severed. 
The scar on his forehead vanished.
 


Everyone was silent.  Harry
spoke first.  “Oh Gods, what about
Hermione?”  He rushed toward the
doors, preparing to follow after Severus for Malfoy Manor.
 


“Wait,” Albus instructed. 
“Take Poppy, Remus, and Minerva with you.  Although Draco should have secured the area, you should be
cautious.”
 


In a matter of minutes, the group flew through the sky,
flying southward toward the large Oak tree.