Dark Days
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Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female › Snape/Hermione
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Category:
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female › Snape/Hermione
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
22
Views:
13,064
Reviews:
60
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Escape
AN – For those of you who didn’t know, I’ve been away for a while which is why it hasn’t been updated. I’m so sorry for leaving it on such a cliffhanger but I ended up not having much choice. Sorry! Hope this has been worth the wait!
Dark Days – Escape
Hermione didn’t dare to move for long minutes, in her arms Severus was stirring. At length she reassured herself that they had gone and floated gently back to the ground.
“I knew you’d come for me,” slurred Severus. “I knew you’d come.”
Hermione stood up, feelings racing within her. She wanted to keep hating him, but part of her was finding it hard. The sight of his face, pale and drawn as it was reminded her of good times and old loves. There was no way he’d be able to apparate out of here, and she didn’t fancy her chances of walking out with him under the cloak in the state that he was. She’d have to make a portkey, and quickly before anyone decided to come back.
She grabbed a mug that the guards had been using in the other room and pressed it into Severus’ hand. Then she cast the incantation, grabbed hold herself and felt a lurch around her navel. The room around her disappeared and moments later they were outside in the woods. The others were close by and came hurrying over when they saw them.
“Are you okay?” Harry asked.
Hermione nodded, she’d never felt so exhausted.
“You need to rest before we leave,” said Tonks concerned.
“No time,” she said. “Voldemort knows he’s gone. He knows it must have been recently. They’re searching the castle and the grounds we need to leave now.”
“Hermione, you’re exhausted,” said Sirius reasonably. “There’s no way you can do anything at the moment.”
“But…”
“Let me finish,” he said. “The rest of us will draw their attention, you and Severus stay here, I’ll give him my cloak. Find somewhere out of the way and hide. No arguments,” he added at the look on her face.
“Fine,” she conceded. “Be careful.”
They nodded, hugged her and set off. When they got a safe distance they began making noise and drawing attention to themselves.
“This is madness,” murmured Hermione.
* * * * * *
One of the death eater guards who had been responsible for guarding Severus was dead. The other was searching the grounds for his escaped prisoner and praying to Gods he didn’t believe in for help, begging that his life would be spared. So far he had been lucky, Voldemort had not had the time or proper mind to kill them both and had contented himself with but one before beginning the search, even going so far as to join in himself. The prisoner must have been worth a lot to his master, he didn’t dare to think about what would happen if they didn’t find him, it really didn’t bear thinking about. He swallowed hard and tried to push all thoughts of his incipient mortality out of his mind and concentrate on the task at hand.
* * * * * *
Hermione lay close by the edge of the small copse in which she and Severus lay hid. bod body was close behind hers and made her feel uneasy, but whether the feeling was good or bad she could not decide. He had lapsed into unconsciousness again and lay immobile under Sirius’ invisibility cloak. All around her she could hear movement as the search grew hotter. Death Eaters were approaching their hide away.
“Come on guys, don’t fucking let me down,” she cursed under her breath.
Just then two Death Eaters stepped into her view, one a tall lanky man with greasy blonde hair that fell in ragged clumps down his back, the other a curvaceous woman with lustrous black hair and skin so dark that she almost blended into the shadows about her.
Hermione pulled back and pulled the cloak further over her head, hardly daring to breath and hoping against hope that Severus would make no sudden noise or movement. She squeezed her eyes shut, working on the basic principle that if she couldn’t see them then they couldn’t see her. Some small part of her brain clung desperately to that unlikely hope.
They grew closer and closer. She could see the whites of their eyes. The breath caught in her throat. A sudden noise away to her left caught their attention and they stumped away to investigate. They had no skill in woods and left a great trampling behind and went with much noise, for such was the following of Voldemort. He attracted few of any real skill, offering others power that they would otherwise never achieve. And those who had real power were not sent out in such a case as this, or rarely, being too precious and vital to his campaign.
From behind her then she heard Ron’s voice.
“Are you okay?”
“What kept you?” she hissed.
“Sorry, keep down a bit longer, we’re going to draw them away.” And then he was gone.
She muttered a few choice oaths under her breath and then grew silent again, listening to the hubbub around her.
“A spy! A spy!” she heard then. The voice was harsh and evil and coming from away before her.
“Shit!” she cursed again. Who had they found? Where they okay? What the hell was going on?
Trusting to luck then she cast a sleeping spell over Severus to ensure that he would not wake and then crept from her hiding place to investigate. Hurriedly she ran forwards on silent feet. The commotion was not coming from far away. Tonks stood alone in a clearing a lifeless body sprawled at her feet and her wand held out towards the advancing Death Eaters. A quick look around told her that she couldn’t take them all on and with one last despairing look she apparated away.
Where the others were Hermione did not know, and didn’t want to guess. Feeling rather helpless she began to make her way back to where Severus lay concealed. She saw Sirius along the way and called out to him in a hushed whisper. He spun round at once, wand aimed at the spot where the voice had come from.
“Easy, it’s me,” she said then.
“Hermione?” he asked puzzled not quite sure which way to look as she was still covered by her cloak. “Are you okay? Where’s Severus?”
“He’s safe, where are the others?”
“Harry and Ron are leading a large group of Death Eaters round by the noses away to the south, but I don’t know where Tonks is.”
A loud crack they heard then behind them and Tonks appeared, “She’s here.”
“I thought you’d got away,” said Hermione.
“Oh you saw did you? Well I couldn’t just leave could I?” She swayed suddenly then and would have fallen if Sirius hadn’t caught her. They then noticed for the first time that a long red gash ran from one shoulder to another.
“Tonks…” Sirius called. “Come on speak to me!”
Her eyes rolled back in her head, “I have to go Hermione, she can’t stay here. Will you be okay?”
“I’ll have to be. Go.”
Sirius quickly made a portkey, said farewell to Hermione and disappeared. She then ran back to Severus, a cold sense of foreboding lay over her, and she wanted to delay no longer. She tripoverover him in her hurry and cursed.
“Okay, think Hermione, think. You need to get him out of here and then you can put all this behind you and fuck off to somewhere warm where you never need to see him again.” She sat for several long moments pondering what to do.
“Fabula,” she murmured and then began to speak slowly and clearly. “Harry? Harry can you hear me?”
Almost a mile away Harry stopped dead in his tracks, a voice in his ears that only he could hear, and said in confusion, “Hermione?”
“Yes it’s me, but don’t talk just think your answers or you sound all blurry.”
“Okay,” he thought. “What’s up?”
“Sirius and Tonks have gone, Tonks was wounded and I need your help.”
“What do you need?”
“Is there any open land near here, where we’ll be visible for miles but with a place where I can lie hid?”
“Yeah, about two miles north why?”
“Just get back here soon with Ron. I’m sick and tired of playing this game and I want out the sooner the better.”
“We’ll be there as soon as we can.”
Beside her Severus stirred again, her spell was obviously wearing off. He groaned and tried to sit up. She put her hand to his chest and held him back down.
“Stay down, it isn’t safe yet.”
“Where are we?” he croaked.
“Not far enough away for questions, now lie still and be quiet unless you fancy another sojourn in the tower.”
He lay back obediently, a rather hurt look in his eyes. They sat in silence then, about them shadows lengthened and it was growing cold. Severus shivered uncontrollably, the cold and damp made his bones ache, and olds wounds half healed twinged. Hermione felt him shaking beside her and drew off the cloak she wore beneath her invisibility cloak and laid it over him. Then going to her pack she drew out a blanket and did likewise. Her pack she placed under his head and she held her water bottle to his lips, urging him to drink. At first he choked and spluttered on it, but he managed a few mouthfuls before slipping once more into an uneasy sleep. Hermione pulled her invisibility cloak tighter about her and awaited Harry and Ron.
It was almost dark when they arrived and stepped into the tiny copse where they were hid.
“How is he?” asked Harry.
“Not good, we need to get him away but there are loads of Death Eaters still looking and we’re still far too close for comfort.”
“What do you want us to do?” asked Ron.
“Shush keep you voices down,” Hermione hissed. Just then a large group of Death Eaters bearing torches passed them by, peering into every nook and cranny. One of them peered straight through Harry’s head and then moved on.
“I need you to draw of their attention.”
“Weren’t we just doing that?” whispered Ron.
She glared at him despite the fact that he couldn’t see her and hissed at him, “Yes but it wasn’t much use a mile away was it? Draw them away from here and then get out, don’t worry about us, as soon as the coast is clear I’m getting out of here.”
“Why haven’t you already?”
“Because Ronald, every time I started the incantation to create a portkey a Death Eater showed up and I had to stop which is why I want them as far away from here as possible.”
“Right okay, we’ll go do that now.”
“You do that.”
“Good luck,” said Harry.
“Thanks,” she replied.
The two young men strode out of the copse confidently and soon drew the attention of the Death Eaters. How they drew this attention Hermione didn’t know, nor did she care. All she was interested in was the fact that they were now far away and she was free to get the hell out of here.
She put away the blanket and hoisted the pack up on to her back. Her cloak she left with Severus and groped around on the floor for something suitable to make a portkey of. Her slender hand soon found a rock about the size of a fist and she put it in Severus’ hand. The incantation she murmured quickly and grasped hold herself. She thought longingly of Hogwarts and the short walk that it was from Hogsmeade. They felt the all too familiar lurch around their navel and the place about them faded and was gone.
* * * * * *
Voldemort was pacing round and round the dais at the front of a large hall. Uneasy servants and slaves huddled before him, pleading with silent eyes that he would ignore their presence. Three already lay dead at his feet, victims of an uncontrollable rage that could not be suppressed. Severus Snape, wherever he was, was becoming a vast thorn in his side. He should have been dealt with long ago and would have been had it not been so much pleasure to taunt and torture the man.
“Imbeciles,” he swore to himself then. “Let the bastarip rip right through my fucking fingers.”
“My Lord,” said a trembling messenger then.
“What?” he snapped.
“Your Death Eaters are reporting a lead towards the north; they believe that the prisoner may be there.”
“A lead? Believe? May?” a few too many maybes in there for my liking. Tell them to report when they have something definite to tell me.”
“Yes my Lord,” said the man then and ran hastily out of the room, relieved to have escaped without a mark.
* * * * * *
Hermione and Severus appeared suddenly (or would have had they not been wearing invisibility cloaks) in a wide field with a small woods to one side and a stream that ran gently down towards a fast flowing river where it was lost in rushing water.
“What?” murmured Hermione confusedly. “Where the hell…?”
She stood up and took a few steps towards the stream casting off her cloak. Behind her Severus staggered to his feet and likewise discarded the cloak.
“Where are we Hermione?”
“I don’t know…” he voice sounded tired and weak, almost on the verge of tears. “I don’t know where we are. This is supposed to be Hogsmeade, I don’t know what went wrong…” A lone tear ran down her cheek which she brushed away angrily. She felt exhausted and weak and wanted nothing more than to curl up and sleep somewhere warm and safe. But it looked like she wasn’t going to get that opportunity. Not yet anyway.
“It’s okay Hermione,” he said putting on hand cotingtingly on her shoulder. She flinched away from his touch and he pulled back his hand, letting it drop and hang down by his side.
“I need to try again,” whispered Hermione stooping to pick up the rock.
“You can’t Hermione you’re too tired. We’ll have to leave it until the morning. Find somewhere to sleep.”
“You can’t stay out here, you’re weak, you have to go home,” she said still not looking at him.
“It’ll be okay. Let’s just get to those trees and sleep, tomorrow may look better.”
She nodded finding no words to say and hoisted her pack a bit higher on her shoulders. They made their way over to the trees, Severus leaning heavily on Hermione, and every step became harder and harder. It was slow going but a last they reached the trees and Severus collapsed in a heap, utterly spent. Wearily Hermione dragged him further in and he sat up, leaning against a tree.
“Here, eat this,” said Hermione then holding out some food from her and and sitting down herself, far enough away as to not touch him.
After some food and a mouthful of water from the bottle Severus lay down, curled up in a protective ball and fell into an uneasy sleep. Once again Hermione covered him with the blanket and her own cloak and placed her pack carefully under his head. He tossed and turned in his sleep and he clutched ever at his right arm as if troubled by an old pain.
She stepped quickly away from him and walked to the edge of the trees. The night had grown cold and damp and she shivered, pulling her jumper closer to her and longing for a mug of coffee and a warm chair. She sat down on an old stump to keep watch, her mind was too full to sleep and even though she was exhausted she knew that she was too wound up to make it possible to fall asleep now.
Overhead the stars moved in their great silent dance, quiet and peaceful and completely untroubled by the woes of the earth. “It must be nice,” she thought. “To be so far above it all and unaffected by all this pain.” She sat gazing at them for long minutes which grew to hours, before a dark cloud rolled over and hid them from view. Then uncaring of any danger that may be around she cast herself on the ground and fell into a fitful sleep.
* * * * * *
Harry and Ron sat nursing mugs of foaming ale in Madame Rosemerta’s in Hogsmeade. They’d been there for almost three hours now and there was still no sign of Hermione or Severus.
“She said to get out once we’d distracted them and then she’d follow, so why isn’t she here?”
“I don’t know Ron, I don’t know. She should have been here by now.”
“We shouldn’t have left her. We should have just all got out then.” Ron cried.
“Yes probably, but you know what Hermione’s been like lately, there’s no way she’d have done any way other than her own way.” Harry looked sad as he said this, they both longed for the old Hermione back. Their friend for long years now seemed almost a stranger to them. Someone whom they hardly knew and whose actions they could not anticipate.
“Do you think we should go back?”
“No, we’ve no way of knowing if they’re still there. I think we need to go and see Albus,” said Harry.
“You’re probably right,” sighed Ron draining his mug. “Come on then let’s get going.”
* * * * * *
The sun rose on a cool, damp morning to observe too people sleeping peacefully where no people usually came. A red fox noticed it too and wondered briefly why they were there, but then returned to his hunt for breakfast and never did find out why they’d been there.
Hermione had fallen asleep away from Severus but somehow in the night they had moved closer, seeking warmth from each others body and his hand now rested on hip. She woke first and rolled quickly away from him. She stood shivering, but whether from the cold or his touch she knew not. Emotions raged inside her and she felt like crying once more. She dragged herself wearily to her feet and forced down her emotions.
Slowly she walked to the of of the trees and looked out once more. It as a lonely place with no marks of man upon it any where. She sighed, it would be a nice place to wander though one day when peace was restored. If it was restored. Severus stirred behind her and woke.
She turned and watched him stagger to his feet, he looked frail and weak still and grasped the branch to hold him upright with trembling hands. It would be long ere the Severus Snape that she remembered was returned to full strength and health.
“Are you okay?” she asked quietly.
“I’m fine.”
She looked at him doubtfully, “Well no I’m not fine,” he said.
“Stay here and rest,” she said then. “I’m going to try to find out where we are.”
“Be careful.”
She nodded absently, blurred into a falcon and was gone. Severus blinked in surprise and slid slowly down to the floor. “Not the shape I’d have expected for her…” he murmured before breaking into loud hacking coughs.
Hermione soared for a while above the clouds feeling once again the glorious freedom that was flying, feeling all her emotions drain away. It was bliss to soar and forget for a while her troubles. Part of wished she could stay this way forever, it was a simpler life at any rate. But then her sense of duty kicked in, she had a job to do or to attempt before she could rest and she concentrated on the task at hand.
There were no outstanding landmarks for miles. Far in the distance purple peaks could be seen stretching up to the turbulent clouds. Woods and vales, rivers and streams there were in abundance but nothing that could pinpoint their location. She began to widen her search, hoping that it would not take long to find out where there were, it would be easier to make a portkey if she knew both her present location and her desired location, but it was beginning to look as if she might have to. For all she knew she wasn’t even in England any more. “Oh for God’s sake,” she thought and turned back to their camp.
She came to rest on a branch just above Severus’ head. He had fallen asleep again, his chest rising and falling gently as he breathed. She blurred back into human form and dropped lightly to the floor. Sensing her presence he woke and looked round in a daze.
“Hermione?”
“It’s me.”
“Where are we?”
“I don’t know,” she said wearily. There’s nothing to indicate where we could be. For all I know this could be Peru.”
“If it was Peru it’d be warmer,” said Severus wryly and broke into hacking coughs again.
She got up and wrapped the blanket around him once more and held up the water bottle for him to drink.
“Thanks,” he said when he stopped coughing and fell asleep once more.
Hermione began to pace up and down. It would be difficult and dangerous to make a portkey when she didn’t know where they were as it required different strengths of incantations depending on distance. If they really were not in England anymore and she didn’t compensate for it they could wind up ie mie middle of an ocean somewhere.
“Oh for God’s sake, why does everything have to get so complicated?!”
She kicked violently at a tree in front of her, which made her feel better for about three seconds until the pain kicked in, and she then had a sore toe on top of all her other concerns.
“I need help,” she thought. “I need to contact Harry and Ron.”
She sat herself down on a rock and cleared her mind. “Fabula,” she murmured then, and her thought swept out to reach Harry. Far away he was when he heard her call, which was faint but strong. “Hermione?”
“Yes, Harry I need you’re help.”
“Where are you?”
“I don’t know, you need to find us soon, I think Severus is getting worse.” It was the first time he could remember her using his name in a long time.
“Okay Hermione stay put, we’ll find you.”
Ron looked at him strangely. “Harry what just went on? You went all dazed?”
“It was Hermione.”
“Hermione? Where is she?”
“Don’t know. Do you remember that locating spell we learned in sixth year?”
“Vaguely. Don’t we need something of hers?”
“We should ask Minerva.”
Together they raced up to Minerva’s rooms and hammered on the doors.
“Boys?” she asked in confusion when she opened the door. “What is it?”
“Can you help us with a locating spell? We need to find Hermione.”
“I thought she was with you.”
“Apparently not,” said Ron wryly.
“Of course, let’s get started.”
Back in the copse Severus was still sleeping and Hermione was pacing again. It was silent except for now and then when hacking coughs would rent the air. “Come on guys, hurry up…”
She gazed out across the empty lands before her and saw that they were not empty as they once had been. All about her Death Eaters were closing in. She spun around, raced back to Severus and shook him awake.
“We have to go,” she said desperately.
“Oh no!” came a voice from above her. “No, no. I think you’d better stay.”
She looked up fearfully into narrow red eyes. She began to tremble uncontrollably. She had never been this close or under such close scrutiny as he now held her under.
“So it’s you that’s slipped our precious guest is it?” he sneered. “Very foolish. Very, very foolish indeed. And Draco’s told me so much about your seeming intelligence. I must say I’m disappointed.”
She looked around her, she was surrounded by grim Death Eaters, all witthlethless stony faces. All save one, the all too familiar face of Draco Malfoy grinned down at her from his position at Voldemort’s right hand.
Severus tried to stand up in defiance, but Hermione pulled him down again and held him to her.
Voldemort smirked, “It’s so sweet,” he spat. “Trying to protect him.” The Death Eaters around him laughed. “But I’m afraid my dear that it’ll take more than your arms to save him…”
At that point the cruciatus curse was aimed at both of them. By how many Death Eaters they knew not. All thoughts gave way to unimaginable pain, not only of the body but of the mind as well. Every evil and upsetting thing that had happened to the flashed before their minds eye. Hermione saw her parent’s dead, Severus every cruel thing he had been made to do in the service of the Dark Lord. They saw the doom of the order and the fall of the world. And then as suddenly as it came the pain went away. Severus lay broken on the floor, coughing weakly now, blood issuing from his lips at each cough. But Hermione felt a new strength in her even as the pain left her aching limbs.
She rose to her feet and stood proud and erect, an inexplicable smile on her lips. Her eyes were hard and emotionless, yet unaccountably strong. Great depths of wisdom and strength shone from them far exceeding her years.
“Abeoii conluviei!”* she spat at the Death Eaters around her. Her wand was outstretched but power seemed to be radiating from her, rather than the wand. About her several Death Eaters took a step back, amazed and afraid of this single young woman before them.
“Well well,” hissed Voldemort, “We have some fire after all. I’ll enjoy killing you!”
“Abitio!” she cried and five Death Eaters flew back away from her. Two hit there heads on trees and lay crumpled on the floor and the others edged back slowly, not wanting to approach someone who had cast a spell without moving her wand, with only the power of her mind and body.
Draco stepped forwards then and slapped her across the cheek. Such was the force of the blow that she crumpled to the floor.
“Now, now Draco,” said Voldemort. “Don’t spoil all the fun.”
Reluctantly Draco stepped back away from Hermione, who had risen again and glared at the evil creature before her. More Death Eaters were coming now, she wondered briefly how many she could kill before she died. Severus staggered to his feet, determined that she should not die unaided, although without a wand and no strength he posed little threat to anyone. About them Death Eaters were closing in.
* * * * * *
In a field nearby, unknown to Hermione or Voldemort, several people appeared with a sudden crack. Harry was there and Ron, and many other members of the order. They advanced quickly on the Death Eaters and soon had them encircled although they saw now that they were greatly outnumbered.
“Malfoy…” hissed Harry then as he spied his nemesis.
“Easy Harry,” cautioned Ron. “We can’t get near him, we just need to clear get some of these idiots away from Hermione and Severus and buy her enough time to get out of here.”
Malfoy had looked up then and saw Harry and Ron in the distance. His breath hissed from between his lips and without waiting for orders he sprang forwards towards Harry.
Hermione took advantage of the moment’s confusion while all eyes were in another direction to drag Severus out of the central circle and shoved him down behind a tree before casting an invisibility cloak over him. “Stay there,” she hissed.
She turned to survey the scene, Death Eaters were all around her. Voldemort was advancing towards her with a group of his strongest lackeys. Behind them, Harry, Ron and the others bei being kept away more Death Eaters. She was on her own.
“Tsk tsk, trying to hide someone from me?” he mocked.
“Fuck off.”
“Such language! Really you should mind you manners…” With that he lifted his wand and cast the cruciatius curse. But she was quicker,
“Averrunco!”
The spell missed her by inches and diverted as if by a screen. It spun off to either side and hit instead two Death Eaters who collapsed to the floor screaming. Hermione smiled a cold smile.
“Well well… very interesting.”
“You haven’t got a clue what you’re dealing with Voldemort,” Hermione spat. “You haven’t got a fucking clue!” Voldemort’s eyes flashed and the Death Eaters around him looked stunned.
He laughed then, there was no warmth in that laugh and it set a chill in the hearts of his allies and enemies alike. “Maybe not. But be that as it may you are alone. You’re friends are being driven off…” He indicated to where her friends had been pushed further and further away. “So… all alone… how long will you last?”
“She isn’t all alone,” came a voice then. It was Sev who who had stumbled up and stepped in front of Hermione.
Voldemort laughed. “Apparently not, but pray tell, what do you intend to do? Cough on me? Crucio!”
Severus fell to his knees and screwed up his face against the pain. Then with a great effort forced himself to his feet and began to advance on the Death Eaters before him. They began to laugh.
“Don’t be stupid!” cried Hermione and dragged him backwards. He fell to the floor again, his eyes rolling in their sockets.
“Interesting as this encounter is it still seems to be growing dull, kill them,” he barked to his minions around him. At once twenty wands were pointed at them, and the killing curse were on their lips.
Hermione closed her eyes, not looking at any of them. She took several deep breaths. She could feel everything around her intently, without looking she could see them raise their wands, without hearing she knew that they had cast their spells. She raised her own wand and cast a spell.
“Demoror!”
She kept her eyes closed but she could feel the air about her buzz with energy. Then the spell she had cast forced the others back and away from her and Severus. When she did open her eyes the front row of Death Eaters lay dead. Voldemort surveyed the scene with suse ase and for the first time an element of fear.
“Well well well…”
“You seem to be saying that a lot lately,” spat Hermione. “Is that the extent of your vocabulary?”
His eyes flashed again. “Crucio!”
The spell hit her but she remained standing, gritting her teeth. “Not so smart now are we?”
Suddenly a voice rang in her ears, “Hermione! It’s Harry, you need to get out now! There are more coming we can’t hold them off!”
She sank to her knees and pulled Severus to her. Get out? That’d be a laugh. As if she had chance. There was no way she’d get a chance to make a portkey and the thought of getting Severus to apparate was laughable. A desperate plan began to form in her mind.
“What? The young rebel finally broken?” asked Voldemort mockingly upon seeing her sinking to the floor.
She glared up at him. “Never, but alas this charming meeting will have to continue another time as we’re leaving now.”
He laughed, “Leaving? He hasn’t the strength to walk let alone apparate!”
She grinned, “He might not but I have…”
Voldemort looked at her in doubt now. There was something strange about this girl that he didn’t understand. She would never leave someone to his clutches but neither could she apparate both of them out, that was impossible. A tiny nagging doubt began gnawing at him.
Hermione had pulled Severus tightly to her and with a quick muttered prayer she began to mutter the apparition spell.
Voldemort order his Death Eaters to kill them while they were down, but the spells fell on empty air. Before them the two had vanished; blurred and then faded away completely.
“What?” yelled Voldemort starting forwards, groping for people who weren’t there. “It’s not possible!”
But far away two people, wrapped tightly around each other appeared out of the air, far from Voldemort’s clutches!
“No!” he screamed in outrage. For Severus Snape had once again escaped his clutches.
*Go to the devil filth
Dark Days – Escape
Hermione didn’t dare to move for long minutes, in her arms Severus was stirring. At length she reassured herself that they had gone and floated gently back to the ground.
“I knew you’d come for me,” slurred Severus. “I knew you’d come.”
Hermione stood up, feelings racing within her. She wanted to keep hating him, but part of her was finding it hard. The sight of his face, pale and drawn as it was reminded her of good times and old loves. There was no way he’d be able to apparate out of here, and she didn’t fancy her chances of walking out with him under the cloak in the state that he was. She’d have to make a portkey, and quickly before anyone decided to come back.
She grabbed a mug that the guards had been using in the other room and pressed it into Severus’ hand. Then she cast the incantation, grabbed hold herself and felt a lurch around her navel. The room around her disappeared and moments later they were outside in the woods. The others were close by and came hurrying over when they saw them.
“Are you okay?” Harry asked.
Hermione nodded, she’d never felt so exhausted.
“You need to rest before we leave,” said Tonks concerned.
“No time,” she said. “Voldemort knows he’s gone. He knows it must have been recently. They’re searching the castle and the grounds we need to leave now.”
“Hermione, you’re exhausted,” said Sirius reasonably. “There’s no way you can do anything at the moment.”
“But…”
“Let me finish,” he said. “The rest of us will draw their attention, you and Severus stay here, I’ll give him my cloak. Find somewhere out of the way and hide. No arguments,” he added at the look on her face.
“Fine,” she conceded. “Be careful.”
They nodded, hugged her and set off. When they got a safe distance they began making noise and drawing attention to themselves.
“This is madness,” murmured Hermione.
* * * * * *
One of the death eater guards who had been responsible for guarding Severus was dead. The other was searching the grounds for his escaped prisoner and praying to Gods he didn’t believe in for help, begging that his life would be spared. So far he had been lucky, Voldemort had not had the time or proper mind to kill them both and had contented himself with but one before beginning the search, even going so far as to join in himself. The prisoner must have been worth a lot to his master, he didn’t dare to think about what would happen if they didn’t find him, it really didn’t bear thinking about. He swallowed hard and tried to push all thoughts of his incipient mortality out of his mind and concentrate on the task at hand.
* * * * * *
Hermione lay close by the edge of the small copse in which she and Severus lay hid. bod body was close behind hers and made her feel uneasy, but whether the feeling was good or bad she could not decide. He had lapsed into unconsciousness again and lay immobile under Sirius’ invisibility cloak. All around her she could hear movement as the search grew hotter. Death Eaters were approaching their hide away.
“Come on guys, don’t fucking let me down,” she cursed under her breath.
Just then two Death Eaters stepped into her view, one a tall lanky man with greasy blonde hair that fell in ragged clumps down his back, the other a curvaceous woman with lustrous black hair and skin so dark that she almost blended into the shadows about her.
Hermione pulled back and pulled the cloak further over her head, hardly daring to breath and hoping against hope that Severus would make no sudden noise or movement. She squeezed her eyes shut, working on the basic principle that if she couldn’t see them then they couldn’t see her. Some small part of her brain clung desperately to that unlikely hope.
They grew closer and closer. She could see the whites of their eyes. The breath caught in her throat. A sudden noise away to her left caught their attention and they stumped away to investigate. They had no skill in woods and left a great trampling behind and went with much noise, for such was the following of Voldemort. He attracted few of any real skill, offering others power that they would otherwise never achieve. And those who had real power were not sent out in such a case as this, or rarely, being too precious and vital to his campaign.
From behind her then she heard Ron’s voice.
“Are you okay?”
“What kept you?” she hissed.
“Sorry, keep down a bit longer, we’re going to draw them away.” And then he was gone.
She muttered a few choice oaths under her breath and then grew silent again, listening to the hubbub around her.
“A spy! A spy!” she heard then. The voice was harsh and evil and coming from away before her.
“Shit!” she cursed again. Who had they found? Where they okay? What the hell was going on?
Trusting to luck then she cast a sleeping spell over Severus to ensure that he would not wake and then crept from her hiding place to investigate. Hurriedly she ran forwards on silent feet. The commotion was not coming from far away. Tonks stood alone in a clearing a lifeless body sprawled at her feet and her wand held out towards the advancing Death Eaters. A quick look around told her that she couldn’t take them all on and with one last despairing look she apparated away.
Where the others were Hermione did not know, and didn’t want to guess. Feeling rather helpless she began to make her way back to where Severus lay concealed. She saw Sirius along the way and called out to him in a hushed whisper. He spun round at once, wand aimed at the spot where the voice had come from.
“Easy, it’s me,” she said then.
“Hermione?” he asked puzzled not quite sure which way to look as she was still covered by her cloak. “Are you okay? Where’s Severus?”
“He’s safe, where are the others?”
“Harry and Ron are leading a large group of Death Eaters round by the noses away to the south, but I don’t know where Tonks is.”
A loud crack they heard then behind them and Tonks appeared, “She’s here.”
“I thought you’d got away,” said Hermione.
“Oh you saw did you? Well I couldn’t just leave could I?” She swayed suddenly then and would have fallen if Sirius hadn’t caught her. They then noticed for the first time that a long red gash ran from one shoulder to another.
“Tonks…” Sirius called. “Come on speak to me!”
Her eyes rolled back in her head, “I have to go Hermione, she can’t stay here. Will you be okay?”
“I’ll have to be. Go.”
Sirius quickly made a portkey, said farewell to Hermione and disappeared. She then ran back to Severus, a cold sense of foreboding lay over her, and she wanted to delay no longer. She tripoverover him in her hurry and cursed.
“Okay, think Hermione, think. You need to get him out of here and then you can put all this behind you and fuck off to somewhere warm where you never need to see him again.” She sat for several long moments pondering what to do.
“Fabula,” she murmured and then began to speak slowly and clearly. “Harry? Harry can you hear me?”
Almost a mile away Harry stopped dead in his tracks, a voice in his ears that only he could hear, and said in confusion, “Hermione?”
“Yes it’s me, but don’t talk just think your answers or you sound all blurry.”
“Okay,” he thought. “What’s up?”
“Sirius and Tonks have gone, Tonks was wounded and I need your help.”
“What do you need?”
“Is there any open land near here, where we’ll be visible for miles but with a place where I can lie hid?”
“Yeah, about two miles north why?”
“Just get back here soon with Ron. I’m sick and tired of playing this game and I want out the sooner the better.”
“We’ll be there as soon as we can.”
Beside her Severus stirred again, her spell was obviously wearing off. He groaned and tried to sit up. She put her hand to his chest and held him back down.
“Stay down, it isn’t safe yet.”
“Where are we?” he croaked.
“Not far enough away for questions, now lie still and be quiet unless you fancy another sojourn in the tower.”
He lay back obediently, a rather hurt look in his eyes. They sat in silence then, about them shadows lengthened and it was growing cold. Severus shivered uncontrollably, the cold and damp made his bones ache, and olds wounds half healed twinged. Hermione felt him shaking beside her and drew off the cloak she wore beneath her invisibility cloak and laid it over him. Then going to her pack she drew out a blanket and did likewise. Her pack she placed under his head and she held her water bottle to his lips, urging him to drink. At first he choked and spluttered on it, but he managed a few mouthfuls before slipping once more into an uneasy sleep. Hermione pulled her invisibility cloak tighter about her and awaited Harry and Ron.
It was almost dark when they arrived and stepped into the tiny copse where they were hid.
“How is he?” asked Harry.
“Not good, we need to get him away but there are loads of Death Eaters still looking and we’re still far too close for comfort.”
“What do you want us to do?” asked Ron.
“Shush keep you voices down,” Hermione hissed. Just then a large group of Death Eaters bearing torches passed them by, peering into every nook and cranny. One of them peered straight through Harry’s head and then moved on.
“I need you to draw of their attention.”
“Weren’t we just doing that?” whispered Ron.
She glared at him despite the fact that he couldn’t see her and hissed at him, “Yes but it wasn’t much use a mile away was it? Draw them away from here and then get out, don’t worry about us, as soon as the coast is clear I’m getting out of here.”
“Why haven’t you already?”
“Because Ronald, every time I started the incantation to create a portkey a Death Eater showed up and I had to stop which is why I want them as far away from here as possible.”
“Right okay, we’ll go do that now.”
“You do that.”
“Good luck,” said Harry.
“Thanks,” she replied.
The two young men strode out of the copse confidently and soon drew the attention of the Death Eaters. How they drew this attention Hermione didn’t know, nor did she care. All she was interested in was the fact that they were now far away and she was free to get the hell out of here.
She put away the blanket and hoisted the pack up on to her back. Her cloak she left with Severus and groped around on the floor for something suitable to make a portkey of. Her slender hand soon found a rock about the size of a fist and she put it in Severus’ hand. The incantation she murmured quickly and grasped hold herself. She thought longingly of Hogwarts and the short walk that it was from Hogsmeade. They felt the all too familiar lurch around their navel and the place about them faded and was gone.
* * * * * *
Voldemort was pacing round and round the dais at the front of a large hall. Uneasy servants and slaves huddled before him, pleading with silent eyes that he would ignore their presence. Three already lay dead at his feet, victims of an uncontrollable rage that could not be suppressed. Severus Snape, wherever he was, was becoming a vast thorn in his side. He should have been dealt with long ago and would have been had it not been so much pleasure to taunt and torture the man.
“Imbeciles,” he swore to himself then. “Let the bastarip rip right through my fucking fingers.”
“My Lord,” said a trembling messenger then.
“What?” he snapped.
“Your Death Eaters are reporting a lead towards the north; they believe that the prisoner may be there.”
“A lead? Believe? May?” a few too many maybes in there for my liking. Tell them to report when they have something definite to tell me.”
“Yes my Lord,” said the man then and ran hastily out of the room, relieved to have escaped without a mark.
* * * * * *
Hermione and Severus appeared suddenly (or would have had they not been wearing invisibility cloaks) in a wide field with a small woods to one side and a stream that ran gently down towards a fast flowing river where it was lost in rushing water.
“What?” murmured Hermione confusedly. “Where the hell…?”
She stood up and took a few steps towards the stream casting off her cloak. Behind her Severus staggered to his feet and likewise discarded the cloak.
“Where are we Hermione?”
“I don’t know…” he voice sounded tired and weak, almost on the verge of tears. “I don’t know where we are. This is supposed to be Hogsmeade, I don’t know what went wrong…” A lone tear ran down her cheek which she brushed away angrily. She felt exhausted and weak and wanted nothing more than to curl up and sleep somewhere warm and safe. But it looked like she wasn’t going to get that opportunity. Not yet anyway.
“It’s okay Hermione,” he said putting on hand cotingtingly on her shoulder. She flinched away from his touch and he pulled back his hand, letting it drop and hang down by his side.
“I need to try again,” whispered Hermione stooping to pick up the rock.
“You can’t Hermione you’re too tired. We’ll have to leave it until the morning. Find somewhere to sleep.”
“You can’t stay out here, you’re weak, you have to go home,” she said still not looking at him.
“It’ll be okay. Let’s just get to those trees and sleep, tomorrow may look better.”
She nodded finding no words to say and hoisted her pack a bit higher on her shoulders. They made their way over to the trees, Severus leaning heavily on Hermione, and every step became harder and harder. It was slow going but a last they reached the trees and Severus collapsed in a heap, utterly spent. Wearily Hermione dragged him further in and he sat up, leaning against a tree.
“Here, eat this,” said Hermione then holding out some food from her and and sitting down herself, far enough away as to not touch him.
After some food and a mouthful of water from the bottle Severus lay down, curled up in a protective ball and fell into an uneasy sleep. Once again Hermione covered him with the blanket and her own cloak and placed her pack carefully under his head. He tossed and turned in his sleep and he clutched ever at his right arm as if troubled by an old pain.
She stepped quickly away from him and walked to the edge of the trees. The night had grown cold and damp and she shivered, pulling her jumper closer to her and longing for a mug of coffee and a warm chair. She sat down on an old stump to keep watch, her mind was too full to sleep and even though she was exhausted she knew that she was too wound up to make it possible to fall asleep now.
Overhead the stars moved in their great silent dance, quiet and peaceful and completely untroubled by the woes of the earth. “It must be nice,” she thought. “To be so far above it all and unaffected by all this pain.” She sat gazing at them for long minutes which grew to hours, before a dark cloud rolled over and hid them from view. Then uncaring of any danger that may be around she cast herself on the ground and fell into a fitful sleep.
* * * * * *
Harry and Ron sat nursing mugs of foaming ale in Madame Rosemerta’s in Hogsmeade. They’d been there for almost three hours now and there was still no sign of Hermione or Severus.
“She said to get out once we’d distracted them and then she’d follow, so why isn’t she here?”
“I don’t know Ron, I don’t know. She should have been here by now.”
“We shouldn’t have left her. We should have just all got out then.” Ron cried.
“Yes probably, but you know what Hermione’s been like lately, there’s no way she’d have done any way other than her own way.” Harry looked sad as he said this, they both longed for the old Hermione back. Their friend for long years now seemed almost a stranger to them. Someone whom they hardly knew and whose actions they could not anticipate.
“Do you think we should go back?”
“No, we’ve no way of knowing if they’re still there. I think we need to go and see Albus,” said Harry.
“You’re probably right,” sighed Ron draining his mug. “Come on then let’s get going.”
* * * * * *
The sun rose on a cool, damp morning to observe too people sleeping peacefully where no people usually came. A red fox noticed it too and wondered briefly why they were there, but then returned to his hunt for breakfast and never did find out why they’d been there.
Hermione had fallen asleep away from Severus but somehow in the night they had moved closer, seeking warmth from each others body and his hand now rested on hip. She woke first and rolled quickly away from him. She stood shivering, but whether from the cold or his touch she knew not. Emotions raged inside her and she felt like crying once more. She dragged herself wearily to her feet and forced down her emotions.
Slowly she walked to the of of the trees and looked out once more. It as a lonely place with no marks of man upon it any where. She sighed, it would be a nice place to wander though one day when peace was restored. If it was restored. Severus stirred behind her and woke.
She turned and watched him stagger to his feet, he looked frail and weak still and grasped the branch to hold him upright with trembling hands. It would be long ere the Severus Snape that she remembered was returned to full strength and health.
“Are you okay?” she asked quietly.
“I’m fine.”
She looked at him doubtfully, “Well no I’m not fine,” he said.
“Stay here and rest,” she said then. “I’m going to try to find out where we are.”
“Be careful.”
She nodded absently, blurred into a falcon and was gone. Severus blinked in surprise and slid slowly down to the floor. “Not the shape I’d have expected for her…” he murmured before breaking into loud hacking coughs.
Hermione soared for a while above the clouds feeling once again the glorious freedom that was flying, feeling all her emotions drain away. It was bliss to soar and forget for a while her troubles. Part of wished she could stay this way forever, it was a simpler life at any rate. But then her sense of duty kicked in, she had a job to do or to attempt before she could rest and she concentrated on the task at hand.
There were no outstanding landmarks for miles. Far in the distance purple peaks could be seen stretching up to the turbulent clouds. Woods and vales, rivers and streams there were in abundance but nothing that could pinpoint their location. She began to widen her search, hoping that it would not take long to find out where there were, it would be easier to make a portkey if she knew both her present location and her desired location, but it was beginning to look as if she might have to. For all she knew she wasn’t even in England any more. “Oh for God’s sake,” she thought and turned back to their camp.
She came to rest on a branch just above Severus’ head. He had fallen asleep again, his chest rising and falling gently as he breathed. She blurred back into human form and dropped lightly to the floor. Sensing her presence he woke and looked round in a daze.
“Hermione?”
“It’s me.”
“Where are we?”
“I don’t know,” she said wearily. There’s nothing to indicate where we could be. For all I know this could be Peru.”
“If it was Peru it’d be warmer,” said Severus wryly and broke into hacking coughs again.
She got up and wrapped the blanket around him once more and held up the water bottle for him to drink.
“Thanks,” he said when he stopped coughing and fell asleep once more.
Hermione began to pace up and down. It would be difficult and dangerous to make a portkey when she didn’t know where they were as it required different strengths of incantations depending on distance. If they really were not in England anymore and she didn’t compensate for it they could wind up ie mie middle of an ocean somewhere.
“Oh for God’s sake, why does everything have to get so complicated?!”
She kicked violently at a tree in front of her, which made her feel better for about three seconds until the pain kicked in, and she then had a sore toe on top of all her other concerns.
“I need help,” she thought. “I need to contact Harry and Ron.”
She sat herself down on a rock and cleared her mind. “Fabula,” she murmured then, and her thought swept out to reach Harry. Far away he was when he heard her call, which was faint but strong. “Hermione?”
“Yes, Harry I need you’re help.”
“Where are you?”
“I don’t know, you need to find us soon, I think Severus is getting worse.” It was the first time he could remember her using his name in a long time.
“Okay Hermione stay put, we’ll find you.”
Ron looked at him strangely. “Harry what just went on? You went all dazed?”
“It was Hermione.”
“Hermione? Where is she?”
“Don’t know. Do you remember that locating spell we learned in sixth year?”
“Vaguely. Don’t we need something of hers?”
“We should ask Minerva.”
Together they raced up to Minerva’s rooms and hammered on the doors.
“Boys?” she asked in confusion when she opened the door. “What is it?”
“Can you help us with a locating spell? We need to find Hermione.”
“I thought she was with you.”
“Apparently not,” said Ron wryly.
“Of course, let’s get started.”
Back in the copse Severus was still sleeping and Hermione was pacing again. It was silent except for now and then when hacking coughs would rent the air. “Come on guys, hurry up…”
She gazed out across the empty lands before her and saw that they were not empty as they once had been. All about her Death Eaters were closing in. She spun around, raced back to Severus and shook him awake.
“We have to go,” she said desperately.
“Oh no!” came a voice from above her. “No, no. I think you’d better stay.”
She looked up fearfully into narrow red eyes. She began to tremble uncontrollably. She had never been this close or under such close scrutiny as he now held her under.
“So it’s you that’s slipped our precious guest is it?” he sneered. “Very foolish. Very, very foolish indeed. And Draco’s told me so much about your seeming intelligence. I must say I’m disappointed.”
She looked around her, she was surrounded by grim Death Eaters, all witthlethless stony faces. All save one, the all too familiar face of Draco Malfoy grinned down at her from his position at Voldemort’s right hand.
Severus tried to stand up in defiance, but Hermione pulled him down again and held him to her.
Voldemort smirked, “It’s so sweet,” he spat. “Trying to protect him.” The Death Eaters around him laughed. “But I’m afraid my dear that it’ll take more than your arms to save him…”
At that point the cruciatus curse was aimed at both of them. By how many Death Eaters they knew not. All thoughts gave way to unimaginable pain, not only of the body but of the mind as well. Every evil and upsetting thing that had happened to the flashed before their minds eye. Hermione saw her parent’s dead, Severus every cruel thing he had been made to do in the service of the Dark Lord. They saw the doom of the order and the fall of the world. And then as suddenly as it came the pain went away. Severus lay broken on the floor, coughing weakly now, blood issuing from his lips at each cough. But Hermione felt a new strength in her even as the pain left her aching limbs.
She rose to her feet and stood proud and erect, an inexplicable smile on her lips. Her eyes were hard and emotionless, yet unaccountably strong. Great depths of wisdom and strength shone from them far exceeding her years.
“Abeoii conluviei!”* she spat at the Death Eaters around her. Her wand was outstretched but power seemed to be radiating from her, rather than the wand. About her several Death Eaters took a step back, amazed and afraid of this single young woman before them.
“Well well,” hissed Voldemort, “We have some fire after all. I’ll enjoy killing you!”
“Abitio!” she cried and five Death Eaters flew back away from her. Two hit there heads on trees and lay crumpled on the floor and the others edged back slowly, not wanting to approach someone who had cast a spell without moving her wand, with only the power of her mind and body.
Draco stepped forwards then and slapped her across the cheek. Such was the force of the blow that she crumpled to the floor.
“Now, now Draco,” said Voldemort. “Don’t spoil all the fun.”
Reluctantly Draco stepped back away from Hermione, who had risen again and glared at the evil creature before her. More Death Eaters were coming now, she wondered briefly how many she could kill before she died. Severus staggered to his feet, determined that she should not die unaided, although without a wand and no strength he posed little threat to anyone. About them Death Eaters were closing in.
* * * * * *
In a field nearby, unknown to Hermione or Voldemort, several people appeared with a sudden crack. Harry was there and Ron, and many other members of the order. They advanced quickly on the Death Eaters and soon had them encircled although they saw now that they were greatly outnumbered.
“Malfoy…” hissed Harry then as he spied his nemesis.
“Easy Harry,” cautioned Ron. “We can’t get near him, we just need to clear get some of these idiots away from Hermione and Severus and buy her enough time to get out of here.”
Malfoy had looked up then and saw Harry and Ron in the distance. His breath hissed from between his lips and without waiting for orders he sprang forwards towards Harry.
Hermione took advantage of the moment’s confusion while all eyes were in another direction to drag Severus out of the central circle and shoved him down behind a tree before casting an invisibility cloak over him. “Stay there,” she hissed.
She turned to survey the scene, Death Eaters were all around her. Voldemort was advancing towards her with a group of his strongest lackeys. Behind them, Harry, Ron and the others bei being kept away more Death Eaters. She was on her own.
“Tsk tsk, trying to hide someone from me?” he mocked.
“Fuck off.”
“Such language! Really you should mind you manners…” With that he lifted his wand and cast the cruciatius curse. But she was quicker,
“Averrunco!”
The spell missed her by inches and diverted as if by a screen. It spun off to either side and hit instead two Death Eaters who collapsed to the floor screaming. Hermione smiled a cold smile.
“Well well… very interesting.”
“You haven’t got a clue what you’re dealing with Voldemort,” Hermione spat. “You haven’t got a fucking clue!” Voldemort’s eyes flashed and the Death Eaters around him looked stunned.
He laughed then, there was no warmth in that laugh and it set a chill in the hearts of his allies and enemies alike. “Maybe not. But be that as it may you are alone. You’re friends are being driven off…” He indicated to where her friends had been pushed further and further away. “So… all alone… how long will you last?”
“She isn’t all alone,” came a voice then. It was Sev who who had stumbled up and stepped in front of Hermione.
Voldemort laughed. “Apparently not, but pray tell, what do you intend to do? Cough on me? Crucio!”
Severus fell to his knees and screwed up his face against the pain. Then with a great effort forced himself to his feet and began to advance on the Death Eaters before him. They began to laugh.
“Don’t be stupid!” cried Hermione and dragged him backwards. He fell to the floor again, his eyes rolling in their sockets.
“Interesting as this encounter is it still seems to be growing dull, kill them,” he barked to his minions around him. At once twenty wands were pointed at them, and the killing curse were on their lips.
Hermione closed her eyes, not looking at any of them. She took several deep breaths. She could feel everything around her intently, without looking she could see them raise their wands, without hearing she knew that they had cast their spells. She raised her own wand and cast a spell.
“Demoror!”
She kept her eyes closed but she could feel the air about her buzz with energy. Then the spell she had cast forced the others back and away from her and Severus. When she did open her eyes the front row of Death Eaters lay dead. Voldemort surveyed the scene with suse ase and for the first time an element of fear.
“Well well well…”
“You seem to be saying that a lot lately,” spat Hermione. “Is that the extent of your vocabulary?”
His eyes flashed again. “Crucio!”
The spell hit her but she remained standing, gritting her teeth. “Not so smart now are we?”
Suddenly a voice rang in her ears, “Hermione! It’s Harry, you need to get out now! There are more coming we can’t hold them off!”
She sank to her knees and pulled Severus to her. Get out? That’d be a laugh. As if she had chance. There was no way she’d get a chance to make a portkey and the thought of getting Severus to apparate was laughable. A desperate plan began to form in her mind.
“What? The young rebel finally broken?” asked Voldemort mockingly upon seeing her sinking to the floor.
She glared up at him. “Never, but alas this charming meeting will have to continue another time as we’re leaving now.”
He laughed, “Leaving? He hasn’t the strength to walk let alone apparate!”
She grinned, “He might not but I have…”
Voldemort looked at her in doubt now. There was something strange about this girl that he didn’t understand. She would never leave someone to his clutches but neither could she apparate both of them out, that was impossible. A tiny nagging doubt began gnawing at him.
Hermione had pulled Severus tightly to her and with a quick muttered prayer she began to mutter the apparition spell.
Voldemort order his Death Eaters to kill them while they were down, but the spells fell on empty air. Before them the two had vanished; blurred and then faded away completely.
“What?” yelled Voldemort starting forwards, groping for people who weren’t there. “It’s not possible!”
But far away two people, wrapped tightly around each other appeared out of the air, far from Voldemort’s clutches!
“No!” he screamed in outrage. For Severus Snape had once again escaped his clutches.
*Go to the devil filth