The death of a git, the rise of a hero...

NOTE: Hermione is at the end of her 6th year for now, she\'s 17 because she used the time turner etc... hope that clears some things up. cheers. holden.

________________________________________

\"Headmaster.\"

The aged wizard a few feet away turned from the portrait he had been conversing to look at the tall, sinister looking figure that had entered his office. Nevertheless Albus gave the man a small smile and a slight nod.

\"Ah, Severus.\" he motioned to a seat across from his own after a desk, sitting in his own. Severus surveyed him lazily and with arms still crossed gave a terse headshake, looking non too interested in being in Dumbledore\'s presence.

\"I\'d prefer to stand.\"

\"Very well.\" Albus popped a small candy into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully, \"Do you know why I\'ve asked you here Severus.\"

\"Yes Headmaster.\"

Of course. It was the same reason Albus always summoned him on Saturday afternoons to his office. His now very stuffy office, the man appeared to have blue blood. Snape shifted in his garments, refusing to remove any for that would surely show weakness. He had cast a cooling charm earlier that was apparently no match for the sauna that was Dumbledore\'s office.

His hair was beginning to grow sticky on the back of his neck, only making him more irritable than usual. He hated these weekly rendezvous, especially when he hadn\'t been summoned by the Dark Lord in a good month. What was to be gained?

\"You might be surprised,\" Albus said sucking incessantly at the sweet in his mouth, grating Snape\'s nerves to no end. Hearing that horrible sucking and swirling sound of confectionary rolling around in Albus\' mouth was enough to send him leaping at the Headmaster and choking him until the damned sweet was spat out....Snape noticed he was breathing heavily as this scenario shot into his groggy mind.

Hmmm...a bit tense there Severus.

\"I asked you to come here for a specific reason Severus.\"

\"And what would that be?\"

\"The safety of our students.\"

Snape gave an exaggerated sigh and held in a biting remark. For some horrible reason he was certain that Albus was about to remark about extra protection for Potter and his Golden Trio and the mere thought made him sick. Bloody Potter.

Snape knew the dangers that presented itself to Potter and his insipid friends, but honestly... If the stupid brat would just obey orders, stay inside and not be so damned adventurous, things would be splendid, they\'d go swimmingly. But no, that moronic little boy had to go out past curfew, or under the safety of an Invisibility Cloak and make his job all the harder.

He still remembered vividly the Black incident of Potter\'s 3rd year. The humiliation, that smug smirk on the little prick\'s face...how like Jame\'s...His face was growing hot with reminiscent embarrassment.

And of course, everyone thinks I\'m the bad guy. Snape sulked angrily, I\'m always saving bloody Potter but does anyone take that into consideration? No...They glare and get afraid...like stupid Granger this afternoon, the cheek-

\"Severus?\"

Snape looked to Albus with bored attention, showing just how much this meeting irritated him.

\"I\'m afraid I don\'t completely follow.\" Snape said dryly, his face showing exactly the opposite of what his alluring lips were speaking. Albus gave a weary gaze to Snape before looking to his hands and nodding to himself as he muttered something.

Crazy old fool\'s probably gone off his rocker. Snape thought dismally, looking around at the various wizards in the portraits all giving him pointed looks, and one rather obese looking wizard at the end having the nerve to stick his tongue out at him received a rather disturbing glare from the dark Professor.

\"I\'ve been worried lately.\" Albus muttered dimly, causing Snape to give a double take at the normally calm Professor. \"Harry, he\'s been rubbing his forehead quite a bit, you know I have sources... The thing is he hasn\'t been by to see me about it.\"

\"I\'ve felt nothing.\"

Albus gave a short look of confusion at the enigmatic Snape before continuing, \"I\'m plagued by nightmares Severus. Horrible ones. Ones in which many are killed, all by the hands of your former master.\"

Snape flinched slightly at the mention of Voldemort. He was still a double spy after all, and the meetings were becoming harder and harder to contend with. Suddenly sprouting a conscience was becoming a hindrance. A weakness.

\"Theses are merely common dreams with all of the Wizarding communities Headmaster,\" Snape said breezily and gave Albus a long, hard, condescending glare. \"I have a simple sleep-\"

\"No Severus.\" Albus interrupted, that trademark twinkle in his light eyes gone for the moment, instead holding nothing but sorrow and worry. \"There is something strange to them. Always, there is the sounds of screams. Always the same thing, Potter, Weasely and Granger running then suddenly the last is gone.\"

Snape paused a moment, a tapered finger making its way along his chin as he tried to decipher Albus\' cryptic little code. Lord, the man was becoming more and more like Sybil every day. The last? The last in the group that he mentioned prior? Did he mean Miss Granger?

\"Miss Granger?\"

Snape\'s hands curled into fists at the mere mention of her name, today she had surely been over the line. Imagining almost talking back to him, him of all people. The cheek, the nerve. She should have known better. Hadn\'t he scared them enough over the years? No...he\'d have to try harder next time he supposed.

\"Yes, Miss Granger... gone.\" He suddenly sat straighter in his chair, tapping his chin thoughtfully. \"You see, that\'s when the nightmare usually turns.\"

\"Turns sir?\"

Albus nodded, \"You see t are are always two different endings to this nightmare...sometimes there are seas of blood, washing over all of Hogwarts.\" he shuddered a bit at this. \"But at other times...Then there is the sound of bells, and I believe...peace at long last.\"

Snape gave a short cough, trying to clear his suddenly parched throat. What did this have to do with him? He couldn\'t fathom these strange little nightmares Albus had been having over and over. If anything Snape should be searching after Trelawny, at least she could give him a lie or two to ease his mind.

Bells? Blood? Screaming? What the?....The safety of his students? What the blurry hell? He pinched the bridge of his aquiline nose restlessly and shook his head. Albus seemed completely oblivious to the moderate distress a very irritable Severus Snape was enduring.

What more can I do?

How was this of any consequence to him?

* * *

Hermione followed the two boys out the doors, still fuming over Snape\'s impromptu rudeness. Who did he think he was? She was trudging behind Ron and Harry with her fringe in her hair and her hands curled into fists. Suddenly she couldn\'t help but notice how deserted the grounds were,

\"Where is everyone?\" she suddenly voiced, looking suspiciously around at their surroundings. \"Lavender and the rest said they\'d be sunning themselves outside.\"

Harry took a look around the empty grounds and then shrugging said something to the muttered effect of, \"Probably sunning themselves by the lake.\" Which made sense as that was a common and likeable place to spend ones leisure time, especially in stifling weather such as this.

\"I don\'t know.\" Hermione said loudly, \"I mean, Dumbledore\'s been warning us about Voldemort...he told us we shouldn\'t be going off alone.\"

\"We\'re not alone.\" Ron busied himself in, as he glanced at Hermione over his shoulder. \"We\'re all together.\"

\"Right, all three of us.\" Hermione drawled, \"He meant for us to be in big groups, ten at the minimum. You remember his speech this year.\"

Ron and Harry held in collective groans, for yes they had heard Dumbledore\'s warning, and as usual Hermione had taken it as her own personal bible. The only thing she referred to more was that blasted \"Hogwarts; a history.\"

\"We know we know...\" Ron said dismissively, \"But it\'s Hagrid, Hermione. How much trouble can we get into? It\'s not like we\'re going into the Forbidden Forest.\"

Hermione had fallen silent, her eyes scanning the ground as she reasoned with herself in her mind, her hands crossed as she contemplated her next move. Was she to be irritatingly overbearing and bossy? Would that really deter them? Seems nothing really did when they were really excited...no use being a stick in the mud. They\'d done worse...Polyjuice Potion, Setting free wild animals, sneaking into Hogsmeade...the list was endless.

\"C\'mon Hermione, Hagrid\'s waiting for us.\"

Ron and Harry slowed, waiting for Hermione to catch up as she reached her verdict. She reluctantly nodded and sped up to meet them. They were all pink-faced from the heat, and Hermione began to feel the sweat matting down her hair at the base of her neck. She winced and pulled her hair up a bit, letting some cool air hit the back of her neck before lowering it once more. She hadn\'t brought elastics with her, and in truth she wasn\'t really into conjuring some up now he mhe moment. Ron and Harry would only berate her for taking so long, holding them back.

Finally she reached them, her dark eyes looking from one to the other as she surveyed Hagrid\'s hut from a few feet away. She gave a little smile, if there was any adult Hermione could turn to, Hagrid would be it. Always so kind and generous, she had been happy trying to help him with Buckbeak those years back. She could practically hear him now as the trudged towards his hut...

\"\'Ey \'Arry, Ron, \'Ermione!\" Hagrid\'s voice would boom over the grass, into the faces of the three Gryffindors that rushed to his cabin. He\'d stand with a large smile plastered on his ruddy face, rubbing his hands together jovially...

Something was strange though, Hagrid\'s hut seemed remarkably dark from where they were walking, perhaps not that odd, but still to Hermione it was unsettling. If anything Hagrid would be outside waiting for them, whenever he had a surprise he was always eager to give it to them or show it to them.

Hermione wrinkled her nose a bit, surveying the scene as Harry and Ron walked alongside her, mindlessly commenting on whatever came to them. It was tthatthat Hermione noticed the purplish mist sprouting from the chimney...

Her eyes widened and only one desperate word was spoken.

\"Run.\"

* * *

\"I\'m sorry Severus.\" Albus suddenly said grimly, \"I\'m sure you\'re wondering what any of this has to do with you.\"

Snape gave a disgruntled nod and arched eyebrow in interest. How was this of any use to him?

\"I suppose I just wanted to know how things are with...you know.\"

\"We\'ve been over this before, sir.\" Snape could barely choke out the word. How many times had he told him, if he had a meeting, Albus would be the first to know? No, the doddering old fool had to ask him time over about what was going on. Snape had learned merely to bring up facts from the latest meeting and hope that Albus would get off his case for at least a bloody week. Did he honestly think he was hiding something from him? It was offensive.

\"I know Severus.\" Albus was darkened, his face falling. \"I just need to keep on top of these things. Tell me everything you can remember.\"

Snape nodded, trying to appear calculating and considerate. In all truth he had been so petrified at meetings that he had almost blanked the entire thing out of his mind. All he knew was Voldermort was getting angrier, every day that Potter was alive was another day thueleueled his fury. An attack, a war was close at hand.

\"He is angered sir.\"

\"I suspected as much.\"

\"Potter...\" Snape thought critically a moment, \"As you know he\'s angered The Dark Lord too often. He has been stewing about in this, and although he hasn\'t mentioned anything or perhaps I just haven\'t been privy to certain things, I believe a plan of attack is soon coming. In the next two years I\'d say.\"

Dumbledore nodded, \"But he hasn\'t mentioned it?\"

\"No sir. But I have a feeling.\"

\"I trust you Severus.\" Albus nodded, \"I suppose I\'ve just been a bit on edge with these nightmares.\" he stopped then looked to Snape again almost regrettably. \"And I\'m asking you a favor.\"

Snape\'s blood went to ice. He knew what came of Albus\' favors. He was already inching to the door, hoping he could come up with a lie to throw the old man off. I\'d love to stick around and chat Albus, but I left my cauldron on...

No. That wouldn\'t work. Might as well get this whole bloody ordeal over with. He already felt his upper lip turning into a God-awful sneer.

\"I want you to stick close to Harry.\" he nodded, looking to Snape severely. \"Ron and Hermione as well, but mostly Harry. He\'s who Voldemort is targeting, you know that.\"

Snape was about to snap at Albus not to address the Dark Lord as such, but refrained. A brilliant way to get sacked in his opinion.

The only question was, how to get out of it?

\"I doubt he needs it sir. He\'s more than capable, we\'ve seen the breadth of his...\" Snape choked on the words, \"Powers.\"

\"We have indeed, but he does need your help Severus. He\'s still young.\" Albus was a bit stronger now, looking to Severus with sympathy in his eyes. \"I worry about him, all my students. He\'s so very headstrong, much like you were as a student.\"

Well that was the end all to be all, comparing Harry bloody Potter to himself? He\'d rather jump off the Astronomy tower now than look after those little wretches. He was permantly transfixed on the memory of him being hung upside down in front of everyone. Harry Potter could go to hell for all he cared.

\"Isn\'t it a bit erratic to go to such lengths after a few nightmares?\" Snape was a bit anxious, his throat closing in on him at times. He knew his explanation was feeble, but the thought of having extra supervision on a boy he openly despised was causing great alarm. \"I feel it would be quite prudent to simply see things out, I\'m sure nothing will happ-\"

Snape was about to finish that last sentence when the door to Albus\' suddenly bust down, and McGonagall, Harry and Ron stood shakily outside the door, pale faced and covered in sweat.

\"Headmaster.\" McGonagall said candidly, walking up near his desk with Harry and Ron in tow, both looking near a fainting spell. Pomfrey would have her hands full this evening...but where was that inces kno know-it-all? Rarely was she missing from these two dunderheads\' sides.

\"I\'m sorry for the interruption.\"

McGonagall gave a short, polite nod to the two men before her thin lips scrunched tightly together tersely, evidently not even being able to find the words and when she did, the words were excruciatingly halted and worry-filled.

\"But this is of, great importance-\"

Snape was rolling his eyes at her, wanting her to hurry up so he could go back to bargaining off the snot-nosed little brat a few feet away.

McGonagall\'s drawn out explinations were of no consequence because Harry had suddenly shot forward, past Snape and his trademark glare and had gripped onto the edge of Albus\' desk, panting and looking to the Headmaster with an urgent look in his eyes.

\"Headmaster...\" he was near fainting, \"It\'s Hermione.\"

Snape\'s eyes suddenly widened as he and Albus\' exchanged equal rapport looks of terror. Surely no...not after that dream...But Harry looked past worried, he looked as if he had just seen He-who-must-not-be-named himself. His voice was growing shrill, as the sixteen year old lurched to his feet, speaking shakily.

\"She\'s been kidnapped.\"