Of Days and Ends

A/N: Aww… I love you guys, truly.

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Chapter 21—Seen



They all arrived at the Shrieking Shack with the bundles of clothes in their arms and quickly dressed in the small damp room in the attic. Harry and Ron simply turned their back to Hermione while she finished dressing, refusing to let her out of their range of perception. Turning back to the boys, she brushed her clothes off and sighed. “I have to go see my mother.”



“What? Now?”

“Are you serious?” Ron and Harry said immediately.



“Yes. It’s been months now.”



“What if they come look for us here?” Ron asked.



“They will. That’s why you aren’t going to stay here.” She tossed Harry a map that she had pulled from her robes.



Opening it, he studied it with Ron leaning over his shoulder. “This is Little Whinging!”



“Yes. I’ll meet you there.” She pulled a small bag from one of her pockets and tossed it to Ron. “Set up camp, and I’ll be back before nightfall.”



Hermione began to walk away when Ron suddenly reacted and stepped forward, “Wait! Wait! Why don’t we just stay with your mother? Wherever it is that you’ve hidden her, she can’t be found by the Order or the Ministry and…”



“And I’d like it to stay that way, Ronald.” Her tone brooked no room for argument. She glared his curiosity into submission and turned back around. “Again. I’ll be back before nightfall. Send your patronus if you need me.”



Harry nodded in compliance and Hermione apparated away.



The library had changed quite a bit since the last time she had been in it and she turned on the spot in surprise. The large fireplace was being used for a boiling potion and Hermione inspected it with care to avoid the fumes. It appeared to be the same birth control potion she took before and the sparingly small yield was gathering on the top. His desk and the couch were also gone and replaced by a single black leather chaise lounge on a white fur rug centred in front of the fire. The Book of Days and Ends lay on the mantle where the firelight made it seem to glow.



Turning to the vast doors of the library, she performed the locating spell on her husband and followed the tug down to the dungeons. There, as she pushed open the heavy iron door, she could hear Snape’s voice speaking in brisk tones to Lucius Malfoy. Curiously, she quietly walked down the stairs until Snape’s tall black-cloaked form could be seen leaning against the bars with resignation. He was listening to Lucius and nodding at whatever the dark wizard was saying.



Hermione took a deep breath and cleared her throat. “Severus.”



She could tell that he couldn’t really see her very well from where she was standing when he asked, “Elaine?”



“No, Hermione.” She clarified.



Without hesitation, he walked to her and clasped her to him tightly. Relief that she had returned was clearly evident in the strength of his embrace, and she held him close in return. After a few moments, he drew back just enough to place a kiss on her upturned lips and they each enjoyed the heat exchange.



“I’m so sorry, Severus.” She withdrew from him and led him up the stairs.



“Where were you?” He asked, stopping them on the stairs to pull her back flush to him again.



She cocked her head up and pulled his head down to hers with her hand for another kiss. She noticed that his hair was a bit shorter and ran her fingers through his silky strands. She was about to ask him about the change when he finally released her. She hurried up the stairs and waited for him to shut the dungeon door before taking his arm and following him up the west wing staircase to the bedrooms.



Upon reaching their destination, Severus turned back to her and gently kissed her cheek. “Go to your parents first. They’ve been worried about you.”



Nodding, Hermione obeyed.



Her parents, it turned out, were more than worried about her. They were very nearly hysterical. As she entered the room, Hermione’s mother turned her head to look first, and each was just as surprised as the other by their appearance. Leaping off the bed, Mrs. Granger spun around and passed out in Mr. Granger’s waiting arms. Setting his pale, drawn wife down on the bed, he ran to embrace his daughter and she couldn’t hear what he was saying through his embrace around her ears. Eventually her mother regained consciousness and she was able to explain her whereabouts to her parents and their anger rose considerably.



“The ministry of magic kept you captive!”



“But that’s your government! How are you supposed to trust them to govern wisely if they invade your life when you are at your most vulnerable?”



Her mother spared her from answering. “Oh! I’m just so glad you’re back sweetheart.” her mother was saying as she stroked Hermione’s forehead. “Why are you so hot?”



Hermione sighed, “It’s one of the conditions of our bond. We begin to get sick and depressed when we are apart for more than a moon cycle.”



Her mother paled sickeningly. “But what if he dies?”



Her mother had a knack for asking the correct questions. Hermione hesitated to answer and her mother made a horrified squeak, so she decided it was time to leave. “Okay.” She said as she stood, “I have to see Severus before I go ba—”



“No, but—wait!” Her father stood up too. “That means that you almost died too!”



“Excuse me?” Hermione turned back around “What do you mean, ‘almost died too’?”



“Severus had come back ten days after you two left, badly beaten and bleeding and having trouble breathing and in pain—”



“Uh-huh.”



“—so your mother and I helped him to bed and he healed himself. He was so weak…”



Hermione had gone cold and turned away from her parents with an empty expression as she made her way to her bedroom. The door was open, but she closed it behind her as she entered. He sat in the armchair by the window and spoke without looking up at her. “I assume that your parents told you about my return.”



Hermione huffed angrily at his nonchalant tone, “What happened, Severus?”



“Voldemort tortured me to punish me for losing my wand to you, and has ordered me to come up with a way to make him capable of using any wand he touches like you seem to be able to do.” He looked up at her darkly. It was clearly apparent that he thought that she was responsible for this impossible development.



Her jaw had dropped and she closed her mouth slowly. “Oh, Severus…” He looked at the ground and she walked to him. “Wh-What if—”



“Why did you take my wand again?” He interrupted and she fell silent, realizing that she was treading on fine ground. He glared up at her and she met his intense gaze without faltering, “WHAT THE HELL MADE YOU THINK YOU COULD TAKE MY WAND TO FIGHT THE DARK LORD? MY MASTER!” Hermione’s eyes watered and she struggled to hold her tears back, but Snape did not relent. “DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED WHEN THE DARK LORD FOUND MY WAND AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS? HE TOOK ME TO THE DUNGEON OF MY OWN HOUSE AND STRAPPED ME TO A CHAIR FOR THREE DAYS WHILE HE BEAT ME AND CURSED ME. HE BROKE MY RIBS AND BROKE MY JAW AND SLICED MY CHEST OPEN AND DAMAGED MY EYE AND STRANGLED ME. THE ONLY REASON THAT HE DIDN’T KILL ME IS BECAUSE OF THE YEARS OF WORTH I’VE BUILT IN POTIONS SKILLS! I TOLD YOU TO GO, HERMIONE! I TOLD YOU TO TAKE THE STUPID BOY WHO FUCKING LIVED AND YOUR BOYFRIEND AND LEAVE!”



His words made her tremble and he stood and stepped close to her. He was livid, and her absence had worried him and made his anger worse. That was part of the reason he had gone to speak with Lucius. His anger made him believe that she was up to something, and Lucius’ careful lies had worn on Snape’s curious and worried mind.



He looked into her glossy eyes and watched the first tear slide down her cheek and tried to fight the feeling that seemed to pervade the hard walls he’d built around his heart. His gaze decreased in intensity and she finally found the courage to break eye contact, turn around, and stride across the room to the door. Gripping the handle and pulling it open, she was surprised to see Snape’s hand stopping her from fully opening the door.



Hermione whirled around angrily and trembled as she confronted him. “H-HE’S NOT MY B-B-BOYFRIEND, SEVERUS, AND—N-NO!” She pushed his hand away from her face, “No!” She whispered vehemently, “I—I d-idn’t disobey you! I tried to get the boys out-t, but I don’t know what you exp-pected me to do wh-when faced with Voldemort! I had to protect us! I had to—had to do something!”



Snape reached up again and stroked her cheek, brushing the tear from her cheek gently. “Do you trust me to be honest with you?”



Hermione shoved him away and he took a few steps back. Swiping angrily at her cheeks, she struggled to not let him see how hurt she was by his words. Advancing on him Hermione continued her tirade, “How can I expect you to be anything less than honest with me? That’s not what matters though! I have never been so worried about anything before in my life as I am for you! Then you rub my face in the dangers you face as though… as though…” Growling angrily, she pushed her fingers into her unruly curls. “Then you—you…” She was so frustrated she could barely talk.



He pulled her into his arms and rubbed her back to help her relax. His motions didn’t stop her from fuming at him, but she let him place a kiss to her forehead. “The truth is, Hermione, that I was afraid for you. I didn’t know where you were and I still haven’t gotten a chance to see the captors from the raid, so I didn’t know if The Dark Lord had you or not. I’m not exactly in The Ma—Dark Lord’s good graces right now.”



Hermione hugged him tighter and turned her head up to kiss along his jaw while he spoke. She was still upset, but drawn by the bond to reconcile. He turned his head down to catch her lips. It was a gentle, warming, searching kiss, and he stroked the nape of her neck with one hand while the other ran down her back and under her shirt. When his warm skin touched hers, the bond activated and they gradually moved closer to each other, grasping, pulling, whimpering, stroking for more of each other’s heat. Their clothes were just a hindrance, and they very nearly tore every piece in their rush to remove them from each other without breaking their kiss.



Naked, Snape pressed Hermione into the post of the bed and shamelessly rubbed himself against her. “I’ve missed your touch so much, witch!” He snarled, “Every night as I got colder and colder, knowing you were the only one who could light my fire, uhn… I want you so badly.” Hermione bowed her back to put her clit directly in the path of his dry humps, and moaned with pleasure when he latched onto her neck.



Snape lifted her legs around his waist and moved to the side to lay her on the bed, “You are stunning.” He said, as he looked down at her body. “Absolutely gorgeous…” From time to time, it seemed like a dream to him. He couldn’t imagine where he acquired such luck.



“Severus…”



“Yes?” He looked at her seriously.



“Shut up and give it to me.” Without delay, he pushed into her body slowly and tried to remember the soft sound of pleasure she made, wanting to recall every nuance of that sound. Drawing out slowly, she sighed and, without giving her a chance to finish exhaling, he swiftly pushed back into her sheath. Both her eyes and mouth opened wide in surprise and her breath caught in her throat. Drawing out slowly again, he repeated the motion and was rewarded with the same gasping breath of surprise.



He continued moving in her, enjoying each thrust when she impulsively began to push him away, and though he really wanted to enjoy her, he backed away like a gentleman.



“What’s wrong?” He asked breathlessly.



“Nothing,” Hermione said, flipping herself over on the bed. She kneeled near the edge, presenting her tight, pale buttocks to him with a little wiggle, “I just really wanted to do it this way again.”



With a wicked grin he rumbled, “Naughty wench…” and yanked her legs out from under her so that she lay prone to him. She squeaked in surprise and he let a small chuckle out while he ran his hands over her. Spreading his legs to get down to her level, Snape continued his work on her pussy with a downward angle that soon had her whimpering in delight. When his own orgasm neared, he asked, “Hermione, are you ready?””



She didn’t answer at first, but when he grunted and asked again, she quickly said, “Yes, Severus, yes! Take me the way you like me!”



“Oh, my love, you’re gonna make me come inside you.”



“Yes! Please, Severus!”



“Oh! Yesssss!” Exclaimed Snape as he released his warm seed into her. Hermione, who was just on the edge, threw her hand beneath her to rub at her clit feverishly, taking herself over the edge with a whimper. Snape watched her with interest and smiled with satisfaction at her new skill, and was reminded, as his semen began to leak from her, that her potion was boiling in a caldron in the library. “Wait here.” He whispered gently with a light kiss to her mid-back before disapparating to the library, capping a vial of the potion, and apparating back into the bedroom where Hermione was falling asleep where he left her.



His come dripped down onto his sheets now and he tore his eyes away from it to offer the bottle to her. “Hermione, take this.”



She opened one eye and groaned, “Eh… That is absolutely foul, Severus!”



“It wouldn’t be so bad if we could just remember the other potion before we start.”



“I know, I know.” She hefted herself up, feeling like a loose woman for the first time. She had just had sex with a man she was livid with. It didn’t help that he had just yelled at her and it also didn’t help that she knew the bond was responsible for the strong sense of desire that overruled her anger. Pushing those thoughts aside, she accepted the vial from her husband. “Okay, I’m ready for it.” She swallowed the disgusting contents in one gulp, and made a face of disgust. “That,” she said, “woke me up.” At that, she jumped up and began to dress, picking her clothes up from the ground and pulling her blouse over her head.



Standing between Severus and the window where the sun was setting and bathing her fit young body in a red hue, her hair was illuminated as bright as any one of the Weasleys. In fact, he reminded himself, that was probably what Ron and Hermione’s daughter would look like. Turning away from her to sit on the bed and suppress the jealousy that reared its ugly head, Snape sighed. “I’m going to need your help in 16 days. That’s when the potion matures and we will have to spend three days rotating stirring shifts this time.”



“Wait.” Hermione rounded on him and looked confused, “What potion?”



“The separation potion.”



Her chest heaved as her breathing quickened with anger, “We said we were going to talk about that together. We said we were still going to make a decision!”



“I already looked over everything and did all of the research and the potion portion of the recipe is definitely sound.”



“But we were supposed to make that decision together!”



“Stop whining.” He rubbed his temples and said, “We don’t need to discuss this potion when I am certain of the recipe.”



“No, you can’t just make a decision for me, Severus. I still have to be involved because this is my life as well! You have no right to make decisions for both of us!” When Snape didn’t answer or look at her, Hermione reached into his closet and pulled out the one deep blue cloak and donned it over her outfit, waving her wand here and there to shorten the sleeves, hem the length, and shorten the hood. “I’ll be back from time to time, but I can’t guarantee you that I can get back in time for the stirring cycle. You might have to use my parents.”



Snape’s scoff earned him a scathing look and Hermione bit out a farewell and gave him a cold peck on the cheek before stalking out to her parents’ bedroom door.







“She said she’d be back before nightfall!”



“And is this nightfall?”



“But she said, ‘before nightfall’.”



“And, ‘before nightfall’ is not finished yet, Ron.”



Looking nervously out beyond the mouth of the cave Hermione had marked on the map, Ron realized and fully appreciated the security of his home life for the first time. The sun hadn’t even fully set and the cave was a bit cold. Besides, the added unease of being hunted by the whole of the wizarding world was quite unnerving.



“Think she hid her mum in a cave?” Ron asked as he poked at a slug.



“No.” Harry wasn’t in the mood to talk. He had a lot of plans to think about. Where should they head first? Godrick’s Hollow? Voldemort’s orphanage? Borgin and Burkes? Hogwarts? Where would they get food? How would they avoid detection? How would they stay warm? Where was Hermione?



A crackle in the bushes just beyond their little clearing made the boys fall still and silent. The leaves rustled and a slight form could be seen on the other side. When Hermione finally stepped out of the large bush, the boys suddenly let out a relieved laugh and rushed out to greet her.



She scowled at them. “What if I had been a polyjuiced Death Eater?”



“Did you apparate into the bush?” Ron pointed out her error with a laugh.



“Yes, Ronald.” She wasn’t in the mood to laugh with them, and glanced over their shoulder. “Is that a cave?”



“What? Haven’t you been here before?” Ron asked with surprise.



“Well, no.” Sighed Hermione, running a hand through her hair.



“It’s a good choice though, Hermione. Ron and I were reading up on how to perform a Fidelius Charm on it.”



“Every opening would have to be completely sealed off. Think about a house. A house has doors and windows and a roof, but if it didn’t and you tried to set up the Fidelius, it wouldn’t hold against the first search.”



“Why not charm the tent then?”



“Well, we could except that it is going to be inside the cave, right. That will keep it from being too chilled inside, but it is a location inside of a location and the Fidelius wouldn’t work very well in such close quarters where the magical source could be felt and challenged, and though they couldn’t kill us, they could put us in a bad position. For instance, a kid can’t charm his room. Remember, Fred and George tried it and your mom broke through it eventually.” At the fearful look on the boys’ faces, Hermione felt the need to explain and get started on her plan. “Besides, there are a series of wards that we can create to protect ourselves.” Raising her wand, she began to say the spells aloud for the boys to learn.



They listened intently and practiced their wand movements behind her as she circled the tent and then warded the cave from the outside. Re-entering their safe-zone, Hermione moved into the tent and threw Harry’s prison ward clothes off of the bed in the smaller room and conjured a second bed in the room with Ron. As she did so, Harry expressed a desire to always have someone awake to lookout. Hermione volunteered and Harry thanked her and flopped down. Ron too lay down in his bed and winked at Hermione before closing his eyes and dropping quickly off to a heavy sleep.



Hermione seated herself at the entrance to their camp with one of the “Muggle Magic” books and read until the sun began to rise over the tops of the trees and she reached the end of the text. Her head nodded several times towards the end of her reading, but now that she was finished, she couldn’t seem to keep her eyes open. Standing, stretching, and yawning Hermione heard a noise that stopped her heart in her chest.



Somewhere outside of the cave, the pop of apparation and two voices floated between the trees and she quickly used an old spell Snape had taught her to make the cave as dark as possible. They approached and Hermione heard the very familiar voices of Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle approaching.



“It’s just over here.” Draco was saying, approaching the smallest sapling at the head of the clearing. The tree was thin and flexible and Draco led his cronies to the nearest side of the tree with his back facing the mouth of the cave a mere ten meters away.



Hermione couldn’t help noticing how good he looked in comparison to the last time she had seen him. Her memory of the tattered silk lined robes, his exposed chest, beaten face, and beautiful hair matted with blood, did not seem to fit the image of the healthy, beautiful, young blond in front of her. He even looked to have filled out a bit since the first time she saw him, having traded his lean seeker’s muscles for a more broad-shouldered muscular frame. As he turned, she noticed that he seemed to be growing his hair long like his father’s and a small sad smile graced her features. How sad that she had to hate him. She had always admired his witty tongue and debonair appearance, and she only now realized just how unfortunate his poor upbringing was.



“Blood first, blood forever.” He said as he pressed his palm around the trunk, and Hermione stepped forward in surprise as Draco appeared to be sucked into the tree. What truly made her lose control and gasp was the glimpse of the cavern he was entering and the three artefacts within. She saw the image as though it were in her mind and not something she was seeing with her eyes.



“Did ya hear that?” Goyle grunted, bumping Crabbe with his meaty elbow.



Crabbe grabbed the trunk and shook his head, “Naw. Blood first, blood forever.”



Goyle seemed to be more interested in the sound he heard than following his friends, but he too grabbed the trunk and was whisked away.



Stepping into the clearing just long enough to set up a few more wards, Hermione ran back into the tent and shook Harry and Ron awake. After she had told them what she had seen, all three of them went to the mouth of the cave to wait for their rivals to return. When Crabbe, Goyle, and Draco reappeared by the sapling tree, Harry and Ron had to quietly wake Hermione. Her exhaustion seemed to have overtaken her, and she blinked hard against the blurry sleepiness that clung to her eyes.



By the time Draco and his cronies apparated away, Hermione had shaken some of the sleep out of her system. Standing, she followed the boys to the tree and gripped the trunk just as Draco had done. “Blood first, blood forever.” Nothing happened. She tried again, trying to say it with the same enunciation that Draco used, but again, nothing happened. “Interesting…” she mused, circling the tree and checking for any magical runes that might be carved into the bark.



On her second circle, she noticed a small notch in the bark and leaned in. “It’s a bit worn, but… hmm, let’s see… It’s an identity rune.” Before the boys could ask, she continued. “The identity rune acts as a filter ward that blocks certain people from entering. It looks like only Death Eaters can enter this place.”



All three sighed in unison and in the silence that followed, Hermione giggled. Then Harry chuckled, then Ron joined in, and the three moved back into the cave with smiles. “I can’t believe we are actually here.” Harry said with a tone of awe in his voice. “I mean, I knew we would eventually be forced out of Grimmauld Place, but… part of me never actually imagined what it would truly be like.”



“Yeah…” Ron said with a small frown suddenly creasing his face. “I… uh… think I see a small flaw in our planning.”



“Hmm?” Hermione said sleepily, lowering herself onto the fluffy purple couch in the spacious living room.



“Yeah. What’s for breakfast?”



Sitting up sharply, as though resisting, with all of her remaining strength, the sleep that wanted to claim her, Hermione sighed, “Right! I was supposed to get us something cold from my mother’s, but I suppose it could be a hot meal now.”



Instead of the whoops of joy Hermione had expected, the boys exchanged a furtive look. She wanted to question them, but instead, ignored their suspicion and disapparated to her home on Elizabeth and Keith. Having apparated directly to the kitchen, she was surprised to find her mum, dad, and husband relaxing in the kitchen. Her father and Snape’s backs were to her as Mrs. Granger climbed onto the island and did a complete back flip, a sort of jig on the counter, and finished with a glorious tuck off of the edge.



Hermione’s eyes opened wide in shock, and Hermione’s mother caught her breath, “Hello, Hermione, dear.” A large smile comforted Hermione only a little bit. “Severus was just showing us what it is like to have the Imperius Curse put on, and I must say that I find it to be a glorious experience. To have no responsibility for the things I do, to be free of decision, and to be capable of… that! It was… exhilarating!”



Snape met her eyes only briefly knowing that she would disapprove of their antics. Instead of voicing her concern, however, Hermione summoned pans and a pot down to prepare, saying, “I won’t be able to stay long, I have to get back to Harry and Ron.”



“They’re big boys. Let your mother cover the cooking and come talk to me for a moment.” The way Snape said it made it clear that he was not expecting a response. To add to his insistence, he took her arm to guide her at the elbow.



Still livid, she pulled her arm away and walked ahead of him a few steps before apparating to the library.



When Snape finally showed up, he scowled at her. “What the hell is wrong with you?”



“What did you want to talk about?” she responded with an air of amusement for angering him.



“The potion will go through its stirring cycle in 15 days and I will need your help.”



“I already told you that I wouldn’t help you with it. Get my parents to help.”



“You can’t have expected to stay bound to me forever. This was bound to happen and I couldn’t wait for you to get back and negotiate and make a decision and brew it and work out the spell portion.”



She didn’t respond immediately and he reached out to touch her face. She stepped away from him. “I stand by what I said. I will not help you.” He growled angrily and turned away from her and she quickly continued, “I wanted to let you know that Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle showed up at our campsite.”



At this, Snape’s head turned back towards her.



“They grabbed the knot on a small sapling that opened the way for them to go into a place with artefacts. We can’t enter because an identity rune is scrawled on the trunk.”



“So you need a Death Eater.”



“They say, ‘blood first, blood forever.’”



“I see.” His desire to deny her help she needed to retaliate against her was warring with the desire to know what was in the cavern.



She wasn’t the brightest witch of her age for no reason, however, and she knew what Snape was thinking. To help him make up his mind, Hermione suggested, “I will tell you where we are camped and you can enter the cavern and you don’t have to tell me anything.”



He turned back towards his young wife and looked down into her eyes and immediately noted the way that she blocked him from her mind. “I will tell you.”



“I thank you.” She cordially responded, pulling a map from her pocket and handing it over to him. “We are in a cave to the west of that ‘X’ and the sapling is at the east side of clearing. That means that you must be very, very careful when you come in and out. I’ll send my patronus to you, and you will need to come immediately. Will that be possible?”



“It seems sound.” He placed a hand at the base of her skull and watched her lean back against him wearily. “You look exhausted.”



“I am. I had the first lookout last night.”



“That’s usually the easiest lookout post. The middle lookout is usually the hardest.”



“What do you mean? Are we supposed to trade off during the night?”



“You watched all night?”



“Yes.”



Snape suppressed a smirk and stroked the side of her face. “The three of you should alternate shifts each night. That way, if there is a problem, your body will have sufficient rest to react with. Besides, that way there is a few hours each day when all three of you are up together for planning.”



“I see.”



“Why don’t you lie here with me for a few hours before you go back.”



“Harry and Ron are expecting me—”



“They” whispered Snape, “will be fine for a few hours.”



“No. I—”



“I’m not asking you to have sex with me. I just want to sleep and hold you for a few hours. It must be more comfortable than whatever you have in that cave.”



His words made her want to argue, but she was suddenly overwhelmed by the lack of desire to argue with him. “Not really. I don’t want to discuss this.” She suddenly realized that she had never seen disappointment on his face until that moment. “I’ll be back when I can.” She touched his arm gently and disapparated.



“Oh, Hermione, dear,” Her mother called as she arrived in the kitchen. “Here’s the food.”



Accepting the basket her mother presented to her, Hermione kissed her on the cheek, thanked them both, and disapparated to the small clearing with promises to return soon. Harry and Ron jumped at her arrival and sighed thankfully. Ron stood and crossed to her, reaching into the basket before she had a chance to put it down to see what was inside. “Wow… eggs, porridge, croissants, and… is that a hare?”



“Well my mum’s hair is very long, it likely go—”



“No, I mean a rabbit.” Ron lifted a large plate from the basket with a beautifully cooked rabbit on it.



Hermione couldn’t help but smile. Her father had finally accomplished his hunt, but she told Harry and Ron, “My mum was in the scouts when she was young, and has been catching rabbit to go with her dinner sometimes.”



Harry was staring off into the distance, and Hermione looked at his face before looking over her own shoulder. Something was fluttering back and forth in the trees too small and far to be seen clearly. Ron too looked concerned and the three of them drew their wands in unison as a precaution. When a second creature in the distance came into view, all three lowered their wands in recognition.



“Hedwig!”



“Pigwidgeon!”



Each bird had several pieces of parchment in its beak, and they were each obviously very tired. They landed on the lowest branches of the sapling tree and each stuck a leg out as their owners approached. Hedwig nipped at Harry lovingly and Pigwidgeon hooted insanely, soaring around Ron’s head when relieved of his burden. This annoyed Hedwig enough that she fluttered higher in the tree and hooted indignantly at the crazed owl. The snowy white owl shifted further up the branch when the young owl tried to join her on the high branch and mimic her dignified demeanour.



Opening his letter first, Ron read in silence. Whatever his mother had written had made his eyes water, and he turned away from his friends to hide the fact that he was wiping tears from his eyes. Harry looked down at the letter from McGonagall and summarized it for Ron and Hermione. “It says that McGonagall heard about the attack on the minister and is proud of us for our ‘ingenious insurrection’. She says that the Order has a new headquarters location and that she wants us to come back. She apologizes for letting the ministry take us, and she would like us to contact her and let her know how we are.”



Ron stuffily said, “Well, she’s mad isn’t she?”



Hermione nodded.



“Still, I didn’t realize how much I missed Hedwig. It’s good to have her here.” Harry said, extending an arm for her to perch upon. She followed his lead and he stroked her white, speckled feathers affectionately, smiling at the light nip she bestowed upon him.



“Harry, she can’t stay. She’s too noticeable.”



Harry sighed and nodded in understanding, and flipped over the envelope of a letter from the Ministry of Magic.



“Misters Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Misses Hermione Snape:” Harry paused here and raised a confused eyebrow at the letter, but decided to question it later and finished reading the letter.



Ron too decided to question it later in favour of mouthing the name soundlessly.



“You are officially renegades of wizarding law and will face many charges including but not limited to attempted kidnapping of a high official, battery of a high official, high treason, conspiracy to commit harm, and capital poisoning. It would be in your best interest to turn yourselves in to avoid a possibly fatal battle with the ministry’s best aurors and additional charges.



Your separate inheritances, as willed to you via Albus Dumbledore, will be withheld from you as well until you turn yourselves in and may be remanded back into Ministry control should you be convicted for your crimes.



Director of Magical Law Enforcement,



Dolores Jane Umbridge”



“I don’t believe it!” Hermione gasped, trying to turn the topic firmly away from the declaration of her name. “I can’t believe that they’ve had our inheritances all this time and didn’t give them to us.”



Ron hadn’t forgotten, “I can’t believe they called you Hermione Snape!” He laughed and Hermione’s pulse calmed a bit.



“Somewhere out there, Snape is getting a letter addressed to Severus Granger. I wish I could be there for that!”



Hermione, realizing that she was undetected, joined them, “That’s right! Hey, if we’re lucky, Voldemort will hear about it somehow and take care of him for us.” The thought worried her again, but she pushed it from her mind. She forced a laugh that sounded unreal, even to her own ears and started toward the tent. “I’m gonna get some rest so I can take the night shift again tonight. Okay?”



“No way, Hermione.” Ron argued. “Tonight is my night.”



“No, no, I insist. I would like to get through two more of those books.”



Both of the boys shrugged and Hermione went to bed as quickly as she could. Her worry for that night was the only thing keeping her awake, but when she eventually did fall asleep, she slept heavily throughout the rest of the day. When the shadows of the approaching night began to creep into the room, Hermione opened her eyes to find Ron at the door. He had apparently knocked and she rolled onto her back and smiled.



He returned her smile with a small smile of his own. “Does he know you’re a witch?”



Her slow mind raced to catch up, but she couldn’t seem to make a connection.



“That muggle you’re dating.”



“Oh!” She said with surprise, “N-no, of course not.” She waived her hand dismissively.



“I…” he paused to think, “I just can’t believe that you went back to see your parents and got involved with a muggle when…” again he paused. Hermione was moderately impressed by Ron thinking before he spoke and smiled encouragingly. “Hermione, It’s just that… well… I have always pretty much loved you, and I would do anything for you.” The words tumbled from his lips quite quickly and her smile fell.



“Ronald, I—”



“No, don’t say anything. I just had to tell you.”



She watched him leave quickly, his ears going deep red. The rest of the evening was entirely uneventful as the boys prepared to sleep and Hermione ate the rest of the rabbit before sliding outside of the tent and sending her patronus to Snape.



It didn’t escape her attention that her patronus seemed to have changed, and she suddenly had a better understanding of why Snape was so keen to have the separation potion completed. Erupting from the tip came a patronus that was such a light silver that it appeared to be white and she gasped at the dove that flew away.



The boys came out near midnight, disturbing her thoughts, making her jump, and kissed her goodnight. Ron’s kiss lingered a bit too closely to her mouth and she shyly murmured, “Good night.”



When she was entirely convinced that both Harry and Ron were asleep, she sent her new patronus and within three minutes she spotted him walking towards their camp in his billowing, black, hooded cloak. “Severus!” She whispered as she stepped out into the clearing, her own cloak drawn tightly around her.



“Your wards are intense.” He complimented her fleetingly, “Which tree?” He asked, quickly focusing on the task at hand. She directed him and stepped away from his back to give him room to try getting in. “Blood first, blood forever.”



Nothing happened.



“Try again.” She whispered.



“Blood first, blood forever.”



Somewhere a single cricket chirped and Hermione sighed heavily. “What am I missing?”



Snape had begun to review the tree himself using his illuminated wand. “Another rune.” He answered. “It’s another identity rune, that’s for sure, but I don’t know what it’s for. Runes weren’t my best subjects.”



“Obviously.” She said with a small smile. “It’s a blood rune! That must mean that only purebloods can enter, so…” She paused in deep thought. “I guess we’re lucky that Ron is a pureblood.”



Snape took her chin between his fingers and she suddenly seemed keenly aware of how exposed they both were, “Maybe I should go back.” He lowered his lips to hers and she rested her hands along his sides.



“Goodnight, Hermione.”



“Goodnight.”



Stepping away from her, he raised his right hand that still clasped her fingertips, kissed them and stroked her cheek before disapparating back to his home.



Nobody had ever made her feel so conflicted before, and she stood with her fingers to her cheek for a few seconds after he had left. The memory of that warm caress made her feel loved and happy to be affiliated with him, but knowing that he was so ready to be rid of her that he would create a potion without her opinion being considered angered her deeply. When she decided to go back into the cave, she was so deep in thought with her eyes to the sparse view of the starry sky above that she didn’t notice the movement of the figure in the darkness of the cave rush into the tent.



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