Saving your life

The pain in her belly was unbearable; she kept her eyes shut tight, afraid of what she might see if she opened them. She felt strong arms around her, holding her close to a warm chest, whispering things she couldn’t understand, as he lifted her off the floor.

“Severus?” she whispered, with the little strength she had left.

“No, it’s Draco.”

“Draco, you came,” she breathed, suddenly feeling safe.

She could feel he was walking, taking her away from that place, from the man that had hurt her, as he called her name, promised everything would be all right.

She couldn’t help but think none of it was actually happening, that he wasn’t really there, helping her. Maybe she had died, maybe it was all over, but the pain made her doubt that. If she was really dead, shouldn’t the pain be gone?

She felt his arms tightening around her, and then something else, as if she was spinning, and her body was being squeezed through a tunnel. She felt her lungs burning, the little air she had in them suddenly forced out as she screamed in pain, feeling the wounds going deeper than before.

“Merlin,” she heard Draco say, when they stopped spinning, and her whole body shook as he ran with her firmly in his arms. He lay her down on something soft, although she was in so much pain, it didn’t make any difference. His hands were cold against her skin, as he rolled her shirt up a bit, and then pressed where the wounds were.

After a few seconds, he stepped back and muttered a few words. She could feel the soft tingle of magic around her, but it was too faint. His spell wasn’t working properly. She felt something invisible pressing against her chest, making it even harder to breath. She tried to move, but her body wasn’t responding. She couldn’t speak, she couldn’t even see, and everything around her soon faded away.


Severus struggled against the magic binding him, desperately trying to break free. He had failed; he hadn’t saved her from Lucius, hadn’t stopped him, and then he had let Draco take her away. He had to do something, he had to find her.

He stopped struggling and took a deep breath. He needed to think; that was the only way out of the situation he had gotten himself into. And then he remembered something. Draco had taken both Hermione’s and Severus’ wands with him when he Apparated away, but he couldn’t remember him taking Lucius’ too, and it had been knocked out of his hand when Draco had entered the cabin. It could still be there.

He closed his eyes and focused on the task ahead. With only the thought he needed in mind, he said, “Accio wand!” He heard the sound on something moving in the room, and opened his eyes to find Lucius’ wand lying in plain view, by the small table.

In any other situation, he would have been able to summon just about any object, using wandless magic, without difficulty, and then he realized Lucius’ spell wasn’t only physically binding him to the wall; it was also binding his magic.

“Accio wand!” he tried again, after a few moments, and watched it slowly roll closer, stopping by his feet.

He closed his eyes again, taking a few of the minutes he didn’t have, to recover some strength. Taking a deep breath, and focusing again on the target, he summoned the wand for the third time, louder than before, a smile on his lips as he felt the spell work, and wrapped his fingers around the small, wooden wand.

He was on his feet in a matter of seconds, running to the door, but where to go next? After a few seconds, he rolled up his sleeve, baring the Dark Mark on his forearm, and then touched the tip of his wand to it. He closed his eyes and focused on Draco, but he couldn’t find him.

He opened his eyes again, and stepped further away from the cabin, lost on thought. There were only a handful of places Draco could be in, where he wouldn’t be found using the Dark Mark, and Severus was sure he knew most of them, if not all. It was just a matter of time.

He wouldn’t bother going to Malfoy Manor; that was for sure. Many Death Eaters were staying there, so it wasn’t really an option. There were only about half a dozen places owned by his family he could take her to, and he would have to search them all, one by one.

He decided to leave the ones located abroad for last, and start with the ones closest. Whether Draco wanted to help Hermione, or just give her to Voldemort, it was obvious he wanted to keep her alive, and Apparating out of the country would be too dangerous for her.

He wasn’t sure how long it had been since Draco had left with her, but he was starting to fear it might be too long. He had to be fast. Reaching the places wasn’t hard for Severus, but breaking through the wards took time, and he didn’t know just how much she had left.

He went to a small cottage by the sea, a house in the mountains, a few apartments in London, but there was no sign of her. He was growing more worried, wondering if maybe he had been mistaken, if he should have gone straight back to headquarters, to his Master, and find out if Draco had taken her there, but something told him the boy hadn’t done that.

Tightening his hold on Lucius’ wand, he closed his eyes again, and Apparated in front of a pure white house. The place was even bigger than Malfoy Manor, and it had belonged to Narcissa’s family for generations. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he knew he had found Hermione. He wasn’t sure how, or why, but he could sense her fading magic in the air, calling for him, even through the wards.

The protection set around the house was similar to that he had found at the other places, and it didn’t take him too long to break through the wards and reach the entrance.

Wand ready for whatever he might find there, he opened the door and silently stepped inside, following her magic, letting it guide him to her. He walked up the stairs, and then down one of many hallways, towards the only lit room in the entire place. The air was thicker there, her magic stronger, and he took another step closer, but then he saw movement, a door opening next to him, and froze on his tracks.

Just as Draco appeared on the doorway, and moving as fast as he could, he wrapped his fingers around his neck, and pushed him against the wall. Draco dropped what he was holding, and tried to reach for his wand, but he wasn’t fast enough.

“Where is she?” Severus asked him, his voice a harsh whisper as he pressed the tip of his wand against Draco’s neck. The boy didn’t answer, but Severus noticed his eyes flick in the other room’s direction.

“Who else is here?” he asked then, and after a few seconds of silence, he pushed him back hard, and making his head hit the wall.

“Who else?” he repeated.

“No one,” he finally answered.

“What have you done to her?”

“I’m just trying to help her,” he said, but Severus still didn’t let go.

“Your wand,” he said curtly, and Draco quickly handed it to him.

“She’s in there,” he said, and then Severus pulled him away from the wall, and walked into the room, with Draco in front of him. He stayed behind him until he was sure they were really alone, and then pushed him to the side and walked over to where she was lying.

He stopped by her side, on the large bed, and his hand automatically reached out to touch her, but he stopped mid-action, not sure what to do. He heard Draco step out of the room, but didn’t pay him any mind. All he wanted was to make sure she would be all right.

“I can’t stop the bleeding,” he heard Draco mutter, as he walked back into the room, and he stood still as the boy pressed some towels against her wounds.

“What are you doing?” he asked, after a few seconds, when he tore his eyes from her and realized what was happening, pushing Draco away from her.

“I’m trying to stop her from bleeding to death,” Draco screamed, and Severus turned back to her, moving the towels to the side, only then seeing how deep the three wounds were.

“I tried to stop it with magic,” Draco explained, tentatively stepping closer to her again, “and it worked at first, but when we Apparated here, it just started bleeding again.”

“Well, of course it did, you imbecile. You can’t Apparate with someone injured this badly without hurting them even more,” he said, anger evident in his voice as he lifted his wand, reminding himself he should help Hermione, and not waste his time cursing the boy, no matter how much he wanted to. It could wait until she was better.

He kneeled by her side, and took a closer look at the wounds, then tried a simple spell to stop the bleeding. He wasn’t surprised when it didn’t work; it was probably the same one Draco had tried. He tried a more complex one, and then another, but none of them seemed to work either. If they were simple wounds, they should have been healed by any of those spells, even after the Apparition. Only dark magic would keep them from working as they should.

“The knife,” he said suddenly, standing up and turning to Draco.

“What?” he asked confused.

“The knife your father used, where is it?” he asked, annoyed by Draco’s slow reactions.

“I don’t know, I don’t see it,” he replied, after a few seconds, holding his hands up, as if to show he didn’t have it.

Severus groaned in frustration and grabbed him hard by the arm, pushing him roughly out of the room.

“Find it and bring it here; fast,” he said, before closing the door with a loud bang.

He knew if Draco hadn’t turned them over to his Master by then, he wouldn’t. He still wasn’t sure why, but he knew they would be safe there, for the time being. As much as he hated it, Severus had noticed the concerned look on his face every time his eyes rested on Hermione. That was actually one of the reasons why he had sent him away; the other was, he needed the knife, and they were running out of time.

He turned back to Hermione and took one of the towels Draco had left on the bed, then sat by her side and pressed it firmly against the wounds.

Not so long ago he had been the one hurt and bleeding, and she had been there, by his side, looking after him. No one had ever done anything like that for him, taking care of him when he couldn’t do it by himself, and it had made him feel uncomfortable and confused at the time, but now he understood how she had felt.

It was strange to realize she had actually cared for him. She had told him she loved him, but he hadn’t allowed himself to believe her. Only one other woman had said those words to him, so long ago, the woman he thought he had loved, and she had hurt him more than he had thought possible. But Hermione was different, and that scared him as much as it attracted him.

He heard her groan and twist on the bed, but he kept pressing the towel, noticing it was already tainted in red. He heard her mutter something, and leaned closer, trying to make out the words.

“Draco?” she whispered weakly, and he froze in place, his eyes fixed on her face, not sure what to make out of what she had said. Maybe he had heard wrong, he thought, but then she whispered the name again.

“No,” he answered his voice as cold as ever, “but he will be back soon.”

He was angry at her, for calling Draco’s name, and not his, but what right did he have to feel that way? He had been the one to push her away, even if it had been for her own good. He had made the decision, and everything that had happened to her was his own fault, or at least that is what it felt like. He had no right over her at all.

But not Draco, not him. She deserved better. He had wanted to give her a better life, a better future, and he wouldn’t let her ruin it all for that arrogant child. As soon as she was healed, Severus would deal with him.


The sound of someone screaming reached her ears, and she opened her eyes. She knew whoever was screaming, they weren’t far away. She tried to move, to get up, but her body didn’t respond. She looked around the room, but it was dark, and she couldn’t see anything familiar. She tried to call for help, but could only manage a breathy whisper.

She closed her eyes again, trying to remember what had happened. Malfoy. He had taken her to the cabin where she had met with Draco. He had tried to kill her. Snape had been there too, trying to help her, but Malfoy wouldn’t let him.

Snape. He had been the one to take the memories away, but Malfoy had done something to her there, to bring them back. She could remember the images flashing in front of her eyes before the searing pain, and then the darkness.

“Who sent you there?” she heard a man ask, his voice low and menacing, a tone she instantly recognized as Snape’s. But who was he talking to? “How did you get to the cabin? How did you know where she was?” he asked again, after a few moments.

“She called for me,” Draco’s voice answered, although it didn’t sound like it usually did. He sounded weak, or maybe scared.

“Who did?”

“Hermione,” he replied.

“Why would she ever call you? You are a Death Eater.”

“So are you,” the boy answered, his voice now filled with anger.

“Don’t test my patience, boy. I doubt anyone would even notice if you simply disappeared.”

“We have been working together. I have been helping her.”

“Don’t lie; it will only make things worse.”

“It’s not a lie,” he replied, a little desperate.

“So you have been the one she has been sneaking off to meet?”

“Yes.”

“Why?” he asked, and when he received no answer, another loud scream filled the air. “Why did she go to you?” Severus repeated, coldly.

“She thought I was the one she had been working with before. She thought I was you.”

“Why would she think that?”

“Because I told her so,” Draco answered, with a tinge of arrogance.

“How did you know about me and her? Who told you?” he asked, and again received no answer. She could hear Draco screaming again, and when it stopped, he sounded defeated.

“My aunt Bellatrix told me.”

“So that is how you got out of the dungeons?”

“Yes. But she said she would kill me if I failed. I’m in no better position than I was there.”

“Do you actually think I would believe any of this? That you did all this because your aunt threatened you?”

“Me? She will kill my family, if I don’t do as she asks.”

“What did she ask you to do, then?”

“She wanted me to find out if you had really taken her memories away. She suspected you were a traitor, and she was right.”

“Don’t talk about things you do not understand, boy,” Severus said, angrily.

“What, you think I haven’t noticed? The way you were looking at her, when you got here. Is she the reason all of this happened, the reason why you turned to the Order?”

“She has nothing to do with this, and whatever you think you saw, you were wrong. She was just the means to an end, and you should leave her out of this.”

“Why is it so hard to understand? I will protect my family, even if it means betraying everything they believe in.”

“If you only wanted to know what side I was on, why did you help her tonight? Why did you attack your own father?”

“I did it for the same reason you did.”

“I don’t believe your aunt sent you to her just to find out what side I was on. She provided important information to the Dark Lord, and I think you were the one spying for her. Is that why you stayed close to Hermione? So you could spy on her, pass information to the Dark Lord that would make you look good?”

“She would have killed me!” Draco yelled. “I did what I had to do.”

“What was the real reason why she sent you?” Severus asked again.

“Rodolphus,” he finally answered. “She wants her husband back. She said if I didn’t find out where he was fast, then I had to kill Hermione, and find some other way to get to him.”

“Kill her? She wanted you to kill her?”

“Yes, but I d…”

“You coward!” he interrupted. “You say you care about her, try to fool me with empty lies, when all along you were just waiting for the right moment. Were you supposed to take her body to the Dark Lord, or was your aunt planning on taking all the glory for herself?” Severus asked, angrily.

“I wasn’t going to…”

“Where is she?” Severus suddenly asked.

“What?”

“Where. Is. She,” he repeated, his voice low and menacing.

“I don’t know,” Draco answered.

“I’m not finished with you, boy. And trust me, if something happens to Hermione…” but he didn’t finish the sentence.

She heard loud footsteps moving down the stairs, and then some faint ones, stepping into the room.

“You are awake,” Draco said, as he lit a few candles, but she didn’t answer. She simply looked at him, his swollen eye, and his split lip. She still couldn’t fully understand what she had just heard.

“How are you feeling?” he asked softly, as he stepped closer to her. “Right, the spell,” he said, as an afterthought, and reached for the wand lying next to her on the bed.

With a few muttered words and some complex movements, she felt the muscles in her body loosen. She moved her head to one side, then the other. It hurt, but not too much. She moved her arms and legs too, but when she tried to sit up, she felt a sharp pain in her belly.

“They’re not fully healed yet, and you have lost a lot of blood. You need to get some rest.”

“Where is he?” she muttered, her expression hard, her eyes fixed on his.

“You heard,” he said, after a few moments. It wasn’t a question, but a statement.

She opened her mouth to speak again, but he interrupted. “It’s not what you think.”

“Is it not? You lied to me, you used me. Were you going to kill me yourself? Or maybe have someone else do it for you, like you did with Dumbledore.”

“Hermione, please, I wasn’t…”

“Where is he?” she asked again, her voice firm, even as her eyes filled with tears.

“He’s gone to find my aunt.”

“If she’s not alone…”

“Why do you care about him?” he asked angrily. “He only used you, to get back in the Order.”

“And so did you,” she said, bitterly. “Take me to him.”

“No,” he said, and shook his head firmly. “No. You are still too weak, you can’t Apparate. And even if you could, if any other Death Eater saw you, you would be dead within minutes.”

“Take me there,” she repeated, as she tried to get up, wincing at the pain.

“There’s nothing you can do to help him, and he doesn’t deserve you risking your life for him.”

“You have no right to decide that for me. Now will you take me to where he is, or do I have to find him myself.”

“You are really willing to take that risk? Why?”

“I don’t have to give you any explanation, you don’t deserve them, and you know it. I’m asking for your help.”

He seemed uncertain for a moment, but then sighed and offered her his hand, which she took. He helped her up, and then touched the back of her head with his wand. She shivered at the cold feeling running down her body, and then turned to him, as he repeated the same action, casting a strong Disillusionment charm on himself as well. He reached forward then, but she stepped back, hesitant.

“You’re not strong enough to walk; you won’t make it to the door,” he said, calmly.

Realizing he was probably right, she wrapped her arms around his neck and let him carry her out of the house. As soon as they were outside, he put her down for a moment, rolled up his sleeve, and pressed the tip of his wand to the Dark Mark on his forearm. She watched him, confused, as he closed his eyes, his breathing slow as he remained frozen in place for minutes. She was starting to worry, but then he suddenly opened his eyes and looked back at her. He reached inside his robes and retrieved her wand.

“You will probably need this,” he said, as he handed it to her. Then he wrapped his arms tightly around her again, and Apparated them both away.

As soon as her feet touched the ground, she stepped away from Draco and pressed her hands firmly against her ears. The screams were deafening. She looked around the barely lit room, surprised at what she saw.

Severus was standing in the centre of the room, his back to her, and another figure was lying on the floor, in front of him, writhing and screaming in pain. She tried to step closer, but a hand on her arm stopped her, and she turned around to see Draco, his eyes wide and fixed on her belly.

She looked down; trying to see what was wrong, but the Disillusionment charm was too strong, so she lifted it. She hadn’t felt the pain until then, too distracted by the image in front of her, but as soon as she saw her wounds bleeding again, it came back full force. She shook her head slightly, pushing the pain away from her mind as she stepped closer, yanking her arm free when Draco tried to stop her.

There were two more figures lying on the floor, a few feet from Severus, and they were both clearly dead.

Her eyes went back to him when the screaming stopped, and she was surprised to see Bellatrix smirk at him.

“Is that the best you can do?” she asked, mockingly, even when her voice was hoarse from screaming. “I knew you were a traitor, I always knew. And now the Dark Lord will know, too. He will finally see I am his most faithful servant, that I am the only one he can trust.”

“You are crazy. You think he trusts anyone? He wouldn’t hesitate to kill you. What makes you think you are so special?”

“He will protect me, and he will kill you and your Mudblood whore,” she said, an evil smile on her lips that was soon wiped away when Severus yelled “Crucio!”

“You cannot kill me, Snape,” she said, still smiling, when he lifted the curse. “He would know it was you, and you would be dead before you had time to make up more of those stupid excuses of yours. I can see right through you. What is it about the little witch that made you do all this? She must be a really wild fuck, to make a cold bastard like you fa…” but she didn’t get to finish the sentence as, with an angry growl, Severus fired the curse again.

She knew Bellatrix was right. If he killed her, Severus would probably be murdered as well. Hermione had loved him once, and she probably still did. She couldn’t let him die because of her, no matter what the witch had done. She was still confused about her feelings, about everything, especially after what she had heard him say to Draco, but Severus had risked his life to save her before; the least she could do was return the favour. She had to stop him before it was too late. No matter how much Bellatrix deserved to die, she wouldn’t let Severus do it. She owed him that much.

She took another step closer to him, gritting her teeth to stop herself from crying out in pain. Her clothes were drenched in blood again, but she couldn’t stop.

“Snape,” she said, as she stopped next to him, but he didn’t seem to listen. She repeated the name, but he was too focused on the woman in front of him, his face contorted with rage as he held his wand firmly in place.

She took another step forward, starting to feel dizzy, and shook her head, trying to clear her mind. She lifted her hand, and slowly placed it on top of his, as she whispered, “Severus.”

His eyes finally left Bellatrix as he looked down at his hand, not sure what was happening. Her bloody fingers wrapped around his, as she pushed his arm down, making him lift the curse. She could hear the woman panting in the floor, but she didn’t say anything.

“If you kill her, he will kill you,” she whispered, when his eyes met hers. She didn’t need to say the name, they both knew who she was referring to.

“I don’t care,” he simply muttered, but when he tried to move his hand, she held it firmly.

“It’s not worth it,” she said, her voice weak, as she felt all her strength leave her body.

“Hermione,” she heard Draco yell, as he ran to her and wrapped his arms around her, just as she was about to fall. The room grew darker around her, but she could still see Severus turn back to Bellatrix, the angry look back on his face as he muttered words she couldn’t make out; but there was no mistaking the green flash of light that lit the room before everything went black.