Everything I Do, I Do It For You

Chapter 47: Calling Miss Granger

After lunch, Hermione had gone back to her room. Although the men were pleasant enough company, she felt she needed time to herself.

She laughed as the image of her previous thought came to mind and she analysed it. Professor Snape was pleasant company. She never thought that she would have considered him to be an enjoyable companion, not in a million years, but he was making a conscious effort to, well, not be himself around her.

Suddenly she felt her breathing constricted and she knew she had to get out of the room, out of Hogwarts altogether. But to where? Anywhere, she concluded as she made a quick dash to the door.

***

Cornelius Fudge placed his wand back into his pocket. The strands of Miss Granger’s hair were still wound around it in an elaborate mould.

He had acquired them from Mr Finn when Miss Granger had first made an appearance in Calan Park.

‘Soon, my pet, soon,’ he mused, as he sank back, drained, into his armchair by the fire. The Dark Arts book was discarded on the table beside him, revealing the spell that he had just performed.

***

Hermione marched out into the sitting room, startling Severus. She headed straight for the wall, which she knew, contained the exit to Professor Snape’s rooms.

Lifting her wand, she started the incantation and intricate wand movements that she had seen and heard Professor Snape make on one other occasion.

“What are you doing?” Severus asked, his voice tense as he stood and made his way over to Hermione.

Just as he was lifting his left hand up to touch her shoulder, Tolmie exited the bathroom and screamed out, “Severus, no!”

It was too late; as Severus made contact with Hermione’s shoulder, he felt as if he had just stuck his hand directly over an open flame. Although he had barely touched her, he smelt the stench of burning flesh. As he quickly withdrew his hand and turned it over, he saw that it was covered in big angry red blisters. He backed away from her instinctively as he looked from his hand to Miss Granger in astonishment.

Hermione didn’t even shy away from her work as Professor Snape laid his hand gently upon her shoulder. She felt it rest there for a brief second before being snatched away.

She growled out her frustration as it was evident that the wards had been changed and she threw down her wand in aggravation. She placed both of her hands on the stone wall in front of her.

As the two men watched on in horror they saw the stone melting with ease under Hermione’s hands. She made her way into Snape’s office, leaving behind her a very dazed Potions Master and Mr Crobobin in her wake.

Tolmie, gathering his wits, rushed up to Severus’ side and grabbed his left arm. Pulling out his wand, he muttered a quick healing spell over Snape’s hand which made the blisters subside and then disappear altogether. Severus just stood there with a look of disbelief on his face.

“Come on, we have to let Albus know about this,” Tolmie urged, trying to pull Severus out of his temporary shock.

Snapping out of his reverie, Severus leaned over and retrieved Hermione’s discarded wand and placed it into one of the many hidden pockets in his robes. Leading the way out of the hole that had once separated his rooms from his office, Severus noticed that the door to his office and classroom had also received the same treatment underneath Miss Granger’s hands, and were no more.

Exiting into the hallway, he briefly glanced both ways for any sign of Miss Granger. Not seeing her, he ran, as students scurried out of the irate Potions Master’s way, the entire distance to the Headmaster’s office.

“Gummi Bears,” he shouted out as he made it to the stone gargoyle that protected the entrance to the Headmaster’s sanctuary.

Taking the stairs three at a time, Severus slammed open the door to the Headmaster’s office, startling Albus, who was at his desk.

“She’s gone,” was all he said, breathing slightly harder than usual.

Albus watched as Tolmie entered his office out of breath. He then raised both of his eyebrows and, looking directly at Severus, asked, “Who?”

Albus had just dispatched Kingsley, Mundungus and Remus to Calan Park after giving them specific instructions to be as diplomatic as feasible. He was tired, and in no mood for this guessing game that his Potions Master seemed intent on playing.

Severus was getting sick of the scatterbrained old man act Dumbledore seemed to portray so well; now was not the time for it, as there was no time to waste. He blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “Miss Granger, you old fool.”

“Ah,” was all Dumbledore said, finally catching on.

“Don’t tell me that you knew,” Severus snarled out.

“I had an inkling that he would call her,” the Headmaster responded, whilst leaning back into his chair.

“And you never thought that I needed to know this,” Severus spat as he shot daggers at the old man sitting calmly before him.

“And what would you have done to stop him?” the elderly wizard asked as he placed both hands back on the desk and learned forward.

Severus was now incensed beyond belief as he started to pace the length of Albus’ rug before his desk, grinding his teeth together as he went. Running a hand through his hair, he paused for a second and shot the Headmaster a glare. He opened his mouth to say something though nothing came out and he resumed his pacing.

“Believe it or not, Severus; you are still wanted by the Ministry; the Minister has seen to that fact. I have no doubt that if caught, Cornelius Fudge would drag you before the Wizengamot and you would receive nothing less then life in Azkaban, and that’s if he doesn’t kill you first,” Albus said.

Stopping his pacing, Severus shot Albus a look that could freeze over hell. “Forgive me, Albus, if I don’t take the time to give a bloody damn,” Severus snapped back at him.

Dumbledore just rolled his eyes at his Potions Master’s dramatics. He had let the bit about being called an old fool slide, as he could tell that Severus was deeply disturbed at not being kept in the loop, so to speak, and it didn’t bother him that much. He had been called worse in his day.

He also knew that his Potions Master and Miss Granger had formed a bond in their short time together. Severus was, after all, the only one who could touch her without her having some kind of subconscious melt down. He had seen Severus’ gentler side when the wizard thought no one was looking, and the Potions Master had considered himself to be alone with Miss Granger.

Sighing, more for effect than anything else, the elderly wizard said, “I think it’s time we brought Peter into this mess.”

Severus just nodded his head in an attempt to calm down, though inside he was struggling to come to terms with it all. He too was tired and he wanted this whole mess to end. Whether it ended for the good or the bad, he didn’t really care as long as it ended now. He was sick to death of the fight against good and evil as he had been fighting it for over twenty years.

With that being said, the three wizards made their way back towards the dungeons to meet their destiny, whatever the outcome.

***

Sirius was sitting out by the lake, staring at its calm waters and reflecting on the meeting. He was now over his fit of rage and he sat there almost statue like.

How could Dumbledore do this to him? Harbouring that rat under his very nose and not telling him about it.

His reflection was cut short as his canine senses picked up that he was not alone.

Lifting his head and turning around, he noticed the solitary figure of Ginny Weasley making her way to the lake. She had apparently not noticed him yet and he took a moment to study her.

He knew that she had lost her entire family and the strain had not gone unnoticed in the classroom; however, nearly every student had been affected one way or another by Voldemort’s reign of terror. He would be hard hard-pressed to find a single witch or wizard in all of Britain that hadn’t suffered some sort of loss.

Finally noticing him as she made her way to the bench that Sirius was currently occupying, she gave him a sad smile. He didn’t speak but instead patted the bench next to him as he scooted over to make room for her.

They didn’t speak for a while, both looking out over the lake. It was a beautiful day and Sirius was surprised that there weren’t more students outside enjoying the sunshine. Not that there were many students left in Hogwarts, the Minister had seen to that.

When Ginny finally spoke, it shocked Sirius out of his own self-pity.

“How do you deal with it?” she asked in a small voice.

Sirius turned towards her; she was still staring at the lake and her eyes were dull.

“What?” Sirius probed, his voice holding some apprehension as if he knew what would come next.

“The death all around us?” She paused before changing the subject. “Just over there,” she turned her body and pointed with her hand to a spot in the distance, “is where Ron…” She broke down into sobs, her body convulsing as the grief took hold. Her head in her hands, she shook uncontrollably.

Sirius looked over to the young woman with true empathy. He knew what it was like to lose everyone that you cared for. He moved closer to her and enveloped her in an embrace.

She clung to him as her body let go of the grief that she had never been able to, up until this point, expel. As she shed the tears she had never before been allowed to drop for everyone, from her mother to her brothers, which she had lost on that cold day back in December.

***

Hermione made her way across the lawns of Hogwarts. She was being led by a force that was not her own. Her mind screamed out to her to stop and turn around, however, her feet kept guiding her as if they were possessed.

As she made her way to the front gates, she heard someone shouting her name; however, she didn’t once break her stride.

Just outside the gates of Hogwarts, she Disapparated with a loud pop.

***

Sirius looked up from the girl, 'No, young woman,' he told himself, who was currently clinging to him, to see Hermione marching across the lawns of Hogwarts.

’Something bad is happening,’ Sirius thought as the hairs on the back of his neck stood to attention.

Ginny had stopped sobbing and had moved away from Sirius. She was scrubbing at her eyes as she looked in the direction that Sirius was focusing on.

“Hermione,” Ginny yelled out, though her voice was harsh from all of the crying she had been doing.

When Hermione failed to even turn around, Ginny looked up at Sirius with concern in her eyes. “What’s going on?” she asked.

Sirius, wearing a frown, turned his attention from Hermione to Ginny. He knew they were too far away to reach Hermione in time, as she was headed towards the main gates.

“We have to go and tell the Headmaster,” he replied, the anxiety evident in his voice.

Ginny just nodded her head and, looking back to Hermione, saw her disappear.

***

Cornelius heard the wards around his home go off. He calmly raised his wand, never leaving his chair, and silenced them.

’Let her come to me,’ he thought, as he waited patiently by the fire.

***

A/N: Well there you have it. What do you think? I’d like to hear your opinion, whether it is good or bad.

Sorry about the title but I suppose that's what you get for rushing me.

Also if you wanted to leave a review with what you would like to see more of that would be great. Yes, yes, I know you want more romance, but all good things come to those who wait. Perhaps I’ll even throw in a lemon or two.

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed this far and for staying with my story, I only hope that I am not disappointing you.

Many thanks to my beta, LariLee, whom without I don’t think I would have gotten this far. Thanks from the bottom of my heart.

Disclaimer: Don’t own it, because if I did Dumbledore would still be alive and Severus and Hermione would be together.