Hold Me Close

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Hermione made her way back up to the castle. Her lips were still burning from the kiss Severus had planted on her lips before she left him in the Shrieking Shack. She so badly wanted to stay, to hold him, to make love to him again, but she couldn’t. She could not cheat on Ron again; the situation was bad enough as it was.


When Hermione entered the castle, she nearly collided with Headmistress McGonagall.


“Oh! Well, Hermione, dear, I didn’t expect to see you there,” the older witch exclaimed.


“Oh, uh, sorry, Professor McGonagall,” Hermione said sheepishly.


“Oh, please, dear. I’m no longer your teacher, or your headmistress. Call me Minerva,” the headmistress said, smiling warmly.


“Oh, um, sorry, Minerva,” Hermione said, the name sounding foreign on her tongue. “I just thought I would give Hogsmeade a little visit,” she said quickly, hoping her former professor would not press the issue.


“Ah, yes, Hogsmeade,” Minerva said with a smile. “Most of our former students that come back for a visit stop in Hogsmeade for a spell. I trust you had a good time?” she asked.


Hermione thought of the kiss that still burned on her lips. “Yes, yes I did, actually,” she said, a smile playing on her lips.


“Well come along, then. It’s nearly dinner time, and I would love if you would sit next to me, at the head table,” Minerva said proudly. Hermione was dumbstruck. She never imagined sitting at the head table.


“Y-you wish me to sit at the head table?”


“Well where else would you sit, dear?” Minerva asked her, not really expecting an answer.


Hermione followed the professor into the Great Hall, which was beginning to fill steadily. She was just about to take a seat next to Minerva, when an exited voice rang out over the room.


“Mione!!” Ginny shrieked, nearly tackling Hermione. “I didn’t know you would be here! Ron and Harry didn’t say a word about it,” she said breathlessly, looking at her best friend.


“Oh, uh,” Hermione blushed. Why hadn’t she though of Ginny? “I decided to come and see you, and the professors before we left,” she mumbled, hoping Ginny would buy it.


“Aww that’s so nice, Mione! Now, if I could only get Harry to think like that! How long are you going to be here?”


“Oh, well, I’m not entirely sure, a day or two perhaps,” Hermione said, uncomfortably, wondering how she was ever going to find a chance to look for the entrance to the secret room.


“Great! Maybe we can spend some time together between my classes,” Ginny said.


“Alright, ladies, perhaps we should focus some energy on this fine food,” Poppy Pomfrey said, from the other side of Minerva. She gave Hermione a warm look. Hermione thanked her with her eyes, as Ginny mumbled and “ok” and went to the Gryffindor table. Hermione checked to see no one was looking and sprinkled some of the potion onto her food.


“What is that, dear?” Minerva asked her. Hermione’s face went red. She had thought no one was looking.


“It’s uh, well, it’s--”


“Oh, that,” Poppy interjected. “It’s a vitamin regimen I gave Ms. Granger. She looked positively starved, so I advised her to take some vitamins,” the mediwitch said, smiling at Minerva. Hermione let out a breath.


“Yes, vitamins,” she said, tucking into her glass of pumpkin juice. The rest of dinner went by smoothly, and Hermione managed to make it through the meal without having to run to the loo to vomit.


After the plates were cleared, and Hermione felt it a reasonable time to feign exhaustion and leave the Great Hall, she excused herself politely. She decided to first make a stop in the loo, as her bladder seemed to have a mind of its own lately.


She went to Severus’ chambers, needing a way to kill some time before she could go out into the hall and try to open the secret room. She scanned the room, and her eyes landed on the massive cherry wood armoire.


She walked over to it and opened it. Inside, she found several sets of his standard black robes he wore for teaching. She also saw the set of rather smart dress robes he had worn to the Yule Ball in her fourth year. Then it hit her: that had been the first time she had been attracted to Severus---at the Yule Ball. She breathed in his scent, and suddenly wished he were there with her.


When Hermione was sure the halls had cleared for the evening, she cast a disillusionment charm on herself and stepped into the hall outside Severus’ chambers. She had the swirling memories in her pocket, and began to pace back and forth, thinking of the great need to get into that room. Suddenly as if from no where, a door appeared. Startled, Hermione placed a hand on the door.


“Bubotuber pus,” she whispered, almost inaudibly.


The door melted away, and when Hermione stepped into the room, she heard the wall reforming behind her. Hermione looked around her. The room itself was really not that large, not really much bigger than a broom closet, if that. In the corner of the room stood Dumbledore’s pensieve. She peered into the cool water, and saw that it was empty. However, next to the device, on a stone rack, stood what appeared to be hundreds of vials, swarming with what Hermione knew to be memories. She sighed. ‘This could take a while,’ she thought to herself.


She sank to the floor, and began peering at the bottles. Much to her relief, it appeared as though Dumbledore had labeled the vials. With cool precision, Hermione began to leaf through the vials, looking for any that bore both the words “Severus,” and “Vow.” After what seemed like hours, Hermione reached the end of the vials. She sighed deeply, leaning back against the cold wall.


She would not give up yet, however. There were still volumes to go through, and she was sure she could find something. She knew that Severus’ memories alone would not be enough, for no one would believe they had not been fabricated. Curiosity getting the better of her, Hermione opened one of the vials and carefully dropped the contents into the pensieve. She peered over the edge.


_____________________________________________________________________________

“Albus,” a very disheveled looking Severus breathed. “I know you are aware of Draco’s task--the one Voldemort gave him as a means to punish Lucius.”

Dumbledore nodded. Hermione felt her breath catch in her throat at the sight of her former headmaster. She hadn’t realized until now how much she missed him.

“Yes, Severus, I am aware that the young Malfoy is plotting to kill me,” Dumbledore said uninterestedly.

“Last night, his mother, Narcissa, accompanied by her sister, Bellatrix, came to my home,” he said, looking at he the aged wizard concernedly.

Dumbledore’s brow knitted. Clearly he had not expected Severus to say that.

“What happened, Severus?”

“Lady Malfoy was most distraught, with her husband in Azkaban, and her son plotting to kill you,” Severus continued. “She, in her anxiety, asked me to perform the Unbreakable Vow with her--”

“Then you will honor the Vow, Severus. You’re of no use to the Order dead,” Albus said quietly.

“And nor are you!” Severus spat, clearly irritated by his comrade’s calmness.

“Severus, try to calm yourself. I am old, and tired. Harry is well on his way to finding the remaining horcruxes. You are indispensable to the order, and I? Well, I am not. I trust you will keep me posted on the boy’s progress, so I have enough time to get my affairs in order?”

Severus nodded, absently.

“Sir, please. I beg of you, allow me to die in your stead,” Severus said, looking at the older man.

“No, Severus. That is my final word on the matter,” Albus replied quietly.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Hermione leaned back against the wall, tears beginning to form. When had life gotten so complicated?


Suddenly, Hermione realized she was sitting on something. Moving aside, she looked down at the stone floor beneath her. A piece of the floor seemed to be out of place. Curious, Hermione touched it. It definitely seemed deliberately placed there. Hermione drew her wand, and began to whisper incantations at the stone. After a few moments, and several failed charms, including vanishing, blasting, melting, and shrinking, Hermione sat back, defeated.


Then it occurred to her. This was a chamber built by Dumbledore. Exhilarated, Hermione grasped the stone with both hands, and pulled. To her delight, the stone lifted free. Hermione grinned madly, and she felt that somewhere, Dumbledore must be doing the same.


The stone revealed a small compartment, in which was a box. Hermione lifted the box from the hole, and looked at it. Written across the top in gold lettering was the word “Severus.” Bingo, Hermione thought. Inside the box were three vials, all filled with memories, and four letters. One each addressed to Hagrid, Minerva, Severus, and Harry. Underneath the letters was what appeared to be Dumbledore’s last will and testament ,and three more vials labeled “Harry.”


Trembling, Hermione stood up and brushed herself off. These articles had to be taken to Minerva immediately. She tucked the letter addressed to Severus into her pocket. She would make sure he got this immediately.


Hermione tapped the wall with her wand and whispered “Lemon Drop,” and the door appeared and opened, allowing her to begin the ascent to Minerva Mcgonagall’s private chambers.