Choice and Consequences

Chapter 4

Chloe, utterly humiliated and furious at Severus once again, went to one place that she knew would be able to be physically violent but not harm anyone: the gym. Making one pit-stop to her quarters, she geared up to take some of her anger out on a sandbag she wittingly named 'greasy bastard'. At the first punch, she could feel the hysteria that she had been feeling for the past twenty-four hours flow and after a while, she was going at a speed that was unnaturally fast for her. Feeling the adrenaline pumping through her urged her to use more of her body, so she began kicking energetically, the sandbag at her mercy. With each blow she let out a small shriek - stupid... rraaaagh... asshole! Arrghh! Unforgivable! - unknowingly grabbing more and more of the people's attention. Some were amused and kept watching while others threw in the towel and rushed out, intimidated by the image she projected with her channeled anger. One of the few who had remained was none other than Lex, who observed her form, the amount of force she put into her movements.

He chose to interject when he saw that her actions were going to cause a badly sprained joint. Stepping forward, he heard murmurs from others. At first he had thought it was because it was him - Lex Luthor - there in their presence, but he caught snippets of their whispers and heard 'brave man,' 'insane woman' and 'big trouble' all in the same sentence. He was grateful they didn't recognize who he was in accordance to wealth and popularity, but rather, to the fact that he was ready to interrupt this dance of fury that Chloe was performing.

"I thought I should warn you about the stress you're putting on your body right now, Chloe," Lex said in a calm, but firm voice.

She stopped at mid-swing and turned to him. Her face was flush from her intense workout and there were the beginnings of sweat evident on her body. Breathlessly, she growled, "I didn't ask for your opinion. And if I wanted one, I'd ask a professional, not some guy who sits at his desk all day doing phone-ups instead of attempting real crunches!"

He narrowed his eyes on her, feeling his blood begin to stir - in more ways than one. "So it's a brawl you want, Miss Sullivan? Very well, I will spar with you, despite the fact that it is very un-gentlemanly like of me to suggest."

And he wondered if it was a good idea for him to have even said such a thing for she pulled back from the sandbag and regarded him with eyes glinting with a hunger for the physical fight. "Very well, Luthor, I accept your invitation. Do you need a while to warm up before you get your ass kicked?" She smirked at him and cracked her knuckles to intimidate him. He gave her a false smile. From the looks of him, he had been in the gym longer than she had; a sheen of sweat already glistening over the exposed skin of his head.

"You underestimate my abilities," he commented bemusedly. "You'll be surprised what this desk jock can do."

Already miffed about the occurrences that had come to pass she walked onto the mats with a great amount of zeal, ready for any fight he would put up. She was confident... very confident that he was not as trained or as skilled she was. Being an archaeologist also meant she had to be physically strong, after all. He on the other hand, felt then need to first hold himself back. He wasn't sure if she really needed him to give her a nice thrashing, but from what he had observed just previously, she had the physical power to give a good round. However, today wasn't such a time and he was ready to take on whatever opponent that stepped forth. He just wished it hadn't been Chloe and mentally slapped himself for it. He didn't feel stable enough to get so physical with her - even if it was in a non-consensual manner. Still, he was in the situation and he had no way of getting out of it without looking like a weak man.

Stepping onto the mat, he cleared his head of his thoughts, focusing as much as he could on the individual in front of him. Forget the name. Forget the face. See the figure. Stay calm. The words repeated in his mind and when he was ready, he got into his beginning stance. He watched as his opponent in front of him rolled her neck and readied herself. The pause was a long one; neither one moved to initiate, knowing somehow they would be at a disadvantage. Perhaps it was out of habit that Chloe gave up the waiting. Letting out a battle cry she charged at him throwing her right foot towards his groin. Immediately, he pulled back to avoid contact to his most sensitive spot, which she had been opting for him to do.

She repeated this move one - two - three times. With his momentum in an awkward backwards direction, she took the opportunity to try to hit his upper body from the left side, which jutted slightly forward because of his motion. His reflexes, however, were quick enough for him to avoid getting his face rammed with a petite foot by blocking it with his right hand. There was a small moment of stillness before their movements began again, Chloe doing most of the offensive movements. Lex mostly blocked and took in information on the one he fought with.

When he found her repeating a lot of her moves as if in routine, he began to retaliate; like a small threatening kick to her thigh. However, when he started moving more aggressively the more aware he became of just who his opponent was; the blonde hair, the petit frame, and those striking green eyes of hers, which were intense and purposeful at that point. Perhaps he would just let her wear out instead, he thought to himself, suddenly losing focus. That moment of vulnerability became his death wish as she kicked forward with all her might and swiftly hit him square in the stomach.

It wasn't so much the pain but the fact that it stunned him that caused him to keel over. The crowd that had gathered to watch erupted in a great applause; some even grumbled, but for the sole reason of losing a bet. Chloe, alarmed and dismayed by this, stooped down on all fours. "Oh my God, are you okay? I'm so sorry!" she cried, the anger gone and all that was left was guilt.

Wincing, he looked up at her and tried to smile, his hand rubbing his stomach. "I'm fine," he grunted, slowly getting up. "That was a good kick, by the way. Knocked the wind out of me."

He could almost see her puff up with pride as she stood up, a triumphant smile on her face as she forgot about the remorse she had just been feeling. "What did I tell you? A desk jock like you just can't take the heat."

"I was caught off-guard," he protested. "Didn't you -"

His sentence was cut off, however by the crash of a nearby window and a scream emitted by one of the female spectators. Pride and pain forgotten, Chloe and Lex turned to the sound, their bodies tense. What they saw might have caused them to run in fear as the others did, but living in Smallville did have its advantages; what they saw was like something that came out of a Halloween story. Figures that entered were dressed in dark cloaks with a silver emblem on the left side of the chest. From what Chloe could make out, it was a skull with a snake running through it. Their faces were stealthily covered by a hood. What they held in their hands was something that intrigued her, however. A long thin stick - what looked to be a wand - was grasped tightly in their fists and was pointed in various directions.

Lex acted instinctively and pushed Chloe behind him, shielding her from whatever harm they would cause. What happened next caused the whole place to erupt in chaos. One of the men pointed at a guest frozen in their spot, then chanted something that sounded like something a magician would typically say - Aveda Kedavera - and all of a sudden a burst of green light flew out of the tip of the wand and surrounded the person. The person didn't have time to even scream; instead the man's eyes - so full of fear... it's not my time to die! - widened and his body fell to the ground straight as a floorboard. Everyone stopped at once to watch disbelievingly as this happened and it took another moment for everyone to begin screaming again and rush out the door.

All the while, Lex and Chloe stood still as the scene unfolded. The cloaked men turned towards the door and this caused her to sigh with relief. It was short-lived, however, as they just stood guard their, backs facing them. The crunching of glass underneath feet averted their attention to the broken window. There a man sauntered regally towards them, blonde, tall and handsome - naturally the face of a wealthy person. The air that surrounded him moved with the arrogance in his aura. For the for the fourth time in his life, Lex felt helpless; utterly helpless in the presence of this man. The stout figure that followed him in looked disgustingly fearful; sunken eyes twitching but always watching the more regal looking figure as he wrung his hands together as if he expected the shadows to jump out at him.

The blonde man's striking blue eyes gazed at the multi-billionaire... and smirked most egotistically. "You must be the infamous Alexander Luthor, hmm?" He stepped closer, clutching the walking cane in his hand and waving it around almost playfully in a dark manner. With a sudden movement, he had pulled the top off of it, revealing a black wand. Pointing it at the two, he said almost lazily, "Wingardium Leviosa."

Chloe let out a squeal as her body lifted off of the ground and hovered a good ten meters from the ground. Lex felt his heart jump as his body did the same and he tried to fight it, thrashing around to get down again. The blonde man smiled amusedly and chanted something else under his breath and Lex felt a strange force hold his legs and arms spread out in a most exposing manner.

"Well," the man said chuckling, "do I have some wonderful things to share with you."

~~ o0o ~~

Severus didn't know whether to be angry, irritated or glad at the presence of Harry Potter. On the one side, Harry had been there at his time of grieving, the loss of Dumbledore's insistent, but pleasant presence so terrible for the both of them. However, there was also the fact that the boy was one of the barriers between Hermione and him, a friend she could turn to; a companion... maybe even a lover. He gritted his teeth and finally decided on gracing him with his false half smile.

"Mr. Potter," he greeted with great distance in his voice. "And to what do we owe your... presence?"

Harry looked at the potions master with his large intense eyes; eyes that probed him and said, 'I know who you are inside. Don't hide from me.' He said nothing of the sort out loud; instead, he chose to answer the question, though it was already quite obvious why. "We're all here for the same purpose: to stop Voldemort from getting what he wants."

"Albus - would never show you directly; how did you find out? Have you been following our movement since we left? Do you know how dangerous -" With every question his temper began to rise.

"I would do nothing of the sort, Severus, and you know it," Harry interrupted, pursing his lips. "I am in England, the center of the Dark Lord's influence, after all. Where else would I get the information from but from one of the weaker Death Eaters?"

The tall monochrome figure slumped against the desk he worked at. Hermione had never seen him like this, yet he chose now, of all times, in front of Harry to show a sign of true weakness. Whatever relationship Harry had with Snape was unknown to her and made her feel all the more distant from her best friend. Biting her lip, she said nothing and merely listened to their conversation.

"Are you the only one coming?" Severus asked tiredly. "Considering the scale of this item, I believe that Voldemort will send as many reinforcements as possible to obtain it."

"Well, according to what Tonks told me, Lupin is here, so that makes us four now. And I know that Hannah will be going to alert those who had been dispatched to the Asian countries. That includes Ron, so..."

"So the courageous trio shall unite once more," Severus finished off with a sneer, his sarcasm remembered again. "This is going to be loads of fun - again I shall be saddled with three students - if not more - playing baby-sitter."

Harry merely smirked. "You always did enjoy the role; breaking rules with us; ah, the thrill of it all!"

Something seemed to break down in the Potions Master at that point. The wall that Hermione could not penetrate came down and the man actually gave a genuine half-smile. It was short-lived for he retreated back into a straight face, but his eyes glinted with a bit of the merriment he had shone. "When you were informed by this... weak link... how much did you find out?"

"Just that Voldemort was looking for the Temple of Thanatos. I did more research on it and found out about this expedition and chose to tag along, knowing I could be of some help one way or another." Harry's eyes grew grave. "We're racing against time, Severus. We need to find the pieces and the temple before the Death Eaters do or the next time we face the Dark Forces, it will be with a god as our opponent."

"I know, Potter..."

There was a long pause where the three just let the silence sink in. That moment of tension soared to new heights when a crash came from somewhere in the building and a series of screams met their ears. Pursing his lips, Harry ran out the door, and grabbed his wand from inside his sleeve. It was easy to find the area that was struck and he, moving against the flow of hysterical people, found himself face to face with five Death Eaters. He rolled his eyes as they poised, ready to attack. "Not again," he mumbled, shaking his head.

Although outnumbered, he still had one thing on his side that they didn't: mental magic. He'd always had it - at first a curse for he could never really control it, making it easy for Voldemort to penetrate his mind; probe his inner thoughts and even influence his every decision. In time, however, after many painstaking hours of tutoring of Occlumency, his mind grew strong to withstand any attempts made by the Dark Lord to pick at his mind. With this mental strength came a great asset as well; it apparently allowed him to use magic even when wandless. He rarely chose to use it as it was habitual that he used a wand.

The situation he was in at that moment was an exception. Smirking he lifted his chin in a challenge. His adversaries, confused by the fact that he didn't pull away, looked at each other then all threw curses at him. Coming at the same time, a normal wizard wouldn't have the strength to ward off all them. Harry - just for being him - held up his hand in front of him and all the bright lighted curses veered off to the side then returned to their originators, who scrambled away in vain. Hermione came just in time to see the curses and hexes hit the bodies of the Death Eaters. She had seen him do many things, but sending multi-spells in five different directions wasn't something that she was used to seeing him do. She turned her head to him, but his back was turned to her so he didn't see the look of sad joy she felt for him.

Harry moved forward, into the gym where he was met with the sight of Lex and Chloe dangling in the air, both spread-eagle and trying desperately to break free of the spell on them. He looked at the wizard who was responsible for it, and he wasn't too surprised to see Draco Malfoy, all pale and blonde-blue eyes of him. His old classmate had his Slytherin sneer on his face as he looked at his archenemy with utter arrogance that only a Malfoy could portray. Behind him Wormtail cowered, though his eyes were meticulously trained on Draco's form.

"Ah, you've finally decided to join our little party, I see, Potter," he said. His eyes switched from him to the Potions Master, who had entered at that moment. "Snape, what a nice surprise. I don't suppose you've come to redeem yourself? No, I don't think so since it will still get you killed anyway."

"I will never crawl back to the Dark Side," the other man growled, his eyes flashing with anger as he raised his wand. "I would rather die."

Draco laughed harshly, his slight figure pitching over as he did. Severus could feel his blood rising to his face began to tremble in the intensity of his fury. When the blonde man's laughter ebbed away, he looked at his former professor in scorn. "You're too afraid to die, Snape. Why else did you change sides? You had thought that the Dark Forces would slowly but surely become weaker so you chose to leave us and go with the light. Well, guess what, Professor? You can never escape the shadows that have already overtaken your soul. Sooner or later you shall give in once again and plead to join us once again..."

"Shut up, Malfoy! Just shut the bloody hell up! Nex necis falciferum!" Hermione screamed for him not to - not an unforgivable curse! - but it was too late. She and Harry watched helplessly as a blast of red shot through the air from Snape's wand and hurtled its way towards Draco, whose eyes widened in surprise.

The man with raven hair was breathing hard as casting the curse required most of his energy. He knew there was absolutely no way that the boy could get away from it. From the look on Draco's face, however, was a look of dark pleasure, freezing the Potions Master. The darkness becomes you, Snape... Draco's voice was inside his mind. He collapsed to the ground, clutching his head, his obsidian eyes round shocked. And when the curse hit Malfoy's body, the blonde let out a horrible scream.

His skin began to crawl and peel away from his muscles. Blood oozed from his body, writhing and convulsing on the floor. What didn't make any sense was the fact that slowly, his body began to morph into a body stubbier and rounder than that of a normal Malfoy. Harry narrowed his eyes on the body, almost immediately recognizing it to be that of Wormtail. The fat that had revealed itself, boiled on his muscles, slowly cooking him into a fried human dish that any cannibal would drool over. The cries that had made their ears ring died off and all that was left was the stench of cooked human and the remains of the traitorous Marauder. The instant that he died, Lex and Chloe fell from their positions in the air and landed heavily on the bouncy mat that cushioned their fall slightly. The height they fell from caused them to go unconscious, unaware of what would happen next.

Hermione pointed accusingly at the stout man that they had all believed was the real Wormtail. "You scheming, no good bastard!"

He let out a cackle, hoarse and high-pitched. "So you found me out, Mudblood. It would have happened sooner or later. Did you enjoy my act? It was quite fun to see you shoot daggers at the wrong individual... amusing, really."

"But Wormtail couldn't have mustered the courage to provoke me! You used the Imperius curse on him! You are a coward -"

"Don't accuse me of things that you, too, are guilty of, Severus!" Draco shot back hysterically, backing away. "Pestis totalus!"

A black shadow crawled towards them and Draco jumped out the broken window, his body changing back to its normal form as he left. "This is a warning! Next time I will kill you all!" To Hermione's revulsion, what stemmed from the darkness were figures, an exact replica of themselves, only... darker... more ominous.

"Finite incantatem," she shouted and threw the spell at the figures that were slinking their way towards her. To her dismay, they kept coming, slowly moving towards her; tendrils of darkness inching closer and closer to her. Hers hissed at her called her names that she hoped never to hear again. Mudblood... failure... you were never loved by your parents... weak... She shook her head, trying to dispel all the things they were provoking; the fears, the things that would have tempted her to the darkness. There was only one other thing that she remembered and she pointed decisively at the dark shadow coming towards her. She stepped back and frantically searched her mind for something that she was certain would work.

"Contra caligo!" Immediately, the shadow screamed before it burst into smaller parts and returned to the normal shadows that were cast by the light. She moved to stop the ones crawling towards Chloe and Lex, but was met by the sight of another man - unfamiliar to her eyes - doing the job for her. He ran over to the two, checking if they were still okay and Hermione cursed herself. She had lost her ability to stay focused even in dangerous situations, thus causing her to forget to check upon the two previously.

Chloe, who had been knocked out by the fall, came through when the man was checking up on her. When her eyes focused for a moment, she saw his face - tanned skin and a square jaw; kind brown eyes, which were filled with concern and pursed lips as he concentrated with what he was doing. She vaguely heard his voice, which was a low rumble, coursing through her body. The first thought that came to her mind was: Hello, Clark: number two... then she blacked out again.

~~ o0o ~~

'Severus...' He was drifting in an inky blue sea, his eyes unseeing. 'Severus...' the voice came again, penetrating the moment of peace. 'You must win, Severus... you can win... see the light...' That voice; he knew that voice! He tried to open his mouth, but his body refused to respond. He could feel the tears burning in his eyes. It had been too long since he had heard that soothing voice. Hoarse and low, quiet and ponderous... it was the voice of none other than Dumbledore. He would fight, just as Dumbledore asked. Just open your eyes. Don't give up... And his black eyes snapped open to the sight of his darkened hotel room.

Alone...

~~ o0o ~~

Waking after a difficult ordeal had always been painful. Lex was used to this slow process of not being able to open his eyes, or moving his limbs although his mind screamed for them to. The insistent throbbing that he had expected to be there in his head was oddly absent, making him wonder if everything he had experienced was all a dream. Still there was a voice that nagged him, saying that everything seemed too real to be just a hallucination. Usually his dreams had figures from his past - Lionel, Pamela, Helene... his mother even - but the only familiar figures were those he had met recently, with the exception of Chloe... who mysteriously wove her way into his every moment anyway...

His mind drifted to her - who she was, what she portrayed. Ever since he met her, she had always had a little spunk that set her apart from the rest of the Smallville entourage. She never felt sorry for him, unlike Clark his so-called 'best friend,' who actually ended up using him as a guidance counselor when he had girl problems. Lana and Pete were just teenagers that grew up in a small town. That was why Chloe stood out the most to him; despite her age, she intrigued him, even beyond the level that Helene had him interested to.

What was it specifically about her that caught his attention? For one, it was the passion. She had so much of it to share yet no one willing to take it and give in return. Instead, she had reverted it all to the school paper... what was it called? Ah, yes, it was the Torch. She dedicated practically all her time to finding the truth, expressing herself on the topics and defending it all. Why was it that Clark chose Lana, then, over her? Perhaps it was because Chloe could also hold herself up, not like Lana, who constantly needed someone to guide her. The fact that she hadn't been preferred also caused weakness. He could see now that she would constantly look towards someone who did not need her; in fact, shunned her away. First it was Clark, who did it to everyone, and now Snape, who, just like Clark, wanted that support from someone else. This strength and weakness called to him constantly. The fact that she was physically attractive only made her entirety all the more alluring.

Lex scrunched his eyelids together, knowing that his thoughts were leading him to the only conclusion that he wanted to avoid. It had taken him this long - practically eight years - just to come to it, he still refused to look at it right in the eye. Hah, Lex, I've found your weakness! He could almost hear his father jeering at him, that annoying smirk on his face, which indicated only triumph over him. He closed his hands into tight fists that had his nails digging into his palms. No weakness... only strength! Even more muddle-brained than before, his eyes fluttered open and he tried to focus on his surroundings. What he saw hovering above him was something he was not yet prepared for, but it brought everything to perspective.

"Hey, there, Slugger," Chloe greeted. "You've been out for quite a while. How are you feeling?"

He tried to smile but his lips were too stiff. "I've been better, thanks," he was able to barely mumble, allowing his head to fall to one side. Frowning, he asked, "How long have I been out?"

She checked her watch. "Just for a few hours. It's six in the evening right now... the whole showdown occurred after about lunch time. Oh, don't move yet!"

She tried pressing him back down again when he made an attempt to get out of bed. Lex wasn't the bed-ridden type guy as he felt useless and weak when he was. The fact that she was able to keep him on the bed only made him feel all the more powerless... but it did have its advantages. He could sniff the heady scent of her; berries on a summer's day. His breaths slowed and he looked up at her face, just inches away from his own. She noticed the change in his attitude as well and paused to look down at him. Her breath hitched - he heard it catch and was most delighted with it. He watched as her eyes flickered down to his lips and instinctively, he let them fall slightly open, almost inviting her...

She tensed and the moment was over. Pulling back, she bit her lip and looked away, not able to believe that she had actually been tempted once again to kiss him! In hopes to divert her attention - and his for that matter - she blurted out, "I met someone!"

Lex forgot to breath. What? Where did that come from? "And... you're telling me this... why?"

She shrugged in turn. "I guess I just trust you enough to be able to tell you... certain things." She looked at him, noticed that his eyes had gone blank and distant. She wanted to keep busy, hoping that it would keep her mind off of his strange reaction. "His name is Oliver Wood. He's from England and has been brought here by the request of Harry."

"Who's Harry? And could you please explain to me what the hell went on in the gym today?" Lex demanded, releasing his jealousy to show on his face through means of anger. Push her away. The voice was chanting evilly in his head.

"I believe that is my question to answer," a man said from the doorway.

Harry stepped inside and came to the side of the bed. "My name is Harry Potter. As you've come to notice, there are a few things that need explaining. Normally, we wizards would cast a memory charm on muggles should they ever find out about our world, but considering the circumstances... we find it somewhat pointless for we will be doing it over and over again, and such a process may be detrimental to your mind instead of helpful."

Lex looked at Chloe, who was watching this man with floppy brown hair. She seemed to trust him, for reasons that were beyond him. Although he felt cautious as to what to believe, he nodded to the newcomer, his eyes heavily guarded as he listened. He listened to the man talk of magic and dragons, wizards in duels, and a war between light and dark. And though he didn't want to believe any of it, there was much reason for him to see that what this strange character was saying was the truth. Harry explained of Voldemort and his crazy resoluteness to find what Lex, too, was looking for. But the plans that this dark wizard had for the outcome was far different from what the multi-billionaire wanted: immortality... not solely by name or reputation, but also for life. To be a God amongst muggle and wizard alike was the greatest achievement of a mortal.

What tugged at him was the way he was going to attain this immortality. According to what Harry knew, there was a great sacrifice that was to be made by the one who sought longer - or in Voldemort's case, infinite - life. He did not say anything, however, for the entire duration of Harry's speech. It had taken a while - an hour, in fact - for him to explain in a nutshell what had happened.

"We had to erase the other visitors' memories of this incident. Oliver went to repair the damages so that it wouldn't look like there was anything that happened at all." Lex felt his blood begin to boil at the mention of the man's name. "Hermione and another friend of mine, Hannah, are both taking care of the other more finer details."

"And what of Severus?" Lex question. He had no particular care for the man, but if he was to work with him, some concern was necessary.

"He's... in trauma I think. Some things that were brought up today by our enemy... well, let's just say it wasn't pretty at all. I'm really glad you didn't see any of the really bad stuff." Harry shot Lex a sympathetic smile. And although he returned it, he inwardly cringed, not wanting or liking any empathy from anyone.

A knock brought all three pairs of eyes towards the door. Someone poked their head in; someone that Lex could not recognize from his past. From what he saw, he was an average-tall man with a cheerful face. He wasn't of a brawny build; toned in a way that would probably pass as mediocre... sort of like his own.

"Hey, Oliver," Chloe greeted; a little too enthusiastically for his taste.

"Hey, Chlo'," he chirped back in a heavily Irish accented voice.

Ugh, accents... something that would make a woman swoon... Lex was in trouble. From the looks of it, it had the same affects on her as well... not that she wasn't a female; of course he knew she was... but still... he had hoped she would be an exception to these types of charms. But he saw the glint rise in her eyes and watched in vain at the way her cheeks flushed at his response to her.

"Oh, Harry, 'Mione would like to speak to you about... you know..." he gave the younger man a meaningful look.

"He's awake? That's good. Okay, then I'll see you later, Lex; Chloe." Harry got up to leave.

"Would it be okay if I tagged along?" Chloe asked before the two had gone.

Oliver smiled, flashing a set of white teeth. "You can come with me, if you like. I'll be getting something to eat after giving the rest of the building another once-over just in case I missed something."

Chloe jumped out of the seat she was in and headed off, waving almost half-heartedly to Lex as she did. "I'll see you, Lex," she said distractedly, not even looking at him directly as she did.

Before Lex could get out another word, the door shut, leaving him all alone to the company of his chaotic thoughts.

~~ o0o ~~

Shortly after finishing her duties of 'adjusting' the guests' memories, she headed to Snape's room, wondering if he had finally come through. The closer she got, the more hesitant she felt. The look of wildness in his eyes when he threw the curse was - something she had never seen before from a man who had so much composure. It was an eye-opener for her; it made her realize just how little she knew of those she thought she knew around her. Was this all of Snape that she knew now? Was there just the male and the beast or was there more to it than that?

Questioning her knowledge of him also caused her to question whether or not she really knew her best friends. She had been with them through most of the major events of each others' lives: starting Wizarding School, fighting Voldemort, losing those close to them... she had always prided herself for knowing everything about Harry and Ron, even the minute details like what they liked for breakfast and how horrid they looked in the morning. She could still see that the boy she grew up with was in the man that stood before her when he stepped off the elevator. But how much of his mind did she know; and what of his heart? There were many things that she most probably didn't know about him. And what about Ron? Of course they had been in a relationship when they were in their sixth year at Hogwarts, but that didn't mean anything when you were at such a young age. Secrets were what always caused riffs and when they finally were exposed, it broke them apart. If they could keep little things away from each other, then there had to be bigger things that she didn't know about him.

She didn't like being plagued with uncertainties. If she wanted to be aware of them, she would have become a muggle scientist - which she had chosen not to do. She jolted back when she noticed she was standing in front of the rooms of the Potions Master. Taking in a large breath, she pulled out the spare keys and turned the lock free. The room itself was dark, save for the sparse light of dusk that barely came through the shades over the windows. Frowning, she strained to hear a sound - anything that indicated that could give her the first reassurance that he was alive and well. The steady breath from the bed relieved some of the tension from the muscles of her shoulders.

"Professor Snape?" she whispered from the doorway.

She was answered by a grunt from the bed. Taking that as permission to enter fully, she stepped in and closed the door behind her, groping the wall for the light switch. Finding it, she flipped it, allowing the minimal amount of light to fill the room. From the man's growl, she figured that it was still too bright for his liking, his eyes too adjusted to the darkness. She went over to him, and examined him only with her eyes. When she got to his face, she was taken back by the intensity of his obsidian eyes. This was what she feared: his presence had always overwhelmed her, even as a student of his in first year. There was a raw power to him that could be recognized just by one look he gave. She couldn't handle him, she thought right then. He had far too much presence for her to be able to handle him in any way; the darkness that welled up in his eyes swallowed all the light, making them look cold and unfeeling.

Catching herself staring back at him, she looked to the side onto the pillow with his raven locks - curling around the white; consuming the light with the dark - and asked as calmly as she could, "How are you feeling?"

"Like a fucking train hit me four times consecutively," he replied dryly.

Perhaps she should have reacted... maybe laughed... or even a funny look; but she couldn't do anything. The scene replayed in her mind again; the other unforgivable curse uttered from his mouth mixed into his voice. She could feel herself receding into herself. He suddenly clutched her arm, startling her back to his attention and to his heavy scowl. He knew what she was thinking. There was no use in wasting any more time; that was what he was saying through the look.

Heaving a sigh and tipping her head to the side, she spoke, her voice heavy. "You used an illegal spell. The Ministry will come looking for you now, for sure."

Severus snorted, throwing her arm away from his grasp. "You give the Ministry far too much credit. A curse of that magnitude would be sensed only weeks after it has been cast; that is the advantage of using that Unforgivable."

"You didn't have to do it. You acted brashly -"

"Don't tell me about right and wrong, Hermione," he spat back, folding his arms. "I was one of those who taught you of those things. And have you ever heard of the saying 'we're only human.'"

She wanted to recoil, tell him he was not upholding his reputation as a teacher, but she knew this cynical side of him enough that she could anticipate what answer he would give. She needed someone else to help her... and there was only one other person to do it. She left the room and found Oliver, who had come from looking over the small noticeable visual problems that were spotted while fixing the gym. She sent him to find Harry while she...

Well, typically, a person in her position would turn to the vices such as drinking or smoking. Out of habit, she chose to go to a book store and buy herself a nice long novel that she could drown herself into. Her mental skills were not being wasted, just not being used for the same kind of intense work that she had subjected herself to in school. College and a job really brought life into perspective and she realized that working double time and losing her youth by acting older than her age was a waste of her time. Of course the realization had come too late but still, it was a good lesson.

So, off she went to find a book to calm her nerves. Severus, who was left, angry in the room, searched the ceiling for his answers. He had been grateful that she had actually taken the time to check on him, but her reaction to him was far from desirable. It hurt him to know that she was afraid of him; the wince revealed her true feelings for him when he bothered to touch her.

He shut his eyes, feeling the coldness of the room - the shadows - begin to seep in again. He didn't want this to happen! In a man's time of need, a woman should always be there, a comforting aura that would chase away all the sadness and pain that welled up inside him. Yet here he was, without a figure of femininity just because he was an idiot for always pushing her away and finally making her scared of him. He was an idiot.

~~ o0o ~~

It was hot, she was tired, but she wasn't done yet. Hannah cursed Harry inside her head and as she made her rounds once again in Bangkok, searching for Ron's whereabouts. Why the hell weren't they allowed to know where he was again? Oh, right, it was because of the danger of the Death Eaters finding out and killing them while they were apart. But still she couldn't help but feel annoyed that they were being so 'hush-hush' about it.

She squinted her eyes and scanned the crowds, looking for the Weasley trademark red hair. It would have been easy to spot him in a sea of black, but she thought her eyes were failing her; the glossy black hair shone in the sun, all bobbing up and down in a quick pace. Her stomach felt desperation pull at it. It was hopeless! Feeling the need to just give up, Hannah stopped and turned around, but promptly bumped into someone.

"Hannah!" the figure exclaimed, causing her eyes to flutter up.

Speak of the devil... "Ron, you idiot, I've been looking everywhere for you! Where the hell have you been?" she cried hysterically, throwing her arms up to release her frustrations.

He in turn laughed, his head full of red locks thrown back as his hands were propped at the side of his hips. She couldn't help but look at how he had changed; he wasn't scrawny as she remembered him to be, but quite finely toned and tall, the muscles in his forearms called out for her to touch them. She pursed her lips and pushed all her lusty thoughts aside and settled for poking him in the chest.

"Yeah, you can laugh because you weren't the one running around the whole of this bloody city just looking for you!"

"I'm sorry," he replied, a big smile still on his face. "Here I was, expecting this to be a wonderfully tearful reunion and you go and make it quite the opposite! Aren't you glad at all to see me again?"

"Well, of course I am! That means I don't have to stay out here in the sun all day, running around like a bloody chicken with its head cut off!"

He chuckled once again and pulled her close to give her a big hug. Despite the fact that she felt uncomfortable with her clothes sticking to her skin, she returned the embrace. Pulling away from him, she said, "Okay, now I would like to back to the pub and change out of these horrendous muggle clothes." She had other things to tell him as well, but that would wait for later, when they weren't so out in the open.

As the left a figure watched them closely from a crowded section of the street. His orders were to kill all of the Order's members that he could find, but he was merely one and now they were two. Damn it, why the hell did that stupid girl have to come? He was so close to destroying him... so close! His green eyes flashed with anger. He would get him, the stupidest of the Weasley clan, and wring his thick-skinned neck before hexing him to death. Not only because he was the Master told him to do so, but because he was his brother.