A Time for Understanding

Chapter 13: An Escape

~Severus and Hermione watched as Dumbledore extended a hand towards the sweets, his fingers hovering just above a particularly saccharine looking treat. His hand made brief contact, and then in a sudden blink...he disappeared. Hermione froze in shock, staring stupidly at the empty space before them-- where the Headmaster had been standing only a moment before. Turning her head to meet equally astounded eyes, she whispered, "He's gone."~

The ragged whisper that had escaped Hermione's lips filled every crevice of the Great Hall, its fearful tone winding around empty chairs and rushing across the gray, stone floor. The rasping sound reverberated throughout the space for far longer than was to be expected, and even when the words themselves ceased to ring, their presence remained. Now silent, they coiled about the room's sole two occupants, taunting them in low undertones of pain and loss.

Hermione shook her head slowly, not wanting to accept her own words. No longer did she feel the chill of the morning air, or the gnawing hunger that had reared its head only a few moments before. Instead, all awareness became focused exclusively upon the rapid beat of her heart and the horrible feeling of panic that maliciously lapped at her consciousness. The air stilled, and she took a grating, deep breath to counter the harsh weight that seemed to have settled on her chest.

Facts battled with common sense as she gaped at the hollow void where once stood Hogwarts' Headmaster. He just couldn't be gone. Dumbledore was their rock, their leader. He was the one man that Voldemort feared. And now he was gone. Shivering, Hermione instinctively took a step closer to Severus, eyes wide as she waited for him to do something, say something to right their world which had so quickly come undone.

Severus, however, made no move to comfort her. He stood silent and lifeless, his mind still adjusting to the vacancy Dumbledore had left in his wake. Over the course of the night, his mind had touched upon all the terrible calamities that might face them come morning. He had thought of his many colleagues and acquaintances that would likely lose their lives in the coming conflict. With the evacuation, he had already seen the fall of Hogwarts. He believed the students a liability, fully expecting they too would fall if he and Dumbledore failed in their role protect them. But the thought that his mentor would be the first to feel the ravages of battle had never crossed his mind.

Severus was shaken out of his reverie by a fervent tugging at his sleeve.

"He's gone," Hermione repeated. "What are we supposed to do?" Her voice was tinged with panic, and her hands spasmodically closed around his arm.

Severus swallowed, shaking his head, the words not finding strength enough to leave his mouth. Shakily, he ran his fingers through his tangled hair.

"Professor, what are we supposed to do?"

"Silence, Ms. Granger! I...I...let me think." He wrenched his arm away from her and began pacing in long, erratic strides. Hermione watched him, foolishly missing the swirl of his robes around his ankles. Unconsciously, she further drew the rough cloth around herself.

Her frustration grew with each passing moment of silence. It was only when she felt she could wait no longer that Snape spun to face her, his face tense and furrowed. "We must try to contact Minerva. If she is with the rest of the Order, perhaps they can..." He growled in frustration at his stilted words, violently kicking the bench beside him. It crumpled to the ground with a disgruntled clatter, the sound reverberating off the castle walls.

Hermione jumped at the loud intrusion his action made upon the empty room.

"How could he not have been more careful?" he continued. What for some might have been a lamentation was for Severus a frustrated accusation. Violently, he turned to face her. "Was all this here when you woke this morning?" He gestured fiercely towards the once sumptuous meal, now turned dangerous in appearance.

"I don't know...I wasn't paying attention," she confessed, cringing at the anger on his face. She turned to examine the table before her, shaking her head in disgust. "We're such fools. It must have been so easy for them...and yet we didn't see it," she whispered under breath.

Snarling, Severus turned to glare at her. "What an insightful observation, Ms. Granger. How helpful in our current situation." He turned around, once again circling the area of Dumbledore's disappearance with angry, swift steps.

Hermione stared at him, trying desperately to keep her own anger in check. She took a few deep breaths in an effort to calm herself, only then remembering that there were those who had no idea of what had taken place. Hurriedly, she moved to brush past him, regretfully muttering, "I'll go find the boys... they need to know." Leaving his side, she hastened towards the doorway.

Severus sullenly watched her go. She was only a few steps away when a shiver ran through him, an ominous ache that fleetingly traveled through his bones only to disappear a second later. But it was enough.

"Hermione!"

Strong fingers seizing her shoulders, Hermione lurched backwards and stumbled into a chest draped in black. Righting herself, she turned to stare up at him confusedly. "What is it?"

"The wards," he barked, seizing her arm and dragging her with him. "The wards, they're down."

Hermione struggled, trying to free her hand. "What do you mean they're down? Dumbledore said they were virtually impenetrable."

"They lose effectiveness without Dumbledore here to reinforce them. That kind of powerful magic cannot be sustained when the caster is a great distance away or..." He shook his head, trying to stop his mind from jumping to the worst conclusion.

Hermione wriggled in an attempt to escape from his firm grasp. "Let me go!" Severus ignored her, making no motion to remove his hands. "Where are we going?"

Severus gazed down at her gravely. "To safety."

Before she had a chance to respond, Hermione felt a hand snaking around her waist, his fingers securely pressed into her ribs. With a small pop, she felt herself whirling away from the Great Hall, Severus' body the only thing to ground her as she journeyed towards the unknown.

A few moments later, Hermione found she had landed in an untidy heap upon a filthy, wooden floor, her face dangerously close to a pair of black shoes. Hauling herself to her feet, she briefly surveyed her surroundings before squarely meeting Severus in the eye. Her frustration was voiced in a high pitched tone that more than conveyed her anger.

"What did you just do? We can't leave like that! There are three people still in the castle... and we just left them there!" Frantically, she scanned the small room for an exit.

Severus placed his heavy hands on her shoulders, stilling her motions. He spoke in a low, commanding tone, trying to reason with her.

"Don't be foolish, Hermione. The wards are down. The castle could be swarming with Death Eaters as we speak."

This comment did little to assuage Hermione's fears. She settled for a moment, staring at him dangerously. "That very well may be, Professor. But I refuse to leave my friends to face that fate alone." She looked at him severely for a moment longer and then made to turn towards the door.

Severus grasped her head, placing his palms on either side of her face in order to hold her gaze.

"Hermione, I will go back for them. Now. But I couldn't leave you there, not when I had a chance to bring you to safety."

Hermione shook herself free, staring at him with angry, tear-filled eyes.

Releasing her face, Severus straightened up, his voice returning the commanding tone he usually reserved for his student-filled classroom. "You will wait here. Do not try to return to the castle. I promise, I will bring your friends back with me. Stay. Wait." He indicated to a bed in the corner of the room. "I will return as soon as I can." Then he spoke in a somewhat kinder voice as he looked down at her. "Promise me...promise me you will wait here. I cannot focus on my task if I am worrying for your safety."

Hermione looked at him harshly, and then nodded, sitting herself on the thin mattress.

"Go," she instructed.

Severus nodded and readied himself to apparate.

"Professor?"

He turned to face her.

"Be careful," she whispered.

Relief shone in Severus eyes, and he met her look with unmistakable affection. They stayed connected that way for a small moment before Severus broke the gaze, his eyes hardening once again. Then his black clad figure disappeared, leaving Hermione to wait in her new surroundings in worried expectation.

Hermione sat huddled on the bare bed, legs curled into her chest as she leaned against the wall for support. She thoughtfully examined the room around her, wondering where she could be. It was a rustic little cabin, and the dust told her unvisited as of late. It had obviously not been meant for many people. There was the tiny bed on which sat a few moth-eaten blankets, a barren cabinet nearby, and a chair which hinted at splinters. Otherwise, it was devoid of any furniture or other creature comforts.

Tiring of her inertia, Hermione rose from her spot on the bed and peered out a grimy window. Placing her hands on the cold, wet glass, she tried to rub away the fog and dirt that must have been accumulating for ages. It streaked and smeared, but after a few wipes of her sleeve she was able to dimly make out her surroundings. She suspected she must be somewhere in the Forbidden Forest. Snape had told her not to try to return to Hogwarts, which undoubtedly meant that she was nearby. Besides, it was morning, and yet outside the window it was dark, the trees blotting out every speck of sunlight while also hiding much of the landscape.

Hermione began to pace, each passing minute her anxiety building. Snape would find them. He had promised. Yet she couldn't help but worry. What if... Hermione stumbled, righting herself with a hand at the edge of the neglected chair. She frowned and glanced down at the ground to see Severus' cloak pooled at her feet--it must have fallen when they had apparated. She stared for a moment, and then collapsed beside it onto the floor, shivering and wrapping her arms around herself as her back pressed uncomfortably into the iron foot of the bed.

She didn't know how long she had been sitting there. Her fingers were frozen, and she had a difficult time uncurling them after they had been clenched around the folds of Severus' cloak for such a long period of time. She found that, as well as the pain in her back, to be a happy distraction from the worries that plagued her. Still, she was not so distracted that when the sound of snapping twigs and the rustle of leaves came from beyond the wooden door she did not immediately take notice. She jumped to her feet, heart racing and wand at the ready, hoping whatever lay on the other side was a friend.

Slowly, the door creaked open, and three grubby faces stumbled through the entrance, followed by a surly looking potions master.

"You didn't have to herd us about like that!" Ron groused. "No one was even behind us."

"Silence," Snape hissed, "do you realize how much danger you were in?"

Hermione, not acknowledging the argument, threw her arms around Ron, hugging him as she smiled into his shoulder at Harry and Neville, who flanked him on either side.

"Ow!" he exclaimed, the wind knocked out of him with the force of Hermione's embrace. "Hermione, do you mind? Any harder and you'll crack a rib." Hermione stood back, and Ron grinned at her.

Addressing the three, she asked, "Were where you? Dumbledore disappeared, and you were gone!"

Ron's smile instantly vanished, and Harry nodded gravely. "We went to our rooms to get a few things. It took us a bit longer than we expected. We were checking the Marauder's Map to see if Dumbledore had put in an appearance--" He was interrupted by a snort, and turned to look at a scowling Snape. Harry just shook his head and continued, "We saw Dumbledore, and then we...didn't. His name just disappeared off the map. And then we saw you and Snape, and then you disappeared as well."

Hermione gave a quick glance to Severus. "We apparated here right after Dumbledore vanished."

Harry nodded in affirmation. "Well, we ran all the way down to the Great Hall. It took us a while though, because wanted to make sure the halls were clear. Anyway, when we finally got there we met Professor Snape, and he told us what happened."

Severus stepped forward, finishing the report. "I was able to apparate into the castle, but when I attempted to leave, I found new wards were already put in place. That was the reason for our delay. We traveled here by foot."

"New wards?" Hermione asked. "I thought you said the wards would remain down if Dumbledore was gone.

"They are not Dumbledore's wards," Severus said sharply.

Hermione looked at him in confusion and then drew her attention to Harry, who seemed to be fumbling with something in his pocket. He withdrew the Marauder's Map and softly spoke the incantation, handing it to Hermione.

She gave him a curious look and then examined the parchment. There were at least thirty small dots moving about the page, some with names, some without. Her hands began to shake slightly as she looked at the sole dot moving slowly throughout Dumbledore's office. "Tom Riddle" she whispered.

"Yes," Severus confirmed. "Voldemort is within the castle, and at the moment we have neither aurors nor other means of support."

They were quiet for a moment, the realization of their situation slowly sinking in. "What are we supposed to do?" Neville asked, the first to break the silence, finally finding the courage to join the conversation.

"You will wait here," Severus instructed. "I will apparate to the ministry and inform them of Dumbledore's disappearance and Voldemort's attack. With any luck, I will be able to contact Minerva, and we will be able to rally a defense."

Ron stepped forward angrily. "We should be going too! You can't just leave us here indefinitely!"

Snape snarled, and Ron suddenly found himself backed upon against the cabin wall. "Do you think I would leave you here to die? This cabin, and others like it, lie throughout the Forbidden Forrest, and are undetectable to anyone who has no former knowledge of them. The Headmaster placed them here after the first war, just in the possibility that there would ever be a need." Severus stepped away from Ron, staring at him coldly. "You will be fine. And as I cannot apparate you all there myself, this is the best alternative."

Hermione watched Severus regretfully. "When will you come back?"

"Soon," he assured her. "I will return later this evening." Turning to face the four of them, Severus ordered "Stay here. Do not go outside. And be vigilant." He looked at each individually, trying to impart the seriousness of his words with his eyes. His expression remained unchanged, yet he allowed his gaze to linger slightly on Hermione, who looked at him worriedly. He gave her a brief nod and without further warning, disappeared, leaving three Gryffindors to breathe a sigh of relief, while Hermione's fingers turned white from the strength of her grasp on his cloak.