Winter's Shadow

Chapter 12

The Onyx and the Snake

The ride home was silent and quick. Harmony and Ophelia immediately left for home as Hermione's house guests ran up the stairs to quickly pack. Hermione went about helping everyone she could all the while wondering why they were being forced to leave. No matter how many times she asked, Snape refused to answer the reason. The thing she found odd was for the first time Snape was always within site of her.

The house was filled with an air of terror and foreboding. Something was going on and no one, but Snape knew what. Finally Snape left the site of Hermione momentarily when Sirius whispered something and the two men disappeared.

"Harry, get finished packing NOW." Sirius left the room from the conversation determined to get Harry as far away from Hermione's as possible. Hermione felt she was going mad now.

"Will someone please enlighten me on why I'm forced to kick my house guests out?"

No one really responded. This only frustrated Hermione even farther.

The Weasley children were the first to go, as they had not fully unpacked yet. Standing in the living room Ron and Ginny hugged Hermione and kissed her on the cheek. They too were confused as to why the sudden departure, but also figured they would possibly be told once they returned. Hermione backed away as Ron and Ginny used the floo network instead of apparating. With a flash of green flame each disappeared from Hermione's sight. Snape was waiting near the stairs watching the scene.

Once the Weasley's were out of sight, Hermione turned to Snape and barely whispered to him.

"I do wish you would tell me."

"Miss Granger, contrary to belief, you do not need to know everything."

Sirius, Harry, and Draco could be heard coming down the stairs to say their goodbyes before apparating. Looking at Snape as the sounds filled her ears she remembered the true reason they had been coming home--so Snape could get to Grimmauld place at a decent hour. With a sigh she looked up at Snape again.

"I guess this is goodbye then, Professor." Severus quirked an eyebrow before it dawned on him she assumed he would be leaving still.

"Miss Granger, I will be staying behind. There is potential danger in you being left alone."

"Why?" Hermione was going to seize on any opening for answers she found and this was one. With a deep sigh Snape rolled his eyes at the girl's questions.

"Miss Granger there has--as of tonight--been two Death Eater attacks in your area. The farthest one being only two blocks. Would you like me to leave you under such circumstances?" Hermione felt her entire sense of security crumble around her. It was one thing hearing of Death Eaters attacking when you were currently residing in the wizarding world, but this? This was her safe haven from such things. Sirius, Harry, and Draco had entered the room however. With quick hugs and kisses goodbye she eyed Snape's slow progress to the kitchen.

"I am going to speak with Snape. See if I can get him to tell me something." With good lucks from the boys she headed into the kitchen to find he had gone out the back door and was standing there staring at the pool.

"They are looking for you aren't they?" Slowly she began to walk toward Snape. He glanced back at her.

"Miss Granger, do try not to ask such ridiculously obvious questions. It does nothing for your intelligence."

"Fine. How is this! Why the bloody hell did you feel the need to NOT tell me of this?" She rushed to face him so fast he wondered if her plan was to push him in the pool again. "For someone so brilliant you can be an arrogant bastard!"

Harry, Draco, and Sirius could hear the yells coming from outside. Shaking their heads they stood to apparate. That's when the cracking sound of apparition was heard all around. With a look of panic the three looked up. To their horror Death Eaters surrounding the living room. Seeing the three already in the disapparation process thought them of no consequence--their goal this time was not Potter. Seeing the Death Eaters walk toward the yelling coming from out back Draco and Harry each yelled at the same time.

"HERMIONE!"

Sirius grabbed each boy as he continued disapparting to save the boys' doom if they did not concentrate to disapparate properly.

Snape saw the surprise on Hermione's face at the sound of her name being screamed from two boys in the house. Looking behind her she saw the group of Death Eaters making it through the kitchen and out the open door--wands out and ready. Whipping her head around to look at Snape she saw panic momentarily and...was it fear?

"Don't let them take you," Hermione whispered pleadingly to him. Looking from the coming Death Eaters down to Hermione he suddenly felt the warmth of the onyx coupled with the coolness of the snake that touched his skin. Pulling it out of his shirt he took another last glance and the Death Eaters. Wrapping an arm around her waist he took hold of her other hand.

"Hold on." He felt her free arm encircle him and tighten for dear life. The hand he held he brought up to the pendent around his neck and thrust himself and her into the pool.

Despite the cold chlorinated water that traveled with them Snape felt utter warmth emitting from Hermione. Every part of her that touched Severus could be felt...her hand resting on his chest with the pendent, her arm around him, and her body pressed to his.

Suddenly they were hurled onto a hard wood floor, landing as they had lunged into the pool--water splashed on and around them. Lifting her self slowly off of the professor Hermione stood soaking wet surveying her surroundings. Snape stood up as Hermione turned back to him.

"And why, may I ask, are we at my family's summer home?"

"The Headmaster felt this would be the safest place if such an event happened." Hermione looked at him and he watched as her eyes traveled to the pendent he had forced her hand upon.

"That's what the pendent was for." He nodded even though he knew she was not asking, simply stating the obvious. He saw her shiver.

"Miss Granger, you would be wise to change into something a bit more...dry." Looking at herself she nodded. Reaching the stairs tucked away in a cozy corner of the living room she looked back at Snape.

"Professor, are you coming? You need to change also." He followed Hermione up the dark mahogany stairs. The moment she showed him into a room next to hers he pulled out the tiniest traveling bag and enlarged it. Life as a spy had made him always prepared for sudden travel. Hermione showed him her room was next to his separated only by a bathroom. She turned to enter her room and change.

"Miss Granger, do come down when you have finished. I shall start a fire."

His voice through the door made her start. Why did he want to talk to her? With a deep breath she descended the stairs into the cozy living room now alight by the fire. J

"I'll check if there is any tea." With a slight nod from Snape she crossed to the kitchen and sure enough there was some. A few minutes later Hermione arrived back from the kitchen with tray in hand.

For a few moments no one said anything.

"You were correct, Miss Granger..."

"Stop calling me that." Her voice was a whisper, but he heard it.

"Yes, HERMIONE, the Death Eaters are looking for me. One cannot leave the grasp of such darkness without certain...penalties."

Hermione turned in his direction bringing her legs up on the couch and crossing them, placing her hands in her lap.

"That doesn't answer how we ended up here."

"The Headmaster devised this portkey of sorts to bring us here. My choices were to make sure I took you with me or to give you your portion of the necklace--my choice was to keep it whole and take you with me."

"So, you wouldn't have to tell me about the Death Eaters?" Snape slightly nodded as he took the necklace off and separated the stone and the snake. Placing the snake back around his own neck he reached to place the onyx around Hermione's. Lifting her hair for him to reach around her, she looked down at the stone.

"Will I always be a child in your eyes?" She had lifted her head to look at him. Looking down at her he realized the closeness required when he was putting the necklace on her.

"No, I am aware that you are no child." She glanced back down and then up to him again.

"Then why do you insist on treating me as such?"

"Hermione, I am not treating you as a child, but a student...a very intelligent student." Severus found his speech slowing slightly. In the past hour they had been thrust into a new reality and new surrounding--one in which they were both hiding from the world. She was moving closer to him and Snape did nothing to really stop her.

"This is not Hogwarts, PROFESSOR." Finally his hands slid down her arms and griped tightly stopping any further movement toward him. His eyes narrowed as he looked intently into her eyes. Then a strange smirk formed on his lips as he leaned the rest of the way into her. Mere inches from her lips, with his eyes closed, he asked "are you certain this is what you want?"

"Positive."

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Snape woke up on the couch the next morning. Hermione lay across his chest still asleep. Closing his eyes again he tried to recall what possessed him to kiss Hermione. It was nothing more than a kiss, but it seemed to create an unspoken connection and understanding. The light from outside flowed through windows shining into the house illuminating their inner world with the outer.

The back of his mind seemed to be answering his own question, but answering in a way he would never admit. It wondered if he had become so enraged by Sirius' words to him because they were true. Was it that he feared living again? Years as a Death Eater and being a spy left a hole in him that he never tried to fill, a hole that spilled over with sarcasm and cruelties. To live meant to feel the pain the darkness had caused him and others--it would be worse than any application of crucio.

Feeling Hermione stir about and then feeling her lips on his neck with a muffled "good morning," he knew it was true. He also knew he could not allow his darkness to entomb her to such a relationship that was inevitably forbidding. Before he had time sweep away from the couch and the fantasy a barn owl fluttered in with a letter for Hermione. Jumping up at the sight of the Hogwarts crest, she grabbed the letter and ripped it open.

"OOOO...my book list. And I am Head Girl!"

Snape looked up at her rather amused.

"And for some reason did you doubt you would be Head Girl?" She looked at him in that 'just-shut-up' look she would give to Harry and Ron. Standing up, Snape brushed himself off...

"I suppose you will be off to Diagon Alley today then. You will not be in any danger with my absence."

Hermione watched his retreating back up the stairs.