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The Reluctant Highlander	By : Tigerrr Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Snape/Hermione Views: 15152 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 13
- 14
- 15
*********DISCLAIMER*********** Not a single thing belongs to
me, except for the pajamas I�m wearing while I�m typing (I really should be at
kickboxing class instead of sitting on my bum)

A/N:� The following
info about horses is 100% true�yours truly grew up on a farm with about 10 � 15
of them, and all that literary nonsense about being trampled on purpose is pure
nonsense.� You would have to actually train them to stomp all over someone.

************************************************************************

Severus commandeered one of the horses in the stable and
sent it into a gallop towards the loch � and almost ran right over the sodden
scarlet lump that was Gilderoy Lockhart.�
Fortunately for Sir Gilderoy, a horse will do everything within its power
to avoid trampling a human being.�
Unfortunately for Severus, this meant that the horse came to a
standstill and he was thrown clean over its head � but fate decided to
intervene at this point, as he was already angry, in pain, unable to perform
magic, and worried sick for the witch he loved�he landed on a thick pile of
hay.� He clawed his way out, his black
eyes fairly glowing with ire and his head nearly splitting with pain, making
his way back to the horse, who eyed him apprehensively.

In the mud, Sir Gilderoy twitched, and then sat up.� �No, I swear she was eighteen � oh, Lord Raven!� What a fortuitous-� he was backhanded back
into unconsciousness as the other man climbed back on the horse and set off
anew.� Severus came up to Chloe and Gwen
who pointed urgently to the direction his love had been taken in.� Bloody
book � when I get Hermione back to Hogwarts, she�ll be banned from the library
and that�s all there is to it, he thought as he bent low over the horse�s
neck.

He came up over a small hillock just in time to see, in the
distance, two men on horseback bearing their bushy haired prize toward a rather
intimidating - looking rock face.�
�Fantastic � now I suppose they�re going to take her up t that small
cave on the highest point.�� Hermione�s kidnappers
proceeded to take her up to the small cave on the highest point.� �Damn it!�
Perhaps some reverse psychology�?��
He rephrased his exasperated utterance.�
�Fantastic � now I suppose they�ll bring her back down, wring my hand
apologetically just before they fall on their swords?�� He tried.�
Well, it had been worth a try.� He
drew up to the base of the spire and dismounted, bringing to mind all the
bodily harm those men were about to suffer.�
If only his head would stop hurting!�
He began the slow, careful climb up the rocks.

*******************************

As the two burly Scots laid their burden on the stone floor
of the cave, it began the transition into wakefulness with all the Badon
Banshee�s beyond-the-grave reaction to her name being linked to Gilderoy
Lockhart�s.� �Who the HELL are you? Let
me GO,� she snarled at one man knocked her flat on her back and straddled her,
pressing his hands on her arms and placing his knees on her thighs to hold her
down.� She redoubles her efforts, enraged
at the possibility that this sweaty oaf might try to rape her.� This was supposed to be her fantasy,
not a nightmare!� Where was her gods-damned
guide?� �Adam!� she roared.� �Severus!�

The man atop her clapped his hand to her mouth.� She bit him.�
And howled Severus� name once more when he jerked off of her mouth,
swearing loudly and shaking his injured fingers.� Hermione bucked wildly and managed to unseat
the burly lummox, crawling on her hands and knees for the cave�s entrance.�

She yelped as the other drew a dirk from one of his boots
and grasped her hair in a painfully hard grip, tilting her head back so that
her throat was flush with the blade.�
�He�s not for you, filthy little Mudblood,� the man hissed, and her eyes
flew wide.� Only Draco Malfoy called her
that!� When she drew breath for another
scream, the sharp steel nicked her throat, drawing a bead of blood.� �Quiet, Mudblood slime.� Professor Snape deserves much better than
you.�� Yes, definitely Malfoy � somehow,
the vindictive little snot had found a way to alter events in this book she and
Severus were trapped in.� With a few
careful inquiries, she had found out that such interference was entirely
possible when she had talked with the Keltar women on their ill-fated �walk� earlier.

Fear surged though her � she didn�t have time just now to be
embarrassed that someone else knew just how intimate she was with her Potions
professor � as she realized that Draco�s�
tampering might very well lead to her death.� Oh, how she wished she had never left Severus�
side!� Here she was, about to have her
throat slit and she hadn�t even told him goodbye, and that she loved him more
than life itself.� Instead she had just
snuck out of the room, secure in the knowledge that all she had to do was go
back in the castle to see him again.�
Tears spilled from beneath her tightly closed eyelids, running in slow
rivulets down her cheeks as her captors taunted her for crying.

The Scotsmen suddenly broke off their disparaging remarks
with startled oaths, and her eyes snapped open just as she was pushed to the
ground again. Severus� enraged bellow reached her ears a she lifted her head to
see him wrestling with one of the men � the other was looking his accomplice
struggling with Laird Raven, to Hermione, all the while fingering his blade
indecisively.� Severus managed to down
his opponent with a karate-style move that would have deeply impressed his
beloved in any other circumstances, and he started towards her.

*************************************

Severus began to stalk towards the final obstacle between
his witch and himself.� The man kept
shifting a dagger from hand to hand, apparently at a loss for what he was
supposed to do now.� As the imposing
figure of an extremely angry Potions Master drew nearer, he was suddenly galvanized
into action and grabbed Hermione again when she tried to inch past him.� �You deserve more,� the Scotsman yelled.� �More than just a Mudblood!��

What in the world?�
Severus was temporarily stunned enough to stop and gape at him.� What was this??? The other man used his
surprise to whip the blade to his Gryffindor�s neck and urge him backward�not
seeing how to disarm him without causing harm to his beloved, Severus obeyed,
hands spread while he thought of a way to free Hermione.� The small witch�s cheeks were wet with tears,
and her eyes were fixed on his face as she mouthed �I love you.�

�I love you, too,� he told her aloud, wincing as the
Scotsman pressed the knife harder into the soft flesh of her throat.� �Don�t hurt her,� he snarled, anger winning
out over his fear for her, and the throbbing of his head injury.� His little lioness. If they got out of this
alive, he�d marry her immediately.� An
idea blossomed in his head as he glanced back reflexively to make sure that he
wouldn�t trip over anything.� There was a
fist-sized hunk of stone lying a bit to his right, three steps back�two�one�he
pretended to slip and threw himself backward, reaching out for it.

Hermione�s captor was taken by surprise at his sudden fall,
and lowered the dagger from her throat in surprise.� She had seen his gaze drift behind him and
knew what his plan was; she kicked the man�s legs out from underneath him and
Severus brought the piece of rock up into the Scot�s face as hard as he
could.� Unbelievably, the man only grunted
in pain as it shattered his nose, and shifted he dagger so he could attempt to
stab the Potions Master.� They rolled
around on the cave floor while Hermione hovered over them, shrieking
instructions like, �Oooh!� Watch OUT,
Sev! He�s almost got you now, ohhh, be CAREful�.!�

A shove, roll, and Severus pinned the man against the
floor.� �That you for the advice, my
darling.� Another roll and a punch, and he was the one pinned.� �Get the other one�s dagger!� he yelled,
trying to fend off a dagger of his own.�
He was barely aware of her running past them, skirts hoisted to her
knees, to filch the dirk from the other unconscious man.� As he dazed his opponent with another blow of
the rock, he began to stand and looked at Hermione just as the other kidnapper thrust
his dagger into her belly.� �NO!� he
screamed.� Hermione swayed on her feet,
eyes wide as if asking him what had just happened.

***********************

Hermione stared disbelievingly at Severus, who was still in
a half crouch looking back at her, his black eyes filled with horror.� She vaguely registered the blade sliding back
out of her stomach and tried to warn Severus just as the Scotsman behind him
climbed to his feet, blood streaming from his mashed nose, and pushed her
wizard the last few inches off of the cave�s ledge and into the open air.� He didn�t have time to fight � she saw, as if
in slow motion, his eyes going wide in shock at not having the ground beneath
his feet, and then he started to fall to his death as her knees gave way and
she crumpled to the floor of the cave.

*********************************************************************

Adam Black gasped in horror as the bars of his prison
thinned and disappeared.� None of this
was supposed to be possible!� Somehow,
outside forces had meddled with Rendezvous
with Romance and had led its clients to disaster.� He had no choice now but to release them from
the book,� Fine Print be damned � this
wasn�t supposed to happen�

***********************************************************************

Hogwarts

Dumbledore and McGonagall were gathered around Pince�s desk,
discussing the possible whereabouts of The Book.� �I�m telling you, it�s nowhere to be found,
and Potter as well as Weasley have both been subjected to Veritaserum.� They freely admitted that they took it
earlier, but Potter says that they actually helped Severus and Hermione out of
a potentially harmful scenario.� He said
it was a �Number Four�,� Minerva told them.

Albus nodded wisely.�
�Ah, yes � the requisite Number Four�I believe all of Karen Marie
Moning�s novels could not exist without it, and it stands to reason that they
must experience one before being released.�
But it seems the danger has passed, thanks to Harry�s interference.� But I believe there might be a simpler way to
resolve the retrieval of The Book.�� He
raised his wand straight in the air.� �Accio The Book!�� Madam Pince stared at him disbelievingly.

�Do you really suppose that will work, Albus? I think
Minnie�s already tried that�� she caught sight of the Transfiguration teacher�s
sheepish look and closed her mouth hurriedly.�
And then ducked as The Book came hurtling though the doors and straight
to the Headmaster�s outstretched hand.�

They all crowded close as he opened it, scanning the pages
rapidly.� �Oh�oh, no�.Irma, get the
original book out, NOW!� Minerva, kindly
call Poppy here, please.�� The witches
scrambled to obey, startled by his tone of voice.� As Irma fetched Rendezvous with Romance, he snatched it from her hands and set it
on the floor, stepping back.� It was
glowing softly, red light pulsing from its pages in steadily increasing flashes.� It flipped open by itself, the pages whipping
wildly as if caught in a high wind, and a beacon of light, blood red, issued
from it with such intensity that the adults all threw their arms up defensively
to shield their eyes.�

As the Floo disgorged Poppy Pomfrey, they all looked down at
the crumpled form of Hermione Granger, bleeding on the floor and on the pages
of the book she had just been thrown out of.

***********************************************************************
- 13
- 14
- 15
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The Reluctant Highlander