Saving your life

A hand firmly pressed against her lips awoke her, and she opened her eyes to find a Death Eater leaning over her. She panicked and started fighting, kicking and scratching frantically until the man took off his mask. What was going on? She looked around making sure Ginny was still asleep before turning to him again.

“What are you doing here?” she asked as she tried to control her breathing. The look on his face did nothing to calm her down.

“We have to go. Now,” he said and pulled her from the bed. Frowning she reached for her clothes, but he stopped her.

“There is no time,” he said, and taking her hand again he pulled her out of the room.

“What’s going on?” she asked, starting to feel scared.

“Do you still have that invisibility cloak?” he asked as they moved.

“It’s in Harry’s room.”

“Then forget about it, we have to run.”

They flew down the stairs, not even trying to keep quiet and he opened the door and stepped out.

“Apparate by your parent’s house. Not inside, just nearby. I will go with you,” he said, and held to her arm firmly. Her eyes shot open in surprise, and then fear.

“Now,” he yelled, and the next second they were gone.

They Apparated behind some bushes in the house’s backyard, and he put on his mask again and told her to stay there. She watched him creep around the house and then go back to her.

“I don’t think they’re here yet, but we don’t have much time,” he said and then they both made their way to the backdoor.

Her bare feet were hurting from the small rocks on the floor, but she gritted her teeth and moved on.

They opened the door and stepped inside. She looked around and noticed everything seemed calm and silent, and nothing was out of place.

“Where do they sleep?” he whispered and followed her as she made her way up the stairs.

“I will go first, in case there is someone there already. You just wait here until I call you,” he said.

She watched him open the door to the bedroom and glance inside. Her parents were both asleep and he stepped inside, leaving the door slightly open. She heard him muter Silencio twice and then carefully wake them up. Her father opened his eyes first, and panicked at the masked man standing in his room. He tried to speak but no sound left his mouth. Her mother started to get up from the bed but his father stopped her and then tried to attack Snape.

“It’s ok, I’m with your daughter,” he told them urgently, stepping back and then pointing in her direction. He waited a few seconds for them to calm down and then lifted the silencing charms.

She heard the loud pop of Apparition outside and then the main door open. She walked in and stood next to him.

“They are here,” she said.

Her parents took in the dishevelled hair, short nightdress and bare feet and seemed to panic again. She watched Snape walk to the doorframe, glance outside and then slowly close the door behind him.

“Hermione, honey, what’s going on?” her mother asked, finally getting up and walking to her side. She started to answer but he interrupted.

“We have to go, now,” he ordered as he walked next to her father and held his arm.

“Where to?” she asked. He seemed to think about it for a moment and then sighed and said “Ireland” before Apparating away.

She pointed her wand at the bed and then around the room, trying to make it look like her parents hadn’t been sleeping there.

“Hermione?” her mother asked, her eyes fixed on the spot her husband had been just seconds before. She heard muffled voices and steps outside, so instead of answering she just grabbed her mother’s hand and Disapparated too.

The entrance was just a few steps away, and they walked there in silence. She used her wand to unlock the door and stepped inside, closely followed by her mother.

“What have you done? Where are they?” she hear her father desperately ask the masked man standing in front of him.

“We’re here, dad,” she said as she closed the door. Before she knew it her father had his arms wrapped around the two of them, holding both women in a tight embrace for a few moments.

“What’s going on?” her mother asked again, and she had no idea just how to answer that.

“Take them upstairs, they will have to spend the night here.” She paused for a moment and then decided she wanted to talk to him first.

“Just go up the stairs, I will be there in a moment,” she told her parents, her eyes on Snape.

“The first door to the right,” he said, not looking at them.

“But…” her father started.

“I’ll be there in a minute,” she interrupted. “Please.”

She sighed in relief when she heard them walk up the stairs and then open a door, but none of them spoke until they heard the door close again, eyes locked on each other.

“What were they doing there?” she finally asked. He took off his mask before answering.

“I’m not entirely sure, not yet, but I think they were trying to deliver a message.”

“A message?” she asked, confused.

“The Dark Lord was less than happy with last night’s events. You are supposed to be spying for me, for us, but yet you didn’t inform they would be waiting for us last night or the night we attacked Grimmauld Place. He wants to let you know you have much to lose if you betray him.” He looked at her shocked face for a moment.

“What were they going to do to my parents?” she asked, her voice shaking slightly, knowing the answer but wanting to hear him say it.

“Probably kill them.” She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again and watched him leave the room.

She stood rooted to the spot, waiting for him to return.

“Give this potion to your parents, it’ll help them sleep,” he said as he handed her a small bottle. They heard the door upstairs open again.

“I have to go, I need to find out what’s happened and make sure they won’t try to attack you. Stay here with them; you can use the room you stayed in last time.”

“I put their bedroom in order before leaving,” she said as he walked away, “so they wouldn’t know we had been there.”

“Good,” he told her, “I’ll be back as soon as I can,” and then he left the house.

She waited until she heard him Apparate away before walking up the stairs to her parents.

“Hermione, honey, what’s going on?” she heard her mother ask the second she stepped inside the room.

“You can’t go back home, at least for a while.”

“What, why? What’s happened?”

“Voldemort’s followers found out were you live. I will find somewhere safe and you will go there for some time.”

“We’re not going anywhere without you,” her father said, standing up in front of her.

“I can’t go, I have to stay here. There is no need to worry about me, I will be alright,” she said, trying to smile.

“No, we won’t leave you here alone,” her father repeated stubbornly.

“Mom, dad,” she said, looking at each in turn, “I love you both and you know it, but this is something I have to do, and I can’t worry about you at the same time, I need to know you are safe. It will just be temporary.”

“But our jobs…” her mother said, and she was glad to notice they were starting to give in. They knew there was no turning back once she had made a decision.

“We will take care of that,” she assured them, and then remembered the potion in her hand.

“Drink this,” she said, “it will help you sleep.” They looked at the small bottle for a moment and then finally drank it.

“Where are you going?” her mother asked, already yawning.

“I will stay here tonight, don’t worry. I’ll be in the room across the hall. Good night,” she said, and then left the room and closed the door behind her.

She felt something graze her shoulder and opened her eyes to find Snape leaning over her, covering her with a blanket.

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” he said as she opened her eyes. She had fallen asleep on a sofa in the library while waiting for him.

“It’s ok,” she said as she sat. “I was waiting for you.”

“How are your parents?” he asked, sitting across from her.

“Scared, but they will be alright.”

“I was right about the attack, but the Dark Lord won’t try to hurt them again. Or you.”

“Well, that’s good news,” she said, smiling faintly.

“What happened last night?”

“You don’t know?” she asked, surprised.

“Just a few facts. I didn’t have time to ask.”

“Well, we were waiting for them and attacked as they arrived, but they were more dangerous than the ones from last time.”

“Rodolphus probably took the best,” he muttered, but then waited for her to continue.

“Three Death Eaters were killed this time, but we got most of them, even Rodolphus Lestrange. We think six or seven managed to escape.”

“And from the Order? Was anyone hurt?”

“We had to take one to Saint Mungo’s; we still don’t know if he’ll make it. He is an Auror from the Ministry, and had been with us for just a few weeks. Merlin, I don’t even know his name…” she muttered, and stayed in silence for a few moments.

“Anyone else?” he finally asked. She shook her head as she answered.

“No, nothing bad at least. We were lucky.”

“You should get some sleep, I have to go make the necessary arrangements for your parents; they will need a place to stay.”

“Is there anything I can help you with?” she asked, needing to feel useful.

“You have done enough already, just get some rest,” he said, before getting up and leaving again.

She finally decided to walk up to her bedroom, but found it hard to sleep, as usual. So much had happened in so little time.

First, the attack; they had been waiting for it, but hadn’t expected them to storm in the way they did. They were very powerful wizards, and what they had thought would be just a small fight had turned into a full-blown battle. It was lucky Kingsley had decided to take most of the Order with him.
Running all over the place, trying to avoid curses as she moved and watching her friends fall, not knowing if they were still alive, she didn’t know how anyone could stand it. Adrenaline had kept her moving, her wand pointing and her mouth yelling spells and curses around without stopping to think. They had used Portkeys again, so they could take the ones they captured away fast, while sending the injured away, because they knew some Death Eaters would be waiting outside to attack anyone that tried to leave. When the last men had finally escaped there were just eleven members there, and every one of them had some kind of injury. She hadn’t felt pain until then, but once she stopped running she noticed her left arm was bleeding. She paid it no mind as she helped Charlie Weasley to his feet and held him as he swayed slightly. She looked around and saw Tonks and Diggle kneel around Remus, trying to awake him.
She was relieved to hear only one member was seriously hurt and once her broken arm was healed, she went back to headquarters, to make sure her friends were really alright.

Then there were her parents. She had been afraid for them for a long time, knowing they were vulnerable to the Dark Wizards, but to find out they were really trying to kill them… she blinked back tears at the thought. If he hadn’t been there, if they hadn’t found them in time… she couldn’t even think what she would ever do without them.

She opened her eyes when sunlight filled the room. She blinked a few times, her eyes adjusting to the light and trying to remember where she was.
As she got up, she noticed a black robe neatly folded on her bed, a piece of parchment on top of it.

Her parents were still asleep as she entered the room. She gently woke them up and went to the kitchen to get some breakfast. After a few minutes she watched her mother walk in, closely followed by her father. She decided it was time to explain what she had read on the note he had left.

“We have found a place were you can stay for some time,” she told them. “No one else will know about it, so you will be safe there.”

“And what about you?” her mother asked.

“I won’t be able to visit, but I will write as often as I can. There’s no need to worry.”

“How long will we be there?”

“Not too long hopefully; maybe two or three months, just until things here calm down a bit.”

“And how will we get there?” her father asked.

“Come with me,” she said, and walked back to her room. He had left a Portkey there, ready to take them to the safe house.

“You just have to touch this,” she explained, motioning to the goblet on the desk, “and it will take you there.”

They looked confused for a moment, but after all these years, they knew better than to ask. She hugged them both warmly and promised again that she would be fine before they touched the goblet and vanished.

She finally decided it was time to go back to headquarters, so she put on the robe he had left for her over the nightdress, noticing his scent still lingered on it, and took the small roll of blank parchment next to it, reminding herself she had to destroy the other one as soon as she got to her bedroom. She noticed a pair of shoes, also black, by the door. He had shrunk them so that they would fit her. How thoughtful, she thought with a small smile as she made her way out of the house and Apparated away.