Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

All Breakages Must be Paid for	By : Lucreace Category: Harry Potter AU/AR > Het - Male/Female Views: 3384 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, I make no money from these words

Chapter List
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Despite the fact that it was freezing cold, despite the fact that she knew there was a three day walk back to what she considered civilization and despite the fact that she was hungry for more than cold meat, Hermione felt elated. Never, even in her wildest dreams, had she ever thought to see the dour Potions Master again. Maybe he had the answer they’d all been searching for. Perhaps his presence held the key to their survival. She clenched her fists at her sides to prevent her excitement from showing and continued walking.
Stealing a covert look at him, perhaps the third that hour, she noticed that he was no longer the neat, fastidious man he had been while she was at school. True, none of them were. His once fine frock coat was now tatty, the hems of his trousers ragged. It was also painfully obvious that he’d not eaten properly in months and the circles under his eyes were darker than ever. Long hair hung in limp strands and h-
                “Are you quite done?” he asked. A deep flush coloured her cheeks and she looked away hastily.
                “That obvious?” He just nodded a response and she looked at the road beneath them. “It’s been a long time and well… you look…” she trailed off, unsure how to finish
                “Terrible. I look terrible,” he replied.
                “Now, I didn’t-“
                “Don’t humour me Granger. I look terrible because I’ve been living off the street and what I can find over the past five years,” he said. The retort stung, as his always did and she huffed out a sigh. “We all look a lot different,” he added. His voice was so soft she almost missed what he’d said.
                “That we do,” she agreed, knowing it was the truth. Her own frame was thin and she was covered in her share of dirt too. Her clothes had seen better days but they were nowhere near as tattered as his. Perhaps there would be something he could wear back at camp. There would definitely be a shower he could have. “We’ve facilities at camp,” she said, trying to make conversation. “Something better than a cleansing charm at least.”
                At the mention of magic, he looked up, his eyes narrow and his shoulders hunched. Had she touched a nerve? “And you find using magic so freely an advantage do you?”
                Her eyes found his and she shook her head. “I…” she trailed off, unable to admit to the brilliant wizard at her side the shameful truth. Instead of softening his expression, his eyes turned stony, somehow colder than the wind that was once more picking up.
                “Out with it!” he snapped
                “I can’t cast much anymore Sir. My wand was snapped early on, when we still didn’t know what was going on.” She kept her eyes on the ground, unable to look at him as she spoke. Bracing herself for the tirade that followed, she hunched her shoulders as if they would protect her from his words. When none came, she slowly looked up. Something in his pose seemed to have died, before she would have expected a thorough telling off; now, he just walked beside her silently. The air of defeat was unbearable. “Have you nothing to say?”
                “What do you want me to do?” he sighed as he spoke; “Shout at you? My shouting at student’s days are many years behind me. Besides, you are no longer a student.”
                His answer wasn’t what she had expected; she wondered where his fire had gone. Maybe one of the Restless had killed it off. As she was considering it, his arm shot out, stopping her in her tracks. Instantly alert, she heard the same grunting, groaning noise he had. Glancing to the side of the road, they both saw the long grass and moved together. Running behind him, Hermione didn’t glance over her shoulder. She could only hope the Restless hadn’t seen them; they were relentless in their pursuit of the living, even if they weren’t fast.
                Slender as he was, he was still capable of outrunning her. Hermione struggled to keep up with the lanky man in front of her. By the time he stopped, she was panting and seeing white spots in front of her eyes. She braced her hands on her knees and drew in shaking breath after shaking breath. How the hell did he do it?
                “We can’t stop,” he whispered. She nodded and forced herself to straighten up. He was right, there was no way they could stop now. He began moving again, this time at a brisk walk. Hermione kept her eyes focused on his back, making sure she kept her ears alert and her eyes wide. It would be useless now if they were sprung upon and devoured. Cold wind ripped across the countryside, sending the long grass waving as though it were a vast sea rather than an overgrown field.
Silence was the key, if they moved quietly, maybe they’d be alright. Her mind circled round and round. She’d been in this situation so many times that she wasn’t even sure why she was worried. Still, she moved behind her companion and through the fields, hoping they’d avoid a likely deadly encounter.
Since she’d lost her wand, Hermione had been able to cast a few, minor spells but without the guidance of anyone, it had been a bit like stabbing in the dark. Mostly guesswork and botched attempts, which were unpredictable at best and a failure at worst, it had been difficult to come to terms with, like losing her right arm. Hence the crossbow slung over her back and the large knife at her side.
After an hour of travelling in complete silence, she drew up alongside her companion and reached out a hand. Hesitantly, she touched his arm. When his head turned, she slowed her pace. “I think we’re alright now,” she whispered.
He gave a brief nod, “I believe so.” Hermione breathed a sigh of relief and looked around carefully. The fields of long grass were coming to an end, replaced by scrubland and stunted bushes. When they crossed into the open land, the air began nibbling into their skin. Before long, Hermione’s fingers were frozen and her teeth chattered.
“There’s a house about four miles or so down the road,” she said as her teeth shook. “We can stop there and warm up.”
He raised a brow at her and she noticed that his mouth had a slight blue tinge to it. “Maybe there, you can tell me what happened to cause all this nonsense,” he said.
“I’ll share with you what I know,” she nodded. They fell silent once more as they marched their way across the barren, open countryside. The journey took far longer than she had hoped, by the time they got there, the wind had chilled her to the bone and the sky had darkened with thick, grey clouds. When they arrived at the door, she pulled out a key and unlocked it, motioning for Severus to enter. As soon as he had done so, she closed and locked the door once more.
“Muggle locks?” he asked with a raised brow.
“The Restless can’t work magic,” she answered with a shrug, “And you may have noticed that the use of such attracts them rather quickly.”
“It had occurred to me…” he whispered as he looked around. Hermione tapped his shoulder and motioned for him to follow her. She led him to a wooden ladder that led to the top floor. She climbed it nimbly before waiting for him to follow. As soon as he had, she pulled the ladder up and shut the hatch, securing them on the top floor.
Knowing that they would now be safe, she relaxed a fraction. “We can’t start a fire or anything but there is a large pile of blankets we can use to get warm over there and the sofas aren’t that uncomfortable.” She explained as she walked over to the stack. By the time she had one in her hands, he’d removed his pack and sank onto one of the couches. Throwing one of the thicker blankets at him, she took one for herself and settled down.
“What is this place?” he asked after pulling the blanket over his shivering form.
“A safehouse. We have several around the area. We pull out the stairs so the Restless can’t get to us. Even if they get into the ground floor, we’re safe up here. We’re sealed away from them.” She folded her arms under the blanket and tucked her feet up to her chest, curling up to collect warmth.
He nodded as she spoke. “Are there many of them?”
“About half a dozen. All of them have a similar set up to this, usually old farm houses. The buildings are sturdy and can take the renovations easier than the newer places. There are also some tins of food over there, though it’s not much.” When she mentioned food, his eyes lit up and she gestured to the tins, “Help yourself.” He didn’t need telling twice, as soon as the words were out; he was up and looking through the tins. Moments later, he was back under the blanket, munching on a tin of all day breakfast as though it was fit for a king. Perhaps in this case it was.
She watched him eat in silence, not hungry herself. The gnawing hunger that settled in her belly was an old companion now and it rarely bothered her. Thirst however, was a different matter entirely. Reaching into her own bag, she pulled out a half full bottle of water and took a sip. She’d have enough to get back to camp if she was careful.
When he put the empty tin aside, she looked up and nodded. “So, tell me what happened,” he said as he brushed black strands from his face.
“Where shall I start?”
“At the end of the war, the last time everything was normal was in the aftermath. I was recovering in the infirmary when the rumours started. I relapsed, fell into a coma. When I awoke, everyone was gone,” he said, giving her a point of reference with which to start.
Slowly, she nodded, opening her mouth to speak, she closed it again. It took her a moment to find the right words. When she opened it again, she noticed he was regarding her with intense, black eyes.
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All Breakages Must be Paid for