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Shattered	By : Adriana Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Snape/Hermione Views: 11986 -:- 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
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Shattered

By Adriana

trixielou60@hotmail.com

A/N: With regard to the poem below, "camerado" is Spanish for "companion" or "comrade", which is the theme of this chapter.

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

I heed not, and have never heeded, either experience, cautions, majorities, nor ridicule;

And the threat of what is call'd hell is little or nothing to me,

And the lure of what is call'd heaven is little or nothing to me;

Dear camerado! I confess I have urged you onward with me, and still

urge you, without the least idea what is our destination,

Or whether we shall be victorious, or utterly quell'd and defeated.

~ From the poem, "As I Lay With My Head in Your Lap, Camerado" by Walt Whitman

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

Chapter 20: Comrades

"Uncle Severus."

Silence.

"Please."

S
Silence.

"Talk to me."

"If you insist. Fuck off."

A low growl. "I don't deserve that from you."

A harsh sigh and an irritated wave of the hand.

Draco tried again. "If anything, we need to resolve this here and now. I'm taking the love of your life into the snake pit tomorrow night. I'd prefer it if you'd just spew your vindictive load of crap at me now, so I can move on to concentrate on getting us both out alive."

Albus chuckled. "He has a point, Severus. Just hear him out. In the meantime, I have to consult with Professor wickwick about the Tracking Charm. I trust that you two will behave yourselves when I'm gone? I don't need to confiscate wands, do I?" He paused. "Oh dear . . . I forgot," he said absently. "Severus doesn't need a wand." Draco swallowed a lump in his throat.

Severus gave the Headmaster a baleful look, but grunted, "I'll let him live," as Albus made preparation for his meeting with Filius.

Hermione had long since departed, allowing Draco and Severus to "duke it out", as it were. She could feel the tension between them, and the Headmaster had wisely suggested that she take a break from their scheming and planning to go take a walk on the grounds. She'd ambled over to Severus, and despite the audience, he took her hand and pressed it to his lips, murmuring that he'd see her later. Shngednged to give himard,ard, thorough kiss, but didn't dare. He stared at the door after she left and seemed oblivious to the presence of the Headmaster and the Heir of Malfoy. That is, until said heir had the audacity to speak first.

"It's just you and me now. Bring it on, Uncle."

Severus growled as he leapt from his chair and began pacing in front of the firce. ce.

"How could you be so utterly and hopelessly stupid? Have you learned nothing from me?" His voice was a strident bellow. "Of all the incredibly short-sighted, dimwitted things you could have done, this is the worst!" He shook his head in disgust at his nephew.

Draco felt himself shake with anger, but he carefully gathered it to himself before retorting. When he finally spoke, his voice was quiet with rage. "Do you want to talk about stupid and dimwitted? How stupid is it that you believed Taryn Butler was lusting after you and that she wanted to sleep with you? You never questioned it, did you? You fell for it like a total and complete fool!" he sneered. Severus looked mortified. It was apparent that Draco could give as good as he got. The younger wizard continued, "If she hadn't been successfully spying on you in the first place, my father would never have found out about my betrayal. Perhaps we can start there." He arched an arrogant eyebrow.

"He's has a point, Severus," the Headmaster couldn't help but interject again.

"Is that all you can say? I thought you were leaving!" Severus snapped back, as Albus grinned.

The Potions Master turned his narrowed eyes on Draco. "Insufferable boy," he thought, before quickly amending tasseassessment. Draco was a man now and Severus suddenly realized that he'd been guilty of treating him as if nothing had changed in the years since he'd left Hogwarts. Indeed, right now the hurt little boy was showing through.

"I was never good enough for you, was I, Uncle Severus?"

Severus couldn't help but start in surprise. Those were the very same words he'd hurled at his father over twenty years ago. He stared at his nephew as the young man stood with a proud tilt to his chin. It was pure, unadulterated Malfoy. Several thousand years of careful breeding had produced that and and Severust hit his rage cooling as he looked at him.

Really looked at him.

Despite the risk of scorn and ridicule, Draco had come to him with the truth. He had risked everything for The Cause: his name, his money, his honor, his family and his very life, yet at this moment, he wanted nothing more than the forgiveness of a nasty, mean-tempered pseudo-uncle. In a sudden flash, Severus Snape was humbled as he felt his anger completely drain away. Despite his obvious proud bearing, the look on Malfoy's face was heartbreaking, as if he were about to lose everything that meant anything to him.

Severus knew the feeling well.

The Potions Master felt something give within him. His father had been an unforgiving man and in Severus' estimation, a total rotter. For a brief moment, he saw himself in the young wizard. He the the need for approval, the need to show himself worthy, that he wasn't a total failure despite his many mistakes. Severus' father had turned his back on him and in his rage and despair, he'd turned to Voldemort for solace. It had damned near ruined his life. He'd come out of it damaged and totally alone. Until Draco Malfoy came along and brought a focus into Severus' life, he'd been drifting . . . wallowing in self-pity. The boy had given him a raison d'etre. Turning Draco from a sullen little brat into a cunning, polished spy had been one of Severus' highest priorities. It was the only way to save him.

Draco was his family now.

For the first time ever, Severus really felt that connection. Draco could sense the change in his uncle as the older man gave him a look he'd never seen before. If he didn't know better, he would have sworn that the look was tinged with true fondness, maybe even love, if he squinted a bit.

No, it couldn't be.

Severus sighed. "I'm very angry with you, Draco. Not so much that you took it upon yourself to alter our plan, but because you didn't come to me right away."

"How could I, Severus? I was ashamed . . . ashamed that I couldn't come up with something better when Lucius confronted me at the Manor. And let's face it, you're a fearsome, hypercritical bastard."

Severus couldn't help but emit a small chuckle. "Perhaps you are right. There have been enough mistakes made on all our parts, myself ined. ed. I apologize for treating you with disrespect. It's true that you don't deserve it. As Albus said, we'll just have to deal with this."

Draco looked stunned, but wisely kept his mouth shut.

Severus continued pacing restlessly. "I have to trust you, Draco. I have no choice really, but I would like to think that my trust is more than just a leap of faith. I have to know, I mean really know that you won't do anything to put Hermione in harm's way. I want you to look me in the eye and tell me that."

Draco slowly walked over to where Severus was standing. In truth, he was only a few centimetres shorter than his uncle, although with his spare frame, the Potions Master had always seemed to tower over the younger wizard.

Looking Severus straight in the eye, Draco said simply, "I would die for Hermione. She is the best friend I've ever had. I'd love her in her own right, as a brother, but because she means so much to you, I love her even more."

It was the closest he'd ever come to telling Severus Snape how he felt about him. In all honesty, Severus was the father he'd always wished for, Lucius be damned.

And Severus understood this as he nodded and locked eyes with his nephew. He finally said the one thing that Draco had always longed for.

"I trust you, Draco . . . completely. And tomorrow I'm trusting you with my life. I don't believe you'll let me down."

He patted Malfoy on the arm and said quickly, "I have to go. And by the way, you're wrong about not being good enough. I'm very proud of you." Then he practically ran from the room.

Draco was inwardly grinning.

The Potions Master was fleeing in the face of too much sap.

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

Relax already!

Deep breath in . . . hold it, hold it . . .

Slowly exhale . . .

Feel the release of tension from your body . . .

That's it . . . that's it . . .

The small feminine figure was hunkered down on a lone bench, pale bluish moonlight shining on the smoky puf frf frozen breath she'd just exhaled. Wrapping her cloak around herself even tighter, she quelled her shaking fingers, taking in deep, gulping breaths of air. Her heart was pounding and she could feel a cold trickle of sweat as it ran down the back of her neck. She was grappling with a racingd, sd, seemingly unable to catch her breath.

Hermione was having her own private little panic attack.

She was facing the archetypal bogeyman, the summation of all her childhood fears. However, as was evident from previous encounters, he was as real as flesh and blood. Harry Potter could certainly attest to that. The Dark Lord was far more dangerous than anything she could have cooked up in her imagination, most certainly.

Why? Why did so much have to rest upon her? In the past, it had been all about Harry Potter and she'd only been at the periphery of the fight. But now she was at the center of the vortex and she was extremely uncomfortable in her new role.

Hermione heard the sounds of crunching grass behind her as she sat in quiet but shaky contemplation. She didn't even turn her head as she knew who it was.

"Hermione?" Draco asked softly.

His real question was left momentarily unasked.

She turned to him and was struck by how lonely he looked, standing in the clearing of trees. The moonlight gave him an otherworldly glow and for a moment he appeared as a ghost. His voice carried across the courtyard.

"Forgive me?"

She stood and walked over to him slowly. Draco held himself in total stillness, wondering if she was going to slap him. Instead, she wordlessly gathered him into a big bear hug as he sagged against her with relief.
He pHe pulled back and smiled. "You're a lot easier than Severus." He paused for effect.

"Sucker."

Hermione gave him a playful shove. "I suppose I am. I should be absolutely furious with you, and in fact, I was. That is, before I started thinking about what's in store for us tomorrow. Then I was just paralyzed by fear."

Draco took her handtingting the tremors, and brought her back to the bench. He pulled her down to sit, but held tightly to her hand. Hermione could literally feel herself becoming more grounded as he spoke to her.

"Deep breaths, Hermione," he soothed. "I've been dealing with Voldemort for years. I wouldn't underestimate him, but don't overestimate him either. While he's powerful and smart, he's also vain and petty. He has weaknesses and he's not the almighty god that he wants us to think he is. I truly believe he can be defeated, love. His arrogance blinds him. Just remember that Voldemort thrives on intimidation and terror, so whatever you do, don't succumb to it. Perhaps it would help if you imagined him in his Little Snitch Boxers."

Hermione let out a delighted whoop.

Draco grinned before turning serious. "We've gone over the plan repeatedly. The most important thing we need to convey is that you are madly in love with me and would do anything to keep me. That won't be much of a stretch," he added arrogantly. She poked him in the ribs. "Seriously, he's got to believe that we've bonded and so we have. There's no acting involved here. Just let your sisterly love for me shine through and I'll take it from there," he smiled. "You're too important to Voldemort, so he's not a mortal threat to you tomorrow. I promised Severus that I wouldn't let anything happen to you and I won't." He squeezed her hand in reassurance.

They sat in companionable silence before Hermione spoke again.

"I feel loads better. You have a way of making a girl feel very safe. I'd exploit that quality if I were you."

Draco gave her a beaming look. "Only if you play matchmaker . . . I'm afraid I'm a lonely boy with no prospects." He hung his head in mock despair.

"Do you have anyone in mind?"

Draco shook his head quickly. Too quickly. Hermione narrowed her eyes.

"Spill it, Malfoy."

Draco gave her a conspiratorial look. "Only if you promise not to tell."

Hermione giggled. This could be positively juicy. "I promise, now out with it before I explode!"

Draco looked around furtively and lowered his voice.

"Tell me about Ginny Weasley."

"Oh shit," exclaimed Hermione, in surprise.

Draco's face immediately closed down. "Forget I said that." He looked away, scarlet with embarrassment.

Hermione immediately regretted her outburst. "Look, I'm sorry. I just wasn't expecting it, that's all. So, are you telling me that you're interested in Ginny Weasley? That's . . erm . . . it's rather--"

"Complicated?"

"That's it, exactly."

Draco snorted. "Why? Because of Potter?" he asked scornfully. "Look, I respect Potter as an Auror and a 'Fighter of Evil', but really, Hermione . . . he's been absolutely appalling to her. I know you're a forgiving sort, but he's . . . "

Hermione interrupted him. "I didn't even think you knew Ginny Weasley."

"Well, I don't really. She's a . . . well, she's a Weasley for Merlin's sake!" He curled up his nose as if a house elf had just passed wind. "Why the hell would I know her? I've had a couple of interactions with her and I find her interesting, that's all."

"All this because she's 'interesting'?"

"Well, that and the fact that she has a gorgeous pair of luscious--"

"Draco!"

"I was going to say 'kneecaps'. She has a gorgeous pair of luscious kneecaps. Really, Hermione! Get your mind out of the gutter!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You were not going to say, 'kneecaps', you little wanker!" She noted the smirk on Draco's face and started laughing. When she finally stopped, she spoke seriously.

"For years the only people I could really depend on for anything were Ron and Harry. And now . . . now I have you and Severus. It's amazing, given our past, but I really love you, you know? I came out here feeling very badly and you make me believe that everything is going to work out. I'm not hyperventilating anymore."

"I'm glad to hear it. Everything will be fine." If he had any uncertainty, he didn't show it.

Hermione shook her head. "And while I can't talk to you about Harry and Ginny as it would be the worst betrayal, I'll say this: Harry hurt Ginny very badly, it's true. I love him but-" she bit her lip, before changing what she was going to say. "Ginny deserves to be a man's first priority. Let's just say that she's never experienced that before. I know what it feels like to be at the centre of someone's universe and there's nothing that can compare to it. If I thought that you might possibly be serious and might possibly have her best interests at heart, then I would support any efforts you might give to sweeping her off her feet. But I'm not so sure this isn't about Harry Potter rather than about Ginny Weasley. So, I'll reservegmengment for now."

"A ringing endorsement, if ever I heard one," he said dryly.

"It will have to do, for now. Although, you and Ginny would make beautiful babies . . . "

"Ergh."

"I thought so."

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

The following night came entirely too soon in Hermione's opinion, but she was rather gratified to see the students of Hogwarts bustling through the halls in sweet disregard as she made her way to Albus Dumbledore's office. Severus and Draco were already there.

"Are you ready?" asked the Headmaster, as he surveyed the three figures before him. They looked at him readily and nodded in unison. Hermione turned to gaze at Severus and her carefully schooled impassivity slipped a bit, her apprehension clearly apparent on her face. As he had done the night before, he reached for her hand and kissed it.

Draco drew out his pocket timepiece. "We've got fifteen minutes before we're supposed to meet with the Death Eaters at The Shrieking Shack." He looked up at Hermione. "We can do this," he added confidently.

Hermione thought back on the past twenty-four hours. After going back to the Headmaster's office and finalizing their plan, Hermione had begged Severus and Albus to allow her to spend one more night at the hunting lodge. Her lover had hesitated, but the Headmaster had readily agreed, saying that itld pld probably help calm her nerves. They needed her to be completely cool-headed. She and Severus had spent the night curled around each other, and despite her anxiety, she'd slept very peacefully. Before she left him the following morning, they'd happily made love again.

By the time they were set to leave, Hermione felt ready to face anything.

A timid knock was heard on the door and Albus opened it to allow Filius Flitwick to enter the room. Despite his appearance, the diminutive professor was a powerful wizard in his own right. His gift for dueling was legendary and he was absolutely fearless in battle, or so Hermione had heard. The fierce warrior looked up at them and squeaked, "Off to the snake's lair, are you? A more resolute bunch I've yet to see, discounting the infamous Dream Team, of course." Severus glowered at the reminder of Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. They'd been the bane of his existence for seven years, not to mention the danger they'd put Hermione in as a student. The last thing his frayed nerves needed was to be reminded of her dangerous past with Voldemort.

Hermione gave Flitwick a weak smile. "We're ready, sir."

Filius looked pointedly at Snape. "Aren't you forgetting something, Severus?"

Severus harrumphed before transforming himself into a black adder. Filius chuckled in glee and clapped his hands together. "I might have known, Severus. You're positively fatal!" The snake gave him a dismissive look and Filius suppressed another grin before instructing them on the Charm. Hermione bent to pick up Severus and he twined himself around her left arm.

"You won't feel a thing, of course, and the Charm is completely traceless," said Professor Flitwick. "Our original experiments ined Aed Albus here, and I'm afraid I played a little trick on the Headmaster. I told him that the charm had been terminated, when in fact, I'd allowed it to continue."

Albus nodded his head. "It's true, I had absolutely no idea. It wasn't until Filius appeared suddenly during my picnic in the Forbidden Forest that I realized I was still under the spell. I'm just thankful he didn't catch me in a compromising position with one of the local wood faeries."

He laughed outright at the horrified looks on everyone's faces. "I assure you, I'm only teasing," Albus said mirthfully, obviously greatly amused. Draco, in particular, couldn't hold back a shudder and sigh of relief.

Professor Flitwick waved his wand and began the incantation. Hermione felt a slight tingling around the back er her head, but it was gone in an instant. She was rather disappointed at the lack of "flashiness" of the spell, then it suddenly occurred to her that of course, that was the whole point of the spell: It was a traceless tracking charm and flashiness was to be avoided at all costs. After Filius assured the trio that the charm was in place, they set out for Hogsmeade.

Albus and Filius stayed behind to peer into a clear quartz ball, where the images of the three were clearly evident.

The night was an identical twin to the evening before, with bright moonlight and clear, quiet air. The only sounds were that of Hermione and Draco's footsteps as they walked with clasped hands towards the outskirts of Hogsmeade.

"Severus, you're driving me to distraction!" she whispered harshly.

The only answer was a sensuous movement between her breasts. She had magically sewn a secret pocket inside the front of her robes, where the thick folds would hide any outline of the residing serpent. Instead of resting there quietly, Severus had chosen to slither out of his hiding place to flick delighted little strokes of his tongue in places that were beginning to preoccupy her.

"I don't ewantwant to know," muttered Draco.

As The Shrieking Shack loomed closer, Draco noticed two figures coming out from behind a tree. He moved closer to Hermione. "Show-time, my darling," he whispered, as he nuzzled close to her ear.

"Stay where you are," growled a Death Eater, who was shaped suspiciously like Gregory Goyle. Draco was relieved at the Dark Lord's choice of minion in this instant. Gregory Goyle was as pig-ignorant as they came. He felt himself relaxing.

The other one, however, looked at them shrewdly through the slits of his mask. This one made Draco a little uneasy. He spoke quietly and Draco was a little dismayed that he did not recognize the voice.

"Dr. Granger . . . could you please move forward, away from Mr. Malfoy?"

Hermione stepped forward as the man's wand shot out from behind his robe. Draco was startled, but reacted quickly, stepping in front of her.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? Do you know who I am?" he asked with outraged arrogance.

"I'm sorry, sir. Our Lord ordered that I search her before we Apparate."

Hermione prayed that Severus was thinking fast. Her mind was whirling, but struck by a sudden inspiration, she moved backwards towards the tree, pretending to be frightened.

"Is this going to be painful?" she stalled. She could feel Severus quickly winding his way down her body, until he was finally wrapped around her ankle. She discreetly extended her foot behind her body as he slid to the ground and slithered like a shot to a spot behind the tree.

"No ma'am. It will only take a moment." The Death Eater ran his wand over her robes as she stood completely still. Draco had his own wand obviously perched in his pocket, ready for quick action should the cheeky bastard try anything funny.

Once the Death Eater had been satisfied, he nodded to Goyle. "No surprises, here. It's time to Apparate," he said. Hermione's heart was pounding as Goyle reached over to clutch her upper arms.

Then she felt him, slithering up her left leg, quick as lightening. It took all of her concentration, all of her will-power not to scream when she felt Severus hasten around her ankle . She resisted the urge to squirm as he ascended her leg.

"Thank you, Nimue," she said silently as they Apparated, with Severus Snape firmly coiled around her.

In a blink of an eye, they were gone.

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

A/N: I know I'm interrupting the action here, but there was no way to get everything in without dividing the chapter. I promise an update soon!

Thank you, Elizabeth, for all of your feedback. You're a wonderful beta-reader!
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Shattered