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Ashes of Armageddon	By : emilywaters Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Snape Views: 96542 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
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.

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Ears

Ron's sudden departure left them standing in stunned silence in the middle of the street. Severus was the first to regain his wits, and urge Harry to follow Ron to the most likely place he'd go (which would be the Burrow, or so they decided). Eventually, Harry Apparated away as well, and Severus stared at dazed and forlorn Hermione with concern. For a few minutes, she looked like she was going to come apart, and he wouldn't have blamed her, but to his surprise, she took a deep breath, and stilled herself.

�I've got to go,� she said sharply. �See you later at our place, all right?�

Before Severus had a chance to respond, she Disapparated with a loud crack.

He shook his head, and alone, went back to Hermione's home.

It was strange to return there, knowing that nobody was waiting for him inside, but the house security wards granted him access as usual. He sat down at the old kitchen table, placing his hand on its surface. For a few minutes, he sat, smiling bitterly, as an old memory resurfaced, him sitting just like that, in the same chair, with traces of blood and sweat on his clothing, while Neville polyjuiced into George was vomiting in the guest bathroom, and Hermione was raiding her potions cabinet.

Speaking of Neville... the young man was a damn good liar, Severus thought absently. Good enough to trick Tom Riddle for almost two months, good enough to keep secrets without ever saying a word to anyone, except... Neville did not appear to be lying now, not as far as Severus could tell. For the life of him, he could not see Ginny's Secret Keeper turning on her, no matter what Neville had said at this kitchen table in his moments of desperation.

Ron, however, obviously did not have that much faith in Neville. It seemed that in a moment of anger, Ron had disclosed Neville's incriminating statements to the Ministry of Magic.... except... Ron denied doing so, and Severus didn't think that Ron Weasley had been lying about that either.

If both Ron and Neville were telling the truth... what did that mean? Severus weighed the question carefully for a few minutes, and set it aside for further consideration.

So much had happened in this house, Severus thought. During the years of the Dust, as Severus had come to call them, Hermione and Ron had made their house into the headquarters of the resistance movement. Not an official movement by any means, but the impact of what they had done had changed the destiny of the entire Wizarding world. Whispered fears, half-baked, reckless plans, things said and done in this house in retrospect turned out to be more significant than any of the Order's carefully devised strategies.

Perhaps, Severus thought with a start, he was not the only one who had recognized the significance of this place. Perhaps, as the old expression went, walls had ears?

He stood up abruptly, and proceeded to scan the entire house, top to bottom, looking for surveillance spells or charmed objects.

He moved carefully and slowly, inch by inch, room by room, scanning every surface, every nook and crevice, with the fastidiousness and deliberation that his spying career had taught him. It took him several hours to search the entire place top to bottom, but in the end, he had turned up absolutely nothing.

Evening came, and he was still mulling things over, when the door opened and Hermione's voice called out to him,

�Severus! Take a look at this!�

He went to her quickly and she placed a piece of parchment into Severus' hands.

He stared at it, stunned to see an official St. Mungo's hospital record before him.

�I couldn't get to see Ginny,� Hermione said tersely. �The entire place is crawling with Aurors. The only thing I could do is lift a copy of her chart from the office. What do you think?�

Severus opened the scroll and read through it carefully, his eyebrows rising of their own accord. Hermione was watching him with concern.

�Does it say what I think it says?� she asked softly.

Severus nodded. �The level of Oblivation is remarkable,� Severus said simply. �You see, typically, Oblivation can be reversed, due to sufficient redundancy in the neural networks of the human brain, however, in this case, the perpetrators took that redundancy into account. Simply put, Ginny's memories of the last twenty-four hours have been permanently erased.�

Hermione spat out a furious obscenity.

�I should also add that something like that requires a very highly-skilled Legilimens,� Severus added reluctantly.

�Someone like you?� Hermione asked.

�Yes.�

�Or someone like Neville .. with what he had learned over the years from Christoff?� she probed, and waited for his answer with alarm.

�Possibly,� Severus admitted, �but for what it's worth, I don't think it was him.�

�Me neither,� Hermione whispered. �You know, I am just.. so angry about it all. Not just because Neville is under arrest for no good reason, after all he had been through... for the most part, because they are wasting time. Every hour that they are focusing the investigation on Neville is an hour that should be spent looking elsewhere. The longer they spend trying to squeeze information he doesn't have out of him, the smaller the chance that the children will be found... I don't think Ron understands that,� she added bitterly. �He really does think that I care about Neville's comfort more than I care about finding Hugo. Nine years, Severus, nine years together, you'd think he should know me better than that!�

�I think he does,� Severus said thoughtfully, �but like many people, he doesn't think very clearly when under tremendous pressure. Give it time. Once the children are found, it will work itself out.�

�You really think we will find them?� she asked uncertainly. Her lower lip was trembling slightly, as if she was about to burst into tears again.

�I know we will,� he assured her. �We've solved more difficult problems in the past.�

�I suppose that's true,� she agreed, �I just wish I knew where to even start looking...I'm so tired, I can't think straight myself.�

�Come on,� Severus said softly, nudging her to go upstairs. �Get some rest. We will wake up early tomorrow morning, and redouble our efforts.�

She complied with his prompting, and entered her bedroom, bidding him a quiet, miserable good night.

Severus barely made it back downstairs, when he saw a firecall coming in. He accepted it, and Harry's face appeared in the Floo.

�What a day!� Harry said, shaking his head. �How's Hermione?�

�She's understandably upset,� Severus said simply.

�Yeah, I can imagine. Ron is still fit to be tied, although he's beginning to calm down.� Harry smiled a little. �He just fell asleep half an hour ago.�

�Are you going to come over?� Severus asked, trying not to sound too hopeful, given their circumstances.

A moment later, Harry stepped out of the hearth, tumbling into Severus' embrace. �I've missed you,� Harry said softly, resting his chin on Severus' shoulder. �It's so insane. All of it.� Harry sat down on the floor right in front of the fireplace, pulling Severus to sit down next to him.

�First of all,� Harry said, �Percy was amazing. He cut through all of the red tape and took me and Ron to Ginny's place. We scanned it top to bottom, looking for clues.� Harry's face acquired a grim expression.

�And?� Severus prompted him.

�And nothing!� Harry said, exasperated. �There was nothing. The entire house had been wiped clean. We can't tell who was there, how many people, guess what spells had been cast in the house � nothing! Even the Floo records had been erased in their entirety, so we couldn't tell who Ginny had firecalled, or who had firecalled her as of late.�

�I see,� Severus mused.

Harry was staring at Severus quizzically. �What are you thinking?�

Severus shrugged. �Just trying to figure things out, Harry, but I am too tired, and too confused. It's been a long day.�

�Tell me about it,� Harry said with a sigh. �You know, I've been so sick over this, thinking of Al and Hugo every moment, I'm so bloody scared, I can't even think straight.... and with Ron freaking out, Molly and Arthur panicking, and me worrying about Hermione, and Neville... I honestly had my doubts I'd make it through the day.�

Severus reached for Harry's hand. �I must admit, you are handling all of this remarkably well. How did you make it through the day?�

Harry smiled sheepishly. �By imagining that I'd get to have you by my side at the end of it.�

�Well, you've got me now.�

�Yeah,� Harry agreed, �though I probably should go back to the Burrow. I'm worried about Ron. He's being a real bonehead.�

Disappointed, Severus nonetheless nodded in acceptance.�Let me kiss you goodnight, at least.�

Harry leaned forward and their mouths touched briefly and tentatively.

Severus smiled as Harry's hands took a hold of him, and their kiss deepened on its own. A moment later, Harry was clinging to him with wild desperation, as Harry's mouth was kneading against Severus' lips with anguished ferocity. Severus responded in kind, as his hands trailed along Harry's body, seeking out comfort in the contact with the familiar form. There was no cautious deliberation or awkward tenderness in the meeting of their bodies this time. There was only the raw, feral need, and the almost innocent trust that the other would understand, and accept it.

The explosion of desperation turned desire was so sudden that neither of them had the presence of mind to move their activities to the guest room. In front of Hermione's hearth in the living room, they stripped each other of their clothing, and clung to each other, trembling fingers digging into nervous flesh, mouths meeting hungrily, and kissing with bruising force.

�Need you,� Harry whispered, when their lips parted for a second. His voice broke at the admission.

�I know,� Severus said hoarsely. �Me too.�

�You do?� Harry seemed shocked by his confession.

Severus nodded mutely. Their extended family, and their entire world were crumbling apart, and all Severus wanted to do was to hold on to at least some part of it, and keep it as near as possible. Harry seemed to feel the same way. For the moment, all they had was each other.

After that, words failed them altogether. The awareness of Harry's arousal held Severus in its thrall. He twisted in Harry's arms, freed himself from his grip, and assumed an unambiguous position on his hands and knees. For a brief second Harry hesitated, and perhaps not surprisingly so, as never in their time together, had Severus made an offer like that to him. Sensing that Harry was about to question him, Severus said simply,

�Need you. With me.�

He shut his eyes and focused entirely on the physical sensation. There was a quick lubrication spell. Harry's fingers reached inside. A brief discomforting sensation of penetration appeared but quickly vanished, replaced with a brilliant explosion of pleasure that obliterated everything else, as Harry's fingertips had located that, and brushed against it.

�Good?� Harry asked, sounding a little breathless.

�Yes. More.�

�Right.�

Even in his dazed, feral state, Harry was careful, but when they merged together at last, it still hurt some. However, Severus was too far gone to care, or even notice, as there was simply too much of everything else going on. Harry's mouth was on his back, licking greedily and kissing somewhere between the shoulderblades. Harry's left hand was in Severus' hair, half caressing it, half-tugging at it. Harry's right arm was wrapped around Severus' body, the sweaty palm stroking his chest, fingers coming in contact with gruesome deformities that had been concealed by Glamour charms for the past four and a half years. Everything was happening at once, and none of it mattered. The only thing that mattered was the primal, desperate need, seeking to fulfill itself.

With every thrust, Harry was issuing disbelieving, sobbing, plaintive noises, as if terrified that something was about to be taken away from him. Severus sensed, rather than felt the moment when Harry finally climaxed inside him, and slumped on top of him. Severus did not fold underneath him, but continued to stand on his hands and knees, bearing and supporting all of Harry's weight on his back, while Harry proceeded to catch his breath.

Harry issued a deep half-sigh, half-sob, and finally slid off to the floor. Only then, Severus stretched himself out in front of the hearth, lying on his back, staring up at his young lover. There were tears streaming from the green eyes down Harry's cheeks, mingling with sweat. Harry's flushed face was absolutely transparent, with every worry, fear and insecurity on display.

Harry's hand rested on Severus' bare shoulder.

�You won't leave me, will you?� Harry asked in an incredibly brittle voice that threatened to break any moment.

�No,� Severus said tiredly. He wanted to say something truly reassuring, but his eyes were growing heavy and his entire body ached from the exertion.

He reached for his robe, and wrapped it around himself. Next to him, Harry began getting dressed as well.

�I just wish I could stay the night with you,� Harry said petulantly.

�Me too,� Severus agreed. �But for what it's worth, I think you should be with Ron. Neither he nor Hermione should be left on their own right now. They aren't thinking clearly.�

�Really?� Harry asked. �What did Hermione do?�

�Other than breaking into St. Mungo's confidential medical records, and stealing Ginny's chart, not a thing,� Severus said dryly.

�Wow,� Harry whispered quietly. �Think she placed someone under Imperius to do that?�

�I wouldn't be surprised.�

�She'll lose her job with the Ministry, if...�

�Harry,� Severus interrupted him with a rueful smile. �I don't think she cares.�

Harry grinned sadly, and wrapped his arms around him. �Guess not. I'll see you first thing tomorrow morning, all right?�

�All right,� Severus agreed, pushing him gently away. �Now go.�

Harry's lips pressed to the crown of his head.

�I love you so much,� Harry whispered. �Want to stay with you. Ask me to stay with you, and I will. The hell with Ron. He's being an imbecile today.�

Severus laughed out loud in spite of himself. �Go, Harry,� he said again, and pushed him gently towards the hearth.

�Damn you,� Harry muttered, but a moment later, stepped into the flames.

When Harry departed, Severus walked to the guest room, and got dressed.

He sat down on the bed in silence, and replayed the revelations of the evening in his mind.

Ginny's Olbivation was extremely competent and well-executed.

The crime scene had been wiped clean with stunning professionalism.

St. Mungo's was crawling with Aurors, preventing anyone from seeing Ginny.

Neville's private disclosures made at Hermione's and Ron's place were somehow known to the Ministry of Magic, but Severus believed that Ron was not the one responsible for it.

He would have been tempted to suspect the involvement of the Ministry of Magic in the abduction, but he had no proof, and Hermione's house was free of surveillance spells of any sort. He frowned, deep in thought. Something did not fit, he thought, but what? If only he could locate the puzzle piece that did not fit, he could have a starting point for his investigation.

He stepped back into the living room, and his eyes fell on Hugo's puzzle, still scattered on the floor. He picked up a random piece. It bit him, of course, but he did not drop it. For a minute, Severus simply held the offending item in his palm, and stared at it, smiling.

He wondered why some pieces of the puzzle appeared to be heavier than others. It was a random, odd detail, but there was no logical reason for it that he could come up with.

Maybe this was it.

Maybe the puzzle was the piece that did not fit, he thought with a wry smirk. With a quick flick of the wand, he collected the puzzle into the box, and stepped into the Floo, heading to Spinner's End.

When he arrived to his home at Spinner's End, Severus dumped the pieces of the three-dimensional puzzle onto his dining table. He started picking them up, one by one, inspecting them. The blasted things were biting him for all their worth, but finally Severus found a piece that was clearly heavier than the others. He held it between his fingertips and flicked his wand, slicing the puzzle piece open.

The piece opened, revealing a hidden center.

�Hello, there,� Severus said, staring at it thoughtfully.

It was an odd merging of Muggle technology and magic. The surveillance �bug� was Muggle in nature, something that would not be detected by a wizard scanning for surveillance spells. It used Muggle means to record and transmit information. However, the discrete, benign spells placed on it enhanced the audio reception, and compensated for the presence of ambient magic that usually rendered Muggle technology ineffective in the Wizarding world.

Severus smiled sadly. Arthur Weasley's fascination with Muggle artifacts had apparently made an impact on Percy Weasley, who had bugged the puzzle before giving it to Hugo as a birthday gift.

Severus cleared his throat, and addressed the puzzle piece:

�Mr. Percy Weasley, this is Severus Snape. I believe we need to talk. Why don't you drop by my place at the Spinner's End at your earliest convenience? I suggest that you come alone, as I will be as well. I do not think we need to involve anyone else in this at this point, or perhaps... ever.�

He leaned back in the chair, folded his arms on his chest and closed his eyes. He suspected he would not have to wait very long.

TBC....

Dear readers, please note that I have updated warnings in the story summary.

Thanks.

Em.

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Ashes of Armageddon