Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Necessary Sacrifices	By : magentasouth Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Hermione/Voldemort Views: 31254 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I neither own nor profit from any part of the Harry Potter universe

Chapter List
- 1-Ch 1
- 2-Ch 2
- 3-Ch 3
- 4-Ch 4
- 5-Ch 5
- 6-Ch 6
- 7-Ch 7
- 8-Ch 8
- 9-Ch 9
- 10-Ch 10
- 11-Ch 11
- 12-Ch 12
- 13-Ch 13
- 14-Ch 14
- 15-Ch 15
- 16-Ch 16
- 17-Ch 17
- 18-Ch 18
- 19-Ch 19
- 20-Ch 19b
- 21-Ch 20
- 22-Ch 22
- 23-Ch 23
- 24-Ch 24
- 7
- 8
- 9
Hermione sat in charms feeling worried.� There was an empty place beside her where Harry
should have sat.� Ron was looking like he
might do something stupid any second and Ginny had been frantic at
breakfast.�

Perhaps Professor Snape had somehow injured Harry during occlumency training, she mused.� She would check the infirmary after
class.�

Professor Flitwick didn�t seem at
all concerned about Harry�s absence so she presumed he�d been informed
somehow.�

Harry hadn�t skipped class then.�

She glanced at Draco.�
He was paying bored attention to the tiny teacher instructing them on
ordering and sorting charms.�

She knew that this was Draco�s strongest subject.� He tied with her sometimes.� For him to manage that, he was probably
almost as far ahead of the material as she was.

Draco hadn�t looked at her twice since he got back from the Dark Lord and she
was a bit put out.� She had actually
hoped he might be someone she could talk to here
about everything.�

Aside from his snittyness in Professor Snape�s lab
(which had given her satisfaction) and that look he�d given her after she�d
heard about Professor Snape�s Tryst with Tom, he seemed to be ignoring her
completely.�

She wondered if Tom had ordered him to behave that way or if he was just
naturally a git.�

Well of course he was just naturally a git.. but Tom might have ordered it.��

Five minutes left in class.�
She fiddled with her quill impatiently. �

Tom had blown her off when she�d asked about his sleeping with Professor Snape.
He�d just said �it was nothing of consequence.� And further probing had
revealed very little.�

She wanted to ask Professor Snape but for obvious reasons that couldn�t happen.�

Finally Professor Flitwick set the
homework and released them.�

Ron grabbed her arm as if she were about to escape or something any second and
stage whispered. �We have to go and save Harry.�
The git has done something to him, I know it!��

She frowned slightly

�Ronald.. we don�t know where
Harry is but I�m going to find out � don�t worry.� Tell Professor Sprout that I went to the
infirmary, ok.� I�ll catch up with you at
lunch and let you know.��

Ron looked unhappy with this plan.

�No Mione.. you go to class
and I�ll look for Harry.� If.. if the git�s got him he�ll hurt
you too��

She rolled her eyes exasperated. �Ronald Weasley � stop
calling Professor Snape a git. He is not
doing anything to Harry �

- Its logical for me to go since I�m his assistant anyway and can get into his
lab �

...also you have been known to ditch
class and Professor Sprout will check up on you if I say you�ve gone to the
infirmary. Now stop being silly.� I�ll
see you at lunch.��

She reclaimed her arm and bustled off before he could stop
her or demand to come along.�

She had no intention of trailing Ron around with her.� If Professor Snape had done something (perhaps unintentionally..
or whatever..) to Harry then having� Ron
there to help would be like putting out a fire with gasoline.�

Not finding Harry in the infirmary she made her way down to Professor
Snape�s quarters.�

She was just turning down toward the dungeons when Professor Dumbledore met her
coming in the other direction.� He smiled
brightly upon seeing her and his blue eyes twinkled disconcertingly.

�Ah Miss Granger!� he greeted and then frowned mock reprovingly� �..I believe you are scheduled to be
in class at present, are you not?� Are
you perhaps rebelling?��

She blinked.� That was
an interesting choice of phrase.�

She allowed the natural guilt and surprise to flood her face to cover the unnatural guilt and surprise in light of
her recent betrayal.

�Yes Headmaster.� I�m sorry � Harry was
missing from class and I wanted to check with Professor Snape to make sure he
was there.��

She looked down, worrying her lip.�

�Your devotion is admirable Miss Granger.� Harry is indeed with Professor Snape.� They will be working on occlumency
all day today.��

She forced herself not to swallow the lump in her throat at
the word devotion.� Did Dumbledore know?!.. was
this coincidental?!

He spoke again �It is not the end of the world to miss a few
classes, I suppose.� I am confident you
are quite adept at seeking out knowledge independently.��

Her mind froze in terror.

Dumbledore smiled kindly at her. �As it is, it is convenient
that I have run into you, Hermione.� I
have been meaning to speak with you.�
Since the mystery with Harry has obviously been solved and Professor
Sprout is not expecting you in class..perhaps you
could come with me to my office now?��

Hermione nodded numbly. �Yes headmaster.� I�d be pleased to.�

Dumbledore chatted with her the entire way to his office
about the times he�d caught students out of class as a Professor and the
excuses he�d been offered.� She smiled
and it was quite funny but inside her
head she was panicking like a little bird caught in a net.��

When she finally sat in the wide armchair opposite the headmaster by the fire
and he offered her a tea she refused, thanking him graciously.�

Nono..
she didn�t want a lemon drop either thank you
headmaster.� She didn�t want to eat or
drink anything here.�

Dumbledore twinkled at her and took a lemon drop for
himself.�

�Hermione..� he began slowly, a
thoughtful expression on his face �I regret that I have been so preoccupied in
recent years with Harry and the war that I have not taken the time to show you
what a shining talent I believe you to be.�
I have been lax in my advancing years, taking for granted that you would
be content to patiently inch along with your peers, working on material that is
far and away too basic for your level
of ability � I have been pleased to watch you assist young Harry and Ron, and
to a lesser extent others, to become what they might not have succeeded in
becoming without you.�

Harry might not live today, if it were not for your support.��

Hermione listened, feeling thrown entirely off balance.� This was not what she had expected.�

Dumbledore went on, his blue eyes appraising her
silently.�

�It is true.. I have observed you to make
somewhat...dubious.. choices
at times in the past - Poor Marietta Edgecomb a case
in point � however you have always done so in defense
of yourself or those you cared for.� You
have understood, as Harry never has, that at times sacrifices must be made for
the greater good.��

Hermione started to feel chilled, despite the warmth of the
fire.�

�And that is why I feel that I might be able to make a
request of you which would require a rather large sacrifice on your part.��

�The hairs stood up on
the back of her neck with a prickling sensation.�

�Headmaster?� she asked hollowly.�

He smiled sadly.� �I
am well aware of how very much you mean to young Harry, Hermione.� He truly loves you.� The portraits inform me that you both came to
an.. understanding.. of sorts yesterday.��

She blushed redly.� Oh
gods damn it.� Stupid
bloody spies all over the walls.�
�Yes sir� she responded in a small voice.�

�I do not know if you are aware, Hermione, but Lord
Voldemort recently threatened to abduct you.�
He showed Harry...terrible things.. in a dream � things he said he would do to you.��

Dumbledore paused and looked into the fire.�
His face looked much more serious.. dark even.�

His eyes were not twinkling when he next spoke.�

�And after much thought and soul searching I have decided that it would be best
for Harry if you were abducted, Hermione...�

He would be forced to recognise the seriousness of the present situation.. he would be forced to grow up.��

Hermione actually felt her jaw drop to its maximal
depth.� She was speechless.� Did Dumbledore just say he was going to hand
her over to Voldemort!?� What. The. Fuck?!

He looked at her and then seemed to realise something.
�Oh!� Oh no, my dear � I do not mean to
allow you to really be abducted.. only to give the impression that
you had been.� I thought to move you to a
hidden location where you will be even more secure than you are within
Hogwarts, and to allow all to believe that you were taken by the death
eaters.� As Harry is now being occluded
by Professor Snape, Lord Voldemort will be unable to inform him to the
contrary.��

She realised that this..amazingly
enough was actually worse than Dumbledore
handing her over to the Dark Lord.� She
would be locked away somewhere with no access to Harry or Professor Snape and expecially not to Tom.�
This was terrible!!�

She responded panicked �But Headmaster � You said yourself - Harry needs
me!� And I�ve just started brewing for Professor
Snape and.. and NEWTs are
coming up next year � I�ll miss all my classes!!��

She tried to breathe but it was like her throat was closing.�

�There there, calm down my dear� Dumbledore leaned forward
and patted her hand.� She wanted to
scream at him that she wasn�t his dear.�
She was only Tom�s dear.�

He sounded hard and certain and coldly reasonable. �Harry must learn to act without you, Hermione.� He is still behaving like a child when soon
enough he will have to face one of the strongest wizards in the world.�

As for your NEWTs � as I hear it you are far
ahead of the required material Hermione.�
I will provide you with every academic resource you might desire.�

Perhaps you might utilize your free time beside your study to work on private
projects.� Goodness knows we�d all love
more time away from the more bothersome duties to allow our creativity to truly
take wing.� I�m certain you will get a
lot out of it.��

Her eyes widened.�
AUGH!� He was placating her with
the same thing she�d advised Tom to placate Severus with.�

That was surely no coincidence.�

�and Professor Snape?� she said in a tiny unhappy
voice.�

The Headmaster sighed and leaned back in his chair
pensively.� �You wish to continue to
assist him, I�m sure, Hermione?�

She nodded miserably.�

After a long while the Headmaster responded.�

�Very well.. I will have a potions lab installed at
your intended destination and you may brew all potions required for the
infirmary.. and perhaps some
of those which Professor Snape brews for the order.� I will inform him that I have delegated the
task elsewhere.��

Hermione wanted to cry.�
She would never be able to brew dark potions wherever the headmaster put
her.� There would almost certainly be
someone checking on her. AND she�d still have to brew the boring easy potions
for the infirmary.� She�d never get to brew Gray�s poisons with Professor
Snape..�

In end effect she was being placed in the luxury version of Azkaban, whatever
the headmaster said.�

She was almost convinced that he knew what she�d done and was getting rid of
her so that she couldn�t spy for Tom.��

�Where will I go?� she asked, wanting to cry.

Dumbledore smiled brightly. �It�s a little mountain chalet
that I possess on the continent.� A
wonderful place � you�ll be able to walk in the forest and I believe there is
even a freshwater lake for you to swim in.�
Do not worry, Hermione � you will be quite comfortable there.��

She nodded.�

�Alone?� she asked, unsure whether it would be better or worse to be
alone.�

The headmaster nodded. �I�m sorry my dear, yes.� I do not wish to share your location with anyone.. I
could not stand the thought of Lord Voldemort discovering you.�

But I will see that your familiar is transported after you..
perhaps a week after you arrive, to allow for a
reasonable period of hope that your fate might not have been that of
abduction.��

The headmaster wanted to prevent Tom from finding her.� He would put her somewhere where she could
not be found. �

�When will I leave?�� She breathed. ��

�Well... � the Headmaster said
slowly. �There is no time like the present I suppose.��

Full scale panic broke out inside her.� Wild extreme burning
freezing screaming and running panic.�
Run!! Run!!!! A voice screamed out inside her head.�

�May I go to my room first?� she asked, petrified.

The headmaster frowned. �I think it would be better if you
did not, Hermione.� It should look as if
you have vanished without packing, when we check your things.��

And now she did burst into tears.

�May I not even take my photos?� she whimpered.�
Or my letters � what difference would it make � nobody knows they are
there anyway! �

I don�t want anyone going through my things � I have letters from Victor in
there!�

It�s bad enough that I have to give up everything here, my friends, Harry, Professor
Snape, the library � and go off to some bloody mountain alone - but to have
everyone rifling through my stuff and talking about what I did or didn�t want
to do with Victor or just what I might have written about my friends when I was
in a mood with them.� It�s not fair Headmaster!!�
��

Professor Dumbledore leaned forward and took her limp hand,
patting it gently.�

�No.. I�m sorry Hermione.� It isn�t� he said shortly and stood.�

A moment later there was a massive shift around them and she realised he�d lowered the wards around Hogwarts.� She�d never felt such a massive ward
shift.� Her eyes widened and she didn�t
even have time to pull away, let alone draw her wand and activate the necklace,
before he was apparating them both away.�

They reappeared on a grassy slope and she fell down hard,
the chair that had been beneath her now gone.�

She looked up terrified.�
The sky was wide and cobalt blue.�
Small fluffy clouds drifted across it.�
The grass she sat in was tall and fragrant.�

The headmaster inhaled deeply and smiled beatifically �Mountain
air.� Wonderful!��

He looked down at her and his forehead crinkled sadly.� �I apologise Hermione, but sometimes these
things are best done quickly.� If you
follow the rise behind you you will come to the
chalet.� Inside is everything you could
possibly need.� A potions lab will be
installed in the next few days.�� I must
return to Hogwarts now � it does not do to allow the wards to remain down for
any longer than a few minutes at a time.�

Please do not attempt to venture beyond the blue marked posts � I have set
powerful wards to protect this area from detection and penetration.� For that reason neither patronus
nor owl will find you here.� Similarly,
your own magic will not be able to escape the wards.� If you have need of me � you may contact me
using an enchanted mirror I have set up for you in the study of the
chalet.�

I may not always be available to speak to you, therefore if you have a message
and cannot reach me, please pin a note to the surface of the mirror and I will
see it when I return.��

Good luck my dear.. I am so very sorry that it had to
come to this.��

And without waiting a minute further he had turned and disapparated
on the spot.�

She immediately drew her wand and activated the
necklace.�

There was no discernable reaction.� �

Not that there would have been had she been elsewhere � but she somehow knew
that it had not transmitted outside of this place.� It was as Dumbledore had said � magic did not
penetrate the shield.�

The realisation hit her - how completely and utterly trapped
she was and how stupid she had been not to have immediately activated the
necklace when the Headmaster started talking of her abduction.�

She had calmly sat there and discussed it with him, as if she could talk her
way out of the situation and just go back to class.�

FUCK!!� FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCK!!�

She was sitting on a fucking hillside god knows where � it could be
Switzerland, Austria, France, Italy, Germany.. it could be any bloody place.�

It could be freaking Canada and she�d
have no way of knowing.��

She was just.. dropped
here.�

Tom would be furious when she didn�t write again.�

Oh god.. what if the Headmaster
found her diary and somehow managed to use it to trick him?!� NO!!�
She wanted to go back!� It was a
mistake!� She didn�t want to let Tom be
killed.� He couldn�t die!��

She got to her feet and ran up the hill almost fearing that
there would be no chalet � that Dumbledore would have just dropped her on a
penned in area on a hillside and left her there to starve or freeze unseen by
the outside world, but no � a large brown wooden building appeared some way up
the hill as she topped the rise and she raced to it.�

She ran through the rooms of the place at high speed and
true enough there was everything she would need here to be comfortable, to keep
herself busy.� The study had a well
stocked library (entirely without anything even slightly dark of course) and
the kitchen had cornucopia charms on the fridge � her goods would replenish
themselves from wherever Dumbledore was sourcing her food.�

She made a mental note of that and kept looking.�

The room that was to be her bedroom had a single bed with a canopy.�

It looked.. almost exactly
how she would imagine decorating a room designed for �a little Gryffindor princess�.� There was an abundance of red and gold and
lots of frilly pillows.�

There was a teddy bear on the bed...�

The wardrobe was full of clothing, both muggle and wizarding in her size,
although at the end of the closet she saw much smaller sizes too.� How long had Dumbledore been planning this, she wondered.

The house was quite comfortable - If you ignored the absence
of any means of communicating with the outside world.� She plopped herself down on the sofa and
allowed herself to have a good cry.

There was a great yawning temptation in her to just give up.�

The Dark Lord was extremely concerned.� He�d felt Hermione suddenly panicking. ��She had been anxious, which had drawn his
attention.. then suddenly her
distress became acute and many times greater than it had been with Harry Potter�s
awkward little kiss or the Malfoy boy�s attack.�
She was terribly afraid and
then.. then she had been
gone.� The sensation had winked out as if
snuffed and he could feel her no more.�

He was sitting at his desk trying to think.�

He had just burned his diary, incinerating hers in the process.� It was possible she had been discovered..

He could not tell whether the ending of her signal was due to her death.� The necklace she wore could not be removed by
foreign hand.� Either the girl had to
remove it herself or ask someone to remove it for her.� It was a peculiarity of the stone within it �
an aspect of its protective nature.�

It was possible she had been forced to remove it � it would account for her
terror.��

He wanted to know what had happened to her..

After deliberation he decided to call upon the Malfoy
boy.� To question Severus would be to
reveal the girl�s position to him and he suspected that might be quite unwise
with the man�s preoccupation with her.�

It took half an hour before young Malfoy apparated into his study and he crucioed him immediately in fury for making him wait.�

�What took you so long, useless boy?!� When I call � I require your presence
immediately.��

The boy bleated excuses about needing to get out of class
and having to leave school grounds.� He
waved them away with a gesture.�

�Something has happened to Miss Granger� he informed him quickly. ��I was monitoring her and she has..disappeared.� She
was..very afraid before it happened.� You are to go immediately and discover what
has occurred with her.� Do not allow Severus to know of any of
this!��

The boy looked alarmed and nodded, disapparating
immediately, not even stopping to bow.�

He threw himself down in his chair angrily.� If that damned old goat or his little order
had harmed Hermione...

He fumed.� The girl belonged to him.

He hated to have his possessions taken � even those.. especially those he�d stolen.�

Draco ran the whole way back through the forbidden forest,
disillusioning himself when he reached the treeline
and limping his way back up the hill, forcing his body to comply through the
pain.

How was he supposed to find out what happened to the
mudblood?!� He wasn�t a Gryffindor � he
couldn�t exactly check her room.� He didn�t
have astronomy with her so he had no idea where she�d be for the next
period.�

He could hardly go to the Headmaster and ask whether the order had done
anything with her.�

What the hell was he supposed to do?!�

He stopped and then concentrated and summoned a broom from
the quiddich supply closet.�

A minute later it sailed through the air to him and he mounted it and flew up
to the dorms of Gryffindor tower looking through the windows to see if he could
see her anywhere.�

He had no idea which room was hers and she wasn�t in any of them. It was
difficult to see through the mullioned panes of the common room windows but he
was sure she wasn�t among the few students in there.�

He landed and abandoned the broom, rushing into the castle
and going to the Great Hall.�

Severus and the headmaster were missing from the head table, he noted.�

That wasn�t the best sign. �

The two weasels were at lunch but Potty and the mudblood were not with
them.� They both looked worried and the weaselette was gripping her brother�s arm as if to stop him
from charging off.

As if something she�d said had set him off, he suddenly tore his arm away and
charged out of the room, not even noticing Draco standing there in his
urgency.�

The weaselette sat and looked distraught, wringing her
hands indecisively.�

Draco turned and followed Weasley.� Perhaps he would lead to the mudblood.� His behaviour wasn�t normal anyway.. even for him.� ��

He found himself following him down into the dungeons and realised where they
were headed.�

He disillusioned himself once again and followed at a safe distance.�

It wasn�t a big surprise when Weasley started banging on his
godfather�s chamber door and yelling for him to open up.�

It was surprising that
it took a bloody long time for the door to open and admit the weasel.�

He crept forward but it was closed again before he got there and the perfect
silencing charms on his godfather�s quarters made listening pointless.�

He was leaning against the opposite wall of the corridor
when pothead came racing out, in teeshirt and jeans
and barefoot and pelted up the
corridor at top speed toward the upper levels.

The weasel followed him a moment later yelling for him to wait for him.�

The door remained open and after a few second his godfather came to the
door.� He looked distressed and off
kilter, his hair was-...�

Draco gaped and then turned to stare down the corridor after
Potter.�

Had the pothead been.. been shagging his godfather?!..

Sweet fucking Salazar..that was almost as fucked up as
the mudblood sucking off the Dark Lord.�

�Draco.. In here.� now!�

Severus voice was icy.�

His head whirled back to look at the man who was glaring at
him poisonously from the doorway. ��He
flinched.�

Shit.� He�d seen him.�

There was no point in remaining disillusioned so he dropped the spell and slunk
past the threatening mien of the potions master.

No sooner was the door closed than Severus was rounding on
him and bore down, herding him against the opposite wall.�

He panicked and reacted with self protective instincts, holding his hands up in
surrender �Hey! steady on!� What the hell, Severus?!� I just followed the weasel down here because
he was acting bloody weird in the great hall.�
What�s happened?!� Why are you
angry with me?!��

He heard the word his godfather spat and felt his mind forcibly breached.� He barely
managed through excessive will power to keep his thoughts focused on Granger in
class and Granger in the great hall and the Dark Lord before this week.�

By the time Severus pulled out, Draco was physically exhausted and slid down
the wall panting.�

Severus looked at him suspiciously. �Feeling..unwell, Draco?�
he asked with false concern.� �been under the Dark Lord�s wand lately?��

He looked up unwillingly and spat �You know I have, you
prat.� I saw him yesterday when he
assigned me to do all your busywork.� He never lets me out of there without
punishment.��

His godfather�s face softened somewhat and he extended a
hand to help him up.�

�I apologise Draco.� I am..concerned.� Weasley
informed me that Miss Granger was apparently definitely on her way to speak
with me over an hour ago and did not arrive.�
She is not known to often decide on whim to do other than announced, much less so when she is concerned about that
thrice damned boy.� If you know of
anything � you will speak now!��

Draco looked at his godfather with unease. �I have no idea
where Granger is� he said honestly �But why do you even care, Severus?! �...You�re
worrying me..�

He stopped, afraid that he�d revealed too much.�

His godfather�s face flashed a stricken expression for a moment and then
shifted to blankness.

�Draco, you are uninformed as to the interrelation of
events.� It is not your place to question
me.��

Draco sneered, disgusted.�

It was Severus who was uninformed.

Damn it.. He was beginning to think the Dark Lord was
right.� His godfather might be a traitor.
He wanted it not to be so.

�Fine.� He snarled and pushed past Severus, striding
to the door and letting himself out.�

Outside he immediately turned up toward the upper
levels.� He had to find out what Potter
and the others were doing.� Someone would
tell them what was going on if Granger had been taken by the order.� At least.. they probably would.�

He walked back into the Great Hall.. the three objects of his interest were gone.�

As if a gift from the fates, Potter raced into room after him and spun racing
back out again with the weasels.� �He�s
not there.� Come on.� His office��

Draco disillusioned himself again and gave chase.�

They went to the headmaster�s office.�� As he neared the weaslette
was asking something and her brother said. �She isn�t on the map.� That means she�s either not in Hogwarts
anymore or.. or..�

Potter almost shrieked �She�s not
dead!� Don�t even say it!� She.. she just went to Hogsmeade
or...or something.. She�s fine!�

The gargoyle leaped aside a moment later and the three raced up the
stairs.�

Draco turned and saw his godfather storming up the corridor.� He surreptitiously stepped back into an
alcove, pressing into the shadow.� So
long as he didn�t move suddenly or stand in bright light, he would..probably.. be undetected.�

He let himself slide down the wall to sit and wait.�

It didn�t take too long.�
The two weasel siblings came out without potty. The weaselette
was crying and her brother didn�t look too bloody far off it himself.�

This wasn�t reassuring.�
Whatever had happened to Granger � it wasn�t some innocent
misunderstanding.� She was either dead or
discovered he figured.�

He stood carefully, ignoring his protesting muscles, and
trailed after them, keeping to the shadows.�

�-this happen?!�
How could they even get her inside Hogwarts?! �What will happen to her?!� the weaselette sobbed.�

Weasel the senior looked like he was having trouble holding himself together.
His voice was raw and shaky. �We�ll get her back, Gin. We..
we have to.. If... if he hurts her, I�ll..fuck..we..we�ll
just get her back, ok.� Harry will come
up with a plan or something.�

The girl wailed. �But..what
happened?! How did they get her in the middle of the day inside school?!� I thought we were safe!!� I thought Harry was SAFE
here!��

Draco stopped, shocked.�

It didn�t sound like they thought Hermione was dead or that she�d betrayed
them.� It sounded like they thought that she�d been abducted by death
eaters.�

They were talking like it was a given.�

What the hell had Dumbledore told them?�
Why would they think that?!�

The two he was following let themselves into the portrait
hole.�

He supposed that it could be just a lie so as not to upset
everyone with the idea that Granger had turned on them.

Either Granger was missing on her own steam � but that didn�t explain why the
weasels sounded so convinced- or she was taken by the order and they were lying
about what happened to her.�

Or.. he
supposed.. she might be dead and they had decided to
blame it on the Dark Lord.�

He considered waiting around for Potter..

He couldn�t go to his godfather � the man was already suspicious of his
involvement and he wasn�t acting right when it came to the girl.� He might do something violent if he thought Draco
might know more than he had found earlier.�
He doubted that Potter would talk to him if he approached.. and he�d hardly talk to himself if he came out alone.� Neither Severus nor the Headmaster would be
likely to discuss whatever had happened in the halls... there was probably no
point to waiting around..

Decided, Draco made his way back to the Dark Lord.

It was his fault!� Severus
berated himself internally.�

No!� No it was bloody Potter�s fault..

no.. he should have known
better.� It was his fault.� He shouldn�t have
given in to temptation and become distracted with the boy.� He might have been able to prevent whatever
had occurred if he had not been locked in his quarters buried in the damn boy�s
throat.�

He climbed the stairs to the headmaster�s office with his head in chaos. �Halfway up, he stopped and struggled to master
himself.� He
couldn�t walk in there like this.�

The events of this morning would be known to Albus if the bloody boy had
stormed in there in a state like he himself was in, however there was the
matter of the Dark Lord�s project and his ..offer.. he couldn�t let that information slip out now.� It would beg the question of why he had not
shared it yesterday.�

He took a deep breath and centred himself, then continued
on.�

At the door he met with the two Weasley children.� They were in a terrible state.� He felt a painful clench in his chest and
stepped into the room without knocking.

�Ah Severus� Albus acknowledged sadly.
�I had wondered when you would come.� I
am afraid the news is not good.� Miss Granger
is no longer on the school grounds.�

And.. I thought it best not to share this with Ronald
or Ginevra but.. I found this at the entrance of the dungeons on my way to visit you
regarding Harry�s training.��

The headmaster reached into a drawer and pulled out a piece of black
fabric.�

There were darker wet patches on it.�

Potter... raced forward to look at it.

�it is a piece of her robe.� The
Headmaster explained.� �The blood is
hers.� It appears to have been ripped
off, perhaps during a struggle.� There
were several spatters on the flagstones near it also.� At present, barring any further evidence, I
am forced to assume that Hermione has been abducted by agents of Lord Voldemort.��

Harry dropped to his knees, his hands tearing at his hair.
�She.. she can�t be.� It�s a mistake. She..
I...please..��

He looked to the headmaster and turned back to look up at Severus
pleadingly.� �She isn�t... say she isn�t...hasn�t
been... he doesn�t have her!.� Test it and make sure its
hers! Please!!��

Severus had been thinking almost the same thing and reached
for the garment.�

The headmaster offered it freely.� �Yes Severus.� Test it.�
I have performed my own tests that have assured me it is her blood but
it is always useful to have a second opinion.�

Severus frowned. �Albus.. I.. must leave.� I
need to go to him to try to ascertain
what has happened to her.��

The headmaster looked sad.�

�Do you believe he will tell you the truth, Severus?!� If he did not inform you of the imminent
attack, he is unlikely to bring you into the loop now.�

I am deeply saddened by this development.�
Hermione Granger was the brightest..most
promising..student I have encountered in many, many,
years.� If she should perish in this
unfortunate manner it would be a tragic waste.��

�Stop it!� Harry cried.�
Severus could see the boy was beginning to fall apart�

�Stop saying that.� Stop talking like
she�s going to die � she�s going to be fine!�
I�ll get her back.� I�ll.. She�s not a waste of a promising student she�s an amazing
person � better than everyone else I�ve ever met!� I love her! After this is over I�m going to
marry her!! She can�t die!� I won�t let
her!� He can�t have her!�

Harry turned and looked up at him pleadingly again as if by force of will Severus
could bring her back.�

�Go and find out what�s happening.. please Snape!� If.. if she�s there � bring her back!!��

Severus nodded and blinked, startled.� At what point had he started taking orders
from Harry bloody Potter?!

He frowned and looked up at the headmaster.�

Albus was watching them both calculatingly. �

Severus swallowed. �Will you cancel my classes, headmaster?� I will go now, if you are agreeable.�

The headmaster nodded once, but his eyes were hard and
entirely twinkle free.� �You will come to
me the minute you return, Severus.�
Before you do anything else I
will see you here in my office.� Go
now.��

Severus looked down at the boy on his knees below him and
experienced a momentary incongruous wish to take him into his arms and comfort
him.

He knew exactly how it felt to have the one you loved torn away violently.� He only hoped that this would not be a repeat
of that experience.�

If the Dark Lord had Hermione..�

He looked at the suddenly small and broken boy again.�

Would he kill him to save her life?�

He wasn�t certain now.�

If this had happened yesterday there would have been no hesitation in his
response.� But..
the complexion of things was slightly different now
after this morning.�

He tried to tell himself that it wasn�t but knew he was deluding himself.� This..whatever it
was that had flared up between them abruptly.. was
just one more thing.. one more weight in support of
saving the boy. ��The promises he�d made..Lilly..and now that raw need in
the boy�s eyes.�

He decided that..yes.. if the
Dark Lord were to promise him Hermione.. perhaps he
might..but he would prefer that not to be the turn
events took.��

He turned on his heel and marched out.�

Hermione�
sat in the study of the chalet and wrote on a piece of
parchment.� She had positioned the mirror
so that she could see into it but her own writing was hidden.� She did not want her actions to be
viewed.�

She was writing down everything she knew about her
environment...that is � the environment within the chalet.�

She didn�t want to set out to try and find the perimeter this late in the
afternoon in case she ended up stuck somewhere all night.�

No matter how bloody clever the headmaster had been in
designing the place, she had nothing better to do with her time than come up
with a way to escape and she would
succeed. If she could just find an angle.�

As far as she could see there were only really three options
to get out.�

Either she could find a way to bring down the perimeter wards.� Unlikely but possible she supposed.�

Or she could somehow convince Dumbledore to come here and in some impossible
way overpower him and force him to take her out of here..
or at least force him to knowingly or unknowingly
carry a message out..

or finally.. and maybe the most possible � she could
try to find a way to reverse the spells on the cornucopia in the kitchen and
try to either escape through the device (she wasn�t sure what it would do to
living objects passing through it.. obviously if it were simply possible to
travel by cornucopia there�d be no need for floos) or
try to get a message out.�

First and foremost she had to measure her environment and
then she had to try to work out where she was.�
She suspected this might be possible using the stars and maybe the herbology of the region.

Damn it.. why hadn�t she
started on Tom�s herbology book instead of stupid Senatus.� She needed information, not philosophy.�

Even the forgotten curses would have been more useful � at least she could have
flicked something obscure and difficult to counter at the Headmaster
maybe.�

...potions.� He was going to let her brew potions.�

The book tom had given her to learn was a compendium of dark potions that could
be brewed with rather common ingredients.�

Perhaps.. maybe!� Maybe maybe!� Liquid imperius was
far more difficult for the victim to counter than was the unforgiveable spell �
which relied upon a casters will.� If
one�s will was not stronger than the victims then it would fail.� She suspected that the headmaster was an
extremely strong willed old bastard.� �But the liquid imperius
could be imbued with a command.. say..
get me the hell out of this godsdamned
cage... and the victim literally required an antidote to throw it off.�

That might be an option..

but it would mean playing nice and sucking up so that
she could get access to the potions lab she had been promised.� It was an option.�

She thought about the other potions she had learned in the book.. and about every other potion she
had ever learned.�

Making a list took a long time.� At the
end of it, liquid imperius � or gren
and gables geas as it was technically called � seemed the best option.� Thank goodness she�d gone over it with Professor
Snape.�

She wondered what would happen with him.� Had he known that the headmaster planned to
lock her up here?� He had seemed a bit
suspicious of her.. maybe he
was the one who told the headmaster that she was dabbling in dark potions.�

He would certainly know that Tom
wasn�t responsible for her abduction, surely.��

She leaned back and thought about it and groaned.�

He would just assume the Dark Lord was suspicious of him � which he was
obviously -� and
the headmaster would probably concoct some kind of evidence.�

Aaargh.�

What about Tom..� he�d find her �
surely?!��

But.. if the headmaster didn�t
tell a soul about her, and it seemed a lot like he didn�t intend to do so, then
the only way Tom could find her location if it were secret kept, would be to
get his hands on Dumbledore and that
certainly seemed likely.�

If she couldn�t get herself out of here she was probably on
her own.

Author note.

Review replies can be found at
http://www2.adult-fanfiction.org/forum/index.php/topic/18725-review-replies/
- 7
- 8
- 9
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Necessary Sacrifices