Chapter 1
Hermione was running, her hastily-cast disillusionment shimmering over her body as she moved. Her breath was coming out jagged and her heart felt like it was beating inside of her skull, but she would not stop until she reached the boathouse.
She had seen Professor Snape’s shadowy form making his way down to the edge of the lake and knew she had to follow, knew something big was happening. It was a feeling in her gut, a twisting wrenching sensation that she couldn’t ignore. Harry and Ron hadn’t seen what she had, and instead of stopping the frantic boys and explaining herself, explaining her sudden interest in the man they both hated so deeply, she had simply turned and ran after him.
But as Hermione navigated the hillside, careful steps in the darkness, she started to doubt herself. How reckless she was, running after a DEATH EATER when she was alone. When no one knew where she was. There could be more of them, all of them gathering before their push into the castle. How could she be so stupid? But she was close now, and for the first time since she had fled the Weasley wedding that summer, she felt like she was on the right path. Even though she knew Harry and Ron would be worried for her, certainly searching for her everywhere, following Severus Snape tonight was what she was meant to do.
Casting a silencing charm over herself, she slowed her steps and crept towards the dark building. Expecting a room full of shadows and dark wizards, or perhaps even Voldemort himself, Hermione was surprised to see the lone form of her former potions professor. What was he doing? Waiting for someone? The moonlight illuminating the lake was reflecting off of his hair and she could just barely see his shoulders rising with quiet breaths. Why was he here?
As if in direct answer to his question, a force of dark mist pressed itself into the boathouse from the open side, making Hermione’s ears pop. She squeezed her eyes shut, regulating the pressure in her head. When she looked up again, there was another figure in the building - long spindly fingers hanging out of draping robes and almost iridescent skin along their head. There was enough light to see swirling veins just under the skin, making the newcomer verge on inhuman.
Her heart rate skyrocketed again as she realized that Voldemort himself was on the other side of the window, stepping slowly up to a still unmoving Severus Snape. A gasp fell from her lips and she slammed her hand across her mouth, praying that her silencio was still holding.
“Severusss…” Voldemort was standing right behind the man now, and with them both facing away from her it was nearly impossible to hear them speak. Still, she waited, watching the interaction with unblinking eyes, knowing that this was why she felt so compelled to follow Severus. This meeting, their interaction, it was important. Her legs began to cramp as she remained crouched but Hermione didn’t dare move, afraid she would miss a moment between Snape and Voldemort, or that she would somehow reveal herself.
Then, without any warning, bright lights began to explode in front of her, green and gold and red. The two had their wands out, Snape now facing towards her, brow furrowed in concentration as he dueled the most powerful dark wizard of all time. Voldemort had moved back, now standing closer to where she was hidden, and she could hear him taunting her former professor. “All for a mudblood whore, after all this time, Severus? Did you know she died crying, screaming, terrified?” Snape cast a bombarda, narrowly missing his master but shattering the window next to where Hermione was. She let out a yelp, couldn’t help it, but knew right away she had made a mistake.
Both men looked towards where she was crouched, Severus’ eyes wide with fear as Voldemort stepped closer. With spells no longer flying, the boathouse was once again filled with shadow and Hermione could only see the outline of the snakelike man standing just on the other side of the broken glass. It was only a moment between when she exposed herself and now, but it felt like an eternity as Hermione made her decision to run. Standing quickly, her body protesting after being cramped for so long, she stumbled over her feet as she ran. She didn’t look back, didn’t dare to, but the hair on her arms stood up as Voldemort let out a hellish laugh.
She could make to the edge of the forest, the treeline just on the other side of the… Her thought was cut off as a crash sounded through the quiet. Hermione dared to look back and saw the boathouse up in flames, the roof caved in and smoke pouring from the splintered wood. NO, she thought, NO, Professor Snape!! She stumbled on a tree root in the ground as she turned, falling to the ground, knees slamming against hard earth. She yelled, wrists throbbing, as tears began to form in her eyes.
Trying to stand, eyes blurry, she heard a loud crack next to her before a strong hand gripped her arm. The familiar tug of apparition pulled behind her navel and she screamed, but the sound was swallowed up as Hermione was whisked away from Hogwarts.