Chapter 16: Fear!

Hermione stood in the garden. It was near midnight. The moon was bright, and the stars shone in a brilliant pattern...different from the one she was used too, but beautiful. Severus was in the house sneaking around and getting wine glasses for them. He was trying not to wake her parents. She had been giggling too much and knocking things over, so he'd sent her out and went to retrieve the goods, arguing he was better at stealth than she was. The fact that he was an ex-spy made it hard to argue. So she stood in the yard at the edge of the hedges, looking at the pale flowers her father had growing there. She picked a flower and held it to her nose, breathing in the strange scent.

Suddenly a pair of arms came around her. She started to say, "Severus," but she never finished because a hand clamped over her face and a cloth covered her nose and mouth. The strong smell of chloroform blazed like fire up her sinuses, and then blackness descended. The flower dropped unnoticed to the ground.

There was no one to see her being thrown over the shoulders of a tall figure dressed in black as he carried her out the back gate and headed toward a dark van. The door opened of its own accord, and he tossed her into the back like a sack of potatoes. Then, as he headed for the driver's seat, he flicked his wand back, and the door closed without a sound. He drove away in silence.

*****

Severus, juggling two long-stemmed glasses in one hand and a bottle of champagne in the other, fumbled with the latch of the door. He wished he could use a spell, but he didn't want to do much magic where Hermione's parents were likely to show up. He knew it made them uncomfortable even though they would never say anything.

"Hermione," he called. "Can you help me with this? Do..." His voice trailed off as the hair on the back of his neck stood up. His eyes tried to pierce the backyard's deep shadows. Fear. He could smell it. The bottle and glasses fell unheeded to the ground with a terrible shattering sound.

He drew his wand and sent out a detection spell: "Homenum Revelio."

His heart beat wildly in his chest as he next said, "Lumos Maxima."

Light flew from the wand, and the empty back yard was revealed. The back gate hung open. He spied the newly picked flower and picked it up. He sniffed the stem and caught the faint scent of Hermione's skin. He'd been able to detect scents nearly all his potions career. It had helped him time and again while teaching. He was able to stop cauldrons from exploding when he noticed the scent of a potion gone wrong.

Lights were coming on in the house, and he could hear footsteps coming across the tiles of the kitchen.

Paxton came to the door still tying the robe that was barely over his shoulders.

"What's happened?" he demanded. Spying the broken glass and wine bottle, he started to look annoyed. Then he caught sight of Severus' horrified face. "What's going on?"

Severus' fear nearly overwhelmed his ability to act. Only once in his life had he felt so devastated...the night Lily died. "She's gone. She was taken."

June skidded up behind Paxton, catching the last words. She cried out as her fist covered her mouth.

Paxton drew her close to him.

Severus clamped his emotions down and left her father gaping after him. He went to the alley and detected the faint scent of an automobile and cast a spell.

It revealed the shape of a van and a trail of tire tracks. But even as he watched, they began to fade...washed away by a counter spell.

Paxton was now behind him. "Who would do this?" he demanded.

"It was a wizard or witch. The trail has been washed away with a spell."

He flew now, leaving her stricken parents behind. He cast spell after spell, but the trail was fading. After only a few twisted blocks, it was gone.

"Hermione!" he cried.

In this new country, with no knowledge of anyone, he needed help to find her. He would have to go back to London. He needed men and women who were sensitive enough to magic to listen for the tiniest whispers. He knew Hermione could perform a number of wandless spells and that she was capable of clarity of thought and knowledge in battle. She might be able to work her way out of this, but in the meantime, he would call in any and all help he could.

He felt cold even in the Australian heat as he made his way back to the Grangers.

Paxton was at the end of the alley when he came into view. He saw the man slump with horror when he did not see his daughter.

"Severus, what can we do? Who would do this?"

"It could be someone who hates me." Then a thought occurred to him. "Or it could be Alan, her lab partner."

"Do you mean her lab partner from school? Why?" The man was puffing, trying to keep up with Severus' long legs.

"Jealousy. He fancies Hermione, and I caught him trying to kiss her. I threw him out. That was a year ago. If he is obsessed, he may have come back for her."

"But how would he know she was here?" Paxton found June at the gate and shook his head at her tearful inquiry.

Severus turned to her parents. "I must go back to England and search her place. I'm sorry, but I must go now. I will send my Patronus with news. It's a..."

Paxton waved his hand and said, "Go. I know what it is."

Severus ran through the house up to the bedroom. He grabbed the Portkey and his jacket. He Apparated from there to the Portkey sight and from there to London. He ran down the street; using his wand, he opened the door. Forest was on duty and came forward.

"Hey, hold on! Oh, Mr. Snape! What's going on?"

"Forest, have you seen Alan around here lately? Since I kicked him out last year?"

"Well, I thought I saw him across the street a couple times. But there are lots of students in the area. He only lives a few blocks away. I never saw him on this side of the street. What's wrong? Where is Miss Hermione?"

"Taken." Severus stopped, wondering how he could explain how he'd gotten here from Australia in only a matter of minutes.

"But weren't you in Australia?" the man asked. Then he said, "Ah, a Portkey."

Severus mouth hung open, and then he snapped, "How do you know about Portkeys?"

Forest said, "My mother was a witch, an Order member. She died in the war. I was born a Squib." He saw the frown deepen on Severus' forehead. "The Order wanted Miss Hermione protected. There are still Death Eaters about," he explained. "I'm just a watcher, like Mrs. Figg watched out for Harry when he was young. We can only report suspicions. We have a direct link to other Order members."

Severus waved his hand and said, "I don't care. We can talk later. Please alert the Order. Give me Alan's address and send Harry Potter there when he comes. I believe Alan came to Australia and took Hermione. He's much more than he appears to be." He flew up the stairs and used his wand to access Hermione's rooms. He stopped dead. The room was in shambles, and all the clothes he kept there were torn into ribbons. Black paint was slashed across the wall of the bedroom: "MINE!!!"

As he turned, he saw the remnants of a letter. After picking it up, he realized it was from her mother. The address of their home was circled in red pen. He could smell the man's cologne; it reeked in the air around him.

He turned, knowing for sure now that it was Alan and not a random Death Eater. It did not make him feel better. Alan was obviously unstable, and Hermione was in great danger. It had been literally 18 minutes since he'd discovered her missing. Yet it felt like an eternity.

Forest handed him a paper when he came down the stairs at a dead run. "I alerted Mr. Weasley." He waved his cell phone at Severus, and Severus found he was not surprised. "Mr. Potter will be sent directly to that address."

Severus glanced at the address and knew it to be just a few doors from the restaurant he and Hermione went often. Why hadn't she told him that Alan lived close by? He went into the alley and Apparated to the back door of the restaurant. Harry appeared a moment later. His eyes were wide as he came forward.

"Snape, what the hell's going on? What was that I read in the paper... you and Hermione?"

He grabbed Harry's arm and dragged him into the door to the apartments. "That's not important. Hermione has been kidnapped in Australia by her former wizard lab partner. I have no reference in that country, no familiarity. I cannot find her alone."

"Why would he do that?" Harry asked, following Severus up the stairs.

"Jealousy. He wants her." Severus pulled out his wand and blasted open Alan's apartment door.

"He could have Portkeyed anywhere." As they looked in the door, both men's mouths dropped.

The walls were plastered with Muggle pictures of Hermione. They showed her buying a paper at the newsstand, walking down the street, working in the lab at school, in the market, even bathing. Severus grabbed the picture and tore it to ribbons.

"I will kill him."

But his resolve gave, and he staggered sideways.

"Whoa!" Harry exclaimed, grabbing his arm.

He saw the horror and despair in the man's eyes. He'd forgiven Severus Snape his trespasses from his early life. He'd seen the memories. He'd known what this man had done for him, but they had never really spoken. He'd been furious to see Severus' and Hermione's pictures in the Spectator last week. He'd felt confusion and hurt that she hadn't told him, even though she had known the paper was going to print the picture. But all of it was put aside for now; Hermione needed him. He moved into the room casting spells. Ghostlike figures of Alan moving here and there appeared. It was like a surveillance image...only in 3D.

Severus shook himself and studied the images. They watched him make phone call after phone call, and then he left and came back and packed for severely cold weather. They saw several duplicate outfits, some obviously for a woman.

Harry said, "He's not going to keep her in Australia."

Severus glared at him. "Obviously."

"Let's fan out and see if we can find anything concerning a cold-weather destination."

The two men were deep in drawers and papers when there was a voice from the door: "What the bloody hell is going on?"

Harry stood glancing at Snape and saw him scowl.

"Weasley," he growled. He couldn't stomach the boy since that incident in the dark hall when he'd caught Hermione and the boy snogging.

"We are going to need all the help we can get," Harry growled back at him.

Severus turned away and continued looking.

Harry left the bedroom and went to fill Ron in. After that, more Aurors appeared, and the small apartment seemed to be full of people searching.

Severus was growing more afraid by the minute. It had been several hours since Hermione had gone missing.

Then Tonks shouted from the living room, "I've got something!"

Severus found her sitting in front of a computer. "What did you find?" he demanded.

"He tried to erase the hard drive, but he didn't quite understand that the information wasn't gone, just decoded so it could be covered over by the next documents. He rented a small cabin in a backwoods area of the Swiss Alps. The date of occupancy started a week ago!"

"Are you sure?" Severus demanded. "We do not have time to waste. How do you know about this computer?"

Lupin came to stand close and said, "Severus, my wife is brilliant on these things. If she says it's there, it's there."

Severus looked into Lupin's eyes and saw only truth and concern for Hermione there.

"Let's go then."

Snape took his wand out and waved it, changing the pillow on the couch to a warm down jacket. His shoes became boots and his pants thick jeans.

Harry watched only a moment and then began doing the same thing. The others followed. Kingsley was quickly filled in, and he, being the Minister of Magic, created the international Portkeys. Soon the group stood on a mountain about a mile from the cabin.

*****

One hour after her abduction, Hermione woke with a splitting headache. She groaned when she tried to move her head. She was lying in a bed with thick quilts. There was dim light coming from shuttered windows. She could feel a strong ward just out of reach. She lay still. She was unable to move and also did not want to alert the man who had her that she was awake. She turned her head to take in her surroundings. The shutters were made of metal and locked down.

She reached out with her magic to nudge the ward and test its strength. She wondered where she was, and she worried about Severus. No matter what, she would get out of here and back to him. He was her life; more important, she was his. She knew if something happened, he would give up on life. He would not be able to face that loss twice in his life. She realized who had taken her. She was familiar with the cologne he wore. With gut-churning realization, she knew the only way to get Alan to drop his guard was to convince him she wanted him. If she could get herself released from this binding spell, she might be able to fight him.

Hermione saw the door swing open, and a tall silhouette blocked the light.

"I know you're awake, Hermione."

"Alan, thank goodness it's you. Severus has old enemies. I'm glad it's you. You have no idea what they might have done to me."

He came and knelt down. His face was in shadow. "You have no idea what I might do to you, Hermione," he whispered. His voice was cold and hard.

Hermione forced herself not to shudder. "Are you still mad at me?"

"You bitch! You humiliated me in front of the instructor and a number of students. No one will take me seriously anymore, and they laugh behind my back."

"I'm sorry for what I did. I thought my life was with Severus. Thank goodness you rescued me from that place." The lies felt bitter on her tongue. "Severus has had me bound to him by a spell intertwined with a potion he makes me take."

"You lie," he spat. But she could tell his voice wasn't as certain anymore. His obsession made him want to hope.

"No, Alan. You know he was a Death Eater. He still is. He fooled us all. He's a very good actor. After all, he fooled Dumbledore, didn't he? I was fooled as well. If he has his way, I will be married to him by the end of this year and entrenched with him in that dungeon of Hogwarts. He wants me to teach there. Can you imagine the life there buried under loads of essays and in danger from sniveling brats' experiments?"

Each lie she spoke out seemed to sear her heart. Right now, she would find that job to be the happiest she could imagine. She wanted to be there with Severus, cuddled up on his couch, reading the evenings away. It seemed like heaven.

He stood and flipped a light on.

Hermione stifled a gasp at the hardness of his face and eyes. Gone was the young carefree man she had known. She felt a guilt grip her. Had she changed him so much just by her rejection? There was a dark look...evil, for want of a better word. Dark Magic. Alan had delved into Dark Magic.

"Please, let me up. I'll show you how happy I am to see you." She flashed him a smile. Inside she cringed as he came closer.

"You know you are trapped. My wards won't let you use more than simple magic. I felt you test my wards, Hermione. You cannot escape me." He waved his wand, and the body bind was gone.

Hermione moved slowly, taking a moment to check out the room. She saw that not only did she have to deal with the wards, but it was also more like a prison cell. Well, if she could not use magic, then she would have to use the hand-to-hand skills she had learned as a teen. Knowing war was imminent, she had taken self-defense classes for several summers. Wands often got knocked out of wizards' hands. The danger here was that she had to convince him to come closer, and closer made her want to run the other way.

She stood and was dismayed to find herself in a negligee. Knowing he'd changed her clothing made her stomach roll. She felt dirty as she caught his leer.

He came close, his wand reaching out to caress the side of her face, and then he slid it down between her breasts. "You're one hot woman, Hermione. You will find my touch quite agonizing. I could have once been gentle, but now, I have a debt to settle."

He reached out and grabbed her arm. His mouth was on hers before she even had time to react. His tongue forced its way into her mouth, and his fingers bruised her arm. He was pushing her back onto the bed. She found her fingers clutching at his arms. He was so much taller than she was; her plans might need a bit of revision. She knew of one sure way to bring him down. But she had to get a good grip, and that would mean encouraging his attention.

She was encouraged a moment later when she heard the soft thunk of his wand as it hit the floor. His hands painfully gripped and twisted at her breasts. She groaned and forced her words out: "Yes! Oh, Alan."

"You like it rough, huh? Well, I can show you rough."

Hermione could hear him working at his pants, and she stared at the ceiling as he manhandled her body, pressing her into the bed. Severus! her mind screamed.

She had no doubt that Alan would use her and then kill her. But she was still not able to make her move, so she ran her hands over his back. "Yes, Alan," she cooed.

He was pushing the gown up over her hips, and she felt horrified and vulnerable.

He then gave a frustrated grunt and pulled back. She saw him push his pants off over his hips, and she spied her goal.

"You're magnificent," she said. "Please let me..." Her hands reached out, and she saw his resolve continue to falter.

She moved back into the bed and beckoned him. Rolling to her side, she patted the bed.

He climbed in, and she reached for him. Her fingers clasped him, and his eyes closed as he thrust against her fingers.

"Hermione," he groaned, forgetting his revenge for a moment.

She took that moment and did two things: She dug her fingers in and pulled with all her might. Then she twisted his penis and brought her knee up and over to crash into his testicles.

He screamed in rage, but vomited, twisting and folding into a fetal position on the bed. His hands cradled his damaged parts.

Blood was spreading on the bed. Some of it splashed her before she crawled from the bed, her eyes frantically searching for his wand. She spied it on the floor nearly covered by his discarded pants. As she dove for it, she felt his hand grab her hair.

He pulled her back as her fingers clutched the fallen wand.

As she swung the wand toward him, she saw his hand slip under the pillow, and the glint of a knife caught the light. She screamed, "Defendo!" as a fiery pain pierced her side. The spell hit him in the chest and knocked him over the bed. He hit the wall hard on the other side and fell between the bed and the wall. He whimpered with pain, vomiting again.

Suddenly the door was blasted in, and Severus filled the doorway. Hermione slipped to the floor.

Thank you, Lisa, for your beta work. It's a talent I will never grasp.