Thunder

Once Sirius Black had left the lab--and Severus had stopped glaring at Hermione for her obvious amusement at his expense...they retrieved samples of the six trial potions that had been completed and retired to Severus' study to test them in more comfortable surroundings.

Two hours later found both witch and wizard disappointed in the trials. They had tested all the herbal concoctions and...while the Balm of Gilead had stretched the duration of the blocking potion to a half an hour...Severus and Hermione knew that they needed longer than thirty minutes for the potion to be truly useful. Taking a break from their efforts, they sat together on the sofa, wrapped in each other's arms. Eventually, Severus noticed that Hermione's muffled voice was rising up from where she had burrowed against him.

"What was that, love?" he asked.

Lifting her head reluctantly from his chest, Hermione spoke again, "What if we don't find an answer, Severus? We are fast running out of time..."

"We have three potions still to test. I have every hope that one of them will be effective. If I am wrong, then we will continue with our research. Certainly the Death Eaters will make their move soon, but we have no reason to believe it will be immediate. There may yet be time."

"It seems odd to hear the Death Eater spy speak of hope," Hermione said with a lazy smile.

Severus brushed her lips with his own and then spoke softly against them. "Sometimes, my love, hope is the only game in town." For a time, all was silent in the study as Severus kissed her breathless.

Reluctantly they broke the embrace to continue their testing. Severus had started with the herbal brews because the ingredients were easy to obtain. If one of the herbal-bound blocking potions had worked, it would have been simple to brew sufficient quantities to aid the Order. Now that the easy solution had failed, Severus was ready to try the mixture he had the most confidence in. Selecting the potion that had been bound with Yppotryll tusk, Severus quickly drank it down and the testing continued.

Severus and Hermione continued to snuggle on the couch, speaking softly to each other of inconsequential things as the test proceeded. Every five minutes, Hermione would take a moment to project. Wanting to keep the testing simple, Hermione stuck to projecting humor...much as she had when she worked with Harry and Ron in the room of requirement. Both Hermione and Severus were guilty of watching the clock as they conversed and when they reached the forty minute mark neither could contain their hope as they spoke of it in breathless tones. When they passed the hour mark, they both rose from the couch in triumph. The blocking potion now worked long enough to be of use in a prolonged battle.

Sweeping Hermione into a tight hug, the two stood before the fire embracing as they continued the test. The embrace led to kissing and rather frustrated grasping at various body parts as the two testers did their level best to keep their attraction at bay until the test was over. When the Potion finally failed at a total time of two hours, it was a relief to the now naked and panting couple, embracing almost frantically by the fire. As if of one accord, Severus and Hermione lowered themselves to the hearth rug, neither willing to wait the time it would take to make it to the bed...or even the sofa. Their coupling was swift and fiery...almost desperate as they strained against each other.

At the edge of his own release, Severus tore his mouth from Hermione's to growl into her ear, "Come for me, love, let me hear you sing...now...please, now..."

As if only awaiting his husky order, Hermione arched up against him, crooning his name over and over as she shuddered in her release. To Severus, it felt as if her sweet voice wrapped around his very heart. Thrusting deeply inside her, her name spilled from Severus' lips as he emptied himself into her depths.

Sated, the couple remained sprawled before the fire. Severus shifted so that he lay on his back with Hermione draped over him, her head resting on his chest as they gazed into the flames. Neither wanted to break the moment, but peaceful moments are fleeting in wartime and they still had plans to discuss.

"Do you have enough of the tusk in your stores to brew it for everyone in the Order?" Hermione asked quietly.

"No, nor can I use my usual resources while I am in hiding."

Raising her head to gaze at him worriedly, Hermione continued, "What shall we do?"

"Don't fret, love." he murmured as he ran his fingers through her tangled hair. "I'll have Albus owl Shacklebolt. As a Ministry Auror, he has connections even I do not. I have no doubt he'll be able to get us what we need."

"Best get to it then," Hermione said as she rose reluctantly to her feet. "I could lie draped all over you until the end of time, but...well...I can't help but be terrified that we don't have as much time as we hope."

"I'll hardly berate you for that, as I have that fear as well. Go on to bed, Hermione. As soon as I get a house elf to take a note to Albus I will join you."

Giving Severus a gentle kiss, Hermione gathered up the clothes strewn about the hearth rug and retreated to Severus' bedroom. It took little time for Severus to write his short message and send it off with Dobby...one of the few such creatures he trusted with an important task. Soon he was slipping beneath the covers next to Hermione.

Severus was unsurprised when the young witch's arms wrapped tight around him as her mouth latched hungrily onto his own. Brewing potions was not the only thing they both feared they were running out of time for.

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

Awakened by a small hand shaking his shoulder, Severus blinked sleep-crusted eyes. Gazing at the hand, it took him a moment before his eyes trailed from the hand at his shoulder, down the tiny arm attached to it, and at last beheld the small figure shaking him.

"Master Snape," squeaked Dobby, giving Severus' shoulder another small shake, "you is waking up now! Dobby is sorry you is waking up, but Dobby is being told you want package as soon as it is getting here. It is here!" Dobby finished with a nervous smile as he held up the small package for Severus' contemplation.

Rubbing a hand over his itchy eyes, Severus struggled to sit on the edge of the bed before taking the package from the excited house elf. His gruff, "You did well to wake me," made Dobby smile and bow as if Severus had given him a particularly hideous pair of new socks. Noting that the package was from Shacklebolt, Severus was pleased by the Auror's speed in getting back to him. Rising from the bed, Severus gave one wistful glance at the witch still sleeping there before heading to the bathroom. Pausing at the door, Severus turned to regard the still smiling house elf.

"Is the master needing anything else?" Dobby asked eagerly.

"Yes, Dobby, I could use some tea, Miss Granger needs to be awakened in time to change before breakfast, and..." here Severus paused for a long moment, a slight scowl on his face. "Is Black still bunking with Lupin?"

"Yes, sir," Dobby replied with a slight frown of his own. It was apparent that Dobby liked the Animagus almost as little as Severus himself did, but Severus had never been able to get the house elf to say why. Whenever he pressed Dobby on the matter, Dobby would go into a flurry of self-punishment and would only say "Dobby is a good elf! Dobby is not being disrespectful!"

"Then you'd best ask him to come to my lab after breakfast. As distasteful as the prospect is, I could use the help. Have you got all that?"

"Yes, sir!" replied Dobby happily. "Tea, wake young miss, fetch dog man."

"Thank you, Dobby," Severus said simply before heading in to shower.

"Dobby is pleased to be helping the master," Dobby said with a grin. He disappeared with a soft pop, off to the kitchens to fetch the tea.

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

The day passed much as the day previous had. The students who were expecting trouble at any time did their best not to alert those that knew nothing. Sirius and Severus spent a civil if uncomfortable day chopping, brewing, and bottling the new version of the blocking potion. By dinner time, the Yppotryll husk had been brewed into enough potion to give every Order member one precious phial. Keeping one phial for himself, Severus reluctantly allowed Black to take the rest of the doses to Albus for immediate distribution.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat at dinner in the great hall keeping up appearances. Hermione and Harry were having an intense discussion of a recent DADA assignment when Ron interrupted them so quietly that it took all Harry's concentration to understand him at all.

"Harry," Ron murmured as he continued eating, "he's giving you the Quidditch shed signal and it's not the obvious one."

"I won't look up then, tell me when he's looking."

At Ron's quiet 'now,' Harry returned the counter-signal without looking at his blond boyfriend.

After dinner, Harry first escorted Hermione down to Snape's rooms before using the cloak for himself to head out to the Quidditch shed. As he took off the cloak, he was greeted with a swift peck by a distracted but intense Draco Malfoy.

"What's happened?" Harry asked calmly.

"I had an owl from Dad just before dinner. I'm to sneak out and meet him soon at the Hog's Head. Harry...I'm certain this is to give me my instructions about the Dark Lord going after you. Dumbledore has always said they'd use me to get you outside the Hogwarts grounds and I think he's right. As soon as I've left, get to Dumbledore...have him put the Order on alert. I've no way of knowing how long we'll have once I get my orders."

"Do you think it will be tonight?"

"I doubt it. They know I've no reasonable way of getting to you once you are in your common room for the evening and they won't want me to make you suspicious. They won't have given me too much warning though, so it's a good bet it will be soon."

After giving the blond a fierce kiss, Harry said, "Be careful love. I'll go to Dumbledore then I'll come back here. I expect they'll be watching you like a hawk after tonight. Slip in on your way back and then I can tell Dumbledore whatever you have to report."

"Constant vigilance!" Draco mocked with a quiet snort. "You're right though...you're right. I'll do as you say." With that, Draco gave Harry one more kiss before he opened the shed door to disappear into the night.

Wizarding newspapers had long speculated on what they had outlandishly dubbed "The Final Battle" for ages. With Death Eater activity on the rise, the journalists spent pages on describing a grueling war ending in one grand spectacle of a battle with thousands dead by the end. These lurid articles were often titled things like "You-Know-Who: Apocalypse Approaches!"

The Order knew very well that they would eventually have to face down Voldemort and his followers if they had any change of getting rid of the man for once and for all. They even jokingly referred to the confrontation as "The Final Battle"--implied caps and all...though the general consensus of what that would entail had little to do with the lurid articles on the subject. The Order of the Phoenix was thirty-two members strong and not all of those members would be fighting. Mrs. Figg was a squib, and would be no help in a magical battle of any kind. Aberforth was currently missing and Albus himself didn't seem all that interested in finding him. Elphias Doge had simply become too old and frail; he spent much of his time in libraries around the wizarding world researching old spells which might be useful to the fighting. Then there were a number of members who were simply out of the country at the moment. All in all, the Order fighting force which was ready to be mobilized at a moment's notice was around twenty people.

At best guess, the Death Eaters numbered around forty. It was to be assumed that every single one of the Death Eaters was probably not always available at all times either. Both Snape and Draco had reported during their spying missions that the most they had seen at any one gathering was around thirty and most gatherings were quite a bit less than that. So while the Order expected to be outnumbered, they didn't expect it to be by a great deal. They also didn't expect the Death Eaters to make a direct assault on Hogwarts itself. Even with all of their forty plus members, trying to attack through the school's wards would be extremely foolish of them, and Voldemort was no fool. Besides, Voldemort wasn't looking to wipe out the entire Order at this time. He simply wanted Harry. He wanted Harry dead.

Taking all of this into consideration, Snape had always ascertained that Voldemort would try another snatch, much as he had after the Tri-Wizards tournament. Albus had agreed with that assessment, and the big questions had been when and how. After Draco had slipped into position as Harry's boyfriend, it seemed obvious that the Death Eaters would use that to their advantage. In fact--once Draco had joined the Order--the whole boyfriend business had started as a plan of Albus' with the express intent of giving Voldemort a method of kidnapping Harry that gave the Order some hope keeping track. It was a surprise to both the young men how quickly their faked relationship had become a real one. In the end, it wouldn't matter whether they gave Draco apparition coordinates or a Portkey to accomplish the task; the Order was prepared to deal with either once Draco received his instructions. The only worry had been that Draco would be notified of the snatch too late to make a report of it.

Luckily for the Order, though Voldemort was a clever fellow he was also a very egotistical one. Apparently Draco's young Death Eater act combined with his being the son of one of Voldemort's staunch supporters was good enough that he got notified well ahead of time.

"Set it up gently," Lucius told Draco that night. "We don't want to make the brat suspicious by rushing things."

When Draco slipped into the Quidditch shed afterward, he was out of breath from hurrying over the grounds. The young men didn't have much time to waste, Draco needed to give Harry the information and hurry on to the Slytherin common room so that no one would notice his side trip.

"Day after tomorrow," Draco managed to sputter out between breaths. "Eight o'clock. I'm to convince you to sneak out for dinner in Hogsmeade...a "real date" and all that rubbish. They gave me a Portkey." With that said, Draco pulled a leather pouch out of the pocket of his school robes. "It's in here," he said as he handed it to Harry.

"I'll get it to Dumbledore so that he can duplicate it. I'll give it back when you meet me to discuss our "date." Two days. Damn...I know we're lucky to get that much notice...but, two days..."

"Two days," Draco echoed hollowly. The young men gazed at each other for a brief moment, their eyes full of both worry and affection. Then, with a quick kiss, Draco sped off toward the castle. After carefully putting on his invisibility cloak, Harry followed the path his love had taken with a heavy heart.

That night, Albus carefully visited every member of the Order who would be available. With Moody's 'constant vigilance' echoing in his head, Albus trusted neither owl nor floo for the information he needed to spread. His first stop was the dungeons, where he talked to a Potions master and student who showed all the signs of having dressed hastily. If Albus noted this, he said no word on the matter. He simply told them both the facts of the plan and hurried out to continue his spreading of the news.

After the Headmaster had left, Severus regarded Hermione with haunted eyes. "Two days," he murmured. Sweeping the equally effected young witch into his arms, he carried Hermione to the bedroom, where he did his level best to show her how very much she meant to him. Their lovemaking was slow and exceedingly sweet. Yet it was heart-wrenchingly obvious to Hermione that her the man who touched her so tenderly was still convinced that, come Friday, he would no longer be around to show her how deeply she was loved.