Four

JKR's, not mine.

Many thanks to Melusin and Pyjama Pants for the beta.

Hermione watched the dark sky outside change slowly. It went from black to grey, and then a faint tinge of rose began to colour the sky until the sun was up over the tops of the surrounding buildings. Another morning.

Last night, she had inspected the flat thoroughly again. She had gone over every wall, the windows, the front door. She had tried wandless spells once more. The result confirmed what she already knew. She was effectively trapped, and while she could use magic inside the flat, there was no way to open the door, the windows, or to Apparate. Whoever had chosen her prison knew about magic. The only new thing she had found out was that the mirror masked a window...unfortunately, it, too, turned out to be unbreakable. She was being watched. But why? Her thoughts kept revolving around that question when she wasn't thinking about the possibilities of getting out of the flat.

She got up from her seat on the bed and went to the bathroom to drink some water. At least the taps provided plenty of that. The rumbling in her stomach reminded her that she hadn't eaten anything since the day before yesterday. Her clearly stated lack of co-operation had resulted in a lack of food.

'If you're trying to starve me out, you're doing rather well,' she muttered, walking back to the bed. The last time she'd gone without food, she'd been on the run with the boys. Images of digging mushrooms out of humid earth, of stretching a soup with yet more water, of rationing a valuable piece of bread to last as long as possible flooded her brain. When they hadn't been planning, comparing notes or trying to work out the location of the next Horcrux, she and the boys had made up games to forget about the lack of food. Ron had proven especially difficult to distract. Hermione smiled as she remembered the Ludo board she had conjured from a leaf...and then she remembered again that this time she was all alone in her predicament. Another tear threatened to make its way down her cheek. Just like its predecessors, it was quickly wiped away, and Hermione began to mentally recite the spells necessary to pass the O.W.L.s.

O.W.L.s. Snape. Had her Patronus reached him? Could she have given him more clues?

She'd never thought that she'd miss him so much. Had she started to see him as something more than just a colleague? Hermione turned the thought over in her head, examined it from various angles, and found that she rather liked it. And for a pleasant moment, she was distracted from her current situation.

To which she was brought back abruptly when she noticed something misty drifting into the room through the crack beneath the door. Within seconds, the silvery wisp took on the form of a crane. 'Hermione, we don't know yet what exactly is going on there, but we know where you are, and I'll be with you shortly. Make sure no one notices that you know me. Pretend that you've changed your mind and want to co-operate. It is the only possibility for us to find out what this is all about and to get you out of there. Oh, and try to keep your usual boldness under control and opt for a bit of subterfuge,' it said in the unmistakeable voice of Snape before it disappeared through the crack again.

A warm wave of relief flooded through Hermione, making her almost laugh. Snape knew where she was. That meant other people would know, too. And he'd be here soon. Together, they'd find a way out of this mess. 'You've no idea how happy I'll be to see you... Severus,' she whispered.

She opened her eyes to a soft clicking noise. I must have fallen asleep, she thought as she peered at the front door.

A familiar voice said, 'Good morning. I'm Stephen. Stephen Prince. And you are,' he glanced briefly at the folder he was holding, 'Hermione Granger.'

Hermione's heart skipped a beat, and then another wave of relief swept through her. Snape was here, standing in the doorway and looking for all accounts and purposes like a Muggle scientist. He was wearing a lab coat over black trousers, the Muggle clothes emphasising his body much more than his usual robes. His hair was tied back, bringing out his dark eyes, his cheekbones and his prominent nose. Hermione's breath caught. He looked gorgeous.

He peered at her as if he'd never seen her before, and Hermione remembered just in time that they were probably being watched from behind the mirror. Forcing an expression of guarded suspicion on her face, she said, 'How is this a good morning? I'm still your prisoner.'

Snape, no, "Stephen", walked into the room and over to the table. Putting down the folder, he looked at her. 'Hermione, I can call you Hermione, right? I'd like to show you something.'

She made sure it looked like she was shuffling reluctantly over to the table. 'Why would I want to look at anything you want to show me?'

'Yes, Liz mentioned that you were a bit hesitant to co-operate with us. If I were you, I'd reconsider.'

On the table lay the familiar-looking picture of the wooden box. Hermione peered at it, trying to think of a way to communicate with Snape. Which wasn't easy as she was feeling rather faint, and the gnawing hunger in her stomach seemed to dominate everything. 'I'm not going to consider anything before I get something to eat.'

'Very well. We're not unreasonable. If you promise to look at the picture, I'll see what I can do about some food.' He indicated the chair that was facing away from the mirror.

Hermione nodded. She felt a pang of disappointment when she heard the door close behind Snape. She sat down at the table and pretended to pull the picture reluctantly towards her. Remembering his advice, she pretended to look at it. Soon, the image did capture her interest, so much so that she forgot how hungry she was until she heard the door open again, and the delicious smell of fried eggs and bacon wafted under her nose.

She looked up to see Snape enter the flat again, carrying a tray. He stopped so that she could see the plate with eggs, bacon, and baked beans on it; next to it sat another plate with stacks of golden, buttered toast. A mug and a pot, presumably containing tea, completed the tempting display. Her stomach rumbled audibly.

'Well, Hermione, have you made up your mind if you're going to help us or not?'

She swallowed, her eyes remaining glued to the food. 'I might if you give me that breakfast.'

'Ah, that's not the way it works. You agree to help us, and you'll have breakfast. If not, I'm taking this away with me.' He held the tray just out of her reach.

Hermione pretended to think about this for a while, then she said, 'All right.'

Snape set the tray down in front of her. 'We knew you'd come to your senses. I'll be back in an hour. Make sure you have a few ideas by then.'

Hermione polished off the food quickly. Usually, she didn't like cooked breakfasts, but today it seemed like the most wonderful thing in the world. With a contented little sigh, she mopped up the last bit of tomato sauce with a piece of toast. Mug in hand, she pulled the picture towards her again. Some of the carvings on the wooden box looked vaguely familiar.

~*~*~*~*~

When Snape came back, he brought the box from the picture with him. Setting it down on the table, he said, 'Does this look familiar to you?'

Hermione shook her head. 'No, I've never seen it before, but some...'

Snape's eyebrow went up.

'...of the carvings seem to be familiar, but they looked different in the picture. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it before.'

The eyebrow relaxed.

'What we'd like you to do is to open the box.' He placed a set of tiny keys next to the box.

'Why would I do that?' Hermione tried to suss out if opening the box was a good idea.

Trying to read his expression, she noticed a barely perceptible nod before he said, 'It's in your own best interest.'

That would be a yes. She ran her hands over and around the box without touching it. There was magic there, powerful magic, and it wasn't benevolent, but it didn't seem to be coming from the box itself. She peered at the set of keys and the keyholes. She put the first key in the matching keyhole and turned it carefully. The lock clicked open. Hermione proceeded to unlock the box until only one key was left.

Her concentration was interrupted by a knock on the door. Liz stuck her head in. 'Everything under control, Stephen?'

Snape nodded. 'Everything's fine.'

'I'll be off then. See ya.'

'See ya.'

Snape and Hermione waited until the footsteps had disappeared. When Hermione opened her mouth to speak, Snape put a finger on his mouth and shook his head. He pulled out his wand and cast a series of spells. Apparently satisfied with the results, he said, 'It's safe to speak now. Are you all right?'

'I'm fine. I'm so glad to see you. And what is this?' Hermione pointed at the box.

'Never mind that now. Let's get you out of here first.'

'Do you have my wand?'

'It's right here.' Snape pulled her wand out of his folder and handed it to her.

Warmth spread through Hermione as her fingers closed around the familiar shape of the handle. She felt complete. Hermione stood up and started towards the door. 'What are we waiting for?'

'Hermione, stop. I'd rather we're not seen walking out that door together. There's a camera outside, and beyond this room, Muggle technology does work.'

Hermione stopped in her tracks. 'Bugger. It would have been too easy. We could always blast the damn thing apart,' she suggested.

'We could. We could also leave a note on the table saying you've escaped and telling them where to find us.'

'You're right,' she conceded. 'I just want to get out of here.'

'So do I. And preferably without having to dismantle the Anti-Apparition wards. But I'd rather throw that bunch of imbeciles off our tracks.' Snape looked pensively at Hermione.

'Have you ever mastered the Animagus Transfiguration?' he asked.

'Why does everyone think that because I'm bright and powerful I'd have tried every spell known to wizardkind?'

Severus didn't say anything, just narrowed his eyes and waited.

'All right, I have.'

'What's your Animagus form?'

Hermione muttered something unintelligible.

'Sorry? Is it something small enough to carry?'

'Yes, it's just...'

'What?' Apparently Severus was waiting for her to perform the spell.

'I wasn't particularly happy with the result,' Hermione mumbled.

'Merlin's Balls. Stop being vain and transform.' Snape's eyes narrowed.

'Couldn't we dismantle the wards? I mean, there's two of us, and it couldn't take that long,' Hermione hedged.

'Hermione, get on with it,' Severus snapped.

Hermione threw him a dirty look and transformed.

Severus looked at the floor, a corner of his mouth curling upwards. 'Nice. Would you like me to get you a bowl of milk?'

Hermione the hedgehog glared at him, her nose twitching.

Still grinning, Severus Transfigured the empty mug into a rucksack and threw his folder, the wooden box, the keyring, and Hermione's wand into it. He disappeared into the bathroom and came back with the towel. Crouching down, he placed it in front of Hermione. 'I'm sorry, this won't be very comfortable.'

Hermione padded onto the towel. It felt a lot less scratchy to her hedgehog belly than it had on her human skin. She felt Snape fold it into a little nest around her, then he lifted her up and put her into the rucksack. As the zip started to close, she felt a surge of panic, but then she saw Snape's hands fumbling with it, making sure she had air to breathe. When she felt him lifting up the rucksack, she tried to sit in her towel nest as comfortably as possible.

~*~*~*~*~

After what felt like a long time and a lot of bouncing and jiggling, her temporary lodgings were set down on something solid. She saw the zip open, and Snape's hands appeared, lifting her together with the towel. He looked at her for a moment before he set her gently down on the floor.

Hermione felt her body assume its human form again as the leaves of grass around her shrunk. She stretched her neck and her shoulders, then she looked at Severus. 'Are we really out of there?'

He nodded.

Without thinking, Hermione hugged him. 'Thank you.'

Severus stiffened for a moment, but then his arms wrapped around her. 'You're welcome,' he murmured into her hair.

Hermione was content to let him hold her until she remembered that Snape wasn't exactly the hugging type. She quickly stepped back. 'Yes, erm...'

'Erm, right...' Snape said, looking as embarrassed as she felt.

'Where are we?' Hermione asked quickly.

'On the grounds of Malfoy Manor.'

'What? Why did you bring me here?' Hermione grabbed the rucksack and started to dig through it until she found her wand.

'Hermione, relax. We've no idea yet what exactly is going on. At the moment, this seems to be the safest place.'

Hermione let out a shaky laugh, barely keeping the memories of the last time she had been here at bay. 'You do realise how ironic this is, don't you?'

'I know. And yet, at the moment, this is the one place where you'll be safe.'

'Why?'

'You know the "scientists" were Muggles, but you also noticed that the flat had been warded against certain spells,' Severus replied.

'Yes... That means that both wizards and Muggles are involved in this.'

'Exactly, and at the moment, we neither know who they are nor what they want.'

'How can you be sure that Lucius Malfoy isn't involved in this?' Hermione asked.

'He isn't.' Severus didn't elaborate, but something in his voice made Hermione believe him.

They had made their way slowly towards the manor while they were talking. As the elegant, impressive building came into sight, Hermione stiffened. She felt Severus' fingers link with hers, and together they mounted the steps to the front door.

Lucius came to meet them in the entrance hall. 'Miss Granger, welcome to my home. I'm glad to see you well. Rest assured that you'll be safe here.'

Despite Severus' reassurances, she had dreaded entering the manor again, but she understood both the apology and the promise in Lucius Malfoy's words. She started to relax, helped by the fact that she had become used to his presence from various board meetings, where she'd usually found his company pleasant and inspiring. She smiled at him. 'Thank you.'

'Keppy will show you to your room.' A house-elf bowed to her. Hermione noticed that he was clad in a clean tea-towel that managed to look almost like a proper apron, and that the elf seemed to be neither fearful nor cowering. For some reason, this helped to reassure her further.

'Thank you, Keppy,' she said, becoming increasingly aware that she'd been in her running clothes for over two days now, and that all she'd been able to use was cold water and a few cleaning charms.

'Do you think you'll be up for lunch in an hour?' Severus asked.

Hermione nodded and followed the elf upstairs. She didn't notice much about the room, only that someone had brought some of her clothes from home, and that there was a bathroom across the corridor. She contemplated a bath, but then decided on a shower. That should be enough to scrub the smell of the bedsit off. The warm water running over her body and the rose foam of the rose-scented soap felt wonderful.

Hermione yawned as she, squeaky clean now, went back to her room. The bed looked very inviting. Only a few minutes, she thought as she stretched out on it.

~*~*~*~*~

Hermione snuggled back into the soft, fluffy pillow with a contented sigh. Her eyes opened to an unfamiliar room. She sat up quickly. It was already dark outside, but her room was slowly lit up by a soft light from two sconces on the wall. Realising where she was, she lay back. She wasn't a prisoner anymore. She was safe...as odd as that sounded to her own ears, given the fact that she was at Malfoy Manor. Severus had come to her rescue. A smile spread over her face, which turned into a grin as she pictured Severus' expression if she ever told him that he was her knight in shining armour.

'And I'm not exactly the typical damsel in distress, either. Which is a good thing,' she murmured as she stretched before getting up. She grinned again, noticing that she was feeling like Hermione Granger once more. She dressed in jeans and a jumper and went downstairs.

Keppy seemed to appear out of nowhere when she reached the stairs. 'The gentlemen are in the drawing room,' he said.

As Hermione followed him down the corridor, she braced herself to see that room again. Keppy opened the door for her, and she found herself in a warm, well-lit room. It was dominated by a large sofa and two armchairs grouped around a coffee table. A fire was crackling merrily in the fireplace; the velvet curtains before the large French windows were drawn. Bookshelves lined the walls, interspersed with a few paintings of landscapes, and a side table held an assortment of bottles and glasses. Nothing in the room reminded Hermione of the worst hours of the war. She felt the tension in her recede and greeted Severus and Malfoy with a smile.

Both had risen at her entrance. 'Sleep well?' Severus asked.

'Yes, thanks. I think I was a little more tired than I realised.'

'No wonder after your ordeal,' Lucius said. 'What would you like to eat, Herm...Miss Granger.'

'Hermione is fine. And whatever you're having is fine, too.' Her sentence was accompanied by her stomach growling.

'Ah, you've just pinpointed the problem. Some of us think the height of variety is having broccoli instead of peas,' Lucius said with a pointed look at Severus.

In response, Severus muttered something about fancy food.

Hermione looked from one to the other. It seemed they had this conversation frequently. In return, both were now expectantly looking at her. 'Chips?' she ventured, earning her a nod and a tentative smile from Severus. 'Yes, I'd love some chips.'

'And a salad or some veggies would be nice, too.' This time Lucius smiled at her.

In the end, they decided on pork chops with apple sauce, chips and a salad, and everyone seemed to be happy with their dinner.

After they'd eaten, they went back to have a glass of Burgundy in front of the fire. Hermione's thoughts returned to the events of the last two days.

'Did you find out what's in the box?' she asked.

'Yes. Come, I'll show you.' Severus stood up and led the way through several corridors and down a flight of stairs to what seemed to be a small workroom, Lucius trailing behind. Hermione noticed that both men disabled several layers of wards before the door opened.

The open box sat on a table. Its edges seemed to be slightly blurred. 'We've placed it under a Stasis Charm. The box was heavily warded and booby-trapped so that it could only be opened by a witch or wizard, and whatever that thing inside it is, it's dangerous,' Severus explained.

'Yes, I noticed that there was some powerful magical object inside when I started to open it this morning. And it seems to be Dark,' Hermione said as she went to the table to take a closer look. Inside the box, she could see a golden, round object. It was shaped like a sun, its rays thin and spiky. The disc itself was blank, apart from a small ribbon of symbols engraved around its rim. Hermione peered at the symbols. 'I don't think I've ever seen anything like that before,' she said.

'Neither have I,' Severus said.

'I haven't, either. But it's definitely Dark,' Lucius agreed. 'We thought we would have a look at some of my books tomorrow and see if we can find anything.'

Despite the gravity of the situation, Hermione's heart leapt happily at the prospect of research, and at the chance of seeing the library at Lucius' home. Rumour had it that it was the best and most extensive private library in Britain.