Full Moon Rising: Part Two

Disclaimer: It's not my creation, but I do enjoy manipulating things. No money for me though. Enjoy.

A big thanks goes to my lovely beta, Charmed_Nay, and cheers go to my friends over at Potter_Place.

Dumbledore looked down into the face of Lucius Malfoy and shook his head sadly. Even Stunned, the man appeared arrogant. "Had you only agreed to come to me for help, Lucius, I would have given it to you. You only needed to ask if you were afraid of Voldemort."

He heard muffled footsteps and looked up, smiling knowingly. "Well, good evening, Draco, Ginevra. I trust you've been comfortable in your stay away from the castle."

The boy looked frightened and was eyeing his father and his ex-Potions master warily. "Sir, we only did what we had to do. We weren't certain who to trust." He nodded to Snape. "If you hadn't taken him down as well, we would never have come out. He truly is the Dark Lord's man."

"Yes, I'm afraid that Severus has decided to go his own way as of late, but I should like to think that he can be reasoned with. Whereas Lucius..." He let the implication hang in the air between them.

Ginevra dropped down to pet Lupin on the face. "Will he be all right?" she asked softly, looking up with frightened eyes. "Lucius hit him with a Stunning Spell, I think."

"He'll be fine," Dumbledore assured her. "As will the both of you." He smiled kindly as she stood and moved back to Draco, taking his hand. "I must admit that I am relieved to have found the two of you. There are many worried about you both."

Draco scoffed. "I'm sure."

"Yes, Draco, people are worried about the both of you, but I must ask something of you before I agree to take you into protective custody."

Looking to Ginny first, the boy swallowed, as if afraid to hear the headmaster's proposal. "I don't remember asking for your protection." Ginny elbowed him. "Though I might consider it."

Dumbledore nodded in amusement. "I must have your oath by wand that you will not betray me or any associated with me to Voldemort or your father, given the chance. To do so would result in an... untimely demise."

Draco looked to his father first and then to Ginny. Holding up his wand, never looking away from her, he said, "I swear with my life and honor as a Malfoy that I would not betray anyone associated with you or you by giving information to my father or to the Dark Lord. I seek only protection and to protect at the same time."

"Excellent," Dumbledore said happily. "I don't think it wise to awaken Remus just yet. He is not too happy with you, Draco, and he may act on impulse, especially in light of what your father did to him."

"I understand," he said fearfully, tightening his hold on Ginny's hand. "What do we do?"

"Sir, my mum," Ginny began anxiously, "is she very angry?"

"Worried, I would say." The headmaster pulled a small object from his pocket, tapped it with his wand, and gave it to the girl. "Just so happens, I have this Portkey that will take you to Professor McGonagall's private quarters. I told her that she might have company, so you are expected. She will see that you are fed and kept hidden until I am able to come for you and take you to a safe location."

Draco put a finger upon the Portkey. "Thank you, sir."

"Think nothing of it," he said, waving them off. "Three, two, one." In the next instant, they were gone. He breathed a sigh of relief, glad to have finally caught the pair, but then he looked down with narrowed eyes, wondering how to go about his next task.

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"Hermione! Wake up!" Harry called, pounding on the door to her room. "Look at this!" He heard a light rumbling inside, a muffled curse, and the creaking of the door. "Come here," he said excitedly, moving to the table, pointing at his map.

"What is it?" she asked sleepily, stumbling forward, yawning.

He pointed to McGonagall's office. "Look who is here!"

"Draco and Ginny! Severus said that he had a mission tonight. I'll bet he found them," she said excitedly, searching the map for his name. "Did you see him?"

"No," he said, shaking his head. "Dumbledore isn't here either." He nodded to the far end of the table. "I've some Extendable Ears and my Invisibility Cloak. What say we go have a listen? No one need know."

"All right," she said excitedly. "I wonder where they found them!"

"Dunno. Come on," he said, grabbing the items. Once the Cloak was securely about them, they slowly made their way out into the corridor. "It's more of a snug fit now, isn't it? All this crouching down while we walk slows us up."

"It's not all that bad. I think it was made a little larger incase its wearer had something with him while he had to hide."

"Shhh! Mrs. Norris!" Harry said, nodding at the shadow of a cat on the wall up ahead. "This way," he whispered. They turned down another corridor and quietly made their way to Professor McGonagall's office. Once there, they settled themselves next to the door and put on their devices to listen in."

"Surely you don't expect me to believe that," McGonagall was saying.

"It's true," Ginny told her. "Draco isn't lying. Professor Snape and Lucius are working together. They followed Lupin to our hideaway. Once there, Lucius Stupefied Lupin before he could turn on Snape. We were going to run off, but then we heard Professor Dumbledore come up."

Harry looked to Hermione and noted her confused expression. Maybe coming to eavesdrop hadn't been the best idea. Draco's voice caused him to turn his attention back to the conversation.

"...and that's when Dumbledore cast a spell on Snape first and my father next. It's the only reason we came out. Snape has truly been on the Dark Lord's side all along. He's only pretending to help Dumbledore to get information on Harry."

"Right," Ginny agreed. "We only showed ourselves after we saw that the headmaster had downed the both of them. He took an oath from Draco and sent us here. I expect he's taking Malfoy and Snape to Azkaban. Lupin has probably been woken and is likely to be in the forest someplace. He told us to come here. That you'd be expecting us."

"As interesting as your tale may be, I am certain that you will understand that I simply must wait to hear this from the headmaster before I can believe such an outrageous story," McGonagall said sternly. "I've known Severus most of his life, and while he did do some things that I find unacceptable, he's long made amends for them."

"He's still doing those unacceptable things," Draco said offhandedly.

"You forget yourself, Mr. Malfoy."

"Sorry, Professor McGonagall, it's just that so much has happened in the last few weeks."

"Both of you are safe now. That's all that matters," she replied, voice softer. "Miss Weasley, your mother will be so pleased to have you back. She's been beside herself with worry."

"Not being able to trust Professor Snape didn't leave us with many choices," Ginny said firmly. "We had to fend for ourselves. Either we had to leave or risk me being snatched and taken to Voldemort or to Lucius. If it hadn't been for Draco..." Her voice trailed off, and there was silence.

Harry noted that Hermione's cheeks were streaked with tears. He pulled her to him, pulled the devices from their ears, and held her as she cried softly. "There has to be a mistake, Harry," she whispered through muffled sobs.

"Doesn't sound good, Mione. Doesn't sound good at all," he murmured. "Let's go back to our rooms before someone finds us. Quietly, he led his hurt friend back to their quarters without incident. Once inside, he stoked the fire and sat with her on the settee. "What are you thinking?" he asked after a long silence.

"We talked about his loyalties just today. He said that he would make certain that I'd be happy. I told him I couldn't live if Voldemort won in the end, that I wouldn't be a hypocrite, going on after my friends died for what was right," she said numbly, not looking at him. "He told me that things would be all right. I don't understand..."

"You don't think he'd tell you if he was planning to betray Dumbledore or the Order, do you? You'd be the last person he'd tell," Harry said heatedly. "He's a snake. Always has been."

"He wouldn't lie to me, Harry! Something isn't right here. It's like McGonagall said. We shouldn't jump to conclusions until we've heard the truth of it from Dumbledore."

"Wouldn't lie to you, eh? I guess he told you all about his plans tonight? Told you he was meeting Lucius and planned to harm Lupin, did he? Knew about that, eh?"

"Well, no..." Her voice trailed away. "That means nothing," she said moments later. "Something could have come up. He could have..."

"Could have what?" Harry asked, hoping she'd see the type of man he was. He hated that she was being hurt, but she needed to hear these things. "Besides, did he tell you in exact words that he'd not betray the Order? Dumbledore? Me? Did he give you an oath?"

"He gave me his word," she said, voice cracking. Harry snorted. "His word is as good as an oath to me. He... he gave me his mother's pendant!"

"So?"

"So, see? He does care."

"What exactly did he tell you, Hermione?"

"He said... when I pointed out that by helping you would help me, and I would die before accepting Voldemort as my leader, he said..."

"Er...well?"

"He kissed me as if he agreed, as if making a pact with me, and he said that I would live."

"And then?" Harry coaxed.

"Then what?" she retorted hotly.

"Where is the vow that he'd not betray us?"

"Well, that was it. He vowed I'd not have to live under Voldemort's thumb."

"Oh, brilliant deduction, Hermione!" Harry laughed and clapped sarcastically. "You've gone mad! For all we know, he could have meant that he'd force you to live. Hello! Imperius Curse for starters! Hell, the list goes on!"

Hermione burst into tears and fled to her room, leaving Harry with his mouth agape. "I was just being honest!" he yelled after the door slammed. "Damn it!" he groused. He'd pushed her too far. It wasn't her fault that she'd fallen for him and believed his lies. She'd been tricked like the rest of them. He went to her door and pounded on it. "Mione! Come on! I'm sorry. Really, I am."

"Go away!" she hollered.

"Blast!" he said, kicking her door. Somehow the git had tricked Hermione into loving him, and he'd pretended to... "No," he whispered to himself. "He's not pretending." He remembered Snape's expression when he didn't know anyone was looking, remembered the words he'd spoken. He had given her something of his mother's. Harry shrugged. So he loves Hermione in his own way. That doesn't mean that he wouldn't betray the Order for her.

Nodding to himself, he made his way to his own room, slamming the door for good measure. He threw himself onto his bed and thought of what they'd learned. No matter how much he hated Snape in the past, still hated him, he never truly believed he would betray Dumbledore. He hadn't really trusted him all that much, but part of him had. That part of him felt betrayed. There were just too many things that he'd done to prove that he'd been on their side as opposed to Voldemort's side. He'd speak to Dumbledore first thing in the morning and find out what the hell had gone on. Maybe he could comfort Hermione by giving her Dumbledore's version of things. Snape would pay for hurting her. He'd see to it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Severus stood up and dusted his robes off. "That went well," he said sourly. "I still can't believe the little ingrate wouldn't come to me for help." Once again, the headmaster had been right. He'd sensed that they wouldn't go to Hogwarts for protection because Draco believed Severus to be the Dark Lord's man. Am I? he wondered. If Dumbledore hadn't devised the current plan, he would have had to kill Lucius on the Dark Lord's orders.

Dumbledore smiled. "Ah, Severus, you can't blame him. You've been a friend to his family for many years, and your loyalties, in his eyes, have always lain where theirs has." He chuckled. "There is a twig in your hair. I am grateful that Lucius believed me to have silently hexed you."

"Well, I hope my fall didn't appear to practiced," Severus said dryly. In truth, he'd hit his head on a rock as he'd fallen. It had taken a lot to not cry out. When the two brats had been talking to Dumbledore, he'd had the sudden urge to scratch his head. "It might have been better if you'd truly Stunned me." He sneered as he smoothed down his hair and made certain all leaves and sticks were out of it.

"I wanted you to be aware of what was going on." Dumbledore shook his head. "You never know who might have been lurking about. I could have needed you."

"I seriously doubt that, Headmaster," Severus said in a bored voice. "Although, if I might say, Lupin's face was priceless." He grinned mischievously. "He'll not be as forgiving. I wouldn't recommend releasing his hex until he is safely back to his weaker form or properly restrained."

Nodding, the headmaster said, "I agree."

"You take hold of Lucius, and I shall take Remus. I fashioned a Portkey to bring us to the Infirmary's back room." He pulled a small metal trinket from his pocket and activated it. "Quickly now."

Severus reached over and touched the object, making certain he had a sturdy grip on his old friend. One day Lucius might appreciate what he'd done for him. A jerk behind his navel alerted him to the Portkey's pull. The room had been prepared for their arrival already.

"Poppy? We are here," Dumbledore called towards the opened doorway.

A moment later, the matron appeared. "I was wondering when you two would return." She opened another door and nodded to Severus. "Put him in here. He'll be quite comfortable."

"Very well." Severus cast a spell to hover the man behind him and led him to the room. It was a quaint little room...connected loo, a bed, a desk with a chair, and an entire shelf of books. "Looks like a vacation spot instead of a prison cell."

Once he'd settled his friend on the bed, he whispered, "Ennervate."

Sputtering and reaching for the wand that Severus had already taken from him, he looked around wildly. "Severus! Where is that old fool?"

Severus opened his mouth to speak, but a quiet voice behind him spoke instead. "Ah, Lucius, good of you to join us. I do hope you will enjoy your stay."

Lucius' icy glare met Severus' dark gaze. "So... you did betray me."

Severus shook his head. "I did the only thing I could to keep your family alive, Lucius." He backed away to allow the headmaster to talk.

"When Severus told me of Voldemort's order to have you killed after you'd shown him where Yaxley and Crabbe could be found, I decided to take pity on you."

Lucius looked around as if hoping for an escape. "I don't want your pity."

"Oh, I believe you are mistaken, Lucius. If you didn't have my pity, you would have death or a lifetime of imprisonment. I believe they would probably give you a trial and then have you terminated to make an example of you." Dumbledore smiled kindly. "So you see, Lucius, you do need my pity, although you might not exactly want it."

"The headmaster has decided to keep you here for the duration of the war. After Potter and our Lord meets, your fate will be decided."

"What does that mean?"

Severus kept quiet and allowed Dumbledore to speak. "It means that once Harry kills Voldemort, and make no mistake, he shall defeat him, as I believe you've witnessed thanks to your friend, Bane." He paused, but Lucius said nothing. "As I was saying, after Harry has rid the world of Tom Riddle, you will be at my mercy. I am quite certain you would prefer a lesser sentence in Azkaban, if any, for your deeds? Wouldn't you like to make certain that your home and many Galleons stay in Malfoy hands?"

"What do you want?" Lucius asked distastefully.

"Why, I thought you'd never ask," Dumbledore asked slyly. "I want everything of course. Any information you have on anyone associated with Tom Riddle. I want your version of what you saw with Bane." He nodded to Severus. "He's told me the things that you've said thus far, but I think I should like to hear it from you."

"And you will speak for me if Potter wins?"

"Yes, I shall tell the Ministry that you came to me before the war's end with information that helped us," he said firmly. "However, they need not know that it was a forced alliance, and I shall have you take an Unbreakable Vow on a few things."

"Agreed," Lucius said. "My son? My wife?"

"Draco is safe, and that is all you will know for now. Tom has generously allowed Narcissa to live so far. I think he intends to use her as leverage to get Draco back to his side." Dumbledore yawned dramatically. "I wouldn't mind having the rest of our talk tomorrow. It appears that I am tired. Severus and I still have to trek out and retrieve your friends. Oh, I shall let the Ministry know that it was you that captured the pair of them. That should look good for your honor."

"Very well. I shall talk to you on the morrow."

"Excellent. Have a pleasant night." Dumbledore made his way to the exit. "Come, Severus."

Severus smirked and looked to Lucius. "I shall talk with you tomorrow as well."

"I shall be waiting, old friend," Lucius said sarcastically.

Once the door closed and locked itself behind him, he moved forward to see Poppy checking over Lupin with her wand. "Something isn't quite right with him. A simple Stunner shouldn't have kept him under this long. I've not had to strengthen it yet, and he won't wake when I try."

"Don't worry, Poppy. I'll handle it for you," Severus said, striding forward. He paused to be certain that Lupin was properly restrained. With a deft slash of his wand and a whispered spell, the werewolf twitched. "Death Eaters know that a normal Stunner won't hold them long, so we devised our own variation. That's what Lucius used tonight." He nodded to the wolf. "He'll have a nasty headache."

"Oh. Well..." Poppy was at a loss for words and instinctively backed away when she heard a low growl.

Dumbledore said jovially, "Yes, I suppose being around the others that run with Greyback could have something to do with it, eh? Completely understandable and smart, if I might say so."

Lupin was on his feet and howling immediately. Seconds later, he fought his restraints to get at Severus. "Oh, do calm down," Severus said in an annoyed voice.

Dumbledore strode forward. "Remus, if you can't calm yourself, I will have to put you back as you were until daybreak. The choice is yours. I cannot explain things to you whilst you are so riled up."

After another attempt to swipe at Severus, the werewolf dropped to all fours and paced back and forth angrily, glaring at Severus all the while. He only stopped when the headmaster began speaking again.

"Ginevra Weasley and Draco Malfoy are here in the castle. Both are safe. You should be happy to know that. Miss Weasley expressed her concern for you. I am certain she would be horrified to know that you are this angry. Things had to play out this way with Severus seemingly betraying you, or they wouldn't have come out. I can explain to you further tomorrow. Until then, friend, I have to ask that you not give Poppy a hard time."

A slight yelp and whimper was Lupin's reply. He settled back on his haunches and allowed Poppy to place a bowl of fresh water within his reach. As he moved to lap up the water, Severus exited the stuffy room. He was surprised that Dumbledore followed him so quickly.

"Come. Let's go get the other two and put them in their rooms here. Afterwards, you can tell the Dark Lord that your deeds have been done," he said softly. A hand clasped Severus' shoulder for a moment. "I want to thank you for all that you've done for me, Severus. You can never know how grateful I truly am."

"So grateful that you've had Firenze burning the same mixture that Bane was using to be certain that I was telling you the truth," he said bitterly. "I told you all that I knew."

Dumbledore sighed and brought his hands up rub his temples as if soothing a headache. "It was not to test you, my boy."

"Enough, sir," Severus hissed. "I am no fool. You don't completely trust me."

"I do," Dumbledore said adamantly. "I simply wanted to be certain that nothing was kept from you or that Bane did not somehow pull the wool over Lucius' eyes."

"You wanted to be certain that nothing else," he raised an eyebrow, "would tempt me to switch sides."

"Let us keep your relationship with Miss Granger out of this," he said. "I am certain that if anything, our Hermione would keep you on track."

Severus sighed. "I've told you before, Headmaster, that I have chosen her, and if..."

"And if I got in the way, you'd take her off to live away from here whilst serving the Dark Lord, forsaking me and all the work we've done together?" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow and watched his silent Potions master. He shook his head when the man didn't speak. "I did not think so, Severus. You may continue your relationship with her, but I ask that you keep things as they have been... respectful."

Glaring at the headmaster, Severus said, "If we don't get the others soon, they shall be waking without us." His eyes drifted towards the door for a moment as he thought dark things. Don't be so certain, Headmaster. You always try to see the good in everyone. Some of us have a limited ability to always do things the right way. I am not respectful in most ways, and I wouldn't allow you to take her from me.

Dumbledore took his Portkey out, fixed it to where they would appear in Lucius' campsite, and activated it. Once there, they quickly pulled the men from the brush, Portkeyed back to Hogwarts, and placed the men into their own rooms, both resembling the one they'd placed Lucius in. Severus walked with the headmaster to McGonagall's office.

Minerva smiled in welcome, but the two students looked upon Severus with fear. "It's about time you both got here. Can you imagine the tale that these two tried to tell me?"

"I wonder if it concerns the capture of Lucius Malfoy, the hexing of a traitorous Professor Snape, and the cursing of Remus Lupin?" Dumbledore asked cheekily, conjuring two plush seats.

"Why, just so happens, it does," Minerva said dryly. "I dared not believe a word of it, but I am certain they would like an explanation." She patted the small box atop her desk. "I've confiscated their wands as you've asked."

"Very good," Dumbledore said, taking his seat. "Sit with us, Severus." Once he was seated, the headmaster began again. "I have a little tale to tell of my own."

"What's he doing here?" Draco nodded towards his Head of House. "I told you already..."

"Yes, dear boy, I know what you've told me, and I must confess to being dishonest with you. I knew that you'd not come forward knowing that Severus was still on staff here. Therefore, Severus and I devised a plan that would lead us to you and give you both a feeling of security. What you saw tonight was planned beforehand."

"The headmaster only pretended to hex me. Lucius did Stun Lupin, and in turn, Headmaster Dumbledore did the same to him."

"My father is in Azkaban?" Draco asked suddenly.

"I have him in a safe place. It appears that he wishes to divulge information that might help us. However, you are not to tell anyone about this. In the wrong hands, this information could destroy all that Severus has been working for. To the world, Lucius Malfoy is simply still at large. To Voldemort, he's met his demise. Even your mother will not know the difference."

"But the Dark Lord wouldn't want..."

"Yes, Draco, he would want your father killed. In fact, he wanted me to do it," Severus said quietly.

"And you couldn't?" Draco asked incredulously. "I would have thought..."

Severus smirked and stood. "I trust you don't need me any longer, Headmaster. I feel the need to retire."

"I will bring them to their safe location, Severus. I just want a few more words with them."

"Very well. Good evening." He nodded to Minerva and ignored the two students. He didn't care what they thought of him. In his opinion, the more ill they thought of him, the better off he'd be. He hated that Dumbledore wanted to let the boy and girl know what they'd done, but he'd felt that they'd try to run off again if they didn't know some of the details.

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Sleep would not come for Hermione. She peeked out of her room and saw that Harry was no longer in the common room. His door was shut tightly. She wandered out to get her book from the table. "Might as well read," she said bitterly. She couldn't believe that she'd been so blinded by her lover's words. How could he do this to me? He's supposed to help Harry not Malfoy! There had to be more to it than they'd heard. She'd force him to explain why he did it, even after their talk. She had been certain that he'd made a vow of sorts to her to see to it that he remained on Harry's side, not Voldemort's.

Just as she pulled up her book, Harry's Invisibility Cloak and map caught her eye. He'd left them on the table. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good," she said quietly. The map came to life, and she began scanning it. Her eyes found Professor McGonagall's office, searching for Ginny and Draco. To her surprise, Severus Snape was leaving the office. The headmaster, Professor McGonagall, Ginny, and Draco were still inside.

A moment of fear clenched her insides. Had he somehow overpowered Dumbledore and McGonagall to get to the two students? "Ridiculous," she muttered. They'd misunderstood things, Draco and Ginny. She felt like a fool for listening to Harry's opinion of things. She should have waited to hear from Severus herself. She watched his path. He paused for a moment at the corridor leading to their hidden chambers, but instead of continuing down to see her, he moved on and made his way down to his own chambers. She wished there was a way to talk to him, to have him hold her, or to see for herself that all was well.

The shimmering fabric of Harry's cloak caught her eye. That was it. She could use it to go down to see him. Nobody need know about it. Hermione took the map and the cloak to her room and freshened up before dressing in warm clothing. She checked the map one last time to be certain that he was still in his private quarters. She left it in her room and closed the door. Harry would not be certain if she'd gone out or not. He might think that she had the map with her to check for Severus.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Severus wrapped his thick bathrobe about his body the moment he stepped out of his shower and quickly stoked the fire in his bedchamber. He usually welcomed the cold air of winter, but for some reason, he didn't want to tolerate it this night. Everything had gone the way Dumbledore had planned, but something still didn't sit well with him. The captures and trickery went easily enough, but it was the entire meeting with the Dark Lord. He hadn't often felt uneasy when going to see his master, but for some reason, this night, he did. He'd told his Lord that he'd be bringing Lucius in, and the man's eyes had narrowed ever so slightly.

He was uncertain as to what to do. What if his Lord knew somehow that he'd not killed Lucius? What if they had been followed by another? Would they bring news of Dumbledore's plan to him? Of Severus' part in it? He thought of Hermione then. What if his failure would be taken out on her? It was the first time he feared for something in a long time. "Damn it!" he said quietly to the empty room. "This is why I regret becoming involved with her." Not that he regretted having her in his life. No. He would never truly regret it. He simply worried for her now and loathed the fact that he cared for someone else's welfare. If his Lord thought he failed, he might use her to punish him.

Why do I doubt him? Why does it feel as though my master is displeased with me? Surely I am just overreacting to the uncertainty of how Lucius was dealt with. Yes, that had to be it. Draco was right. He couldn't have done it, could he? Kill Lucius. If he was in a duel or a scuffle, he could have easily done it. The thought of turning his wand upon the first person that accepted him...even though he was only a half-blood wizard and his family hadn't the wealth some of the others had. Lucius had been in his seventh year when he'd first met him. It had been an honor to hear his kind words...words of wisdom and advice on dealing with those in the world that didn't appreciate a Slytherin mind.

Pulling his parchment from his desk, he waved a hand over it and whispered the one spell that would bring him closer to his witch without having to step a foot in any direction.

Alone and frightened in the main corridor of the dungeon.

"What the hell is she doing down here?" he asked aloud. He quickly moved through his chambers and into his office where he opened the door and peered out into the darkened hallway. "Come here," he said in a quiet voice, hoping it wouldn't carry.

An intake of air and a few hurried steps signaled that she was on her way to him. He moved back to allow her to pass into the room, but she pounced upon him instead. Sobbing. What the fuck is it now? He closed the door, issued the words to reset all warding, and pulled his bundle from him. He reached out slowly and grasped what he hoped was the hood of the cloak and pulled it back. "Hermione..."

"I thought... I thought you were gone for good. I thought you'd left me even after our talk," she blurted, tears staining her cheeks. From the redness of her eyes and the puffiness of the skin surrounding them, he could tell she'd been crying for awhile.

"Never," he whispered, hoping his tone mollified her. "I'll not leave without you." He pulled her back to him and lifted her, carrying her to his bedchamber. What would it hurt to just hold her for a small time? He needed to find out why she'd left her chambers and what had upset her so much. He had no idea what she was on about.

"Where are we going?" she asked, sniffling all the while.

"To bed," he said softly. "You're shivering, and I intend to warm you up."

"We... need to talk."

"Oh, yes, we shall talk... at some point."

Southern's Notes: I apologize for taking so long to get this to you. A large hurricane came through just to the east of where I live, and I've not had Internet connection since. I hope you've not lost interest in my tale with my absence. While I had electricity and my other utilities back on a few days after the storm passed through, I was able to write (details on my live journal) 4 chapters (and they are simply fun...can't wait for you to read them). I'll be posting them every three days, as I was trying to do before I had to take time away...this will give my lovely beta and myself extra time to proofread them and allow everyone to catch up. However, if we can get to them sooner, I certainly shall upload them as soon as possible.

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