TWO

Thanks, peskipiksi, for your beta-work! Not owning, just playing!

With a rough groan, Professor Snape opened his eyes. He jerked his arm and hand up to shield his eyes from the sun that was beaming down. He stared blinkingly up at the sky for a moment, watching clouds scuttle by and trying to clear his head. After a few moments he sneered, remembering the events of the last day from the battle to the unknown curse the Dark Lord had thrown at him, all the way to how he ended up lying on his back in the grass.

Severus hated travel by Portkey. Not only was it a harsh mode of transport, flinging a body through space the way that it did, but it was also quite undignified, especially when one wasn't expecting it. And if there was one thing that Severus Snape hated more than Portkeying, it was being undignified. He rose up from the prone position he found himself in, wincing as his protesting muscles screamed in disagreement to the movement, and took stock of his immediate surroundings, finding himself in quite a lovely garden. The peace and quiet of the place made Severus ill at ease after the chaos of the battlefield he had just been a part of, and he quickly scanned the area for anyone or anything that could be an enemy. Finding nothing, he turned his attention to the slight moan that broke through his musings.

"Of course, I can't forget my saviour," he thought and rolled his eyes.

He looked over his shoulder to the slight figure that was huddled next to a particularly fine specimen of foxglove. Any closer and she would have been a part of the plantings. Sighing deeply, Severus gained his feet and made his way gingerly to his "kidnapper". The little brat never could leave well enough alone. Always having to be "right", Granger tended towards being over-bearing, and that aggravated Snape almost as much as Portkeying and being undignified. Sighing heavily again, and ruthlessly shoving down the thought of just leaving her where she was and heading back to Hogwarts to take his chances, Severus waved his wand and muttered, "Ennervate."

Nothing could have prepared him for what happened next. But, then, nothing in his life should ever come as a surprise.

*****

Hermione despised magical travel and Portkeying ranked close to the top of the list, not too far behind brooms. But needs must, and for some reason that she couldn't begin to understand and dared not examine too closely, Hermione felt the desperate need to get Professor Snape away from Voldemort and to safety, and a Portkey was what she had to work with. The phoenix hairclip deposited the two on the grass of her parents' back garden, and the last thing that Hermione saw after they landed was a flare of blue light, and then everything went black.

Hermione was jerked abruptly to consciousness and she groaned as sunlight pressed in on her eyes making them water copiously. She squinted up at the black figure that towered over her and frantically scrabbled for her wand. The events of the past few days crashed over her in a wave of adrenaline drenched panic, and she surged to her feet, wand securely in hand.

"Who are you, what do you want?" she begged, her tone of voice belying the readiness of her defensive stance. "Did you Portkey with me? I don't remember anything."

Severus rolled his eyes and snapped, "Miss Granger, I should be asking you what YOU want. I was the one who was accosted on the battlefield and bodily dragged, against my will, to what I presume is your parents' home, and you have the audacity to berate me?"

Wiping her eyes fiercely, Hermione looked at the man staring down at her. His black eyes were flashing with some unnamable emotion and he was bleeding from several cuts on his face and hands. He looked as exhausted as she felt. Hermione stared, trying to place the dark man, he was so familiar to her, but other than a teasing in the back of her mind, she didn't know who this person was. The teasing turned into a slight ache, but try as she might, Hermione couldn't name the man standing before her.

"Miss Granger!"

The sudden exclamation of her name startled her into movement. Still focusing her wand on Severus, Hermione scrambled back from the man, almost falling in the process.

"How do you know me? I don't know who you are!" Hermione exclaimed with trepidation.

Snape huffed with irritation, and crossed his arms over his chest. "Miss Granger, have you lost your senses? Did you strike your head when we Portkeyed into your parents' garden? I assure you that I am still your Professor no matter what you and your little friends desire, and I don't appreciate being mocked. Especially when I didn't ask to be dragged off from Hogwarts."

Hermione stared in confusion. "Professor? I swear I don't know you. What did you teach? Were you there before I attended?" She reached a hand to her head and swayed slightly. "I really don't remember you... Maybe I did hit my head."

"May I check you for a head injury, Miss Granger? I would like to get this resolved and get some answers as to why you would take me from battle at Hogwarts. I am sure we are being looked for; unfortunately, we don't know which side is doing the looking." Severus waved his wand as he lectured and cast a spell at the witch.

"You were at the battle?" Hermione's eyes got big, and she brandished her wand at Snape. "Stop, what was that spell? Are you a Death Eater? Did you bring me here to keep me from helping Harry?"

Before he could read the diagnosis spell, Hermione cast in self-defence and was immediately disarmed by the Professor.

"MISS GRANGER! I am attempting to discover the reason for your memory loss. I would appreciate it if you refrain from attacking my person again. I assure you, one battle today was quite enough!"

A growing sense of deja vu was overtaking Hermione as the wizard continued his wand work and his berating of her person. "You must be one of Volde... "

"DO NOT SAY THAT NAME! And most certainly do not finish that thought."

The Potions master stopped his analysis and looked at Hermione in growing exasperation. "Granger, you know good and well I have been on the side of the Light spying for the Order, and if your prodigious brain had not wrapped around that tidbit from the clues undoubtedly dropped by the late Headmaster, surely you heard my declaration to the Dark Lord as I turned on him mere hours ago." Snape huffed again. "You don't have a brain injury of any type, so I would appreciate an end to this little game you are playing. Or should I assume that I am being detained here until your friends or the Order comes to take me away?"

Hermione looked in confusion at Severus. Her trembling hand still held out in front of her, but she was beginning to get lightheaded again. "I will send a Patronus to Professor McGonagall, she will sort this out. I won't cast any spells at you, I promise."

Severus rolled his eyes, but handed the witch her wand back while surreptitiously holding his on her just in case. "You go ahead and let them know where you are, but I will be leaving now. No sense in causing undue trouble."

"Wait, sir, you need to stay here. There has to be a reason that we Portkeyed here and we need to find out what it is. Perhaps you have some information... Unless you truly are a Death Eater... " Hermione's voice became shrill as panic rose in her.

As she started to flick her wand caught between messaging her friends and casting a spell at the man staring at her in consternation, Hermione's eyes rolled up in her head and she slowly began to fall. Snape caught her before she hit the ground and actually did strike her head, and she turned softly into his chest. He had to lean closer to hear her last mutterings before she was completely unconscious again.

"I do know who you are, you smell like home..."

Severus just shook his head at the ridiculous statement and lifted Hermione gently into his arms. He made his way into her parents' home, which was blessedly empty. Wandering through the kitchen and into the family room, he found the closest sofa to lay her on. He cast another diagnosis spell just to be sure there was no damage to her brain, and after ensuring she wasn't in danger from predators of the two-legged sort, Severus Snape Disapparated with a "pop", leaving everything behind.