The Army on the March

Disclaimer: Nothing you recognize belongs to me. Just borrowed. Will be returned. Snape is welcome to stay, though.

A big Thank You goes to my beta-reader and brit-picker, Melusin, who transfers my babble into language, sorts my random punctuation and is a good friend.

---

9.41. He who exercises no forethought but makes light

of his opponents is sure to be captured by them.

9.45. If a general shows confidence in his men but always

insists on his orders being obeyed, the gain will be mutual.

(Sun Tzu, The Art of War, IX. The Army on the March)

"Rowena Ravenclaw's wand? You have Rowena Ravenclaw's wand?" Hermione asked, completely flabbergasted.

Snape stared at her with an unreadable expression. "That's what I just said."

"Merlin!" Hermione exclaimed, rolling her eyes. "There I was, all self-important and pompously guarding my big secret when it would have been much better for all of us if you had known all along." She had risen from her chair and started to pace agitatedly. "I feel like such an idiot. If only Professor Dumbledore had told you... Damn!" She looked at Snape apologetically. "I'm sorry..."

"Indeed," he said calmly. "But as touching as your little display of remorse is, Nightshade, there is a reason why Professor Dumbledore didn't tell me."

"He wanted to protect you...not just the secret." Hermione stared at him. "Bloody Hell! I shouldn't have... but then..." She looked at him miserably, not knowing what to say. "What have I done? I can't... And if you're summoned... Oh, no!"

"Stop being so silly. Do you really think that this secret would be harder to keep than that of the Underground? And don't, for a moment, think that the Underground is less important than the Horcruxes. Potter cannot fight alone, and even with the Order of the Phoenix, there won't be enough fighters to have a chance against the army of Death Eaters and Dark Creatures the Dark Lord is gathering. The Underground army is needed desperately."

"But you're in so much danger, already." Hermione was close to tears, now; her heart was hurting for him. "And now this added burden..." She shivered and sank down on the chair again, staring at the floor and hugging herself.

Snape didn't say anything, and when she looked up, she saw him looking back at her, oddly. They stared at each other, and he slowly shook his head. Hermione felt embarrassment colouring her cheeks. She'd made a fool of herself; what would he think of her now?

"There really is no need to get so agitated," Snape finally broke the awkward silence. "I shall protect this secret just like all the others," he said softly.

Hermione swallowed and tried to calm herself. Being forcefully reminded of the magnitude of the danger he was in had shaken her. She took a deep breath. "I... I'm sorry," she stammered. "It's just..." She took another deep breath. "It's just that I worry."

He shook his head and scowled. "Have you forgotten how much danger you all face when you go on missions? What's the matter with you, Nightshade?" He waved his arm in a circle. "All this here isn't some entertaining adventure or a fancy camping trip. We are soldiers who are fighting a war. I thought you understood that."

Hermione blinked and nodded. "I do..."

"Then you should be aware that our chances of surviving this whole mess are not exactly good, but we can make the difference between victory and defeat. That's what we're fighting for, and that's what makes it worthwhile."

Hermione berated herself for her emotional outburst. She wasn't afraid for herself, but now she feared for him. And her heart wanted him to survive, to be safe, and to be with her. But she knew she'd better bury these demands deeply and focus on the problems ahead. Another quivering breath cleared her head, and when she thought she could act normally again, she gave him a tentative smile.

"I'm very sorry, Nundu, but your news about the wand came a bit as a shock. What are your plans now? Where is it? Will you go and get it? How will we destroy it?"

"We shall retrieve it from its hiding place. We'll have to go to Durmstrang for that."

"We?" she asked hopefully.

"Of course, we." His lips twitched. "You don't think I'd endure your chatter and train you and then do all the work myself? I need you to come along and help. The wand is well protected. It will need two people to retrieve it safely."

"All right. When do we go?" She beamed at him.

He shook his head at her swift change of mood. "The wand is in a safe place not far from Durmstrang. It would be unwise to go there during term-time. We shall go during the Easter break. In the meantime, there is a prophecy to be spoken, and, if I'm not mistaken, another Horcrux to be found."

"Right," Hermione said. "The prophecy will buy us time because I have no idea where Helga Hufflepuff's cup could be hidden."

"We shall find out," Snape said and dismissed her.

---

The following Sunday, Minerva McGonagall visited Nan Guthan again. She brought news from Parvati, who had settled in perfectly and spoken the prophecy. She had done it during a Divination lesson with Slytherins and Hufflepuffs...an audience perfectly suited to spread the news far and wide.

Hermione asked after Harry, Ron and Luna and was relieved to hear that they were on the way to a complete recovery.

"Harry is very angry, though," Minerva said. "He is shouting and swearing, and he's insisting that he must go back to the forest. It's almost as if his life depended on it."

Hermione bit her lip and cast a quick glance at Snape, who frowned.

"He lost something in the forest," Hermione said. "He won't rest until he finds it. We must do something. He'll go mental if he thinks he's lost it permanently."

"Very well." Snape tapped the desk with his wand repeatedly. A heretofore unseen door opened, and a hidden drawer produced the locket. Snape took a quill from the desk and handed it to Minerva. "Can you Transfigure this into a copy of the locket?"

She raised an eyebrow, looking curious, and pursed her lips. After studying the locket from all sides, she tapped the quill with her wand a few times. An identical copy of the locket lay in front of her, only missing the fragment of Voldemort's soul, thankfully.

"Give that to Potter and ask him what it is," Snape told Minerva. "Tell him that you found it in the forest––make something up––he'll believe you. He won't tell you what the locket is but keep asking. Give him a hard time. That way, he won't suspect anything." He cast an amused glance towards Hermione, who scowled. She didn't like it when he spoke of Harry as if he was an irrational idiot, but she had to admit that some deception was in order, and that Harry had to believe that he had got the locket back.

"And what is the big secret behind Slytherin's locket?" Minerva asked, looking intrigued.

Snape looked at Hermione; all traces of mirth had disappeared from his eyes. He asked a silent question, got a silent answer and frowned, looking back at Minerva. "It is of utmost importance to keep it a secret, Minerva. We can't tell you. We'll take care of the real locket."

Minerva McGonagall's eyes narrowed, and she regarded them both thoughtfully. "I see," she finally grumbled. "You two of you have become quite a team, haven't you?" She shook her head and sighed. "I'm glad that you've allowed someone to help you, Severus. I trust that you'll do what has to be done." Then she immediately changed the topic, reporting on the goings-on in the outside world.

"We have a bit of a problem with the Ministry," she said. "The three young people's condition couldn't be kept a secret...not with so many parents coming and going, Aurors protecting the school and all that. Word got out to Scrimgeour, and he sent Percy Weasley as a 'security supervisor'. I am sad to say that Mr. Weasley has lost nothing of his, ah, self-importance."

"He's still a pompous arse, you mean," Hermione muttered under her breath, which brought her a wide-eyed glare from Snape and an amused snort from Minerva.

"I'd have thought he'd have learned a thing or two after his mother's murder," Hermione muttered. "I can't understand how he can still act as the Minister's lackey."

"To be fair, he came to me and assured me that he'd do anything to help keeping the school open, but I'm not sure if I can trust him. Anyway, with Percy snooping around, we need to be extra careful with Order meetings, and I'd advise you to come in disguise when you enter Hogwarts' grounds from now on, Severus."

He nodded, and she continued with her report. Apparently, Sibyll Trelawney was such a success in the Muggle world, Sabrina was thinking of expanding her studio, already. Sibyll Trelawney was on her way to becoming a very rich woman. A small part of these unexpected riches flowed to the Underground since Sibyll was listed as a member of a charitable organization that was making fictitious transactions for it.

"There is more news," Minerva said and smiled. "Perry and Parvati are in love, and I'm happy for them."

Snape flinched. "That could complicate things."

"Why?" Hermione was surprised.

"Because Perry would have a very hard time should it really become necessary to have Miss Patil kidnapped. And he'll be a target because the Dark Lord can blackmail the fake Trelawney with him––just like you were a target, Nightshade, incidentally."

"What do you mean?"

Snape frowned. "You mean you don't know?"

"Know what?"

"You were to be killed because the Dark Lord was under the impression that you were Potter's love interest. Bellatrix and Wormtail professed that they were certain about your attachment after they, ah, met you at the Malfoy residence. You must have been quite impressive for Bellatrix to notice you."

"Oh," was all Hermione could think of to say.

"Yes," Snape said and smirked. "And your death should have been devastating for Potter. The Dark Lord sees grief for a loved one as a weakness and plans to use that grief against Potter. Your Weasley friends are watched closely by the Order and the Underground; they are in grave danger because of this."

"Oh," Hermione said again.

"However, you're not really dead nor were you Potter's girlfriend, were you?" Snape's glance was calculating.

"No, never. We are more like siblings, like family. We've never been attracted to each other romantically."

Snape's eyes glittered, but he didn't say anything and merely nodded as a reply.

Minerva McGonagall looked from one to the other with an amused twinkle in her eyes that was oddly reminiscent of Albus Dumbledore.

---

During the next three weeks, life in the Underground progressed at its usual pace. Snape had been gone for an entire week once again. When he came back, he looked pale and strained. Parvati's prophecy had been relayed, and Snape's steadfast advice at being patient and not rushing into things had been rewarded and praised by Voldemort. This praise, however, brought on challenge after challenge from Bellatrix Lestrange, who kept pushing for action. As she'd been watching Snape's every move, he hadn't dared return to the Underground, especially since Wormtail had taken to toadying to Lestrange as of late.

Hermione was relieved when Snape returned safely. She found it harder and harder to conceal her worries, although Snape seemed to be pleased with her progress in Occlumency and Legilimency. They often spoke to each other through Legilimency, now, and had found an efficient way of communicating with their thoughts alone.

The search for the next Horcrux had not progressed, however. Hermione and Snape had discussed Horcrux theories several times but still didn't have a clue where Helga Hufflepuff's cup could be hidden and which Death Eater was guarding it.

In the meantime, spring had arrived, and Easter was just around the corner. Snape was about to go to Durmstrang with Voldemort's approval, claiming he wanted to visit his old Potions master and get a look at some of the ancient Dark Potions texts in the old man's possession. With Bellatrix and Wormtail snooping, he didn't want to risk being seen travelling with Hermione, even in her Polyjuiced disguise; hence, they would travel independently.

Hermione took a plane to Oslo and then used a Portkey and Apparition to get to Bodø where she stayed in a Muggle hotel. Snape would pick her up there after having ensured that the passage to the wand's hiding place was safe.

When he finally arrived, Hermione was bored and irritable. Although the calendar told her that it was spring, here in Norway's Nordland it was still quite cold. Hermione cast warming charm after warming charm and still felt the cold seeping under her clothes, right to her bones.

"When you said to me you see no difference, what were you referring to?" she asked. They had not agreed on a password or pass phrase; instead, Snape had suggested she ask him a question about their time together at school...something a random Death Eater intruder wasn't likely to know.

"Your teeth," Snape's smooth voice drawled from the other side of the door.

Relieved, Hermione opened the door a crack and looked into his eyes, casting a nonverbal Legilimens. In an instant, she opened the door wide. This was Snape, all right. There was no disguise that could mask or mimic that particular mind structure. For someone who had been in Snape's mind as often as she had, there was no mistaking his identity. This was something Death Eaters wouldn't know. When another mind was only ever entered forcefully and with the intention to invade and spy or force the thoughts out of the victim, those distinct identifying traces wouldn't become discernible. Only with peaceful, amiable and tolerated contact was it possible to get to know someone else's mind so intimately.

"I'm glad you made it. Let's get that bloody wand, and then I'm out of here," Hermione growled.

Snape's eyes gleamed. "And there was me thinking you'd be thrilled to get the chance of seeing Durmstrang," he said silkily.

"In summer, perhaps," she groused.

"The climate in the Swartisen area is rather mild for the latitude. It gets worse before it gets better," he said mysteriously. But before she could ask what he meant, he had taken her hand and Disapparated.

---

"You want me to go in there?" Hermione was bewildered. They were standing in a small, ice-filled valley between two glaciers. One of the glaciers had a large overhang looming over the valley, and just underneath the icy roof, a small opening appeared and disappeared at regular intervals. She would never have seen it if Snape hadn't shown her what it was. The whole area around Durmstrang was under Muggle-Repelling Charms, but in this valley, a few Broom-barrier and concealment spells had been added for good measure.

"Watch your step; the ice is slippery," Snape murmured as he levitated Hermione up to the small opening. She turned to float him up as well but stopped in her tracks, looked around and gasped. Her elevated position gave her a clear view over the second glacier. The glacier looked like a mountain of glass with a small castle on top. Hermione stood mesmerized. It looked as if it had come straight out of a fairy tale, but then, the whole magical world seemed straight out of a fairy tale. And Durmstrang had to be the origin of the many tales about castles on glass or ice mountains. It looked unapproachable and mysterious. The ice was shimmering in a bright turquoise blue, casting an eerie light on the school, almost as if it were submerged in the ocean.

"Nightshade, what are you waiting for?" Snape called from below.

Hermione shook herself back to reality. "I'm sorry," she said while she levitated him up. "You didn't prepare me for that sight." She motioned towards the castle.

"Rather dramatic, I agree," Snape murmured and took the view in for a moment. "But we have work to do. Let's go," he urged. Taking Hermione's arm, he drew her towards the opening, which turned out to be a large cave entrance and not the narrow gap it had seemed to be from below.

Hesitantly, Hermione let herself be led inside the cave, carefully watching her step. "And now?"

"Now we follow that tunnel over there," Snape said, waving his wand and revealing another opening.

"I see that you have an affinity for Underground settings," Hermione quipped. "This almost looks familiar."

"Doesn't it just?" Snape sounded amused and led her on.

They followed the tunnel for what seemed like an endless amount of time to Hermione. The air around them was very cold; her breath formed a steamy cloud in front of her. The light inside the glacier was clear and blue, getting deeper and more mysterious the further in they moved. Despite the cold, Hermione felt completely at ease. The whole atmosphere was one of deep and impenetrable tranquillity and peace. As if by an unspoken agreement, Snape and Hermione didn't talk loudly; the little communication that was necessary was either done in a whisper or through Legilimency.

Finally, they arrived at another entrance, which led into a wide cavern. Hermione wondered if that was still part of the glacier or if they were now in a real cave in the mountains. After looking around, she decided that it had to be a rock cave since stalagmites were growing towards huge stalactites hanging from the roof, which in some cases were forming glistening pillars of wet limestone. The light, however, was still blue. The centre of the cave seemed to contain a frozen lake; the surface was smooth, slippery and shiny as if polished. In the middle of the frozen lake was a large rock, just a bit too small to be called an island. The icy floor was glittering and sparkling in various shades of blue and purple. The rock in the middle was bathed in the blue light.

"Bloody hell, I'd forgotten how sickeningly romantic this cave is," Snape muttered, looking around. Puffs of condensated breath were coming from his mouth as he spoke.

"A bit cold for a tête-à-tête but otherwise––not bad," Hermione said.

"Believe me, Nightshade, the witch who comes here for a 'tête-à-tête' with me won't be complaining about the cold."

Hermione blushed. "Hm, too bad, then, that you haven't found her yet, isn't it?"

"Who says that I haven't?"

Hermione's face fell. "Touché," she muttered.

Snape smirked, his eyes glittering. "We shall have to fly to that rock. That's where the wand is," he murmured silkily.

Hermione breathed deeply. She should leave the flirting to people who knew how to do it. She had things to do and problems to solve. She blinked a few times, suppressed her blush, and finally looked at Snape questioningly and slightly embarrassedly. "Why don't we simply Summon the wand?"

"It's hidden in that rock. Forceful retrieval would destroy it," Snape said.

Hermione swallowed. "All right, then. Let's get going."

"Please take care not to touch the surface," Snape warned. "There are Dementors under the ice..." He pointed at some shadows under the ice...shadows that Hermione had taken for a random play of light and colours. But when she looked closely, she saw the unmistakable shapes of Dementors, lying motionless under the smooth and cold surface.

"They are sleeping, in suspension. It is too cold here, even for Dementors," Snape explained. "But touching the surface will wake them up."

"Great," Hermione murmured. "Couldn't you have chosen a simpler protection for that bloody wand?"

"It wasn't in my hands to do it," Snape murmured. "The Dark Lord gave me precise instructions on how to protect the wand."

"Is he checking on these things?" Hermione asked. That thought had suddenly appeared and terrified her greatly.

"Not to my knowledge. The Death Eaters would know if he were aware of the missing Horcruxes; he'd be furious, completely unhinged. But just to be on the safe side, we'll leave a duplicate."

"Thank Merlin for small favours." Hermione sighed. "What do you want me to do?"

Snape took two shrunken brooms out of his pocket and enlarged them by dropping a few drops of a potion on them. He handed one broom to Hermione.

"We fly. The Broom-barrier spells don't reach this far in. Are you ready?"

"Sure." Gathering her courage, Hermione mounted her broom and followed Snape out over the frozen lake to the small island in the middle. Snape was already standing there, offering her a hand. There was barely enough room to stand. Snape half-leaned over a rock outcrop, steadying Hermione with one hand, while she dismounted.

"Take out your wand; you'll need to cast a warming charm on both of us from time to time," he whispered. "It'll take all my attention to retrieve the wand." He let go of her, giving her room to reach into her pocket. Hermione felt an icy chill rising from the ground up into her feet and legs, like an icy hand gripping at her ankles.

"All right," she said and cast the charm. She felt the cold retreat from her legs but didn't really feel any warmth from the spell, just the absence of the cold.

"Do not cast the spell until it is strictly necessary. Too much change in temperature can wake the Dementors."

"What happens if I don't cast the spell?" Hermione asked and shivered.

"We'll be slowly Petrified, from the feet up. When the cold reaches your wand arm, there'll be no release until someone finds you."

"I see... That's just like it was with that lake where the locket was...or should have been. And that someone... that would be You-Know-Who, wouldn't it? He'd want to see who'd tried to steal his treasures and then punish them, wouldn't he?"

"Yes," Snape confirmed in a low voice and took a phial and a small knife out of his pocket. He poured a few drops of the contents of the phial onto a small indentation in the rock in front of him. With a loud and menacing hiss, green mist rose up from the spot.

A quick stroke with the knife produced a small cut on his left middle finger. Squeezing, he pressed three drops of blood out of the wound and onto the potion. The hissing increased, turning to a gurgle and sputter that resembled a menacing snarl.

The mist was now surrounding both of them and had turned a dark burgundy red. A softly murmured incantation finally turned the hissing and gurgling into a rasping and grinding sound, and slowly, slowly, something emerged from the stone. An elongated shape, surrounded by a bronze-coloured glow was now floating three inches above the rock outcrop. It was Rowena Ravenclaw's wand, and in all likelihood a Horcrux.

Hermione watched in fascination, almost forgetting to cast the warming spell. Only after she felt the cold reaching towards her heart did she renew it.

Snape took the wand in both hands and continued to chant his incantation. When the glow faded, he looked up and presented the wand to Hermione, who took it.

"That's that," he said. "Now for the replacement."

Hermione reached into her pocket and took out a spare wand. She studied the Ravenclaw wand thoroughly and then Transfigured the spare wand into an identical replica.

Snape inserted the duplicate wand into the hole in the rock and reversed the retrieval procedure by first singing the enchantment backwards, then adding some more of his blood and finally closing the stone with a drop of the potion from his phial. A final hiss, and the multicoloured mists vanished. The rock outcrop lay before them unblemished, as if nothing had happened.

With chattering teeth, Hermione followed Snape back to the stalactite ring and the cave entrance. The Ravenclaw wand was safely stashed away in a small pouch with Muggle-Repelling Charms on it. Hermione would keep the wand, and on her flight back, that pouch would be completely ignored during the luggage check. Her own wand was usually explained as being a gift for a relative: a handcrafted, conductor's baton.

---

Three days later, they met in the office cave of Nan Guthan again.

"I give up. I'm out of ideas. I don't have the slightest idea where the cup could be hidden." Hermione looked defeated.

"Neither does Potter, from the looks of it. Perry says that he is restless and looking for fights with the Slytherins again. He's teamed him up with Pansy Parkinson in the Defence sessions."

"That doesn't sound very promising."

"Both Pansy and Potter work together grudgingly. They may even learn to respect each other, who knows?"

"Really?"

"It seems to be working rather well, although Potter remains restless."

"But what do we do, short of going straight to You-Know-Who and asking where he hid the blasted thing?"

"We'll go over what we know again. And again, and again until we find a clue."

"But we've done that, already, and more than once..."

"If you have a better suggestion...?"

"You know damn well that I don't." Hermione rolled her eyes and glared at Snape, who was sitting opposite her in the office cave.

Snape shrugged and pinched the bridge of his nose. "The ring was in the ruins of the Gaunt House in Little Hangleton...the town where the Dark Lord was conceived and where his father lived.

"The locket was hidden in a cave he found as a young boy while living in the orphanage.

"The diary was hidden with Lucius Malfoy, one of his Death Eaters.

"The wand was hidden with me, one of his Death Eaters.

"The snake isn't hidden, but it is always close to him, and it used to nurture him––it is part of his new body.

"Where does the cup fit in?"

"It could either be hidden with yet another of the Death Eaters or in some place of significance from his past, or both." Hermione suggested, not for the first time.

"He gave me the wand for safekeeping as a reward for killing Albus Dumbledore." Snape swallowed. His voice broke as it always did at the mention of the old wizard. "He gave Lucius the diary as a reward for the many financial transactions Lucius conducted with the Ministry in the Dark Lord's favour."

"Are you absolutely certain about that?" Hermione asked, "Because it does show a kind of pattern."

"I am as certain as I can be about my own, ah, reward. And Lucius proudly told me all the details after the Basilisk incident. He didn't quite expect the punishment he received when the Dark Lord found out that he was responsible for the diary's destruction."

"I see." Hermione nodded. "The locket was with Regulus Black, but he wasn't supposed to hide it in his house; it was meant to be kept in that cave with the Inferi."

"Regulus appeared to be a very devout young follower. More importantly, he was from a very old pure-blood family...from a very rich and influential family. Another Black. Maybe that's why he was, ah, honoured."

"Malfoy, Black, Snape: three of his trusted followers, or so he thinks. What about Barty Crouch and Bellatrix Lestrange? What about Wormtail? Wouldn't Wormtail have deserved a reward for bringing him back?"

"Wormtail was rewarded with his new silver hand and with the rank he now has. He is always very close to the Dark Lord. Barty Crouch... possible. Bellatrix... just as possible. Neither of them ever renounced him, not even in Azkaban. He must have given the cup to one of them."

Snape paused and looked stricken all of a sudden.

"It has to be Bellatrix. I should have realised that earlier. She mentioned something...just a fragment...when she came to my house with her sister. When I made the Unbreakable Vow, you know?"

Hermione nodded. Snape had told her the tale after she'd inquired about the Malfoys being in the Underground.

"Bellatrix said... 'The Dark Lord has, in the past, entrusted me with his most precious'... that has to be it!"

Hermione was all excited, now. "Yes. Absolutely. But where does she keep it? How did you choose where to hide the wand?"

"The Dark Lord suggested I find somewhere in Durmstrang. The school has great significance for him. When he was travelling, in his early years, he spent a lot of time there, studying everything about Dark Arts their library could offer. He told me as much when he sent me there to apprentice with Master Dahlgren."

"Didn't Professor Dumbledore know that? He never told Harry any of this."

"I don't think it ever came up when I gave him my reports. And since I didn't know about the significance..."

"All right, then. We have a pretty good idea about who safeguards the cup. The 'where' would have been determined by You-Know-Who, wouldn't it?"

"Possibly. Lucius wasn't told to hide the diary somewhere specific, not to my knowledge."

"Perhaps the Malfoys may have an idea about Bellatrix' hiding place?"

Snape shot her a surprised glance. "Feasible, quite feasible. That may actually lead to something. Narcissa and Bellatrix were never very close, but Bellatrix might have been tempted to boast..."

"So we go and ask the Malfoys?"

"Without revealing what we really want to know, yes. We'll go as soon as possible. Be ready, Nightshade. You're going to see the Creswell Crags caves; they are the most beautiful of all the Underground's dwellings."

---

A week later, they were on their way to the northeast border of Derbyshire to a group of caves situated in deep ravines. The ravines called 'Creswell Crags' are a popular place for Muggles and were, at the same time, a perfect hiding place for the Underground. Hermione had read all about the place; it was not only outstandingly picturesque and beautiful but contained artefacts from the earliest human settlements in Britain and was saturated with ancient magic. The caves inhabited by the Underground were hidden from Muggle explorers, and the ancient magic in the area made the tracing of residual magic impossible.

The books didn't give the place credit, Hermione thought when they slowly made their way through the cave called Robin Hood Cave. There was a group of Muggle visitors in the cave, and Hermione and Snape blended in effortlessly, appearing as a pair of Muggle tourists.

"Death Eaters would avoid this place, wouldn't they?" Hermione asked while she marvelled at the beauty of the cave.

"The Dark Lord isn't interested in Muggles, and he doesn't seek out places where they congregate, unless he wants to kill them," Snape murmured while he led Hermione to the other end of the large cave.

They entered a corridor leading to a group of several half-hidden, smaller chambers and waited until there were no Muggles present.

It took a while before they were completely alone; the Muggles were shown something in another section of the cave by the guide. It was eerily silent, and Hermione could hear her heartbeat...and there was a popping and cracking sound in her ears, almost as if someone had Apparated.

She heard Snape draw a sharp breath. He had heard it, too. Someone had indeed Apparated in the vicinity. They quickly Disillusioned each other. Carefully peeking around the corner of the chamber down the corridor, Hermione saw two figures zooming out of a Disillusionment Charm, wands in hand, staring around in confusion.

"Muggles," the female figure hissed. "We've arrived in an anthill crawling with stinking Muggles." She slowly lowered her wand. Hermione had recognized her immediately. The woman was Bellatrix Lestrange.

"He has to be around here somewhere, Bella," the man who was scuttling around her wheedled.

Hermione knew the man, too. It was Peter Pettigrew.

Snape's hand touched Hermione's arm, and she felt his breath on her face. His nose briefly touched her cheek, then he seemed to find what he was looking for and whispered in her ear, "Stay here, under the charm. Don't let yourself be seen. I shall take care of this. Wait until I return here."

"You and your idiotic ideas," Lestrange had continued with her rant. "A map to trace Snape's wand...and he could be anywhere from Sheffield to Manchester! That's how precise that map of yours is."

"But, Bella," the man whimpered, "I know how to make these maps, and I traced the use of our Lord's other names to Snape's dot on the map. That should allow us to close in..."

"That is your trace, you nitwit? Sending us to a Muggle dunghill and no Snape in sight? Not much use, that trace, is it?"

"But I am certain that my trace works, Bella. I just need to link it to something else he says often, something more Snape-specific. Just be patient, and we'll find out what he is doing when he isn't with the others."

"I shall take these matters into my own hands from now on," Lestrange screeched. "A Muggle heap–as if any self-respecting..." Lestrange stopped talking. A very thoughtful look had spread over her face. "Wait a minute," she murmured and cast a spell. Nothing happened. She murmured a few words and touched the cave's walls with both hands as if she were searching for something.

"What are you doing, Bella?" Wormtail simpered.

"What does it look like, idiot? I'm trying to find traces of magic, of course. But there's so much residual ancient magic, here... Cunning, quite cunning. He's hiding his tracks, the sly bastard."

"You're not talking about me, are you? My parents were married," a silky voice drawled, and Bellatrix turned with a jump and a low shriek.

Snape was standing just behind her, arms crossed, glaring down at her and Wormtail. "My, my, aren't you two a cosy couple? Tired of Rodolphus after all these years, Bellatrix? And Wormtail, of all people, is your new paramour? How very odd..."

Bellatrix looked furious and tried to get her composure back. "Don't try to distract me, Snape. What are you doing here?"

"That is a question only the Dark Lord has a right to ask me. I might add that he will be less than pleased to hear that you two have been checking up on me, jeopardizing my work."

"What work?" Wormtail threw in. "We've been watching you jump around randomly until we could finally pinpoint you here."

"I see that you've tried to copy the invention of your old, ah, friends, Wormtail. The ones you betrayed so lovingly." Snape's voice was dangerously soft. "The Dark Lord will be very interested in your achievement. It begs the question: why are you not using it for something more useful than following me around?"

With a shriek, Wormtail gaped as the map flew out of his hands, having silently been Summoned by Snape. "I shall keep this," Snape sneered.

"I don't trust you, Snape," Bellatrix said shrilly. "Someone has to watch you."

"Then I suggest you ask the Dark Lord to accompany me on my tasks. I take it you can blend in effortlessly with Muggles?"

Bellatrix made a face as if she wanted to throw up.

"No? Well, then you won't be of much use to me. When I gather information for the Dark Lord, I have to travel in many different disguises, and my half-Muggle background is of great advantage to him. Or how else did you think I managed to hide myself from the Ministry and the Order of the Phoenix and still continue my work for our Master?"

"I didn't think..."

"Indeed, you didn't think," Snape hissed, now looking very dangerous. "Apparating around the country, following me into Muggle territory, risking attracting attention, risking recognition. Two of the most wanted Death Eaters just going on a wild goose chase. No, the Dark Lord won't be pleased, Bellatrix. I'm certain of that."

Wormtail looked mutinous and opened his mouth to talk, but Bellatrix, who was still glowering at Snape, raised a hand. "I admit that you have a point, Snape. But there's no need to inform the Dark Lord. I'll do that myself." She smirked. "And he'd better confirm what you've just told me, otherwise there'll be a few questions asked by the one who has the right to ask you."

"Do that, Bellatrix, and now get out of here before the Muggles see you and your, ah, companion. Your attire isn't exactly current Muggle fashion."

"Just don't forget that I'm watching you, Snape," Lestrange hissed before she Disapparated, being followed by Wormtail a second later.

When Snape returned to her hiding place, Hermione let out a long, shivering breath. "Damn, that could have gone very wrong."

"Indeed," Snape said, ending her Disillusionment. "We have to warn the Underground immediately. The Creswell Crags caves have to be evacuated. Every trace of wizards and witches having lived here has to vanish completely. And we have to get out of here. Now."

Posing as Muggle tourists again, they crossed the large entrance cave and stepped out into the ravine. "North, we have to go North, and we will have to walk most of the time," Snape said, and with a frown, Hermione followed him.

Once again, she was touched by the beauty of the gorge. Vertical cliffs were rising high on either side of them. The cliffs were overhung with ivy and presented a luxurious growth of hazel, ash, maple and stunted oak trees. They followed the river and the artificial lake that filled the bottom of the ravine until they reached an area away from the main attractions. Snape pulled Hermione into a grove of young ash trees and took his wand out. At the same time, he let out the low whistle with which he usually called Fierce Lady Mouse Hunter.

Hermione watched him with a worried frown. "Can we be certain that they aren't around still, hiding somewhere?"

"Quite certain," Snape replied. "Bellatrix will go to the Dark Lord immediately, I'm sure, and Wormtail will follow suit. That doesn't mean that they won't return; that's why we had to get away from there so quickly."

Hermione nodded. "They can't see where you are without the map, but the trace on that name will still be active, won't it?"

Snape sighed and looked annoyed. "Yes, I shall have to avoid speaking that name. And there should be as little magic as possible outside the ancient area."

"Right," Hermione said. "But an evacuation of the whole area, is that really necessary? Won't people be terribly upset to have to give up the caves?"

"They will do as they are ordered," Snape said and held out his arm for his owl.

"And if they don't?"

"They will. Believe me, they will. I have full confidence in them. They know the routine. They have learned the necessary discipline, and they will obey their orders." He whispered something to Lady Mouse and sent her on her way again. Then he pulled his portrait-locket out of his shirt and whispered an order to its inhabitants.

He glanced sideways at Hermione while he tucked the locket away again and murmured, "Therefore soldiers must be treated in the first instance with humanity, but kept under control by means of iron discipline. This is a certain road to victory."

Hermione sighed and nodded. No point in arguing with Sun Tzu, was there?

"Please cast your Patronus, Nightshade, and send it to Bee with a message. She can inform the other caves and prepare emergency shelter for the Creswell Crags group. She knows the details."

"All right," Hermione said and took out her wand. Quickly glancing around to ensure that they were still alone, she summoned a happy memory and cast the Patronus Charm.

It didn't work. There was a silvery mist, and then her otter appeared but only in a very instable and translucent form. Almost immediately, it transformed into something else and then vanished completely.

"Sorry, no idea why that's acting up..." Hermione muttered, wondering about Snape's scowl. She'd have to think about a happier memory. With all her might, she remembered dancing with Snape.

"Expecto Patronum!" The mist was much stronger this time, but the otter still wavered and transformed. It changed into––something with antlers? A buck? Hermione started and almost lost her wand. The silvery animal solidified for a brief moment but then changed back into the otter. This time, the Patronus remained stable, and Hermione could give it her orders.

"I really don't know..." she began explaining but stopped when she saw Snape's face. He sneered menacingly, his brows knotted and his eyes piercing hers.

"My, my, you should have told me that you're in love with Potter, after all," he snarled. "That can complicate things."

Hermione blushed furiously. Of all the idiotic things to happen. Her Patronus had to choose this time and place to adapt its shape to her heart's desire. She sighed. There was no way around it. If the truth had to be revealed, so be it. She blushed some more and closed her eyes. "I'm not in love with Harry," she ground out.

"But your Patronus... I saw a stag..."

"It was a buck, not a stag."

"There is no one but... Bloody hell!"

So, that's that, Hermione thought, flinched and carefully peered at Snape through slitted eyes. He stared at her, unbelieving and astonished. Slowly his lips formed an 'O', then his expression became cold and unreadable again.

"Are you meaning to say that you care about me?"

"And if I do?" Hermione raised her chin defiantly and swallowed. "Go ahead, laugh. Call me a silly girl. Send me back to the cave."

She closed her eyes not wanting to see his surprise turn into scorn. Startled, she opened them again when he grabbed her upper arms and slightly shook her. He looked into her eyes, searchingly, questioningly.

She just stared back, swallowing a few times; fear, embarrassment and trust were chasing each other on her face.

His eyes widened, and he slightly shook his head.

"I cannot spout sweet nothings, Nightshade," he said. ***"But you know what I am. You hear nothing but the truth from me. I have blamed you, and lectured you, and you have borne it as no other woman would have borne it.*** I haven't seen you as a silly girl or a child for quite some time, now."

They stared into each other's eyes and suddenly their lips met; Hermione couldn't have said who started the kiss. For one glorious moment, Severus kissed her with all the intensity and passion she knew he'd possess. But just before she thought her heart would burst with happiness and excitement, he stopped abruptly. Lips pressed together, he ended the kiss tenderly, but chastely.

"I can't do this," he whispered.

She looked at him, confused and hurt. His eyes were cold again, like bottomless black tunnels.

"I see," she choked, forcing her tears back. "I am sorry..." She hung her head. "I shouldn't have..." A bright scarlet flushed her face; she didn't know where to look in her embarrassment. "It won't happen again. I'm really, really..."

"Stop it," Severus said very softly, lifting her chin with two fingers. "You seem to be misunderstanding something here..."

"What's there to misunderstand..." She flushed even more. "I made an idiot of myself, and you brought me back to reality."

"That's not the reason." A faint sparkle shone in his eyes. "I can't do it because I don't dare get involved..."

"With me? But you were involved with Bee..." Her eyes flashed in anger and confusion.

"What Bee and I had together was comfort, a release of tension, you know that. Neither of us wanted more, or expected more. This is different..."

"It is?" she asked breathlessly, a faint spark of hope in her heart. "Why can't I help you release the tension, then?"

He looked at her for a long time, his fingers still on her face, softly caressing her skin. "Are you certain? Is that really what you want?"

She nodded, eyes shining. He briefly closed his eyes.

"You must be deluded," he said hoarsely before his lips caught hers again.

This time there was no hesitation. The kiss progressed rapidly from the gentle and tender pressure of lips on lips to the cautious nibbling of his teeth on her lower lip to a thorough entwining and exploring of tongues and mouths.

Hermione felt his grip tighten. Her own arms had found their way around his neck, and one of her hands was buried in his hair, massaging his scalp softly. Being so close to him made her feel dizzy. She had filled her senses with his touch and smell once already, weeks ago, when they had danced, but kissing him was so much better than that. She leaned into the embrace, pressing herself closer to him.

He was gently sucking on her lower lip; his hands had wandered from her waist to her hips, and he pulled her firmly against him. She felt his erection, hard and insistent between them, and instinctively ground her hips against him. He sighed softly into her mouth, which made her shudder. She wanted to touch his skin right now. Her hands roamed and tugged at the collar of his shirt, trying to find a place where she could sneak her hand under the fabric.

He caught her hand and pressed it to his chest. Hermione noticed with surprise and no little satisfaction that his heart was beating the same rapid beat as hers. She was having such an effect on him? She ground her hips more firmly against him and raised a leg, half-straddling his thigh and rocking against it. Closer, she wanted to get closer. He shuddered and broke the kiss but did not let her go.

They stared at each other, both breathing hard. "As much as I would like to continue, right here and now, we can't. We have to get going," he whispered huskily. He cupped her cheeks, looked into her eyes and gently entered her mind. Hermione cast Legilimency on him, too, and felt, or rather, saw, two entwined bodies. The emotions she felt emanating from him were trust, warmth and overwhelming passion. He was more open and vulnerable than she had ever felt him before in her mind, but she could sense that he was still holding something back.

Nodding and sighing disappointedly, Hermione kissed him again, deeply, but not quite as passionately as before. Then she reluctantly stepped away from his arms. "You are right," she whispered. "We have to go."

Severus looked at her with a half-smile, his eyes glittering daringly and dangerously. "Understand that this is only postponed, not abandoned."

She swallowed and smiled dazedly. "Understood."

"Do you have your emergency gear?"

"Of course."

Each of them took a tiny, shrunken backpack out of their pockets, enlarged it with a drop of a potion and checked its contents. They shouldered their packs; Severus took Hermione's hand, and they started their hike north.

---

Naturally, Severus didn't hold Hermione's hand during all the time they walked, nor did she expect him to. Severus Snape publicly holding hands was an idea so foreign, so outlandish, that it didn't even occur to Hermione that he could do such a thing. Nevertheless, he touched her often. There were little touches on her elbows, shoulders or lower back while they walked. There were smirks, small smiles, raised eyebrows and stealthy glances. Hermione noticed all this, but she was still so excited and elated from his kisses that she walked at his side in a daze. She would have liked to ask a million questions and talk about a million things, but she couldn't. Everything was still so very unreal.

"Where, exactly, are we going?" she asked after a while when her head had become a bit clearer, and she was taking in her surroundings again. They were walking on a well-trodden hiking trail, following the lake at the bottom of the gorge. The trail led them east and later Northeast. The surrounding landscape was stunningly beautiful with the gorge's white limestone cliffs and the overhanging roots and branches. The fragrance of flowering trees and shrubs, the smell of warm sunshine on dry earth and the acoustic racket made by the many songbirds in the area conveyed a sense of completeness and harmony Hermione had seldom experienced in the past. Nothing mattered but the moment. The warmth emanated by the man who was walking closely at her side, and who was touching her from time to time, made her feel completely at peace with the world, yet, at the same time, alert and tense like a spring waiting to be released. At this moment in time, Hermione was completely happy.

"This is the Robin Hood trail," Severus murmured softly. "We'll follow it through the gorge and over the fields all the way to Worksop. There's an Underground safe house there from where the evacuation will be organized. But until we get there, we'll have to avoid using magic. No foolish wand-waving." He smirked.

Hermione smiled and nodded absentmindedly. She could have listened to his voice for hours and still not get enough of it. The low, silky sound seemed to vibrate in her skull and to caress her from the inside. She felt like she was in a dream.

They walked for three hours, mostly in silence, when a large crossroads and a cluster of buildings in the distance indicated the proximity of a city or town. The dream-like, wondrous hike would end very soon, much too soon for Hermione's taste. She didn't want to go back to reality; she wanted to have Severus to herself just for a little while longer. As soon as they were back among people, the Underground and the evacuation of the Creswell Crags group would need all his attention, and Hermione wasn't certain if there would be any time left for her, then...left for them, together. She slowed down, looking around hesitantly.

"What is it?"

"Could we take a short break, over there, in that wood?" Hermione pointed towards a small stand of birch trees.

"We can spare a few minutes," Severus agreed and followed her into the shade of the trees.

Once out of sight of the trail, Hermione looked at him insecurely and asked, "May I kiss you again?"

Severus' eyebrows shot up to his hairline, and he stared at her in surprise for a brief moment. Then a low chuckle started to rumble in his chest, and his eyes sparkled. "That's not something you need to ask permission for, you know?" He raised both hands to her face and cupped her cheeks. She leaned into the touch, watching him through half-closed eyes. His lips descended on hers in a slow and tender kiss.

Hermione sighed, opened her mouth and licked his lips gently. The taste and feel of him, the way his warm hands felt on her hot face, his scent...a clean, soapy smell mixed with a bit of sweat from a brisk walk on a warm day––all of it threatened to overwhelm her, just as it had when they had kissed for the first time.

A tendril of Severus' hair was tickling her nose; Severus' lips parted, and his tongue welcomed hers and sucked it into his own mouth. This elicited a low groan from her and a soft growl from him. Hermione could have lost herself in his kisses, but in the back of her mind a voice nagged, "No time!" Reluctantly, Hermione pulled away and broke the kiss before it could become too passionate.

"Thank you. I just wanted to be certain that this is real and not a dream," she whispered breathlessly while she looked at him, still insecure.

He exhaled sharply and drew her closer, hugging her tightly. "This is as real as we can make it, Nightshade. It's as real as the Underground, as real as our pledged lives." He kissed her temples and softly rubbed her back.

Hermione had her head pressed to his chest and was listening to the steady rhythm of his heart while he rocked her gently. As real as their pledged lives. That didn't sound as if he expected to live beyond the war. And that's why he agreed to get involved, she thought. Under different circumstances, he'd never have lowered his barriers enough to let her get close. Not for the first time, Hermione was glad that the Underground existed and that she had managed to gain Severus' trust. She sighed. She would have to give him time to understand that her idea of the future might be slightly different from his. In the meantime, she'd better help make certain that their pledged lives were bought back completely and fight for a life beyond the war for both of them. Her arms tightened around him, and she felt, more than heard, how he sighed.

"At least, I hope it's not a dream, you know," Severus murmured into her hair. "Because otherwise, one of these days while I'm kissing you, you might wake up and realise that you're snogging the Greasy Git."

Hermione laughed in surprise. "Will not!"

They grinned at each other and went on their way.

---

A/N: A last apology to Jane Austen. I'm done with the Emma quotes (between asterisks).

Thanks to the insanejournal community, snapedom, for helping me pinpoint where Durmstrang has to be. Here is the discussion, in case you're interested: http://asylums.insanejournal.com/snapedom/117372.html