Return to Me

Disclaimer: It all still belongs to JKR.

AN: Thanks again to Ariadne for being the beta queen.

"NO!"

Hermione bolted from the Great Hall and out the castle doors with Minerva close behind. Searching the grounds, she turned to Minerva with tears in her eyes and the night wind blowing in her hair. "How could he? I should have stayed with him! Now he's gone!" She looked at Minerva with pure panic in her eyes.

"This only means he left the castle. You may still be able to head him off before he can get to the gates!" Minerva called, scanning the grounds as far as she could see. Hermione's eyes widened, then she ran down the castle steps and into the darkness.

"Oh, Severus," Minerva said, holding back tears as she watched Hermione tear across the castle grounds.

Tears blurred her vision as she ran, screaming his name frantically, terrified at the possibility of never seeing him again. The gates came into view just as she ran out of breath, but she couldn't see him anywhere.

The trees merely rocked in the cool evening breeze, immune to the trauma surrounding them. She gripped the bars tightly and laid her head down, feeling the cold metal. Out of breath and panting, she stood there and sobbed.

"No!" she cried in anger, causing several owls to startle out of the trees.

Severus had developed a lurching gait, the kind that screamed that he had no business being upright, let alone walking. A mixture of jealousy, pain and bitterness surged within him. The cool night wind rippled his robes around him in an even more dramatic fashion than he could achieve sweeping through the halls. His hair flew around his head, whipping into his eyes. A great feeling of responsibility propelled him onward to what he knew was almost certain death.

Something in him needed to try.

"Damn you, Albus," he muttered aloud. "Even from the grave you rule my miserable life."

He stared ahead in the darkness as he moved along, his goal soon coming into focus.

Suddenly, he heard Hermione scream his name in the night. He stopped, torn between returning to his service as a spy and going back to her.

She was getting closer.

The gates stood before him, ornate wrought iron shapes, marking a magical crossing. Once outside, he could Apparate.

Severus touched the gates, but could only stand frozen as he heard her cry his name over and over. Closing his eyes, he opened the gates and moved through.

He quickly moved into the shadows when he saw Hermione approach the gates, watching in fascination as she clutched the bars and cried, moaning his name.

Severus was shocked. No one had ever concerned themselves about his going to the Dark Lord. Always alone, always returning to the castle to provide his report to Dumbledore. He was sometimes barely able to breathe or walk from various injuries. His hands shook for days after being hit by the Cruciatus Curse numerous times. Dumbledore cared, but the information was too valuable. Other members of the Order had no knowledge of the horrors he endured, although, at times, Minerva would show concern. Poppy soon became so upset by the state he would come back in that he ceased going to her, choosing to heal himself the best he could.

A strange feeling akin to pain filled his heart to see her crying. He backed further into the shadows to avoid being seen, stepping into the brittle brush. Severus took a deep breath and, while pulling up his sleeve, whispered, "I'll be back, Hermione."

He moved to touch his wand to the Mark and was promptly knocked to the ground.

The air was completely knocked out of him. The sky above moved in a swinging motion before shifting back into place. Before he could panic from lack of air, a wand was thrust against his throat.

"Don't you dare!"

Gasping for breath, Severus looked up to find an extremely furious Hermione Granger sitting on his chest with her wand pointed at him threateningly.

"Hermione, I – need," he gasped. Having her sitting on him, no matter how erotic, didn't help. His leg screamed in pain from falling. Weakly, he put up his hands in mock surrender and smirked into her angry face.

"I swear, I'll hex the daylights out of you, Severus Snape! How dare you leave!" she raged and pounded her free fist into his shoulder.

Barely able to catch his breath, he managed to croak out, "Would you please remove yourself from sitting on top of my lungs?"

She eyed him suspiciously. "You swear to not Apparate if I let you up?"

He didn't think it a good idea to let her know that he still held his wand and could Apparate, even with her sitting on him.

"Yes," he chuckled softly at her. When she angrily pushed her wand into his chest, he repeated quickly, "Yes, I swear!"

"Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are when angry?" he said with a grin as Hermione reluctantly moved off of him.

When she didn't respond or lower her wand, he raised an eyebrow. "Am I a prisoner?"

"Back inside," she said seriously, pointing at the castle gates. "Now."

Severus limped through the castle gates, brushing off his robes and picking leaves out of his hair.

Once inside, he turned to her, "Hermione, the Order needs information, and I am the only one who..."

"No! You're going to listen, and I'm only going to say this once. You are no longer a spy. Understand? Done! Over with!" she shouted at him.

Severus could only stare at her with an impressed look on his face. He was still rubbing dirt out of his hair, feeling like a scolded child found outside after bedtime.

She started on him, and he even took a step backward before catching himself. "I could never forgive myself if you were killed! Please, Severus, we need you here! Can't you understand that? The only reason Harry won is because your Mark burned. Anyone can see that!"

She breathed in shallow gasps, still ready to hex him should he move towards the gates.

"Besides," she started breathlessly, "I need you."

They stood in silence, their hair and robes blowing in the wind.

"Hermione..." he started, moving towards her.

"Now move!" she shouted. She motioned furiously at the castle, rubbing tears out of her eyes.

Raising an eyebrow, he stopped and crossed his arms over his chest. "And if I refuse?"

Without taking her eyes off his, she slowly moved her wand downwards. In a deadly serious voice, she stated, "Try me."

Severus' eyes widened slightly. He remained still for a moment, then turned quickly and began the journey back to the castle.

Minerva stood at the top of the Entrance Hall steps, listening to Hermione cry out Severus' name as she ran to the gates.

Remus placed a hand on her shoulder as he followed her line of sight. "Minerva?"

"Oh, Remus, what am I to do with him?" she said, looking at Remus with true fear.

"I don't know, but as miserable as he is, he is the most skilled fighter we have. Harry only won because of the Mark. He knows that."

Minerva nodded sadly.

"Minerva? Are Hermione and Severus?" Remus started, unsure of how to ask.

"Yes, I believe so," she said with a weak smile.

"And would you happen to have anything to do with this?" he asked quietly, a slight grin playing on his face.

Minerva shrugged, saying, "I may have given a hint or two to Severus. Sadly, he is a man who will be in love long before he will admit it to be true."

Remus nodded. "He may be a complete git at times, but if this brings him happiness, then so be it."

Emerging out of the darkness, Minerva could make out two forms moving towards the castle. Hardly believing her eyes, she watched as Severus limped with Hermione following behind, her wand firmly trained on him. Severus' face held an expression of embarrassment at being prodded along by a young witch.

With great effort, Minerva kept her grin at a minimum as they climbed up the stairs.

"Welcome back, Severus," Minerva said as they passed. Severus only glared at her.

They had moved in silence through the halls, refusing to argue in front of anyone. Once they arrived back in the rooms, Severus growled, "Happy now?"

"You still don't get it, do you?" she said, moving to stand in front of him.

He ignored her, choosing to stare into the empty fireplace.

When she didn't stop staring at him, he scowled, saying, "Do you intend to stand guard?"

"Are you suicidal?" she asked as calmly as possible.

He rolled his eyes. "Does it matter?"

"It matters to me."

He gestured to the dirt and leaves still littering his robes. "So I see."

Silence fell again. He held his ground, waiting for her to try again.

Hermione knew he enjoyed baiting her, so she chose another route.

Hermione sighed. "When you were lying here unconscious, I watched you for hours. Every breath, every movement, even your nightmares. In the night I had more than enough time to think."

"Fascinating," he muttered. "I had no idea you thought so much."

She ignored his comment, along with the unsettling way he was looking at her. "I thought about what Harry told us about the Horcruxes and how we need your help."

Looking at her intently, he said slowly, "Go on."

"We know from Dumbledore that the Horcruxes are most likely protected by Dark Magic."

Severus sat down and thought for a moment. "Yes, I am aware of that. Dumbledore came to me after destroying the ring, but I was unable to stop the damage to his hand."

He then closed his eyes for a time before looking at her again.

"Can you see now why we need you? No one is more knowledgeable of the Dark Arts, and your fighting style is, well, interesting," she said, searching his eyes. "Can I trust that you will stay?"

Severus seemed to be contemplating. After a long while, he nodded slightly and rose.

"Follow me."

Hermione looked confused, but followed him as instructed.

Severus approached the bookcase in the corner and, after muttering a spell, passed through a door that appeared. Hermione could tell by the stale air that the room had not been open in a long while.

It was a library lined with bookcases at least ten shelves high and covered in deep layers of cobwebs. Chains held the books in their shelves like prisoners. Part of her wondered if they were to protect the books or to protect her from them. A mahogany table sat in the middle of the room with a single candle resting upon it.

Severus turned and leaned on his cane. "These are books on subjects so objectionable and dangerous to the mainstream wizarding community that they cannot be allowed to see the light of day. They contain spells and potions so vile they would rip the innocence from your mind and expose you to the evils of this world. For every sun-filled day, there is a night drowning in darkness where unspeakable things occur."

He motioned around the room with reverence, his black eyes gleaming dangerously in the dim light. "Here is everything that can possibly be known about the Dark Arts."

AN: *Author laughs softly and slips into the darkness*