Something in Common

Disclaimer: All of it still belongs to JKR.

AN: My thanks never goes stale for Ariadne: the most emotionally resilient beta out there.

With a newly affixed scowl, Severus scanned the staircase full of chatting people, mortified that everyone had heard him. They enveloped Hermione, separating her from him. He held her hand for as long as possible, until their fingers separated. Hermione glanced back at him long enough to say she was sorry, but the occasion demanded this.

Severus couldn't believe what he had just said – and done. A strange, almost surreal feeling invaded his thoughts. To others, the event was part of the normal passing of the time that is life, but to him, it was much different. Life was not something he often contemplated; rather, it was death that was always on his mind. Avoiding his destruction each time he was summoned obviously detracted from the niceties of the social world. Never mind that he had never acquired even the most basic social skills. He reverted to speaking in highly descriptive generalities rather than truly communicating, never actually exchanging emotional sentiments. Until now.

His performance was the most he had ever said about his feelings and, of course, it had to be overheard by the entire bloody Order. His lament over the wreckage that was his life surely would become fodder for many laughs tonight. That, and the revelation that he was indeed a thinking, feeling being. The one thing he did see through the haze of his humiliation was Longbottom's stunned face. Severus knew, and enjoyed immensely while teaching, that Longbottom thought him to be some sort of mythical beast. To bear witness to his practically losing his mind in public must have blown a cold wind though Longbottom's brain.

Their infuriating cheering after he proposed had startled the living daylights out of him. He chastised himself for missing the fact that twenty or more people stood directly above him while he rambled on about his most private thoughts.

"Severus?"

Surely she'll come to her senses momentarily...

"Severus..."

Just wait until the gravity of her acceptance hits home. I wouldn't blame her if she locked herself in a broom closet for the rest of her li...

Rolling her eyes, Minerva came up next to him and said in a loud voice, "Professor Snape!"

"Yes?" he responded, snapping out of his thoughts.

"Come now, Severus, you should be happy," Minerva said warmly.

Severus attempted to scowl, but couldn't when confronted with Minerva's smiling face. "Who exactly do you think you are speaking to? This is me, Minerva. This is as happy as I get."

Minerva put an arm around Severus' shoulder and said, leaning close so only he could hear, "Having feelings is not a weakness, Severus. It is, rather, a great strength. Please allow yourself that. No one is here to tease you; rather, they admire your sentiments. I know I do."

While distractedly watching Hermione being hugged by Molly, he conceded, "I suppose you are right; however, I do not enjoy being the center of attention this way."

"Yes, well... that may pose a problem," she said hesitantly.

Narrowing his eyes suspiciously, Severus said, "And what sort of problem are you referring to, may I ask?"

"Oh, there will need to be an engagement dinner and then the ceremony itself," Minerva said, counting the list on her fingers. When she looked up, she saw that Severus looked unsettled and had paled slightly. Clearly not interested in pageantry, and just how can he possibly achieve a paler color?

"Minerva, I believe that destroying the remaining Horcruxes and winning a certain war should take precedence, don't you agree?"

Before Minerva could respond, Severus felt a hand on his back and Remus came into view. "So, we were just a few days early?" he said, smiling.

With a sneer, Severus said, "Yes, amusing, aren't you? Lupin, I sincerely hope you do not believe this marks some passage of mine into the realm of random outpouring of emotion. Nor does it mean that I am suddenly anything other than my usual disagreeable self."

"Oh, heaven knows, no one expects that," Minerva said, feigning shock. "What would we do without your sharp wit? Your command of the English language certainly has no rival."

Quirking a smile, Severus said sarcastically, "Thank you, Minerva. That is most heartfelt, I'm sure."

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Narcissa entered the Hall along with Draco and surveyed the scene. "Clearly, a party of some sort has broken out," she sneered.

Before she could inquire what all the commotion was about, an owl flew in through the Entrance Hall doors and landed on the banister next to her. It fluttered its wings irritably before folding them and sticking out its leg.

Draco reached out, took the note, and stated simply, "Wormtail."

Narcissa looked up again to where Severus was being congratulated on something. "This must be the most sickeningly jovial bunch I've ever seen," she muttered. "I must go tend to Wormtail. Stay here."

Draco shook his head. "No, I'm coming with you. You shouldn't be outside the gates alone."

Narcissa studied his protective expression and thought how she'd doubted she'd see him normal again. "Fine, I should let Severus know first," she said, watching as the crowd circled around both Hermione and Severus. With a scowl Severus might even be proud of, she changed her mind. "Never mind; they're obviously too involved in something tonight."

As they turned to leave, Kitty leaped off the railing, valiantly swiping at the owl that was easily twice his size. The owl threw its wings out and snapped at the cat, causing it to clumsily jump to the floor. Kitty turned and hissed at the tawny bird as it took flight.

Noticing that Narcissa and Draco had gone out the doors, it too followed, its tail up in the air as if trying to regain its composure after such an undignified landing.

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"Good evening, rat." Narcissa drawled, surveying the wretched man standing in a permanent crouch as they stood outside the gates. Her attention was drawn downward as Kitty arched his back sharply, hissing in an open-mouthed display of his ability to tear vermin to pieces.

Even in his human form, the cat seemed to unnerve Wormtail. Draco watched with satisfaction as Wormtail flinched and stepped back, his eyes fixed on the cat.

"Narcissa... Draco," Wormtail acknowledged after watching Kitty move back to sit at Narcissa's side. His eyes widened slightly to see Draco's face restored, but he said nothing on the subject. A slight sense of confusion played about his features, barely perceptible to most, but glaringly obvious to the well-trained eye. He seemed to be wondering just why he was there, and he had no real explanation for his actions.

"The Horcrux, Wormtail?" Narcissa asked, getting straight to the point.

"Is in the basement of the Riddle house and will be guarded by Macnair, Goyle and myself."

Narcissa's eyes narrowed. "And the headquarters?"

"After I send word that all is ready, we will move tonight to Spinner's End."

"Excellent, you have served your purpose quite nicely," Narcissa said with a smirk. Bending down to pick up Kitty and holding the cat towards Wormtail, she said, "I'll only allow Kitty here to chew off one of your legs instead of two."

Draco laughed as Wormtail shook his head in a jerking motion and backed away.

Narcissa chuckled softly, cradled the cat to her chest for a moment, and then held him out to Draco.

"I will take him back to Spinner's End, lift the curse and Obliviate him," she said, forcibly removing the cat's claws from her sleeve when it refused to leave her arms. "I will be back in a few minutes. Stay here and hold onto that cat. It has a look in its eye that I don't care for at the moment."

Holding her wand on Wormtail, Narcissa hissed, "To Spinner's End."

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Standing in the shadows of the small, pitiful yard, Lucius contemplated his situation. It was the way the Dark Lord had ordered him to follow Wormtail that confused him. The terrifying hint of a smile that had graced his lips. Why in the world would he find assigning him a task as useless as this amusing?

Only a little over a year ago, Lucius had been part of the inner circle, one of the Dark Lord's most faithful and closest confidants. Now he was reduced to this. When the rain started to fall, he became even more enraged. What exactly was he supposed to be watching for and where was the wretched excuse for a wizard?

As if in answer to his question, Wormtail Apparated by the back door and appeared to be expecting something. When Narcissa Apparated next to Wormtail, Lucius' eyes opened wide with shock, his mouth opening in a snarl. It took everything within him to resist killing her where she stood.

Practically salivating at the prospect of redemption in the eyes of the Dark Lord, he waited until she Disapparated – and followed.

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"That was sweet..." Hermione said with a smile as they sat on the castle steps. She had quietly taken hold of his hand and slipped away with him to escape the crowd.

Severus snorted. "Sweet? I pour my the absolute depths of my emotion out to you while humiliating myself in front of dozens of people and you say 'sweet'?"

Laughing, Hermione said, "You know I'm teasing, Severus. That was... well, amazing."

"Amazing is an incremental improvement."

"Okay, it was..." she said, brushing his hair back and tucking it behind his ear, "absolutely stunning."

"And?" Severus said slowly, making a "go on" motion with his hand.

"And... I love you with all of my heart," she said and tried to convey her sincerity with her eyes.

With a grin, Severus pushed further. "Better. What else?"

Feeling like she was in class and had forgotten something important, she said, "And I apologize for not allowing you to propose when you were ready."

"We're getting closer..." he said, drawing her to him. "What else?"

Sighing, Hermione said, "I'm sorry for embarrassing you in front of everyone in the Great Hall?"

"Are you now? I'm not entirely convinced," he said, raising an eyebrow, a sly grin playing on his lips.

Hermione smiled and said in a dramatic voice while placing a hand over her heart, "I swear, I am deeply sorry for putting you through that. It was entirely wrong of me and I should have trusted you. Forgive me?"

"I shall take your apology into consideration," he said in a dry voice; the light in his eyes, however, gave him away.

Rolling her eyes, Hermione asked, "What can I do you convince you that I'm sorry?"

Running a finger over his lips, Severus considered her for a moment. "I think I can come up with a few things."

"You're terrible, you know that."

Allowing a smile, he whispered, "I do."

"Good, practice those two words," she said with a grin.

"What did the others..." he began, then, staring at the steps, continued with a shrug, "Never mind, I don't want to know."

"Severus, everyone loved what you said. Well, maybe not Ron... He sort of looked ill and refused to speak to me. Harry went after him, and stop looking so pleased with yourself," she said, pushing him. "The point is, not everyone is always out to get you."

"It is a far safer position to assume everyone is against you; no surprises that way," he said, scowling at memories.

"Even me?" she asked, leaning down to see his face between his curtains of hair. He had started to busy himself by arranging stray twigs that lay around the stairs into a small fortress, crossing their ends.

"Of course not," he said with a sly grin. "You and I – we are quite formidable together."

"Oh, so I'm nothing more than an ally," she said teasingly.

"More than that, you've recently been promoted from ally to close confidant. Consider yourself congratulated," he said, turning his head only enough to reveal one eye.

Hermione didn't need to see his face to know what was behind his words.

"Word is you are soon to be moving up the ladder – to lover," he said thoughtfully, adding another layer to the small twig structure.

"Really now? Am I?" she said with a large grin, looking out at the grounds.

"Indeed, you are. If you are still willing."

She acted as if she was contemplating the possibility, loving how an irritated look played on his face when he looked up at her. "I believe I am, yes. I mean, it comes with the territory, doesn't it?"

Looking at her incredulously, he said, "I find it interesting. You took very little time to agree to spend the rest of your days in my company, yet when I ask you to my bed, you think it over more than you would a Transfiguration essay question."

"The answer to that is simple."

Severus rolled his eyes. "Enlighten me."

"You see, a woman can't seem so eager."

"Ah, I see," he said thoughtfully. "So committing to an eternity with me is effortless, but agreeing to an act that will only take a few hours requires an expression of modesty? You weren't this way the other night."

"Hours?" she asked. She hadn't heard anything he said after that word.

He looked at her seriously. "I cannot promise when a proper ceremony can take place; however, you are now promised to me, yes?"

She smiled in agreement.

With a satisfied expression, he leaned back and stated, "That is all I require for now."

She laughed. "Good to know."

They sat close together, leaning on one another. A cool breeze, colder than normal for late June, methodically pushed the warm summer air away. Light rain began to fall, but instead of seeking shelter, Hermione stared up into the sky. Playing a game she learned as a child, she tried to keep her eyes open while the rain fell on her face.

After a while, she said, "Come on, they'll start to miss us."

As he rose, something caught Severus' eye off in the darkness. Dimly, he could see the outline of the forbidden forest's trees. Alternating flashes illuminated the branches against the night sky, then plunged them back into darkness.

"Severus, what is it?"

He didn't answer, staring with intensity towards the forest. Hermione looked up at him and thought of a phrase her mother often used to describe an expression of intense scrutiny. "Look of the eagles," she'd say.

Moving up the steps to see from a higher point, Hermione said, "I thought I saw Narcissa and Draco leave a little while ago. Do you think..." she started, and then her eyes grew wide.

Severus stared at the lights for a moment longer and drew his wand. "Stay here."

He knew she would not obey and so said nothing when he found her running beside him towards the gates.

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Narcissa had noticed a presence at Spinner's End, but had not seen him until she turned to Apparate. Now the singular thought in her mind was getting Draco to safety inside the grounds where the wards would keep Lucius out.

"Draco! Inside, NOW! Your... " Narcissa cried, but was interrupted by Kitty streaking off in the direction of the dense brush behind her, crying, his high-pitched howl like a warning.

"Mother, what..." Draco started, but was stunned when the tree directly next to him shattered into shards as a spell slammed into it. Throwing himself to the ground, Draco rolled over quickly and tried to get to his feet, but was thrown as another spell hit the ground in front of him. He scrambled while trying to draw his wand and heard the stricken tree crack, then groan as it fell, taking other lesser trees along with it. Daring to look out into the clearing, Draco was startled to find his father, wand held high and his face filled with rage.

"Leave him, Lucius! It's me that you want!" Narcissa screamed as she put herself between Draco and Lucius.

"On the contrary, wife... It is both of you I seek," Lucius sneered, baring his teeth. His usual reserved demeanor had degraded, revealing the deranged image of his fanatical mind. "I will personally drag both of you in front of the Dark Lord!"

As he spoke, Lucius' voice rose in a fever pitch, chilling Narcissa's blood. She quickly turned to Draco and motioned for him to go for the gates. When she turned back, she had barely time to block a spell while keeping herself between them.

Quickly dodging the rebounding spell, Lucius drawled, "Ah, Narcissa, still remember your dueling days? No matter; it won't save you now."

"Leave her alone!" Draco yelled, and then screamed, "STUPEFY!" The spell grazed Lucius hard enough to knock him to one knee.

Narcissa spun and tried to shove Draco through the castle gates, but he refused to leave her. Turning back, she was met with the enraged eyes of her former husband as he roared, "CRUCIO!"

Hearing his mother scream drove Draco to a higher level of rage. He leaped over his mother while she writhed in pain and charged at his father.

Lucius, stunned by the non-magical assault, broke the curse and staggered backwards. Draco gripped him by the throat, tearing at him blindly. Lucius felt himself slammed into a tree, striking his head hard against the rough bark. Growling loudly, he managed to throw Draco off and watched as he rose, forgetting magic, and charged at him again. Gasping for breath, Lucius swung his wand violently, and in mid-charge Draco fell, screaming as blood poured from a slash across both legs.

Standing over his son, Lucius began to laugh darkly. "Don't make this hard on yourself, Draco. Come quietly, and I may spare you too much more pain. Perhaps..."

Lucius turned in time to block a spell Narcissa had hurled at him as she shakily rose from the ground. She quickly threw another, hitting him hard enough to throw him off his feet into the underbrush, tangling his robes in the thorns.

Narcissa immediately rushed over and began to drag Draco towards the gates, pulling him by one arm.

"Don't make me do it, Narcissa! Dead or alive – it's all the same to me! You're both worth nothing!" Lucius screamed, getting to his feet.

Lucius brought his wand up high as hatred spread across his face. He aimed his wand directly at Draco and roared, "AVADA KE..."

He was cut off, not by Narcissa or Draco, but by something that had come from above at great speed, sending branches raining down as it rammed into him, throwing him into the cold iron gates.

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He was always drawn to action of any sort. The forest animals grew boring, and one can only soar around the castle grounds so much, staring down as the world spun in a graceful arc. The cool rain dampened his wings, so he kept them close to his body, both aiding in speed and keeping them from touching any of the thorny brush as he passed. He lowered his head as his gait increased, rolling along and stretching out to lengthen his stride. His head was turned towards the two of them as they ran along, he in the depths of the forest, and they out in the clear of the grounds. His mind remembered the man well enough, a friend to Harry, but it was the woman he remembered more clearly, a friend to Sirius.

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Hermione struggled to keep up with Severus as they ran across the castle grounds. For someone who had been near death recently and injured several times since then, she was stunned at how fast he was able to run. As she turned to look at him, she saw something running parallel to them in the forest.

Recognizing what it was, she said while running out of breath, "Severus... Buckbeak."

"What?" he said, trying to negotiate the undulating grounds at speed. Turning his head, he saw the Hippogriff as it broke out of the cover of the forest and angled towards them. It cantered alongside of them, thankfully looking more interested than murderous this time around.

"I have an idea. Go ahead!" she called and slowed to a stop.

Severus nodded, trusting her judgment, and concentrated on the gates as they came into view. He could now see flashes of magic as it either rebounded or found its mark. A tree crashed to the ground, throwing others along with it and an unmistakable scream rang out.

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Hermione stopped and, as she had hoped, Buckbeak did as well. Gasping for breath, she bowed slowly, waiting for him to acknowledge her.

Buckbeak tilted his head and, in a proud, almost congratulatory manner, lowered his head and granted her his friendship.

Hurrying over to him, she said quickly, "I need you now, Buckbeak. Um – may I?"

The Hippogriff nodded solemnly and, buckling his front legs, slowly eased himself down so she could mount. Once she was on his back, he immediately thrust forward and Hermione almost lost her grip on his neck.

Closing her eyes while he galloped for speed enough to take flight, she repeated, "I hate this part, I hate this part..."

Soon, the pounding of hooves under her ended and the rain pelting her face increased as the ground fell away below. She leaned over Buckbeak's shoulder and could see a fight in progress below. She didn't try to figure out who it was, as the long white hair spoke for itself.

Pointing down, she eased forward, and cried, "Him! We need to stop him!"

Buckbeak let out a cry and, folding his wings, fell into a steep dive, rapidly expanding the scene playing out below.

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Severus arrived at the castle gates to find Narcissa trying desperately to both drag Draco and throw spells to protect them. Severus could see that both of Draco's legs were cut badly, his face the sickly color of someone close to passing out. Looking past them, Severus saw Lucius looking every bit a deranged maniac, raising his wand to strike. Before Severus could point his wand, a white blur came crashing though the trees and rammed into Lucius, slamming him into gate post.

Seeing Severus, Narcissa cried, "Get Draco inside! I'll take Lucius!"

Before he could respond, Severus found himself crouching low to pull Draco through the gates as Narcissa faced Lucius, screaming at him to take her instead. Once he had Draco safely through the gates, he returned to find Lucius and Narcissa further in the forest in a full duel, no longer throwing spells to incapacitate or injure. The air around them was colored green as they were fighting to the death, casting only Killing Curses.

"Severus?" Hermione cried, running towards him after dismounting Buckbeak. She found him considering how to approach the duel without getting hit by the tremendous number of curses they were throwing and dodging.

He waved her off, hissing, "Go to Draco!"

Severus watched as Lucius and Narcissa circled each other, hiding behind trees for cover and leaning out just long enough to throw another curse. Both had murderous looks on their faces, only Lucius' was more calculated. As Severus moved closer, they circled around again, further from the gates. Even fighting to the death, Narcissa had the presence of mind to draw Lucius away from her son.

"Apparate, Narcissa... Apparate," Severus muttered, wishing she would just escape. He then thought that she would never abandon her son, and she truly had no where else to go.

Trying to get within range, Severus narrowly dodged a wayward spell as it careened through the trees. It screamed past his head, slicing through the tops of several bushes before crashing into the ground. Before he could rise, he heard a sound.

Silence fell.

Listening for a time, Severus watched carefully, but the forest revealed nothing. The only movement was leaves sailing through the air, leaning on the wind, sweeping sharply higher for a time, then falling to the ground. As quickly as it had all began, the forest had gone black, returning to the silence of its usual solitude.

"Severus, where's Narcissa?" Hermione called from the gates, holding onto the bars.

"I don't..." Severus started to say, but trailed off as the black cat softly padded over to where a robed figure lay at a grossly unnatural angle, partially hidden under the brush. Cursing to himself, Severus turned his head sharply and pointed where Draco lay just inside the gates. He then made a sweeping motion to Hermione.

She understood and backed up – she was to keep Draco away.

Moving further into the brush, Severus kept his eyes fixed on the figure, willing her to move, moan, breathe – hex him for every insult he'd ever hurled at her – anything. He stepped over low roots and thicket, pulling his robes along to keep from getting tangled. Each time he brought his eyes away, he thought if he looked again that she would begin to rise, try to brush the soil from her face – throw an exceptionally well-crafted sarcastic remark at him...

"Narcissa?" he asked softly. When she didn't respond, his blood ran cold and he halted.

Rain does not fall into the eyes of the living.

The cat mewed at him as if demanding he do something. It kept looking at her face, confused as to why she was lying down but not stroking him.

Severus slowly knelt beside her and, as soon as he took her hand, he knew.

"Oh, Narcissa... we may have disliked each other, but I never intended..."

As often as Severus had seen death, it had never become easy. He would deftly play the part of the heartless Death Eater, laughing maniacally along with the rest as in the single beat of a heart, a life would end. How a soul could be fully functioning and then destroyed in an instant with no hope of returning could only be described as obscene. It is for this that the Killing Curse is most cruel, not for its ability to grant instant death, but that the decline is never seen, an excruciatingly final extinguishing of the light.

He glanced back through the gates where Draco was sitting up against a tree, asking for his mother, with Hermione desperately trying to distract him. A fierce wind swept through the trees, rocking the shadows from side to side across Narcissa's face before settling back. Severus stared at her for a moment and, clenching his jaw, reached out and closed her eyes.

He would carry her back. Somehow, to him, levitating her would not be respectful. Ignoring the pain in his upper body, he leaned in to gather her up. He took her around the shoulders, steadied himself, gritted his teeth and rose to his feet.

When Draco saw his mother's head fall back as Severus began to carry her, he tried to shove Hermione away – and screamed.

"Hermione! Keep him!" Severus managed to yell. He tried to breathe while he awkwardly carried Narcissa's body, staggering with his knees bent, trying to ignore the pain.

Draco struggled violently to rise, his face deathly pale with a mixture of rage and grief. Gripping onto the tree trunk behind him, his fingers tearing at the bark hard enough to bloody his hands, Draco kept calling her, becoming more enraged each time she made no response. The wind howled, sending tree branches flailing, seemingly offering a symbol of nature's outrage in response to such a tragedy.

Hermione braced her hands against Draco's shoulders, desperately trying to force him back down, telling him over and over that he couldn't stand – that he didn't want to see her – not like this...

It pained Hermione more than anything that she could do nothing but try to keep Draco from seeing more than he already had. She couldn't help but cry along with him, forcing his head onto her shoulder, the wind thankfully blowing her hair so that Draco couldn't see Severus move Narcissa's body inside the castle gates and cast his Patronus for help.

As Draco's screams of grief descended into the mindless language of pure rage, Severus thought to himself that they now had something in common. Both had lost their mothers to murder at the hand of their fathers. The difference was, Draco had been there, and would likely never rest until he had revenge.