Six

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and his world belong to JK Rowling. I write to learn. No money is being made.

Chapter 6

Hermione was unsettled when she woke up, and it took her a few minutes to remember why. Then she cried a few tears of frustration and humiliation. She couldn't believe how the evening had ended, nor did she understand what had gone wrong to make Severus turn so cold so quickly. Then she'd snapped at him because his rejection had hurt...he had kissed her, then lectured her, saying nothing could happen between them. It made no sense.

She wiped her eyes and listened; Severus was moving around downstairs. Hermione glanced at the clock. They were supposed to be in place at ten; it was eight. She groaned. Almost two hours of uncomfortable silence lay ahead.

Hermione took her time showering and getting dressed. When she finally had to eat breakfast, she walked past Severus...he was sitting on the sofa...without as much as a second glance and headed up the stairs.

Severus followed her. Hermione ignored him.

She sat at the table with a pastry; he sat facing her. She picked up a book and used it to block his face. He huffed. She smirked.

When she finished her breakfast, she set her coffee cup in the sink, giving only half a thought to the reality that she wouldn't be returning to the flat in which she had come to feel quite at home.

She sighed and moved toward the stairs. Severus followed her to the hall.

"Hermione," he called as she walked toward the other set of stairs.

She stopped and took a deep breath before turning around, a barely tolerant expression on her face.

He looked as though he wasn't sure what to say now that he had her attention. "I ... wish we could do that over."

Hermione shrugged. "It's nearly time to go, I think."

Severus frowned. He wasn't entirely sure how he felt. When he woke that morning, things hadn't seemed or felt so absolute. He should have let her speak; she had kissed him back, after all. "I'm trying to apologize."

"Why?" she said. "We're adults. We kissed. We fought. We go our separate ways. Can we go to meet Claire now?"

"Hermione, I'm not joking. Last night was..."

"A mistake? Yes, you made that perfectly clear. We have twenty minutes. I doubt we should appear in their midst; perhaps we should take a car."

"Would you stop being so difficult and let me speak?"

She looked at him for a moment and briefly thought about listening. But her pride was wounded, and she raised an eyebrow. "I need to brush my teeth."

ooo

"Have you gone over everything?" Claire asked, eyeing Hermione warily from across the room.

"Repeatedly," said Snape.

"Good. I hope so." Then quietly she said, "How is she handling everything? See seemed to pick up on things quickly the other day."

"She is doing fine. Rebecca is bright and very determined."

Claire nodded. "I'll see you at the extraction point." She checked her earpiece one last time.

"Claire," said Severus. "We've been through this mission once already. Why are you so on edge?"

"We're late," she snapped.

"Relax. Everything will go fine."

Claire removed her gun from its holster, unloaded it and reloaded it. "It had better, Clint," she said. "If that little meddler messes things up for us, we're going to be in a load of trouble."

"I realize that."

"Did you sleep with her?"

Severus rolled his eyes. "Is that all you think about?"

"I need to make sure your head is in the game and your mind in the right place. The last thing we need is a distraction."

"Must we go through this with every mission?" Severus asked bitingly. "I assure you, there is no distraction."

Claire looked at him speculatively. "I suppose we'll see, won't we?"

He glared at her. "Indeed. If memory serves, you were late. Shouldn't you be leaving now? For your part of the exchange?"

She smirked. "Goodbye, Clint."

ooo

Hermione sat with her back a little too straight in her seat at an outside table at a café. In front of her was a cup of half-consumed coffee. Three sugar cubes sat on a napkin near the edge of the table, and she was half-heartedly turning the pages of a book she knew she had read once.

A piece of cold, hard steel was tucked safely into the bright yellow purse resting in her lap. She sub-vocally recited the step-by-step instructions Severus had given her for using the gun, and she hoped it looked like she was so caught up in her book that she was reading aloud to herself.

Before she knew it, a man with salt and pepper hair approached her table and sat down. In their planning stages, Hermione had come to call him Mr. X. Their eyes met; his were dark brown. Hermione did her best to keep her hand steady as she took one of the three sugar cubes and put it into the coffee cup, mirroring Snape's actions from such a short time before. She went through the next steps in her head, those which had been set in motion by her moving the first sugar cube.

Severus was inside the café, watching. By now, he would have radioed Claire who would then approach her own contact. Hermione referred to him as Mr. Y. They would exchange pass codes just as Hermione was about to do with Mr. X.

"I recommend the arrabiata," Hermione said, meeting her companion's eyes and hoping her voice sounded casual.

"I prefer the Bolognese," he said in a heavy Russian accent.

Hermione hid her surprise and moved the second sugar cube to her coffee cup. At this point, Severus would contact Claire, who would hand Mr. Y a briefcase. Inside was the main focus of the entire mission, the item Severus and Claire had kept from Hermione in order to protect her.

Mr. Y would inspect the item, and once satisfied that Claire had met all the terms of the agreement, he would contact Mr. X so the exchange would go forward.

Hermione nervously stirred her coffee and waited for what felt like an eternity. Her free hand wrapped tightly around a small, crumpled piece of paper, which she hoped would be her lifeline.

After a few minutes, Mr. X received a call and said two words. "Good. Thirty." He disconnected the call and made as though he were getting more comfortable, pulling a book from inside his jacket. He placed it on the table.

"War and Peace," said Hermione, feigning interest in the thick, gilded book. "May I?"

Mr. X nodded. "Of course. What are you reading?"

"Romeo and Juliet," she replied, slipping her piece of paper into the slim book as though it was a bookmark and setting it on the table. Mr. X took her book with a wary sigh, his questioning gaze locked on Hermione.

Hermione picked up 'War and Peace' and glanced at the first few pages. She had read it and enjoyed it but could not remember a single thing that happened in it. Biting her lip, she skimmed the first few chapters before coming to a part of the book where a chunk of the pages had been removed. It began at chapter ten of Part Third, just below the letter from Napoleon to his soldiers, and went through chapter four of Part Fourteenth. A square two inches by two inches had been punched out of every page, leaving a cube-shaped hole in the book's interior. To anyone who simply glanced at it, the book looked perfectly whole.

Inside the hole was a small, black velvet bag. Hermione hesitated, then after a quick glance around her immediate periphery, she untied it and carefully emptied a portion of the contents into the hollowed-out space. Even though she had been told what to expect, she nearly gasped when five perfect, brilliant-cut diamonds, easily three carats each, tumbled from the pouch.

When she looked up, Mr. X's eyes were narrowed at her, though not in malice, and he was rolling a small ball of crumpled paper...the paper she had placed in her copy of Romeo and Juliet...between his thumb and index finger. "Is it true Juliet would rather die than live without her love?" he asked.

Hermione didn't know what she was supposed to say. She was on her own; her interaction with Mr. X was not something that could have been rehearsed with Severus and Claire. There had been no way to predict how Mr. X would respond to her ploy. She hoped more than anything she would respond correctly and she hoped that whatever false information Severus had listed with her bio was enough to entice Mr. X.

Her bookmark had been a small piece of paper on which she had written: Help me. I've been kidnapped and forced to do this.

"It would have been no life," she responded after only a moment's pause. She flicked her eyes to point out the café. It was important that Mr. X believe that she truly wanted to leave with him.

Mr. X glanced in the direction she had indicated, and Hermione knew he would see Severus inside the cafe. Then he regarded her appraisingly, his eyes lingering just a little too long for casual inspection. "Juliet is welcome."

Hermione nodded, her heart pounding, and moved the third sugar cube to her coffee cup, indicating that the payment had been made and was acceptable. She resumed running through the plan in her mind. Severus would now contact Claire to confirm receipt of payment, and she would conclude her meeting. Mr. Y would again contact Mr. X.

"Keep the book," Mr. X said to Hermione, standing and tossing a few bills on the table.

"Thank you," she said.

Mr. X winked. "Romeo will be waiting."

Hermione nodded, feeling the bundle of nerves in her stomach tighten. This was it. She wanted to turn around and meet Severus's eyes, to be strengthened by his confident demeanor, but she knew it was too risky. After a few seconds which seemed to pass interminably, she packed the book in her bag, trying to hurry but not seem obvious about it.

She could feel Severus looking at her, eyes burning the back of her head. Hermione practically ran from the café and found Mr. X just out of Severus's sight. He put his arm around her and led her to a car that was waiting just one street over. Sweat trickled between Hermione's shoulder blades. It was uncomfortable, and she was more nervous than she'd been since the war had ended, but so far the plan was proceeding like clockwork.

ooo

As Severus watched Hermione leave, he pushed off from the wall where he'd been leaning. Paying no attention to the fact that he was the only one left inside the café, he started for the door.

Before he reached it, his way was blocked by a very large man, wearing nothing more than a black suit and a surly expression, appeared, outside the café and blocked his exit. He was one of those men who only have a few possible occupations in life: club bouncer or the bloke you call when you want someone hurt. Badly. He snarled at Severus, flashing a set of missing and broken teeth, and discreetly flicked his wrist to showcase the shiny, black weapon in his hand.

Severus blinked, stunned, every nerve in his body screaming that something was very wrong. He had been so intent on what was happening with Hermione that he hadn't noticed what was going on around him. Stupid, stupid mistake. He couldn't think about the possible consequences it would have for Hermione.

"In the back," the man in black grunted, his accent distinctly American.

Severus nodded and moved slowly toward the back of the café, only now becoming aware that there was no one else present. When had that happened? It dawned on him that he'd been betrayed, though by whom, he had no idea.

"Look at me," the American demanded after they had walked through the kitchen and into a small, windowless storeroom.

Severus turned around, ready to release his wand – he'd sort out the consequences to Hermione after – but the other man, who had crossed the room in less time than Severus would have thought possible, caught him off-guard and kneed him in the gut. Severus fell to his knees, gasping for breath, but preparing to jump up and attack, when the door to the back room burst open, hitting the assailant in the back, and knocking him into a shelf.

"Accio gun!"

Severus whipped his hand around to hold onto his weapon, but nearly let his surprise at seeing a wand-brandishing Harry Potter, looking very much like an action hero coming to his aid, show on his face.

The American had no idea what was happening and watched, dumbfounded, as his gun flew out of his hand. Harry caught it deftly and emptied the clip while Luna Lovegood slipped into the small room and wrapped the large man in magical bindings, toppling him to the floor.

"What's going on?" the man asked, frightened, glancing from Severus to Harry to Luna.

Severus went to where the thick man lay struggling and pulled his gun, pointing it at the man's head.

"Snape!" shouted Harry, crossing the room, pointing his wand at Severus.

"Shut it, Potter," he growled.

"Who are you people?" asked their captive, his eyes darting between Snape's gun and Harry's wand.

Luna glanced around as though she were window-shopping. "Where's..." she started.

Severus clamped his hand over her mouth, muffling the name Luna spoke.

"If you two have half a brain cell working, I would suggest you shut up."

Luna nodded and Severus released her; Harry finally relaxed his wand arm.

"We can talk openly once we are free of unfriendly ears." Severus glanced down. "A bit of Veritaserum should loosen his fatted tongue." Touching his wand, he muttered, "Petrificus Totalus! " and then retrieved a small vial from inside his jacket and motioned for Harry to help. "Open his mouth."

Harry complied and Severus placed a few drops of the Truth Serum on the American's tongue. It took only a few seconds for his eyes to glaze over.

"Who are you?" Severus asked.

"Dylan Murphy."

"Whom do you work for?"

"I do not know," Murphy replied.

Harry cursed.

"What can you tell me about your assignment here today?"

"I was promised ten thousand euros for killing you. I would find you here, alone, at half-past ten."

Harry and Luna stared at Severus.

"Did these orders concern me, alone?"

"Yes."

"Is that all?"

"I was given no other information. I received a third of the payment yesterday, and I will receive the rest when I kill the mark."

"Where's the money?"

"A locker at the train station. Termini. Locker number 713. The ticket for the locker is in my pocket."

Severus was satisfied that he would get no more useful information and fished for the slip of paper in Murphy's pocket. Once he had it, he Obliviated Murphy and transformed his magical bonds into rope.

"You found no one when you arrived," Severus said, the tip of his wand fixed to the side of his Murphy's head. "You lost the locker ticket." A bright flash of light erupted from his wand and Murphy slumped over.

Severus stood. "He's unconscious and will remain that way for a few hours. As for your question, Miss Lovegood, I am headed to where Hermione should be. I assume the two of you intend to accompany me?"

"Yes," said Harry. "We want answers."

Severus resumed his path toward the door. "Of course you do. However, time is getting away from us, and it is a precious commodity." He used reverse Occlumency to insert an image of a wide-open concrete field into each of their minds. "See you there," he said and Disapparated.

ooo

After being searched for weapons and wires, Hermione had sat wordlessly for the entire thirty-five minute drive to the Ciampino airport outside of town. The only sound she made was a soft gasp when she saw the Colosseum appear as the car turned a corner through the crowded streets of Rome.

Before getting into the car, she'd cast a Charm to understand Russian, and listened as Mr. X spent the entire time in hushed phone conversation with his contacts. She learned that his name was Anton. Finally the car slowed.

"Rebecca," said Anton.

"Hmm?"

"We'll be boarding a small airplane which will take us to Versailles, where you will be able to meet with my superiors."

Hermione nodded, her mouth dry, glancing out the window to see a few small planes sitting on the tarmac. She felt nearly sick to her stomach, the same feeling that had been her constant companion during those months spent running from Death Eaters with Harry and Ron.

The car stopped beside the plane nearest the entrance to the runway. Anton opened the door and Hermione got out, glancing around her, trying to get her bearings and identify potential places where Severus might be hiding.

"Ready?" Anton asked with a leer.

Hermione nodded bravely, though she felt increasingly uneasy; where was Claire? She was supposed to be there, waiting to discover Hermione's 'betrayal.'

"Let's go." He took her elbow in his hand and led her toward the plane. "You're quite the little mystery, Miss Hammond. My employer is looking forward to getting to know more about you."

When they reached the short stair set which led to the plane, the hatch opened. Hermione felt the grip on her arm tighten as Anton cursed in Russian, muttering for Dimitri to hurry things along. The sun was so bright that neither of them could see who had emerged from the aircraft.

Anton didn't have time to say anything else. He sensed that something was wrong and pulled a gun, but before he could aim it, there was a sharp popping sound, and he fell to the ground, crying out in pain. Hermione gasped and looked down; Anton had been shot in the chest, blood bubbling from the wound.

Fear gripped her so forcefully she nearly lost her balance. She tried to focus on the door to the plane and the person she knew was standing there – the person who had just shot her companion – but could only make out the outline of a man with bright orange hair.

"Miss ... Hammond. It's a pleasure," he said in rough English, lithely descending the steps and taking her arm firmly at the elbow. "If you would come with me, please."

"Who are you?" Hermione asked. "Where is Claire?"

"My name is Shaul. Claire is on the plane."

"And ... Clint?"

Shaul chuckled, a soft, soothing, yet edgy sound. "He should be dead by now."

The words took their time sinking in. Hermione barely noticed Shaul speaking to her or pulling her onto the plane and tossing her into a seat. Vaguely, Hermione was aware that Claire was there.

"Did you get the book from her?" Claire asked, tightening the buckle across Hermione's lap, moving her captive's unresponsive hands.

"Haven't had time, yet. But it wasn't on Anton's body, which is being stowed below," Shaul responded, moving to his own seat.

Hermione felt the plane move and gazed, unseeing, out the small window beside her seat.

Hermione was numb.

Was it possible that Severus was really ... dead? She hated to think the word, to consider the reality. After everything he had been through: Dumbledore, Voldemort, surviving the horrendous wounds he'd suffered at the end of the war ... had he finally been done in by a Muggle? The idea was preposterous! But a gun was a gun; a man couldn't walk away from multiple gun shot wounds.

An image of Severus flashed in her mind: he wore tan linen pants and a loose button-down shirt, as he had the last time she'd seen him, and he was sprawled on the tarmac, his chest riddled with bullet holes, blood soaking the light grey shirt...

Severus was ... dead.

The man she had kissed not twenty-four hours before, she would never be able to kiss again. It hit her then – like a wrecking ball to the gut – that she wasn't mad at him, that she'd wanted very much to kiss him again, that perhaps she wanted a whole lot more with him. Their kiss had been the most incredible, tantalizing, breathtaking kiss she'd ever experienced, and she was desperate for her heart to race like that again. A picture of a future she could never have with him paraded before her mind's eye, and it was brilliant.

To make matters worse, it was her fault. If she hadn't accepted Ginny's dare and approached him...could it really have been only five days before?...Severus would still be alive. She would never have spoken a word to him, would never have kissed him, but he would be safe. Breathing. Alive. Not some meaningless casualty of Claire's deception.

Finally, Hermione realized that she was on her own. Severus wouldn't be coming to save her.

ooo

A sleek black car skidded to a halt as the plane lifted off from the runway. Severus cursed in all the languages he knew. When he stopped, the silence in the car pressed in on him, suffocating him. He wrenched the door open and got out, taking a few laps around the car.

Feeling only slightly better, he grimly drove back to the terminal to meet Harry, Ron, Luna and Ginny. Not ten minutes earlier, when he, Harry and Luna had arrived at the airfield, Ginny and Ron had been waiting. They'd watched the entire time, uncomfortable at seeing Hermione's predicament while doing nothing, but fearing that their interference could endanger her.

Upon his arrival, Severus had taken one look at Ginny's shocked face, then the plane, and had jumped into the nearest vehicle he could find.

"Now what?" demanded Harry as soon as Severus returned to the terminal and opened the car door.

"Now, we see where they're going." Severus took a small bag from his pocket, emptied its contents...items he had shrunk for ease of portability...into his hand, and sifted through them until he found what he was looking for. He returned the rest to the pouch and pocketed it.

"Where who are going?" asked Luna.

"Whoever has taken Hermione." Severus enlarged the item, his laptop, to its full size and turned on the power, setting it on the hood of the car.

"Shaul Silberman," said Ginny. "Ron and I saw him...his hair is hard to miss. And the unknown woman, of course."

Severus stared at Ginny hard. "Shaul? Are you certain?"

"Yes, we've been trailing him for days. Isn't he part of Red Fox?" Ginny asked.

Severus shut his eyes, a feeling of dread washing over him. "No. L'invisibile."

Harry cursed then, and everyone save Severus looked at him, surprised. "They're just about the worst terrorist group in the world. Known for their high-risk jobs and violent behavior. Bloody awful, they are."

The laptop beeped, indicating that it was finishing loading. Severus inserted a wireless card which worked via satellite phone. He spoke as he typed furiously. "Describe the woman."

"She was tall, maybe five-ten, with dark brown hair," said Ginny. "Straight, pulled into a ponytail. She had on sunglasses, black pants and shirt. Why?"

Severus gritted his teeth. "It makes sense."

"What makes sense?"

"You just described the woman with whom I was hired for this mission. Her alias is Claire. She double-crossed Red Fox and me. She's got the device and the diamonds ... a nice payoff. Unfortunately, she and her employer will be grossly unimpressed with Hermione. Which means they'll simply kill her."

Ginny and Luna gasped; Ron snarled.

"I am going to break every last bone in your body if something happens to her, Snape," said Harry, moving to stand mere inches from Severus's face, looking down on his former professor. "This is your fault, you got her into this mess, and by Merlin, I swear, if even one hair on her head is touched..."

"Fascinating," Severus interrupted, almost sounding bored. "But not helpful. We've got to get out of here before the Carabinieri show up."

"How are we supposed to find her?" asked Ron.

"She has a tracking device on her."

Harry laughed spitefully. "Of course she does. They will look for it first thing."

"The primary electronic tracking device Hermione was given this morning was removed before she arrived here. Claire knows how I work and will easily find the secondary device as well. However, I am not referring to either of those."

Harry frowned. "They'll sweep her for bugs, wires, anything!"

Severus sighed impatiently. "Give me a little credit, Potter. The tracking device on Hermione is not something Claire or any Muggle would ever recognize."

Comprehension dawned on Harry's face and Ginny looked at Severus. "A magical tracer."

"Yes."

"What about her wand?" asked Luna. "Claire won't know what it is, but surely they'll toss out the stick they find on Hermione."

Severus smirked. "Her wand is well hidden. Claire will not find it."

"You sound awfully sure," said Ron, his eyes still glowing with rage and thoughts of committing bodily harm to his former teacher.

"I transfigured it myself."

"What is it?" Luna asked.

"A lock of her hair."

Ginny's eyes widened. "You Transfigured Hermione's wand into hair?"

"Yes. Brilliant, don't you think? Hermione has so much hair that a strand more would hardly be noticeable."

"How does this help us?" Ron asked. "And why aren't we rushing off somewhere or following them?"

"This morning Hermione consumed a potion, one I invented some years ago and have used many times. It contained a magical tracer, and only I can find it. The tracer temporarily binds with fat consumed and is absorbed into the lymphatic system. With my laptop, I will be able to find her."

"Let's get to it, then," said Harry, releasing Ginny and heading toward the car.

"We know where she is, Potter," said Severus. "The tracer will help us later. What we need to know now is where she's going."

Harry spoke. "They're in a plane, a small, short-distance plane. They won't be going too far."

"Exactly." The laptop beeped again, indicating that Severus had successfully hacked into the flight database for the city of Rome. Only one flight had variable take-off and landing times. He glanced at the destination, and he had to check it again to be sure he'd seen right. It didn't make sense; L'invisibile was based in France. Why would Shaul be taking Hermione anywhere but straight to his superiors?

"What is it?" asked Luna upon seeing the confusion on Severus's face. "What's wrong?"

He squared his jaw. "They're going to Venice."

ooo

End Notes: Thank you for reading!

Beta Credits: I cannot thank my betas, Bambu and Shug, enough for their help on this story. True friends, both of you!!!