𝙻𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝙸𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚍 II SS/HG ✔️

Panic

Severus looked up as Hagrid burst into the room. "Headmaster!"

"What is it, Hagrid?" he drawled, already tired of the histrionics.

"She took 'er! 'Ermione was here, and Carrow took 'er!"

Ice cascaded down Severus's spine.

Steady, he tossed his papers aside. "What are you talking about? Miss Granger, nor Mr Potter or Weasley have been here for months."

Hagrid trembled before Severus's desk. There were tears in his eyes as he begged Severus to believe him.

"I saw 'er, headmaster, I did." He wiped his nose. Then he remembered who he was talking to.

His face hardened against his fear and he stood up straight. He cleared his throat. "Carrow took Malfoy and 'Ermione ter Malfoy's house. She told me ter tell you."

Hagrid stomped towards the door.

"Thank you, Hagrid."

Hagrid slammed the door behind him.

Severus sprang to his feet.

His brain spun from one idea to the next.

"Severus."

He could not get Hermione himself.

"Severus?"

Obviously not, he spat back at whatever—soft-hearted, moronic, foolish part of him wanted to run out of the castle to save her.

"Severus," Dumbledore's portrait repeated sharply.

Severus turned to Dumbledore—but his eyes landed on the portrait of Phineas Nigellus.

"Go to them—now," Severus ordered the portrait.

"Really, headmaster," Nigellus drawled, "this is too much."

"Now." Severus pointed his wand at the painting, the fire in his eyes mimicking the fire Nigellus would feel if he didn't get a move on.

"Severus, calm down," Dumbledore consoled.

"Oh now you want to be awake?" Severus spat.

"Think about what you're doing," Dumbledore chided.

"You bloody married me to her!" Severus lost all of his calm. "Potter won't make it without Granger holding his hand, you said! Potter needs Granger and Weasley! Marry Granger to keep her safe—for Potter!"

"If Harry dies—"

"Well he bloody can't die, can he?" Severus's hands curled into claws. He wanted to scratch Dumbledore's blasted eyes out of his painted face.

He was nearly knocked breathless when he remembered—"Dobby!"

The house-elf popped into the room behind him. "Yes, Headmaster, sir?"

Severus spun around. The elf twitched backwards.

"Dobby. Hermione has been taken to Malfoy Manor," he explained, far calmer than his shaking hands would belie.

"Hermione?" Potter's voice asked through the black painting. "What—did you say Malfoy has her?"

He spun back around to the painting. "She would've just arrived with Carrow and Draco."

"Dobby will save miss, Headmaster."

Before Severus could look back, the elf was gone. Severus's heart raced in his chest. What was he doing?

"How—how're we supposed to get there?" Potter demanded.

"The Deluminator," Dumbledore said. He looked despondent. And reluctant. "It will find you the closest path to her, if that's really where you want to go."

"The Deluminator," Severus repeated. Why was he sending Potter straight to the seat of the Dark Lord's power?

"Ron, grab Hermione's bag, we gotta go! Where's the Deluminator?"

That was the last Severus heard as Potter's shouts faded away.

Finally, Nigellus returned. "They're gone, headmaster," he said.

"And they didn't take you with them?"

He shook his head.

He'd have no way to know who made it out of this alive.

Severus's hands shook.

"What have you done?" Dumbledore asked quietly.

"If I want any more of your advice, I'll ask for it," Severus snapped.

"Harry must be the one to face down Tom, you know this," Dumbledore stressed again, as if Severus had somehow let that slip from his mind.

"Because he's a bloody Horcrux?"

Dumbledore chose now to remain silent.

"You knew—you knew his whole life," Severus accused. "And you did nothing!"

"Only Riddle can destroy that part of himself."

"Lies!" He pointed to the book with the basilisk venom still tinting the pages. "You could have—you did so many wondrous things but never thought to try to—carve that part out of him?"

Potter would have been spared the false memories, and the bouts of rage—the Dark Lord may not have even been revived as cleanly and strongly if part of him hadn't lodged inside Potter's blood. Severus covered his mouth with a shaking hand.

All of this—this was too much.

"You weren't supposed to know the finer details," Albus admitted.

Severus pointed his wand at the painting. The other headmasters began to whisper like leaves in a gale.

Dumbledore's pigments were spared Severus's curses by a cat Patronus floating through the door.

"Carrow and Longbottom are dueling in the Entrance Hall and his sister is not around to talk him down," Minerva's sharp voice said.

Severus closed his eyes and forced the scream back down his throat.

He shoved everything he felt into the back recesses of his mind. He did not have time to deal with—whatever it was he just did. He carefully slipped his wand up his sleeve.

He strode to the door and opened it, calmly thinking of ways to get Longbottom out of this one. Perhaps detention with Hagrid, if the boy couldn't slip away to his hiding spot in time.