Amour

QUAGMIRE

"Now that I have done some melodrama by, you know,storming out and whatever,I'd say our quest is going pretty well."Ron said,merrily chomping down on some hares they had caught."Yes, I daresay it is,"Hermione agreed,while finishing off her plate,"The trip to the Lovegood's was helpful but we have had too many hair-breath escapes.We've got to be more careful." Though I haven't been having as many visions as I would've wanted.Voldemort-what's his next move?But more importantly,what's ours? "Speaking of my going away,"Ron said,licking off every last bit of grease,"It wasn't entirely unfruitful. I got to know that the guys at the Ministry have deviced a tracker. Ministry officials will reach the scene immediately if a particular word is spoken." "Eh?"Harry asked ,who just joined the conversation.It was his turn for cooking and he took his plate full of food to them after cleaning up his station and asked,"What word, like 'Voldemort'?" CRACK! There were atleast six audible cracks outside their tent.All three of them jumped up -horrified expressions on their faces. Ron nodded towards Harry and said sarcastically,"Yeah,exactly." Someone from outside shouted,"You have been surrounded.Put your hands above your heads,lock it behind your necks and come out.Now!"..........................................
Snape was down in the dungeons, at his personal storeroom right next to his previous chambers.He was thinking whether to store Hermione's pendant full of the rare potion that she had made. He was planning on going down to the library and checking out the many volumes of potion-books to correctly identify it, when Alastair Carrow suddenly barged in,prompting Snape to quickly hide her locket inside the pocket of his coat. "What are you doing here?I've been looking for you everywhere!"Carrow gushed."What do you think you are doing?Don't you know how to knock?Don't forget I'm the paramount here."Snape said angrily."Never mind that.We got the scumbags!I mean some snatchers caught them."Carrow said,grinning evilly. Snape didn't need to ask whom he was referring to; he shoved Carrow out of the way and started running towards Dumbledore's fireplace from where he could floo out.God help us all!........................................
At the Malfoy manor,Snape arrived to see Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy debating whether or not to summon Voldemort."The Dark lord is in Europe with some business.I don't know if we should call him...I'm in deep shit with him as it is..."Lucius was saying.Narcissa added,"And Bella insists on getting information about the sword out of the girl before-" "Where are they?!"Snape demanded.They were both a bit shocked by his sudden arrival but got over it."The boys are locked away downstairs and Bella is interrogating Granger in the next room."Narcissa told him.Following this information,Hermione's blood-curdling scream filled the room and whatever blood had been there,drained from Snape's face.Sweet Jesus!That psychotic witch is torturing my girl!He lunged for the door but Lucius grabbed him and held him back with the force of his whole body."What's with you mate?The Dark lord will be here soon,Bella's just having some fun-" "That's right,the Dark Lord is coming.Don't you think he would want her alive?And you let that lunatic loose on her?!"Snape said grabbing his collar.Lucius considered that for a moment,then turned to his wife,"Yes.I think he's right.We should just do our jobs.Call Him and let him decide what should be done to her.Bellatrix is going completely mental!Any more would kill the girl.Narcissa, make your sister understand." She nodded and they left the room to go to the next,but Snape was the fastest."That's enough!"he ordered authoritatively to Bellatrix,whom he found hunched over the barely motionless body of Hermione, lying on the floor.He noticed Bellatrix's malicious smile,her knife ,the tip of which was still oozing drops of blood and Hermione's blood-smeared hand where her torturer had carved words in.Hermione turned her face,wrought with pain, towards them and a single tear made a new track down the side of her already tear-streaked and dirty face.Tribulation spasmed through Snape's body as he stood there unable to do anything; not even so much as show his sympathy for her."The sword we have...is a fake...I swear."Hermione moaned the same words she had been apparently chanting for the whole time."Shut that hole in your face!"Bellatrix kicked her at the side of her stomach and she doubled back in pain."I have half a mind to let Fenrir have you for supper."she barked at her.Snape's eyes went to Fenrir Greyback,who was standing scratching his chin and looking at Hermione like she was a piece of meat, and he darted his eyes back to Bellatrix and said,"Are you out of your mind?The Dark lord told us that he would finish him off himself." "Yeah yeah,"Bella drawled,"But first we need to confirm whether this mudblood bitch is telling the truth. Draco,fetch the dwarf from the dungeons." Draco,who was looking visibly uncomfortable at the scene in front of him, quickly exited to do as he was told.Snape turned his gaze again to his beloved who was trying to prop herself up but was failing,and a thin line of blood mixed with drool was coming out of her mouth.He hid his hands inside his robes as he did not want anyone to see his nails digging into his hands as he was unable to think of any way to successfully smuggle them out of there without giving himself away.He set his jaw in a hard line.What can I possibly do?Should I stop this double conning and reveal myself?But my job isn't done.Whatever has to be done must be done fast,before He arrives.Surely I can take on Lucius and Bellatrix-Narcissa doesn't even have her wand on her.But Potter and Ron are still out of my reach and I'm not sure if Hermione is strong enough to even move.Hermione....He looked down at her and bit back tears.What do I do...?Griphook the Gringotts dwarf entered,followed by Malfoy.He was asked the same question by Bella and the imp passed his narrow eyes over the room,finally resting it on Hermione.He held her gaze for sometime and then said in the assertive."Yes.This is not real.Gringotts holds the real sword safely in its vaults."Snape let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding.Bellatrix let out a cackle,"I believe it is time now."She touched her wand to her dark mark and Snape instantly felt his own burning.He looked at Hermione but she was staring off in the distance.He knew that look only too well.She is having a vision.He is getting nearer.The cloudy expression disappeared and she focused on him;a look of pleading.She holds out hope to me like a beacon.She is still looking for her hero.But I'm not one..."Expelliarmus!" Bellatrix's wand flies out of her hand.Ron and Harry rush in, incapacitating Lucius;Narcissa pulls Draco close to her in a protective way,Snape took out his wand almost at leisure.But Bellatrix gave out a ferocious cry and yanked up Hermione by the hair and held a knife to her throat."Make your move fiesty pants."Greyback growled,bending down in a crouched position,his teeth bared,ready to snap at them. Harry and Ron looked at each other,then apologetically at Hermione and then to Snape,who indicated that backing off was the only thing they could do, and therefore they were forced to drop the wands that they had acquired from Wormtail and another death-eater that had been on guard downstairs.A squeaking sound suddenly broke the electric atmosphere.With a grinding sound the chandelier above them started to fall.Bellatrix gave out a banshee-like scream and ran for cover,Greyback bounded away,Snape flourished his cloak over Hermione's collapsing figure and then deliberately threw his wand out of his reach to make it look like he misplaced it while saving himself from taking a topple.In the hastle,Harry snatched back the wands they had dropped as well as their own wands from Draco's hand,who looked too flabbergasted to act,while Ron scooped up Hermione in his arms."Dobby!"Narcissa exclaimed,recognising their old house-elf who was the butt of this trick.Harry took Griphook (who was holding onto the sword) by the hand and met with Ron,carrying Hermione in the middle of the room as Dobby stood as a shield in front of them to declare,"Ms.Granger needs Dobby's help and Dobby shall not disappoint her." "You little urchin!"Bellatrix threw her blade at them in all her rage as Dobby clicked his fingers and they disappeared with a pop but not before Snape witnessed -as though in slow motion- the serrated steel vanishing along with them through the air.