ꜱᴇʀᴘᴇɴᴛɪɴᴇ ꜱᴇʀɪᴇꜱ | ᴛᴏᴍɪᴏɴᴇ

Serpentine, ch. 4

CHAPTER FOUR

Hogsmeade was so thick with fog that Hermione couldn't see five meters in front of her. She was alone as far as she could tell, which was extremely odd in such a popular Wizarding village. She didn't recognize any of the shops she passed. When she glanced in one of the windows, the entire place was covered in cobwebs, long since abandoned.

The long dirt road stretched on and suddenly she made out two people walking away from her through the thick white smog that covered the land. She ran up to the couple, recognizing them instantly. Her own parents. Weeks had passed since she'd seen them, before she returned to Hogwarts for the new school year. She greeted them cheerfully, and when they turned to face her she expected their faces to alight with joy at the sight of their daughter. But they glared at her as if she was a stranger.

"Mum? Dad?" she asked with a baffled frown. She tried to step closer, but they quickly turned and ran away, glowering at her over their shoulders as they went. They soon dissolved into the fog as if they had never existed.

Though Hermione tried to race after them, she never found them again. A painful loneliness overwhelmed her and she fell to her knees in the middle of the dirt road. A pitiful whimper passed her lips. When she brought up a hand to wipe at her face, however, it was surprisingly dry.

An ice cold hand suddenly rested on her shoulder. She could feel the coldness of it even through the thick fabric of her shirt.

When she looked at it she saw that the hand had long, pale fingers. Her eyes trailed up a black sleeve to the cloaked figure standing behind her. She turned on her knees to look up at him. Her mind told her the person was male. He was much taller than her, and although she tried desperately to make out his face, the hood cast it into shadow.

In one fluid movement, he spread his arms out and stepped near, as if to embrace her.

Hermione woke with a start and sat up in bed. Her right shoulder ached and she found Snape standing beside her. He must have shaken her awake, and none-too-gently, either, she realized as she rubbed the sore shoulder. She froze when she saw the worried expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Her eyes were sticky from the salt of her dried tears, and she rubbed them clean.

"Miss Gr-Miss Hangleton," he stammered in an unsteady voice. She had never seen him act this way before, and it sent needle pricks through her stomach as she turned to face him fully. "I-there's been a slight change of plan."

Hermione glared, looking directly into his dark eyes. All traces of exhaustion left her body as she sat up straighter in alertness, imploring him to continue.

Her potions professor took a deep breath as he continued, "It appears you will be spending more time with the Dark Lord than I anticipated," he explained. "I was unaware that when he asked me to find someone, he meant for this someone to be his, well...."

"His what?"

He paused. "Simply put, his companion. A very close follower, not like the rest of us. He will also be teaching you."

"Teaching me?" she gasped. Her chest swelled with alarm. Then like a switch, her worry turned to outrage. "But you said I would barely even see him."

"I made no promises," he reminded her, unable to meet her eyes.

"Do you still think I can do this?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady. She secretly hoped that he would decline.

Snape rubbed his temples in frustration. "It doesn't matter what I think, we have no choice now. There'd be no excuse allowing me to take you away again when you have only just arrived. The Dark Lord specifically wished to have a new follower tonight. I cannot possibly back out on his plan."