Sodalis

Chapter 26

They were entering Gringotts when he felt her reach for the bond, no doubt checking in on him. He let his magic meet hers for a moment before occluding further, he needed to focus on the task at hand.

There was something smashing against his mental barriers when they had finally retrieved the cup. Once safely away from the bank, Severus lowered his protection and was accosted by the rolling fiery touch of Hermione's magic mixed with something sickly and sharp. His protectiveness kicked in and he sent his magic to meet hers across the bond and the lightness and comfort seemed to engulf the sickly interloper until it was no more. Before he could think further Remus reminded them that they needed to deal with Bellatrix. Once more enforcing his occlusion while feeling anxiety roll in, Severus continued with the last phase of their plan.

Severus felt the ring burn just as they left Bellatrix with a temporary memory block in a muggle homeless shelter somewhere in France. Severus immediately shut away the anxiety that had erupted at her call for help. "Remus, we have to go back to Hogwarts now!"

Remus pocketed the pouch that held the Hufflepuff cup and looked at him worried. "What's wrong?"

"Something's happened to Hermione," Severus grabbed the werewolf's wrist impatiently. With a turn he apparated them to the Shrieking shack. Before Remus could ask anything of him, Severus was running down into the tunnel to make his way back to the castle. He did not wait to see if the werewolf followed. He reached for the bond and felt the family touch of her magic but it was faint, nearly nonexistent, a sign of her descent into occlusion. Dread suffused his every thought as he raced into the castle.

He stumbled feeling a sharp pain in his chest that was all too familiar. Severus occluded further. He would not allow himself to succumb to the pain when he knew she was the one truly suffering through it. Thinking of the night they spent together holding each other in his bed, Severus sent off not one, not two, but three patronus. He summoned Draco and his Mother, as well as the Weasleys and then Harry to his quarters. If he were not so panicked he would have cared more that his patronus had taken on a new form.

"Severus?" Remus had caught up to him and was staring wide eyed at the spot where the last patronus had hovered before it too ran off to send its message. "What's happened?"

"She's not in the castle. I've called everyone to my quarters. Come, we cannot waste anymore time," Severus said, forcing his voice not to waiver. He led the way back to his quarters, taking a passageway that was dusty with disuse as he had walked it since the last time he was summoned.

Severus and Remus had barely entered his quarters when he felt someone passing through his wards. With a swift flick of his wand his door opened to allow Draco and Narcissa through, closely followed by the younger Weasleys.

"Uncle! We can't find Harry or Hermione!" Draco was frantic with worry.

"I knew Harry was going to try and talk to Hermione so we thought that they might just be somewhere private," Ginny said, standing behind the couch. "But no one's seen either of them for ages."

"The bond has been restless and she sent notice to me that she was in danger. I can barely feel her magic through the bond," Severus's voice was grave.

"Do you think it could be Harry again, Severus?" Remus' frown deepened.

"He doesn't have a horcrux this time and from the way he's been wallowing in his guilt, I don't think he would fall prey to darkness like that again," He opened his mind to the bond once more and found a solid block from Hermione's end. "Fuck, she's in deep occlusion."

Ron Weasley seemed to be the first to recover from his shock at seeing the normally controlled Professor having such an outburst, "You don't think she's left the castle, do you?"