Amour

LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP

Hermione isolated herself and rubbed onto the enchanted coin that she had made for the members of the DA.She hoped that they felt the coins burning up even in this chaos.Luckily,Harry,Ron,Neville,Luna and Ginny responded and she quickly told them everything.She sneaked into Umbridge's room to use the floo-network to try to contact Grimmauld place while,Neville and Luna stood watch and Harry,Ron and Ginny created a diversion.Snape on the other hand knew that they were up to something and went looking for Umbridge.He hoped to hold her off till Hermione had done what she had to.He thought she would be busy taking care of the mess left behind by Fred and George but when he reached the front doors he saw that the other teachers had brought the students under control and they informed him that Umbridge had just gone upstairs to contact with the ministry.He turned on the spot and started running full-speed towards Umbridge's office.Just as he rounded the corner he saw her blast Ms.Lovegood and Mr.Longbottom out of the way to open her door to reveal the back of Hermione sticking out of her fireplace.Before Snape could even think of a possible excuse for this act,Umbridge had pulled Hermione out by the hair and started dragging her down to the hall,instructing him to bring the others.........................................
"You were going to contact Dumbledore weren't you?"Umbridge brought her angry red face close to Hermione,who recoiled back in her seat.Snape knew that she wasn't very good at lying but she still looked Umbridge in the eye and said,"No."SMACK!Umbridge had slapped Hermione across the face.The force made her head rattle and her head was thrown to the other side but she kept quite because she knew that they were losing precious time.Snape made an angry move towards Umbridge but McGonagall restrained him.He fisted his hands as he saw red imprints of fingers appear on Hermione's cheek.Hermione looked helplessly at the teachers and then her friends who had been caught by the members of the inquisitorial squad and were now being held captive."Professor Slughorn,bring me Veritaserum from your stores.I know just how to wiggle out information from you,you little minx."Umbridge said with a loathsome look."You can't!Use of Veritaserum on students is forbidden by school rules."Snape told her and Slughorn said feebly,"I'm afraid that I've run out of this particular potion."Umbridge looked like she was working out a different plan.She pointed her wand at Hermione,"Perhaps the Cruciatus curse would do the trick."This time all the teachers protested."That's illegal!It is punishable-"
"What Cornelius does the know,won't hurt him."she said and raised her wand to Hermione's face.Snape burst out,"Tell her!Tell her,Ms.Granger,about Dumbledore's secret weapon."Everyone looked at Snape in utter bewilderment.Snape tried to convey the message to Hermione through his eyes,"Tell her about the weapon that is hidden inside the Forbidden Forest."From the looks of it,it was clear that Umbridge was intrigued and Hermione had understood what Snape was hinting at.........
After Hermione had taken Umbridge off to the forest,Snape was trying to come up with a backup plan for Hermione.He knew she was clever enough to get rid of Umbridge but he also knew that she being a true Griffindor would try to save Sirius all by herself.But he needed to make sure she was okay and had help till he could alert the Order.She needed to have her friends.He looked at the others from the DA,looking beaten while the members of the inquisitorial squad hovered over them till Umbridge's return.He saw a lump in Ron's pant pockets and quitely slipped inside his mind.Ron jumped in surprise as he felt Snape's presense.
"Don't do anything stupid Weasley and give us away."
Ron controlled his features so that no one suspected him.
"Professor..s-s-Snape?"
"Yes.Hermione will shake off Umbridge but you need to help her get to the department of mysteries."
"But how do we get out?"
"Is that a dungbomb in your pocket or are you just too pleased with your Slytherin classmates?"
Ron smirked,"Say no more Professor."
Snape came out and indicated Ron to act fast.He reached into his trouser pockets and hurled the dungbomb on the floor.For a few minutes,the office was thrown into complete smoky darkness and when the smoke cleared,the DA were nowhere to be seen.As Malfoy and his friends tried to go after them Snape performed a non-verbal body-binding curse on them from behind.Snape looked out of the window as thestrals carried Hermione and her friends away from the castle.Good luck Hermione.Be safe......................................................
Snape couldn't directly join the Order as he worked as a spy but he used the floo-powder to let the other members know what was happening in the ministry.He came to know that Sirius had not been captured by Voldemort and that it was just a projection the Dark Lord made Hermione see after all.He feared that Hermione and her friends had run into a trap.They said they would be at the scene as soon as possible.But he could do nothing more but pace in his office.
[Everything that happened at the end of the book Order of the Phoenix ,happens.Snape is contacted only after Dumbledore had arrived on the scene.He threw floo-powder into the fireplace and arrived at the ministry.]
Snape stepped out of one of the many fireplaces that opened into the ministry of magic and his boots cracked over shattered shards of glass underneath.He looked at the devastating scene around him.Dumbledore and Voldemort just had a fight and there was broken bits of walls and shattered glass everywhere.His eyes fell on Dumbledore a few yards away,kneeling beside a body that was writhing and thrashing in pain.He ran towards them and saw Hermione twisting and turning on the ground,her skin ghostly white and her hazel eyes were rimmed with blood-red irises.She let out a raspy voice,"You are a fool,old man and you will lose everything."Then the next moment it was the real Hermione who pleaded,"Kill me....please!"But Dumbledore refused to give up on her.Snape was horrified at the torture she was facing internally as Voldemort had taken possession of her.Dumbledore insisted,reaching out to Hermione who was somewhere inside that she kept on trying to push Him out of herself.She wailed and started clawing at her face and throat.Snape held her hands tightly to the ground to prevent her from harming herself and he called out to her with all the love in his heart."HERMIONE!"The others watched how much of a destitute Snape looked as he cried out for his lover.Her thrashing stopped gradually and her wild eyes fixed on something in front of her only she could see."I may be nothing.I may be a weak and puny little mudblood to you but I have something that you don't.You can never know about love or friendship and I feel pity for you."With this,Voldemort left her body and the tensed hands under Snape's grip relaxed,her body grew limp becoming as light as a feather and Hermione's eyes closed into an exhausted sleep.