Amour

CAUSATUM

"You must be so happy...with Sirius gone,you have the most claim on me.Congratulations on demolishing the last hurdle on your path of gaining my ownership right."Hermione clapped her hands with a sarcastic smile on her lips."Can you hear yourself talk?Do you realise what you're saying?I never had such thoughts about Sirius.And you..I don't own you."he desperately tried to reason.But he could not stop her from walking away.He tried calling her but she didn't turn.He tried to run after her but his feet just wouldn't carry him fast enough.As she faded into oblivion,he extended his arm and pleaded but his hands groped empty air...........................
He opened his eyes and still his hands were empty."Hermione?"The place next to him was vacant.He got out of bed and checked the bathroom and the office.She wasn't there.Maybe she went down to have some breakfast.She hadn't eaten anything since yesterday night.She must be hungry.Still why she wouldn't let him wake up first and let him know about her whereabouts,he couldn't understand.He got dressed and went down to the Great Hall.On his way,he saw that the castle was mostly deserted as students were leaving for the end of term holidays.He reached the Hall and saw it empty,with the last crumbs and leftovers getting cleaned off the plates magically.Has she already left for the Hogwarts Express?Wonder why she didn't say goodbye...?He didn't feel like eating and turned to leave.He decided to take a stroll before returning to his chambers and while passing a darkened corridor he heard voices."I told you I don't know how people become ghosts at Hogwarts.Not everyone who dies can come and join us ghosts here in this castle.Now quit badgering me woman!"Nearly-headless Nick was shouting ,agitated.Snape went towards the voices and saw it was Hermione who was speaking to him."But surely the other ghosts can tell-""Then perhaps you should pester them instead."he replied absolutely vexed and floated away through a wall.Snape came closer to her and took her hands as she looked like she was about to cry."I was wondering if there was any way that Sirius could come back as a ghost.I'm pathetic,aren't I?"He kissed her forehead,"Of course not my dear.You were just desperately clinging onto the last hope of seeing him again.I understand.But I'm sorry to say that he can't transform into a ghost.His soul was sucked into the next world through the curtain he fell into.It cannot be undone."The rational part of her mind understood but her heart still weeped.He took her back to her dormitory,all the way upto her room.He opened the door and guided her inside;it was like manually working a machine,she had gone completely slack and only did what he made her to do."I see you haven't packed.You start doing it and get dressed.Dress warmly,there has been a heavy snowfall last night.I'll be outside.You are already late to make it in time for the departure of the Hogwarts Express so I'll drop you home."saying this he closed the door behind him and went outside to the common room.Everyone had left so he freely sat down in an armchair and picked up the Daily Prophet.
DUMBLEDORE AND GRANGER VINDICATED
:read the front page.He turned over the pages and every page was covered with the news of The Dark Lord's return and the truthfullness of Hermione all along.Snape smiled in his mind.About time they came to their right senses.He was hakfway through reading the full article when he heard a crash and a breaking of glass from inside Hermione's room.He quickly rushed in and saw her sitting at the edge of her bed with her head in her hands,grabbing her hair.Lying in front of her on the floor was a mirror,now broken into chunks of glass,which she had clearly thrown in aversion.He picked up one of the bigger pieces and turning it over he saw letters engraved in the back:Use this when you need me.-Padfoot.
Snape sighed,realising she had credulously tried to contact her godfather through the enchanted mirror but hurled it to the floor when her attempts turned futile.He diligently picked up the pieces,folded them carefully back in the wrapping paper and placed it inside her backpack.She had already dressed so he just waved his wand and her belongings got neatly packed in her trunk.He made the trunk hover in the air behind them,while he took her hand and they made their way down the stairs and out of the castle."Let's get something to eat.You hungry?"he asked,turning towards her."Starving."she replied but with a forced smile.They stopped at Hogsmeade and entered a restaurant.She picked the first thing on the menu and he ordered some firewhisky.While they waited for their order to arrive,Hermione looked around and saw people staring and talking amongst themselves in whispers.She cleared her throat and tugged down at her chullo so that it hid most of her face.Snape turned around and saw what her problem was."Relax,you have been exonerated.""Yeah but it came at a great personal cost.I don't want Sirius's death to become another thing to gossip about."she said,through gritted teeth.Their food arrived and Hermione was just fiddling around with the pasta in her plate,but as she looked up and saw Snape looking at her disapprovingly,she forced a fork-full into her mouth and chewed.He was glad that she was eating and he savoured his own meal.After they finished eating,Hermione tipped the entire glass of firewhisky down her throat before he even had his first sip.He looked surprised but allowed her for this instance;she had gone through a lot.Hermione was feeling a bit tipsy while Snape paid the bill but it had helped to take the burden off her mind for sometime.But one person could always be counted upon to swing her mood right back to devil's territory.That was Rita Skeeter.A huge camera flashed in Hermione's face and she was momentarily blinded."What do we have here?Famous Ms.Granger.'The witch who never lies' is your tagline now.Care to elaborate on the happenings back at the Ministry of Magic?The readers would want to get the news directly from the horse's mouth." Skeeter said in a sing-song voice.Hermione didn't even care to humour her with a comment.She flipped her hair and left the restaurant haughtily."Do us all a favour and get a real job."Snape said before shoving her out of the way and following Hermione.In her anger she had gone way ahead of him.Why can't they just leave her alone?Soon everyone would start talking about what happened that night.Some might probably say what happened was good.Those who don't know,would thank God that the mass-murderer Sirius Black was dead."Hermione."Snape called from behind,but she kept going,wrapping her trenchcoat tightly around herself and looking up at the sky.God.Are you even there?How wrong can he get,if there is one?I was right there beside him.How could he not see?Why couldn't it be me who died?Why did it have to be Sirius?The man spent twelve years in Azkaban,only to be again captured by death."Hermione stop!"Snape cried from behind.She broke her brisk walk and turned sharply on the spot."What?Can't I be alone with my thoughts for a wh-""Don't move.You don't know where you're going."he warned and raised his hands to point below.She looked down at her feet.Her boots were right at the edge of a cliff.The ground and the surrounding hills were thick with snow so everything was white.She had been high on the alcohol and too engrossed in her thoughts that she hadn't been aware of where she was walking to.But now she was brought back to her senses by a cold breeze that blew at her face as she looked down at the vast abyss below."Whew!That's a long way do-o-o-o-o-own!"As she turned back to Snape's direction,a huge chunk of ice came loose and Hermione slid down.Snape watched horrified as she threw her hands in the air,and dissappeared from his view.He skidded to a stop at the edge and looked down;Hermione was slipping down the side of the ciff.He saw a stony pathway on one side which was leading down and he took it,trying to hurry but treading carefully so as not to lose his footing over the powdery ice on the stones.But Hermione was getting out of hand.He tried to hex her to a stop but she was sliding way too fast and the hexes were flying over her head.Suddenly the belt of her coat got stuck in a tree branch jutting out of a solid block of ice and she was yanked to a stop before a vertical drop of a hundred feet.Snape ran to the block of ice and lay flat on his stomach to reach her hand.Hermione was very frightened,her wand had fallen somewhere and she clung onto the tree for dear life."Look at me,I got you.Let go of the tree and take my hand."he urged.Hermione gasped,seeing how she was hanging from such a great height."Don't look down.Just take my hand.I promise I'll never let you fall."he said.Hermione nodded and let go,but before she dropped,he grasped her hand firmly.Then using his wand he levitated her back up to him and she threw herself at him,digging her nails at his back.But he didn't mind,he hugged her back with the same intensity muttering,"I got you.You're okay.I have you."He accioed back her wand and together they went back up the stony stairs,knees rattling more from the dread than the cold."I'm so weary of your absense of mind.What were you thinking?I know you have a lot on your mind but could you atleast watch where you're going?"he shouted once they had gone all the way up.Hermione was embarrassed and said,"I was...not thinking...I just thought about Sirius-""Yeah,my godfather is dead,my mother and father are dead,everyone around me are probably going to die so I'll just throw myself from a cliff!Is that what you were thinking?"he asked,jeeringly."No I didn't realise I was this close to the edge.It was an accident."Hermione said in a small voice."An accident that could've taken your life and mine as well.Do you really think that if you went down all the way I wouldn't have jumped after you?"he took her face in his hands and made her look him in the eye."Sirius is gone,Hermione,and there's nothing anyone can do about it.The sooner you accept that truth the better.Focus on the present and plan for the future.Overcome your losses and be thankful for what you have left.Whenever you feel like quitting think about the reason why you started.Today is a gift,that is why it's called 'present'."She saw how scared he had been and kissed his lips."I'm sorry.Thank you for saving my life.I owe you.I promise I won't waste it."