Dance With A Serpent

First Names

Yet another stash of books. It was a good thing for Ari that she was the daughter of his old mentor or he would never have bothered with this. Thomas' child was defiantly starting to annoy him.

He liked walking through the school after classes had ended, he would rarely see any of them insolent students. Some he was bound to walk in to since this facility had to have the frustrating children to be allowed funding but he didn't have to like them.

His footsteps echoed around the stone walls.

He grunted as he saw a shape laying a little way ahead of him. It would seem he was bound to run in to some particular students more often than others.

"Miss Gr.." then he registered what he saw. Miss Granger was lying motionless, face down on the floor. Through the gloom he thought he saw something red pasted in her hair.

"Miss Granger!" he yelled. He forgot the books in his hands and rushed over to the still figure.

He kneeled beside her. Her body wasn't in any unnatural position at the very least. What had happened to her? The war was over, God damn! The war was over! He gently put his hands around her and turned her around so that her body rested against his knees.

The red in her hair was defiantly blood. On the floor where her face had been, a puddle of the red blood had seeped out in an alarming amount. Her face was covered in the sticky liquid. The girl hadn't moved. Why her? Oh dear gods why her? He had seen many still figures in his far too dark life but why her?

"Miss Granger can you hear me?" she didn't respond in the slightest.

"Her...Hermione?" She didn't respond to her first name ether. Was she dead then?

He let his fingertips slide over her cold bare neck to search for a pulse. The relief was almost agonizing when he found a small tickling. He stroked away some of her hair that had been plastid to her features.

"Stay with me Hermione" he begged her then he gently slid his arms around her to lift the fragile little thing of the cold floor.

As he did so the woman gasped in pain. He almost smiled even though he had caused her agony, she wasn't completely gone at least.

"Now stay with me Hermione, stay" he commanded her as he stood up and carried her towards the hospital wing.

He needed to keep her alive, speak to her was the trick, keep her somewhat conscious.

"Can you hear me Hermione? Hermione?"

It felt like there was an eternity between him and the hospital. Who had done this to her? Severus could feel something close to hate bubbling up under all the concern. Was she slipping away in his arms? Who could have done this to her? And if he ever found out he would...

Severus never finished his thought

"Severus?" the voice was weak and oh so alarmingly brittle. He looked down at the delicate woman in his arms.

"Yes Hermione?" what a marvellous time for them to be on first name terms...

He glued on a fake smile over his anxious expression.

Her eyes were but slits under her long lashes. Something sticky and warm was slowly sneaking its self down his arm.

"Speak up miss..um..Hermione was there something you wanted?"

She slowly blinked. Dear lord if Poppy wasn't able to heal Miss Granger he would... he didn't know what he would do.

"It..it's " the injured head girl murmured.