Chapter 60: An Ambitious Resolve
Uncharted Forest, Unknown World...
Night fall had greeted the still sweat blasted wizard Severus Snape as he stood amid the encampment of trees outside the large tent that his mate Hermione had erected in a bid to give them shelter. He had still been quite upset following their disagreement in terms of her role in the upcoming war and needed to get some air to soothe his wayward temper. The Potions Professor had come to care for the foolish girl a great deal in the past few years since becoming infected with lycanthropy. Truth be told he had loved her more than she would ever know given his past entanglements. It was difficult for him to imagine her even getting so much as a hangnail in the face of the impending battles.
Snape stood in the cold hoping it could alleviate the agony of his distressed heart as he tried to bury the images of holding his former love in his arms following her murder at the hands of the dark lord. He had not wanted the same fate for Hermione. He would use every bit of power he could obtain in a bid to keep that from happening even at the cost of his own life.
Still wrestling with his thoughts, Snape had been joined by a shivering Hermione whom could not sleep without him.
"Severus...how long are you going to pout?" she asked.
"I did not ask to be disturbed witch." he said rather bitterly.
"And I did not come to ask to disturb you wizard." countered Hermione narrowing her amber eyes at him.
"Is there a point to you freezing out here in the cold or did you just come to annoy me?" asked Snape arching a brow at her.
"I came because you know I can't sleep without you." she said.
"You sleep in the tower while we are at Hogwarts." said The Potions Professor folding his arms across his pale chest.
"This is different." the young witch insisted. "I know you're close by and haven't gotten into any trouble when were are there."
"You mean you take it upon yourself to track my movements via the fabled Marauders map of old." said Snape.
Hermione had been amazed that he knew about it given that it was suppose to be a well kept Gryffindor secret.
Snape rolled his eyes at her apparent shock of his knowledge of the blasted pranksters map.
"I did attend with the very fools whom had created it...mostly to torment me of course." he said.
"Come back to bed Severus." said Hermione trying to reason with him. "Please."
"I do not have time for your foolish girl antics." he said with a sigh.
"Severus please." she pleaded once more afraid he'd do something terrible in his fit of anger. "I'm sorry that I upset you."
Snape sighed once more.
"It's not that I..." he began trying to find the correct words, he had learned the hard way how powerful they could be from a relationship standpoint. "I know that you are a highly capable witch and quite resourceful...but there is a good deal of potential in someone coming after you to get to me...or at the very least using you to harm Potter...I can't...I can't lose you Hermione...not after all this time."
Hermione sighed this time moving to stroke his sallow pale cheek.
"Severus...I can't promise that I won't get hurt." she said. "But I haven't ...we haven't gotten this far by just sitting on the side lines...I promised to be careful and that is the best that I can do...I'm sorry if that makes you unhappy but I mean to see this through."
Snape nodded in understanding.
"Come witch." he said. "You need your rest."
Hermione smiled at him as they made their way back into the tent.
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The Tent, Uncharted Forest, Unknown World...
Remus Lupin had been sitting up in bed as his sorrowful brown eyes took in the pale blue light of the moon. He had spent the better part of his life fearful of it for a long as he could remember. It was only with Severus around that he truly felt at peace. Possibly, due to him knowing that he could not harm Tonks with Severus in control of his rabid beast mind.
The sleeping witch had been curled up beside him well worn from their previous love-making session and at peace with their relationship despite the risks loving someone as cursed as he had proposed.
It was strange to find himself apart of a pack for the first time in his life and strangely calming.
He had still aimed to make good on his promise to atone for his mistakes concerning Severus Snape in the past, as the memories of the cruelty he had his infamous school mates put the poor half-blood Slytherin through had lasting effects. The poor wizard had enough to deal with given his grunt status as apart of the dark lord's army and Dumbledore's most treasured spy.
Lupin sighed as the memories of a tortured boy haunted him still.
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The Whomping Willow, Hogwarts Castle, Wizarding World...
A furious teenage Sirius Black narrowed his eyes at the badly hexed teenage Severus Snape. The lone Slytherin had a broken arm and a busted jaw by the time the Marauders had gotten through with him. James had been particularly vicious that night given that Snape had escorted Lily to the Yule Ball. Lupin had attempted to get his mates to lighten up as far as punishing Snape had been concerned but they ignored him.
"Snivellus what have I told you about talking to Gryffindor women?" asked James as he glared murderously at the gasping Severus.
Severus spit blood onto the ground and rolled onto his side trying his best to ignore the pain that shot through him.
"Fuck you Potter." he said rather defiantly.
Sirius Black had taken it upon himself to kick Severus in the face breaking his abnormally large nose in the process.
The sickening sound of flesh and bone being crushed by the heel of a boot had made Lupin's stomach turn.
"You see that Mooney...direct hit." said Sirius triumphantly.
"That's enough." said Lupin noticing that Severus wasn't moving. "Why isn't he moving?"
"He's just taking a little nap Mooney nothing to worry about." replied Pettigrew seeming to be grateful that it wasn't him in Severus Snape's place.
Lupin couldn't hear Severus Snape's heart beat even with his keen wolfish hearing.
"He's not breathing." he said concerned. "And it doesn't sound as if his heart his beating."
"What are you talking about?" asked James not at all believing his friends dramatic reaction. "Snivellus is fine...he's as resilient as a cockroach..."
"And twice as ugly." added Sirius Black with a chuckle.
Lupin had not been so sure as he kneeled down and flipped the ailing wizard onto his back.
"His heart's not beating." he said frantic.
The other Marauders began to panic.
"Shit." said Sirius Black knowing he'd go down for murder following that last kick.
"Fuck!" said James thinking of how he would not be able to explain this away to Lily if Severus died.
"Do something." said Pettigrew more fearful of being sent to Azkaban for being an accessory to murder.
Lupin got down on his knees and started firing off every healing charm he could recall. One by one they failed and the desperation increased with the other three Marauders hightailing it and begging for him to do the same. Determined to bring the seemingly dead wizard back Lupin continued to cast charm after charm until finally one worked and Severus Snape took a long deep breath before coughing and tensing up in the wake of what happened to him.
"I...it's going to be alright." said Lupin meeting his eyes. "I'm taking you to the infirmary."
Severus Snape trembled in fear as Lupin reached out his hand.
"I won't hurt Severus...that was never my intention." he said.
"It seems hurting me is all anyone has ever done." said the embittered teenage wizard. "Why should you be any different?"
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Uncharted Forest, Wizarding World...
Remus Lupin sighed as he looked out into the open sky. He had been cold from standing outside the tent but he needed the fresh air it seemed. He had been a terrible person during his time at Hogwarts as a student but he meant to assist Severus Snape in not only this war but this mission to sway their wolfish brethren to Dumbledore's cause.
As far as he had been concerned it was the least he could do given that Snape had gone above and beyond to ensure the Order's victory over Voldemort and his death eaters. The mistrusting wizard's motivations had possibly been renewed in the wake of his relationship with Hermione Granger and it meant all the more to Lupin due to his own relationship with Tonks to see this through.
A weary smile filed across the face of the sheepish wizard before he too headed back into the tent.
Both he and Severus Snape had seemed to come a long way since those days at Hogwarts.