Three of a Perfect Pair: Part I Forget What
Anyway, Clare's made her update, which can be found here and right here past the LJ-Cut:
A man stepped out of the room into which the other doctor was about to
take House. His hair was brown and scraggly and thin on top, but House
immediately knew who he was.
Johnny Slade.
"Hello, Greggy. Stupefy."
-------
"Oh Fuck," Snape and Hermione said simultaneously and managed to get
the disapproving stare of a mother herding her young children past
them.
"Sorry," Hermione said to the woman's retreating back, but Snape was
already running down passage. Hermione recovered from her shock and
sprung after him. "Was that...?" she said, shouting after him as he
shoved a couple of disgruntled nurses aside.
Snape grunted. "Yes."
"He was waiting for us, wasn't he?"
"Yes."
Hermione was not too sure where they were going, but knew innately
that the direction was correct - just like she knew where her arm was
at any given moment, even if it wasn't visible. "It was a trap,
wasn't it?"
"Will you stop stating the bloody obvious?" Snape said, not bothering
to hide the panic in his voice. Hermione could feel it as well as
hear it. In those last split seconds before House had fallen
unconscious, they had both seen who it was that House had been trapped
by. Johnny Slade had returned. It appeared that while in the midst
of all this triad business, they'd forgotten the real danger, and now
they were caught right in the middle of it.
And then Hermione stumbled due to the force of a wrenching sensation
inside her and skidded to a full stop. "Oh God," she said as she
leaned out to catch a wall for support. She clutched at her side,
gasping for breath. They must have run across half the hospital.
She raised her head and noticed that Snape had stopped just a little
way ahead of her. He was pacing between the two walls of the passage
they were in, and at one point stopped and slammed his fist into a
wall.
"Bugger," he said. "Bloody fucking buggery fuck bugger."
Hermione tentatively approached him. "We've lost him, haven't we?"
Snape gave her a look that could have wilted grass.
"Yes, yes, I know, the obvious and all that. We've got to find him.
What do we do?"
Snape sneered. "I don't know, Granger - my whole idea was to prevent
this from happening in the first place. You were the one who wanted
to go on an excursion."
Anger bubbled up inside her at the insinuation. "Look, I only agreed
to go with House because I knew he'd do whatever he wanted to whether
I was there or not. Someone had to watch him."
"We should never have left the house."
"Well it's too late for recriminations. We have to do something now!"
Snape narrowed his eyes and gave her a calculating look. "Yes, we are
going to do something." He began to walk back the way they had come,
grabbing her arm as he moved past her and yanking her along with him.
"What are you doing?" she said, sputtering her words.
"As soon as we get to a more secluded area, you are going to Apparate
home. I will look for House."
Hermione tried to pull her arm from Snape's grip. "Like bloody hell I
am. I'm coming with you."
"You'll do as I say."
"I'll do no such thing, Snape. Who do you think I am? I'm not your
student that you can bully around."
Snape stopped abruptly and turned on her. "You are no match for
Johnny Slade, little girl, and if you think you are, then you are more
of a danger to me than not. Go home, Hermione."
"No, Severus. I've fought against the likes of Slade, stood shoulder
to shoulder with Harry Potter, duelled countless Deatheaters in the
battle of Hogwarts and managed to evade even Voldemort for months. I
think I'm more than qualified to stand at your side. I can't say I'd
want to face Slade on my own, but two wands are better than one." She
tried hard not to pout as she looked at him steadily, knowing that
even the slightest movement of her bottom lip would betray her lack of
bravado. She dropped her voice low. "And, don't forget the triad."
Snape looked at her intently, and she wasn't sure what it was that he
was trying to prove to himself, but then he nodded, and she found
herself almost sighing in relief. He lifted a finger and dragged it
down her cheek. "Yes, the triad... Back in the cab, when we..." he
cleared his throat, "I could feel him there, with us. I can't feel
him anymore, can you?"
Hermione shook her head. "No, the link has been severed. Perhaps
because he's not conscious?"
"Perhaps. I don't know enough about the phenomenon to postulate.
There is a chance the link will return when he wakes up. Then again,
there is a chance that he won't wake up."
"You know Slade, is he the type to kill his enemies cleanly?"
There was a grim smile on Snape's lips that had nothing to do with
joy. "No, of course not. Slade will keep him alive - at least for
now. Whatever he wants, death is far too straightforward for Slade.
Perhaps we can bank on that - we have a little time."
Hermione nodded. "Good. Let's not bank on that too much." She
didn't want to think about what Slade would do that wasn't so
straightforward but trying not to think about it only brought House's
predicament to the forefront of her mind. A grisly frieze of images
marched across her mind, and she couldn't hold back the shudder which
was followed by a half-swallowed sob.
Snape reacted and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her
tightly. "We'll find him."
She burrowed her face into the crook of his neck, wishing she could
escape the situation for a little longer, but knowing that one quick
hug was all the solace she could allow herself before they began their
search in earnest. Already she was cataloging in her mind their
resources - people she could beg help from, books that might shed
light on the usefulness of the triad... But, in the midst of it all,
Snape's closeness still managed to ignite a fire under her skin and
caused her heart to race. They both froze.
"Hermione," Snape said almost inaudibly, "listen..."
She did. The general sounds of the hospital - electronic beeps and
whirs, hushed sounds of talking, brisk footsteps and the creak of
wheels - all faded away as she focused on the sounds of her own
breathing, and Snape's, her own heartbeat, and his... and then she
heard it. It was extremely faint, and she had to strain to pick it up
- but it was there: a soft, yet steady thump-thump. Her heart
constricted.
"It's his," she whispered. "I can hear it. He's still alive."
"And we're still connected."
Hermione drew away to look at Snape and lost the sound. "Wait," she
said. "I can't hear it anymore."
He quickly dragged her back into his arms and pressed her close.
"What about now?"
Smiling into his shoulder, Hermione said, "Yes, there it is. Now I hear it."
"Interesting..."
A man stepped out of the room into which the other doctor was about to
take House. His hair was brown and scraggly and thin on top, but House
immediately knew who he was.
Johnny Slade.
"Hello, Greggy. Stupefy."
-------
"Oh Fuck," Snape and Hermione said simultaneously and managed to get
the disapproving stare of a mother herding her young children past
them.
"Sorry," Hermione said to the woman's retreating back, but Snape was
already running down passage. Hermione recovered from her shock and
sprung after him. "Was that...?" she said, shouting after him as he
shoved a couple of disgruntled nurses aside.
Snape grunted. "Yes."
"He was waiting for us, wasn't he?"
"Yes."
Hermione was not too sure where they were going, but knew innately
that the direction was correct - just like she knew where her arm was
at any given moment, even if it wasn't visible. "It was a trap,
wasn't it?"
"Will you stop stating the bloody obvious?" Snape said, not bothering
to hide the panic in his voice. Hermione could feel it as well as
hear it. In those last split seconds before House had fallen
unconscious, they had both seen who it was that House had been trapped
by. Johnny Slade had returned. It appeared that while in the midst
of all this triad business, they'd forgotten the real danger, and now
they were caught right in the middle of it.
And then Hermione stumbled due to the force of a wrenching sensation
inside her and skidded to a full stop. "Oh God," she said as she
leaned out to catch a wall for support. She clutched at her side,
gasping for breath. They must have run across half the hospital.
She raised her head and noticed that Snape had stopped just a little
way ahead of her. He was pacing between the two walls of the passage
they were in, and at one point stopped and slammed his fist into a
wall.
"Bugger," he said. "Bloody fucking buggery fuck bugger."
Hermione tentatively approached him. "We've lost him, haven't we?"
Snape gave her a look that could have wilted grass.
"Yes, yes, I know, the obvious and all that. We've got to find him.
What do we do?"
Snape sneered. "I don't know, Granger - my whole idea was to prevent
this from happening in the first place. You were the one who wanted
to go on an excursion."
Anger bubbled up inside her at the insinuation. "Look, I only agreed
to go with House because I knew he'd do whatever he wanted to whether
I was there or not. Someone had to watch him."
"We should never have left the house."
"Well it's too late for recriminations. We have to do something now!"
Snape narrowed his eyes and gave her a calculating look. "Yes, we are
going to do something." He began to walk back the way they had come,
grabbing her arm as he moved past her and yanking her along with him.
"What are you doing?" she said, sputtering her words.
"As soon as we get to a more secluded area, you are going to Apparate
home. I will look for House."
Hermione tried to pull her arm from Snape's grip. "Like bloody hell I
am. I'm coming with you."
"You'll do as I say."
"I'll do no such thing, Snape. Who do you think I am? I'm not your
student that you can bully around."
Snape stopped abruptly and turned on her. "You are no match for
Johnny Slade, little girl, and if you think you are, then you are more
of a danger to me than not. Go home, Hermione."
"No, Severus. I've fought against the likes of Slade, stood shoulder
to shoulder with Harry Potter, duelled countless Deatheaters in the
battle of Hogwarts and managed to evade even Voldemort for months. I
think I'm more than qualified to stand at your side. I can't say I'd
want to face Slade on my own, but two wands are better than one." She
tried hard not to pout as she looked at him steadily, knowing that
even the slightest movement of her bottom lip would betray her lack of
bravado. She dropped her voice low. "And, don't forget the triad."
Snape looked at her intently, and she wasn't sure what it was that he
was trying to prove to himself, but then he nodded, and she found
herself almost sighing in relief. He lifted a finger and dragged it
down her cheek. "Yes, the triad... Back in the cab, when we..." he
cleared his throat, "I could feel him there, with us. I can't feel
him anymore, can you?"
Hermione shook her head. "No, the link has been severed. Perhaps
because he's not conscious?"
"Perhaps. I don't know enough about the phenomenon to postulate.
There is a chance the link will return when he wakes up. Then again,
there is a chance that he won't wake up."
"You know Slade, is he the type to kill his enemies cleanly?"
There was a grim smile on Snape's lips that had nothing to do with
joy. "No, of course not. Slade will keep him alive - at least for
now. Whatever he wants, death is far too straightforward for Slade.
Perhaps we can bank on that - we have a little time."
Hermione nodded. "Good. Let's not bank on that too much." She
didn't want to think about what Slade would do that wasn't so
straightforward but trying not to think about it only brought House's
predicament to the forefront of her mind. A grisly frieze of images
marched across her mind, and she couldn't hold back the shudder which
was followed by a half-swallowed sob.
Snape reacted and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her
tightly. "We'll find him."
She burrowed her face into the crook of his neck, wishing she could
escape the situation for a little longer, but knowing that one quick
hug was all the solace she could allow herself before they began their
search in earnest. Already she was cataloging in her mind their
resources - people she could beg help from, books that might shed
light on the usefulness of the triad... But, in the midst of it all,
Snape's closeness still managed to ignite a fire under her skin and
caused her heart to race. They both froze.
"Hermione," Snape said almost inaudibly, "listen..."
She did. The general sounds of the hospital - electronic beeps and
whirs, hushed sounds of talking, brisk footsteps and the creak of
wheels - all faded away as she focused on the sounds of her own
breathing, and Snape's, her own heartbeat, and his... and then she
heard it. It was extremely faint, and she had to strain to pick it up
- but it was there: a soft, yet steady thump-thump. Her heart
constricted.
"It's his," she whispered. "I can hear it. He's still alive."
"And we're still connected."
Hermione drew away to look at Snape and lost the sound. "Wait," she
said. "I can't hear it anymore."
He quickly dragged her back into his arms and pressed her close.
"What about now?"
Smiling into his shoulder, Hermione said, "Yes, there it is. Now I hear it."
"Interesting..."