Chaos Effect

By RaistlinofMetallica

Warnings for chapter: none

IV: Cold

It was colder than usual and Severus Snape felt it boded ill. Ever since things had fallen apart, he'd come to associate cold with impending disaster. It was a cold summer day when Potter disappeared. It was a cold night when Voldemort presented his charming pet monster and Severus's tongue was cut in two. It was cold when a stark raving mad Potter staggered back into Hogwarts and it was cold when the Ministry fell.

He shivered.

The cold was never ending now, as if the war had bled the warmth of life from the world, and he knew it wouldn't be long now before it all ended. He wasn't able to tell anyone – and wouldn't have, even if he still could – but their supplies were dwindling steadily and he knew the Death Eater patrols were coming closer and closer to finding their one remaining refuge, the small ruin of an industrial district they'd renamed Thamasa.

There was a frigid blast of air as the doors banged open, Hermione Granger entering. Behind her, a handful of her most healthy and fast scouts carried a body wrapped in blankets. They dumped the body on one of his cots and scuttled out as quickly as possible.

"Heal him," she said, frostily. "I want him up and talking."

Severus moved to the cot and peeled back the blankets, revealing Potter's sunken, sweat-covered face. The boy was unconscious with a raging fever, his eyes rolled back into his head and bloody phlegm covering his lips. He was sure the boy had died in the invasion of Hogwarts two years ago. There'd been no word, no sign from either side, and, to think that all this time, the damnable boy had held on.

And yet...

Severus was no mediwizard, but he knew the boy was dying, and made a gesture indicating this.

"Do it," Granger said.

He sighed and started pulling out some of the limited amounts of potions he had left. This is a waste, he tried to tell her, but he knew it was useless.

This Granger wasn't the Gryffindor know-it-all of days long past. She, like everything, had become cold. Whatever had happened to her before she found him had utterly destroyed the girl she was. Gone was her kindness, gone were her annoying tics. It had all been replaced by this glacial, fearless and utterly ruthless young woman. She kept him around because he was useful in spite of his cut tongue and made it utterly clear from the start that she'd leave him to the patrols if he stopping being useful. And yet, she was the best shot these people had. For a while, they'd even thrived.

She shut the doors. "We found him in the ruins of the Ministry, in the Department of Mysteries. He may have recovered the location of a weapon."

Severus didn't respond, instead focusing on his patient. What was she hoping to accomplish anyway? Even if she could and did take down Voldemort, the damage had already been done. The world was doomed.

"We need that weapon," Granger said, clenching her fists. "If it is what I think it is..."

Severus shook his head, throwing up his arms as he stepped back from his patient and glared at her, grunting in displeasure. He focused his thoughts into a veritable sledgehammer as he mentally spat the prophecy at her and his complete unabridged opinion on the Boy-Who-Was-Dying's condition.

Granger, to her credit, didn't even flinch, her eyes icy. "If that's the case, I suggest you see to it he lives."

Severus scowled at her, but went back to treating the unconscious boy.

"One more thing," she said, moving over to the cot. She pulled away the blankets and tore off the rags covering one of Potter's arms, revealing the ugly familiar form of the Dark Mark. "Be on guard at all times."

Severus stared at the Mark in horror as cold bathed the room once more and he was left alone to treat the dying boy.

AN: I didn't expect to ever work on this again, but I found some inspiration lying around and have decided to finish this off.

So, Hermione survived, but is obviously not better off for it. Snape lived, but is clearly not in decent shape either.