Chapter 26

Severus moved among the rows of plants in the conservatory on the Palace grounds. He was inspecting several of the plants Neville had been cultivating, which were currently in bloom. Neville himself was rather animated. He had forgotten the fear his former professor instilled in him during his teens and was rather animatedly explaining the properties of a specific rare bloom he had coaxed into life.

"This one," Neville said proudly, "has potential as a stabilizer in volatile draughts. It took months to get the soil balance right."

Severus inclined his head and then asked, "I am looking for possible ingredients which would render a secondary byproduct of a potion inert."

"Well, you can try the Opuntia cylindrica cristata emerald idol. It does have stabilizing properties, though it might be somewhat prickly."

Before Severus could reply, the doors to the greenhouse slammed open. Kingsley Shacklebolt strode in with an expression that immediately set Severus on edge.

"Severus. Neville. Come quickly. The guards found Hermione at the edge of the castle wards. She's nearly incoherent." Kingsley said urgently.

"Where is she now?" Severus then asked.

"In the Salon. Ginny and Luna managed to get her to walk inside." Kingsley said while already turning on his heel.

At the salon door, Severus already heard Ginny's voice. It sounded frantic and pleading. Kingsley pushed the door open, and the other two could see that Hermione was slumped in a low chair by the hearth. Her hair was in disarray, and her eyes were unfocused. Ginny was kneeling before her. In her hand, she held what Severus immediately recognized as a calming potion while trying to get Miss Granger to drink it.

"Please, Hermione, just... just take it," Ginny begged.

Severus was at Hermione's side before Ginny could finish. He took the vial from her and then set it aside.

"Stop forcing it," Severus said sharply to Ginny. "You'll make her choke."

"I... she was shaking so badly... I just..."

"Then hold her steady," Severus stated. "But do not force anything down her throat." His fingers found Hermione's wrist, and he checked her pulse. It was rapid and shallow.

Severus dipped the calming potion on his handkerchief and eased Hermione's head back against the chair. He then pressed the damp cloth to her lips and nose gently. The calming draught's scent worked slowly, but her pulse began to find a steadier rhythm beneath his fingers.

"Good," he murmured, "Breathe with me. In two-three, out two-three."

Hermione's eyelids fluttered. For a moment, she looked as if she might fall asleep. Her eyes were still a bit unfocused, but she whispered a word that Severus wouldn't have caught if he weren't so close. "Oberon."

Severus's jaw tightened upon hearing that name. Then he leaned closer and asked, "May I look? In your mind."

"Shouldn't we let her rest first?" Neville asked.

"NO!" Severus objected strongly. "If Oberon is involved..."

"Who is Oberon?" Kingsley asked.

"Oberon is a son of fire. He likes bright things and loves bargains. The nargles have been whispering about him for a while. They say he doesn't like being watched." Luna answered from her place near the mantle.

"Uhm... what?" Kingsley blinked.

"I will explain when I can," Severus stated. "Now, time is of the essence. We need to find Harry." The Potion master then turned back to Hermione. "I need to see your memories. May I?"

Hermione gave a small nod as Severus whispered, 'Legilimens.'

The world of the salon dissolved and was replaced by the image of the smoky air of the construction site. Severus watched through Hermione's eyes as a corrupted Dumbledore leveled his wand at her.

"Avada..."

"NO!" Harry shouted while running towards Hermione.

He didn't cast a shield. Instead, he slammed his palm into the dirt, and the temperature in the room plummeted until the moisture in the air started to freeze. Severus watched his husband's eyes turn a pure black as he called for Death.

Shadows stretched up from beneath the floorboards as a hooded skeletal figure appeared. Hermione clearly didn't understand what was going on, but Severus, who had met the quirky skeleton before, noted that all that was gone right now.

Death itself stood between Harry and the killing curse. With a flick of a skeletal hand, the green light simply vanished.

Death stood tall, but Oberon didn't flinch. Instead, the fae took a slow, mocking step forward.

"Mortem," Oberon drawled. "Still playing the loyal hound to the Peverell line? Or is it the Potter name you've grown fond of now? Honestly, how many eons are you going to let yourself be tied to... this?" he gestured dismissively to Harry with a haughtiness that would have put Lucius Malfoy to shame. "I expected someone of your... stature... to have better taste in company."

The skeletal figure tilted its head, "Oberon. The spark that thought it could outshine the sun."

"I am the flame that will burn away the rot of this world." Oberon shot back, clearly triggered by Mortem's comment.

"You were imprisoned for your idiocy," Mortem retorted, "A petty godling playing with the balance of reality. If your mother's methods will not humble you, then I will."

Oberon lunged, and his collision with Death's scythe created a shockwave that shattered the windows of the buildings nearby. The force of it also sent Dumbledore skidding across the ground. Hermione was thrown backward and nearly cracked her head against a wooden beam.

Harry scrambled toward her and grabbed her shoulders. "Hermione! You have to go!"

"Harry, no... I can't leave you..." Hermione tried to argue, but Harry wasn't having it.

"GO!" He ordered more firmly. "You can't face him! Mortem can't hold him forever! Get Severus! Tell him we need Nimue! RUN! Run and don't look back!"

Through the haze of the memory, Severus watched as Hermione finally broke. She scrambled toward the street they had come down from just as the sound of Oberon's power slashed through the air.

The memory fractured as Hermione sprinted, but she couldn't resist one final look over her shoulder. Severus watched through her eyes, and his heart seized at the sight.

Oberon plunged a flaming sword directly into the center of Death's cloaked chest. Severus watched as Harry's back arched violently in the memory. A spray of thick, dark blood erupted from Harry's mouth. It splattered across his front as he sustained a mirrored, invisible injury.