A/N This is my entry for round 2 of the Quidditch league and my first ever time writing Severus and Hermione. Thank you so much to ElenaTria for allowing me to use her wonderful image as my cover art. Check out her profile on Deviant Art if you like Severus or Lucius (full link in my profile).

Round 2: Where are we going

Team: Pride of Portree

Position: Chaser 1

Location: Beauxbatons

Word count: 2961 excluding Author's note

Prompts :

2: (quote) 'Freedom is still the most radical idea of all.'

14: (word) contagious

15: (quote) 'Don't hate me because I'm beautiful. Hate me because I'm beautiful, smart and rich.'

Severus had a bad feeling about this.

Which was odd considering the castle he approached looked as if Sleeping Beauty herself had fallen asleep within its rose coloured walls. It was a symphony of delicate towers, suspended walkways, and mullioned windows that twinkled as the bright sunlight reflected off the freshly settled snow. It was the perfect backdrop for this year's Tri-Wizard Tournament.

He had learned to be distrustful of beauty.

Despite its façade of loveliness, there was something wrong about the castle. Something imperceptible that caused the hair on the back of his neck to prickle and his large nose to twitch.

His bad feeling was growing worse by the second.

He cursed the girl as he approached the gates. She hadn't been in touch for over a week. Minerva was practically having kittens over the loss of her favourite cub. She had become so insufferable that Severus had been left with no choice but to volunteer to travel to France and check on the girl himself. As if he didn't have better things to do.

Despite the inviting warmth of the late afternoon sun, the grounds were empty. No blue uniformed children cavorted across the rolling lawns, no wood nymphs frolicked, and no black garbed Hogwarts students were to be seen. The weight of the castle's wards; multi-layered, deep and complex stopped him in his tracks. He drew his wand and painstakingly began to untangle them. No enchantment could keep out Severus Snape.

His dragon hide boots crunched loudly on the silver gravel and he ignored the glittering fountains lining the driveway. His sole focus was the completion of his task and getting back to Hogwarts in time for dinner.

Patience was not a virtue he had been blessed with. When his pounding on the studded castle door went unanswered, he waited only a few moments before he shouldered his way into the entrance hallway of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic.

Snape was a cautious man. He would not have survived two wizarding wars, oscillating precariously between the sides of light and dark, had he not developed a nose for danger and a keen sense of self preservation. Unfortunately, on this occasion, his senses were dulled by the, almost overwhelming, irritation he felt toward the girl. His need to berate her was foremost in his mind and it led to an uncharacteristic lapse in attention. Which was why he was hit square between the shoulders by a well-aimed stunner. He registered the briefest glimpse of blue robes before he hit the ground.

"Ennervate." The word was thickly accented. He shook his head, simultaneously attempting to clear his vision and to dislodge the dull, clanging ache from his skull. He was surrounded by students, predominately blue robed and female. All beautiful, all staring at him, all brandishing their wands, their expressions universally hostile.

"Genevieve, ee iz awake," the same voice which had woken him, now called out. It came from a small, dark haired girl, who stood with her wand tip pressed against his forehead.

"Thank you, Celine." An older girl stepped forward. Tall, blonde, and glacially cool, she circled Severus, her arms folded across her chest, her wand clasped loosely between her elegant fingers. He swivelled his head, attempting to keep her in his sights. Something dark and unsettling glittered in her eyes.

"Oo are you?" She thrust her face into his and he resisted the urge to flinch away. Her breath was sweet, like chocolate, or recent death.

"That is none of your concern Madam, I am here to see the headmistress."

"Ze 'eadmistress ez gone. I am in charge now."

"And who might you be?"

Her eyes flashed with rage and he knew he had misspoken.

"I am ze 'ead girl, zat is all you need to know, ugly man." She ran the tip of her wand down his cheek.

Severus remained motionless in much the same way as one might when confronted by an angry rhino on a narrow jungle trail. There was something very wrong here. He reminded himself that he had ample experience in dealing with the insane. This stood him in good stead as Genevieve grabbed a handful of his hair and tipped his head backwards, causing the pain in his skull to increase exponentially.

"Are you afraid of me, ugly man?" She pressed her face close to his once more, her sweet breath cloying in his nostrils. "Do you hate me?" Abruptly she released him and stood back, fingering her wand. "Don't hate me because I'm beautiful." She ran her wand tip up the length of his body, pressing it against the erratically beating pulse in his neck. "Hate me because I'm beautiful, smart, and rich." She leaned forward, pressing her wand painfully against the tender, scarred flesh. "And I'm going to make you even more ugly." Her lips grazed his ear.

"Genevieve, that's quite enough."

He had never been more grateful to hear that overbearing tone. Every head in the room swivelled toward Hermione Granger, who stood in the doorway, flanked by several students.

"You!"

Genevieve was magnificent in her ire as she strode toward Granger. Severus' flicker of concern for the safety of the out-numbered know-it-all was short lived and misplaced. Curses flew, explosions detonated around the room, and he found himself free. He drew his wand and dove into the fray.

"Now we run." Granger grabbed his arm and pulled him after her retreating band of students.

They ran along endless corridors, up and down numerous flights of stairs and, terrifyingly, across two of the aerial bridges. Twice they were set upon by groups of students, narrowly missing curses as they continued to flee. Finally, when his heart was pounding and his knees were loudly protesting that he was much too old for such activity, they flew through a heavy oak doorway which Granger slammed behind them; two of the students immediately set to warding it. Severus dropped to his knees, heaving in great lungfuls of cold air as he clutched his aching chest.

"Professor Granger," he wheezed. "I demand you explain yourself at once."

She was leaning against a stack of books. He snorted at this. Trust Granger to take refuge in a library. Her bedraggled appearance aside, she looked most peculiar. Usually she dressed even more prudishly than he, but today she was garbed in baggy muggle jeans and a ripped singlet which displayed more abdomen than he thought appropriate. He squinted, there appeared to be some sort of jewel nestling in her navel.

"Didn't you get my patronus?"

He dragged his eyes away from her midriff and shook his head.

"I sent a patronus to Minerva five days ago, did it not deliver my message?"

"I can assure you it did not. Minerva has been beside herself with worry at your lack of communication."

"The little bastards must have messed with the wards." There was an element of admiration in her voice.

Severus pulled himself to his feet in order to loom over his colleague in his most intimidating manner. "If I have to ask you again, Granger, I will not be responsible for my own actions. What the hell is going on?"

"It started about a week ago." Her voice was flat, defeated. "The students became infected with a sort of contagious hysteria. It spread rapidly and by the time we realised what was happening most of the faculty were affected, and it was too late to stop it."

"Contagious hysteria?" He pinched the bridge of his nose.

She shrugged. "I don't know how else to describe it. A complete lack of impulse control and conscience. That's saying something, since teenagers often act like psychopaths at the best of times. Well, you saw for yourself. "

"It's like bloody Lord of the Flies."

"It's more Planet Earth," she responded. "Did you see any boys?"

He frowned and shook his head. "Where are they?"

"A few of them joined Genevieve; there is a rival faction led by Durmstrang's head boy somewhere in the East tower. Most are in the dungeons, though."

"The dungeons?" he parroted with an inanity that grated on his own nerves.

"In females, the curse manifests primarily as an obsession with physical appearance and exacerbated schoolgirl rivalry. The boys, however, become..." She blushed and looked away. "Er, rather amorous. Genevieve didn't like that and had them confined. They're probably safer down there, away from the girls."

Severus nodded thoughtfully. "And why are you not affected, Professor Granger?"

"Of course I'm affected," she snapped. "Do you think I normally dress this way?" She gesticulated at her outfit. "My love of contemporary rap music and wish to represent is manifesting in my appearance, and speech. Know what a'hm sayin' yo?" She made a complicated hand gesture before she bent over and took several deep breaths, as if to compose herself. "I at least have a modicum of control, unlike the purebloods. They are completely insane."

"And the half-bloods?" He felt a flicker of dread.

"The incubation period is longer, but you will eventually succumb."

He gave a deep sigh. "How long do I have?"

"A few hours at best. Your skill in Occlumency might help."

He looked around the room, taking in the rag-tag bunch of students who surrounded them. Several had been part of the Hogwarts contingent Granger had taken to Beauxbatons in order to compete in the Tri-Wizard tournament. A few were dressed in the red of Durmstrang, or the blue of Beauxbatons. "So you are all muggleborn?" he guessed.

They nodded in response.

"Why didn't you leave?" He returned his gaze to Granger, who looked close to tears. "The wards are not insurmountable, I imagine you could have won your freedom. "

"Why didn't you leave during the last war?" She stared him down, her eyes hard. "Freedom is still the most radical idea of all, is it not, Professor? Would I have been truly free if I had abandoned my students for my own safety? I'm the only thing preventing the little monsters out there from killing each other." He avoided her gaze. Granger had always been too smart by half.

"So, how do we get out of this mess?" He noticed for the first time how bone-weary the entire group looked. He was taken aback when a student suddenly hurled herself at him. "Oh Professor Snape, I'm so glad you're here. Please hold me in your strong arms!" she wailed, pressing her body against his. Severus had had quite enough of being manhandled by teenaged girls and struggled valiantly to remove her from his person.

"Leanne," Granger's voice was firm. "Control yourself. Remember your mantra."

Miraculously, the girls' arms dropped from around him.

"Go to your cubicle." Granger pointed firmly toward the far end of the library. The girl gave a stifled sob and fled. "All of you." Granger looked around. "Go and meditate…now."

She turned back to him as the students scattered. "We feed off each other," she answered his unspoken question. "We're quite rational whilst alone, but the more time we spend together, the more it spreads. It becomes almost impossible to control our impulses."

She bent over a nearby table, rummaging through haphazardly stacked piles of paper and books. "I have a formula for a possible cure." She handed him a parchment, covered in her small neat script. He scanned her working, taken aback by the agility of her mind.

"This potion is easily within your capabilities, Granger." He scowled up at her. "Why haven't you put an end to this farce already?"

She returned his glare. "Because, Professor, the potions lab is in that tower." She stalked to the window and pointed to the far side of the castle. "And it's a bloody warzone out there."

Severus assessed the distance, his eyes flicking between Granger and the window. The quadrangle below was filled with students, all of whom seemed intent on setting either each other or the castle on fire. There was no way he and Granger could make their way safely through. Which only left... Before he could talk himself out of his reckless plan, he scooped her into his arms and dove through the open window. She screamed as their bodies became insubstantial smoke and Severus gritted his non-existent teeth in irritation. A few students fired curses at them, which he easily avoided and, moments later, they crashed through the window of the potions lab.

He landed hard on top of Granger who, instead of releasing him, wound her arms more tightly around his neck.

"Oh Severus," she breathed. "I'm so glad you're here. I knew you would come for me; I just knew it."

Severus was quite undone by the pressure of her soft mouth against his and he kissed her back, their mission entirely forgotten. It became imperative that he let her know how he felt; he couldn't contain the words a moment longer.

"I would never let anything happen to you." He tangled his fingers in her horrible hair; it really did feel like a brillo pad. "Without you my life would mean nothing." He kissed her again, revelling in the sheer glory of her lips against his, until he realised she was pushing him away.

"Severus, stop."

He drew back, dazed.

"Don't you see, it's the hysteria! We're feeding off each other!" She held his face in her small hands, warm brown eyes pleading with his. "You don't have much time. We have to stop this. We have to save the students."

He began to brew with more speed, accuracy and dramatic flair than he had ever previously exhibited. Granger watched, sometimes giggling coquettishly as he wielded the stirring rod particularly flamboyantly or when he tossed a beaker like a barman with a cocktail shaker. In no time at all, the potion was ready and she tilted her head back seductively in order to take a few drops from the pipette he held above her plump lips. The effect was nearly instantaneous. She gave a shriek of horror and clutched at her throat, emitting horrific gasping noises, her eyes streaming with tears. Finally she raised her head. "Oh my god," she whispered, looking down at her bare midriff. "What in Merlin's name am I wearing, and who on earth pierced my belly button?"

Harry Potter flipped closed his Aurors' notebook with an officious snap. "I think I have all the details I need. Hermione, Severus." He nodded at them both. "There have been a few more outbreaks across Europe, but with your antidote we've managed to contain them. It was a stroke of genius to convert it to an aerosol form."

"Do you know where the curse originated from?" Severus still found Potter's admiration difficult to accept.

The boy nodded. "It was developed by a Bulgarian ex- Death Eater. His son was part of the Durmstrang Tri-Wizard team and was already infected when he arrived at the school. It was a good thing that Minerva sent you in, Severus." He smiled across at the headmistress. "The Dark Mark appears to confer immunity. Without it you wouldn't have been able to stay sane long enough to brew the antidote."

Time stood still for Severus as a thousand horrible realisations hit him at once. He was immune. Everything he had done, everything he had said…He looked at Granger in horror. Dressed once more in her voluminous teaching robes, she was staring at him open-mouthed. Without a word he stood and billowed out the headmistress's office.

"Professor… Severus… Wait!"

He ignored her, almost running.

"Severus, please stop." There was a little break in her voice that he couldn't ignore. She came to a halt in front of him, breathing heavily, her eyes wide.

"I really did know you would come for me." Her voice was small, but certainty blazed in her brown eyes. He stared at her wordless and terrified. She reached out and tentatively touched his hand. "Did you mean it?" she asked.

"Mean what?"

"That your life would mean nothing without me."

He clenched his jaw and his fists, contemplating running once more. Could he really admit to her that he, too, had been worried when she disappeared, that he had manipulated Minerva into sending him after her, that the thought of anything happening to her had made him feel physically sick? When he had thought himself under the influence of the curse it had been so easy to let his feelings out, but now he couldn't risk her rejection or her ridicule. But she was still clutching his fingers and looking at him with such warmth and anxiety and… hope. He couldn't be responsible for dampening that flame. Almost as if of its own volition, his head gave a brief nod, and suddenly his arms were full of the warm, wriggling witch as she peppered the parts of his face she could reach with kisses.

Nine years later...

Severus joined his wife at the window and together they looked out over the rolling lawn, littered with glittering fountains. In the distance, Madame Maxime and Hagrid strolled together. The sound of muffled laughter floated across the warm air from the dormitories where this year's Tri-Wizard competitors were too excited to sleep.

"Are you glad you came back?" He rubbed his nose against her familiar brown curls.

She turned to smile at him. "Yes, and I'm glad I came the first time. If it hadn't been for my cursed trip, I wouldn't have you." She raised the hem of her blouse giving him a mischievous smile. "Or this." A tiny green-eyed snake nestled in the hollow of her still-pierced belly button.

He brushed his fingers across the ornament. "Who knows what might happen this time?"

She gave a contented sigh and leaned back against him. "The possibilities are endless."