Chapter One: Discovery

"…speaking to the atmosphere

no one's here and I fall into myself

this truth drives me into madness

I know I can stop the pain

if I will it all away…"

Evanescence 'Whisper'

"I fear for her Severus…" Albus spoke quietly, his hand still resting on his Potions masters shoulder; eyes sadly gazing at the woman in the midst of the maelstrom.

"I fear for her sanity. She is standing at the edge of a precipice, and feels as if there is nothing left to grab hold of - tottering back and forth, reality rejecting her yet sensible knowledge telling her to hang on despite it all. It is a terrible sight to behold in such a talented intelligent women." Here he sighed heavily, thin arm trembling slightly.

"For once I must admit that I have no idea what to do. I am lost - as is she. I wonder where she is in her mind…lost and terrified…with no one able to show her the way home." With another bone deep sigh, Albus lifted his hand and let it settle at his side before turning away from the now collapsed figure in the flooded courtyard.

Severus simply stood there, face impassive and blank, staring at the headmasters turned back; his black eyes intense, his mind thoroughly confused. Though he loathed the thought of having to ask the Headmaster just what the hell was going on, he knew that he would go mad trying to figure out which rumors were truth, and which were not.

"Albus, I must admit that I am at a loss. I have no idea what is going on, nor what your cryptic statements are supposed to mean. I recently overhead a rather…disturbing…rumor, and was on my way to ask you how it started. What in bloody blazing hell is going on?" Severus barked at the older man, his eyes blazing with temper at not being privy to something that was obviously very important. His tone stayed cool and silky, yet Albus could detect the underlying strain of worry that was effectively hidden behind his harsh words.

Dumbledore shook his head slightly, long silvery-white hair swaying slightly down his back. His blue eyes meet Snape's causing Severus to quirk an eyebrow in surprise and allow his worry to shine in his ebony orbs.

"Merlin's beard, what has happened old man?!" A slightly panicked tone escaped into his words from the unnerving sight of the headmasters eyes. No longer were they a bright blue, no longer was there a permanent knowing sparkle. His eyes were a dull, tired, and pained bluish-grey; haunted and old. They were the eyes of a man who had given up hope.

"You do not believe there is any hope for her. Why? What happened to her?" Snape tried once more to pry some information from his defeated mentor to no avail.

Dumbledore shook his head once more and simply waved his hand in a beckoning motion, then started to plod slowly, shoulders hunched, back towards his office assuming Snape would follow him.

Utterly baffled, Severus picked up his feet and with one last look at the broken Gryffindor, he swept down the hallway, his night robe billowing out behind him in slightly poor imitation of his normal intimidating black robes.

Down in a courtyard, now unobserved, Hermione Granger lay partly submerged in flood waters of her own creation, unconscious. The rain slowly abated, lightly pattering down on her limp body as the clouds parted ways to allow the moon to shine down once more.

AN: I know it is a short chapter, but I can't quite get a good explanation going and enough intrigue when at work. The next chapter will be nice and long, and suitably informative yet intriguing. At least, that's the plan lol.