A/n: before anyone gets any funny ideas, none of my ideas for elemental magic are derived from Naruto, or any other source. They are more or less my own imagination (before naruto even existed Lots of thanks to all my reviewers (especially to those I bugged for one) and those who added me on their alert list. Its encouraging, I tell you!
Hermione panicked, on the verge of tears as she blindly searched the charred area of grass where Professor Snape had just been. All earlier musings of Snape being on fire now seemed alien to her, and she was just beginning to blame herself when…
"Looking for something, Ms Granger?" came the amused voice of Severus Snape.
Hermione spun around to see her professor materializing, alive and soon to be whole.
"H-how? Oh god, I'm so sorry i-i... " she stammered, flooded with relief that she had not killed her professor.
"Magic, you silly witch." Snape smirked at her bewildered expression.
"But... I... uh..."
"Reflexivity is a skill you must learn as a spy. Had I been slow, I assure you I would be quite dead by now. One of my abilities is to vaporize. I trust that is a sufficient explanation."
Snape was able to turn himself into water vapour at will. That ability alone had been extremely useful to his role as a spy, making him virtually undetectable and allowed him to access certain locations, as long as it had space for his vapour to seep through. It was definitely useful when he was in zones he could not apparate in. However, this ability was dangerous to practice when injured, as he could end up aggravating his wounds.
"Wow."
"When you have mastered the basics, we shall experiment on your prowess. But for now, we will focus on how you behave at this week's meeting with the Dark Lord. One little slip and he will kill you, and you will jeopardize my position. I WILL NOT allow that, do you hear me, Ms Granger?"
Snape was icily serious, and the fearsome glare he gave her sent a shiver down her spine. Nonetheless, she was determined to control her powers.
"I'm ready to try again, Sir."
"You may proceed, then."
Still the arrogant bastard…
Hermione took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves, which was greatly helped by the fact that Snape would be able to at least survive should things go amuck. She raised her hand to the flame once again, and this time, she confidently focused on the flame.
The flame flickered on the candle, growing larger for a moment, before reducing back to its normal size. It gave a funny little spasm before detaching itself neatly from the candle and floating towards Hermione.
"Wont it burn my hand?" Hermione paused the movement of the flame midway, hesitant.
"Have you ever been burnt?"
That was a good point, she had never been burnt in her life. One of the perks of being an Elemental, she decided, but when she turned her attention back to the flame, it was no longer there.
"Concentration, Ms Granger." drawled Snape lazily, flicking his wand so that the candle rekindled itself.
She raised her hand again, repeating the process, only to have the flame go out as it moved toward her palm over and over again. At least it was now taking longer before it flickered and extinguished. However, it was a highly frustrating process.
"Remember that you are new to your power. It will take time to get used to it."
Hermione thought it was a nice encouragement, considering that it was coming from Snape.
"Professor?"
"What now?"
"Why was it only recently that my powers became more prominent?"
Did I honestly think I'd be blessed the freedom from her questions out of a classroom?
"Because Elemental magic only begins to distinct itself when the Elemental has reached the age of 16."
"Why?"
"Responsibility over their power."
"What about the fire-related magic? I caused some fires to happen as a kid…"
"Basic qualities that come from birth."
"But…"
"GET ON WITH YOUR PRACTICE, GIRL!"
"Yes, Sir."
Snape rolled his eyeballs when she looked away. A moment ago, he was on the verge of considering her an adult. But when she started with her tirade of questions, she was undeniably annoying… like a little child with fathomless curiousity. Snape hated to answer questions.
He observed her cautiously while she practiced, in case she lost control again, but she seemed much more secure with her powers now.
"I did it!" she suddenly cried out.
Snape looked up to see just in time the flame extinguish in her palm, and the joy melting from her face. He was almost tempted to laugh.
"Apparently not."
Half an hour went by before she gave a whoop of joy, the flame now clearly burning brightly in her palm.
"About time."
"What's next, Sir?" said Hermione, glowing brightly with joy.
"It will suffice for today. Now that you can control a flame, you would be able to control the basics of your powers. Nevertheless, you are to control your temper at all times in the presence of others to avoid others from uncovering your identity."
She nodded in agreement.
"Now we will proceed to what behaviour is expected of you in the presence of the Dark Lord."
The smile of joy at her success was not replaced by a stern look.
"He will, undoubtedly…" Without warning, he entered Hermione's mind.
Hermione was caught off-guard, she had not expected him to conduct a practical lesson, thinking he would elaborate the theories first. She was forced to see her memories exposed to him.
She was 6 again, playing with dolls in the garden while her parents were indoors. The neighbouring girl was snatching her favourite Barbie doll from her, and she burst into tears…then the other girl screamed and dropped the doll as though it had burnt her…
She was 11, her first year in Hogwarts…wondering if the 4 houses could possibly represent four elements to keep her occupied in the eagerness and nervousness while waiting to be sorted…
Then she was in her current year… she saw a speck of blood on the floor and decided to follow it…a dark figure in the hallway…
"NO!" she shouted, and once again, not only was Snape violently pushed out of her mind, but he was flung away from her by an invisible force.
Snape looked at her incredulously. TWICE?!
"Its past curfew!" squeaked Hermione, quickly dashing out the door before Snape could even get to his feet.
She didn't stop running till she got back to her dormitory where she was sure Snape wouldn't come banging when it was midnight. What would he do now knowing that she was the one who helped him the night he returned injured? Would he stop teaching her? He'd definitely be furious, no doubt, especially since he would discover that it was he who made her decide to be a spy for the Order.
Hermione's sleep didn't come easy that night, she mindlessly stroked Crookshanks till she fell asleep, dreaming uneasily of Snape setting her on fire just to have an excuse to drown her.
Down in the dungeons, the double spy for the two most powerful wizards in the history of the wizarding world was deeply unsettled. And for once, it had nothing to do with both said wizards.
A/n: The title was meant to bugger some Snape fans XD. Do leave a review, would love plot ideas and evil suggestions if you have any. MUCH apologies for not posting this sooner, I had all but the last half a page done up, but uni/college takes up too much time these days. I'll try to update bi-weekly! Thanks a lot for reading and the support!