Alas! I do not own it!

Author's note: A big thank you to my beta, Amarielle. This chapter came on napkins and bits of scrap paper, one lonely paragraph at a time. Thank you for sticking with me, lovely readers!

The Snake Charmer

Chapter 21

"Deep"

Hermione held her breath. A sense of calm pervaded her body, which moved effortlessly through the water. She swam under the surface for several minutes before she realized she didn't feel the need to breathe at all. Her lungs were fine. It was as though an unknown source supplied her body with oxygen. Just as she decided to surface, to leave the lake and consider her strange experience, she heard it.

It was the most beautiful, entrancing sound in the world. It swelled and radiated and she could hear it clearly beneath the water. She felt as though she was melting in the melodious notes. She had to find out what in all of the world could make that perfect sound.

Her body sliced through the icy water as she dove down, into the depths of the lake. The pressure of the water didn't hurt her as she ventured further, nor did the need for air distract her. That sound urged her forward…

She swam for a long time. The lake was much deeper than she'd ever imagined. She was surprised that none of the dangerous creatures she knew about had encountered her yet. Rather, everything was still, as though they all heard the music and had stopped to listen. The notes were louder now, swirling around her, building into a crescendo. She struggled to keep swimming, her body becoming numb in the icy depth of the Scottish lake. Hermione knew that what she was doing was unfathomable, unreal. It had to be a dream. The sound lured her and she continued to move forward, somehow, into the inky, black water.

Just when the darkness had become too oppressive, she saw a faint light ahead. It pulsed and glowed red, then green, yellow, orange, blue, and then a shining gold. The pulses were in time with the music and Hermione wondered if the source of that light was also responsible for the beautiful sounds that were now resonating in her ears, clouding her mind. She felt distinctly disoriented, unsure what she was doing down there and knowing she ought to resurface, but she could not resist the music that forced her to continue onward. Every time she tried to tear herself away, to collect her thoughts into some semblance of order, the notes would slide through her mind, untangling her inner dialogue, and thus her resolve.

She forced her burning muscles forward until at last, she could see what it was: a bottle, wedged between a black rock and a giant silver colored shell that had been covered in moss, and other types of debris. The bottle was glowing brightly enough that she could make out the shape. She swam forward hesitantly. Something about this seemed dangerous…

Once she was a few feet away, the bottle seemed to quiver of its own accord. The music became erratic, a cacophony of notes blending together at a frenzied pace. The light flashed green, red, yellow, gold, blue, purple, orange, green!

Although she was fearful, she somehow knew that she had to touch it. She reached for the bottle, and the moment her hand closed on it, the water exploded in a sea of colors.

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Severus found himself, at length, sitting before the Headmaster. He wore a practiced mask of control. He knew he appeared indifferent, but inside, he was seething.

Severus felt the merry blue eyes upon him and could not bring himself to look into their depths at the moment. No, he was too busy thinking of the multitude of ways that he would like to hurt the doddering old fool.

"Ah. You may as well say aloud what you're thinking, my dear boy," Albus waved his hand.

"Perhaps I'd feel inclined to share if I'd been on the receiving end of some, shall we say, pertinent information? It was unforgiveable, awakening in that hospital weeks after having been admitted and then arriving here without a reception," Severus sneered.

"I was away on necessary business…"

"The hell you were, old man! If you mean to tell me that your lover is more important than keeping your spy of more than twenty years alive…then by all means, act as though nothing of consequence has occurred."

Albus sighed and leaned back in his ridiculous, overstuffed, blue and pink chintz chair. "I'm sorry that I was unable to brief you before you were summoned. It was not my intent, believe me. Was Tom terribly angry with you?"

"Angry? Not really. Suspicious? Of course. But he was too occupied to really pay me much mind. It is due to luck that I am sitting before you now."

"Oh, come now, Severus. Why don't we focus on bringing you up to date rather than dwelling things which are out of our control? Care for a lemon drop?"

Severus stared daggers at his mentor.

"Perhaps another time, then. Shall I debrief you?" Albus asked nonchalantly.

Severus sat still and listened to the update without offering suggestions, strategies, or making any sort of effort to be included in the conversation at all. He said nothing until Albus asked him how he'd come out of his coma.

Severus explained in a monotone voice the essentials of what had occurred, steering clear of any personal details. For some reason, he didn't think it prudent to tell the Headmaster about snogging Hermione in the closet at St. Mungo's, or again in his office earlier in the evening.

Albus appeared disturbed by what Severus did share; how Hermione had pulled him to consciousness through her excursion into his mind. Severus filed away his reaction to a place in his memory that he would peruse later. He neglected to mention that he hadn't attended to his classes during the day.

"I wish to speak to Ms. Granger about her actions," Albus told Severus in a stern voice.

Severus raised his brow. "Whatever for? She was merely meddling in things that should have been left alone. The tendency runs in Gryffindor House, does it not?"

Albus turned a sharp look on Severus that made the Potion's Master feel like an eleven-year-old again. "What she accomplished is unnatural," Albus said. "Indeed, a great many things she's done lately have been remarkable. I will be taking over her Occlumency and Legilimency training. You have enough to be getting on with as it is."

Severus stood from his chair and leaned across the Headmaster's cluttered desk. "You forced me into this situation, and I fully intend to see her education through. There is more to all of this than you are telling me, Albus."

"In due time, Severus, you will know everything. As for now, I just have my theories. I need time to reach a conclusion."

"You will keep me apprised of the situation," Severus demanded. He was unused to making demands when it came to his mentor, but he felt more protective than usual. Hermione had become important to him during the last few months, and he didn't want to see her life become a parody of his own; serving interests that were not one's own. Whatever Albus' intentions, they were not merely curious; no, he had something in mind. Severus knew that calculating look in the Headmaster's eyes. He had plans for Hermione; if his theories were correct. Severus prayed that whatever they were, they turned out to be wrong. One thing was certain; he'd need to warn Hermione about the meddling old man before Albus corralled her into his service.

Their eyes connected and Snape felt Albus ghosting along his mind, probing ever so gently. Snape's eyes narrowed and he Occluded everything. "You'll have to do better than that," he said and whipped around, taking three long strides to the door as his robes billowed behind him.

He already had one master he had to submit his mind to; he would be damned to suddenly have another. He stormed from the Headmaster's office and stalked through the halls of the castle, and after a few prudent shortcuts, forced himself to return to his quarters. Although he was tempted to go to Hermione's rooms to see if she was available for a meeting with the Headmaster, Severus preferred to keep his dignity. Was one glance of her lovely face enough to debase himself and once again bend to Albus' will? If Albus wanted to speak with Hermione, he could damn well send a house-elf after her!

Snape hastily dismantled his wards and went into his bedchamber at once, slamming the sturdy wooden door behind him. A charm he'd placed there earlier in the year continued to provide enough cushion so that the jamb was not harmed, but not so much that he couldn't hear the sound of the slam. He'd known that the charm would be required as soon as Ms. Granger became his assistant. If she didn't drive him mad with incessant chatter and needless questions, he had told himself, then she was sure to torment him with her cheeky attitude and Gryffindor sensibilities. It had come as quite a shock when she'd arrived and he noticed how much she'd changed. Sometime since they'd last met, she'd grown up into a lovely, passionate, articulate witch.

It was an uneasy thing to find oneself attracted to someone who was far better left alone. Of all the witches in Great Britain, she was the only one who held any sort of appeal for him. Granted, her intelligence was refreshing, but weren't there plenty of other relatively smart women out there? Older, more appropriate choices? Her looks, while completely acceptable, would never be prominently displayed on the cover of Witch Weekly; at least, not without a headline that read something like "Potter's Unfortunate Girlfriend". Severus refused to dwell on that image too long.

Hermione's body had done its share of filling out (in all the correct places), but with that horrid riot of curls surrounding her head like Medusa's snakes, she would never be considered a classic beauty. She lacked grace, poise, elegance. She was a pushy, bossy and insufferable know-it-all.

And yet, she was perfection.

He snorted in derision and sat on the edge of his bed, his bony elbows resting on sharp knees. He thought of how he'd responded to her earlier and of how unbelievable the experience had been. Her passion had matched his; of that there was no doubt, though he didn't understand why. Witches, he knew, were not attracted to Severus Snape as a man. They were attracted to his power, family name and abilities. But if Hermione had been after someone powerful, she surely would have chosen Potter. Was he not a better choice for her?

He grimaced, thinking of Hermione with Potter. He remembered all too well the consuming fury he'd felt when he saw them share a kiss. But he was determined that no one would know of his secret weakness, not even her. There was nothing to be gained from admitting his jealousy. It would only serve to place more distance between the two of them, and distance was the last thing he wanted at the moment.

This was a game that required a delicate hand, if Severus was even up to the task of playing it. If not, he'd have to live with the consequences. Not only could he most likely ruin any chance of being with the witch, but further igniting the bad blood between Potter and himself was not a good idea. If Potter came out looking the golden boy once again and the Dark Lord was vanquished, he would be a hero, undoubtedly. His words would carry weight. If by some miracle, Severus survived, Potter could make the rest of his life a misery; if he so chose. Additionally, he knew that if he didn't play his cards correctly, there would be more than a few in his circle of acquaintances that could make life most unpleasant. He had no doubt that he would be subject to numerous curses and hexes; not that he couldn't handle himself, of course.

Severus knew it had been a mistake to fall in love.

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A few hours later, the fireplace flared green and Albus stuck his bespeckled face through the flames.

"Severus, have you any idea of Professor Granger's whereabouts?"

Severus looked up from the Potion's journal he'd been perusing. "No, I haven't. Perhaps she's out taking another of her strolls. She fancies the lake…" He trailed off, suddenly remembering how he'd recently caught her swimming in that dratted lake, of all places. He shook the image of her nearly nude form emerging from the water like a nymph and forced himself to think clearly.

"The lake, you say? Isn't it a bit cool for that?"

"Of course it is!" Severus snapped at him, jumping to his feet.

In his peripheral vision, Albus' worried face swirled out of view and a warm, orange glow returned to the fire, but Severus was already out of the door.

Bloody insufferable chit, he thought- probably drowning in that damn lake right now…swallowed by the squid…

With such pleasant thoughts to keep him company, he was surprised to find himself at the water's edge a few moments later. He scanned the glassy surface of the water and noticed the frost at the edges. If she'd gone in, she'd most likely have hypothermia. It would take a fair bit more than a warming charm to help her if that were the case.

Albus joined him a few moments later with Fawkes perched on his shoulder. At a whispered command, the phoenix launched himself off of his master's shoulder and flew over the lake and along the banks of the water.

The two men lit their wands and began a thorough search. Fawkes alerted them with a soft cry after a few minutes and both men hurried to the spot where he circled.

Severus gasped at the sight.

Hermione's robes hung abandoned over a stick at the water's edge. Beside her robes lay her wand.

But she was nowhere in sight.

"Albus…"

"She's gone in, hasn't she?"

"Is there any other bloody explanation! That little idiot…" Severus hissed angrily.

Severus began taking off his robes, undoing the numerous buttons on his sleeves.

"Wait, Severus."

Severus ignored him, continuing to tear his clothing off until he stood, nearly nude at the water's edge. He put one foot into the lake and jumped when the icy water sent pin pricks racing up his entire body. He grimaced, placing his other foot solidly in the water.

Before he could jump in, a sonic boom sounded and the lake lit up in a hundred different colors. Rays of light shot through the normally opaque water, illuminating everything within. Severus was shocked and fell back onto the bank in surprise.

Albus stepped forward and pulled Severus back a few feet. He then lifted his hands, his wand cradled in his right palm.

Severus watched his mentor with awe. Power radiated from the Headmaster; it pulsed and glowed around his body and concentrated in a bright ball, held in his left hand. It was so white it burned Snape's eyes and he had to close them against the onslaught.

He heard Albus whispering words in an ancient language and felt his heart jump as the melodic rise and fall of his voice commanded the lake to release the human girl within.

Then, another sound, like a clap of thunder rolled through the night and hit Severus with the force of a powerful curse. He lay dazed on the cold bank, trying to formulate a coherent thought but nothing seemed to make sense. He clenched his teeth together in annoyance, his hands balled into fists.

"Severus? My dear boy, are you all right?"

Severus forced himself to crack an eyelid and saw Albus standing over him, his beard hanging down and tickling Severus' cheek.

Severus pushed the hair away from him and sat up. He blinked a few times, trying to focus.

"Granger?" He rasped.

"She wasn't in the lake, Severus."

"What? Then where is she?"

"I don't know but I'm sure that she will turn up."

The grim undertone in Dumbledore's voice was not helping calm the frantic beating of Severus' heart.

"Do you think she could be in the forest or…"

"It is a possibility, but I doubt it. I think we may need to consider the possibility of her having been abducted. It would be a good idea if you could get in contact with your fellow Death Eaters. Find out if they know of anything. We need to get her back."

Severus cocked his head to the side and surveyed the old man. He wanted to question him further…the utter desperation in Albus' voice was quite unlike him, even while under duress, but another, more important thing weighed on his mind.

Hermione.