After considering the piece of ebony wood in his hand... he slowly extended it out to her.
Shakily she reached out her hand and grasped it and Severus's heart plummeted at what happened next
There was a rush of magic around them , and the area suddenly seemed clearer...cleaner as if it had been purified, the scent of nature reminded Severus of being on the banks of the a spring in a beautiful woodland...if he closed his eyes he could almost see it.
Water droplets formed in the air and danced around her in a beautiful twisting pattern , before dissipating into the atmosphere.
It was breathtaking, he could feel the magic of his wand. Could feel that although it's loyalty was to him and always would be , it accepted her and was happy to be in her hand.
Minerva had encouraged her to try a spell and she'd flicked the wand, and the sad looking flowers on Poppy's desk began to perk up and grow , spilling out of their container as they burst into bloom.
Hermione was crying with relief.
"I would've never believed it if I hadn't seen it" Poppy said with a gasp.
"The way her magic manifested , and then with the flowers..." Minerva seemed to be thinking deeply as Severus still too stunned to say anything and Hermione too overwhelmed just looked on.
"Hermione... the flowers , how did you do that ? How did you make them grow , what spell or charm exactly?"
With a start Hermione looked to the wand in her hand and then to Severus , meeting his eyes so he could see her thoughts.
"No spell...nothing particular, she just wanted it to happen , it was the intent"
"Severus... your magic, your root magic, you are aligned to Air?"
Here he looked a bit cautious.
"Yes..."
"But you have a natural ability with fiendfyre, it combined with your patronus...something I didn't even think was possible, suggesting it is more in alignment with fire"
"Your root magic doesn't change...I have always been aligned with air..."
"I'm not saying that you're not , I'm saying that you're aligned with both"
He blanched and Poppy gasped , as Hermione stared with wide eyes.
"Impossible" he whispered.
"No it's not , it's rare , practically unheard of but it can happen , Merlin himself was and the four founders were rumoured to be just so dually alligned"
Minerva seemed frantic , almost giddy.
"Hermione's magic has always been earth , that's how she could make the flowers grow with just her intent ..."
Minerva was like a niffler on gold
"...But her magic manifested as water.." That was Poppy , seemingly following Minerva's train of thought as her eyes had widened in comprehension.
"Dually alligned , just like you Severus...don't you get it , don't you see ?"
He was shaking his head, not because he didn't see it, but because he couldn't believe it.
"Hermione's aptitude for healing is due in part to a strong alignment to water , which represents healing , peace and compassion...but an alignment to earth also adds strength and wisdom and caring, both earth and water are also distinctly feminine elements"
"Your alligment to air is for knowlege, intuition and the ability to change...but the added alligment of fire brings creativity, passion and protectiveness , both masculine elements"
Poppy was nodding now as he and Hermione were both stood wide eyed as Minerva went on.
Again Minerva was smiling , tears in her eyes as she spoke.
"What happens when you combine the four elements?"
"You get the 5th element" Poppy gasped.
"And what is the 5th element?"
Minerva was grinning as Severus turned and looked to an equally shocked Hermione, and spoke quietly
"...Together they make Spirit"
"Which represents ?" Minerva prompted.
And it was Hermione who spoke two soft words.
"The soul"
"Severus , I want to try something...hold your wand with Hermione"
Then Minerva transfigured a spare chair into a sealed glass box and filled it with earth from a spare plant pot.
"This box is airtight, now I want you to do something together...I want you to change the earth into a different element , but don't tell each other what you are going to do, just feel it"
Both he and Hermione gasped.
"Minerva, I have no such skill with such transfiguration, I can barely manage to turn a rat into a goblet!..this is not changing one solid object to another...to transform one element into another , it's something only a powerful wizard like Dumbledore could do, and even then it is no easy task"
"Try it , together"
He looked to the girl who was looking at him apprehensively.
"How are we even going to begin to do this ?"
"Just feel the magic , let the intent guide you"
He was sweating and his hands were shaking as he approached Hermione, she gulped and held out the hand that was still holding his wand and together they grasped it.
They both gasped at the sensation of the magic running through them and their eyes snapped to each other.
It was infinity, endless... the ouroboros, the serpent biting it's tail to create an infinite circle. it was infinite possibility but more than that ...he was whole, and he could tell from the look on her face that she felt it too.
Right there as his magic flowed through his wand and into her , and her magic into him , he was the first time in his life whole...he hadn't even realised that half of him was missing until now.
The urge to protect her reared in his chest as everything in his being screamed at him , yes ! This is good , this is right, this is the way it's meant to be!
He even felt himself become aroused, thankfully hidden by his robes, and could tell from her dilated pupils that she was there with him.
Her magic running through him , and his running through her... he was complete.
In perfect sync they both turned to look at the box of earth , and he just allowed himself to feel.
For once in his life, no barriers, no occlumency... just felt what his magic, his soul, his passion told him to do.
His magic pulled, and the box began to tremble as then suddenly alighted with flame.
His eyes widened and Hermione gasped ...for they had not just started a fire, or set something on fire , anyone with a basic incendio could do that.
No...there was nothing in the box, the earth was not burning it had gone. They had transfigured the earth into fire.
"Merlin's beard!"
That was Poppy and Minerva just looked shellshocked.
He felt the the urge to follow his magic, and this time he felt the pull of Hermione's feminine magic rush through him and the flames suddenly became water , the glass box now resembling a tank.
Barking an incredulous laugh he felt his magic pull back to him and the water dissipated into air.
Then the warmth of her magic , sweet , feminine ran through him again and the air began to thicken and was once more dark life giving earth.
They both just stared at the box of dark earth on the desk.
"Impossible" Poppy was wide eyed and trembling
"No it's not...look"
Minerva had scooped out the earth from the box and piled it on Poppy's desk next to some earth from the plant pot.
"This earth is identical from the one that I put in from the plant pot, you know when something is vanished it can't come back. And when that box was on fire it was empty, it had nothing but fire, same with the water and air. They didn't just vanish the earth, then cast an incendio and an aguamenti, the summon some dirt to fill it. They didn't summon that fire into an empty box...because this is the same earth that they started with...which it couldn't possibly be if they had vanished it. They truly transfigured it into fire, then water, then air and back into earth"
"I've never seen a feat of magic like this" Both Poppy and Minerva were staring at the two of them as they stood there.
"They truly share an affinity , together they're complete...soul mates"
He couldn't bring himself to let go of his wand , which he could practically feel purring in their combined grasp...couldn't let go of the completeness he felt with the girl by his side.
She is mine...she is mine...she is mine...and I am hers.
The last thought broke through him, so happy was he that accepting this bond meant that she was his , so content and excited and aroused that this beautiful , compassionate, intelligent woman was his , truly his and destined to be his... he had forgotten that would also mean that he was hers.
No. that would not do.
He pulled back his wand from her grasp and tucked it in his holder as the girl beside him gasped at the loss of connection and he fought the urge to go to her , and slammed his occlumency shield in place.
"No , I refuse to accept this"
The look of hurt she gave him nearly broke him, because he didn't only see it in her eyes, he felt it.
"Severus ! This is not a choice, you know that you feel it... don't deny that you care for her ?"
His heart clenched as he saw the tears running down her face.
"I did not say that "
"Then why ? Why refuse the bond ?"
"It's wrong"
The girl beside him gasped and covered her mouth as the tears ran freely down her face, and Poppy rushed to comfort her.
"Severus , look at you , you're shaking... why are you saying these things , you nearly burned down your chambers when Albus took her away"
He was shaking, he was trying to hold everything back with his occlumency and he was failing , his heart was at war with his head and all he wanted was to go to the girl.
"It's not right that she is mine !"
"Severus ?" Minerva questioned as she approached him like one might a wounded animal.
It was after all what he was.
"It's not right , she's mine and I'm hers, it's not right!"
"Severus.. what's wrong with that ? You obviously belong together, I've never seen you so at ease with anyone , She trusts you and you obviously care for each other" She was rubbing his back now trying to calm him down as he was on the verge of hyperventilating.
"It is not right , it's not right..."
He was shaking his head and stepping away , trying to distance himself from the girl as if he could not feel everything in his being desperately reaching out to her.
But it wasn't Minerva or Poppy but a soft, pleading word from her that broke him.
Full of grief , pain and sorrow she spoke one word.
"Why ?"
He snapped , tears breaking free and running down his face unchecked.
"Because you deserve better!"
AN / Managed to squeeze one out , better WiFi than I thought here !
Please review guys .
Also please remember this is a work of fiction and I reserve the right to artistic license to tweak a few things to make it work
(Elements, affinities , transfiguration etc)