Hey everybody, sorry to whomever I confused with that last chapter. It was sort of a "meanwhile back at the ranch" moment, I felt the need to change the scenery for a chapter and let you in on what Charlotte is up to. Well anyways, here you go, have fun.

Requiem For a Sinner

Chapter 5: Revelations

Hermione regretted leaving the quiet of the waiting room bitterly. The dark corridor of St. Mungo's seemed vast and endless. She was lost, but she wouldn't allow herself to admit it. She wouldn't give in to panic. Calmly Hermione looked around the dark passage in the vague hope of seeing some staff member. With a sinking heart she only confirmed her worst fear, she was alone.

"Sure, I'll go get tea for you Harry," she whispered, "No, no, I'll be fine no need to come along..." Silently she cursed her stubbornness. Cautiously Hermione began to walk down the hall.

This part of the hospital was so different from the rest, much darker, huge wooden doors offered no view of whom, or what was behind them. You could feel magic in the air, but not in the good sense. It felt like a million spells that went wrong, just sort of hanging in the air. Seeing a light shining just around the corner Hermione began to walk quicker.

When she heard it she froze. The hairs on her neck began to prickle up; she could feel the color drain from her face. A voice, just barely more than a whisper, right behind her.

"You, you have been in the presence of the dark lord." The voice said.

"N- n- n- no," she stuttered, "You- you are mistaken..."

"Look at me when I speak to you!" It hissed.

Feeling that she was on the verge of tears Hermione turned to face her assailant. He was not what she expected. A short man wrapped in a straight jacket, his face was scarred, tearstained and pale, yet there was something oddly familiar about it. He was so thin; he was nearly an apparition, translucent and white. "S- s- s- s- sir please, you are mistaken, I have never actually seen Voldemort."

The instant the word escaped her lips thousands of terrified screams rose up from behind the heavy doors. Hermione began to back away, while the man in front of her persued her, apparently enraged.

"You! Are you his servant?" He screamed above the horrible wailing around them. " You do the bidding of evil! Evil! You are tainted, you are not pure! You will burn in hell! Do you hear me? You will burn in fire forever!"

Hermione tripped and fell to her knees; suddenly the man was looming above her screaming incoherently. She shut her eyes and stuck her fingers in her ears to shut out the noise. "NO SIR, I AM A FRIEND OF HARRY POTTER!" She shouted.

All of a sudden the screaming stopped. Everything became still again. When she finally got the courage to open her eyes and unplug her ears she saw a man in crisp robes speaking calmly to the man in the straight jacket.

"Potter, Harry potter, Harry, Harry potter." The man in the straight jacket whispered the name over and over again.

"It's going to be all right Mr. Longbottom, you must calm down, and this young woman has done nothing wrong." The man in robes spoke in a wonderfully calming tone.

"Longbottom...." Hermione whispered, realizing all at once why the man had looked so familiar. He had Neville's eyes, and nose, or was that Neville had his? With her heart and mind racing Hermione stood up.

"Goodnight Mr. Longbottom, please do try and get some rest." Her savior shut the door of the cell and locked it with an iron key.

"Thank you." Hermione whispered.

"Not at all, I really did nothing, It was the mention of Harry Potter...remarkable...Now tell me miss, what brings you down to this part of the hospital at this time of night?"

"Huh? OH tea, I was sent to get tea for my friends...I got lost..."

"Oh my, yes you are very far away from the cafeteria, Just go around the corner and up three flights of stairs, not to hard to find it from here." The doctor gently took her arm and began guiding her around the corner.

"Thank you...Doctor, May I ask a question?"

"That would depend entirely upon the question itself."

Hermione took a deep breath to try and slow down her heart. "That man, Mr. Longbottom, is he...Does he have a child? A son, by the name of Neville?"

The doctor frowned. "I'm afraid I am not at liberty to discuss that information young lady."

"Yes, I see. Thank you for your help sir."

"Not at all miss." With a small bow he turned and entered his office and shut the door behind him.

Hermione waited at the foot of the stairs for several moments, lost in her own thoughts. She came back to reality when she all of a sudden became aware of whispering from around the corner. At first she couldn't quite understand what was being said. But then with a sudden stab of fear she realized it was hundreds of voices whispering "Potter.... Potter" over and over again in the darkness. Hermione turned and fled up the stairs as fast as her legs would carry her.

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Ron woke up with a start; Charlotte stood before him with a wind burned face and breathing hard. He suppressed a shiver of fear that ran down his spine. He knew she couldn't help who her family was, but he couldn't change the fact that it made him slightly uncomfortable to be near Voldemort's Granddaughter.

"Where is he?" She asked, her voice was hoarse and painful to hear.

"How did you get here so fast?" He asked, not quite comprehending what was going on.

"Never mind that. Where is Snape?"

"How did you-"?

He was cut off by her icy voice "Ron, I realize I just woke you up, but you must tell me where Snape is. It is of the up most importance that you remain focused and vigilant, especially now..."

In his half asleep state Ron was even more confused. But the warning in her words struck a chord inside him. He looked around the waiting area nervously. "Do you mean there may be agents of...you-know-who around?"

"That's exactly what I am saying, we must not allow them to get near Snape."

"No, not in the hospital...surely..."

"I think you had best listen to Charlotte" Said a voice. Turning Charlotte was relieved to see Professor Dumbledore moving toward them. "She has a sixth sense about these things."

"Professor...is he-?"

"I don't know...he lapses in and out, it's very hard to say."

"Can I see him?"

Dumbledore nodded and pointed towards Snapes room.

"Be careful." He warned.

"I'm not afraid, he can't do anything to me."

Dumbledore nodded slightly as Charlotte disappeared behind the door.

Ron still sitting on the lumpy waiting room couch, had the strange sense that Dumbledore wasn't worried about what Snape could do to Charlotte, but rather what She could do to him. Just as this thought finished crossing his mind Hermione came bolting around the corner.

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Harry watched as Charlotte sat down on Snapes bed. She didn't seem to notice he was there. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, unsure of whether or not he should make his presence known. He watched as she took both of professor Snapes hands and held them tightly. Charlotte leaned over his still body, she seemed to be examining his face, searching for something. She tilted her head so that her ear was just above Snapes lips. She closed her eyes and whispered words so quietly that Harry couldn't even hear them in the silence of the room.

He watched even closer now, held captivated by the secret ritual being preformed in front of him. To his amazement Snapes lips began to move. This time when he strained his ears he could hear what was being said, however he couldn't understand a word of it.

But even though it was a language that he had never heard before, he felt it stir memories in the back of mind. As if it was awakening ancient thoughts from a past life. The rhythm of the words drummed a sacred sound in his ears, the rise and fall of Snapes voice, the light and dark pitches, it was a beautiful solo. And soon the lone voice became ten, then ten became a hundred and son a thousand voices were speaking from Snapes mouth. Voices each speaking in their own patterns at their own speed, an intricate and heart stopping tapestry of sounds. Harry wished it could go on forever. But as suddenly as it had begun, Snapes voices faded, it was as if the secret language had been locked up and buried again. Now that he had heard it, it seemed too much for Harry to bear to think that he would never hear it again.

Everything was silent. Everything was still. Finally Charlotte sat up. She looked over the bed, straight in Harry's eyes. Then he realized it wasn't Charlotte. She looked very similar to Charlotte, but her eyes glowed, they weren't a color, they just shone with the power of a thousand stars. They burned into his soul and stirred images of far away places, gardens and glass palaces. Somewhere Harry found the courage to speak.

"Who are you?"

The woman smiled at him, Harry saw images of strange flowers and snow covered lawns. When she spoke her voice was older than the universe.

"I have come home." She told him. Harry felt his heart stop for several seconds.

Then the woman stood and walked toward Harry. She laid a hand on his shoulder. He felt it burn.

"Believe." She whispered.

Her eyes closed and she crumpled to the floor. She lay there in a heap and Harry sat as if in a trance for several minutes, wondering what was happening, seeing her on the ground, and wondering why she didn't get up. When it finally dawned on him that something was wrong Harry began to weep and holler. He got down on his knees and clutched the woman in his arms. He wouldn't let go of her. It took Dumbledore to finally coax Harry away from him. And even then Harry did not stop weeping until morning.