A/N – Thanks again for your kind reviews, and I hope you will like this chapter.

Catsrule_Dogsdrool – I guess it would be both of us in detention then, huh? "Sir, there's something on your robe!" (Snape flees in panic from oddball students running towards him) smile

Hellsong – No, it won't be too lemony in future chapters, no need to get the censors attention!

Jasey – OK, here's an update. Stop staring at the computer! sniff smile



Part 9

When they both reached Dumbledore's office, Hermione walked first into the beautiful room. Fawkes, the crimson phoenix familiar of Dumbledore gave a welcoming trill to them both from his golden perch behind the door. He had recently 'renewed' himself and so his feathers gleamed and his black eyes were bright.

"Hello Fawkes!" Harry murmured, walking closer to the phoenix to pay his respects. Standing on the cluttered, claw-footed desk was a glass pitcher filled with a pale green liquid with two silver goblets beside it. A plate of small pastry pies nearby gave off a savoury aroma, and a few headmasters were staring wistfully at the pies from their picture frames on the walls.

Feeling hungry, Hermione picked up a pastry and pouring her a goblet of the green liquid (which turned out to be lime juice) she sat down in a chair before Dumbledore's desk and started eating.

Harry remained near Fawkes, keeping his distance from her.

Time passed, Hermione shifting uncomfortably in her chair as she reviewed spells in her mind. What was keeping Dumbledore? She felt more concerned about Professor Snape than she was about missing her class. Harry eventually sat down beside her, remarking that Dumbledore was taking an awfully long time..

When the door eventually opened they both turned as one to see the headmaster enter the room, a pale look on his face. He was almost gingerly holding a wand in his hand that was made of a dark, almost black wood, which seemed to radiate an angry aura. Hermione's eyes widened in alarm.

"That's not Professor Snape's wand is it?" she said in concern.

Dumbledore gave a heavy sigh and sat down at his desk, carefully placing the wand down before him on a pile of papers.

"Yes, it is, Hermione."

Hermione's face went pale and even Harry looked shocked. To every wizard their wand was like extensions of ones arm – not being without it constantly was unthinkable. There was no point in stealing the wand of another for you could only work with a wand that was uniquely suited to you. Hermione felt a numb horror spreading through her. For Dumbledore to have Snape's wand meant that he was no longer in any position to use it. Which mean he could be injured…or dead.

"What's happened?" she said blankly. Dumbledore looked graver if that was possible and his eyes were sad. "I fear he is in terrible danger" he said quietly.

"What?" Hermione said with a sinking feeling. She hadn't imagined the call for help after all but she was starting to wish she had..

Harry moved uneasily in his chair. "What do you mean?" he said warily.

"His wand was found near the Mirror of Erised. It has been ascertained by myself and Professor McGonagall that Severus is somehow in the realm beyond the Mirror and we fear that Voldemort is responsible."

In disbelief Hermione thought that the Mirror of Erised had scarcely been at Hogwarts for more than a day and it had already spread chaos – Professor Snape had obviously been informed about it, to his cost. But what was this 'realm' Dumbledore was talking about? Her heart felt like a heavy weight in her chest at the thought of the Potions teacher trapped without his wand at the mercy of You-Know-Who.

"The Mirror of Erised is back – Snape's in a realm *beyond* it – and Voldemort is responsible?!" Harry said, thunderstruck.

"There's a realm beyond the Mirror?" Hermione said, forcing her voice to be steady. They had overcome greater dangers than this, after all.

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, to both of your questions. Harry, the Mirror of Erised was brought back for I was concerned that Voldemort sought it for his own purposes."

"I'm not in any hurry to see it again!" Harry muttered, folding his arms across his chest. "But I didn't know you could go *through* it!"

"It was supposed to be a fable only" Dumbledore admitted. "It was said that there was a way one could walk through the Mirror into a realm that held a replica of every vision ever seen by people who had looked at it. The Mirror itself would apparently reveal the way back into this world. No one ever succeeded in finding the way although many wizards, many of them Slytherin, have tried over the years. Some vanished, never to be seen again…"

Harry snorted. Knowing the secret desires of say, your rival, would give you a decided advantage over him or her. He couldn't help think that surely a part of Snape would be feeling smug to have succeeded where other Slytherins had failed. But despite his long-running dislike of the Potions teacher he wouldn't wish him to be captured by You-Know-Who.

Hermione seemed to be taking the news unusually badly – why had she heard Snape in her head? Telepathy was a rare and difficult ability amongst wizards – and why had Snape assumed that Hermione would hear him in return??

"If there's a way through then surely we can find it!" Hermione questioned.

Dumbledore looked at her gravely. "All efforts made so far to enter the Mirror have failed. Professor McGonagall is currently researching all of the records of the Mirror to find any mention of the way through – but there may be another way through for you alone, Hermione."

Hermione was startled. She was one of the top students of Hogwarts but that didn't mean she could perform feats others couldn't (that was Harry's job!). She had come from an unexceptional Muggle family too, not like Harry who would be having stories told about his adventures in years to come.

"How could I do that?" she said cautiously. Dumbledore gazed at her in a peculiar way..it was the way he had looked at her last night when she thought she had seen sympathy in his eyes after she had wondered if she would have seen Professor Snape in the Mirror..

"You're fond of Severus, aren't you Hermione?" he said gently. Hermione flushed uncomfortably, aware that Harry was staring at Dumbledore then her in shock.

"What?!" Harry said, startled.

Hermione felt tongue-tied. Admitting she cared for Professor Snape would bring her nothing but trouble – with the teachers and her friends, her mind babbled. She would be an outcast! But then the thought of him suffering at the hands of You-Know-Who made her wince.

"Yes" she said quietly, staring at the floor.

"I'm glad to hear you say that, Hermione." Dumbledore said simply.

She looked up at him in confusion. "You are? Why?"

Hermione bit her lip and looked at Harry who was staring at her, his green eyes wide. "How could you be 'fond' of him – the head of Slytherin!" Harry snapped at her. Hermione flushed but said nothing. Angrily, Harry continued while Dumbledore watched them both, saying nothing.

"You know what he's like – what, do you imagine he is 'fond' of you too?"

Hermione's eyes flashed angrily. "I know it's crazy of me to feel that way…and no, I know he doesn't care for me!" she said.

"You're wrong Hermione. He does care for you – he's just too proud and afraid to admit it." Dumbledore said softly. "The fact that you were able to hear him in your mind before is a sign that confirms to me that you have both become soul bonded to each other. Admittedly, this is rare between a Gryffindor and a Slytherin, but not unheard of either. This will give you an advantage over the rest of us of travelling through the Mirror."

Hermione's face went white and a bittersweet elation swept through her. What a time to find this out, when Professor Snape was in danger!! Harry's eyes were now the size of saucers. But to Hermione, one thing was clear. She stood up.

"What must I do then, Professor?" she said determinedly. He nodded in approval. "Your bravery is noted, my dear. But firstly – would you place your hand on Fawkes?"

Mystified, Hermione approached the phoenix cautiously who observed her with his beady black eyes and gave her a reassuring chirp. When she gently laid a hand on his scarlet feathers she looked questioningly at Dumbledore who remarked, "Now, Fawkes, would you oblige us please? And Hermione, would you please close your eyes and thinking of Severus, hold the image in your mind for a minute."

Hermione took a deep breath and closing her eyes thought of the Potions teacher when he had laughed at her joke earlier today, his harsh features looking unexpected amused for a moment, his black eyes gleaming. A tear threatened to run down her cheek. What if it was too late to save him?

Fawkes started singing softly, the unearthly, beautiful song soaring to a crescendo then trailing away in soft, silvery notes. Hermione suddenly felt a strange, insistent tugging at her heart and opened her eyes in surprise.

"Tell me what you see, Hermione" Dumbledore asked. She blinked when she saw a thin chain of white light extending from her chest, running across the study at a slight angle and going through a wall. She touched it cautiously and her hand went through it, though her fingers tingled. She was feeling an urge to follow it as well. "There's ah, a chain of light running from me into the wall!" she said, pointing. "Can you see it?"

While Harry warily said he didn't Dumbledore looked at her intently. "I know it's there but I cannot see it clearly. What colour is it, Hermione?"

"White!" she said firmly and Dumbledore breathed a sigh of relief. "It means that he's still alive then. Good. If it was black, then one of you would be dead – not you, obviously – and eventually the chain would have faded away. There's still time…"

A/N - Sevvy will turn up in the next one, so don't panic folks! I had more scenes than I realised to set up the next chapter..