Anti-litigation charm: see chapter 1

A\N: Thanks for all the great reviews, I hope I don't disappoint. My original plan for this story was to have a strange twist cell type world in Severus's head. Well, I just couldn't do it. So I'm sending the characters into the depths of hell to do battle with their internal demons. I hope you like it. Please read and review.

Chapter 4: Leave all hope ye that enter

The next day went by too fast for everyone's liking. Professor Dumbledore took over the potions classes until Professor Snape wakes up…..

"I hope he doesn't wake up." Ron muttered under his breath.

"Ron." Both Harry and Hermione shot him a look.

"Are you up to anything tonight, Hermione?" Harry asked. "Or is it studying as usual."

"Well, I was planning on going to the infirmary again tonight."

"The infirmary, why?" Ron asked.

"Well, I've been reading to Professor Snape in hopes he would response to it. I think he's in a very dark place right now and he needs help to get out." Hermione answered.

"That's a very good thing you're doing Hermione." Harry said with a smile, while Ron just nodded his head is a slight disagreement.

********************************************** Later that evening ****************************************************

"In the middle of the journey of our life I came to myself in a dark wood where the straight way was lost." As Hermione read she reached over to hold Professor Snape's hand. Hermione kept on reading the first canto to Severus wondering….Is this the kind of battle that is going on in Professor Snape's head? Is he walking the rings of hell just to get home or paradise? Gods I hope he finds his Virgil to guide him. Hermione thought as she shook her head quietly and continued to read.

"Oh, Severus, if you could only see how much she cares for you." Albus said as he looked into his crystal ball. "I wondered if she's right about you facing your demons. There may be only way to see…."

Hermione kept on read into the night without knowledge to the time. After a while Hermione nodded off with her head on Severus's arm. She slept there for several hours only to awake and find herself in a very dark room.

"Hello, is anyone there?" The only answer Hermione received was silence. "Poppy?" She looked around hope to at least find Professor Snape's hand but there nothing but air and she was no longer sitting but standing. What the hell is going on? Where am I? As she thought, a brightly lit door appeared in front of her. Where did that come from? Well it looks like there is light there so I guess it's better than in this dark room. Well here goes. She walked through the door to only find a dark forest. Strange. A forest. Maybe I somehow got down to the dungeons and now to the forbidden forest. She turned around to go back to the door that she presumed lead to the dungeons only to find the door was gone and replaced by a leopard. The leopard eyed Hermione with look of hunger. Oh my dear God. Run, Hermione, run. Hermione ran as fast as could to deep into the forest, but when she turned to see if the leopard was chasing her, the leopard disappeared. But even though she ran for just a few minutes she looked like she was deep into the forest. Which direction north, south, east, or west? Where should I go? Her mind raced almost as fast as her heart. Where to go? Where to go? North, I shall go north. With that she set off. Walking, walking. It seemed like hours have passed when only minutes have gone by. Is that a clearing? It's a clearing. God I hope that leopard isn't there. Hermione walked forward into the clearing only to find a person seated near a tree with their head in their hands.

"Hello?" Hermione said.

"Miss Granger…." The head shook. "God, I must be hearing voices again."

"Professor Snape." Hermione said as she walked over the figure. She knelt down and placed her hand on his shoulder. The figure jump in fear with the touch only to reveal that it was Professor Snape himself sitting by the tree.

"Sir, what are you doing here?" But to Hermione's surprise the only answer she got was an embrace and mumblings of "Dear god, I thought I was going insane. Dear god, I thought I was losing it."

"Sir, please. Where are we?" Hermione said as she tried to comfort the once most feared professor.

"I have no idea. I woke up here in this dark forest. The last thing I remember was jumping in front of Potter, but for the pass few nights I've been hearing voices. I have heard you reading to me Blake and Dante. I've heard Poppy telling me I had a visitor and her talking to me about you. What's going on? How did you get here?"

"Well, first off Professor you're in the infirmary at Hogwarts in a coma. I have been reading to you for the past two nights out of the books in your collection. You saved Harry's life. You're quite the hero, sir. Though I still think no one is willing to admit to it. As to how I got here I have no idea I just remember reading to you in the infirmary and falling asleep. I woke up a few hours later in a dark room. I thought I was still in the infirmary so I called out to ask where everyone was and there was no answer. Then a door appeared out of no where and I walked through it only to find a leopard. I ran away from it and into this clearing." As Hermione told Professor Snape what occurred she noticed that he was just squeezing her tightly.  "Professor, what are we going to do? I have no idea where we should go or what should we do."

"Well, I have looked around here a bit in search of where the voices were coming from and I found a gate eastward from here."

"I don't think we have many other options." And with that Professor Snape stood up and helped Hermione to her feet. They walked together east to where the wayward gate was.  Three large blocks of white stone formed the gate in such a fashion that Stonehenge look archaic in comparison.

"Leave all hope ye that enter. Sounds like Dante's Inferno."

"I don't think we're that lucky."