Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to either of two goddesses: JKR or Charlotte Bronte. Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews and yes, I had heard the comparison between Severus/Hermione and Jane/Rochester many times and had often wondered about how to bring the two worlds together. This is what I came up with. The plot will not follow that of Jane Eyre…I am not about to rewrite a classic.

Chapter 2: Thornfield - A History

**************Outside the gates of Hogwarts***********************

There was a slight popping sound as Harry apparated into plain view. He looked at the book in his hands and shook his head in disbelief.

"They were both touching it when they vanished," he whispered as he hurried towards the castle as fast as he could go.

Pounding on the door, he was met by an angry-looking Filch.

"What be the meaning of this, boy? You're going to knock the door down. Just because you're no longer a student don't give you the right to…"

"Filch, just pipe down and listen to me. Is the Headmaster in? It's urgent!"

Filch looked at him with disdain. "Urgent, is it? Well, the Headmaster is in but you had best be quick about it as he is off to London shortly."

Harry rushed past the surly custodian and made his way to the Headmaster's office. Staring blankly at the gargoyle, he realized that he did not know the current password.

It did not matter for, at that very moment, the door opened and Albus Dumbledore came into the hallway.

"Harry! Well, this is a pleasant surprise. What are you doing sneaking around the hallways of Hogwarts? I can't imagine that you are so homesick," the older man beamed at his former student.

"I need to speak with you…something has happened and I don't know what to do. Can we go into your office? I don't wish to speak so openly," Harry's face showed his concern and the Headmaster became serious immediately and showed him through the door.

Once in the office, Harry deposited the bookbag on the ground and gave the novel to the Headmaster.

"Ah yes, 'Jane Eyre'. An excellent example of 19th century British Muggle fiction I daresay. Although I fail to see its importance."

Dumbledore sat down on a chair and invited Harry to do the same. Harry nearly cried out with impatience as the older man leafed through the book thoughtfully.

"I was on my way to the Leaky Cauldron as I was meeting Hermione there…I was running a bit late."

"Most unfortunate…Miss Granger is always so punctual."

"Yes, well when I arrived she was outside with Professor Snape."

"Severus was supposed to pick up a few textbooks for the coming school year," Dumbledore's voice sounded very calm and relaxed as he reread a particular part of the novel.

"Hermione's bookbag had fallen and broken…as you can see…and her books and quills had spilled all over the pavement. Professor Snape was assisting her in picking everything up."

Dumbledore chuckled. "So the man has finally discovered his manners. That is something to celebrate."

"I don't believe so, Headmaster. They were both reaching for that little book there when…well, they simply vanished."

Dumbledore turned to Harry quickly, a quizzical expression in his eyes.

"Vanished? Vanished where?"

"I don't know, Headmaster. I almost got the impression that they had been sucked into the book…but that is not possible…is it?"

Dumbledore stood up and looked at the book from every conceivable angle. He stroked his beard thoughtfully as he put the book down and pulled out his wand.

"Priori Incantetum," he murmured softly as he waved his wand over the book. A silvery mist rose from the pages and swirled around aimlessly before coalescing into one shape...

"Malfoy," Harry whispered angrily.

They watched as the shadowy figure cast a spell and dissipated to be replaced by two other figures:

"Well, there are our two missing persons," Dumbledore said quietly, concern etched in his face.

"They are dressed in strange clothes…where are they?" Harry asked, scratching his head.

Dumbledore took off his glasses and cleaned them with a bit of his robes before putting them back on and looking at the book intently.

"They are in grave danger, Harry."

"Why?"

"Because Mister Malfoy has them trapped…trapped in this very book."

"How on earth did he manage to do that?"

"Dark Magic…fuelled by a desire for vengeance. A very old spell…the Libris spell which causes a person to be lost in a book. Once inside the book, the person is vulnerable…very vulnerable…"

Harry did not like the look on Dumbledore's face at all. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that if anything were to happen to the book…Hermione and Severus would be lost to us…forever."

Harry blanched at the thought. He had already lost one of his best friends in the battle against Voldemort…he did not plan on it happening again.

"We have to protect the book at all costs…it has to stay here at Hogwarts. Now I understand why Malfoy was there. He wanted the book to finish what he had started. I'll kill him…I swear I will…"

Dumbledore turned on Harry angrily. "Do not swear to do anything…you do not wish to be bound by oaths that will only cause you greater suffering. Leave this to me. In the meantime, you must contact Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, as they know the most about the worst sort of Dark Magic. I suggest a look at the bookstores in Knockturn Alley…Sirius will know where to go."

"You do not know how to get them out?" Harry asked, the knot in his stomach tightening.

Dumbledore shook his head sadly as he began casting protective spells on the book.

Harry rushed out of the office, leaving the Headmaster alone with the book and his own troubled thoughts.

"Be careful…both of you," he whispered brokenly to the open pages.

**********************************************

The fireplace crackled merrily but did nothing to lighten the mood in the parlour.

"So, we are trapped in a universe created by a Muggle authoress of the 19th century. This explains our peculiar dress but little else," Severus growled as he paced back and forth.

"Are you familiar with any spell that might have gotten us in here?" Hermione asked.

"Unfortunately, yes. This is an example of the Libris Spell…a convenient piece of Dark Magic that was used as a tool for revenge. Trap someone you didn't care for in a favourite book and then burn the book. You did not kill the person, merely removed them permanently."

Hermione gaped at him. "You mean we could be trapped in here forever if something happens to the book?"

Severus stopped and looked at her. "Precisely."

"Now I understand how Meleagher felt," she sighed, resting her head in her hands.

"I beg your pardon?"

"A story from Greek mythology. A young man was granted a sort of immortality whereby he would live as long as a particular log remained unconsumed by fire. Unfortunately, he upset his mother and she tossed said log on the fire and he died."

"Was that an attempt to cheer my spirits?"

Hermione chuckled and looked up at him. "You do realize that there is a very good possibility that Malfoy has already consigned my poor novel to the flames."

"I do but I believe there are at least two other ways to break the spell…I have to think…it's something I will have to think about as I heard about it a long time ago," Severus sat down on an adjacent chair. "My apologies…I believe my actions antagonized Malfoy enough to lash out at you."

"Your actions had nothing to do with this," she replied quietly.

They sat in silence for a few moments when the older woman bustled back in with a silver tray carrying a crystal decanter and two snifters. She placed them on a small end table.

"That will be all, Mrs. Fairfax. Thank you very much. Mr. Rochester and I have a matter of some urgency to discuss and he will ring for you when needed," Hermione said in a very demure tone.

Mrs. Fairfax curtsied and left the room, not without a strange glance at the young woman.

"You will have to tell me about this world, Hermione. I am not an avid reader of Muggle fiction," Severus stood up and walked over to where the refreshments were. He poured a drink for himself and Hermione. Walking back he handed a glass to her which she accepted gratefully. "That, I would assume, is Mrs. Fairfax…a housekeeper?"

"Yes, a good woman in her own right…very much a proponent of what is proper but has a decided soft spot for both you and me," Hermione smiled, downing her drink in one gulp.

"And what exactly are we?"

"You are a country gentleman…a landowner of some wealth. I am an orphan, trained to be a governess."

"A governess for whom?"

"You have a ward…Adèle. She is not your child but you once were friendly with her mother."

"I see. What else?"

"Well, you have an awful temper sometimes and you don't communicate particularly well. You are sometimes overbearing…sometimes tortured and you have much darkness in your past."

"It sounds as if you are describing me and not this Rochester character."

"Well, now that you mention it, I suppose you could say there are some striking similarities between the two of you. But there are differences…stark differences."

"Such as?" Severus refreshed his drink but Hermione shook her head when he pointed to her glass.

"He is willing to break the law in the name of self-justification and I know that, although you have worked as a spy for Dumbledore all these years, you would never do something like that. You are a man of great honour and abide by your own principles," Hermione said this rather quickly.

"And what happens to these two characters?"

"Many things…it's really rather embarrassing…I'd rather not say. Besides, it is not as if we are trapped in the plot…merely the universe," Hermione muttered.

"That makes me feel ever so much better," Severus replied sarcastically. Hermione glared at him.

"Come, Hermione. We must consider the problem in a logical matter. Even in this universe there must be a Hogwarts as there has been a Hogwarts for many hundreds of years. If it is hidden from the modern day Muggles, I am sure it is hidden from the Muggles in this universe," Severus continued.

"That is not logical in the least. This is a Muggle universe…there is no magic in it…only our two wands!"

"Which, if we follow your train of thought, should not work at all…but they do. My ankle is proof."

He was right. She had been able to perform a spell.

"We have to contact a witch or wizard but we don't have an owl with us," Hermione got up and looked out the window. "But there are some homing pigeons near the dovecote.

"I can put a locating spell on them to find someone who can perform magic and will enchant the parchment to only be read by such a person," Severus produced a sheet of paper and a fountain pen from the pockets of his jacket and wrote a short note. "What is the name of this place, Hermione?"

"Thornfield…and when we are around the others, you had best call me Jane. I will do the same."

"I don't look anything like a Jane, Hermione," Severus replied blandly.

"You know what I meant, you overgrown bat," Hermione huffed.

Severus smirked and finished writing, rolling up the parchment and casting his wand to create a concealment spell.

"You cannot go out now," Hermione clamoured. "It will be too obvious. We don't know if there are other characters here that wish us harm. Best to go after nightfall."

Severus nodded in agreement.

"Yes, that would be the most prudent course of action. So, we wait for the time being. Is there anything else I should know about the story and the characters? How does it end?" Severus held up his glass to the firelight and watched the many reflections cast by the swirling liquid.

Hermione blushed slightly and pondered what to say.

"Hermione?" Severus was looking at her curiously.

"It's a bittersweet ending…one I have always loved but, now that I am here, I am glad that we do not have to abide by the plot as I don't think it would please you," Hermione stammered slightly.

"What are you babbling about? What would not please me? Being stuck here does not please me. The fact that my very existence in my own world is dependent on the state of some Muggle piece of fiction does not please me. I highly doubt that the plot could be any worse than that," Severus grumbled.

"Well, when you put it in that context, you are right, I suppose," Hermione replied slowly. "All right. You have a mad wife that very few people know about. I do not…not yet."

"Go on," Severus encouraged sarcastically.

Hermione glared at him. "You really can be an insufferable man, Severus Snape!"

"At least we have dispensed with the formalities," he smirked.

"Your mad wife gets killed when Thornfield catches fire and…you try to save her but to no avail. Then…well, Jane and Rochester get married. But not before she runs away, almost marries someone else and inherits a large sum of money from a relative she never knew she had."

Severus looked at her blankly. "Well, the unknown relative was a nice touch…very fortuitous. I think I liked everything up until that point."

"You…you did?"

"I may have to actually read this novel to discover how the authoress pulled everything together so neatly," Severus walked over to her. "So, you say that Jane and Rochester get married?"

"Yes."

"It stands to reason then that there is a relationship that slowly builds throughout the novel."

"Well, yes…otherwise it would hardly be believable. Love does not happen that fast," she protested.

"No, it does not. How would describe their relationship, Hermione?"

"Intense. Full of feeling. Full of love…unbridled passion. Very un-Victorian and…most inappropriate, given the fact that you are married," she felt somewhat awkward describing one of her favourite books in such terms to this man in particular.

"I am not married, Hermione." His voice was low and soft…so soft that, for a moment, she doubted if he had spoken the words out loud at all. She looked at him and saw that he was gazing on her intently.

For a moment, Hermione felt lost in the obsidian darkness of his eyes. She suddenly found herself wondering just how much brandy he had drunk…for that matter, how much had she drunk herself. For a moment, she let her eyes wander over a face that could never be called handsome in the traditional sense. Lips were thin, but not too thin. Eyes black as midnight. Skin that was pale…far too pale. A nose that even the most generous of hearts could hardly call aquiline.

"But, somehow…there is something in there that is…darkly fascinating…intriguing," she thought as he stood up in concern and walked over to her.

"Hermione? Are you all right?"

But, as he began to close the distance between them, Hermione suddenly felt suffocated, felt a million hands clamouring over her…could hear the disdainful laughter of Lucius Malfoy as he forced her to watch what he was doing to her.

"No! Get away from me! Get away from me!" she whispered harshly as she pushed Severus away, knocking him onto the floor.

"Hermione, what is it? I was only…" Severus' eyes widened when he realized what must have happened and cursed himself a thousand times for thoughtlessness. She was curled up on the floor now, trembling and crying.

Severus did not try to get closer, afraid that she would bolt entirely if he did. "I should not have done that, Hermione. I was only...I had forgotten that you…you might not…" Severus sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"He did so many awful things to me," she whispered, not able to look up at him. "I have never been able to get his eyes out of my mind…get the sound of his laughter out of my ears. Even when Harry hugs me or Molly gives me a small kiss on the cheek…it nauseates me. Physical closeness is not something I can easily bear. Sometimes it makes me panic. I am so sorry."

"There is no need for you to apologize to me. It is I who cannot apologize enough. I will do all I can to ensure that it will not happen again," Severus stood up and held out his hand to her. She took it and stood in front of him.

"You are safe with me, Hermione. You know that, do you not?"

Yes, she knew she was safe with him. Had it not been the dour Potions Master, seemingly unkind and uncaring, who had managed to save her from Lucius? She had remembered that the elder Malfoy had left her on the floor, naked and bleeding when she had somehow passed out. The next thing she remembered was being clothed and bundled onto a broomstick, being tightly held by the man in front of her…although she could not be entirely certain whether or not she dreamed that part of it. The next image was of his concern for her in the Hogwarts infirmary…many days and nights spent repairing the damage done to her mind and body.

Obviously, there were scars that had not yet healed.

"I know, Severus," she replied with a small smile.

He returned the small smile with some relief. It was obvious that her reaction had caught him by surprise. She found herself feeling glad that she was not trapped alone in this place and firmly ignored the feeling she had had before when their eyes had locked.

A feeling she had never felt before and would give almost anything to feel again.

She watched as Severus walked towards the fireplace and stared into the flickering flames thoughtfully.

"Those clothes…somehow they look very nice on him, but…out of place," she thought. He did look rather different without his robes billowing dramatically as he walked. She almost giggled at what the dear Mrs. Fairfax would say to having a wizard in the house…or a witch for that matter.

"You said that the character has a mad wife?" He suddenly turned to her.

"Yes…but there are only two or three characters who know about her," Hermione was puzzled by this new line of questioning. "Why do you ask?"

"Witches and wizards have often hid behind the veil of insanity in order to avoid being prosecuted for witchcraft. This mad woman might, in fact, be a witch," he replied, still staring into the fire.

"Do you think she could help us? She really does not like your character very much," she murmured.

"If she is a witch, she will realize that I am not Rochester. I will go tonight…you will show me the way after everyone is asleep," Severus turned around and looked at her pleadingly. "I mean, I would be pleased to accept any assistance you can offer me…you know this universe far better than I do."

Hermione nodded, accepting the untold apology.

"I will ring for Mrs. Fairfax. It is time you met some other characters," she smiled as she indicated a rope that rung the housekeeper's bell.

"Thank you…Jane."

A/N: I am having far too much fun with this story. I have not planned it out…am winging it as we go. However, this will not be a terribly long story and will give me a bit of practice for my next chaptered Severus/Hermione story which I should be starting before the end of August.