Follow My Way
2- Sleep, Shins and Secrets

***
I could make you satisfied in everything you do
All your 'secret wishes' could right now be coming true
And be forever with my poison arms around you -"Angeles" Elliot Smith
***


Turning the gilt handles of the shower tap to the correct temperature, Hermione eased herself into the rush of steaming water with relish. Flexing her bare toes against the tile of the shower floor, she closed the stained glass door behind her. Instantly she could feel the tension in her muscles easing under the water pressure and the inevitable hospital wing depression was leaving as well. Turning her face upward she let hot water hit her face and then turned to douse her long hair and let the water massage her scalp.

She'd been let out of the hospital wing the night before under strict orders to stay relaxed and to stay within the castle. Knowing Madam Pomfrey as she did from her numerous visits as a student there was no way she wanted to land herself back there to be tutted at and fussed over all over again. She'd promised to follow her orders and had gone straight to her temporary quarters in the West Tower and plunged straight into a comfortable bed and sleep.

Her body ached all over from prolonged bed-rest. Her muscles were crying for exercise but she was too sore to oblige. There were just too many things in her mind that made her want to crawl back under the covers of her bed, cast a spell on the door and to hibernate for a couple of months. Heavens knew she had to sleep in cave like darkness if she was going to sleep at all. Unfortunately she had things to do other than sleep away her problems.

She had an appointment with Professor Snape when she deemed herself well enough. Picking up the vanilla scented shampoo she favored, she poured a small amount into her palms and lathered it into her hair and let the shower spray hit her chest. The prospect of the meeting wasn't something she was particularly looking forward to seeing as thought all communication tended to be tense and forced.

It was the subject matter that had prompted her to get out of bed at all. Despite her misgivings about the man, she wanted to know what he knew. The idea of filling in the blanks lit the old spark of excitement. If talking with Snape for an afternoon was the price to know, she'd pay it gladly. No matter how vile his company was she respected his mind, and of course whatever she could get out of it.

First thing she had to do was write to Harry and to tell him what had happened. They spoke nearly every day no matter where their respective travels took them and that gave her a sense of security. He teased her often that he didn't make a very good touchstone since he went out to get himself killed on a weekly basis. She's just punched him and told him that if he got himself killed, she'd find a way to kill him again in a more painful way. He always laughed at her when she was being serious.

Ron was another story. She'd stopped talking to him all together when she'd begun to travel with Arabella, though they were still on good terms. They'd always known it would be harder to be close once they left Hogwarts into a world threatened by Voldemort, but his expectations had been clear. He'd gone for a ministry job along side his father and brother and had expected one thing of the women in his life. They were supposed to stay home and safe, out of the way of the war.

Her dreams were not in the home and hearth direction, however and Ron was too pigheaded to see that his being overprotective only drove her away faster. There was nothing for her in sitting around and being protected, waiting for love or settling on being comfortable in one place. It didn't matter to Ron that they had never been romantically involved, he treated her as though as she was glass because she was female.

It had been better that they'd drifted apart. Rinsing the lather from her hair she turned the taps up to make the water hotter. The work she did with Arabella made a difference in the war. At first she'd been relegated to charming muggle areas to deflect or remain unnoticed by the Death Eaters and wizards other than those in the ministry in general. From there she'd worked along side Arabella herself in practical potion making for defense in the Auror's war against the dark wizards.

Three years she had spent with the woman and she'd never ceased to be in awe of her talent. Everything she taught had been vital and useful, and all of her endeavors had been fruitful without too much of a setback. She'd learned more in those short years than in her seven years of classes at Hogwarts, she was sure of it. The shock that she was dead had yet to sink in.

It had been terrible, being ambushed at the edge of Hogwarts grounds. They'd apparated right into it, thinking that their greatest worry would have been the creatures of the Forbidden Forest. How wrong they'd been. Conditioning her hair, she rested her head against the tiles and let the water run over her. It still needed to be hotter but the taps wouldn't turn anymore.

Twisting the taps, she tried to push the ambush out of her mind but all she could see were Arabella's dark eyes as she pulled her close and whispered to her. Then the green light, and the running. That was all she remembered, despite its cliche in the wizarding world. It frustrated her to have been so helpless.

Scrubbing herself red she finished her shower by turning off the taps and stepping out into the steamy bathroom. Wrapping an oversized towel around her securely, she strode into the bedroom and threw herself back into bed despite the damp. She needed a little more confidence before she could face anyone, and hiding under her covers for the day seemed like the best answer.

***

The mid-day sunlight poured through stained glass, throwing vivid patterns of red and green across the stones of the floor. Five windows ran the length of the hall, all but only one throwing the beautiful colors across the stone of the floor. The middle window was latched shut. The glass was enchanted. The random pictures of stars, arrows, hands and men were moving and shifting. Below this abnormality Albus Dumbledore stood, stroking his long white beard in obvious amusement as Severus Snape frowned beside him.

"It's a priceless artifact," Dumbledore said, regarding the silent man who stood before him. "As old as this castle, and just as efficient at hiding itself. As far as I know, and I'm a fairly attentive man, it has never shown itself in my time here."

Snape regarded the enchanted casement with undisguised mistrust. "It should be destroyed, Headmaster. The threat this sort of thing poses is not worth the value, should it fall into the wrong hands..."

Dumbledore, continuing his visual inspection of the changing glass, shook his head in disagreement. "It is safe enough where it is, for now. Summer is just beginning, Severus, and that leaves plenty of time to study the workings of it."

Scowling darkly, Snape strained to keep his voice controlled. "It's a tool of illusion, nothing more. Like the Mirror of Erised it shows no truth. There has to be a reason it hasn't shown itself before now. No good will come of this."

"It won't open. Whatever harm it could cause will be of it's own choosing." Dumbledore spoke with finality, and turning to the younger man he smiled brightly. "Rather disappointing to have something so rare that isn't up for examination. Alas, it will show its intentions in time."

"If you think that's best," Snape muttered grudgingly, and fell into step with the older wizard who cast one last look at the casement before walking away. It wasn't unusual for such objects to turn up at Hogwarts. The castle seemed to have a sense of humor and an agenda of it's own. Some days it was impossible to use the stairways as they would stubbornly change and remain in an inconvenient position for hours. The dungeons never changed, and the precise order met with the approval of the Potions Master.

"I always do what I think is best, Severus. Though I am allowed failing as much as any other man." Choosing the stairwell that would lead to his office, Dumbledore waited patiently for it to settle in the right position before making his way up the stairs. "Seeing as though I have you here for the moment tell me, have you spoken with Ms. Granger yet?"

Unable to stop himself, Snape bit out, "For no more than a moment, though she was too weak to focus on anything but her own inability to cope with her new circumstances."

Dumbledore caught Snape's gaze and gave him a calm look. "You're being too hard on the girl. She's just been through an ordeal that a lesser person would have not gotten through. She's stronger than she looks, Severus."

Snape remained silent, his sour expression unchanging.

Coming to the gargoyle, which hopped aside at the password (Smarties), the Headmaster gave Snape an amused look through half-moon glasses. "Do be careful though, Ms. Granger is famous for a stubbornness that rivals your own Severus. I trust you will do what has to be done."

Seeing him nod, the Headmaster gave him one last smile. "She's been invited to Professor Sprouts dinner this evening, I trust you will be there as well?"

Nodding once to him, Dumbledore seemed satisfied to disappear into his office leaving Snape alone in the hallway. Obviously unhappy at the way the conversation had unfolded he sent an icy glare at the gargoyle that smirked back at him, and strode down the hallway back toward the dungeons.

***

The dinner was so celebrate Chloe Sprouts birthday, an event she celebrated quietly with her colleagues in the gardens she took such pride in. She worked tirelessly on the arrangement of flowerbeds, herb gardens, greenhouses, and growing vines. The blooms ranged from the mundane to the magical and it was rare that she let anyone into her domain, but every summer she hosted a dinner to enjoy the gardens as much as to show off her work.

All the work had paid off, and Hermione said so as Sprout wrapped her in a motherly hug and tutted over her thinness. "Men don't want skinny girls to settle down with, Hermione. If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times; they like someone with some meat on their bones. Am I right, Poppy?"

As the motherly medi-witch nodded in agreement and started lecturing, the younger girl was resigned to smiling in acknowledgement and letting her mind wander. She'd been doing better at controlling her senses but the variety of smells from the garden was almost overpowering. Flowers, grass, dirt and the evening smells enveloped her. Before long she was snapped from her trance and led to the simple table covered in white linen to eat.

Fate had smiled down on her for once, her chair was situated between Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey. Across the table from her sat Snape, blocked from view by a rather large, ornate centerpiece made up of White Dusky Lilies that took on the hue of the sky above them. At the moment they were a vivid red, a color that McGonagall deemed lovely causing dark mumbling from across the table. Seated to Snape's left was Dumbledore, who also seemed to enjoy the color of the lilies and was telling the scowling Potions Master so. To his right sat Remus Lupin, who seemed unbothered by the tension beside him, but Hermione attributed that to the lack of moon in the sky.

At the head of table Sprout was continuing her earlier conversation with Poppy, but this time their attention was Remus. Barely able to stifle a laugh when she saw the birthday girl load the younger mans plate with half the salad in the bowl despite his protests, she looked up into the amused eyes of the Headmaster.

"I believe those two are fighting a losing battle. Bread?" Offering the small basket of bread to her, he smiled at her refusal before passing the basket to the blocked figure of Snape. "Have they already had their time at you, my dear?"

Blushing slightly, she nodded. "They gave me the same speech my mother does, it was uncanny."

"It's a patented speech, instinctive to women over a certain age," McGonagall put in with a twinkle in her green eyes as she neatly buttered a piece of bread. "On occasion I've said it myself."

Dumbledore chuckled. "If I might say so, you would do to eat more yourself. Good authority has apparently been spreading that we men like women with good appetites."

"There is nothing wrong with my appetite." The effect of her stern voice was somewhat diminished by the blush that was staining her cheeks and the amused look Dumbledore was giving her. "Really, Albus."

Giggling, Hermione took some salad from the bowl and passed it to her Head of House. "I don't think salad is going to put any of us to Professor Sprout's standards."

"She's a woman of rare sincerity, Ms. Granger. She likes to see her students, present and former, grow up as healthy as her flowers." Winking at her from across the table, he took his share of salad before passing the bowl on. "Severus, do have some of this before you find yourself at the mercy of Poppy and our dear birthday girl."

Behind the lilies, Snape snorted. When he spoke his voice was tinged with disgust. "No amount of meddling by a female could persuade me to eat a plate of grass. Life is too short, and miserable enough without having to force anything green and vile down ones throat when it isn't necessary."

Hermione couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes at the now purpling lilies. Beside her McGonagall changed the subject to the letter she'd received from Professor Flitwick via a large tropical bird. Knowing that she didn't have to contribute to the conversation Hermione contented herself by shoveling the salad from her plate into her mouth, half out of spite and half out of hunger. She was embarrassed when her stomach instantly grumbled for more. Smiling shyly at the medi-witch who grinned at her from the right, she finished off her salad hurriedly. She'd barely eaten in the hospital wing, and seeing her dive into the greens was a relief to the older witch.

Conversation trickled off as the main course was served, a mouth watering plate of summer corn, green beans and blackened chicken. The look of pride on Professor Sprouts face told them all that all the vegetables had been cultivated by her hand, and that the way they devoured them met with her approval.
When the meal was finished, there was hardly a morsel of food left.

"Chloe, that was amazing," Lupin said with a rakish grin as he set his fork down. " Sirius is going to be disappointed to have missed it. He always raves about your cooking."

Sprout beamed under the praise. "He knows all he has to do is come and visit me, and I'll cook for him any time he wants."

Lupin laughed, amusement making his honeyed eyes brighter. "The last time he tried to visit you, you almost impaled him with a rake. He's a bit wary of the gardens now."

"He should know better than to dig in my gardens, there is so much grass elsewhere..."

"You know as well as I do, that Sirius rarely thinks that far ahead." Shrugging, Lupin sent another charming smile at their hostess.

"He has a unique personality, that somehow serves to protect him from harm," Dumbledore remarked from further down the table.

"Unfortunately his personality rarely protects those around him from harm, but that all falls under his range of notice," Snape replied coldly, and Hermione could well imagine the narrowing of his eyes that always accompanied Sirius' name.

"Ahh, Severus. We all have our faults. There is a muggle saying, something along the lines of 'let he who is without sin cast the first stone '. I believe that is what it is, we're all fallible."

"Some of us accept the fact, while others suffer the delusion that they cannot be hurt. The Potter boy inherited enough of the trait without having Black around to support the delusion."

"You're too harsh on them both, Severus, " Dumbledore chided.

"On the contrary, none of us have been harsh enough. If Potter had been held to the same standard as other students, and those hanging from his coattails as well, they'd be more prepared for what is thrown at them. Unfortunately they were not, and we will be forever holding their hands."

Luckily the centerpiece was there to catch Hermione's glare again, but unfortunately there was nothing beneath the table to block her foot. Snapes yelp of pain let her know that her foot had indeed connected with his shin, and signaled her to excuse herself from the table. Smiling to everyone at the table who she could see, she gave Sprout a hug and said her thanks before departing hurriedly toward the castle without looking back.

Once she reached the castle she slowed her pace and took her time, her frantic need to run replaced instantly with amusement. She'd actually kicked him, the most hated of her former professors and coldest bastard that she'd ever met. It made her giddy to realize she'd done something so immature, ignoring for the moment that she'd have to deal with the consequences soon enough. She couldn't hide from him and their meeting forever, no matter how heavenly it seemed to lie about in her bed all day.

Climbing the stairs inside, intent on the West Tower and the cave of blankets she'd made of the bed, her attention was caught my an illuminated hallway in the otherwise darkened castle. It was an oddity, with all the staff that had remained for the summer still in the garden, the castle knew only to illuminate corridors in use. Letting her curiosity get the better of her, she stopped her climb and ventured into the hallway.

In the dark it was hard to tell one hallway from another, but there was something changed in this one, she was sure of it. Five windows and only one stained glass, she noticed. The castle was quirky, but consistent, and the colored glass called instant attention to itself amongst the other uniform windows. The glass itself was amazing, shifting and changing at will. Something Ron had said long ago came to her mind, about not trusting anything that could think for itself.

She knew she shouldn't touch it, but of their own accord her fingers found the latch and released it. Tentatively she pulled the casement open, wanting to see what made it glow so brightly when the sky was moonless. Wind from the window ruffled her long hair as it swung open, and instantly she realized why it was glowing. Through the window there was a moon.

"Impossible," she managed to whisper before the scene through the window came to life. The focus shifted until she couldn't see the moon anymore but she knew without a doubt that what she was seeing was the ground of Hogwarts at night. /Just not this night, the moon tells me that/, she mentally amended.

The picture scanned the darkened grounds, running through the lush grass until it gave way to the perfection of the gardens. Perfect, lush, green grass was all the picture showed for no more than a heartbeat before the picture flashed and a figure lay on the grass. So pale in comparison to the dark green of the grass, the person was nude, unmistakably female and propped up on elbows to show the completely length of perfect, cream skin. Her breath caught in her throat as the body blurred and the face came into view, her face flushed and smiling with narrowed eyes. Her lips were red, and Hermione could hear her doubles heavy breathing, echoing and loud.

Tearing her eyes from the casement, she glanced around the empty hallway knowing that she was blushing. The last thing she needed was to have an audience to witness her doubles wanton appearance. The appearance that was rapidly giving way to action, she amended as she looked back to the image. Hermione face flushed with heat as the scene shift once again.

The image of the swollen moon above was in contrast to the black night, the stars were little more than pinpricks of light. She was seeing through her doubles eyes, she noted as the moon receded and her doubles gaze was caught by the gardens around her. The flowers were all tightly furled for the night, closed against the moon but there was an oddity in the picture. Vines draped the stone walls that seemed to enclose the area, and on these vines were flowers blooming in the moonlight.

Moonflowers.

White blooms the size of a fist, all straining toward the moon instead of toward the sun. So at odds with nature, but beautiful despite their oddity. What was their importance though? Hermione's mind was racing, putting together what this prophecy was showing her. The moon, the flowers, her blatant nudity in the middle of Hogwarts ground, and obvious arousal. There was no way she was alone, her mind confirmed just as the her double looked away from the flowers and into the eyes her partner.

Black eyes.

Shocked Hermione couldn't rip her eyes from the casement and what it was showing her. Snape, his dark hair falling into his eyes, shirtless and not unappealingly so, was kneeling before her double. Her doubles head falling back as his hands touched her breasts, her own hands pulling her lover down to the grass urgently. Then her face, lips parted and breathe heavy. Hermione's brain barely had time to register what she was seeing before the casement went black.

She couldn't have seen what she thought she had seen shock wasn't allowing her to tear the scene apart like she normally would have. Her heart was beating to fast, her body shaking too much. There had to be a rational explanation for that. There had to be an explanation for why the casement would show her the image of Snape touching her, of her enjoying it. As she took another step back the casement closed itself and fixed it's latch with a bang, Hermione froze as she came in contact with something solid.

"Ms. Granger, it would be best if you told me exactly what that abomination showed you."

Spinning around and raising her eyes to meet his narrowed ones, she wasn't able to keep the blush from her cheeks despite the anger that suddenly welled up in her. Nor was she able to squelch the thought of how passion suited him better than anger. Pushing that thought away, she managed to hiss, "You are constantly sneaking up on me, and scaring me half to death. What that thing showed me is nonsense as well as none of your business."

Intent on turning on her heel and stomping off in a huff, her plan was dashed as his pale hand shot out and grasped her forearm tightly. "There is no way to explain the amount of evil that could come of that casement, it's only remained here due to the Headmasters curiosity. Its prophecy isn't reliable. You would do well to tell me what you saw immediately."

Anger made her grit her teeth and clench her fists. "I already told you it was nonsense, Professor. Nonsense aimed at my weakness. Nothing more."

Snape regarded her silently for a moment as she tried to pull away from him.

"If you wouldn't mind, could you please let go of me?"

Looking at her flushed face, he let go abruptly causing her to stagger back. Narrowing his eyes further at her glare he said softly, "You're lying. You believe what you saw, and right now you're fast little mind is whirling all the possibilities around trying to figure it out. Prophecy has a tendency to become self-fulfilling, Ms. Granger."

At that remark her face turned another shade toward Gryffindor crimson. Her stomached twisted at the prospect of telling him what she had seen and she had the urge to kick him again. When she showed no sign of answering him, Snape made a dismissive motion with his hand and pinned her with a mocking glance. "Apparently common sense isn't part of your intellect, pity. The Headmaster may have decreed that I must tutor you, but that in no way means that I must suffer your presence."

Raising to the bait Hermione made a noise of frustration and stalked from him, shooting him a glare she would never have dared as a student. As her sharp footsteps faded and his senses told him she'd entered the West Tower, only then did he dare look at the locked casement. Still shining with it's own light, the pictures shifted and changed as though it had never been opened. Yet it had, and at his arrival in the hall it had been showing the girl her own image in the throes of ecstasy.

When he'd arrived she'd looked at him, guilty with only her anger stopping her from fleeing. It was an interesting puzzle. Her blush at his appearance only made it that much more curious. The fact remained that magic casements had agendas of their own and whatever it had shown the girl had been shown for a reason. Time would tell, but before then the Headmaster would have to be informed.


***


Authors Note: Slow but sure, right? I hope nothing is glaringly wrong with this part, it took forever and was edited only by myself (and it's not that I don't think I do things wrong, I just have tunnel vision. Never notice anything.) Sorry about butchering cannon phrases and bible quotes! (Thanks to sev's lover for correcting the bible quote ^_^ )

Next part we get more answers and even more plot, yay! Thanks for hanging in there.

-Dee