Stolen Child
Chapter 20
Mercury
Lying wide awake, Professor Snape was well aware of the time, well aware that he should have long since arisen and been in the shower. He was quite aware of the fact that it was probably noon, and yet he found himself completely unable to move, the sheer weight of what had transpired the previous night keeping him immobile. Numbly he reached next to him, open his drawer and pulled his flask from it. Opening the small container, he expertly took a sip without even lifting his head. In his minds eye, he could see her smiling sweetly, could feel his hand upon her waist, her body molded against his own. He breathed deeply, and then out once again, forcing the memory away and stiffly sat up, taking another swig. Replacing the cap on the flask, he set it aside and struggled out of bed.
Leaning his head against the wall of his shower, he stood beneath the falling water for longer than he knew. He should have been happy, they had crossed an incredibly large bridge, but instead he found himself confused, and perhaps even afraid. He new exactly what he wished to happen, but he also knew everything that could happen, and had mulled over each terrible possibility more times than he cared to count.
It wasn't until he had exited the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist, that he noticed the envelope sitting on his end table. Sighing, he sunk down onto his bed and picked up the letter, wondering what the Headmistress wanted, that was, of course, until he saw that it wasn't her handwriting at all. Swallowing hard, he carefully opened the letter and began to read.
*~~*~~*
Hermione sat gazing out of her window, watching the grounds grow increasingly brighter as the sun rose. She hadn't slept all night, and instead busied her mind and hands with her wand, and a book of spells and charms which she had found amongst the many books on her shelf. The fact that she had very few problems with the listed spells did little to ease her troubled thoughts however, and she began to loose concentration at around four in the morning, though sleep refused to take her.
Why had Snape left so abruptly? She could not think of a single answer to the question that haunted her, at least not a positive one, no matter how hard she tried. Perhaps he had become ill from the Chinese food.'or the thought of kissing an animal', a horrible, rather loud, mocking voice inside her head reminded her wryly. Her face suddenly went red and she forced back tears- surely that wasn't true, then again, what if it was?
She had practically offered herself to him on a platter, and he had only taken a small taste before retreating. What if he thought she was some sort of a whore, throwing herself at someone she had only technically known a week? She worried painfully at her bottom lip, feeling incredibly disgusting, though she knew that given a second chance, she would certainly kiss him again.
No matter how many ideas or theories she had about why had he brushed her off, it didn't change the fact that it hurt her deeply, and before she really thought about her own actions, she recovered a blank piece of parchment and a quill, and had sat down on the floor in front of the coffee table between her arm chairs, her quill immediately going to work, spilling out her boiling emotions..
"Dear Professor Snape,
I would like to apologize for my actions last night; they were clearly uncalled for, and unwanted by you. Please don't think badly of me, I value your opinion, and your friendship, and I hope you can find it within you to look past what I've done. On a lighter note, my spells and charms are coming along nicely.
Sincerely,
Hermione"
She folded the note, placed it in an envelope, addressed it to him, and crossed the room, setting it on her end table for the house elves, who would be coming within half an hour.
*~~*~~*
Snape finished the letter and set it aside, along with its envelope, completely shocked. The silly girl blamed herself for his actions, why hadn't he thought of that before? What must it of seemed like to her when he sampled her wares and then quickly left without a proper close to the evening? Abruptly he stood and crossed his room, standing in front of his mirror, feeling inexplicably nauseous and dizzy. He glared at his reflection; what had he been thinking? She had been completely vulnerable, had opened herself to him, and he had pushed her away. Why did he find himself so terrified of letting her in, he was Severus Snape after all, the dreaded potions master, what did he have to fear? 'Rejection'.. A tiny little voice deep inside his mind mockingly suggested to him.
He turned and returned to his bed, sitting heavily, head in his hands. Hid mind swimming crazily. They had only known begun to know each other again a week ago, perhaps that was why he felt so inhibited. It felt as though he was tumbling headlong down into a rabbit hole, like Alice. True, what lay at the bottom could be wonderful, but it could also be terrible, and it was most certainly strange, and foreign to him. Never had he found a woman invading his thoughts, his dreams, his every waking moment as she did.
He sighed, rubbing his temples as a headache began to form. What was it about her that he found so alluring? Her willingness to know him, to tolerate him? Her unique beauty? Her vulnerability? Or had he simply just been in the dungeons too long? His pounding heart didn't seem to be willing to be specific on the details of its affair with her, and that frustrated him greatly.
What did those minor details of the mysterious workings of his emotions matter, though, against the pressing issues of the here and now? Hermione was still in danger; and it was only a matter of time before the Wild Hunt returned for her. The feelings he felt for her, no matter what they may have been, could not stop the Hunters, it could not keep her from being abused once more, it did not change the odds which were stacked against her. The best thing he could do for her, and consequently for himself, was pass on to her what he knew. He couldn't shield her with desire, or passion, but he could teach her to shield herself with charms, and defend herself with hexes. Rising and quickly dressing he swore to himself that he would do everything within his power to prepare her the best that he could, the rest was up to her.
*~~*~~*
The sunlight was streaming brightly through Hermione's windows when sleep finally folded her in its dark embrace. She found herself kneeling in a grand hall, naked, head bowed, hands linked behind her back, an ornate collar around her bent neck. She dared not look up, or even make a sound, though her knees were screaming in pain from bearing her weight on the cold marble floors for well over an hour. From the table to her left someone whistled sharply and chuckled, muttering something about his 'pet' to another person at the table. Without hesitation, with practiced speed, she scurried over to the large throne at the head of the table, eyes ever on the floor. She kneeled at the side of the man who had called her, trembling slightly, no thoughts of fleeing, or of pain, or of the cold sinking into her bones, just the desire to do whatever it was he wanted right, she was a good girl, a good pet, and he wouldn't punish her if she did well. A large hand grasped one of her dreadlocks and pulled her head violently back. Briefly she looked up, and nearly began to struggle when she saw that the man before her wasn't a golden, beautiful entity with flowing blonde hair, fine features, and piercingly cold blue eyes; he was a pale man, cold and cruel, pitch black hair, a thin frame, and beetle black eyes. "Look at you, you filthy animal, do you really think you can please me? Do you honestly think you're fit to lay your hands upon me, let alone your filthy, overly large, mouth filled with those enormous bucked teeth? You disgust me!" His cold, cruel face suddenly changed into a ghostly one, much like the Hogwart's ghosts, and yet completely different. He was grinning maniacally, a high crown of jagged bones upon his head. His face was partially decayed, and the putrid smell of rotting flesh nearly made her retch. The palace around them had faded-they were in a forest, and it was a moonless night. In the distance she heard the rhythmic pounding of hooves, the baying of hounds, and suddenly he jerked her up and away from the ground.
Hermione jumped violently, banging her head against her headboard, jolting herself awake. It took a few moments for her to realize that she was in her room at Hogwarts, safe in the dungeons, though her heart didn't seem to believe her, and it continued to rattle her ribs. It took a few moments longer for her to realize that there was someone knocking at her door. Stiffly she rose from bed, crossed her room and reluctantly opened her door, not caring that she was still in her robes from the previous night.
Professor Snape stood just a few feet away, dressed in a plain black shirt and pants, similar to the day she had helped him in his classroom. "Oh, hello, Professor." She looked away, suddenly quite aware of her disheveled state, the memory of the dream still fresh in her mind.
He noted how incredibly pale Hermione looked, and he could have sworn that she was trembling. It was impossible to not notice that she obviously hadn't gotten much sleep, and in her robes from the night before, no less, Snape suddenly felt guilty for waking her. Then a thought passed briefly through his mind-had she lost that sleep over him? "Good morning, Ms. Granger, I apologize for walking you, would you like me to leave?"
"No, that's alright, I shouldn't oversleep." She forced a smile and ran a shaky hand through her wildly frizzing hair.
He nodded, though concern flashed briefly across his expression. "I received your note this morning."
Hermione cringed visibly, she had forgotten all about that idiotic note. "I see."
"And I was curious as to what spells and charms you've learned thus far, and also whether or not you need any assistance." He linked his hands behind his back, noting the embarrassment written across her face.
It took her a moment to respond, he hadn't laughed at her, hadn't even mentioned it, but what was he really thinking? "I.errr.well, quite a few, actually." She turned and walked to her coffee table, picking up the heavy tome she had worked from the night before. Noticing that he had not followed, she turned, and motioned him in, half expecting him to make his excuses and leave, thankfully, however, he did not, and instead entered her room, contrasting against the jewel tones like a large raven in a flowering garden.
Snape entered her room cautiously, and went to her side. His sharp eyes darting about, he couldn't help but notice that a few things had changed color since he had last seen them; she had obviously been experimenting with color charms. Gracefully he took the seat she offered him in one of her arm chairs, taking the one nearest to him before opening the heavy book on her lap.
She flipped through the first pages to the index, her slender fingers working the pages like an industrious, scuttling crab, no longer trembling in fear-- the memories of her dream quickly sifting away as her mind began itching for more knowledge. It was knowledge that could save her, not her fear. "Alright, I've tried Accio, Alohomora, Colloportus, Diffindo, Engorgio, Flagrate, Incendio, Lumos, earlier today, that is, and Nox as well, Mutatio, Petrificus Totalus, Reducio, Reparo, Scourgify and Windgardium Leviosa, of course." She shut the book and looked up, to find there was a decidedly shocked look upon the Professor's face.
"How many have you been able to do thus far?" Unconsciously he had scooted forward and was now, literally, on the edge of his seat. He had thought himself to be beyond being surprised by anything, but the woman in front of him astonished him almost daily.
"All of them, but that's barely scratching the surface of the book, I just tried the easier ones, and the ones that I could do alone."
There were indeed, rather basic spells, but she was starting from scratch, and it was one thing to be able to learn so quickly as a child, but as an adult, it was especially difficult. "I must say, Ms. Granger, I am quite impressed, may I ask which others you are interested in?"
She scanned through the listing in the index of the book once more. " I would of course like to learn all of them, but in particular there's Aparicium, Confundus, Ennervate, Evanesco, Expecto Patronum sounds interesting, Expelliarmus-which I think would be quite handy, Finite Incantatum, Impedimenta, Obliviate-though I doubt I can test that one out, unless you wish to volunteer." She looked up and offered him her first real smile of the day, the impressed look upon his face improving her mood considerably. "Petrificus Totalus-again, I need a test subject for that one." She looked up again, and relief washed over her when she saw he was smiling. "Protego, Relashio, Rictusempra could be quite fun."
He cocked his eyebrow, and the corner of his mouth twitched. "Ah yes, nothing quite like seeing your enemy writhing about in a fit of giggles."
She grinned and continued, "Ridiculus, but I need a Boggart for that one. Let's see.Silencio, Stupefy, and Tarantallegra. That's all; most of the others are of course handy, but I don't think they will help me if the Wild Hunt comes." She paused for a moment, the words having caused an enormous lump to form within her throat. Yesterday it had seemed like nothing more than a bad dream, today, though, after her dream, it stood up in stark relief against her mind. Slowly she shut the book and set it back on the table.
"About that, Ms. Granger. Last night, after I left." He paused, making a few hurried decisions. He had to keep her informed, but something inside him told him to hold at least the part about the desperate odds back. "I took the liberty of reading a bit more about it. I have before, of course, but it was many years ago."
She looked up, suddenly interested. "And? Do you think we might have a chance?" She forced herself to be excited, forcing the alternate option from her mind, Snape knew what she wished for him to do should all hope be lost, but for now, it was still alive and kicking, and so was she.
He paused again, gathering his words and thoughts. "I believe we may, Ms. Granger." 'Though incredibly slim'. His afterthought disturbed him, but indeed it was true, and there was no use in either denying the fact in his own mind, or divulging it to her. "They appeared on the night of the full moon, apparently scouting, checking the lay of the land in decent light, else I'm sure they would not have hesitated, in this we are lucky, if you believe in that sort of thing. They are, however, tied to the cycle of the moon; they appear at the new moon, though not nearly as strong as on the full moon, so if we are lucky, those who seek you will be patient and wait until the full moon and we'll have a month to prepare, if not, we may only have a few weeks. Now, as for fighting them-- they have an aversion to fire, and I'm afraid that is all. Incindio, Relashio, Aduro, Concremo, Extermino, Peruro, and Succendo will all do quite nicely, and I recommend working on them all. Accio is of course extremely handy, especially if you have your wand knocked out of your hand, it can be difficult without your wand, but it can be done, especially since a wand normally wishes to be with it's Witch or Wizard. Also, if you find yourself being chased, it is better not to run, standing your ground, and saving your energy is much wiser." He found it extremely hard to speak of such matters in a detached way, he should be able to simply blast them away, not have her stand her ground and attempt to fight of the unstoppable herself. "Of course, the other spells you have learned may be affective against. those who truly seek you."
"Of course not. Thank you, sir." She nodded firmly, pushing back the terror that lurked in the back of her mind, her hand itching for her wand, and more practice, her mind aching for more spells, more hexes.
"If you wish, you may borrow the text I have on the subject." He noted to look of frustration on her face, and her subconscious glance at her bookshelf. "Until then, if you wish to practice, perhaps I could assist you."
Hermione was pulled from her whirling thoughts, and suddenly smiled, unbelievably thankful for his offer. "Thank you sir, I would greatly appreciate that."
"Would this afternoon be a good time?" He had two weeks before he would once again have Potion's, until then, he wished to use their time wisely.
"Yes, of course, the sooner the better."
Pausing for a moment, Snape mulled over the possible location for their little "class", even the defense against the dark arts classroom wasn't equipped for using powerful fire spells- it was then that inspiration hit him. "On the seventh floor, there is a room, called the room of requirement. It's across from a rather odd tapestry of Barnabas the Balmy attempting to teach trolls ballet. Meet me there in say. and hour?" He began to stand, suddenly anxious to assist her as much as possible, it had been years since he had used an unforgivable curse, and he didn't intend to use one any time soon.
She nodded, standing as well, her heart pounding. He was a Professor- a walking, talking book, and he was going to assist her. Despite his pessimistic words, her hope began to rise once more. "Should I bring anything sir?"
"Just your wand, Ms. Granger, Howarts will provide anything else we may need." He offered her an enigmatic smile and headed for the door. Hermione did not follow, she simply nodded, anxious to jump into the bath and into some new robes, and watched him leave, quietly shutting the door behind him.
*~~~*~~~*
Cautiously, not wanting to run into the Headmistress, or any other current resident of Hogwarts besides Professor Snape, Hermione made her way up from the dungeons, swiftly, yet quietly turning left at the top to begin scaling the wide staircase to the first floor. She had a bit of a close call on the fourth floor, and nearly ran into Dobby, who was polishing a suit of armor, but hid in the shadows until he finished a few moments later and wandered off, whistling happily. She had no idea why she suddenly had the urge to sneak about, but there was no doubt in the fact that it gave her a bit of a cheap thrill, and she had to clasp her mouth to keep from laughing loudly as the house elf walked right by her.
When she came to the seventh floor, she turned and immediately saw Professor Snape standing halfway down the long corridor before her. "Hello, sir, sorry I'm a bit late, I nearly ran right in to Dobby." She smiled striding towards where he was standing in front of a large tapestry depicted a man and some very poorly dancing trolls.
"So we meet again, Ms. Granger." He nodded, quickly looking over her- obviously fresh out of the shower, hair still wet, pulled back in a bun, dressed in fresh, green, informal and comfortable robes. The corner of his mouth twitched and he abruptly turned and walked to the middle of the hall. He promptly began pacing back and forth three times, concentrating hard upon what they would need to practice. He stopped suddenly, and was please upon finding that as it should have, a door had appeared directly across from the portrait.
Hermione watched in amazement. "Sir, how did you.?"
"It's the room of requirement, one must pace back and forth three times, concentrating on what they need, and the room will suddenly appear, the house elves call it the "come and go room"." He opened the door and stepped inside.
Hermione followed, laughing out loud when she saw the room before her. One side was padded from ceiling to floor, cushions scattered all about, in the other side there was a large, extremely deep fireplace. "I think this might work." She reached into her pocket and withdrew her wand. And incredible warmth spread through her, a strange, blissful pleasure welling up and spilling over within her at the thought of learning, of becoming powerful once more.
"It's an incredible feeling isn't it?" He pulled his own wand from his pocket, long slender, and nearly pitch black. "To be capable, to be powerful." His lips stretched into a strange, nearly frightening smile, and he linked his hands behind his back.
She nodded, color rising to her cheeks; to have admitted something like that just a little over a week ago, would have gotten her whipped until she bled. She had been taught to believe she was an animal, helpless, only alive because those around her wished for her to be so. Silently she firmly vowed that it would never be like that again, no matter what. To have a wand, to have an idea how to use it, was incredibly life affirming, and dead or alive, she would never be helpless again.
"Now, I suppose it would be prudent to begin with the spells which will be most affective against the wild hunt. Let's start with Incindio, shall we?" He skimmed along the divide middle of the room until he was facing the large, abnormally deep fireplace. He stood slightly to the side, and in a flash, whipped his wand out from behind his back, as quickly as a cobra striking its prey. "Incindio!" A burst of blue light shot from his wand and instantly ignited the logs stacked high within the fireplace. "Extinguio!" This time nothing visible shot from the end of his wand, but Hermione could feel a slight breeze where she was standing as the fire was immediately extinguished. Again he linked his hands behind his back and stepped aside.
Nervously, Hermione stepped to where he had been a few seconds before. After a moment, she held her wand ready, aiming at the logs, her hand shaking slightly. "Incindio!" A few sparks erupted from her wand, going out before they hit the floor. Her hand dropped and she shot a glance over to Snape, her cheeks hotter than the pathetic sparks had probably been.
"Again Ms. Granger. Both you and I know that you can do better, and MUST do better than that." He lifted his chin and waited for her to continue, anxious to see and measure her skill for himself.
She took a deep breath, shifted a bit on her feet, and closed her eyes for a moment, refocusing, she couldn't let a few butterflies fluttering about in her stomach keep her from her goals. Opening her eyes once more, whipped her wand back around, aiming at her goal. "Incindio!" This time there was a bright flash of yellow light, and when it faded, she found a good sized fire crackling merrily within the fireplace. She allowed it to burn a moment, and then biting her lip in concentration, held her wand up once more. "Extinguio!" Her wand seemed to buck a little in her hand and she felt a stream of air shoot out from the tip, and the fire blew out almost immediately.
"I'm impressed, Ms. Granger, it may be a simple spell, but it takes most students at least four or five times of trying and failing to finally succeed. Now for Relashio." They went through each of the fire spells, until Hermione had perfected them all, the most times it took her to be able to complete any of them was only five, for Succendo, which was used to set a fire from below an object, thus making the spell much more complicated than the others.
"Extinguio." She waved her wand to extinguish the crackling fire and sighed, smiling at Professor Snape, feeling immensely pleased at the approving look upon his face. It was strange-she had been programmed to please others, and yet she never felt the warm rush of pleasure flowing through her veins when she had done well with them, but with him it was completely different.
"I had almost forgotten what a talented student you were, Ms. Granger." His eyes were gleaming brightly, practically waving a banner above his head expressing his pride.
Hermione crossed the room, wiping a bit of sweat from her brow with the back of her sleeve before heavily flopping down onto one of the many large cushions, holding her wand in her lap. "Goodness, Professor, was that a compliment?" Grinning, she absently tapped the thin rod on her knee.
"Merely an observation, I assure you, Ms. Granger." His face remained even and calm, but his words were filled with warmth.
She continued smiling wryly, leaning back against the cushion. They were both silent for several minutes, each agreeing wordlessly that it was time for a short break. It was Snape who prodded her into action once more. "Shall we continue?"
"Of course." She gracefully rose from the floor without even pausing, though she had thought she might drift off, linking her hands behind her back as she had noticed him do so many times.
"Alright, then, if you wish, we can try a few combative spells, as well as Protego, of course."
"But sir.how can I practice them?" Swallowed nervously, afraid she already knew the answer.
"Easy enough, Ms. Granger, I shall be your valiant target." He bowed slightly, offering her a faint grin.
It took her several moments to comprehend what he had said; she had expected him to use them on her first, not the other way around. "Sir, I can't do that." She laughed, unable to truly take his words seriously, surely he didn't mean that she should blast away at him while he simply stood there.
"Of course you can, simply point your wand and do it." His voice was a bit firmer this time, he had made up his mind. One way or another, she had to learn.
"Professor..I wouldn't feel right. I don't think I could concentrate properly, is there another way, perhaps?" She shifted nervously where she stood, grasping her wand tightly.
Snape's chin tilted up a bit as he mulled over her question. In her second year she had been in the dueling club, and had fended quite well, though if he remember correctly, she had ended up being in a headlock, having been put in it by Millicent Bulstrode. Most of the spells hadn't taken more than two tries for her and her fellow students to master. "Perhaps, Ms. Granger, we could instead try dueling. That is, of course, if you think you'll be able to handle it?" He narrowed his eyes, glaring at her, challenging her, attempting to bring out the long hidden Griffindor.
She didn't even think before nodding, though her heart was pounding and her ears ringing-this would be a real test of her skills. It was one thing to simply point and shoot; it was completely different to do so at a moving target who was also shooting at her.
"Alright, then, don't say I didn't warn you." As they spoke, neither noticed the room change to suit their needs once more-the fireplace faded and was replaced by more padding and cushions. "Come forward. Now we bow to one another." They both did so, though Hermione looked as though she might crumple at any moment. "Then we both turn, walk away five paces, and then turn to face each other once more, and on the count of three, cast your first spell, and so on, and so forth."
Taking a deep breath, Hermione turned from him, and counted out five paces. With wide eyes she turned to face him, wand held at ready.
"Just pretend I'm Malfoy." In a rather desperate attempt to lighten her apparently quickly declining mood, he offered her what he hoped was a passable smile.
She smiled back weakly, and felt a flutter in her stomach, fear flowering into excitement. But then he began counting, and she breathed deeply, summoning her courage and desire to become more than she was once again. One.. Two. Three-- "PROTEGO!" She shouted out the shielding charm just in time to block Snape's 'Impedimenta' which was accompanied by a flash of bright purple light.
Snape paused, anger suddenly flaring within him; instead of attacking, the stupid girl had immediately wilted into a defensive position. "Fight back, woman!"
Hermione suddenly looked up, not having realized that she had closed her eyes and turned away, she paused for only a moment before returning his attack. "STUPIFY!" A bolt of red light shot from her pale wand, but was deflected by a quick shielding charm on Snape's end.
"Expelliarmus!"
"Protego! Locomotor Mortis!"
"Protego! Tarantellegra!"
Back and forth they went, increasing their pace as the duel progressed, and both began to shed their inhibitions, neither of them able to disarm or hit the other until. "Expelliarmus!!"
Hermione felt as though a large hand had smacked her across the room, and she went flying through the air, hitting the padded wall and falling to the ground. She was unhurt, though slightly dazed, not so much so that she didn't notice Snape hurry towards her. He was just a few feet away when she completely regained her senses, and pointed her wand at him from where she lay, "RICTUSEMPRA!" There was a blast of bright silver light which caught the Professor off guard, and before he could raise his wand to block the attack, he suddenly felt the muscles in the sides of his ribs begin to twitch uncontrollably. His face first split into a grin, and then a full out smile, a moment later he found himself doubled over, laughing hysterically, the tickling in his sides to intense for even him to ignore.
Lying on the padded floor, Hermione began laughing as well, unable to help herself, but was immediately silenced when he look up at her, and she saw the rather frightening look upon his face. Suddenly she felt horrible, seeing his face split into an unnatural grin, his forced, bellowing laugh ringing in her ears. She quickly stood and pointed her wand at him once again. "Finite Incantatum!" It didn't work the first time, and so she tried it again, and again. On the fourth try she finally succeeded and slowly his laughing began to subside and he began to straighten himself. There was a moment were they stood facing one another awkwardly before Snape finally spoke.
"I'm impressed, Ms. Granger, excellent reflexes." He slowly sank into a seat which hadn't been there before he realized that he'd like to sit, and folded his hands in his lap.
Hermione, embarrassed over the outcome of the duel, and feeling quite exhausted as well, again took a seat in one of the large cushions, leaning back and sighing. "Much better than just pointing and shooting at a 'Valiant Target', I'm sure."
"I agree. Learning combative spells is rather ineffective without being a bit more hands on." He had gathered himself once more, his expression once again cool and calm, perhaps a bit colder than in the previous days; he would have greatly preferred being attacked with "Locomotor Mortis" or "Pretrificus Totalus", Rictusempra was by far his least favorite to fall victim to.
The both sat in silence for several minutes, Hermione's breathing slowly returning to normal. This time, it was Hermione who finally spoke. "Sir, may I ask you something? It's a bit of an odd question."
Though wary, Snape nodded, immediately dreading what might come out of her mouth, but also rather curious as well, though if it involved his sudden departure the night before, he knew he'd regret not telling her to simply sod off.
"Do you remember what I asked you to do, should the Wild Hunt capture me?"
Again, he nodded once, the dread overwhelming his curiosity. How could he possibly forget her request? He may have forced it into the dark recesses of his mind, but he had by no means forgotten it.
"If. if it comes to that, what will you use?" She looked up to find him looking uncharacteristically startled. "I mean. In that entire book I didn't find anything that could easily..kill.someone.and I was just. curious." Her voice trailed off, suddenly realizing just what it was that she was asking him. But she had the right to know, didn't she?
He stared at her for a bit longer, shocked, and yet understanding, if he were in the same position, wouldn't he wish to know? A sudden rush of respect welled up inside of him fro Hermione. No one else he knew, besides himself, could look at the world and the facts with such a logical, and knowledge hungry perspective. Had she always been that way, or was this something new? He doubted he'd ever know. "Avada Kadavra, Ms. Granger. It's an unforgivable curse, and therefore you won't find it in any readily available book. It kills instantly, and I'm assuming painlessly." His voice was even and steady though he had to fight desperately to keep it that way. He had of course used it quite a few times, but that was before he had begun teaching, in a part of his life he made a point of not mentally visiting.
"Ah.well.that's good to know. But of course, it won't be necessary at this rate" She forced a smile as she once again gathered her courage, and hope, her hand gripping her wand a bit tighter.
He did not return her smile, but simply nodded. No matter what his personal thoughts where on the subject, she did not need to know. Mercifully up until today he had almost forgotten about his vow, but for some reason today the load seemed extraordinarily heavy.
*~~~~~~*~~~~~~~*
Counting Crows
Mercury
She is trapped inside a month of grey
And they take a little every day
She is a victim of her own responses
Shackled to a heart that wants to settle
And then runs away
It's a sin to be fading endlessly
Yeah, but she's alright with me
She is leaving on a walkaway
She is leaving me in disarray
In the absence of a place to be
She stands there looking back at me
Hesitates, and then turns away
She'll change so suddenly
She's just like mercury
Yeah, but she's alright with me
Keep some sorrow in your hearts and minds
For the things that die before their time
For the restlessly abandoned homes
The tired and weary rambler's bones
And stay beside me where I lie
She's entwined in me
Crazy as can be
Yeah, but she's alright with me
*~~~~*~~~~~*
Notes:
Alrighty, took a bit longer than I thought it would, oddly enough on my days off it's harder for me to right than on the days that I work. Anyways.
Thanks SO much to Cristy aka Flashy, my new beta reader (yippy!!!), she's been a real life saver. If you get a chance check this out not only is she a great beta er, she's also an excellent artist ^_^ ^_^
If any one else wishes to be a beta er, drop me a line, the more input the better :D!
Ok..now..lessee. About the reviews *LMAO* I suppose I shouldn't have dawdled because now there are so many new ones that it'd take me all night to respond to them all *L*.ok, so I guess all I can say is thank you all! It makes me so happy that you guys are reading my story! And you all you repeat "offenders" out there-Risi, HunnySnowBunny, Sweetygirl, Someone28, etc, etc, etc.I adore you guys even though I haven't been responding, please forgive me! All the new comments I get from this moment on will be responded to, I promise! ^_^ ^_^.. Also, I wrote a little mini fic, itty bitty little thing, only a page or so long, but I like it.might add some more later, but I posted it last night, so if you guys wanna read it, trust me, it'll literally only take a minute *L*
Chapter 20
Mercury
Lying wide awake, Professor Snape was well aware of the time, well aware that he should have long since arisen and been in the shower. He was quite aware of the fact that it was probably noon, and yet he found himself completely unable to move, the sheer weight of what had transpired the previous night keeping him immobile. Numbly he reached next to him, open his drawer and pulled his flask from it. Opening the small container, he expertly took a sip without even lifting his head. In his minds eye, he could see her smiling sweetly, could feel his hand upon her waist, her body molded against his own. He breathed deeply, and then out once again, forcing the memory away and stiffly sat up, taking another swig. Replacing the cap on the flask, he set it aside and struggled out of bed.
Leaning his head against the wall of his shower, he stood beneath the falling water for longer than he knew. He should have been happy, they had crossed an incredibly large bridge, but instead he found himself confused, and perhaps even afraid. He new exactly what he wished to happen, but he also knew everything that could happen, and had mulled over each terrible possibility more times than he cared to count.
It wasn't until he had exited the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist, that he noticed the envelope sitting on his end table. Sighing, he sunk down onto his bed and picked up the letter, wondering what the Headmistress wanted, that was, of course, until he saw that it wasn't her handwriting at all. Swallowing hard, he carefully opened the letter and began to read.
*~~*~~*
Hermione sat gazing out of her window, watching the grounds grow increasingly brighter as the sun rose. She hadn't slept all night, and instead busied her mind and hands with her wand, and a book of spells and charms which she had found amongst the many books on her shelf. The fact that she had very few problems with the listed spells did little to ease her troubled thoughts however, and she began to loose concentration at around four in the morning, though sleep refused to take her.
Why had Snape left so abruptly? She could not think of a single answer to the question that haunted her, at least not a positive one, no matter how hard she tried. Perhaps he had become ill from the Chinese food.'or the thought of kissing an animal', a horrible, rather loud, mocking voice inside her head reminded her wryly. Her face suddenly went red and she forced back tears- surely that wasn't true, then again, what if it was?
She had practically offered herself to him on a platter, and he had only taken a small taste before retreating. What if he thought she was some sort of a whore, throwing herself at someone she had only technically known a week? She worried painfully at her bottom lip, feeling incredibly disgusting, though she knew that given a second chance, she would certainly kiss him again.
No matter how many ideas or theories she had about why had he brushed her off, it didn't change the fact that it hurt her deeply, and before she really thought about her own actions, she recovered a blank piece of parchment and a quill, and had sat down on the floor in front of the coffee table between her arm chairs, her quill immediately going to work, spilling out her boiling emotions..
"Dear Professor Snape,
I would like to apologize for my actions last night; they were clearly uncalled for, and unwanted by you. Please don't think badly of me, I value your opinion, and your friendship, and I hope you can find it within you to look past what I've done. On a lighter note, my spells and charms are coming along nicely.
Sincerely,
Hermione"
She folded the note, placed it in an envelope, addressed it to him, and crossed the room, setting it on her end table for the house elves, who would be coming within half an hour.
*~~*~~*
Snape finished the letter and set it aside, along with its envelope, completely shocked. The silly girl blamed herself for his actions, why hadn't he thought of that before? What must it of seemed like to her when he sampled her wares and then quickly left without a proper close to the evening? Abruptly he stood and crossed his room, standing in front of his mirror, feeling inexplicably nauseous and dizzy. He glared at his reflection; what had he been thinking? She had been completely vulnerable, had opened herself to him, and he had pushed her away. Why did he find himself so terrified of letting her in, he was Severus Snape after all, the dreaded potions master, what did he have to fear? 'Rejection'.. A tiny little voice deep inside his mind mockingly suggested to him.
He turned and returned to his bed, sitting heavily, head in his hands. Hid mind swimming crazily. They had only known begun to know each other again a week ago, perhaps that was why he felt so inhibited. It felt as though he was tumbling headlong down into a rabbit hole, like Alice. True, what lay at the bottom could be wonderful, but it could also be terrible, and it was most certainly strange, and foreign to him. Never had he found a woman invading his thoughts, his dreams, his every waking moment as she did.
He sighed, rubbing his temples as a headache began to form. What was it about her that he found so alluring? Her willingness to know him, to tolerate him? Her unique beauty? Her vulnerability? Or had he simply just been in the dungeons too long? His pounding heart didn't seem to be willing to be specific on the details of its affair with her, and that frustrated him greatly.
What did those minor details of the mysterious workings of his emotions matter, though, against the pressing issues of the here and now? Hermione was still in danger; and it was only a matter of time before the Wild Hunt returned for her. The feelings he felt for her, no matter what they may have been, could not stop the Hunters, it could not keep her from being abused once more, it did not change the odds which were stacked against her. The best thing he could do for her, and consequently for himself, was pass on to her what he knew. He couldn't shield her with desire, or passion, but he could teach her to shield herself with charms, and defend herself with hexes. Rising and quickly dressing he swore to himself that he would do everything within his power to prepare her the best that he could, the rest was up to her.
*~~*~~*
The sunlight was streaming brightly through Hermione's windows when sleep finally folded her in its dark embrace. She found herself kneeling in a grand hall, naked, head bowed, hands linked behind her back, an ornate collar around her bent neck. She dared not look up, or even make a sound, though her knees were screaming in pain from bearing her weight on the cold marble floors for well over an hour. From the table to her left someone whistled sharply and chuckled, muttering something about his 'pet' to another person at the table. Without hesitation, with practiced speed, she scurried over to the large throne at the head of the table, eyes ever on the floor. She kneeled at the side of the man who had called her, trembling slightly, no thoughts of fleeing, or of pain, or of the cold sinking into her bones, just the desire to do whatever it was he wanted right, she was a good girl, a good pet, and he wouldn't punish her if she did well. A large hand grasped one of her dreadlocks and pulled her head violently back. Briefly she looked up, and nearly began to struggle when she saw that the man before her wasn't a golden, beautiful entity with flowing blonde hair, fine features, and piercingly cold blue eyes; he was a pale man, cold and cruel, pitch black hair, a thin frame, and beetle black eyes. "Look at you, you filthy animal, do you really think you can please me? Do you honestly think you're fit to lay your hands upon me, let alone your filthy, overly large, mouth filled with those enormous bucked teeth? You disgust me!" His cold, cruel face suddenly changed into a ghostly one, much like the Hogwart's ghosts, and yet completely different. He was grinning maniacally, a high crown of jagged bones upon his head. His face was partially decayed, and the putrid smell of rotting flesh nearly made her retch. The palace around them had faded-they were in a forest, and it was a moonless night. In the distance she heard the rhythmic pounding of hooves, the baying of hounds, and suddenly he jerked her up and away from the ground.
Hermione jumped violently, banging her head against her headboard, jolting herself awake. It took a few moments for her to realize that she was in her room at Hogwarts, safe in the dungeons, though her heart didn't seem to believe her, and it continued to rattle her ribs. It took a few moments longer for her to realize that there was someone knocking at her door. Stiffly she rose from bed, crossed her room and reluctantly opened her door, not caring that she was still in her robes from the previous night.
Professor Snape stood just a few feet away, dressed in a plain black shirt and pants, similar to the day she had helped him in his classroom. "Oh, hello, Professor." She looked away, suddenly quite aware of her disheveled state, the memory of the dream still fresh in her mind.
He noted how incredibly pale Hermione looked, and he could have sworn that she was trembling. It was impossible to not notice that she obviously hadn't gotten much sleep, and in her robes from the night before, no less, Snape suddenly felt guilty for waking her. Then a thought passed briefly through his mind-had she lost that sleep over him? "Good morning, Ms. Granger, I apologize for walking you, would you like me to leave?"
"No, that's alright, I shouldn't oversleep." She forced a smile and ran a shaky hand through her wildly frizzing hair.
He nodded, though concern flashed briefly across his expression. "I received your note this morning."
Hermione cringed visibly, she had forgotten all about that idiotic note. "I see."
"And I was curious as to what spells and charms you've learned thus far, and also whether or not you need any assistance." He linked his hands behind his back, noting the embarrassment written across her face.
It took her a moment to respond, he hadn't laughed at her, hadn't even mentioned it, but what was he really thinking? "I.errr.well, quite a few, actually." She turned and walked to her coffee table, picking up the heavy tome she had worked from the night before. Noticing that he had not followed, she turned, and motioned him in, half expecting him to make his excuses and leave, thankfully, however, he did not, and instead entered her room, contrasting against the jewel tones like a large raven in a flowering garden.
Snape entered her room cautiously, and went to her side. His sharp eyes darting about, he couldn't help but notice that a few things had changed color since he had last seen them; she had obviously been experimenting with color charms. Gracefully he took the seat she offered him in one of her arm chairs, taking the one nearest to him before opening the heavy book on her lap.
She flipped through the first pages to the index, her slender fingers working the pages like an industrious, scuttling crab, no longer trembling in fear-- the memories of her dream quickly sifting away as her mind began itching for more knowledge. It was knowledge that could save her, not her fear. "Alright, I've tried Accio, Alohomora, Colloportus, Diffindo, Engorgio, Flagrate, Incendio, Lumos, earlier today, that is, and Nox as well, Mutatio, Petrificus Totalus, Reducio, Reparo, Scourgify and Windgardium Leviosa, of course." She shut the book and looked up, to find there was a decidedly shocked look upon the Professor's face.
"How many have you been able to do thus far?" Unconsciously he had scooted forward and was now, literally, on the edge of his seat. He had thought himself to be beyond being surprised by anything, but the woman in front of him astonished him almost daily.
"All of them, but that's barely scratching the surface of the book, I just tried the easier ones, and the ones that I could do alone."
There were indeed, rather basic spells, but she was starting from scratch, and it was one thing to be able to learn so quickly as a child, but as an adult, it was especially difficult. "I must say, Ms. Granger, I am quite impressed, may I ask which others you are interested in?"
She scanned through the listing in the index of the book once more. " I would of course like to learn all of them, but in particular there's Aparicium, Confundus, Ennervate, Evanesco, Expecto Patronum sounds interesting, Expelliarmus-which I think would be quite handy, Finite Incantatum, Impedimenta, Obliviate-though I doubt I can test that one out, unless you wish to volunteer." She looked up and offered him her first real smile of the day, the impressed look upon his face improving her mood considerably. "Petrificus Totalus-again, I need a test subject for that one." She looked up again, and relief washed over her when she saw he was smiling. "Protego, Relashio, Rictusempra could be quite fun."
He cocked his eyebrow, and the corner of his mouth twitched. "Ah yes, nothing quite like seeing your enemy writhing about in a fit of giggles."
She grinned and continued, "Ridiculus, but I need a Boggart for that one. Let's see.Silencio, Stupefy, and Tarantallegra. That's all; most of the others are of course handy, but I don't think they will help me if the Wild Hunt comes." She paused for a moment, the words having caused an enormous lump to form within her throat. Yesterday it had seemed like nothing more than a bad dream, today, though, after her dream, it stood up in stark relief against her mind. Slowly she shut the book and set it back on the table.
"About that, Ms. Granger. Last night, after I left." He paused, making a few hurried decisions. He had to keep her informed, but something inside him told him to hold at least the part about the desperate odds back. "I took the liberty of reading a bit more about it. I have before, of course, but it was many years ago."
She looked up, suddenly interested. "And? Do you think we might have a chance?" She forced herself to be excited, forcing the alternate option from her mind, Snape knew what she wished for him to do should all hope be lost, but for now, it was still alive and kicking, and so was she.
He paused again, gathering his words and thoughts. "I believe we may, Ms. Granger." 'Though incredibly slim'. His afterthought disturbed him, but indeed it was true, and there was no use in either denying the fact in his own mind, or divulging it to her. "They appeared on the night of the full moon, apparently scouting, checking the lay of the land in decent light, else I'm sure they would not have hesitated, in this we are lucky, if you believe in that sort of thing. They are, however, tied to the cycle of the moon; they appear at the new moon, though not nearly as strong as on the full moon, so if we are lucky, those who seek you will be patient and wait until the full moon and we'll have a month to prepare, if not, we may only have a few weeks. Now, as for fighting them-- they have an aversion to fire, and I'm afraid that is all. Incindio, Relashio, Aduro, Concremo, Extermino, Peruro, and Succendo will all do quite nicely, and I recommend working on them all. Accio is of course extremely handy, especially if you have your wand knocked out of your hand, it can be difficult without your wand, but it can be done, especially since a wand normally wishes to be with it's Witch or Wizard. Also, if you find yourself being chased, it is better not to run, standing your ground, and saving your energy is much wiser." He found it extremely hard to speak of such matters in a detached way, he should be able to simply blast them away, not have her stand her ground and attempt to fight of the unstoppable herself. "Of course, the other spells you have learned may be affective against. those who truly seek you."
"Of course not. Thank you, sir." She nodded firmly, pushing back the terror that lurked in the back of her mind, her hand itching for her wand, and more practice, her mind aching for more spells, more hexes.
"If you wish, you may borrow the text I have on the subject." He noted to look of frustration on her face, and her subconscious glance at her bookshelf. "Until then, if you wish to practice, perhaps I could assist you."
Hermione was pulled from her whirling thoughts, and suddenly smiled, unbelievably thankful for his offer. "Thank you sir, I would greatly appreciate that."
"Would this afternoon be a good time?" He had two weeks before he would once again have Potion's, until then, he wished to use their time wisely.
"Yes, of course, the sooner the better."
Pausing for a moment, Snape mulled over the possible location for their little "class", even the defense against the dark arts classroom wasn't equipped for using powerful fire spells- it was then that inspiration hit him. "On the seventh floor, there is a room, called the room of requirement. It's across from a rather odd tapestry of Barnabas the Balmy attempting to teach trolls ballet. Meet me there in say. and hour?" He began to stand, suddenly anxious to assist her as much as possible, it had been years since he had used an unforgivable curse, and he didn't intend to use one any time soon.
She nodded, standing as well, her heart pounding. He was a Professor- a walking, talking book, and he was going to assist her. Despite his pessimistic words, her hope began to rise once more. "Should I bring anything sir?"
"Just your wand, Ms. Granger, Howarts will provide anything else we may need." He offered her an enigmatic smile and headed for the door. Hermione did not follow, she simply nodded, anxious to jump into the bath and into some new robes, and watched him leave, quietly shutting the door behind him.
*~~~*~~~*
Cautiously, not wanting to run into the Headmistress, or any other current resident of Hogwarts besides Professor Snape, Hermione made her way up from the dungeons, swiftly, yet quietly turning left at the top to begin scaling the wide staircase to the first floor. She had a bit of a close call on the fourth floor, and nearly ran into Dobby, who was polishing a suit of armor, but hid in the shadows until he finished a few moments later and wandered off, whistling happily. She had no idea why she suddenly had the urge to sneak about, but there was no doubt in the fact that it gave her a bit of a cheap thrill, and she had to clasp her mouth to keep from laughing loudly as the house elf walked right by her.
When she came to the seventh floor, she turned and immediately saw Professor Snape standing halfway down the long corridor before her. "Hello, sir, sorry I'm a bit late, I nearly ran right in to Dobby." She smiled striding towards where he was standing in front of a large tapestry depicted a man and some very poorly dancing trolls.
"So we meet again, Ms. Granger." He nodded, quickly looking over her- obviously fresh out of the shower, hair still wet, pulled back in a bun, dressed in fresh, green, informal and comfortable robes. The corner of his mouth twitched and he abruptly turned and walked to the middle of the hall. He promptly began pacing back and forth three times, concentrating hard upon what they would need to practice. He stopped suddenly, and was please upon finding that as it should have, a door had appeared directly across from the portrait.
Hermione watched in amazement. "Sir, how did you.?"
"It's the room of requirement, one must pace back and forth three times, concentrating on what they need, and the room will suddenly appear, the house elves call it the "come and go room"." He opened the door and stepped inside.
Hermione followed, laughing out loud when she saw the room before her. One side was padded from ceiling to floor, cushions scattered all about, in the other side there was a large, extremely deep fireplace. "I think this might work." She reached into her pocket and withdrew her wand. And incredible warmth spread through her, a strange, blissful pleasure welling up and spilling over within her at the thought of learning, of becoming powerful once more.
"It's an incredible feeling isn't it?" He pulled his own wand from his pocket, long slender, and nearly pitch black. "To be capable, to be powerful." His lips stretched into a strange, nearly frightening smile, and he linked his hands behind his back.
She nodded, color rising to her cheeks; to have admitted something like that just a little over a week ago, would have gotten her whipped until she bled. She had been taught to believe she was an animal, helpless, only alive because those around her wished for her to be so. Silently she firmly vowed that it would never be like that again, no matter what. To have a wand, to have an idea how to use it, was incredibly life affirming, and dead or alive, she would never be helpless again.
"Now, I suppose it would be prudent to begin with the spells which will be most affective against the wild hunt. Let's start with Incindio, shall we?" He skimmed along the divide middle of the room until he was facing the large, abnormally deep fireplace. He stood slightly to the side, and in a flash, whipped his wand out from behind his back, as quickly as a cobra striking its prey. "Incindio!" A burst of blue light shot from his wand and instantly ignited the logs stacked high within the fireplace. "Extinguio!" This time nothing visible shot from the end of his wand, but Hermione could feel a slight breeze where she was standing as the fire was immediately extinguished. Again he linked his hands behind his back and stepped aside.
Nervously, Hermione stepped to where he had been a few seconds before. After a moment, she held her wand ready, aiming at the logs, her hand shaking slightly. "Incindio!" A few sparks erupted from her wand, going out before they hit the floor. Her hand dropped and she shot a glance over to Snape, her cheeks hotter than the pathetic sparks had probably been.
"Again Ms. Granger. Both you and I know that you can do better, and MUST do better than that." He lifted his chin and waited for her to continue, anxious to see and measure her skill for himself.
She took a deep breath, shifted a bit on her feet, and closed her eyes for a moment, refocusing, she couldn't let a few butterflies fluttering about in her stomach keep her from her goals. Opening her eyes once more, whipped her wand back around, aiming at her goal. "Incindio!" This time there was a bright flash of yellow light, and when it faded, she found a good sized fire crackling merrily within the fireplace. She allowed it to burn a moment, and then biting her lip in concentration, held her wand up once more. "Extinguio!" Her wand seemed to buck a little in her hand and she felt a stream of air shoot out from the tip, and the fire blew out almost immediately.
"I'm impressed, Ms. Granger, it may be a simple spell, but it takes most students at least four or five times of trying and failing to finally succeed. Now for Relashio." They went through each of the fire spells, until Hermione had perfected them all, the most times it took her to be able to complete any of them was only five, for Succendo, which was used to set a fire from below an object, thus making the spell much more complicated than the others.
"Extinguio." She waved her wand to extinguish the crackling fire and sighed, smiling at Professor Snape, feeling immensely pleased at the approving look upon his face. It was strange-she had been programmed to please others, and yet she never felt the warm rush of pleasure flowing through her veins when she had done well with them, but with him it was completely different.
"I had almost forgotten what a talented student you were, Ms. Granger." His eyes were gleaming brightly, practically waving a banner above his head expressing his pride.
Hermione crossed the room, wiping a bit of sweat from her brow with the back of her sleeve before heavily flopping down onto one of the many large cushions, holding her wand in her lap. "Goodness, Professor, was that a compliment?" Grinning, she absently tapped the thin rod on her knee.
"Merely an observation, I assure you, Ms. Granger." His face remained even and calm, but his words were filled with warmth.
She continued smiling wryly, leaning back against the cushion. They were both silent for several minutes, each agreeing wordlessly that it was time for a short break. It was Snape who prodded her into action once more. "Shall we continue?"
"Of course." She gracefully rose from the floor without even pausing, though she had thought she might drift off, linking her hands behind her back as she had noticed him do so many times.
"Alright, then, if you wish, we can try a few combative spells, as well as Protego, of course."
"But sir.how can I practice them?" Swallowed nervously, afraid she already knew the answer.
"Easy enough, Ms. Granger, I shall be your valiant target." He bowed slightly, offering her a faint grin.
It took her several moments to comprehend what he had said; she had expected him to use them on her first, not the other way around. "Sir, I can't do that." She laughed, unable to truly take his words seriously, surely he didn't mean that she should blast away at him while he simply stood there.
"Of course you can, simply point your wand and do it." His voice was a bit firmer this time, he had made up his mind. One way or another, she had to learn.
"Professor..I wouldn't feel right. I don't think I could concentrate properly, is there another way, perhaps?" She shifted nervously where she stood, grasping her wand tightly.
Snape's chin tilted up a bit as he mulled over her question. In her second year she had been in the dueling club, and had fended quite well, though if he remember correctly, she had ended up being in a headlock, having been put in it by Millicent Bulstrode. Most of the spells hadn't taken more than two tries for her and her fellow students to master. "Perhaps, Ms. Granger, we could instead try dueling. That is, of course, if you think you'll be able to handle it?" He narrowed his eyes, glaring at her, challenging her, attempting to bring out the long hidden Griffindor.
She didn't even think before nodding, though her heart was pounding and her ears ringing-this would be a real test of her skills. It was one thing to simply point and shoot; it was completely different to do so at a moving target who was also shooting at her.
"Alright, then, don't say I didn't warn you." As they spoke, neither noticed the room change to suit their needs once more-the fireplace faded and was replaced by more padding and cushions. "Come forward. Now we bow to one another." They both did so, though Hermione looked as though she might crumple at any moment. "Then we both turn, walk away five paces, and then turn to face each other once more, and on the count of three, cast your first spell, and so on, and so forth."
Taking a deep breath, Hermione turned from him, and counted out five paces. With wide eyes she turned to face him, wand held at ready.
"Just pretend I'm Malfoy." In a rather desperate attempt to lighten her apparently quickly declining mood, he offered her what he hoped was a passable smile.
She smiled back weakly, and felt a flutter in her stomach, fear flowering into excitement. But then he began counting, and she breathed deeply, summoning her courage and desire to become more than she was once again. One.. Two. Three-- "PROTEGO!" She shouted out the shielding charm just in time to block Snape's 'Impedimenta' which was accompanied by a flash of bright purple light.
Snape paused, anger suddenly flaring within him; instead of attacking, the stupid girl had immediately wilted into a defensive position. "Fight back, woman!"
Hermione suddenly looked up, not having realized that she had closed her eyes and turned away, she paused for only a moment before returning his attack. "STUPIFY!" A bolt of red light shot from her pale wand, but was deflected by a quick shielding charm on Snape's end.
"Expelliarmus!"
"Protego! Locomotor Mortis!"
"Protego! Tarantellegra!"
Back and forth they went, increasing their pace as the duel progressed, and both began to shed their inhibitions, neither of them able to disarm or hit the other until. "Expelliarmus!!"
Hermione felt as though a large hand had smacked her across the room, and she went flying through the air, hitting the padded wall and falling to the ground. She was unhurt, though slightly dazed, not so much so that she didn't notice Snape hurry towards her. He was just a few feet away when she completely regained her senses, and pointed her wand at him from where she lay, "RICTUSEMPRA!" There was a blast of bright silver light which caught the Professor off guard, and before he could raise his wand to block the attack, he suddenly felt the muscles in the sides of his ribs begin to twitch uncontrollably. His face first split into a grin, and then a full out smile, a moment later he found himself doubled over, laughing hysterically, the tickling in his sides to intense for even him to ignore.
Lying on the padded floor, Hermione began laughing as well, unable to help herself, but was immediately silenced when he look up at her, and she saw the rather frightening look upon his face. Suddenly she felt horrible, seeing his face split into an unnatural grin, his forced, bellowing laugh ringing in her ears. She quickly stood and pointed her wand at him once again. "Finite Incantatum!" It didn't work the first time, and so she tried it again, and again. On the fourth try she finally succeeded and slowly his laughing began to subside and he began to straighten himself. There was a moment were they stood facing one another awkwardly before Snape finally spoke.
"I'm impressed, Ms. Granger, excellent reflexes." He slowly sank into a seat which hadn't been there before he realized that he'd like to sit, and folded his hands in his lap.
Hermione, embarrassed over the outcome of the duel, and feeling quite exhausted as well, again took a seat in one of the large cushions, leaning back and sighing. "Much better than just pointing and shooting at a 'Valiant Target', I'm sure."
"I agree. Learning combative spells is rather ineffective without being a bit more hands on." He had gathered himself once more, his expression once again cool and calm, perhaps a bit colder than in the previous days; he would have greatly preferred being attacked with "Locomotor Mortis" or "Pretrificus Totalus", Rictusempra was by far his least favorite to fall victim to.
The both sat in silence for several minutes, Hermione's breathing slowly returning to normal. This time, it was Hermione who finally spoke. "Sir, may I ask you something? It's a bit of an odd question."
Though wary, Snape nodded, immediately dreading what might come out of her mouth, but also rather curious as well, though if it involved his sudden departure the night before, he knew he'd regret not telling her to simply sod off.
"Do you remember what I asked you to do, should the Wild Hunt capture me?"
Again, he nodded once, the dread overwhelming his curiosity. How could he possibly forget her request? He may have forced it into the dark recesses of his mind, but he had by no means forgotten it.
"If. if it comes to that, what will you use?" She looked up to find him looking uncharacteristically startled. "I mean. In that entire book I didn't find anything that could easily..kill.someone.and I was just. curious." Her voice trailed off, suddenly realizing just what it was that she was asking him. But she had the right to know, didn't she?
He stared at her for a bit longer, shocked, and yet understanding, if he were in the same position, wouldn't he wish to know? A sudden rush of respect welled up inside of him fro Hermione. No one else he knew, besides himself, could look at the world and the facts with such a logical, and knowledge hungry perspective. Had she always been that way, or was this something new? He doubted he'd ever know. "Avada Kadavra, Ms. Granger. It's an unforgivable curse, and therefore you won't find it in any readily available book. It kills instantly, and I'm assuming painlessly." His voice was even and steady though he had to fight desperately to keep it that way. He had of course used it quite a few times, but that was before he had begun teaching, in a part of his life he made a point of not mentally visiting.
"Ah.well.that's good to know. But of course, it won't be necessary at this rate" She forced a smile as she once again gathered her courage, and hope, her hand gripping her wand a bit tighter.
He did not return her smile, but simply nodded. No matter what his personal thoughts where on the subject, she did not need to know. Mercifully up until today he had almost forgotten about his vow, but for some reason today the load seemed extraordinarily heavy.
*~~~~~~*~~~~~~~*
Counting Crows
Mercury
She is trapped inside a month of grey
And they take a little every day
She is a victim of her own responses
Shackled to a heart that wants to settle
And then runs away
It's a sin to be fading endlessly
Yeah, but she's alright with me
She is leaving on a walkaway
She is leaving me in disarray
In the absence of a place to be
She stands there looking back at me
Hesitates, and then turns away
She'll change so suddenly
She's just like mercury
Yeah, but she's alright with me
Keep some sorrow in your hearts and minds
For the things that die before their time
For the restlessly abandoned homes
The tired and weary rambler's bones
And stay beside me where I lie
She's entwined in me
Crazy as can be
Yeah, but she's alright with me
*~~~~*~~~~~*
Notes:
Alrighty, took a bit longer than I thought it would, oddly enough on my days off it's harder for me to right than on the days that I work. Anyways.
Thanks SO much to Cristy aka Flashy, my new beta reader (yippy!!!), she's been a real life saver. If you get a chance check this out not only is she a great beta er, she's also an excellent artist ^_^ ^_^
If any one else wishes to be a beta er, drop me a line, the more input the better :D!
Ok..now..lessee. About the reviews *LMAO* I suppose I shouldn't have dawdled because now there are so many new ones that it'd take me all night to respond to them all *L*.ok, so I guess all I can say is thank you all! It makes me so happy that you guys are reading my story! And you all you repeat "offenders" out there-Risi, HunnySnowBunny, Sweetygirl, Someone28, etc, etc, etc.I adore you guys even though I haven't been responding, please forgive me! All the new comments I get from this moment on will be responded to, I promise! ^_^ ^_^.. Also, I wrote a little mini fic, itty bitty little thing, only a page or so long, but I like it.might add some more later, but I posted it last night, so if you guys wanna read it, trust me, it'll literally only take a minute *L*