Disclaimer: All characters and places associated with Harry Potter do not belong to me. All rights and ownership belong to J.K. Rowling.
Chapter Twelve – Lucius Returns
"It would seem that Hermione has been put into a deep state of sleep. It is like a coma." Poppy explained Hermione's condition to Albus, Minerva, and Severus. The three had gathered fairly quickly after Severus informed them of Hermione's condition. They watched Poppy rub a small amount of cream on the back of Hermione's neck in an attempt to heal the bruises she gained in the fall.
"Poppy is there any way of knowing how she was put into this state?" Albus asked her in his usual calm manner.
Severus threw up his hands in frustration and began to pace furiously behind the group. "Is it not obvious that this is the work of Lucius? I should have killed him when I had the chance."
"Calm down Severus. You are of no use to us in this state. We have to find out the source of her condition before we cast blame."
Albus turned back to face Poppy and cast her a quick look of questioning. "From what I can gather, Hermione is dreaming. Her mind is still functioning at a phenomenal rate. I would even go as far to say that she is trapped inside her own mind. But I can't be sure how and why." Poppy sat down next to Hermione on the bed and brushed a few strands of curls away from her eyes. She looked so peaceful in this slumber; but Poppy worried about the turmoil that Hermione might be going through in her mind.
"I believe there is a spell that is similar to that in the dark arts." Albus looked over to Severus and grabbed his arm gently in an attempt to gain his full attention. "Severus, do you remember the spell that I'm talking about? I think it was called Night of No Return."
Severus looked deeply into the reassuring eyes of his Headmaster. Suddenly Severus's eyes grew in realization. "I know that spell." Severus pulled his arm from Albus's grasp and ran over to the sleeping Hermione. He closed his eyes in remembrance and began to mutter a few charms as he waved his hands over her body. Amidst the waving a blue ball of energy began to form over Hermione's waist. Severus wrinkled his brow in concentration and finished the final words of the enchanted charms. A small explosion erupted amongst the energy ball and produced the picture of Lucius Malfoy.
The entire group grasped when they saw the face of Lucius floating over Hermione. Severus opened his eyes to look at the figure in front of him and waved his hands to dismiss the charms. The energy disappeared as quickly as it came. "I will kill him!"
"Now Severus, please remain calm. What was it that you just did?"
"It was a charm that reveals the caster of the spell Night of No Return. I should have known that Lucius would try something like this. He was the one that introduced me to that spell. He found it absolutely astonishing, because it allowed him to level the playing field when he was out-matched." Severus growled as he slumped down into the chair next to Hermione's bed and looked over her intensely.
"Boys, as much as I'm enjoying this display of wisdom, could someone please tell me what the Night of No Return does." Minerva interrupted to try and gain knowledge of all that was happening.
Severus began to explain the spell, never once looking up from Hermione. "It is a spell that puts the victim in a state of slumber on the outside. But it takes them into their own mind and places them into a world created by the caster. In essence, it traps them inside themselves. Usually the victim is not aware that they are no longer in the real world; to them everything is real, and felt fully. Lucius found it so useful because he would have the ability to disable someone without getting close to them. Also, he could place them in a dungeon of his own creation and torture them into submission. He called it 'breaking their spirit.' In the past he would leave his victims in this state until they no longer fought back in the dream world. When he brought them out of the sleep, they were so broken that they rarely ever fought him in the real world." Severus glared over at the few people standing in the room. "Like his note said, she fought him in her dreams. Lucius knew he was no match for her, he had to break her first."
"Lucius is not a powerful wizard Severus. Is there a way to break his concentration and interfere with the spell?" Albus began to question Severus to try and get him out of his revenge mode. He knew Severus all to well, and knew the dangers of him thinking about that path for too long. "Or maybe we could find a spell or potion to break off the control he has over her."
"Albus there is no counter-spell. That was the genius of the spell; he could cast it and be sure of its outcome. He doesn't even have to concentrate during the spell. He only has to use his powers when he enters the dream-world to torture her. Otherwise he will leave her in some dark place, alone with time to think about why no one has saved her. It is all part of his process."
Minerva began to pace with anxiety as Poppy slowly and silently returned to her work. They were all at a lose and feeling worthless in their present situation. Albus walked over to Severus and stood behind him. He placed a hand on Severus's shoulder in comfort and listened to Severus sigh in frustration.
"Severus, is there a way to enter into Hermione's dream? She should not be alone, and we should inform her of the situation." Albus asked quietly, in an attempt to find an answer.
"I'm not sure. It seems probable, but dangerous to the one entering. They take the risk of being trapped as well. But they would not be trapped in their mind; they would be in Hermione's."
Without a word Severus stood from the chair and began to swiftly walk out of the room.
"Severus, where are you going?" Minerva asked when he startled as he passed her so abruptly.
"I'm going to find out if there is a way to talk to Hermione. I cannot leave her to be tortured by Lucius with no way out." Severus stopped and looked back at Hermione one last time before he left the room. "I would not even wish that on her."
Once Severus had left the room Minerva walked over to Albus in a frantic state. "What are we going to do Albus? We can't just leave her like this."
"Minerva, please control yourself. Severus will find an answer. In the meantime, why don't you research any information you can find on this spell." Albus placed his arm around Minerva's waist and began to lead her out of the infirmary. "We will save her, I promise." Before they left the room Albus turned one last time to address Poppy. "Poppy, please inform me of any changes in Hermione's state."
"Certainly Albus." And with those final words the room became quiet with inactivity; with the exception of Hermione's mind.
********
"Ughhh!" Severus threw the book he had been reading into the hungry flames of the fireplace. He had been researching the Night of No Return spell for 60 hours straight. His eyes were blackened with lack of sleep and his back ached from the numerous hours spent hunched over a book.
He moved from his desk chair and made his way over to the plush couch in front of the fire. He fell down on the couch in anger and conjured up a bottle of fire whiskey with a glass. He quickly stomached down a shot of the burning liquid and winced at the bitter taste. "This is unacceptable! I can't leave her in that world for too much longer." Severus leaned back on the couch and rests his head on the back, looking up at the ceiling for some kind of insight. He closed his eyes as all of the research he had done in the last couple of days swam through his head. He turned his head to the side and opened his eyes to scan over the books stacked high on the table next to his couch.
Severus sat up straight when his eyes caught a title that he had overlooked in the past. Dark Sleep Spells and Their Counters was an old book that yellowed with age. He quickly pulled the tome from the stack and perused the delicate pages for some sign of the spell Hermione was under. After a few seconds of shuffling through the pages he came upon a counter for the Night of No Return spell. "This might be exactly what I need."
He quickly read through the ingredients and time it took to create the potion involved. But after a few minutes of reading he learned that the potion would only allow a person to enter into the victim's dream world and warn them about the spell and what was happening to them. It seems that there is a time limit on how long the person can stay in the dream world; once they get in, they have to awake themselves with help from the outside, or they risk trapping themselves.
Severus read into the night and tried to come up with a solution to bring Hermione out with him. He had already decided that he would be the one to go into her dream world in order to find her. He just had to find a way to bring her out at the same time that the 'helper' brings him out. After hours of work and the onset of a horrible headache, Severus finally decided to get a little bit of sleep. He had written out all the instructions needed to perform the potion and spell. But he knew that he would be lost in a dream world if he went in exhausted.
********
The next morning Severus went to see Albus and informed him of all that he had found. The two of them brewed the potion needed to put Severus in the dream like state. Albus assigned himself the task of bringing Severus back out of the dream world.
Once they were ready they headed to the infirmary and set up a bed and table next to Hermione. Severus lay down on the bed and looked over at the sleeping Hermione. All he could think of was the pain that she could be going through and wanted to save her from it all. He closed his eyes in concentration as he grasped her hand. He felt the cold clammy skin of her hand and knew that he had to act fast. He used his free hand to gulp down the prepared potion.
Within a few seconds Severus was quickly falling asleep next to Hermione. Albus began to mutter a spell over their bodies that would protect them from physical harm while the intruder was in the dream. The way it worked was that Severus had only thirty minutes to be with Hermione. Once he finished his mission he would simply say aloud, "I need to go home." These were the words that they placed in the spell to bring the port-key to come back to the real world. If Severus did not say those words before his time was up, he would be trapped inside Hermione's dream world, and become pervious to Lucius's whims. Albus muttered the spell over and over again, hoping that all would go well. But he knew Severus all to well, and was afraid that he would sacrifice himself to try and bring Hermione back.
*******
Severus opened his eyes to a dark, dreary world. The air was damp, the kind you can feel as it penetrates your skin. He turned in place, trying to get an idea of where he was. It was then that he saw her. She was chained to a wall, slumping against the metal. Her body lacked any strength and looked as if she had no life left in her. He gasped at the sight of her bloodied hands and face.
Hermione shuddered in fear at the sound of another person approaching. She never once looked up to see the worried eyes of Severus. Severus ran to her side and quickly assessed the bruises and scraps that were bleeding from lack of care. He ran his hand down her side and heard her wince in pain at his light touch. She probably had some broken ribs. It was then that he gently placed his hand under her chin and pulled her face up to meet his. "Hermione, look at me."
Hermione opened her and looked through the blood stained vision that had become a reality to her. "Severus, where have you been? I've been calling you; you were supposed to be here." Her words were like whispers with no strength.
"Shhh….it's going to be alright. You're going home Hermione. Lucius will have to deal with me." And with those words Severus took a hold of her hands and whispered to her the words that needed to be said. He was certain this would work. He knew that Lucius would have a fight when he came back to torture Hermione and found him instead.
Hermione lifted her head just enough to see the caring look in Severus's eyes. She leaned in next to him and placed her head on his shoulder in comfort. It was then that she said the fateful words, "I need to go home." In a flash the world got dark with the absence of Hermione. Severus was left alone in this place, waiting for the return of Lucius.
*******
Hermione's eyes fluttered open after the days of sleep. She awoke to find a gleeful Headmaster smiling down at her.
"Hermione it is good to have you back." Albus stopped his spell and looked over the tattered face of Hermione. Once she was released from the dream world, her bruises and scars that she had gained in the dream quickly appeared on her body in the real world. Hermione put her hand on the mattress and tried to push herself up into a sitting position. It was then that a sharp pain ran through her body and she fell back down to the mattress.
"Careful Hermione, you have been through quite an ordeal. It will take Poppy a few days to heal you from these injuries." Hermione nodded in agreement as she held her side in pain. Albus called Poppy over to Hermione and told her about her present condition. Poppy quickly got to work and welcomed Hermione back to the real world.
It was then that Hermione looked over to her side and saw the sleeping body of Severus next to her. He still had a hold of one of her hands and rested peacefully in the bed. She knew that he was no where near peaceful in the place that Lucius had put her. She could only hope that Severus was strong enough to make his way back to her soon.
TBC
Author's Note: Thanks for all of the reviews. I appreciate the constructive criticism. I realize that Snape and Hermione are a little out of character in this fic, but it is my first attempt. Like I said, I try. But the point of fanfic is to create an alternate of the world that is already true. I try to keep them in character as much as possible, but I have to compromise to make the story flow. I hope all can still enjoy it despite the few liberties I take. I hope to write a new chapter soon….don't want to keep you waiting too long.