Brightest sunlight posed a sharp contrast to the dimly lit windowsill and hurt her eyes.
"Where are we?"
"You'll hardly not recognize this place", Snape denied a useful reply, "Perhaps you'd want to remove that sleeve and see for yourself."
Within blazing sunlight, overlarge window gained shape, and carefully crafted columns, supporting an apparently non-existent ceiling. "The Great Hall", she noted, disappointed. This was one of the least places she expected anyone to reveal most personal memories concerning passion. On top of that, three quarters of the seats were taken, most at Gryffindor table. Most Slytherins were absent.
"That's me", Snape pointed to a slim, black-haired student in Slytherin robes, closely bend over a dirty, damaged book. His dark robes covered broad, skinny shoulders, and if he rose, Hermione was sure, young Severus Snape probably had grown to his current height already. The five empty seats around him, set with plates, goblets and cutlery gave a false impression of loneliness: Severus probably was content, maybe happy even, on his own. While Hermione studied the crest on the goblet next to him, rummaging her memory where she had seen it before, the young wizard shot a sharp look up and down the table. She knew this expression too well: He was making sure no one was watching. In a swift and unremarkable move, he pulled a certain vial from his sleeve, opened it and poured a gulp of matt purple liquid into the cup next to him. Hermione turned her head: No one had noticed. Severus did not even bother to look up from his book.
"Amortentia?", she guessed.
"Yes, indeed. A mature version."
"Pretty cold blooded move", she teased Snape. "Did you practice before?"
He did not reply. They both kept watching Severus for what felt like several minutes, but could have been an hour or two as well. Students came and left without greeting or addressing Severus, he seemed to be known as an outsider, but was not regarded dangerous enough to be kept under subtly surveillance.
"And here comes Rabastan Lestrange", Snape introduced an attractive Slytherin about younger Severus' age, crossing the Hall toward his fellow student. She noted they both were pale and handsome in their own way, but Rabastan wore shiny new robes and carried a sharp-edged manner as if woven into it, issuing an atmosphere of wickedness and cunning spirit. Severus must have always been overlooked, she realized, with this guy standing next to him.
Rabastan headed straight to Severus, but this time, a handful of students turned their heads. Judging from their expressions, he was highly coveted, especially among four Ravenclaw witches, two of them wearing a Prefect's badge and old enough to be N.E.W.T-students. Boys glazed at him with a mixture of envy and admiration, the fear prevailing in their eyes until they turned back to their newspaper, wizards chess or late homework.
"You should get a little closer, if you want to hear them properly", Snape advised her, but remained where he was. Hermione tiptoed her way to the Slytherin table, and from about a seat afar from Severus, noticed something else: The goblets wore a different crest. Next to Severus, the one with love potion in it, she recognized as displaying the symbol of house Black. The cups in front of him and on the opposite to that with Black's symbol bore a sign she had not seen before, a carefully crafted shell with two leaves of ivy to either side. The jars in front of Severus and two seats next to what she presumed to be the crest of house Lestrange wore the crest of house Slytherin.
Rabastan had taken the seat in front of Severus, which he was apparently assigned to.
"Are you on anything important to your potions?", Rabastan asked politely. Severus looked up, but judging from the slightly raised eyebrows, the former usually did not ask permission to interrupt.
"No."
"Good", Rabastan looked relieved. "Listen, Sn – Severus", he went on, quickly catching himself, "I've had my careers advise last week and Professor Slughorn told me - well, we spoke on me becoming an Auror."
"Congratuliations", Severus filled the gap in their conversation. It was obvious he felt uncertain on what to say, like someone to did not socialize much.
"Uhm – well, he said, he'd pull a few strings at the Ministry for me, if I decided to apply for training after Hogwarts, but I'd have to pass my N.E.W.T exams."
"Yes, their requirements are pretty -"
"Anyway, he said that if my grades in potions did not approve, he'd be rather pessimistic on the prospect of me coping with the N.E.W.T standards", Rabastan interrupted, helping himself to a decent amount of pumpkin juice."
"Aha."
Steps echoed through the Hall, students started to pour in from the entrance: Apparently it was lunchtime. Within the wave of black robes and house symbols, Hermione caught a glimpse at the windswept curls Bellatrix had worn even on the photographs from Azkaban, though they now were shiny and neatly arranged.
"Look, if you could help me a little with my potions homework and studying", Rabastan got to the point he had been pursuing, "I'm sure my brother and Bella dialled down bossing you around."
"You're rather close, with Bellatrix, I mean", Severus replied, not answering his request, perhaps on purpose.
"We've been going out for a while now", Rabastan whispered, casting a glance over his shoulder: The four Slytherins, Bellatrix obviously front and center of them, were approaching rapidly, "But I'll have to speak to her father first. They're a deeply entrenched family, whereas Rodolphus and me- we're foreigner from their point of view -"
"Are you telling me", Severus caught up surprisingly quickly, voice down, "That you are planning to propose to her?"
Rabastan did not blush, but his cheeks put on a slight pink. "You don't tell her."
"I won't", Severus promised, "You're secret's save with me." And without being able to tell how she knew, Hermione realized that Snape was just revealing this conversation to her for the first time to anyone at all.
"So, what's your favorite potion?", Severus inquired.
"My favorite -", Rabastan looked puzzled, "I don't have a favorite potion, I guess."
"See, there's a special wit to everyone", Severus began, obviously in his element, "The easier one's require technical intricacies, like adjusting a precise temperature or stirring in a certain sequence -"
"The easier one's?", Rabastan echoed, reminding Hermione of Harry or Ron, but withdrew his attention, as Bellatrix, Rodolphus arrived with two Slytherins in tow, both tall and muscular, but rather empty expressions on their face.
"Ahh, Snivellus", Bellatrix greeted him, "Still on the project of a decent shampoo?"
With ease and precision the of someone comfortable in their body she slid on the bench, next to Rabastan, whereas Rodolphus, large and suqare as he was, took his time to walk around the table and seat himself next to Snape, the Black's crest in front of him. Knees apart, Bellatrix moved up close to Rabastan, putting an arm around his slim waist.
"He'll be invited to the Slug club next year, no doubt.", she teased Severus, then huddled up into Rabastan's outstretched arm. "He's such a talent in potions"
"That's what I came here for, actually", Rabastan replied calmly, but with an expression bracing for a storm.
"Take Slughorn's post, one day", Rodolphus growled absently, pouring them all pumpkin juice. Raising his cup, he added, "Or Dumbledore's", laughed at his own remark and emptied the jar in two large gulps.
Bellatrix burst into a shrieking laughter, missing Severus bewildered and disturbed expression completely.
"Well, perhaps", Rabastan tried to save Severus from further belittling, "Until then, he could help us all to pass our N.E.W.T.s, if we only -"
"That's enough", grown Snape tore shocked Hermione's attention from the exchange, "To fill you in."
Breathing steadily helped her calm down while she got cast out from his mind.
Back in the dimly-lit library, Hermione could not make out his face at all. Recalling the inciting event that had made him invite her to his memory, she felt more puzzled than before. "Where was the danger in that?", she asked bluntly.
"Bellatrix Lestrange is currently married to Rodolphus", Snape reminded her.
"She might very well have been – involved with Rabastan first", Hermione said, uncertain whether Snape could see her face or look her in the eye. "I did see them, together and all, and I presume they'd – encounter passion – some time around this incident", she went on, struggling for an unobtrusive phrasing, "She'll probably end up with Rodolphus after Hogwarts -"
"Can you imagine a clever, powerful witch like Bellatrix – yes, she is, there's no help in denying – would end up happily ever after with a bloke like Rodolphus?"
"Perhaps their interests changed, with Rabastan deciding to pursue a career at the Ministry?"
"Rabastan never applied for the Auror's training program, as far as I've been told", Snape answered. "They joined the Death Eaters ranks soon after they had left Hogwarts. That is, Bellatrix, both Lestrange brothers, Miller and Zabini -"
"And you."
"And me", he whispered.
She had a hard time holding up to his gaze: All her doubts, fueled by his distant and unpredictable manner, scratched her insights with sharp claws, urging her to withdraw from this attachment. Yet, and she was certain he saw this in her eyes, she was not ready to abandon their relationship.
Silence hung thick and loud between them. It must have been way past midnight, since her magical candles had burnt down but one, illuminating a small circle between them.
"But how", Hermione finally spoke again, "Does passion become dangerous?", she phrased her confusion.
"We haven't covered that part yet."
"Did Rabastan go beserk with jealousy?"
"No", Snape replied, "you need to know about Bellatrix -", he began, but Madam Pince had appeared, steaming like a hot tub.
"I do accept that your examination requires intense preparations", she snapped, "But closing hours apply to students of all houses and at any time", and having said that, threw them out without fuzz.
Recalling McGonagalls demand to restrict herself to a more common variation of the student-to-teacher-relationship, she met and held his gaze in the corridor for a few seconds, but headed to Gryffindor tower without further exchange.