Chapter 11: A black pit

"Take a seat Granger." Snape motioned to a black sofa in a room similar to a parlor. She sat down, thankful that her knees had not given out on the doorstep. She took two deep relaxing breaths before trying to meet Snape's eyes.

He looked across at her, arms crossed in a defensive pose. Why was this bloody girl in his chambers at night?

"Professor, we need to talk about... the dreamscape." her voice began, shakily, but then grew much steadier.

"Why... can't... we... " he was confused and unable to form the right words on his tongue. What was he to say? What did she expect him to say? "Why can't we just talk.. in the ... dreamscape. Like we always do?" Snape kept his feet rooted to the spot, forcing himself not to look aloof. Hermione noticed how uncomfortable he was and immediately regretted coming.

"I shouldn't have come." She looked down, angry with herself. "I just thought..."

"Thought what Hermione?" Severus said, wishing to seep up this tremendously uncomfortable conversation. Hearing Snape say her first name for real... without being forced to gave her knew courage. She looked up again, trying her hardest not to smile.

"I thought it might be beneficial if we talked outside of the dreamscape. How can we very well figure out why we are there, when we're in it?" Hermione said, her voice gained steadiness as she spoke.

"I guess... you do have a point," he said, speaking as he looked down. It had been years since he had been alone with any woman other than that old coot McGonagall. He froze mid-thought. He began to mentally chastise himself. Hermione was not a woman. She was a student. She was his student for another 3 months.

"Professor Snape?" Hermione's voice broke through his deep thoughts. "Would you like to sit down, so we can talk?" She motioned to the other end of the sofa. He watched her hands move and when she patted the cushion next to hers, his breath caught in his chest. Why was he so nervous? They were only to talk. She realized she had offered the seat nearest to hers and immediately regretted it. She began to chant over and over in her head, stupid Hermione, stupid Hermione!

He slowly and clumsily sat next to her. The tension in the air rose instantly and Hermione began to get a little hot.

This is silly, they both thought simultaneously. Hermione turned. On her way there she had mentally mapped out what she would talk about. She had decided on her past of loneliness. Maybe if he knew how unhappy she had always been he would feel more free to speak of his past.

"Harry and Ron have been my best friends forever it seems. The truth is, before them, I never really had friends. I wasn't... very good at making them." She watched his pale face for reaction. She waited for him to say something. Her mind mentally preparing herself for the question, 'why are you telling me this?', but he didn't. Severus just nodded along. "My parents tried everything to make me more outgoing. They said they never wanted me to end up like them. But the more they pushed... the more I clung steadily to my books. I've always just felt so much safer behind a good story." His eyes glazed over as he listened to her talk. Her voice was very melodic and had a rhythm that was very calming to listen to. Not only this, but what she was saying... he could relate.

"Funny," Severus said. "I never really thought about what you must have been like before Hogwarts. I never think about any of my students like that." He added quickly.

"Not to offend you... but I always thought you might have been the same way." She spoke more quietly, afraid that he may lash out on her. He merely watched her face. Something flitted across his eyes and although she had seen it, she had no idea what it meant.

"Is that so? Well I'll have you know, at your age, I was very much the opposite of you. I had many followers and friends." His tone was sarcastic and she felt the need to hold back a laugh. He noticed her struggle not to smile and he smirked. "Okay... I admit... people... used to... laugh at me." Severus had struggled to say so much. She saw the intensity in his eyes, and felt the improvement.

She relaxed on the sofa as she finally allowed herself to sink into the deep softness of it. Her eyes rolled over the room. It was dimly lit, and had few decorations. What she did notice was a single photo in a mahogany frame. It was placed on a high shelf across the room, being used as a bookend. It was black and white from what she could see, and was of two people.

Severus followed her eyes, squinting into the distance and as his own eyes landed on the photo he tried not to smile. Unintentionally, she had come across the one piece of his past he allowed around. He let himself remember the day that picture was taken. It was cold that day and he remembered pulling and adjusting his scarf and coat many times. His mother had warned him not to leave the house without suitable winter clothing, but he'd been so happy at the chance to leave the house he hadn't really cared what he wore. He was young...so very young and childlike. His maturity had already peaked that of the other children his age, but his inner being still yearned to run on a play ground or play in the grass.

His mother had said that they were going to Kensington gardens. She had recently read to him Peter Pan and he was overjoyed to go. He hadn't related to Peter at all, as many of the other children his age did. He wanted very much to be like him, but it just wasn't who he was. He was already too adult to play the shadow games of a nine year old. But never-the-less, he was happy to leave the dark house that he was forced to call home. His father had gone off on one of his tantrums and would not be returning for a day or so, so the break in abuse was welcomed with open arms by his mother and him. The had walked around the statuesque version of Peter Pan for about an hour when finally his legs began to get tired. His mother had pulled out the camera then, and had urged him to pose just like peter was. He refused to do it with so many people around, he didn't want to get embarrassed. So his mother asked a friendly looking passer-by to snap a photo of the two of them. The man took the camera.

"Quickly now," the large man had said, "Smile!" For once Severus had not had to force the smile. It came naturally. Wrapped in his mothers arms, he smiled wide and the cold air from mid-morning did not reach him. It was probably the happiest day of his life.

He shook his head. He turned and there was Hermione watching him now. "I'm sorry, I guess I must have..." He didn't know what to say.

"It's all right. You looked peaceful, and nice... I didn't want to disturb you." Hermione said quickly. She had liked to watch Severus when he didn't know she was. He looked vulnerable as he looked up at the picture she had seen.

"Well... I guess I should be going. Thank you for allowing me in." Hermione added graciously.

"yes... you are right. Its getting very late."

She stood to approach the door and a feeling in the pit of her stomach made her stop. She turned and looked at him as he too stood and adjusted his robes. The feeling reverberated in her stomach again, like butterfly wings slightly tickling her.

"What?" He asked looking at her, bemused.

"Oh... nothing... nothing." Hermione glanced at the ground as she felt the blood rush to her cheeks.

"Well... goodbye... Hermione." Snape said, "Lets try not to make this little conversation happen again. And... lets keep it between us." He could feel the awkwardness in the air around them as he walked her to the door.

"You're right. goodbye." She said the butterfly's dying away. He could feel a similar feeling in his stomach as he watched her open the door and exit.

How strange it was, they both thought. It was almost as if... I didn't want it to end. Hermione laughed as she walked away, and deep in his chambers now nearing his bed, Severus too, let out a deep throaty laugh.

IIII

"And that's all that happened? No more? No less? Just that!" Ginny's face grew red with surprise and a bit of sadness as her gossip for the day wasn't really gossip at all.

"I wanted to say more... but really, if you had seen his face. He was thinking about something so pleasant and dreamy. I didn't want to disturb him at all, especially by asking questions that would make him mad." Hermione stated justifying her motives for leaving.

"So did you figure anything out?"

"I think I know why we were both brought to the dreamscape." Ginny have out a little squeak and jumped up and down.

"Really!"

"Now don't laugh. I've been thinking about this for a long time and I've come to the conclusion that... well its our loneliness. Neither of us, to the best of my knowledge, have a wonderful caring family like yours. Neither of us are married or have children to look after. Neither of us... feel as though... we are loved. Or I think in his case... have the capacity to love another." Hermione felt the tears welling up behind her eyelids. She had given the subject much thought once she had returned to her quarters and had settled on this very conclusion. "Magic brought us together to..."

" You were brought together to give contentment to the other." Ginny finished for her. Ginny didn't quite believe it. She couldn't. Magic was amazing... and well... magic... but no way, did she believe, would the forces of fate bring those two together. In the back of her mind Ginny knew that the gleefulness that lit up Hermione's eyes was Ginny's worst fear. Her best, and most loved friend, was falling into a darkness... and Severus Snape and all of these 'dreams' were dragging her down farther.