Chapter 17: Closer to Home

Everything has a beginning, middle and an end. Many say the end of one is only the beginning of another, for in reality there is no end. Life, long after you are gone, continues on. Endlessly, this cycle continues for an eternity. On a sunny May day Hermione sensed the end of one journey and pensively, she thought of a new beginning.

For the past three years the war had become real. With this war, this battle of good and evil, the end of the dark lord would come. And then what? Would light shine happily?

Closer to home, Hermione thought of the end of her dreams. If they ended would she lose the comfort she had come to know with Professor Snape? Secretly, she feared this. For the first time in a very long while, she felt that she could look forward to something. For so long her life had passed drearily along. The monotony of everyday life had forced her to cling ever more steadily to the world within her books. For once in her life she didn't have to be the brainiest, but could be her self in her entirety.

"Daydreaming?"

Hermione looked up to the voice, startled. Ron stood there, watching her with his flaming redhead cocked to the side.

"Ron?" He smiled awkwardly, the side of his mouth quirking up in the corner.

"Can I sit with you?" Ron asked, motioning to the chair next to hers. She nodded. " Listen, Hermione... I've been wanting to talk to you;" he looked down at his hands and began fiddling with the pile of books on the library table.

"Yes, Ron?" Hermione felt what was coming and tried her hardest to make the situation all the less awkward for him.

"We've known each other for a long time-"

"Seven years Ron..." Hermione spoke assuredly. Ron looked down and sighed heavily.

"Please, let me get this out or... or I'll lose my nerve." She nodded solemnly as he finished his short speech.

"We've known each other for a long time, and well, I've always known we've been friends," he let his eyes wander over her face. This seemed to give him renewed faith in what he was trying to say and he carried on. "Well, what I'm trying to say is that..." he stopped, unable to continue for fear of her ultimate rejection. "Well, I'm..." She looked at his scared, troubled face and patted his hand, assuring. At this simple touch his wilted confidence seemed to be watered. "Well... I fancy you Hermione. You are... beautiful;" Ron clasped both of her hands within one of his and fingered her wispy hair with the other. She feared what she would say in return because the absolutely last thing she wanted to do was hurt him. So instead, she smiled.

IIII

"Why are you crying?"

"Why do you care?" Hermione looked up angrily, with tears streaking her flushed cheeks, into the black eyes of Professor Snape.

"Why are you acting this way?" He shot back, now just as angry and upset. She hung her head dejectedly and let the blackness within the dreamscape engulf her.

"Have I not been as kind as one may expect these last few weeks? Have I not spoken to you as an equal?" Severus shot towards Hermione, upset. "Have I not confided in you as much as you have asked?" His face began to heat with triumphant anger. Hermione nodded as she watched him lean absently against an invisible wall. The image of Severus almost completely disappeared into the dreamscape as his black robes and dark hair melted into the emptiness.

"Then tell me why you are incessantly crying and sniffling," he ordered turning his head away to hid the look of care that he dreaded her seeing.

"I..." She wiped her eyes and blew her nose discretely. "I don't know exactly why I'm crying."

"Well where is the sense in that?" Severus said handing her a handkerchief.

Hermione stood, stretching her legs.

"Well I'm sure there is no sense in it."

"Exactly. Except, Miss Granger, one does not cry for no reason at all." He began to pace the dreamscape, slowly placing one foot in front of the other. Hermione began to get a little agitated. She had come to the dreamscape... well, maybe she had hoped a little that he would come to comfort her. Hermione hated herself for thinking that he might have cared for her.

"Well, possibly if you speak of your daily activities we may find the reason for all your woes," he said, stopping suddenly and turning toward her. Hermione looked up in sudden alarm.

"Really professor... I wouldn't want to burden you with my silly-"

"We'll have none of that. Now you've had your turn in recent meetings to question me. It is only fair Hermione..." Snape paused as he spoke her name and glanced towards her face, "That you now answer my questions. Well..." Severus said, conjuring up two pouf chairs. "Begin. You woke up..."

He took a seat on the nearest chair and motioned for her to do the same.

"Yes, well... I woke up and headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast." Hermione said as she sat across from him. She rested her head against the side arm of the chair, "Its funny, Professor, one expects to go to sleep intending to rest from the day. When I come here, I believe I become only more exhausted." She closed her eyes, sinking into the pillow.

"I know the feeling," he said locking his eyes on hers. He too felt the strain, mentally and physically, of entering the dreamscape. " But, you were continuing your story."

"Yes well, I went to all my classes."

"Yes, I remember," Snape said interrupting her. "You seemed perfectly amiable this morning."

"Oh! I was. Well after classes and lunch and such, I went to the library to get a bit of studying out of the way. Well... I was getting along just fine, working my way through my Advanced Charms for the Excelling Witch or Wizard, when Ron came and we had a discussion." Hermione, at this point, began to feel a bit uncomfortable.

"Ahhh... Weasley. He is often a source of my woes." Hermione shot Severus a glance fully of fire, "well, right. Continue,"

"And then I went back to my dormitory to have a bit of a nap."

"Ah ah ah... Not so fast. What did you have to speak to Weasley about?"

"Well... It's rather personal." Hermione said beginning to feel her palms sweat.

"Ahhmmm... Are you and he..." Snape looked away in his own embarrassment at asking such a personal question. Hermione herself felt a bit jumpy.

"Actually, that is exactly what he wanted to discuss," Hermione felt herself blurt out in agitation. She really didn't want to carry on the conversation, but she feared that Severus might ask more questions. "He fancies me, you see."

Severus cleared his throat, "you really don't have to..." He stood in embarrassment, feeling clearly uncomfortable.

"No...You asked what was bothering me." She, too, stood and began wandering around. "He asked me to... to be with him." Snape stopped suddenly and when she looked at him he started walking again. "And... I couldn't honestly see why I shouldn't."

"Then that doesn't explain your tears, Miss Granger," he again cleared his throat feeling the awkwardness rise in his body. "You clearly should be happy." He felt himself feel just a bit of spite sink into his stomach.

IIII

"Clearly, I should." Hermione said aloud as she opened her eyes and saw the Head Girls room around her. "But, professor, there is someone else."

She felt her heart sink as she turned in her bed. She had hoped to leave the dreamscape at the moment and felt the relief of doing so.

Suddenly she heard hurried steps outside of her door and a sudden pounding upon it. Quickly she went for the door afraid of who she might find lurking on the other side.

"Miss Granger, please hurry," she swung open the door to see Professor McGonagall standing upon the threshold. "You must come quickly." Almost instantly Hermione went for her robe and shoes and ran after the transfiguration professor into the night.

IIII

She suddenly felt very ill. Her stomach turned at the sad sight of her friend.

"Will he be all right, Madame Pomfrey?" Hermione asked as she groped for Harry's free hand. The other was occupied by a crying Ginny on the other side of the white hospital bed.

"Oh, to be sure Miss Granger," Madame Pomfrey bustled around the bed; "it seems only to be a slight concussion from a seizure. I can fund no immediate brain damage."

"But what caused it?" Hermione asked sadly.

"Well my dear, only he can answer that, when he awakes." With that she walked away.

"I'm so sorry, you three. I thought the circumstances much worse. You may all return to your dormitories." Minerva said, "We all wish him a full and quick recovery."

Ron approached Hermione's side and took her hand, "Come on, 'Mione, I'll walk you back to your room."

"Just a moment," said a new voice.

They all turned to be face to face with Albus Dumbledore.

"Please sit." Obediently Ron, Hermione and Ginny obeyed. " I first want to ask that you all prepare yourselves for two things. There is a strong possibility that Harry may not be all right. Seizures, of even the slightest kind, have been known to damage, severely, minds of even the most agile state, but we shall know nothing for awhile yet. Secondly, I have strong inhibitions that this recent accident is due, most sadly, to his famous scar." At these words all present shifted their eyes from Dumbledore to the lightning bolt on Harry's forehead. As you may remember, before, the scar was perfectly healed. Now we look upon a scar riddled with re-opening."

It was true. They all now looked at a brand new wound where a very old and healed scar had been before. Hermione absent-mindedly began to stroke Ginny's hair knowing how hard it must be to hold herself together.

"Now, do not fret my students," Albus said, letting his eyes roam over each young face. "You may all return to your rooms. But be on your toes, young ones, for in this time, you never know what lurks around the corners of such a happy... yet... haunted place."

IIII

"Yes, Ron, I'll be fine," Ginny said collecting her thoughts.

"All right, please Gin... go straight to bed and rest. I want to walk Hermione to her room." She nodded weakly as she walked up the staircase.

"And, how are you?" Ron asked slipping her hand into his.

"Oh, I'm fine, really..."Hermione said dropping his hand to run it through her hair.

"I just wanted to make sure." Ron felt his palms begin to sweat as he watched her face.

"I know." She stopped walking and raised her hand to his cheek. He really was a very sweet man who cared about her. That is what she had wanted, was it not? He smiled crookedly, until they heard footsteps approaching.

Severus Snape rounded the corner and Hermione instinctively dropped her hand.

"Two Gryffindors out of bed at this late hour?" Snape's eyes swept from Ron's surprised face to Hermione's.

"We've been visiting Harry Potter in the infirmary on Professor Mcgonagall's orders," Hermione said, searching his face.

"Yes. I was too, just awoken by Professor Dumbledore about dear Potter's condition." His tone was cold and chilled both Hermione and Ron. "Never mind then. To bed then... With the both of you."

Hermione gave Ron a slight nod before turning and walking away. Ron, too, then gave one last look at her before walking in the opposite direction. Severus watched Ron stride away before quickly heading back in the direction he had come.