To Sobela: Holy crap! thanks for all the reviews! Because of that, I decided to speed up this chapter so you didn't have to wait so long. Hope you like it!
Also to Asma4life, as promised, Fera is back. So sorry for the wait (TT_TT)
Thank you to everyone else for the reviews and follows. They were so awesome to see! And of course thank you to my betas, McGonagall's Bola and Emilia Wolfe.
Ok, here's the next chapter. Hope you like it!
Last time:
A second later, Snape came back, his customary scowl in place. "Hurry up, Granger. I haven't got all night," he told her and then began to head back down the hall.
Hermione scrambled after him, unable to stop the goofy smile from spreading on her face.
Chapter 25
Snape lead Hermione into his office. Unlocking a cabinet, he took out a wooden jug that was corked shut. With the jug secured safely in his robes, he turned to the fireplace, whispering the password that would open and enlarge the Floo.
He stepped inside and looked pointedly at her. "Get in. We're going to Headquarters."
"Why are we going there?" she asked, even as she did as she was told. The size of the Floo, though larger now, was still a little tight, so she had to tuck herself in close to the professor to fit properly. His pleasant scent of herbs and aftershave surrounded her. Snape immediately inched himself away with a frown.
Green flames rose to cover them in a bright flash, and transport them away. They landed with a thud and Hermione stumbled forward, coughing up soot and dust. It was only the sure grip on her arm that kept her from falling on her face. A cleaning charm wrapped around her, eliminating the grime. She smiled at the man responsible in gratitude. "Thank you, Professor."
His frown deepened, and he instantly dropped his hand from around her arm to walk away.
"How rude," she muttered, following after him. What had she done wrong this time? All she had said was thank you. How could the irritable wizard take offense to a little show of gratitude?
But trying to decipher Snape's thought processes would be utterly impossible, so Hermione let the matter drop. There was no point in thinking herself in circles. Though, she did wish that the wizard would make up his mind. He was constantly see-sawing with her, as if he didn't know how he wanted to treat her. One moment he would be his usual grumpy-self, then the next, he would be somewhat approachable, and then in the blink of an eye he would be back to being snappish and growly.
She wondered if his temperament was always so mercurial, or if it was just her.
"Granger!" The man in question called from around a corner.
Startled from her woolgathering, Hermione picked up her pace.
Snape ended up taking her down to the basement where a decent sized Potions lab had been put together. It was quite the room, far nicer then the Potions classroom back at Hogwarts. The equipment looked well taken care of instead of dented and used. Everything was meticulously organized, tucked away neatly and out of the way. Even the floors looked as if they were scrubbed to within an inch of their life.
She hummed in appreciation. What she wouldn't do to have a place like this for herself...
"It's a wonderful lab, but why didn't we just stay at Hogwarts?" she asked him.
"I'm unsure how long this will take us, and as you said, you can't be seen traipsing to and from the dungeon. Especially at night." Snape took out a wooden bowl and the jug he had stowed away, placing them both on the floor.
"Why would I be staying in the dungeons? Or here? I just need the right supplies and then I can get out of your hair."
"It is inadvisable to attempt an Astral Projection in an insecure location. We will use these rooms."
"Well, thank you, I—what are you doing?" She gaped at him as he began taking off his outer robes and frock coat.
Snape sighed in irritation, and he continued rolling up his white shirt sleeves. "I would think that would be obvious, Granger, considering we were just talking about doing an Astral Projection."
"Yes, but I didn't mean that I wanted you to do it for me. I can do it myself, there's no need for you to extend yourself, sir."
"Your wants are irrelevant in this situation. Not only are you using my supplies, but you are also under my protection."
Hermione crossed her arms, her confusion quickly morphing to anger. "I'm not your student anymore, Professor. I'll be just fine on my own. I've done this before."
Snape paused to sneer at her. "You might have fiddled with the Astral realm before, Granger, but you aren't an expert on it."
"I know enough to keep myself safe. I'm not an idiot."
"So you've managed to successfully travel across the different planes before? You already know how to magically track someone else down?" he asked sarcastically.
"I know the theory behind it." She shifted on her feet.
Snape scoffed at her. "Forever the Know-It-All, believing that words from a book are all you need."
"There's nothing wrong with my books!"
"Depending on just 'thoeries' when it comes to magic is the highest form of idiocy," he said harshly. "And it is the fastest way to get you blown up."
She sneered back. "I didn't think you cared."
"I don't. But the Headmaster does and it would be my head on the line if something were to happen to you. So throw a tantrum all you want, Granger, but you're not doing this alone."
Hermione took a deep breath to calm herself.
Let Snape have his way and get to Fera? Or save my pride and be back at square one? Really, there was only one option for her. She wasn't going to chop off her nose just to spite her face. She needed Snape's help, a fact the insufferable man knew, so she was going to have to comply with his wishes. Even if she had to to suppress the urge to stab him in his face (repeatedly), while doing so.
She stomped over to the bowl and jug and sat herself down in front of them. Her robes were yanked off and thrown to the side. She looked over her shoulder only slightly to bark out, "are you coming?" before turning back. It was a bit rude of her and her parents would probably be horrified with her manners towards her ex-teacher, but as childish as it sounded—he had started it.
On silent feet, Snape walked over to her and easily sat down in front of her. He at least had the grace to ignore her temper in favor of stoically focusing on the task at hand.
"Don't we have to make the herbal mix first?" she sniped.
"I have some left over from when I visited you," he told her and uncorking the jug, he poured said mixture into the wooden bowl. "Do you have the hair?"
She took at a small piece of Fera's hair from the sealed Ziplock she kept in her bag, and handed it to him.
Snape cut his palm with a small knife, then gripped the blond locks in his wounded palm, staining them red. Hermione made her cut next, and clenched her cut hand above the hair so her blood could mingle with Snape's. When the mixture was lit on fire, Snape dropped the bloody clump of hair in, then magically sealed and cleaned their palms.
"Clear your mind," he ordered. His eyes were already closed. "Are you ready, Granger?"
"I'm ready."
"Follow my lead, and stay close," he said then began the incantation. Hesitating only a second as she tried to remember the next line, she jumped in adding her voice to his.
Smoke rose up around the two and Hermione felt that familiar freezing wind steal through her body. A weightlessness took over her and her spirit form began to rise up from her body.
She had almost forgotten what it felt like to separate from her physical body. It was freedom, lightness, euphoric even.
"Stay close to me", Snape whispered by her side. He was once more surrounded by the deep red glow, just as she was covered in her own orange/yellow light. A tether of solid red magic seeped from him, wrapping around her like a rope.
"What's this?" She poked at the line and her finger phased through it like water.
"It will allow me to steer you as we travel and stop you from drifting off." He began to rise up into the dark starry sky above them. The red rope tightened around Hermione and she began to rise with him. A pop sounded, as if they bursted through a bubble and then they were off.
The speeds with which they traveled across the Astral plane were disorienting, setting her mind to a dizzying spin, and turning her stomach to clenching knots. Trying to look around and observe her surroundings was just as bad, if not worse, since it made her head throb painfully. She ended up just closing her eyes, praying that it would be all over soon.
She leaned into the magical cord around her, her body going limp. She was miserable, her head hurt, and she knew the minute they touched down she was going to hurl. Now, she could admit that she was also extremely glad and relieved that Snape had demanded to tag along. Without him here, she knew she would have been overwhelmed within the first few seconds of her voyage and lost to the yawning depths of this ever-expanding plane. It might hurt her pride, but she would definitely have to thank him for his pushiness later on.
A small eternity later, they finally landed. Snape's feet gracefully floated down onto the sandy shore of the imitation Black Lake first. Not even a second behind him, Hermione landed with a thump to her knees. As she had predicted, the minute her mind processed that she had stopped moving, she began to dry heave and gasp for breath. She didn't doubt that had she been in procession of her real body, she would have been emptying the contents of her stomach all over this fake lakeshore.
Snape, curse him, looked as if he didn't even have a hair out of place. Bastard. At least he kept quiet, giving her time to pull herself together and struggle back to her feet. Of course he didn't offer her a hand.
Dusting herself off, she took a wobbly step up to his side.
"Look over there," he told her, pointing to a bright colorful blob further down the shore. Her eyes squinted, but couldn't make anything out.
"I can't see anything."
"Come."
He began briskly walking down the shore towards the blob, and as they got closer, said colorful blob, turned into the blurry figure of a blond woman in blue robes, kneeling in the sand, drawing in the sand with a stick. She too was glowing, though Hermione couldn't get a good look at the colors of her aura yet.
"Fera," Hermione whispered, excitement bubbled up within her. She picked up her pace, eager to reunite with her friend.
"Fera," she repeated a little louder, but the blond witch didn't look up. Fera continued with her task, scratching out what looked like arithmancy equations into the sand.
Hermione stepped a little closer to get a look at her friend's work. The witch was practically surrounded with number lines and runes, drawn in tight circles that radiated outward. There were six, maybe eight feet of curving equations separating the two of them.
"Fera," she tried again to get her attention, but was promptly shushed. Hermione sighed, then looked back at her professor who was watching them with interest. She motioned towards a large boulder not to far away.
"Come on. Let's go wait for her to finish over there."
Snape crossed his arms in disapproval. "Miss Granger, we don't have time to wait for your friend to finish drawing in the sand like a three year old. We can't linger here."
"Look," Hermione replied, "I know we have limited time, but there is no talking to Fera when she gets like this. We're just going to have to wait it out, and hope that she comes up for air soon."
"You are her friend, are you not? Just explain that we can't wait around for her."
"I already told you, she won't hear me. She stuck in her head right now. Nothing short of her dying will distract her, and even then, I'm sure she'd come back as a ghost just so she could finish." Hermione took a seat on the boulder, laying on her back so she could stare at the twinkling black sky above her.
After a moment she lifted her head. "Coming?" she asked him, patting the empty spot next to her. "She should be finished in a little bit." She dropped her head back down, not looking to see if Snape would take her advice. She wasn't going to worry about it. Either he would or he wouldn't. It was his choice.
There was movement to her left, and she could see a white shirt out of the corner of her eye. She smiled to herself.
"How long do these bouts usually last?" he asked gruffly.
"Depends." She shrugged. "Sometimes only minutes, sometimes for days—"
"DAYS—"
Hermione held up her hands. "I don't think this one will take that long. Do you see that line of runes over there?" She pointed to a set of runes a little further from the number lines. "She usually doesn't add in runes unless she's coming to a conclusion of some sort. So she should be done shortly."
"So you say."
"So I know," she bluffed. The truth was, she had no idea when Fera would be done. The woman was entirely unpredictable, but something told her that letting that fact slip to her professor would lead to a nasty confrontation that Hermione wanted to avoid.
She was hoping the two would at least partially get along. If all went according to plan Snape would be working with her on the Reservoir stone, but first Fera had to approve of him and that wouldn't happen if the two tried to hex each other into oblivion.
The minutes ticked by slowly, punctuated occasionally by Fera's obscure mutterings. Hermione could tell that her professor was quickly losing his patience with both her and Fera. She could sense the tension coiling within him, ready to strike out like a cobra.
He moved as if to get up and she quickly grabbed his arm. "Please, she really is almost done. Just hold on for a little bit more."
He glared at her hand then back at her. "We don't have time for this, Granger. The longer we stay on the Astral Plane the greater the pull to drift will become."
Her grip tightened on his arm and she stared pleadingly at him, begging him silently to wait a little longer.
A loud, "Damn it to the bowels of Hell!" from down the shore had them both turning towards Fera. Hermione released a sigh of relief. If Fera was talking again then she was approachable once more.
"It looks like Fera is done. Can you wait here while I talk to her? This won't take long," she said to him.
"You have ten minutes to ask what you need to ask." He took out a pocket watch as if he were going to time her.
Hermione gaped at him. "Ten minutes?! But that's hardly any time at all!"
"We've lingered here too long, Granger. I can't keep both of us tethered here forever," he snapped. "You would have had more than enough time to talk to her if you hadn't insisted we laze about on the rocks."
"Talking to her while she's distracted would have been pointless!" she argued.
Snape wouldn't hear any of it. He crossed his arms, his face setting in a mulish expression. "You have ten minutes Granger. Ten. And then we'll be leaving, whether you're finished or not."
"Fine!" She threw her hands up in the air, exasperated, then turned on her heel to stomp away.
"It's not like this research is important or anything. I'm sure ten minutes will be more than enough time to figure out how to save the bloody world," she mumbled sarcastically, making sure she was just loud enough for him to hear.
The angry growl she heard in response made her feel only marginally better.
As Hermione got closer, she could finally make out her old mentor properly. She looked much the same as she had in person. Her blond hair was just as long as before, and her eyes were just as clear and blue as ever. The only marked difference was she was now surrounded by a light orange glow that was streaked with dark reds, cloudy blues, and hundreds of black spots.
It was the spots of black that Hermione worried about the most. She didn't know what they meant specifically, but she knew enough to know that colors that dark in a persons aura were never good.
"Useless! Completely useless!" Fera shouted, waving her hand at the sand below her and just like that, all of her hard work was gone. The sand was back to its pristine and untouched state.
"Why'd you get rid of it?" Hermione inquired.
"It did not work. Why should I keep it?" Fera grumbled, then looked up as if finally seeing her for the first time. She smiled brightly.
"Watson! You are just in time. I want you to look at something for me—" Fera pointed down at the sand where her work had been, then seeing it cleared away she sighed. "Damn…what did I put down?"
Hermione patted Fera's shoulder as she had done a million times before. "I'm sure you'll remember it later on."
Fera shrugged gracefully. "Possibly, or possibly not. It does not matter. It was a useless problem anyway." She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "…I think."
"I'm sure it couldn't have been entirely useless. Nothing is ever entirely useless when it comes to research."
Fera scoffed. "You'd be surprised at how many entirely useless things I run into on a daily basis, especially within my research." She paused and her blue eyes critically raked over Hermione. "You have used some of my hair. Why?"
"I needed to talk with you."
Fera waved her off. "Need is a relative term. You cannot have gotten that far into my notes. Only a few months have passed here, so I imagine even less time has passed in the real world."
"A little over three weeks."
"And you are already crying for help? Great gods, girl. Did your brains not cross into the real world with you?" Fera tsked, shaking her head.
"Oh hush! I haven't even started working on your research yet. I've been too busy finishing my exams."
"Then why in Morgana's name did you contact me?"
"I wanted to ask your opinion on where you think I should start again. Or if there's any ideas you wanted to share with me, regarding the Reservoir Stone. But mostly, it's because I promised not to include anyone else unless I got your prior approval."
Fera tilted her head. "Oh, you already have a potential partner in mind?"
"Well, Headmaster Dumbledore was going to be one of them," Hermione began.
"Dumbledore. I recall you mentioning that name to me before. The leader of your Order." The blond raised a hand when Hermione went to say something about the Headmaster. "No, no need to tell me about him. I am not truly interested in this Dumbledore character unless he is the partner you have in mind."
"No, he has already expressed a desire to be kept in the dark when it comes to the stone's production."
A knowing smile spread on Fera's face. "My, my. That is interesting. Perhaps your little Order will do as well as you had hoped."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Nothing, my dear. So, if not Dumbledore, then who do you have your eyes set on?"
Hermione grimaced. "I'm not sure if I would go with that wording exactly, but..." Biting her lip, nervously, Hermione looked down the beach to where Snape was sitting again, staring off into the distance and looking very impatient. "Him. He is—was my Potions Professor."
"Was?"
"I'm no longer a student anymore. Don't ask, it's all a part of Dumbledore's master plan."
"Hmm." Fera looked at the dark wizard curiously, and began walking towards him. Snape rigidly rose from the rock when he spied the two witches headed his way.
Hermione quickly stepped in between them, to make the introductions. She sent a pleading look at Fera, silently begging her to behave. She would've sent one to Snape as well, but she was sure that the professor would go out of his way to do the exact opposite if she had.
"Fera, this is Professor Snape, he teaches at Hogwarts, and is a member of the Order with me." She gestured towards the older witch. "Professor Snape, this is Fera."
Fera circled the professor, examining him as if he were a museum display. He stiffened uncomfortably. "Snape, Snape…why does that name sound so familiar? Ah! Yes! This is the one you dreamt of, correct? The man behind the voice."
Hermione looked between the two Slytherins in a panic. Snape raised a curious eyebrow. "I—I didn't…not like that…" Her cheeks burned and she hurriedly looked away to pin her mentor with a murderous glare. "Fera, where the hell did you get that idea?!"
"From your diary, of course."
"You read my diary! What the Hell!" the younger witch shrieked.
"I was bored," Fera replied as if that explained it all. "Why are you so embarrassed. It is not as if you only dreamt of him. I was there, as well as your little friends, Harry and Robby."
"It's Ron."
"Who?"
"I—never mind. In any case, do I have your approval?" Hermione wouldn't, no couldn't meet the Professor's eyes. If she wasn't so embarrassed at the moment, she would have probably strangled Fera by now, who was already eyeing her professor again as if nothing had happened.
"What kind of man are you, Mr. Snape?" The other witch asked.
"What?" he replied, agitated.
"It is a simple enough question, Mr. Snape," Fera said unaffected by his temper. "What kind of man are you? Are you intelligent or merely smart? Are you loyal? A brash man? Do you like the color purple, etc., etc."
"What is the purpose of these asinine questions?" he said instead. "Or do you just enjoy the sound of your own grating voice?"
"So defensive. Are you always so suspicious of the motives of others?"
"What reason would I have to trust them?"
Fera nodded as if she totally understood, but Hermione wasn't so sure about that. There was a suspicious glint in her eye, a look she only got whenever she wanted to 'joke around' with Hermione. And by joke, she really meant torment. Hermione was pretty sure that it was a Slytherin thing.
"Would it help if I told you some things about myself? A little quid pro quo?" Fera asked innocently.
"It would help if you got to the point," he told her, narrowing his eyes.
She ignored him. "I am fond of moonlit nights, and strawberries. I graduated at the top of my class from Hogwarts and my father tried to kill me. There. Now it is your turn." She motioned for him to pick up where she left off. When he remained silent, she continued.
"Do you need more? Hmm…I had a fiancé before I was trapped in the Soul Book, but my father most likely had him killed and I am not very fond of tomatoes, though Hermione keeps telling me that I should have more variety in my diet." She sighed wistfully. "It was easier when she was there to cook for me though. And you?" She gestured towards him again.
"I have no desire to waste my time prattling on like an old maid," he responded sharply. "Clearly, the Soul Book has addled your mind. Miss Granger, we are leaving."
Fera stepped in front of him before he could go. "Were you raised by a herd of Graphorns? Your manners leave much to be desire."
He glared at her. "I assure you, madame, meeting you has been just as much of a disappointment."
Fera cocked her head to the side. "You are very rude, and angry, and you have a particularly vicious tongue. Was this from a childhood trauma? Bullying, perhaps?"
His hands clenched at his sides, and Hermione was sure that he was close to hexing her friend. "And you are a farcical madwoman with an overestimated intelligence and inflated sense of self worth. Why, Miss Granger hangs onto your every word, I'll never know, nor would I care to find out, as I am sure the answer would be just as insipid as this conversation is turning out to be. Now, if we are finished with this inane heart to heart session, I would like to leave."
Hermione made to intercept Fera when she saw her move, sure that the blond was about to pull out her wand in response to the insult. But no wands were pulled out, instead Fera folded in half, laughter bubbling from her throat.
"Farcical madwoman, indeed!" she laughed brightly. She clapped Hermione on the shoulder, pointing her thumb at a thunderstruck Snape. "I like him. He is very witty. I approve."
"What—really?" Hermione asked, still trying to process what had just occurred.
"Approval? What are you talking about now?" Snape demanded of Fera, who was already walking away.
She waved at them, as her body began to disappear from the Astral Plane. "Wonderful meeting you Mr. Snape. Do watch over Hermione for me, will you?" She winked at him. "And Hermione, wonderful choice, my dear. I imagine that you two working together will yield…intriguing results. I wish you luck, my dears, for you will need it."
"Wait Fera, about your notes," Hermione began.
"You will figure it out," she told her with a mischievous smile, "after all, you have yourself a proper partner now. Ta-ta."
And she was gone.
"I—" Hermione started to say something, anything to fill the vacuum of awkward silence that just descended on them.
Snape looked like he wanted to say more. To flood her with the questions about what had just occurred, but even more than that, he looked unsettled, like the rug had just been pulled out from under his feet. So he settled with saying, "Let's go, Granger. We've been here long enough."
The two returned to their bodies in a rush. Hermione staggered to her feet, her eyes sluggishly opening just in time to see the dark wizard rushing from the room.
"Professor?" she called out, stumbling after him blindly.
He turned back to her sharply. "Go back to Hogwarts," he told her, then continued on his way, not waiting for her response.
"But…" she said, then stopped when she realized he was well out of ear shot. Faintly she heard the sound of feet rushing up stairs and the front door being slammed closed. "Well, I guess I'll be seeing you back at Hogwarts then," she sighed.
She walked back into the lab, cleaning out the wooden bowl and putting it and the jug away. When that was done, she began gathering up her robes and bag. She paused when she saw his robes and frock coat folded on the floor in a far corner. Deliberating for only a second, she decided to grab his clothes as well, and stuffed them into her bag to give to him later.
With everything all set and put away, she went back to the sitting room's Floo, her feet dragging. The day had been too long, and she was too tired to think about anything other than her bed.
Tomorrow, she promised herself as she slowly trudged back into Gryffindor tower and up to her room. She would deal with it tomorrow.
A/N: Poor Snape just wasn't prepared for Fera and now he has to mentally recoup.
Hoped you liked Fera's return and it seems like she's already got her own opinions on Hermione choice of partners...whatever those are ;)
Up next: Hogsmeade with Tonks, and Blaise acts 'friendly'.
As always, review~