-1Chapter 3

The Lamb Tempts The Lion

HPOV

Hermione awoke, stretched, and then realized that she was curled around another figure, stealing him of his warmth. Somewhere, deep in her mind, something had been screaming, and now that ghastly presence decided to flood her mind with images of last night: Professor Snape, rubbing cream into her side. His slightly calloused fingers working the creams nimbly into her skin, deliciously close to her breast. But instead of looking aroused, he did this with a look of utter concentration on his face. Then she was slowly drifting off to sleep as he rubbed in the last cream.

After the phantom flashbacks she realized she had never put on a shirt, but a black button-down shirt provided a layer of material between her and this stiff sleeping male. Then she duly noted that she was curled around her professor, one leg entwined with his. It was nice, but she immediately removed it, because upon waking she knew he'd be angry.

She slowly walked from the dark bedroom, into the sitting room, she was wearing her green silk nightgown, the one that went with the robe, it had a very small sleeve and went down to her knees. She went into the bathroom, to take a look at the ruined silk. And realized that it had been saved. The robe was standing straight and perfect on a hook on the back of the bathroom door. She walked into the sitting room once again, and sat down.

Severus woke up, one of the happiest men in the world, he was entwined with a beautiful woman, and…

Fuck! he thought. She's a student, and I'm curled around her like a lover. I'll stay still and pretend this is not a conscious effort. He stiffened as the enchantress woke up, but kept his breathing even. He watched her by the pale illumination of the bathroom.

Hermione sighed, as the fire built up, and crackled. She didn't know his house elves name, so she couldn't even get coffee, but Snape was healed. It had only taken a day. She heard a loud crack from the bedroom, and bolted into the room. Snape, had gotten up, and apparently the curses after effects took over. The crack she heard was his skull hitting the edge of the dresser. The gaping wound now bleeding profusely, and his face loosing most color. She grabbed her wand from on top the dresser, and concentrated, infragilis, Then grabbed him once more, this time she was able to straddle his body, and hold him in a vice grip hug, with his head next to her. It was an intimate position, but, no worse than that of yesterday.

The shudders subsided, and then ceased and she raised up, leaving his top half alone on the floor, though she was still straddling him. He looked up at her. A look of confusion quickly spreading across his face. She unlocked her bottom half from him, and ended up kneeling next to him. Placing her arm behind his back, she helped him bend up. She spoke the word episky as if it were air, and then the wound on his face was gone.

"Miss Granger, I usually only have these terrors about a week sometimes two, but, I have no physical evidence at all. How long was I unconscious?" He asked voice hoarse, but eyes, piercing.

"Three hours, Professor." She said with a thread of happiness.

"Dare I ask, how I am healed?" He said with his confusion showing in his voice now.

"I found a spell, called The Curatio, and did a version of it. It worked on the outside, but…"

"Are you aware Miss Granger, exactly what type of magic you have to have, and how powerful you must be for it to have worked?" He said without looking at her.

"All the text said was that you had to be pure of mind, body, soul, and motive." She answered back.

"That is a spell that only works with elemental magic. And it has to be powerful. Tell me, what did you feel when you did the spell?" he spoke cautiously.

"First, fire, all I could smell was ash, and smoke. Then water, it felt like there was wind coming from my body, but the wind was thick and was actually water. Bubbles rose when I spoke. Why?" She said truthfully.

"That means you harness, more than one of the elemental magic's, You possess at least water, and fire, usually they do not come together, but when they do they are usually accompanied by all the signs. The spell you used would only work if you had elemental magic inside you, and I believe the spell made the magic rear it's head. That spell was never tested, because almost all of the people who had elemental magic's, used them nefariously. Therefore, they were no longer pure. I believe the reason why you bruised and I did not was because, you used so much energy up on me. You need to concentrate on an area, for an extended period of time, to take away everything. I'm guessing being the person you are, you ran into my room and just used it again, which took too much of your energy." He saw her emotions rise and fall, all passing across her face, and nothing staying long enough to identify. "We must inform the headmaster of this. Right now. He will need to find a teacher suitable of teaching you to tame, your… newly acquired skills."

"Alright." She spoke hesitantly, scared of what this would do to her studies. Snape was being nice, by his standards, that meant something was going to happen she wasn't going to like.

They both got dressed in something comfortable and equally shocking. Snape had donned a black muggle sweater, a pair of form fitting dark blue jeans, and black boots. Hermione wore a dark green silk shirt that was a v-neck wrap. Her skirt was dark blue denim, and it was short. She finished it off with tan high heeled sandals. Letting her glide in front the saw her sway her hips, and realized she didn't walk like a child anymore. The sudden change in fashion, the new attitude, and even the way her hair fell was now very becoming of her.

They walked through the corridors in silence. Until they hit the gargoyles and she waived her hand and said the words "Tootsie Rolls" The gargoyles moved and the staircase started ascending with a bewildered Snape, and a confident Hermione.

Albus Dumbledore, looked up from his desk in time to see a confounded Severus, and Hermione… but she wasn't acting the same. She looked different, the style was unusual of her, and her presence used to be understated, now her power prickled the air.

"Headmaster, something has happened. I think you need to be aware of." Severus started.

"I am aware something has happened, Severus. It is as plain as the nose on your face, what I am not aware of is what has happened. Though I am surprised and delighted to see you up and around, just last night you were pained on the floor." Albus stated and confusion, and pride pricked each word.

"She used the curatio spell, and revealed fire and water. As elemental magic's are unpredictable, she will need guidance, and I beg you to think past the first option you're considering." Hermione sat in silence, and listened to her professor, and Dumbledore talk listening intently, but not understanding some of what they said.

"Severus there is no one else as adapt at this in this castle. Or even out of it. It would take months to find someone else willing to do it. Would you subject anyone to living with this untamed magic?"

"No." he said softly

"Then I suppose you know what must be done?" the headmaster, said. Hermione looked despondent. Snape knew how this conversation must sound.

"Yes," he said, sounding defeated.

"Good. I'm pleased we were able to come to an understanding," he said. "Lemon Drop?" Dumbledore asked, the signature twinkle in his eyes flaring, and he smiled sweetly down at Hermione.

"No thank you, Headmaster, I do believe I need to brief our young Miss Granger…." The Headmaster raised a hand to cut Severus off.

"I do believe with the new arrangements you should call her Hermione, and she should call you Severus. Also, I don't believe she can be categorized as young in any essence anymore. She is almost nineteen, due to use of the time turner." Somehow Hermione knew he was talking about more than age.

"As you wish Headmaster, I must brief Hermione," the name sounded weird coming from his thin lips. "on everything we have decided." He walked out, stiffly, and Hermione followed him, looking weary.

Once out of the descending staircase, they walked through the brightly lit corridors in silence. Once they reached the dungeon, Hermione couldn't take it any longer, and finally spoke up.

"What were you guys talking about? Can I still go to school?"

Severus chuckled, then turned it into a cough at the distressed look on her face. "Miss… Hermione, I believe we just decided a change of chambers and teachers is in order."

"Oh no, please tell me I won't have to go live with Professor Trelawney, I don't think I would keep my sanity. Or Professor McGonagall I would never be able to relax." She looked at him with pure dread.

"No. Although I don't know if you will find this option any less unpleasant. You will have to stay with me. I must teach you how to control the magic's power. In fact, you may have to stay here throughout the school year. Elemental Magics are strange and unpredictable things. They are wild, and natural disasters have happened because of training or lack thereof."

She beamed at that. Professor Snape had not been horrible to her last night, and he was easier to talk to than McGonagall, and he was also not as nutty as Professor Trelawney. "Yes, Professor, I will be begging the old bat Trelawney to teach me." She said this with a grin on her face.

A small twitch of his lips showed his version of a smile, but then it was gone. They walked into the dungeons, and he ushered her into the sitting room. He conjured up tea and biscuits. She ate ravenously, and eventually was full. She noticed that he was slowly slumping in his chair and falling asleep. She leaned him back, and she saw he had a pained expression on his face. She only thought I wish I knew what was the matter, then she was falling.

Falling. When we fall, we are afraid, but not of the actual falling, but of the inevitability of impact. Hermione Granger fell into Severus Snape's dream and found herself staring at someone who was unmistakably him, but it was him at her age. He was in his Prefect's chambers. A four poster bed, a dresser, a bookshelf, an armchair and a fireplace were all that populated it. He was sitting on the edge of the bed. He looked younger, and like he experienced too much ridicule, and not enough praise. A single tear escaped his obsidian eyes. She thought about how she had got there and realized all she had to do was think of something and it came true. She thought: I wish I knew what he is thinking about. Then his thoughts pummeled over her.

Dream Sequence

Well why would she like you? You've never been liked, not even by your own parents. Why would that change because you had feelings for this girl. Well it's good anyway; you can't get hurt if you don't let people in. Why start now. They will never love you, they will never care about you, no one will. Why think something different could possibly happen. Just because you want it to? Yeah okay, and Potter doesn't snog Lily Evans. This world is cruel to you, why not be cruel to it. No hugs, no kisses, not even as a child, not even as a baby. Beatings! Cruelty! Insults! That's what you've grown accustomed to since you were just three years old.

Then the dream changed and she saw a smiling Snape holding a gorgeous woman by a fire, wedding rings on both of their hands. The woman was slim, but not too slim. She had long brown hair, and glowing green eyes. She wore a simple black, silk nightie, and she was as pale as Snape.

"Where's Serena?" Snape asked the woman.

"She's asleep. Does that mean I get to perform my wifely duties?" She asked, apparently eager.

Snape's answer was cut off by the opening bang of the front door. Lucius Malfoy strode in, followed by the rest of the death eater clan. He begged God for it not to be true, but here he was standing in a house with a baby, and a woman who loved him, but did not know of his darker side.

"Well hello, Severus. We have not met your wife, and we thought it rude not to introduce her to Lord Voldemort." Lord Voldemort strode into the room, on his own power, and sniffed his disproval.

Severus went to comfort his wife, but, being close to the Dark Lord, he couldn't contain the disillusionment charm on his Dark Mark tattoo, and it glowed dark and perfect on his forearm. His wife shied away in horror. He felt his heart breaking as he blacked out for a couple of minutes. The next thing he knew, he woke up to Serena- a mere baby, his baby, only three months old- was dead next to him. Lucius was across the room, unmistakably forcing himself on Severus' wife while she begged Severus to stop him. An Avada Kedavra later, and he vowed off family….

His thoughts broke over Hermione.

I will never love again. I will never let myself love again. Serena's dead eyes; Susan screaming my name, begging me to help, and I doing nothing, staying still, staying quiet. Death would be easier. I should have protected them and died trying. No one will miss me, no one will care. I don't matter...

I need to die. I crave the release. I could throw myself off a balcony, or just go into one of the death- eater- meetings and tell them I'm a spy for the enemy. That would surely get me killed, and if I'm not ready for slow and painful, then I'm not ready to die. But I am ready for slow and painful if it would just stop my daughter…

HPOV

Hermione thought, I need to get out of here, and she was back in the sitting room. She realized she had been crying. Thick trails of tears ran down her face, as wide as a river, and she thought with all her might that she needed to make him better. She would show him love, and she would make him love her in return. She thought one word to him as he slept:: love. Then she returned to her chair to watch him sleep. He looked so peaceful, the lines in his face gone, his hair falling into his face. While still looking at him she started to cry again. She finally understood why this man was the way he was. She now knew why he functioned in this way, but death was not the answer.

Then, as if he felt her eyes on him, he awoke, looking peaceful. He saw her, and walked over to her. "This day must have been as draining on you as it was on me. The headmaster stated we must sleep in the same room just in case anything should happen in the middle of the night. I will transfigure a bed for you."

Severus Snape transfigured a bed for her with green, silk bed sheets, and golden pillows. Too tired to even wonder why he did that, she headed into the bathroom to change. This time she donned a green silk nightshirt embroidered with gold and silver, and matching pants. She also realized that he must have seen her nightclothes, and that was the reason why her bed was set up in those colors. Her mother liked her in green, and she loved silk.

Therefore, most of her muggle clothes were either silk, green, or both.

She walked into the bedroom and found Snape casting a charm on the bed, to make the transfiguration hold, wearing only black pajama pants. She found herself fascinated by his upper body. His pale form accentuated by the black line of his pants. She found herself facinated by his back, he was quite muscular, they were moving fluidly under his skin, as he flicked his wrist.

They both laid down on the bed, and she got a book out of one of her suitcases. She got comfortable on the bed and read, not even aware of the two eyes that were burning their way up and down every inch of her body….

SPOV

Severus woke up to a crying Hermione. Damn I didn't even think. I should have set a bed up for her. Dumbledore already knows, so what is the point in delaying the inevitable. He looked into her eyes as he moved closer, and told her he would transfigure a bed for her. He did so, and then remembered her other pajamas the house elves had brought. They were all green. She headed into the bathroom to get changed and he could almost hear her think, she was concentrating so hard.

She came back in and lay down. Then she thought better of it and grabbed a book to get comfortable with. She was lying with her right leg bent with her foot on her knee. He eyed her hair, which was less frizzy than before. Her attire suited her. Though Hermione would never believe it, she had the ability to manipulate more than one elemental magic. That alone was taxing. But there was not one person whom harbored such magic that had not turned dark. Even if it was only for a short time