Interrogation

AN: Just to make sure everyone knows, this story is AU and does not include any happenings from HBP and DH.

Chapter 3

"Hermione, Hermione Granger."

Severus focused on her voice, now that it was not strained and hoarse; it had a lovely smoky quality to it. The thought about her voice brought forth the memory of the last time he had spoken to this girl. She had said she loved his voice. Not only that, but she named him. Curious. Severus desperately wanted the medi-witch gone so he could question the little witch.

Madam Pomfrey continued oblivious to Severus' inner thoughts. "And how old are you, Hermione?" She asked politely, quill posed to write down the information on her file.

"I've just turned 19 actually. I was somewhat old for my class." Hermione blushed with embarrassment, feeling suddenly shy.

"And what year are you in school?" Pomfrey continued, looking curiously at the girl who was older than she had originally thought.

"Erm…I'm actually not in school anymore, I graduated early. There were other things that needed my full attention…circumstances and such…" Hermione trailed off. She wasn't sure how much she really wanted to divulge to the medi-witch and Snape. She knew that the Madam Pomfrey in her time at least was an incorrigible gossip, and Snape, well, Snape was Snape. She had to figure out his current loyalties before she decided to give him hers.

"And I don't suppose you would like to tell us a bit about what happened?" Pomfrey asked quietly, casting a sympathetic eye on the bed ridden girl.

Tears welled unbidden in Hermione's eyes. She clenched her jaw and squeezed her hands into fists willing the tears away. She would not cry. She just couldn't. If she did, she was afraid she would never stop. 'Oh Harry! I hope you are alright!'

Severus avidly watched her reaction to the question, until he noticed the half healed wounds of her hands bleeding through the bandages. She had clenched her fists so tightly she had re-split the skin.

"Madam, I think you may need to re-dress her hands. They seem to have bled through.

Poppy startled in her chair, glancing quickly down at Hermione's hands. "Oh dear! You must not tense up! You will only hurt yourself more." Pomfrey tsked as she went to get more bandages.

Severus surprised himself when he reached out to the girl and rested his hand on hers. Hermione's eyes immediately shot open and focused with open shock on Severus' face. His eyes seemed to mirror the feeling. 'What in the bloody blazes am I doing?' Severus' mind shouted at him. Still, he did not remove his hand, but he did look away.

"So you won't clench anymore." Severus muttered, the excuse sounding horribly lame to his own ears. Glancing up at the girl through his curtain of silken black hair he was surprised to see a softening around her features and the slight smile that tilted her lips.

"Thanks." Came her soft reply and he couldn't help the slight twitch of pleasure the shook his hand at the sound of her voice. Not to mention the fact that she took his words at face value, not wanting to embarrass him more. He found himself utterly intrigued by the injured witch.

Poppy soon came bustling back and quickly set Hermione to rights. Severus took his chance to try and be alone with the witch to question her.

"Madam Pomfrey, Dumbledore wanted to know right away when she woke up, and I have been told not to leave, perhaps you could go and fetch him?" Severus asked in silken tones, looking as innocent as he could.

Hermione wasn't fooled; she knew that tone of voice. In Snape speak that tone meant 'I want to do something you won't let me do, so please would you kindly get out of my sight?'

Pomfrey apparently wasn't as up as she was on Snape speak. She praised Severus on being so insightful and thanked him for reminding her before flouncing out of the Hospital wing.

Inwardly Hermione cringed. Snape had turned all his considerable concentration on her. Even in this younger version, it still was enough to shake most people.

Sighing heavily, she decided to just get it over with. It was painfully obvious he wanted to ask her questions. That, however, did not mean she had to answer them. "Go ahead. I know you are dying to interrogate me." Hermione spoke softly with a resigned tint to her words.

Severus was taken aback. 'How had she…she acted as if she knows me, again…' his eyes narrowed.

"Who are you really? Why are you acting so familiar towards me? I know I have never met you before. I think I would remember such an atrocious amount of wild hair." Severus sneered. He figured that was caustic enough to make up for his earlier screw-up with the whole hand thing. However, her response was not what he expected. She laughed. Laughed!

Hermione couldn't help herself. That comment was just so vintage Snape that she couldn't hold it in. It almost felt like coming home. Back in her own time, Severus had been forced to pair with Hermione during the war effort, to combine Arithmancy, Charms, and Potions to try and create an advantage over the enemy. Arithmancy being Hermione's strong suite, Potions his obviously, and they both had a fair hand at Charms. During that time, she had formed an odd sort of friendship with the prickly man, and came to care a good deal about him. However, one of his favorite insults had been about the wildness of her hair. The thought brought a grin to her face as her coughing fit subsided. Laughing apparently wasn't the best thing to do right now.

Severus was so startled when she started to laugh that he simply stared at her gob smacked. Then when she started to cough, he reacted on auto pilot, hand reaching to cup her head and lift while offering a soothing drink of cool water. In the back of his mind he registered that the mass of curls was actually very soft and springy to the touch, not at all like the steel wool he expected them to be. Realizing he was lingering over her and that his fingers were playing with her curls, Severus jumped back as if burned. The small grin on her face told him all he needed to know. His cheeks flamed.

With a slight growl, he threw himself back into his chair ready to spit more vitriol at this irritating witch to try and sooth his ruffled feathers. He hated being off balance, and this little slip of a thing seemed to revel in throwing him such. Not to mention she seemed to know exactly what buttons to push. How did she know him so well?

Taking pity on the boy, since that was what he was, she had to remind herself that this was not her Severus, she decided to change the subject and toss him a hint.

"What is that date today?" Hermione asked with complete innocence, as if it was her right to ask, considering she had been unconscious for so long.

Seeming to think nothing of it, Severus promptly answered. "It's June 3. Exams are going to be coming up soon." That thought had his mind wandering down his mental study guide. Her next question brought him up short and he glanced sharply at her.

"And, by chance, what year is it?" Hermione asked again with complete innocence but her eyes never strayed from his as he narrowed them at her.

"Why would you need to know that? I don't believe that Pomfrey said you have amnesia…" the suspicion was clearly visible on Severus' face. He knew there was something odd about her. And she seemed to be dropping him hints. 'But why? What is she playing at?'

"Come closer, my throat is hurting again, and I would rather whisper." Hermione asked politely, hiding the grin that wanted to escape. Her eyes sparkled with mischief.

Knowing that this wasn't the best idea, but curious all the same, Severus leaned over until his face hovered over hers and his hair curtained them both.

"I knew you Severus Tobias Snape. I knew you very well indeed. However, I suppose I can't transpose you on your older version now can I? I am looking forward to getting to know this young version of you as well." And with that she quickly lifted her face and planted a quick kiss on the stunned face of Severus Snape. Flopping back against the pillows, completely drained from the exertion of lifting her head, she grinned cheekily up at him and winked. She knew she would never have plucked up the courage to do that to her Severus. Not to mention that he would have flayed her alive.

Severus sprung backwards, foot catching on his chair leg, sending him sprawling out onto the floor, just as Dumbledore and Pomfrey walked back into the wing.

Snape let out an impressive string of curses that caused Hermione to giggle and Pomfrey to blush. Dumbledore simply shook his head and sucked on a lemon drop, before bidding Severus to 'sit on his chair like a civilized person and to please stop teaching our new guest such creative language.'

"Hello my dear. How are you feeling? You seem to have been through quite a bit." Dumbledore kindly asked as he sat himself in the chair that Poppy had previously occupied.

Hermione simply nodded. She knew Dumbledore well too. And she knew that the doddering old man act was simply that. An act. She didn't particularly feeling like playing along either.

Dumbledore, sensing that he was not going to get her to lower her guard even the slightest, cleared his throat and sat up a touch straighter. He focused on Hermione's face, and noticed that she refused to look directly into his eyes. Curious. She seemed to know about his legilimency.

"I hear that your name is Hermione Granger, and that you are 19 years old and no longer in school, is that correct?" Dumbledore spoke with authority, but no unkindly. He also did not look away from her face.

"Yes." Hermione simply replied. If he wanted more answers, he would have to stop asking yes or no questions.

Out of the corner of her eye she could see Snape suppress a smirk. Dumbledore seemed to have noticed too, and Severus quickly wiped his features clear.

Raising an eyebrow at him, Dumbledore turned his considerable attention back to Hermione.

"Where did you go to school?" he asked out of curiosity.

Once again, Hermione was at an impasse. She knew that if she told Dumbledore, then everything would come out. Toying with Snape was one thing. Telling Dumbledore was entirely different. He could be willing to listen to her, and perhaps change things with the knowledge she could give him. Or, he could be strict to the laws of time and even go so far as to kill her here to keep whatever knowledge she had locked away. It was a daunting decision.

"I would rather not say at the moment, sir." Hermione answered truthfully. However, even her non-answer was too much information to a discerning individual. And Dumbledore, not to mention Snape, fit that description well.

Snape started in his chair, the final piece of the puzzle falling into place for him. Dumbledore simply 'hummed' and sucked on another lemon drop.

"You know very well who I am don't you my dear? The way you are acting seems to lead to that fact, curious indeed. Well then, I suppose I shall not dissemble and let you know where you are etcetera. However, you are probably wondering what year it is?" Dumbledore asked the ever present twinkle sparking in his blue eyes.

Hermione allowed a small grin to grace her features, her own eyes lighting up slightly. 'He was going to be ok with her being there, at least for now.'

"Yes Headmaster, I was actually."

"Well, my dear, welcome to June 3, 1976." Dumbledore beamed at her.