The large black screen hung in front of us again. I was being coached by Snape to bring fourth images upon it, but I was having a hard time concentrating seeing as I had no idea what to bring or even how to start putting images on it. Sitting there, a small headache forming, I glared at the screen, my mind just as blank and had no idea what he expected to see, but I tried. For the life of me I tried, wishing and hoping that something would pop up there.
"It should come easily. Naturally." He hissed into my ear as he stood right beside me. I scoffed.
"Obviously it isn't." I said. "I really have no idea what I'm doing, Snape. Why even bother anymore? You know very well I can't do-"
"-Can't?" He grabbed my shoulder and turned me around, my headache lifting finally as my gaze tore away from the screen.
"Can't?" He repeated again and judging by the incredulous look on his face I gathered it was something he was shocked to hear. I lifted my shoulders up to my ears, shrugging his hand away from my arm.
"I can't." I told him, stressing it this time, and he grabbed at his neck, dropping his head.
"Let me remind you that you've never backed away from a challenge, and you've always succeeded." His voice was low, almost disappointed in me. "Alright." He said, sounding defeated. "Get us out of here." He sighed heavily and without much hassle, we were back in his quarters. His room had been tidied up since the last time we saw it, tables, chairs and papers in order. I sat down immediately and watched as he paced, back and fourth across the room at a slow pace.
"I'm sorry, sir." I said, feeling it was the right thing to say just then though I wasn't sure I was. He looked at me for a second, but quickly looked away.
"It's strange." He said. "I half expected your mind to be full of books, not a cinema screen." He came to a stop next to his fireplace and stared into it. There were no flames, but I could almost see the reflection of them being dreamt in his eyes.
"Books?" I asked.
"Have they failed to tell you of your love of reading?" He glanced at me again, then again looked away just as fast. "Your knowledge had been a comfort to me in this time. Knowing that you were with Potter, something had allowed me to worry less, but now I'm afraid we're all in more danger."
A guilt rose in me, though I knew I couldn't help it. Was I really that much of a help to whatever was happening? Ginny had said a little about it, and just yesterday I had heard the fighting happening, but I couldn't imagine how any of my help would have helped any of this.
"I'm lost, sir." I said. "I've been told little about Voldemort and I'm clueless as to what this war is even about."
Snape turned away from the fireplace and took one long look at me.
"What have you been told?" He asked.
"Ginny mentioned that Voldemort had killed Harry's parents and failed to kill him, and I guess that he's after Harry?"
"Voldemort never intended to kill Harry's parents." He began. "He was after Harry, having heard a prophecy that foretold his own end. James and Lily only got in the way." He spat the sentence as if it burned his tongue. He took in a deep breath, closing his eyes in one small blink.
"As for the war itself, our Dark Lord feels it's important to bring justice to those who deserve it. He believes in purity, of restoring our world to what it once was."
"And this is..." I hesitated, still not grasping onto what he was trying to say. "...bad?"
Snape pressed his lips together and looked at me again. I could see he was fighting with himself on what to say, but I didn't hurry him.
"It's not as simple as good or bad. In fact there's as much good in it as there is bad. It all depends on who you are as a wizard and how you were brought up."
Grasping nothing from what he had just said, I decided it was best not to ask another question, not wanting myself to leave here feeling twice as confused as I did now. Snape pressed himself away from the fireplace and walked over to me, his arms crossing in front of his chest and he stood only inches away. His dark eyes had captured mine once more and for a moment I thought he was going to pull us back into my memories, make me work on drawing up images on the screen again, but was relieved when he didn't mutter the magic words that allowed that to happen.
"I have a feeling that as soon as the Dark Lord finds out what has happened, as soon as he realizes the stronghold in Potter's protection has lost her memories, he'll try to use you to his advantage. As such, I'm not always going to be there to protect you or help you so it is imperative that you spend your time wisely."
"How?" I asked. "How will this 'Dark Lord' use me?"
"You're Muggle-born, Hermione. Normally that would put you at a disadvantage, a breed of witch that has always been on the-"
"-Muggle-born?" How much did I forget? The word was as foreign to me, sounding like another language in my ears.
"Merlin." Snape heaved a sigh, sounding annoyed that I didn't know the meaning.
"A Muggle is a being who fails to possess any kind of magic within them. Non-wizarding humans. Two Muggles get together and have a magical being-" He presented his hand over me, "-makes a Muggle-born."
"Oh." I beamed, happy to finally understand something. "So my parents aren't wizard or witch." I reiterated, showing that I understood. He gave a slight nod of his head.
"What about you?" I asked. He hesitated on answering, and when he did, spoke so quietly I had to strain to hear him.
"My heritage is not important to the matter at hand."
I had struck a sour point judging by the look on his face and the sudden rigid form he took.
"Alright." I began a slow saunter around his room for no particular reason other than to step away from him. "So I'm Muggle-born. What does this have to do with Voldemort using me?"
Snape shrugged slightly, watching me carefully as if my moving around made him uncomfortable.
"I do not know. Beyond the fact that he doesn't like Muggle-borns in the first place, there's no saying what he'd do with a Muggle-born that doesn't remember anything. He has not called upon me since we left him last night."
"Does he call upon you often?"
Snape shifted, another sign of growing uncomfortable and he sneered.
"Lost your memory yet you're still as curious as ever." He mumbled. I caught it and smirked at him.
"I take it I haven't lost all parts of me then?" Giggling as his sneer seemed to grow wider, I asked him again of Voldemort calling upon him.
"Unfortunately, no." His back straightened and he walked past me. "My dealings with You-Know-Who are none of your concern at this moment."
"I'm only trying to figure out what's going on." I defended myself. He didn't seem to care, if he even heard me at all as he was at his door and pulling it open.
"Seeing as leaving my Lord behind, he has begun to think of me as a traitor. Surely he will be after me too and before any of us can get into further dangerous territory, I'll advise you to leave now and never mind my goings-on's with the Death Eaters."
My jaw dropped and I looked from the door to him. His eyes were narrowed, his lips pulled tightly in something that only spoke of seriousness and I obeyed, turning to him as I exited his room.
"I was only curious." I mumbled. He didn't close the door quickly, but rather, stood there holding it open, staring at the space I had just come from. His head turned sharply to me.
"Research as you must. Learn all you want about the enemy, but just know that it's up to you who to trust and I advise you trust no one. Not until you have your memories back at least. It's hard to say who will try to tempt you once they learn about your...disadvantage."
And with a nod of his head, he shut the door. I was left standing in a corridor, confused, alone, and not enjoying the looks the people around me were giving me.
A/N: So something amazing has happened! All within 24 hours I've applied for a dispatch job, been interviewed and hired. After two years of applying places I'm finally getting out of the mall! I start in a couple of days, so I'm going to be trying to dish out the writing as much as possible before then, as I'm sure the training will be quite intense and have no idear how much free time I'll have. If I disappear, do not fret-I will return to my stories when everything settles down.