There were a few seconds of mad scrambling for the lights on Severus's part and a few seconds of panic on Hermione's before the source of the voice was located.

"SLY!" Hermione put her hand to her chest feeling her heart race. Severus was breathing like he'd just run a marathon as he help up the candle he'd just light.

"Hermione! You know this painting!" He panted. Apparently the voice had shocked him too. Hermione had never seen the Potions Master shocked before. He was even cuter, Her brain supplied. He had leaned over in relief his large hands on his skinny knees. His torso heaved and his hair hung down in his face hiding his eyes.

"Hermione, is it?" Sly spoke. The woman in the picture he was currently standing in sighed and moved sideways out of her frame. "I don't really know how well you know me so allow me to introduce myself." He smiled charmingly. Hermione was reminded how much he looked like Severus, having seen the Slytherin smile now.

"I barely know you I met you in the hallway yesterday, well sort of" She sighed. Severus took a seat in the chair beside her bed and looked up at the man.

"Excellent than you're in for a surprise!" he smiled and sat cross-legged in the painting. She'd never seen a picture act so informal so human. Sure the Fat Lady got smashed every now and then but that was just her she never squatted. She never dropped anything for that matter.

"Who are you? How could you be responsible for my coming here?" Hermione blurted. Severus glared at her and Sly frowned.

"I'll get to that." He promised. "My full name is Charles Damien Slytherin." He rolled his eyes at his too long name. "That translates to the bastard son of THE Slytherin." He saw that both youngsters were bursting at the seam with questions. "Listen before you ask, I have no idea how I came to be only that I am. That and my father was less than pleased about my birth. He wouldn't let me come to school here. He sent my mother and I away and later in life tried to kill me." He shrugged.

"That's horrible! What a git!" Hermione couldn't help but interrupt.

"Hermione this could take ages if you don't shut it!" Severus said exasperatedly. Sly wisely chose not to say anything.

"Sorry."

"It's okay!" Sly grinned. "So basically I was banished from the school by my father, but I came back later to work in the stables, We used to have horses here did you know?" He continued. "For a while I was mates with my half brother, Slytherin's legitimate heir. Eventually Father found out and drove me out of the school. I got myself painted and mailed to the school after I died to piss him off." He sniggered "before that I fell in love with a lovely muggle lass." His dark eyes sort of glassed over and Hermione and Severus exchanged a glance. "She was called Ellie. I did it partly to piss of my Father you know pureblood must stay pure rubbish. She got pregnant had a lovely boy on the way when her muggle Da found out I was a wizard. She had no idea either. They were so frightened." He stopped speaking. Hermione wished he was out of the picture so she could hug him.

"She and the boy vanished and I never saw them again." He ran his hands threw his hair. "Anyway, Yesterday round the time you arrived I felt like I was having a heart attack, or maybe appareting again squeezed in a tunnel! And then I felt your magic in the castle. It called to me. Have you noticed anything strange in your magic lately? If I only talked to you yesterday I hadn't noticed before" He spoke this last part more to himself.

"Yea actually it feels stronger. It comes out of my wand almost violently like it bursts out!" Hermione admitted.

"It's wild" Severus blurted out. Hermione looked at him, Wild felt right. He was blushing. He looked away form her pale cheeks still pink. Weird.

"Yes wild, like I have too much, or it doesn't belong to me. Wild" She repeated.

"That'll likely be one of two things, you've just turned 20?" Hermione shook her head.

"Not that I know of time travel is a bit confusing, I traveled a bit when I was younger." She admitted. "I could very well be twenty, as far as I know I'm still nine-teen but close enough right?"

Sly smiled.

"That or you've encountered another heir. You are after all A Slytherin, weather you want to be or not."

"What?!" Both teenagers exclaimed.

"I don't' know how, Hermione, but I can feel it! You are my heir, your new magic calls to me. I felt your arrival the second you plopped down onto Severus. If I talked to you yesterday perhaps you had just encountered your cousin's magic."

"Voldemort." Hermione whispered. Sly shot to his feet.

"THAT BOY?" He thundered. Hermione had never heard a painting so loud and wondered that Madam Pomfrey wasn't rushing out of her office/chambers. "That foul perversion. What one Earth where you?" He ranted but his rant died and he put pieces together.

"He. He's hurt you hasn't he?" Sly's hands were pressed against the painting front. Severus had never seen anything like it. He looked as if he wanted to push out and run to the curly haired girl. "Tell me." His voice was strong and demanding. "Tell me please love what happened?"

"He's started a war. He wants to kill my kind. Muggleborns. He killed my best friends parents, we were at the end, almost defeated him. Harry Ron and I fought him. It was the first time I'd met him face to face. So that must have been the trigger. He died, the Astronomy tower collapsed on him. But yes I know him and Yes" That word was ragged and her eyes were tearing up. "He has hurt me"

"I'm so Sorry Hermione" One of Sly's hands had balled into a fist. He was enraged Severus could almost feel a magic coming from the man. "Forgive me." He sank to his knees forehead flattening against the painting trying to reach out to his crying long lost granddaughter.

"It's okay, I'm okay." She gave a weak laugh and whipped her eyes.

"I'm so sorry he hurt you. But you'll be okay! You know who you are, Hermione Slytherin. You're here at this school, it will be okay" He babbled. Severus could tell they were related both emotional Gryffindors for supposed Slytherins.

"It'll be okay Hermione," Severus said. He put his arms around her. "You've got us now."

Severus had no idea what to make of the painting. Paintings were no so human. Paintings didn't have magic like this one. It was a weak magic but Severus could feel it when he cried. Paintings didn't make people cry!

"Perhaps you should go Mr. Slytherin and we'll talk again in the morning?" Severus suggested feeling exhausted.

"Please it's Sly or Charlie if you have to." He nodded. "Yes your right I'm sorry Hermione I know this is a lot" he vanished out of the frame.

(((())))))H&S(((()))))))

"I should have let him finish. I need to know about being a Slytherin." She had calmed down considerably since he left.

"Who better to teach you?" Severus gestured to himself; eyebrow cocked and smirk firmly in place. "Let's rest till the morning Hermione and then Charlie you and I can figure everything out." He said

"How did you get to be so clever?" She laughed weakly. He laughed.

"Born this way I suppose." He chuckled climbing into the narrow bed. Hermione scoffed and flicked her wand enlarging it a big. "Ah it would seem you too are clever," He smiled.

"And what was it, wild?" She smirked. Severus blushed and turned his face away. "What's the matter?" She teased.

"Shut up." He glowered rolling away from her.

"Severus! I was joking!" She threw her arm around him and curled into his back. The boy rolled his eyes reaching his arm back for her hand. "I've never been the big spoon before." She whispered into his back.

"That's because your too tiny." He smirked.

"I get by!" She said pressing her cheek to his back. Severus closed his eyes with a smile.

"That's all anyone can ask." He replied and no more words were spoken. The two let the calm night settle over them and eventually they made their way back into a restful sleep.