Power in all Its Glory

Chapter 28: Time Stands Still

Hermione was dreaming. Even though everything around her was hazy, she could see that there were many others in the room with her. She floated through an opening in the throng of people who were seated throughout a large field.

She was dreaming, and yet she knew she was dreaming. Although she had been in a room seconds before, she was now outside.

And she was floating.

Hermione was nothing if not logical.

It had to be a dream.

Everyone was dressed nicely. Some in dress robes, others in muggle dress clothes. It was obviously a special occasion. As she realized this, she also realized that she recognized this special occasion.

The people who were dressed up. The layout of the chairs. The few who stood at the front where she was headed and the man at her side.

Her father.

She was at a muggle wedding. And suddenly it became clear that she was the bride.

Her hazy view was caused by the shimmery veil in front of her face.

She was about to get married!

Even knowing it was nothing but a dream, she could not still the panic that threatened to overwhelm her. She tried to stop moving but her legs kept going as if she was no longer in control of her body … of her life.

She looked over at her dad and gave him a pleading look, but he but he merely smiled proudly at her.

No help there.

As they drew closer to the front of the room she realized something else; she had no idea who the groom would be.

She anxiously looked at the man standing in the groom's place. Although he was turned toward her, she was unable to tell who he was. It was as if she was looking at an image of him. It was not clear, and it swirled in on itself and back out again. It reminded her of something …

The man beside the groom smiled happily at them all, a twinkle in his eye. Professor Dumbledore nodded encouragingly at her. She honestly wanted to strike him … and not just him but everyone. Didn't they see that she did not want this?

As they neared the alter, her father floated away, and her groom moved next to her. It was then that his image became clear, and she knew who she was about to marry …

Neville.

She was about to marry Neville Longbottom. She would be Hermione Longbottom. Hermione Jane Longbottom.

He smiled at her. It was not his usual smile but one that somehow seemed more sinister.

Hermione tried to pinch herself. She had to get out of this dream. It was turning into a nightmare. And where she wondered suddenly … was Professor Snape? She had thought he might be the groom.

She searched the room, raising the veil so she could better see her surroundings.

He was there … in the back. Scowling at her. As if she had done something wrong. She tried to yell at him but nothing came out. And then all of a sudden, he was in front of her.

"Miss Granger," he said, his scowl becoming even fiercer. "What do you think you are doing?"

Hermione replied with some choice words. Words that were silent. This was probably a good thing since they were words Hermione did not use often, if ever.

Why could he talk and not her? It did not seem fair, especially since it was her dream.

And then an unexpected thing happened; even more unexpected than everything else that had come before.

Neville started laughing.

At her.

It was cruel and malicious and it was his way of letting her know that she was the one who was duped. Then Professor Dumbledore joined in. He was laughing so hard he had to take off his half-moon glasses to wipe them clean.

And everyone else began to laugh too. Everyone but Snape. He continued to scowl at her as if this was all her fault.

Even her parents were enjoying the joke. She knew then that she had been tricked and everyone had been in on it.

Everyone but Snape.

He would not betray her.

She turned toward him, hoping he would free her from the nightmare she was in. The scowl on his face turned into a smirk. And then inexplicably he was smiling at her … and then laughing at her, shaking his head at her foolishness.

"Such. A. Silly. Little. Girl," he said deliberately enunciating every word. Each syllable a stinging blow to her self-esteem.

Hermione felt mortified as everyone … absolutely everyone … laughed at her.

And then her humiliation turned into anger. A burning, bitter anger that coursed through her and became stronger because she could not express it out loud. It built up and then without warning it exploded.

But it was not aimed at the on lookers. It was not aimed at Professor Dumbledore. Not even Neville was the focus of her pent up anger …

It was Snape who took the brunt of her fury and that anger emanated from her and transferred into him.

His head swelled. His features distorted as his face expanded tremendously.

His head became bigger and bigger until it could not possibly get any larger, and Hermione watched in horror, and a strange satisfaction, as it finally reached its peak.

And then the inevitable thing happened.

Professor Snape's head exploded.

The loud pop woke her up, and Hermione sat up straight wondering where she was and what had happened.

The familiar surroundings of the common room came into focus. The files she had been reading before she fell asleep were discarded at her feet. And then she realized what the sound was that awoke her.

The pop.

Dobby was looking at her. His large eyes swimming with unshed tears. Why did he always look like he was about to cry?

"Miss Hermione, friend of Harry Potter. Dobby is sorry to frighten you, Miss," he said soulfully as he grabbed a poker from the fire.

Hermione acted quickly and was able to disarm him before he could harm himself.

"It is alright, Dobby," she said trying to erase the anxious look on his face. "I was startled, but I am fine now." Except of course that she still had the image of Snape's exploding head in her mind. And she wasn't sure it bothered her as much as it should.

"Dobby has a message for Miss Hermione," he went on excitedly. "Dobby must deliver message."

"Harry sent you? He could have just come down himself!" Hermione was affronted on Dobby's behalf. Had Harry learned nothing from SPEW? It was just pure laziness!

"No, Miss Hermione. The great Harry Potter did not send me," he explained. "It was Professor Snape, Miss. He sent me to give you a message."

Snape? It didn't make sense. Why would Snape send Dobby to give her a message? It was too risky and yet …

"What is it Dobby? What did Professor Snape send you to tell me?"

"He asked me to give you this, Miss Hermione," Dobby said as he held out a small bag. "He told Dobby that Miss should use it now."

And with his package delivered, Dobby disappeared with another loud pop.

Hermione, dream now forgotten, looked excitedly in the bag. She was surprised to find in contained nothing but Floo Powder.

Use it now, Dobby had said. After all this time? The many times she had snuck out of the dorm and into the dungeons? And all this time they could have used Floo Powder? For she had no doubt that Snape wanted her to now use the magical powder to travel to his rooms.

Why did he always have to be so mysterious? And he couldn't make up his mind, could he? 'Be careful Miss Granger.' 'Don't take any risks, Miss Granger.' And yet here he was expecting her to use Floo Powder. They had to be watching the Floo Network, didn't they?

Although she was confused, she knew where to find the answers to her questions.

Snape.

****

Blast! What was taking the girl so long? She should have gotten the Floo Powder hours ago . Although he did tell the house elf to wait until there was no one else around, he was tired of waiting for her.

A noise from his fire place stopped his mutterings, for he had indeed been muttering to himself this whole time. He blamed her of course.

Hermione stepped out of the fireplace, coughing and wiping the soot from her clothes.

Finally, Miss Granger," Snape snapped. "I have been waiting."

Hermione gave him an irritated look. He was already in a temper so there was no sense in commenting that she obviously just got his message. Instead she said what was uppermost in her mind.

"All the times I was out after curfew and risked getting caught and we could have just used Floo Powder?" she began. "What happened to 'it is too dangerous, Miss Granger'? Or 'they are watching the Floo Network, Miss Granger'?"

"It is and they are," he stated evenly.

Although Snape was impatient to get on with why he had summoned her, he knew without any doubt that they would have to have this conversation first.

"Really," she responded heatedly. "And how do you know this?"

"Because, Miss Granger," he said moving toward her, his patience at an end. "I am the one they have watching it. And before you say what you are thinking, and just so we could finally get on with this," he added sarcastically. "If I had let you come here by Floo, and the headmaster had checked then he would have suspected something. If you had gotten caught out after curfew, there could have been any number of reasons why … so could we please move on? We are running out of time."

This last bit got Hermione's attention.

"Why? What do you mean?"

"The headmaster informed me earlier today that the picture would be clear in less than twenty-four hours … nineteen now," he added for emphasis.

"Why did you wait so long to contact me?" Hermione started pacing the room. "What are we going to do? We have to figure this out."

He reached out and grabbed her arm halting her pointless journey.

"I have some ideas," he said. "Of course I had plenty of time to think about it while I waited for you to finally show up."

She again ignored this comment.

"I am going to do what I should have done a long time ago. I am going to talk to the only other person who was there when we were knocked out."

"Malfoy."

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy. He must know something. I will talk to him and if he doesn't tell me what I need to know I will use Legilimency on him."

Her eyes widened at this. Using Legilimency on a student was definitely not allowed unless it was approved by Professor Dumbledore.

"What can I do? I have to do something."

"Just act as normal as possible. Do not draw attention to yourself."

Hermione thought of everything that had happened over the last few days; her fall at dinner, punching Pansy, kissing Neville in the library …

"It is a little late for that," she commented.

"Now would be a good time to start keeping a low profile."

She looked up into his face. "I want to help. I need to do something. When they find out what is on that picture we will both be …"

"Please just trust me, Hermione," he interrupted her. "I will take care of this."

His right hand reached up and touched the side of her face. He looked deeply in her eyes.

"I want you to realize that it is unlikely that we will find out who is doing this before the picture is clear. We only have nineteen hours, and we have to sleep sometime."

Hermione knew he was right but it was hard for her to care at that moment since his thumb was gently stroking her cheek.

"I don't want you to worry," he continued. "No matter what happens, I will take care of it."

"Severus," she whispered, amazed by the look of tenderness on his face. This was a side of Snape that no one ever saw.

"I won't let anything happen to you," he promised as he brought his lips to hers.

His kiss was soft and achingly sweet. Hermione responded, touching his face lovingly. She wished the moment would never end; that they could just forget about everyone and everything else.

Seconds later he pulled away, leaving her feeling both joyful that he obviously cared for her and yet sad that they may never be together again.

"Now go back and try to act normally," he said with a little smirk as he guided her toward the fireplace.

"But I want to help …" she said knowing it was useless to argue with him.

As she reached the fireplace she made her decision. There was something she could do. She could talk to one of the other people who had been acting strangely. There was no way she was just going to calmly go back to her room.

So she smiled at him demurely as he handed her the bag of Floo Powder that she had unknowingly dropped.

Hermione turned to leave, throwing the powder into the fireplace as she stepped in and said her destination quietly but distinctly.

"Professor Trelawney's quarters."