Chapter 7:
He had encouraged her to leave his mind so she could rest with the promise that he would try to as well. She'd finally agreed to it because she knew her body would be hungry and exhausted with the power she exerted in being here.
"I'll be back soon, I promise."
He gave her a curt nod and the briefest upward quirk of his lips, "Eat something for me. I fear I haven't had a good meal in a very long time."
"I'll do just that. See you soon, Severus."
Pushing her way out of his mind, she let her body rest in her recliner for several minutes, collecting herself.
Severus Snape was alive, pleasant, and so much more than she had bargained for. The man's past held many aspects that lent her a greater understanding of who he was as her professor. She had enjoyed his company and their conversations more so than she did with most of her other acquaintances.
Finally feeling up to it, she stood, her legs wobbling but supporting her enough to take a few steps. She made herself another glass of water before going to relieve herself. As she walked to the loo, she wondered if she should update Erin on her progress. It didn't take long for her to decide to keep it to herself. If Erin was aware of her quick work of his mental walls, they might assign others to assist her in moving him through his memories. Hermione had an inkling that Severus would not tolerate much prodding of his mind from other prying eyes.
She was in uncharted territory and wanted to continue to explore it on her own. But for now, her first order of business was finding food and sleeping in her bed for a few hours.
When she awoke, she quickly returned to the Ministry, a bagel in one hand and tea in the other. The lift chimed its usual Department of Mysteries, and she nearly ran straight into Erin as she exited.
"Hermione! Are you alright?" she must have appeared as flustered and rushed as she felt.
Nodding, a mouthful of bagel lodged in the side of her mouth, "Of course, just excited to work on the project."
Erin appraised her, and Hermione feared they were suspicious. Thankfully, the lift started to close, and Erin quickly jumped on, "I'll get an update from you later; let me know if anything changes."
She nodded avidly at them as the grate clanged shut and rose away from her. Swallowing her bagel with a final gulp, she ushered herself back to Severus.
She sipped her tea and dropped her bag to the floor with a decisive thud. It was filled with snacks, a pillow, a blanket, and a few books for light reading. She was determined to live in this room until she succeeded in her task.
The chair was as she left it, as was Severus. His lower half was still covered in the towel she had left over his translucent bath water, and she smirked at the thought of her old Professor Snape knowing what she knew now, memories and all.
What she did know… was not unattractive. She had never had a crush on the man as a student; that was reserved for Lockhart, who was traditionally handsome and, unfortunately, very ignorant. Severus, though, his face was not handsome in the same way, but it was striking in its own respect. The angles of his face formed a strong jawline that had some stubble at the moment. His nose was imperfect, adding character to the stern face. And though she could not see his eyes at the moment, she recalled from her memories of being in his mind they were the darkest of browns. It was nearly a direct opposite of the shade of brown hers were. His were like cedar, hers more of a caramel.
The body beneath that head, though, was extremely attractive, in her opinion. His thin torso gave him the lanky appearance he had when in robes, but he had clearly evenly toned muscles without them. Severus's fingers were long and delicate, the nailbeds still worn as though he had been brewing just that morning. His waist dipped at his hips, and —
She shook herself. The thoughts she was having were… Not inappropriate, per se, but she felt better about pretending she hadn't just been drooling over Severus Snape's appearance for a solid minute. Perhaps more than a minute.
The facts: He was attractive. He was half alive and half dead and, by the end of this endeavour, could be fully either one of those things. And finally, she promised him she would be back soon.
Groaning audibly, she clambered herself into the cushioned chair and took a deep breath, "Legilimens."
His mind was easy for her to navigate now; the twists and turns that led her to his location were second nature, as though they had built this maze together. Finally, she reached him exactly where she had left him. He appeared to be meditating, but she couldn't be sure.
"Severus?"
He didn't respond.
Seating herself across from him, she decided to mirror his actions. It was an interesting sensation to try and empty her own mind as she sat in the mind of another. The process of meditating came to her much easier in this state. She assumed this must be due to her mind being calmer, given the focus of her attention was Severus Snape, and she had no need to shield anything.
"Hermione?"
She opened her eyes and saw Severus staring at her from where he still sat cross-legged on the ground of the maze.
"How long have you been here?"
Shrugging, "Time passes strangely here. I don't know that I can rightly say how long. Were you… sleeping?" It was interesting: how did a comatose person rest their mind? Did they even need to? This would certainly make it to her notes regarding this case if she came to understand it more.
"In a way. I feel as if I was sitting outside the maze, frozen in time. But our journey through the maze has exhausted me thus far, but I can't quite sleep in this state. I decided instead to focus my attention on what I can remember."
"And what have you recalled thus far?"
He uncrossed his legs, crooking one of his knees and extending the other. She felt herself blush at the thought of his unclothed body in the real world, hoping he would not notice. Perhaps she couldn't even blush in her metaphysical body.
"I remember that I am a wizard. I believe both of my parents are deceased at this time… I know that my best friend is Lily Evans. My body tells me that I have survived… a great deal. For some reason, I have a feeling I did something terrible. Unforgivable. But I can't quite place precisely what that was."
"Your memories will return as we move through the maze, I am sure."
He briefly considered her, then asked, "Tell me more about yourself."
She knew he likely was asking out of kindness, so she indulged him.
"I work as an Unspeakable in the Department of Mysteries. I earned an Order of Merlin, First Class, for my service in… a war," she rested her elbow on her knee, contemplating what else might interest him.
"I spend a great deal of time writing and researching. The library is my favourite place to be… I don't know, I'm fairly uninteresting, Severus," she said, laughing.
"I beg to differ. You seem to be an exponentially talented witch," he complimented.
Snorting, she said before thinking better of it, "Once you find out how you know me, you'll regret saying that."
His brow quirked, "And why is that?"
"Ah…" She considered her answer carefully, "You just were never very complimentary of my skills before."
He processed this, "Well, that was my own mistake then. You seem very capable, as it is."
"Thank you, Severus."
"Are you ready to move along, then?" he stood as he said this, offering her his hand to assist in helping her up.
She took it, enjoying the touch of his hand against her own, a thought that zipped through her mind against her better judgment.
"You lead the way."
As they walked, she marvelled at the man before her. He was quite the gentleman when torn down to his core. This was who he was never allowed to be, she knew. He always had to play a part in the real world, never able to participate in the world as his true self. She hated it for him and hoped that whatever fate held for him once he left this place would be something he deserved.
The turns and twists of the maze became increasingly erratic as they walked, each turn sharper than the last. She wondered if this boded well for them or the reverse…
As they rounded the next hedge, they heard a loud voice call out, "That's what you get, Snivellus!" Just as the hedge started to close around them, a glowing orb appeared just above them.
"Severus! The light!" He reached up to touch it with one hand and pulled her against his chest with the other as they were enclosed in the greenery. The memory enveloped them, and all was dark.