Chapter 9:
They had spent a great deal of time gasping for breath, holding one another's sweat-covered bodies following this. She let her head rest on his shoulder while his fell on her own head, sighing together.
"You should go check on your corporeal body," he said.
She hummed in response, not wanting to move. He moved away from her, and she protested by grabbing his bare shoulder. His eyes met hers, and he smirked, "Come now, we have to continue on. We can have another break later."
His eyes glittered at her mischievously, and she finally relented. "Fine. But I'll be right back."
Pushing her way out of his mind, she did not bother dressing her mental self as she knew she would, or at least should, still be clothed in the real world.
Just as she suspected, she was still clothed, lying in the recliner that she had transfigured for comfort, thankful for that even more so now that she felt extremely weak, her body drenched in sweat and her trousers soaked through. Letting herself breathe for a moment, she pulled herself out of the chair and quickly made herself a glass of water. After she drank, she pulled her clothes off and cast a cleaning charm on her body. It wasn't as good as a shower, but it would do for now.
She pulled fresh clothes on from her bag, as well as a bag of crisps to eat. Her strength was clearly diminished by the power she used not only to enter the unconscious man's mind but to have mind-blowing sex with him as well.
Considering his body before her as she ate, she wondered just how he would feel once he regained all his memories. Then she began to wonder if what she had done was taking advantage of him… and she felt awful. It was an odd scenario to explain outright, even to herself. They hadn't really had sex. His body was three feet away from where hers had been, and they hadn't even been truly touching. But their consciousnesses had met in an intimate way that she was unsure anyone had ever met.
"Do people fuck via Legilimens?" she wondered aloud. If they didn't, they should. It had undoubtedly been the best sex of her life, though her experiences were few and far between. Perhaps that was merely the problem of the individuals she had slept with, though and had nothing to do with the fact that it was done within a person's mind.
Shaking her head, she finished her second cup of water and left the room to use the bathroom. Thankful she hadn't run into anyone, she quickly re-entered the room, lay in her recliner, and pulled out her wand.
"Legilimens."
As though his mind were her own, she found him almost immediately. Unfortunately, his clothes were back on his body, though somewhat dishevelled. She was thankful he had left his thick robes on the ground, now only clad in his black trousers and white button-up.
"Welcome back," he said as she approached him. Her attire was more muggle-like than her previous outfit: jeans and a loose maroon t-shirt.
"I told you I wouldn't be long," she smiled.
He offered her his arm, and she took it; their arms linked as they continued down the maze.
"Severus, I have to confess something." Biting her lip after she said it.
"You regret what happened?" he almost immediately said, and she felt him start to pull away, but she tightened her grip on him.
"What? No! Absolutely not. No, I just fear that once you discover how you know me throughout our venture in your memories, you will come to regret it yourself."
His face contorted somewhat in thought. "Is it truly that bad?"
She considered this, "Well… I think you may think so. At least, the you I used to know. The you I am getting to know here is very different."
"But both of those are me."
"This is confusing," she groaned.
"Very," he agreed.
"Just… Okay, the easiest way to convey it is that we, well, we have a considerable age gap. Or at least, we used to. I suppose we don't any longer, as you have been held in a stasis for some time. I suppose we are only around, say, ten years in difference, give or take?"
He shrugged at this, "That is not an unusual gap. There's something else that is bothering you, though."
Perceptive as ever… "You also once held a position of… authority over me. That's the best way to put it, I think."
"And I haven't for however long now?" he asked.
She nodded in response, "It's been ten years since you fell into this coma, Severus."
They stopped walking as he processed this.
"So, we were once over twenty years apart?"
Nodding, she feared he would pull away from her now.
"I see." He considered the matter for a few more moments before he pulled her along the path.
"Was my position of authority over you ever inappropriate in nature?"
She quickly shook her, "Absolutely not. You were always professional, in fact, you were quite mean."
"That tracks for my character, as we have seen," he responded wryly.
"So you are not upset?"
He looked over at her, "Of course not. You are helping me now, and we seem to be equals in all aspects of this reality."
She contemplated this take on it. They were indeed equals. She was a fully-fledged witch, an adult who made her own decisions.
"That eases my fears exponentially, Severus. Thank you."
He smirked down at her, "Of course."
As she began to consider a second round of their actions from earlier, they both saw another ball of light in the middle of the path they headed down.
"Ready for round two?" she asked.
"Of my memories or…"
"Hush," she pushed at him. They grew closer to the memory, and she reached for his hand, their fingers intertwining.
They reached for the light simultaneously without speaking, falling into it together.
She found herself in a familiar place: Professor Dumbledore's office. A teenage Severus sat in the chair across from Albus, his arms crossed.
As they watched from their view beside them, they heard Albus say, "My dear boy, I apologise for all you have been through tonight."
All teenage Severus could get out in response was a shaky, "Werewolf. He's a werewolf."
"Yes, my boy, he is."
At this, the teenage Severus looked at him in contempt.
"You knew?"
Albus nodded in confirmation, and the young Severus' face grew angrier by the second.
"I nearly died tonight. Under your watch. I thought this castle was supposed to be safe, " he spat.
The aged wizard appraised him, and Hermione saw the signs of an experienced Legilimens looking within the boy's mind. Albus was very powerful and appeared to do so without the visible use of his wand. Phenomenal magic. But it is extremely unethical to do so, especially to a student. She wondered if he had suspected Severus of joining the Death Eaters. Regardless, it was no excuse to enter a mind without permission.
"Severus, I understand your anger. But what you witnessed tonight was under control. Remus transforms from the safety of the house in Hogsmeade every full moon. It allows him to have an equal education to all other magical students, despite their backgrounds."
She could see Severus could care less about this, and she could understand. It wasn't because he believed in inequity, he had nearly died.
"Remus and his friends have been spoiling my access to an equal education for six years, sir," he sneered at this.
She thought it was a rather valid response. Hogwarts did have an inferior way of dealing with bullying — they didn't deal with it at all.
"Be that as it may, Severus, I must ask you not to reveal this to anyone else. I would prefer not to have a reason to remove you from the castle."
At this, both her mouth dropped, as did the teenage Severus'.
"You would expel me before that… thing?" he murmured.
"He is a student here to earn an education, just as you are."
Teenage Severus stood, "His secret is safe with me." She presumed he fought back little on this because the alternative to being at Hogwarts was… not any better for Severus Snape.
They watched as teenage Severus brusquely left Albus Dumbledore's office, and the memory faded.
"What the fuck…" she shouted.
Adult Severus looked at her quizzically.
She answered the look easily. I knew Dumbledore could be manipulative, but that was terrible. Simply because he…" she cursed a string of words she wasn't even sure she knew the meaning of.
Anger brewed deep within her. She had always resented Albus for his treatment of Harry after the war ended. She had understood it, yes. Liked it, no.
This was on another level entirely. He had looked down upon Severus for where his loyalties were and dismissed him as another Death Eater rather than a student who should be protected, just as Remus was. Perhaps it was a mix of house loyalties and simple disdain for Severus, but Albus had not protected him.
Severus likely would have switched sides much earlier than he had in the war had Albus or anyone given him the time of day. Yet all anyone had ever done was push him aside and dismiss him.
It made her ache for him.
"Severus, I'm so sorry."
He gave her a light smile, "Hermione, I am glad you are here to relive these moments alongside me."
She responded by pulling his face down and placing a kiss tenderly on his lips, feeling him smile into it.