enchantement - SOULBOUND I̲̅ || SS/HG ✔️

1. Forever gone

A/N: Different writing techniques:

In italics => memories (past events)

In bold => mind-talking

It happened fast, way to fast for any of them to react. Hermione was holding onto the edge of the window, feeling like her heart had been ripped from her chest as she watched the love of her life being attacked by the Dark Lord's animal, Nagini. Ron was roughly pulling down of her sweater, beckoning her to lower her head, knowing that her worry towards the potion master could reveal their presence. The incessant banging of his now weakened body against the wall next to them, the snake reduce what was once a strong man, into nothing but an immobile corpse. Hermione leaned her forehead on the other side of the wall where she could feel was resting Severus' body. She placed a hand beside her head, tears rushing down her check and falling into droplets on her flexed thighs. Her heart was drumming in her chest while her ears were buzzing, the blood in her veins rushing and flowing too rapidly, making her light-headed. The young witch wanted to stand up and brand her wand towards the one-who-must-not-be-named, kill him and end the torment the monster was inflicting to her lover, yet she couldn't, her legs were giving up on her while her devotion towards her friends was enabling her to act. Torment. Hatred. Sadness. A mixture of dark emotions invaded her mind before she heard the timbered floor crack as someone apparated away. In an instant, she jumped out of her hiding spot and crawled into the room, her hands shaking in fear as they approached Severus' bloodied face. She tried to speak yet no word seem to stir out of her constricted throat.

"H-mione" Snape breathed. The pain in his neck from where the snake had bitten him made him weaker, yet there was no agony in this worlds worst than the misery in his lover's eyes, stained by the cruelty of the war.

At the sound of his voice, now broken and tarnished by the venom, Hermione brought a quivering finger to cover his lips, "don't speak my love you're only decreasing your heartbeat, speaking is reducing your inability to -" he interrupted her rabbling by giggling, although he sounded pained, he couldn't help but laugh at her know-it-all attitude in all circumstances.

"Where is Potter?" He asked, slowly turning his head in hopes of finding the so-called 'chosen one'. Hermione frowned before moving aside to let Harry crouch beside her. "You have your mother's eyes" the man spoke, causing the young boy to let release the tear he had been holding onto.

Hermione knew everything about Severus' involvement during the war and his secret alliance with the Order. She also knew of his teenage infatuation with Harry's mother, yet after all these months of passion and love-making, or whispering sweet-nothings to each other, Hermione wasn't pleased by Severus' reminiscing of his old-love while on the verge of death.

"Severus" she cried, grabbing hold of his immobile hand, "I beg of you love, stay alive. Ron has left to find some help they will be here any minute now. Hold on please."

The man slowly drifted his gaze back to the dishevelled witch beside him and couldn't help but smirk, "how I wish this rumpled mane of yours was caused by our lust for the other."

Harry looked away, feeling uneasy by the taunting atmosphere that was set in the hut. He knew the Severus didn't have many more minutes to live, so he decided to leave the two alone, unable to place words on the gratitude he felt towards his potion master. Indeed, Harry had managed through his newly developed Legilimency skills to see Severus' past, every dark corner of his mind unravelling themselves to him. He was at lost of worst, yet more surprisingly he couldn't understand how it was possible for him to see past the robust barrier the man had secured his mind. Yet being tortured and left depleted at the mercy of death enable Harry to read right through him. And although he was unable to express his gratitude, he knew that he will forever be beheld by the man's actions and everlasting loyalty to his deceased mother.

"We're alone now" he whispered, stirring as the venom now reached his toes, paralyzing him, "I can't-" and at this instant, Hermione knew it was the last time she will ever be able to hear his baritone voice.

She cried, bringing her lips towards his and kissing him lightly, his lips also delicately moving along hers, "I love you, Hermione, although I have no more control over my voice, my mind stays intact. There is no greater love than the one we share my fox, never forget that. I vowed to love and cherish you until death does us part, I believe I paid my end of the bargain" he chuckled in her mind. "Remember my vows?" She nodded back at him, biting her trembling lip, "I said that you were my past, my present and my future. Unfortunately, I failed you and I will eternally loathe myself for not being part of that future. There is so much I wish to do with you, so many more secrets that I want to tell you, but there is no time."

Hermione watched the man as he indicated her to search in his robe's pockets. As she pulled her hand out of it, she realized she was holding a time turner. "My love" she wept in happiness, realising that she could save him. Yet the joy was short lived when he invaded her mind again.

"I need you to go back in time, at the beginning of the sixth year. You need to prevent Dumbledore from wearing the ring which contains a fragment of Voldemort's soul. It needs to feed off human energy, find someone and use them in order to destroy it. There is so much I have to tell you, so much I need to do to prepare you, but my heart is giving up on me. Find Dumbledore and tell him you're from the past, he'll know what to do and he will guide you through your journey. This time-turner is different though, it will bring your soul inside the younger Hermione, yet remember, your focus will be to save the wizarding world, not -"

"- you" she interrupted, realisation striking her. "Severus you can't possibly be telling me to give up on our love, this love that is keeping me alive, giving me a purpose to wake up every morning, just for the sake of this bloody war! Our love bloomed in sixth year do you realise what you're telling me? How can you be such a thick-headed? Give up on our love for the sake of peace? Never Severus! I will give up my life for you, let myself be tortured under the cruciatus curse for an eternity only to know you are well, living and breathing. But this! How can you ask me to give up on love, on us?"

"You know what my biggest wish was Hermione? To one day wake up, one hand on your belly, and have you tell me that you're bearing my child -" He spoke as his eyes watery bore through her amber orbs, hoping through his gaze to irradiate the passion he felt for her. "- To know that within you lies the fruit of our love. I love you so much Hermione I'm aching, every limp of my body wants to beg you to stay and not leave me, stay until my last breath, whisper to me how much you love me so I never forget it even once I reach the sky. But I don't have a choice, please forgive me..."

Everything happened fast. Within seconds Hermione was wearing the time-turner and through wandless magic, Severus turned it five times sending her away from him.

Forever.

A/N:

Hello everyone! I hope you like the first chapter of 'Echantement'. What did you think of the first bit? Did you like it?

XOXO