It all happened in a second, leaving Hermione's soul to travel back to before the war in order to change the course of time. With her husband's death plaguing her thoughts and memories of their romance, Hermione quickly realises that her past has be...
"I believe Poppy that wherever her mind is, she's imagining that I'm removing a colossal amount of house points due to her insufferable attitude, and she's begging me to forgive her." Laughed Severus, trying to lighten up the mood realising that it had been a week since the Gryffindor has been calling after him, every day and every night. "Honestly, how do you want me to know why this pale corpse right there is mumbling my name in her sleep? I do have impressive Legilimency skills, but her mind is closed. I dare say that her occlumency expertise is...intriguing."
The matron scoffed, rolling her eyes in exasperation: "'intriguing'? You are the best-known legilimens and occlumens, and here you are, trying to invade the mind of a seventeen-year-old and you simply can't do it." She turned around and walked toward a cupboard, seeking for a potion, before mumbling "I should get him one of these muggle dictionaries to learn some synonyms, his vocabulary is deficient."
"I heard that Poppy. What do you want me to say? That I'm mystified to see that this witch is blocking me from her mind? Of course I am! Even Potter couldn't do it as well as this one right here," he exclaimed, pointing at Hermione, "and besides, you're stirring the worst out of me. If my memory serves me right, I remember clearly telling you not to contact me about Ms Granger, yet here I am!"
"Severus" she sighed, "don't believe that I'm taking pleasure in keeping you out of your lovely dungeon, because I'm not. You're insufferable, constantly nagging or belittling people. You do realise you just called a sick student a 'corpse'?" Leaning again Hermione, she brought the vial to the girl's lips, letting the solution reach her mouth, "you might not like what is going on, but Ms Granger here keeps calling after you. It's unbearable! Even at night, oh, it is worst at night." Poppy complained, "if she wasn't asleep I would tell you she's crying herself to sleep, it's excruciating to hear."
It has been a week since Hermione had arrived at the infirmary. She hadn't moved or awakened. The only word that came out of her mouth were pleading cries towards her potion master. Dumbledore realized something wrong was happening, but prefer staying quiet until the witch herself - once back on her two feet - will explain the situation to him. He had some doubts, after all, we're talking about one of the greatest wizards of history. On the other hand, Minerva questioned the teacher-student relationship between Severus and Ms Granger, unable to understand how it was possible for such a loving girl like Hermione to ever see her professor as something more than just a 'greasy git'. Although she hadn't said a word, anyone could see that not only was there misery in her voice but also so much tenderness.
Every night Severus would fall asleep with Hermione's voice in his head, crying after him. He shrugged the calls away, unwilling to face the way it affected his cold heart.
"What am I doing here Poppy?" He finally asked, noticing the sun going down behind the mountains surrounding Hogwarts, "I don't have all day, literally."
"I need to apparate to St Mungo's to take care of a patient who's suffering from a rare case of muggle fungus. Nothing alarming really, but they want me to be there to assist some of the trainees." As she was speaking, Snape's eyes grew wider, realizing before she even said it, what the matron needed from him. "I can't leave Ms Granger alone, and with everything going on, I thought you were the best candidate to look after her."
Hexing was probably better than what she did next, as she apparated away, leaving him puzzled and enraged. "You bitch" he growled, before snapping his head towards the Gryffindor next to him who stirred in her sleep. "Although you do peeve me Ms Granger, I would never dare to insult you in such a way."
He mentally cursed himself for speaking to an inanimate witch, yet he noticed the way his voice soothed down the wrinkles on her forehead, from excessive frowning. "Ms Granger, why don't you wake up now, and we can all go back to our lives? I personally need to attend to some urging business down in my dungeons and I'm sure you have some O.W.L.S to prepare for."
Hermione slightly moved her hand, yet it stopped in its track. "If you must know, a witch is looking for me, and I don't want to disappoint her by lingering here, babysitting an unconscious child."
Never in a million years would have Severus deemed that he would experience what the muggle define as a 'heart-attack'. But he did. In an abrupt movement, the girl's eyes shot open and her back raised upwards, her body now sitting on the bed. A loud thud was heard throughout the room as Snape's bottom crashed to the ground. "Shit my coccyx."
Looking up at Hermione, he was awestruck by how different she looked. Her eyes were the most disturbing of all. They looked as if they had seen all of the horrors in this world, no more twinkle in her amber orbs like they used to hold. It was like a blank canvas, there was nothing.
"Ms Granger?" He gently spoke, standing up, his hand on his chest trying to ease his shaken heart, "you sure don't do things halfway. I ask you to wake up not recreate a scene from muggle Dracula."
Her eyes closed, forming a thin line, her lips quivering as if she was meaning to say something, yet the truth was, she wanted to prevent herself from crying. "What year is it?" She asked bluntly, not willing to make an effort. Hermione knew she had to pretend to be her seventeen-year-old self, although due to her time turner she was eighteen in seventh year.
"1997, Ms Granger. Have you lost your mind or are you simply trying to make a conversation, because either way, I'm not interested in helping." He snapped, exhausted by the uneasy situation he was placed upon. He swore to himself from this day onwards to never care for another student, and to let them die if no one else notices their ill-being.
Swinging her legs to the end of the bed, Hermione stood up, surprising Snape who thought she would have difficulties using her limbs after being immobile for seven days. "I don't need your pity, just give me my wand."
He flinched at how bitter her voice appeared. "Ms Granger" he spoke menacingly, clenching his fists, "either your completely delusional or deaf, but you're talking to a teacher, not Weasley or Potter! In the future, refrain from using such inappropriate vocabulary and attitude towards my person!"
Hermione looked up at him, and he swore he saw something sparkle in her eyes, before evaporating as fast as it came.
"I'm being serious Hermione, refrain from using such inappropriate vocabulary and attitude towards my person," grinned Severus, pulling the witch towards him, "I had a hard time teaching with your incessant dirty talk and sexual images."
The woman in front of him rose on her tiptoes and kissed the exposed kiss on his neck - inhaling his musky smell - enamouring her. "I'm sure you enjoyed it more than your letting on" she giggled, winking at him exaggeratingly, "I love you so much."
Dragging her further into the abandoned dark corridor, the potion master cupped Hermione's cheeks, his eyes not once leaving hers. "And I love you, Hermione."
In no time, the young woman was back on her feet walking towards the exit door, the flash now only a vast memory. From an imperius curse to sleepwalking, Severus thought about various possibilities which would explain her actions, yet he couldn't find any. She was different, he knew it, and although he swore to not care for any students' well-being, he convinced himself that figuring out what Ms Granger was hiding was pure inquisitiveness.
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A/N: I would just like to say sorry for chapter 3! I don't understand what's going on with Wattpad, one minute it's working perfectly well and the other it's bugging. For some reason, it uploaded the unrevised chapter, with all the spelling mistakes. 😔😩❤️
I'll make sure to check thorougly every chapter in the future.
