Severus Snape A Soul Undiminished

Chapter 24 - Connection

Severus took one more sip of his brandy before setting it aside, lacing his fingers together in thought. "When you told me your maiden name the other day, something rang familiar. I did some research in the library and found something of importance. It's about your grandfather...Professor Kane Cadogen.  Sirana...this may reveal to you more than you have imagined possible," he said evenly. She nodded, a bit wide eyed, and he continued, "Your grandfather was a professor at Hogwarts several decades ago. You're right, he was a history teacher...History of Magic that is. He was noted for leading a battle in the First Wizarding War, and then I could find nothing else on him." She replied in an unsteady voice, "Are you sure it was my grandfather?" "There was a picture in one of the books. The resemblance to you is striking. His eyes..." Severus looked into hers now. They were almost like mood stones, and hers were bright aqua blue at the moment.

"What do you think this means?" Sirana asked finally. She had read enough over the last few days to know some of the implications, but she wanted to hear it from him. "It means you may not be a muggle after all," he replied with a tinge of irony in his voice. "Did your grandfather come up in any of your...conversations...with Lucius?" He asked with more worry in his voice. "No, I never mentioned him," she answered, wondering if there was some danger if she had. Maybe if Lucius had known she wasn't exactly a muggle, things could have been worse. She thought of her grandfather, he was an interesting, eccentric man. She had developed her love of books from him. He had sent her a book for every birthday and Christmas. They would discuss the subject in letters back and forth to each other, their shared insights often going on for months. Her parents had been loving to her, and she adored them, but he was the only one she could really show her mind to who would understand. She thought she heard Severus breath out a sigh of relief at that. "What about your grandmother?" He asked. "My grandmother, Katherine, died when my mother was young. It wasn't something he liked to talk about. My grandfather raised my mother on his own. She met my father at University and moved with him back to the states where he was from," she replied, trying to scour her memory for more clues. She continued, a little misty eyed, "My grandfather and I talked about almost everything, except for his life, or my own for that matter. There would be snippets of memories we would share, of course, but we mostly 'waxed philosophical', as they say. We understood each other in that way. We didn't have to profess our adoration for each other, or even talk about our feelings. We knew how much we appreciated one another...without words." She took another sip of wine at that, not wanting to reveal her tears.

Severus saw the glistening on her cheeks. He did not want to leave he alone in her sadness. Severus stood, holding his hand out to her, "Come to me," he said. She sat down her glass and took his hand. He pulled her into him, tucking her head under his chin, holding her tightly in his arms.

She felt his warmth envelope her. She reached out gently with her mind and felt him there too...not 'in' her mind, but she could feel his presence there as if standing next to her, as real as she felt in his arms now. She finally looked up at him, not completely breaking their embrace, as something dawned on her, "He and I had a connection, like I could always feel him there with me, even when we were a thousand miles apart. In fact, I can still feel the connection, that's why I believe he is still alive. I have never had that connection with anyone else, until recently...with you. It feels different, but it's there."

"I have been aware of it as well," Severus replied, "And I too have only felt it once before. I have reason to believe that you are of magic blood," he hesitated to say 'witch', as he was aware of the connotations of the word in the muggle world. "You are a mystery. I have no idea how you came to be here, or why. Would you let me look into your mind? Would you open yourself to me? I could try to find a clue to to what brought you to me," he said in a gentle voice, brushing a wisp of hair from her face. He saw her nod bravely. He grabbed her tightly by the shoulders, moving her to arms length, looking deep into her, "Don't be afraid." She replied, "I'm not," inclining her head slightly. He reached for her mind, he was already at the door, he merely stepped through. He had probed the minds of others, unwilling captors when he was a death eater. It was an unpleasant tool to forcibly take what he needed from them. This was different. He felt like he was walking into a familiar, cozy home. Knowing he was warm and welcome. He explored its rooms, leaving private what needed to remain so. There was a door that was closed, light shone around it. Not a steady light, but flashes, like sparking electricity. He reached out, pushing it open. He saw flashes of images, like she'd described having in her nightmares...he saw the man from the picture, running, barefoot, his robes flying wildly around him as he ran. He tried to direct the images to see what he was running towards, but all he could see was her grandfather, reaching desperately in his sleeve, drawing out a wand. Fire flew from it, and then blinding light...'No...too close...I can't...'. He realized the words were not coming from her grandfather, or from inside the room. He felt himself being pulled back out of the room, and the door closed shut. A wall of fire appeared before it, and he stepped away. He turned and another door opened. It was glowing inside, as if the fire was instead the warm glow of a fireplace. He stepped in. The images were different. Swirling visions of filtered light. He saw himself...and her...and they were intertwined with feelings of love, and passion, and admiration. The filtered light warmed into a hot glow, and he almost lost himself in the euphoric burning rapture. He saw himself, like a wall of stone and blade of steel. She was there, encased in shining armor, standing along side him. It felt prophetic, as if he was looking not at a memory, but at a vision of the future. He suddenly felt their link fading, and he felt his mind move back out of the door. His eyes opened, and he realized that they were wet with tears.