Versions of Violence

Thanks go to my beautiful beta, s and h forever, for her inspiring assistance with this story.

Thanks to those of you who continue to stick with my story. Reviews are always welcome and encouraged.

Considering the current length of the queue, this will most likely be my last chapter for a while. Next week, I'm leaving for a two-week concert tour of France with one of the choirs with which I sing. I will be gone until the beginning of July. I'll be sure to have the next chapter ready to submit the second I get back!

"These versions of violence are sometimes subtle, sometimes clear. And the ones that go unnoticed leave their mark once disappeared." (Versions of Violence, by Alanis Morissette)

The room was dark, and Hermione's head was pounding. It took her a considerable amount of time to summon the strength to raise her head and examine her surroundings; all she could see were shadowed, blurred figures and some faint, flashing lights in front of her. She had no idea where she was. Suddenly, a series of low groans, voiced in a startlingly familiar, deep tone, brought Hermione's attention to the present moment, as though they were dousing her with cold water. Her eyes adjusted to the low light, and things became clear.

He pulled himself up to look at Hermione and whispered, "I'm sorry," before being claimed by the green flash of light emitted from the Dark Lord's wand. It happened in the briefest of moments; there was something oddly clinical about Voldemort's final blow. Hermione mustered the strength to scream once more as she watched Snape's body fall limp to the ground, the life leaving his eyes.

"SEVERUS!"

Hermione sat up in bed, sweating and still screaming from the shock of her nightmare. She frantically began looking around the room, trying to remember where she was. Just like in the dream, she couldn't recall what exactly had brought her to the strange room in which she now found herself. She panicked, imagining that she hadn't woken up at all and that she was still trapped in her dream. Or was it reality? Her memory was soon restored, thankfully, as Snape threw open the door and stood at the end of her bed. He was most certainly neither dead nor dying.

He had heard her screams despite the two rooms that separated her dungeon chambers from his and now realized, as he watched her look around wildly as though searching for something, that she was screaming his name. He fought the urge to take her into his arms as he had before, but he had already been remiss in his affections that night. Instead, he remained where he was, his knuckles white from grasping the bed post in determination. He was relieved that, upon seeing his entrance, Hermione had stopped her screaming. She was looking at him, eyes wide and unblinking, seemingly unable to speak. In light of this uncomfortable silence, Severus addressed her.

"Hermione, I'm here. You're okay; you're in the dungeons, in the rooms Albus set aside for you." In recalling the nightmares he himself had, both as a child and an adult, Snape remembered to inform her of where she was. If she weren't already aware, knowing she was still at Hogwarts would make her feel safe. "We were working on your independent study. Do you remember? What's wrong?" Severus hoped that she would readily reply. Her nearly petrified state of silence was beginning to worry him.

"I... it was horrible. He wouldn't stop. I screamed, begged, and cried... I tried... so hard... and then..." Hermione couldn't finish, being continually interrupted by her sobs and gasps for breath. She sat for a moment, staring at Snape, as though still confirming his presence, before she started again from the beginning. She realized that her previous summary left much to be desired, and her voice gained strength as she calmed down. "We were prisoners of the Dark Lord. He... he made me watch while he tortured you. I knew you were going to die, but there was no way for me to help you. I felt so desperate to save you, but no one could hear me. And then... he..." Her story dissipated into silence, and Hermione stared into her lap until Snape's question broke her concentration.

"And then... Hermione, Voldemort killed me in your dream, didn't he?"

"Yes." She shuddered as she remembered the vivid image of the blood flowing from his lifeless body. It had felt so real. "It was horrible, Prof...Severus. I need to figure out the potion; I need to create it. It needs to work. I won't let my dream happen to anyone. He needs to be stopped, now." Hermione sat up as her determination grew. "Do you mind if we work early again, today? I can get you a list of ingredients that I'll need to start brewing, before lunch. Is that alright?"

"We can work as early as you'd like. When would you like to begin?" Severus replied, taken aback by Hermione's instant reversion to professionalism despite the horror she had just experienced. But he remembered what she had said earlier about using work as a coping mechanism and didn't question her further; to each her own.

"I'm done with classes at one o'clock. Could we start then, or do you have classes to teach in the afternoon?" replied Hermione, hoping that some miracle would allow her to formulate the potion that night. Her dream had made her current goal even more significant.

"Hermione, that will be fine, if that's what you want to do. Are you sure you wouldn't rather rest?"

"No, Severus, I'm fine. What time is it? I need to gather some things from Gryffindor Tower before we have class."

"It's five a.m. You can Floo back to your common room. These chambers are also equipped with their own fireplace. I'll see you in class, Hermione. Please take care of yourself until then. Try to get a little more sleep. It will do you good."

"Thank you for everything, Severus. I'm looking forward to working tonight. For some reason, I feel really good about the project." One handful of Floo powder later, and she was back in the common room, finding herself face to face with Ron, who had clearly never gone to sleep. He immediately began questioning her.

"HERMIONE, WHERE WERE YOU? I've been up all night worried about you! You could have been hurt, and I wouldn't have had a clue!"

"Ron, Ron, stop. I'm fine." Hermione yelled, getting him to listen to her. "I was only working late; this independent study is going to require a lot of my attention. Dumbledore had rooms installed for me in the dungeons so that I could stay there if I was working past curfew. I'm sorry I didn't contact you. Listen, while we're talking, I have to tell you something. I don't know exactly how to say this, so I'm going to be blunt. I don't think we should go out anymore. It's too much for me right now, and subjecting you to my own inner conflict isn't fair; I value our friendship too much. I'm so sorry, Ron. I hope that you'll forgive me. I never meant for this to happen." Only after Hermione finished talking did she look at Ron, seeing him back away from her slightly as if she had slapped him. She must have been more tired that she had first thought; she hadn't planned on breaking up with Ron until she could rehearse what she was going to say to him.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Ron responded. "Thanks, Hermione. I'm really happy that you were honest with me, and I understand. I don't want to push you if you're not ready. Just remember that I'll be here when you want me. I meant it when I said that I love you. I'm not about to take it back."

Hermione felt tears well up in her eyes as she walked over to Ron. "I don't know what I did to deserve a friend like you, Ron. I can't believe how understanding you've been about all of this. I have to get some things ready for classes today and maybe sleep a little more, but I'll be back soon, okay? We can walk to Potions together." His nod of approval sent her practically flying up to her room to collect herself for the day's activities.

*******

When the two friends, followed by Harry, entered the Potions classroom a few hours later, Severus immediately looked up from his desk, allowing Hermione to glimpse the concern in his eyes before they turned black with the coldness he reserved for his students. Hermione nodded at him discretely in return, hoping that he would realize that she was alright after the intensity of their time together. When class had finally been dismissed, Hermione worked her way up to Snape's desk to give him the list of things she would need for her work. She told Ron to go ahead without her, but he insisted on waiting and remained standing by the door.

As soon as she reached him, she saw that the Severus she had encountered the previous night had returned. This was the way she now liked to think of him: caring, gentle, and surprisingly kind. She gave him a quick smile before placing her list of ingredients on his desk.

"Here's the list I promised, Professor. I'll see you around one o'clock, then?"

"Yes, Miss Granger, looking forward to it. You appear much improved. I assume all is well?" Snape looked over her shoulder at Ron, and Hermione immediately grasped his meaning.

"Oh, all is incredibly well, sir. Thank you for asking. Things are going better than I could have hoped. Well, enjoy the rest of your morning."

"I'm sure I will, Miss Granger. You do the same."

"Will do, Professor." Hermione walked back over to Ron and closed the door behind them as they left, noticing that Ron looked immensely discomforted.

"Hermione, I couldn't help but notice that Snape didn't get all mad at you today and stuff... and well... you had a normal, borderline pleasant conversation. Are you guys friends or something, now?"

"Well, Ron, I guess we've discovered that it's just easier to be civil instead of ripping each other to shreds every time we're together. Don't worry; I'm not going to start hanging out with him instead of you. Anyway, go on ahead to lunch. I'm going to do a little more research before I start working this afternoon. I'll talk to you later!" She gave him a quick hug before bounding up the stairs towards her room, glad that things finally seemed to be going her way. It was a bizarre feeling, having some sort of an understanding with Professor Snape. She certainly considered Dumbledore and McGonagall more than mere teachers, but to think so of Snape was something entirely foreign. There was no conclusion for her to come to regarding the reason behind his change of demeanor, but she discovered that she didn't really care. She found her situation not at all unpleasant, despite the nagging reminder in the back of her mind that she had a 'thing' for him. It was just nice to talk to him like a normal person, without having to worry about being ridiculed or belittled.

*******

Hermione showed up at Severus' door later that afternoon, humming to herself, thrilled by the fact that she was finally going to be able to start brewing a potion of her own invention. The magnitude of the project on which she was about to embark gave her a feeling of euphoria that was only heightened as Severus opened the door to her and led her into his private lab. Hermione was simply excited to see him and was thoroughly convinced that she was going insane. She couldn't recall a time in her Hogwarts career when she felt happier. She pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind as she focused again on the task ahead of her.

"Ah, yes. It appears as if you were telling me the truth," Severus began, pointing out her enthusiasm. "You seem much improved from the state in which I left you in this morning. I've collected all the ingredients you requested. You seem to be considering an awfully intricate potion, Hermione, and I wish for nothing more than your success. If you need me for anything, I will at my desk reading what I'm sure are highly unintelligent essays. Good luck."

Hermione stood completely stunned as she saw what she thought she would be the first and probably only person to ever witness: Severus Snape smiling. He certainly must have expected her to be sympathetic to the rubbish assignments he had to read on a regular basis as a Hogwarts professor. And she was. Hermione was a strong believer in the power of the written word and of good grammar, and she assumed that Snape would undoubtedly be the same way. Her stomach flipped at the unexpected sight of his smile, noticing how happy he looked in that brief moment. She knew how hard such happiness was to come by for him, considering the hard and painful life he led, and she was delighted to think that it was somehow her doing that brought about his joy.

"Thank you, Severus. I'm sure I'll be talking to you again quite soon. You might need a break more quickly than you think. I can only imagine the horrible work you must have to mark."

Hermione turned to begin organizing her ingredients, feeling the familiar power that surged through her veins whenever she was working course through her once again. A fire had been ignited in her, and it was stronger than any sort of magic she could ever conjure. Hermione Granger was on a mission.