Moving Pictures

A/N: The second prompt: Severus and Hermione go to the movies. (Eventually).

For aleysiasnape.

Thanks as ever to Septentrion for the beta.

The snake was talking again. Severus tried to move away from the hissing serpent, but the bear held him firmly in his paws. Others came and went: Alligator nipped his toes while Crow picked at his left arm. Some, like Lion, merely observed the proceedings but said nothing.

'Listen. You must listen...'

~ * ~

Dicto-Quill at the ready, Hermione opened her notebook. Since Apparating a barely conscious Snape to St Mungo's, she had remained at his bedside, observing his pitiful condition with a professional detachment. He had yet to show much sign of improvement.

Sighing, Hermione resigned herself to several more hours of tedium. 'Please, Snape, wake up. Wake up so I can go home.'

Their dramatic entrance into the reception area three days previously had naturally caused quite a stir...the Healers, once they had recognised who he was, had descended on Severus like a flock of green-robed vultures, ready to make a last ditch attempt to save his life. Levitating him to an examination cubicle, they had made short work of his soaking wet clothing. Hermione, following behind, yelling, 'Don't touch the amulet,' had seen more of her former professor than she had ever wanted to, but his pale, horribly scarred and emaciated body had shocked her to the core, evoking a deep sense of compassion for the man.

'Hands off!' The Healer-in-charge had been a whirl of bustling professionalism. Turning to Hermione, she'd demanded, 'How long's he been wearing this?'

Without removing her eyes from Severus' still form, Hermione had told her.

'And I suppose he expected a miraculous recovery?'

'I'm afraid so.'

'Well...' The Healer had not looked hopeful. 'It could just as easily have killed him. His magical energy is so low, he still might not be strong enough to endure its power. I'm afraid all we can do, now, is wait and see...'

Convinced they had done all they could, the nursing staff had made Severus as comfortable as possible and left him to his fate...and Hermione's observations...

'Day 3: slight improvement in skin colour. Eyes appear less sunken...' Hermione paused, mesmerised by the amulet, yet again. The ruby at the centre was pulsing with Snape's heartbeat, bathing his chest in a red light. 'Creature activity continues...' She smiled as a porpoise rose in a graceful arc. 'Light: consistent...' Severus' body gave one of its sporadic twitches; Hermione noted the time. 'Breathing shallow but even...'

A medi-witch stuck her head round the door. 'Any change?'

''Fraid not.' She moved from her position by the bed, allowing the young woman access to her patient. Hermione watched her perform the routine scans and change the dressing on his neck wound but turned away before she removed the sheet from Severus' unresponsive body, giving her charge some privacy.

'All done. Clean as a whistle.'

'Thank you.' With a sigh, Hermione looked at her watch. Another hour before the Auror arrived to give her a break. How much longer could Snape go on like this?

~ * ~

Badger spelled out the situation: 'Listen to Serpent or die.'

'Choose.'

~ * ~

Hermione's head jerked. I must have dozed off. She blinked before sucking in a breath. The pulsating rhythm of the stone had stopped; a pale, rosy glow was suffusing Snape's skin...or as much as the sheet, which was covering him from the waist down, allowed her to establish, at any rate.

Leaning over him, Hermione's eyes scanned his body before carefully peeking under his bandages. 'I don't believe it.' The seeping wound left by Nagini's bite had completely healed...as had every scar on his torso. Gently taking his hand, Hermione turned his left forearm. The faint remnant of his Dark Mark was also missing. 'Impossible...' she whispered. 'Impossible.'

'How... touching.'

She dropped his hand as if it were on fire. Dark eyes were regarding her with suspicion. 'I expected you'd have the common decency to get me to hospital,' Severus said, 'but I did not expect you to keep vigil at my bedside.'

'Don't flatter yourself,' Hermione snapped, pointing towards the amulet. 'Kingsley ordered me not to let it out of my sight. I'll fetch the Healer.'

Glancing in the direction of her finger, Severus's eyes widened in horror. He grabbed the sheet, pulling it up to his neck. 'Sit,' he ordered. 'Why did you have to go and involve the Minister in this?'

Hermione sat. 'It was more than my job's worth not to,' she protested.

'Interfering little do-good...'

'Look,' she said tersely, 'the Healers recognised the amulet immediately. If I hadn't said anything, word would still have got back to Kingsley, and then I'd really have been in the shit. And now you've recovered...'

'You can't have it,' Severus said, covering the amulet with his hand protectively. 'Not yet, anyway. They said...'

'Who?'

'The... er, animals,' he replied, glaring at her. 'Make of that what you will.'

'Interesting...' Frowning, Hermione made a note to question him further on the subject. 'O-kay, you can keep it until you're completely healed. But I have orders that once you can walk, you're to accompany me to the Ministry.'

'What? Why?'

'Research.' She grinned. 'You, me and the amulet are going to be disappearing into the Department of Mysteries for a while. Call it service to the community for trying to steal a priceless artefact.'

Severus groaned, covering his face with his hands. 'You're an Unspeakable, aren't you?'

Laughing, Hermione stood to call the Healer. 'Now, you don't seriously expect me to answer that, do you?'

~ *** ~

Hermione cast a nervous glance in Severus' direction. In retrospect, it probably wasn't one of her better ideas. His face was like thunder.

Oh, dear. 'I'm so sorry,' Hermione said. 'I had no idea it would be like that.'

If anything, his expression darkened. 'Really.'

Following months of extensive tests, Merlin's amulet had at last been pronounced safe for the treatment of the severely spell damaged, and a tentative friendship between two unlikely people had been established in the process. And it was just that: friendship. Nothing more. Reminding herself of this each day had become routine for Hermione...as had assiduously ignoring the odd flutter of butterfly wings when Severus quirked a lop-sided smile at her filing system or the little shiver down the spine when his hand accidentally brushed hers. So, after all their hard work, it had seemed only natural to suggest an evening out...a couple of drinks and some old classic film at the local Arts Centre...to celebrate the success of their collaboration. But now it looked like their fledgling relationship was in tatters.

'I could kill my father,' she muttered, as they emerged from the cinema. 'If I'd known, I'd never have suggested it.'

'What's he got to do with it?' Severus asked, his brow furrowing ever more deeply.

'He's been going on about the cinematography in the 'Seventh Seal' for as long as I can remember,' Hermione replied. 'How was I to know it was about a man playing chess with death in order to stay alive? As if you needed to be reminded...'

'While I could sympathise with the protagonist's predicament, somewhat,' Severus interrupted, 'that was not the reason for my anger.'

'Then what was?'

'Hermione...' He sighed. 'The last time I accompanied a young lady to the cinema, I was just about able to afford a choc ice at the interval. There was none of that... popcorn, hot dogs and Merlin knows what else...and chatting during the picture was most certainly not to be tolerated. Any more rustling of sweet wrappers from that woman in front of us, and I swear I would have hexed...'

'Oh, Severus,' Hermione said, laughing. 'It was you, wasn't it? The exploding popcorn bucket?'

He smirked. 'She deserved it. However, I apologise for ruining our date.'

Date? Hermione was sure she must be as red as a beetroot. 'I...er, that's okay, Severus, really. I'm glad you didn't think I was making fun of you, or anything, but cinemas are like that nowadays, I'm afraid.'

'A pity,' Severus said, offering her his arm, 'since I enjoy a good film, but nothing could persuade me to repeat that experience, however... amenable the company.'

'Oh...um.' The butterflies were back. A whole flock of them, clamouring for her to seize the moment. 'Well, if you like, we could raid Dad's DVD collection...' She let the implications hang in the air a moment. 'Do you have a DVD player?'

'Naturally.'

'Good. I'll bring the pizza.'

******