SIX

Once again, not mine!

The memories in the Pensieve were all similar in that they were pieces of evidence collected to prove Severus Snape, Hogwarts Potions master was innocent. Well, not innocent per se, but not guilty of the murder of Albus Dumbledore or of being a Death Eater. Hermione spent an entire weekend with the Pensieve, playing and replaying the day of the Final Battle and the last year in general, trying to determine why she couldn't remember the Professor. And it wasn't just Hermione herself, but NO ONE remembered him. It was like he had never been born. Even his name disappeared from history as she found out when taking an afternoon to look through old Hogwarts yearbooks.

Hermione sat on her sofa and stared at the fire burning merrily in the fireplace. She had been startled awake once again by those ridiculous dreams, and once again she couldn't quiet her mind enough to go back to sleep. Looking at the clock, she realised that it was close to the same time of night it had been when she had seen the man on the Astronomy Tower. Making a quick decision, she grabbed her cloak and shoes and headed out of her door.

It didn't take long for Hermione to make her way to the base of the tower, and she gingerly stepped onto the stairs. The higher she climbed, the more nervous she got, her steps echoing lightly in the stairwell. Hermione gained the main floor of the Astronomy Tower and almost lost her nerve. She rallied, wrapping her Gryffindor courage around her and making her way to the serpent's lair.

*****

Severus Snape had settled into his place on the Astronomy Tower's Eastern turret and leant his head back onto the stone wall. He sighed lightly, another long day of teaching potions not helping his dark mood. After classes, he had spent another several hours in futile research trying to counter that damned curse of the Dark Lord's. It had to be something of his own creation, no matter in what book Severus looked or what potion he brewed or spell he created, it was no use, nothing ever worked.

The Potions master would have thrown himself off of the tower in frustration, but experience had proven that was not an option. He couldn't even kill himself because of the curse. He was, indeed, damned to wander the Earth, unknown and unloved.

Somewhere during his short-lived independence, Severus had taken up smoking. It wasn't particularly pleasant tasting or smelling, but he had nothing better to do, and it wasn't like he could DIE from it, so smoke he did. He had just lit another cigarette when a voice beside him caused him to start and burn his leg with ash. He had been so wrapped up in his thoughts he hadn't heard anyone on the stairs, and now he was swallowing his tongue and way too much smoke all at once.

"What the devil...," he gasped through a coughing fit, glaring fiercely at the witch standing near his knee.

Hermione looked at him quite unrepentantly. "Those are quite bad for you, Professor Snape."

Severus wound up to begin his rant about nosy people and the sanctity of personal space when he nearly swallowed his tongue again. "What did you say?" he hissed. "Answer me, girl..."

"I said, those are bad for you." Hermione tried very hard not to roll her eyes at the fearsome man.

"No, who did you say I was. What name did you call me?" There was an edge of urgency in his voice, and Hermione immediately responded.

"Professor Snape. That is your name, after all."

Severus slid off his perch and grabbed Hermione's arms, shaking her slightly. "You know who I am?" His voice was raspy from the cigarette smoke and unnamed emotions that roiled through him.

Hermione nodded. "Yes, I know who you are, and I know everything about your work with the Order. I just don't know why no one else knows who you were."

She eased out of his grip as he stood staring at her. "I have made a list of what we need to do. First of course, we need to find out what happened to you. It stands to reason that you were cursed because I don't think that everyone else could have been cursed. Second, we... "

"Miss Granger... " Severus attempted to interrupt Hermione's planning. "MISS GRANGER!"

Hermione stopped her pacing and looked up. "I'm sorry, you called my name?"

"Futurs semotus ex memoria quod fio somnium..."

Severus watched Hermione as she translated the Latin in her head. If he had been a jovial man, he would have burst into laughter as he watched her eyes narrow and her lips purse.

"So the curse removes you from memory, but you can be seen in dreams? But who would dream of you?" Hermione gasped as she realised how that sounded. "I'm so sorry, that didn't come out the way I meant."

Severus snorted. "It is perfectly fine, Miss Granger, I know how people feel about me, or rather how they felt... "

"Sir, we need to figure out how to cancel this curse. The memories I have also clear you as a Death Eater."

"Miss Granger, all this is very lovely, but why are you even bothering with me. You expect me to believe that Albus Dumbledore left evidence exonerating me of my crimes to you and not a senior Order member? The man was barmy, but he wasn't a fool. So I appreciate that you know me, at least until you walk away from me, and I do appreciate your attempt to help, but go back to your studies. There is nothing to be done for me."

Hermione, hands on her hips, stood firmly in front of the Potions master and wouldn't back down. "I am here to help, the Headmaster asked it of me and I won't let him down. You saved us all and now I will try to repay that."

"It still doesn't explain why you are the one he trusted, so I must thank you to leave well enough alone."

Before she could answer, Severus was gone.

*****

For several weeks, Hermione tried in vain to meet up with Severus again. He avoided the Potions classroom as usual, but he was also avoiding the Astronomy Tower. Hermione couldn't even get a note delivered by house-elf or owl. The dreams were getting worse, and she was feeling desperate. One evening after dinner, Hermione had rediscovered the little pamphlet she had taken from the Library. She sat down to read and became more excited as she did. In the middle of the book was the curse Voldemort had placed on Severus. The next page detailed the counter and how simple it was. All he needed was to kiss his Heart's True Love now known as a Soul Mate. Hermione knew that Dumbledore wasn't a Seer and couldn't have known that this curse would be used, but it seemed a miracle that he decided to trust Hermione because he had seen the Soul Mate charm work.

Another week passed and Hermione was getting beyond antsy. She finally attached a note to her latest brew in Potions class and went about the rest of her day.

*****

Hermione practically ran up to the Astronomy tower hoping that Severus would be there. She drew up, panting, relieved to see him in his usual place.

"I found the answer! I found a book by accident in the Library, and it was all about Soul Mates and dreams. In it was the curse Voldemort used on you!"

Severus looked at Hermione. "Soul Mates? What, pray tell, are you talking about?"

Hermione huffed a bit. "The curse is an ancient one. The only cure is a kiss from your Heart's True Love... That is what they used to call soul mates."

Severus grunted. "Well, that is that then. You will leave and forget you know about me." He turned his back to Hermione and leaned on the turret ledge overlooking the grounds.

"I said GO!" he screamed.

Hermione burst in to tears. "No, Professor... Severus, I can't leave you. I AM your soul mate. That is why Dumbledore left me the memories. He knew that we were destined to be together; he just never planned on Voldemort punishing you for turning on him. It is why he trusted me with your life and safety. The Headmaster knew I would do anything I could to protect you. All we have to do is kiss once and it will be over. The curse will be broken."

Severus turned on Hermione, an almost deadly gleam in his eyes. "How dare you. You are no more my soul mate than Hagrid. The only person I will ever love is dead."

"But..."

"Silence, I said we are not soul mates and we aren't. I could no more love you than I could love a Flobberworm. You are nothing to me... nothing but a pain in my arse. You can't leave things alone, can you? You have to fix things. Well, leave me the hell alone, Miss Granger. I cannot stand the sight of you."

Hermione stood there, tears leaking down her face. "Severus... please..."

"I haven't given you leave to use my name. One hundred fifty points from Gryffindor for improperly addressing a professor." Severus looked at the distressed witch and went in for the kill. "Why in Merlin's name would I want something like you when I already love the best? You have nothing I want."

With that, Severus stalked away and left Hermione a sobbing mess on the Astronomy Tower floor. She knew from experience that he could be cruel, but it had not prepared her for the viciousness of this tongue. The charm had been wrong; there was no way she could be soul mates with a man like him. Yet why did his rejection leave her feeling so wretched?