The Problem of Pain

Author's Note: First of all, I just noticed that I don't have a disclaimer on any of these chapters. Whoops. So, let me say that JKR is much cooler than I because she owns all things Potter.

Also, I've gone back into previous chapters and made some changes. Nothing major, just tweaking some dialogue, correcting some mistakes I made, and changing around a couple of things I didn't like. Thank you all for your reviews, which I think have really helped me improve this story. Now, on with the chapter!

Chapter Fourteen // The Problem of Pain

Hermione quickly shoved rolls of parchment, ink, and quills into her bag. There had to be something they could do for the Weasleys... something that had perhaps been overlooked.

Making her way to the end of the hall as instructed, she saw that Snape was already waiting for her, scowling at the retreating back of Albus Dumbledore. Albus twinkled at Hermione as she walked by, though he didn't say anything.

Glancing back at Snape, she tried not to laugh. He was wearing what appeared to be a Weasley sweater (which was a lovely shade of maroon), a pair of shoddily transfigured denim trousers, and trainers. He looked highly uncomfortable, and had it been anyone other than he, she was sure they would be tugging at the clothes. His hair had been Charmed a light brown, and though the face was still the same, he didn't look like Professor Snape at all.

"Professor Snape?" she asked timidly.

He gritted his teeth and said, "Albus has directed that I allow you to call me Severus..."

"All right then, Severus... umm..." Deciding it was easier to ask forgiveness than permission, she waved her wand and re-Transfigured his trousers. He looked down, then at her, and – Did he just blush?

"Thank you, Miss Granger. Transfiguration was never my best subject."

"Look, if I have to get accustomed to calling you Severus, you really ought to call me Hermione."

He nodded his acquiescence and turned to the wall. Keeping his silence, he flipped what appeared to be a Muggle light switch. The wall opened, revealing a small entryway. She followed him inside to find a dimly lit chute just beyond the door.

"Has Albus explained how to use this passage?" She shook her head, and he quirked up a corner of his mouth in something that was half forced smile, half grimace.

"Doubtless he thought it was amusing. It's a slide, Miss... Hermione. It will take us to a secure room in the Hogwarts infirmary. I will go first; count to twenty and then follow me. Understand?"

**

The slide was more amazing than any Muggle one she'd ever experienced. She would have screamed with joy, but she stopped herself, thinking that Professor... Severus would probably object. She came to the end all too soon, landing on something soft in the dark with a muffled thump.

Loud cursing met her ears, and she realized the something soft she had landed on was Severus Snape. There were a few awkward moments of sorting out limbs. He hastily stood up, eliciting a loud yelp from his former student. Her hair, it seemed, had gotten tangled around the button at the throat of his sweater. While he untangled her, she sniffed him cautiously. She wasn't sure why, but she was overcome with the urge to learn his scent. He smelled surprisingly good, like wood smoke and spices.

Lighting the ends of their wands, he motioned her to go ahead. Thankfully, the third floor tapestry wasn't far, and they didn't meet anyone on their way. Stopping in front of a tapestry that depicted a woman attempting to converse with a Mandrake, she stopped at his whispered command. This was Duranda the Demented, the woman who had attempted to translate the wailing cries of the ugly plants. The cry of the Mandrake is, of course, fatal to anyone who hears it firsthand, so Duranda had devised a way to record and play back the cries. While not fatal if heard secondhand, the played-back cries tended to addle the listener's brain – hence the name Duranda the Demented.

Recalling the procedure she'd used to get into Grimmauld Place for the first time, she thought about what she'd read on the slip of paper. The tapestry glowed gold for a moment, and she had to stifle a shriek when Duranda's hand left the tapestry and extended out towards her.

"Stand back. It's just the ward. Something else I'm sure Albus found to be amusing..."

He began moving his hand in a complicated pattern, and this time it was a giggle she stifled as she realized this ward was the Wizarding equivalent of a secret handshake.

He stopped and glared at her, then redirected his glare to the ward. "The last part, Severus! You know you have to do it!" Duranda cackled gleefully.

"If you so much as titter, we will leave immediately," he told Hermione gruffly. She nodded and placed a Silencing Charm on herself just to be sure. She wasn't going to miss this opportunity to get inside the private library of the Order. Muttering to himself about sadistic, twinkling old wizards, he struck a pose that was strongly reminiscent of John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. Apparently that was the last key in opening the door, for the tapestry took on a rubbery sheen and Severus stepped through. She quickly followed, not wanting to be subjected to the handshake herself.

She entered the library and was amazed by the luxuriousness of it. The carpet was a thick cherry red, accented by walls paneled in golden oak. Pictures of phoenixes adorned the walls, and a fire was already crackling merrily in a huge stone fireplace. There was a long, low sofa in front of the fireplace, and tea and biscuits had already been laid on the table beside it.

Perhaps the strangest thing about this library, though, was that it contained no books.

"Prof... umm... Severus..." she began, but then she noticed that the dark man was nowhere in her line of sight. There was a large Hogwarts banner along the back wall, and she noticed it moving faintly as though there were a slight breeze. Behind it, she found the man she was looking for on a small balcony overlooking the Hogwarts library. She assumed it must be shielded, for she had never noticed it when she was in the library below. Following his gaze, she saw him looking at the table she had occupied on her first visit to the library after Christmas.

"You!"

"Why, yes, it is me. Given that we arrived together, this should not surprise you."

"No! You were here on Christmas! You said, 'Ten points from Gryffindor for conduct unbecoming of the Head Girl.'"

"I didn't know you'd heard that. This room is supposed to be completely shielded. Perhaps I should have Albus – "

What he was going to have Albus do, she didn't hear. She heard a voice that sounded a lot like Molly Weasley, though she couldn't make out the whispered, echoing words. Looking at Severus, she saw a black line floating around him like so much oily smoke, centering on his heart. A warm pink line detached from him, hovering in midair for a moment before disappearing. A silver line originated at her own heart, and their two lines reached for each other, their curling movements reminding Hermione suddenly of the smoke from the incense that Professor Trelawney liked to burn. The lines twined around each other and turned a shade of shining charcoal grey before fading away.

" – Look at the Charms on the room... Hermione?" Severus looked at her to find that she wasn't paying attention to him at all. Instead, she was staring at the space between them, transfixed.

Was that what Mrs. Weasley meant about being released from the Oath when someone better comes along to care for him? I'm supposed to care for him? How am I supposed to do that? He doesn't even like me! For the moment, she elected to stay silent. She would talk to Albus; perhaps he could help her.

"Miss Granger!" he barked in his best Professor Snape Is Pissed voice.

That brought her out of it, for she jerked her gaze back to his. "Did you see... Never mind. I was just woolgathering. Sorry."

Ushering her back through the banner, he said, "Fine. Do you know how to use this library, or did Albus leave everything to me?"

"He didn't say anything about it. Where are all the books?"

"Go stand in front of the mirror in the corner. You'll see," he said, and with a flick of his wand he pulled the dust cover off of a large object she hadn't noticed before. Standing in front of it, she read the inscription across the top: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.

She thought she'd heard that before... yes! The Mirror of Erised!

"I'm sure you've heard about this mirror from Potter... it is the Mirror of Erised, the Mirror that will show you your heart's desire. It is the best way to protect these tomes from anyone who manages to get through the Fidelius. It will find for you the book you desire, provided your intentions are pure – hence the reason for my presence. Desire to read would be pure in your case, since you only desire to help. However, some of the Darker books would consume you before you had even touched the bindings."

Gazing into the Mirror, she saw only herself reflected. The room, though, had changed. All she could see behind Mirror-Hermione were rows upon rows of books. Mirror-Hermione held out her hand and a slim red volume came zooming into her outstretched fingers. A dull thwack sounded behind her, and she turned to see the same red book she'd seen in the mirror laying on the large desk in the center of the room. Glancing back at the mirror, she saw her reflection smile sadly before the dust cover rose up from the ground and covered the mirror once more. She looked over to find Snape lowering his wand.

"The Mirror is as dangerous as it is useful, and it is unwise to gaze into it too long. Seeing their heart's desire manifested before them has driven many a person insane, for you cannot always have what you see." His eyes darkened momentarily, and Hermione wondered what it was that he saw in the mirror.

He walked over to the desk and picked up the book. "Ah, yes. The Problem of Pain by S. Acelli Sveltewisp. You do know this isn't going to work, correct? There is nothing that will reverse that curse."

Glaring at him, she held out her hand for the book. "You only say that because no one's ever done it."

"What makes you think you can? You are intelligent, I will give you that – but men far more intelligent than you have researched this, and I know it cannot be done." He handed the book to her and walked over to sit on the couch, where a stack of Potions journals had appeared.

"By 'men far more intelligent than you,' do you mean yourself?"

He ignored her, disappearing behind the voluminous pages of the first journal.

Fine. He wanted to ignore her, did he? She'd show him impossible. She sent a jet of bluebell flame towards the fireplace and started for the desk. She stopped when she noticed Severus looking back and forth between the newly-lit fireplace and her with an odd expression on his face.

"What?" she asked testily.

"Magical fire like that tends to have a color specific to the caster. I have seen a flame like this once before... Please tell me it wasn't you who set my robes on fire at a certain Quidditch match several years ago."

It was her turn to blush, but she held his gaze as she answered. "It was me, but we thought you were hexing Harry's broom. I didn't realize until later that I had knocked Professor Quirrell over to get to you."

"I still bear scars from that fire," he said, glaring at her and disappearing once more behind his journal. She was seated at the desk when she heard him add, "Ten points to Gryffindor for managing to do that without me noticing."

**

Three hours, four quills, two rolls of parchment, two cups of tea, and a Ginger Newt later, she gave a tiny triumphant squeal. She'd found a footnote in a relatively new book entitled Potions: The Revenge of the Nerd by Toshiro Takashi: The carnivorous plant Dionaea muscipula may be able to consume some Dark curses. The enzymes that the plant uses to digest insects have a strange ability to break down these curses, though it should be noted that this is only conjecture and should only be attempted with a live, healthy plant.

Her quill began flying over the paper. If a way could be found to pull the curse from the Weasleys and direct it towards the plant, perhaps it could simply be eliminated.

A cough behind her broke her concentration. Severus was reading over her shoulder, an amused smirk on his face.

"Well, that is certainly interesting, but you should know that the only way to pull a curse from someone is to pull their soul out with it. And once the soul has been removed, the cord that connects it to the body, the inga no kusari, breaks and the soul is doomed to wander forever."

"But if a way were found to bind the soul to the body... I will do this, Severus. If all you have is discouragement, please leave me be."

"On the contrary, Miss... Hermione. I think it could be done, though it would take months if not years of research. The Weasleys do not have that long. I will speak to Minerva, though. Perhaps a way can be found to research this further when you are back in school. Even if we cannot save Arthur and Molly, perhaps we can prevent others from sharing that fate."

**

The Problem of Pain is, of course, a book by C. S. Lewis. (S. Acelli Sveltewisp is an anagram of Clive Staples Lewis.

Toshiro Takashi is one of the characters from the very awesome movie, Revenge of the Nerds. Dionaea muscipula is more commonly known as the Venus Flytrap.

Inga no kusari is stolen from my favorite anime, Bleach. It means Chain of Fate.