Chapter Seven

Disclaimer: Not for me. Dang.

A big thanks goes to my original beta, Charmed Nay, and another thanks goes to GinnyW, who is kindly helping me go back through it in search of funkies and enabling me to combine the chapters.

"Let me up right now, Hermione!" Snape bellowed, trying to crawl, even though his legs were locked.

"Not until you stop, Severus! We have to talk about this," she said as loudly as possible, voice still scratchy. She went to kneel by him. "Please stop." Tears were brimming in her eyes.

"I am a monster! That was unforgivable, Hermione," he said in a low, deadly voice. "I... look at your throat!" She saw tears well up in his eyes, and she couldn't stand it any more.

Her tears spilled over, and she began wailing loudly. "Sev...erus, just st...op." He pushed her outstretched hands away again.

"Release me, woman!" he choked, not wanting her to see him cry. How could he have hurt her? The woman he loved. He was not worthy. Good Lord! "I need to think. Away from you."

"No, Sev," hiccup, "erus, if you go, you won't come back. I can't be without you."

"You stupid, girl! If you stay, I will hurt you. RELEASE ME!" he bellowed. She was putting her arms around him again while sobbing. He allowed them this time, but he dared not touch her back. As her tears leaked onto his chest, his own spilled silently down his face. Why? Why did he become that? He would never harm a student much less her. He'd not had such feelings of hate or acted with such callousness since his own time as a follower of the Dark Lord. So easily, he had overpowered her. It only proved to him how fragile she actually was. "Hermione," he began, voice hoarse from the strain of holding back his own wails of anguish, "I need time to think."

For a long moment, she just sniffed, holding him tightly. "I know you. You are going to make me leave. You're not going to let me help you with this."

His arms enclosed around her body tightly. "You cannot help me with this. I can't let any harm come to you, especially not any inflicted by me. I...care too much about you, Hermione. Just give me some time."

"The potion will be done by this evening, Severus. We can beat this," she pleaded.

"Release me, Hermione."

"Wait. Just listen to me. Will you?" she asked, her puffy eyes meeting his own. He nodded with an exasperated sigh. "I love you, Severus. The dream made you do this. The only reason it went so far is because I was caught unawares. I'm not so daft that I wouldn't be able to fend for myself. Trust me."

He wanted to believe in her, but his dream had been so real. He had easily overpowered her, and nothing could have stopped him. To make things worse, he had somehow become entangled with her in the bed and attempted to throttle her. How many times had he wanted to do that in the past? You never really did, Severus. He couldn't relieve himself of her pained, hurt, shocked expression. "You have no idea what I did in my dream. I...you couldn't handle me." He'd not tell her. Severus would let her leave thinking he was a weak man, but he would not let her know all that he had done to her in his dream. All that he had said to her. He brought his hands up to rest on his forehead as if thinking.

She moved away. "I'll Obliviate you if I have to. I won't let one dream come between us. Everyone accepts us, Severus. My parents. The staff. My friends. You can't make me leave. I've been happy since I've come here. I work here now! I want you in my life. We can get through this. Let me take the potion with you this evening. I can help you."

His eyes narrowed. Did she just threaten to Obliviate him? "Hermione, you don't know what I've done...in my dream. My fingers gripped tightly around your neck were nothing compared to what I was saying and doing. You cannot be allowed into my dream. Not whilst I am like that. I would have hurt you."

"The potion makes you more approachable, Severus, and I'll be able to defend myself if I am fully aware of what is going on. I'm not some scared child! Stop trying to be so fucking noble, will you? I, along with the rest of the Order, held my own against Death Eaters and Voldemort. Never forget that," she hissed formidably.

It was true. The potion would make him more reachable as per the letter Paracelsus sent. She was a clever witch. What was she called? Yes, the cleverest witch of the age. Potter's right hand. In his dream, she had been a younger version of herself. That would not be the witch she would be if she came into his dream with him. She would be as she was now before him. His tough, kind, clever Hermione. But, by Merlin's beard! He'd wanted to harm her. He'd felt his hate for her. He'd thrived on her fear of him. Severus couldn't risk harming her. Feeling very Slytherin, he said, "All right. We'll work something out." He reached up one hand to caress her jawbone tenderly. "I just need some time to think about this. To deal with this."

Hermione looked into his eyes, searching for honesty. "Finite Incantatem," she said softly. "Don't make me regret that."

He sat up quickly, rubbing his legs. Blasted wench! She was too brilliant for her own good. Unsteadily, he got up and made his way to the bed. He sat on the edge, flexing the muscles in his legs to loosen them up. After a few minutes, he summoned his salve and applied it to his aching invisible gash. In no time, the pain subsided, and he felt at ease. Hermione was still sitting on the floor, grasping her wand, and watching him intently. There was so much that he wanted to say to her, but he couldn't. He glanced behind him to the rumpled sheets and could have cried anew. I almost killed her. Severus quickly put on some clothes, and at Hermione's protest, he held up a hand. "I demand some time to myself." With that said, he swept out of his chambers.

"I'm not as daft as you think, Severus," she muttered to herself. He wasn't going to let her help, was he? Well, like it or not, she would help him. She'd get backup if she had to. She would force him to take the potion if need be. Somehow. It was nearly dawn now. She might as well get dressed as well. There was no way she would be able to get back to sleep. Today would be a long, hard day. She wiped the last of her tears away as she looked into the mirror. Pointing her wand at her throat, she soothed any bruises that would have been left by his hands. If he did deny her access to his dream, she needed to have a plan. She began forming one in her mind.

~~~~~~~~ HG ~~~~~~~~~ SS ~~~~~~~~~~

Severus was standing on top of the Astronomy Tower as he had been for the last two hours. The chilly late December morning was doing a splendid job in numbing his body as well as giving him the strength he needed to numb his mind. He couldn't think of his needs or wants. He had to think of hers as well. No matter what they had been sharing or hoped to share in the future, he had to do something. This could not take place any longer. There were only a few options that he could explore.

The first option would be to send her back to Potter and Weasley. They would mend her eventually and be there for her until she found someone else more worthy of her. Yes, they would gladly tell her that it was a passing phase, her feelings would fade, and time would move on. She would of course teach here, but he'd treat her as he did the others. There would be no private time. He would just live with the night terrors until he couldn't any longer. At least she would be safe.

The second option would be to allow her to stay with him as she had been. He could take a sleeping draught each night. She would be safe bodily and safe in his dreams. The fear in her eyes, the repulsion he'd sensed, and her struggling against him would never come to pass again. She would still be safe. But, damn it, he would know. Deep in his mind, it would always be there. How could he live that way?

The third option, the most unlikely, would be to allow her to come into the dream with him. The things she had said had made sense to him, but how could he risk her? He would either say or do too many unforgivable things before they could defeat the remnants from the Succubus, or he would harm her irreparably. By all that was in him, he'd rather her leave him only wondering what horrors he'd done than to have her experience them firsthand.

"Still here, Severus?"

He looked to his side. How long had his mentor been standing there? He'd been in such deep thought that he'd not noticed. "I've nowhere to go, Albus," he said brokenly.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked softly.

"I think that you probably already know," Severus bit back. "Not much gets by you."

"I can only speculate, my boy," Albus said. "Talk."

"I...last night," he began, "I didn't take any potion to have a restful sleep. I had a dream. It was horrible. There was so much rage, hate, and bitterness. I felt as if I'd gone back twenty years. Hermione was there," he said, voice cracking. "I said and did unspeakable things to her. I only awoke when she began struggling against me...in bed. It seems that I had somehow began choking her. I...," his voice trailed off as his eyes began brimming with tears again. He ground them out savagely. "I can't hurt her, Albus. She's grown too important to me."

"Severus, if I thought that Hermione couldn't handle this, I wouldn't have suggested that she help you. It was Hermione that enabled you to ultimately deny the Succubus. The whole point to this potion is to have her enter your dreams to help you. Don't push her away now when you're so close," Albus admonished. "Everything you have ever dreamed of, no matter how remotely, is within your grasp."

"And, everything I used to be is back as well," Severus said scathingly. "Think you that she wants to be saddled with that?"

"I think she accepts you in any form. A woman's arms and heart are sometimes the only things that save us from ourselves. If she can forgive your past, why can't you?" He remained thoughtfully quiet for a moment. "Severus, you have more than made up for your past. Have you not ever realized that?"

"I thought I had, Albus. I thought I had," he said sadly. "This just proves what I was, and what I'll probably always be deep down inside. No one could ever truly love or want me the way I was. It was what made...her...push me away."

Albus shook his head sadly. "No, Severus. This will hurt, but I will say it. You became what you were because she pushed you away." Severus' head turned sharply upon his friend, and his eyes narrowed dangerously. Albus held up a hand. "I'm not saying it was her fault, Severus. I'm saying that the years under your father's tyranny, the solitude here at Hogwarts, the ridicule you endured, the peer pressure you endured, and a number of things made you a bitter person. Your last hope of keeping on the right path came to you in the form of a white, trumpet-shaped flower. Once you lost that last thread of hope, you gave in. You let your friends lead you where they would."

"That's no excuse. Look where it got me. Look where it got her!" Severus said bitterly.

"She lives on, Severus. The green lushness of that flower remains, the vitality and vibrancy have lived on. It has been here all the while. You just chose not to see it that way." Dumbledore patted him on the shoulder affectionately. "Fate has seen fit to send another flower your way, or it's sent you a plant in any event. This one is not a fragile one, Severus. I daresay, she could be most likened to a sprig of Devil's Snare. She loves the dark Potions master. She has become comfortable in the dark, damp dungeons. She has laced herself around your body and soul, hasn't she? The more you try to wriggle free, the more she will resolve to keep you with her." Dumbledore chuckled at his own analogy. He was quite brilliant at times, wasn't he?

"I know what you are trying to do, Albus. Enough," Severus said dismissively. "All forenoon I've been thinking things through. I will have to let her go."

"Severus, my boy, I don't think it will be that easy. Are you prepared for a bitter row? Are you prepared for another twenty years of what ifs? I think you should go down to find her. I do believe she was down near the lake not long ago," he said casually.

"The Lake? In this chill? I'll see to her," he said before striding off briskly. What was she thinking? Roaming about in the snow! Devil's Snare indeed. The plant hated sunlight. Hermione was everything sunlight, everything pure, and everything he would want in a woman. He had never realized that before. He used to hate innocence. He used to begrudge those that grew up pampered in happy homes, those that never had to fight for their beliefs, and those that wallowed in self-importance without proving themselves.

Yes, he had cared for a woman once. Fancied himself as loving her, but it was nothing like this. Hermione made him feel so much. Was Albus right? Could he truly live with the long years ahead? He pushed the thoughts out of his mind as he rushed out toward the lake. He paused as she came into sight. She was breathtaking. Her wild hair was carried softly in the breeze, her cloak was flapping slightly, and her expression was priceless. She had that look of righteous determination about her. Turning slightly, she smiled at him. "Had enough time alone then?"

"Not nearly," he commented dryly, standing at her side to look out at the frozen lake.

"Then go on. Be alone, Severus." He sensed her bitterness, but he also detected hope.

"I suppose we should talk about this."

"Yes, I suppose."

"Hermione, come back home. We need to talk where it's comfortable," he said suddenly.

"Is it home, Severus? For how long?" she asked, meeting his gaze defiantly.

"I don't know," he said honestly. "That's the point of a talk, isn't it?" he asked, suddenly dripping with sarcasm. He'd not be reduced to begging. Spinning on his heel, he began trekking back to the castle, hoping she would follow him. As he reached the side entrance, he stopped. This was not the time to be hateful to her. What was wrong with him? He'd tried to choke the life out of her in his sleep, and here he was being an arse. He turned and felt immediate relief. She was slowly making her way towards him. He put his arm around her and led her the rest of the way. He could have sighed when her cold form leaned into his warmth. He knew then what he had to do.

After establishing a nice fire, he ordered up some tea. He had no appetite and was sure that she wouldn't either. Sipping on the tea for a few moments, he allowed his thoughts to gather. "Hermione, we are not going to go through with the potion this evening." He let those words sink in. She merely looked at him expectantly. "I don't want to be without you either, but I can't let that happen again. I want to see no harm befall you. I'll take a dreamless draught each night."

She shook her head. "That's ridiculous!" She had found her voice again. "You would become addicted to it, Severus. You would eventually ruin yourself. We must do this together. It's the only way."

"Hermione, no, you don't under..."

"Stop!" she interjected. "I understand perfectly. We have a chance at a normal happy life. This is the only way. Have you so little faith in me?"

"I have little faith in myself, Hermione. I once was a very hard man. What you've seen for the past seven years is nothing compared to who I used to be."

"No! I won't give up this chance at happiness. I'd rather be brutalized in a dream than live with a man that allowed his fears to eat away at him until the only thing that was left was someone else entirely!" Hermione had to make him understand. He would do this. She would force him if need be. "What do you fear, Severus?"

"Myself, damn it! I fear myself!" He exploded in fury, throwing the table over. "Do you know what I did to you? I hexed you more than once. I intended to rape you. I hated you. I wanted to hurt you. If you hadn't woken up when you did, I would not be here right now, and you wouldn't be either! I called you a Gryffindor whore. I thought of you as a Mudblood!"

She flinched for a moment. She'd not expected such an outburst. She took a deep, steadying breath as he poured himself a glass of the Scotch that he'd received for Christmas. "Severus, you are not that person anymore. It's only natural that you would fear yourself as you used to be. It's also natural that you would fear any harm coming to me, and worst of all, that harm coming from you. I do not hold it against you."

He took a long sip and stared at the woman sitting before him. Why did she have to be so damn forgiving? "Hermione, I will not allow you to enter that dream. I was horrible. Even only the words would hurt you, much less the actions."

"The first time I heard the word Mudblood was in my second year. Malfoy called me that. I had no clue as to what it was. I knew it must have been bad for Gryffindor's Quidditch team to react the way they did. Ron even tried to hex Malfoy over it. It wasn't until later, at Hagrid's hut, that I found out exactly what it meant. Yes, that did hurt, but I was only thirteen at the time, Severus. I am five years older now. I have heard and experienced many horrible things. Please don't think that some wretched things you could say would have me broken like some trampled flower!"

His drink stopped midway to his mouth. Trampled flower. Had she been talking to Albus? He shook his head. Unlikely. "But, Hermione..."

"No! Enough! I will know that it's not really you saying those things to me. Don't you see? Those are things that you would be afraid for me to hear you say. I know you aren't perfect, and I am not either. No one is. Harry, Ron, and I found out many things about you a long time ago. If I was so worried about that, do you think I would be here now?" she asked, finally losing the heat in her voice. "I've fallen in love with you no matter how you've treated me in the past. We have our whole lives ahead of us, Severus. We will make new memories."

Severus threw his glass at the fireplace. "ENOUGH!" He walked purposefully to her chair. He gripped her shoulders tightly before hissing. "You will not accompany me in my dream this night or ever. We can still have those things, but this will be done my way."

She shrugged out of his grasp. "Fine, Severus. You do what you've got to do. For now, I have something that I need to do. I will be back in a few hours." She escaped his arms, quickly threw some Floo powder into the fire, and stepped in. "The Burrow!"

He watched in stunned silence as she disappeared into the green flame. What the bloody hell did she need to do at Weasley's house? He started to follow her, but he thought better of it in the end. Perhaps she just needed time to think as he had. The Weasleys were like family to her. Pah! Let her go to them then.

~~~~~~~~ HG ~~~~~~~~~ SS ~~~~~~~~~~

Hermione stepped out of the fire to everyone's shock. Her eyes were wild, and she seemed extremely upset. "Sorry to barge in," she said through false cheer. "I just needed to come for a visit."

"You're just in time for some lunch. We were about to tuck in," Molly said kindly, steering her to the table.

"Oh, I don't know if I could eat right now. I just wanted to talk to Harry for a minute."

"Nonsense. You'll do better to have a full stomach," Molly said easily. Ginny smiled uncertainly. Ron seemed confused by her presence. Harry's eyes were narrowed.

"You're right, of course," she said, wishing she hadn't blurted that out. The last thing she needed was a raging Harry Potter on her hands. "I've just had a tough morning."

"All right there, Hermione?" Ron asked, eyes beginning to narrow as well. "How tough of a morning?"

She waved her hand dismissively as she accepted the plate Molly placed before her. Why had she come here like this? She should have waited until she had composed herself. Of course they would think the worst. Molly was eyeing her curiously, but to her good sense, she wasn't asking questions.

"You look terrible, Mione," Ginny said once the dishes began putting themselves into the sink. "Out with it. What's happened?"

She watched as her three friends and the Weasley matriarch leaned forward expectantly. "All right. I'll tell you, but please don't pass any judgment until you've heard it all."

"Get to it," Harry demanded. She didn't like the glint in his eyes.

"You all know, of course, that Severus and I have taken our relationship to the next level." She smirked at Ron's groan. "Anyway, I was able to dispel my Incubus easily. It even went as far as to turn into Harry and Ron before it gave up. Severus, though, he had a harder time. It tried a couple of other people before showing itself in true form. To make a long tale short, he was able to deny her as well, but in a fit of rage, she punished him by slicing his leg with her tail."

"Wicked," Ron said, eyes big. "What did she look like? A tail, you say?"

Hermione found herself giving the details of the Succubus' appearance to the group. She didn't mind. It prolonged the hard part. "Now, his leg has no visible sign that he was cut, but he can still feel it. In his dreams, the wound is still open and fresh. The Succubus had some magical poison that infected him. During waking hours, he treats it as if it is a normal wound, but in the night, it does something completely different to him. It gives him night terrors. Terrors in which he becomes his worst fear. In this case, it's himself he fears more than anything else. That and the fear that I will be hurt."

"I don't like the sound of this," Harry stated gravely.

Molly nodded. "I could see where Severus could fear that. What's happened, dear?"

She explained about Dumbledore's friend, Paracelsus. Then, she told them about the potion that they had brewed together, and then she told him that he'd not taken anything to sleep with the prior night.

"Go on then," Ron urged. "Did he have a wicked dream? I'll bet he was stalking about in his ruddy Death Eater robes." He quieted at Molly's scornful look. "Sorry."

Hermione told them about everything that had happened from the moment she woke up until before she came there to see them. Ron looked angry, but uncharacteristically, held back any sharp comments.

Ginny had tears in her eyes. "Oh, Mione, I am so sorry. Just let him take the potion. You'll both be safe then."

Molly smiled and took her hand in hers. "You can't do that, Hermione. You'd never be happy that way." She then looked to Ginny as if to shut her up.

Harry stood up. "I'll do it."

"Do what?" Ron asked.

"Hermione is here because she needs me to help. I think I know what she has planned. Nobody will ever harm anyone I love. Dream phantom or no," he said determinedly. "Let's have a walk in the garden. I'm sure Crookshanks will be glad to have a distraction from chasing the pesky gnomes. We can talk privately there." He gave the others a scathing look. "Don't follow us."

~~~~~~~~ HG ~~~~~~~~~ SS ~~~~~~~~~~

"Hi, Crooks!" Hermione exclaimed as her pet pounced into her arms. "I've missed you! I hope you've not been causing too much mischief for Molly."

Harry watched as his friend cuddled her cat closely. What exactly did she want from him? He had his suspicions, and if he had his way, he'd definitely have a talk with Snape about a few things. "Out with it, Mione. What do you need me to do?"

She released Crooks and turned sad eyes his way. He held out his arms, and she practically fell into them. "Harry, I love him. I want to be with him for always. My place is at Hogwarts. I've known that for a while now, but thinking of being there with him, it makes it so much better. We get on really well though we have a go at each other now and then, but it's comfortable. I can't lose him, Harry."

He soothed her hair down. "I can see it in your eyes when you talk about him. I can hear it in your voice. I never told you how I honestly felt about this. I think it's time I do so now." He pulled back to look into her eyes. "I've never gotten on with him. I blamed him for Sirius' death until I realized that it was mostly my fault. It was just easier to blame him. Last year, when Draco and I became friendly, I was taken into the fold. I conversed long and often with both Malfoys, Dumbledore, and Snape. They trained me hard in certain things that even you and Ron don't know about. I started grudgingly respecting him. I saw with my own eyes and heard with my own ears firsthand about the things that he endured when he went off to spy."

"What things did they train you for?" she asked.

"Shush. Not now, Mione." He grinned. "When Lupin killed Pettigrew, it was Snape that had set the trap. When Lupin was caught and killed, I was with Snape and Malfoy when they brought back his body. He grieved. It may not have been tears, but it was grief just the same. That touched me on some level. He's always been an arse to me, but on the same note, I've not always been nice to him. When you first told us about it, I was thinking it was crazy. Hell no, I thought to myself. But, then I realized that he was a man under that hard exterior. He grieved for Lupin. Grieved for someone that he used to hate. If he was capable of that, then he was capable to look out for my best girl."

"I never knew about that," she said with regret.

"I trust him to always keep you safe, and even though Voldemort is dead now, there are always those out there that are still up to no good. Besides, who would be more perfect for you than someone else that teaches? Someone else that is interested in research? Someone else who shares your lust for reading? There are many things that I could say. If you can give him the time of day, then I can too."

"Thanks, Harry," she said with a smile, hugging him again.

"That night he stormed into the common room only made me believe what I'm saying even more. He looked like he cared, and that was enough for me. If he even looked the tiniest bit concerned about you, then I knew there had to be something else underneath. I'll do what I can to see you happy, Hermione. You're my family."

"He does care about me. He told me this morning. Severus, well, he's just complicated. I've not even begun to delve into his feelings on certain things, but I would like the rest of my life to be able to try. Do you understand what I mean? I don't care that in his dream he is this horrible person. I feel that I can reach him. He won't listen that the potion makes him more approachable, and it offers protection to me. It offers a chance to purge his body of the poison that thing put in it!" Hermione was gesturing wildly with her hands.

Harry laughed. "What are you suggesting?"

"Well, I just knew I needed backup, and I knew that I could count on you. Ron would want to help, but it's not the same. Severus doesn't respect him as he does you." Harry scoffed. "No, really, Harry. Why else would he trust you to come into my dorm? I can tell, you know. Just some things that he lets slip give it away."

"So, you've got a plan then?"

"All right. I have one, but it's totally barbaric!"

Harry smiled. "That, my dear, I think we can manage quite nicely. Come this way toward the brook. We'll work things out."

Hermione smiled. She was right to come to Harry. He'd help her make things right between Severus and her. She'd only just found him, and she wasn't ready to give up on him just yet.

~~~~~~~~ HG ~~~~~~~~~ SS ~~~~~~~~~~

Severus was sitting back in his chair holding onto his now empty bottle of Scotch. "Well, I guess she might not come back after all. Perhaps Weasley has talked some sense into her," he grumbled to himself. It was nearly nightfall. Their potion was nearly finished with its allotted simmering time. He would bottle it for research purposes. This should be documented to save some other sod one day. Wouldn't hurt to have a batch handy in any event. "I wonder how long it lasts?" he asked himself. He could feel a headache coming on. Damn! Why did I drink all of this? The worst part was that it had not intoxicated him as he had hoped. No. His mood was just too sour, and he'd had too much to speculate on.

His fireplace began to sputter, and the flames turned green. To his great displeasure, Harry Bloody Potter stepped out. "Potter!" he spat the name. "What are you doing here?"

He narrowed his eyes as Potter nonchalantly dusted the soot from his robes before even looking at him. Potter then took his time strutting across to the chair next to him to have a seat. "I don't remember inviting you to come here," he hissed.

"Hermione gave me permission, sorry. I've just come from talking to her," Potter said blandly, smoothing out his dark green robes.

"Is that so?" Severus said, leaning forward.

"Yes," came the defiant reply.

"Well, get on with it, so that you can GET OUT!" He stood menacingly, towering over the seated Potter. To his horror, the boy started laughing. His vibrant green eyes were filled with amusement. "What, pray tell, is so bloody funny?"

"You may as well have a seat, sir. I'll not leave until I've had my say," he said firmly.

Severus sneered at the menace. "You dare think I won't throw you out?"

Harry's smile faded, and the green in his eyes clouded over. "You can try, Snape."

Why that insolent little blaggard! In a rage, he reached for his wand, but before he could point it firmly at his nemesis, the boy had sprung up and pointed his own wand at him. Damn Scotch. In a whisper, he asked, "What do you think you are going to do with that, boy?"

"Accio Snape's wand," Harry said in an eerie voice. Severus tried to grab his wand, but it flew to Harry's open palm. "You've taught me well, you know. Do sit down."

Seething, Severus stood his ground. "I am going to take so many points from Gryffindor that you're dreadful progeny will still be trying to make up for it. I'll see you expelled for this, Potter!"

Harry's eyes flashed with anger. With a silent word and a flick of his wand, Severus was seated in his chair once again. "Come now, Snape. You don't think Dumbledore would allow that, do you?"

"I know he has not condoned this, boy. Vengeance will be sweet once I get my wand back."

Harry laughed again. "Constant Vigilance! You should have been expecting that I would take your wand from you. Or, did you prefer a bit of a Muggle duel? Want to take your frustrations out on someone else, Snape? Dare to tangle with me? I'm a sight stronger than Hermione is. Wouldn't I be more of a challenge?"

"Fuck off, Potter! I would never purposely hurt her!" Severus yelled, losing all control. "Were I able to move right now, I would tear you apart. You are so like your father. Bloody fool of a wiz..."

Harry's wand had moved again, and Severus started sputtering. "Feels good to be choked, Snape? You shut up about my dad. I'm not here because of that. I'm here about Hermione." The hold on his throat was released quickly, and Severus gasped for air. "Sorry. I just hate when you go on about him."

Severus quickly thought over the situation while he regained his breath. It would be prudent to play along with Potter. Obviously, he didn't really want to hurt him. Perhaps if he let him have his say, he would leave. He felt a slight pang of betrayal. Potter was here for Hermione. Had she told them what a monster he had become? She had fled and gone to Potter. History repeats itself. "You know, the Imperio is an Unforgivable Curse, Potter."

"And, just who says that is what I am using? Do you hear my voice in your head asking you to sit? Of course you don't. Besides, I'm not stupid. I know you can throw that off. I wouldn't use it." Harry grinned. "This is just a bit of something that Dumbledore taught me. Didn't you ever wonder why Voldemort fumbled for a moment with his wand?" Realization dawned on Severus' face. "That's right. I'm using Dark Magic, Snape. It only worked for a moment on Voldemort though. He recognized it for what it was. He threw it off straightaway, but those few seconds were all we needed to defeat him."

Potter sat back in his chair, but he kept his wand aimed on Severus. After a moment, Severus felt something lift from his body. The only thing keeping him from ripping Potter to shreds was the wand pointed at him. "Have your say, boy," he bit out between clenched teeth.

"Glad you'd like to listen then," he said. "Hermione loves you. I think you are good for her, and I am here to ask you to give her a chance in this. I've known her for nearly the past seven years of my life. I know she can handle what you've got to throw at her in this dream, Snape. Will you not give her the chance?"

"No, and it would bode well for you to mind your own business, Potter. You don't know what she's up against," he said quickly. Maybe he could talk some sense into the little brat. "I think it best that we try another avenue."

"What? Draught? That won't work in the long run. You'll be doing yourself more harm than good. Wouldn't you rather be sneaking about the corridors taking points off of other Houses? That would change, you know. You'd end up sneaking off to your personal stores for a swig every so often. You'd end up sacked!" Harry said, not budging.

"Damn it, Harry! I can control the urges to drink a ruddy bit of draught, but I can't control the urges in my dream. I will hurt her!" he said, completely annoyed.

"You've only called me Harry once before," the boy said softly.

"What? What are you going on about?" Severus asked. Damn! He had said Harry, hadn't he? Bugger! "What does it matter what I call you? I call you a damn pest more than anything. Why don't you just get the hell out of here? I will not change my mind."

As if he hadn't heard what Snape said, Harry continued, "It was right after I fell once I killed Voldemort. When his spirit was sucked out of this world, and it tried to take mine with it, that was when you called me Harry. You thought I was dying. The way you looked at me. I saw it before my eyes closed. You do care, don't you?" Severus stilled and looked at the young wizard across from him. "I've never told anyone. Not even Mione."

"I...anyone would have worried if you'd died. You didn't deserve it after what you'd been through." Severus said quietly. "Not that I haven't thought of your demise many times!" He narrowed his eyes. "What is this really about, Harry?" Blast! He'd said it again.

"I want us to start over. I love Hermione too, and that means you'll be seeing a lot of me. You'll be seeing a lot of my 'dreadful progeny' as well. We don't have to be best mates, but maybe I could talk to you sometimes like I used to talk to Lupin," Harry said, voice suddenly sad with regret.

Severus softened. Poor Remus. He'd finally killed the bastard that betrayed Lily and Potter. He'd avenged his friends only to have the favor returned. Why would Potter want to talk to him about things? He knew that he loathed the sight of him. "Be that as it may, there are others that you can turn to."

"Who? Dumbledore won't always be here for me. As far as Arthur, well, it's just not the same. You though...you knew my parents. Even if you hated my mum and dad, you're still their age. You lived," Harry said, voice quavering. "I don't begrudge you that, Snape. I know you tried to save them. Dumbledore told me that you converted when you found out they were on Voldemort's hit list. I just...to hell with it!"

He could see that it had taken a lot for the boy to say what he had. Quietly, looking away from those damn green eyes, he said, "I didn't hate them, Harry. I just...your mother, she always tried to be a friend to me even when I didn't appreciate it. I was sorry to see her die."

"What about my dad?" Harry asked suddenly.

"Him too," Severus replied. "I still had a debt to repay, you know." Harry grinned, understanding that Snape could never admit to anything else. "You and I? Well, we'll have to see. I don't know how to let go of some things. I wouldn't know where to begin."

"One step at a time, sir," Harry said hopefully. "Now, are you going to let Hermione help you tonight?"

"No, I will not. I have made my decision, and no matter what you think has occurred here between us, I shall not change my mind," Severus said firmly.

"Pity," Harry said softly.

"What is?"

"This," Harry said pointing his wand at Severus. Harry began speaking in what Snape now clearly recognized as Parseltongue, and he was bound to the chair by thin, smoky snakes.

"Just WHAT is the meaning of this, POTTER?" Snape bellowed.

"I'm sorry, sir, but this is for your own good." Harry ignored Snape's hateful glare and made his way to the fireplace. He threw in a bit of powder, and said, "The Burrow." A moment later Potter stuck his head into the fire. Severus could hear him speaking to Hermione. He was telling her to come through.

A moment after Potter moved away, a sheepish Hermione came through. "Severus! Are you all right?" she asked, moving toward him. "Harry! What are these snakes doing?"

"Keeping his stubborn arse in the chair," Harry replied, removing his robes.

"How could you?" Severus asked his lover in a hurt voice. "How could you do this to me? You knew what he was about!"

"More or less," she said, lifting her chin defiantly. "Harry's going to help us. You don't want to hurt me, and I've figured out how to ease your mind on it."

"How so?" he asked coldly.

"Harry," she said in a word, brushing back a lock of hair from his face. "He won't let you hurt me."

"He won't be able to stop it. There is only enough potion here for the two of us! This plan is absurd! I would have expected better from you," Severus said, anger taking over. "Whose idiotic idea is this?"

"That's enough, Snape, unless you want to lose the ability to speak for a little while," Harry warned. "Just listen to her. She's brilliant."

Hermione placed a small kiss on Severus' cheek. "It's because I love you. You and I are going to take the potion. Harry is going to watch."

"This isn't a bloody show like you watch at home on your Muggle contraptions, Hermione! How is he going to know if I am causing you harm? Hmmm?" Severus couldn't believe this lame idea of hers. Ridiculous!

"Severus, if you had paid more attention to the notes on the page with the potion instructions, you'd have read that one bloke stayed behind to be sure that all was well with his mates. The dream, as you said yourself, will be put forth above our sleeping bodies as if in a cloud. Harry will see us," she said softly.

"No. I don't want two of you witnessing that! Absolutely not! You won't force me to take the potion. I refuse to cooperate, and as such, I want the both of you out of here now," he hissed angrily. She had gone too far. He didn't want Potter to see that! Of all people!

"We can make you take it, Severus. You have no choice, and if you can't forgive me once we come through this, then I will have to accept that. Harry and I have made a safe word. If I use it, then he will wake me. If I can't talk for some reason, we even have a safe method of determining distress through my eyes. It's a good plan." Her voice was soft and pleading, but he didn't want to hear it at the moment.

"Get away from me," he said coldly.

"All right then. Come on, Harry. I have to bottle the potion now. It's about time for it." Hermione began walking to the door. "Hang on. Harry, can I have a minute alone?"

"Sure, I'll be just through there then."

After Harry walked out, Hermione went back to kneel in front of Severus. "I am doing this for you, you know. Trust me please."

This was his last chance to plead his case. "Hermione, you won't like what you see. Just me telling you about it is not the same as experiencing it. Even if we work through the dream, you will come out with a bad taste in your mouth. I was the monster in the dream, and I've relived the horror all day long."

"Then, we shall work through this together. You'll see," she said.

"There will be no together, Hermione, if you go through with this," he warned. "You should have heeded my word. Now that damn boy is in the mix!"

"I'm sorry you feel that way then, Severus, but Harry and I are going to do this whether you like it or not. I'll still love you after all this is said and done. If you can ever find it in your heart to forgive me, then I'm sure you'll be able to locate my chambers." She kissed his lips softly. "I will never be with anyone else. Ever. I've had the best. No one shall ever compare to you, love."

Without a backwards glance, she made her way to Harry and the laboratory. "Just in time." She put out the flame. Silently, she poured half into one goblet and half into another. Tears began burning in her eyelids.

"That great prat will see reason, Hermione," Harry said, sensing her indecision. "He loves you. I can tell. We've got to do this."

She nodded. "You're right. We have to do this. I'm just afraid, Harry."

"Of the dream?"

"That he won't come back to me after we do this. What if he never forgives me?" A couple of tears fell free before she wiped them away.

"Don't even think on it, Mione. You're the best thing he's ever had going for him. Besides, you are going to be living and working here. He'll have to come around, and one day, it'll get through his thick skull that this was meant to be. That you are his destiny."

She smiled softly in thanks. "Let's do it then. Once we drink the potion, we'll not take long to fall asleep. If I say Lily Evans Potter, wake me up straightaway. Don't do it otherwise, no matter what you see, Harry. Promise me!"

"I won't, Mione. I know what you're made of," he said, taking Snape's Goblet from her. "Shall we get to it?"

"Right," she agreed. With some trepidation, she made her way to the bedchamber and waited for Harry to bring Severus. Shortly after, Severus stiffly walked towards the bed. She could tell that Harry was forcing him. "Down next to her, sir," Harry commanded. Severus stiffly sat next to Hermione. "Open your mouth and drink this." Severus did as he was bid, but Hermione could see the loathing in his eyes. He hated being forced into something. "There's a good bloke."

Severus turned to look at Hermione. She was drinking down the vile potion. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"I know," he replied. He hated that she and Potter had bushwhacked him this way, but he knew she meant well. He could only pray now that he wouldn't hurt her or kill her. Grudgingly, he admitted to himself that having Potter about was a plus. At least, he wouldn't be able to move in his sleep to harm her. Even as the thought passed through his mind, Potter began binding them both with his phantom snakes. The last coherent thought that entered his mind before sleep came was that Harry reminded him of a Voldemort with Lily's eyes. Heaven help them all if this boy ever turned into a dark wizard.

~~~~~~~~ HG ~~~~~~~~~ SS ~~~~~~~~~~

Harry sat back in the chair he'd conjured next to the bed. He propped his feet up next to Snape's still form. All he could do now was wait. He thought back to the conversation that he and Snape had earlier. He could sense that Snape wanted to accept his plea for friendship, but he was too proud to do so. Harry grinned. He'd just have to pester him until he gave in of course. A burst of flames signaled Fawkes' presence. Turning in his chair he saw the Phoenix. "Hello, my friend. Come to watch the show, have you?" Fawkes sang a relaxing song for a few minutes before flying to sit on Harry's lap.

He knew that Dumbledore had sent the bird to keep him company. Perhaps if something went wrong, Fawkes could help out. Severus didn't know it, but the Headmaster knew exactly what had transpired. In fact, he seemed relieved when Harry told him of his plans. This was for the man's own good after all. At that moment, a lofty mist began forming near the top of Snape's canopy. The denser it became, the more soundly the pair on the bed seemed to be sleeping. Before his eyes, a yellow light drifted from Snape's temple and floated into the cloud. Harry could immediately make out the scowling Potions master's form walking through what appeared to be Hogwarts' lower corridors. "Good Lord!" He'd never seen the man looking so menacing. Another yellow light lifted from Hermione's temple and made its way to the cloud. He saw her look around uncertainly and begin to make her way in the direction that Snape had gone.

Southern's Notes: next up...dream time