Secrets Revealed

A/N: Thank you to Lariope, who walked hand in hand with me on this chapter. Thanks to Lulabelle72 and RedSkyAtNight for the support!

Running away from Severus had been incredibly difficult. She had known that luring him to the Grotto in order for him to revoke the spell was going to be easy, but she had wanted to talk things over with him, calmly and rationally. Of course, her temper had got the best of her as it sometimes--always--had. And what was even worse than running from him and leaving the situation unresolved had been what she had said to him.

And don't follow me, Snape! I need to be alone!

Snape.

She had maliciously addressed him by his surname--something she had always warned the boys about doing and something that she had been sure that he had despised.

But she had been so furious with him! It doesn't matter--you shouldn't have said that, she argued with herself as she ran down the corridor, headed towards her private room. But as soon as Hermione was about to pass the door to Snape's office, she abruptly stopped, frozen in her tracks.

A sinister wave of magic swirled around her, chilling her spine. The magic crept through her veins, and the anger that she had raging inside her rapidly intensified.

He doesn't love you, Hermione--he just wanted you all to himself! And then lied about it!

Evil thoughts surged through her mind, and before she knew it, she had growled in frustration, broken the wards that protected his office, and burst through the door.

He used you! Even Dumbledore knows he is a liar--that's his fucking job--to lie and be deceitful!

Hermione was trembling as she stood in the middle of his office, her eyes darting around the room looking for something--for anything--to satisfy her unexpected urge to destroy Severus Snape.

She faced the bookshelves and raised her wand, ready to obliterate his entire collection.

"What the fuck are you doing, Hermione? Not the books!" she shouted at herself, turning her back on the bookshelves, as a large tear rolled down her cheek.

What's wrong with you? Why are you behaving like this?

Because he deserves to be hurt, just as he hurt you!

Hermione angrily flicked her wand at his desk, propelling it across the room and slamming it into the cabinet that housed jars and bottles. The impact instantly shattered the glass, sending shards soaring through the air.

Hermione stared at the mess she had created. It had felt so good to do that, yet...

Look what you have done.

Hermione took a step forward, as if she were going to attempt to clean up the mess, but something fell out of one of the opened drawers. It was a thin piece of paper, and it floated, almost as if in slow motion, towards the ground, swirling and flipping in the air before it landed next to her foot.

Careful to not cut her fingers on the broken glass, Hermione stooped down and pinched the edge of the paper, lifting it up. As she stood up, she flipped the paper over and was startled to see herself. It was the photo from the small ceremony when she had finished school--the one that Severus had taken of her from the waist up--the one where she was smiling, looking off to the left, then where she turned slowly, facing the camera and blinking once while her hair fluttered in the wind.

But unlike the first time that she'd seen this photo, her legs gave way, and she dropped to her knees, unable to tear her eyes away from it. She clutched the photo tightly in her hands. Something had been added.

At the bottom of the photo, the word M.I.N.E. was carved into the photographic paper.

Why--

But before she could finish her thought, seven words echoed through her mind.

"Inanimate objects are not worth my time."

The conversation she had with Severus only a short while ago rapidly played in her mind.

"I know more about obsessions than you give me credit for. That's why I mentioned yours. Because I do understand. And I can relate."

"Inanimate objects are not worth my time."

At the time, she had questioned herself, wondering what he had meant by his comments, but she had pushed it to the side, forgetting about it.

He has been using you! You're nothing more than a game--something for him to conquer!

"Inanimate objects are not worth my time!" she said mockingly as she stood up, throwing the picture across the room. It fluttered wildly in the air and landed on his desk.

Hermione's browed creased, and she balled her fists, digging her fingernails into her skin.

A sense of foreboding flooded through her as whispers from behind her caught her ear. She whirled around, but all that was behind her were the bookshelves.

She took several trembling steps toward the books, and the closer she came to them, the more hatred filled her and the strange whispers became louder, but still indistinguishable.

What a fucking lying and unworthy bastard! she thought to herself.

The whispers were like a low hum in her ears, driving her mad. Hermione gripped her wand, screamed, and started casting hexes at the items in his room, just to release the built up tension in her muscles. Before she realized what spell she had cast, she was engulfed in darkness, the frigid temperature stinging her skin. She blinked several times attempting to adjust her eyes, when the familiar mystic, cobalt color of her soul began glowing, filling the room with an eerie light.

Just as she was about to withdraw the spell, she noticed a faint glow that was hidden behind several large tomes.

Again, faint whispers filled the room, except this time, she could clearly hear what they were saying:

"Move the books. Find what you seek."

****

As soon as Phineas said that Hermione was destroying his office, Snape took off, running out of the Grotto. The corridor was too narrow and short for him to take flight, and he cursed his height most of the way back to his office.

When he reached his office and noticed what was left of his door, he instantly knew Hermione had somehow found the thing he had been trying to keep hidden for years. As he stepped inside, the glow from his own soul lit up. "Finite Incantatem!" he shouted.

The chilly darkness instantly vanished. Startled, Hermione jumped backwards, whirling around and slamming her back into the bookshelves, gripping the tattered copy of Blinded by the Light: Embrace Your Inner Darkness tightly to her chest.

Her eyes were wild, and she was obviously frightened. And angry.

"Y-you! You obsessive, fucking--"

"Hermione, calm down--"

"NO!" She was scooting across the bookshelves, shaking her head. "You're a traitor! You had the Horcrux the entire time! How could you look me in the eye and tell me you loved me!"

Severus was at a complete loss. He didn't know what to do or how to handle her--she was holding the fucking Horcrux to her heart for Merlin's sake! Of course she was going to be erratic!

He had to get the book away from her.

Without using magic. The Horcrux was far too dangerous for him to even think about using his powers against or around it. He took a step forward, reaching his hand out to her.

"Hermione, please. Place the book on the table. Let's talk about this rationally--"

"Fuck you," she shouted, and bolted across the room. She snatched something off his desk and held it out in front of her. "I am not an object! You cannot claim me!"

Snape's heart dropped at the site of his photo crumpled in her hand. Anger swelled inside him--this was not how he had planned this. From that first time he had caught her in his office, the first time she had rifled through his files and found the photo, he had always known that the Horcrux called to her. Every time she was in his office, she always did something she hadn't had any business doing. He had always been careful to not leave her in there by herself for too long, and once she had found that fucking spell to locate the souls, he had strengthened the wards around the Horcrux. Well, so he thought. Apparently, the magic of the Horcrux was stronger than his, and it still called to her--especially when she was emotionally unstable.

As she had been after running out of the Grotto, leaving him behind.

And with the Horcrux out in the open, it was affecting them both. He had always thought it hadn't bothered him--he'd had it since the first war on Voldemort. At the time that Voldemort placed it in his hands, he had felt an anger he had never felt before, but once he had hidden and placed the protective wards around it, it hadn't bothered him.

Until now.

Control her--she has no right to speak to you in that manner! She's going to ruin everything!

"You are mine, Miss Granger, and don't you forget that! Now, put the fucking Horcrux down!"

As if in slow motion, Hermione raised her wand and pointed it at the bookshelf. Before Snape could cast Protego, he was crushed under a massive pile of books.

The pain of large tomes hitting his head and knocking him to the ground was hard to ignore, but using all his strength and wandless magic, Snape blasted the books off himself just in time to see Hermione running out of the office. Stumbling and still a bit dazed, Snape ran after her.

Just get the Horcrux back! You can deal with her later--get the fucking Horcrux!

"Where do you think you are going?" he demanded as he headed up the stone steps, following her. She stopped at the top of the stairs and faced him.

"To do what I should have done a while ago--I'm turning myself in to Dumbledore about the Beauxbatons situation! And I'm telling him that you had the Horcrux the entire time and are a filthy traitor!"

Snape's face contorted with anger. Snarling, he said, "I am afraid that I can't let you do that, Miss Granger."

A/N: So, did you expect that? Let me tell you, I have had this and the next chapter planned from the start of this story and am so happy and excited that I am finally posting it! I have always told you to never expect anything when it comes to me. And I know it is short. Real life is beating my arse, and my writing is suffering, but thank you for continuing to read and review--it keeps me pumped up to write more!