"I have grown to care for every bit of him. But, he hasn't seen me, for I know he only considers me an impending wall. I tried my best to be near him but he shuns me with an immense force." Hermione Granger was staring at a distance, casting a Profe...
The dawn was already in its beginning glory when he looked at her. The beautiful rays of the approaching light were a pleasure to the eyes. He became silent when she choked her words as she said, no not said... as she screamed, "Whaaat?"
His eyes showed a different light at that moment, which she never thought she could see. Like anyone else being watched by their Professor, she felt strange and intimidated.
Her question was a dark assertion and a slap to his ego. Nobody has ever doubted him, mainly because he's masterful in any craft and field he ventured.
Her fingers quivered as she tried to take everything to her system.
"He killed me... " she spoke after minutes of bitter silence.
"No need to repeat uttering such a thing." He rolled his eyes, which made her stomach feel queasy. She bowed her head slowly but quickly shot up when he started to narrate his analysis of the terrifying occurrence.
"Before I will discuss the things you wish to understand, let me briefly describe the Dark Lord's prejudicial antics."
"The Dark Lord has a talent of invading a person's mind, creating visions and somehow manipulating memories or executing an event that may simply cause torture and insanity. And I am quite confident enough to tell you that the worst action he can do if he wanted to is an eventual termination of life," Snape's manner of speaking always sounded like a monologue. Still, his voice revealed no strife, insinuation and aggravation this time.
"He murdered you in your dream last night. You were lucky that you managed to free yourself from his conjuration. He tried to slink into your dream and took hold of it. Other cases were killed in their dreams, which brought their deaths to reality. Before the curse had hit you, you deflected it employing your mind. You had performed wandless magic subconsciously. But since you are inside that dream, you still felt the impact of the killing curse."
Her mind went wild and crazy when she heard everything. She was already consumed by the thought of being killed in her dream when she remembered something.
It almost seemed like Freddie Krooger from the movie A Nightmare on Elm Street. They died in their nightmares, and the cause of their deaths inside that dream became the cause of their deaths in real life.
Deep inside her, she felt fear, but there was no way she would dare show it to him. She would remain calm and dauntless as she could be.
"Is it possible that there will be another attack in my dream?" she asked, hoping not to sound desperate.
"I can't assure you that he will never try again. Particularly now that you repelled his invocation," he coolly answered altogether avoiding her gaze.
"Sir... I wish to ask one more thing." She slightly held her head high to meet her Professor's eyes.
"Don't tell me now that you'll ask another question without modulating your voice. It seems that you don't recognize who you're talking to."
"Sorry, sir, but how did I manage to escape it?" she rubbed her palms as her body started to shiver from the dungeons' freezing environment. It was a risk worth taking, asking him again.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"I believe you showed firm resistance together with your persistent urge for survival. You had removed the darkness that was throttling you and turned its power to light."
She was almost content with his answer, but a wave of fear started binding to her neck. What if he tried again? He'll just be there, biding his time, waiting for her to fall into a deep sleep. Maybe she had escaped him once, but what would she fail next time? She'll die sleeping, so pitiful, for she could not even defend herself. After being killed, she will wake to a different world: the Afterlife.
She didn't even have the chance to say goodbye to her friends and family. Once that happens, she'll never see them again.
Meanwhile, the Professor looked at the girl with awe and amusement. He knew that his student was thinking of silly and sentimental things, but still, he stood there and did nothing. He oversaw her as he forced himself to her mind effortlessly.
He wants me. But what does he want with me? He's going to use me... No! I won't let that happen. I'd rather die sleeping than be used as a helpless marionette. Hermione spoke to her mind.
Hermione Granger was indeed a Gryffindor. This little chit loves to play heroine thinking she alone can face and save the world. A foolish aspiration of an intelligent person. How very disappointing! Snape knows he has no right to make assumptions about her emotions, but still, he can't help it.
Unexpectedly, the female looked up at him and asked a very uncomfortable question.
"Can you help me, Sir? I know I prevented myself from being killed but what if I might not get lucky next time? I... I" and that was all she could say. She doesn't want to tell him that she's not ready to die yet. She wanted to achieve her dreams first and besides she's too young. Her life is just about to start but it appears that her days are already numbered.
"I have nothing to offer but to inform the Headmaster about the Dark Lord's change of path. He desires to kill you first, I think, rather than Potter" he said coldly, raising his eyebrow.
"If he wants Harry dead, then I'll do everything to distract him by allowing him to visit my dreams. If that's the thing I could do to buy Harry more time in finding a way to completely end him, then I don't want to make the nightmares stop," she told him, eager to fight You-Know-Who.
"You'll sacrifice yourself for someone like him? I thought you were smart. Smart enough to decide and avoid dangers that will bother you. But here you are now, giving yourself as bait just to save a measly boy" he hated telling her this because even though he was referring to her, he could feel a twinge of pain, for he realized that he was as foolish as she was. He is currently sacrificing himself for the love of his life, who never returned his affections.
"He's not just some measly boy, Professor. He's my friend, and I'm not doing this just for him but for the sake of the whole Wizarding World. If being intelligent means being ruthless to you, then I'd rather be a dunderhead who sacrifices himself for the lives of many." She almost felt like crying when she remembered what she had said. Dying for the lives of many... Right, I'll do it. Not just for the people I care about but for everybody. She understood what she had said and knew she screwed up. She had shut her mouth for she didn't want to say anything more, for she had said something unpleasant.
She walked out of the room, but before she could go, she faced him again and nodded in respect as she left the teacher's quarters.
Snape went to sit at his bedside table, for he watched the beautiful female with flaming ruby-red hair and emerald-green eyes smiling at him inside a glass frame.
