Echoes of the Soul

They had talked for over an hour and Severus had confessed to using Legilimens on Hermione. She hadn’t said a word to him since he told her that but at staring into space. She was thinking about what he had told her in disbelief. How could they have shared the same dreams?



She was sat up in Severus’s bed hugging her knees with the covers wrapped over them. She was shivering a little.



Severus looked at her with concern and grabbed her discarded T-shirt, helping her to pull it back over her head. He stroked the hair from her face gently and looked into her eyes. She looked frightened.



‘Hermione, I am truly sorry for looking into your mind when I promised I wouldn’t. But you can understand why I did it, can’t you? I needed to know if our dreams were the same.’



Hermione looked at him, his face sincere. She knew he meant it. It wasn’t that she was scared about.



‘It’s ok, Severus, really. I know you had to do it.’ She smiled at him and he sighed with relief, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and pulling her to rest against him. Hermione was a little comforted but her brain was working overtime.



‘I’m scared, Severus. The dreams seemed so real, well…the way they affected me was real…’ Hermione blushed and giggled a little in embarrassment.



Severus smirked. He knew what she meant. ‘They were just dreams, Hermione…’ He was trying to reassure her but he knew there must be more to it.



Hermione pulled back and looked him in the eye. ‘I don’t think they were just dreams, Severus. Why did we both have the same dreams over and over for the last three months? It has to be more than coincidence. You said you didn’t recognise Selene? You’re positive about that?’



‘Positive.. I have no idea who she is. What about Annalin, do you know him?’



Hermione shook her head. ‘No, not at all.’ She looked into his eyes searchingly and took his hand in hers. ‘Severus…did you have a dream last night?’



Severus was watching her fingers caress his hand and considering taking a closer look at her pert nipples under her T-shirt, but her question brought him down to earth sharply. They had not discussed particular dreams up to this point and were still learning to communicate with each other, always a delicate business where Severus was concerned. He looked at her and knew she must have had the same dream.



‘Yes. I did.’ He stated.



‘They were making love on some grass, weren’t they?’ Hermione said flatly.



Severus nodded soberly. He knew suddenly what she was thinking without needing to use Legilimens on her.



‘And you saw her change into me and Annalin change into you?’ Hermione had dropped his hand.



‘Yes, Hermione. That’s what I saw. You obviously saw the same dream.’



Hermione looked at him in a panic. What if the way she was feeling for Severus was really what she was feeling for Annalin, and not Severus at all? Which would mean that what Severus thought he was feeling for her…were really his feelings for Selene.



Hermione scrambled out of bed and started to search for her missing clothes.



‘Hermione, what are you doing?’ Severus arched an eyebrow at her.



‘I need to go…’ she mumbled ‘I think this might have been a mistake… I’m sorry, Severus…’ She couldn’t look at him, she knew she would want to climb back into his strong arms and have him kiss her again.



Severus stared at her in disbelief. ‘A mistake?’ He muttered.



Hermione grabbed her wand and ran out of his bedchamber. Severus heard the floo activate and knew she had gone. He laid his head back on the pillow and sighed. He had wanted to pleasure her again.



‘Damn the witch.’





****



Albus looked over at Fawkes and shook his head a little. ‘Oh my old friend… there is a muggle saying about leading horses to water that would seem appropriate now, I think. A lemon drop and some pondering time are necessary, I think…’



Albus popped a lemon drop in his mouth and rolled it over this tongue a little. They were both so stubborn and they both found dealing with emotions a challenge. He thought it must be something to do with how intelligent they both were. If there was no logical or scientific solution or formula, it can’t be proved.



Albus was aware of Hermione’s distrust of things spiritual, things she couldn’t touch or find a tangible explanation for. And Severus was usually lead by his physical needs, a side effect of hiding his emotions in front of Voldermort for so very long. Albus wondered if he was even aware his feelings for Hermione were more than physical. He doubted it.



The only solution to this situation was for them to learn their feelings for each other and to put the pieces together like a jigsaw, but Albus knew there wasn’t time. No. He would just have to take matters into his own hands now.







*****



A short chapter I know, but we are getting closer to the truth now...



Thanks to those who reveiwed, it keeps me going!