Erased

Re-Familiarizing
By Severely Snaped
Severely_Snaped@yahoo.com


Erased

Chapter Two: Re-Familiarizing

Severus looked at Dumbledore with a strange stare, almost as if he were tryingprocprocess everything his brain was telling him. Did he like this new turn of events? Was he angry, was he indifferent, was he…

Did he really know? He couldn't remember her, not one single, solitary moment. Tonight was the only time he had ever seen her as far as his mind could tell him, for as long as he had been alive.

This girl was a stranger to him, as was just about every feeling that ran through him for the last five minutes. Severus didn't know a broad range of emotion. He knew that when it was all was cut and dried and broken down into one thing---that he either hated something or he liked it (if not 'barely tolerable'). There wasn't any room for feelings in between. What Albus told him made him go into mental overdrive and a pure feeling of dread wa ove over him, something he hadn't felt in a long time.

Dumbledore, himself, was feeling just about the same. He didn't see any way that this could be reversed, and he wasn't sure if Severus' would accept this knew knowledge and accept Hermione as an equal. Severus wasn't the type of person who trusted easily, no matter what the circumstances were. Knowing the young man who stared up at him, Albus knew that the next few months were going to be rough.

"Today was the first time you recall ever seeing her?"

A slow nod and a clearing of the throat. "I'm afraid it is, Albus...and Iot tot too enthralled with the idea right now."

"I know. This isn't going to be easy for either of you."

"To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure if I can...handle her presence at the moment without biting her head off...but she's probably used to my...behavior...by now, surely?"

At this, the old wizard smiled a bit more like himself. At least Severus was being open-minded...well, right now, at any rate.

"That, she is. You were harder on her than any other student I can ever remember having set foot in this castle."

Severus looked up at him. "Was I?" The whole situation still seemed sal, al, but he tried to remained focus of this silly reality that he knew he wasn't going to snap out of. Might as well face the situation head-on. "Why? Was she that bad at potions? Worse than Longbottom?"

"Severus, she tied with your N.E.W.T.S score, remember?"

"I know, I know. I was just hoping that maybe that part of it had been a joke."

"I'raidraid not," he replied, still smiling.

"Why do you think she was the main factor in this potion?" he said, his fingers absently pulling on the edge of the quilt.

The old man shook his head. "Now that I don't know. While it is certain that the potion does in fact destroy all knowledge and history of a single person in the drinker's mind, the purpose behind it isn't clear. We don't know if it specifically targets the subject beforehand, or if the person is chosen randomly."

"Was she...a decent apprentice, at least?" he said, almost grudgingly.

"That is not for me to decide, Severus. However, I have found Miss Granger to always rise above anything that was ever asked of her. She won't accept a challenge without giving it at least one-hundred and ten percent. She works late hours, she reads subject material that her other female professors would lose their dinner over, she doesn't get enough sleep, and when she does remember to eat it is nice to see her face among those at the teacher's table. She is, in all respects, just like someone else I know." Albus smiled at his assessment, ignoring the glare that was now being directed his way.

"While your summary of this girl may hold accurate in future observations, I still don't see why she was chosen over any else."

"That, my boy, is for you and Hermione to find out." Severus winced at the name again. People should really think before they name their chil, he, he thought to himself. He looked back up at Albus with a nervous glance.

"We weren't..." he was almost embarrassed to continue, "involved, were we?" He couldn't think of any explanation of why the girl was his apprentice except for obvious reasons, and he was afraid he had sunk to a new low.

The Headmaster smiled. "Not to my knowledge, although I will say that the two of you got on quite well, despite your houses." Severus let go of a small sigh of relief over his first thought, and sucking in a new breath over the information that he and the girl were friends of some sort. He wasn't used to this at all, and the more he thought about it, the more he didn't like that, either.

"Despite our houses?" he asked after a moment.

"Yes, Hermione was a Gryffindor." the old man beamed before quickly adding, "And she was Head Girl, too."

Severus let off another burst of short, disbelieving laughter, but of the 'insane' variety. He raised his head slightly. "I have a...a..Gryffindor as an apprentice?! Please, somebody tell me this is all a joke! Sweet Merlin..." Dumbledore just nodded, and the young professor let his head fall back on the pillow with a heavy 'thump!'

He stared at the ceiling now, almost talking to himself as if no one was there. "I'm being sentenced to hell before I even have a chance to die! Next thing they're going to tell me is that she was best friends with Potter!" he snorted. The Headmaster looked away quickly. Severus caught his reaction and lay there with his mouth open.

"Albus." he said in a warning tone, sounding more tired with each passing second, "Albus, please tell me she wasn't."

The old wizard said nothing and Professor Snape looked back up at the ceiling as Dumbledore spoke up. "I see your keen insight is working just fine, Severus. As a matter of fact, she, Potter, and Weasley were quite inseparable."

"I must be going mad."

The wizard opposite him just chuckled. "On the contrary, my dear boy. You've just been through a very trying ordeal."

But at that moment Severus remembered something more important. "Albus...the other Ministry and Order members who were there that night, are they...?"

"...dead. Most of them, anyway. Arthur Weasley arrived shortly afterwards. It was he who brought you back to Hogwarts. You were barely alive."

Severus nodded as Albus went on. "And Douglas Knight brought the body of Marcus Flint back to us, as well."

"I remember now," Severus said, more to himself. Dumbledore looked at him.

"You remember what, Severus?"

Severus shook his head. He had hoped that the Headmaster didn't think he was talking about this Granger girl. "The name of the other man who was there that evening, I remember now. Mr. Knight." Severus wasn't really too good at remember the names of the Ministry people in general, as most of them aside from Arthur were idiots and interested him very little.

"He's alive, still...I take it?" Severus asked more to himself than the man sitting opposite him.

"Yes, Mr. Knight arrived back safely and..."

"No..that isn't who I was referring to. Voldemort...is he...?"

Dumbledore paused, but only for second. "To my knowledge, yes. Pettigrew, however, was among those who died."

He shook his head at the old wizard and spoke softly. "It was just a question. Voldemort hardly had any power left in him for the last few weeks. Any hopes of his return are very slim. However, the Ministry's Secret Services should go ahead and take care of that."

"Yes. That part, at least for now, isn't a concern. And probably for the first time in twenty years."

Severus nodded again at these words. There was so much running through his mind! Thrst rst surprise when he awoke was the mere fact that he was alive. Throw the Granger girl into the equation along with the realization that Voldemort's reign had pretty much come to an end, and the result was that of an unsure and agitated Hogwarts professor, who hadn't been awake long enough to deal with all of this. It was like starting his usual day without coffee---sure, he could live without it, but far less blood was shed in the students' minds if he ingested at least half a cup at the breakfast table.

With the curiosity getting the better of him, he slowly rolled up his left sleeve. Albus watched as the young professor trailed his fingers across the smooth flesh. There was nothing to indicate that the Mark had even been there, not even so much as a scratch or a discoloration of the pale underside of his forearm. His eyes never left it as he cleared his throat again and once again addressed the Headmaster.

"Albus..." He paused. He wasn't comfortable of having to voice anything along the lines of this magnitude, but he knew that he had to say it. "I just want you to know...that...above all else...that I still would have remained loyal to you, even if Voldemort had never been an issue to begin with." His voice was soft and he looked back up at the old wizard on the very last words. Dumbledore smiled, and walked over to the bed and laid his hand on Severus' shoulder, given it a light squeeze.

"I know. I have never doubted you for one minute, Severus."

He looked at Albus, trying to collect his composure before he did something he considered silly. He quickly turned away, knowing that if he didn't, he wouldn't be able to hold back whatever tears were threatening to fall. He took a deep breath and forced himself to think like a Snape again. Yet when he spoke, his voice was still soft, but he kept it from faltering.

"That's more from you than I ever deserved." The bitterness was there, but not with the usual hiss that accompanied it.

"And there's more to you than you will ever realize," the old wizard answered back.

"There are great things in this world, Severus. And there are great evils. There are things that will remain unknown to mankind for thousands of years. But there is one thing that I have known since I met you as a young boy. You are great, but you are not evil. To bury ones' self in the past will always be a person's biggest regret, but to learn from it will always be their greatest accomplishment. Most people never get past the regrets. It takes a very special person to move forward with a purpose."

Severus turned away again, this time trying not to roll his eyes. "Albus, please. I only wanted to be honest with you."

"And you have, child. A thousand times over. On more occasions than I could ever possibly count. As I have your loyalty, Severus, you have always had mine."

His black eyes ed bed back up. This time, Albus could see a thin mist glaze over them and nothing more.

"Thank you." It wasn't more than a whisper, but Dumbledore heard the man loud and clear. He smiled and patted Severus on thde ode of the cheek, not caring one whit if it embarrassed him or not. Things didn't look good as far as the potion was concerned, but as for the whole play-out of events, the old man could think of worse things. As if sensing Severus' thoughts perusing over the same matters at hand, he merely inclined his head slightly.

"We just need to take things on day at a time now, I think."

Severus nodded his head. After a few more words and a quick visit from Poppy, who was ecstatic to see her patient up and conversing with the Headmaster, Severus settled back and didn't deny himself the rest his body sought after any longer. As he drifted off, he thought about the Granger girl only briefly before the blissful state of sleep took over.

 
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 
Hermione Granger was also close to sleep, herself. She had just finished teaching the last potions class for the day and decided to head to the hospital wing to check in on Severus. She hadn't expected things to turn out quite the way they did, but all in all, she was glad to see him alive. The previous week had been so intense and his health dropped unexpectedly on several occasions, so when he snapped at her earlier ie eve evening, well...it was still an improvement.

But he doesn't know me. She pulled the covers up higher. She too, thought nothing more of it as she lost herself in a long, much-needed nap. When she did awake, it was close to dinnertime. She changed into some fresh clothes and washed her face before heading towards the lab for a quick inspection. Satisfied that all was in order, she headed towards the Great Hall for a quick bite, but she didn't stay for long. Albus wasn't there so she knew that he was probably having dinner in his office. She took the long route to his office so she wouldn't interrupt him.

When she did arrive, she was glad she took her time as he was finishing up the last bite of his raspberry crumb cake. He brushed the falling remnants from his hand and outer edges of his mouth. She walked in slowly and sat down in her usual chair, the same one she and Severus jokingly fought over during staff meetings. Dumbledore had thought about adding another one just like it over the past year, but decided against it, since it would mean no more amusing arguments over who got to sit there.

"Sorry to interrupt your meal, Albus."

He shook his head. "Not at all, Hermione. I had, after all, asked you to stop by once you took in some rest. How are you feeling this evening?"

She smiled lightly. "A bit better. I won't deny that I could probably use some more sleep...but I do promise that I will take that vial of Dreamless Sleep tonight."

"Please do. I can't have you exhausting yourself again. I am pleased to see that you attended dinner," he teased, nodding towards a similar spot of raspberry cake on her shirt. She laughed for a second, brushing it off and telling him that it wasn't called 'crumb cake' for nothing.

He smiled. He knew that she was probably nervous over Severus' condition, and she would no doubt be even more upset knowing that it was directly targeted at her. When they finally cut through the formalities and small talk, he got down to business and told her of the potion's purpose. And she was none too happy about it.

"So," she said, leaning forward and resting her forearms on her knees, "I'm the only person Severus doesn't remember?" The nod from the Headmaster wasn't the answer she wanted. She thought for a moment. "Does he know?"

"Yes, we discussed the matter shortly after you left."

"And?"

"While Severus isn't thrilled with the idea, I will say that he is making an effort to understand the situation. Voldemort's demise may be an impending factor on his willingness to cooperate, but he is making an effort nonetheless, Hermione. However, I can't say that this will be easy for either of you. He will remain to be the same person he was three years ago. My only advice is for the both of you to be patient until a solution is found," he paused, "...if a solution is found."

He went on to explain to her what he knew of the potion, and that it was still uncertain as to why she was the person picked to be erased from Severus' memory. He watched as Hermione stood up to walk over towards one of the paintings, as if examining it. She didn't turn around, and when she spoke again, it was almost in a huff.

"He's going to do everything in his power to get rid of me, I can almost feel it." she spat.
Dumbledore was thrown off by her reaction. He thought that either she would still be in shock or be overly confidant in her hopes of finding an antidote. He was expecting a few more tears as well, perhaps, but not this. The girl who stood before him now seemed bitter and angry.

And it couldn't have delighted him more.

"That certainly is a possibility, Miss Granger. Still, it is best if the two of you try to approach this one day at a time." His words of advice were almost identical to the ones he gave Severus earlier. "It is better to test the waters slowly," he smiled before adding, "but if you do jump in with both feet, try not to drown." He knew that her anger wasn't directed towards the head of Slytherin, but at the whole situation in general. All the better, in his mind.

She turned around and gave him a hard look. "Well then...it looks like I have my work cut out for me," she thought for a second, rolling her eyes, "again." She let off a big sigh and Albus chuckled as he walked over to where she stood, huggher her hard.

"I'm sure you'll find a way to complete your task on time and with extra credit," he joked, patting her arm.

When she was able to focus again, she had a hard time putting her thoughts to words. "Oh Merlin...I'm not...it's just...I don't even know where to begin." she said, the exasperation in her voice becoming more evident.

"You start from the roots, my dear child. At the very..."

"...beginning." she sighed again. "I know. I was just hoping there would be another way to go about this. Some type of short cut."

"You have never been one to take short cuts, Hermione."

"I'm tempted to seek one out," she chuckled, before shaking her head. "No, you're right, Albus. If we're going to do this, better not beat around the bush."

"That's my girl," he smiled.

"Is he awake?" she asked, hoping that any minute now that she would wake up and this would all have been part of a warped dream.

"He was almost asleep when I left him earlier. As of now, I'm not sure, but I don't think he would mind it too much if you were to pay him a visit," he hinted.

She smirked. "Cut the codswallop, Professor. You and I both know that he's not going to be overly excited when he sees me again," he laughed as she went on, "but I may as well get some of the groundwork laid and out of the way before the night is over. I don't have any detentions to attend to tonight and no homework to grade, so I may as well see how he's doing."

"An excellent idea, Miss Granger. And since most of the students will be in Hogsmeade tomorrow, you'll have all day to get him caught up on things."

"Don't push it, Albus."

 
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 
Severus was sitting up in his bed in the infirmary when she walked in. He noticed immediately that there was a slightly different change in her demeanor, as to what, he wasn't certain. But she did carry herself with a bit more confidence and it didn't take her long to settle herself in the chair beside the bed, opening one of the leather notebooks she had brought with her. She didn't say anything at first, and it bothered him.

A house-elf followed just moments after she did with a tray of coffee and tea, before quickly heading back to the kitchens. She poured herself a cup of the strong, black brew and set iwn own on the table between them. She glanced up at him, and with Dumbledore's voice in her head, decided to jump in with both feet.

"I had Koby bring along some tea with my coffee, seeing as you aren't too fond of mine," she said in a nonchalant manner. "Care for a cup?" She raised her brows and ignored the narrowing of his eyes.

"Yes, please. Koby, however, can't make tea any better than you can, so maybe a comparison can be made," he replied with a bit of his usual acidity.

She said nothing in return, opting to pour his cup instead. Her movements were precise and quick, and any similarities to the girl he first encountered shortly after gaining consciousness were almost non-existent.

"I take mine straight," he stated, noting the sugar cube that she picked up with the small tongs on the tray.

"I know," she countered. "It was for my coffee." She dropped the cube into her cup and held his own saucer of tea out to him, which he was able to grasp a bit more firmly than he was earlier in the day. He wasn't sure how to react about a simple thing as her knowledge of his tea preference, so he bit back any sort of reply that had been forming on his tongue.

He studied her again. She had taken Albus' advice on getting some rest tho thought, because she didn't seem as weary as she did when he first saw her. The lines under her eyes were almost gone, but it could have been because she pulled her hair back. At any rate, she did look a bit more well-rested. She pulled out a quill and looked up at him.

"So, you're caught up with the events of the last two weeks now, I take it?" she started, trying her best to look every bit the 'equal' one was supposed to be in regards to other staff members.

It took him a second to get used to the idea that he was going to have to give her a reply, and a civil on at that. "For the most part, yes. There are a few details that I'm probably not aware of at the moment, but none of those are of such importance that they will make too much of an impact over all that has happened."

She nodded her head, satisfied with the answer. "Marcus Flint's family asked about you several times."

"I'm surprised they bothereddidndidn't exactly do anything to save their son." he said, quick and to the point.

Her expression remained the same, as if they were discussing a theory, anything but of the horrific events that had taken place weeks before. "You weren't at liberty to do so at the time, Severus." There it was with the use of his name again. "You were in dire straights of your own."

"Hardly." He took a sip and stared ahead at nothing in particular.

"Fighting off two Death Eaters at the same time? I've heard the recounts. The first one may have taken some time to kill, but the second one gave you a run for your money, I hear." She stated all of this calmly, while perusing over her notes.

He glared at her. "Exodus Cain wasn't someone I particularly wanted to duel with at the moment. Voldemort, as you probably know, made sure that those in his ranks were highly trained. By all accounts, I should be just as dead as the next man."

She looked up and her expression darkened slightly. "Don't say that. You've done far more for our side than anyone in the Ministry has, even."

"Don't flatter me with heroic praise."

"I'm not trying to flatter you, I'm merely stating a fact," she countered, looking him in the eye. "Voldemort would have taken over years ago if it weren't for some of the intelligence you and Draco were bringing in regarding some of the Death Eater activity."

"Both sides lost. Families were ripped apart on both ends of the spectrum." he said, feeling nervous again about having to discuss any of this with her.

"I know," she said quietly. "But at the same time, there was no other way to resolve it. You said yourself it was only a matter of time."

This, he could agree on, even if he didn't remember ever telling her as much. "Yes. All in all, it should have been done years ago."

She slowly nodded her head at this, before deciding to move on to the present. She took a deep breath. I can do this, she thought, watching him stare absently into his tea before knocking back the rest of it.

"Well, changing the subject here, I'm going to do as Albus advised and start at the beginning." He stared at her, but again made no comment, almost glad that he wasn't the one speaking.

"My name, as you know, is Hermione Granger. I attended Hogwarts, as Albus probably told you, having graduated in 1998. I was accepted into several universities that I had applied towards, but chose to remain here at the school instead." She stopped, looking at him with uncertainty now. "I accepted your offer for an apprenticeship towards a full title in Potions Mastery."

He looked at heain ain this time, trying to keep his expression neutral. Yes, he knew the girl had been his apprentice, but he thought it was just something else that was wn awn at him. Surely he didn't ask her himself, did he? Albus must have talked him into it, that was the only logical answer.

Sheareeared her throat and went on. "I've been here for about three years now as a staff member, teaching the first, second and third-year classes."

"You don't have your degree yet. Albus actually let you teach without a degree?" he sniped back.
She held her ground and kept her cool. "No. You did."

He sighed. He knew that if he didn't watch what he said, he was going to be knee-deep in making an ass of himself every time he opened his mouth. It was disturbing that at this point he ghe game, she knew more about him than perhaps even he did. Hermione kept her mouth shut, as if sensing his inner torment.

"Miss Granger, by now you should know that I'm not exactly the nicest person to get along with."

She laughed softly. "I've known that since my first year, Severus." He still cringed at the use of his name "We "Well, this isn't something I'm going to just...become accustomed to overnight."

"I'm well aware of that fact."

"Good. Because in all honesty, I would much rather have someone step in right now and shake me from this horrible nightmare and put me out of my misery," he snapped.

"I know exactly what you mean," she said quietly, looking down at her notes.

He looked over to where she was sitting again, and for the first time it occurred to him that this indeed was probably hard on her as Dumbledore had mentioned earlier. But he made no attempt to voice his thoughts, preferring to ignore them instead.

He narrowed his eyes. If she was his apprentice, then surely she had to be of high intelligence. So far, he had only seen your basic, run-of-the-mill girl before him. Pretty yes, but average on the whole. And then there was the doubtful claim that she tiith ith his test scores. With this in mind, he startled her when he almost spoke in a flash.

"What was the last project you worked on?"

"Well, it's still rather on-going, you see. At the present time, I'm trying to break down the basic factors in Riddle's potion."

"Before that," he asked, almost cutting her off.

"Just any project, or the larger ones?" she said, knowing that he was probably going to grill her.

"Larger."

"Okay...before that I finished the first thirteen steps needed towards making the Jupiter Glass potion."

He wasn't expecting that. He was prepared for her to tell him about basic, mundane tasks more along the likes of something the seventh-year class would be studying. Nothing that was this far advanced. She caught the surprised look in his eyes but did her best to remain impassive.

He quickly shook off his surprise. "On the eighth step, what did you do?"

She took in a deep breath. "I added the sand..."

He cut her off this time. "What type of sand?"

"Wet sand. From the first rainfall after the full moon. It was added when Jupiter's positioning was in accordance with the..."

"What is the final step?" he interrupted impatiently, waiving off the rest of her answer.

"Since it cannot be put over a flame, it has to be bottled up quickly and taken to higher temperatures, preferably around the equator, where the high celcius range will..."

"How many days must it sit?"

"Ten, depending on the weather. If the temperature drops ten degrees below the normal then it will have to sit for another day and..."

"What was your final thesis while you were a student here?" he changed the subject quickly, irritated.

If she hadn't known him so well over the past few years, this behavior would have intimidated her. Oh, and he really was trying! He was trying so hard to make her feel small, and he would have thrown a fit if he could have seen her secretly smiling on the inside. Just like old times, eh girl? she thought.

"I wrote and made the potion that lessened the effect of the Cruciatus curse when cast."

He stared at her. If this this girl was the real thing, then she was brilliant, yes. And annoying. He fired off another twenty questions at her and was met with equal results. There was nothing...nothing this girl didn't seem to have a solid grasp on. It intrigued him, it fascinated him...and Lord how it pissed him off!

He was glaring at her hard now, and his words held his best biting sarcasm. "Well, Miss Granger, after proving yourself to be quite the Know-It-All..."

She laughed. "You haven't called me that in quite a while!"

"Don't interrupt me, girl! If you think that..."

"Severus," she said in a tone that shut him up. "I know we're both in over our heads with this, but please try and give me the benefit of the doubt here. We've worked together for three years now, and I know that as of right now you have no memory of that whatsoever, but we're going to have to try and sort this out together."

He let off another sigh. "Miss Granger..."

"Hermione."

He almost flinched again. How he hated that name! "Hermione," he went on, "I'm going to need some time with this, please. If you're expecting me to be polite and open and most of all...trusting...you've got a long wait coming. Excuse me for saying so, but this whole situation is absolutely fucking crazy, and I'm not going to just...re-arrange my life as of yet just on your and Albus' word alone. Everything is just...really strange right now."

Her eyes pleaded with him. "I know that, Severus. I was expecting this type of reaction when I came here tonight, I'm not that naive. I promise I'll try to make this as easy as possible until we can find a solution." Her words were sincere again and he tried to ignore the unwelcome, sympathetic pang inside him when he looked over at her.

"It's getting late," he said, glancing back over to the tall, grandwizard clock. "we can continue this after classes tomorrow and..."

"Tomorrow will be Saturday, and most of the students will be in Hogsmeade." she explained.

He bit back another comment about her cutting him off. She quickly organized and gathered up her notebooks. "Until then, I guess. Goodnight, Severus."

He nodded his head in reply. "Hermione."

He didn't screw up his face this time, although he was still inwardly wretching. He watched her walk out of the room, realizing that she wasn't just hired for her looks. He felt uncomfortable ever since she set foot in the room, and he really wasn't looking forward to tomorrow, either, but he knew that it was something he had to face.

He wasn't going to make any promises, but at least he was trying.