Of Purest Blood

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CHAPTER FIVE

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"What do you usually dream about, Severus?" asked Hermione.

"I don't," he replied. "I normally make very good use of Dreamless Sleep potion, or else use meditation to ensure I don't recall my dreams."

They stood on a tall bridge under a velvet sky punctuated with brilliant stars. A cool, pleasant breeze wafted over the bridge, bringing with it the scent of lilies and wood smoke. Neither looked at the other, each transfixed by the glory of a rising crescent moon, its burnished sickle doubled in brilliance by its reflection in the mirror-smooth lake beneath. The sound of a train whistle barely reached them from somewhere among rolling green hills painted silver-blue with moonlight.

"You shouldn't be here," said Severus.

"Why not?" asked Hermione. "It's beautiful."

"I can't protect you here. Why did you come?"

"I was curious," she said.

"Is that all?"

"No."

She turned to him, and rested her hand on his shoulder. "I wanted to be here."

He would not meet her eyes. "You can't know that. I could have willed you here, made you believe you desired my ...company."

"But you didn't," she whispered, her breath hot in his ear, "because you wouldn't."

Severus shuddered, closing his eyes and gritting his teeth. He fought to remain still, tried not to look at her. But when soft lips brushed his cheek, he was wrapped around her in an instant, crushing his lips to hers as if his very existence depended on it, fingers winding through her chestnut curls. He was met with no resistance, as Hermione's small hands roved wantonly over and between the layers of his robes. She parted her lips to invite his tongue, and he obliged, deepening his kiss and sealing away all doubt that he wanted her, needed her, body, mind and soul.

At once, the scent of lilies became stifling. An invisible force wedged itself between the couple, nearly hurling Hermione off the side of the bridge. As she grabbed the railing to hoist herself to her feet, she heard the train nearing, and saw Severus crumple to his knees on the tracks. Clack-ka-dack, clack-ka-dack...

"Severus!" she screamed.

"Lily! No!" cried Severus, "I'm sorry... I'm sorry... Forgive me, Lily!" He knelt in the path of the oncoming train, covering his face with his hands.

Clack-ka-dack! Clack-ka-dack! Hermione remembered sharing the train's compartment with Snape only a few days earlier. It may as well have been years since then, the day her life changed forever, again. CLACK-KA-DACK! The Hogwarts Express approached, its lamp casting ghostly shafts of light past Severus' silhouette.

"You've got to get out of the way!" shouted Hermione.

But Severus could neither see nor hear the train, and paid no mind to her words. He repeated Lily's name over and over. Hermione rushed to him, tried to pull him to safety, but it was too late. The train was upon them. The cruel scream of metal-on-metal exploded into a cascade of sickly green light, obliterating the tranquil scene and hurtling them to another place and time.

CRACK! Hermione found herself inside the Shrieking Shack. Severus lay dying, a sticky vermilion plume spreading beneath him, seeping through gaps in the floor. Everything was just as it had been that night, except that he and Hermione were alone. She might have fallen apart at the sight, but she was still aware they were dreaming.

Again, the air dripped with the scent of lilies. Hermione watched from a corner as a young, scarlet-haired woman appeared and knelt beside Severus. She was surrounded by silver light that soon enveloped Severus as well.

"Lily," groaned Severus.

"Sev, for the hundredth time, it wasn't your fault," she said, cradling him. "And I know you protected Harry for as long as you could. Stop punishing yourself. You already died once. Come on, stand up!"

Lily took his hands and pulled him to his feet. The blood on the floor vanished, and Hermione thought that he suddenly looked much younger.

"I treated Harry poorly, Lily," he muttered. "I could not see past my own pain."

Hermione wondered if they could see her, or if this was like the encapsulated memories preserved in a Pensieve. She decided to find out.

"L- Lily Potter?" she ventured, as she left her hiding place.

They both looked at her.

"This is not for you to see!" growled Severus.

"Oh, hush, Sev," Lily chided. "If she didn't care for you, she wouldn't be here at all. Am I right, Hermione?"

"Um, well, no, of course not," she stammered. "I mean, I care! But what did you mean, he already died once?"

"Just that. He died. I helped him go back. It took a while, though, so his body was in bad shape. Thank you for fixing him," she winked.

"You're welcome," said Hermione, unconsciously rubbing her wrist. "So, are you Harry's mum, then?"

"Not exactly," Lily said. "I'm Severus' memory of Lily Evans. I'm his Patronus, linked with a part of Lily's soul."

Hermione looked at Severus. "The silver doe," she said.

He nodded.

"So, you're something like a Horcrux," Hermione pondered, studying the apparition.

"Only nothing is lost, because she is here of her own free will," explained Severus.

"And I was already dead when it happened," said Lily, and when Severus winced, she tousled his hair.

"But, how is this possible?" asked Hermione, truly perplexed.

"Love," Lily said, crossing the floor toward Hermione. "Lily Potter's love saved Harry from Voldemort as a baby. I protect Severus now because his love for me never wavered. Never once."

Lily smiled at Severus, and he gave her a small smile in return.

"I'm sorry, Hermione," murmured Severus, looking uncharacteristically -- and charmingly-- sheepish.

"Oh, why are you sorry?" asked Patronus-Lily. "She can't fault you for love, but I can fault you for being thick." She punched his arm playfully.

"Lily," he pleaded, "There has never been anyone but you. If I care for her, it is only -"

"Hush, Sev!" she said again, this time pressing her softly-glowing finger to his lips. "What I'm saying is... I will always be with you, and this part of me will always be yours. You can't hurt me, make me jealous, or make me disappear. I saved your life, but I can't help you live it." She kissed him lightly on the cheek, and smiled. "Maybe Hermione can."

Lily Evans graced Hermione with a warm, approving smile. Her form then evaporated into silver mist, the outline of a doe visible briefly before she disappeared from view.

Moments later, Severus opened his eyes to find himself still in his armchair, but with Hermione's curly head pillowed in his lap.

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AN: Ok. Here's where I've hit a block. There could be sex, but... my muse won't let me!