Morning turned to afternoon as Severus allowed her to rest. He was cleaning away his latest batch of muscle growth potion when he heard her stir, a soft mewling whine floating through the rooms, raising his brow. He moved just enough to peer into the room. Her hands were over her head draped over the backrest, bent at the elbows and hung at odd angles. She had one leg dangled over the edge, the other bent resting against the arm. She looked so uncomfortable Severus couldn't imagine being able to sleep like that.

She arched her back a bit letting out another soft noise a soft smile on her face. Severus shook his head and returned to his task. He supposed a lunch would be in order and moved to his ice box. He hadn't much left, he pursed his lips as he pulled out some bread and a bit of turkey. She had managed the eggs and toast that morning, he surmised that a bit more protein wouldn't hurt and set to work making them sandwiches.

Hermione was in a very peaceful place. Her mind floating as if she was on a cloud. It was the first time since she had become self-aware that she had ever felt so wonderful. Her eyes in the dream were staring up at beautiful blue skies and soft moving clouds. She could feel someone near her, with her. Their presence brought immeasurable comfort.

She could feel a smile on her face as the person with her ran their hands gently over her sides, it was a gentle calming touch, that made her feel even more at ease. She didn't want to leave this place, not ever. It was perfect. She turned her head trying to find the source of those hands. Her brain saw but didn't register a face moving over hers. The image of their body near hers was darkly outlined, their face too blurry to recognize. Her dream-self didn't mind, as though her heart already knew.

She sighed happily as those wandering hands pulled her in close, the feel of their body pressed against hers melted all fears, all worries into nothingness. Her body reciprocated wrapping around their broad shoulders. She never wanted this feeling to end. She pulled them in closer hiding her face into their neck. A gentle smell came to her senses and just as she was sure to identify it, the dream dissolved leaving her with only a lingering feeling.

Hermione came to with a whine and heavy sigh through her nose. The world around her starting to come into focus. Her ears picked up small sounds from the kitchen and knew where her care taker had been. She made another soft noise as she stretched herself out just a bit. Her muscles ached slightly from the odd position she had moved into from sleep. She let out a gentle yawn and pulled her hands down into her lap flexing her fingers.

Severus took hold of the plates turning towards the sitting area, he took note of her change of position gratified that his suspicions of her waking up had been valid.

"Lunch." He rumbled, watching as she jumped just a bit before smiling sheepishly at him. She managed to push herself up but struggled with the leg that had fallen over the edge. It trembled before she leaned over using her arms to pull it back onto the lounge. Severus sat down in his chair resting their plates on the arms.

"I have something that will aid in that." He pulled the vial from his pocket taking out the stopper, he placed it into her already outstretched hand.

"Thank you." Her voice was airy and light, no sign of the weight she had been carrying before. She wafted it under her nose-she hadn't known why she'd done it but she had. She paused before leaning her head back taking it down in three large swallows. She made a face sticking out her tongue, "Ugh...cherry..."

She gasped as the bolts of dull lightning ran through her limbs. She didn't cry out but held her breath as she waited for them to subside. They took much less time this round and her relief showed instantly on her face. She leaned back rubbing her thigh gently as she felt the tingle of growing muscle.

Severus watched her with a keen eye. He had been able to decipher the feeling he had felt from before to be admiration. Admiration for her strength and perseverance despite quite literally everything having been taken from her. Any lesser man or woman would have surely succumbed to the pressure of the darkness. Not her-no, she had continued to fight on.

He took the offered vial from her fingers, placing a plate in them in return. "A simple turkey and lettuce sandwich. It's cut into halves, though I expect you to finish it all." His voice had returned to its normal deep and lightly edged tone. "After which I wish to attempt something with you that I myself have only read about." He leaned back into his chair letting her take in the information picking lightly at his own meal. He hadn't felt all that hungry in recent days.

"What... would that be?" Hermione was chewing and covered her mouth with her hand to speak between bites.

"It's been aptly called the 'second sight'. There is a theory, that if two minds can connect on a mutual plane, then one could perhaps, 'see' through the other's eyes, not just in the form of memories but rather, see what the other is actually experiencing in real time." He paused finally taking a bite of his own lunch.

He had little doubt that had she had her memories she would have mentioned never seeing it in any text she had ever read. In fact, the magic was only written down in one place. An old tome, still in its original Latin. Luckily for him, that Lucius had a bibliophile for a mother. He had gotten his hands on it when he had first been studying his legilimency and had made that one of his requests from Draco. When he'd first learned she was blind he had dedicated some time to retouching on the subject, out of his own interests, and it was time now that he felt she was strong enough to try it.

He could sense her taking in the information as she set down her sandwich. Her pensive look turning towards him. The idea of being back into his mind excited something in her stomach. She was keen to try again, though hopefully, she'd manage much longer. It had been a head rush the first time, so much to process. Though she felt herself growing accustomed to all these new experiences suspiciously quickly.

She wondered if she possessed the powers in herself all along, and that she simply couldn't remember possessing them. It felt like muscle memory in a way. She just let her body take control at times, always feeling that it was leading her in the proper direction or path.

"What do I have to do?" Her voice felt a little stronger now as she came to the decision that she was ready to try what he was suggesting. She had already felt a strong connection with him. Though she did have the slightest of fears that it wasn't nearly strong as it needed to be.

"You will need to follow my instructions carefully."

"Of course." Hermione's voice was cordial as she took another small bite of her sandwich, keeping her body turned slightly towards him.

"Once you are in my mind I will instruct you further. For now, finish your meal."

Hermione nodded her head and leaned back towards her plate. They ate in silence, it felt odd to Hermione. There was so little conversation between them and yet, she felt as though they were having full conversations constantly between them. The buzzing in her mind kept turning as she readied herself for her next task.

The potion was doing wonders as she ate, she could already feel her limbs becoming lighter as they started to be able to fully support their weight. She wondered if she'd be able to walk soon. She felt the need for a nice long bath, the very idea made her sigh happily. She didn't notice the attention, nor the raised brow from the dark haired wizard beside her.

Severus took his time with his sandwich. He too needed to be ready. With the faint connection constantly running between them, he'd felt it much more difficult to keep his thoughts neat and orderly. Tight and confined as he always liked them to be. Every change of the girl beside him tickled his senses. It was mildly irritating. Although, he was growing accustomed to feeling her inside his mind, he wasn't sure if he was ready to have her feelings on full blast.

He had felt the peacefulness of her dream wash over him while he had been working. It was an unheard of feeling in his own recesses and he had lingered on it for some time nearly ruining his work in the process. He shook his head a bit as he brought himself back into focus. He wouldn't let this slip of a girl undo his years of hard work with fleeting thoughts. He was stronger than that. He was more disciplined than that, or so he told himself.

"Finished." She chirped brightly holding out the empty plate. She had managed much easier this time around, though her stomach felt full and swollen, it didn't bother her so much. She was very proud of herself too, and it showed in her smile as she held the plate towards him.

"Quite." Severus took her plate tucking it under his and stood, though he had managed half of his sandwich he found that he no longer desired food. He desired answers.

He placed them on the table and returned to clear the space in the sitting area. He moved the stacks of books from their morning session farther off on a coffee table that was pressed against the corner. He picked up the pensive setting it along the mantle for safe keeping.
Finally, he moved the side table from between them and paused.

For their connection to work, they'd need to remain in contact, he wasn't sure how long she was going to manage this time but his back was starting to protest from leaning over her so much. He turned his lips as he took in the chair she lounged on. He didn't want to, really, didn't want to, but he needed to. His jaw twitched a bit as he breathed slowly.

"Miss Granger, for this to work, I'm afraid that we'll need to be in physical contact with each other for an elongated amount of time."

He paused as he waited for her protests. Instead, the girl just nodded a bit and pushed herself over into the arm of the chair, the space she'd cleared would hardly be enough to fit his full frame, but a simple charm would fix the problem.

He turned slowly pulling his wand from his pocket. He eyed the wood disdainfully. He had never wanted it in his hands again. Though here he was pretending like it was business as usual. He gripped the darkened wood tightly before moving it in the required motions. The chair widened considerably and as he sat the wand aside on the side table he noticed her smile. Was she enjoying this? He sneered slightly at the very idea that she would actually enjoy his presence let alone entertain the idea that touching him in any regard was an enjoyable experience.

The girl for her part just waited patiently for the exceptionally prudent man to take his place beside her. Her heart was thumping a bit louder as the feeling from her dream decided to make a reappearance. She tried to push it aside but when she felt his warmth near her she couldn't help but want to reach out to him more.

She waited for him to sit back on the lounge before very slowly sitting her self up. She bit her lip a bit as she dared to do as she did. She felt him hold his breath as she turned, resting her back to his chest. Their hips touched as she remained beside him but did her best to make sure her upper body was rested comfortably against him.

She could feel the hard buttons of his coat against her spine but made no protest as she adjusted so that the crease of her scar wasn't pressed over them. Her hands hovered a little as she decided where the best place to put them would be. She could feel the tension wafting off of him in waves and decided to gently wrap them around her own stomach. She turned her head just a bit, feeling his collar at the top of her head.

She hoped her hair wasn't all over his face as she nuzzled just a bit into his collar bone before going still. She was glad in that moment she wasn't able to see the rejection in his face. The tension in him only increased when she stilled and the sudden urge to pull away again hit her. She swallowed down a breath and awaited the verdict, her eyes rounded with sadness at the idea of being pushed away from him.

Severus was doing his best to keep himself from doing just as she feared. When he had sat on the chair he hadn't expected her to so easily press herself against him. The feeling of her frail form against his own made his stomach turn. Not with disgust from her touch but concern about her well being. She was still very light and he could feel her ribs pressing against his buttons into his own. Her hip was almost as painful as it pressed against his waist. A very fleeting thought graced his thoughts, the wonder of what she'd feel like against him would she have been healthy.

It had been so many years since he had felt anyone as peacefully as that movement friend or foe, touching him as much as she was right now. Sure he had touched her before this but it had always been with strict purpose, never for himself. He had carried her against him too, though again it had felt nothing but clinical; cold and distant, just another task to be completed.

This though, brought a pain to his soul, he had forgotten the feeling of warmth that another person could bring. Whether it be a hug, or simply sitting as they were. He nearly growled aloud as he very violently pushed the thought aside. He had a job to do, nothing more, nothing less. As he felt her settle, he closed his own eyes taking a cleansing breath.

His arm came up from behind her wrapping around her shoulder, his hand gently coming up to wrap under her chin. It was the most comfortable way to hold her in their current position and as he only needed one hand to make the connection. He rested the other over his own waist, his fingertips just barely touching her folded arms. He thanked whatever gods were listening for small miracles that the girl hadn't splayed herself completely over him. She seemed to be just as reserved as he was in their endeavor and for that, he was immensely grateful.

"Here we go."

Hermione let out the faintest of gasps as she felt his pull against her soul. She kept her eyes open allowing him to look into their white murky depths. She felt her body spinning down into the void. It took seconds before she found herself where she had stood before. A blue light coming to life as she slowly turned taking in the layered circles of doors. She swallowed thickly as she kept her mind on task. As everything started to come into focus she felt him form behind her and turned to take his command.

He took a few slow steps closing the distance between them, his head leaning down to remain his eye contact, "I want you to put your hands on my temples." He spoke gently, taking hold of her wrists raising them up, "I want you to try and see the image I sent you this morning, the one you had seen from my eyes."

He bent himself down just a bit so she wouldn't have to stretch as far. "I want you to focus just on that, and nothing else." He felt her fingers twitch near his temples before resting very gently against them. Her fingers felt warm, and he could feel the connection between them growing stronger, just as it had when he'd pressed against her against the door in her mind.

Hermione took a slow breath as she felt the connection grow, a thin wisp of a thread weaving around forming a strong iron like chain. She looked deep into his eyes before letting her own lose focus as she tried to pull the memory to the front of her mind.

It felt like hours, days even as the world around her started to go dark, she felt a small panic well inside but the feeling of his hands tightening on her wrists calmed her fears. She wasn't falling into a void, she was being gently lead through it. She felt her hesitation slowly drip away as she allowed herself to be led into its blackness.

A light started to emerge along the horizon and she allowed herself to be pulled towards it. She narrowed her eyes from the brightness, everything felt blurry and out of focus. The world was starting to wrap itself around, the rows of doors disappeared showing a mass of deep brown curls, a face-her face-coming into view.

She narrowed her own eyes as to force it into focus. As her own visage came to view she couldn't help but smirk feeling a swell of pride in her chest. She could see it, she could see it all.

The lounge chair they were laying on was a deep burgundy, its cushions looking as plush as they felt. The floor was dark, but there was sun coming in from a window just to her physical bodies right. Her heart flutter at the way her face fit perfectly into his palm. She smiled ever just so.

"I'm going to move my head." He warned her as he very carefully straightened his head, breaking their eye contact. He felt her mind waver just slightly before coming to center again. He kept his hand on her cheek, knowing that the connection worked best with a physical touch.

Severus was watching his own vision through his inner mind, just behind Hermione. Like an odd sort of out of body experience. It made becoming accustomed to his left and right a bit awkward but he managed well enough.

Hermione gasped softly at the vertigo type of sensation of watching something move but not actually feeling it hit her. She kept her hands stilled on his temples however, as she took it all in. It still felt like she was looking through the bottom of a glass bottle at times, but the central image was clear enough to make out specific things.

She held her breath as he turned his gaze to his left. She took in the large over stuffed book shelves lining the walls of the sitting area they appeared to be in. A large stack sat near what she presumed to be his chair, a side table cleared away, she could only surmise that had been where he had been taking notes while he read to her.

"This is...it's amazing..." she breathed out as she cataloged everything away.

"Indeed." He gently gave her wrists a tug, "Enough for now..." He said gently as he closed his eyes bringing her back into the darkness. He felt more than heard her whine at the loss as he lowered her hands back down. He kept their connection open, hoping to test the length of her ability to retain their joined consciousness.

"You had said you saw the creature...I believe with this connection you and I will be able to identify it and finally put an end to this." He watched a light die out of her eyes, the smile that had grown slowly falling away. She pulled back from him before he was able to discover just what had lowered her down.

Hermione nodded her head just a bit stepping back from him as he released her wrists. She wrapped her freed arms around her waist and looked away from him, she could feel the chain they had created slowly forming back into a tiny sewing thread.

"Miss Granger?"

It wasn't that she didn't want to get better, she very much wanted that with every bit of fight she had in her, but the way he had said, 'end' had bothered her. She backed herself up a bit more wrapping her arms tighter around herself. He was the first to have come to her, the first who had spoken to her in so long, the pit of loneliness that he filled so perfectly in that time had been something she hadn't even known she was missing until that moment. A deep seated feeling, she could feel it inside him too. Eating away slowly at him.

She would be a liar if she said she didn't want to fill that void like he had filled hers. Even in the short time after he had come to her, she craved his presence inside her mind more and more. Like he was the missing puzzle piece after all this time. Like she had been waiting her entire life, just to feel something akin to what she felt at that very moment. She closed her eyes tight as she felt a solid surface at her back. She didn't want it to end. She didn't want their connection to end.

"Hermione." Her voice rolled through his mind stronger now, "My name." She clarified as he raised his brow at her change, "Please, just say it."

She had her eyes locked on him now, a hand having pushed back the hair that had fallen down to shield her face while she went through her own feelings. She lifted herself up straighter her arms tightening down at her sides as she waited. Waited for him to recognize her.

His brows furrowed as deep as his lips, just staring at her. Trying to figure out just what she was playing at. What on earth was she looking for from him? What would saying her name accomplish? More importantly, why was he so hesitant to say it? Why did he get a very strong feeling that abiding by her request would change everything not just for her, but for himself as well.

His eyes pierced through her as he searched for anything he could find to keep him from saying it. Any reason at all, why it would be dangerous. He of course, had a laundry list of paper thin excuses that he knew she would have blasted straight through. He could feel her anger and desperation coming up around her as she stared him down.

It reminded him of the girl he'd seen face Bellatrix. Strong, confident and unwilling to relent. She didn't fear him, she was ready to fight him on the issue. Ready to pry it from his mouth herself if she had to. He took a breath and straightened himself.

"No."

Hermione felt a coldness wash over her as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice water on her. "Why...?" She breathed.

Severus straightened himself up preparing his tirade, "I will not fall prey to the illusions you have built around yourself regarding my purpose for being here." His words were strict and hard as if he were teaching a class.

"You are ill, Miss Granger." He took a step toward her making sure she was reminded of whom she was dealing with. "You can no more remember your mother's name let alone who I truly am." He watched her wince with his every word. "I was your professor, you were my student and in so much time that you can fully remember exactly every lesson I had taught you." He stopped a few steps in front of her. "This dilusion of yours will remain."

Hermione's face pinched as she tried to hold back all the hurt. She looked up at him her brow furrowed with a fierceness. Her jaw twitched as she stared him down. Neither one of them willing to give an inch.

"I think..." Her voice was low but strong as she took a step forward bringing herself right inside his personal bubble, her head tilted back just a bit. "You're the one, who has found themselves in a dilusion." She watched his eyes narrow and a tick in his jaw as he prepared himself for rebuttal. She didn't give him the chance.

"I think..." She continued squaring herself up to him now knowing he'd have to step back should he want to keep his space, "You've surrounded yourself with these locked doors; because you're terrified," Her voice was a dangerous whisper now.

"Terrified that maybe, just maybe, there is something human inside of you." She could see fire burning in his eyes, "I can feel it."

She tapped her own heart with her fingers, her words seething furiously through her teeth. His anger at his vulnerability rose up weighing down his tongue.

"You're the one, putting weight on my name." She raised her hand placing it over his heart. She felt his flinch but he didn't pull back. "I know you didn't ask for this..." The edge in her voice softened as she spread her fingers out over his chest, "No one ever would... you're caught in the middle of this dysfunction...I know this is not your legacy...nor who you're meant to be..."

She let her hand fall between them, "Yesterday does not define you, Severus Snape." His name left her lips filled with so many things for him to process. The fury that had grown inside him quickly doused as he watched her disappear from his space.

Snape sneered as he looked down at her. When Hermione had felt the return to her body she immediately pushed his hand from her cheek turning her back on him as she curled her arms to her chest glaring a hole in the side of the chair. Now he sat up with one foot on the floor as he glared at her turned back.

She might as well had just called him a 'Jack-ass', he could still feel the proverbial slap to his head when his name had left her lips. He wanted nothing more than to tear her down. To use every single one of his reasons to cut her to the core. Force her into a trembling mess.

However, as it was, he knew doing so would just further prove her point. He had been placing weight upon her name and his poor excuses were nothing but complete bullshit. He was also learning very quickly, that the girl in front of him had a very low tolerance for it, despite who her friends had been.