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Beyond the Pale	By : goldhorse Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 81362 -:- Recommendations : 11 -:- Currently Reading : 17
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, JK Rowling does, lucky woman. I make no money from this, which is probably why I'm poor as a church mouse.

Chapter List
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Footsteps were coming down the hall. Hermione buried her head under the pillow and silently prayed that they’d leave her alone. Perhaps they would believe she’d actually fallen asleep, despite the fact that she wasn’t even the least bit tired. That was odd though. Normally after a mind blowing orgasm, she had to take a nap. Now, she just felt energized…and embarrassed beyond imagination. How could she have brought herself off while eavesdropping? It was the most perverted thing she could think of.

The door swung open and she lay as still as she possibly could. Maybe they would ignore her racing heart. The footsteps drew closer and a dip in the bed announced that her visitor wasn’t leaving any time soon. Still, she wondered if she didn’t move, if they would go away. Her pillow was lifted off her head and was replaced by a large hand carding through her tangled locks.

“No use playing possum, little one,” Melody said softly. “Vampires don’t sleep. They might black out occasionally but I doubt your little episode was that amazing…especially if you managed to pull yourself in here and get dressed afterwards.”

“Oh gods,” Hermione whimpered. “You know.”

Melody giggled. “Of course we know. You wouldn’t know this from his extreme reaction at the castle, but Sev is the ultimate exhibitionist. And you did look like you needed it.”

“It’s so wrong,” Hermione moaned.

“I don’t see why,” Snape said. He lowered his frame onto the bed beside her head. She chanced a peek and breathed a sigh of relief that he had the decency to put on some trousers.

“What kind of pervert does that?” Hermione said, her voice muffled by the mattress.

“I would,” Melody said boldly. “Listening in is extremely hot. Hell, sometimes I do Sev’s patrols with him just to get a thrill. You kids don’t disappoint either. Horney little buggers the lot of you.”

“Not me,” Hermione groaned. “I’ve never done anything like that in my entire life.”

“Time for another realization,” Snape said softly. “Vampires are extremely sexual creatures. Your libido, however nonexistent it was before, will have sky rocketed. Thus, your reaction to hearing us was uncontrollable.”

“Still not right,” Hermione huffed.

“Would it be if I told you I liked it?” Snape asked.

Her eyes shot open at that. “What?”

“I told you he’s an exhibitionist,” Melody chuckled. “Hell, at Hogwarts, I have to practically keep a permanent silencing charm around us. He likes the thought of others listening, watching even. It makes it that much more thrilling.”

“I-wait. You deliberately neglected to put up a silencing charm!”

“Guilty,” Melody giggled. “Earlier, at the castle, he was just aggravated that he had to stop…and it takes him a few minutes to switch back to my Sev from Professor Snape. Trust me; he liked you listening so much he might just jump me again so you can watch!”

Hermione paled at the thought.

“I’m not sure she’s ready for that just yet,” Snape said, amusement lacing his tone. “For now, why don’t we work on the basics of being a vampire?”

Hermione nodded, happy that he was going to change the subject. She wondered how long her lessons were going to last. When would they rest? Did they even need to?

“I can practically hear your mind smoking gears,” Melody chuckled. “Go on, ask away.”

“If vampires don’t sleep, does that mean they never get tired?”

“No,” Snape said, getting off the bed and motioning for her to follow. “Even vampires grow weary. I know I do after a day of grading that rubbish the students call homework. When that happens, we go into a meditative state. It is the only resting we can do.”

“How do you meditate?” Hermione asked, trudging downstairs in between her parents.

“Close your eyes and focus on deep breathing exercises,” Snape answered. “You’ll feel your mind start to float, much like listening to white noise. It allows you to shut down your thinking and in turn, your body rests. Most like to perform this on a bed since laying down takes no effort.”

“So what do you do during the night?”

“We amuse ourselves,” Melody said with a giggle. “And on the rare occasion we don’t, we read, catch up on work, or for me, I like to go for a ride.”

“A broom ride?” Hermione asked. “Won’t people see you?”

“No,” Melody said. “Brooms lose their appeal when you can fly without one. I prefer motorcycles. They can run as fast as I can and I like the rumble of the engine.”

“Mostly because it mimics your vibrator,” Snape said.

“Well, there is that,” Melody conceded.

“Merlin, could you two stop already? I’m beyond mortified at my behavior and you aren’t helping.”

Snape turned and raised an eyebrow at her. “Perhaps you should get over the foolish notion that you have done something wrong. As long as it is consensual, nothing is off limits…especially to a vampire.”

“My parents are dentists!” Hermione shouted. “They don’t go walking around discussing their sex life openly with me and they certainly don’t want me listening in on their exploits any more than I want to hear them.”

“But we aren’t your human parents,” Melody countered. “This is your life now little one. You are going to have to get used to it.

“How am I going to get used to this?” Hermione shouted. “A week ago, I was just a normal witch. I was worried about getting good grades and hoping that Ron would notice me.” She paled when she realized what she said.

“So it is Weasley that has struck your fancy,” Snape said. It almost sounded as if he was disappointed.

“So what if he has,” Hermione said glumly. “It’s not like he’s going to notice me.”

Melody barked out a laugh. “Just wait ‘til the boys get a gander at you now. You’ll be beating them off with a stick…not that you’d need a stick. A simple flick of the wand will do. Don’t want you hurting anyone, do we?”

“Ron is clueless,” Hermione sighed. “I mean, we were in fourth year before he figured out I was a girl!”

“Weasley is a dunderhead,” Snape snapped. “He is not worthy of your admiration and he will not be your mate.”

“How do you know?” Hermione growled, unhappy that he seemed to be trying to dictate her life.

“Besides not being able to hold a candle to your brilliance, Weasley is most assuredly not compatible to you in any way imaginable.”

“How can you say that?”

“Because I can smell it, sense it, feel it!” Snape hissed. “While you might be enamored with his boyish good looks and his emotionally stunted personality, he is and always will be submissive. He cows to Molly, Arthur, Potter, the professors, even other students. You probably have chosen him because he is safe territory but your new vampire instincts will not settle for such a choice.” Snape shook his head sadly. “No matter how much you want them to.”

Hermione was struck dumb by her father’s last admission. She had to know something but figured that he wouldn’t say anything in front of Melody. She shot her mother a pleading look, asking for permission to ask her father a question alone. Melody, ever observant, nodded and walked out through what looked like the kitchen.

“Sir, can you place a privacy bubble around us? I’m not allowed to perform magic over the holiday.”

Snape nodded and waved his wand in the air. “You may call me Severus away from school. I believe it would be more comfortable for you than father and possibly less embarrassing should you slip later.”

“Thank you…Severus,” Hermione said cautiously, testing out the name on her lips. It felt right. She nodded her acceptance of his new moniker. “Sir, I mean Severus, I know you asked me not to pry but I have to know.”

“What?” Snape…no Severus asked. He looked resigned.

“What did Lily smell like?”

Snape’s breath hitched. He was silent for a long time, debating on whether or not he wished to answer the question. She decided she wasn’t going to push but she felt like she had to know.

“Chocolate biscuits,” Severus whispered after a while.

Hermione nodded, realizing what that meant. Lily had never been in line for his mate. “Is that why you claimed Melody so quickly after you’d turned?”

Severus snapped his eyes shut and gave a curt nod. “She had already explained to me that while Black smelled of the wind, he also smelled like spearmint, her favorite sweet flavor. She didn’t realize the implications of that until it was too late. When we returned to the castle after my first feeding, I sought Lily out immediately.”

“What does Melody smell like?”

“Night blooming jasmine, pear blossoms, and home,” Severus breathed. “I could smell it the entire time I was changing, calling to me like a Siren.”

“You ignored it,” Hermione filled in when he became quiet. “You still had hope for Lily, that perhaps you had more than one mate, like Melody.”

Severus’s eyes opened slowly, tentatively. She wondered what he had expected to find.

“You aren’t disgusted,” Severus said in shock.

“Of course not!” Hermione said, slightly offended that he would think so little of her. “You loved her. Love is one of the strongest emotions on earth and I can hardly condemn you because you wanted to be with her.”

“You defended your mother so vehemently earlier today. I thought you might think me a cad, to toss her aside so quickly in pursuit of a hopeless target.”

Hermione shook her head. “The heart does things that we ourselves often do not understand.”

Severus ducked his head, his soft hair flowing around him to curtain his face. “I gave Melody the antidote for her poison strictly for selfish reasons. Since Lily shut me out of her life, she was the only thing good I had left. When Myrtle was jumping for joy about having a new stall mate soon, I just knew it was Melody. Her behavior had set off the warning bells in my head but I didn’t realize she was that far gone.” A lone tear fell from his black eyes.

Hermione swiped it away with her finger and stuck it in her mouth from sheer instinct. It tasted like smoke and salt. “You don’t have to tell me anything else if you don’t want to.”

“No, I do,” Severus croaked. “I can’t deny you anything and I don’t know why. I can resist the Dark Lord invading my mind at every turn but I can’t keep from spilling my darkest secrets to you. Perhaps this is what Melody meant by the fact that you had to know.”

“Well, now you know how I feel,” Hermione sighed. “I can’t seem to keep anything from you, actions or thoughts.”

Severus chuckled and nodded his head. “I’ve heard of vampire families breaking up because they got too close. I have a feeling this is what they meant.”

“Perhaps,” Hermione said with a small smile. “So you fed the antidote to Melody because you couldn’t lose another person you had come to care for.”

“Correct,” Severus said softly. “I didn’t know she was aborting as well…until she confessed to her entire life in my arms. By the time she was done, I wanted to rip Black limb from limb but I couldn’t leave her alone. She was too unstable…too filled with self-loathing for what she’d done…too much like me.”

“Did the baby have a chance?” Hermione asked.

“No,” Severus said with a shake of his head. “The poison was fast acting and I didn’t get there quick enough. Even if it had survived, she could have never hidden it from her coven. She didn’t return to America that summer so they contacted a nearby coven to visit us. If she had been pregnant, there would have been no chance…for either of them.”

“So she did the right thing, regardless of how horrible it sounds,” Hermione said.

“Unfortunately, yes. She also figured that if she ended the line with herself, future generations of vampires wouldn’t be under scrutiny either. However, if she hadn’t made it, neither of us would be standing here having a bloody heart to heart, would we?”

Hermione laughed. “No, I suppose not. She really did save my life prof- Severus. I couldn’t imagine what would have happened to me had she not been there.”

“Best not to think on it,” Severus said quietly. “When I smelled Lily’s scent, I was…distraught. Melody was the only one I had left who seemed to care. I claimed her immediately. I was surprised when she claimed me as well. I…used her horribly in the beginning, treated her as a substitute for Lily. Surely you can see the resemblance?”

Hermione nodded. “When did you know you loved Melody?”

Severus’s head shot up in alarm. His eyes were wide and his face had turned a few shades paler.

Hermione smiled gently. “I won’t tell her…but I can see it in the way you treat her now.”

Severus closed his eyes in defeat. “When the Dark Lord wanted to…kill Lily, I ran to Dumbledore and became a spy. Melody was still with me, taking all of my verbal abuse and dutifully healing me when my punishments were too severe. I’ve never been so ashamed of my actions. I had been pining for a married woman while I had one just as good at home. She never gave up on me, despite my despicable behavior.”

“And you couldn’t help but fall in love with her loyalty,” Hermione breathed.

Severus cleared his throat uncomfortably and changed the subject. “Shall we proceed outside so we can begin your training?”

“Of course…and sir?”

“Severus.”

“Severus then. You should tell her. I won’t…but you should.”

Severus shook his head. “Hermione, what do you think is going to happen to me after the war?”

“Dumbledore will exonerate you like he did the first time,” Hermione answered confidently.

“And if he is not alive to do so?”

Her face fell. She hasn’t thought about that.

“Exactly. I don’t wish for her to end up like me, wasting away longing for someone beyond the veil. I want her to move on.”

Hermione smiled sadly. “Whether or not she knows your true feelings, she is never going to get over you if you were to die.”

“Nor I her,” Severus said softly before he slashed his wand through the air and proceeded to make his way outside.

Hermione stood still for a moment, soaking in the conversation. So Severus did love Melody…and vice versa. They were just too damned stubborn to admit it. Well, they would by the time she was done with them. When she finally exited the door they’d gone through, her mouth dropped open. In his back yard was an Olympic sized swimming pool! “How?”

Melody was sitting in a lounge chair by the poolside wearing a tiny Slytherin green bikini and grinning madly. “It’s just like magic, huh?”

“It’s amazing!”

“Can you swim?” Severus asked. He’d already changed into a black speedo, which make Hermione blush and look away. She ignored his chuckle.

“I can,” Hermione admitted, her eyes focused on the far corner of the pool.

“Good. We will begin our training here then.”

“What?” Hermione spun around in shock. How on earth were they going to train in a pool?

“The first thing a vampire needs to control is their breathing,” Severus explained. “I find the pool a useful tool in teaching that. Melody, take over from here please.”

“Sure thing,” Melody said and hopped to her feet. “First, you’re overdressed.”

Hermione squeaked when her clothes transformed into a blood red string bikini. She was about to try and cover herself but one clearing of the throat from her father had her stopping in her tracks. Really, they’d both already seen her naked right? She had to get over this.

“You’re learning to accept yourself, very good!” Melody purred. “Now then, we are vampires. We smell like them, eat like them, hunt like them, and have all their attributes. However, we have to do a few things they don’t…like breathe, since we did not die to turn. Drinking blood means we have no need to use the loo for anything other than washing up. Of course, if you decide to eat human food, the rest of your body still works to expel it. I prefer not to. It’s much nicer in the morning if you don’t have to race to the bathroom to take a piss.”

“Agreed,” Severus called.

“Back to the lesson,” Melody said. “Since our body works at optimal conditions, we don’t need to breathe as often as human. Other vampires breathe out of habit and to smell their prey. Now then, I’m sure as a child you discovered it was much easier to hold your breath above water than under it.”

Hermione nodded.

“Right. The water is just another obstacle…and it’s fun. Stay down as long as you can, swim around the bottom, hell, open your eyes and marvel at how clear everything is. Just work on holding your breath and controlling your responses to lack of oxygen. When you surface again, I want you to breathe as slowly as possible and try to even out your heart rate. Got it?”

Hermione nodded slowly. This was a highly unorthodox method but she supposed they would know best.

“Good. Dive in.” Melody ordered.

Hermione jumped in, expecting a freezing shock but was pleasantly surprised that the water was comfortably warm.

“Oh, by the way,” Melody said. “The pool isn’t heated.”

“Wait, what?” Hermione asked, shocked at the statement since she was so warm.

“Your body handles temperatures differently now,” Severus said. “Anything above freezing will be warm to hot, depending on how high. You’ll be less sensitive to the cold and the heat. You’ll never have need of a coat. Best of all, your skin will still be warm to a human’s touch.”

Hermione nodded. That was actually kind of nice, now that she thought about it. She had always been cold natured, though she tried not to complain too much about it. Layers were her usual go to style for the winter. Perhaps now she could get away from their bulk. She smiled at the thought before taking a deep breath and diving under the water. She opened her eyes and was surprised to find everything was clear instead of murky like it normally was without goggles of some sort.

“She’s coming along quickly,” Severus said softly.

“Very much so,” Melody agreed.

Hermione was taken aback at how clear she could hear them, even underwater. They continued to chatter about her progress as she swam circles around the bottom. How long had she been under? She was getting slightly out of breath.

“Five minutes,” Severus called out when she surfaced.

“You’re kidding!” Hermione called, panting only slightly.

“Nope!” Melody squealed. “You are doing excellently. Try evening out your breathing again and going back down. Push yourself a little.”

Hermione took a few calming breaths before submerging herself again. She swam lazy circles close to the bottom and listened to her parents conversing.

“I take it she asked you if Lily was a dom?” Melody asked timidly.

“Actually no. She wanted to know how she smelled.”

“Clever girl.”

“They do call her the brightest witch of her age.”

Hermione wrinkled her nose at that title. She hated it. Sure, she was good at school but she didn’t feel like she was that special. Besides, what usually followed that title was some snide comment about how it was a surprising turn of events since she was muggleborn. She swam a few more laps before her lungs started to protest.

“Seven minutes,” Severus called. “Very good progress. Why don’t we move forward?”

“What next?” Hermione asked eagerly. She had already evened out her breathing.

“Strength!” Melody cheered. “It’s my favorite.”

“How do we do that in the water?” Hermione asked.

“We’ll start with body strength. Swim to the short side,” Melody ordered and jumped into the pool on the opposite side. “Now, bend your legs against the wall and push off as hard as you can.”

Hermione followed the instructions to the letter, letting out a scream when she felt the side of the pool shift under her feet. Her body rocketed across the water on a collision course with Melody. She tried back paddling but she was moving too fast. To her surprise, the red head simply shifted a few feet to the side and grabbed her shoulder, spinning her until her momentum faded. Dizziness made her a bit weak at the knees and she was never so thankful to be in the water.

“Do you see why we train in the pool now?” Melody asked, grinning down at her.

“W-what was that?”

“That’s how strong you will be,” Severus said from the side of the pool. He hopped in with one fluid moment and appeared at her side moments later.

“Wow,” Hermione said, her breathing still erratic from her scare.

“Now that we know what you can do,” Severus drawled, “let’s work on control. The trick is to know exactly how much force is necessary to get you from one spot to the other without unnecessary side effects, like ripping chunks out of my pool.”

She turned to see the giant dent she’d put in the wall where she’d pushed off. She started to apologize but was held off with a simple hand and a flick of her father’s wand. The dent disappeared leaving a pristine pool once again.

“Now, let’s try that again,” Melody said and swam with her to the other side of the pool. “Place your feet against the wall again but this time, just put your toes on it.”

Hermione crunched up in an awkward position, her arms behind her and clinging to the side while her toes were precariously balanced on the wall.

“Good,” Melody purred. “Now, push off gently, like you would have before you were turned.”

Hermione took a deep breath, more to steady her nerves than anything, and pushed. Her body shot across the pool, a bit less hectically than last time but still too fast. Severus glided out of the way and spun her around a few times until her momentum spot. It was a definite improvement from her merry go round impression before.

“Better,” Severus said. “Try it again. A bit gentler this time. You want to have a controlled stop right before you hit me.”

It took Hermione about thirty more tries before she finally nailed it, coming to a graceful stop just an inch or so from her father’s chest. She was rewarded with a large hug from her father and a rather awkward kiss. It wasn’t anything sexual, but it still made her mind balk a little. What was frustrating is that her vampire instincts preened under the praise and affection. Her body was at war with itself. Sensing her unease, Severus let her go so Melody could bestow her with a hug and a kiss as well.

“Get used to it little one,” Melody giggled when she saw her shocked expression. “This is how vampires are. Even now you can feel yourself accepting it.”

“How do you know all this?” Hermione asked in frustration.

“Because I had to teach Sev,” Melody said simply. “If you think you’re having a hard time, imagine Sev’s shock when my dad first kissed him! It’s just something that vampires do…instinct. I grew up with it my entire life so it was never weird for me. Actually, it was weird holding back when I went to school. After all, how many times have you gone around snogging your mates?”

Hermione blanched and looked down. Memories of a late night session with crazy cousin Julie’s girlfriend and a rather eager Ginny Weasley flashed through her head. She’d been confused during her fifth year when she started noticing how lovely Cho Chang was. Actually, she noticed more than a few of the girls in her year and was wondering if she fancied females as well as males. After all, her crush on Ron had never gone away. The results were conclusive; she didn’t fancy girls that way. She appreciated their form, but there wasn’t any sexual chemistry.

“Oh look Sev, she has snogged her mate. My bet is on Ginny. What do you think?”

“Mmm,” Snape hummed, obviously taking pleasure at her discomfort. “I believe I will see that bet and raise you an outside interest as well.”

“You’re making fun of me,” Hermione whispered.

“On the contrary,” Snape countered. “I am most anxious to hear of your exploits. What made you decide to give women a try? And more importantly, why did you so definitively tell me that your mate would be male?”

Hermione shook her head in embarrassment but the urge to spill her guts was strong. Had she been slipped veritiserum? No, that couldn’t be it. Both her parents had spilled their darkest secrets as well. She supposed that turnabout was fair play.

“I thought I might have fancied girls for a time and Ginny was curious…but I didn’t feel anything except weird. I thought maybe it was just her so I experimented with my cousin and her girlfriend but I still didn’t feel anything.”

“Ever the studious pupil,” Severus chuckled. “Well, at least you faced your dilemma head on. There are members of my own house that are so far into their denial they make it a point to indulge in the opposite sex.”

“That’s hardly healthy, is it?” Hermione mused.

“No, I suppose not but just like pureblood values, the wizarding world’s views of same sex partners are somewhat conservative.”

“Of course they are,” Hermione snorted. “I could only imagine what they would have thought had I been bisexual.”

“So certain were you?” Severus asked with a smirk.

“I have always been attracted to boys, even when I was little,” Hermione hedged. “I just…started noticing girls as well. But I realize I was regarding them in comparison to me. I can appreciate a beautiful form. I just…didn’t feel anything else.”

“Yes well,” Melody butted in. “You’ll have to tell Sev and I all about your experiments because they sound really fucking hot.”

“Pervert,” Severus taunted affectionately.

“Takes one to know one dear,” Melody said with a cheeky pat to his bum.

“Indeed,” Severus drawled and lifted her out of the water in one swoop.

He zipped to the end of the pool and rose on an invisible puff of air. When just his toes were skimming the water, he dropped her. The splash that followed positively drenched Hermione, who was busy staring agape at what her father had just done.

“Cool huh?” Melody asked when she was finished sputtering.

“What was that?” Hermione croaked.

“Flying…or levitating I guess,” Melody conceded. “It’s another thing you’ll learn in the pool because water is much softer than the ground.”

“How long is it going to take to learn all these things?” Hermione asked in wonder.

“Well, considering we don’t sleep,” Melody chuckled. “I’d say two weeks and you should have all your basics down. The rest of our time will be spent perfecting your control around humans. After all, Hogwarts hardly smells like the alley, does it?”

“No, I suppose it doesn’t,” Hermione said sadly. “Dumbledore smelled so good.”

“An oversight on his part,” Severus said as he lowered himself back down into the water. “However, I am afraid that he is one of only a few that can mask their scent to a vampire. You’ll need to learn to function without that aid.”

“Isn’t there a way to block the smell?” Hermione asked. “I mean, I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to take. Two months sounds like a long time but it’s really not. I mean, how long has it taken me to control my strength on just gliding across the pool? That doesn’t include picking up things or hugging people who are human. What if I accidentally crush someone?”

“You won’t,” Melody said firmly. “You are going to master this Hermione. You’ll be a very good vampire. Just have some faith in yourself.”

“It doesn’t look very good right now, does it?” Hermione asked sadly.

“Quit with the glum face,” Melody chided. “Let’s skip speed and go to hovering. It’s always the most fun…especially if you do it over a pool. It’s like the ultimate diving board because you can never hit your head!”

Hermione cracked a smile at that. It did look like a lot of fun. Even Severus had a wide grin on his face when he’d dunked his mate. Perhaps she could let herself have some fun.

“There we go!” Melody cackled in glee. “Now then, first things first, I want you to get out of the pool and go stand on the very edge. Sev will be behind you in case you go backwards on accident.”

Hermione pulled herself out of the pool with ease, marveling at how much energy she still had. She didn’t even feel like she’d done anything and she had just woken up from her turning this morning. The edge of the pool was tiled in beautiful turquoise porcelain that sparkled in the sun, another thing she thought she might never see again. She wouldn’t have if her mother and father hadn’t saved her. She’d have to thank them again later. Right now, she wanted to float!

“Now then,” Severus said as she lined herself up with the edge of the pool. “I want you to close your eyes and focus on how much weight you feel on your feet.”

What in Merlin’s name was he on about? She frowned, eyes closed and mind reeling. Why did they have to be so vague anyway? A tap on her foot made her jump and she realized that Severus was applying pressure to the top of her foot. It was now heavier than the other one, more pressure points in contact with the tile. When he lifted the pressure, her foot felt lighter. OH! She concentrated on the contact she had on the balls and heels of her feet, wriggling her toes so she could memorize it.

“Good child,” Severus purred in her ear. “Now, I want you to think about moving that pressure elsewhere. Move it up your legs and into your arms.”

Okay. That sounded downright barmy, like something Professor Trelawney would spout off during one of her ridiculous lessons. Still, Severus had hovered above the water before her very eyes. She tried to give him the benefit of the doubt. There was one spot in her foot that seemed to have more pressure than others. Perhaps if she shifted it a bit, it would move the pressure point. In a surprising move, her foot lifted up, as if stepping on a cushion of air.

“Wonderful,” Snape cooed. “Now do the same for the other one.”

Hermione squeezed her eyes shut and imagined her foot shifting ever so slightly. There was no pressure on her feet now, only air. She felt a gentle push from behind her and a slight breeze ripple through her hair.

“Open your eyes child!” Melody called.

Hermione slowly opened her eyes to find herself hovering in the middle of the pool. She’d done it! As that thought went whizzing through her mind, the cushion suddenly gave out and she fell with a giant splash. She fought her way to the top again and sputtered, clearing her airway of the water that had crept up her nose. Melody and Severus were both bent in half laughing at her. She felt horrible that she was such a failure.

“Oh child,” Melody chuckled. “That was classic…and a very good start. Sev and I practiced in the black lake. Trust me; the pool is better…no giant squid.”

“You fell?” Hermione asked quietly. She didn’t like failing.

“Well of course we did,” Melody huffed. “No one gets it right the first time. Go on then. Climb out and try again.”

AN: I'm pretty sure I bombed my interview today. I thought to myself, I could always be a writer and then I realized that I don't get paid for this! So, in a honor of feeling sorry for myself, I decided to reward you all with an early chapter. At least someone should get something out of today, right? Right. I hope you enjoyed and up next, a field trip for our little Hermione. She's still got a ways to go before she can go back to her friends. As always, thank you to those of you who reviewed. I really do cherish each and every one. Keep them coming and let me know how I'm doing and if you find any errors. Until next time...Love you guys!
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Beyond the Pale