Disclaimer. Harry Potter belongs to JKR and Warner Brothers. I was also inspired by the French Version of the classic tale of Sleeping Beauty. I own this plot. Serena Du Rais belongs to Trickster32, Isabella Dove belongs to Noppoh and Meredith D. Mars is mine, other that it's all a figment of my imagination.

All hail to Noppoh and Trickster32 for being friends, cheerleaders, and betas. Love you girls.

A/N: I would like to thank Noppoh for writing Happy Nightmare, you see that's the story that got this Plot Bunny going. Go read it. You guys are going to love it.

Warning. This story is rated, M 18+ Mature.

Also, Trolls and Anonymous malicious (Guest) Reviews will be deleted with a camp song and a veritable fountain of kerosene. I love campfire barbeques.

To the rest, Please Read and Review.

Chapter 1. Pale and in a deep Slumber.

Fragment from Hermione's Diary, June 9, 1998.

I saw him fall, exhausted, exuding pain,

I saw him fall, overwhelm in a sense of dread,

I saw him fall, wrapped in memories and fog,

I saw him fall, like the sun on the horizon.

Once he was on the floor, I reach out and saw him call out to death,

Once he was on the floor, I too wanted to join him at his loss,

Once he was down I too, wanted to add myself to the joy in his sight as he saw death approaching.

As he fell, I too succumbed…

Once on the ground the two of us were equals,

Once, the two of us were fallen, fear, abandon, and misery, no longer mattered.

He fell, and so did I, both of us slumped into nothing, and in the void we were complete.

In the dust, the absence, the emptiness we found each other, and even though we both had nothing to give, we gave each other everything, in the space between standing and the ground we were joy, brave, lovers, and friends, as he fell, I fell too and nothing mattered more, for that instant we were good.

H.J.G.

-oo0oo-

2 May 1999 3 pm. Hogwarts School of Wizardry. Scotland.

Deputy Headmaster Severus Snape walked into the Hospital wing and the image that greeted him is anything but joyful. A group of girls, all from different houses, were around a bed.

To their right, Headmistress Minerva McGonagall's somber gesture hinted dread over the identity of the occupant of the sickbed.

McGonagall's appearance stroke off pretenses and alerted the newcomer that something was at odds.

She was quite pale, her eyes are puffy, as she finally acknowledged him in a broken voice:

"Severus, Oh thank Merlin you're back."

"Thank you, Headmistress, what's going on?"

The group of girls shivered as a new wave of sniffs took place, and they all parted to uncover the young female slumbering. There, looking quite ghostly, laid Hermione J. Granger, the head girl, unmoving.

Severus started trembling as he got closer to her, immediately his occluded and detached expression went up, as he willed his body to stop reacting. He breathed quietly, trying to come to terms to what his eyes are relaying.

His senses told him that Miss Granger was not dead, but her breathing pattern at the moment is shallow.

All of the girls are hugging one another, and Severus arched an eyebrow. He thought to himself "How odd is this? The group is a mix of houses. Luna Lovegood, Susan Bones, Daphne and Astoria Greengrass, Millicent Bulstrode, Pansy Parkinson, and other unknowns, such as Isabella Dove from Ravenclaw, Serena Du Rais from Slytherin and Meredith D. Mars from Gryffindor. For crying out loud, even the Gray Lady was near."

Then he heard a squeaky wail and he turned around to find Winky crying buckets.

He knew he had to act, so he cleared his throat and said to them.

"All of the students must return to their dorms, I will inform the school of any changes in Miss Granger's condition, thank you for coming, now please evacuate the premises."

He then asked the house elf:

"Winky, please bring the nourishing potions for her, and I want you to take all of her belongings and place them on my spare magical trunk, I would like to see if she caught a magical disease or a curse and Minerva, pull yourself together, we are going to find out what happened, I promise."

Minerva was crying again, trying to accept Poppy's words of a diagnose.

Madame Pomfrey appeared next and sighed in relief.

Minerva nodded and took a hold of the Deputy Headmaster's hands.

"Severus it's so good to have you back… I thought that Harry was going to beat you, but, the international Port Keys are still difficult, and since Bulgaria distrusts Britain, poor Harry must be going delirious."

"Are you kidding me? Potter is traveling to meet her?" Asked Severus.

Minerva rolled her eyes at him and replied:

"Severus, you know they are inseparable since childhood, and now that Harry has received his degree as a Magical Investigator and Hit Wizard and he was recognized by the European Warlock association, he wants to launch a formal complaint about Hermione being attacked in prejudice… so I am quite grateful that you arrived… how did the case against Lucius Malfoy go?"

"He was kissed at 5 am, today."

Minerva shuddered and nodded.

It was then that Poppy approached him.

"This is her book bag, but I need to ask you a special favor?"

"Go on?"

"Read her diary."

"Her diary?..."

"Yes, the girls who just left were apprehensive about it, I've tried unlocking it, however, I'm unable… and somehow I feel that you are the only one who can help her… I need to know the source of her condition, if she came in contact with a rare magical creature, or if she traveled abroad and became infected with a magical disease, or if she was cursed, or perhaps, maybe she was suicidal. Please, Severus, the key might be in here."

"Very well Poppy."

Severus tucked the small journal in his pocket, and it was then that Harry Potter, in the company of Viktor Krum and Helena Wilhelmina Krum, appeared and Severus thought to himself.

"Great, here comes the Bulgarian Cavalry, Merlin! save me."

As Harry reached the bed in which Hermione slept, Severus recognized that facial expression. It was the same expression of anguish Potter held as he found him, struck down by Nagini.

Flashback

The trio found him, Severus was mortally wounded, however, after Potter and Weasley had left the sight, the Granger girl returned and said to him: "I don't know why I'm doing this, but I can't let you die, I just can't." She then 'Accio-ed' from her beaded bag several items: the Essence of Dittany, Felix Felicis, and Phoenix Tears. She combined the Dittany and the Phoenix tears and then gave him a sip of the Felix Felicis and called out:

"Winky."

"Mistress called?"

"Yes Winky, please take Professor Snape to my parent's house and stay with him."

"Mistress will drink from the Felix Felicis now,"

"Yes Winky, I'm doing it as we speak."

"Make sure to give to Boy-Who-Lived."

"Of course Winky."

"Don't drink from what the Won-Won gives you, remember that."

Severus began to shiver thanks to the combination of potions. Winky took him and Hermione popped elsewhere. No one knew what happened that day, except for Severus, Hermione, Harry, and Winky.

To this day, Severus was quite grateful for her quick thinking and so was Harry Potter.

End of Flashback.

Harry was dumbstruck as both Krum cousins stood back and waited. Viktor Krum, however, did voice out:

"Hermy-oh-knee, vhat did they do to you?"

The gorgeous Helena Krum held on to Harry and said:

"I told you, Harry, ve needed her out of this horrid place."

"Mina, she was too stubborn, she wanted to keep ties to the place that reminded her of her family. I appealed and begged to her common sense, to come with us, but she wouldn't listen, and now look? Look at my beautiful sister as pale as a corpse...What the fuck happened Snape? You're were supposed to protect her, how, how could you let this happen to her, to your savior?"

For once Severus had no reply and the silence only made Potter shiver, as tears of rage filled his green eyes, and a somber energy filled the hospital wing with dread.

The curse of the Sleeping Beauty had once more taken a victim, and her name was Hermione Jean Granger.

-oo0oo-

The Potions Master pinched the bridge of his nose, and sighed, three steps forward and five steps back, oh the joy, of starting again from scratch.

Severus Snape had a tough time getting the combination of spells in order to unlock Miss Granger's diary, but difficult as it was, the magicks locking the item did not repel the Potions Master. After Fifty minutes, the diary opened and then, after a moment of reading the first lines on a random page, Severus started laughing. He scrubbed his face and read again to be sure he was not losing his mind.

Hermione Granger diary, excerpt

Yes, the Elusive Snake is a shapeshifter. Who loves to bathe in the moonlight. Loves the smell of books. Has great powers which include seduction, I mean, deduction. Concentrate Granger!... uh, where was I?... the Elusive Snake Shifter looks like a very attractive male for the female, in particular, he finds challenging enough to take up the mating courtship. To the rest of wizardkind, he looks like a greasy overgrown bat of the dungeons...

Severus was tired, it had been a long day, he needed to rest, and now Miss Granger had managed to bring a smile, even when she wasn't trying. She comforted him, a rare gift on its own.