Disclaimer: You know the drill; nothing belongs to me! All hail Saint Rowling!

A/N: This is my first dabble in the Hermione/Snape fandom. I know there are a ton of fics out there with similar plots but I thought I'd give it a shot and see what happens. Do note that there is minor Ron-bashing and he will NOT under no circumstances get together with Hermione in this fic. Here, she is *spoiler alert* intended for Severus Snape. And this is my spin on the Soul Bond cliché. It also takes place during the first book at the troll attack and is slight AU. Do note that there will be gory violence, bad language, dark magic, and smut. This is one of those fics. Hermione will be of age because of the Soul Bond which gets activated when $hit hits the fan. Just thought I'd point that out in case people start flaming. But enough rambling and let the tale begin!

CHAPTER 1: A Different Rescue

Hermione was in the girls' loo, sobbing her teenaged heart out. Ron had made fun of her for the hundredth time after she was trying to make friends with Harry. The poor boy was probably so unsure of his place in the Wizarding World from growing up with Muggles that he didn't know what to do. However, the fact was that he ignored her and it broke her heart.

All of a sudden, there was a loud crash and a roar. Hermione spun around shrieking in fear and alarm only to find herself face to face with a vicious, monstrous troll. The brute roared and spit flew out of its mouth. Hermione was frozen in shock and couldn't even grasp her wand. She was already going through mental trauma because of the emotional abuse rendered by one ginger and his witless friend. Now on top of that, she was being attacked by a creature thought to be of myth and legend. Hermione had read all about trolls but had never expected to see them in real life. Now she was seriously screwed!

Just then, the door to the loo burst open and her eyes widened in surprise to see not who she was expecting, that is to say Harry and Ron come to the rescue, but none other than the despised and loathed Potions Master: Severus Snape! The wizard stood tall and powerful before her, glaring menacingly at the troll. His robes billowed in the wind and he pointed his wand defiantly at the monster.

But he was too late!

Trolls are inherently stupid and this one didn't see the Head of Slytherin behind him. Instead, he roared fiendishly and wacked Hermione viciously with his club. Hermione screamed in excruciating pain and her vision blurred. Then, everything happened so fast that it passed in a flurry of movement and action.

Snape felt a fury like none other well up inside him. He had been tracking the troll ever since one of the paintings alerted him to it while on his way to dinner. He left his unfinished meal and cast a "Point Me" spell that directed him to the troll. What he found was a young girl with curly brown hair and chocolate-colored eyes.

His vision swam momentarily for she bore a striking resemblance to his old friend and crush, Lily Potter, or how she would look as a brunette. Then the troll wacked her hard and Snape let out a shout of rage. He might be a grudging git but even he had standards and he would not allow a student to be injured. Voldermort was not in power yet and he was still in control.

"Reducto!" Snape yelled and the dark curse soared from his gnarled wand.

The troll didn't even have time to scream before his head exploded into little bits of bloody flesh and the lower half of his mangled body fell lifelessly to the ground. A cry of pain from the corner alerted his attention and he hastily dove for Hermione, pulling her from beneath a broken sink that had smashed in the fight.

Hermione was gasping for breath and Sape felt her pulse worryingly. He winced sorrowfully to feel that it was faint and hardly existing. He removed his hand from her arm and it came up bloody. Shit! Snape quickly pulled Hermione's head into his lap and cast a temporary healing spell. He was no healer but the charm was the equivalent to a Muggle bandage.

The blood flow stopped but Hermione's eyes rolled back and forth listlessly. Frantic for a cure, Snape could only think of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. The older wizard felt sick for doing it but the bandage was the only healing spell he knew and there would be no time to call anyone else for help. They simply wouldn't make it in time.

Bracing himself, he placed his lips on Hermione's and pushed air into her lungs, or rather he tried to. Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light and Snape stiffened to feel a burst of magic explode within him. It was a very peculiar sensation and then it was over. Just as suddenly, he felt Hermione's arms squeeze around her and her lips moved as she kissed him back, whether she meant to or was struggling for air. Hastily, Snape broke the unintended kiss and glanced worriedly, fearfully at the Ganger girl.

"Are you alright?" He asked hoarsely, brushing a stray lock of hair out of her face.

Suddenly, he felt very protective over her and wanted to make her feel safe; which was bizarre beyond reason!

That felt good! He heard Hermione say, blushing.

"Um, what felt good? You were just blasted to smithereens by a fricken troll!" Snape hissed.

"What?" Hermione gasped. "You can read my thoughts?"

"No I can't!" Snape growled. "What are you talking about? I only asked if you're feeling better. Is that what you were referring to?"

"No!" Hermione sighed, shaking her head and smiling softly. "You read my thoughts. I was thinking that your kiss felt good."

"That wasn't a kiss!" Snape protested. "That was mouth-to-mouth. Wait…what? I read your mind? Without trying too?"

"Yes," Hermione blushed. "You did."

Snape decided to keep his real mind-reading powers a secret but was shocked that he unintentionally read her thoughts. That would never EVER happen unless…

"No… It can't be!" Snape murmured worriedly.

"What…" Hermione began curiously.

"Severus! What in Merlin's name is going on here?" An elderly voice asked worriedly and angrily.

Snape started and swung his head to see none other than Albus, Minerva, and Poppy. The trio stood furiously before him and pointed their wands directly at his face. He had an understanding with Dumbledore but not even the Headmaster of Hogwarts and Chief Warlock and Supreme Mugwump could get him out of an Azkaban sentence for molesting a child! Even if that child was a Muggleborn. His dark past certainly wouldn't help him either.

"Okay, Snape!" Minerva hissed, practically seething. "Folks around here have wanted you sacked for a long time. You better have a damn good reason for intruding into the ladies' bathroom and molesting a young girl!"

"What Minerva means to say," Dumbledore drawled with an infuriating twinkle in his eyes. "Is that we need answers. The Hogwarts wards alerted me to an overwhelming amount of magic being used and disposed of. Needless to say, I was concerned."

"Also, you weren't present at the staff table for dinner," Poppy added. "And Mr. Potter kindly informed us that Ms. Granger wasn't present either. We put two and two together so you better spill as I want to send you to Azkaban myself if you really did rape that poor child!"

Snape was just about to protest when everyone was shocked into silence by the girl in question who was drenched in blood. The bushy-haired witch stood on shaky legs and placed herself in front of Snape pointing her wand at the teachers.

"Please stop!" Hermione begged on the verge of tears. "Snap didn't touch me! At least, not like that. Well, he didn't mean too. You see, I was attacked by a troll who is now causing this horrid stench. Professor Snape saved me from death and used mouth-to-mouth to revive me. I owe him my life and I won't let you take him away from me!"

The trio looked visibly shaken and even Severus looked and felt flabbergasted at Hermione's declaration. Albus, Minerva, and Poppy glanced warily at each other before lowering their wands and whispering in hushed tones. Snape threw a grateful smile at Hermione, the first true smile in years, and the girl grinned tiredly back at him wobbling slighty.

"Snape, Granger," Poppy said softly. "I'd like to run a few tests on you. Nothing harmful or exhausting. It's for your own good. You see, I think you may have just accidentally formed what's known as a Soul Bond during this incident."

"What?" Snape gasped. "How in Merlin's name is that possible? I thought Soul Bonds were banned since the Fallen Years."

"They were banned but no one can truly stop such powerful, deep magic," Dumbledore replied soberly. "Seriously, did anything strange happen after the rescue if it was indeed one? Typical symptoms of a Bond are telepathy without the use of Legilimency, the ability to sense each other's feelings and feel one another's pain. A serious drawback to a Bond is that if one dies or falls into a comma, so will the other Bond Mate."

"Why would anyone want to do such thing?" Hermione asked shakily, sitting down on Snape's lap with visible exhaustion.

Snape looked startled at the contact but glanced warily at the trio who merely shrugged uncertainly.

"A Soul Bond was used to combine magical cores in the time of King Arthur and Merlin," Dumbledore explained. "Back when magical dominated muggles, it was common place. However, this led to some wizards and witches abusing that power for they felt it made them have the right to subdue humans and control them as they wished. They were the first movement of the Pureblood Elite and it is highly likely that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named got his dogma from that cult. However, due to the abuse of power, Merlin intervened and cast a spell that would last through time greatly diminishing the chance of a soul bond except for dire need."

"So you're telling me that there hasn't been a single Soul Bond since that age?" Hermione drawled sarcastically.

Snape smirked proudly but Dumbledore merely smiled.

"Oh there have been the rare few who found an obscure, usually dark, ritual to surpass the spell," Dumbledore explained. "However, the majority of us magical folk have not been blessed with the gift of a soul bond. For a Bonded relationship is far more intimate and passionate than a normal one. The Bond Mates are sealed for life and with that comes power like no other."

"Relationships!" Snape hissed. "Crickey, Granger is far too young."

Hermione looked hurt but also concerned and Snape instantly felt guilty as the magnitude of her emotional pain hit him, causing him to gasp softy..

"One of the benefits of a soul bond," Dumbledore continued. "Is that if one mate is too young, the magic of the soul bond swiftly ages the bond mate in both body and mind. The individual will still have the same personality and memories but will be much more mature for their age. The magic will do everything within its power to allow the bond mates to be together."

"What do you mean…together?" Snape queried and Hermione nodded thoughtfully, idly stroking Snape's arm.

The Potions Master unconsciously wrapped an arm around Hermione's waste causing the girl to hum. Even the tight-lipped Minerva broke a small smile at this while Dumbledore continued his history lessons.

"Soul Bonds are typically strengthened by physical contact," Dumbledore mumbled, blushing slightly. "In order for the magic to grow properly the couple must be physically next to each other constantly. They must be next to each other throughout the day and sleep with each other at night."

"You mean sex," Snape said flatly and Hermione's face went bright red.

"Yes," Dumbledore nodded uneasily. "I mean sexual intercourse and foreplay typically. However, even just normal physical contact of bodies touching will greatly help the bond to grow. Otherwise, the bond mates will get sick, magically and eventually physically. At first, they will grow tired and get headaches frequently. This happens especially if they argue. After a while, magic exhausts them and soon they can't cast even the simplest of spells. But they don't just become a squib. It gets worse."

"I think we get the point," Snape drawled. "Doom and gloom if we don't copulate."

"Indeed," Dumbledore affirmed. "That's one way of doing it."

"Find anything?" Minerva interjected, glancing hopefully at Poppy's direction.

The Healer finished a wand movement and opened her eyes. She looked with mixed emotions at the odd gathering.

"I took the liberty of performing a simple test during the Headmaster's monologue," Poppy said hoarsely.

"And?" Hermione asked in a small voice.

"It is confirmed," Poppy said tightly. "Ms. Granger and Mr. Snape are Bonded!"

TO BE CONTINUED…

A/N: Any thoughts? Don't forget to review. Many thanks in advance!