Ashwinder :: To bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses

Somewhere I Have Never Travelled. . .

This story is completed.

1. Friendships Come in Threes by Savageland (Wanton) [Reviews - 29]
Genres: Drama, Angst, Romance, Alternate Universe
Warnings: none
Summary: More than thirty years after a mass-killing curse devastated Hogwarts, a mature Hermione makes a life-threatening journey back to that time, hoping what she’s learned will save lives. Taking the alias "Gwen Hawking," she finds her mission further complicated by a passionate, conflicted relationship with a much younger man—Severus Snape—and the distrust of her eighteen-year-old self. (Pre-HBP; OOTP compliant.) (5111 words)

2. The Man Who Died by Savageland (Wanton) [Reviews - 27]
Genres: Drama, Angst, Romance
Warnings: Character Death
Summary: “Once cast, the Carborundorum Curse devours every single molecule of water in a victim’s body. In less than a minute, nothing remains of the living human being but a few pounds of whitish powder.” (4650 words)

3. Duelling Powers by Savageland (Wanton) [Reviews - 11]
Genres: Drama, Angst, Romance
Warnings: none
Summary: As Snape and Lupin circled each other, trading spells and counter-spells that in less expert hands would be deadly, it seemed to Hermione that Snape’s smooth gestures belied an intense, tightly controlled exaltation . . . How strangely fascinating now to see him move with such concentrated grace and power. (4617 words)

4. The Unbearable Tension of Being Hermione by Savageland (Wanton) [Reviews - 15]
Genres: Drama, Angst, Romance
Warnings: none
Summary: “If you’re too full of teenage hormones to discipline your mind properly, then I suggest you leave,” Snape growled. “Don’t insult my intelligence or waste my time, girl.” Hermione could never afterward describe how she found the courage to straighten, raise her chin so she looked Snape straight in the eye and say coolly, “A waste of time, sir?. . .” (4422 words)

5. Irritating, Infuriating, and Unexpected by Savageland (Wanton) [Reviews - 9]
Genres: Drama, Angst, Romance
Warnings: none
Summary: “The grim, fearsome Severus Snape was leaning back, mouth relaxed, eyes gleaming, hands cradling the second glass of single-malt I’d had the waiter serve him. He was staring at my outstretched legs, and it appeared—oh, good lord—that he liked what he was seeing.” (5010 words)

6. Deeper Than All Roses by Savageland (Wanton) [Reviews - 10]
Genres: Drama, Angst, Romance
Warnings: none
Summary: “My plan had been to control the evening: slowly whetting the knife-edge of my seduction. But by the time we were ready to leave the Café Faust, that blade had turned back on itself, and I was good and stabbed with it.” (6254 words)

7. Collateral Damage by Savageland (Wanton) [Reviews - 13]
Genres: Drama, Angst, Romance
Warnings: none
Summary: “I knew—or thought I knew—how to deal with spies. Never actually lie to them. Just stretch the truth.” (5297 words)

8. The Power Beneath the Power by Savageland (Wanton) [Reviews - 9]
Genres: Drama, Angst, Romance
Warnings: none
Summary: “I’d expected some kind of test. I thought I was prepared. I’d taken care before my travels to ensure—as best I could—that my alias was watertight and my defences in place. So it’s not as though I was shocked to find myself on the receiving end of an attack. Especially from Snape, one of the most talented Legilimens of his time.

“I just wasn’t expecting my attacker to have such a rotten sense of timing.” (4307 words)

9. Under No Illusions by Savageland (Wanton) [Reviews - 11]
Genres: Drama, Angst, Romance
Warnings: none
Summary: “It's time for truth,” Minerva said calmly, though her heart raced. “If you're here to help us against Voldemort, if your allegiance is to the Light, you have nothing to fear from me. Otherwise, I'm prepared to fight you to the death. Now look at me.”

Hawking's hands slid away from her face ... (4985 words)

10. Playing Dice With the Universe by Savageland (Wanton) [Reviews - 18]
Genres: Romance
Warnings: none
Summary: Snape was indeed incapable of speech or anything else. The smell of stale firewhisky overwhelmed the room. Sprawled on his side . . . he had that greenish, stubbly, near-death look of a man who'd travelled well past the borders of Oblivion. (5567 words)

11. This Slender Chain by Savageland (Wanton) [Reviews - 14]
Genres: Drama, Angst, Romance
Warnings: none
Summary: How was Snape supposed to "demonstrate" that he trusted Hawking? Was he prepared to trust her? If opening up to her at the most basic physical level, letting her see his wanton need, could be defined as 'trust,' then hell, yes--in that sense he trusted her to the core. (5549 words)

12. If Your Wish Be To Close Me by Savageland (Wanton) [Reviews - 14]
Genres: Drama, Angst, Romance
Warnings: none
Summary: "Snape's reaction? The only phrase I can think of is 'shell-shocked.' Damn it--I had to tell him the truth about me. I had no choice. But I knew, I just knew he'd take it badly." (6029 words)

13. The Centre Cannot Hold by Savageland (Wanton) [Reviews - 15]
Genres: Drama, Angst, Romance
Warnings: none
Summary: That part of Snape still fearless about facing the truth had to admit two things: he hadn't stopped desiring Gwen Hawking, and he couldn't prevent an intense, vibrant curiosity about the possible future of Hermione Granger. (5354 words)

14. Better Than Crucio by Savageland (Wanton) [Reviews - 10]
Genres: Drama, Angst, Romance
Warnings: none
Summary: Hermione whirled, half-stifling a shriek, as Severus Snape charged into the office, hair flying and cloak askew. His eyes fastened on her, burned into her, and in three strides he reached her and caught her arm. "We need to talk. NOW!" (5489 words)

15. Chaos Theory by Savageland (Wanton) [Reviews - 12]
Genres: Drama, Angst, Romance
Warnings: none
Summary: Speechless, Snape touched Hawking's face and ran a slow, careful finger along her jaw line. Deep within her cage of alien flesh, dreaming and not dreaming, the consciousness that was Hermione Granger shivered in trepidation and delight . . . (5213 words)

16. The Invisible Worm by Savageland (Wanton) [Reviews - 16]
Genres: Drama, Angst, Romance
Warnings: none
Summary: "Voldemort--" and Dumbledore's face twisted in a bitter expression that shocked Hermione to see --"seems to have infected Severus with a compulsion so powerful, so insidious that it's wormed its way into the very roots of his personality." (6248 words)

17. A Terrible Example by Savageland (Wanton) [Reviews - 12]
Genres: Drama, Angst, Romance
Warnings: none
Summary: "It could be that even if I manage to restore what should have happened, Snape will still die because he must, because that's the way this universe unfolds." (6154 words)

18. Into the Dark by Savageland (Wanton) [Reviews - 15]
Genres: Drama, Angst, Romance
Warnings: none
Summary: "We're going to use the Pensieve as a sort of portal into Severus' mind. Once we've entered, it may take us a while to restore him. So yes--we'll all still be here, so to speak, but our minds will be elsewhere." (5887 words)

19. The Child by Savageland (Wanton) [Reviews - 21]
Genres: Drama, Angst, Romance
Warnings: none
Summary: "There's a dark man with red eyes. He's looking for me. If I go away from this room, he'll find me and kill me." (4650 words)

20. The Dark Man by Savageland (Wanton) [Reviews - 19]
Genres: Drama, Angst, Romance
Warnings: none
Summary: "Ah," he purred, fastening his gaze on me. "It's my little know-it-all. My star swot. You look lovely, my dear. Deliciously . . . untouched." He moved closer, one long-fingered hand outstretched. . . (5694 words)

21. Fragmentation by Savageland (Wanton) [Reviews - 35]
Genres: Drama, Angst, Romance
Warnings: none
Summary: "That terrible scream echoed again from the darkness, and everyone--even Dumbledore--froze, and I remembered that night back in my third year, when Lupin transformed into werewolf form on our way back from the Shrieking Shack. That howl had haunted my dreams for months after. I thought I knew then what horror sounded like. But this was much worse, oh much worse." (6194 words)

22. Memories and Night Moves by Savageland (Wanton) [Reviews - 18]
Genres: Drama, Angst, Romance
Warnings: none
Summary: Slowly, Snape's head turned. "Who's there?" he whispered in a voice that made Hermione shiver. He was looking straight in her direction now, looking straight at her; oh Merlin, she could swear he saw her. . . . (4552 words)

23. Meetings, Bloody Meetings by Savageland (Wanton) [Reviews - 17]
Genres: Drama, Angst, Romance
Warnings: none
Summary: Though her fingers tightened against his head, she kissed him as gently as if he might break. Snape did not resist; he did not respond. He was in shock. After all the hell he had put her through in the darkness of his mind, after she'd seen every single vile fragment of his personality? (6073 words)

24. All Manner of Things by Savageland (Wanton) [Reviews - 22]
Genres: Drama, Angst, Romance
Warnings: none
Summary: "I'm not telling Severus about my excursion to the Crypt of the Eleven. I trust him with my life, but I don't trust him not to put his own life at risk again. So Severus is out of this particular equation. But he's been shooting black looks at me all day. Ethelwyn Trickett, I suspect. What could she have said to him?" (4990 words)

25. Quantum Geometry by Savageland (Wanton) [Reviews - 29]
Genres: Drama, Angst, Romance
Warnings: none
Summary: "I remember every detail of what passed between Severus and me at dinnertime. And finally, I know why I’ve been keeping such detailed and personal Notes: they’re for him. I want him to read all of it. I want Severus to know everything. That way, at least a part of me won’t die." (5650 words)

26. Memento Mori by Savageland (Wanton) [Reviews - 25]
Genres: Drama, Angst, Romance
Warnings: none
Summary: Hermione stared at Hawking for a moment. Then without warning, all the questions that had churned inside her for the past several days rose up like a tidal wave. "What happened to me in that Defence class? Did all that power come from you? Why do I keep thinking—keep feeling . . . what you feel?" She stopped, embarrassment choking her for a moment, then burst out, "What are you doing to me? And why?" (5090 words)

27. Smoke and Fire by Savageland (Wanton) [Reviews - 14]
Genres: Drama, Angst, Romance
Warnings: none
Summary: Dumbledore pressed hard on the star-shaped stone, gritting his teeth as the door slowly opened with a groan that seemed deafening. Dim light the colour of old, clotted blood trickled into the passageway. As soon as the crack was wide enough, the old wizard slipped through into the round vault, his wand raised high. (4827 words)

28. The Shape-Changer by Savageland (Wanton) [Reviews - 24]
Genres: Drama, Angst, Romance
Warnings: none
Summary: Hawking and Snape were about halfway through the precise dance of arranging the tenth-sequence ingredients and spells into their final order when an alert sounded. Hawking’s head snapped up, but the hand holding a phial of extract-of-yew remained steady.

"One of the triple-wards," she breathed.

"I’ll check it. You can’t stop what you’re doing."

"Oh—bloody hell. All right. But stay out of sight!"

"I haven’t forgotten I’m supposed to be dead," Snape said coolly. . . . (5728 words)

29. The Draco Effect by Savageland (Wanton) [Reviews - 20]
Genres: Drama, Angst, Romance
Warnings: none
Summary: "God, God!" Hawking wrapped her left hand around her trembling right arm. Snape, moving quickly, cupped his hands around the phial she was extending toward the large cauldron in front of them, and took it from her gently. Over half an hour ago, shortly after the tenth Carborundorum sequence had been locked into place, she’d been wracked with fits of shaking, forcing her to stop the delicate work of preparing mummified flesh. "I don’t think it’s me," she’d said shortly after the fits had begun, her lips trembling and tears springing to her eyes. "It’s Hermione. She’s terrified. It keeps coming and going, like waves. And she’s all alone. Oh, Severus . . . !" (6784 words)

30. Things Which Enclose by Savageland (Wanton) [Reviews - 19]
Genres: Drama, Angst, Romance
Warnings: none
Summary: Gwen raised her chin. "Let’s just cut through the arguments, Severus. The only way you’ll stop me from trying to help them is to stun or kill me—if you can. Otherwise, let me go." She closed her eyes a moment. "This is the only thing left for me now."

"What about the Carborundorum remedy?"

"I have to get to Hermione first. If I don’t know what’s going to happen to her, I won’t be able to . . . focus." (6131 words)

31. An Intense Fragility by Savageland (Wanton) [Reviews - 46]
Genres: Drama, Angst, Romance
Warnings: none
Summary: "Snape’s alive? How is that possible? How?" Voldemort reached down and hauled Hermione to her feet. She was able to stand, though her bonds kept her rigid, helpless to do anything but turn her head slightly and close her eyes as he screamed into her face. "You’re protecting him, aren’t you? No—more than that. You’d give your life for him. But you’re a student. The students hate him! Why would you die for him?" (6694 words)

32. Death and Forever by Savageland (Wanton) [Reviews - 47]
Genres: Drama, Angst, Romance
Warnings: Character Death
Summary: "I need Hermione," said Hawking, reaching her hand out to her younger self. Hermione frowned, hesitating, and Snape shot an alarmed look at her elder version.

"Gwen," he said very softly, "don’t touch her."

"Severus—" her eyes met his without hesitation "—I have to."

"You’ll die," he said, and his throat closed up. She gave him a brief, sad smile and turned to her younger self. (6498 words)

33. Epilogue by Savageland (Wanton) [Reviews - 168]
Genres: Drama, Angst, Romance
Warnings: none
Summary: "I consider that Miss Granger has successfully completed her independent Potions N.E.W.T. project, so she no longer needs my supervision. I hope this meets with your approval." (5115 words)

This story is completed.