Within a matter of hours both Harry's fever and Snape's seemed to progress, but they did not appear to be normal fevers at all. Poppy for one, could not detect a temperature from either of them by means of magic or muggle methods. She had given them each a potion for fever to no effect. The only things that told anyone they were ill were the tremors, pale faces and invisible spots on their skin. Even more peculiar was that the parts of their clothing covering the invisible spots on their skin grew invisible as well. Madam Pomfrey had noticed that the invisible spots on their robes would reappear if they took them off, and thus figured out that it was not their clothes but the illness. Harry and Snape opted to stay in their own clothes after that, as there were slight risks that the virus couldn't be killed by regular washing, meaning that the hospital pyjamas would become infected and possibly make other students ill. Snape at least had seemed to be happy that he could still flap around menacingly in his black robes for a while, even if spots on the sleeves and chest had disappeared with him.

     By sundown their condition had worsened. Harry, wrapped in a thick blanket, sat in an armchair by the fireplace, shivering and shaking violently while Snape panted by the window, pale cheeks flushed from heat. Not too long ago a few specialists from St Mungos had come in to take a look at them, and all four had left without a clue as to what they had. The healers had decided the only likely possibility was that it was a type of vanishing sickness that they had contracted, and like Madam Pomfrey they could not understand why neither Harry nor Snape were responding to treatment. From what Harry overheard, the entire school was undergoing cleaning and the students were being tested for symptoms. So far no one else had come down with the illness, leaving Harry and Snape alone.

      Midnight struck and neither could sleep; this time it was Harry by the window and Snape shivering under a thick layer of blankets.

     "Sir?" Harry asked suddenly, sweaty bangs sticking to his forehead as he pressed his face up against the cool glass.

      "What P-Potter?" Snape said, teeth chattering.

      "Are we going to get sicker?" asked Harry fearfully, wondering how much worse things could get. Especially seeing as the spots had grown larger, and Harry couldn't see his left shoulder at all.

       "Q-Quite l-l-likely," replied Snape. "Now l-leave m-m-me alone."

       Harry took his outer robe off, the heat bothering him immensely. He wished Madam Pomfrey had been able to get someone to bring him his pyjamas for the night, but the school was in a hullabaloo with all of the cleaning and healers running about testing kids for the illness. Harry would even have been happy for a pair of hospital pyjamas, but Madam Pomfrey still hadn't figured out entirely how the illness was spread, so he was stuck with his school clothes until she could arrange to have some of his pyjamas brought down to him. Not to mention she was quite busy too, and more comfortable clothing was not a high priority at the moment.

      Snape, having ceased shivering and grown hot again, grudgingly joined Harry by the window. The air was cooler there, and Harry moved from the center of the large window so that Snape could put his back to the cool glass too. Like Harry, Snape's hair was sticking to his face with sweat and his breathing was slightly sharper than usual. Harry wished they could open the window, but Madam Pomfrey wouldn't let them, and so they were left to fight over the cool glass.

        Harry felt rather strange with the moonlight shining through parts of him and onto the floor. The right side of Snape's stomach was quite invisible, and the light shone through him too. Snape looked down at this spot and put his hand to it to make sure he was in fact still there. He was, but still Snape did not look too pleased.

      "How do you get normal vanishing sickness anyways?" Harry asked suddenly.

      "Gross little children like you spread it," Snape drawled, without looking at Harry.

      "Then how come more kids here don't get it?" inquired Harry, not deterred in the least by Snape's insult.

      "Because Potter, it is not a common illness," Snape spat.

      "Then how come you've had it then?" Harry asked, forgetting he had eavesdropped that little piece of information. 

      "And how Potter, do you know this?" Snape hissed.

      "Er, when I got to the hospital wing I heard you tell Madam Pomfrey you'd already had vanishing sickness."

      Snape looked grouchy, but didn't appear to have the energy to get too angry at Harry.

      "The reason why I got vanishing sickness in the first place was because there was an outbreak a couple years ago at the school."

      "How bad was it? Did anyone die?"

      "Lots of people caught it but nobody died. Vanishing sickness isn't a large cause of death these days," Snape told him. "It's not such a problem as it was when potions weren't as advanced and we didn't know as much about such illnesses."

      "Oh, so we can't die from it either?" Harry said, relieved.

     "I won't, but children tend to get picked off pretty easily ..." Snape said casually, walking away from Harry. Harry frowned; he wasn't quite sure if Snape was being serious or just trying to scare him.

      "I'm going to ask Madam Pomfrey about that!" Harry said loudly to Snape, who had gotten back into his bed on account of being chilled. Snape pulled a pillow over his head in response.

            ***

       The clock struck six times, announcing the early morning hour. Harry awoke suddenly, trembling and frightened from a feverish nightmare of his parents' deaths. He sat up, shaking and shivering as the feeling of being hot and cold at the same time washed over him. Harry wiped his eyes on the sheet and looked around the room, which was still dark. His stomach seemed to fall through the bed when he saw Snape, sitting across the room, watching him. Snape continued to stare, but Harry didn't look away. Harry wondered briefly if he had been talking in his sleep, as he had been told many times over the years that he did so, and often woke up in the middle of a conversation with people from his dreams. 

     "Potter," drawled Snape, one eye squinting (the other could not be seen, having vanished along with most of Snape's face). "Are you still there?"

     "Yes sir," Harry replied.

     "Good, I'm having trouble seeing you," Snape said, gesturing for Harry to look down. Sure enough he was almost completely invisible. But so was Snape, though it took a moment for Harry to notice too.

     "Professor," cried Harry suddenly, "the room's fading!"

     "What do you mea-" Snape began, but faltered, and he too began to notice what Harry had.

      Harry jumped up out of the bed, which, like the floor and ceiling and windows, was fading. He ran over to where Snape was, as he was the only thing in the room not fading besides Harry.

     "Where is it all going?" Harry asked, shaking slightly. Snape rose out of his chair and stood beside him as the space around them melted into blackness.

     "I think the better question is where are we going?" Snape said, sounding unnerved. "I think we had better hang onto each other, so as not to be separated."

      Snape grimaced and grabbed onto Harry's arm.

     "Sir, you're not invisible at all now!" Harry cried. Indeed it was true; every part of Snape's black robes could be seen, as well as his face too. Harry had become visible again as well. While they may have grown visible, the room around them continued to fade away.

      "Quiet Potter," hissed Snape. "Do you hear that?"

      Harry nodded, and the whistling roar grew within his ears as lights flashed before their eyes and the world became a blur around them. In seconds the light was gone and darkness pressed in on them once more, and the floor beneath their feet ceased to be there.  A strange wind swirled around them, making the two shiver and grow hot and cold at the same time. And then it stopped. Ground materialized beneath their feet and the vague outlines of darks shapes could be seen. Crickets chirped and stars began to appear from the twisted mess of darkness until everything around them had focused. Far off in the distance the sky was just beginning to grow lighter. They appeared to be in some sort of town square.

     "Where are we?" Harry asked as his eyes adjusted to the moonlit night. "What just happened?"

  Snape didn't reply, but merely looked straight ahead, still gripping Harry's arm tightly.

      "Hey sir, I feel better now!" Harry cried excitedly. "I'm not shivery or anything. I feel normal again!"

     "Shh! Potter we have to get out of here," Snape said urgently, dragging a surprised Harry into the shadows near a building. Harry could hear shouts from far off. The sounds of the shouts mixed in with sounds of the crickets and wind causing the few trees to creak and moan.

      "What's wrong?"

      Silently, Snape grabbed Harry's chin and directed his attention to a dark silhouette in the square. He let go, and Harry took a sharp intake of breath. The tree in the square had a rope hanging from it, tied with a hangman's knot. The shouts in the distance grew louder, and little flickering lights erupted from the nearby hill. Torches.

    "This way Potter!" Snape hissed.

    "Are they after us sir?" Harry asked quietly as he tiptoed after Snape, past simple buildings and down the dusty streets.

    "I don't think so," Snape said. "But they will be if you don't stay quiet and follow me."

     "Where are we sir?" Harry gasped for the second time that night as they crept through the shadows of the little town. The buildings were not very modern at all; many looked like what Harry had seen in old movies about knights.

     Snape did not answer, and merely pulled Harry through the shadows. The shouts grew louder still, and it appeared that the entire town was out. The shadows were disappearing rapidly as the morning light crept up on them. The growing warmth over the cool sting of the night air urged them on, but the shadows were disappearing fast.

       "Quickly Potter," whispered Snape, dragging Harry toward a hill at the edge of the town.

      They slid down the grassy hill, the dew making them lose traction ever so slightly. It was not long before the two reached a vast wood, and ran into it for cover. Long shadows snatched at their heels and whispers from the trees followed them deep into the forest. It wasn't until the sun had broken the surface of the dusky sky that they stopped, the orange glow of the sun languishing among the thick canopy of the ancient trees. Snape surveyed their dimly lit surroundings.

      "Homenum Revelio," he muttered and paused for a few seconds "We are quite alone here."

       The forest dampened the sound, giving the whole place a peaceful, yet almost eerie silence.

      "Did you see those houses sir?" Harry asked, taking a seat on a moss covered boulder.

      "I did Mr Potter."

     "Why did they look so ... medieval?" whispered Harry, the trees casting their spell on him. It was strange, the forest. He did not want to break the silence that fell so heavily here.

      "I dare not answer that," Snape said slowly. "I fear that if I voice my suspicions ... then they will be true."

      "Why Professor?"

      "I do not know," he replied, sounding slightly confused. "Perhaps it is the trees. They feel old. And yet there is a magic here that is young as well, mixed in with the older magical signatures." Professor Snape put a hand up to the bark of one of the great trees, a puzzled expression.

      "How can you feel the magic?" Harry asked.

      "It comes with age," Professor Snape replied softly, the trees seeming to affect him too. "Children are too busy to pay attention to such things. But with age comes patience, and with patience comes wisdom. With wisdom comes awareness, which will help you to realise your surroundings, and thus the magical signatures around you. Even so, there are some who never become observant enough to feel magical signatures."

     Harry was astounded by his Professor's answer, and sat spellbound, watching Snape move among the trees, fingers tracing the bark of each.

     "The young magic grows stronger here," Snape muttered, walking in a wide circle where there were no trees. He hummed thoughtfully a second, staring at the leaves beneath his feet.

      "Potter, come over here," Snape commanded.

      Harry got up from the boulder and hurried over to where Snape was. He looked up at his Professor, wondering what it was he was wanted for.

     "What do you see?" was the question directed at Harry.

     Surprised, Harry looked around the area. He glanced at the leaves below his feet. He did not feel that anything was particularly strange.

      "Er, big leaves?" Harry asked.

     "No," Snape said, crouching down. He motioned for Harry to do the same, and then pointed at something. "A fairy ring."

     "Fairies?" Harry asked, looking at the ring of red mushrooms surrounding them and trying hard not to laugh. "Is that all that this is-"

      "No you idiot," Snape growled, obviously irritated Harry wasn't seeing what he was.  "Fairy rings grow in areas of high magical activity. For one to grow here there has to be a large amount of magic in the air, which means we're close to a magical community. Perhaps then we can get back to Hogwarts."

      "Oh," Harry said as Snape returned to standing. Harry followed suit.

     "What I don't understand is why the magic is coming from this area alone and not from farther off ..." Snape muttered as the tree above them let out a loud groan. "It is almost as if it is coming from und-"

      Harry yelped as a hand was clamped over his mouth. Snape's eyebrows shot up as his mouth was covered too. Snape grabbed for his wand, and quite suddenly the person backed off. Harry was glad because whoever it was had a very strong grip.

     "So you are magical," a woman's voice hissed when she saw Snape's wand. She sounded extremely angry.

     The two whipped around to face a woman who was slightly shorter than Snape, and looked about his age. Her hair was auburn and her eyes a light brown, sparking angrily beneath her wispy bangs. She was dressed strangely, in a simple dress made from a brown material.   

   "Hello," Snape said, still a little surprised as he hastened to stuff his wand back in his robe pocket.

      "You stupid lout! How foolish are you?" she ranted at Snape, right up in his face and obviously trying to keep her voice from carrying. Snape took a step back. "You could have given us all away! Just march up to the square next time and shout it to the heavens, why don't you?"

     "What?" Harry asked, surprised.

      She stared the pair in scrutiny. After a moment she looked as though she had made up her mind that they were not a threat. Her shoulders relaxed, and she uncrossed her arms.

     "Move then," she said sharply, stepping out of the fairy ring and gesturing them to do so too. Snape did not move, and so Harry did not either. "Well, do you want to get us all hanged?"

     With that Snape moved out of the circle to stand beside the strange woman. She glared at him and pulled a wand out of her dress pocket and waved it at the fairy ring. Leaves and earth vanished from within the fairy ring to reveal a round trapdoor. The woman blew her hair out of her eyes and scowled at Snape as she reached and grabbed hold of the heavy metal ring to lift the door up. Snape's eyes lingered on the trapdoor for a second.

    "I can get-"

     "I am perfectly capable," said the woman firmly, giving Snape another glare and gritting her teeth as she lifted up the heavy door and propped it open with a wooden pole. She stepped aside, revealing a steep earthen staircase.

     Harry and Snape stared.

     "Well come on then!" cried the woman, giving a rather bemused looking Snape a push toward the staircase. He began his way down the steep steps, and Harry followed behind. Harry could hear the trapdoor shut above them and the woman muttering a set of spells, presumably to disguise the trapdoor again.

     "Lumos," Snape muttered, the tip of his wand causing light to bounce off the walls of the tunnel. The woman pushed past them and lit her wand as well.

        Harry wondered what was going on, as he was totally confused. He would have liked to have asked Snape again to share his theory, but thought better of it for the moment, as the strange woman was still around. So, Harry contented himself to follow Snape silently, hoping an answer would come his way soon.

      As they travelled along through the dirt passage, Harry noticed that the ground was getting rockier as they went, and was slowly turning to stone. There was a light ahead, coming from a rocky looking hole connected to the earth passage. It appeared to be a cave. Once Harry was closer he could see that it was indeed what he had thought it to be. The woman entered the wide, slouching cavern, Harry following behind Snape, who had to slouch slightly. It was damp inside, and dimly lit by clusters of candles. The light shone off of the large pillars of minerals, slick with dripping water and reaching from floor to ceiling. Despite the grimness of the space, signs of human activity were evident. 

  Harry realized quite suddenly that they had come upon a group of about twenty people, scattered about the widest part of the cave. Two little children were tossing a strange looking quaffle back and forth while their parents stretched and yawned. A few other people were still sleeping upon straw mats on the floor, covered in blankets.  An elderly woman spotted them and began her way over, carefully stepping over the rocks on the cave floor. While she made her way over, Snape turned to face the woman who had found them in the first place.

     "I'm Severus," Snape said to her, holding his hand out for her to shake.  

     She scoffed and walked away.

     "What's her problem?" Harry muttered, noticing just how annoyed Snape was.

      "Don't mind Evelyn," said the elderly woman wearily, shaking her head. "She's had a rough time lately. Not long ago her friend was ... was caught."

      "Sorry, caught?" Harry asked.

      The older woman looked a little uncomfortable.

      "The witch trials," she said in a low whisper. "Surely you know?"

      "We aren't from around here," Snape interjected. "We've been ... travelling, and just came upon the town not far from here. We caught sight of a rather angry crowd and decided it was a good idea to leave. Evelyn found us by the entrance to your hideout."

       "Yeah," Harry said, slightly glad Snape had answered for him.

     "Oh my, you two must be hungry then," said the woman, looking rather frazzled. "We've been having people show up off and on for a while now, by word of mouth from those we can trust, or just stumbling on the magical signatures. Evelyn's been keeping her eyes out for other magical folk just passing through. I'm Marie by the way. Come along - I'll get you a hot meal."

     "Where are we sir?" Harry whispered to Snape while Marie was ladling porridge into wooden bowls by a magical fire. The others in the cave who had awoken began to migrate toward them, all looking eager for breakfast.

     It took Snape a moment to reply, for he was looking at what appeared to be a journal, which was sitting open on a makeshift table nearby.

     "Not where, but when are we Potter," he replied, knees visibly shaking as he sunk down on a large mineral deposit jutting out from the ground.

      Harry glanced at the date on the journal entry and felt the world spin slightly.

      In an instant things began to make a little more sense; the clothing people wore, the old looking quaffle, the angry crowd and the rope in the square. There were a few things that Harry didn't understand, such as why his illness had completely gone so fast, and most importantly, how they had landed themselves in the year 1612.