Written for the 2012 SSHG Fic Exchange at Livejournal as a gift for citrinestone.

Author: lyre_flowers on LJ / Anna Scathach on FFN
Recipient: citrinestone
Title: Out of space, out of time
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Adventure, romance.
Summary: Britain's witches and wizards are being burnt at the stake once more. Hermione Granger and Severus Snape, unlikely friends, decide to flee. They board a train, then another, for along the Transsiberian Railway, beyond the Ural mountains, there is hope.
Author's notes: Thank you to the lovely citrinestone for a set of very inspiring prompts – I hope you'll appreciate this journey as much as the main characters did! Many thanks also go to everyone who encouraged me between train stations, most of all my brilliant beta-reader G., as well as the train ticket designer talesofsnape. And lastly, thank you to the mods for running this Exchange on the right track yet again and for putting up with all our questions about destination, prices and comfortable seats.

The original prompt by citrinestone is attached in the end notes to this story. For your reading pleasure, it is highly recommended that you listen to the music listed underneath each chapter title (every song is available on Youtube)!

Out of space, out of time

By a route obscure and lonely,
Haunted by ill angels only,
Where an Eidolon, named Night,
On a black throne reigns upright,
I have reached these lands but newly
From an ultimate dim Thule –
From a wild weird clime, that lieth, sublime,
Out of Space – out of Time.

(Edgar Allan Poe, Dream-Land, 1844)

Prologue: London

Coldplay – Viva la Vida

"It's no use," Hermione Granger sighed. "We can keep running, forever possibly, but we'll always be running. They will never leave us alone."

"And here I was beginning to think they called you the cleverest witch of their generation for a reason. Those rumours are clearly unfounded, then. Of all the dim-witted, pessimistic outlooks on life, that is by far the worst I have ever had the displeasure to hear."

"Of course you would never have a pessimistic outlook on life, now, would you, professor Snape? Do you fail to realize the situation we're in?"

"Thank you for your consideration for an old man," he drawled sarcastically. "As I so clearly fail to realize our situation, would you please enlighten me?"

"This is a catastrophe," she sighed. "We've just boarded a train to Merlin knows where, we're running from everything, everybody, and all that simply because Muggles have somehow found out about magic."

"Witch hunters are chasing us, as they have the rest of the magical population of Britain. Yes, I do realize that, Miss Granger. However, one would think you of all people would keep level-headed to analyse this situation correctly."

He sat up a little straighter in his seat.

"Let's start from the beginning. My name is Severus Tobias Snape, yours is Hermione Jean Granger. The train we're on is the Eurostar to Paris, where we will take the City Night Line train to Berlin and Warsaw. We have no choice, Miss Granger, we must either find a solution to our problem or face discovery by the Muggles.

"Of course," he added, "feel free to turn yourself over to the witch hunters any time if travelling alongside me is such a nuisance."

Hermione sighed and leaned back in her seat. It was going to be a long journey.