Layers
Severus Snape was like an onion.
At first glance, somewhat slimy. Most people would avoid getting close.
Well, most people.
Hermione Granger wasn't like most. She saw through Professor Snape's outer layer. There were depths to his character unknown to her and that intrigued her.
His layers were delicate. As they became friends, she had to be careful when peeling back the folds of his personality. One jerk of her hand and something might tear.
It saddened her to learn his history.
Severus Snape was like an onion, many-layered, making her eyes water occasionally.
But Hermione always rather liked onions.