Hermione carefully approached the dark figure in the armchair near the fireplace and swallowed before she stopped a few feet in front of the dark clad man. The silence in the house made her aware of every step she took towards her destination and she cringed as one of the planks under her bare feet creaked loudly. Maybe Christmas wasn't the best time to approach him and maybe she should have gone back to bed before she had snuck out of the room she shared with Ginny but maybe today was her only chance. She had no one else she could ask and here in the library of the noble house of Black after the Christmas celebration with the Order was probably her only choice of talking to him without being observed. Her only chance without endangering them both.
"Professor Snape?"
"Granger" he snarled without lifting his gaze from the papers in his lap. Of course he must have heard her minutes ago.
"May I have a minute of your time, sir?"
He sighed dramatically. "Shouldn't you be in bed at this late hour? But since I'm sure the Gryffindor know it all won't let it drop and bother me until all eternity you may have your minute. Get to the point!"
The girl visibly relaxed at his vitriolic reply and released the breath she hadn't noticed she was holding. "Sir, I… May I ask for permission to read a few books in the Restricted Section when we return to Hogwarts?"
This time his head snapped up and he lifted an elegant dark brow at her. "Why not ask one of your other teachers?"
"Well sir, you are teaching Defence and…"
He regarded her with a piercing glance. "That has never stopped you from asking before." Hermione dropped her gaze to the floor. "You and your little friends aren't planning anything stupid again, are you? The truth Granger! And remember, only one minute!"
The girl lifted her eyes to his but remained silent. As if one cue the grandfather clock struck one. "Tempus fugit, Ms Granger" his velvety voice reminded her.
"I'm sure you are aware that we are heading towards a war, sir."
"I am" he stated flatly as his dark eyes bore into her troubled brown ones, glittering in the dim light of the dying fire.
"I'd like to be able to protect my loved ones."
He still stared at her as if he was looking right into her soul. "You have classes and your school books, Granger."
"That's hardly enough! With Umbridge we almost lost a whole year and despite the fact that you are a great teacher sir, we are hardly prepared for the real thing! I am aware that until now we often survived on a sheer amount of luck and the interference of others." The "mostly your interference" hung unspoken between them but she didn't dare.
"Well observed, Ms Granger."
"I'm sick and tired of people trying to mollycoddle and tell me that Professor Dumbledore has everything under control, sir. I don't want to badmouth my other professors or the Order but they fail to see that Dumbledore isn't almighty. He is a great wizard but we don't know what will happen in the future. He won't always be around to make things right. Last year's events clearly pointed that fact out to me. If there is anyone who understands my reasons it is you."
"You are a clever witch, Ms Granger. As such, you are aware of the position I'm in?"
"Yes, sir."
"Pray tell, what shall I tell the Dark Lord when he finds out that it was me who gave you permission?"
Hermione smiled slightly. "I'm sure that these complicated books won't do harm in the hands of an overachieving Muggleborn Gryffindor swot, sir. As you may know, real magic is for real wizards and witches. I doubt that as the Muggle I am I'll ever be able to understand and perform such difficult magic just like I did in my second year when I thought I could successfully brew Polyjuice Potion and failed miserably, ending up as a cat. But it can be a benefit to boost my oversized ego to wrap the three of us in false security and use it against us… Remember, I also tend to be rather reckless when I'm too confident in my own abilities. Please consider that I tried to fight a troll alone in my first year. Remember that I also failed."
A small but bitter smile spread over Snape's lips and he chuckled. He vacated the armchair in a fluid motion, grabbed parchment and quill from a nearby desk and hastily scribbled a few things on it.
"Come here, Granger." He neatly folded the parchment into a small square as she approached. She stopped a few feet away from him, wide eyed.
"You are indeed too inexperienced to fight. Avoid trouble whenever you can. Never make fighting a priority. Hide."
"Thank you so much, sir!"
The dark man fixed his gaze at the young woman a mere meter away from him. "Come closer, Granger."
She silently obeyed and stopped right in front of him, their bodies almost touching. She could feel the heat he radiated in the almost cold room while the chill crept from her bare feet upwards, making her nipples stand. Delicate male warm fingers slipped the folded parchment into the breast pocket of her flannel pyjama, careful not to make contact with the rounded plump flesh underneath the fabric. For a second she pondered if she should just grab his hand, the source of delicious warmth, and press it against her bosom when he spoke again.
"Remember Granger, knowledge is valuable. The things inside of Potter's head are of value to the Dark Lord. The things inside your head may decide whether you die or survive. Make good use of your knowledge."
"I…" she stammered.
"I included a list on appropriate reading material. You may want to have a look at memory charms and wards, performed correctly I find them most useful." Hermione suddenly found herself at Snape's wand point. "Here, let me demonstrate" he spoke softly next to hear ear, the word almost a caressing whisper. "Obliviate!"
The girl didn't even feel the tingle of the spell settling over her, all she knew was that her question for permission must have been utterly foolish as Snape was towering in front of her, basically livid.
"I cannot deduct points from you here, Granger, but I assure you that your impertinence would have cost Gryffindor the house cup! Next time you decide to bother anyone in the middle of the night at least have the decency to wear appropriate underwear!" He eyed her up with disgust. "As punishment for your cheek and the lack of proper decorum you will provide me with an essay about the human mind and how to manipulate it within the first week after the holidays. And now –GET. OUT!" he spat at her, his face schooled into the familiar scowl.
She was suddenly aware of how close she was to him and his proximity made every hair on her body stand on end. When had that happened? She could not remember moving this close to the man but he was always unpredictable. Maybe he had moved closer to her.
"I-I'm sorry, sir" the girl stammered before she turned on the spot and fled the library, her breath heavier than a few minutes ago and a bright pink blush on her cheeks. Hermione headed back to bed as fast as she could without making too much noise, threw herself on top of the covers and groaned into her pillow. "Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why on earth did I ask Snape of all people!?" She sighed softly and lay still.
"How strange" she thought as she suddenly noticed a small square object touching her left breast through the fabric of her pyjama. Before she could lift a finger to reach for it her eyes widened and stared at the ceiling of the large four poster bed as she also took notice of the pool of wetness between her legs.
"What on earth happened?" she whispered as her mind registred the fact that could not remember much from the conversation and that Snape had demanded an essay about the manipulation of the human mind. Nibbling on her lower lip she groaned again: "Shit!"
AN: Just a little one shot to get me back into writing! I haven't written anything in so long so I'm trying to get the proper feeling back before I start working on my other stories again.
Hope you enjoyed this little story!
XO Faolain