The Forbidden Forest

Hermione was sitting in the library. She was alone and focused on a book about the Goblin wars.
"Stop following me!" Hermione looked up astonished. This was Malfoys voice.
"I'm just trying to help you!" Snape? Now really interested, Hermione laid an ear on the shelf that speperated her from them and listened to the converation.
"I don't need your damn help! It's my task. MINE!"
"Don't be so stubborn!"
"I'm not stubborn! I want to make MY task. Understand it: I. Don't. Want. Your. Damn. Help!"
"You're so unreasonable!" The following noise sounded like Snape was pushing Malfoy to the shelf. "You know that I will make the task if you won't be able to it. You shouldn't make me angry!"
"But I will be able to it, Professor. Let me go!" There was a long break, than she heard footsteps and saw Malfoy leaving the room.
Hermione closed the book. Her concentration was gone. What was going on? She packed her stuff into her bag. While she did, her inkpot fell clattering to the ground. It broke and the girl repaired it hastily with a spell. As she looked up she looked right into the the angry face of Severus Snape. "What are you doing here?", he hissed malignant.
"Learning", Hermione said as calm as she was able to,"to my knowledge it's not forbidden, Sir, is it?"
"How amusing, Miss Granger. 10 points from Gryffindor."
Hermione gritted her teeth. That was so unfair.
"What have you heard?" Snape sounded sharp and calculating.
"You mean your conversation with Malfoy? Well, it was hard to ignore you."
Faster than Hermione could realize the teacher grabed her collar.
"Don't dare to mention this to one of your friends", he hissed menacing. It was the first time in her life that Hermione was really afraid of him. Sure, he gave her often a little unease, but this was completely different. She was afraid he could hurt her.
"I-I promise", she stuttered trembling. Snape seemed to notice her fear and he let her go.
"Fine", he murmured absent. He turned round and left the room. Hermione stared after him. She never had seen her teacher like this. It almost seemed like he comletely lost control for a moment.

Later, when Hermione laid in her warm and cudly bed, she still thought about the conversation between Snape and Malfoy. And about Snapes reaction. Was he feeling guilty now because he scared her?
Hah! As if Snape would feel sorry for something. He was an egoistic bastard. He always was. Hermione however admired him because of his enormus knowledge.

Damn it! Why am I thinking about Snape? I should sleep now!

She turned to the other side of her bed. Other thoughts came to her mind as she saw the girl sleeping next to her. Lavender. Lavender and Ron. Smooching.
Again she turned round and laid now on her back. Somehow the red baldaquin calmed her down. Only a minute later she felt asleep.

On the next day she woke up early. Her head still was full of thougts she did not need. She tried to put them away by a cold shower. But the only effect of it was, that she screamed and jumped back because of the enomus shock the cold left in her body. Finally she slipped and banged her head on the wall. She stood up moaning.
"Is everything allright?", she heard Lavenders sugarsweet voice.
"Yeah", she shouted.

I hate you.

Later in the Great Hall Hermione noticed perplexed how tired she was. How long did she thought about all this things? She cursed Ron and Lavender ... and Snape, too. Yes, Snape gave her many things to reflect. Damn, why was she thinking about Snape? She had bigger problems. And they were sitting on the table. Smooching. Hermione wanted to render up. This ... there were no words for Ron. She had no more power to watch it. Hastily she turned round and left the Great Hall. To clear her head she went outside. She felt tears on her cheeks. Tears she won't admit. With wet cheeks she started to run as if she could leave her sorrows behind.

Fine. Ron was smooching Lavender. Why not?

"I don't care!", she shouted aloud. Nobody answerd her. Hermione closed her eyes to stop the tears. But she didn't stop running. The tears still wet her cheeks and because of her now heavy breathing, she tasted salty water in her mouth. She was a bit afraid to crash with something, but it didn't happen.
Suddenly it seemed to be colder. Reluctantly she opened her eyes. At first everything was blurred under tears, but then she saw, that she was in the Forbidden Forest. It was dark in here, because the trees blocked the daylight. She felt panic, but tried to keep calm.

If I go straight ahead I will come out of here.

Hermione startet to walk. She didn't make any curves and walked straight. But about ten minutes later she realized that she was walking in the wrong way. Now she was deeper in the woods.

Okay, no panic. I just turn round and walk back.

She turned in a semicircle and walked back the way she came from. But now the panic was rising in her. Did she passed this tree already? But every tree looked simular. Hermione turned in a circle. Which way? Why was there no path? Did she passed this place already?
Hermione wanted to scream in fear as she heard a sielent sobbing. It didn't sound like a terrible creature. No, it sounded like a human. A crying human. But perhaps it was a human who knew the way out. Or a human who cried because he lost his way... but she wasn't alone. That fact made her brave again. Even if the other person didn't know the way out she would had one to search with.
So she followed the sound of the sobbings. As she crossed around a bend she held her breath scared. There was the person who cried. And it was none other than Severus Snape. He was graping a tree and cried hardly. Hermione was sure, that he would have collapsed if he didn't hold the tree.
It was strange to see Snape like this. He looked so helpless and lost. In this moment Hermione became aware that Snape had none to share his sorrow with. He had no friends, except for Lucius Malfoy and some other Death Eaters, who were sure no real friends. Moreover, Snape would not show weakness in front of this persons. When Hermione was sad, she always went to Harry or Ginny. She could tell them everything and cry on their shoulders. Snape didn't have such persons. The only one who could comfort him was this tree, but it was obviously not suitable for that.
When Hermione saw him like this, she felt compassion. She had the strong impulse to hug him but one secound later she hated herself for it. Sure, Snape would be very happy if he would find out that she saw him like that. If he would notice her she would probably get detention till the end of her life. That's why Hermione decided to run away. She walked backwarts to keep him in sight. Where was this bloody bend?
Suddenly something made a loud noise. Damn it, she steped on a branch. Snape whirled around. Hermione looked in his eyes, guiltly and afraid.
"Miss Granger." She was frightned by the sound of his voice. So many emotions were in the wording of the Professor. He sounded sad and afraid, but also angry and aggressive. It was something else in it, that Hermione did not recognize.
This mix of emotions scared Hermione. Apparently Snape was unpredictable in the moment. He just stared at her, the eyes full of tears, but he also seemed cold and repellent as always. She could formally see his brain working. Propably he was thinking how the keep her quiet or how to punish her.
But as he looked into Hermiones eyes she recognized something else in his glance: Despair.
Five minutes later he also just stared at her, so she asked carefully: "Pr-Professor?"
He didn't move. Carefully she walked a few steps towards him. Again he showed no reaction. "What .. what's up?", she asked, nearly worried.
'Run! Run als long as you can!', a voice in her head shouted.
Snapes eyes seemed to lost their shine. He still glanced at her but he seemed to be dull and absent. Hermione now seriously asked herself what could make him lose controll so hard. He didn't seem to realize anything.
"Wha are you doing here, Miss Granger?" Hermione winced. She didn't expect him to talk.
"I-I ... I ... I lost my way...", she mumbled ashamed and blushed.
"Ah." Every emotion disappeared from his voice. "You shouldn't be here, Miss Granger, should you? You should be in lesson." Heaven, School! She was too late!
"20 points from Gryffindor!"
"B-but why!?", Hermione shouted angry. She did nothing at all.
"Well, Miss Granger, because this ...", he moved his arm in a semicircle," ...is the Fobidden Forest. Do you understand? FORBIDDEN."
Hermione blushed again. Of course he was right. She wasn't allowed to be here.
"And now I would suggest that you go to your lesson. Now", he hissed aggressive.
Hermione nodded and wanted to walk away, but like on the day before Snape grabed her collar and pulled her close to himself.
"You won't tell ANYBODY what you've seen!", he whispered threatening. She nodded heavy but he didn't let her go. He came close to her until their faces nearly touched each other und said quiet but with such a horrible sound in his voice: "If someone in school tells tales about a crying teacher in the forest then, I promise you, Miss Granger, you will regret the day of your birth."
"Tha-that won't happen ..." Hermione panted. He held on to her so hard, that she almost wasn't able to breathe. But although he surely noticed it, he didn't let her go. "I hope so, Miss Granger. Otherwise I would threat you, like a Death Eater should threat a mudblood like you."
He said it. Snape dared to call Hermione a mudblood. Her fear was gone and she felt only anger.
"Don't call me mudblood", she hissed.
"Really?", the teacher said aggressive, "You are a mudblood, aren't you Miss Granger?"
"Shut up!"
"Your parents are muggles, aren't they? Sure, only muggles could gave birth to so an insufferable know-it-all like you are."
"Shut up!"
"Well, perhaps they are lucky that you go to Hogwarts for such a long time. Otherwise they could feel a bit of inferior quality, right?"
"Shut the fuck up!", Hermione shouted and before she could realize it, she gave her teacher a slap into the face. Snape stared at her. Next to the anger also surprise was in his glance. Almost mecanic his hand went up to his face. Hermione stared at him. Damn it, how could she do such things? She felt tears, which she really could not use in this moment, fall down from her eyes.
"I'm sorry", she whispered. Snape didn't say anything. Hermione thought, it would be better to leave now before Snape could realize what happened. But as she turned round she triped over a root. She already saw a big trunk coming closer to her, almost felt the pain, as Snape graped her Fingers and pulled her up. As she looked at him, he seemed to be like always. The only difference were the drying tears on his cheeks.
"Silly Girl", he murmured. Now, as she stood safe on the ground, he took his hand back. Hermione stared at him as if he were a ghost. Well, no, she'd never stared on ghosts.
Snape looked at her for a while then he meant coldly: "I don't think that now it's the right time for a staring contest. You should be in lesson." She winced. Damn, yes, she should go the lesson! But were was the path?
"Pro-Professor?", she asked shy. Snape looked at her with his cold eyes. "I ... I don't know the way out ... well ... I ... can you tell me where to go?"
"Follow me", the Professor said coldly and walked away with big steps. Hermione could hardly follow him. Snape looked forward stubborn until they reached the end of the forest.
"I hope the rest of the way is no problem", he said icy. Hermione nodded ashamed. Without saying anything else her teacher turned round and walked away to the Great Lake. Hermione watched him buffled, then she remembered school and hasted up to the castle.