Summary: Hermione runs into Severus in the middle of the night, and saves his life. Will things ever be the same?

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, the wonderful JKR does...lucky woman.

This is my first story, so let me know what you think!


The books made a huge THUD as they hit the floor. The young woman barely kept her balance as the person who had slammed into her fell to the floor, hanging on to her robes. She straightened herself and looked at the person on the floor. Her eyes widened at the scene that greeted her. Dark hair was strewn over nearby books that had fallen to the floor. The other person's eyes were closed, their breathing rapid. Sliding to her knees beside the fallen man, the young woman pushed a lock of hair off the pale face, eyes searching for a wound. She ran her hands over his torso, down his legs. She knew this man was in pain, but did not know the source. As she looked back into his face, the man's eyes opened. The opaque orbs staring straight into her honey brown ones. The man struggled to speak.

"H-H-Hermione." Hermione covered his mouth with her hand.

"Shh, Professor. I have to get you to the Hospital Wing." Professor Severus Snape shook his head wearily, then groaned for the movement hurt.

"No. My rooms." Hermione's eyes were worried. She placed a hand on his forehead, wiping sweat away to judge his temperature. She looked into the older man's eyes.

"Professor, I don't know how to handle this situation. You are burning up, and I don't know the source of your pain." Severus grimaced with a spasm of pain.

"Just get me to my rooms, girl. I can tell you what to do." Nodding, Hermione stood and with a swish of her wand, levitated the heavier man and started the run down to the dungeons. Reaching his classroom, Hermione lay the man on a desk.

"I don't know where your rooms are." Severus opened his eyes and coughed before trying to speak.

"Bookshelf. Frankenstein. Pull it out. When the door opens, the password is Freedom. My room is the third on the right past the living room." He closed his eyes once more and faded to unconsciousness. Moving quickly, Hermione strode to his bookshelf and searched for Frankenstein. Finding it, she pulled the book out and moved back as it swung open to reveal a door. She spoke the password and watched the door open. Walking back to the unconscious man, she resumed levitating him and walked through the doors into his private quarters. The young woman took no time to look at her surroundings, just moved quickly to her professor's bedroom and lay him gently on the bed. With a couple swishes of her wand, the professor remained only in his boxers. Hermione moved closer to the bedside and placed her wand at his temple.

"Ennervate" The older man's eyes opened and he looked around as if expecting an attack. He relaxed when he saw Hermione above him. "Professor. I need your help. Your temperature is really high, and I don't know where you're in pain at, or how to help you." Severus sighed.

"I'm suffering from the after effects of the Cruciatus Curse. As well as several stab wounds, from which I have lost a lot of blood. In the second drawer of my bedside table, there is a medical bag. Bring it here." With shaking hands, Hermione opened the drawer and pulled out the big, black bag. She looked back at Severus. "There are several potions in there which I need. The stoppers are color-coded. I need one with a purple stopper. Two with a red stopper and one with a blue stopper." Selecting the potions he wanted, Hermione opened each one and helped him get them down his throat. Afterward, Severus sank back on the bed. He looked back at Hermione. "Do you know how to sew?" Hermione nodded. Severus pulled the right leg of his boxers up, exposing his upper thigh. Three stab wounds were seeping blood and pus. Hermione drew in a breath, then reached in her robes for her needle and thread. Using her wand to cleanse the wounds, she proceeded to stitch them up. Several times, Severus grunted with pain, but by the second wound, he had passed out.

Having finished her stitching, Hermione wrapped a clean bandage around the wounds, then pulled the blankets over Severus's body. Leaning down, she placed a kiss on his head like her mother used to do when she was sick. Hermione looked around his room and found a huge rocking chair. Dragging it up to the bedside, she curled up and rested her head on her hand. Watching the sleeping man, she thought back.

She had been in the library, studying for her Transfiguration exam in the morning. It was on her way back to her dormitory when she had ran into the Professor. Or, he had run into her. It was dark in the hallway, and in his state, hadn't seen her. Sending a prayer to whatever gods were in Heaven, Hermione closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. Ten minutes later, a pair of opaque eyes landed upon the sleeping girl for a matter of seconds. Closing, the owner of the eyes drifted back to sleep, dreamless for the first time in years.