Forbidden Love

A Surprise in the Dark

The flashing jade light had filtered through the thick velvet curtains of his four poster bed and had trespassed into Snape's dreams. He opened his eyes. That alarm had not gone off in nearly four years. The former Potions Master had even forgotten to pass it on to Slughorn, so rarely was it raised. Though many charms were in place to guard its dangerous powders, roots and potions within, tonight, the Potions Cupboard had been broken into. A fleeting bitterness ran through him as he recalled the time when the Boomslang had gone missing. The frustration of knowing Potter was behind it - of Potter disregarding school rules, escaping punishment yet again - briefly flared inside him. He's just like James, thinks regulations should apply to everyone but him…Regardless, whoever it was prowling around at this time, was in immense trouble, he thought. Stealing school property, out of their dorms in the early hours of the morning…think of all the points he could knock off if it were a Gryffindor… With a smile curling about his lips, Snape swiftly got out of bed and with a pinch of floo powder jumped into emerald flames, desperately hoping to finally catch Potter in the act.

He emerged at the end of the corridor leading to were his culprit was lurking. He waited a few seconds before he heard a rustling: the sound of rushing footsteps. Snape smirked as he saw a bodiless pair of feet. A pulse of triumph glowed inside him; Potter was using his father's infamous cloak again, and finally Snape had him, right were he wanted. Calculating his move carefully, he brought out his leg from the depths of the dark corner he was standing in. Sure enough the culprit, running foolishly fast, tripped over and violently skidded on the marble floor, causing the cloak to slip off.

The perpetrator gasped at the sight of Snape. But the Professor was even more shocked, blinking hard in case what he saw before him was a trick of the guttering torch lights that were lined against the walls. A moment of one of those silences passed, where every split second felt like an eternity. He did not see Potter's scrawny frame, tussled hair, glasses askew, like he longed for, instead it was-

'Miss Granger?' he whispered, barely hiding the streak of puzzlement in his voice. Hermione's eyes were wide with fear. She was lying on the floor, shaking. Not one to like being taken by surprise (let alone let his opponent know), Snape quickly recovered. This is better than Potter…

'Well, well, well,' his face had regained its usual complacent sneer, 'I wonder what exactly the Know-It-All is doing here at three hours past midnight?'

The colour had left Hermione's face. Snape looked at her, triumphantly yet somewhat disgustedly. He lit his wand, so his victim could be in doubt that it were being scrutinised. She was in her night dress, her breasts barely hidden by its low cut. Catching his gaze on her she quickly covered herself up. Her fingers fumbled for her robes, whilst a rosy blush crept about her cheeks.

'Well miss Granger?!' he hissed as he hastily diverted his eyes, 'can you explain why you have disturbed my sleep?'

At loss for words, Hermione looked at the floor, not daring to breathe, let alone move. Adrenaline, fear and the shock of being caught had supposedly rendered her completely speechless. Snape withdrew his wand light to check where the nearest classroom was, in which he could dish out a suitable punishment.

'In here,' he snarled. But as he turned round, Hermione was no longer on the floor.

She had disappeared along with Potter's cloak.

'Damn,' he whispered in frustration, a fantastic opportunity to finally confiscate the cloak had just carelessly slipped through his fingers. He scanned the corridor for any signs of bodiless feet, a loose strand of hair, but not a thing moved. He was not about to play hide and seek with a seventh year. For humiliating him like this, he would make sure her punishment would be triple of that what it ought to have been. And with that thought, he retired to his chamber.

But that night Severus could not sleep. He tossed and turned, the image of Hermione lying there, caught, unusually silent, flitted through his mind. Hermione had never disobeyed a teacher, let alone be out of her dorm past curfew…

She waited until Snape was gone before she rushed down to Gryffindor tower. Hermione was shaking, but at least she had got what she needed. She would face the consequences later. From the bag of stolen ingredients, she prised out what she needed first and foremost: the Essence of Murtlap. After putting the herbs in water, she rubbed its lotion onto her wounds, the pain of which had kept her up all night.

A/N: Just added an extra bit to what I originally put - I guess you can tell I'm new at this! This is my first fanfic so please tell me what you think.

Disclaimer: If I did own Harry Potter, he'd be my personal slave.