Aftermath
Hermione wakes up. Snape is at his desk, dressed in is black jacket and cloak, grading papers. His expression unreadable. She props herself up on one elbow.
"Hey", she calls out, come back to bed.
Snapes quill freezes and he looks up. His usually stern gaze and frown is back on his face.
His next words chills her to the bone, brings an embarassed flush to her face.
"If you are done Miss Granger, I expect you to vacate my room as soon as possible."
He returns his attention to the papers he was grading.
She couldn't believe her ears! He is treating her like a one night stand. What a fool she was thinking he actually felt something when he possessed her and marked her as his! Tears came unbidden as she angrily gathered her scattered clothing.
Rustlings behind her. Her heart skips a beat. Maybe he was joking with her. He would come up behind her, give her a hug and a makeup kiss. Hermione turns around. Her heart falls.
Snape is at the door. The stack of papers in his hand. He cannot even bear to be in the same room that he is leaving. He turns around.
"Make sure you lock up before you leave. "
With a swish of his cloak and he was gone, leaving her staring at the closed door.
xPotions classx
Snape barged into the classroom as usual, causing chatter to stop. He slams a stack of test papers on the table.
"Total rubbish!" he shouted. "The quality of your essays are absymal. Worse, some of you even handed in blank parchments."
His gaze rested upon Hermione's empty seat.
"Weasley!"
Ron jerked up.
"Tell me, is Potions deemed too simple for Granger that she finds it a waste of time to attend it?"
Ron gulped. "She said she wasn't feeling too well and has gone to Mdm Pomfrey, sir."
"No doubt suffering from multiple paper cuts due to reading too many books," he sneered. "Turn to page 384 and brew the Cloning Potion. 50 points deducted for every cauldron melted. Begin."
He sits at the front of class, folds his hands and glares at the class. Every so often, his gaze drops to Hermione's empty seat. Unconsciously he clenched his fists and felt the sting of the scars that she had healed.
xx
He was walking towards the Great Hall for dinner when they crossed paths. He noted that she looked haggard and tired. Her eyes were puffy and red and she had a sickly pallor around her.
"Granger."
She ignored him and continued on her way. Infuriated, he turned around and grabbed her wrist roughly.
"It would be wise to answer when a Professor summons you, girl."
"Let go of me!" She wrenched herself free from his grasp, obliviousto the crowd gathering to watch the spectacle.
"You have been missing potions for 2 weeks now. One would assume you have lost interest in taking your NEWTs..Perhaps you need to reconsider your responsibilities..."
He was stopped short when Hermione slapped him hard across the face. There were gasps from the crowd.
"YOU OF ALL PEOPLE SHOULD TALK ABOUT RESPONSIBILITIES!" she spit out vehemently. She turned around and stomped away.
She hated him. She had given him her heart and he had played with it and like a restless boy who grows weary of his toys, had cast her aside. She had thought he was different, but it turned out he
was exactly the front that he presented to public. Sullen, selfish, sarcastic. When he had called her his, it seemed so real, as if he was speaking from his heart. Now she knew better. The bastard had
no heart.
There were no more confrontations after that. Hermione dropped out of Potions class. They bumped into each other sometimes but neither acknowledged the other. And when Snape killed Dumbledore, it re-affirmed her belief that he was indeed evil and she was better off without him.
