Author's Note: Hey guys, yes, this is the third chapter I've posted in under 24 hours. Get over it. I'm bored, and this is what happens. Enjoy, and as always, all characters are property of J.K. Rowling.

Chapter 3

I wasn't surprised that I didn't see Snape at breakfast the next morning, but I was surprised when there was a letter on my place when I went to sit down. The unkempt handwriting of Snape was evident, and I hesitantly waved my wand over the parchment to ward off any enchantments he might have placed. Glaring at my blistered fingers in irritation, I opened the damn thing.

'Ungrateful Granger' I snorted at his silly nickname. 'I will see you at 10pm sharp tonight. If you are late I will come escort you to the clock tower myself.' A mixture of excitement and confusion swept over my features and I tore the note into pieces. Why would he want to see me after my harsh words to him the night before? He didn't even bother to read my apology.

Thinking nothing more of if, I ate quickly, anxious to teach my very first class this morning. It was supposed to be second year charms, which had to have been her favorite class when she was of that age. You learned simple but amazing things like how to make inanimate objects speak, or how to make heavy objects lightweight with just the swish of your wand. It was the basis that set them up for the rest of their schooling. I knew I had to do well.

My plan was to give them a basic exam to see what they already knew, and then base where I started on that. I wasn't going to waste time on things they might already know, there was no point, and seeing as I had full control over what I taught and what I didn't, I was going to take full advantage over that.

"Granger," On my way to my room, I heard a tentative voice behind me, and I turned to see none other than Draco Malfoy. The past five years had been kind to him, as his good looks were still extremely evident. His blonde hair was swept back, but not oiled like he used to wear it in school. His silvery grey eyes had little laughter lines around them, and his left cheek puckered with a dimple. My god. "It's nice to see you. I heard you were back after all this time."

"Malfoy. Ginny told me you were helping Snape teach potions." I started, not at all eager to catch up with my once-enemy. "How goes that?"

"Well, usually, he's alright to be around," He paused and frowned as if thinking back to something. "But when I arrived this morning he nearly threw me out and told me to screw off. Blasted bastard."

I coughed to hide my apparent surprise, and he looked at me strangely.

"You wouldn't happen to know why he was like that," He looked me in the eye, and I felt as though he was rustling through my mind. I felt the hair on my neck stand up and I slammed my interior walls up, blocking my mind from his legilimency. His eyes rolled back into his head, a sharp cry of pain coming from him. "Merlin's balls, Hermione, I just wanted to see why he was mumbling about you all morning!"

"Malfoy." A sharp bark from the dungeon stairs made us both jump, and Malfoy straightened, a mask coming over his face to hide the pain from my mental wards. Snape strode towards us, taking in my surprised look and Malfoy's pained eyes. "I don't know what exactly just went on here but we all have classes to teach and I don't like to be late."

I strode away before he could say anything else, turning the corner and stopping to listen to the words he spoke softly yet sternly to Malfoy.

"You know better than to use legilimency on a practiced occlumens, boy!" His harsh tone was interrupted by Malfoy's protest, and a sharp smacking sound echoed in the empty halls. "She is too strong and too smart for you to be messing with her. Don't poke, don't prod, and don't mess my plans up."

My head swam just then, and I realized my mental walls were once again being assaulted by some unseen force. I tested the barriers myself, and was pleases to find that they still held even though I was being attacked. A voice sounded in my mind, and I then knew who was trying to get past my holds. "Let go, silly girl…" I stumbled a little as I tried to focus on holding my wards and walk at the same time. Another hit from Snape's own mind and I fell to my knees, the pain too great to stand. "Stupid girl, you're going to kill yourself if you push me out any more. Let go!"

The last shout from him sent me sprawling onto the floor, and my mind went blank as I brought up my wards, letting him rustle in my mind. He shifted through everything and I just sat on the cold stone floor, giving him the satisfaction of looking at my thoughts. He neglected to see the part of my mind I was still blocking him from, and as he came across it, I quickly slammed the mental wards down again, effectively severing his connection to me instantly. The last thing I heard was his cry of anguish before I let myself go into darkness.

Minerva Mcgonagall sat in her office, having her third cup of morning tea, when Poppy came running in, breathless and panicked. It took her several moments before she was controlled enough to breath out even three words.

"Hermione-" A shaky breath. "Severus-" Another shaky breath followed by a sob. "Attacked!" And the medi-witch collapsed in shaky sobs as she tried to gain control of herself. Minerva stood instantly, sending a silent call out to all staff members to escort students back to their dormitories. If the pair had really been attacked, she wouldn't risk any students having to deal with it either.

Severus woke to find himself in the hospital wing, covered in a white sheet and a lumpy pillow under his head. Several bottles of headache potion sat beside him, along with one smaller bottle of pepper-up. As he sat up, it was immediate to him why he was there. His head hurt like a bitch.

There was no white screen separating him from another bed to his left, and he recognized the curved shape of Hermione under her own white sheet. She was fast asleep, snoring softly. She had her own set of bottles by her bedside, but he noticed she had one more, a fiery red potion that healed the mind of overexertion. Frowning, he tried to remember what had gotten him in this place, and then it hit him.

He had been using Legilimency on the witch to see what she thought of him truly, before he continued with his plans later that day. Not knowing that Draco had been right about her wards shocking a man to his core, he tried it, and failed miserably. As soon as she sensed him, she began to fight, and he realized she was losing strength, tried to get her to let go, but she wouldn't. And her blasted little trick for letting him in for just a moment before she slammed her wards down again had cost him his breakfast and her, her consciousness.

Severus knew that she had been a skilled occlumens, he just didn't realize that she could use it against the intruders into her mind. It was an acquired skill, and even he hadn't mastered it fully yet. He sat up once again, this time expecting the swirl of nausea and pain, but it wasn't as bad. He unstoppered and drank down the potions he was given, before standing up and stretching, his joints popping and snapping.

He was unaware of Hermione's eyes on his body as he stretched, and her apparent fascination in how cut the older man was made aware to Severus by the little squeak she made, closing her eyes when he looked to her. To his horror, he hadn't realized that he was wearing nothing but his black dress pants, his pale chest bare. Cursing, he looked around to find something to cover himself up with, finding the black shirt he was wearing earlier. He shrugged it on and flicked his eyes back to Hermione, who was still feigning sleep.

"Granger." He spoke quietly in case she actually was asleep, not wanting to put her in anymore mental distress than he already had. He whispered her name again, this time sharply, and her eyes snapped open. "Ah, so you aren't asleep."

"No," Her voice was scratchy and she cleared her throat. "No, because a nosy bastard such as yourself couldn't keep quiet while he tried to cover himself."

Severus flinched at her words and continued to dress in his robes, intent on leaving the hospital wing and this embarrassing encounter behind. Her eyes were still on him as he dressed, and she suddenly moved, sitting up and attempting to stand, clearly experiencing the same side effects as he had, and she toppled over as soon as she stood, falling straight into his outstretched arms.

I felt weird laying there while he was beside me, until he stood up. I was only distinctly aware of how hot he was when he did so, stretching his arms up, the muscles in his back and arms rippling and his joints popping. Nearly swooning when he turned, I became very aware of the lines of his torso, defined so clearly, and the trail of hair leading from his navel to the low hanging waistband of his pants. The sound of complete and utter surprise I had made was small enough to go unnoticed, but with my luck, he turned, looking me right in the eyes.

To say the least, when I stood and fell over towards him, it wasn't surprising at all when his reaction was to catch me. I hadn't meant to do it on purpose, but when it the nausea washed over me, I had no other choice, and boy, did I enjoy the end result. One arm caught me around my middle, and the other supported my neck. I wasn't heavy, and that much was obvious when he hauled me up smoothly onto my own bed.

"Bloody hell, Hermione." Ginny appeared just then, taking in the sight of Severus holding me up on the bed, only dressed in his black t-shirt and pants. I had then realized that I was dressed in my own shirt, hanging below my waist, covering my own undergarments. Ginny rushed forward and swatted Severus's hands away from me and taking his place. "What the hell happened?"

"Some bastard-" I looked pointedly at the man who watched us, arms crossed, brooding expression in place. "Decided to test my mental ability to see my innermost secrets. He failed obviously, but it put us both in this blasted room."

Ginny turned to Severus and went off just as I had the night before, like an even bigger box of Weasley's Fireworks.

"How dare you!? She's not some toy you can mess around with, you bastard." She jabbed him in the chest and he stepped back, surprised at the small woman's rage. "If you ever hurt her again, I will see to it that those big kahunas you seem to have get cut off and used in my next batch of Thestral feed."

His face paled a considerable amount and she stormed out, not even bothering to say goodbye to me. I was almost as shocked as he was at Ginny's protective display. He stood there a moment longer, and suddenly turned to me.

"Drink your potions, Hermione. They'll help you." And with that, he walked out, without another word.

What a strange and trying day.