A/N Someone pointed out to me, that we are no longer supposed to comment individually on the reviews here. Instead let me just say thank you, to those of you who have taken the time to review – it is the only payment fanficwriters get for the stories and I looove my reviews. I hope you all enjoy this next chapter... and sadly I own none of the characters
Hermione stood in front of the classroom, trying to gain enough courage to enter her DADA class. Her musings were cut short, as Harry and Ron came up to her and each took hold of one of her arms, dragging her with them while they chatted utterly oblivious to her predicament. She sighed and gathered her courage, put a smile on her face and tried to focus on the vivid explanations of the expected quidditch outcome of the afternoon. As usual they gathered with the other students in the middle of the room instead of sitting at desks, and waited for the professor to arrive. The room immediately fell quiet, as he slammed the door open and marched in, black robes billowing around him.
"There will be no practical exercises today today. Please be seated and try to focus your little minds on the fact, that Defence Against the Dark Arts requires an extraordinary amount of knowledge. A 3 scroll paper on the use of Nonverbal Spells by tomorrow"
Snape glared around the classroom as the students moaned and went to find their seats. His eyes stopped briefly as they met Hermione's. She froze for a second, then gave him a small smile and headed for her seat between Ron and Harry. He didn't reciprocate her smile, but turned around to admonish another student, and Hermione felt her heart sink.
She sat down and started on her paper, ignoring Ron who repeatedly yanked at her robe, wanting her to tell him what to write. Ever so often, she glanced at the front of the class, where Snape was sitting at his desk apparently deeply engrossed in reading some scrolls. She didn't know, what she had expected. She had feared awkwardness and had hoped, they could just pretend last night had never happened. Or at least she had thought, that was what she had hoped, until he had actually acted as if nothing had happened. She started writing but could hardly concentrate, when suddenly an idea crept in to her mind. She argued with herself for a some time, while she almost mechanically started to write the essay. Yes, she had feared, that it would become awkward, when she walked into his class, and she had hoped, they could pretend nothing had happened. But now she didn't want him to be able to just pretend. The kiss had kept her up all night, the memory of it replaying in her head. She didn't know exactly why, but she wanted to keep popping up in his mind, just like he did in hers. She shook her head lightly at the thought. She knew, he kept popping up in her head because she felt guilty, but lately he had also started slipping into her mind in another way.. in a more undefinable way. Ever since that letter she had given him. She smiled to herself as she finished up her third scroll, and walked to the front of the class while the other students started leaving. She was the only one, who had finished the assignment in class. She stood at the front of his desk and waited for him to look up from his papers. When he did, she held out the scrolls.
"Ah the little Miss Know-it-all has already finished" he said, glaring at her with the usual contempt in his voice but not quite looking her in the eyes. She felt her heart sink once more. She hated when he called her that. As he took the scrolls from her, his fingers brushed over hers, and as she gasped, she didn't notice his sharp intake of breath. His eyes shot to hers and seemed to lock them in his dark ones. Time stood still while they gazed at each other, both holding on to the scrolls, his fingers covering hers. Suddenly sound seemed to come back into the world as they could hear the next class' students approaching, and they jumped apart. Hermione took the breath, she didn't know, she had been holding. His eyes seemed to have gone back to their usual disdainful glare, as he stood up with the scrolls in his hand and drawled:
"Well, Miss Granger, you seem to be late for your next class"
And in a dark cloud of billowing robes, he retreated into his adjoining office. Hermione stood for a moment trying to regain her composure, before she hurried along.
Over the next two days, she just followed the motions. She talked with her friends, she laughed almost credible at their jokes, she did her homework, helped Ron with his, ate a little at mealtimes and woke screaming from nightmares every night. Every now and then, she would catch Harry looking at her with a worried frown, but she would smile and ask him something about quidditsch or point his attention towards Ginny, so she didn't have to answer questions, she had no answers to. At mealtimes she kept glancing at the head-table, but Snape never looked at her. She had her plan worked out but tried her best not to dwell on the questions, she could not answer. Why did she want him to think of her? Why did she think about him? Why did she want so badly for him to look up at mealtimes and meet her eyes? She let out a sigh. It was probably the guilt from leaving him that fateful night. There was no other explanation.
Finally the last classes of the week came, and Hermione entered the DADA room. To everybody's surprise Snape was already there, waving his wand at the board where letters immediately appeared to let them know, which curses they were to practice defending themselves against. He paired them up and they started practising.
As usual he paired Hermione with Harry, who was to much of a gentleman to put all of his power behind the spells. Hermione tried to push him, but instead of pushing back he just warded off her spells and complimented her with his usual "Well done Hermione".
"Mr Potter," a dark voice suddenly came from behind Hermione "I put the two of you together, because you have matching strength and experience. You might be The Boy Who Lived...twice, but contrary to what you seem to believe, there are still things for you to learn. You are not in here to show off your capabilities as a gentleman, but to learn how to become a better fighter. Now see if you can be bothered to actually cast a functioning spell at Miss Granger."
Hermione could see Harry got annoyed at the condescending rebuke from Snape, and he threw a harder spell at her while immediately apologizing. While she warded it of and retorted with a spell, that made him take a few steps backwards, she heard Snape, still standing behind her, say: "Well, that was disappointing Mr Potter. Perhaps you survived on mere luck, althugh I would have assumed, your late godfather had taught you more than to bark at trees. Do try again."
Hermione was distracted at the proximity to the man, she could hear just behind her, and it took more effort than she liked, not to turn around and look at him. At the same time she was shocked by the cruelty of his words to Harry, and she wasn't prepared when Harry hit her with the next spell.
Hermione fell backwards and collided with Snape, sending them both to the ground. She felt his arms closing around her, as she fell backwards on top of him. Even through her surprise, she felt a glimpse of contentedness at having his arms wrap around her.
Within a few seconds, Snape had gotten back up, taking Hermione with him, and in the commotion and entanglement of their bodies, she felt his arms briefly tightening around her front almost like an embrace, while he whispered so close to her, she shivered as his breath brushed her ear: "Are you all right?"
She nodded her head and he let go of her and stepped back so quickly, she wasn't even sure, the last part had happened.
"Much better Mr Potter, now if you could be bothered to keep that level of commitment to the task, maybe Miss Granger would learn something." He started walking away, while Ginny rushed over to help Hermione, who was looking confused and flushed.
"And Miss Granger" he added nonchalantly "10 point from Gryffindor for not concentrating in class".
As the class came to an end Snape found himself sitting behind his desk pretending to grade papers. He could still feel the soft warmth from Hermione's body against his, as they fell backwards, and he could still smell her unique scent, from when he had briefly curled his arms around her, to ask if she was all right. He scowled. He had no idea, why he had done that, and she irritated him with her mere presence. She was always there. In his classroom, in the halls, at meals, in his sleep... He looked up as the last student left the classroom and sighed inwardly. The next to last student had left the classroom. The Granger-girl was walking up to his desk.
"Miss Granger" he said, putting all the annoyance he could manage into his voice "class is dismissed. I would think you would be off to enjoy your weekend"
Hermione stopped briefly at the harsh tone but then continued to walk towards him, stopping when she reached his desk.
"Professor, I bought you this, instead of the one I was so clumsy to break, when I dropped it" she said the words quickly, not able to hide a hint of nervousness, and held out a red velvet box.
Snape looked at the box suspiciously, not moving to take it from her. Hermione moved her hand as to indicate he should take it.
"It's just a chocolate-egg, Sir" she said and tried to make him accept the box. "I should have been the one to give you chocolate in the first place, since you guessed my letter."
Snape stood and took a step backwards, folding his arms over his chest. "Miss Granger" he said, and for a split-second she thought, she saw his eyes flicker nervously "I have no intention on keep playing that children's game with you. Please take your gift with you and leave"
"It's just a chocolate-egg Professor" she said, put the red velvet box on his table and left.
Snape looked at the box and sat down at his desk again. With a swift motion of his wand he closed the door to the classroom and picked up the box. He had no idea, why the girl insisted on involving him in the silly game, and why she kept it going. The other students had moved on to other games and mischiefs, and he was not one to take part in the daily activities and games at Hogwarts. Everybody knew that. He sighed and opened the box. The chocolate-egg was similar to the one, he had given her, but had to s'es engraved at the front. He let his finger trace the pattern and his mind drifted to the day in the tower, when she had dropped the chocolate-egg he had given her, and the night where he had kissed her. Her deep brown and golden eyes, the feel of her hair gliding between his fingers, her body pressed to his, the sound of her moaning, her lips...
He stood up abruptly shutting the box with a snap, hand tightening around it and drawing back. Then he growled, put down the box, took the glass of water from the table and threw it against the far wall. He grabbed the red velvet box and stormed out of the room.
