A few days later Hermione was wandering down to her potions class down in the dungeons. She had been let out of the hospital ward three days before, and this was her first day of lessons. As people passed her in the corridors she was met with silence, then furious whispering as they got past her. She knew she looked awful, she hadn't slept properly in what felt like forever and her body reflected that. In the almost two weeks since Ron had... attacked her, she had awoken every time she slept, feeling his hands all over her body, his breath on her face, his body pressed against her. She had also lost a stone already, and she knew it didn't suit her. Her face was gaunt, her eyes looked haunted and her skin had a new yellowish tint to it. All of her clothes drooped over her miniscule frame and she had never felt so unattractive. She didn't care about that bit though; she was hardly out to impress anyone. After her escapade with Ronald, she couldn't be near men, and she certainly couldn't be the only female in the room. The only male she felt safe near was Snape, and she had found herself gravitating towards him. The day before she had gone for a walk, appreciating the quiet corridors as all the other students were in lessons, and lost herself in her thoughts. As soon as she came back to reality she realised she was stood outside her potions door, and nervously she had fled back up to her dorm. It made perfect sense though that she would want to be near him; after all he had saved her womanhood from being spoiled. So it was with a feeling of shyness that she entered the potions classroom this time for her first lesson back. Snape was sat at his desk as she entered. "Good morning Miss Granger," he said as she sat down.
"Hello Sir," she whispered to him, so quietly he barely heard her. He hadn't seen her since he had left his vigilance by her side. He looked at her indifferently, but inside he felt a pang of sadness. What had happened to the vivacious young woman he had grown used to during his lessons with her. Instead he had been left to teach the haunted shell that had been left in her place. As the lesson went on, he felt he had to move closer to her just to hear the few things she said to him. She only asked a few questions, preferring to withdraw inside herself and get on with her work.
At the end of the lesson he beckoned her to sit back down. "Miss Granger, I understand that this has been a very difficult time for you, but I want you to know if you need to talk I will listen to you," he said to her. Then, without any warning, Hermione burst into tears and threw herself into his arms. Snape sat rigidly unsure what to do and where to put himself. Awkwardly he wrapped his arms around Hermione's tiny frame and held her as she sobbed.
"I just don't know what to do Professor," she whispered as the tears started to subside, "I don't know who I can trust. He was one of my best friends. I'm scared to even be near other men. I can't sleep, can't eat, I'm going crazy." She looked up at him, the tears still uncontrollably falling from her eyes. Snape reached into his robe pocket and withdrew a clean black handkerchief. Gently he wiped the tears from Hermione's eyes. The shock of being treated so tenderly by Snape, of all people, stemmed Hermione's tears instantly. She looked up into his eyes and saw something unreadable in his eyes. He had never looked at her like that before, but she had no idea what the look was. It wasn't the normal hatred but nor did she think it was pity. 'I'm obviously crazier than I thought,' thought Hermione, 'but perhaps he's finally getting over his petty hatred.' She didn't believe it really but it still managed to cheer her up a little.
Snape brushed a stray hair from Hermione's eyes. "It'll be OK Miss Granger; the mind is an amazing thing. In no time at all you will find that it doesn't affect you anymore. But while it's still fresh you will be upset and that is perfectly natural. I have been avoiding suggesting a dreamless sleep potion to you, but I think that may actually be wise. I was hoping that it wouldn't affect you this much – oh what a fool I have been." Hermione sat stunned. She hadn't expected Snape to be so... nice! He gently removed himself from her and went to a drawer in his desk, where he pulled out a small purple bottle and handed it to her. "Drink all of this just before bed and you should sleep the whole night without dreaming. If you feel better in the morning come back to me and I will provide you with another." Hermione nodded and nervously left the room. She felt so confused. Perhaps it was just because the events that had occurred had made Snape feel he had to be nice, probably Professor Dumbledore had told him he had to be nice, but yet it didn't feel like that. These thoughts whirling around in her head, Hermione went up to her room to prepare for her next lesson.
