Ragnarok13 - Please, get the dagger out and by all means, use it.

Queen of the Strokes - It's my mission to turn people against Harry. Is it working? Hehe.

Mia44 - OK I'm sorry, I know it's taking a while but I usually read a lot of fics with a lot of romance, but no real plots behind them. I thought I'd drag this one out a bit :) Next fic will be more to the point.

Snape's Witch - Oh I reckon Hermione will get her own back *grins*

Steph! - I love youuuuuuu! Thanks for reading it hun! Mwah! Speak to you in 2 weeks xxx

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I was well aware that people were walking passed, staring at the sobbing mess that lay on the floor. However, I wasn't so aware when lesson time began again after break. I was ten minutes late for potions already. It wasn't Snape's reaction I was dreading, it was Harry's. I wanted to kick myself for letting him get to me like this, though deep down I knew the emotional scars I was baring would stay with me for a long time, long after the physical pain had faded. I sat up, hugging my knees. My bottom lip was quivering, but I would not allow myself to be dragged down and sneered at by Harry. Slowly, I stood up and gathered my belongings and clutched them tightly. I jogged back inside and down the corridors to the dungeons. Normally I wouldn't have made a late entrance and would have sat in the library instead. I hated the way people turned around and stared. However, on this occasion the circumstances were a little different. One deep breath to calm my nerves, and I pushed the door open to find, as I had expected, a room full of eyes staring back at me. Snape's eyes followed me from the door to the desk.

"Well?" He asked, one eyebrow raised as if he expected me to make up some terrible excuse.

"I'm sorry, Sir." I said, avoiding eye contact with anyone. I could feel heavy eyes resting upon me and watching me intensely from the other side of the room.

"You will see me after class, Ms Granger." He said with no certain tone in his voice. I nodded, keeping my eyes down. The class had turned back to their work after losing interest. I could still feel two pairs of eyes watching me like hawks. Harry's and Snape's. I was almost positive it had been Snape I was lurking in the shadows and watching me from across the lake. What puzzled me was his silence. Typically, Snape would have stepped into the light, taken 50 points from Gryffindor with great pleasure, and followed me closely to the Gryffindor tower. Maybe it wasn't Snape I had seen. Perhaps it was all wishful thinking on my part. For all I knew, it could have been another upset student not wanting to be seen. But there was something familiar about the graceful movement. I met Snape's eyes and narrowed mine thoughtfully. Yes, yes - I was certain it was Snape and I felt safer because of that.

Class ended after what seemed like forever, feeling those malicious eyes constantly pressing deeper into me. My kept my own eyes focused on the front of class, trying to concentrate, but everything that was said during class was lost. I became invisible to the class, except to Harry of course, who was well aware of my presence. It didn't seem to me as if he was feeling any guilt. Was he really that sick? I wondered who his next target was. First Ginny, then me. A lump formed in my throat. Now I was faced with this dilemma. Should I silence myself or tell the school what a sick, twisted boy Harry Potter really was? The thought had crossed my mind, but again, I was forced to swallow those thoughts and remind myself that no one would believe me.

The class filed out of the room, leaving Snape at his desk and me still sat behind mine. My head was resting in my hands. All that thinking and re- living the nightmare had given me a headache.

"Ms. Granger?" Snape said with perhaps a note of sympathy in his voice. I didn't dare look up. If it had been him who I had seen in the shadows, just how much did he know? He couldn't have known what went on in the Gryffindor common room but it didn't take a genius to work out something was upsetting me.

"Ms. Granger." This time it was a statement, rather than an apologetic question, and I'm sure there was a hint of impatience. I raised my head and looked at him, rather annoyed.

"Yes Sir?" I said with my eyes closed, drawing in a deep breath. I braced myself for the questions I thought would come my way.

"Why were you late?" He said in a voice a little softer than the tone he used in class.

"Oh. Um, I looked at the wrong day on my timetable. I thought I had a free lesson and it was only when I went to the common room and saw nobody there I remembered it was potions. I'm really sorry, Sir." I spoke very fast, trying to get my whole apology and made up excuse out quickly, so I could leave the room as soon as I could.

Snape looked a little lost for words at my outburst. "Check your timetable more carefully next time, please. You may go."

I slid off the wooden chair, picked up my bag and made towards the door. I pulled it open, and before walking out I turned around and said quietly, "thank you", just hoping he knew what I was thanking him for, my guardian angel.

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I know, it's short, but I'm going away for 2 weeks tomorrow so I wanted to rush this one and post it.