The silence was so loud it hurt Hermione's ears. No one moved, both teachers stared at her. Both wearing different looks on their face. McGonagall wore one of complete and utter surprise, nearly disbelief, as if she didn't believe she actually saw the young woman standing before her. Severus's face had a mixture of surprise, regret, hurt... and betrayal.
Hermione's heart ached for him.
"Miss Ganger!" McGonagall suddenly exclaimed. She tried to continue, but her mouth simply opened and closed like a fish out of water.
"I'm sorry, Professor," she said, looking straight at McGonagall and avoiding any eye contact with Severus. It hurt to see the pain in his eyes.
"There is nothing to be sorry for, you silly girl," McGonagall said, her voice nearly dripping with her relief, "Come, we must get you some clothes and go speak with the headmaster."
McGonagall moved towards Hermione and put an arm around her as if she were injured.
"I'm fine Professor, really," Hermione told her.
"Well, we must get you first to the hospital wing for some check ups to make sure of that!" McGonagall said, the relief and shock still evident in her voice.
The two women walked straight through the door, right past the Potions master, McGonagall too distracted and off balance to even remember him, Hermione thinking about him to much to look at him without the threatening tears bursting from her.
When they were gone, Severus still stared at the door which she had walked through.
His kitten... was gone...
'But she wasn't your kitten,' the voice said tauntingly, 'she was Hermione Granger. Your student.
He sunk into a seat and put his face in his hands.
She was gone.
'You knew it was her,' the voice continued, 'Knew it was her all along, you knew it was true.'
I know, he thought, but I didn't want it to be true... I loved my kitten... and now she's gone...
'You knew you would lose her,' his thoughts taunted him, 'Just like you lost everyone else. You lost Angie and so many others... and now you've lost your kitten.'
"Why?" he suddenly said out loud. "Why can't I ever hold on to anyone!" Bursting from his chair he grabbed the nearest object and flung it against the wall.
Memories of the last few days flashed into his head. The kitten first drinking her milk and nearly choking, taking the kitten into the kitchens, her trotting at his heels, purring as loud as she could, waking every morning to her purr and her soft paws on his chest, giving her the blue collar, simple memories of petting her late into the night, her deep brown eyes looking into his...
The eyes of Hermione Granger...
And yet, she had no reason to be even polite to him. All her life as his student, he had done nothing but treat her unfairly. Counting off from the littlest of mistakes such as not crossing a t, never giving her the credit she was due, insulting her in front of the entire class.
The pain in his mind increased.
And he had been open with her. Hermione Granger! Told her about his sister, about his nightmares, about his troubles.
What was she now telling her little friends? Saying how weak the potions master was. How he was nothing but a soft weakling who was simply mean because he was demented.
She hadn't even looked at him when she left! Not even a glance!
She hated him.
But, for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to hate her back...
Hermione clutched the large robe close around herself, making sure it was completely shut as she walked. It was very uncomfortable to walk through the halls in nothing but a robe.
But not as uncomfortable as the feeling that she had betrayed Severus's trust.
She knew she couldn't have helped that she had been in his care, that he had kept her in his rooms, or that she couldn't have told him that she was Hermione Granger even if she had wanted to.
Nonetheless, the feeling was there. The feeling that she was responsible for the immense pain she had seen in his eyes, of that look on his face of complete and utter pain. She felt terrible.
"Miss Granger, are you alright?" McGonagall asked.
"Yes, Professor," Hermione answered, "I'm just thinking."
There was a pause.
"Miss Granger, how did you come to be in Professor Snape's rooms?" she asked.
"Well, I messed up on a Slumber Antidote for Ron, and I tested it without knowing it was wrong and I turned into a kitten. Se- Professor Snape found me in the Student's Potions Lab and took me with him," she told her, keeping her eyes on the ground.
"Well, that's interesting, it's just as Mr. Potter and Weasley said," McGonagall stated.
"Yes," Hermione said sourly. Harry and Ron. What would have happened if they hadn't told McGonagall?
She knew what would have happened. Things would have been a lot messier than they were now, seeming as she would have been alone with Severus when she had changed back.
She nearly shivered at the thought of what sort of position that would have been like.
'Yeah, think back there was awkward? Sheesh!' she thought to herself.
They were at the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey bustled towards Hermione.
"Miss Granger! Thank goodness they found you. Take that bed over there and I will get you some pajamas," she said, already shoving Hermione onto a bed and rushing to her office.
"I am going to get the headmaster, Miss Granger, I trust you will be here when I return with him. Are you feeling healthy enough to answer our questions I'm sure both of us will have?" McGonagall asked her.
"Yes, Professor, as I said, I'm fine," Hermione insisted, "I don't think that even being in the hospital wing is necessary-"
"It is necessary!" Madam Pomfrey told her, returning with pajamas and a curtain for around the bed, "Mistakes on potions have more reactions than the first. You will begin to feel sick and queasy any moment now, so maybe talking to the headmaster should wait for tomorrow. Right now you need rest and a Correctional Potion. It will make your insides turn back to normal. You may look fine on the outside, but inside your organs are in chaos!"
As if right on cue, her stomach lurched and she hunched over her knees, gasping for breath.
"Take this," Madam Pomfrey told her, shoving a goblet under her nose.
Hermione gulped the potion down, making sure not to spill any. The two women then left her as she changed into the pajamas, and Madam Pomfrey returned to give her a dreamless sleep potion.
After drinking it, Hermione immediately fell back onto the pillows and fell into slumber.
(darth vader breathing) kaaaa... koooo...kaaaa...koooo Reviewers... I am your author!
Lol.
You know what? I feel so spoiled! I don't care if I failed my forensics final, at least I have 300 some reviews! NOTHING CAN MAKE ME SAD BECAUSE I LOVE YOU REVIEWERS SO MUCH!
(sigh )I'm listening to Star Wars music right now... called Anakin's Betrayal... (SOBS) WHY! WHAAAAGH! (cries) I WANNA SEE IT AGAIN!
Hey, on a high note, tomorrow is my last day of school. YAAAAAY! Yeah, I also have my hardest finals. French, Biology and Geometry. In fact I should be studying, but I just had to get this chapter out! Both in the same day! Aren't I so responsible! Yay!
sigh Anakin was so hott when he was evil... I just keep thinking about parts of the movie and my stomach gets butterflies! I wanna see it again!
SPOILER QOUTE ALERT! DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU WANT A SPOILER ON STAR WARS!
"You betrayed me!" "Let her go, Anakin!" (plop) "You turned her against me!"
WAAAAAGH!
Man, I really need to cut down on theses author notes. They usually have nothing what-so-ever about the story except for the first part... Maybe I'll go join xanga and put my thoughts there... it's more appropriate than here...
AND STILL I TALK! I'll go now... Stop talking your ear off... And get to work on the next chapter when I should really be studying for my finals tomorrow...
Oh well.
And on I go! Sheesh!
Review!
Seom