Hermione moved quickly and quietly down the hallway, Snape a few paces behind.
She paused her brain finally catching up to her. She wasn't quite sure she wanted to go out onto the grounds at this time of night.
It was pitch black with no moon and she knew all too well the horrors that crept in the dark.
Hermione stopped dead and made to turn around. Snape wasn't paying attention to what she was doing and didn't see her stop.
Hermione bumped into Snape's chest causing her to squeak in surprise.
"Sorry," Hermione started off back toward her rooms hoping Snape didn't question her sudden turn around.
"Where are you going?" Apparently she had no such luck.
"Back to bed." Maybe being clipped would show her desire to stop talking and just forget the whole thing.
"You didn't get the fresh air you claimed to need," Snape commented. "Unless, of course, you were sneaking out for some other reason?" Hermione turned to see him standing there, arms folded, solitary eyebrow cocked.
"There is no moon, it would be black as pitch outside." Hermione said back.
"Afraid of the dark Granger?" She could almost hear amusement in his voice as he humiliated her.
Hermione took a couple steps toward him her eyes burning.
"I am not afraid," She spat at him. "But I'm also not stupid enough to think it's safe out there in the dark."
"If you say so," he purred back. "If you still want some air, I may have a solution."
After he spoke he took off down the corridor. Hermione reigned in her temper and followed him.
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Hermione found herself stepping into a small courtyard. Apparently the tiny flora filled open ceilinged nook had been hiding just a floor above Hermione's rooms.
She stepped from the torchlit hallway into the darkened room.
Hermione could see a figure moving around. She couldn't tell what Snape was doing for his movements seemed to have a purpose.
A few moments later she found out.
Soft green light emanated from stones at eye level evenly spread around the entire courtyard.
Hermione released a soft "oh" as she realized where she'd seen glowing stones like this.
Apparently Snape had learned the spell used on the stone from his cell in Azkaban.
Snape walked over to Hermione and looked at her curiously.
Hermione smiled wanly and walked over to sit on a small stone bench that abutted a tiny pear tree. Snape stayed by the door leaning on the wall and not bothering to hide the fact that he was staring at Hermione quite intently.
Hermione was too busy to notice busy as she was breathing in the night air.
Eventually though as her mind calmed, she began to sense his searching eyes.
"What was your nightmare?" His silky voice broke the silence and Hermione cracked open an eyelid and looked at his dark figure.
"Bellatrix again," She sighed "I always dream about her when I feel stressed." Hermione watched as his expression went from curious to confused.
"Why would ever dream about her?" He walked over to the bench and waited her to over him a seat. She motioned for him to sit, then turned to look at him.
"You don't know?" She asked genuinely incredulous.
"Obviously," He drawled, "I wouldn't be asking if I knew would I?"
Hermione flinched a bit at his biting tone, she wasn't going to let his sarcasm bother her though.
"I'd have figured Lucius Malfoy would have bragged about how wonderful it'd been to see Harry Potter's mudblood friend tortured in his living room." Hermione had wanted to make the comment flippantly; but she couldn't quite keep the venom out of her voice as she spoke.
She waited and Snape hadn't said anything. Hermione finally looked at him and saw the slight look of horror on his face.
He blinked and focused on her face.
"I didn't know," He said rather hoarsely.
"Obviously," Hermione fake sneered back, earning a small snort from the man beside her.
"What did she do to you?" He sounded afraid to ask.
Hermione looked down into her lap. She decided it wouldn't hurt to show him. After all he'd been through much worse himself, what was a little scar to this man?
Hermione rolled up the sleeve of her robe and held her arm out for inspection.
She felt Snape lightly grip her forearm as he looked at the carving she'd received.
The crooked letters, Mudblood, still made Hermione's skin crawl to look at. So she kept her eyes on her lap, where her other hand sat her fingers loosely curled.
Snape continued to inspect her deformity. He lightly brushed over the scar with his fingers. The sensation sent a jolt through Hermione and she watched as her loosely curled fingers clenched into a fist.
Hermione gently jerked her arm out from under his probing fingers and hastily rolled her sleeve back down.
Snape sat in silence as Hermione continued to calm down.
After an hour out in the cold night air Hermione was shaking and ready for the warmth of her bed.
She stood up and waited for Snape to notice she was ready.
It didn't take him long and they were on their way back to bed.
The corridors weren't much warmer than the courtyard had been and Hermione couldn't help the shivers wracking her body. Snape must've noticed because Hermione heard a slight shuffle then felt a sudden warmth land upon her shoulders and drape down her shaking frame. Snape had taken his cloak off and placed it on Hermione's shoulders.
She couldn't look up at him but instead murmured softly.
"Thank you,"
Snape snorted quietly. "Don't mention it Granger. Now if your quite ready? I'd like to be in bed before the sun rises."