She had never really been able to appreciate them before, having been far too buried in her schoolwork to notice what was going on in nature right before her. Yes, she had been up for many a sunrise, but never had she truly taken in its beauty as it formed over the lake and the hill tops, causing the smooth water to glisten all the way across to the grounds where it fell in strips along the sloping lawns.
It startled Hermione slightly at the thought that she had been hiding here for almost two months now, having been able to make up for her lack of witnessing sunrises quite nicely in that time.
No one ever suspected, from either side, that she was here. With the exception of McGonagall and Neville, of course, who had gotten no say in the matter at all.
Hermione looked over her shoulder at Severus who was not one to engage in sunrise watching or anything of the sort that required him out of bed at an early hour, and so he was still fast asleep. She couldn't help but smile, never tiring of how young and different he looked while he slept.
She shook her head and went back to gazing out the window, holding her mug of tea to warm her chilly hands. Some time went by before she noticed Hagrid emerge from his hut near the edge of the forest to feed some sort of creatures; most likely Blast-Ended Skrewts by the look of it. He lumbered back in sometime later; Fang close at his heels, probably waiting for some kind of food from his master.
"Ah—close those blasted things, would you?" Severus said suddenly and very groggily, making Hermione jump a little. She wasn't worried though; she had come to know how to decipher his tone of voice...and he wasn't upset. Or at least, he wasn't upset with her, just the drapes and the glaring sunlight.
Hermione only rolled her eyes before she set her mug down on a small table and turned around to face him, arms folded and trying to look dominant...which never really worked when she actually thought about it. The man could be just as intimidating laying down, drunk with sleep.
She tried her hardest to not allow a larger smile to creep onto her face as Severus indicated backwards with his head slightly, telling her to come back over to the bed.
After almost quite successfully composing herself, Hermione shook her head just as subtly, unwilling to submit immediately.
Severus raised an eyebrow, and then nodded backwards again, this time a little less subtle.
Now Hermione couldn't help but crack a smile, but she controlled it as she shook her head again.
Another less subtle movement of the head.
This time Hermione laughed out once, finally looking down in somewhat of submission and walked over to the edge of the bed but stayed standing, arms still crossed, her expression clearly asking, what?
More raised eyebrows were all she received, as if the answer was obvious.
Of course she knew the 'answer' to her 'question', but that certainly didn't mean she should have to submit at all. Besides, it was much more fun making him work for something for once as it pertained to this instance.
With aggravation, Severus sighed and sat up ever so slightly, rolling his eyes at her for being difficult.
Hermione only had a moment to smile in her triumph, for it was soon completely shattered as Severus moved just enough so he could grasp her wrist, pulling her down onto the bed.
She let out an awkward sound, as she obviously had not been expecting that as she fell, landing nearly on top of him. She started to laugh as soon as she landed, knowing it would be nearly impossible for her to keep a straight face with him now.
Severus also quirked a smile, although faint (as it usually was), and looked at her, brushing away some stray hair that had found its way into her face when she fell.
"Couldn't help yourself, now could you?" Hermione tried to say accusingly, but knowing it came out jokingly. She was completely helpless like this and she was well aware of this fact...unfortunately, so was he.
"Can't resist me though, can you..." Severus said quietly, but still holding somewhat of a smirk on his very tired face. Hermione was only able to shake her head slightly as she found herself falling into his eyes again, unable to look away.
Severus reached up and placed both hands on the sides of her face very gently, as if contemplating his next move.
"It happened again last night," said Hermione very suddenly and decisively, having noticed a part of the Mark on his arm where his shirt did not cover, "didn't it?"
For a moment, Severus said nothing, only looked at her for a few moment longer before sighing and closing his eyes, letting his hands fall from where they rested on her face to his chest where they now lay in forgotten heap.
Hermione, of course, was talking about him being called to Voldemort's side; she knew he'd gone in the middle of the night and that he'd come back injured again.
"I don't want you worrying about that," Severus finally said, his eyes still closed. Hermione stared at his face incredulously.
"And how can I possibly not be worried, Severus," she asked. He shrugged an eyebrow, not speaking about the matter and simply not wishing to; never understanding why she found the need to bring it up.
"Besides," she continued. "You're hurt...again," she added with some exasperation as he refused to seek any help for his wounds ever...only with severe threats did Hermione manage to at least somewhat tend to him.
One eye opened...
Severus only half-glared at her concerned expression momentarily before retorting.
"I am perfectly alright...ouch! Damn girl...what was that for?!" He cursed as Hermione had swiftly found it in best interest to prove him wrong and apply pressure to his torso where she knew he was wounded. It had, of course, worked. She sat up and waited for him to stop pretending like it wasn't hurting him as badly as it really was.
"Isn't there some way you can just—"
"No," Severus said very swiftly, being expert in retort as they had already had this discussion/argument more than a few times.
Knowing it was no use, especially at this hour of the early morning, Hermione did not press it...for the moment. She would not give up easily, and she had a very good feeling he knew that.
But sitting up wasn't suiting Severus at all, so she found herself being unceremoniously tugged back down next to him, huddled up against his body, finding it impossible to not smile at how determined he was for her to stay right there with him, just for the company.
Hermione rested her head on the inside of his shoulder rather than the pillow, laying her arm gently across his chest, careful this time to not hurt him. She could hear his deep breathing as he started to drift back off to sleep, watching her arm rise and fall with this chest.
"Don't you have first years to teach," Hermione said after while and looking at the clock noticing what time it was. Severus only groaned in response, not thrilled by any means about teaching the dunderhead beginners who didn't know one end of their wand from the other.
"I cannot possibly teach today," he said, eyes still tightly closed. "I'm injured, remember?" Hermione only shook his head at his snide comment and said something about him getting up and acting like a man if he so insisted on being one who refused any medical help.
"You are impossible," Hermione said lightly, disengaging herself from him, hoping it would prompt him to move if she was no longer there.
Severus finally convinced himself it was no use staying there any longer if he was to be alone and so he pushed himself to sit up. It made his lungs and stomach positively burn and it took everything not to groan in pain. Teeth tightly clenched, he got out of the bed and walked a few steps to Hermione who was in the middle of the room, as if she were dangling a carrot in front of a horse who refused to move.
He certainly took the bait, although most definitely not taking amusement in her triumphant face, and walked over to her, right up close so there were only centimeters of air between them.
Hermione looked up at him with her eyes, questioning what exactly it was he was doing now.
Severus swiftly erased every thought that lingered in her mind as he closed the gap, holding her as tight as he dared to without hurting himself more, softly kissing her...a kiss to take her breath away.
Hermione couldn't move when they broke apart and stood there in a stupor for a few moments as she felt him release her and walk away to reluctantly get ready for the day.
She was never very sure of when those moments would come...those moments when he just kissed her without even the slightest warning with such a passion it sent butterflies everywhere in her being just thinking about it.
Severus smirked to himself as he entered the bathroom, loving the look on her face whenever he did something like that.
Oh, the unexpected moments...
At the mirror, he removed his white night shirt, revealing his makeshift bandage he had made the night before. Slowly, clenching his teeth, he removed it to reveal the large gash on his side, about the length of his forearm. It had finally stopped bleeding, but it still looked absolutely horrid, probably on its way to infection very soon.
He knew Hermione was right...he needed it looked at. But pride and ego were stopping him...not to mention he was sure Poppy wouldn't be very eager to make him a healing potion or sew him up for that matter.
"Still alive though, aren't you old boy?" He muttered to himself in the mirror with a ghost of a grin, finally reapplying the bandage and getting himself dressed again in his usual black attire, spirits lifted with thoughts of how terrified those younger students always were when he made his dramatic entrances into the classroom everyday.
Hermione wandered her way down into the living room, casting a simple spell to make a fire in the hearth. She smiled as a memory of her crawling under bleachers to set a cape on fire came popping into her head...
Did he know it had been her all those years ago?
Sighing at memories of days past, her smile fading a bit as thoughts of current day problems overpowered memory lane, she settled back with one of the many books Severus had brought in for her and began to read away.
Severus smiled faintly when he came down the stairs to see Hermione absorbed in yet another book. It was never a surprise to see it, obviously, however the thought that she was as passionate about knowledge as he was gave him just one more reason to fall in love with her. Not that he was finding this difficult by any means, but it just served as a...small reminder of all of the things he realized made her so perfect.
"Still reading," he commented snidely as he came down the stairs, certainly not one to become a perfect gentleman and tell her how much he admired it.
Upon reaching her where she sat, Severus leaned in close to her. "Simply cannot live without it can you," he whispered.
Hermione raised one eyebrow but did not glance up from the page. He was bating her and she knew it, but she wouldn't let it faze her. Not today.
"No," she replied very nonchalantly. "No, I suppose I can't."
Severus narrowed his eyes slightly, wondering if she would suddenly crack under the pressure of his bait. Although after a time, she only continued to read and so he straightened up nodding to himself. Touché...he thought in complete admiration for standing her ground against him.
Hermione looked up with her eyes only as he started walking towards the door, a smirk creeping from her lips, knowing he had not been expecting her to as good as ignore him.
Without another word, she watched him open the door and leave, swiftly clicking it closed behind him. This was when her true smile broke out and she kind of laughed out once before shaking her head and going back to reading.
It wasn't until part way into her second book did Hermione find something that really caught her interest. It was a book about Hogwarts, untitled, that was apparently quite rare and contained information on some of the less well-known secrets of the castle.
The piece that caught her eye was about the head's quarters beyond the public office. There were said to be an original total of three "secrets" of the office; places for the current head to use for hiding, extra storage, or whatever need be. There was also an addition in the text stating that current headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, had added a fourth, to what extent or purpose remained unknown. Hermione smiled at this, knowing exactly which one had been Dumbledore's...
She suddenly found herself looking around, book abandoned on her lap, wondering where and what these secret places were within the office, and did they even still exist?
"Only one way to find out..." she said to herself decisively, standing up and setting the book aside. She sighed and gazed around, hoping to see something out of the ordinary she may have overlooked before.
Some time passed before Hermione walked near where the old jukebox was and felt a slight draft...coming from above her.
She looked up, thinking. Well, it was a place to start...
Severus' first thought was a panicked one when he arrived back in his quarters later that afternoon. A somewhat large cloud of dust took over the backside of the room near Dumbledore's hideous old muggle music contraption. Unsure of what was causing it, he waited almost apprehensively as it began to clear, wand at the ready...just in case.
He was however, taken a bit by surprise as the dust cleared and he saw Hermione, or at least most of her, coming down from the ceiling where everything but her shoulders up was visible. She seemed to be through the ceiling.
Severus rolled his eyes and walked over to her where he noticed she was standing on one of his tables. "Care to explain why you are dismantling the ceiling of my sitting room?"
Hermione's face suddenly appeared from where it had indeed been up in the ceiling at his words, smiling a little too brightly, giving him the impression she was up to no good.
Although he was slightly shocked at where he had found her, he could not deny that she looked quite attractive, stripped down to only her white tank top...hair up haphazardly, face black in places from what appeared to be an excessive amount of dust.
"Hello," she said brightly. "It's all explained in that book right there," she pointed to her abandoned book that was near the couch where she'd left it hours before. Eyeing her suspiciously, Severus strolled over to the couch and picked up the book, reading the page that was open.
"Secret places," he said aloud, never having heard of such things in the head's study before. "And you think you've found one do you?"
"Mmmhmm..." came the muffled sound of Hermione's voice from where it was back in the ceiling, searching again. "It's a crawl space," she said. "I think there is something up here, but I haven't quite figured out how to make it visible." Severus noted that she sounded a tad disappointed.
Snapping closed the book and tossing it aside on the sofa, Severus went back over to where she was and stood there a moment thinking before speaking again.
"Pity, that..." he said in a low, slightly seductive voice.
Before Hermione could even react to that tone of voice that she now knew to be trouble, she found herself being swept from the table, emitting a small scream as she fell down, but safely into Severus' arms.
He watched her laugh as she held onto him around the neck and he walked away from the dusty corner, shoving away the immense pain that had erupted near his torso.
"What was that for," she asked laughingly, looking up at his face as he stopped walking near the sofa.
"Now you see, it was my turn to be unable to resist..." he trailed off suggestively, leaning down to kiss her once; something he had been thinking about doing all day.
"Were you going to set me down or..." Hermione asked, smiling, as they broke apart. She raised her brow as Severus shook his head slowly, that look that positively spelled trouble spread onto his face.
"I seem to have trouble keeping you in that bed with me, Hermione," he said quietly in what was probably response to earlier that morning. "Although, as it looks like you wont be going anywhere at the moment, perhaps I should just bring you there now, as insurance."
She laughed, inwardly loving the way he was talking to her, secretly wishing to just lay in that bed with him all day.
"Cute," she stated jokingly. "Now put me down," she said with what she hoped was at least a bit forceful. But Severus only partially sneered at her attempt to tell him what to do, and with that he began to walk in the general direction of the stairs.
"Severus!" She exclaimed, playfully smacking his shoulder. "Hey! No—put me down!" She started to positively giggle while attempting to protest and resist him from taking her upstairs. The fact that he was actually smiling, taking obvious pleasure in this did not help matters for Hermione, although she had to admit it was wonderful to see him looking so pleased.
"A-hem," came a voice from the doorway, stopping Severus right in his tracks. He was still slightly grinning as he turned them both around to face Professor McGonagall who was standing in the doorway, looking a tad uncomfortable.
Severus' happy face faded almost completely as he finally set Hermione down, she herself trying very hard to wipe the smile off of her own face, but of course failing.
"Professor McGonagall," Hermione acknowledged politely, only all too aware of how utterly disgusting she had to look from being engulfed in dust and dirt for most of the afternoon.
"Not to be rude," Severus said in a tone that was meant to hint at nothing but rudeness, "but I thought we'd had an earlier conversation about knocking—"
"I know Severus," McGonagall interjected sharply, sounding a bit annoyed with her colleague. "And I did; however, you must have been too..." she pursed her lips in true McGonagall fashion. "Busy...to hear me."
Hermione instantly felt her face turn pink, but took care to hide it as she turned around partially to catch the look on Severus' face that she knew would absolutely be a once in a lifetime thing to see. She stifled a laugh before turning back to McGonagall again.
"You seem to have visitors," she finished after no one spoke in an irritated tone of voice suggesting these "visitors" did not thrill her at all.
Severus' face immediately darkened at this. He straightened up, leaving no signs that he had in fact been laughing moments earlier. Hermione was worried now. He wouldn't act this way unless it was a Death Eater who was here to see him.
"Stay here," he ordered as he reached the door, not turning around to face the two witches. Hermione nodded. Ok, she thought, acknowledging how Severus nodded once in assurance that she would stay put and watched as he only opened the door to the office enough for him to go through, closing it swiftly behind him with a thud.
Hermione half expected McGonagall to follow him, but was surprised to find her sit down on the sofa, heaving a sigh. Hermione didn't say a word; she only watched the old witch, wishing she would say something to break the very awkward tension in the room.
Instead of speaking though, McGonagall glanced beside her where Hermione's book had been cast aside and picked it up, looking at the cover before opening back up to the page where Hermione had stopped reading.
"Impressive," she muttered as she read, Hermione unsure if she was addressing her or simply speaking to herself, so she said nothing in response. "So that's what you were doing..." McGonagall glanced over her shoulder at the mess Hermione had made behind her; looking back at her a bit sheepishly because of her previous statement as to the reason no one had heard the knock on the door.
Hermione found herself nodding absentmindedly, though consumed with other thoughts as to who and what those so-called visitors wanted out there...
With a sigh of her own, Hermione sat down in the large armchair, looking at the floor, thinking.
"Miss Granger," said McGonagall suddenly. Hermione looked up questioningly, having a feeling this would be nothing good. McGonagall had a look about her, one suggesting that something was indeed on her mind but she could not quite form the right words to say it. Hermione had a feeling this probably had to do with Severus...or her and Severus...
But at that moment, she realized that she shouldn't be upset with Professor McGonagall...if Hermione herself was watching these last few months, having no knowledge of what was going on, she would ask the same exact questions.
She looked up at her professor's struggling face with a sad smile. "You can say it, you know," she said quietly in a knowing voice as if prompting her to say what she was feeling.
McGonagall looked up, just seeming to have become aware Hermione had been watching her. She strained a smile and took a breath before speaking.
"Hermione," she said quietly, "you've have grown so much..."
Ok. Not exactly the route Hermione thought she'd be traveling. Some confusion must have showed in Hermione's face, as McGonagall only smiled more genuinely.
"Yes," she continued, "it has become especially apparent these last few years...sticking by Mr. Potter through all of his endeavors, especially throughout the tournament. And then last spring, that night S—" she stopped abruptly, as if she'd caught herself saying something she shouldn't. "That night Albus died," she finished after a moment. Hermione looked away at this, knowing full well what she had been about to say. "You were there, helping fight off the Death Eaters...over the past months once again staying by Harry's side while he has been searching for the horcruxes..." she stopped again and looked back up to Hermione.
"And now...now, here, this." She seemed to not know how to say all of this straightly. "I have often wondered how a young woman such as yourself could..." she trailed off, looking to the floor for her words, not wishing to be offensive.
And the odd thing was Hermione wasn't offended at all, because she now actually understood where McGonagall was coming from with all of this.
"...Possibly fall in love with a man like him," Hermione finally finished for her, nodding her head with a slight smile on her face. McGonagall did not look up, but only nodded to the ground; seeming grateful Hermione had stepped up and said what she had meant to the entire time.
"I often ask myself the same exact thing," replied Hermione a bit laughingly now, knowing she was never certain of her attraction to this man, but only knew it was there and it was genuine.
"You love him, don't you?" McGonagall asked, watching her carefully now, as if they were in class again and she was waiting for a particularly calculated answer to a complicated homework question.
Almost instantly, Hermione felt herself nodding, knowing how right it felt to say yes to her about the whole matter. "Yes. I do."
McGonagall nodded to herself decisively and looked up and actually smiled, taking Hermione for a bit of a surprise, thinking that she would have practically gagged in repulsion.
"Then, in that case, I am happy for you both. Know that," she said truthfully, inclining her head slightly indicating that she truly meant it. Hermione smiled as well, thankful for McGonagall's reaction. "Besides," she added with a small grin, "that nearly impossible man out there needs a strong-willed woman like you...to, you know, keep him in check every once in a while." Hermione laughed, shaking her head. Oh how true that will be...
Hermione was slightly more relaxed from that point on, although she still had not pushed away the feeling that everything would not be going her way today.
True to her feelings too, she was right. No more than five minutes after McGonagall had said her peace did the door to the living room open, revealing the sneering face of none other than Draco Malfoy.