Chapter Twenty-One: A Dose of Reality

Hermione had just finished dressing, and now stood with her head bent to ring the rest of the water from her thick curls. She felt refreshed, having thoroughly washed the dirt from her entire body, her hair no longer the mess it had been less than an hour ago. When she stood right again, she noticed that Elora was coming back into camp. The young witch smiled at the older woman and nodded.

"Have a nice walk?" she asked.

Elora shrugged, her lips curving the slightest bit as she approached Hermione. "I suppose so."

Hermione grabbed up her towel and walked over to hang it on the clothes line, her eyes staying on Elora as she did so.

"I take it you found him," she said, more as a statement than a question.

"Yes, I found him."

"And?"

Elora chuckled quietly. "It could have been much worse," she conceded.

"I guess that means it could also have gone a lot better?" asked Hermione.

"More or less."

"I wouldn't take it personally. He's always…rather hard to get along with. He's been that way as long as I've known him anyway."

"I think he's just confused," amended Elora as she went to stand beside Hermione.

Granger sighed and turned to face the water. "I think he's just tired of being here…I think we both are. I know I'm ready to go back to Hogwarts…"

Elora's eyes narrowed, and she looked at the girl to her left. "You're from Hogwarts? The wizard school in Scotland?"

"Actually, I'm from muggle London. But yes, I go to school at Hogwarts. Professor Snape is my potions teacher."

The she wolf was shocked at this revelation, and her eyes narrowed even further. Surely she couldn't have heard the witch correctly. "How old are you?"

"I'm nineteen. I should have graduated by now, but…due to the wizarding war, my friends and I had to miss our seventh year. We decided to return to Hogwarts to finish up our education."

Elora managed to hide her surprise very well, for Hermione seemed not to notice it. Or if she had, she didn't comment. No wonder Mr. Snape seems so conflicted about his feelings toward this girl. She's only a child compared to him…Her teacher…

"So what on earth brings you here to New Zealand?" she questioned, curiosity demanding that she seek answers.

Hermione turned her head so that she was looking into Elora's eyes. "It's obvious isn't it?" When Elora continued to look confused, Hermione led her over to the lidded cauldron that sat over the second, unlit fire pit. She lifted the lid in order for the wolf to look inside, and her pupils grew wide with understanding.

"Wolfsbane," she breathed.

"Yes…We needed Wolfsbane and Fanged Geranium in order to make the potion. Once we found the ingredients, we decided it would be best to remain here until the next full moon passes. That way we don't…hurt anyone in the school." She looked to Elora, a question surfacing in her mind. "Though, you'd know all about it, wouldn't you?"

Elora met Hermione's caramel eyes and shook her head. "No, not at all. I've never used it. True wolves have a degree of control that turned ones do not. And besides, I'm not a wizard or a potion maker. I wouldn't know how to make it if I tried."

"I take it you don't come by many wizards then?"

"No, not too many. New Zealand is home to magical creatures more than wizards." Elora furrowed her brow in thought, thinking carefully before she asked her next question. "When…when were you…turned?" she asked warily.

Hermione frowned a bit. "About…three months ago."

"And Mr. Snape?"

Hermione grimaced then, though she tried to hide it. "Two months…" She averted her eyes, the shame coloring her face a dark red as guilt took over heavily within her heart.

Elora's expression turned to one of sympathy as understanding came to her. She placed a hand on the witch's shoulder in a gesture of comfort. "No matter what you think, it wasn't your fault. I'm sure he knows that, too."

"I dunno…He says he doesn't blame me, but…I can't really be sure. If anyone knows how to hold a grudge, it's Snape."

"Oh, if he held a grudge, I'm pretty positive you'd know it," said Elora with a bit of humor.

Hermione gave a slight, humorless laugh, taking a few steps away from the she wolf's hand. "You obviously don't know him as well as I do."

Elora's countenance took on an older, wiser look, her eyes becoming almost distant as she seemed to gaze through Hermione. "On the contrary: I don't think you know any more about him than me."

X-X-X

The evening came soon after, and Snape had yet to return, leaving Hermione and Elora to eat without him. The two women went to bed a few hours later, and though Elora fell asleep quickly, Hermione found herself unable to rest. Anxiety churned her stomach as she tossed and turned in her bed, wondering where Snape had gone, why he was mad, and why he hadn't returned to camp. Had she done something to anger him? Had Elora ticked him off even further?

Did he abandon them?

No! He'd never do such a thing! He might be an arse sometimes…ok, most of the time…but he wouldn't just desert me!

Giving up on sleep, she decided that a walk would help to tire her mind. Taking care not to wake Elora, Hermione swung out of bed, put on her shoes and slipped out of the tent with the goal if simply wandering around aimlessly for awhile until she felt like she could lay down and actually go to sleep.

The forest was dark, as was expected, but the bright half-moon overhead shone a silvery glow through the treetops in various places. Even without her new night-vision, Hermione knew she would be able to see perfectly fine as she trekked silently through the wooded area. The night air was warm, and Hermione began to think how constantly mountain temperatures changed. Indeed, it seemed the highlands couldn't make up their mind whether to be warm or cool. She was thankful that the evening was pleasantly comfortable, though, and she let her thoughts drift elsewhere, no longer paying attention to where she was headed.

The faint sound of water came to her ears after awhile, and Hermione stopped to look around, attempting to locate the source of the unexpected noise. Reason told her it was probably just a frog or a fish, but something pulled her toward the sound. She changed direction and walked carefully until she came close enough to the stream without leaving the security of the forest.

She froze immediately and clutched at a tree to her right as her eyes grew wide, taking in the sight she had not expected to come across.

Snape was waist deep in the water, wading, naked, out into the middle of the stream, the moonlight gleaming off of his incredibly pale skin and turning the top of his raven hair silver. Though his right side faced her, she could not see the scars on his neck, and she found herself astonished at his perfection. His arms were long and muscular, his torso toned, his face resembling an ancient Greek statue made of marble, serious and handsome. The warm breeze caught in his dark mane and gave it the illusion of a mass of elegantly manicured feathers.

Gods, what a sight! Hermione thought as her heart twisted painfully with the desire to touch him.

She knew she should leave, but she couldn't find it in herself to tear her eyes away from the man who held her attention so mercilessly. Heat flooded her cheeks as she watched his right hand come out of the water with a cloth that he used to slowly clean himself with, as if thoroughly enjoying the sensation of the water and soap upon his skin. He started with his arms and neck, then moved to his chest, his hand trailing the cloth down to his stomach and beneath to where she could not see. After a time, he lifted one leg to wash it, then set it down and lifted the other to give it the same treatment.

Satisfied that his body was clean, he tossed the cloth behind him, and it landed precisely on the bank near his clothes. Then he bent his head forward to wash out his hair and rinse his face. The entire time, Hermione watched in stunned fascination, mesmerized by the entire event.

Why couldn't she look away? Why, if she knew she should leave, did she find herself rooted to the spot, spying on her professor as he bathed? If he'd done such a thing to her, she would have hexed him to Hades! So why could she not turn and walk the other way?

Snape stood straight again and shook out his hair, the droplets of water sparkling in the moonlit air around him as they fell upon his already wet skin, sliding down his shoulders, back and arms. Hermione licked her lips, her mind turning to thoughts that were unquestionably taboo. Yet even as she chastised herself, she couldn't help but imagine what his skin would taste like…

He turned and headed back to the bank gracefully, and when the water was shallow enough to expose what she hadn't been able to see before, she gasped, covering her mouth instantly and praying he hadn't heard her. Apparently he hadn't, for he continued toward his clothes without pausing, reaching for his towel to dry himself off.

His back was facing her as she watched him rub the towel over his body, her heart jumping into her throat each time she caught a glimpse of his backside. She gave an inaudible sigh as he slipped on his boxes, then his usual black pants before grabbing the towel up again to finish drying his now wild, black mane.

My God, thought Hermione. What a beautiful man…He's absolutely gorgeous…Every part of him! She let out a moan, but covered her mouth again as soon as she saw Snape go rigid with the towel in his hands.

He sniffed the air, turning his head upward only slightly, then to the left. That scent…Dammit!

Hermione blinked as he leapt up into the tree above him and vanished from her sight altogether. She furrowed her brows in confusion, lowering her hand as her eyes scanned the black treetops.

Where did he go…? Worry flooded through her, and just as she was about to turn and book it back to camp, she felt strong hands clamp down on her shoulders and spin her around. She screamed, frightened, until she looked up into the large, black irises of a very angry Snape. She swallowed hard, her own eyes widening in horror. She'd been caught…

"What do you think you're doing, Granger?" he hissed, his hands pressing her arms back against the trunk of the tree.

Hermione struggled to find words, but couldn't manage to locate very many. "I-I was just-I was walking and-"

"You decided to spy on me?"

Again, she swallowed, genuinely afraid of what he would do to her. He looked like he was ready to spit fire and tear her limb from limb. She tried to stop herself from shaking in fear, but it was useless. His ire shook her to her core, and she was scared.

"N-No-"

"How long have you been here?" he demanded.

Knowing she had to say something, but not wanting to disclose the exact answer, she said, "Long enough."

"How long?" he growled, shaking her enough to scare the answer out of her.

Hermione closed her eyes, praying to higher powers that he wouldn't kill her right there on the spot. "Since…Since just after you waded into the water I suppose," she admitted, her voice trembling just as much as her body.

Snape growled again, and this time, the sound sent delicious shivers up her spine, and caused a blazing heat to coil somewhere below her belly. A whimper threatened to leap from her slightly parted lips, but she fought to hold it back.

Oh Merlin, what is this…?

As the witch kept her eyes shut, Snape's eyes traveled down her body, that familiar desire flaring up inside him as he began to realize just how much she had seen. The thought made him hot, and he fought desperately for control. The last thing he needed at that moment was to do something he would regret almost instantly.

And what made it worse for Snape was the realization that whatever she'd seen, she had obviously liked it. Her face was flushed, he could smell her arousal; he shuttered at the thought that she had looked upon his naked body and responded with such blatant desire.

His grip on her arms tightened, and when he spoke his next words, they were dangerously low.

"This is the second time…I've caught your eyes lingering where they shouldn't…Do it again, Granger…and I guarantee you, you will surely…regret it."

He felt her shaking like leaf, though her skin was hot and her body called for a different kind of attention. With another fierce growl, he let her go before he did something he knew he shouldn't.

When Hermione felt his hands leave her, she waited a few seconds before opening her eyes to find that he was gone. She let out a ragged breath, then drew in several more, trying desperately to calm her nerves and allay her fears. He hadn't harmed her. He hadn't killed her, much to her relief. But he had shaken her severely on the inside. Her mind was whirling, spinning, trying to piece her common sense back together. Once she'd regained coherent thought processes, her first instinct was to get as far away from that area as possible. She didn't know where Snape had gone, but she knew she had to get out of there.

Hermione fled back to camp at a dead run, trying to leave all memory of what had just taken place behind. It was no use, however. As she ran into the tent and flopped down on her bed, her mind was racing with thoughts and images, fears and desires, and sleep was even further from her mind than it had been earlier that evening.

Oh God, oh God, oh God! She thought as she buried her face in her blankets. I was just caught spying on Snape! I saw him naked-completely naked! And I liked it! And he saw me! And-Oh God!

She squeezed her eyes shut as she clutched at her stomach, the picture of her professor's unclothed form, emblazoned in her mind, stirring a fire she'd never felt before. She knew what it was, regardless, and that scared her even more.

X-X-X

Snape sat slouched against a tree, far away from camp and the tent. He was a mile and a half past his wards, he'd fled that far in a desperate attempt to distance himself from the bloody vixen that had taken a guilty pleasure in watching him in the stream. Why? He couldn't understand why she'd been so curious…Despite his claim the last time he'd caught her spying, he had no idea if she'd been a virgin before that night in the dungeons, so he couldn't pin her curiosity to the fact that she'd never seen a man naked before. Then again, she hadn't argued against his bold accusation...

Hell! She'd been in a tent with Potter and Weasley for almost a year! What were the chances that she'd remained celibate through that entire time? Surely she knew…

So why, in Merlin's name, had she watched him that long? And why had she been so…so…turned on? Severus wasn't an idiot. He didn't fool himself into believing he was good-looking. He was almost forty, weathered face made him look even older due to the stress of the past twenty years. Admittedly, he didn't have a bad body. He was physically fit, but he'd never considered himself admirable in that department.

And he had a foul temper besides. Yet even as Granger had stood before him, shaking in fear and apprehension, he had felt her body temperature rise and the smell of her arousal grow stronger.

Snape bent his head and ran his hands through his still damp hair. Bloody hell, woman…what are you doing to me? More importantly, why are you reacting to me as if you'd like me to-

He growled and shot to his feet, spinning round and punching the tree that he'd been leaning against. His knuckles started to bleed, but he didn't care.

Damn that witch! Damn her, and damn me! If I wasn't doomed to the fires of hell before, I am now!

X-X-X

As the sun rose the next morning, Hermione sat on her bed with her knees held tightly to her chest. She hadn't slept the entire night, and she felt tired, restless and anxious. Snape's image was still in her head; he was both angry, and so unbelievably beautiful that all Hermione wanted to do was be near to him again.

Well, maybe that wasn't all she wanted to do, but she didn't dare admit anything more than that, even to herself. Subconsciously, though, fantasies played in her mind, and her heart hammered in her chest, so shook up was she from the previous night's encounter.

When a hand reached out and touched her shoulder, she jumped and gasped, expecting to be met with Snape's venomous wrath.

"Are you alright, hun? You don't look so good…" came Elora's concerned voice from just beside Hermione's bed.

The witch tried to steady her breathing and nodded. "Yeah…sorry, I just…I didn't sleep very well. A bit jumpy this morning I guess…"

"I'd say more than just a bit. You look sick. Do you need something to drink?"

"No! No, I'm fine!" Hermione stood and straightened out her clothes before trying to flatten her hair a little in an attempt to look normal. She turned to Elora with a plastered smile that she hoped would fool the other woman. "See?"

It didn't work. Hermione saw the mounting concern written on Elora's face, and her smile faltered.

"You're a bad liar…did you know that?"

Hermione frowned then and plopped down on the bed and covered her face with her hands. "I know…" She dropped her hands and looked up at Elora pleadingly. "Please, I really don't want to talk about it…Please…I'll be alright. It's nothing you need to be concerned with, trust me."

Elora, of course, was not convinced, but she nodded anyway. She didn't know this girl well enough to pry into her business, so she would respect her request to be left alone. She nodded, still unsure of the young witch's obvious state of distress. "Alright, fine…I'll leave you be. I'll go ahead and find something for breakfast. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. It's the least I can do…"

Hermione nodded as well, but said nothing more. Elora studied the girl for another moment or two before she left the tent, leaving Hermione alone with her thoughts once more.

Come on, Hermione, pull yourself together! If you can't hide your distress from a complete stranger, how can you expect to hide it from Snape? The last thing I need is to deal with more of him and this whole stupid, silly situation!

X-X-X

Elora gazed intently up into the branches of a maple, just waiting and watching. When the large, yellow bird flew away from its next, she leapt up into the tree and stared fondly at the three eggs that sat inside of it.

"Sorry birdie, but it's the circle of life," she said with an air of regret as she took the eggs and put them in her pouch before jumping down and searching for another source of food. It was curious, Hermione's behavior that morning. In all her years, Elora couldn't recall anyone acting the way the young girl had. She found her thoughts lingering on the strangeness of it all.

Then she came to the very plausible conclusion that whatever was wrong with the girl, it had something to do with Snape. Elora frowned. What had he done to the poor dear? What had he said?

It wasn't the Hearts I hope…

As if bidden by her musings, the dark wizard appeared in front of Elora, his expression far from pleasant. He looked guarded and annoyed, and…something else, too.

She raised her eyes and nodded in acknowledgement. "Good morning, Mr. Snape," she greeted in the most neutral way possible.

"Is it?" he replied stiffly, as if trying very hard to control his barely contained temper.

"Is it not?" she returned. "The weather is fair."

Snape growled in agitation. "Oh, shut up, you blasted, nonsensical woman!" He marched past her heading back for camp, though he really loathed to return to the place where he knew Granger was.

Elora turned and followed him, staying quiet only for a minute or so before she couldn't help herself.

"What did you do to her?"

Snape stopped abruptly and whirled on her. "What?" he growled, the hair on the back of his neck rising.

"What's happened? You're both acting strangely. She's jumpy and anxious, and you're even more grumpy than you were when I left you yesterday afternoon."

"Since when did I give you permission to put your two-cents into everything that happens between us? You're a guest in our camp, you're nobody to me. Anything that goes on between Granger and myself is none of your concern! So bugger off or get out!"

"Excuse me for being concerned! But it may interest you to know that Hermione is scared out of her wits and can't even compose herself long enough to fool me, a complete stranger to the both of you! I know something's happened between the two of you, and I'm simply concerned for her well-being! Pull your head and your incredibly large nose out of your ass, and look at what the hell is going on in front of you! Have a heart, you pig-headed jerk!"

"Damn it, she should be scared! She has no idea what she did-what she could have done! No idea!"

"Oh? And just what did she do, Mr. Snape? Please, enlighten me."

Severus stood rigid, not saying a word for the longest time. His face was strained, his hands shook as he held them clenched at his sides. Finally, he couldn't abstain from commenting.

"Listen here, you bloody she wolf," he hissed. "I don't answer to anyone, least of all you, Miss. Wood. If you're expecting me to open up to you, or to anyone else for that matter, like a damn library book, then you will be waiting an incredibly long time. My business is just that: mine. And don't you dare lecture me about having a heart. You've no idea who or what I am, and you never will."

Elora stared back at him, strong and determined not to back down. No one had ever shaken her, no one had ever knocked her off balance, thrown her for a loop, and she was not about let this man do just that. She was right, and she would make him see that.

"Mr. Snape, if you truly love this girl, then you sure have a very funny way of showing it. You want her to be scared? Of what? Of you? You want her to be upset? Distressed? Fearful? Is that what you really want?"

"No! Of course not!" he shot back.

"You want her to hate you? To despise you because you treat her like she's nothing?"

"No! You daft woman, she already hates me! And she should! She has plenty of reasons to!"

"You don't know a thing about what she sees in you."

"Neither do you!"

"So you admit it!"

"Admit what?"

Elora's stern expression gave way to a smile, and her eyes seemed to light with triumph. "You admit you know nothing about her; what she thinks or feels."

Snape was silent.

Elora shook her head, trying not to chuckle at his stubbornness. "Hun, you got a lot to learn about females…and about yourself."

"I know myself better than anyone else does."

"But you don't know yourself. And you don't know her. If you would just try…"

"Then what?" he growled.

"Then you wouldn't so angry all the time…Maybe you'd find that you could actually be happy..."

Snape snorted. "You may live in a fantasy land, but I can assure you, I live in the real world."

Elora laughed. "Darling, you're a wizard. You're already in a fantasy land whether you say so or not. I think the teacher needs to learn that a wand isn't the only thing that can produce magic in one's life…"

She walked past him then, leaving Severus to stare at the spot where she had stood mere seconds earlier. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't help but to contemplate her words.

A/N: Yeah…I wanted to wait to do the peeping Hermione scene until Elora was gone, but…Eh, I thought it was a good transition into what's going to happen next. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and yeah, you got to see what Hermione thinks now! HAHA! And Snape got put in his place. Good stuff, man, good stuff! Please review! More reviews means more incentive to keep on writing!