-=-=-=-Chapter 36: Invisible Paranoia -=-=-=-=-
Hermione yawned as she stirred in her bed. She stretched while still under the covers and pulled her pillow close to her as her mind tried to backtrack the previous night's activities. Blushing upon remembering her crying her eyes out on the Potion Master's robe, she hoped he wouldn't begrudge her falling to pieces on him. She was normally so much better at controlling her emotions without sobbing uncontrollably on her mentor's clothing. That could be awkward when she saw Severus next.
She trudged off to the shower and stood in the warm water for few minutes doing absolutely nothing. Washing quickly afterwards, she toweled off, brushed her teeth, and grabbed a robe from the wardrobe. Furiously toweling her hair for a minute or two, she grunted, pulling on her outer robe, transferred her sigils, and yawned again. Calling her wand to her from whatever dark place she had left it, she waited until it slammed into her palm. Stashing the wand in her inner pocket, she headed out the door.
The door to the classroom was slightly ajar. Severus must have already been up setting up materials for the morning class. She hoped silently that he had tea waiting. She could use a good cup of tea… or fifteen.
Walking into the classroom, she smiled at the desks having been arranged in a perfect line. Perfectionist, she thought to herself.
A sound caused her to turn, and she spun, expecting an errant student poking their nose into the empty classroom, but there was nothing. The hair on the back of her neck rose as a tingle around her head brushed against her mental shields. Her wand was in her hand in an instant, and she squared her feet on the floor in preparation for battle. She slammed down extra layers of shields over her thoughts. Her face hardened as all trace of emotion drained away. Her body was a tense as a spring, reverting to heightened readiness for combat that came from war.
She growled, whispering something with gritted teeth. With a flick of her wand that was barely seen, mage-lights formed on the end of her wand and moved out throughout the room, casting a bright radiance that illuminated the potions classroom.
She stood, motionless in the classroom, tensed and waiting, her eyes stared into the corner, seeing nothing, but unable to shake the feeling of being watched.
A familiar brush of a shoe on the stone floor came from outside the potions classroom. She flicked her eyes towards the ajar door to see Severus staring at the half opened door with curiosity. She remained where she was, but her body relaxed slightly.
Severus had his wand in his hand as he stepped into his classroom, eyes scanning the room with a slight squint as the mage-lights hovered in places he normally did not expect bright light.
Severus felt a rush of wind move against him as he stepped in, causing him to whirl to stare out the half open door. With a low growl, he raised his wand and uttered the incantation to multiple wards – slamming them down into place over his classroom. There was a sensation of hot wind that blew through the aisles of the classroom as his wards crashed down, and only then did Hermione relax her posture and slowly lower her wand.
As both the wizard and the witch tucked their wands away, Hermione dispelled the mage-lights, bringing the room back to its more customary gloom. Severus ignited the torches at the same time as he walked towards Hermione with a concerned expression.
With a word, he transfigured their accustomed couch and pulled a tea set out of thin air, setting it down on the small table. Hermione had once asked him if Hogwart's had the house elves keep fully prepared tea sets in stasis somewhere in the castle that each professor could just fetch at any given time. She had always been entirely too clever for her own good. She would have made an excellent Slytherin.
They both sat down wearily as if the morning had already been over and done with.
"You look horrible, Severus," Hermione said candidly.
"Hrph," he muttered. "Speak for yourself."
Hermione smiled, despite her earlier tension.
He turned to look at her. "What happened before I came in?"
Hermione frowned. "I felt like I was being watched."
It was his turn to frown. "Explain."
She turned her eyes up to look at the ceiling a moment. "You remember how I told you last night that I kept feeling like a tingle in my head when I was around Professor Brody?"
Severus nodded, narrowing his eyes.
"It was like that, only, no one was here," she said. "I put up the shields, as you taught me, but it only made the tingle go away. I still felt… eyes on me."
Snape stared into the bottom of his teacup as he drank from it. "He has not attempted anything on me as of yet, but that does not mean I am making light of your concerns. I do not know, however, if he has attempted some clumsy scan of anyone else. It is not a topic one casually brings up over dinner."
"Oh pardon me, Professor Sprout," Hermione said cheerfully. "You would happen to have someone trying to pry into your mind lately, by chance? No? Well carry on then!"
Snape set his teacup down and closed his eyes a moment, seemingly wrestling down a laugh. "Yes… that would be too easy. Absolutely disturbing, actually."
"You do look positively awful, Severus," Hermione said with concern. "I'm sorry I kept you up last night."
His eyes opened, and he locked gazes with her. "Never apologize for that, Hermione," he said solemnly. "Do I make myself clear?"
She smiled back at him, casting her eyes down slightly. "Perfectly, Professor Snape."
They worked silently in the lab until the breakfast bell rang. Hermione scooped up the thick orange burn paste into multiple smaller tins. She slathered it into each tin, making a face as it made a schlucking sound that was discomfiting. She dipped her fingers into the warm wax in the smaller cauldron next to her, running her fingers along the edge of the tins to seal them.
Severus worked beside her, brewing multiple cauldrons of Draught of Peace. His face was expressionless as he stirred each one, pausing only to add a pinch of the next ingredient.
Hermione set out the bottles for him without a word, setting the funnel down next to them. She turned and gathered the pile of paste tins into her arms and carried them to his desk, dumping them on top of the desk as she sat down in his chair. Pulling out a piece of parchment, she dipped a quill in ink and began writing out labels.
Severus poured doses of the draught into each waiting bottle and closed the tops just as a flurry of labels whooshed by him, wrapping themselves tightly around the bottle's surface. He turned to look back at his desk where Hermione fastidiously quilled on the parchment in front of her. With a small smile of approval turning the corners of his mouth, he accio'ed a crate to him and began to set each potion into the cushioning straw.
He hoisted the crate up and carried it to his desk just as Hermione finished labeling all of the tins. She stood with a sigh, gently placing the burn paste tins into the crate straw with the draughts.
Severus inclined his head silently towards the door, and Hermione lead the way out. He carried the crate under his arm as he exited, waving his wand without looking back as the door snapped shut by his silent command. They walked up the spiral stairs out the dungeons
"Professor Granger!" a boy's high voice called to her as she and Severus rounded the corner past the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room.
The two professors turned simultaneously towards the voice.
The boy ran towards them with an excited gait, causing Severus to scowl down at him.
"Mr. Mitchell," Hermione greeted softly. "Did you get to all of your classes okay?"
"Yes, Ma'am," he beamed up at her. He pulled out a small piece of parchment and held it out to her. She knelt down a little to meet his gaze. As she eyed the parchment curiously, it formed into delicate poppy flower. "Thank you for helping me the other day!"
Hermione smiled, grasping the gift with her delicate fingers. "You are welcome, Mr. Mitchell." She stood back to her full height with a small smile.
The boy looked up at the towering figure of the Potion Master and wore the expression of one attempting to meet the eyes of giraffe from the viewpoint of a mongoose. "Good morning, Professor Snape."
Severus looked blankly down at the boy. "Good morning, Mr. Mitchell." He locked gazes with the boy in complete silence until the boy blushed and scurried back towards the Slytherin Common Room where a couple other students ruffled his hair and pushed his shoulder.
Hermione and Severus continued on their way. Hermione looked up into the Potion Master's dark eyes with silent laughter. The corner of his lip twitched upward before he turned his gaze forward.