It had been such a weird dream, Hermione thought, pulling from the blanket to cover her shoulders with a shiver. Her dormitory was warm, but for whatever reason she was pretty cold. Maybe someone had left a window open or something… but getting up to close it was not an option, since she was already struggling to open her eyes. She didn't know what time it was, but she felt like she could sleep for many more hours. Her whole body was sore and tingly, and she tried to recall what had caused that strange feeling.

But her mind was unusually foggy and she has having real trouble organizing the vague images in her memory and discerning real ones from dream ones. Except for a particular one, of course. That one had definitely been a dream… though it had been one of the most real dreams of her life. She could still remember his scent, as clearly as if he was laying right next to her. That intoxicating smell that made all the tingling in her body focus in certain specific areas…

Hermione sunk her face on the pillow with a frustrated sigh, trying to let go of the images and hopefully get a few more hours of sleep. But when she did, somehow the scent became more powerful, filling up her nostrils. She opened her eyes, surprised by the evocative power of her own brain, and then she noticed something was off.

The blanket wrapped around her body wasn't garnet. It was a very dark shade of green. She rubbed her eyes with her hand, trying to focus her sleepy gaze. Maybe it was an optic effect due to the unusual darkness of the dormitory. But when she looked to where the window should be, she only found a dark stone wall. Hermione turned her head around, getting anxious. This wasn't her Gryffindor dormitory.

She sat up on the mattress, the adrenaline of the confusion waking her up for good. What had happened last night? Her eyes found her neoprene suit on a chair by the fireplace. The lake. That part had been real. The mermaids, the story… the story! She gasped, remembering the scenes painted on the mermaid's cavern… she needed to tell Professor Snape about it!

When she thought of him, the images from her dream came rushing back and a chill went down her spine when a wave of understanding hit her. Could it be possible? The barely illuminated room and the dark green linens certainly supported the hypothesis, but again, it was his scent impregnating the sheets and the pillow what made Hermione truly suspect that she was indeed, laying on his bed.

But that couldn't be right. Even if he had rescued her from the lake, as her foggy, incoherent memories suggested… how had she ended up in his bed?

As sure as she was that at least some images in her head were absolutely made up, she looked to her right for a confirmation, holding her breath. The other side of the wide bed was untouched, the blanket only wrinkled on the part she was occupying. She exhaled with enormous relief, though a tiny hidden part of herself felt secretly disappointed.

But then… where was he? Had he just left her there, alone in his private bedroom? She turned to her left, to look at the nightstand, wondering if he really trusted her enough to leave her with his personal belongings without supervision… but the only object on the small table was a teapot and a simple empty cup. There was something weird, however, about them. They were surrounded by a softly shimmering stasis charm… to keep them hot, she realized. So, whenever she woke up, she would find a hot cup of tea to welcome her back to reality. That single thoughtful gesture made her stomach twist, divided by the feeling of hope in her heart and the harsh reminder of her mind that he only saw her as a tolerable acquaintance, something close to a friend at best.

She leaned forward to grab the teapot and then she noticed her own sleeve. Her eyes darted back to the neoprene on the chair. She couldn't remember taking it off. In fact, she didn't remember anything real after seeing Snape's face against the full moon light. She felt the blood rushing to her cheeks… Had he…? She looked down at her clothes. They were her own pajamas. Hermione frowned, puzzled. Too many questions were popping up in her head, and the only one able to answer them was nowhere to be found. She decided that a cup of tea would be the first step towards regaining some clarity, but after a couple sips, she determined she couldn't wait any longer. Barefoot on the cold stone floor, she walked towards the door, taking one last glance back at her surroundings, still finding it hard to believe that she was standing in Severus Snape's bedroom. Absurdly enough, she had never truly pictured the man sleeping, or let's say, reading in bed as a regular human being. He was always so focused, so alert and aware of his environment, that even if she had seen him laying in bed when he was injured, she had never truly processed that he was a vulnerable person, that needed to rest and have a personal private space like the rest of the world.

And never had he looked more in need of a serious rest than when she opened the door of his bedroom and found him downstairs, at the other side of the narrow door where they had hidden during the time-turner brewing.

His eyes were sunk into his skull, surrounded by dark purple circles. His skin was dull, and his long black hair greasier and messier than usual. He was sitting next to the fire on the green couch, doing nothing except staring at the flames as if in some kind of trance. The moment he heard the door opening, his face turned slowly towards her, as if he was coming back from a far away inner place.

"Are you alright?" he asked quietly, clearing his throat when he heard the scratchy sound of his voice.

"I think so..." Hermione replied cautiously, sensing the underlying danger in his paused tone.

Snape slowly got up from the couch, as if his body had become ten times heavier during the night. He approached her with his eyes fixed on the wall behind her head, and she held her breath once more, her heart pumping strongly inside her ribs. His silence was so dense that she felt she was going to choke on it.

"Sir, I'm not sure what happened yesterday… I don't remember.." she mumbled, her fingers rubbing nervously the cup she was still holding in her hands.

"You… are not… sure." he repeated with excruciating pauses in between his whispered words, still not looking at her. "Allow me to refresh your memory." he said, tightening his lips, and only then did Hermione notice that his hands were shaking.

"You stupid girl!" he yelled, completely losing his composure, his black eyes again displaying that wildness she had seen in them the other time, except this time he did look like he could strangle her any moment. "YOU NEARLY DROWNED!"

"It… it was an accident!" Hermione blabbered trying to justify herself. "I didn't intend to cause..."

"HOW? How can a mind as enlightened as yours miss the obvious signs of gillyweed wearing off!?" Snape demanded, his face livid with rage. "Do you have any idea…? Did you even consider…?" he was so furious that he was becoming incoherent, unable to finish his own thoughts as his hands went up in the air again.

Hermione flinched, afraid he might indeed strangle her after all. Snape noticed her movement and he held his breath for a moment, realizing her fear. That seemed to immediately press a button inside him, and he lowered his arms slowly, taking a couple steps back with his palms raised in a harmless gesture, though the darkness in his eyes remained intact.

Hermione took it as a sign to try again. "Sir, I really am sorry! I never meant to worry anyone."

He exhaled loudly, with skepticism and contempt. "You are incredibly lucky that I was the one to find you. If Minerva had heard about this, your future at this school would be over before it had begun."

Hermione swallowed, realizing he was right. After betraying the Headmistress trust once, and yet asking for it again with the time-turner, if McGonagall found out that she had been so irresponsible and reckless to nearly get herself killed at the castle's grounds, there was no way she would consider giving her another chance. At least, that explained why Snape hadn't taken her to the infirmary… though why he would try to protect her reputation when he was clearly so disgusted with her was a complete mystery. One she was nevertheless grateful for. "Thank you so much. For not telling them. And for saving me." she added, her cheeks quickly blushing again as she lowered her head in a regretful look.

Snape's agitated breath began to slowly decrease, though he didn't respond. Hermione still had plenty of questions for him, specially related to her change of clothes, but she figured it was not the best time to bring up sensitive matters. She needed to gain some ground with him first.

"I… There's something I need to tell you." she said, daring to take a step towards him.

He looked at her from where he was standing, his brow raising slightly.

"I didn't go into the lake to look for my bracelet." she confessed, with a guilty look.

"Believe it or not, Miss Granger, I got that far on my own." he murmured darkly.

"As I said, I don't really remember well…" she repeated, unsure of how much she had revealed the previous night. But Snape was looking at her with an indecipherable expression that didn't give away if he had any clue of what she was referring to or not. "I went down there to ask the mermaids… about what happened to you."

The Potions master's face showed no signs of either surprise or confirmation. "Why the mermaids?" he merely asked in an unimpressed tone.

"Ehm… that's what the centaur suggested, I believe." she explained, hesitant.

Snape frowned, failing to follow her reasoning.

"Anyway," Hermione continued, before he could trace her steps back to Hagrid, for she heavily suspected that Snape wouldn't be very happy to know she had shared his story with the groundskeeper "it was a good call. They did have some answers to share."

"Did they?" Snape said, and though he tried to keep his tone detached, Hermione could hear the underlying eagerness to hear her answer.

"Yes. They took me to a cave, underwater, near their village. The walls were painted with stories… and there was a story of a man who had drowned, but before he died he cast a patronus, and then somehow it brought him back to life." Hermione revealed, looking at him with a hopeful expression.

"Did the mermaids tell you this?" Snape asked with skepticism.

"They did. Sort of." Hermione replied, nodding.

"Sort of?"

"Well, they didn't use their words, but the message was clear." she clarified, with a slightly defensive tone.

"I see." Snape said with a scoff.

"Sir, with all due respect, you weren't there. I was." Hermione crossed her arms, knowing that she wasn't in a position to get arrogant, but still feeling offended that he wouldn't even consider her words. "I saw it and I recognized it. It was the same thing that happened to you at the Shrieking Shack that day. Sir… did you cast a patronus before you… were attacked?" she asked, her tone softening.

Snape avoided her question. "Say the mermaid story were true. Did it include any sort of explanation? Any source of research? Who was this mysterious wizard who knew how to cheat death? When did this miracle took place?" he asked insistently, trying to bring down her affirmation proving it was nothing more than vague folklore.

"I don't know, Sir." Hermione lowered her head disappointed. "I tried to ask more questions so we could find something useful, but..."

"But the mermaids conveniently refused to provide more information?" he suggested, with a sneering tone.

"No." Hermione shook her head, staring at him with a serious face. "But I was starting to drown."

Snape's eyes widened involuntarily with sudden understanding. The insatiable girl had risked her life to get more answers… his answers. Despite his best efforts, Hermione could see his expression softening. "That was a brainless choice." Snape said, but this time his tone wasn't harsh at all. It was almost… tender.

"I know." Hermione agreed, the corners of her lips slightly curving. And then, unexpectedly, she remembered. "I do know something!" she said, suddenly excited. "It wasn't just a random story… it happened here! In this lake, near Hogsmeade! The wizard was from Hogsmeade!" she revealed, her eyes shining with enthusiasm.

"I've never heard of such thing." Snape hesitated, still skeptical.

"No one there has heard about your story either, and yet it happened." Hermione retorted, throwing him a meaningful look.

Snape nodded slowly, acknowledging her point.

"I think we should go there! Ask if anyone has heard about it!" she insisted.

Snape snorted, throwing her a sarcastic glance. "We?"

Hermione felt a sharp sting of embarrassment at the obvious rejection, but she overcame it rapidly. "Yes." she said firmly. "I'm the one who found the mermaids and saw the cave and the story. Without me there would be no research to do, Sir. And also..." she hesitated, figuring that her second reason wouldn't be very well received.

But Snape was smart enough to put things together. "Also, you don't believe they will be willing to share their personal stories with me."

"Just because they don't know you well." she tried to make it better, though she knew that the damage was already done.

However, Snape was also practical enough to recognize she made a fair point. "Very well." he yielded after a few seconds of consideration. "But if you expect me to trust you with this, then no more solo explorations. And no more lies. I need your word." he warned her with a menacing tone.

"I swear." Hermione vowed firmly.

A/N: Sorry about the delay, crazy weeks here !

Quick review of reviews :)

PsychoPanda I'm so glad this story is helping in some way, this is such a weird year for all of us so wherever you are in the world I hope things are going well for you 3

A5mia, what a complex man indeed! From what we know of his character I believe that over-analyzing this experience is exactly what he would do... He's very calm when it comes to things he can control, but I imagine him going nuts about these new feelings that he can't ;)

Loudivibrantvert, thank you so much! I'm so glad you're enjoying the story! I've fallen behind on Ralina's kindred magic because i didn't want it to interfere with my own, but I'm so looking forward to finishing luminux and catching up, her story is great! :)

For everyone else, thank you so much for the review, Snape will have a hard time denying his feelings after this, that's for sure ;) I can't wait to hear your thoughts on what's coming! :)

Oh and alannalove1990 welcome aboard! You brought a smile to my face reading all your reactions to each chapter hahah thank you!