*A/N* This is a labor of love guys! I'm glad you have all kept reading my
story. I still can't get over the fact that people actually like it! Well,
here's yet another chapter for today. Maybe I can squeeze out two--we'll
see. :)
"You're awake too, then?" Madam Pomfrey sighed. "I could deal with Hermione but...." She instantly scurried over to assault Professor Snape in order to make sure he was healthy and didn't require any more medical treatment. He got especially annoyed when she tried to reach for his neck--he was still wearing his dragon. In fact, he never removed his dragon. "I'm fine, you ridiculous woman!" he snarled as he dodged Madam Pomfrey's advances. Dumbledore only laughed, and called off Madam Pomfrey, who left the room in a horrible mood. Severus never ceased to infuriate her.
"You do seem to be feeling fine, and you have Hermione to thank for it," snapped Professor McGonagall. The students fought the urge to laugh. Snape looked at Hermione and raised an eyebrow, smirking cruelly. "It was nothing, Professor," Hermione mumbled, pretending to be intimidated.
"It most certainly was not 'nothing' Hermione!" McGonagall gasped. "You just performed one of the most amazing feats of magic in all of history!" Severus just rolled his eyes, but McGonagall wouldn't shut up. Finally, he seemed to concentrate on her for a moment, and while her mouth kept moving no sounds came out. When she realized this, McGonagall scowled and glared at Snape, trying to scream at him. The corner of his mouth twitched maliciously. Dumbledore placed a hand in front of his own mouth to hide yet another smile.
"Thankfully, Hermione's skills are also useful for shutting annoying women up without a wand. Where is my wand, by the way?" He glanced around, then murmured 'accio' and smiled as it shot from Madam Pomfrey's desk into his hand. "Well, I suppose the spell will be wearing off soon so I'll leave before I have to listen to Minerva's most offensive voice again. Thank you, Miss Granger, but I won't be giving you any extra credit for this so don't get your hopes up." Smirking again, he stalked from the room. Ron was bright red, but for once it wasn't from anger, but pent up laughter. Soon, McGonagall's vocal cords were released.
"That man is insufferable! Perhaps you shouldn't have helped him, Hermione. He'll never appreciate you the way he should." Hermione only nodded. "I suppose you're right--he never will appreciate me the way you expect him to." Draco coughed, but McGonagall didn't even seem to notice. Hermione eventually managed to get out of the infirmary and head for Gryffindor with her friends.
"Merlin!" Harry laughed, "That's the funniest thing I've seen in years! Did you see the look on McGonagall's face? And the way Snape just walked out of the room like nothing had happened?" Draco snickered and agreed. "That was absolutely priceless!"
"Even Fred and George couldn't have made her that mad," laughed Ron. Hermione looked at him appraisingly. Maybe he was actually getting used to her relationship with Snape.
~~
Severus was reading in his quarters that night when there was a knock at his door, which he hadn't bothered to disguise since no one was there to bother him. "Come in!" he called, and his heart leapt when he saw Hermione. She summoned a chair and sat next to him.
"Are you all right?" she asked softly. He grinned and kissed her hungrily. "Never better. Are you sure you didn't waste too much energy on me? You're all right as well?" Hermione laughed. "I never waste energy on you, and I'm doing just fine. Just.... try not to do that to me again, all right? I couldn't stand to lose you." He pulled her to him and murmured into her hair, "I couldn't stand to leave." She sighed and pressed closer to him, which made his entire body hum in its awareness of her. Hermione didn't manage to get back to her dormitory that night.
~~
Classes began again all too soon, and passed very quickly. Hermione managed to juggle college work along with everything else, and by the end of the year she would be significantly closer to earning her degree. She also began to research her new powers, in an attempt to better understand them and develop methods to teach others how to utilize such abilities. Unfortunately, all of this work made it harder and harder to see Severus.
Snape really missed her, but resigned himself to his fate. At least she still made an effort to see him from time to time. But everytime she left him, he worried that it would be the last. Each of her visits he counted as a blessing, because he always worried that next time she wouldn't come back. His heart broke every time she smiled the smile that was reserved especially for him, because he was always afraid that it would be the last. Eventually the time would come when they had to discuss the future. That time came surprisingly soon.
~~
One Friday evening, Severus received one of his increasingly rare visits from Hermione. She had a very serious look on her face, and he knew she wanted to talk. Instantly, his heart filled with dread. She wasn't the type for small talk, so she got straight to business.
"Severus, we need to talk. This is my last year, and...." she shrugged. "I want to know what's going to happen to us." Snape nodded, steeling himself for the worst. "What did you have in mind?" He tried not to project his emotions to her so that she could make a more objective decision.
"I don't want it to end," she said. His head jerked up and he looked at her. "But what about your future, Hermione? You have a life to live, and I would only become an obstacle for you."
"I want you to be part of my future. I'll have my degree by the end of the summer, and I'll figure out what to do from there. But unless you don't want me anymore, I'm not giving up on you. Do you want to continue our relationship?" Severus sighed and put his head in his hands. "More than anything, Hermione. But I don't want to limit your options."
"I love you, Severus. Whatever happens, remember that I always will." She moved closer to him, and he relaxed when she wrapped her arms around him. "I love you, too, Hermione. More than anything."
"You're awake too, then?" Madam Pomfrey sighed. "I could deal with Hermione but...." She instantly scurried over to assault Professor Snape in order to make sure he was healthy and didn't require any more medical treatment. He got especially annoyed when she tried to reach for his neck--he was still wearing his dragon. In fact, he never removed his dragon. "I'm fine, you ridiculous woman!" he snarled as he dodged Madam Pomfrey's advances. Dumbledore only laughed, and called off Madam Pomfrey, who left the room in a horrible mood. Severus never ceased to infuriate her.
"You do seem to be feeling fine, and you have Hermione to thank for it," snapped Professor McGonagall. The students fought the urge to laugh. Snape looked at Hermione and raised an eyebrow, smirking cruelly. "It was nothing, Professor," Hermione mumbled, pretending to be intimidated.
"It most certainly was not 'nothing' Hermione!" McGonagall gasped. "You just performed one of the most amazing feats of magic in all of history!" Severus just rolled his eyes, but McGonagall wouldn't shut up. Finally, he seemed to concentrate on her for a moment, and while her mouth kept moving no sounds came out. When she realized this, McGonagall scowled and glared at Snape, trying to scream at him. The corner of his mouth twitched maliciously. Dumbledore placed a hand in front of his own mouth to hide yet another smile.
"Thankfully, Hermione's skills are also useful for shutting annoying women up without a wand. Where is my wand, by the way?" He glanced around, then murmured 'accio' and smiled as it shot from Madam Pomfrey's desk into his hand. "Well, I suppose the spell will be wearing off soon so I'll leave before I have to listen to Minerva's most offensive voice again. Thank you, Miss Granger, but I won't be giving you any extra credit for this so don't get your hopes up." Smirking again, he stalked from the room. Ron was bright red, but for once it wasn't from anger, but pent up laughter. Soon, McGonagall's vocal cords were released.
"That man is insufferable! Perhaps you shouldn't have helped him, Hermione. He'll never appreciate you the way he should." Hermione only nodded. "I suppose you're right--he never will appreciate me the way you expect him to." Draco coughed, but McGonagall didn't even seem to notice. Hermione eventually managed to get out of the infirmary and head for Gryffindor with her friends.
"Merlin!" Harry laughed, "That's the funniest thing I've seen in years! Did you see the look on McGonagall's face? And the way Snape just walked out of the room like nothing had happened?" Draco snickered and agreed. "That was absolutely priceless!"
"Even Fred and George couldn't have made her that mad," laughed Ron. Hermione looked at him appraisingly. Maybe he was actually getting used to her relationship with Snape.
~~
Severus was reading in his quarters that night when there was a knock at his door, which he hadn't bothered to disguise since no one was there to bother him. "Come in!" he called, and his heart leapt when he saw Hermione. She summoned a chair and sat next to him.
"Are you all right?" she asked softly. He grinned and kissed her hungrily. "Never better. Are you sure you didn't waste too much energy on me? You're all right as well?" Hermione laughed. "I never waste energy on you, and I'm doing just fine. Just.... try not to do that to me again, all right? I couldn't stand to lose you." He pulled her to him and murmured into her hair, "I couldn't stand to leave." She sighed and pressed closer to him, which made his entire body hum in its awareness of her. Hermione didn't manage to get back to her dormitory that night.
~~
Classes began again all too soon, and passed very quickly. Hermione managed to juggle college work along with everything else, and by the end of the year she would be significantly closer to earning her degree. She also began to research her new powers, in an attempt to better understand them and develop methods to teach others how to utilize such abilities. Unfortunately, all of this work made it harder and harder to see Severus.
Snape really missed her, but resigned himself to his fate. At least she still made an effort to see him from time to time. But everytime she left him, he worried that it would be the last. Each of her visits he counted as a blessing, because he always worried that next time she wouldn't come back. His heart broke every time she smiled the smile that was reserved especially for him, because he was always afraid that it would be the last. Eventually the time would come when they had to discuss the future. That time came surprisingly soon.
~~
One Friday evening, Severus received one of his increasingly rare visits from Hermione. She had a very serious look on her face, and he knew she wanted to talk. Instantly, his heart filled with dread. She wasn't the type for small talk, so she got straight to business.
"Severus, we need to talk. This is my last year, and...." she shrugged. "I want to know what's going to happen to us." Snape nodded, steeling himself for the worst. "What did you have in mind?" He tried not to project his emotions to her so that she could make a more objective decision.
"I don't want it to end," she said. His head jerked up and he looked at her. "But what about your future, Hermione? You have a life to live, and I would only become an obstacle for you."
"I want you to be part of my future. I'll have my degree by the end of the summer, and I'll figure out what to do from there. But unless you don't want me anymore, I'm not giving up on you. Do you want to continue our relationship?" Severus sighed and put his head in his hands. "More than anything, Hermione. But I don't want to limit your options."
"I love you, Severus. Whatever happens, remember that I always will." She moved closer to him, and he relaxed when she wrapped her arms around him. "I love you, too, Hermione. More than anything."