I do not own anything. I just borrowing from Jk. Rowling's amazing world. She owns everything related to Harry Potter. Also Thank you till the end of time to the beautiful Maria for your help. I could not have done it without you

The way Conmac Mclaggan moved reminded Severus of his old father. Severus loathed his own father. But still, pushing Mclaggan's attractive build down into the starircase was perhaps a little overkilled, even if Severus could not think think proberly because he had been high on adrenaline. Or maybe because Mclaggan had sort of deserved it.

But only a second after Mclaggan had landed at the bottom of the stairs and blood began to flow into the marble floor, reality finally crashed for Severus Snape. Every little thing he'd worked for would be over. Small drops of sweat rolled down his pale skin as he stared at Mclaggan's lifeless body. Mclaggan's face seemed to became paler by each second, while the marble stones turned maroon. Severus felt instantly that the air around him began to die. How could he have let this happen? No word slip pass his lips yet inside his head, he screamed like a small child.

The screams continued in his head as he began to move. Relaxed were his movements at first, prohaps to the state of shock but when he reached half the stairs, he started to run. He ran down the stairs in speed that he didn't process, and under a moment's blink of an eye, he was at the end of the staircase. He bent over Mclaggan's lifeless body so fast, that he almost fell into the blood pole, which flowed from Mclaggan's head. Severus saw his own hands, but did not feel his own hands as he ripped open Mclaggan's collar, and the bottons from it fell into the blood, which surrounded them. Severus's hands began to tremble as the blood covered his hands, and went under his finger nails. Severus felt his heart was up in his throat, until his fingertips finally felt a faint pulse on Mclaggan's neck. Mclaggan was not dead. A beautiful second of peace fell upon Severus, before it felt into the trepidation. Anxiety mixed adrenalin began to pump apacely inside his bony breast.

Mclaggan could do everything in his power to ruin Severus Snape's life. Mclaggan just could just tell his wealthy father and the debt Severus had tried to pay off for years would not be successful. Furthermore, his cover would be blown up, or perhaps the chance that the plan for the greater good would fall apart would increase into nothingness. Severus withdrew his hands. Maybe he should just leave the Mclaggans there in the darkness on Dungeon's. But still, Severus thoughts was interrupted, when some footsteps began to echo in Dungeons. Damn. Damn. Damn.

He held back his breathing in a vain attempt not to be discovered and fade into the darkness. Severus felt his heart pounding against his chest as he heard the footsteps came closer. The person was walking down from the staircase behind him. Maybe he could just turned around, throw a hex and then leave? Then he could come back later? Maybe he could fake an incident?

Usually, Severus wouldn't be afraid of getting caught up in something he shouldn't do. But he's never physically hurt a student before. Mostly he had scared them into having an anxiety attack in the middle of the classroom, but he had never touched them.

Perhaps he had learnt something from his dad.

"Is he alive?" a soft voice asked and interrupted his memories of the past he wanted to forget. He could almost not recognize it. The voice would have sharper egde to it ,but this time the voice melted into a gentle but a depressing tone. It was almost too much to bear. But only almost and nothing more.

"Yes, much to our disadvantage and everyone else's dismay. Mclaggan is somehow still poisoning our air by his breathing, Miss Granger" Severus sneered back at her as he slowly stood up to stand on his feet. He turned to stare her down as he came face to face with a pretty face, that he never had seen up close before, despite knowing her for six years. Her frizzy curls would usually cover her face, and could almost be seen a mile away, but tonight she had pulled it back with some hairclips. She was pretty. Even with her dark circles, which were properly caused by the lack of sleep and pale skin, she was pretty. But nothing more than that.

"That's a terrible thing to say," she said with a shocked expression. Sometimes she was beyond stupid.

"Oh? What else would you call it? A gift to the world that he was breathing? How have you forgotten what was about to happen for five minutes if I had not making my rounds- " He drawled before she interrupted him.

"I have not forgotten what happened five minutes ago!" She hissed furiously while her eyes had a dark warning. He found her as dangerous as a small kitten. He narrowed his black eyes, but before he could say anything, she spoke again.

"I hope you understood or at least empathized with my situation." Her voice softened with each word as tears threated to roll down her soft face. A small pang quilt poked him in the chest as he saw how shame shine in her eyes, which remind him of a little fawn. He tried to push the emotions away from his chest.

"Tell me, why I would have empathy with your situation? Because I should?" Severus sneered with an edge of arrogance. He promised himself to never show vulnerability especially with someone who was friends with Potter.

"Maybe it's because I think you're forced to do something you don't want to," She whispered before she broke their mutual gaze. He felt like all air had been kicked out of him. Blood rushed to his pale cheeks and he wanted to run to his bedroom to hide. He bited his tongue in an attempt, to keep back his anger from screaming at her.

" I would sincerely advise you not to assume anything about war or about me, Miss Granger. Just I have taught you in potions for five years and Defense against The Dark Arts for almost a half a year, does not mean that you know me at all. And if you are dumb enough to believe that, then you are the dumbest witch of the age when it comes to other people" He hissed through his yellow teeth, instead of screaming at her. He turned his back on her, as his own thoughts began to haunt him.

Did nobody else care?

A sob interrupted his dark thoughts. Severus turned his head a bit to see her innocent eyes shined with wet tears.

But before he could say anything they got interrupted by a loud hiss. They snapped their heads towards the staircase. On the staircase sat a little bony creature with a sadistic gleam in its yellow eyes. Mrs. Norris. Flinch´s cat. Before they could even react, they heard a male voice called out in between the dungeons shadows.

"Come here my pretty. Show my Sweet what you have found." Severus felt his blood ran cold. He turned his head to look at Hermione, who stared back at him with a panic expression. Without talking they both knew exactly what the other persin thought.

They ran. Hermione had a fine start head by running past Mclaggan without slipping in the pole of blood and then speeded towards one of the dunegons hallways. Severus followed the curly haired witch in front of him. But only after two running steps, the ground under him, disappeared. The world tilted as he fell backwards. A sharp pain shot through his whole body as the back of his skull met the floor. The floor pushed all air out of his lungs while he felt something under his skull. Blood. He gritted his teeth in pain before he rolled to his side and onto his stomach. He stared into a small pole of blood, but if it was Mclaggans's or his own blood was hard to tell.

His thoughts were quickly interrupted by some worn out shoes, which interruped his version. He lifted his head, much to his own skull's protest and stared up to meet Filch´s building eyes. Mrs. Norris laid calmly in Filch´s skinny arms, and stared down at with an cold expression. Filch stared at him with a confusion expression

"Professor Snape, why are you here? Should you have retired for the night?" Filch asked, while his fish eyes grew suspicious. All word´s died on Severus tongue. What could he say? Expect for maybe just to say hello to Azkeban. The bony cat hissed at him, before Filch echoed his cat.

" Now, now My sweet, professor Snape is a friend of ours. Surely, he has a good explanation to be out at this time of-" Filch said before he travelled off, to stare at something behind Severus. Severus knew exactly what it was. Mclaggan who was bleeding to death. Severus swallowed harshly and lowered his gaze to stare at the floor. He heard Filch swallow harshly. There was a fifty- fifty chance that the old man would decide to report him or congratulate him by hitting a student. But before Filch said anything, they both heard some running steps, which were coming towards them.

"Stupefy" A female voice yelled. Severus hardly blinked before he saw a red light hit Filch straight in the chest. Filch felt backwards like Mclaggan had done and landed on the floor, unconscious. Mrs. Norris ripped herself out of Filch's arms and jumped off his chest. The cat began to lick Filch´s old face in a vain attempt to break a spell.

Someone knelt beside Severus and just before he could slip away, a soft hand landed on his shoulder. It carefully rolled him onto his back, while the other held his head up, so his skull would not crash into the marble stones once more. Severus's shoulder long locks was in his eyes before the hand which had been on his shoulder bushed away his hair. Hermione`s gentle face held a worried expression. She ran her pale fingers through his hair. One of her hands held up his head while her another hand kept on strocking. She did not care, if his hair was greasy or bloody at all. But what shock him the most was that she had come back for him. No had done that before.

"Are you all right?," she asked, while her fingers kept on touching his face and is neck. It felt wonderful to be touched by someone who just wanted to check on his well-being. No one had done that before expect for Mrs. Pomfey and Lily. Lily. A sharp pain shot through his chest. How could he enjoy another person touch, when he promise himself that his heart only Lily.

Lily, who had never love him beyond childhood friendship or maybe, would not.

"I am fine." He muttered, before he looked away from her big, innocent eyes and tried to figure what to think or feel in the current situation. But instead of leaving him be, she gently placed his head back on the floor. Her fingers slipped through his hair. There might only gone under a second, yet he wanted her to touch him again.

He saw that she drew her wand from the belt on her skirt. Before she could even ask he lifted head high enough, so she placed one of her thighs under it. Despite her thigh slimness, it felt so soft under his skull. He almost moaned when she placed her hand on the side of his face

"It is not a big wound, but I will try to clean it anyway." She muttered while her hand kept touching his cheek. She moved her wand to clean every single spot of his hair. Usually he would felt insulted, yet he could not find him to care. Even though it would only last a second, it felt wonderful.

"I just casted a cleasing spell on you, Sir. So you don´t have blood in your hair. I will close the wound now. It might sting a bit." She said with a calmness he could not recognize. Usually she would fussing about something or panicing when she got into stressful situations. His skull still stung a bit, yet in way it hurted more in his heart when her fingers slipped away from his hair. He wanted to beg her to keep on touching his hair, but his pride made himself keep quiet.

But he was quickly pulled out of his own self-pity, when he saw her quietly walked over towards Mclaggan. Disgust was written across her features, when she knelt before Mclaggan's body. For one of the few times of his life, he felt sympathy for her situation. He rolled to his side just, when her hands tried to find the pulse on Mclaggans neck.

" Ohhh" Mclaggan groaned loudly, when Hermione touched his throart through the young adults blood. Apparently, the little prick had not lost the ability to speak. She almost jumped out of her skin. She whimpered a bit. Either by her own reaction or Mclaggan was slowly gaining consciousness. Wet tears appeared in her eyes while she placed her wand at Mclaggans forehead. Despite her courage, uneasiness was the best of her. Severus rolled to his side. A question had burned on his tongue, since the second that he had found Mclaggan trying to pin her up against a wall.

"Alluring?" He asked, while he felt a throbbing pain in the skull. He had to get a potion for that later.

"Tempting?" He asked, as he rolled onto his stomach. He raised himself to his knees, despite the pain in his head.

"What? Are you alright Sir?" He heard Hermione whispered behind his back.

"Yes Yes, Miss Granger. My curiosity just got the better of me. What was the word, that made you follow him, and make him trust you enough to be alone with him? Was it beautiful?" Severus sneered, while the pain in his head became worse. But just as he had raised him self to stand up in his full height, he felt a heard punch between his shoulder blades. He staggered a bit on his feet, but somehow manage to save himself from falling. He turned on his heel, and he came face to face with Hermione for the second time that night. But this time, she looked a vengeful angel, instead of a broken toy.

"How could you say that to me after you saw? After what he tried to do to me? Just because you do not find me pretty, does not mean others agree. I am not shallow if that is what you are thinking." She said hysterically, while tears rolled down her cheeks. Before he could even thing about it. Severus pulled her into his embrace. Despite their mutual shock over his tenderness. Hermione laid her head on his shoulder. Her wild hair trickled his big nose, yet it did not bother him. She wore a flowery scent, he could not place. Gardenia, maybe. Usually perfume, especially too much would want him to vomit, yet the perfume she wore was gentle like it was hardly there. She began to sob. Wet tears soaked his jacket. Yet he found himself not caring. He touched her head as softly as he could surprising himself for the third time that night. He heard himself mutter.

"I don´t judge you." Her sobs stopped at once, and she pulled her head back to stare at him. Her lower lip trembled a bit. Severus swallowed before he added

" I don´t think that you shallow, Miss Granger but sometimes pretty words can seduce you into something you regret." Severus said with a lump in his throat. Tears rolled down her face once more before she dried her tears with her knuckles.

" He did not say anything flattering expect for my hair looked pretty. He mostly talked about himself when I went to the Christmas Party with him. He just caught me off guard, when I was walking towards my room, that's all" She whispered, before she looked down on her shoes. Severus nodded, and felt the urge to say that he did not find unattractive. But instead, he slowly pulled away from her. A weird sense of joy filled him, that she looked a bit upset about his action. Almost like she wanted to be held be him.

"If you obliviate Filch and create a false memory charm, then I will take care of Mclaggan." Severus said as a smile began to thug in his lips. Yet he managed to walk away from her. Slowly he pulled out his wand from his sleeve and pointed it towards Mclaggans head.

"Obiliviate," Severus said before a red light of energy flew into Mclaggans forehead. Mclaggan did not even mutter a sound as Severus did this. Apparently, the little idiot was flow in and out consciousness. But luckily for them, the bastard would not remember a thing from the evening and therefore would have nothing on them.

"Aquament!" Severus said, before water sprung from his wand. Water pushed the blood away from the marble stones and pushed it towards the staircase sidewall. Non verbally Severus casted another spell to dry it up. As he did this, he heard Hermione had a small discussion with the cat.

"I am very sorry Miss Norris, but would please move so I can heal your owner. Please just a little bit. Thank you. Obivialate!" Hermione shouted, before she stopped herself in a half cry. They both knewthat they could not afford to drive attention to themself.

Non verbally Severus casted another spell to dry it up. The water damped its self of the stones like heat until there was nothing left. Severus walked back towards Mclaggan, who still laid on the floor. Even if the boy was unconscious the air of arrogance was still present in the boy`s features. The features reminded Severus off his own father. Severus knelt down in front of Mclaggan despite feeling the urge to leave him there, Severus lifted the young adult heavy head by the bloody curly roots.

"Oh!" The little prick groaned. The idiot could not even be quiet, even when his was unconscious. Severus felt his fingers tightened around Mclaggans locks, before he looked over towards Hermione. She was in the middle of healing Filch. Her hands moved around Filch´s head in a vain attempt to heal and clean the old man. Severus couldn´t help himself not to watch her for a couple of seconds. She was gentle with her movements, even though it was hard for her to clean Filch. Joy was the closest word Severus describe the emotion by simply watching her. But everything shattered when that something was on her wrist. Blood rushed to his pale cheeks and he instantly dropped Mclaggan's head.

"Oh" The idiot groaned once more as his skull met the floor one more time. Rage bobbled under Severus's skin, before he raised himself from the floor. His steps were steadfast and control, but on the inside, he was shaking. By only four steps he was over Hermione's position and looming over her. Hermione stopped her work as soon as he stood over her. Her eyes turned fearful as she saw the burning rage in his black eyes. He knelt down to her eye level, as he slowly her right hand away from Filch´s hair. She whimpered a bit as his fingers touch her wrist as gently as he could. His fingers touched the dark bruise upon her wrist. Loathing seemed to burn up inside him as his eyes saw another bruise on her left wrist. His hands began to tremble before he managed to let go of her hand.

"Wake Filch up now!" he shouted, before he raised himself from the floor. He stood up and turned away from her.

"Does Mclaggan no-," she inquired, before he interrupted her.

"No! He doesn´t need anything." He spatted at her so harshly, that saliva flew from his mouth. He walked over towards Mclaggan. Flashes of his past roamed in his head. The sadden look in his grandmother's eyes, when his mother came to pick him up. The way his mother had cried, when she tried to cover black eye with make-up. Severus through a silent charm upon Mclaggan´s body. Loathing still shimmered inside him, yet he could think more clearly. One of Mclaggan´s hands laid upon the marble floor.

Slowly, he walked over towards Mclaggans right hand. Silently he placed one of his feet near Mclaggans fingers. Severus slowly lifted his foot and placed it upon them. He put his weight down on them and little by little he could them crack one by one. Mclaggan groaned a bit, yet the silent charm, Severus had throwed made sure that Mclaggan could not mutter a word out loud. Severus stepped off Mclaggan´s hand, which now was rather bloody. Severus threw another spell non verbally. A bottle of wine appeared in Severus´s hands. He did the only thing one could do in his situation. He dropped it upon Mclaggan´s hand and it smashed into a thousand pieces.

"Oh! What the hay happened, Norsey?" He heard Filch´s mutter. Apparently, Hermione had managed to wake him up. Severus looked down towards Filch, who looked confused. Hermione just looked shocked. Properly by Severus's behaviour.

"Miss Granger ain´t it passed your bedtime? Shouldn´t you be in your room? Just wait till I get a hold of-" He shouted at her before Severus caught him off.

"She is with me Filch," Severus said tiredly, before he walked over towards them.

"Professor Snape! What are you doing here," Filch asked in bewilderment. "Miss Granger had detention in my classroom and was first done at . After she was done she managed to find you too. Apparently, Mclaggan had too much to drink so he slipped in his own liqueur. You found him and slipped in it as well. She informed me, before she would find Mrs. Pomfey," Severus lied without blinking.

"Alright Professor! I feel better now. Who cleaned my hair?" Filch asked while he touched his hair, which had not been clean in years. "Miss Granger did and she healed your wounds as well. Now you will excuse us. We will get Mrs. Pomfey to heal Mister Mclaggan. Come with me Miss Granger" Severus commanded while he waved Hermione over to him. Hermione almost ran over to him, and stood beside him

" Will you look after Mclaggan, while we do this? Thank you Filch" Snape said while he grabbed Hermione's arm. He pulled her slowly towards the staircase. Without letting off Hermione, they walked up the staircase. By each step they could, the smell of freedom was getting stronger. They did not look towards each other, just kept on looking on the next steps. When they had reached the top of it, they heard Filch shouted from the bottom of it.

" How did Mclaggan get liqueur?"

"Mclaggan had stole it from my office. It was a gift" Snape shouted back, before he disappeared into the darkness of the hallway with Hermione. Severus walked first, while Hermione followed him. The shadows seemed to crawled closer towards them the longer they went in. Severus lifted his wand.

" Lumos" Snape said. The speed he walked was hard for her to follow, yet she managed to stay close to him from behind. A light appeared around his wand. They walked in silence for some time before Hermione's curiosity got the better of her.

"Sir, why did you not-"

" Don't ask Miss Granger" He hissed at her. She managed to walk in the same speed as him and she appeared on his side. She had longer legs then he remembered.

" I did not mean to intrude, Sir. I apologize" She whispered. A shiver ran down his spine, as she said the words. It was rare that somebody apologize to him.

" It is fine" Severus answered, just before they reached the end of the hallway.

"I can take it from here, Sir. You had enough trouble from one evening" She whispered with a sad smile. Even though he felt a bit tired

" Should we have heal-" She whispered harshly to him before he caught her off.

" No. That is Mrs. pomfey's job to heal to Mclaggan, not ours. I bet she will be happy to help us." Severus sneered back while he led the way with his wand.

" But we would not get in trouble for-" She said before She managed to stop herself, as she realized that they were surround by paintings could be listening to their consverstion.

" If we do, then we deny it, Miss Granger" He hissed back. Why could not she just be quiet instead of panicking over the situation them.? She touched his arm again while she stared into his black eyes. Her eyes truly had the innocent like a fawn, despite the angst in them.

" What if they do anyway? What if the painting tell what had happend?" She insisted while her hands touched his upper arms. He shook them, before the shivers would start again.

" Then we oblivialate them, as well, Miss Granger" Severus drawled while he felt his headache was coming back.

" We can't just do" She yelped while she looked again to see if someone was coming.

" It does not matter if you like or not. You dragged me into this and now, at least you can do is to keep to your mouth" Severus threated.

" I did not mean to drag you into." She said shiver ran down his spine by a flicker of her touch yet he ignored it, and kept on moving forward

" Please, Sir" She begged Severus stopped his tracks by the word please. Nobody had said that word to him in many years. He turned to her while he secretly cursed himself. Hermione's face held gratefulness as he muttered a silent charm.

He wanted to roll his eyes at her, but he ignored his own desire to do so. " What if they find anyway, what we had done?" She whispered while she looked around to see if someone was coming down softly. " I know but now I am. So just listen to what I have to say, so we have a small chance of getting this" Severus said before he laid his hands on her shoulders.

" What do you want me to say to? "She queered

" Say you had served detention in my care, and you were first done with cleaning up the Defense Against The Dark Arts at 23 pm. You came looking for me but instead you found Mclaggan pass out drunk. You scream for help and I came, along Filch. Filch slipped in the achohol and you heal him. After that, we both went to find Mrs Pomfey." Severus stated like it was the obvious thing to do in the world. Hermione's dark eyebrows went down to a straight line.

" Why did I not heal Mclaggan admitely?" She inquired.

" Because you were afraid that you could not do it properly" Severus smiled coldly. Hermione's mouth became a slim line. But instead of protesting, she inquired to their plan again.

" Why was I serving detention? "

" Because you admitted to me that you stole from in your second year" Severus said without blinking. Hermione became white in her face.

" I wrote you a thank you for healing me for my cat figure" She mumbled before she looked at her shoes. Severus did not answer, but instead he turned off the silent charm

. " We don't have time for more chat, Miss Granger. So let's be off." Severus said, before he speed walked away from her. After a few steps, Hermione came running after him.

" And we can not say anthing against Mclaggan? " She whispered to him. Anger burned in his chest again, just by thinking on the prick.

" No. As much as it loathe me to say it, we can't say anything" Severus grumbled, as they reached the end of the hallway. " But he can't just walk free after what he tried to do to me? What if he does it to some else" She bited at him.

" What do you want me to say it? It is unfair? It is unfair, but we can't say anything" Severus annonced as they react the end of the hallway. She turned to him before she laid a hand on his shoulder.

" Why" She said sadly.

" Because I can't defend in court. It would look suspicious if I defend you in court, especially in the eyes of the Death Eaters. Also the little idiot's father has a lot of power in the Wizarding World. Your chances are quite slim if I may be frank" Severus said with a sad smile. Hermione's eyes grew big by his honesty.

" Is it because I am a mudblood? " She asked while her face lost it is liveliness. A sharp pain hit him straight in the chest.

" Don't you ever use that word about yourself, Miss Granger" He almost shouted at her. Her fingers drigged into his arms but not harshly. "

I can't defend you because you are Potter's friend and I can't blow my cover as a spy for you" He whispered. He gave her did the softest look he could muster, but tears threated to appear in her eyes again.

" I am on your side, but the war is more importent right now. Also I am a position where I can't drive attention to myself. The halv of The Death Eaters does not trust me and would happily strab me in the back" He babbled before he shut his mouth. Why did he say that? Why did he pour out his heart to her? He pulled his hands away and began to walk back and forward. Despite feeling the urge to pull her back.

" I do not mean to sound ungrateful, but why did you help me? " She asked, while she stood still.

" I don't know. Maybe it is because, despite what people think about the greasy bat of the dungeon, and bullied to almost death by Black and Potter, I am not heartless" He sneered coldly before he turned his back to her.

" I never thought that you were heartless. I just thought that you did not like me" She whispered. He turned around to face her. Severus knew that he had disliked her, and at times he had found her annoying. Even overrated when the other teachers gushed about her brightness but every loathing thought he might have had about her had vanished.

"I don´t hate you." He answered truthfully before he added "I might have disliked you because the teachers think that you are the most brilliant student. But I appreciate your hardworking nature."

"So you don´t hate me?," she asked as she turned to look at him. Her soft eyes seemed to look for clues in his.

"No. I don´t Miss Granger," He said before he was caught off by a hug. He did not know, how she had sneaked her arms around his neck and pressed her entire body against his. He pale cheeks turned red, as she breathed into his ear

"I don´t hate you as well. I am just happy that you helped me." He felt his entire body froze because as she said two words he had not heard for a very long time.

"Thank you!" She said with a grateful smile. Tears prickled in his eyes before he blinked them away.

"You are welcome." He muttered, while he tried to look away. Her eyes found his eyes again and once more he was caught under the spell

"I really mean it. Thank you!, she said, before she gave him a squeeze. Severus felt all blood left his head and ran down to a place it should not do in a public place.

"It is fine," he whispered in a lower pitch that he normally did not use. He cleared his throat, as he let her go.

"If you get Miss Pomfey, then I will help Filch carry Mclaggan." He said before, he walked away from her and down the hallway again. When he turned around. She still stood there looking after him. She smiled and waved a bit, before she disappeared up the staircase. Severus nodded before he disappeared the gloomy hallway again.