In The Shadows
Chapter Eight
~~~~~~~~~~
Disclaimer: see chapter one
~~~~~~~~~~
"...a big hello to all intelligent life forms everywhere...and to everyone else out there, the secret is to bang the rocks together guys."
--The Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy
~~~~~~~~~~
Ten Thousand thank you's to all my reviewers and Calyr Mastra, my beta!
~~~~~~~~~~
Hermione woke up Saturday morning and looked about. It wasn't so bad here, she supposed. Except for the fact that *Snape* is next door. Ugh! She did not understand why she wasn't allowed to go to Hogsmeade. It's not as if she wouldn't be surrounded by people.
No room for a scary man to hide in the shadows.
Hermione shuddered. It was scary, though. She hated the thought of someone following her around. But, would she not be in more danger if she were alone? Which she would no doubt be since all her friends were going to Hogsmeade. All of her attacks had taken place on Hogwarts grounds.
She was supposed to go shopping with Ginny today. Ginny wanted Hermione's help in picking out some new robes from Gladrag's Wizard Wear. Hermione sighed. Ginny would understand. It's not like Hermione could do anything about it.
~~~~~~~~~~
Hermione got out of bed, showered dressed and put on some robes. She walked into the sitting room.
Snape was talking to Dumbledore via fireplace.
"I'm off," she said to him.
"Off, where, exactly?" came Snape's sneering voice. Was that a hint of concern?
"Off to the Great Hall, exactly." Hermione said cooly.
Hermione tapped the wall with her wand and an archway formed she walked through.
She looked uncertainly around the hallway. It was dark. Had the dungeons always been this dark? There were so many shadows. So many places for someone to sit and wait for and unsuspecting prey.
So many places for her *secret admirer* to sit and wait.
Hermione did a 180 and hurried back into the sitting room. The archway closed.
Snape was no longer conversing with the fireplace but with a mirror. "Eddie, just shut up. I didn't ask for your advice and I very well don't care what an old looking glass has to say about anything."
"Fine, Severus, have it your way." The mirror tried to sound nonchalant, but Hermione could hear the hurt in its voice.
Severus turned and looked at Hermione. "Something amiss?"
"It's, well, it's just that...it's kinda dark out there." Hermione looked at her feet.
"I am well aware of that."
"You see, um, there are too many shadows...." Hermione was wringing her fingers. "Just...there are...so many places for, well..."
Hermione sank to the floor.
Severus walked over to her. "Miss Granger?"
Hermione's eyes were brimming with tears. "I can't go out there." She laughed. "Oh, gods. Look at me! I'm such an idiot."
"No. Anyone would be acting just as you are if they were in your place, Miss Granger."
"Umm...will you...." Hermione bit her lip. "Will you walk me up to the Great Hall, Professor?" Hermione hated to sound like such a damsel in distress, but she just couldn't go out. She felt to vulnerable.
"Of course, I was going up to eat breakfast myself."
Hermione smiled gratefully.
~~~~~~~~~~
So together they walked to the Great Hall. Not talking, not laughing, not anything; simply enjoying the silence and each others company.
"I'll be sitting with my friends today, Professor." Hermione said to him upon entering the Great Hall. "I've got to explain why I can't go to Hogsmeade."
~~~~~~~~~~
"You and Snape are getting pretty cozy there, 'Mione." Ron stupidly commented.
"Well Ronald, if *you* had been attacked and almost raped twice *you* would have a teacher at *your* side as well!" Hermione snapped.
The table went silent, and Ron turned redder that tomatoes.
"I can't go to Hogsmeade today, Ginny." Hermione said, turning to the tomatoe's younger sister.
"What?" Ginny looked up at Hermione. "Why not? What's wrong?"
"Safety precautions," Hermione said not unsarcastically.
"Oh, I'm sorry," said Ginny.
"Yeah," said Harry, "but we'll bring you back stuff."
"No, don't. Really, it's ok. I doubt I would've been up for Hogsmeade even had I been allowed to go."
Harry put an arm around his friend. "We love you, Hermione. You know that, right."
"I know Harry." Hermione smiled a shaky smile.
"What's wrong? I mean, I know *what's wrong*, but is there something else?" Harry asked with a face full of concern.
"I just feel so incompetent and vulnerable! Oh, you wouldn't understand." Hermione sighed. She stood up. "I...I've just got to be alone right now."
Hermione made a swift exit, her breakfast untouched.
Once she left the Great Hall, she found that things were... not so bright. So she climbed up to a window ledge and sat there; her eyes glittering with tears.
~~~~~~~~~~
Up at the Head Table, two men had been keeping their eyes on a certain young Gryffindor.
Upon seeing her leave, Snape glanced over to Dumbledore. The latter nodded and Snape to left the Great Hall.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Miss Granger?" Snape said, he looked up and saw her sitting near the window, crying. He raised up his arms to help her down. She slowly descended into his arms. He let go of her and she turned to face him.
"Everyone must think I'm some sort of invalid or idiot or something. I can't go anywhere by myself." She said quietly.
"No one thinks that, and even if they did, it would not matter." Snape said to her. "Since when do you care what people think?"
Hermione shrugged her shoulders.
"Fancy breakfast in my quarters?"
Hermione nodded.
Severus put an arm around her shoulders, in a sign of friendship, comfort, concern, and protection. "Let's go, then."
Together, they walked back to the dungeons in silence.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Use all the talents you posess, for the woods would be very silent if not birds sang except the best."
--Henry Van Dyke
~~~~~~~~~~
I want YOU to reVIEW!
I waaant you to review!
I neeeed you to review!
I'd looove for you to review!
I'm beggin you to review!
Didn't I didn't I didn't I see you reading?
Didn't I didn't I didn't I see you reading?
What song did that ^ used to be before I changed the words? 10 points to the house of the person who gets it right.
Please Review
\/\/\/\/\/
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Chapter Eight
~~~~~~~~~~
Disclaimer: see chapter one
~~~~~~~~~~
"...a big hello to all intelligent life forms everywhere...and to everyone else out there, the secret is to bang the rocks together guys."
--The Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy
~~~~~~~~~~
Ten Thousand thank you's to all my reviewers and Calyr Mastra, my beta!
~~~~~~~~~~
Hermione woke up Saturday morning and looked about. It wasn't so bad here, she supposed. Except for the fact that *Snape* is next door. Ugh! She did not understand why she wasn't allowed to go to Hogsmeade. It's not as if she wouldn't be surrounded by people.
No room for a scary man to hide in the shadows.
Hermione shuddered. It was scary, though. She hated the thought of someone following her around. But, would she not be in more danger if she were alone? Which she would no doubt be since all her friends were going to Hogsmeade. All of her attacks had taken place on Hogwarts grounds.
She was supposed to go shopping with Ginny today. Ginny wanted Hermione's help in picking out some new robes from Gladrag's Wizard Wear. Hermione sighed. Ginny would understand. It's not like Hermione could do anything about it.
~~~~~~~~~~
Hermione got out of bed, showered dressed and put on some robes. She walked into the sitting room.
Snape was talking to Dumbledore via fireplace.
"I'm off," she said to him.
"Off, where, exactly?" came Snape's sneering voice. Was that a hint of concern?
"Off to the Great Hall, exactly." Hermione said cooly.
Hermione tapped the wall with her wand and an archway formed she walked through.
She looked uncertainly around the hallway. It was dark. Had the dungeons always been this dark? There were so many shadows. So many places for someone to sit and wait for and unsuspecting prey.
So many places for her *secret admirer* to sit and wait.
Hermione did a 180 and hurried back into the sitting room. The archway closed.
Snape was no longer conversing with the fireplace but with a mirror. "Eddie, just shut up. I didn't ask for your advice and I very well don't care what an old looking glass has to say about anything."
"Fine, Severus, have it your way." The mirror tried to sound nonchalant, but Hermione could hear the hurt in its voice.
Severus turned and looked at Hermione. "Something amiss?"
"It's, well, it's just that...it's kinda dark out there." Hermione looked at her feet.
"I am well aware of that."
"You see, um, there are too many shadows...." Hermione was wringing her fingers. "Just...there are...so many places for, well..."
Hermione sank to the floor.
Severus walked over to her. "Miss Granger?"
Hermione's eyes were brimming with tears. "I can't go out there." She laughed. "Oh, gods. Look at me! I'm such an idiot."
"No. Anyone would be acting just as you are if they were in your place, Miss Granger."
"Umm...will you...." Hermione bit her lip. "Will you walk me up to the Great Hall, Professor?" Hermione hated to sound like such a damsel in distress, but she just couldn't go out. She felt to vulnerable.
"Of course, I was going up to eat breakfast myself."
Hermione smiled gratefully.
~~~~~~~~~~
So together they walked to the Great Hall. Not talking, not laughing, not anything; simply enjoying the silence and each others company.
"I'll be sitting with my friends today, Professor." Hermione said to him upon entering the Great Hall. "I've got to explain why I can't go to Hogsmeade."
~~~~~~~~~~
"You and Snape are getting pretty cozy there, 'Mione." Ron stupidly commented.
"Well Ronald, if *you* had been attacked and almost raped twice *you* would have a teacher at *your* side as well!" Hermione snapped.
The table went silent, and Ron turned redder that tomatoes.
"I can't go to Hogsmeade today, Ginny." Hermione said, turning to the tomatoe's younger sister.
"What?" Ginny looked up at Hermione. "Why not? What's wrong?"
"Safety precautions," Hermione said not unsarcastically.
"Oh, I'm sorry," said Ginny.
"Yeah," said Harry, "but we'll bring you back stuff."
"No, don't. Really, it's ok. I doubt I would've been up for Hogsmeade even had I been allowed to go."
Harry put an arm around his friend. "We love you, Hermione. You know that, right."
"I know Harry." Hermione smiled a shaky smile.
"What's wrong? I mean, I know *what's wrong*, but is there something else?" Harry asked with a face full of concern.
"I just feel so incompetent and vulnerable! Oh, you wouldn't understand." Hermione sighed. She stood up. "I...I've just got to be alone right now."
Hermione made a swift exit, her breakfast untouched.
Once she left the Great Hall, she found that things were... not so bright. So she climbed up to a window ledge and sat there; her eyes glittering with tears.
~~~~~~~~~~
Up at the Head Table, two men had been keeping their eyes on a certain young Gryffindor.
Upon seeing her leave, Snape glanced over to Dumbledore. The latter nodded and Snape to left the Great Hall.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Miss Granger?" Snape said, he looked up and saw her sitting near the window, crying. He raised up his arms to help her down. She slowly descended into his arms. He let go of her and she turned to face him.
"Everyone must think I'm some sort of invalid or idiot or something. I can't go anywhere by myself." She said quietly.
"No one thinks that, and even if they did, it would not matter." Snape said to her. "Since when do you care what people think?"
Hermione shrugged her shoulders.
"Fancy breakfast in my quarters?"
Hermione nodded.
Severus put an arm around her shoulders, in a sign of friendship, comfort, concern, and protection. "Let's go, then."
Together, they walked back to the dungeons in silence.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Use all the talents you posess, for the woods would be very silent if not birds sang except the best."
--Henry Van Dyke
~~~~~~~~~~
I want YOU to reVIEW!
I waaant you to review!
I neeeed you to review!
I'd looove for you to review!
I'm beggin you to review!
Didn't I didn't I didn't I see you reading?
Didn't I didn't I didn't I see you reading?
What song did that ^ used to be before I changed the words? 10 points to the house of the person who gets it right.
Please Review
\/\/\/\/\/
\/\/\/
\/