Chapter Thirteen
In which certain crushes are discussed
Ginny awakened sometime later. The first thing that she realized was that she had an awful crick in her neck from sleeping on the rug. The second realization was that there was a pair of arms encircling her waist and someone's knees were tucked securely beneath her own. Her heart began beating wildly until she remembered falling asleep next to Remus in his werewolf form. He had changed back when the moon had set. Ginny relaxed. Part of her wanted to remove his arms, hopefully without waking him, and get up so that she could stretch and rub her aching neck, but mostly she just wanted to stay there, warm and safe while he continued to sleep.
But it was not to be. Only a few minutes later she felt Remus stir behind her. He slowly removed his arms from her waist and sat up. She sighed and rolled onto her back and looked up at him. He was blushing slightly as he adjusted the collar of his trademark shabby robes.
"Good morning, Ginny. I trust you slept well." he said.
"Quite well, thank you." she said, rubbing her sore neck and yawning.
"Yes, you look much better this morning, less pale. Very good."
"And you look more like yourself." she commented with a half smile.
He chuckled good-naturedly and replied, "Why thank you, Ginny, what a nice thing to say." Few people could make him smile about his condition, about being a werewolf, but Ginny seemed to be able to make him smile about almost anything.
Her eyes drifted from his smiling, but still vaguely pink face to the door of the bedroom as she remembered the night before. Remus noted her gaze and offered her a hand up as he stood.
"We should check on them." said Ginny, becoming more serious.
"Hermione told me what happened last night. The two of you were quite brave." commented Remus.
"No, Severus was brave. I don't think Hermione and I would have risked going out there, at least not without all of us going. He didn't hesitate. He knew what he wanted and did what he had to get it."
"The books?" questioned Remus, acknowledging that the Slytherin mind set occasionally came in handy.
"Yes. I piled them over there." she said, pointing toward the door.
"I will take a look at them after we check on Severus and Hermione." he said, glancing over the couch at the stack of books.
Hermione was still sitting on the bed and watching Severus sleep when they walked into the bedroom, which was doubling as something of a hospital room too. She had been sitting there for sometime, contemplating many things, including their situation, Snape's condition, and that peculiar fluttering in her stomach that she had once associated only with the late Viktor Krum.
Ginny walked around to the other side of the bed and looked at Severus rather approvingly. He remained pale, but not deathly so. He merely appeared to be somewhat ill, which was an incredible improvement from the previous evening. At first Ginny had been convinced that Severus was going to die. Even when Hermione had sent her away, she had been unsure whether he would make it or not.
Remus laid a hand on Hermione's shoulder as he also took a good look at Severus. His wolf-eyes had not been mistaken the night before. The injuries were grave. The scent of the blood had been like a very powerful presence. Even controlled by the Wolfsbane potion, it had toyed with his senses, and for that he could not help but to feel a little bit guilty. But this morning the wounds were closed, and the ferric scent of blood was almost absent from the air.
"Hermione, have you ever considered becoming a mediwitch?" Remus asked her.
"Actually, no, not before last night." she said.
"Well, perhaps you should." he chuckled. "Severus looks much improved this morning."
"I'm glad you think so." said Severus, opening his eyes.
The look of utter surprise and astonishment on Remus's face was well worth interrupting his nap. Severus smirked slightly, obviously still too weak to manage a full on sneer. He struggled into a sitting position, earning a mild glare from Hermione, who moved to slip a pillow behind his back.
"And what are you all doing in here? Shouldn't someone be working on an escape plan or something?" he groused, suddenly aware that they were all looking at him with concern facial expressions, or, in Hermione's case, a smile. It was somewhat embarrassing.
Remus chuckled and clapped him on the shoulder, and said, "Severus, we're in here because you're hurt and we are concerned about you. And, yes, we should be working on getting out here, but we will most certainly need your help to do that."
"In that case bring some of my books in here, would you?" he asked.
Hermione hid her widening smile behind her hand as Ginny dashed into the parlor to obey his request.
"Are you sure you are quite up to it, old fellow?" asked Remus.
"We're the same age! I insist that you not call me 'old' nor 'fellow' for that matter." said Snape with almost forced grumpiness.
"All right." Remus chuckled.
"Really, Severus, he does have a point. You are hurt, and you should be resting." said Hermione diplomatically.
"Reading in bed shouldn't prove too strenuous." Severus replied. "If only taking house points weren't so absurd in this situation." he muttered just loud enough for them to hear.
Ginny returned with the books and placed them on the stand by the bed. Severus reached for one and winced.
"Here." said Hermione, passing the book to him.
"That one is for Remus. I want the one on the bottom of the stack." he said, touching his chest gingerly.
"Of course you do." said Hermione, getting the book for him. "And I suppose you want me to find some robes while I'm at it." she said with a smirk, one that Severus recognized all too well. She had borrowed it off of him.
"I wouldn't dream of inconveniencing you." he said, seeming to flush slightly pink when Ginny happened to giggle.
"Severus, I'm sure you dream of inconveniencing Gryffindors every night, but believe me when I say that you are no trouble at all right now." said Hermione, slipping from the bed and walking over to the wardrobe in the corner.
"Come, Ginny, I do believe I could use some help with this." said Remus with a smile as he hefted the book that Severus had recommended that he take.
Ginny was practically skipping as she followed him out, closing the door as she left the bedroom.
"Ugh! That poor girl has an unhealthy fascination with Remus!" said Snape distastefully.
"Ginny. Ginny is her name. And she has a crush on him." Hermione corrected.
"Well, whatever you call it, I find it most disturbing."
"Lots of girls have crushes or have had crushes on Professor Lupin."
"What for? They all know that he becomes a dangerous ..."
"Three nights a month. But the rest of the time he is a gentle, amiable man with friendly eyes and a very sweet smile."
"You have a ... a thing for him too?" asked Snape as she opened the wardrobe and sifted through its contents. She was almost certain that he sounded jealous.
"I do not! I prefer my men a little ... a little more, you know ..."
"No, I'm sure I don't."
"I like darker men."
"Well, he is a Dark Creature, you know." Severus pointed out.
"That isn't what I meant and you know it." she said, removing a set of robes from the wardrobe. "How about this?"
"They're purple."
"They could pass for black."
"No."
"You're impossible. Dark green then?"
"Fair enough."
She brought the robes over to the bed and held them up to get an idea of the size. The Slytherin head of house circa 1945 was probably a little over two meters tall and perhaps a bit broader about the shoulders than Severus. The name 'Krohn' had been stitched inside the collar of the robe. They would be a bit large for Severus, but they would fit well enough for a few days' wear. Hermione shivered at the thought of being trapped there any longer than that.
Severus pushed the blankets aside and glanced down at his blood spotted pants, frowning. It wasn't as though he never spilled anything on his clothes or that he was so terribly concerned about stains. It simply was unpleasant to see so much of one's own blood on any garment. He had survived torture by what could surely be considered a master torturer, but the Cruciatus curse had seldom involved bleeding.
He was lost in thought until he felt Hermione lift his arm and guide it into a sleeve. She pulled the garment around him and lifted his left arm to do the same. He jerked his arm from her hand and held it to his chest. For a moment she thought she had somehow hurt him. Then she saw the vague and ugly outline of the Dark Mark.
"Severus, don't be so silly." she sighed, taking his arm again and forcing it quickly into the sleeve.
"Why are you doing this?" he asked blankly as she began buttoning his robes.
"Dressing you? Because you are injured and you need my help. Certainly not for any thanks."
"No, I know the logical reason why you're doing this. I want to know ... what motivates you."
"It could be called kindness or compassion perhaps." she said a little color creeping into her cheeks.
"Yes, that's it exactly. Why are you being kind to me? I've never treated you very well."
"Oh ... well, it's simple. You have tried, though not very successfully, to treat the three of us in a civil fashion since we've been in here. I am returning the courtesy, I suppose."
Severus caught her hands clumsily as she straightened the collar of the forest green robes, and asked, "Is that the only reason?" His ebony eyes were strangely searching.
Hermione had the sudden impulse to tell him that it wasn't. She wanted to tell him that she had an unhealthy fascination with him and see the look on his face. Of course, she knew she couldn't, just couldn't tell Professor Snape that, no matter what realm of existence they were trapped in. Whether in heaven or hell, he would never ... could never possibly share similar feelings. His jealousy of Remus Lupin was one thing. His feelings toward her, she was certain, were another entirely.
"Yes." she answered, blinking rapidly and looking away. It was the most difficult lie she had ever told.
Fortunately, he didn't quite believe her. He simply released her hands and nodded.
"Thank you, Hermione."
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A/N: I hope that 'a crush' is not an Americanism. If it is, I am so sorry, but I couldn't figure out a noun form of the verb phrase 'to fancy', which is British (I think).
Arime Setta: I am very pleased to know that you are enjoying the story. I really like writing Hermione as strong and brave (like the Gryffindor she is). Thank you for review!
Rosmerta: I bet Snape knows some good ones. But the again, Remus probably does too. Between the two of them, they probably have quite the arsenal. Thanks for the review!
Black Sparkles: There will be more. Don't worry. Thanks for reviewing!
JoeBob1379: Ginny/Remus is my favorite unconventional pairing. (I think everyone has gotten into SS/HG too much to call it that now, though I still love it too). Thank you very much for the compliments and the review!
coolgirlchick16: I really appreciate that! I like so many pairings myself that it's starting to get a bit silly. Thanks again!
Freedom Rhodes: That puzzles me. I wonder what exactly you've noticed. I love the details (can't see the forest for the trees), so that happens sometimes. Little things coming back, I mean. Thank you for reviewing!
Yukito Forever: Those are the best kind! Thank you!
Lexia: I assure you that I am not the first Ginny/Remus person. There are others. But I really like the idea myself. I like Remus a lot and I feel sorry for Ginny (CoS, you know?) so pairing them together is like fixing things a little (for both of them, I guess). I like to fix things. I'm weird that way. I bet that makes no sense to anyone but me. Thank you for the review!
In which certain crushes are discussed
Ginny awakened sometime later. The first thing that she realized was that she had an awful crick in her neck from sleeping on the rug. The second realization was that there was a pair of arms encircling her waist and someone's knees were tucked securely beneath her own. Her heart began beating wildly until she remembered falling asleep next to Remus in his werewolf form. He had changed back when the moon had set. Ginny relaxed. Part of her wanted to remove his arms, hopefully without waking him, and get up so that she could stretch and rub her aching neck, but mostly she just wanted to stay there, warm and safe while he continued to sleep.
But it was not to be. Only a few minutes later she felt Remus stir behind her. He slowly removed his arms from her waist and sat up. She sighed and rolled onto her back and looked up at him. He was blushing slightly as he adjusted the collar of his trademark shabby robes.
"Good morning, Ginny. I trust you slept well." he said.
"Quite well, thank you." she said, rubbing her sore neck and yawning.
"Yes, you look much better this morning, less pale. Very good."
"And you look more like yourself." she commented with a half smile.
He chuckled good-naturedly and replied, "Why thank you, Ginny, what a nice thing to say." Few people could make him smile about his condition, about being a werewolf, but Ginny seemed to be able to make him smile about almost anything.
Her eyes drifted from his smiling, but still vaguely pink face to the door of the bedroom as she remembered the night before. Remus noted her gaze and offered her a hand up as he stood.
"We should check on them." said Ginny, becoming more serious.
"Hermione told me what happened last night. The two of you were quite brave." commented Remus.
"No, Severus was brave. I don't think Hermione and I would have risked going out there, at least not without all of us going. He didn't hesitate. He knew what he wanted and did what he had to get it."
"The books?" questioned Remus, acknowledging that the Slytherin mind set occasionally came in handy.
"Yes. I piled them over there." she said, pointing toward the door.
"I will take a look at them after we check on Severus and Hermione." he said, glancing over the couch at the stack of books.
Hermione was still sitting on the bed and watching Severus sleep when they walked into the bedroom, which was doubling as something of a hospital room too. She had been sitting there for sometime, contemplating many things, including their situation, Snape's condition, and that peculiar fluttering in her stomach that she had once associated only with the late Viktor Krum.
Ginny walked around to the other side of the bed and looked at Severus rather approvingly. He remained pale, but not deathly so. He merely appeared to be somewhat ill, which was an incredible improvement from the previous evening. At first Ginny had been convinced that Severus was going to die. Even when Hermione had sent her away, she had been unsure whether he would make it or not.
Remus laid a hand on Hermione's shoulder as he also took a good look at Severus. His wolf-eyes had not been mistaken the night before. The injuries were grave. The scent of the blood had been like a very powerful presence. Even controlled by the Wolfsbane potion, it had toyed with his senses, and for that he could not help but to feel a little bit guilty. But this morning the wounds were closed, and the ferric scent of blood was almost absent from the air.
"Hermione, have you ever considered becoming a mediwitch?" Remus asked her.
"Actually, no, not before last night." she said.
"Well, perhaps you should." he chuckled. "Severus looks much improved this morning."
"I'm glad you think so." said Severus, opening his eyes.
The look of utter surprise and astonishment on Remus's face was well worth interrupting his nap. Severus smirked slightly, obviously still too weak to manage a full on sneer. He struggled into a sitting position, earning a mild glare from Hermione, who moved to slip a pillow behind his back.
"And what are you all doing in here? Shouldn't someone be working on an escape plan or something?" he groused, suddenly aware that they were all looking at him with concern facial expressions, or, in Hermione's case, a smile. It was somewhat embarrassing.
Remus chuckled and clapped him on the shoulder, and said, "Severus, we're in here because you're hurt and we are concerned about you. And, yes, we should be working on getting out here, but we will most certainly need your help to do that."
"In that case bring some of my books in here, would you?" he asked.
Hermione hid her widening smile behind her hand as Ginny dashed into the parlor to obey his request.
"Are you sure you are quite up to it, old fellow?" asked Remus.
"We're the same age! I insist that you not call me 'old' nor 'fellow' for that matter." said Snape with almost forced grumpiness.
"All right." Remus chuckled.
"Really, Severus, he does have a point. You are hurt, and you should be resting." said Hermione diplomatically.
"Reading in bed shouldn't prove too strenuous." Severus replied. "If only taking house points weren't so absurd in this situation." he muttered just loud enough for them to hear.
Ginny returned with the books and placed them on the stand by the bed. Severus reached for one and winced.
"Here." said Hermione, passing the book to him.
"That one is for Remus. I want the one on the bottom of the stack." he said, touching his chest gingerly.
"Of course you do." said Hermione, getting the book for him. "And I suppose you want me to find some robes while I'm at it." she said with a smirk, one that Severus recognized all too well. She had borrowed it off of him.
"I wouldn't dream of inconveniencing you." he said, seeming to flush slightly pink when Ginny happened to giggle.
"Severus, I'm sure you dream of inconveniencing Gryffindors every night, but believe me when I say that you are no trouble at all right now." said Hermione, slipping from the bed and walking over to the wardrobe in the corner.
"Come, Ginny, I do believe I could use some help with this." said Remus with a smile as he hefted the book that Severus had recommended that he take.
Ginny was practically skipping as she followed him out, closing the door as she left the bedroom.
"Ugh! That poor girl has an unhealthy fascination with Remus!" said Snape distastefully.
"Ginny. Ginny is her name. And she has a crush on him." Hermione corrected.
"Well, whatever you call it, I find it most disturbing."
"Lots of girls have crushes or have had crushes on Professor Lupin."
"What for? They all know that he becomes a dangerous ..."
"Three nights a month. But the rest of the time he is a gentle, amiable man with friendly eyes and a very sweet smile."
"You have a ... a thing for him too?" asked Snape as she opened the wardrobe and sifted through its contents. She was almost certain that he sounded jealous.
"I do not! I prefer my men a little ... a little more, you know ..."
"No, I'm sure I don't."
"I like darker men."
"Well, he is a Dark Creature, you know." Severus pointed out.
"That isn't what I meant and you know it." she said, removing a set of robes from the wardrobe. "How about this?"
"They're purple."
"They could pass for black."
"No."
"You're impossible. Dark green then?"
"Fair enough."
She brought the robes over to the bed and held them up to get an idea of the size. The Slytherin head of house circa 1945 was probably a little over two meters tall and perhaps a bit broader about the shoulders than Severus. The name 'Krohn' had been stitched inside the collar of the robe. They would be a bit large for Severus, but they would fit well enough for a few days' wear. Hermione shivered at the thought of being trapped there any longer than that.
Severus pushed the blankets aside and glanced down at his blood spotted pants, frowning. It wasn't as though he never spilled anything on his clothes or that he was so terribly concerned about stains. It simply was unpleasant to see so much of one's own blood on any garment. He had survived torture by what could surely be considered a master torturer, but the Cruciatus curse had seldom involved bleeding.
He was lost in thought until he felt Hermione lift his arm and guide it into a sleeve. She pulled the garment around him and lifted his left arm to do the same. He jerked his arm from her hand and held it to his chest. For a moment she thought she had somehow hurt him. Then she saw the vague and ugly outline of the Dark Mark.
"Severus, don't be so silly." she sighed, taking his arm again and forcing it quickly into the sleeve.
"Why are you doing this?" he asked blankly as she began buttoning his robes.
"Dressing you? Because you are injured and you need my help. Certainly not for any thanks."
"No, I know the logical reason why you're doing this. I want to know ... what motivates you."
"It could be called kindness or compassion perhaps." she said a little color creeping into her cheeks.
"Yes, that's it exactly. Why are you being kind to me? I've never treated you very well."
"Oh ... well, it's simple. You have tried, though not very successfully, to treat the three of us in a civil fashion since we've been in here. I am returning the courtesy, I suppose."
Severus caught her hands clumsily as she straightened the collar of the forest green robes, and asked, "Is that the only reason?" His ebony eyes were strangely searching.
Hermione had the sudden impulse to tell him that it wasn't. She wanted to tell him that she had an unhealthy fascination with him and see the look on his face. Of course, she knew she couldn't, just couldn't tell Professor Snape that, no matter what realm of existence they were trapped in. Whether in heaven or hell, he would never ... could never possibly share similar feelings. His jealousy of Remus Lupin was one thing. His feelings toward her, she was certain, were another entirely.
"Yes." she answered, blinking rapidly and looking away. It was the most difficult lie she had ever told.
Fortunately, he didn't quite believe her. He simply released her hands and nodded.
"Thank you, Hermione."
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A/N: I hope that 'a crush' is not an Americanism. If it is, I am so sorry, but I couldn't figure out a noun form of the verb phrase 'to fancy', which is British (I think).
Arime Setta: I am very pleased to know that you are enjoying the story. I really like writing Hermione as strong and brave (like the Gryffindor she is). Thank you for review!
Rosmerta: I bet Snape knows some good ones. But the again, Remus probably does too. Between the two of them, they probably have quite the arsenal. Thanks for the review!
Black Sparkles: There will be more. Don't worry. Thanks for reviewing!
JoeBob1379: Ginny/Remus is my favorite unconventional pairing. (I think everyone has gotten into SS/HG too much to call it that now, though I still love it too). Thank you very much for the compliments and the review!
coolgirlchick16: I really appreciate that! I like so many pairings myself that it's starting to get a bit silly. Thanks again!
Freedom Rhodes: That puzzles me. I wonder what exactly you've noticed. I love the details (can't see the forest for the trees), so that happens sometimes. Little things coming back, I mean. Thank you for reviewing!
Yukito Forever: Those are the best kind! Thank you!
Lexia: I assure you that I am not the first Ginny/Remus person. There are others. But I really like the idea myself. I like Remus a lot and I feel sorry for Ginny (CoS, you know?) so pairing them together is like fixing things a little (for both of them, I guess). I like to fix things. I'm weird that way. I bet that makes no sense to anyone but me. Thank you for the review!