Disclaimer: *Sigh* Don't own it, don't want to, just having fun with JK's ideas.
Chapter 2
Hermione burst through the doors into the dungeon. Panting and gasping for breath, she bend over and took a second to regain her composure. When she looked up, she looked straight into the cold, black eyes of Professor Severus Snape.
"S-Sorry I'm late Professor. I-I um, left some of my materials and had to run back to get them."
"Miss Granger," hissed Snape, venom dripping from his words. "Are you aware that you are, against better judgment, the Head Girl at Hogwarts?" Hermione nodded unhappily. "Then of course you are aware that tumbling into my classroom, in the middle of my lecture, no less than FIFTEEN minutes late, is quite an offense?"
Hermione looked like she was about ready to burst into tears. "Yes, Professor."
"Thirty points from Gryffindor for your lack of punctuality and your pathetic attempt at an excuse! I expect to see you in my classroom at 7:15 tonight." Hermione just nodded and took her seat, hanging her head in shame.
She felt the blood rising to her cheeks as she pulled out her quill and proceeded to take notes furiously, avoiding the cold eyes she knew awaited her if she dared to look up.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Hermione sat at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, ready for lunch. Suddenly, for the first time in weeks, she was famished. When the food was served she filled her plate and then proceeded to fill her stomach. While she was attacking a turkey sandwich, Harry sidled up to the table and plopped down.
"Hermione?" he chided, waiting for here to finish chewing.
"Yeah?"
"I'm worried about you Hermione." His eyes searched hers. "Why were you so late to Potions? That really isn't like you at all."
Hermione looked up sheepishly. "I overslept, that's all, It's not a big deal. You don't need to worry about me, Harry." She observed the look of doubt on his face. "Really!! Don't stress yourself out about me Harry! I'm perfectly fine." She tossed him a grateful smile, and noticed something inside him flutter when she smiled. Wow, she mused. I never thought—Harry? Wow. I never would have guessed, Hermione smiled to herself.
"Alright Herm, if you're sure. Just don't exhaust yourself, okay? Remember, Quidditch practice after Herbology!" And running distracted fingers through his untidy hair, Harry disappeared through the doors of the Great Hall.
Hermione watched him go, sighing to herself, and speculating about that dream last night. It had plagued her thoughts all day, and Harry's new behavior around her made her wonder if maybe it was Harry in her dream last night. Maybe she had deeper feelings than friendship for him in her subconscious. But she quickly dismissed that thought when she realized that she would have recognized Harry for sure. Her was so familiar, and that smell—she would know what Harry smelled like anywhere. That man in her dream couldn't have been Harry.
With a sigh of resignation, Hermione grabbed a couple of cookies for the journey back to her rooms, and made her departure, unaware of the eyes that followed her.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
By the time 7:00 that evening. Hermione was so tired she could barely walk from the Great Hall to her rooms after dinner. She showered, put on clean clothes, and tried to tame her hair. With the brush midway through her hair, she suddenly remembered where she was supposed to be.
"Ohh, Snape's going to KILL me!" she wailed to no one in particular as she sprinted to the dungeons.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
For the second time that day, Hermione exploded into the Potions dungeons. She walked swiftly to the front of the classroom, all the way making apologies to Professor Snape. She was silenced mid-sentence when he stood so quickly that he almost toppled his chair over.
"Miss Granger," he hissed. "You are once again late. Do you have an EXPLANATION!?!"
"N-No, sir, Professor." //Damn that stutter//, she thought to herself. //Why can't I just stand up to him?// He drew closer to her, so close that she could feel his breath as he sputtered in anger at her.
"Miss Granger," he drew near to her ear, and she was oddly reminded of a snake. "I would advise you to find some way to remember to get to your engagements on time, otherwise you will find yourself in a problematical situation," Snape seethed.
"I'm really sorry Professor—"
"Don't you understand, Miss Granger?" Snape questioned in a deadly voice. "I would think such a *clever* Gryffindor as yourself would finally comprehend the fact that apologies mean nothing to me. Now I need all of these flasks and the rest of the equipment thoroughly washed by hand, and if you fail to do a quality job, then you will be down in these dungeons for a lot longer then either you or I care for you to be." With a swish of his robes, Professor Snape turned on his heel and vanished into his office. Hermione stood, shaking beneath her robes and most upset.
//There is no *way* I can possibly get all of this clean in one night! Ohh, why does he have to be such a bastard? With a heavy shudder to compose herself,// Hermione set to work, scrubbing each flask and utensil with great care.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
//Strong hands. Compelling hands. Hands that Hermione was beginning to really appreciate. They ran up both sides of her spine and circled over her tense shoulders. She felt them slide down her forearms and over her hands, evoking unwilling chills from her delicate body.
Once again Hermione whimpered at the sensation of cool lips on her neck. They traced their way, with agonizing slowness, over her tender flesh from her earlobe to her collar bone. With a soft moan she fell back into the stranger and felt herself sink into his arms, gasping as she felt a nip on her earlobe that was almost painful.
Pry in hands reached from behind her and expertly unhooked her robes and rolled them off her shoulders. Chilled, Hermione tried to identify the owner of those miraculous hands, but before she could turn her head, she felt those fingers of ice travel under the flimsy material of her muggle T-shirt. They ran up her spine, and with resolve fighting against the burning lust that was coursing through her veins, Hermione whipped her head around. Her eyes widened and she let out a shrill scream.//
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
"Miss Granger, do compose yourself!!!"
Hermione stared into the depths of the onyx eyes before her and her scream dissolved in her throat. "P-Professor?" she stammered uncertainly. "Where… What--?"
"You must have fallen asleep cleaning my supplies. It's a wonder you didn't break any," Snape said with a glare. "It is very late, and I had assumed that you would have left as any sensible person would have done."
"I'm sorry, Professor, I—"
"As is turns out," he snapped as if he hadn't heard her, "I happen to be a very light sleeper and heard someone moaning and carrying on in my classroom. So naturally I investigated, and here you are."
Hermione sat up and realized that she was indeed on the floor, starting up at the Potions Master bending over her. She stood up and tried to muster up some composure and smoothed out her robes.
"I'm very sorry to disturb you sleep Professor. I'll just finish cleaning up and retire to my rooms," Hermione asserted. She began to clean up the flasks that were strewn about the counter top.
"The won't be necessary," came a soft hiss from behind her, "You may just leave."
"But Professor," Hermione argued, "It was my job, and I've left you with quite a mess, just let me…" and she turned to the worktable, knocking over a glass flask in the process.
Snape rolled his eyes toward the ceiling at the sound of broken glass and then watched in agitated amusement as Hermione attempted to clean up the mess. "Miss Grander, just leave before—"
A yelp of pain confirmed his suspicions.
Hermione watched as blood seeped out of her hand where a chard of glass was buried in her palm. She was trying to figure out the least painful way to extract the glass from her flesh and didn't even notice when Snape kneeled down next to her.
"Miss Granger," Snape barked through his obvious annoyance. "Give me your hand."
She offered it to him and he took it, examining he damage. The second he touched her, Hermione sucked in her breath and recoiled slightly. //Those hands…// she thought to herself in horror. // I know those hands, but no!! He couldn't possibly be…//
She jerked her hand back and muttered something about the hospital wing that sounded stupid even to her, and then fled the dungeons with Snape staring in confusion after her.
A/N I want this story to take some time to develop so the characters' relationships may take a while to form. My apologies if you wanted pointless snogging right off the bat. Don't forget to review!!!
~Raven @----
Chapter 2
Hermione burst through the doors into the dungeon. Panting and gasping for breath, she bend over and took a second to regain her composure. When she looked up, she looked straight into the cold, black eyes of Professor Severus Snape.
"S-Sorry I'm late Professor. I-I um, left some of my materials and had to run back to get them."
"Miss Granger," hissed Snape, venom dripping from his words. "Are you aware that you are, against better judgment, the Head Girl at Hogwarts?" Hermione nodded unhappily. "Then of course you are aware that tumbling into my classroom, in the middle of my lecture, no less than FIFTEEN minutes late, is quite an offense?"
Hermione looked like she was about ready to burst into tears. "Yes, Professor."
"Thirty points from Gryffindor for your lack of punctuality and your pathetic attempt at an excuse! I expect to see you in my classroom at 7:15 tonight." Hermione just nodded and took her seat, hanging her head in shame.
She felt the blood rising to her cheeks as she pulled out her quill and proceeded to take notes furiously, avoiding the cold eyes she knew awaited her if she dared to look up.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Hermione sat at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, ready for lunch. Suddenly, for the first time in weeks, she was famished. When the food was served she filled her plate and then proceeded to fill her stomach. While she was attacking a turkey sandwich, Harry sidled up to the table and plopped down.
"Hermione?" he chided, waiting for here to finish chewing.
"Yeah?"
"I'm worried about you Hermione." His eyes searched hers. "Why were you so late to Potions? That really isn't like you at all."
Hermione looked up sheepishly. "I overslept, that's all, It's not a big deal. You don't need to worry about me, Harry." She observed the look of doubt on his face. "Really!! Don't stress yourself out about me Harry! I'm perfectly fine." She tossed him a grateful smile, and noticed something inside him flutter when she smiled. Wow, she mused. I never thought—Harry? Wow. I never would have guessed, Hermione smiled to herself.
"Alright Herm, if you're sure. Just don't exhaust yourself, okay? Remember, Quidditch practice after Herbology!" And running distracted fingers through his untidy hair, Harry disappeared through the doors of the Great Hall.
Hermione watched him go, sighing to herself, and speculating about that dream last night. It had plagued her thoughts all day, and Harry's new behavior around her made her wonder if maybe it was Harry in her dream last night. Maybe she had deeper feelings than friendship for him in her subconscious. But she quickly dismissed that thought when she realized that she would have recognized Harry for sure. Her was so familiar, and that smell—she would know what Harry smelled like anywhere. That man in her dream couldn't have been Harry.
With a sigh of resignation, Hermione grabbed a couple of cookies for the journey back to her rooms, and made her departure, unaware of the eyes that followed her.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
By the time 7:00 that evening. Hermione was so tired she could barely walk from the Great Hall to her rooms after dinner. She showered, put on clean clothes, and tried to tame her hair. With the brush midway through her hair, she suddenly remembered where she was supposed to be.
"Ohh, Snape's going to KILL me!" she wailed to no one in particular as she sprinted to the dungeons.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
For the second time that day, Hermione exploded into the Potions dungeons. She walked swiftly to the front of the classroom, all the way making apologies to Professor Snape. She was silenced mid-sentence when he stood so quickly that he almost toppled his chair over.
"Miss Granger," he hissed. "You are once again late. Do you have an EXPLANATION!?!"
"N-No, sir, Professor." //Damn that stutter//, she thought to herself. //Why can't I just stand up to him?// He drew closer to her, so close that she could feel his breath as he sputtered in anger at her.
"Miss Granger," he drew near to her ear, and she was oddly reminded of a snake. "I would advise you to find some way to remember to get to your engagements on time, otherwise you will find yourself in a problematical situation," Snape seethed.
"I'm really sorry Professor—"
"Don't you understand, Miss Granger?" Snape questioned in a deadly voice. "I would think such a *clever* Gryffindor as yourself would finally comprehend the fact that apologies mean nothing to me. Now I need all of these flasks and the rest of the equipment thoroughly washed by hand, and if you fail to do a quality job, then you will be down in these dungeons for a lot longer then either you or I care for you to be." With a swish of his robes, Professor Snape turned on his heel and vanished into his office. Hermione stood, shaking beneath her robes and most upset.
//There is no *way* I can possibly get all of this clean in one night! Ohh, why does he have to be such a bastard? With a heavy shudder to compose herself,// Hermione set to work, scrubbing each flask and utensil with great care.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
//Strong hands. Compelling hands. Hands that Hermione was beginning to really appreciate. They ran up both sides of her spine and circled over her tense shoulders. She felt them slide down her forearms and over her hands, evoking unwilling chills from her delicate body.
Once again Hermione whimpered at the sensation of cool lips on her neck. They traced their way, with agonizing slowness, over her tender flesh from her earlobe to her collar bone. With a soft moan she fell back into the stranger and felt herself sink into his arms, gasping as she felt a nip on her earlobe that was almost painful.
Pry in hands reached from behind her and expertly unhooked her robes and rolled them off her shoulders. Chilled, Hermione tried to identify the owner of those miraculous hands, but before she could turn her head, she felt those fingers of ice travel under the flimsy material of her muggle T-shirt. They ran up her spine, and with resolve fighting against the burning lust that was coursing through her veins, Hermione whipped her head around. Her eyes widened and she let out a shrill scream.//
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
"Miss Granger, do compose yourself!!!"
Hermione stared into the depths of the onyx eyes before her and her scream dissolved in her throat. "P-Professor?" she stammered uncertainly. "Where… What--?"
"You must have fallen asleep cleaning my supplies. It's a wonder you didn't break any," Snape said with a glare. "It is very late, and I had assumed that you would have left as any sensible person would have done."
"I'm sorry, Professor, I—"
"As is turns out," he snapped as if he hadn't heard her, "I happen to be a very light sleeper and heard someone moaning and carrying on in my classroom. So naturally I investigated, and here you are."
Hermione sat up and realized that she was indeed on the floor, starting up at the Potions Master bending over her. She stood up and tried to muster up some composure and smoothed out her robes.
"I'm very sorry to disturb you sleep Professor. I'll just finish cleaning up and retire to my rooms," Hermione asserted. She began to clean up the flasks that were strewn about the counter top.
"The won't be necessary," came a soft hiss from behind her, "You may just leave."
"But Professor," Hermione argued, "It was my job, and I've left you with quite a mess, just let me…" and she turned to the worktable, knocking over a glass flask in the process.
Snape rolled his eyes toward the ceiling at the sound of broken glass and then watched in agitated amusement as Hermione attempted to clean up the mess. "Miss Grander, just leave before—"
A yelp of pain confirmed his suspicions.
Hermione watched as blood seeped out of her hand where a chard of glass was buried in her palm. She was trying to figure out the least painful way to extract the glass from her flesh and didn't even notice when Snape kneeled down next to her.
"Miss Granger," Snape barked through his obvious annoyance. "Give me your hand."
She offered it to him and he took it, examining he damage. The second he touched her, Hermione sucked in her breath and recoiled slightly. //Those hands…// she thought to herself in horror. // I know those hands, but no!! He couldn't possibly be…//
She jerked her hand back and muttered something about the hospital wing that sounded stupid even to her, and then fled the dungeons with Snape staring in confusion after her.
A/N I want this story to take some time to develop so the characters' relationships may take a while to form. My apologies if you wanted pointless snogging right off the bat. Don't forget to review!!!
~Raven @----