A/N: Anyone here happen to be selling a life? Cause I need one...



Hermione's eyes widened in shock, then closed as she quickly became more comfortable with the kiss. When Snape finally pulled away, Hermione's chest was heaving, and his face was slightly red. Hermione started to talk, but Snape shushed her. He whispered something in her ear and sent her back to Gryffindor Tower.
Later that night, Hermione and Harry were walking to dinner, and Hermione was pondering what Snape had said. In the light of recent events, the Dark Crystal had been pushed to the back of her brain, and she had stored it in a little lobe that she hardly ever touched. Voldemort had died down for a while, and it was not of utmost importance. Therefore, she couldn't understand what Snape had said for the life of her. Harry noticed her slight unconcentration, and waved his hand in front of her face.
"Hermione?" She turned to look at him.
"What?" He shook his head. The liveliness in her face was just as pronouced as ever...no facade of unconcentration...just normal Hermione.
"Nothing. It was nothing." They walked into the Great Hall.
During dinner, they were sitting next to Seamus and Dean, and talking and laughing. *Like we used to do with Ron,* Hermione thought.
"Hermione, are you ok?" Seamus looked at her, having noticed the wistful look on her face. She nodded, having found something better to think about: Snape's comment. All of a sudden, it hit. She finished her meal and dashed out of her seat and out of the Great Hall, without a word to Harry, Seamus, or Dean.
Hermione ran the whole way to Gryffindor Tower, and once inside, flew up the staircase to her dorm and flung open the door. She hurried over to her trunk and pulled out the book she had shown to Dumbledore, a quill, and a piece of parchment. She finally stopped running and flopped on her bed. She opened the book to the ragged chunk of parchment paper and began to read.


*During Voldemort's peak of power, a sinister stone was created, using crystallized unicorn's blood and other ingredients, but none as important as the blood. The stone was called the Dark Crystal, and as long as Voldemort has control of it, he can not be fully killed, only robbed of power. Only a select group of Death Eaters know how to handle the powerful crystal, and with it, they can destroy Voldemort and end his terror once and for all.*

She looked up and smiled, then looked down again to begin copying this. Snape had said to her:
"I know how to work the Crystal."

Hermione bustled around, putting the book and quill away, tucking the folded piece of paper into her robes, then set off for the dungeons.
When Hermione arrived at Snape's office, she heard him moving around in his bedroom. She walked over to the door, about to call his name, but it died on her lips. There was Snape, walking around naked as the day God made him! She stifled a squeal, walked back to the door of the office, knocked and called his name.
"Severus?" She peeked into the doorway, as if expecting him to answer it in the nude.
"Come in...I'll be out in a minute, Hermione." She walked in and sat on his chair. A minute later, he came in, still pulling on his robes. Hermione licked her lips, remembering how that gorgeous body looked undressed, muscles rippling with every move he made. She shook her head to return herself to reality.
"I got that paragraph you wanted, Severus." He pulled another chair over next to the one she was sitting in, and took the paper she handed him.
"Good girl...yes, I know how to work the Dark Crystal. I was one of his best." Snape shuddered slightly, and Hermione took his free hand to soothe him.
"This needs to be out, Severus...however painful it may be." She smiled at him, and he began his tale.
"The Dark Crystal, as it says here, was made with crystallized unicorn blood, drops of selarum and other sinister ingredients that keep Voldemort alive. He ordered it created by his top alchemist, and it was created. Voldemort keeps it in a worn black pouch, and gave the orders on how to work it to two people: myself and Lucius Malfoy." He stopped, then dove back into the story and went on. "Only he, myself and Lucius know how to work it. Only I can destroy him...why would Lucius want to?"
As Snape continued with the story of the torture he went through to show what would happen to him if he ever told, Hermione's eyes welled up with tears. She couldn't believe someone would do this. Snape saw several of the tears spill onto her smooth cheeks and run down toward her jawline, and couldn't restrain himself. He began to kiss her tears away.
Hermione was once again shocked, then pleased, and turned her face to meet Snape's. He kissed her gently, and she broke the kiss to walk over to him. He stood also, and scooped her up in his arms. She was still faintly surprised at how strong he was. He kissed her, and walked into his bedroom, pausing slightly to kick the door shut and put a Silencio spell on it.

An hour later, Hermione emerged from the bedroom, followed by Snape. Her robes were slightly wrinkled, and Snape had a small smile on his face. He walked with her to the door, stopped, and put his arms around her, pulling her in for another kiss. When they were done, Hermione went back up to Gryffindor Tower, smiling the whole way.
When she got into the tower and up to the dorm room, she changed into her pajamas, sank into the soft sheets on her four-poster, and quickly fell asleep, drifting into sweet dreams of Snape. She was totally out when someone snuck into her room and began going through her stuff.

Ron hoped Hermione wouldn't be awake. He burned with the desire to find the journal, and so far, he'd had no luck. He went through all of Hermione's stuff, throwing everything, and finding nothing. Finally, he gave up and left. Hermione woke a minute after he left, wondering why she was roused from such a deep sleep. She got up and walked across the room to pour herself a drink from the silver water pitcher on the windowsill.
Ron walked across the almost empty common room; Fred and George were there, discussing plans for the joke shop they were going to open up after their graduation this year. They didn't notice him. He walked up to the boys dorm and climbed into his bed. *Oh well,* he thought to himself, *I'll search again tomorrow, when she's in the dungeons with Snape.*

The next day, after breakfast, Hermione pulled on navy blue robes, brushed her hair, and headed for the dungeons. They had the whole day to themselves, a gift from Dumbledore, everyone said. Hermione knew the real reason. Dumbledore was getting ready to fight with Voldemort, and most of the teachers were with him. Snape would be going up later.
She arrived at the office, and went in. She looked around for Snape, and heard soft snores coming from his bedroom. She crept over and peeked in. He was still asleep, one arm over his face, as if to shield out light. She took off her shoes and padded over the thick carpet to the bed, climbed in and put her arms around him. He woke up instantly.
"Huh?" His eyes snapped open, darted around wildly, then settled on Hermione. "Hermione? You scared me!"
"Sorry, Severus." He could tell that Hermione wasn't sorry. Her eyes were glittering, and she was trying, without success, to suppress a smile. He smiled too, and put his arms around her. They kissed, without realizing that someone had just walked up to the open bedroom door and stood surveying the scene.



A/N: Waaah! This is so painful for me to talk about, but it has to be said. I am thinking about ending The Dark Crystal. My magnum opus...my life's work...Actually, since the summer, I've been writing this nonstop...during class, on the way to band compititions, during first period concert band...it's taking up a lot of my time...so, please tell me what you think about it being stopped, cause if you don't like the idea, I have a lot of storytelling left in me...I might be able to write a few extra chapters.

And now, less painful stuff. Thank-yous!!!!

Thanks to Slaz for changing her views on the story. I think it turned out pretty good myself...I was actually dreading posting it.

Thanks to Sarah in advance for helping me think of something terribly evil to do to Ron. Somehow, nothing evil anyone comes up with seems good enough, so I will turn to you.

Thanks to Mylaea for reading this chappie in advance and letting me know what she thought about the way I will do the endings.

Thanks to other people for...things. You know who you are!

The endings, all four of them, will come after part 15...so don't despair...there's another 8 parts spanning over a year at Hogwarts...Hermione graduates...stuff happens.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, or Snape (Wah!) or anyone else in this story. I do, however, own Orlando Bloom and Viggo Mortensen. I share them with Mylaea. We kidnapped them and took them hostage. We are selling their clones on our website, http://www.angelfire.com/wizard/fanfictionwizard.html. They are $1,000,000 apiece, $1,500,000 as a pair. Come shop today!