Snape had been content, listening to her soft voice as she read, and when the book was slammed shut, he jumped ever so slightly.

"Miss Granger? I what is wrong?" Snape did his best to hide the fact he knew what her troubles were.

"They're dead. My parents died… five months ago. And I just found out yesterday." The tears that earlier threatened to come, fell slowly from her right eye. "I had no idea. I can't believe… I can't believe they're gone." Hermione let out a soft cry as more tears came.

"Well, they're gone. Get over it, Miss Granger. Crying your sad little eyes out won't bring them back. Move on with your life." Snape's cold, harsh voice cut through Hermione like a blade.

In a fit of anger, Hermione jumped to her feet and lunged at her Potions Professor. As she jumped, he stood, and the couple flipped over the chair backwards, landing on the floor with a loud crash. Hermione landed smack on top of the older wizard and she set to beating him with her tiny, balled up fists. Tears of anger, pain, and suffering streamed down her pale face as she punched, slapped, and bit at her teacher, yelling "You bastard!" at every opportunity.

Blood was dripping slightly from the man's nose, and large bumps and bruises were already starting to show. He tried to hold one of Hermione's hands away, and ended up with a bloody hand, the skin ripped away by her teeth. Long, red scratch marks were forming on his cheeks and arms where she clawed at him.

And all he did was sit there and take her wrath.

-*-*-*-*-*-

After at least ten minutes of flailing arms and legs, Hermione simply ran out of energy. Her tears still came in floods, and her body still shook with her sobs, but the major damage was done.

Taking a deep breath, and dodging the occasional weak punch, he wrapped his powerful arms around the girl as she continued to cry. She buried her face in his robes and whimpered like a child who had been beat for something they didn't do.

Struggling a bit underneath the weight of the Gryffindor, he managed to get into a sitting position and pulled her onto his lap. Carefully, he held her under her knees and just below her neck, and got to his feet. Walking the few steps to the love seat, he sat down again. She shifted a bit and settled back onto his lap, keeping her face buried in the extensive folds of his black robes.

Severus didn't mutter soft words into her ear and he didn't rock her. He just kept his arms tightly around her small body and let her cry. He had never been the sentimental type, but if something had to be done, he would keep his promise and do it.

-*-*-*-*-*-

Hermione woke slowly. Looking around, still groggy, she noticed that she was in the Hospital Wing. Professor Snape was sitting on the bed next to hers, dressed only in black pants, feet dangling over the edge. His nose was black and blue, as well as his left eye. Thick red lines covered his arms and cheeks and deep bruises of purplish tint appeared on his chest, back, and sides. He had his head bend down slightly, looking at the floor. He wasn't aware that she was awake.

Hermione shifted in her bed and sat up. She watched Snape for a moment longer before deciding to speak. "Professor?"

Snape turned to look at her. "Yes, Miss Granger?" His voice was seething and hard.

Hermione looked as if she was about to start crying all over again. "Did… did I do all that to you?" She was terrified beyond belief and extremely embarrassed.

Severus nodded his head. "Yes, you did. But it was my fault. I said some harsh things to you, but they were things that needed to be said. You had to do something to get rid of the pent up feelings, and since you wouldn't talk to anyone about it, I had to find some way to make you talk."

Hermione nodded her head. She suddenly felt sick. She just beat the hell out of an innocent man. And not just any man, she beat the hell out of her teacher.

Snape watched the younger girl for a moment longer before standing and moving to a chair beside her bed. It was then that she noticed he was holding a book. She turned her head slightly sideways, attempting to see the title of it, while watching him move closer to her.

iI wonder what he was reading? /i Hermione's deep brown eyes stared blankly toward the thick, brown leather-wrapped book.

As Snape sat down, he opened it and began to read. "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet; So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd, retain thy dear perfection which he owes without that title." Snape continued on, slowly reading the content of the pages.

Within seconds of Snape's reading, Hermione had felt the tears well up in her eyes again. She listened contently as Snape's soft, silky voice took over her brain. She stared wordlessly at his thick black hair, his paling face, and his delicate lips. i I wish… just for one second, that I could have those thin, delicate looking lips of his. I just want to touch, to feel, to have them capture my own./i

Snape seemed to notice she was staring at him and stopped reading. "Problem, Miss Granger?"

Hermione snapped away from her daydreaming. Turning a deep crimson, she shook her head in an attempt to erase the thoughts that had occupied it a moment ago. She couldn't believe she had just thought that about the one teacher who hated her most. There was absolutely, positively NO WAY she could even consider having those feelings for that man. And she was 150% sure he'd never return them, so why bother getting your hopes up only to have them crushed in seconds.

Sighing, she laid back down in her bed and closed her eyes. "Do you wish me to continue reading? Or would you rather I leave you alone?" Snape's voice was soft as he whispered to her.

"You'd do that? For me?" Hermione opened one eye to peer at him as he nodded his head and reopened the book.

i My goodness, did Snape just *smile* at me? Nah, that's like saying Fluffy won't bite. /i And with the sound of Snape's soft voice reading "Romeo and Juliet" Hermione fell asleep.

-*-*-*-*-*-

Author's Notes:

Thank you to AnnabelleElizabeth, for giving me the idea to have him read to her. I was trying to decide on whether to have him read or not, but you decided that for me! Thankies!

And Slytherin Girl: Thanks for pointing out the Divination mistake. I was pretty tired when I wrote the story, so my mind was a bit foggy.

Also, in regard to the death of Hermione's parents. Her parents did indeed die on Feb. 21. Hermione had stayed at Hogwarts during the Christmas break, so she wouldn't have seen them. When they were involved in the accident, nobody knew where Hermione was (considering her parents were both Muggles), so they assumed the accident claimed her life as well. Therefore, the Muggle police and such would have no way of contacting her, that's why news of her parent's death took so long to get to her. Nobody knew she was alive and at Hogwarts (minus the people there and the ministry, but in my story, the ministry didn't want to deal with that aspect of Muggle affairs). So, that's why it took so long.