Chapter 2 - Realizations
Author: Rikka
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters; I'm just playing with them for a short while. I'll give them back, with a knowing smile on their faces, once I've finished with them.
A/N: It's not 'R' yet; but it will be soon. My 1st attempt at fanfic. Please let me know what you think!
Hermione ran straight out, staring at her feet, concentrating just on keeping one in front of the other. Her thoughts were racing so quickly that she couldn't really grasp any of them, and she almost didn't notice Malfoy coming down the hall.
"What's the hurry, Granger? You ought to watch where you're going, I'd hate for you to have an accident!" he called at her as she bustled by, but she didn't even pause. Oh, I'm going to have fun with this. Poor little mudblood, swooning over the head of Slytherin House, he snickered to himself, and then walked into the potions classroom. "Professor Snape?" he inquired, seeing Snape staring off at something...someone who was no longer in the room.
Hermione wasn't herself, this much Harry and Ron realized. She barely said a word to them in the common room, didn't chastise them for playing chess instead of studying for a potions exam, and as far as they could tell, she hadn't eaten in three days.
If she knew what they were thinking, she would have to agree. After the day where she cut her hand in Snape's room, she had barely said two words to anyone, even Harry and Ron. She wasn't sure about anything anymore, and she certainly wasn't sure enough about anything enough to talk to her to best friends about it yet. Some things are best left to stew, her mother always said, and for the first time Hermione understood how that could be true. She was so tense she felt like her skin could crack and she could seep out, and just sneak off to hide in some dark cleft in a wall within Hogwarts until her brain made up its mind what it was on about.
If Hermione had ever envisioned herself having a relationship of any significance other than friendship, it had never gone past holding hands, even in her head. Not to say that she was completely sheltered; she knew what went on in certain "hidden" hallways of Hogwarts, but she herself had never really had the time nor inclination to go any…farther, either in her head, or with herself. Suddenly, she found herself wondering about that feeling in her hand, and other places, when she touched Prof...Severus...the other day. She wondered if it was just hormones, after all, or if there was...something...there.
She lay back on her bed, thinking of him. Why am I thinking about him? She wondered for a minute, and then it hit her, everything she had been avoiding really admitting to herself for the past few weeks; she actually was attracted to him. She was attracted to someone, not just anyone, but Professor Snape, Most Hated Professor, and Greasy Git Extraordinaire. For some reason, the thought didn't make her cringe, or sob, or run. The thought made her feel...safe. The same feeling she felt when he healed her hand; the same feeling, she realized, that she had whenever in his company as of late.
He'll never return such an obviously schoolgirl crush...will he? She pondered to herself, staring blankly at her potions text in the common room of Gryffindor. Is it just a schoolgirl crush? Or is this...something more...real? Absentmindedly, she flipped through a few pages, landing on the one for Veritaserum. I wonder...but who would I get to ask?
"Looking for some truths, Granger?" a voice came from behind her. Startled, she turned around to see Draco Malfoy sneering over her shoulder. "I'd expect a good girl such as yourself to know how to find it without the help of...potions?" he added, watching her eyes for any reaction.
"What are you doing in here, Malfoy?" she hissed, irritated at her train of thought being interrupted. By no less than the person she least wanted to deal with now, or any other time.
"Just poking about, really. Was planning on studying for my potions exam, but I couldn't find a suitable partner." He said, emphasizing his words. Hermione couldn't help but blush, and Malfoy snickered to himself. Like playing a bloody violin, he thought. He grabbed the book from her hands and started flipping through the pages. "Let's see…ah, yes, Love Potion. Say, you're good in potions; want to help me brew some up?"
Hermione wasn't sure what to react to first; the fact that Draco had snatched her book straight from her hands, the fact that he admitted that she was good in something, or the fact that he was asking her for help...even if it was for help with something strictly forbidden at Hogwarts.
"I suggest you give her that book back and leave, Malfoy." Ron growled from somewhere behind Hermione.
"Why don't you mind your own business, Weasley? Did it ever occur to you that Granger and I might have something...important...to talk about, without you butting your nose in?" Malfoy looked at Ron, and then leered at Hermione from head to toe, knowing full well Ron was about ready to bite his...head off.
"You best be leaving before they have to levitate you to hospital on your way to Slytherin," Ron said, taking a few steps forward. Draco put his hands up at this, and started backing off.
"We'll talk again when your friend isn't around, eh Granger?" he said, then slipped out through a painting in the wall behind Hermione, just brushing up against Ron enough to nudge him out of the way.
"What, exactly, do you think you were doing just then?" Hermione asked Ron, turning on him, anger apparent in her eyes. Ron actually looked surprised at this; he thought she would be grateful he had gotten rid of Malfoy for her. Hermione started to understand the underlying reason for Ron to be acting in such a way. You silly git! Why have you let this go on so long?
"Ron, you and I need to have a long talk some day," she stated before storming off. Of course Ron loved her, as a friend of course, and in that capacity he wanted to protect and care after her; but is it something more?
At one point, she would have jumped at the thought that Ron wanted more than just friendship with her. It was just too bad he hadn't realized it sooner. Why is it too bad? Do I really have feelings for... She allowed her mind to wander as she roamed the halls. She was so busy contemplating all that had gone on in her life in the past few weeks; no, months if she were to be completely honest; she didn't notice what direction she was headed. Suddenly she was standing outside the potions classroom, wanting nothing more than to open the door and slip through.