Chapter two

A/N: Thankyou for the reviews and to my beta Atalaya.

One Friday evening Hermione found herself talking to Ginny Weasly in her dormitory.

"Okay you've got to tell me who you've got a crush on." Ginny said to Hermione. Ginny had told her that she still liked Harry and wanted to ask him to the Yule ball.

"Well..."Hermione started. Should she tell her about Snape? Maybe it would be good to get it off her chest. Ginny wouldn't tell anyone. "...You have to promise not to laugh."

"I won't. Who is it?" Ginny persisted.

"Snape." Hermione said quietly, not looking at Ginny.

"Snape?" Ginny questioned as if she didn't know who he was or where he came from. "Why Snape?"

"I don't know. It just happened. I can't stop dreaming about him..." Hermione stopped and blushed. Ginny giggled.

"I know what you mean. I usually dream about Harry.

"Really?" Hermione asked surprised.

"Yes of course I do. You wouldn't want to know the content of some of the dreams I have." Ginny giggled.

"Neither would you." Hermione agreed. "I don't know what to do about it."

"Try and forget about him. Look around the school and find another crush. Someone that might want to go out with you."

"Hmmm..." Hermione thought. That would be a good idea. It would stop her thinking of Snape and she might stop dreaming about him then.

"Now...who might you have liked in your previous years?" Ginny asked.

"No one really." Hermione thought. She had always been so engrossed in her school work that it had never really occurred to her.

"There must be someone." Ginny said firmly.

"There isn't." Hermione said definitely.

"Fine. But I think you liking Snape is going a little over the top." Ginny said nonchalantly.

"Well I can't help it." Hermione said.

"True." Ginny said. " Could you find out who Harry fancies for me?"

"If I must." Hermione rolled her eyes. "I thought you had your own contacts that would help you out?"

"You are the 'Harry' contact." Ginny said.

"Oh...all right then. I'll try and get something out of him."

"Thanks."

* * *

Saturday morning in the Gryffindor common room found most people sitting around the fire, reading or playing wizard chess. Harry and Ron were playing chess while Hermione did her homework. She looked around the common room in thought and Ginny caught her eye. She was sitting on a sofa reading 'The Standard Book of Spells Grade Three.' Ginny averted her eyes towards Harry and nodded. Hermione understood and turned to Harry.

"So...tell me Harry, got your eye on anyone at the moment?" Hermione decided it was best to take the obvious approach. If she went by it technically he never knew what she was on about.

"Eye on? What you on about?" Harry considered his next move.

"Do I have to spell it out? Who do you fancy?" Hermione watched him move his castle. Harry looked up, blushed slightly and mumbled:

"Um...no one really."

"Oh." Hermione was rather dissapointed. Maybe he was being evasive.

"Why'd you want to know?" Harry didn't look at her.

"Conversation point. How about any third years?" Hermione tried to point him in a direction.

"Third years? Why third years?" Harry frowned, then his eyes widened. "Ginny?"

Ginny at her name being mentioned looked up. Realising Hermione must have got him on the subject, put her head further into her book.

"Yeah, that's right." Hermione reloaded her quill.

"Um...I don't know."

"You don't know?" Hermione shook her head in confusion.

"Yeah...but..." Harry looked at Ginny, who didn't look up, pretending to be oblivious to the whole conversation. He shrugged. "I'll get back to you."

Hermione sighed. He sounded like someone on the phone. 'I'll get back to you.' She turned to Ginny and shrugged, Ginny only raised her eyebrows.

* * *

It was a couple of weeks until Christmas and the Yule Ball. Hermione had managed to keep her Snape attraction at bay over the past weeks and tried to concentrate on school work. It still remained a little and PSD lessons were always embarrassing, but that was something she'd just have to get over. Especially while Snape teached it.

One morning Hermione was talking to Ginny in the corridor. Hermione had PSD and Ginny Transfiguration. The two classrooms were near each other and the classes were waiting to go into their first lesson.

"So...how you going to deal with this lesson?" Ginny asked.

"I don't know. I've tried to stop liking him but it's proved harder than I thought." Hermione shifted her heavy bag, to make it more comfortable to carry.

"Yeah...strange to say when that persons Snape." Ginny said. Hermione briefly caught eye contact with Malfoy and he raised his eyes. What was that for? Snape arrived and ushered them into the classroom. Why had Malfoy raised his eyebrows at her? Hang on. That had been when Ginny had said about Snape. He'd been listening in and now knew about her secret! Great...Would he tell anyone? He probably would. He might because that's just the kind of person he was. She'd have to be careful now. During PSD, he kept smirking at her and stifling laughs with his cronies. Obviously Snape did nothing to stop them.

* * *

After dinner, Hermione went to find Ginny in the Gryffindor common room.

"I think Malfoy knows about Snape." She told her, sitting in the opposite chair to her, by the fire.

"How do know?" Ginny asked surprised.

"Well, in PSD he kept laughing at me and smirking." Hermione explained anxiously.

"He was probably only trying to get you worried." Ginny waved a hand and then eagerly leaned forward. "What did Harry say in your conversation yesterday?"

"Um..."Hermione thought bewildered. "He said he didn't know and would get back to me."

"Oh...right." Ginny flopped back in her chair.

"Are you going home for Christmas?" Hermione asked.

"No! The Yule Ball. I'm not leaving Harry alone with other admirers, waiting to take my place." Ginny answered.

"Hmmm...I'm staying too. I'm wondering if it's a good idea now that I've got this crush on Snape." Hermione admitted.

"You've got to stay! You're my only link to Harry...and you're obviously a good friend." Ginny said quickly.

"I know. You are too." Hermione stood up.

"Where is Harry anyway?" Ginny asked.

"Quidditch practice. There's a match against Slytherin on Saturday." Hermione reminded her.

"Oh yes...I've got to go to that." Ginny said.

"Right. Better get on with my homework." Hermione went to her dormitory and tried to concentrate on her Potions essay. Snape was still on her mind and she nearly gave up, because trying to do homework while battling with intense arousal wasn't doing her any good.

* * *

The following day turned out to be a complete disaster for Hermione. Firstly, wherever she went people seemed to whisper and try to suppress laughter. She didn't find out why until she got to Potions. Snape was late and everyone except Ron and Harry were staring at her. As usual they were totally oblivious to what was happening. Hermione looked nervously around at the transfixed gazes and the impenetrable silence was deafening.

"What?" Hermione blurted out.

"Everyone knows your secret Granger." A cold, drawling voice sliced through the silence like a sharp knife.

"What secret?" Hermione didn't know what to expect.

"Snape." Draco smirked. "Strange choice when you could have me."

Harry and Ron looked bewildered about the Snape revelation and even more shocked when Draco said she could have him. The others were on edge too.

"You?" Hermione's heart was pounding. What was going on?

"I'm blatantly joking here Granger, but it's still an odd choice. You better be careful he doesn't find out." Draco said, his eyes flashing in the dungeon light.

"Is that a threat?" Hermione asked defensively. At that moment Snape swished through the door and stopped still as he observed the students that were still standing. He had heard what Hermione had said.

"Why aren't you seated with your equipment out?" Snape asked dangerously. He looked wind-swept as though he'd been running. Stools scraped back as everyone scrambled to sit down.

"Miss Granger..." Snape started. It seemed as if everyone in the room had stopped breathing. "I distinctly heard you ask Mr Malfoy, "Is that a threat?" Obviously you were both having a disagreement. Twenty-five points from Gyffindor. This is the third time you've crossed the line. I won't tolerate it anymore."

Hermione could have laughed at the situation. Why did points have to be deducted? Draco had been threatening her, not the other way around. Why did he think she started it?

A/N: Tell me what you think! Next chapter is coming soon.