Chapter four

Thanks for the reviews. Sorry it's taken so long to update. Thankyou to my beta Atalaya and the help with this chapter she gave me.

Hermione sat at breakfast feeling in quite a good mood. It was the Monday after the Yule Ball. She was still on a high from dancing with Snape. Hermione looked up at the teacher's table. Snape wasn't there. Strange, she thought. He never usually missed breakfast. Mentally shrugging she turned to Ron and Harry who were engaged in an animated conversation about Quidditch. Well...Ron was. Harry had a glazed look in his eye and wasn't even looking at Ron. Hermione followed his gaze and came to rest at the Slytherin table, where Draco Malfoy was talking smugly to Crabbe and Goyle. Obviously about his Quidditch triumph. Why was Harry staring at him though? Even if they were enemies, Malfoy didn't stare at him all the time. The people who were leaving for Christmas got up at the Signal from Dumbledore and congregated in the entrance hall. Malfoy got up and Hermione could have sworn she saw panic pass across Harry's face, even if it was brief. Hermione frowned and returned to her breakfast.

"What are you doing today?" Ron asked.

"I'm not sure. I might start on that Potions project." Hermione said vaguely.

"Already? We've got three weeks." Ron said indignantly.

"No time like the present." Hermione said. Ron rolled his eyes.

Hermione made her way up to Gryffindor tower and collected her Potions project from her dormitory. She sat at a table and started work. People were giving her strange looks. Obviously the rumour, well not exactly rumour, about her liking Snape was still circulating.

On Christmas morning Hermione sat on her bed surrounded by presents. She had the normal Honeydukes chocolate form Mrs Weasley and some Bertie Botts Every flavour beans from Ron and Harry. Then she came to a parcel wrapped plainly with no tag attached to it. Frowning she opened it. An oblong box fell out. Opening it, a shimmering gold chain slithered into her lap. It was a heart shaped locket. That's odd, she thought. Who would send her such an expensive present? She tried to pry open the locket, but it was firmly shut. Turning it over in her hand she caught a glimpse of something inscribed on the back of the heart. It was HG. She gasped. Her initials. She put it round her neck and under her shirt. She wasn't sure if she wanted to show it to anyone just yet.

The Christmas holidays went by without much hassle, except for the confusing fact about the locket. Their first lesson back was Potions. Snape told them about the practical side of their projects and sorted them into pairs.

"Miss Granger, you can partner Mr. Malfoy." Snape said vindictively. Hermione inwardly groaned and went to take the vacant seat next to Malfoy's smug posterior.

"Granger." Malfoy sneered. Hermione looked away and Snape continued speaking.

"Now...I would like you to start discussing the Potion you intend to study and make notes of its properties." Snape said succinctly.

Hermione went to fetch a bottle of Veritaserum from Snape's desk. She looked at Snape and her mind went fuzzy. She thought about his hands on her waist like they were at the Yule Ball and imagined his lips on hers, warm and moist.

CRASH!

Hermione had tripped and the bottle of Veritaserum had gone all over the floor.

"Miss Granger!" Snape came to the scene, his robes billowing ominously around him. The class fell silent. "That was the last bottle of Veritaserum. We will have to go through lengthy Ministry inspections to get anymore. Explain."

Hermione's face drained of colour. How was she going to explain that he was the reason she had acted foolishly?

"I...Um...I'm sorry Professor I can't explain." Hermione said quietly.

"Right. Detention. For a month. I cannot tolerate such foolishness. You and Mr Malfoy will have to work on a different Potion, which no doubt won't get you as many marks." Snape glared at her as Hermione resumed her place next to Malfoy.

"Nice one Granger." Malfoy scowled sarcastically at her. "Why did you have to go and drop it?"

"I'm...S...Sorry." Hermione stuttered. She had detention for a month and she wouldn't get as many marks! This crush on Snape was not doing her any good. She was going to have to pull herself together once and for all.

"Well that's not good enough." Malfoy sulkily folded his arms over his chest. Hermione sighed.

"I think that instead of studying a potion that's already been brewed we could brew a different form of the memory potion and study that." Hermione suggested to a disinterested Malfoy. He seemed to be watching Harry who was distinctly arguing with his partner Goyle. Hermione continued despite this. "This would obviously get us more marks than studying a normal potion."

"Yes alright Granger. We'll do that." Malfoy eventually agreed sounding quite bored.

After the lesson Hermione stayed behind to sort out her first detention with Snape.

"You do realise the seriousness of the situation Miss Granger?" Snape stood before her with his hands clasped behind his back.

"Yes Professor." Hermione looked at the floor, too ashamed to permit eye contact.

"You will serve your first detention tomorrow night at eight. You are to come here." Snape told her. Hermione nodded, picked up her bag and left.

* * *

Severus Snape paced his private quarters. He was getting mixed feelings about the Granger girl. Ever since their dance at the Yule Ball he had felt differently towards her. He couldn't quite place what it was though. He sighed. It was nearly eight and Hermione would be waiting in the Potion's classroom to find out what her detention was.

He left his quarters and entered the classroom. Hermione was there, looking nervously around.

"Right, Miss Granger." Snape folded his arms. "I would like you to start scrubbing the tables."

Snape observed her. She looked flustered and her breathing was faster than normal. Ignoring it he gave her a bucket of soapy water and a cloth.

She got to work without a word.

Snape watched her work and couldn't help but feel a slight flicker of desire build up inside him. He shook his head. What was he thinking? She was a student. Just a student that he had danced with at the Yule Ball. Nothing more.

"You've missed a spot!" Snape pointed to the table Hermione was working on. Grumbling to herself, Hermione put the cloth in the bucket and slapped it on the table. Her gold locket fell around her neck and glinted in the dungeon light.

It caught Snape's eye. Intriguing he thought. She must have got it for Christmas. No doubt from that Ron Weasley.

Why should he be jealous? Get a grip on yourself Severus!

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