Last dance 9- Jive turkey
Hermione didn't know how she felt about spending so much time with professor Snape, time in which they would be alone and there would be ... touching. Hermione shuddered, and not in a good way. She hated people touching her. Harry was the only person who ever even hugged her, what was that line from some muggle movie? "I'm British dear, we don't hug." Something like that. She was seriously considering backing out, but the deal they had made was that she would take and independent study grade from him instead of doing the research paper. She hadn't started on the paper yet so she wasn't too upset. They would work together on skating and she would get a grade for it, of course she couldn't tell anyone. Oh how she wanted to share her secret with Ron and Harry, give them the satisfaction of having dirt on Snape. Snape, the bane of her existence, the fly in her ointment, the joker to her Batman or something like that. 'Actually, he's not that bad, especially if I can keep him from sleeping." Hermione remembered her dream and her thoughts of skating with him. She didn't like the thought that she might be attracted to a teacher. It was so unlike her, but like she said to Ron and Harry she wanted to do something different make some real memories. She regretted talking to Snape the way she did on the dat before school was in session. She never should have done that. She told herself she would apologize first thing tomorrow. She felt that she had crossed a line that she should have never crossed, one that had created even more animosity in their situation. She could not have been more wrong.
'Why do I keep thinking about this girl? I'll tell you why because she is the first person to ever stand up to you and be brave, unless you count Voldmort and I don't. I have to cower before Voldemort, in order to pay my debt to Albus. Of course Albus will always tell me exactly what he's thinking, tell me how stupid I am being, how I can be a git. Hermione had been right, of course I'll never tell her that. I was being petty, I wanted to spoil their fun. I couldn't have any, why should they. It seems like I never had a time in my life when I could be free and have fun. I guess that's why I despise students so much. Running around like they don't have to worry about anything. I hate it when I get introspective. Why roller disco? Why? I have to be so bloody different than everyone else. My mother swore I was just trying to get attention.' Severus sighed and laid his head in his hands. He had to create a working relationship with a student, a student who knew his secrets. W student who is besy friends with Harry Potter. Snape groaned and gave up on thinking. He went into his room and tried to sleep.
Snape was having a very hard time opening the door to the room. Hermione was completely lost, if Snape wanted to loose her it would be very easy, she looked around the tiny hallway and behind her at what looked to be a solid wall. Then she looked at Snape. He was standing in front if a door holding his wand not doing anything. He felt completely unlike himself. He couldn't bring himself to let this girl into his secret. Albus had never even been into this room. No one had except him, and for about three days JJ. Maybe Hermione could somehow replace her. They had been such good friends. The only person he had ever really let his guard down with. Of course she had been his age, this girl was a child. He looked at her impatient face and realized she wasn't a girl anymore. Of course she was still a number of years younger than him. He wanted to fall into his repressed and bitter mode. Be the evil potions master, but he couldn't do that here. This was where he was happy, well maybe not happy but definitely content. He turned to look at her. She was obviously expecting some scathing remark instead she got a heartfelt confession.
"Ms. Granger, No one had ever been in here, this is my sanctuary. This is where I come to be me, not the facade you see in class or the one I have in staff meetings, which are actually pretty similiar."
"How about when you are a deatheater?" His eyes snapped up to her face. "I've known since our forth year." She hung her head.
"Not my deatheater facade either. This is where I try to be me, rid myself of the anger and frustration and try, if ever so minutely, to relax. To be perfectly honest I do not want to let you in. I don't want to loose the little bit of peace that I have."
"If you would prefer we could do this somewhere else, or not at all." She said the last part in a whisper.
"Don't be ridiculous, we have already told Dumbledore, we have to do it now, and where exactly would you like to go? I do not know of any other places on the school grounds that are big enough or level enough, and of course you don't apparate yet so that put's any real skating rinks out of the question." He was the teacher again, Hermione hated that he had come back. She liked the introspective, unsure Snape better. "We will do it here and we will muddle through, I just ask that you refrain from asking questions unless absolutely necessary, and try to follow directions." Snape turned and looked at the door, he muttered some words and the locks could be heard clicking open. The door swung wide and they walked in.
