Chapter Five

"Faithful are the wounds of a friend."

Proverbs 27:6

Snape went back into his rooms after Hermione headed back to Dumbledore's tower.  His thin lips were tight with anger.  He realized he was angry because she had successfully made him feel guilty for being insensitive.  He wasn't usually guilty when he was cruel but being her guardian did mean he should be more careful, he supposed.

It was nearly morning and tiredly he dragged himself to bed.  If he skipped breakfast, he may get as much as four hours sleep.  Once there however, he tossed and turned.  The evening's events played through his mind over and over.  Worst of all, he couldn't rid himself of the feel of her soft skin and warm body.  He could remember the scent of her hair and clothes as well as if she were lying right next to him.  Colour crept up over his angular cheekbones as that picture came clearly to mind.  He squashed in wrathfully.  She was a 17 year old girl, he told himself.  He was 20 years her senior.  Not only that but she'd been his student and now was a legal ward.  What he just thought was not only inappropriate and unethical, it was actually illegal in the wizarding community.

He was incensed with himself.  He had not allowed himself to think of women since he became a Death Eater in his youth.  Women were a distraction he could never afford constantly walking the tightrope he was on.  As he had no stomach for rape or prostitutes, it had been a pretty lonely couple of decades.  As women had not seemed to miss him on the whole, he'd written romance off very early in life.  Now here he was unable to get his mind off a mere child like he was some thirteen year old boy with a first crush.  His skin burned again in humiliation.  He glanced over at his clock.  It was 5am - so much for getting a lot of sleep.

Back in her room, Hermione took some sleeping potion and climbed into bed.  Just before she fell asleep she had the fleeting memory of Snape leaning over her earlier, a mysterious expression on his face.  She fell asleep smiling.

* * *

Hermione slept all through that day, only waking in time for dinner.  Hurriedly she got dressed and went down to see her friends.  They were relieved to see her looking okay and she told them what had happened; to her amazement, the looked uncomfortable.  "What is it?" she demanded directly, seeing their faces.

"Well," Harry looked nervously around.  "There are some rumours going around," he began, abashed.

"Yeah Hermione," Ron chimed in.  "Everyone is saying that you and Snape were seen around the school last night together and… and…"

"And everyone is saying that you and Snape are… you know."  Harry butted in, then blushed.

Hermione stared wide eyed at her friends.  "Do you believe this rubbish?" She snapped.

"Well, you and Snape were missing all day today," Ginny began uncertainly.

"But both showed up for dinner," Padma finished bluntly, nodding at the head table where Snape sat talking to McGonagall.

"He was probably doing the same as me – sleeping!" Hermione said as though it should be obvious.

"Yes but… the Hufflepuffs were saying Rowena and Mark saw Snape carrying you around in just your nightie," Ron said accusingly.

"Yes, I accidently fell asleep on one of the towers and Snape bought me down.  Then he gave me some more sleeping potion!"  Hermione explained impatiently.

"What where the two of you doing alone on a tower?" Ron protested.

"I didn't even know he was there!  I went there because I couldn't sleep!"  Hermione explained, starting to feel desperate.  It did look bad, she suddenly realized.

"What was he doing there?" Ginny wondered aloud, softly.

Hermione shrugged.  "When I asked him that he said he went there for solitude," she repeated.  Four pairs of eyes stared at her.  "That's what he said," she repeated.

"Well, everyone's talking 'Mione," Harry reiterated.  "Just giving you fair warning."

She glanced around to find the off pairs of eyes fixed on her from various tables.  Some young Hufflepuff was pointing at her and giggling.  Hermione's cheeks burned.  She glanced unintentionally at Snape and found him studying her.  He sneered slightly in his typical way then began a conversation with Professor Vector.

Hermione threw her napkin on the table.  "I'm going to my room," she announced and got up and walked off before her friends could protest.  She didn't know it but Snape's black eyes followed her progress out of the hall and half the students watched Snape watching her with curious eyes.

* * *

Hermione went to Dumbledore's office after dinner time.

"Ah, my dear.  I was expecting you.  Have some tea and hot scones," he said kindly, indicating a chair to her.  Her stomach was empty.  She hadn't eaten much in the past couple of days.  Dumbledore poured her some tea and loaded up a scone with jam and cream for her.  He let her finish it before he asked, preparing another scone for her "how can I help you?"

"Did you tell the school about what happened to my parents?"  Hermione asked in a small voice.

"Yes, my dear," he said gently, handing the second scone to her.

"Have you told them about my being Professor Snape's ward?" she asked hopefully.

"No.  I don't think it's essential information for all the students," he said placidly as he watched her toy with the second scone.

"There are rumours going around," she blurted out.

"I know, my dear but the people who matter know the truth," Dumbledore said compassionately.

"They're saying that… that…" Hermione began uncomfortably.

"I know what they're saying, my dear but it's not true and you're leaving us in a few days so why worry?" he asked gently.

She nodded unhappily and put the untouched scone down.  "Thank you Sir," she mumbled and left his office.  On the way back to her room she started having an asthma attack.

Dumbledore sent for Snape.

* * *

Snape's face tightened with annoyance when he heard what Dumbledore told him.  "So what have these stupid rumours got to do with me?" he snapped at Dumbledore.

"I'm more worried about Miss Granger's reaction.  She's repressing her emotions and it's causing enormous pressure on her.  A silly thing like this could be very hard for her," he explained patiently.

"And?  This is my problem because?" Snape growled.

"Because you're her guardian now and your actions last night has caused her problems," he said inflexibly.

"My actions?"  Snape said disbelievingly.

"Yes, carrying a girl in a nightie around in the middle of the night wasn't wise Severus," Dumbledore pointed out.

Snape sighed.  "It was the quickest way," he protested.

"It wasn't the wisest way," Dumbledore replied unequivocally. 

Snape got up and prowled around the office.  "So what do you want me to do?" He finally asked, his exasperation apparent.

"Go and talk to her," he directed.  "Calm her down.  Comfort her."

Snape looked at him like he had started speaking Swaheli.  "I don't know how to do that!" he barked.

"Well, it's time you learned," was Dumbledore's reply.

"She won't want me to!" Snape said with a hint of bitterness.

"You don't know that," Dumbledore argued calmly.

"Yes, I do!"  Snape hissed, whirling around to face Dumbledore.  "None of the students like me."

"You make sure of that quite deliberately," Dumbledore observed coolly.

"Yes but now, I can't just go and… go and…"

"Be pleasant?  Be soothing?  Be kind?  Be compassionate?" Dumbledore supplied.

"Yes!" Snape retorted.

"Yes, you can.  She'll learn to trust you in time.  She has to.  That's your job.  May as well start now,"  the white-haired Head Master said simply.

Snape wanted to kick something but instead, stalked out of the office with his cloak billowing behind him.  Dumbledore chuckled.