Without thinking Severus walked around to the front of Hermione's chair and knelt down in front of her. They looked at each other.
"I'm so sorry about what happened downstairs, I panicked to think that you would find out. I know that I haven't been kind to you Hermione but if you ever found out. You would have been too young, you were too young to know. You wouldn't have understood."
Hermione shivered slightly as she heard him use her name for the first time.
"But you hate me you always have. You've always picked on me"
"Hermione I do not hate you. From the first moment I met you I knew that you were the one who Sanina had prophesised about all those years ago"
"But you didn't tell me because I was too young?" she said bitterly "I'm only 18 now!"
"You are old enough to be told the truth. Old enough to have a relationship with the man you were destined to be with" said Dumbledore wearily.
"Hermione" said Snape in a soft, gentle voice Hermione never would have thought could come from him "I want you to look deep down within yourself and tell me that you don't love me. I know it's a strange thing to ask but I want you to try and tell me that you don't love me. Look into my eyes and tell me"
Hermione thought for a long moment and stared into Snape's eyes. Confusion clouded her brain. She couldn't take any of this in. She thought about her dream, how much she had wanted to touch him. She looked deeper into his eyes.
"Professor Snape"
"Hermione please call me Severus"
"I can't" she replied "I can't say that I love you" Severus frowned. More tears fell down Hermione's face.
"Hermione I think you should spend some time with Severus, you need to get to know each other as people, not as just a student and a teacher" said Dumbledore with a look close to pity in his eyes. "You should spend some time alone though first" he said concernedly "What I have just told you is not an easy thing to deal with"
Hermione nodded getting up
"I have to go now Professor" she said in a distant voice
"You are excused from lessons for today Hermione and don't..." he began as he saw the look of indignation in her eyes "protest, I will not be happy if I hear you have been to any more of your classes today"
Hermione nodded again and went out the door.
As soon as Hermione had left the office Severus lost control. He howled and huge tears fell from his face like oversized rain drops. Professor Dumbledore put a hand on Severus' shoulder. His sobs pierced Hermione's heart as she walked away from the office. They penetrated her soul, she had felt that pain before, knew what he must be feeling. She thought again about the dream. Could she love him? She had always had a secret crush on Snape ever since their first year but could it have been more? He was so clever, one day she had wanted to be that intelligent, that amazing. She stopped in the corridor. She turned around and headed straight back to Dumbledore's office. She burst into the office and saw Snape crouched on the floor with Dumbledore standing over him. Without thinking she rushed over to where Severus was kneeling, she bent down to him and lifted his head up with her hands. She looked deep into his eyes.
"I don't love you" she said breathlessly "But I think I can" Slowly Hermione moved her face closer to his. Severus looked into her eyes.
"Hermione you don't have to" But she ignored him. Moving closer still she closed her eyes and pressed her lips onto his. They were wet with tears but softer than Hermione could ever have imagined. Severus' hands held the back of her head then slid down to her back and wrapped her in loving hug. Hermione moaned as they got closer. A feeling of intense safety swept over Hermione. Hermione didn't know how she could have walked out on him a few minutes earlier. When they pulled away from each other her lips were swollen, as were Severus'.
"Hermione I love you"
"I know" she said smiling "And I'm going to love you. Please give me time"
Severus nodded. A cough from the corner of the room reminded them that Dumbledore was still there.
"Well I'm glad to see you two can be friends" he said with smile "Now all that has to be arranged is what we are going to tell everyone else. You both understand that in this case the truth is not the best option"
"Yes Headmaster" said Severus seriously "And of course Hermione will have to move out of her dormitory"
"What?" said Hermione "Where am I going to go?" Dumbledore and Severus looked at each other and Severus put his hand on her arm.
"My private chambers have an attaching room Hermione. I would very much like you to stay there. I'd like us to get to know each other better. You will of course have complete privacy and safety there. There's a desk, bed and you can have anything else that you want"
Hermione looked shocked for a minute. She thought long and hard about the implications of this.
"Hermione" said Dumbledore eyeing the worried expression on her face "I understand that you may be worried about this but you really should be near each other. If your dreams come back you need to be near someone who can protect you and understand you. It's not a good idea for you to stay in Gryffindor tower anymore. You could put the other students in danger. That was the mistake I made with Harry. He could have caused himself and the other students to be put in danger and I should have realised that."
Hermione's face was still not convinced and Severus leant over her.
"Hermione you don't have to stay with me. We can arrange somewhere just as safe for you"
Hermione thought for a minute. At least she would have privacy in her own room, her own desk. At least she would be safe with Severus near her.
"No" she said finally "I understand that you are trying to help me and I think it's a good idea to stay near you".
When Hermione got back to the Common Room Harry and Ron rushed over to her clearly worried.
"What happened with Snape?" said Ron "You look dreadful"
"And why didn't you come to any classes today? You NEVER miss classes!!!" said Harry amazed.
"I'm exhausted" she said slumping down into a huge armchair by the fire "Occulmency is so hard. Then I had to go and see Dumbledore to talk about a few things you know…" she said as they looked at her curiously "things like fitting my Occulmency lessons in with my normal lessons. Dumbledore thinks that I should take a lot more time with them"
"More time with Snape?" said Ron looking horrified "Better you than me Hermione"
"Yeah good luck" said Harry looking half amused and half sympathetic.
"He's not that bad really. I was focusing more on what I was doing rather than who I was doing it with".
As she looked at them both she wished that she didn't have to lie to them. They looked so concerned and it made her sad to think that one day they would know the truth anyway.
"There's another thing" she said pushing that thought out of her mind "Dumbledore thinks I should be moved out of the dormitory into my own room"
"What?" said Ron a look of immense jealousy passing over his tired face "Why?"
"He thinks I might be a danger to other students if I get these dreams again" she said hoping that that was a convincing enough story.
"He didn't do that for me" said Harry indignantly
"Yes but after your dreams he realised what dangers there could be. He doesn't want to make the same mistake twice" They both looked suspiciously at her.
"Where are you moving to?" asked Ron
"Just somewhere near the teachers' private rooms, Dumbledore says I'll be perfectly safe there" she said quickly "Anyway I better start packing my stuff up, Dumbledore wants me to move tonight"
"We'll help you" said Harry "You've got a lot of stuff with your trunk and everything"
"No" she said abruptly "No I'll be fine. Dumbledore has given me permission to use the levitating charm so I can take all my stuff down in one go. Thanks for offering though"
And without a backward glance she ran to the stairs of the girl's dormitory and disappeared.
"Well what was all that about?" said Harry looking dumbstruck after her.
"Eh?" said Ron
"I mean why was she acting so weird?" he said with a dark look
"Oh leave her Harry" said Ron "If you're worried go to Dumbledore. But I think she'd rather we left it too. She's obviously just upset about her parents and wants to be safe. She'll be safer with the teachers than up there with Lavender Brown!"
"Yeah I guess" said Harry wearily "Do you want to stay here and say goodbye?"
"Leave her Harry" said Ron exasperatedly "She's not going far!"
"You're right" said Harry "I'm tired. You going to stay down here for a bit?"
"No I'm tired to" said Ron yawning "Let's go upstairs"