Title: Inverted
Author: SevenAgainstThebes
E-mail: sevenagainst_thebes@yahoo.com
Pairings: HG/SS eventually
Disclaimer: JKR owns all HP characters, places, etc. etc....I merely get to borrow them for this little writing exercise.
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Chapter 1: Interloper
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'Someone broke through my wards,' was Snape's first thought as he came upon the slightly open door to his private chambers. His wand held at the ready, he kicked the door open and entered.
There was no one there.
He did a quick appraisal of the room and found nothing out of place. Still, the feeling that someone was there bothered him. And then a figure in white stepped out of the shadows and into the light from the fireplace.
"Miss Granger...shouldn't you-"
Her appearance stopped him abruptly. Normally, whenever he came upon her on school grounds, she was dressed neatly in her school uniform, her hair twisted up in a bun and a serious expression on her face. Even when he encountered her in her robe and slippers during her late night rounds about the school, she at least looked presentable. But now...she was in a state of disarray. The mess of brown curls in her face and the slightly glazed look of her eyes alarmed him but what really shocked him was the contrast between the stark whiteness of her nightdress and the splashes of red that stained the front of it.
"It's not blood, if you're wondering, sir. I had trouble opening a bottle of your wine and it spilled on me." she said calmly. From behind her back, she brought out a wine glass that still had red liquid in it. At his raised eyebrow, she shrugged nonchalantly. "I fancied a drink."
"So you decided to wander down to the dungeons this late at night, break through my wards and steal a bottle of my wine? How utterly befitting of the Head Girl." he said sarcastically. Even while his face remained impassive, his mind was analyzing her every action. She didn't seem mentally unstable, but her eyes still had that glassy look to them.
She blinked twice and opened her mouth as if to say something but then stopped.
"Imitating a goldfish, are we?"
She made no reply and simply continued to stare at him. He let a few moments of silence pass before he held out a hand to her. "Come, Miss Granger. You must get back to the infirmary. As you are not well at the moment, I will overlook your indiscretions tonight and not take away House points."
"Does it really matter anymore?" she whispered, not noticing his outstretched hand.
"Need I remind you again that you are not well? Let a few days pass and you will be back amongst your classmates; chattering endlessly about how unfair 'greasy Professor Snape' is for taking away your precious House points."
She wouldn't take his hand and still had the wine glass poised halfway to her mouth so he moved to take it from her. After trying unsuccessfully to extract the glass from her fingers, he stopped and looked at her directly. "Miss Granger, I must warn you to not push your luck with me. Your bed in the infirmary is waiting and Poppy will have my head if I don't escort you back there."
"It doesn't help. The infirmary, the medicinal potions....nothing helps. Whenever I close my eyes, the images come back. His broken body...his blood on my hands..." Hermione trailed off.
Snape sighed. "Try not to dwell, Miss Granger. After all, there is nothing you can do for Mr. Potter now. Professor Dumbledore has assured the staff that he will make a full recovery."
"Harry avoids me, you know." She turned his face away from Snape's piercing gaze. "When I get up at night to check on him, he turns away from me. I tried brushing the hair away from his face once, and he grimaced."
"It seems like Mr. Potter still has some demons to fight before he can join all of us in the conscious world. Don't be offended; Professor McGonagall, your esteemed Head of House, nearly had her eyes gouged out by Potter's unconscious flailings." He noticed the slight upturn of the side of her mouth. "Now come, I must escort you back."
Hermione put the wine glass down on a small table laden with books and reached for his hand. When she saw that he wasn't about to give her his hand again, she looked up at him cautiously.
Heaving a deep exaggerated sigh, he took her hand. "Well if you insist, Miss Granger."
Author: SevenAgainstThebes
E-mail: sevenagainst_thebes@yahoo.com
Pairings: HG/SS eventually
Disclaimer: JKR owns all HP characters, places, etc. etc....I merely get to borrow them for this little writing exercise.
________________
Chapter 1: Interloper
________________
'Someone broke through my wards,' was Snape's first thought as he came upon the slightly open door to his private chambers. His wand held at the ready, he kicked the door open and entered.
There was no one there.
He did a quick appraisal of the room and found nothing out of place. Still, the feeling that someone was there bothered him. And then a figure in white stepped out of the shadows and into the light from the fireplace.
"Miss Granger...shouldn't you-"
Her appearance stopped him abruptly. Normally, whenever he came upon her on school grounds, she was dressed neatly in her school uniform, her hair twisted up in a bun and a serious expression on her face. Even when he encountered her in her robe and slippers during her late night rounds about the school, she at least looked presentable. But now...she was in a state of disarray. The mess of brown curls in her face and the slightly glazed look of her eyes alarmed him but what really shocked him was the contrast between the stark whiteness of her nightdress and the splashes of red that stained the front of it.
"It's not blood, if you're wondering, sir. I had trouble opening a bottle of your wine and it spilled on me." she said calmly. From behind her back, she brought out a wine glass that still had red liquid in it. At his raised eyebrow, she shrugged nonchalantly. "I fancied a drink."
"So you decided to wander down to the dungeons this late at night, break through my wards and steal a bottle of my wine? How utterly befitting of the Head Girl." he said sarcastically. Even while his face remained impassive, his mind was analyzing her every action. She didn't seem mentally unstable, but her eyes still had that glassy look to them.
She blinked twice and opened her mouth as if to say something but then stopped.
"Imitating a goldfish, are we?"
She made no reply and simply continued to stare at him. He let a few moments of silence pass before he held out a hand to her. "Come, Miss Granger. You must get back to the infirmary. As you are not well at the moment, I will overlook your indiscretions tonight and not take away House points."
"Does it really matter anymore?" she whispered, not noticing his outstretched hand.
"Need I remind you again that you are not well? Let a few days pass and you will be back amongst your classmates; chattering endlessly about how unfair 'greasy Professor Snape' is for taking away your precious House points."
She wouldn't take his hand and still had the wine glass poised halfway to her mouth so he moved to take it from her. After trying unsuccessfully to extract the glass from her fingers, he stopped and looked at her directly. "Miss Granger, I must warn you to not push your luck with me. Your bed in the infirmary is waiting and Poppy will have my head if I don't escort you back there."
"It doesn't help. The infirmary, the medicinal potions....nothing helps. Whenever I close my eyes, the images come back. His broken body...his blood on my hands..." Hermione trailed off.
Snape sighed. "Try not to dwell, Miss Granger. After all, there is nothing you can do for Mr. Potter now. Professor Dumbledore has assured the staff that he will make a full recovery."
"Harry avoids me, you know." She turned his face away from Snape's piercing gaze. "When I get up at night to check on him, he turns away from me. I tried brushing the hair away from his face once, and he grimaced."
"It seems like Mr. Potter still has some demons to fight before he can join all of us in the conscious world. Don't be offended; Professor McGonagall, your esteemed Head of House, nearly had her eyes gouged out by Potter's unconscious flailings." He noticed the slight upturn of the side of her mouth. "Now come, I must escort you back."
Hermione put the wine glass down on a small table laden with books and reached for his hand. When she saw that he wasn't about to give her his hand again, she looked up at him cautiously.
Heaving a deep exaggerated sigh, he took her hand. "Well if you insist, Miss Granger."