Disclaimer: You know what I'm saying…
A/N: This one's pretty short because this is the only logical break in the plot line that I could devise. Otherwise there's this incredibly long chapter. This seemed to work. And yes, before you ask, there is a reason that Snape is so interested in Hermione, I'm just not going to tell you yet.
Severus Snape sat in his lonely dungeons going over third year essays. He mindlessly graded them but found himself letting his mind wander to other things, other people. Hermione Granger stood out in his mind yet he didn't know why he was so absorbed with what had transpired. He couldn't understand it, any of it. He opted for a whiskey and book as he climbed into his empty bed.
Hermione managed to avoid as many people as possible for that week. Madam Pomfrey was skilled in her own right but she was most certainly not a miracle worker. She had healed Hermione's ribs and managed to repair the split lip but the bruise above her eye would have to heal on its own. She was sore and tired, but happy to be back at school, where she was safe.
Halloween had approached faster than usual as she had managed to get her life into some semblance of order. Her arithmancy project was finished, with so much extra time on her hands, the project merely completed itself. She spent most of her time teaching Professor Hanson's class. He had so much trouble in so many areas that Hermione had student taught most of his classes. But, as Halloween grew nearer, Hermione prepared his lesson plans and worked out the details of his lectures. He resumed his role of teacher, leaving Hermione to her own devices. Most of the time, Hermione Granger was found in the library, reading into the late hours of night. She was happier than she usually was, everyone noticed it, probably due to the fact that Viktor hadn't owled her since that first week of school. She thought that she was finished with him.
The feast had arrived and Hermione allowed herself to be drug from the library to the Great Hall with the friends she had neglected all semester. Ginny Weasley, her best friend, had been patient with her and gave her the space she needed, something Hermione was truly grateful for. And since Ginny had been spending a good deal of time with Harry, she didn't have to deal with him much either. Ron Weasley had been so wrapped up with Quidditch that he rarely had time for anything else. As Captain of the Quidditch team, he spent hours working new strategies. So, when the feast arrived, Hermione felt obligated to attend.
The hall was mad with laughter and excitement. All of her fellow students accepted her back with no questions and she sat and watched them all eating, talking, and smiling. Hermione didn't feel the need to eat. She couldn't actually remember the last time she had bothered to take anything into her mouth. Viktor had always said that she was too fat. She took a piece of cake nervously placing it neatly on her plate.
Severus Snape watched her from the staff table. She looked better than when he had saw her last. However, there was something empty and lonely about the way she sat with her shoulders hunched down over her plate. He watched Hermione take the cake and place it on her plate, making no move to eat it. As a matter of fact, Snape couldn't actually remember the last time she had graced the Great Hall with her presence. Either way, he was intrigued by the figure who sat helplessly lost at Gryffindor table. He saw that her once full brown eyes now merely reflected a hollowness. He wondered what was troubling her and watched her hoping for some indication that she was all right. And then, she smiled. Only briefly, but for a small moment her eyes had lit up and the room seemed slightly brighter than it did before. A moment later, this was extinguished as she excused herself from the room leaving the cake behind untouched.
Hermione had excused herself; the sweet scent of the feast was making her nauseous. She went back to the library but found herself thinking about her life. She had her problems with Viktor Krum, that much could be certain. He was just like her father. She didn't seem to expect any more from the men in her life. There was Harry and Ron, but they were different, they hadn't learnt how to treat a woman yet. Her father had known, so had Viktor. She relinquished the memory and wondered how she had managed to find herself in this position. Her father's death was welcomed but reminded her of her loneliness and isolation. She was now completely deserted. There was no one else. She let her mind wander on to other things. Hermione knew that Severus Snape had been watching her throughout the feast yet she couldn't figure out why. He's never bothered to take any interest in me before. Why should he start now? He's probably trying to figure out what happened so he can tell Dumbledore and get me expelled. I wonder what his robes smell like? Oh! Where did that come from? Hermione Granger and Severus Snape. What an unlikely pairing. Not that he would ever be interested in me anyway, why would he? Does he want Viktor's spoils? I doubt it. His eyes, there's just something about his eyes. She shook her head as if to ward off the images of Severus Snape as she continued reading. What could she do? If only her life was as simple as a spell…
