Authors note: So sorry you had to wait but I have been on a little vacation in Greece, but now I'm home and here comes the next chapter.......................enjoy.

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When a Man Loves a Woman:

Chapter V : That Something Like This can Happen and Why?

Severus went down to his dungeons and started to fresh up.

He was considering his new job (if you can call it that). To watch over Hermione. He didn't mind, it would be great. But to sit and watch her beautiful features and fight the urge to just ravish her on the spot would be the most difficult thing he had ever experienced.

It became very clear to him that this was going to be a tough challenge.

He started to walk up to the hospital wing again, it was about nine in the evening. He opened the doors just to find only Hermione in the room, lying on the same place as he had left her, still unconscious.

He pulled out a chair and sat down next to her bed. She looked so peaceful and calm, her breathing was also very calm and silent, that was a sign that she felt safe.

"Hermione, I know this is awful right now, but I know you're strong and I know that you are going to get out of that bed and...'Drive me insane with desire'. He was thinking the last words.

"I know that you have been in trouble lately, I know that your father died during the fall of Voldemort. And how long it took for you to get over it." He thought back at the time when the war had started, how she and her mother had leaned over her fathers dead body and cried their hearts out to him.

"But we can't change the past even if we want to, Hermione". He started to get sick by the sight of her lying there unconscious.

"Open your eyes, Hermione, please I want you to open your eyes, please I want you to open your eyes, come on now and open your eyes". But they remained closed. But she breathed.

Her breath landed on his face, and he could smell her, so sweet. He looked at her and timidly first but then, with growing boldness, he took a lock from her hair in his hand. It was as soft as velvet. He leaned down to her and buried his face in the piece of her hair that was lying at his side. Her scent was intoxicating, it travelled from his nose up to his brain were it made him dizzy in a wonderful way, then it shoot down his spine and warmed his heart. His senses were full of her.

Once again he saw her hand, her little white hand with the colour of the feathers of a swan. He took it in his own large. It was so light and it looked so innocent, the hands of a human is a beautiful instrument. They feel you and caresse you in a way that can mean so much. The gentle touch of a mothers hand or the soft stroking from the one you love.

Lost in his thoughts he gently lifted her hand to his lips, it came closer and closer. At last his lips touched the smooth, white skin. And his heart and his entire world started to spin. It was so soft, he loved what it was doing to him. Removing it from his lips he opened her palm and laid it against his cheek. He felt the desire to kiss her more and more, all over her beautiful body, but he couldn't. A kiss on the forehead couldn't be bad, but she was hurt at that place. Instead he leaned down to her face and gently brushed his lips against her cheek. It was so much softer than her hand. It was cream white with little blush on it, almost like a peach.

It started to get late, but he had promised to watch over her, so he took place in a big comfy chair a bit away from her bed. He didn't trust himself so close against her, perhaps he would run mad and go far more than he had just done. He sat down looking at her silhouette in the bed. It was past midnight and he could barely keep his eyes open any longer, so he decided to doze himself to sleep.

The darkness fell over Hogwarts, the only thing you could see in the Hospital wing were the shiny white fabric from the sheets in the beds and Hermiones silk-white negligee. You couldn't see Severus that much because of his dark clothes and his head was hanging forward, so his black hair covered his face. So he was completely black.

It was about three in the night, both Hermione and Severus were sleeping deeply. Without hearing the little whimper the door made when it was opened. And a quite tall figure in a black student robe with very blonde hair entered the hospital wing..........

Draco made his way over to Hermione in her bed. He sat down on it and pulled back the covers before straddling her and starting to pull in her negligee.

Hermione was dreaming that a big black angel was flying down to her, the gloria was shining around his head. But suddenly the gloria disappeared and two red horns grew out from his forehead. And it touched her in a very uncomfortable way, pulling in her clothes. It felt so real!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hermiones eyes shot up like rockets and she saw Draco over her, trying to pull her skirt up from her legs and Hermione knew what was going to happen. She started to whimper and tried to fight against him but she was still very weak. She struggled all she could and she started to scream, tears started to run down her checks.

"If you just shut up and be still it will be much easier" but she didn't obey him and he kissed her so she would stop scream. He kissed her so hard her lips started to bleed. She was scared to death. She felt how his hands started to move down her body and down between her legs.

Fear struck her and she reached down and held hard onto her panties. He leaned down to her neck and sucked so hard it was painful. She screamed so high her throat became soar.

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Severus slept with images of Hermione running around in his head, she smiled and her eyes were twinkling. But suddenly a shadow fell over her, her eyes started to fill with tears and fright started to wash over her face. And finally she screamed so high it woke Severus up from his sleep. He jumped up from the chair and stood poker-straight. Looking at Hermiones bed, he saw a black figure over her, torturing her. When he saw who it was, anger struck him.

The first night and things already starts to happen.

He ran over to the bed and pulled Draco of Hermione. He opened the door and threw Draco out like a bag of trash.

Draco only saw a big dark shadow in front of him, he couldn't identify who it was that had pulled him from Hermione. Before he could say anything the shadow hissed.

"Leave her alone, she belongs to me, and no one is taking her away from me". With that he closed the door right in the face at Draco.

He walked over to Hermione, who was lying there sobbing. Her beautiful lips were bleeding. She was so exhausted she fell back in sleep. She couldn't do anything more.

Severus pulled out a handkerchief and started to wipe away the blood from her mouth and the tears from her face.

"That something like this can happen and why?" he asked out in the air.

He looked down at her. Why her, why did she have to stand all this pain?

He looked out through the window and saw the moon throwing its silver light at them.

"You are not safe here" he said, and without doubting it he picked her up from the bed, wrapping the sheet around her and went with her down to his dungeons.

As he walked through the corridors, her head was lying against his shoulder and he leaned his cheek onto her head, feeling her soft hair. He was her protector.

Down in his dungeons he laid her down on his big bed and pulled the black silk sheet over her.

"Don't worry, you're safe now, no one is going to take you away from me........not even death."

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Two days passed and no Hermione was to be seen, not even in the hospital wing. Severus was also gone, he wasn't sitting at the high table at dinner and he wasn't in the hospital wing either.

"Where can he be?" Minerva asked.

"Don't worry, I think I know where he is" Dumbledore said before heading down to the dungeons.

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Severus was sitting by the bed where Hermione was still sleeping from the night when she had been attacked.

He held her hand and gently hummed to her with his soft voice. Normally he would never hum, but it was for her. She must be exhausted, poor thing, he thought.

Someone knocked at his door. He laid her hand down and walked out from the bedroom to open.

He opened the door to see the headmaster standing outside.

"Headmaster" he said.

"Severus" Dumbledore answered "she is here, isn't she?" he asked, Severus only nodded.

They both walked in to the bedroom. Hermione was lying with her back to them, they could only see her hair.

"Severus, I know" Albus said.

"Know what?" Snape answered.

Albus went forward to his potions master and gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

"What happened in the hospital wing" Severus couldn't do anything more than nod.

"And that you love her"

Severus froze and looked at him.

"Don't you?" Albus asked.

Severus sighed and confessed it for the first time ever.

"Yes, headmaster, I love her more than anything I have ever loved"

Severus confessed everything to Albus, without knowing that Hermione was lying in the bed with her back at them........................................fully awake.

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Who can say for certain

Maybe you're still here

I feel you all around me

Your memories so clear

Deep in the stillness

I can hear you speak

You're still an inspiration

Can it be?

That you are mine

Forever love

And you are watching over me from up above

Fly me up to where you are

Beyond the distant star

I wish upon tonight

To see you smile

If only for a while to know you're there

A breath away's not far

To where you are

Are you gently sleeping

Here inside my dream

And isn't faith believing

All power can't be seen

As my heart holds you

Just one beat away

I cherish all you gave me everyday

'Cause you are mine

Forever love

Watching me from up above

And I believe

That angels breathe

And that love will live on and never leave

Fly me up

To where you are

Beyond the distant star

I wish upon tonight

To see you smile

If only for awhile

To know you're there

A breath away's not far

To where you are

I know you're there

A breath away's not far

To where you are

"To where you are" - Josh Groban