I hit him. I just punched my professor. . .
Oh no. . .
Thoughts sped rapidly through Hermione's mind as she backed away in shock and dismay. She covered her face that was already wet with tears streaming down it.
And Snape, no less!
Surely she would be expelled for this. . .
Hermione's stomach tumbled at the thought of all her hard work being thrown out. All the years she had worked so hard for, gone. Gone. Down the drain.
Gone.
More salty trails formed on her face.
She stumbled clumsily backwards into a desk that halted her. She stared at her professor. He held his hand to his left eye, nursing it gently. A dark coloring was beginning to form around it.
"Miss Hermione Granger," He began softly, with a slight edge. Hermione cowered. Another caustic remark. . .She expected no less from him. But to be honest, she thought she deserved it this time, but didn't feel as if she could handle it. No, not after all that had been through in the past few days. Not after that night.
Hermione felt a hot heat rush to her face in a surge of anger and self pity. She grinded her teeth. First that bastard doing that, then her own professor taunting her. Would no one give her a break?
"Do you feel better?" Professor Snape asked; his voice had lost all edge, it was a simple, unreadable tone. His voice startled her out of her brief reverie.
"Pro. .Professor?" She looked at him startled. There was no way he could be taking this this easily. She had just punched her professor! And Snape, of all professors! With one of the other professors she could have at least stood a chance at staying in Hogwarts, but not with him. The man known for his extreme dislike to Gryffindors and Harry Potter. She was a true Gryffindor and she was Harry's best friend - like icing on a cake for him.
"Do you feel better?" He asked patiently. She gazed wide-eyed at him as he stood up and calmly walked over to his cabinet. "Hermione Granger: Top student in her year for all seven years, prefect in her 5th year, turned down the Head Girl position to study," Snape paused as he took a potion out of the cabinet and drank it. The black eye that was forming around his eye immediately disappeared. "She is an extraordinary student and person, and has a great amount of self control. So, my question for you is: What happened?"
Hermione's hand covered her mouth. "P-Professor? What do you mean?" Her voice was shaky and nervous. Apart from his question. . .Did he just say what she thought he said? Her eyes widened.
"Exactly what I said. What happened? You tend to be more calm and have a great deal more self restraint, yet you just assaulted a professor." Hermione's stomach felt uneasy as the grim reality hit her full force, again, in the face. "I am a rather observant person, Miss Granger. I notice things about my students that you wouldn't expect a professor to know." Snape began to walk over to Hermione. He stopped a foot before her. "Hermione, something happened to you," He said softly. "But what?"
Hermione tried to take a step back, but the desk halted her once again. She looked up at him, he gazed at her with dark eyes. "I-I don't know what you are talking about!" She yelled but the tears on her face belied her words.
Snape looked at her. He just looked at her. He didn't say anything. His face was perfectly readable to one trained in such and it shocked Hermione. It seemed to be one of genuine concern. . .
"Professor. .what do you know?" She whispered, the fear in her voice evident.
"Nothing, Miss Granger, nothing." A tone so honest. . .
"Then. .why should I tell you?" She asked him hoarsely.
"It will make you feel better," He said simply. He continued to look at her straight in the eye.
"How - How do you know what will make me feel better?" She asked accusingly.
"Miss Granger - Hermione - Everyone goes through difficult times in their lives, you went through one - I can tell. It would make you feel better to tell someone."
"Are you sure?" Her voice was barely audible. Snape gave a small nod.
Hermione felt more tears well in her eyes. She felt her heart pump furiously in her chest, threatening to escape. Hermione's breath came in rapid gasps. No. . .he couldn't be nice, kind, understanding. . .he couldn't! Then, before she realized what she was doing, she threw herself at the man in front of her. No longer did he seem like the malicious Professor Snape who favored Slytherins. No, not to Hermione. He now appeared to her as a man. A man to whom she could tell her feelings to. A man whom understood her.
Snape held the young woman sobbing against his chest. She shifted her weight onto him and he collapsed to his knees, still holding her crying form.
And through her sobs, she told him her story. . .
__________
Snape leaned against his desk, his eyes closed. Hermione still lay against him, her head still buried against his chest. However, her crying and story had long since ended and she had slipped into a semi-restful sleep. Snape sighed softly in his own sleep.
"Severus."
Snape's eyes opened as if he hadn't been asleep.
"Albus."
"Did you do it?"
He nodded.
"I suppose I should have known upon walking in," Dumbledore surveyed the scene again. Snape sat on the ground propped up against his desk with Hermione's head buried into his chest and sprawled around and on him. A small chuckle escaped Dumbledore. To think Snape could have such a soft touch. . .
Snape sighed wearily. "Why me?"
"You have the touch," Dumbledore said quietly with some amusement in his voice. "You were the most fit for the job."
"I see." He let out a barely audible grunt.
"Was it difficult to get her to tell you?"
"It was trying at the beginning, at first I didn't think she would. But she gave in and started crying and told me what happened." The slightly pained look on Severus's face told Dumbledore that the story he heard wasn't one that he was expecting.
"What happened?" The slight amusement in his voice was lost.
"Later, Albus, I will tell you later." He said softly as Hermione stirred. Dumbledore nodded and left the room.
Severus Snape rested his head up against the hard wooden desk. He hadn't quite expected things to turn out this way. He knew it would be difficult and she would probably be mad, but he didn't expect to get a shiner and end up on the stone floor with her on top of him.
No, it was definitely not what he expected.
Sighing once more, he leaned his head against the desk and let himself drift into an awkward, deep sleep.
__________
"Wha - ?" Hermione sat up abruptly, ignoring the throbbing in her head. She looked around with a slightly dazed expression. Her eyes landed on Snape. For a moment, he sparked a small fury but it was quickly extinguished as she remembered everything he did for her.
He listened. . .He understood.
Hermione surveyed his sleeping form for several moments before realizing that her hand still rested on his stomach. She blushed and removed it.
Hard.
A deeper scarlet overtook her face as she realized something about her professor.
He has a hard stomach.
Hermione stood up suddenly. She shouldn't be thinking that. She shouldn't even be in the position to know that! She moved several steps away. He wasn't moving, it looked like he was asleep.
He stayed like that. . .
"For me?" Her thoughts were voiced in a quiet whisper. She checked her watch. It was still early. She didn't have to be in the Great Hall for at least an hour.
Hermione looked at him skeptically. His chest rose and fell in steady intervals. She gazed at the strong contours of his face. His strong cheekbones curving around his mouth and dipping into his chin. . . Hermione's gaze stopped abruptly and she looked elsewhere in the room.
Did he really lie on the floor with her on top of him all night? With her crying into his shirt? Listening to her story? A pitiful schoolgirl's problems. . .
She shuddered. Perhaps she should wake him up. Reaching down, her fingertips barely grazed his shoulder when his eyes snapped open. Hermione blinked and backed away so suddenly that she fell.
Snape looked at her quizzically for a moment before realization hit him and he stood up. He put out his hand as if to help her up for a moment before lowering it back down to his side.
"Are you going to get up?" He asked unpleasantly. His stern face formed a thin frown as he looked at her.
Hermione stood up and took a step back so she wasn't so close to him.
"Now, if you don't mind," He said with a sneer. "I would like to prepare for my classes. Leave," He said, leaving no room for the misconception that what he said was a suggestion but a demand.
Hermione's confusion lasted for only a few moments before she quickly left the room.
She continued to walk quickly until she was a fair distance from the classroom. She stopped.
What had she done during the night?
I told him. .about. .that night. But. .did I tell him who did it?
Hermione struggled to remember what she told him and vigorously shook her head.
No! I didn't tell him who it was! Good. . .then I won't have to worry about having any other problems with Graham.
A relieved sigh came from Hermione as she continued her walk to her dormitory. She stepped through the portrait hole and into the common room. No one else was there. She smiled. No one to deal with as to why she was just getting in. Hurrying to her dormitory, she opened the heavy door slowly and peered in. It was dark. It was silent.
Good. They're asleep. Now, I just need to -
"Hermione!" Lavender hissed in her ear. "Are you just getting in?"
Panic almost struck Hermione but she held it back with years of practice in lying.
"No, I just remembered that I left something in the library."
Lavender accepted the reason and walked away to get ready for classes. Hermione smiled faintly as she remembered how early Lavender got up to get ready for classes. According to Lavender there was never supposed to be a day where the "most admired girl doesn't look her best!" Hermione fought back a snicker and headed towards the shower.
She undressed and stepped into the shower of water. She closed her eyes and felt the warmth wash over her.
This has been the first time in the past few days that I have felt this warm.
Hermione's eyes opened, slowly focusing on the tiled wall in front of her.
No. . .
This is the second time. Last night. . .I felt so warm and secure in his arms. . .He let me tell him my story and I felt this odd sensation in my chest. Like. .I'm not even sure how to describe it!
Squeezing a palm-full of shampoo into her hand, she massaged it into her deep brown hair. Scrubbing the scented liquid into the thick locks, she allowed her mind to wander.
She allowed herself to think about the previous night and the one which she lost so much. . .
__________
AN:
Hey all! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It took me forever to write and I kept making so many adjustments, but I wanted it to be write. This chapter sets a lot of the groundwork for the rest of the story. Anyway, I'm also really sorry about how long it took me to get it out. But there was a really bad storm here a few days ago and part of this (rather large) tree went down in my backyard. So guess what I had to do? That's right, help pick it everything up. That includes really heavy branches. *groans* Not something I want to do again in the future. So, besides picking up branches and losing power (lucky us *sarcasm*) I also have to do 90hours of research this summer for my science class. Well, about half the summer is over right? Guess how many hours I have in - less than 15. Goodie. I have a lot of work for next month.
ANYWAYS! Now that I'm done making excuses and whatnot, I will work on the next chapter as soon as I can. And thankies for the reviews :D I love 'em!