The next evening Snape had Hermione meet him in the Potions classroom at seven in the evening. She walked in there with as much confidence as she could muster and tried to brush off the coldness that the dark corridor had instilled in her. She pushed open the heavy door and walked into the classroom.
"Hello, Professor," She said. Snape looked up from his paperwork.
"Well done, Miss Granger," He said without looking up. She face faulted.
"What? What do you mean?" She walked a few steps into the classroom.
"Close the door," He said and she obliged. "I meant that you got into the Order. Well done."
"Er. .Thanks," She said unsurely.
"It wasn't a compliment."
Hermione looked at him coldly. "What do you mean?"
"You manipulated the Headmaster. Proud?" Snape did not pause but walked over to a large cauldron on the far side of the room and kept talking. "Now, follow me. Since you know how to brew the Polyjuice potion, I want you to show me."
"Why? You don't believe me?"
"I believe you," He said, getting out various ingredients from the cupboards and shelves in the room. "That is why I am going to have you work on the potion in conjunction with another."
Hermione followed his movements closely, once again entranced by his presence and the way he moved.
"Hm?" She asked, her brief lapse into daydreaming caused her to miss the instructions.
"Take this," He handed her a piece of parchment written upon with black ink. "These are the instructions for the Polyjuice Potion. And this piece," He handed her another piece of parchment, "Is for Tillawe Potion. This potion is just a step above the Polyjuice Potion and it is most helpful to Madam Pomfrey. The potion will cure almost any sickness and takes about the same of time to brew as the Polyjuice Potion. Now I will leave you to it, since you seemed to be quite able before," He said before striding off to another cauldron.
"You aren't going to help me?" Hermione asked as she gazed at him and held the instructions tightly.
"No. This is a test of your abilities, Miss Granger," He said before collecting various for himself.
She looked at the instructions. She knew the Polyjuice Potion and could do that, and the Tillawe Potion didn't seem much more complicated, but she still felt off. Hermione replayed his statement in her mind and found a fault.
"You really shouldn't call me Miss Granger, Professor. Remember what I told you last time? Well, it really is quite insulting to go back to such formalities," She stated in a matter-of-fact tone that she had used many times before.
Snape began slicing a purplish colored root and did not look at her. "Miss Granger, why do you find it so necessary to be called by your first name?"
Hermione read the first step off the instructions parchment and began to mix to potions together. She ignored him for several minutes and stirred the potion.
"Calling a person by their first name is a sign of friendship and comfort around one another," She paused and continued when he did not answer. "And I believe you to be within friendship distance after the times you have helped me," She said softly.
As like last time, minutes passed before Snape responded.
"Is that so?" He asked. He did not sound conceited and he did not sneer. It seemed like an innocent question.
"Yes, that is so."
"Hermione. ." He said quietly. "That is what I shall call you when we are not in the presence of others."
Hermione smiled. "Thank you, Professor."
"If one calls another a friend, then shouldn't the other do the same?" He asked stirred his the contents of his cauldron after tipping the sliced roots in.
The smile didn't leave her face but her eyes shined with surprise. "I suppose so. . .Severus?"
"Thank you, Hermione," He said and let her work in quiet.
The two went on for hours in silence, neither bothering the other. Snape worked with grace and precision while Hermione's movements, though less accurate, nevertheless belied her years of experience. Though she worked in quiet, her mind ran amuck in mixed concentration for the potions and her thoughts of Snape.
It seemed like in just the few hours before, they had become so much closer. Like they actually cared for one another. . .
Well, Hermione did. She cared for her professor. Not just because he helped her before, but because of the qualities that reflected within the depths of his eyes. Obsidian in color, his eyes might be, but true in goodness they definitely were. She was sure of it.
And Hermione had seen beneath the dimness of his outer layers, that something shined brightly within him. But she didn't know what. It was a mystery to her, and she half expected, to him also.
But it didn't matter to her if he didn't understand himself. What mattered to her was that she could see it and help bring it out. No longer did she care to prove herself to him, she just wanted to be near him. . . She almost thought it was love. . .
Screwing up her face so it wouldn't be obvious as to what she was thinking of, she continued to work. And as the fleeting seconds passed by, they slowly turned into minutes, and slowly became another complete hour that passed by. Then Hermione spoke.
"What are you working on?" She asked while looking at him and it felt like something shuddered in the air and struck them both.
"A potion," Snape said while he worked steadily.
"Which one?" She asked, determined not to let the conversation fade.
"Wolfsbane."
They were quiet for only a few seconds before Hermione spoke again.
"Why did you seem to know that I had brewed the Polyjuice Potion before?" She worked as steadily as Snape had before. He looked up at her.
"There was Boomslang Skin taken from my stores about five years ago. I knew it had to be you because I had seen you hurrying away from the corridor in which my office was located and you had something under your robes. Then I did simple math. You had taken a potion ingredient that is prominently used in the Polyjuice Potion. And there was one time when I had been out in the halls and it had been one of the few times I hadn't seen you, Potter, and Weasley, it was about half a month after you had taken the Boomslang Skin. And the Boomslang Skin is to be added exactly half way through the brewing of the Polyjuice Potion. Quiet simple to figure out, really," He added as he saw her shocked expression.
"Most wouldn't have noticed," She murmured before both of them returned to their work.
_________
As the month began to pass at a rate that surprised even Hermione, she still worked hard on her potions. Every evening she would go and work on them. And, thankfully, Snape had shown her a trick to have the potions brew themselves during the day without her supervision - it was difficult to keep on getting late to class because she had to add certain ingredient, or something of that sort.
But even so, the days still flew past. Each and every evening she went into the Potions classroom and worked diligently. And as each day went past, Hermione and Snape talked more and more. First it was just a little every now and then - like the first night - but it soon became full blown conversations where they talked the hours away. They had became comfortable with each other and learned quite a bit about one another.
But one day it changed. Hermione had walked into the Potions classroom but didn't see Snape there. So she began her work and worked for hours, well past the time she was usually left. She was still waiting for Snape to make an appearance. He was always there, even if he didn't have anything to work on. She enjoyed their time together. They normally discussed how their day went, but sometimes they got into deeper discussions about subject matters they normally guarded around others.
However, that night Snape had come stumbling into the room, grasping the wall for support. At first Hermione thought he was drunk, but she soon saw that he didn't have a drunken stupor about him. He was breathing so hard. . . He seemed to be pain. . . She rushed over to him.
"Severus! What's wrong?" She asked as she tried take his arm and put it around her shoulder so she could help support him.
"You. .aren't. ." His voice was low and came out in what sounded almost like grunts, but Hermione could tell it was because of pain. ". .supposed to. .be here. .!"
"Severus! Don't tell me that! Just let me help you!" She pleaded as he leaned closer to the wall and farther away from her.
"Get. .OUT!" He tried to say forcefully, but it came out weakly.
"No! I won't leave until I know you are okay! Let me help you to the infirmary," She said stubbornly.
"Poppy. .can't. . . help. ." Snape said breathlessly, despair evident in his voice. In a sudden movement Snape's legs stopped supporting him and he fell to the ground.
"Severus!" Hermione became even more alarmed at his sickened state.
"Please, let me help! At least let me take you to your quarters," She spoke with her bottom lip quivering.
Snape looked up at her with a sudden weakness and vulnerability in his eyes that Hermione almost recoiled. He nodded and let her help him up.
She struggled, but she did manage to get him to his private quarters. She recalled the password from her only other time there, but Snape had to help guide her through the many turns. They arrived in his quarters and he directed her to his bedroom. She set him gently on the bed and looked at him anxiously because his face was continually contorted in pain.
"Severus. .is there anything I can do?" He shook his head as little as possible. "Are you sure Madam Pomfrey can't help? She does wonders for this kind of thing. . ."
"Not. .this kind. .of thing. ." He said through ragged breaths. Another intense wave of pain hit him and he squeezed his eyes shut and held himself tightly.
"Severus!" Unbeknownst to her, she grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently. His pain seemed to subside a little. She sighed in relief.
Hermione laid her head down on the side of the bed as she knelt beside it. Her hand still clutched his and vice versa. And soon enough, they both slept. Even with Snape's body performing spastic movements every now and then and Hermione's tenseness at his state, they both slept as contently as one would imagine two could in such conditions.
_________
Hermione woke up with a start. She sat up and looked wildly around the room. It was dark and she was on a slightly lumpy bed. Hermione felt about for the candle she usually had next to her bed. There was none. Hermione forced herself to remain calm in the strange surroundings and realized she was still wearing her robes from the previous day. Plunging her hand into her pocket, she withdrew her wand.
"Lumos," She whispered and gasped.
She was still in her professor's private quarters! Only she wasn't where she had left herself to sleep the previous night - beside his bed - now she was in his bed. Hermione shined the light over to the right side of his and forced herself not to gasp again, instead a sound like a whimper came out. Her professor was beside her.
Hermione nearly fainted but controlled herself enough not to. Instead, she got out of the bed and turned to leave, but walked around to the other side of the bed to see Snape. She wanted to see how he was doing. She remembered that during the night he kept having an awful time and was in tremendous pain, but never once did he call out. That surprised her, because had it been any other person, from the looks of it, they would have been screaming constantly.
"Severus. . ." She whispered, not daring to shake him awake. His eyes snapped open and widened further when he saw her staring at him.
". .Hermione. ." He said hoarsely.
"How are you? Is the pain gone?" She whispered.
"Most of it," He began to get up but she forced him down, only able to do so while he was still in a weakened state.
"Stay down, you still aren't feeling well. What happened? What made you so ill?"
Snape's obsidian eyes stared at her before answering. "The Dark Lord."
"Y-You. .went to see him? He summoned you last night?" She said fearfully.
"You are a bright witch. Put two and two together."
"Did you see them?" She asked suddenly, sharply. "My parents - how are they?"
Snape lowered his eyes and sighed. "They are still there - alive. But. . .Do you want the truth?" He asked quietly.
"Yes," She said determinedly.
"They are fading fast. The Order needs to do something to get them out of there soon - before Christmas. There will be another meeting soon," He paused as a thought dawned on him. "What time is it?"
"Nearly six in the morning."
"Six?!" He sucked in air. "Albus! I didn't go see him! I need to go. .right now. ."
"No!" Hermione fought to keep him laying on the bed.
"Hermione," His eyes looked at her pleadingly. "I need to go see him. He needs to know whether or not I am under the Imperious Curse. He needs an update. If I don't go see him, then there will be more trouble than it is worth to keep me here. Now," He heaved himself up with a great effort. "Let me go see him."
"Severus, you are still - "
"Hermione," He said sharply as though he just had an epiphany. "Did you stay here the entire night?"
Hermione looked at a distant point past his head and nodded slowly. "I did stay here, but I didn't mean to. .! I meant to just bring you here then leave, but. . .you were in so much pain! I couldn't leave you!" She said softly.
"The entire night? You didn't go back to your dormitory at all?" She shook her head. "What will the other girls in the dormitory say about your disappearance?"
"I can. .tell them that I was working on my project through the entire night. They will buy it, I told them that I was working on the project for the past month and will be for a while more." She said quickly.
"Good," He said and swung his legs over the bed. Gripping the edge of the bed tightly, he hoisted himself up. He stood unsteadily and almost toppled over if it wasn't for him grabbing Hermione's shoulder to steady himself.
He began to walk, holding the wall slightly for support. His breathing was still labored but not nearly as bad as the previous night.
"Severus," Her tone was worried. "Are you always this bad after seeing Voldemort?"
Though he didn't flinch at the name, his eyes became shadowed. "Not always. Sometimes, I am fine, others worse."
"Worse?" Hermione at once became frightened for him.
He sensed her fright. "Yes, but don't worry, it is all for the best. A little bit of pain never hurt anyone," He said with no idea as to why he was comforting her.
"That's a silly thing to say," She said quietly, walking up so she stood beside him. "How can you say this is for the best? Just because Dumbledore says so, doesn't make it right," She said and didn't give him a chance to say anything before she launched into the next part. "A little bit of pain? You can act however you like, but that doesn't change the facts! You are still in pain! You are still being summoned by Voldemort! You are still. . ." Her voice was quiet and didn't finish the sentence.
"Still what?" He asked his voice quiet also.
"Nothing," She murmured. "Would you like me to help you up to Professor Dumbledore's office?"
"No. Go to your dormitory before anyone says anything," Snape said.
". .Okay," She agreed reluctantly. "I guess I should leave first so I can check if the coast is clear. . ."
"Yes, that would be good," He said, his breathing becoming more steady. Hermione stopped just before the threshold when she thought she heard something.
"Thank you," He said softly again, his voice barely audible. Hermione smiled inwardly and took several more steps forward before stopping over the threshold once more.
"You welcome," Her voice was just as soft as his. She faintly remembered the last time this situation presented itself, but it seemed to be the exact opposite. Hermione silently pondered on how opposite a situation could become. Then she left. She left not realizing that Snape was watching her carefully, following her every movement; just like she had done many times to him. . .
________
Just like a time that seemed so long ago, she found her dresser glowing with a golden hue that seemed to beckon her. Going over to it, she opened the drawer and pulled out the parchment she knew she would find.
Secrets of the Forbidden
Moonlight spreading through the night sky
Lighting the quiet ground
Spreading to and fro
Setting upon the silent seas
Shedding its brightness to the earth
And into the eyes of two onlookers
With admiration in their depths
Of darkness
That clouds their mind
And hearts
Allowing themselves to only see the light
Never touching its goodness
Letting only dark come near them
If for the best of all
They sacrifice themselves
To see others
Live in happiness
And with innocence
That they think they can only dream of
Not believing
That it can be more than a desire
Until they see each other.
And believe that fate is cruel
To every waking moment
Of their lives
They wish and plead inside
For desires that not even they recognize
And begin to chase the one another away
In fear of the unknown
But even dreams can come true
When one believes deeply enough
With more than desires
To back them up
Dreams can come true
In real life
Amidst the chaos and turmoil
Dreams can come true
For all
That believe
In themselves
And others
________
The next day Hermione went through her classes as normal. She did her homework. She passed all her tests and quizzes. But she did not pay attention. She kept on thinking of Snape and how he was doing. She had grown close to him, and to see him in such a weak state. . . It shook her.
Nevertheless, she went on through the day and tried to get herself to forget. It didn't work as well as she might have liked. She had planned on going to work on the potions all that night, but she received an urgent owl for a meeting of the Order that night. So she only had enough time to collect a small sample of each potion and tend to them for a short while. And, like last time, she had to wait until the depths of night when Akasa told her it would be safe to go.
The two of them tread quietly through the corridors, not speaking or even looking at each other. They reached Dumbledore's office entrance quickly, spoke the password, went up, and stepped into the round room. They instinctively went over to the wall plastered with photographs.
"Black Éclair," Akasa said the two walked straight for through the passage.
"Ah, you two are here. Please have a seat, we were just about to start," Dumbledore said pleasantly.
The two girls sat by each other this time, each in a large chintz chair that were beside one another.
"Now, I called this meeting because there is an important issue we need to discuss. The Grangers." Hermione felt her heart stop for a moment before doing overtime. "Severus has informed me that they are not doing well. They are growing thinner and weaker, and with Voldemort's control over them, I'm sure he will have used the Imperious Curse on them to find out any information he can."
"We need to do something," Tonks said, eyeing Hermione. Her and Hermione had developed a friendship over their time spent together during the summer before Hermione's fifth year.
"Right you are, Tonks. The question is what? Any thoughts? Suggestions?" Dumbledore asked.
The room became quiet with all its occupants brooding over the possibilities. Just like the previous meeting, no one spoke. Silly, un-doable ideas were exchanged. All would be, quite obviously so, fruitless ventures. Minutes passed and Hermione kept on tossing her own idea back and forth in her head. If she told them and they rejected it then they would know what she was planning. However, if she told them and them accepted it, then she would have their backing. . .
"I have an idea," And just like before, all eyes turned to her. "Can't we send someone in? An undercover person who can get close enough to help them?"
"The very same thought had occurred to me, Hermione. However, sending someone in is too great a risk than we can afford at the moment," Dumbledore said. Hermione's heart stopped. She had told them. She had taken the risk. They knew her plan. And those as perceptive as Dumbledore would know her foolish enough to go through with it. Hermione swore under her breath and persisted.
"Think about it, Professor, if we can get a person in there to save them, then we would also know more about Voldemort's defenses."
"It is too great a risk, Hermione. We can't risk one of our number to put themselves in such a position to be captured and interrogated by Lord Voldemort." Hermione had to admit, he did have a point. But even if she could see the sensibility of it, it clashed horribly with her own.
"So, you won't risk one of our number to save two innocent Muggles?" She shot at him, ignoring the glares sent her way. Dumbledore was quiet for a moment and Snape took that opportunity to speak.
"Miss Granger," He began curtly showing no sign of the vulnerability from the previous night. "To send in someone from one of our reserves that could possibly be used under the Imperious Curse would be foolish and asinine. Please accept the fact that nothing can be done without jeopardizing a victory against the Dark Lord that we desperately need. It would certainly help most effectively if you were to speak in a sense of detachment and not argue inane subject matters."
Hermione recoiled slightly at his brusque way of dealing with her. She cut him a glare.
"Professor Snape, there is a reason I am not using a 'sense of detachment', and that is because that this group - the Order of the Phoenix - was created for a purpose. To save lives. That is what this organization was created for." Hermione looked at Snape hard. "There must be a way to save innocents without taking others."
"Professor Dumbledore," Akasa interrupted. "There isn't anyone we can possibly send to retrieve Hermione's parents?"
"No one," Dumbledore looked saddened by the truth. "Any possible candidate we would come up with wouldn't be possible because they would still know something about the Order, and we cannot risk spreading any information about the Order. It would be disastrous in Voldemort's hands." He concluded and everyone let the matter rest. Except one.
The one who was determined to save her parents no matter what.
The one who would defy the greatest wizard she had ever known.
The one who would defy the man she was growing to care about.
She would defy all for the sake of two people she cared about. But would she, unintentionally, hurt another? Another who cared for her so deeply that he dared not recognize the feelings himself. . .
_________
AN:
And this chapter is up! I hope everyone enjoyed because now we are starting to get into the Sevvy/Hermione relationship *jumps for joy* I can't wait to get them completely together^_^ I'm sure you guys are as anxious as me. . .^^ I'll try to work on writing the next chapter during next week. It may be a pain to write it by hand, but I think with the flow of inspiration, it should make somewhat easier. . .
Just on a side note, I'm currently writing some other Sevvy/Hermione one-shot fics. I would write a chaptered one, but I think I'm in the middle of enough chaptered fics *_* Actually, what I really want to do is write a humor/romance fic about Hermione and Sevvy. There are so few of them out there and it's difficult to find good ones. Actually, I'm considering writing one about a new type of sorting. . .One that sorts the people of the school into couples. I would like that to be a humorous fic, and I have another one-shot written already, I just need to edit it. Hopefully that will be up by tomorrow.
On another side note, read some fics by Kalina Lea, there are really good. She is a talented writer with unique ideas. Especially read The Last Word - it's great^_^
As always, thanks for all the reviews! They mean so much to me ^_^
Mia44: Well, I'm not in the band, I'm in the band front. Yeah, band camp is harsh. But I suppose I'm lucky - I only have one week of band camp and that's the week after next. But it's all pretty fun^_^
TheRealiz: Don't let your interest wane too much! I hope this chapter satisfied you some^^
aStarIsNohingButAnImage: Your going into 11th grade too? That's cool :D I wish you luck! lol. I know I'm probably going to need luck too. . .Busy schedule-_-
Lady Penwrath: lol. I agree, writers shouldn't have anything else to do. But, unfortunately, real life steps in and puts in a real good argument :P SO I'm afraid that I must bend to its whims. . .Good news: I still have enough time to update this story often ^_^