Propensity and the Chaotic Pendulum.
Chapter Four.
Vaporize.
Disclaimer: HP belongs to JKR et al.
---------
The rising sun bathed Snape's room in pale blue light. He had fallen into a deep sleep, and his eyes barely fluttered in the light. The room became gradually brighter, revealing the whole of Snape's black-clad form, sprawled quite comfortably on his bed. The sunlight also revealed one Hermione Granger, standing in the doorway, glaring at the figure on the bed. Her hair was still rather wild, knotted and hanging in clumps. She hadn't taken the time to comb it. She was still wearing her mom's dressing gown and had hastily shoved her feet into a pair of boots her dad wore rappelling.
She looked positively murderous.
Her eyes burned on Snape, who apparently could not feel her heated glare in his dream world. She let out a sound very close to a growl and suddenly raced for the bed.
Snape had been surprised to fall into such a restful sleep, but not as surprised as he was when suddenly wrenched from it by a flying girl who landed quite heavily upon his chest. He instinctively grabbed the figure and threw her, perhaps a little too forcefully, onto the floor. She would have none of it and came at him again. His eyes widened with recognition as she drew her wand and pointed it, jabbed it rather, into his throat.
"Hermione," he choked out.
"Don't! Don't say my name. You deserve to die, you know that." He didn't refute this, merely stared up at her with a mixture of sorrow and something akin to desire. She was torn between wanting to kill him, and wanting to lay down beside him and sob into his chest. She voted for the first feeling, and whispered a curse. He immediately began to convulse, vomit bubbling rather unpleasantly from his mouth, choking him. She watched with pleasure as he began to turn blue, violently clawing at the sheets and her robes. "What's the matter, dear Severus? Can't you accept your much deserved punishment?" even as she uttered the words she was horrified. She was not acting at all like Hermione Granger acts. She placed her wand back on Snape and muttered a counter curse. He stopped convulsing. She brought over a wastebasket from a corner of the room and turned her back while he spat out the remaining vomit and wiped himself clean.
"I'm sorry, dear girl," he whispered, his voice raw--whether from the curse or emotion, she couldn't tell. She rounded on him, eyes flashing.
"Sorry?" she seethed. "SORRY?"
"Hardly sufficient, I know."
"I don't know what would be sufficient. Is there anything that can make up for what you've done to me?"
"That's strange, I was going to ask you that very same question."
Hermione fell silent as she saw tears gathering in Snape's eyes. She had to blink and focus again--surely he wasn't crying. The Snape she knew didn't cry. Of course, the Snape she knew didn't rape women in closets, either.
"Why did you do it--I mean, did you want to hurt me? Did you just get carried away, or were you really out to… to hurt me?" she choked on her last words, furiously brushing tears away. She hated admitted that he had hurt her, she supposed she was just as weak as he. But he had hurt her--not only with his force, but with the violent words of love he had whispered to her. He was certainly an unconventional rapist, she thought with a wry smile. He had whispered of how long he had waited to feel her, to look into her eyes--he was driven mad with how badly he wanted her.
She didn't know at all whether to believe him. She wanted to, so desperately. What person doesn't want to believe that there is someone who loves them so much, they would rather have them screaming for mercy beneath them, than not have them at all.
Or maybe it was just Hermione's desperate need to be loved, at any cost. She glared down upon Snape, who trembled slightly under her gaze. She felt suddenly like throwing her arms around him and demanding that he love her. "When did I become this?" she whispered.
Something in her face had changed, Snape saw instantly. There was a slackening of her jaw, a dulling of the eyes. He reached up without thinking and stroked her cheek. She flinched but didn't pull away. "Let's get out of here," she said, almost forcefully. He stood up and slowly drew her closer, finding her compliant and soft in his arms.
---
Albus Dumbledore looked upon the scene with disbelief. Last night, Hermione had been extolling the virtues of homicide, and today she was finding solace in the very arms of her attacker? He wouldn't pretend to know the relationship that Severus and Hermione shared, but he had certainly not expected this. He cleared his throat loudly and they jerked apart, looking guilty.
"Sir!" Hermione exclaimed, her cheeks reddening.
"Miss Granger. Please go wait for me outside," Dumbledore ordered softly. She immediately left, pulling the door shut behind her with a quick bow to Dumbledore, whose eyes were not on her at all.
"Headmaster, I don't know what to say. She came here to find me, I had no knowledge--"
"You had no knowledge? No idea at all, with all your wisdom, that she is in love with you?"
Snape nearly choked. "In love with me? The impertinent chit tried to murder me!"
"I daresay I can hardly blame her. I have a mind to do the task myself."
"I'm afraid I'm taking my leave of you now," Snape said simply. He walked around the shocked older man, and gave Hermione a wink. She burst into the room. "Stupefy!" she shouted at Dumbledore. Caught quite unaware, he toppled to the ground, stiff and unblinking. She let out a little groan at the sight. "I'm so sorry, Professor!" she whispered as Snape grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the flat.
Chapter Four.
Vaporize.
Disclaimer: HP belongs to JKR et al.
---------
The rising sun bathed Snape's room in pale blue light. He had fallen into a deep sleep, and his eyes barely fluttered in the light. The room became gradually brighter, revealing the whole of Snape's black-clad form, sprawled quite comfortably on his bed. The sunlight also revealed one Hermione Granger, standing in the doorway, glaring at the figure on the bed. Her hair was still rather wild, knotted and hanging in clumps. She hadn't taken the time to comb it. She was still wearing her mom's dressing gown and had hastily shoved her feet into a pair of boots her dad wore rappelling.
She looked positively murderous.
Her eyes burned on Snape, who apparently could not feel her heated glare in his dream world. She let out a sound very close to a growl and suddenly raced for the bed.
Snape had been surprised to fall into such a restful sleep, but not as surprised as he was when suddenly wrenched from it by a flying girl who landed quite heavily upon his chest. He instinctively grabbed the figure and threw her, perhaps a little too forcefully, onto the floor. She would have none of it and came at him again. His eyes widened with recognition as she drew her wand and pointed it, jabbed it rather, into his throat.
"Hermione," he choked out.
"Don't! Don't say my name. You deserve to die, you know that." He didn't refute this, merely stared up at her with a mixture of sorrow and something akin to desire. She was torn between wanting to kill him, and wanting to lay down beside him and sob into his chest. She voted for the first feeling, and whispered a curse. He immediately began to convulse, vomit bubbling rather unpleasantly from his mouth, choking him. She watched with pleasure as he began to turn blue, violently clawing at the sheets and her robes. "What's the matter, dear Severus? Can't you accept your much deserved punishment?" even as she uttered the words she was horrified. She was not acting at all like Hermione Granger acts. She placed her wand back on Snape and muttered a counter curse. He stopped convulsing. She brought over a wastebasket from a corner of the room and turned her back while he spat out the remaining vomit and wiped himself clean.
"I'm sorry, dear girl," he whispered, his voice raw--whether from the curse or emotion, she couldn't tell. She rounded on him, eyes flashing.
"Sorry?" she seethed. "SORRY?"
"Hardly sufficient, I know."
"I don't know what would be sufficient. Is there anything that can make up for what you've done to me?"
"That's strange, I was going to ask you that very same question."
Hermione fell silent as she saw tears gathering in Snape's eyes. She had to blink and focus again--surely he wasn't crying. The Snape she knew didn't cry. Of course, the Snape she knew didn't rape women in closets, either.
"Why did you do it--I mean, did you want to hurt me? Did you just get carried away, or were you really out to… to hurt me?" she choked on her last words, furiously brushing tears away. She hated admitted that he had hurt her, she supposed she was just as weak as he. But he had hurt her--not only with his force, but with the violent words of love he had whispered to her. He was certainly an unconventional rapist, she thought with a wry smile. He had whispered of how long he had waited to feel her, to look into her eyes--he was driven mad with how badly he wanted her.
She didn't know at all whether to believe him. She wanted to, so desperately. What person doesn't want to believe that there is someone who loves them so much, they would rather have them screaming for mercy beneath them, than not have them at all.
Or maybe it was just Hermione's desperate need to be loved, at any cost. She glared down upon Snape, who trembled slightly under her gaze. She felt suddenly like throwing her arms around him and demanding that he love her. "When did I become this?" she whispered.
Something in her face had changed, Snape saw instantly. There was a slackening of her jaw, a dulling of the eyes. He reached up without thinking and stroked her cheek. She flinched but didn't pull away. "Let's get out of here," she said, almost forcefully. He stood up and slowly drew her closer, finding her compliant and soft in his arms.
---
Albus Dumbledore looked upon the scene with disbelief. Last night, Hermione had been extolling the virtues of homicide, and today she was finding solace in the very arms of her attacker? He wouldn't pretend to know the relationship that Severus and Hermione shared, but he had certainly not expected this. He cleared his throat loudly and they jerked apart, looking guilty.
"Sir!" Hermione exclaimed, her cheeks reddening.
"Miss Granger. Please go wait for me outside," Dumbledore ordered softly. She immediately left, pulling the door shut behind her with a quick bow to Dumbledore, whose eyes were not on her at all.
"Headmaster, I don't know what to say. She came here to find me, I had no knowledge--"
"You had no knowledge? No idea at all, with all your wisdom, that she is in love with you?"
Snape nearly choked. "In love with me? The impertinent chit tried to murder me!"
"I daresay I can hardly blame her. I have a mind to do the task myself."
"I'm afraid I'm taking my leave of you now," Snape said simply. He walked around the shocked older man, and gave Hermione a wink. She burst into the room. "Stupefy!" she shouted at Dumbledore. Caught quite unaware, he toppled to the ground, stiff and unblinking. She let out a little groan at the sight. "I'm so sorry, Professor!" she whispered as Snape grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the flat.