A/N: Hey, thanks for the "doggie treats" everyone! (I will now refer to your reviews as doggie treats, Heehee) Next chapter is here, and the furry black doggie that wrote it is waiting to be rewarded! J
Disclaimer: This is all J.K. Rowling's; none of it is mine. (I think it's a waste of time & screen space to constantly have it, so this is the last disclaimer.)
Chapter 5: Out Brief Candle
"Two weeks of detention?!" sputtered Harry, "Now that is just the lowest of the low that he's ever gone…two weeks?" he finished weakly.
"If I may put it bluntly; that is bloody cruel!" said Ron vehemently.
"Yeah, two weeks…" echoed Hermione, in a daze. He'd called her Hermione. He'd wanted her to call him Severus, when on earth did that ever happen?
"Hey, Hermione, I guess you'll survive-somehow," Harry said consolingly. Harry did not know what was going on with Hermione. Ron thought she was just in shock from receiving that much punishment at one time in her life, he was not so sure. Her trancelike stupor was not of shock or dread, but something else. He could not put a finger on it, but there was something weird going on.
"Herm, don't worry, we'll wait up for you every night, okay?" Ron offered.
"Thanks Ron, but you really don't have to," Hermione replied, 'It is really not that bad, really," looking at their skeptical faces.
"Whatever you say, Herm," Ron shrugged his shoulders. Ron did not know what was happening to Hermione, every since the beginning of school she started acting funny; he couldn't find any other word to describe it. Then again, he did not know how the mind of a girl actually worked, especially Hermione's.
Hermione felt slightly better about the whole thing. Her friends seemed so concerned and emphatic for her that she was tempted to tell them everything, but something stopped her. If I tell, Snape could get fired, I could be expelled; Ron and Harry would die simultaneously right in front of me, and this would be the bloody end of my life. This was on her mind the entire day, as she counted the hours until her next detention, with a surprisingly strange anticipation.
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Seven o' clock found Hermione Granger sitting at a desk in the Potions classroom, waiting for Professor Snape; she was not about to sneak into his office again. And finally Snape swept into the classroom, looking every bit like his normal self, if she could tell what his normal self really was anymore.
"Ah, Hermione, I see you are on time-for once," Hermione flushed red, in what, embarrassment? Anger? Snape couldn't tell, but it was going to be an interesting night of detention with Miss Hermione Granger.
He motioned for her to follow him and he led her to the Astronomy Tower, where he had a cauldron and various ingredients and equipment set about.
"In two weeks time is the start of the full moon, is it not? You will be brewing a Wolfsbane Potion for me, and it will take you the full two weeks of your detention. I thought an advanced potion such as this would not be too difficult for the infamous Hermione Granger," he explained with a touch of mischievousness.
"Well, Severus, I'm really good with potions, but this is a highly advanced one, you are one of the only ones who can actually successfully make it, so would you mind helping me?" returned Hermione in a pleading, soft tone that made Snape shiver. His challenge had not swayed her, she was making her own move in this game, and if she was willing to play, then so be it.
"Why not, Hermione? I really don't think it would be a good idea to have you blow up the Astronomy Tower, so of course I'll help you," he replied in a joking voice that was not his own.
They worked side by side in silence, occasionally either would accidentally brush their hand against the other's, or reach across them to get something and on purpose lean against the other. This game, they both knew, was dangerous, yet they seemed to both enjoy the danger and challenge. Hermione had just finished grinding up some bird's talons and was annoyed because her hair kept getting in her face while she worked. Snape, suddenly, out of character, reached out and gently moved her hair to behind her ear. Hermione stopped moving as Snape touched her; her stomach fluttered. Snape took his hand away.
"I, um, Hermione, do you need a hair tie of some sort?" Snape offered uneasily. Hermione's mind was swirling in complicated thoughts, but she calmed herself.
"If you have one, could you put it in for me?" answered Hermione softly. Snape pulled out a ribbon from his pocket, (don't ask where he got it, ok?) and ran his fingers through her hair to pull it back into a ponytail and tied it in a bow. God, how badly he wanted to plunge his face into those wavy curls, they smelled so good. Hermione's neck tingled as Snape's fingertips grazed them, oh how much she wanted them to linger, longer.
They were both motionless, and then Hermione turned around slowly. Snape moved over slightly and knocked over the candle sitting there, they were plunged into blackness, except for the small rays of moonlight from the opposite sides of the tower. Snape swore he stopped breathing completely, Hermione impulsively put out a hand to where she thought Snape was, and her hand touched his cheek. She cupped it in her palm; Snape placed his hand on her arm, acting as if he wanted her withdraw, but did not make a move to stop her. She stepped closer, so close that she could feel the warmth of his body radiating heat from his seemingly hot black robes.
Snape felt her move forward, her hand still placed on his cheek, her thumb now gently stroking it. Fireworks were erupting under his skull; he felt like his whole world was spinning. What am I doing with Hermione Granger?? His voice inside his head screamed. Then he leaned forward and at the same time so did Hermione. Barely three inches apart, Hermione could feel his winded breathing, in and out, in and out. Just as Snape was about to close the gap, he felt something wet trickling down his robe. He suddenly straightened, and realized that there must have been something that spilled over the table and onto his robes after he knocked over the candle.
"Bloody hell!" Hermione felt hurt, but as Snape whipped out his wand and muttered, 'lumos' she saw that an entire jar of an ingredient had spilled on Snape. Damn, bloody jar of shit, she thought angrily. Snape was inwardly cursing himself in every colorful word he knew, why did I have to go and foul that up? He thought furiously as he muttered 'Repairo' and the broken jar fixed itself and then he pointed his wand at his robes and said 'Scourgify,' removing the foul liquid.
By now Hermione and Snape were well beyond the intimate moment, with both furious it had been interrupted. Snape had already relit the candle, and now they were staring eye to eye with each other with genuine apology written in their features, as if they both thought that they were to blame. Nothing could bring it back again, not tonight at least. They both felt it, but were too scared to think of it as true. Hermione finally broke the pained silence.
"I think we're done for tonight, I will see you tomorrow night at the same time? Good night Severus," without expecting an answer and she turned to leave, and as she began to walk away, she heard a voice brimming with passion come from her Potions teacher, her Professor, Snape, Severus.
"Good night, Hermione."
A/N: Let me hear you all say, 'Awwwwwww!' They were so close, I know, so don't flame me, just give me more doggie treats (reviews) and I will gladly feed you the next chapter. I also thought a little different POV from Harry and Ron would help make it easier to understand that they do notice a change in Hermione. Also, I fixed the little miswording in Chapter One, thank you to Arallion for spelling out the cause of confusion. Review!!