Chapter 4

"You're lucky there's no internal damage. Just a small bruise on your back."

They had arrived at the hospital wing where Madam Pomfrey had just finished checking Samuel for broken bones or internal wounds. Samuel was sitting on one of the beds, facing Hermione and Severus, rubbing his sore back.

"Small," cried Samuel. "Are you kidding?"

"Don't make such a fuss," snapped Madam Pomfrey. "If you don't mind I have other patients that need tending to."

Hermione watched as Samuel gingerly got to his feet and glowered at Severus, who was smirking with great amusement at what had happened to his brother.

"Miss Granger I'll walk you to your next class." He was looking at his brother as he said this. "Since you're in too much pain to do it yourself Artemis."

Samuel threw his brother another dirty look in reply. But Severus had already turned and started towards the door. Hermione followed him out into the corridor.

Once out of the Hospital Wing Severus waited until he was sure they were alone before asking, "Why were you and my brother alone, near the paddocks Miss Granger?"

"What?" Hermione blurted out in surprise. What was it to Severus if she was talking with her teacher? "Oh, he wanted to talk to me about something."

Severus noticed she was deliberately trying not to look at him as she told him this. He studied her for a moment before continuing, "Just what is it that my brother wanted to talk to you about?"

"You," she answered quietly, staring at her feet.

Severus stopped walking and looked at her, his brow furrowed in curiosity. "Me?"

"He was under the impression that you were unhappy with him for some reason," she rushed to explain. "He wanted my help with ... well I don't know because he didn't get a chance to finish before the unicorn butted him."

Severus kept his face impassive as she explained this. When she had finished he nodded and resumed walking in silence until they arrived outside the transfiguration classroom. She thanked him and disappeared inside with the rest of her classmates. Severus made his way back down to the dungeons for his next class.

'I can't believe this,' he seethed. 'Don't think I don't know what you are up to Samuel. I will get you back for this.'

Severus continued down to the dungeons thinking murderous thoughts, his black robes swirling slightly behind him.

OooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

"What on earth did you think you were doing?" bellowed Severus.

"Tidying up my notes after my lesson." Samuel looked at his brother, confused as to why his brother would be mad about that.

"Not now," said Severus impatiently. "I'm talking about your earlier conversation with Granger."

Samuel looked up guiltily. "Ah, that. Look I'm sorry but I know you like her, I was only trying to help."

"We've been through this before ..." growled Severus.

"You might be able to trick your self into believing that you aren't attracted to Hermione but you can't fool me," Samuel interrupted. Giving his brother a meaningful look he added, "Call it a twin thing if you will but I know I'm right."

With that Samuel swept from the room in an uncanny impersonation of Severus.

OooOooOooOooOooOooOooOoo

Hermione felt relieved; lessons had finally finished for the day. She'd found it hard to focus on her friends' conversation during the rest of their classes due to her thoughts continually drifting back towards her earlier conversation with her Arithmancy Professor. What plan could he have that could possible involve her and making his brother happy. She also wondered if he would be mad about her telling his brother about it.

'Well there's not much I could have done about it. He would have known if I was lying,' she thought. 'I know I'll go and apologise, he'll understand.'

She set of in the direction of his classroom he should have finished teaching now. However, when she arrived at the classroom she heard voices.

'Never mind I'll just wait here until his class is over.'

She slid down the wall into sitting position out side the classroom to wait for the students to be dismissed. All of a sudden she distinctly heard her own name coming from inside.

"I'm talking about your earlier conversation with Granger."

Hermione instinctively peered round the door to see who had said her name. She saw Samuel tidying away his notes, guilt written all over his face, looking at Severus, who was now staring daggers at Samuel.

'Why is he so strung up about me talking to his brother,' Hermione asked herself. 'Fair enough he's mad about his brother formulating God knows what plans but he seemed irritated by that before I told him about our conversation,' she idly thought.

"Ah, that. Look I'm sorry but I know you like her, I was only trying to help."

'What?' her brain screamed internally. 'No way, this is a joke.'

She pushed the idea out of her head and tried to catch the rest of what they were saying.

"You might be able to trick yourself into believing that you aren't attracted to Hermione but you can't fool me," Samuel interrupted, giving his brother a meaningful look he added, "Call it a twin thing if you will but I know I'm right."

Hermione saw Samuel walking towards the door to leave the classroom. She quickly and quietly stood up and sprinted to the end of the hall and around the corner, just as Samuel exited the room. She heard his foot steps go in the opposite direction. After they had faded away she chanced a glance around the corner. She saw Severus emerge through the door; a strange look on his face that Hermione couldn't read. Hermione silently made her way to Gryffindor tower and slipped up to the seventh year girls' room. Once she had shut herself in her empty dormitory she flopped onto the bed and lay still for a minute. Looking up she caught sight of herself in the mirror.

"And you thought the Weasley twins were bad," she muttered at her reflection.

She sat up on her bed looking around the room as though the answers might be concealed somewhere.

'There was no way that he could possibly be attracted to me. His brother is way of the mark on this one. It's a ridiculous idea,' she scoffed.

'What if it is?' asked the sly voice in the back of her mind.

'It couldn't be true, it just couldn't,' she told the voice firmly.

"Could it?" she asked, still staring at her reflection.

A.N.

I'm a lot happier with this chapter, a bit more action hehe. Thank you soooooo much Emily for helping with this chapter. You're a star! I'm hoping to get started on the other two challenges in the next chapter. I'll post them as soon as I can. I'm also looking for a new name for the story. This one sucks and has nothing to do with the story.