A/N: Thank you to: WhirlyBlue, Blackbeltchick (please - is this alright?), The Grim (I'm so sorry), witchintraining (how dare you!), mysticdarkraven and duj for your reviews of chapter 2. Here you go...
Sleep Is No Cure
Hermione was very quiet over dinner, she kept making glances over towards the staff table so many times that Ron had to ask her what was the matter.
"Hermione – you're not going up to ask for more homework are you? I mean don't you have enough?" She frowned and began to fiddle with her fork; putting food onto it and watching it fall back onto her plate. Whilst her face remained collected, her head was screaming at her.
This is so illegal. What am I doing? Me; Hermione Granger, model student; and oh did I happen to mention I snogged a teacher before lunch? Thought not. I don't know what came over me, it must be the work, getting to me already. Too much going on over the summer; too many things to deal with; too many emotions. I mean OK, he may be attractive, but he is about 22 years older than me. He was at school with Harry's parents, for God's sake; he's my TEACHER! I can't do this, I just can't, it's not allowed, I shouldn't even be thinking about him in that way, what I am doing?
Over on the staff table Severus Snape was being quieter and more irritable than usual. He too was playing with his food and only lifting his eyes from his plate to look at the Griffindor table. Professor Flitwick, sitting on his left made several attempts to engage him in conversation; failing, Flitwick leant over Professor McGonagall to whisper something to Dumbledore. Who gazed intently at Snape for several seconds, his eyes sparkling and returned to his meal without replying to Flitwick, who sat back in his seat looking put off.
Snape's face remained solemn all evening, and when the hall began to empty he looked practically terrified. Dumbledore ushered him over to the door.
"Severus, are you sure there's nothing you want to tell me?" Dumbledore gazed concerned into his eyes, Snape blinked and tried to clear his mind as the world's second most powerful master of Legilimency attempted to discover his secrets.
"No Headmaster, certainly not." He swept off down the corridor, and reached the entrance to his rooms, he stopped half-way through speaking the password, remembering Hermione. His heart racing he took a deep breath.
"Quintaped." The slime covered wall in front of him swung out and he paced in.
Hermione peered down the corridor that led to the dungeons and gulped, she ran off back to the hoard of Griffindors heading for the dormitory, all full of talk of their first day. She didn't speak to anyone in the common room; but took her bag and went to do her homework upstairs in her dormitory. She lay on her bed with her fingers holding the pages of her huge Charms textbook, she felt as if she had two weights tied to her eyelids, and try as she did it was so much nicer just to give in to the temptation.
But dreams were no better, all she kept seeing was her Potion teacher's face, coming closer and closer, until she reached out in her sleep, longing to hold it, just one more time. Only to wake up finding herself pulling at her curtains, her books spread-eagled across the duvet. Then she remembered; it was real, it had happened, no matter how much she tried to ignore it, it wouldn't go away. She knew she would be expelled and he would lose his job if anyone found out, it was better just to forget it, leave it behind her. If there really was something between them, it would have to wait until she left school; she couldn't risk her education, her future for one little fling. If that was all it was. Again she slept, until she was woken by Parvati Patil.
"Hermione! Can you let the rest of us sleep in peace? Do you think you could possibly save your sexual fantasies for a private room?"
"I'm sorry?" Hermione peered up anxiously.
"Well, the terrible groans you've been making are quite disgusting you know. Would you like me to put a Silencing Charm on you?" Hermione went an incredible shade of magenta, and hastily pulled the curtains back around her.
She lay awake for the rest of the night, partly not daring to go to sleep and to be so embarrassed again, partly so mentally tormented she just couldn't. So she had a productive night, doing homework and learning some new charms under her covers with a specially conjured ball of light. She could feel the bags growing under her eyes, only a few more hours, then everything would be alright.
Hermione was just going to sleep when she heard the other girls getting up, a tiny gap in her curtains cast a beam of phosphorescence across her face, illuminating her tired eyes. She dressed slowly and went to meet Harry and Ron in the common room.
"We didn't want to risk going up there again," Ron explained.
"Hermione, are you OK? You look a bit you know, forlorn..." Harry stared at her for a few seconds, "come on; I can't wait much longer for breakfast."
The three of them descended the many flights of stairs down to the Great Hall, where Harry and Ron immediately began stuffing themselves with scrambled egg and bacon. Hermione shook her head and picked at some toast, thankfully the boys were too engrossed in their breakfast to pay her any attention. She pulled her timetable out of her bag, Transfiguration first, and she wouldn't have Potions until the last period in the afternoon. But still, it was there staring at her, Potions. Peering at it again she gasped; DADA after Transfiguration, Snape was doing that now.
Severus Snape sat in his office, Dumbledore had not been as kind as to give him the Defence Against the Dark Arts rooms as well, though he could use them to store things. He was teaching some snotty first-years Potions, but thanks to the Time-Turner he could also catch up on marking. He sipped his Energy Renewing potion and looked at the timetable on his wall; third-year Potions and sixth-year DADA. Sixth-year, now why did that make him start he wondered. Then he remembered; it was that beautiful muggle-born. Shit, he thought, she must have been in the classroom last night, when I chickened out, but I suppose she's sensible, she probably is just trying to forget it. After all if anyone had seen... we wouldn't be here now, why did I even think of trying anything like that? I'm insane, she's 16, I've just got to forget this all happened. But he couldn't
The sixth-years stumbled into the classroom, rather reluctantly of course considering their teacher. Harry, Ron and Hermione were the last to enter, the boys made a dash for the two seats right at the back and made sympathetic expressions to Hermione who was forced to sit next to Susan Bones; right at the front. Snape strode in, I won't let it bother me, he insisted, if she's got any sense she'll be avoiding me. He gestured to the students to sit and went to his desk. He sat down and looked up to see who was the unlucky person straight in front of him. It was Hermione.
A/N: I know, I know it's short, but hey, I very nearly didn't have time to write it at all. Slightly random, mostly crap, who cares?! Now I have some more ideas about where this is going. All reviews very welcome!
