A/N: Ahh, hadn't realised fanfic was not letting you in, so I'm sorry if this is a bit late, and it looks like chapter 8 competition is still open, so…
Thank you:
Hannalucky: Close, maybe a bit more with the rosebud...
Nixin: Thank you very much for the helpful review, I had forgtotten they would need a new teacher!
Natsuyori: Thank you! I know the whole thing was pissing me off - it was like "please let me do something on this website!"
WhirlyBlue: finally, but not v.helpful
Nerfi-Tiri: I know it's not a flame, yeh I think I managed to keep the age difference the same everywhere, but I might have forgotten somewhere, please shout if you can see any.
Proclamations of Love
Hermione stormed down the corridor, catching snippets of what students passing her were saying;
"- and their heads -"
"- were all hung up outside the Muggle Prime Minister's office and their -"
"– body parts were sent in a big box to -"
"- Ron Weasley? He's about to be admitted to St Mungo's psychiatric ward, had a mental breakdown in his Transfiguration lesson this morning and nearly killed -"
"- Harry Potter threw up over Professor Dumbledore, and then he made McGonagall clean it up, I mean, he already thought he was above us all, now some of his family have died and he's expecting them to –"
"– cry everywhere, on her books, at teachers, even when –"
"- Sprout was trying to talk to her but –"
"- he just kept throwing all his –"
"- homework, they aren't getting any –"
"- breakfast and they just all marched out with McGonagall –"
"- who told them to shut up cos –"
"- he just turned into this giant strawberry –"
"- Filch was furious, the mess it made –"
"- all over the new rugs in the common room –"
"- you should have been there –"
"- it was like a mad house –"
"- newspapers everywhere, they just have to keep seeing –"
"- those faces, can you imagine –"
"- how terrible it must be?"
By the end of the corridor Hermione was running, breathless, trying to escape the prying eyes and snide comments, she grabbed a Cornish pasty from the nearest table in the Great Hall and rushed back to the library through a shortcut hidden behind a mirror, at least no-one would be watching her. In the library she made straight for the private study cubicles for the older students where she found Harry, previously calm and collected, sobbing gently over his homework.
"Harry…" she pulled the books out from under him as their words were steadily seeping off the page and she put her arms around him, "shh… it's OK, it's alright no need for tears eh?" put it was too late for her too, quiet teardrops trickled down her face onto her chest where they met the amber and made it shine gloriously. She looked down at it and thought she saw Snape's face reflected back up at her, "encourage them as best you can," she sniffed and held her head upright again,
"Stop it Harry, that's enough now, please, we can't lose this fight, we have to be strong on the inside. Harry?"
"You're right Hermione, I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me… I was just thinking…"
"About Sirius?"
"Yes, and everything else, I just feel that it's all my fault, if I hadn't been born –"
"But Harry, you can't choose whether you're born or not, can you? Come on,"
"Where's Ron?"
"Oh, we had a little –"
"So much for strong inside Hermione, can you to not stop bickering for a few hours?"
"It wasn't like that Harry,"
"What was it like then?"
"Oh, Harry, he's not too well at the moment you can't blame for his actions, but –"
"But?"
"He tried to make a move on me, that's all, I'm sure he's just a bit mixed up,"
"What!" Harry looked furious, "He did that? Now? I will get him for that, are you OK?"
"Harry calm down! This is a library for God's sake, I'm going to find a book, look after my bag for a sec…"
Harry sat in the cubicle alone, and let his rage subside, he looked at her bag. He saw the stiff parchment of an envelope, he stared at it for a few moments and his curiosity go the better of him, surely a peek wouldn't hurt? He thought. Gently he pulled the letter free of the envelope and stared in horror at the spiky black handwriting sprawled across the page, and read, all the way down to the bottom where it said Love Severus. Harry was shocked, he hastily shoved it back in her bag with his mouth hanging open, how long had this been going on for? It was disturbing, kind, sensible Hermione, a model student, and having an infatuation with her teacher! He found it disgusting to think of them, how far had they got, how far had he pushed his slimy way?
Hermione came back in, "better now?"
"You disgusting slut!"
"I'm sorry?" Hermione stared at him, trembling slightly,
"What do you see in him? He's a disgusting, greasy haired git! How long has it been going on for?" he roared,
"Harry! Shh…the library!"
"Oh you cow, he made you didn't he? Did he hurt you?"
"I don't think I understand," she muttered, quickly performing a Sound Proofing Charm to the walls around them,
"Oh, I think you bloody well do. SNAPE!!! What were you thinking?"
"Oh, that…" she looked at her feet,
"And that necklace, that's from him too, isn't it?"
"Harry, please let me explain…" she pleaded
"He may still be alive now, but he won't be for much longer!"
"Harry! Shut up! It's what I want! Just let me make my own decisions please, I'll be 17 tomorrow."
"Hermione, a man at least twenty years older than you is not going to be writing you letters like this because he wants help with his potions,"
"Maybe not, but I know what I'm doing,"
"I'm sorry but I'm going to have to say something, I can't let this just go on, I'm worried about you,"
"Harry, this is mad,"
"Oh yeah, give me one reason why not to,"
"Well you see, the problematic thing is. I love him." She proclaimed,
"What?" Harry had stopped fuming and was staring at her, puzzled,
"I love him!" she ran off, leaving Harry gobsmacked. She ran out of the library, through the corridors, out of the doors to the Entrance Hall and finally came to rest on the huge stone steps outside it. The trailing ivy was taking over, covering all the steps in a blanket of thick foliage. She sat down and stared upwards, a chill wind was blowing through the trees and grey clouds were gathering. From out of a cloud she saw a dim shape, as it grew closer she saw it was a large tawny owl, flying straight towards her.
She leaped up and received the letter it released from its claws, and then, almost as suddenly as it had arrived, it flew off and was absorbed back into the clouds. She clasped the letter in her hand, and although she didn't need to she glanced at the inscription on the envelope – Hermione Granger, in black spider-like writing.
A/N: This chapter isn't really important, it's just a link with a bit more atmosphere and opinions than the previous chapters. Guessed people might have been getting bored of my pages of description, so here's some dialogue for you, rather a lot actually… Not really very much writing at all (about 1000 words) so sorry if that's too little, but it's what this chapter needs really. Anyway I did have very busy weekend, so, umm what else can I say? What you can do is press that little button and I'll go off to do my Physics revision…
