Chapter XXI - And the author said "Let the plot thicken," and it did and it was good! I hope you will all forgive me but Severus and Hermione still have many trials to face on the road to being together. I still have not introduced the character who will truly be responsible for their reuniting...sorry! Your true antagonist shall be introduced here and if you are clever I do not need to tell you who it is...enjoy!

Yes. The story slowed down for a while but it is going to pick up speed now! HOORAY!

Those of you who love David Bowie as well...I LOVE HIM MORE! I can't get enough of him!I want you all to know that I love that song! I just think it fit so well when considering what had happened.

tallgiraffe32 : I hope you are pleased with the pickup that will occur here.

Lynx Black - I appologize for misspelling your name on the previous update.

Aleatha515 - I was not going to explain why Severus gets sick because it is sufficient to say that he does...but I shall indulge you once again...Severus, from the moment our dear Hermione/Jane left him, joined the Death Eaters. As we have seen Voldemort punishes those under him, puts them under the cruciatus. Well the reason he gets sick is partly due to all the times he has been put under theCruciatus Curse and partly from the loss of his true love.

WolfEmpress : For starters -cool name. David Bowie rocks! I LOVE LABYRINTH! I hope you will read my next story and actually review a little more. -Stern look!-

- Severus Snape -

My eyes blinked open. There was a soft pressure on my chest. I sighed. My Jane had been with me the previous night. I knew it. I remembered hearing her voice sing to me. My arm draped over someone's back.

I felt the pressure lift off me. I turned my head and saw...Miss Granger.

"Miss Granger, what are you doing here?" I asked. My annoyance was quite clear though I didn't mean it.

She looked deeply wounded by my tone.

"Madam Pomfrey asked me to take care of you and I wanted to. You seem better now. I'll just go," she said. Her voice cracked a little and she looked crestfallen as she stood to hastily leave the room.

"Miss Granger, you stay," I ordered pointing in an authoritative way toward the chair she had been occupying.

She walked back slowly and sat down. She kept her eyes firmly pointed at the floor.

"Did anyone else come in?" I asked. I was unable to keep the hope from shining through in my voice.

"Yes Professor, Madam Pomfrey came but other than that no," she answered still refusing to look at me. If only I could get her to look me in the eye, I could cast Legilimens over her, but she obstinately refused to look me in the eyes.

- Hermione Granger -

I didn't want to look my love in the eyes lest I risk him breaking through my mind and unveiling what he was not yet prepared to know or except.

It broke me to know he didn't know who I was or, even worse, was denying the similarities between Jane and me.

"Is there anything I can get for you Professor Snape?" I asked playing with my skirt and fidgeting under the scrutinizing gaze of my professor.

Even though I couldn't see his eyes, I could feel them narrow.

"Some breakfast would be fine," he said with a touch of his coldness. "I assume that iniquitous nurse who takes care of you children has informed you that I am to be kept in bed."

"Yes sir," I answered. "I'll get you some breakfast."

I rose to my feet and left quietly.

-Character to be named at a later date -

I watched the two from under an invisibility cloak. I could see that there was something between them or that there had been. That had to change. Snape had stolen someone from me previously and I'd make sure it didn't happen again! My eyes darkened to a shade of obsidian BLACK that they had not turned in years.

I was not nearly as naïve as they thought I was. Being where I had been I couldn't help becoming more shrewd.

I felt a smirk spread across my face as I got a wonderfully cruel idea.

I hope you all enjoyed it. Don't worry the next chapter will be much longer. I have posted shorter chapters than this on other fics! But it probably will not happen again on this fic...so feel priveleged!

I am not sure if I will be able to update next week as I am going to be at my grandparents and they do not have a disk drive. It truly will depend on how many reviews I get how willing I am to go through other ways to get you a chapter. There are plenty that I can but I do not know whether I can be bothered to do it.

Well you get another update really early in the week compared to when I normally update.