Chapter Eleven:
Hermione walked down the darkened corridor, which was wider then it should have been. The fire blazes from the walls gave the impression of sunset. Her robes felt lighter.
She wasn't wearing robes, but rather something the Romans would. A light peach gown that tied about the waist and let her arms fly free. She felt the sandals on her feet and she ran to one of the many columns. Behind this one was a door, and by the door a figure clad in black.
She ran into him, and he held her.
"Shh. Everything will be fine."
She awoke abruptly.
She was still in the hospital wing, but she was alone.
Snape must have left a while ago.
Now she wasn't the expert on dreams, but from what lavender and Pavarti had said, black meant sub conscious. Another girl, a year or two younger, had her dream read by her roommates, it was similar.
It was about half a soul. A part of soul that wasn't reborn with its twin. Forever separate. Her subconscious must be telling her that she was supposed to be with someone that didn't exist. That is if you believed in that whole 'soul mate' ideal.
Hermione wasn't likely too, but hay, what could a little wishful thinking do?
She stretched and touched her hair. She remembered him touching it, and was slightly disturbed.
Teachers shouldn't do that.
But he wasn't your usual teacher. Maybe it was merely to relax her, but then wouldn't a simple spell have worked?
He was a rather large riddle. One that for the last two weeks she had been slowly solving.
"Up, Ms. Granger?" the kind nurse walked in with a bottle of something, "take this and you can go down to breakfast."
"Thank you Madame Pomfrey."
"Don't mention it sweetie." And she left the bottle and spoon by the bed side.
Hermione was trustworthy enough.
Hermione took the proper dosage, and stood up, Her robes were all wrinkled from sleeping in them.
Finding her wand on the bed side table she quickly neatened up and went down for food.
*~*~*~*~
"Hermione!" Two voices, that shouldn't be shouting for her were. She completed her entrance, but immediately stopped from what she saw.
"Ron! Harry?" she looked at them as if they were ghosts.
"Yeah, and guess what?"
"What?" She said merely out of habit.
"well," Harry started, "Since it is our last year, me and Ron, along with the Weasleys decided that us being with you was far more important then anything at the burrow." He explained.
Hermione blinked and looked at her friends. She felt joy swell up in her, and a tear fall. "oh guys!" and she hugged them both, "THANK YOU!"
"What are you thanking us for, aren't we selfish prats who don't act our age?" Ron teased.
They all laughed.
A single Raven flew down onto her shoulder and fluttered it feathers.
"Hey Munin," Harry looked down at the bird, "Did Mione survive without us for one night?"
It let out one caw.
"Good." He smiled.
"How do you know Harry? I could have been in a huge explosion last night." She wondered.
Harry blinked, "Yeah, well, you could have, but you look in great spirits, so if you were, it couldn't have been too bad."
She thought for a second, Ron had already snuck off to get food from the tables, "No I guess it wasn't to bad."
Harry's eyes flashed, "After breakfast, you'll let us in on the details, now lets go scavenge some food from the table, before Ron eats it all."
"That's highly doubtful Harry, considering, all this food couldn't possibly compact itself into his stomach." Hermione said logically, Harry just ruffled her hair and went back to the table.
Hermione, sighing, and setting her hair back straight, joined them.
Munin, watchful, stayed firmly on her shoulder.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Severus Snape vouched that today was entirely too good of a day to leave his precious dungeons.
Not that he was feeling anti-social, no, today was a prefect day to work on his many experiments.
Why was this a perfect opportunity? Because no troublemakers were currently within the school. Actually, so student period, besides ms. Granger, and she did as told.
So with a relaxing sigh, he set off to mixing the many fluids.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It was a fairly nice day for mid-December, cool, near cold, yes, but no snow, no frost, as puffy clouds blanketed the sky.
Hermione Ron and Harry were all taking advantage of possibly the last decent day they would see until spring.
Laying flat on their backs they watched the clouds going by, discussing their shapes.
Munin was curled in a sleeping position on Hermione stomach, and she was rubbing her thumb along on side of the feathers.
It was almost like a cat, warm, soft. But yet it was too small, and had feathers. Either way, she felt herself becoming attached to the creature.
"Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley!" a loud voice shouted at the three on the grass. Munin Flew up in the air, as Hermione pulled herself into a sitting position, then it landed on her shoulder.
Harry and Ron followed suit, as they looked back and saw none other then professor Snape looming over them.
"Professor." Hermione breathed. He looked not very well off, to put it kindly.
"Ms. Granger kindly go keep an eye on the three potions currently brewing in my office while I have a small chat with these two."
Hermione nodded, and gave an apologetic look to her friends, then ran off towards the school, no questions asked.
"Now, why am I looking at the both of you, when neither of you signed the form to stay for holidays?" He questioned the two likely subjects in from of him.
They both swallowed hard, "Well, we didn't want Hermione to be all alone," Ron started.
"Professor Dumbledore, McGonagall and Hagrid all oked the change." Harry added.
"And only three teachers need to say its ok to change any plans," Ron defended, "So we came on the train,"
"This morning," Harry finished.
Snape rolled his eyes, he could have done without the double act. "Very well," he turned on his heel, "Follow me."
The two boys exchanged glances, "why professor?"
"I'm sure Ms. Granger wont care to look around for you two once I dismiss her." He explained, and they stood and followed him to the dungeons.
Harry and Ron exchanged looks. Snape was being considerate.
"Ms. Granger!" he called once opening the doors to his classroom, the he proceeded to shut out Harry and Ron.
"Yes sir?" she seemed to appear from no where, and she was smiling. "I added the next ingredient in potion 2."
"Thanks you, now leave before Mr.'s Potter and Weasley believe that I have kidnapped you."
She nodded her head and left quickly, finding Ron and Harry outside waiting for her.
" So, what was the problem?" She asked, a smile on her face.
"He apparently didn't believe we came back." Harry said darkly, "But he took it nicely enough."
"That's good, at least no points were lost, and no detentions given," Hermione breathed a sigh.
"That's what the problem is, Hermione!" Ron exclaimed.
She did a double take, "Ok," she stopped and crossed her arms, "how not getting punished a bad thing again?"
"It's not that it's bad Hermione," Ron tried to explain.
"It's just not Snape." Harry finished.
She tilted her head to one side. "If you insist," she gave, "But don't expect me to agree." And she took up walking again.
"Hey Hermione?" Ron asked as the two boys caught up to her stride. "What is it you seem to know about Snape that the rest of the school is missing?" he asked honestly.
She looked over at him and blinked, confused, "What do you mean?"
"It's just, Hermione," Harry started, unsure of the words, " Lets just say that it Snape started humming 'The Dance of the Sugar Plum Faerie' I bet you would be the only person not to fall over laughing or with fright."
"Like there's this mysterious Snape and you're the only one who gets to see him." Ron tried his shot, but Hermione was stuck on the song one.
She clutched her stomach, holding in the laughter that threatened to come out of the irony of the situation.
"Went right over you head, didn't it Mia?" Ron muttered as he pushed back his bangs in frustration, "But apparently you were wrong mate," he looked over at Harry, "She finds it as funny as I would."
"That wasn't the point I was trying to make." Harry said annoyed. Then the words hit him, "Hermione Granger, why in the world do trust Snape so much?"
That took Ron back, but after tossing the thought about in his head, he found it fit nicely.
Hermione's laughter subsided as she thought about the question. "I don't really know, maybe it's the kind of trust one get from just accepting and understanding that that is how one is?" she suggested the answer, as if it might be wrong, but the looks on Harry and Ron's faces had become solemn.
An obscure idea had hit them both at the same exact time. An idea, that if it were true, meant that Hermione was far more dense then she even knew.
"Guys?" she waved her hands in front of their faces.
"Oh, yeah, makes sense, after all, to survive those detentions you have, you have to gain a sort of understanding right?" Harry babbled.
Hermione smiled, "I guess so." She stole a glace at her watch, "Oh my! Is that the time? Come on you two, homework!"
Hermione, the one they knew and loved well, was back.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
When Hermione left Ron and Harry were in the midst of a game of chess.
By the time she was well gone, it was well put away.
"Do you really think this is ok Harry?" Ron asked a bit unsure.
"Of course! Something's going on at those detentions, Snape trusts Hermione more then he'd ever admit, and same goes from Hermione, I want to see for myself, precisely what they do while in each others company. Don't you?"
"Yes, of course, I worry." Ron's eyes didn't seem as sure as his words.
"Then there's no problem, come on."
And Harry pulled out his fathers old, faithful cloak.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Snape was sitting at his desk, when she pushed open the door, cloak in hand.
Snape look up a tad lost.
"Aren't we to patrol, sir?" she asked confused herself.
"No," he had a touch of humor in his voice, "It's holidays, so Albus has put us out of our needless wanderings." He went back to looking at the papers in front of him.
"Oh," was all she said as she set down her cloak and grabbed her usual stack of papers.
"When we run out of papers, I'll have to find another chore for you Ms. Granger." She nodded, taking her seat, and starting to sort the papers by length. Find this a must more efficient way of grading.
"Sir, might I play some music while we grade?" she asked kindly.
Apparently the memory of the night before was lost from her mind, Snape thought with a sigh, "No ms. Granger, I'm afraid I had a slight head ache, we'll both have to just suffer."
She nodded and went back to grading. The memory wasn't as gone as he had thought.
Hermione, while grading in silence, noted how her mind tended to wander. This time was no different.
Her mind instantly recalled his hand though her hair, and she shivered. Grabbing her cloak as to not appear odd, she put it on.
"A bit cold, ms. Granger?"
"It is winter, sir."
"Of course." He could have slapped himself.
He had been imagining how her hair had felt, while fighting to place the image into the back of his mind, when she had shivered, as if she knew exactly what was going thought his head.
Mentally he hit himself, hadn't he been though this mental argument once before? Nothing beyond this simple understanding, nothing, there was nothing.
He must be losing his mental manipulation, for the thought had trouble sticking.
With out warning a jar exploded, a jar containing not nice materials. Snape caught it barely from the corner of his eye, and stood up, whipped out his wand , and cast a protection charm on the entire room, and what was in the room.
Thus the material was suspended mid air, in a type of vacuum, that consisted solely of the material.
"You alright?" he asked the shaken girl, who was now sitting on the ground.
"Yes, however," she stood up, her shock having dissipated into anger. "Accio cloak!" she flicked her wand and the two people she had suspected to appear did so, as the famous potter cloak flew into her hands.
"Well now, we have a predicament here, don't we?" Snape drawled, a joyous smirk played on his lips, he was truly grateful to have some distraction from his thoughts. "So, care to explain yourselves or do I need to get Minerva down here?"
Hermione could tell from his eyes, that the latter plan was one he favored. After all, Professor McGonagall was well known for not taking intrusion lightly. Hermione herself, was starting to feel similarly.
After all he understood how he was more then likely feeling. He treated her as he treated very few alive. And with that trust, he had always placed his mask of hatred to the side. Harry and Ron had, depending on how long they had been in residence, more then likely seen that weakness, enough to recognize it.
"We were worried for Hermione, she's been acting oddly, so we wanted to check on her." Harry said simply. Hermione looked at Ron, and knew instantly that what Harry said, may have been the truth, but it was the far too simplified version of it.
"Well," Snape drawled, catching what she had, apparently, "We'll see what Minerva has to say, keep an eye on the Ms. Granger."
"Alright sir."
She turn on heel and stormed off to where she knew he kept a fireplace.
"Your acting like his lap dog!" Ron said disgusted.
"I'm still in detention, I'm obligated to." She said darkly, hoping they realized how must she didn't like the situation as well.
"Not this afternoon, you weren't." Harry pointed out.
"This afternoon was purely out of courtesy." She said simply, walking over to the suspended substance, "Now, I'm purely pissed off that the two of you, this" she gestured to the black goop, "Could have acted similarly to a plague it if had touched anything solid. Be grateful Snape caught it, when I fell over." She hit herself, for she took had been trying to get at it as well, but had fallen over in the process. "the jar it was in, never actually touched it, it was in a similar vacuum as it is now, however, instead of the room being the medium for the spell, the jar was."
"We don't need a lesson Hermione, while waiting for doom." Ron plopped down in one of the chairs.
"Oh, yes you do, you need to understand precisely why, whatever punishment you get, will probably be way too light considering what you could have done." She said, still pissed off for a reason she couldn't exactly place.
Ron and Harry looked at her, with wide eyes.
"So now you get it." She muttered to herself as she went back to grading. No need to waste the whole night after all.
"Ms. Granger," Her head of houses voice rang into the room, "Is it true Mr.'s Potter and Weasley were sneaking down here, with and invisibility cloak?"
"Yes, professor, thought don't confiscate the cloak, it had no way of knowing it was breaking the rules." She said, maybe far to simply.
Snape let out a choke, and Harry and Ron burst out laughing. Hermione had a smirk on her face.
"No I won't take the cloak, however," she glared at the two boys, "You both have detention with me until the end of winter break excluding the holidays." They both exchanged looks of horror. She smiled, amused, "Then it settled, I'll she you both tomorrow night at, Severus, when is Ms. Granger to repost to you?"
"Eight," he snapped.
"Eight then, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley." And she pushed them both from the room.
"You didn't mention the potion." Hermione noted.
"No need to have them cut up into little pieces Ms. Granger, when their pride can just as easily be hurt."
She smiled, and he smile back.
Something relaxed in her, something she hadn't realized had clenched up, as she went back to her papers.
Only when she was on her way back to the common room did she realize exactly what it was that had made her so angry with her friends.
She was worried that she may have lost whatever she had gained with Snape, because of their actions.
It wasn't until much later that she realized precisely how important that was to her.
And it horribly unnerved her as she approached the portrait of the Fat Lady.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
AN: Ok I made it longer, I'm sorry I haven't updated in ages, forgive me!!!
Only it will be worse this next time. You see, my bad knee needs surgery. That'll happen Tuesday, which is why I'm posting this now.
I hope you all enjoy what I have written thus far, and I'll get back with you the second I can alright?
Thanks, everyone. ^_^
Relena
Hermione walked down the darkened corridor, which was wider then it should have been. The fire blazes from the walls gave the impression of sunset. Her robes felt lighter.
She wasn't wearing robes, but rather something the Romans would. A light peach gown that tied about the waist and let her arms fly free. She felt the sandals on her feet and she ran to one of the many columns. Behind this one was a door, and by the door a figure clad in black.
She ran into him, and he held her.
"Shh. Everything will be fine."
She awoke abruptly.
She was still in the hospital wing, but she was alone.
Snape must have left a while ago.
Now she wasn't the expert on dreams, but from what lavender and Pavarti had said, black meant sub conscious. Another girl, a year or two younger, had her dream read by her roommates, it was similar.
It was about half a soul. A part of soul that wasn't reborn with its twin. Forever separate. Her subconscious must be telling her that she was supposed to be with someone that didn't exist. That is if you believed in that whole 'soul mate' ideal.
Hermione wasn't likely too, but hay, what could a little wishful thinking do?
She stretched and touched her hair. She remembered him touching it, and was slightly disturbed.
Teachers shouldn't do that.
But he wasn't your usual teacher. Maybe it was merely to relax her, but then wouldn't a simple spell have worked?
He was a rather large riddle. One that for the last two weeks she had been slowly solving.
"Up, Ms. Granger?" the kind nurse walked in with a bottle of something, "take this and you can go down to breakfast."
"Thank you Madame Pomfrey."
"Don't mention it sweetie." And she left the bottle and spoon by the bed side.
Hermione was trustworthy enough.
Hermione took the proper dosage, and stood up, Her robes were all wrinkled from sleeping in them.
Finding her wand on the bed side table she quickly neatened up and went down for food.
*~*~*~*~
"Hermione!" Two voices, that shouldn't be shouting for her were. She completed her entrance, but immediately stopped from what she saw.
"Ron! Harry?" she looked at them as if they were ghosts.
"Yeah, and guess what?"
"What?" She said merely out of habit.
"well," Harry started, "Since it is our last year, me and Ron, along with the Weasleys decided that us being with you was far more important then anything at the burrow." He explained.
Hermione blinked and looked at her friends. She felt joy swell up in her, and a tear fall. "oh guys!" and she hugged them both, "THANK YOU!"
"What are you thanking us for, aren't we selfish prats who don't act our age?" Ron teased.
They all laughed.
A single Raven flew down onto her shoulder and fluttered it feathers.
"Hey Munin," Harry looked down at the bird, "Did Mione survive without us for one night?"
It let out one caw.
"Good." He smiled.
"How do you know Harry? I could have been in a huge explosion last night." She wondered.
Harry blinked, "Yeah, well, you could have, but you look in great spirits, so if you were, it couldn't have been too bad."
She thought for a second, Ron had already snuck off to get food from the tables, "No I guess it wasn't to bad."
Harry's eyes flashed, "After breakfast, you'll let us in on the details, now lets go scavenge some food from the table, before Ron eats it all."
"That's highly doubtful Harry, considering, all this food couldn't possibly compact itself into his stomach." Hermione said logically, Harry just ruffled her hair and went back to the table.
Hermione, sighing, and setting her hair back straight, joined them.
Munin, watchful, stayed firmly on her shoulder.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Severus Snape vouched that today was entirely too good of a day to leave his precious dungeons.
Not that he was feeling anti-social, no, today was a prefect day to work on his many experiments.
Why was this a perfect opportunity? Because no troublemakers were currently within the school. Actually, so student period, besides ms. Granger, and she did as told.
So with a relaxing sigh, he set off to mixing the many fluids.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It was a fairly nice day for mid-December, cool, near cold, yes, but no snow, no frost, as puffy clouds blanketed the sky.
Hermione Ron and Harry were all taking advantage of possibly the last decent day they would see until spring.
Laying flat on their backs they watched the clouds going by, discussing their shapes.
Munin was curled in a sleeping position on Hermione stomach, and she was rubbing her thumb along on side of the feathers.
It was almost like a cat, warm, soft. But yet it was too small, and had feathers. Either way, she felt herself becoming attached to the creature.
"Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley!" a loud voice shouted at the three on the grass. Munin Flew up in the air, as Hermione pulled herself into a sitting position, then it landed on her shoulder.
Harry and Ron followed suit, as they looked back and saw none other then professor Snape looming over them.
"Professor." Hermione breathed. He looked not very well off, to put it kindly.
"Ms. Granger kindly go keep an eye on the three potions currently brewing in my office while I have a small chat with these two."
Hermione nodded, and gave an apologetic look to her friends, then ran off towards the school, no questions asked.
"Now, why am I looking at the both of you, when neither of you signed the form to stay for holidays?" He questioned the two likely subjects in from of him.
They both swallowed hard, "Well, we didn't want Hermione to be all alone," Ron started.
"Professor Dumbledore, McGonagall and Hagrid all oked the change." Harry added.
"And only three teachers need to say its ok to change any plans," Ron defended, "So we came on the train,"
"This morning," Harry finished.
Snape rolled his eyes, he could have done without the double act. "Very well," he turned on his heel, "Follow me."
The two boys exchanged glances, "why professor?"
"I'm sure Ms. Granger wont care to look around for you two once I dismiss her." He explained, and they stood and followed him to the dungeons.
Harry and Ron exchanged looks. Snape was being considerate.
"Ms. Granger!" he called once opening the doors to his classroom, the he proceeded to shut out Harry and Ron.
"Yes sir?" she seemed to appear from no where, and she was smiling. "I added the next ingredient in potion 2."
"Thanks you, now leave before Mr.'s Potter and Weasley believe that I have kidnapped you."
She nodded her head and left quickly, finding Ron and Harry outside waiting for her.
" So, what was the problem?" She asked, a smile on her face.
"He apparently didn't believe we came back." Harry said darkly, "But he took it nicely enough."
"That's good, at least no points were lost, and no detentions given," Hermione breathed a sigh.
"That's what the problem is, Hermione!" Ron exclaimed.
She did a double take, "Ok," she stopped and crossed her arms, "how not getting punished a bad thing again?"
"It's not that it's bad Hermione," Ron tried to explain.
"It's just not Snape." Harry finished.
She tilted her head to one side. "If you insist," she gave, "But don't expect me to agree." And she took up walking again.
"Hey Hermione?" Ron asked as the two boys caught up to her stride. "What is it you seem to know about Snape that the rest of the school is missing?" he asked honestly.
She looked over at him and blinked, confused, "What do you mean?"
"It's just, Hermione," Harry started, unsure of the words, " Lets just say that it Snape started humming 'The Dance of the Sugar Plum Faerie' I bet you would be the only person not to fall over laughing or with fright."
"Like there's this mysterious Snape and you're the only one who gets to see him." Ron tried his shot, but Hermione was stuck on the song one.
She clutched her stomach, holding in the laughter that threatened to come out of the irony of the situation.
"Went right over you head, didn't it Mia?" Ron muttered as he pushed back his bangs in frustration, "But apparently you were wrong mate," he looked over at Harry, "She finds it as funny as I would."
"That wasn't the point I was trying to make." Harry said annoyed. Then the words hit him, "Hermione Granger, why in the world do trust Snape so much?"
That took Ron back, but after tossing the thought about in his head, he found it fit nicely.
Hermione's laughter subsided as she thought about the question. "I don't really know, maybe it's the kind of trust one get from just accepting and understanding that that is how one is?" she suggested the answer, as if it might be wrong, but the looks on Harry and Ron's faces had become solemn.
An obscure idea had hit them both at the same exact time. An idea, that if it were true, meant that Hermione was far more dense then she even knew.
"Guys?" she waved her hands in front of their faces.
"Oh, yeah, makes sense, after all, to survive those detentions you have, you have to gain a sort of understanding right?" Harry babbled.
Hermione smiled, "I guess so." She stole a glace at her watch, "Oh my! Is that the time? Come on you two, homework!"
Hermione, the one they knew and loved well, was back.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
When Hermione left Ron and Harry were in the midst of a game of chess.
By the time she was well gone, it was well put away.
"Do you really think this is ok Harry?" Ron asked a bit unsure.
"Of course! Something's going on at those detentions, Snape trusts Hermione more then he'd ever admit, and same goes from Hermione, I want to see for myself, precisely what they do while in each others company. Don't you?"
"Yes, of course, I worry." Ron's eyes didn't seem as sure as his words.
"Then there's no problem, come on."
And Harry pulled out his fathers old, faithful cloak.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Snape was sitting at his desk, when she pushed open the door, cloak in hand.
Snape look up a tad lost.
"Aren't we to patrol, sir?" she asked confused herself.
"No," he had a touch of humor in his voice, "It's holidays, so Albus has put us out of our needless wanderings." He went back to looking at the papers in front of him.
"Oh," was all she said as she set down her cloak and grabbed her usual stack of papers.
"When we run out of papers, I'll have to find another chore for you Ms. Granger." She nodded, taking her seat, and starting to sort the papers by length. Find this a must more efficient way of grading.
"Sir, might I play some music while we grade?" she asked kindly.
Apparently the memory of the night before was lost from her mind, Snape thought with a sigh, "No ms. Granger, I'm afraid I had a slight head ache, we'll both have to just suffer."
She nodded and went back to grading. The memory wasn't as gone as he had thought.
Hermione, while grading in silence, noted how her mind tended to wander. This time was no different.
Her mind instantly recalled his hand though her hair, and she shivered. Grabbing her cloak as to not appear odd, she put it on.
"A bit cold, ms. Granger?"
"It is winter, sir."
"Of course." He could have slapped himself.
He had been imagining how her hair had felt, while fighting to place the image into the back of his mind, when she had shivered, as if she knew exactly what was going thought his head.
Mentally he hit himself, hadn't he been though this mental argument once before? Nothing beyond this simple understanding, nothing, there was nothing.
He must be losing his mental manipulation, for the thought had trouble sticking.
With out warning a jar exploded, a jar containing not nice materials. Snape caught it barely from the corner of his eye, and stood up, whipped out his wand , and cast a protection charm on the entire room, and what was in the room.
Thus the material was suspended mid air, in a type of vacuum, that consisted solely of the material.
"You alright?" he asked the shaken girl, who was now sitting on the ground.
"Yes, however," she stood up, her shock having dissipated into anger. "Accio cloak!" she flicked her wand and the two people she had suspected to appear did so, as the famous potter cloak flew into her hands.
"Well now, we have a predicament here, don't we?" Snape drawled, a joyous smirk played on his lips, he was truly grateful to have some distraction from his thoughts. "So, care to explain yourselves or do I need to get Minerva down here?"
Hermione could tell from his eyes, that the latter plan was one he favored. After all, Professor McGonagall was well known for not taking intrusion lightly. Hermione herself, was starting to feel similarly.
After all he understood how he was more then likely feeling. He treated her as he treated very few alive. And with that trust, he had always placed his mask of hatred to the side. Harry and Ron had, depending on how long they had been in residence, more then likely seen that weakness, enough to recognize it.
"We were worried for Hermione, she's been acting oddly, so we wanted to check on her." Harry said simply. Hermione looked at Ron, and knew instantly that what Harry said, may have been the truth, but it was the far too simplified version of it.
"Well," Snape drawled, catching what she had, apparently, "We'll see what Minerva has to say, keep an eye on the Ms. Granger."
"Alright sir."
She turn on heel and stormed off to where she knew he kept a fireplace.
"Your acting like his lap dog!" Ron said disgusted.
"I'm still in detention, I'm obligated to." She said darkly, hoping they realized how must she didn't like the situation as well.
"Not this afternoon, you weren't." Harry pointed out.
"This afternoon was purely out of courtesy." She said simply, walking over to the suspended substance, "Now, I'm purely pissed off that the two of you, this" she gestured to the black goop, "Could have acted similarly to a plague it if had touched anything solid. Be grateful Snape caught it, when I fell over." She hit herself, for she took had been trying to get at it as well, but had fallen over in the process. "the jar it was in, never actually touched it, it was in a similar vacuum as it is now, however, instead of the room being the medium for the spell, the jar was."
"We don't need a lesson Hermione, while waiting for doom." Ron plopped down in one of the chairs.
"Oh, yes you do, you need to understand precisely why, whatever punishment you get, will probably be way too light considering what you could have done." She said, still pissed off for a reason she couldn't exactly place.
Ron and Harry looked at her, with wide eyes.
"So now you get it." She muttered to herself as she went back to grading. No need to waste the whole night after all.
"Ms. Granger," Her head of houses voice rang into the room, "Is it true Mr.'s Potter and Weasley were sneaking down here, with and invisibility cloak?"
"Yes, professor, thought don't confiscate the cloak, it had no way of knowing it was breaking the rules." She said, maybe far to simply.
Snape let out a choke, and Harry and Ron burst out laughing. Hermione had a smirk on her face.
"No I won't take the cloak, however," she glared at the two boys, "You both have detention with me until the end of winter break excluding the holidays." They both exchanged looks of horror. She smiled, amused, "Then it settled, I'll she you both tomorrow night at, Severus, when is Ms. Granger to repost to you?"
"Eight," he snapped.
"Eight then, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley." And she pushed them both from the room.
"You didn't mention the potion." Hermione noted.
"No need to have them cut up into little pieces Ms. Granger, when their pride can just as easily be hurt."
She smiled, and he smile back.
Something relaxed in her, something she hadn't realized had clenched up, as she went back to her papers.
Only when she was on her way back to the common room did she realize exactly what it was that had made her so angry with her friends.
She was worried that she may have lost whatever she had gained with Snape, because of their actions.
It wasn't until much later that she realized precisely how important that was to her.
And it horribly unnerved her as she approached the portrait of the Fat Lady.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
AN: Ok I made it longer, I'm sorry I haven't updated in ages, forgive me!!!
Only it will be worse this next time. You see, my bad knee needs surgery. That'll happen Tuesday, which is why I'm posting this now.
I hope you all enjoy what I have written thus far, and I'll get back with you the second I can alright?
Thanks, everyone. ^_^
Relena