A rather short chapter, my apologies!

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Chapter Fourteen

In the early hours of Tuesday morning, Hermione woke. She wasn't entirely sure what spurred to her life, but for the first time since last Friday… she felt good. She's just slept, properly slept, with the forest not appearing in her mind. While she was joyful for this, the bleakness of sleep almost made her afraid. But it was better then sitting there with nothing to do and a whole world around her which she could not seem to explore.

Feeling uncomfortable, she tried to wiggle around so that she was comfortable again without popping any of the frustrating boils that adorned her body. Her body still ached terribly, and the boils left a horrible burning feeling when they popped, allowing her to believe they would burn right through the sheets. She did not allow herself to cry from the pain though, or she'd be a constant wreck.

In the darkness, she could make out the form of Professor Snape on a small cot bed. She felt terrible for taking up his bed, more so after seeing his thin form. But he'd never dare sleep in his bed as long as she was around. Frustration ripped through her body. Why did this have to happen to her? And why did she have to end up in the care of Professor Snape? Putting it down to the fact that she'd passed out in his classroom, and he was the Potions Master and it seemed that Potions were what was healing her. She couldn't help but be pleased when she noted that her boils were half the size they were they other day.

Sighing quietly, she lay in the bed, willing herself to go back to sleep. She didn't want to wake Snape up so she could have some more sleeping potion, but she was desperate to get back to sleep. She did not enjoy being awake in the middle of the night in the dungeon. Closing her eyes, she lay still for a moment.

When she opened her eyes, light was flooding her sight. But it was not the burning sunlight of the dreams she had almost become accustomed to. Clouds hung above the tree tops, thick, grey clouds.

"No…" Hermione whispered to herself, before standing and wrapped her arms around her self. This was not going to happen again! She drew herself together and rocketed through the trees and into the sky. When she felt the searing pain from where the tree branches had scraped her arms, she began to scream.

"NO! Don't let this happen again!" She yelled, spinning around and around, trying to find some piece of light, something that would tell her that this wasn't going to hurt her again.

A crack of lighting high above her head said that it would.

"I won't let this happen, don't let this happen!" She shrieked to no one, knowing that now she was above the trees, she could not go back without ripping her body apart with more boils. "Don't do this to me!" She screamed.

Suddenly Snape burst through the canopy, his black robes swirling as his huge black wings flared to give him balance. "Miss Granger! Come back!" He roared, grabbing her wrist and yanking her towards himself. Feeling no choice but to comply, she squeezed her eyes shut. When she opened them again, she was back in the dark dungeon room.

Pushing hair out of her face, ignoring the way her body was racked with pain by this movement, she realised Snape was only centimetres from her, his face filled with fear and his hands gripped her shoulders once again.

"Don't let the storm hurt me!" She shrieked at him, trembling.

His eyes caught hers and she noticed his relief that she was awake. "It's okay Miss Granger, the storm won't hurt you, you're safe now." He removed his hands and went to get off the bed.

"No!" She shrieked. "Don't leave me, it'll get me!" She reached for his hand, feeling tears well up in her throat. She'd do anything – anything -to make sure the storm did not come back.

His black eyes found hers, and again she could not read them.

"Nothing will hurt you." He said quietly. "I'll just get you a potion." He strode from the room, leaving Hermione too terrified to close her eyes. When he returned, she almost refused the sleeping potion, turning her head away from it. It was when she saw the almost pleading look in his eyes that she drank. Much to her surprise, after she'd taken some, he took a mouthful himself. As he re-corked the bottle, Hermione watched him, terrified he'd leave her alone and the storm would get her.

She could hardly believe it when he stretched out on the bed next to her. "Sleep, Miss Granger. You're safe." He said, turning away from her.

Not in my dreams, she thought, before the potion took effect.

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Groaning, Snape shook himself awake and stretched from his curled position. He was most disgusted with himself for giving into that girl, and sleeping atop his bed. While his body was more soothed by his own bed, his senses were on high alert due to a female body sleeping barely centimetres from him. Working hard, he blamed it all on the fact that it was just because she was a female, no other reason.

Why had he allowed himself to do it, to fall asleep next to her? Because she needed someone there, and he was her only choice, he thought. But he paused, when he realised that he didn't care half as much as he could have. He should have woken up feeling foul about sleeping where he did… but he didn't. It was only because he was sleeping on his bed, he decided.

Knowing that he had woken because it was time to administer Miss Granger her healing potions, he quickly set about the task. Every now and then he had to stop and look at the girl who lay so peacefully beside him, trusting him to take care of her. If in her shoes, Snape admitted that he would probably trust her, if she were his carer. She was so intelligent, and not only that, but her ability applied to practical tasks as well. He resolved to test her potion making one time, in his private lab, without giving her any help, or instructions. He wanted to see what she could do.

After cleaning the boils, Snape stifled a yawn. It was barely five in the morning, he usually awoke at seven. He had two more hours, but where would he spend them? He could always move to his cot… should probably move to his cot…

But as his head dropped to the pillow under his head, beside his patient, he knew he wasn't going to.

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Thankfully, Hermione did not dream for the rest of the night, she managed to stay in the sweet, empty blackness that was her slumber. However, on awakening, she was most surprised to see Professor Snape curled up beside her again.

As though sensing her awakening, Snape's eyes opened and he let out a yawn, stretching and flopping lazily on the bed, very unlike Snape. Clearly, he had forgotten about the witch I his bed, and Hermione was almost amused by the way his head snapped to the side when realisation hit him and he checked if she was still there or not.

"Good morning, Miss Granger." Hermione nearly died when he said this, sounding so calm or casual. This was not the Snape she knew, not even close. What had happened?

She watched him stand, stretch again and move to his wardrobe. He raised an eyebrow when he noticed her eyes following him. "Do you really think I'm going to forget these again after yesterday's episode?" He said with a sneer, before disappearing into his bathroom.

Yesterday's episode… Hermione thought. But she wasn't thinking Snape leaving his bathroom naked in front of her, but of him sitting on the bed with her, reading to her and testing her knowledge. Although she'd never dare mention it, she'd seen the approval in his eyes when she answered a question in depths hardly known to the average witch or wizard. She knew she'd impressed it. And she'd felt on cloud nine, simply having someone to sit and talk to about her work, who didn't gape at her like a stunned fish when she used words longer then 6 letters long.

Mentally, she growled at herself. It didn't matter if she enjoyed the lesson last night, in a day or two she'd be back to normal and things would return to being normal. And Snape would be back to teasing and taunting and snarling in potions whenever he got the chance.

Raising an arm to examine the fresh boils that had appeared thanks to the nightmare from the previous night's sleep, she wondered just how long it was going to take for her to be completely okay. She couldn't afford to let dreams like occur anymore, couldn't afford to be put back any longer. While it meant more intellectually stimulating conversations, it also meant not seeing her friends, staying in these dark dungeon rooms and getting further behind in her work.

Not something she was willing to risk.

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No answers to reviews, I'm dying here. lol