New chapter! I bet no one of you will expect what happens in this chapter, I just hope no one totally hates it! Enjoy!

For all those who emailed me for the link, hope you all liked it!

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Chapter Twenty

Snape found not being able to sleep Saturday night more infuriating then ever, even though it was something he was certainly used to. And when he did manage to fall asleep, at 3 am, he was abruptly woken at 5am. His first thought was of that 5am… must wake Miss Granger for her potion. But then he remembered that Miss Granger had left his quarters that day. It was with disgust that he remembered just how she'd left. It was with a pang of regret that he remembered the pain he had seen in her eyes the evening before.

Upon returning to his chambers after dinner, Snape had been almost bowled over by the sense of loneliness that swelled there, filling every corner. No longer was there a little witch there every time he opened his door, someone to talk to and help. Someone who could one day meet his level of intellect, if she didn't already.

It didn't matter that he had kicked her out, he decided, seeing as she would have left, never to return anyway. It was foolish to think a young witch like her could enjoy spending time with him, in these dark, cold, dungeons!

Sunday passed with a fatigue blurred whiz, Snape not daring to venture from his dungeons, spending the day brewing potions and researching some ideas. By the time dinner came though, he knew he needed to get out, if only for a little while. His dungeons reminded him of the days he'd spent with Miss Granger, and he was quite ashamed with himself for letting his mind be plagued with her. He briefly considered heading into Hogsmeade for a drink, but instead, he once again remembered what Miss Granger had told him. "You could fly… you had wings… huge, black, feathered wings…". While he did not particularly fancy the idea of himself with wings, his mind was reeling at the idea of flying.

Truth be told, it was something had had done since he had referred the Quidditch Match in the young witch's first year, which was seven years ago now. He had shied from it as a youngster, after one terribly embarrassing incident involving a bucking broomstick and his peers laughing openly at him. But now… there were no Quidditch practices Sunday evenings, and beside, the whole school would be at dinner. Surely it wouldn't hurt…

Fetching his thick black cloak, Snape headed out of his private rooms before he could change his mind. Perhaps this would make him feel better… Fastening his cloak, he strode through the corridors, and out the Entrance Hall, gratefully aware that the positioning of the doors to he Great would no one to see him as he swept through the great oak doors of the school. Outside, the air was beginning to chill as the sun sank lower and lower on the horizon, it would be dark very soon. But that did not stop from him moving towards the Quidditch Pitch on the school grounds.

Once there, he detoured into the broomstick shed, and pulled out an old Shooting Star from the class sets of brooms. It was hardly a sophisticated broom, but Snape was not worried. Leaving the broom shed, he flicked his cloak aside to mount his broom. It had been too long since he'd ridden a broom, he decided, as he kicked off from the ground and went soaring into the air.

Not once, did he notice the small figure, hidden beneath the Quidditch stands watching him.

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Though she was certainly feeling much better then she had been the day before, Hermione spent most of her day looked away in her room, reading. The boys and Ginny had popped by at random times, attempting to get her to come into the common room. She gave in and went to lunch with them. Part of her was glad when she saw that Professor Snape was not seated at the Head Table, while part of her fell. She wondered where he was, and what he was doing. Chances were, he was alone, just the way he wanted to be, she thought with a sneer.

When dinner approached, Hermione had found herself not wanting to eat. Knowing that Harry and Ron would be looking for her, she quickly stuck a note to her door telling anyone who needed the Head Girl that she was currently busy and would be back later, if they'd please leave a note. Hurrying out of Gryffindor tower before her friends could see her, she paused around a corner, wondering what to do. Normally, if she wasn't in her room, she was in the library, so Harry and Ron would easily find her if she was there. She wasn't sure why she was so eager to escape from them, but they'd been acting a little too worried, a little too over protective.

A thought passed through her mind, and she suddenly found herself hurrying for the perfect hiding spot she had found during her third year. While she was using the time-turner, she had found she needed somewhere other then the library to study, as it was too many students were sent to the library during class to get a book – surely one day someone from her classes would be sent there, and they'd know she wasn't meant to be there. So she had searched the school for the perfect place, and eventually found the perfect hiding place – beneath the stands on the Quidditch Pitch. It was somewhere no one usually went during the classes, and the first years had their flying lessons up closer to the school.

Since the weather was only just coming into spring, the evening had chill to it, so Hermione paused to cast a warming charm on herself as she'd forgotten her cloak. Feeling warmth spread again, she began to wander slowly around beneath the stands, humming softly to herself.

She hadn't seen Snape since dinner last night, and she didn't particularly want to, either. She didn't want to examine the loneliness she'd felt in her room last night, when she'd laid back down in her own bed. While she was glad that she was back to her own space, she wished for someone to talk to. Someone that didn't only want to talk about Quidditch, or get her to practically do their homework for them. But she refused to allow herself to miss the time she spent in the dungeon.

Settling into her little spot where she could see all around her, but she was pretty sure no one could see her, Hermione gazed around the school grounds. This was her last year at Hogwarts, and she still didn't know what she wanted to do after her time there. She loved all of her subjects, and wondered what she could do when finished that would involve all of them. There had to be something.

Hermione found herself so deeply caught within her thoughts that she almost missed the dark figure emerge from her broomstick shed, holding a broom. She nearly fell from her hiding spot when she realised that the figure was Severus Snape. Keeping still, she watched him as he mounted the broomstick and shot off into the air, his long cloak billowing out behind him. She wandered what he was doing out here, flying effortlessly around the pitch, doing laps. He didn't appear to be flying very fast, nor was he paying much attention to the lazy circles he was performing.

Watching him go into a sudden, sharp dive, she found her breath catch and her heart began to pound. After the lazy flying, the dive scared her, and she wondered just what he was doing. Inches from the ground, he pulled out of the dive and continued with his circles, slowly spirally upwards again. Hermione allowed herself to breathe a sigh of relief at this, but her breath caught again when he turned his head to look in her direction. Quickly, she froze, hoping that the shadows of the rising dusk had hidden her from the dark haired man. She did not need another ice cold confrontation, another rejection.

Afraid to move in case he saw her, she watched him as he continued his pattern of lazy circles, and then a sharp dive. But this time, her breath didn't catch until the Professor pulled out of the dive, barely meters from her.

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Perched on the broomstick in mid air, Snape turned to look at the young witch, who was half covered in shadows, but not able to hide the look of horror on her face. He smirked at her. He had seen her during the first dive he pulled, but had not acknowledged her presence. Allowing himself a few more laps in the cool air, he wondered just what she of all people were doing here, in the Quidditch Stands of all places. Though he suppose she could be thinking the same thing as him.

Slowly, he flew towards her, until his feet touched solid ground. The young witch was seated on one of the platforms that helped hold the stadium up. "What brings you here, Miss Granger?" He asked, annoyed at the stiffness that came through.

He watched as she regained control after her shock and her face closed off to him. "I often come down here, sir." She replied, not meeting his eyes.

"That's not what I asked, Miss Granger." Mentally, Snape wondered just why he was being so cold to the witch. She had not asked him to come and talk to her, and technically, she wasn't even breaking any school rules, as it was not officially dark yet. And she was Head Girl; she was an exception to the rules, as she had to make rounds. Though it was evident that she was not making any rounds, tucking herself into this little place.

"It's just… this is where I come sometimes, that's all." She continued to avoid his eyes.

He raised an eyebrow. "To escape, Miss Granger?" He asked, thanking his voice for portraying some of the understanding he felt.

Her eyes finally met his, and to his surprise, he saw tears gleaming in them. "Yes, sir." She said quietly.

"Yes, it's easy for a teacher to forget the lack of escaping places for students in a school, even in one as large as Hogwarts." He waved a hand at the castle, causing his cloak to swish as he flicked it aside. "I usually head into the village for a drink, but I see you've found a much more student-friendly alternative… during the day time, anyway." He tried to sound stern, but even after all the practice he'd had, for some reason it was tough.

To his surprise, she laughed. "Yes, I'm sure the staff would love it if we students started to escape over to Three Broomsticks to escape during the week."

The two stayed quiet for a moment, before Hermione stood. "Sorry for taking up your time, Sir, I'll return to the castle now."

"Hermione, wait." Snape surprised himself by nearly reaching for her arm to stop her from leaving. She turned to look at him, and he saw her eyes were tear bright. He wasn't sure what to say now, so he held out his broom. "I know a faster way down."

The Gryffindor witch looked at him as though he was insane. "I don't know how to fly, sir." She stated, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Knowing there wouldn't be anyone around, he allowed himself to smile at her. "I'll teach you, if you want." He offered gently. She shook her head viciously. "Hermione," he said gently, liking the way his saying of her name made her react, making her jump a little. "I won't hurt you." Her eyes met his and he searched. He wasn't sure what would happen, when he said those words that he had said to her in the height of her illness.

Slowly she stepped towards him. "How, sir?" She whispered, looking with freight at both the broom and the ground below them. Typical Gryffindor, putting the opportunity to learn something new before anything as else such as fears. He motioned for her to stand in front of him.

"We'll share this broom, it will be able to hold us, and you won't have a chance of falling," he said. Gently, he held her steady and guided her to straddle the broom, just in front of him. "I'll be right here." He guided her hands to grip the broomstick in front of her, and noticed she clung on as if her life depended on it, despite them not even in the air yet. Slowly, he slid an arm around her front, holding onto her waist. "I'll just do this to keep you steady, in case you get scared." He couldn't help but notice how thin she was. Her body pressed back against hers, and he could fear her fear. He found it awfully hard to resist the urge to breath in the scent of her hair. Instead, he whispered:

"Do you trust me?"

She nodded, not moving anything else. "Yes." Was all she said.

Snape kicked off from the platform, rising into the air slowly. Miss Granger let out a shriek, and he felt disbelief running through his body. Why was he doing this? Teaching a student how to fly, how stupid was he? Yet, along with the broomstick, his heart soared with delight. He laughed at Miss Granger's shriek, and he brought them into a gentle dive towards the ground, pulling up when they were just a few metres off the ground.

"Open your eyes, Hermione," he whispered, knowing without looking at her face that her eyes were clenched shut. He felt her breath catch and knew that she had opened her eyes. Her body was so tense, she was so scared.

Taking them for a few, slow, gentle laps of the field in the on coming dusk, he felt her begin to relax. "I can't believe this…" She whispered, half to herself. Snape noticed that her hands still hung to the broomstick as if she would fall if she moved even an inch. He laughed softly at her.

"It's not so bad, is it?" He asked, as they flew around and around, slowly. He kept them to a pace where they could speak without shouting.

"It's… scary!" She said.

"No, this is scary." Quite suddenly, he pulled the broom up, and increased speed, rocketing them into the darkening sky.

"Professorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!" She screamed, as they raced towards the clouds above them. Just as suddenly, he pulled them out of the dive.

"Trust me." He whispered. "Open your eyes, Miss Granger, look around you."

As she did, Snape too gazed at the dusk landscape that lay before them. The tallest tower of Hogwarts was no rival for the view before them. In the clear evening sky they could see for miles, the orange tinged landscape that stretched for miles, the sky and castle reflecting the colour streaked sky, the hills rising and falling all around them, the darkened structure of Hogwarts rising from the green, lush earth. Snape could only hope that Miss Granger was not too scared to see the beauty as they hung in the air.

Apparently she was not. "Oh my, Professor." She gasped, breathless. "It's so beautiful."

"Yes, it is." Snape wondered if she would laugh at this – the greasy potions master appreciating the beauty of the outside world. But her laughter never came, only her breathing as he held her steady. Gently he flew them around in a circle, allowing her to see everything there was to see before the sky became too dark and he knew they had to return to the ground.

But instead of flying back towards the Quidditch pitch, he set their course for the castle, for Gryffindor Tower. He studied the windows closely before choosing a particular one and flying close to it. "I believe this is your stop." He said, lowering them to the large ledge that jutted out of the window. He whispered "Alohomora", and the window swung out to reveal Miss Granger's bedroom.

When he set her down, he was met by a surprised look. "How did you know, sir?"

He allowed himself a smile. "I've been at Hogwarts for over twenty years now, teaching or not. I know most of the rooms."

"Of course," came her amused response. Standing there, she looked so unsure, and he noticed fear, as though he was going to say things like he had said to her the day before. Instead…

"Miss Granger… if you ever need any help with any of your work, you're welcome to come and use my private book collection, and ask any question you believe I may be able to help you with." He said stiffly. He was as surprised as her by the words that tumbled out of his mouth; he hadn't planned on saying them. Well, it was either that, or an apology, he thought. And Severus Snape did not apologise to anyone.

"Sir, that would be wonderful, thank you." She managed to force out. Her eyes were shining, and Snape knew that this was simply at the prospect of getting her hands on a pile of books she'd never read. He wondered for a moment what he had gotten himself into.

"Good evening, Miss Granger." He said, stepping back out onto the ledge.

"Sir?" She stepped up the window. "You may not have wings, but you can fly really well." She paused. "Thank you for teaching me how to fly."

He smiled down at the young Gryffindor, before reaching to touch her face gently. Then he kicked off the ledge and flew down to the Quidditch Pitch, a smile playing on his pale face.

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How's that? A bit unexpected, but a bit of fun all the time!

It wasn't quite a chance meeting in the hall, Velvet Storm, but I hope you liked it anyway!

Keep on the edge there Caitee, and enjoy!

Got any hair left, Severus-Fan? I hope so, I didn't take toooo long!

Taste's Like Home, yes, I got the link figured, thank you so much, that site is just a scream! Thank you sooo much! And you're right, they do need each other!

Glad you're back, showmethehobbit!

Wow, thanks sexiprincess1228, hope it stays that way, LOL. I wanted to beat the crap out of him too, and I was the one making him do it. Oh, I'm so cruel

Snape's opera rose, did you end up emailing me? I don't think I got anything from you…

Yes, JTBJAB, it is the "I'm too sexy" video, and isn't it just the best? I cacked myself soo hard watching it, I really hope everyone else did too! And you're right about Hermione's feelings, though we'll find out more next chapter!

Will reply to more reviews in time!