First of all, I'd like to apologise for Harry's reaction… I've had a stressful day and am quite angry about a few things, and I unfortunately used Harry to take my anger out. But it seemed the right time. Ron would have just been a total moron about it, and let's face it, it's not the first time we've seen Harry go mental!

This chapter is short, and a mess, blame it on a foul mood. Don't flame me! Probably not much of a plot advancement, lol. Sorry! Next chapter will be better, I promise!

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Chapter Twenty-Nine

"Harry…" Hermione began helplessly.

Her friend was pacing her room, his hands in his black hair, his eyes glaring daggers at her. "How could you, Hermione?" He repeated. "You disappear after dinner last night, and don't return. You don't tell anyone where you are, you can't say you didn't expect anyone to worry!" He shouted.

"Harry, listen to me, I can explain." She didn't bother hoping that Harry had not seen where she had spent the night on the Marauder's Map. In another situation she might have been angry at him for spying on her, but right now, she was simply wanting to explain what had happened. But she knew she wouldn't get a word in around Harry, she'd learnt that from his rants in their fifth year. So she waited for him to finish bellowing, quietly casting a silencing charm around the room so that no nosey people would hear his screeching.

"You stayed with SNAPE last night!" He yelled, throwing his hands up. "I was so fucking worried about you, you just left, with no explanation, we couldn't find you anywhere! I don't care if the war is over, when a friend goes missing, I'm still allowed to worry, and bloody Hell Hermione, you made me worry!" He threw his hands up in the air, before throwing himself into a chair by her fireplace. "I was worried, I couldn't help it, I looked for you on the map, and god knows if you were even still in the school. And where the fuck where you?"

"Professor Snape's room." She stated quietly, looking up at him, feeling determined. "I was with Professor Snape."

"How could you, Hermione?" Harry asked again, his voice low.

"Oh, be quiet Harry, and stop jumping to conclusions, it really is a very bad habit of yours." She said. "It's perfectly innocent, you know."

Harry's eyebrows shot up. "You and Professor Snape in his bedroom at three in the morning? How can that possibly be perfectly innocent?"

Quickly, Hermione explained about the studying sessions, the girl coming to his door, his prolonged absence. "I don't know how long he'd been gone… but I fell asleep, there on his floor."

Harry just started at her, gaping.

"Oh, Harry, quit it, really." She said, exasperated. "It's not as if I were naked or anything. I woke up a few hours later, and I was in his bed – it's not like I hadn't been there before." She saw the wary look in his eyes. "No, Harry, he was not in the bed with me, he was in the sitting room."

Something flicked in Harry's eyes. "That would be sense… except when I look at the map," he blushed as he said this now, "you were both in the same room."

"Well, obviously he had to explain to me at some point what I was doing in his rooms." She retorted. "I woke up and had a bit of a fright..." Hermione dared. She didn't really want Harry to know that she had spent the rest of the evening sharing the bed with the man. She hoped that once Harry had seen where she was, he had not looked again. With him holding the Marauder's Map in his hand, she held little hope though.

Much to her surprise, Harry's eyes widened. "Are you saying… you're not sleeping with Snape?"

"Professor Snape," she automatically corrected again. "And no, Harry, I'm not sleeping with him." Well, she thought, that's not entirely a lie – it was only a one off thing… right? And there wasn't anything else involved…

"Hermione…" his voice is quiet and desperate, "why are you studying with him?"

She closed her eyes and let her head fall back, recalling the conversation they'd had after she'd recovered from being ill. She was quick to remind him of this. "Harry, I told you, when I was sick… he was different."

"Didn't mean you'd end up spending the night studying in his rooms." Harry muttered darkly. "You could be studying with Flitwick or someone."

Keeping her eyes closed, she counted to ten slowly before opening them. "You're right, I could. But I've chosen to study with Professor Snape, and doing so has been most helpful to my research." She still snapped out, pulling her parchment from my bag. Along with them, came a book. Shit, she thought. It was one of Professor Snape's books.

Before Harry could say anything else, someone knocked on Hermione's bedroom door. Thankfully, silencing charms only work one way, and Hermione quickly lifted it from the room.

"Hermione?" Ron's voice rang out. "Are you back yet?"

Crossing the room, she yanked the door open to see the redhead standing there in his too-small pyjamas. He greeted her with a hug. "Where on earth have you been Hermione?" He asked. "Talk about making us bloody worry."

"I fell asleep while studying." She said carefully, turning to give Harry a sharp look.

Harry held the map up for him to see. "Didn't think of that one, mate," Ron said, pulling a chocolate frog from his pocket.

"Honestly, Ronald, are you ever not eating? It's time for breakfast, anyway!" Before either of them could say anything, she flung them out of her room so she could get changed. Ron obviously didn't notice that she was already dressed, for he didn't say anything. For this, Hermione was thankful.

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Snape sat at the Head Table in the Great Hall, watching as students trickled in as the sun continued its ascent into the sky. He had finished his potion only moments after Miss Granger had left his chambers, leaving him wishing she had slept for those extra moments so he could have said a proper goodbye to her. It was when this thought crossed his mind that he had fled his chambers.

He didn't want to admit to himself that he had enjoyed coming back to his chambers the previous night to find the girl sleeping in his room, didn't want to admit he enjoyed having someone there. He couldn't possibly admit that he enjoyed having someone just wander into his lab this morning to talk to him. It wasn't possible that he did.

It was just nice to have someone, anyone there at the moment.

His watched as Miss Granger entered the Great Hall, accompanied by her usual side kicks. He noted that it was with great care that Miss Granger did not glance up to the Head Table as Potter did, he also noted the dirty look the foolish boy sent him.

Unbidden, Snape's fingernails dug into the wood of the Head Table as he met the glare, and easily returned it. Realisation flooded his body. He remembered that map Potter had, the map that he had seen on Remus Lupin's desk all those years ago. The map that had depicted every nook and cranny of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Oh, how he was so angry at himself later for not picking that map up, instead of just rushing out the door to save those three fools. Even if one of those fools was turning out to be good company.

But remembering the map, Snape realised that Harry would have probably been looking at it at some point during the night, wondering where his friend was, hoping to find her. And where would he have found her?

In bed with the Greasy Bat Potions Master. His fingernails dug into the tabletop a little deeper, knowing exactly what Potter would have assumed. He only hoped Hermione – Miss Granger! – would be able to successfully convince him of the innocence of the situation.

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Hermione was so glad that Harry had the decency not to bring up what he had seen on the map in front of Ron – if Harry had been angry about where Hermione was spending her evenings, surely Ron would be completely unstoppable. Thinking this, she sighed. She didn't enjoy keeping secrets from her friends.

Whenever Ron wasn't listening, however, Harry turned and badgered her with questions about her research, what books of Snape's were helpful. Finally, she turned around from her homework and shrieked shrilly, "Just let it go Harry! It's none of your business!". Picking up her books and tucking them under her arm, she stormed from the common room. On her way out, she heard Ron mutter "asked her to help you with your transfiguration homework again, didn't ya mate?"

Storming through the school, she watched as students scattered, trying to get out of the way of the furious Head Girl. Taking twists and turns, she blindly walked, seething. How dare Harry question everything so much, why couldn't he just take her word for it?

Because you're lying, that's why, a little voice told her.

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Okay, super odd ending, but I don't know, it just felt kind of right. I'm still in a pretty foul mood, so lol, who knows. If I end up changing it, don't kill me. I'm off to bed tonight, sorry for this mess of a chapter!

Goodnight!