Chapter 8 – You can't hide it anymore

"So… Let's start with telling me the two most important qualities of a spy and assassin." Severus demanded. He rather enjoyed his power towards the school girl who was in front of him. They were in his office, having Hermione's first spy-lesson.

"Well, I guess it is flexibility and attention." She shot back.

"Very well. Since this isn't a real lesson, I can't order any points for Gryffindor." He smirked.

Hermione nodded in understanding and her eyes kept shifting her gaze. His office wasn't her favourite place, and after she'd seen his private quarters she was quite sure this office was just another piece of his image.

"So, tonight, I think we shall practise disarming charms. I'm sure you know Expelliarmus but that isn't a very good one. The one I will be teaching you tonight don't only disarm the person who charms it, it even makes it to turn around to attack the person who sent it. It is called the Lorentius charm."

"Sir, so if I would be throwing a charm on you, and you used the Lorentius charm, I would be hit by the charm I threw on you?"

"I don't think I will have to repeat it, Miss Granger." The professor snapped. "Now repeat, 'Lorensia'."

"'Lorensia'." She repeated.

"Now you shall throw a simple charm on me, and I will use the Lorentius-charm to ward it off. Do not use a tough charm, since you will have to use Expelliarmus on it when I've thrown it back on you. This is because you have to see how the Lorentius charm works in practise." Severus explained quickly.

"Yes, Sir. I've chosen which one I'm going to throw on you."

"Then do it. One… two… three!" He hissed.

A red light came out from Hermione's wand and attacked Severus who easily fended it off with the Lorentius charm. Hermione concentrated and tried to use Expelliarmus to fend off the returning charm. Suddenly she felt it like the ground was swinging and she a second later she felt it like the world was upside down. All she saw was darkness.

"Miss Granger?" A voice said. "Miss Granger?"

"What?" She mumbled, opening her eyes. She found herself on the floor in the Potions Master's office. 'What the hell is going on?' she thought, very confused.

"Ah, good that you are awake." Severus muttered.

"What the fuck happened?"

"You fainted." A deep voice answered her.
"I did what?" She yelled.
"You passed out. You've been unconscious for the past ten minutes." Severus mumbled, helping her up in a sitting position.

"I remember. We were practising a charm... Lorentia, Lorentius something. What happened? I still don't get it." She sighed, fainting was the thing she disliked the most. Especially in front of a teacher. She had done it once before, it was awful, she'd been put in to the Hospital wings for a few days too.

"Well, you were going to ward off the charm I sent back on you through Expelliarmus but something happened. You threw the Expelliarmus charm, but then you just fell on the floor. It seemed like all your energy was running out." He sat down beside her, carefully not touching any dirty spot on the floor. "Now, I want you to tell me, why the hell did you pass out? Why didn't you tell me you were out of energy? It could have ended much worse than this. You didn't pass out because the Expelliarmus charm didn't work. You fainted because it took all your strength to get that Expelliarmus charm. Fortunately you had enough energy to make it, otherwise you would have been damaged a lot more by your own charm." He scolded.

"S-sir…I… well I-i don't know." She stuttered.

"If you had slept more than six hours last night, and if you've eaten at least one good meal today you wouldn't have been fainting. I'm quite sure you did sleep very well last night. So, have you eaten anything today?"

"Actually, I didn't sleep well." Hermione lied, rubbing her aching shoulder.

"You did. Stop lying. And I would prefer it if you didn't faint again."

"You don't know if I did sleep well!" She exclaimed.

"I do. You know our rooms are connected to each other, I can see through the wall into your room, since Dumbledore put a see-through spell on it from my room. Since, I'm your guardian I have to watch you nearly 24/7." Severus explained with a hint of contemptuously.

"What the fuck are you telling me? Do you mean that you have watched me even when I was alone in my, if I may say, own room. Bloody hell. I guess you and the old fool didn't think maybe I didn't like to strip in front of a teacher? I can't find words for what I think of you! You idiot! I hate you! I wa…" Hermione shouted, furiously.

"I've heard enough from you, Miss Granger!" A very unpleasant voice interrupted. "I told you before, I tell you again. I won't tolerate such behaviour from you." He continued in an ice-cold voice. "Don't you dare speak to me in that way again. Of course I didn't watch you, as you so pleasant express you, 'stripping'. I find no interest in your body at all, and to your knowledge, I don't fancy under ages." He quickly lied. Actually he hadn't been watching her dressing, though he'd wanted, he'd felt it was too mean to her, after all she'd been through the last days.

Hermione stood up, her legs trembling. How the hell could Dumbledore have thrown that spell without telling her? She could sue them for fuck's sake. As she felt her legs weren't strong enough to carry her, she leaned on her professor's desk. Suddenly she felt the depressing room was matching her feelings, and she got why Severus did find it comfortable, if he so did. If he was as un-lucky as he seemed, maybe this room fitted him perfect. Otherwise it fitted his facade perfect. She tensed her fists by anger and glared at her teacher.

"Oh sure." She said ironic. "And, why were you jerking around yesterday? I think your hands were on a place, way too intimate for a teacher. I can sue you." Hermione laughed bitterly.

"For God's sake, Hermione. I highly doubt that someone would believe you after all. Also, why didn't you tell me to stop if you felt uncomfortable with it? I think it's quite strange that you're reacting now, but not yesterday. Now you're mad because we didn't tell you about that spell, but to the matter of fact, it was to protect you."

"You call seeing me naked is a way of protecting me?" She yelled.

"Of course not." Severus snapped, he was losing his patience now. "Miss Granger, we leave this discussion now. Let's finish this class tomorrow. I will have some food ordered down here for you and then you're going to bed. No objections!"

"You can't determine over me like I'm your child. Besides, I'm not hungry. And I've homework to do, since you gave us a three foot essay for tomorrow, Sir. It's kind of tough to write a three foot essay over one night, you know."
"I'll overlook the essay this time, but I told you to have your homework done before eight pm. Don't tell any of your so-called friends that you didn't have to do the homework. You shall eat and then go to bed. If you're not obeying you will serve ten detentions with Filch."

"Are you threatening me, Sir?" Hermione muttered, her legs trembling more than ever. She would certainly have fallen on the floor if her grip on the desk wasn't as hard as it was.

"Miss Granger, I thought you'd more intellect than this. Don't you see how weak your body is? Don't you see how your legs are trembling? Don't you notice that 110 lbs is too little for you? Don't you appreciate your life more than this?" Severus asked in a harsh voice.