Early morning sunlight slowly crept across the floor, spilling like liquid tendrils over the cold stone inch by slow inch until it reached the settee. The sunlight seemed to pause for a moment as though nature too feared the wrath of Severus before hesitantly it began to climb the settee and in a sudden burst of courage flooded his face with golden warmth. He remained still and quiet, his eyes unflinching as they continued to stare at the low dank ceiling above him, his pale elegant fingers spread across the flat expanse of his chest. A long shuddering breath exited through his thin rose-colored lips, the crescent moon of long black lashes laying against his cheeks for a moment like a thick ring of kohl as he tried in vain to sink once again into restless sleep. It was a futile effort and he knew it, for most of the night he had lain awake yet unmoving upon the settee, contenting himself to stare mindlessly at the ceiling above him, his mind struggling to remain unfocused on any one thought.
Finally heaving a heavy sigh as if admitting defeat to the traitorous sun that would give him no peace and rest, Severus slowly rose to sit upon the settee, his elbows resting upon his knees while he cradled his head in his hands. The thick curtain of his hair flowed around his bowed head, shrouding his features in darkness as though it could protect him from all the world. It was thus, hunched over and consumed with his own crushing sense of self-pity and self-loathing that Hermione found the Potions Professor.
Slowly opening the door to the still shadowy bedchamber Hermione hesitantly peered into the living room, her eyes momentarily blinded by the flood of golden light. Taking shuffling steps into the room she tried desperately to shake off the remnants of a fitful and restless sleep, her limbs feeling weighted and sluggish, refusing to obey the groggy commands of her mind. One thought possessed her mind as she moved like a cliché Muggle movie zombie, must have caffeine. As if reading her thoughts Severus rose to his feet with several barely restrained grunts of discomfort, his hands fighting the urge to clutch at his lower back as it wailed in pain. Moving to sit in the equally uncomfortable chair behind his cluttered desk he once again cradled his head upon his hand, feeling the rough scratch of hair against his palm. Thanking Merlin for small miracles he sank back into the shadows that never seemed to leave the corner of the room in which his desk was located, his eyes at once feeling soothed, the dry itch that had consumed them all night seeming to melt away just a little.
With half-mast eyes he watched beneath the dark fringe of his eyelashes as Hermione moved like a puppet on a string, her movements automatic, requiring little to no thought as she selected clean clothes from her trunk and began to shuffle back towards the bedchamber.
"Coffee Miss Granger?" Severus asked in a voice that was gruff and gravelly, sounding like he had sandpaper in his throat. Pausing startled and still barely conscious in the doorway she turned her head slightly to look at him over her shoulder, her eyes struggling to discern him from the thick shadows into which he had retreated, only a pale hand spread across the desktop and the glitter of his eyes visible.
"Yes… please Professor" she mumbled with an equally rough voice, her eyes drooping as she turned back and continued on into the bedchamber.
A few moments later Hermione emerged once more dressed in a simple pair of blue jeans and a large burgundy sweater that hung loosely from her slender frame. Severus was pleased to see her usual mass of uncontrollable hair pulled back into a loose bun with a few honey wisps escaping to cluster around her face in a frame of softness, appearing as a halo in the morning light. Her movements were still somewhat jerky and uncoordinated as she approached the settee, all but collapsing onto it with an undignified grunt, her eyelids hanging heavily half-way over her eyes.
"There is fresh coffee for you on the table Miss Granger" Severus said in a tone that sounded considerably less rough and a great deal more awake, while the scent of ink black coffee penetrated her foggy senses. Subtly trembling hands reached out towards the coffee table, closing around the delicate looking china cup, something she would never have imagined in the quarters of such a rude and vile man, the heat spreading quickly through the china and into her chill hands. Raising the cup slowly to her lips so as not to let any spill she took a tentative sniff of the dark liquid before hesitantly sipping the piping hot coffee. A derisive snort from the shadowy corner skimmed along the surface of her awareness as she took another slow sip from the cup grasped in her hands, feeling its potency already beginning to buzz in her veins. Ha! The girl doesn't trust me Severus thought when observing her suspicious approach to the drink offered, hesitation glimmering in her downcast eyes. The little whelp thinks I would poison her with a cup of coffee! Oh Merlin, what fools this school now turns out, however will we manage to fight the Dark Lord with such morons as our best defense?
"Trust me Miss Granger, there is no poison within the coffee, if I wanted to dispose of you I would have so much sooner and far more efficiently" he crooned over his own cup that he too seemed to clutch defensively as if it were the only thing keeping him awake.
Chocolate brown eyes flickered up to meet his chilling gaze, narrowing slightly into a sneer of her own, her nose wrinkling and her lips drawing back ever so slightly to show the gleam of her white teeth before she sighed under her breath and looked away from him. Chuckling deep inside he was rather amused at her attempt to match his sneer of contempt, he found it quite entertaining and perhaps in a way endearing, the way in which her youthful face easily contorted to show such scorn. Quickly deciding to remove himself from her presence before more foolish thoughts could invade his mind, Severus rose to his feet and began to make his way across the room and towards his bedchamber to freshen up.
Upon reaching the doorway he heard Hermione's soft voice speaking slowly and hesitantly, slightly muffled by the continued close proximity to the cup grasped in her small delicate hands.
"I was thinking of taking a walk in the school grounds after breakfast Professor…" she began cautiously. Stopping barely within inches of his escape into the bedchamber Severus turned to face the girl watching him beneath the thick ring of honey lashes above the rim of her cup.
"I cannot allow it Miss Granger, it is far too dangerous for you to go waltzing about the grounds unchaperoned" he said flatly in a tone that clearly stated 'and that is the end of this discussion.' A look of sadness flickered in her eyes for a moment at the prospect of once again being confined to the stuffy and unfeeling dungeons.
"Then perhaps you would join me Professor?" she asked with great hesitation, her heart sinking when her query was greeted with a callous snort from the man standing before her.
"No Miss Granger, I have much more important things to do that escort a snot-nosed child around the grounds, now if you excuse me I would like to shower in peace" he stated with a certain degree of pleasure at thwarting her plans. Quickly she jumped up to her feet a look of indignation upon her face as she felt the anger spread through her, spurned on by the caffeine tingling within her.
"Am I a prisoner within these rooms?" she shrilled, her hands curling into fists at her sides, her eyes blazing heatedly.
"Of course not Miss Granger, you are free to roam the castle as you and your cohorts are so often prone to do after curfew as though you own the place. In fact, please do remove yourself from my presence, I would be grateful of the reprieve from your know-it-all attitude. However you are not permitted to leave the castle without a Professor and I for one will not indulge in your pursuit for 'fresh air'" he continued coolly while turning on his heel and stepping into the dark room. The sound of shattering china brought him quickly flying into the room, teeth clenched in anger, while his heart beat furiously at the possibility of danger. However all he found was an enraged teenager seething with displeasure, a broken cup at her feet while coffee flowed across the stones.
"How dare you!" he bellowed, his eyes narrowing into a glare of barely controlled rage, his own hands curling into fists at his sides, the muscles in his neck standing out like thick cords of power. "Out! Get out, now!" he screamed while a trembling arm pointed at the door leading out into the hallway, his fury only increasing when she made no move towards the door. "NOW!" was the deafening command issued as he took several menacing steps towards her. He loomed over her as her glare matched his own momentarily before something inside her broke, her courage giving way causing her to run terrified through the door which slammed thunderously behind her.
Pausing in the hallway Hermione fought to slow the frantic beating of her heart, refusing to allow the tears stinging her eyes to spill down her cheeks. Leaning back against the cold wall she bowed her head, her hands resting upon her thighs as she squeezed her eyes shut, drawing in one long breath after another. Sniffing softly she swiped a hand angrily across her cheeks to wipe away the tears that had seeped out beneath her lashes before pushing away from the wall, the aching hurt in her heart quickly being smothered by a blinding anger. Insufferable man! she thought bitterly as she began to long trek up the stairs towards the Main Hall.
Meanwhile in his quarters Severus quivered with a passionate anger that he barely managed to keep in check, his hands trembling while he sucked in one rapid breath after another in a desperate attempt to calm his seething fury. Reaching down and snatching his discarded cup he glanced at it for a moment before hurling the delicate object at the closed door before him, coffee running in rivulets down the dark wood before he stormed into his bedchamber, slamming the door behind him with a vicious wave of his hand. Ungrateful whelp! he scowled as he stepped into the bathroom hoping that the hot water of the shower would sooth his rage.