Hermione couldn't really see the point in studying Divination, even if there where real prophecy she couldn't see how Harry, Ron or any of the other students would learn anything from professor Trelawney or Firenze. She had just made both the boys doing their Divination-homework. She sat in an armchair studying for the essay she would write in Defence Against the Dark Arts. Harry had, to Hermione's surprise, already written that essay, but then Defence Against the Dark Arts where his favourite subject. Hermione sighed and put the book down at the table. She watched her wristwatch, seven o' clock, it wasn't to late for a late summer evening walk. She rose up and climbed out from the common room.
It was foggy outside and the hem of her robe and cloak became wet as it trailed in the wet grass. She walked past Hagrid's hut to the forest. When she reached the edge of the wood she stopped. Should she go into the forest or just walk beside it? As she thought of it she began to walk next to the big trees and soon she were out of sight from the castle, but she didn't realised that. Not even when she turned into the forest and walked on a small woodland path. 'You're an Hogwarts prefect, Head Girl', her mind told her. 'You shouldn't be here, go straight back to school'
But her legs didn't listen to her at all. They just kept on walking. She knew that she was too far in the forest to know the way out, she had passed by many crossings, too many crossings. It was dark outside and she didn't know if it was because of the trees or the evening. Her hand searched in her pocket for the wand and she find it.
"Lumos", she murmured and her wand lighted up the path a few meters in front of her.
She watched her watch again, one and an half hour had gone since she left Gryffindor's common room. She wondered if Harry and Ron had missed her yet, but she doubted in that, they probably sat in each armchair and played chess or exploding cards. She heard something in the bush next to her and stumbled.
"Who's there?" she asked as she rose up from the ground. "Anybody there"
"Who are you self, trespasser?" she heard a male voice say.
"I…I'm just walking…" she said lowly.
"In our forest", now she could se who was speaking.
It was a long dark centaur, whit a bow in his left hand.
"I…" said Hermione, but didn't know how to continue.
"Leave now", he said and drew his bow, she shrank.
"I can't find…" she began, but stopped immediately when he direct the arrow at her heart.
She turned instead and ran. She heard an arrow swish past her ear, and felt when the other sank into her shoulder. Trees fled as she ran, and she felt how she lost her breath. In the same moment she saw Hogwarts castle between the trees she fell to the ground and passed out.
ooo
Severus hadn't been able to stand the paranoid thoughts he had while he was patrolling the corridors so he had went outside instead. The fresh air in his lungs made him relax a bit. The wind blew in his hair and he heard a panicked scream, it was just as it should be. Wait a minute a panicked scream? What the…? He stopped just to hear something run in the wood. He looked and saw something move. When this 'something' sank into the ground Severus didn't know what to do. Slowly he walked into the wood.
"Miss Granger?" He said.
She didn't move. Why didn't she move? He discovered the arrow in her shoulder; she was bleeding. The best to do now were taking her to the hospital wing. He searched in his pocket for his wand, where was it? He tried to remember, where had he put his wand? After a few seconds he remembered, it couldn't be true; he had forgotten it on his desk. Damn. How to take Granger to the hospital wing now? He didn't seam to have any choice.
"Miss Granger, please wake up", he said when he turned her whit the face up.
She did breathe, but she was defiantly past out. Carefully he lifted her up in his arms. An eighteen-year-old girl isn't the lightest you can carry, but Severus crossed the school ground and went into the castle whit just a few swearwords. What had Granger done outside in the wood? And why had she cause trouble whit the centaurs? But it was pity she didn't awake so he could take about twenty points from Gryffindor. It wasn't easy to walk in the stairs while he was carrying her. Goddamn, he wanted to be anywhere else then there he was. He knocked on the door to the hospital wing and a newly awakened madam Pomfrey opened the door.
"What has happened here, Severus?" she asked.
"Centaurs", he said as clear he could while he was concentrate in not dropping Granger at the floor.
He walked past Pomfrey and placedGranger on the first bed at the left side. "God night", he said to madam Pomfrey and leaved her confused to Granger.
ooo
Hermione opened her eyes, everywhere around her was white. Slowly she remembered last night. What was this? Heaven? No her right shoulder ached; it couldn't be heaven. She sat up, hospital wing – clearly.
"You're awake, miss Granger", madam Pomfrey said.
Hermione nodded.
"You, if anyone, should know better than walking around in the forest this times", she continued. "Be glad that professor Snape was out on a nightly walk"
"Professor Snape?" asked Hermione.
"Yes, he carried you up here, obviously he had forgotten his wand somewhere"
Hermione stopped listening. Had Snape carried her? She shivered; no she just couldn't believe it. 'But', a little irritating voice inside her said, 'he did save Harry in first year, he wont leave a student to die'. But had he carried her? No, absolutely not. She refused to believe it.