A/N: I saw Goblet of Fire on Friday afternoon, and is it not fantastic? So much better acted, very funny, very sad, and so real! Loved it!

- CHAPTER TWELVE -

Roses

Hermione turned over in her sleep; she groaned as he hers began to flutter open. She found herself staring at the white ashy embers of her fire; a bleak sun shining through dense mist was just lighting the room. She sat up and shivered, throwing aside the thick black cloak that was covering her. Crookshanks sauntered over to her from where he'd been lying in the corner and jumped onto the sofa next to her. The old cat rubbed his head against her arm and began to purr, then he curled up on the black cloak and went back to sleep.

She stood up and looked around; her office was silent and a cold breeze ran through it. She wrapped her dressing gown tighter around her and looked out of the window; a thick white mist covered the grounds, obscuring everything within them.

She looked to her clock on the mantelpiece; five minutes to nine, her heart gave a jolt, it was Monday morning and she had a class in five minutes. But another thing on the mantelpiece caught her eye; a single red rose, tied with a silver ribbon.

The petals were velvety smooth, and just curling at the edges. This silver ribbon was quite dull and reminded her of a similar hue from somewhere else. Her ring? Was that not exactly the same place that she'd put it down last night? Had it been transfigured?

She yawned and suddenly things seemed to come back to her; the possibility of Emma Burrage being expelled, Snape coming up to talk to her – Snape had kissed her; he really had this time, properly. But what had happened after that? She remembered being very tired, perhaps she'd fallen asleep. She looked down at the black cloak, which was now covered in ginger cat hairs. It must be Snape's.

The bell rang loudly to indicate the beginning of lessons and her heart leapt into her throat. She bolted into her bedroom, throwing the wardrobe door open and pulled out the first set of robes she could see. A couple of minutes later she burst into a classroom full of chattering first-years, still buttoning her robes as she ran.

"Good morning class," she panted,

"Good morning Professor Granger," they chanted,

"I'm sorry I was late; I got a bit held up. Right then, please turn to the beginning of chapter five. Now can anyone tell me something about Switching Spells." Soon the class were all feverishly making notes from their textbooks and she was able to take some time to catch her breath.

"You look very nice today Professor," remarked a plump Hufflepuff boy at the front,

"Why thank you Jacob," she smiled at him; well he must be in need of glasses, she hadn't even seen what she looked like and she wasn't sure she wanted to. But she glanced down to examine the robes she was wearing; to her horror, her best dress robes; dark blue velvet which she had mistaken for a set of navy winter robes. She ran her mind over her time-table, thankfully she had a free period in the second lesson, one on Monday and one on Friday, at least she only had another ten minutes of this lesson.

She set them homework five minutes before the bell and let them out early, and then she ran along the corridor to the staircase. She had reached the top of the stairs when she saw Snape coming out of a wall besides a large stone gargoyle ahead of her. He stopped and stared at her, she was only too aware of the long train of her robes falling down the steps behind her.

"Practising for the wedding Granger?" he sneered,

"No! Anyway, you got rid of my ring." She didn't understand him; one minute he was kissing her and giving her roses, the next he was acting like nothing had happened. But that was just men she supposed.

"A capable witch like yourself you easily change it back."

"Well what if I don't want to?" she drew herself up to his level.

He looked down at her through his curtains of greasy black hair, and she was sure she could see the corners of his tight mouth lift. "Would that explain the lavish dress style then Miss Granger?"

"That," she laughed, "was a mistake; I was in a bit of a rush this morning."

"Yes," he said, "You missed the appointment you promised to keep. With the Headmistress."

She gulped, and then realised where she was, and where he had just come from, "Oh heck, Emma. Go on then, when is she going?"

"She's going nowhere."

"Oh thank you, thank you so much," she reached out to hug him but he pushed her back.

"Nowhere outside of these grounds that is; no Hogsmeade visits for the rest of the year, and detention with me until Christmas, plus I think Grawp needs some help in the Forbidden Forest tonight." He smirked,

"Well," she sighed, "that's better than expulsion I suppose."

"She'll be a different girl by the end of the year, I can assure you."

"I hope so; next year is her OWL year."

"Well I better go, I've got some snotty second-years to throw Swelling Solutions over," he grimaced at the prospect,

"Yes, I need to go and change."

"You don't have to change, I think you look beautiful." Now that really was a smile, it had to be. She opened her mouth to speak but he had already started to walk down the stairs. She stood and watched him go, as the gargoyle leapt aside and the wall behind her split in two and Professor McGonagall walked into the corridor.

"Hermione, you look very dressed up this morning," she frowned at her,

"Oh sorry Minerva, I was in a terrible rush this morning, I just pulled the first thing I could find out of my wardrobe. Don't worry I'm just going to change now." She looked sheepishly down at her long robes,

"Yes, I wondered why you weren't at breakfast. But I've just been talking to Severus. You know I assume about Miss Burrage breaking into his office?"

Hermione gaped helplessly; she didn't know what Snape had told her, so she just nodded.

"Well she will be punished justifiably, but as her Head of House I would urge you to help her end her misdemeanours; Gryffindor can't afford to lose any more points, it would really be awful if we lost the House Cup this year."

"Yes Minerva, I assure you I'll try my very best." And so she swept from the corridor, trying not to trip up on her robes.