The change was instantaneous. One minute Severus looked vicious, dangerous, and even deadly; the next moment he dropped her wrists and looked downright afraid as he backed away from her.
Hermione felt a flood of both panic and confusion wash over her.
He took a couple steps away from her and just stared. His stare was almost more unsettling than his violence had been. Even though they had their disagreements in the past, this was the first time he was violent towards her.
Despite wanting to both scream and cry at the same time, Hermione merely muttered, "What the hell?"