A/N: Sorry for the delay in updating. Both my beta and I have had exams this last couple of weeks, so there hasn't been much time for writing or beta-ing!The good news is that I'm on a train for 5 hours on Tuesday, so will have the time to write some more - hopefully the next chapter will be up in a week, but no promises! Hope you enjoy this chapter. As always please review! (It makes me smile to read all your kind comments) And many many thanks to Linds for all her hard work! She's fab!

Chapter 6

Severus went to the hospital wing that night after dinner.
"How is she Poppy?" he asked the tired-looking medi-witch.
"She's doing as well as can be expected. Do you want to sit with her? She seems to sleep better when you're around."
"Thank you, Poppy, I think I will. I'm not in the way?"
"No, no, of course not Severus. Go ahead."

He walked down the ward, and knocked softly on the door to Hermione's room.
"Come in." Well, she wasn't asleep then.
"Good evening, Miss Granger. I hope you feel a little bit better today." He sat down stiffly in the chair next to her bed.
"Are you going to stay with me again?" Sheturned so that she was looking at him, the expression in her brown eyes unreadable.
He leant forward in his seat and rested his elbows on his knees. "Would you like me to? I can if you want. I mean … if you would rather I went." Merlin, this was awkward. He couldn't fathom why either, it had not been nearly so difficult before. Well, he was here now; there was nothing else he could do but carry on.

"Please, stay. I need to ask you something sir." She looked worried, almost nervous.
"Miss Granger, I think in the present circumstances we can dispense with the sir, don't you? What was it you wanted to ask?"
"Why did he do it? There must be a reason, and I want to know why this had to happen to me." Her voice was steady, but her hands were shaking and there were tears in her eyes giving him some idea of what it was costing her to stay calm.

"Hermione, I'm really not the person you should be talking to about this. I'm not good at explaining why people do the things they do. Do you want to talk to professor McGonagall about this?" She would be able to help you much better than I can.
"No." The determination in her voice took Severus by surprise. "I need to know, professor. I need to know that this was just random, and that nothing I did made this happen. I need to be sure that this wasn't my fault." He looked at her for a second, and then very slowly eased an arm round her shoulders, expecting her to flinch at his touch. She tensed slightly, but then relaxed into his embrace.

"Hermione, Lucius Malfoy is one of the most unpleasant men I have ever had the misfortune to know. He told Draco that if he didn't do this to you, then he would. I believe that this was the lesser of the two evils." I know that this was the lesser of two evils. "Whatever Draco did, believe me, his father would have been worse. I realise that that is not much comfort, but I don't know what else I can tell you." He felt a shudder go through her, and pulled her closer to him. She foundhis hand, and he squeezed it hard.
"Yes, but why me? What's so special about me?" Her voice was low, and she was fighting for control.

"It probably shouldn't be me telling you this, but it's fairly well known in the Slytherin common room that Draco only has eyes for one Gryffindor. I suppose his father found out, and … well, let's just say that Lucius' attitude to mud-bloods is … interesting. He gave Draco no choice Hermione." It was suddenly very important that she believed that. He couldn't bear this if she thought that this was somehow Draco's fault.

"This is tearing him apart Hermione." He couldn't keep the weariness, the pain, out of his voice. He was so worried that this would drive Draco to the wrong side. He hadn't even been able tovisit the boy. Hehadn't been able todecide whether his interference would make the situation better or worse, and so he had left it. Now he wasn't sure if he had the courage to visit the boy, and he would probably say the wrong thing anyway. He sighed heavily.

Hermione had a sudden urge to hug the potions master. He looked so old all of a sudden, so tired. The light in his eyes seemed to have been shut off, and she was unable to read his change in mood. He sighed heavily, and Hermione shyly patted his arm. That seemed to bring him round a bit anyway. He looked at her and she thought she saw tears in his eyes. He pulled her close for a second, and kissed her gently on the forehead. Then he pulled away, and looked into her eyes. She felt as if he was reading her soul, and found herself blushing. She returned his gaze, and, without quite knowing how, she found herself closer to the potions master. She could feel his breath on her cheek, and could hear his heart beating.

He knew he ought to move, but somehow he was trapped in her gaze. She was so innocent and pure, so defenceless and open. She needed him, she had asked him to stay. Surely he couldn't be so churlish as to walk away now? She was closer; he could feel the heat as she flushed, but her gaze never wavered. Her perfect cherry mouth was slightly open, and all he wanted to do was kiss her. Merlin's beard! She was his student and she had just been through a terrible ordeal. What was he thinking? He jerked his arm away, standing up abruptly.
"Miss Granger I suggest you get some sleep now. I will, perhaps, pop in later."
"Goodnight, Professor Snape. Tell Draco… tell him I forgive him."

He left the room quickly, shutting the door behind him, resting his forehead on it for a moment. All he could think about was the pain in her eyes and the hurt in her voice, pain and hurt he wanted to cleanse her of. He couldn't understand what had come over him though; he didn't have time for women as a rule, and he had no time whatsoever for this one, no matter what the circumstances. And he really couldn't put off seeing Draco any longer; if Miss Granger seemed to need his presence then the boy would undoubtedly need the reaffirmation that he was there for him as well, to hear Hermione's forgiveness. After all it was unlikely that he would be able to mess this visit up as spectacularly as the last one and so he steeled himself before striding purposefully down the ward towards Draco's room.

Hermione closed her eyes and lay back on the pillow, confused by the potion master's abrupt exit. She had been so sure, for a moment, that he wanted to kiss her. She thought she had seen desire mixed with the pity that was obvious in his eyes as he looked at her for a long moment. Then it had died, vanishing as suddenly as it had come, so that she wasn't sure it had even been there in the first place. The funny thing was, she didn't find the idea of being kissed by Severus repulsive. There was something about him that made her feel safe: his strong arm seemed to fit naturally round her shoulders, protecting her from the world and from her nightmares. She felt a sudden squirming in her stomach at the thought of what those lips could do to hers. She had wanted him to kiss her so badly, wanted to kiss away the memories. The memories that were there, although she would ignore them, the memories that would haunt her dreams forever. Draco Malfoy touching her, kissing her, but Lucius Malfoy's face somehow watching them both from afar. She wrenched her mind onto another track, refusing to be drawn down that path again, especially without the comfort of having Severus by her bed. When had he become Severus anyway? That was a new development. Still there was no denying she liked the feel of his name on her lips, although not as much as she wanted to like the feel of his lips on her own. Her stomach turning over again, she snuggled down with a soft smile on her face to dream of the soft kisses of a certain black-haired Slytherin.