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Both Hermione and Severus had restless nights; Severus spent the night trying to tell himself that he hadn't been the one to upset Hermione and he didn't care in the slightest even if he had. Now if she would just get the hell out of his head...

Hermione spent the night alternately asking herself how she could have been so bloody stupid, then being in complete denial and telling herself that there was no chance at all that she could actually be pregnant.

She was the Head Girl, for God sake. She was meant to advise other girls on contraception. She even had a stock of contraceptive potions that she could give out if the girls needed them. The most intelligent witch Hogwarts had seen in years, and somehow she'd been so incredibly stupid. Why hadn't she thought?

She counted the days since her last period. Two weeks and two days. She closed her eyes and groaned again, turning over and getting tangled in the sheets for the umpteenth time that night. She cursed Severus, she cursed herself and she cursed Albus Dumbledore.

She had waited outside the headmaster's office for far longer than was necessary in a desperate attempt to get the charm removed. Then she'd gone to the library and had spent hours trying to find any information she could on the charm itself. Except there hadn't been a mention of it in any of the hundreds of books she'd gone through. Her head hurt and her eyes were sore and the bloody spell was still in place, which meant that there was no way Hermione could resort to her usual way of getting to sleep.

So instead of curing her insomnia in ten minutes, she lay awake all night trying to predict what would happen if she was pregnant. Was she someone who could face an abortion? Was she someone who could face all those sleepless nights that seemed to go along with motherhood? She liked her sleep far too much. And what would she do? Say "Sorry newborn baby, I need my coffee on a morning before I can possibly be awake enough feed you and change that nappy. Just watch TV for a while. Read a book."

God, he'd die of shock if he ever found out she was even slightly worried about the possibility of pregnancy. She supposed that he'd just assumed she'd taken care of it. She wondered what the chances were of him being nicely sterile... Did he carry his wand in his pocket a lot? There was a lot of research going on at the moment about the effect of wand carrying on sperm counts.

He'd made it clear he didn't want anything further to do with her, so what would happen if she was pregnant with his baby?

She rolled over in bed again and groaned, tired of thinking. What time was it?

3:44am

She groaned again and in the Dungeons Severus heard her and glowered. She wasn't helping him sleep. He debated coming up to her quarters and giving her some Dreamless Sleep draught, but decided against it. He didn't want to keep seeing her; it was bad enough that he had been thinking about her ever since she made that bloody hysterical exit from his painting. Besides, he didn't have any Dreamless Sleep made up and he'd be dammed if he was getting up to do it now.

He stretched and turned his pillow over, so that his cheek could press against the nice cool side of the pillow. Right... sleep. He could do this. Just relax...

He suddenly sat up straight in bed, his eyes wide.

She wasn't?

She wouldn't.

He felt himself getting hard and bit his lip. This was just wrong. He was going to lie there and block her out of his mind. If he could keep Voldemort out, he could keep Hermione Granger out.

But he could actually feel her fingers getting wet as she touched herself.

He burrowed his head in the pillow and groaned.

"Albus! You stop this at once!" he shouted into his darkened room. This was all his fault.

God, she was touching her breasts, playing with her nipples.

She was evil. She must know that he could feel her.

In reality, Hermione had grown past caring. She needed to sleep. She had Professor Binns in the morning and it was difficult enough to stay awake in those classes. She had to resort to this. And maybe Sev... Professor Snape would be asleep.

Her fingers moved faster, one hand on her breast and the other making fast circles over her clitoris.

She was picturing Severus' head between her legs, his fingers sliding inside her. It was only a small shock when she heard his voice.

"Slide your fingers inside."

His voice was thick and husky; like it had been the night they'd made love. That couldn't possibly be him?

"Slide them in. Fuck yourself with them."

She groaned and did as he asked, sliding two fingers inside and moving them in and out slowly.

Severus groaned. He grasped his cock tighter and licked his lips. God, he wanted to taste her. He could feel how wet she was and how ready she'd be.

"Move your fingers faster. Harder."

He felt Hermione shiver, at the edge of her orgasm.

"Make yourself come for me, Hermione." His hand moved faster, his eyes closed. He was feeling what she was on top of the pleasure he was feeling and God, it was amazing.

He felt Hermione hold her breath, before he was completely lost in sensation. He fucked his hand, imagining her beneath him. She was coming, or was he coming? He cried out, his free hand gripping the sheets.

He slumped back against his pillow, trying to catch his breath, while Hermione did the same in her bed up in the Gryffindor tower.

He wondered whether he should say something. She could hear him before, could she now? But he wasn't sure what to say.

"Bloody hell," Hermione said breathily in his head.

Yes... bloody hell. Severus covered his eyes with his hands and groaned in despair.

The next morning the tea wasn't doing her any good at all. She'd had four cups and the caffeine still hadn't kicked in. It wasn't helping that Severus wasn't at the breakfast table. Was it because of her? Was he too ashamed to face her? Was he disgusted with her? He usually turned up, if only for his morning cup of coffee.

By the time the bell sounded for the end of Professor Binns' class, Hermione had managed to half convince herself that the night before hadn't happened. She even managed to convince herself that there was no way she could be pregnant; and it was a much more positive Hermione who walked down the steps to the first Potions class of the year. That was until she walked headfirst into Draco Malfoy, reeking of some expensive aftershave as usual.

"Alright Mudblood?" Draco asked, a smug grin on his face. "Heard about your cat. Really tragic. You should really keep a better eye on the things you care about, Granger. There are some really nasty people out there."

"And some just smell really nasty, Malfoy," Hermione responded, matching his sneer. She knew this wasn't really the way to get Draco to turn from a snake snogging, Voldemort worshipping prat into a lemon drop eating Dumbledore follower, but this was Draco for God's sake. How could she possibly be nice to someone like him?!

"I'd watch who you're talking to. Nasty things happen to Gryffindors who think they're clever."

He shoved her hard, almost knocking her to the floor before striding into the classroom, the ever-present 'smug git' smirk on his face. She was just glad Harry and Ron hadn't witnessed Draco's little performance, or Draco would be upside-down in a cauldron by now, that day's potions ingredients shoved up his arse; and Gryffindor would be minus an awful lot of points.

Hermione followed him into the dungeon classroom with confidence that she didn't really have. There he was, the bastard. He was standing at the front of the class, looking intimidating as usual. The sight of him made her catch her breath and she wasn't even sure why. This was probably what happened when you spent the morning with your eyes searching constantly for someone. His eyes lifted to meet hers and her steps faltered. Harry walked into her, jolting her, but she kept her eyes focused on his as Harry muttered an apology and went to sit down.

He'd told her to fuck herself with her fingers. He'd come as she touched herself. He'd told her to come for him. She shivered in hyper awareness.

Her eyes searched his for as long as she dared and came up with nothing. All those years as a spy in Voldemort's camp had really paid off, she decided. He looked more... brooding than usual, but nothing out of the ordinary. Mind you, how does a man look who's had a telepathic mutual masturbation session with his student?

At least I'm individual... she thought.

She wondered if he'd felt her exchange with Draco? Did he care?

She sat next to Ron, leaving Harry to partner Seamus. It would be strange being in a class so small. Not many people had chosen to take their Potions NEWT this year and Hermione wondered if this bothered the inaccessible man.

She half smiled, thinking that the Professor was probably disappointed in himself that as many students had dared to return to subject themselves to his tender mercies. There were ten of them altogether; two Slytherins, four Gryffindors, one Hufflepuff and three Ravenclaws.

Of course one of the only two Slytherins would just have to be Draco Malfoy, partnered by Pansy Parkinson. How on earth had she managed to get into this class? It was a wonder she'd passed any of her OWLs at all. Had she bribed her way in? Maybe using sexual favours on everyone's favourite Potions Master?

She felt an acute stab of jealousy.

Maybe Severus Snape did this with all his students? Why did she think she was special?

She was suddenly aware of a presence behind her. She realized who it was when a cold voice said in her ear, "fifty points from Gryffindor, Miss Granger."

Her head snapped up to look at him. High emotions... Oh God. Had he heard what she had been thinking about him?

One look at his slightly paler face and his dangerously glittering black eyes told her that he had. There was no doubt about it. And why else would he have taken so many points? It wasn't like she'd come in naked, or had time to even get her things out, let alone botch up a potion that badly.

Was he allowed to take points off her for her thoughts?

Harry and Ron were both looking confused, trying to work out exactly what Hermione had done to deserve the removal of so many points. Ron bit his tongue to stop himself complaining loudly and pointing out that she hadn't even bloody well done anything!

"I'm sorry sir," she said, quietly, closing her eyes in misery. She hadn't really thought that he would have slept with Pansy Parkinson, or any of his other students. After all, Pansy had a face like a bull terrier, a particularly slobbery one at that. She knew that what had happened between them had been a one off; a slip on his part.

He sighed, feeling angry and sad all at the same time. Did she really think he was that kind of a person?

Not that I care what she thinks of me, Severus told himself. But that's not the point.

"So am I, Miss Granger," he said, his tone almost making it sound like an apology. Suddenly aware of the rest of the class, who were staring at them with a combination of smug (the Slytherins) and confused (everyone else) expressions, he thought quickly. He didn't want anyone to be suspicious of the nature of their relationship, especially not Draco.

"You will make up for the late submission of your Holiday project in detention this evening."

Hermione's eyes widened and Severus smiled inwardly as he watched her suppress the urge to deny ever having done such a thing. The fabulous Miss Granger? Turn homework in late?

Now that must really be stinging, he thought with some satisfaction.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ron's flabbergasted expression as Harry mouthed, "Late submission?! Hermione?!"

"Yes, Professor," she said in a cold voice, almost cold enough to rival his at his most intimidating. Her eyes flashed.

Impressive, for a Gryffindor...

The words echoed around Hermione's head and she knew Severus had just put them there. She glowered.

"It's just that the subject matter of my project wasn't really to my taste. As interesting as transgenderising potions are, sir, I really don't understand your fascination with them."

Her voice dripped with insinuation and even Draco Malfoy's mouth dropped open, before turning into an amused grin. He tried to disguise his laugh as a cough at the same time as Ron and Harry did the exact same thing.

Severus shot them a silencing glare, which was intimidating enough to wipe the smile of even Draco's face.

"Detention for the next three weeks, Miss Granger. And a further fifty points from Gryffindor."

He swept to the front of the class.

"Now, if your brains haven't completely melted over the summer, I will begin."

He shot a look at Hermione, feeling her fury at him.

Good, he thought. Let her be furious. How dare she suggest that he was the kind of man who would sleep with students? How DARE she?

A small and sheepish voice in Severus' head reminded him that, as a student he had indeed slept with, she did have every right to think that.

He could put her right, he thought. Tell her that it had been a moment of weakness and she'd just felt so good. He'd needed her at that moment; needed to be loved by someone, even if it wasn't real.

No. That wouldn't help. It was all in the past – a ridiculous mistake on his part. But if she wanted to think that he was someone like Lockhart, who had tried to get nearly every member of his Seventh Year class to serve 'detention' in his chambers, then she could. If it made her hate him more, well, it wasn't his problem.

Which was what he was still telling himself when she turned up for her detention a few hours later.

"Miss Granger," he acknowledged.

"Professor," she replied, using the exact same tone. His eyes narrowed.

"I did have some crocodile's eyeballs for you to peel, but then I thought of something you'd enjoy even more."

His grin was decidedly evil and Hermione glowered at him. He felt a stab of hurt, but it wasn't his hurt he was feeling, it was hers.

He winced.

He'd had every intention of sending her out to Hagrid and having him keep an eye on Hermione as she scraped the tongues of the latest herd of Bushnaps. Bushnap scrapings were as vile and smelly as the Bushnaps themselves and he'd been quite proud of this punishment when he'd thought of it.

Except there she stood, her back stiff and straight, her eyes refusing to meet his. He'd hurt her, he realized. God, consciences were a curse.

He turned on his heel and strode through the hidden door into his quarters, barking an order over his shoulder for her to follow him.

She walked warily in after him, refusing to look to the left, where those paintings were. It was all too... confusing.

She looked up, realizing Professor Snape had disappeared into another room. Was she supposed to follow?

"I haven't got all evening, Miss Granger."

Apparently she was.

As she entered the room, she wrinkled her nose in confusion. Somehow, this was the exact same room she'd seen at his house, the one with all the books and the gorgeous white rug in front of the fireplace. It had to be the same room.

"How...?" she asked, confused.

"This door acts as a portal during term time," Severus explained, watching her face.

He didn't add that he was no longer sleeping in the bedroom in the house, because the one time he had tried he'd awoken from incredibly vivid dreams about her. Now he was sleeping in one of the dungeon rooms, leading from the living room. It was comfortable enough and had the added bonus that he'd never slept with Hermione in it. And he was never going to – or he'd have nowhere left to sleep.

God, she was beautiful. He looked at her as she looked around the room, then looked back at him. After a minute or so, Severus realized that she was waiting for him to set her detentions task. He'd been staring at her for far to long.

"What do I have to do?" Hermione asked. She had been resigned to doing something like milking newts for hours, but was now a little thrown by the room Professor Snape had brought her to. Was he going to make her sweep his chimney or something?

Severus thought for a moment, trying to decide whether to give in to his compassionate side, or his annoyed side. Compassion, and guilt, won out.

"You didn't deserve the detentions I set you. However, I can't let the other students think I am letting you off so easily. You have access to any book I have in my possession. Read as long as you like, tonight and every other night of detention you have." He pulled a face, half fighting the words as he spoke the words.

"What?" Hermione's had to concentrate to stop her mouth hanging open.

He hesitated; speaking his feelings not being something he was used to, or at all comfortable with.

"I know you think that I am..." he hesitated, unsure of what he wanted to say.

She waited patiently, her eyes holding his as he struggled for the words.

"What happened between us..." he said, quietly, looking at the floor. "I've never..."

He gave an exasperated and angry sigh.

"I have never harmed any of my students, Miss Granger. I have never touched one in any manner... until you. But you have every right to think what you did. I had no right to punish you for that."

Hermione blushed.

"That wasn't... I mean, I didn't mean that, sir. I respect you and I know you wouldn't..."

Except he had, hadn't he?

Severus closed his eyes and pushed the hair back of his face.

"The circumstances were unusual," he said, then added in a quiet mutter that Hermione only just heard, "Not that it excuses what I did."

"What you did?" Her voice was quiet. "Because I had absolutely no choice in the matter, did I?"

Severus ignored her. Hermione had got carried away that day, he told himself. Even if she had come to her senses and wanted him to stop, he was her Professor; an authority figure. Feisty as she was, she wasn't the type of person to stand up to someone like him. He really was the only one to blame. Had she even wanted him at all? She'd wanted to comfort him, but had she wanted him to kiss her?

"Miss Granger, you need never be afraid of me... touching you again."

His mind was cast back to the night before; where he had told her to fuck herself with her own fingers. He closed his eyes and tried to force back the headache that was fighting to the surface.

"I will have Albus rid us of this charm, rest assured," he said, wanting to reassure her that he wasn't after her in any way. "Until then, maybe some Dreamless Sleep draught for us both?"

She blushed again. Or had it just been one long blush? It really felt like she hadn't stopped blushing since it happened.

"I owe you an apology for that, sir," she said, forcing the words out. "I was just so tired..."

"Don't apologise, Miss Granger. If I had responded in a different way I could accept your apology, but I didn't, so your apology is ridiculous and unnecessary."

Hermione sighed as a wave of depression came over her. Okay, she'd got the point; he regretted everything that happened. It was shocking to get an apology at all, being that this was Professor Snape she was talking to, but it hadn't made her feel any better. It wasn't his fault; it had been a mutual thing. Did he really think it hadn't been?

She studied his serious face as he watched her. He'd said his bit, made his apology and now his conscience was clear. Did this man have no feelings at all?

The man with no feelings was currently fighting the urge to throw himself on his knees and beg for forgiveness, but of course, Hermione could never have know that. He felt so... unworthy of having even touched her. He would have been prepared to do anything for her.

Summoning all her Gryffindor courage, she walked over to him, so she was standing only an inch or so away form his straight backed, stiff shouldered form.

"I understand your need to apologise," she said, carefully. "You are my teacher, and what happened between us shouldn't have."

Severus closed his eyes again. Hadn't they just been over this?

"But you seem to have this idea that what happened was all your fault; that I didn't want you as much as you wanted me."

She hoped he'd really wanted her, anyway. She was sure he had at the time, however much he'd regretted it afterwards.

"Well you're wrong, sir," she said, trying to bite back the tears. It was suddenly all getting to her; the fact that he'd been so cold with her so soon after they'd made love; the strain she'd been under all day, wondering whether there was any way she could be pregnant; Draco Malfoy plotting to hurt her. It was all too much.

Severus stared at her, part of him longing to delve into her mind to discover what she was thinking. What did she want? What was she trying to say? That she'd really wanted him?

He snorted. Yes, because that was likely, wasn't it? Because everyone wanted him, with his greasy hair, very large nose, sallow skin and very unpleasant demeanor. Yes, people were practically fighting to get into his bed.

Hermione had been watching him, trying to find an emotion in that impassive face of his. Was he misunderstanding her deliberately? She could read the disbelief in his eyes.

"Miss Granger, I appreciate your attempt, however futile, to appease my conscience in this matter. However, if you don't mind I would like to bury this whole subject."

He jumped as Hermione snarled under her breath. What on earth...?

"Actually Professor, I do mind," she growled at him. "You have barely looked at me since that day."

Severus stared at her, suddenly speechless.

"And fine, you regret sleeping with one of your students. Especially a know-it-all Gryffindor like me," she added bitterly. "But you could at least care. I don't mean I want you to fall in love with me or anything ridiculous like that, even supposing you do have a heart. But you could at least act like I'm something more than just another student."

She looked at him. He almost looked shocked.

"Except, I'm not more than that, am I?" she said, suddenly feeling defeated. "You feel guilty, but nothing more. I really could have been Pansy Parkinson, couldn't I?"

Ten or more different emotions fought to the surface of Severus' mind. Incredulity won.

"Are you expecting me to believe that you have some sort of schoolgirl... crush on me?"

Hermione kept her face impassive. "You don't believe anyone could care for you in any way, do you Professor? No, I'm not expecting you to believe that at all. I may be young, but I most certainly am nothing like the rest of the girls in my year. I am not so immature that I would experience a schoolgirl crush."

She spoke the words 'schoolgirl crush' with obvious distaste, before starting to pace. Severus relaxed slightly. This Hermione he remembered; it was far less scary than the Hermione who had been standing staring up at him like she was about to burst into tears.

Hermione suddenly stopped in front of him, making him jump. "Fine, what happened between us wasn't planned and wasn't even sane, but I was not an unwilling participant. Stop shouldering all the blame and have a little faith in my intelligence."

Severus looked at her, completely unsure of what to say. He refused to believe that someone like Hermione would ever voluntarily sleep with him. A horrible thought hit him. Had she done it out of pity?

He stared at her in horror.

For once Hermione had been quick enough to catch his emotions before he'd managed to hide them. She felt her heart ache for the man who really believed no one would want him for who he was.

She reached up and touched his face, anticipating his jerk backwards as he recoiled from her touch and moving with him, her hand still on his cheek.

He turned his head away, so he didn't have to look at her and her hand slid into his hair. He reached up and grabbed her wrist tightly in his hand, lowering it to her side.

"I don't need your pity, Miss Granger," he said, his voice so cold it made Hermione tense and almost reconsider carrying on the conversation.

"And you don't have it," Hermione said, her wrist still held tightly in his hand. She tried not to wince. "No one pities you; they fear you or even loathe you, but no one pities you. I hate the games you are forced to play, but that isn't pity either. I did not sleep with you out of pity."

She felt his grip on her wrist tighten and couldn't decide whether it was a good or a bad sign.

"You think that no one could possibly care for you. I don't know whether that's because of lies people have been feeding you; or that you have been so brutalized and demolished by people who should have shown you love and understanding, that you just can't trust in anyone anymore. Even yourself."

His face barely flickered with any sort of recognition of her words, but inside he was suddenly hit with the urge to cry. He wondered briefly how this girl had this effect on him every time he was alone with her. It really wouldn't help the big scary image he had, would it? First Years would no longer cower in terror, they'd just hand him a big box of Kleenex and go on their way.

"But I care, Severus Snape," she said, gently working her wrist out of his grip and reaching up to run a finger down his strangely hot cheek.

He looked at her, his hands by his sides, not daring to reach out for her.

"I know I don't really know you," she continued. "And you'd run a mile if you thought I did. But I can see some of what you are, and what you could be."

"You've made your point, Miss Granger," Severus spoke, in a low voice. He needed to get away – to be alone. He wanted to think and recover from this attack on his mental barriers.

"No, I haven't."

Hermione slid her fingers into his hair and half smiled as she felt a shiver go through him at her touch.

"I wanted you. I still want you. If anyone should feel guilty, I should, because I know how much you regretted what happened."

"You're my student..."

"Yes, I know. And that is the only reason I'll let you keep; the only reason that what we did was wrong."

"You think I'm something I'm not." His voice was choked, almost like he was in pain.

"I don't know what you are. You don't know what you are."

She stood on her tiptoes, her hand still in his hair and lifted her face to his. She softly pressed her lips against his, before releasing him and walking out of his chambers and back up to the Gryffindor common room. She didn't know what she would tell anyone who asked why she was out of detention so early, but she knew that she needed to give Severus; yes, she had every right to call him Severus; some space.