Important!A/N: A thousand apologies for making you, my faithful readers, wait so long for an update in this, my grand work. I've dropped a bunch of 100 word bits about Hermione and Severus, and was contemplating jumping the RW/HG ship on this story… but decided against it. He wouldn't co-operate, and Ron started yelling again, and Harry went all broody, and it was just bad. So, no matter what you see here, Hermione is not going to ditch Ron! (Ok, now that I got the important part over with…)

The week break from Canada was interesting, I come back with fresh drabbles and a new perspective on many things in my life, including family members that I was sure were one way but found that fathers can be different than the way mothers paint them with their ex-wife-ly paintbrushes. I think I'm growing up, it's scary.

Ahem. Yes. Well, here goes the story.

DISCLAIMER: JKR owns the characters, I own my brain and its many weird ideas. Sometimes I wish I didn't own my brain's weird emotion thingies, but hey what can ya do?

X

Opening her eyes in the morning, Hermione was blinded by the sunlight streaming in her window. Oh bollocks, why is it so bright in here? Oh yeah, I'm not underground anymore.

"I guess blinding light is better than blinding dark…" she murmured to herself.

The room she stayed in had women's clothes in its closet and chests of drawers, but nearly all of the nightgowns were completely indecent, exposing a shocking amount of leg or a plunging neckline, or were nearly transparent. She chose the most innocent one and prayed the professor was not awake yet to see her in the ridiculous red lacy lingerie as she dashed to the bathroom.

No such luck. Just as she was exiting her room, Professor Snape was coming out of his room yawning in a similar state of undress, clad only in the pants he had worn the previous day. They stopped dead upon seeing each other, speechless.

Hermione tugged her neckline up higher and at the same time tried to tug the bottom hem of her nightgown down. As this action yielded no positive results, she gathered her courage and spoke:

"Good morning, sir." It came out as a bare whisper.

He seemed to recover at her words, and averted his eyes from her chest. He coughed and greeted her with a gruff good morning, then turned and strode quickly into the bathroom. She fled into her bedroom and closed the door quietly. She leaned her back against it, and slid to the floor with her head in her hands.

Whoa, what was that? she questioned in her mind. Then, unbidden, the memory rose in her mind of the shirtless former professor. Ohhhh… teachers are not allowed to be that yummy. I mean, his teeth are horrible, but that body definitely makes up for it! Why hide it under those robes?

"Hermione, get a grip!" she told herself sternly. She heard the shower start up, and decided that she should change into clothes that covered her up.

This is an experience I'd rather forget. I'd definitely trade it for the memories I don't have which I need back!

In her hurry to change and try to repress the memory of the morning, she forgot about how the professor had been looking at her.

• • •

Severus closed the door and locked it reflexively, then leaned his back against it. He began berating himself:

"What the hell was that, Severus? Staring at her chest in such a manner, no matter how surprised you are to see her, was probably the stupidest and most uncouth thing you've done for a long time." And I pride myself on not doing stupid things, he thought. Especially like that! Behaving like a hormonal teenager, how repellent.

"Severus Tobias Snape, you are a lecherous, disgusting old man," he finished, then turned on the cold water for his shower.

During his ten minute shower he contemplated the wreck that is his adult life, and concluded that he had better use his intellect to wriggle his way out of this entirely inappropriate situation with Miss Granger, and then get himself killed helping the Order. It is the only thing to do; I destroy all who get close to me. I cannot risk Miss Granger's safety by allowing her to remain with me. Perhaps I can get word to Lupin; he is very adept at saying little to others higher in authority (here he snorted; he knew this aspect of Lupin too well), and would probably listen to me. He would likely tear me apart afterwards for what I've done, but it's no worse than I deserve.

His decision made, he stepped out of the shower and shut it off. He stuck his wet head out of the bathroom door, verifying that Miss Granger was nowhere in sight, and then dashed in a very undignified manner into his bedroom, towel wrapped tightly around his waist.

He dried off, dressed and headed downstairs, all without a sighting off Miss Granger. Until he reached the kitchen, that is. She was sitting at the table, staring into a mug of tea as though it held the meaning of life.

"I don't put much store by reading one's tea leaves Miss Granger, and I had assumed you felt similarly by your behaviour in your third year."

She jumped, startled out of her reverie.

"What are you talking about? Reading tea leaves? What utter rubbish. What did I do in third year?" she asked, all in one breath. Ah, the interrogating and irritating know-it-all returns, he thought.

"It was the talk of the staff room: Miss Hermione Granger, the best student of her year, walked out of Trelawney's Divination class before Easter Break. Most of the staff room was quite impressed, and Minerva was far too smug for weeks, telling us all that her prize pupil was 'too bright to put up with such nonsense'," he said, rolling his eyes.

The girl blushed. "I wasn't the best in my year… was I? And who is 'Minerva'?"

He sighed. I can't wait for her to regain her memory. And yet when she does, she will be in much more danger. "Minerva McGonagall was the Transfiguration professor and Deputy Headmistress for your first six years of Hogwarts. She is now the Headmistress." He turned away, his carefully blank expression crumbling into one of abject sadness. He heard her chair scrape back and felt her hand on his arm.

"I'm sorry, what is it? Did you not want the Headmaster to retire?" she asked. Her ignorance, brought about by him, caused Severus to fill with equal parts rage and despair. He turned around and shrugged off her hand, black eyes glittering with tears he would not allow himself to shed. He began in a low venomous tone:

"He didn't retire; he is dead. Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, killed by the man he considered a son, and the man loved him like the father he never had! A coward, who couldn't summon up the hate to perform the Unforgivable but painless killing curse properly and instead, used a disarming curse to toss him from the top of the Astronomy Tower. I should know: I was the one who did it. Because of that bloody Vow, I had to murder my best friend, my only friend…" He couldn't continue, because his throat suddenly became too constricted with suppressed tears to speak.

She stared at him for an impossibly long moment, and instead of recoiling in horror like any sane person might, she launched herself at his middle and hugged him fiercely. Her shoulders shook as she cried into his chest, and his defences broke down completely as he returned her embrace. They stood there in that kitchen pouring out their grief wordlessly for what seemed an eternity. Eventually their torrent of tears slowed, and Severus searched for a handkerchief in his pocket. He turned her chin up and wiped the tears from her face. She smiled weakly, and offered him her own dry handkerchief for his own face. He took it and stepped back from her, just realizing how close they had been standing. Wiping his eyes, he turned his face away in shame.

"You must think me a fool, to carry on in such a manner as a grown man," he said, his voice unsteady from his grief.

"How could I? You have much more reason to grieve than I. And anyone who could look down on a man who expresses his feelings is the fool, not you," she said, her voice similarly shaky, "Besides, I did the exact same thing; it would be highly hypocritical to criticize you." She shook her head and muttered, "Men are all the same."

He rolled his eyes and poured himself a cup of tea as she startled him with a remark:

"You may be pleased to note that I seem to be regaining many of my memories back as a result of this sharing of emotion. I know I am."

He whirled around to see her smiling, and then her eyes rolled up in her head as she fainted. He raced to her and caught her before she landed on the stone floor as his cup shattered on that same floor.

• • •

Hermione saw her body falling to the ground as though she were an observer on the scene. Instead of her world going black, it got brighter and filled with even more swirling images and voices ringing in her ears. She felt a thousand different sensations, smells, tastes, and yet somehow still managed to keep a tenuous grip on reality by holding onto the sound of Severus' voice (am I allowed to call him that? Does it really matter?) calling to her frantically. She felt his arms cradling her and an odd motion as though she was moving, but the pictures and sensations followed her. She felt herself sinking into a soft surface and his arms going away and she reached blindly, not sure if he was the image there, or there, or there…

• • •

Severus placed Hermione on her bed, but she grabbed onto his sleeve and whimpered. He sighed and picked her up again. He sat down on the bed, and arranged her so that her back was leaning against his chest, and tightened his arms around her.

"Hush, Miss Gra– Hermione. I'm not leaving. Stay with me, it will pass," he told her in what he hoped was a steady and comforting voice. This side effect was not written in that bloody tome when I read about that spell. Oh hell, I'm shite when it comes to comforting people. Well, we comforted each other in the kitchen, but that was completely different… wasn't it? He paused a moment. At least she isn't flailing about. Perhaps just staying close will be enough. He shrugged, and then continued to murmur things to her as well as rub her arms, since she was becoming cold to the touch, one of the expected side effects.

What have I gotten myself into? I was prepared for chill, disorientation, vomiting…not for an essentially comatose young woman in my lap who won't let me leave! Not that I want to run away and leave her here. I would prefer to have the option for a quick trip to the loo, or to fetch something however. In this position I am most likely unable to reach my wand. He felt around his pocket and pulled out the wand. Never mind then.

Severus leaned back against the headboard cradling the young woman, and silently begged whichever deity was listening that this would be over soon.

• • •

The Weasley family, Harry, Remus Lupin and Tonks were all sitting down to breakfast when Ron abruptly stood up, his chair tipping over with a clatter.

"Ronald Weasley!" his mother shouted

He ignored her and addressed his question to his father,

"Who's at Hogwarts right now?"

"Why do you need to know, son?" Arthur looked vaguely puzzled, but he looked that way until he got a few cups of coffee into him in the morning. Remus answered for him:

"Generally the Heads of House, as well as the Headmaster or Headmistress, stay over the summer, though in these times who knows? You can be sure that Professor McGonagall will be there sometime today."

"Great. Harry, let's go."

"Wait just a minute young man! Why on earth are you going to Hogwarts, and before you've eaten all your breakfast?" Mum cried, confusion evident on her face.

"I've had an idea, and I need to ask Professor McGonagall about something to be sure it'll work," he said as he walked to the fireplace and tossed in a bit of Floo powder and cried "Headmistress' office, Hogwarts!" Harry walked over to where he was standing and smiled sheepishly.

"I should follow him; someone's got to keep him from doing something completely daft. Headmistress' office, Hogwarts!" he cried as he stepped into the fire.

Ginny leapt up from her place at the table.

"Someone's got to make sure they eat breakfast in the kitchens and keep from doing something stupider than usual, bye!" and with that, she followed the boys through the fireplace.

The four adults left at the table looked at each other in disbelief, and Tonks moved as though to get up.

"No you don't! You've got a baby to worry about, and Remus too, if you refuse to take care of yourself. Travelling by Floo may be the safest kind of travel, but you Nymphadora Tonks, will sit down and finish your breakfast before you even think of following those children into Merlin knows what," Molly ordered. Tonks plunked back down into her chair, irritated.

"I suppose this means I'm on desk duty for the next while in the Auror's office, eh Remus? You'll be quite pleased to have me out of harm's way," she snapped. Then: "This is your fault!" Instead of a frown like she had expected though, a smirk appeared on his face.

"It takes two, love. And I didn't hear you objecting at any of the many times."

Molly and Arthur exchanged knowing looks while Tonks sulked and Remus smiled.

It is friggin late right now; I spent 4 hours writing this chapter. I hope you all appreciate this very much, because I have to be up at 7 to baby-sit a one and a half year old cousin and it is 2:30. Alas the follies of youth.

Oh yeah, I had no idea what Snape's middle name is, so I guessed. That is his father's name, correct?

Happy happy, joy joy I'm turning 18 in less than a month!

Yes it was random, what of it? Mwahahaha. :P