Chapter 12: Mystery Patient

Hermione was unsure how long she tossed and turned in fitful sleep. It was still dark outside when the sound of the front door woke her. Had she been resting well, the slight click wouldn't have disturbed her rest, but her heightened emotions and new feelings for Professor Snape were turning the wheels in her mind too fast for sleep. Grabbing her robe, she slipped into the hall and hurried to the window by the door. Snape was standing a few yards from the cottage, looking at the night sky. Before she could puzzle out what he was doing up so late, he Disapparated.

Opening the door, Hermione stepped out on the stoop and sighed heavily. She wanted to be let into his life, but he still had secrets he insisted on keeping. Only a person with troubles or secrets would sneak out in the middle of the night to Disapparate to some unknown place. Hermione's eyes widened. Disapparate. Disapparate! Harry's spell!

She rushed down the path to the spot Snape had last been. The exact frame of time one had to follow traces of the first person was something Harry and Ron had not worked out completely, but it had only been a few seconds between Snape's departure and that moment. Hermione closed her eyes and clenched her fists at her sides. Please don't let me splinch myself, she thought as she whispered the incantation and tried to relax enough for a proper Disapparation.

It was, without question, one of the most disorienting moments of her life, but she found herself only a second later in an alley next to a large building. She saw Snape, in his white dress shirt and black pants, turn the corner around the building and disappear from her sight. Hermione didn't have time to rejoice over her successful attempt at following him or she would lose sight of him. She felt absolutely ridiculous in her robe so she performed a quick charm to avoid notice and rushed after him.

As she neared the glass doors of the brightly-lit building, she realized that Snape had entered a hospital – a Muggle hospital. She berated herself for thinking that he only would have visited a patient at St. Mungo's as she followed him up two flights of stairs. He stopped on the third floor and briskly walked down the hallway, giving the two nurses at the desk a nod of acknowledgement. He obviously came here often since they didn't question his presence so late at night.

She tiptoed by the nurse's station and peered through the small crack in one of the doors. Snape was sitting in a chair by a hospital bed with his hand resting on someone else's hand. She was unable to see whom the hand belonged to from the view afforded by the slightly open door. Snape produced a small phial from his pocket, and Hermione knew it was the potion he worked on the previous afternoon. His body moved out of her line of sight for several seconds. She could only assume that he was administering the potion to the patient in the bed.

He sat back down in the chair beside the bed and waited. Minutes ticked by, and his face was still the same, giving no indication that the potion was working properly. Snape dropped his head down onto his arms as he rested them on the side of the hospital bed. Hermione blinked back tears and turned away. It was hard to see Professor Snape in such a state, but as much as she wanted to help him, she knew he would be furious with her if he knew she had been spying on him in such a private moment. Ducking into an empty room down the hall, she Disapparated and returned to his bedroom.

She was extremely curious about the identity of the person in the bed, but he would never tell her unless she asked for the information, and she couldn't ask because that would reveal the fact that she had spied on him. However, now more than ever, she wanted to help him finish that potion. His misery and despair were palpable, constricting her heart into a painful lump in her chest.

Hermione estimated an hour of time passed between her return and Snape's return. She heard rustling at the other end of the house, and finally, the small light that had been lit when he arrived was snuffed out. She closed her eyes and forced herself to fall asleep again. She wouldn't be any help at all if she fell asleep on his desk in the morning.

Sunday morning arrived, and Hermione dragged herself out of bed. She did her usual morning rituals quickly and threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. She no longer felt the need to impress Professor Snape with her professional attire at all times. She found him in the laboratory. His elbows were resting on the island countertop, and his fingers were clenched tightly in his black hair. "Professor?" Hermione asked softly.

When he raised his head to look at her, Hermione saw just how distressed he was. His eyes were bloodshot, and the bags beneath them were even darker than usual. His rumpled clothes were the same ones he had worn the previous night. She wanted to order him to bed, but he would never agree to it; no one was more stubborn than Severus Snape. "Yes, Miss Granger?" he replied, blinking his eyes and trying to pull himself together.

"Would you please talk to me, sir?"

"Talk to you?"

"Yes, tell me what is wrong, tell me what is going on."

He snorted and turned his head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You're unwell, and you left the house in the middle of the night. You look worse this morning than I've ever seen you look. I'd like to help you, but I don't know how." She stepped further into the lab and slipped onto a stool across from him.

Snape gave her a small smile. "Thank you for appearing to care, Miss Granger. Most don't even give me the courtesy of that."

"But I do care!" Hermione exclaimed.

"I do not know why you would. There isn't much to care about in regards to me."

Hermione furrowed her brow and leaned forward to bring herself closer to him. "Professor, I think there is a great deal to care about. You're an intelligent, insightful, interesting, passionate person. I've never met anyone like you, and I doubt I ever will. I'm deeply honored to be working with you, and I'm thrilled that you've been treating me like an equal by letting me assist with your personal projects. I only wish I could do more to help you."

Snape's eyes were wide, and disbelief was written across his face. "Have you gone mad, Miss Granger?"

She laughed and shook her head. "You're also a saint for putting up with me."

Despite his dour mood, he laughed softly at her and looked away. "A saint, indeed." Snape paused and returned his gaze to her. "You're not as bothersome as I've alleged you to be, and I've enjoyed working with you over the past few weeks."

His admission made Hermione flash him a wide smile. "So, I was thinking about your potion – the one for the coma patients."

The talk of work sobered Snape up, and the creases reappeared on his forehead. "Yes? What about it?"

"Well, there may be another way to go about it. You're positive that gotu kola is the best bet to stimulate brain cells?"

Snape nodded.

"The trouble is boosting its healing qualities enough to affect a patient, right?"

"Correct."

"What if we found an ingredient, like blue algae, that would make the body more receptive to the gotu kola instead of strengthening the gotu kola?"

Snape brought his hand up to tap his lips with a long finger. She watched him for nearly a minute as he thought her suggestion over. Finally, he nodded his head slowly. "That's a promising idea. Perhaps we can work on it today?"

Hermione nodded enthusiastically. "I'll run out to the nearest apothecary and get the blue algae. You prepare the base, and I'll be back in a few minutes."

Snape was already moving toward a clean cauldron when he replied, "I give you a compliment and suddenly you believe you can begin ordering me around." His voice didn't have the usual angry tone to it. Hermione simply smiled at him before Disapparating.

Snape's hand covered Hermione's and guided it closer to the bubbling liquid in the cauldron. Hermione wasn't sure whether to faint or jerk away in shock. She could count the number of times she had touched Snape on one hand. He rarely let anyone into his personal space, and he avoided touching everyone. Such a casual gesture on his part unnerved her.

"You'll disturb the potion if you drop it in from that height," he said softly, lowering her hand even more. She let him direct her movements until he told her to add the last ingredient. They had both created the potion, and Hermione was surprised to realize they worked extremely well together. She imagined them as an old couple, turning, and spinning, and reaching for ingredients in a small lab, but never bumping into one another. She mentally laughed at herself for such a silly thought.

"Do you think it will work?" she asked, stepping back from the counter and watching him lower the fire with his wand.

He turned to face her. "Perhaps. I'll test it as soon as possible."

"On whom?"

Snape abruptly turned around and walked across the room to rearrange a row of empty jars. "That's none of your concern, Miss Granger."

"I helped you make the potion; I'd like to know who you're going to test it on."

"I'll let you know the outcome once I've tested it."

"But –"

"I refuse to answer your question, Miss Granger; accept that and move on."

Hermione opened her mouth to respond, but a clicking at the window distracted her. A small barn owl was sitting outside with a white envelope tied around its leg. Snape did not make a move to let it in, so she walked across the room and slid the window open just enough for the owl to hop inside. It took flight and disappeared into the midday sky once she removed the letter.

"It's for me," Hermione said, opening the letter.

Miss Jane Wharton,

After careful consideration we have decided to allow you to continue living in your current flat. However, you must remove all potion paraphernalia from your quarters, and you must cease all unauthorized potion-making, effective immediately.

Perdido Station Apartment Association

Hermione frowned and folded the letter up.

"Miss Granger?" Snape looked slightly concerned. She never thought she'd see the day when he was concerned for her.

"It was from the Association. They've decided to let me return to my flat, but I can't experiment with potions anymore. They're making me remove everything from my place." She sat down on the stool with a heavy sigh. "I'll be bored out of my mind if they won't allow me to experiment. It's my passion. I can't think of anything that gives me more satisfaction."

Snape tilted his head to the side and watched her silently. Finally, after several moments, he spoke up. "Far be it from me to stifle the growth of a Potion Mistress in the making. You may use my laboratory after hours for as long as you like."

Hermione looked up at him in complete shock.

"Provided you aren't a nuisance," he added when he saw the smile growing on her lips.

She jumped up from the stool in barely contained glee. "Professor, thank you! I could… I could just… hug you right now!"

Snape looked uncomfortable. "Yes, well… please do not. Your verbal thanks is quite enough."

She was giddy at the thought of having access to his personal lab for all of her experimentation. He had also said she was a Potion Mistress in the making. It was enough to make her want to spring into a dance right in the middle of Snape's laboratory. "I've imposed on you long enough, Professor. I believe I'll go home and finish tidying up my flat. I appreciate your hospitality and our talks."

"Yes, yes. Off you go," he said, dismissing her. She could see he was uncomfortable with the gratitude and appreciation. He didn't exactly welcome compliments either.

Hermione retrieved her belongings from his bedroom and stopped at the door to the lab before she left. "Thank you, sir," she said in a soft voice.

He looked up from the cauldron to meet her gaze. "You're welcome, Miss Granger."

She smiled and walked down the hall with a spring in her step.

Author's Notes: I apologize for the weeks and weeks that have passed without any update to this story. It is completely and totally my fault. I'll be posted the remainder of the story tonight, if possible. I'm having a bit of trouble uploading one of the chapters. Thank you to snarkyroxy for being such an amazing beta!