Chapter 4

The next day was even worse. Now truly everyone seemed to know and especially the Slytherins and Lavender made bad comments.

"Oh, please, please, Professor Snape!" Pansy shouted when Hermione entered the Great Hall in the morning, raising her hand like Hermione used to do it in class. "Please, let me tell you how ardently I admire and love you."

Hermione looked at the staff table but again Snape was not there, yet. Her head red with embarrassment she sat down and tried to eat but couldn't. It was difficult to endure all these comments, especially because no one defended her since she had abandoned her friends; but she just tried to ignore everything around her.

When Snape entered the Great Hall, everyone became silent and stared at him.

He stopped at once and peered back frowning. "What's going on here?" he wanted to know in a deadly voice.

Hermione ducked her head, trying to become invisible.

No one was brave enough to answer.

"Walters!" Snape addressed a Hufflepuff boy in his third year, who was considered a good student and who happened to sit near the entrance of the Hall. "Tell me what is going on here!"

"Um, Sir…," Walters stammered but answered anyway. "We found out that Miss Granger is in love with you."

"Granger?" he asked surprised and looked at her.

She just started back at him, her eyes wide with fear.

He then simply turned on his heels and left the hall.

After this incident Hermione was even more depressed. He had called her Granger, not even Miss Granger, just Granger… He had to be disgusted by her and her immature feelings…

Being in the lessons wasn't that great as well, for the teachers looked at her curious or worried, wondering maybe if she had lost her mind. The best would have been to just stay in bed the whole day but then she would have had too much time to think about what had happened and probably couldn't stop crying. Here in class she tried to concentrate on the topics although it was difficult.

She thought that at least it couldn't get any worse now and that maybe even in a few days the gossiping would stop – but she was wrong. It got much worse when she received an owl from Snape in the early afternoon.

.

Miss Granger,

Come to my office at 8pm.

Prof. S. Snape

.

Hermione stared at the paper in shock – he knew now and he would kill her for that…

So it was no wonder that she felt nervous and anxious the rest of the day and that she was shaking and feeling sick, when she stood in front of his door and knocked timidly.

"Enter!" Snape barked from the inside.

Hermione entered cautiously and felt like a doe walking straight into a hunter's trap.

"Ah, Miss Granger," he said and pointed to the chair in front of his desk. "Do sit down, please."

Her fear only grew when she heard him being so polite. But she sat down anyway and just stared at him with wide eyes.

"Thank you for being here," he said severely. "I think we have something to discuss."

She only nodded shyly.

"So, Miss Granger," he began and looked her deeply in the eyes. "Tell me the truth: are you in love with me?"

Her breathing quickened unnaturally.

"Please," he sighed. "I am not angry with you, just curious. … So?"

Again she could only nod and swallowed hard. Now he would definitely kill her.

He stared at her shocked. "Really?"

"Yes," she whispered.

"Huh," he said, still shocked. Then he focused again. "And why does the whole school know?"

"One of my friends betrayed me," she answered bitterly and then told him of Ginny's party and Never Have I Ever.

"I have never liked that game," he commented which made her smile slightly.

"I never wanted you to know it like this," she then told him desperately and looked carefully at him.

"You never intended on telling me at all, did you?"

"No, of course not," she snorted.

"Well, that would have been a shame," he admitted and then took a deep breath to announce: "To be honest I feel honoured by your feelings and I am happy that at least someone really seems to like me." He smiled shyly at her.

"I do," she smiled back although she was stunned at his reaction.

"But why?" he asked confused. "Why me of all people?"

"Um…," Hermione blushed. "I can't say it."

"Then maybe later," he mumbled. "Would you like some tea?" he afterwards offered.

"Yes, thank you."

A few minutes later they sat in silence, drinking their tea.

"So?" Hermione finally asked. "What now?" Am I in trouble?, she should have phrased it.

Snape sighed. "You don't know me and I doubt that you would still love me if you did. Therefore," he continued louder, for Hermione wanted to interrupt him. "Therefore, I allow you to get to know me properly."

She smiled at once so he explained further.

"I won't be unusual nice or mean to you – I will just be me."

"That's perfect," she agreed at once. "It's more than I've ever hoped for. I always wanted to get to know you."

He snorted. "We'll see."

"But how are we going to do that?"

He thought about it for a moment. "We could say that we're working on a project together, so no one will wonder why we will spend some time together."

"Or," she considered, "we could actually work on a project together."

"You want to work with me?" he asked, sounding surprised.

"Of course," she beamed. She would give anything for a chance to work with such an intelligent man and master of his field.

"I'd love to read your mind right now," he shook his head.

"Then do it," she offered without hesitation.

He stared at her. "Are you really that naive?"

"No," she replied calmly. "I just trust you."

"You shouldn't."

"We'll see," he quoted him, smirking.

"So," he continued, trying to end this conversation. "So, I will ask Dumbledore if we can do the project, and then you may come to my classroom every Friday evening at seven. Is that agreeable?"

"More than agreeable," she grinned joyfully and understood that it was time for her to go. "See you later, Professor," she said at the door. "And thank you for the tea."

"You're welcome," he nodded and after she had left his office, he stared for quite some time at the door where she had just been…