Hermione Granger was now absolutely certain of one thing: Severus Snape was not inherently evil, nor was he a bad person. After three long detentions with him, she came to the conclusion that while he was caustic and unfriendly, he simply told things like they were and perhaps his social skills could use some polishing. But then there was that nagging bit about Malfoy's mother making Snape protect him and Dumbledore saying that Snape had to kill him. She wasn't sure what that meant. Although Snape had been adamant about not killing Dumbledore. Hermione felt a headache coming
…
CHAPTER FIVE – POISONS AND DARK MAGIC
Hermione's eyes narrowed as she saw Snape racing out of the Defense room, and knowing she should follow, Hermione raced after him, struggling to keep up and remain quiet. She wondered if this was Hogwarts business, or something her secret note writer knew nothing about. She hadn't received much in ages, except a couple of notes that had asked her to pay more attention to Snape's personality. She had felt ridiculous staring at him as much as she did but she was beginning to understand his limited facial expressions, the slight shifts in his tone of voice. She had the feeling a certain combination of the two expressed either surprise or pleasure, which didn't seem to be emotions he was capable of having, but she noticed those directed at her with frequency.
Hermione skidded to a halt outside of the infirmary and slipped the extendable ear, now a permanent feature in her bag, under the doors and listened in. Her eyes grew wide as she heard about the fiasco with the chocolates tainted with love potions, the cure, and then the poisoned mead. Slughorn had tried to explain but his stuttering inability to speak led to Harry taking over the conversation. Hermione was relieved to hear Harry had managed to save Ron's life with a bezoar. Must be that wretched potions book, she thought. When footsteps began to approach the door, Hermione disillusioned herself and slipped out of the way of the door. Harry left first, followed by an apologetic Slughorn. Hermione listened in to what was happening after the conscious student left the room.
"He doesn't know where he got the mead?" Snape's voice sounded absolutely scathing.
"No, Severus, although I think we both know who is behind this."
"Headmaster, at this rate he will kill someone else."
"I think not. At this juncture, he is running out of time. I suppose his next attack will be direct."
"And you want me there." Snape sounded resigned.
"As I said before-"
"Yes, yes." Snape barked. "I understand what you want old man."
Hermione heard the approach of dragon hide boots and whipped the ear back to her before Snape saw it. She watched from the shadows as he burst out of the hospital wing, both doors exploding to either side, and stormed back to his office. Hermione watched the edges of his cloak spread out and catch the draft the man made with his own speed. She waited and waited, finally Dumbledore left and Hermione went into the hospital wing and found Ron's bed.
"Well you look awful." She told his unconscious form.
"Miss Granger, what are you doing here?"
"Oh, hello Madam Pomfrey, I heard something was wrong with Ron, I wanted to check on him."
"News travels fast in this castle." She said as she bustled about Ron, running diagnostic spells and, seeing everything was fine, smiled at Hermione. "Mr. Potter was smart to act as he did. Saved Mr Weasley's life."
Hermione smiled. "Yes, quick thinking."
Madam Pomfrey left them and Hermione thought about that suspicious old text book Harry had, at least it was good for something other than cheating in potions. She could live with it, if it meant her other best friend got to live. She felt she was learning a lot about compromises lately.
After dinner, during which Harry recounted the whole tale to Hermione, they returned to the hospital wing. Ron was awake now and the pair sat on his bed as he finished the dinner that had been brought to him.
"Bein' under a love potion was weird." Ron said around his pudding, "I don't even really remember it, you know."
"It was disgusting, mate." Harry guffawed.
"What do you remember?" Hermione asked.
"I remember coming to in Slughorns office, we had a drink and then nothing."
Harry gave Hermione an odd look. "There's another bit."
"You mean besides being poisoned twice? Bloody hell."
"You sort of broke up with Lavender."
"What? How?"
"Just… sort of in your sleep." Harry gave Hermione another weird look she didn't understand.
Ron looked relieved. "Got to tell you, been wanting to do that a while. Driving me mad, she was."
Harry grinned and shook his head. Hermione made a pinched face. "You know, I think Ron under a love potion would have been way less disgusting than Won-won and Lav-lav sucking each other's face off everywhere around the castle."
Ron turned redder than his hair and Harry laughed so hard he broke into tears.
SHSHSH
Go to the fifth floor bathroom in the east most corridor in 3 days' time. Just after dinner.
Hermione stared at the note trying to figure out why in the world she would need to go to the boy's bathroom to keep an eye on Snape. She was not going to spy on him in the toilet; that was perfectly disgusting. Nonetheless, she would be there. She hoped after this, maybe she could learn who the note writer was. The school year was rapidly coming to an end and she still had no clue at all. She had never seen the handwriting before, although it looked somewhat feminine.
"Hermione!" Harry hissed at her, glancing over his shoulder and quickly sitting at the table right next to her.
She really hoped this wasn't about Malfoy or Snape. "What's going on Harry?"
"I need to tell you something and I figured the library was a good place because Ron wouldn't wander in."
"Why are you hiding from Ron?"
"Because what I need to tell you is about him, well you, well I guess both of you—"
"What is it?" Hermione interrupted sharply.
"Erm, the reason he broke up with Lavender… Well I guess it's not the reason, but—"
"Harry!" She snapped, raising her eyebrows.
"He sort of muttered your name a bunch in his sleep when she was visiting."
Hermione was silent for a moment. "Oh!"
"I think he likes you Hermione."
She huffed. "Funny ways of showing it, if you are right."
"I know, he's not the best with feelings an all."
"You mean he has less of an emotional range than a teaspoon?"
Harry smirked but tried to hide it. "Don't be mean, I just wanted to let you know."
Hermione sigh heavily. "Thanks, Harry."
"Do you think you'll….?"
Hermione shrugged. "I haven't considered it."
Maybe at one time she had, but things were changing. Now that she was a prefect, she spent less time with the boys, and added to that were the mysterious notes. She had been focused too much on Professor Snape this year. Not to mention her fights with Ron and his disgusting tryst with Lavender. It seemed her feelings had faded, and she was ok with that, she wasn't sure how things would go after this year, she felt like soon, everything would change.
SHSHSH
Severus held in a sigh at the sight of Miss Granger reading at that table in the library again. He wondered if she purposely sat herself near all of the potions books or she simply liked the solitude. He strode up to the towering shelf, not daring to look at her and searched the names on the spines until he came across the right one. He could feel her eyes on him and he wondered if it was worth sitting next to her again. He glanced at the table. It was somewhat large, and her things only covered half of it. Exhaling sharply through his nose, he took a few more books off of the shelf and sat at the table, taking over the other half. Silently, windlessly, he cast a spell to warn him if anyone approached. It wouldn't do to be seen in this manner.
Hermione tried not to let her eyes bulge out as Snape sat at the table with her again, this time with a small stack of books. She glanced at the titles. More aquatic potion ingredients and one that looked like it was written in some dead language. Her eyes travelled from the book to him, he tugged at his collar with one hand while the other opened one of the aquatic ingredients books.
"Sir." She greeted.
"Miss Granger." He sounded a bit strained like he was definitely not interested in speaking.
She did not respond but watched covertly as he read again, his eyes darting across the page, absorbing words printed in ink as black as his eyes. His long nimble fingers turned the pages with practiced ease. He did not rub at pages to make sure two didn't get stuck together like she always did. He did not pause to take notes, and she had the distinct feeling he would remember whatever needed to. Hermione noticed that his breathing slowed and turned more even as he focused on the book, quickening slightly again when he switched it out for another book. She could barely detect the rise and fall of his chest under all the layers, but she could see the steady beat of his pulse press against the cravat. He was bec0ming more and more fascinating to watch. Moments like these when he was all calm and control, and fierce moments when he stormed down a hall, his robes billowing and beckoning. And moments of impatience, when he was trying to press knowledge into the unreceiving minds of students.
She was still watching him. Severus has noticed that she had not turned a page in her book or written with the quill that was suspended in her hand since he had arrived. What ink had been on it had dribbled off onto the parchment, the rest had dried. Why was she staring? So utterly entranced with him that she had forgotten her homework? The thought made him uneasy, as did her staring, making the hairs on his nape stand up. He did not like being watched and he immediately regretted his decision to sit down. The first time he had done this, it was brief and even though she had stared, it was less intense, and she had managed to keep reading. He cleared his throat, but she did not react, her eyes only jumping to his throat then elsewhere on his person. After a few more minutes of this, he slammed the book shut, which he was pleased to see made her jump and glance down at her own things. He swore he saw her flush when she noticed he dried quill which she quickly hid. He took the two books he had not read yet and tucked them under his arm, waving at the other two to take flight and return to their positions on the shelves. He could feel her still watching him, although with less intensity, and he stalked away with the longest stride he could manage, the feeling of Miss Granger's eyes on him stayed with him until he was securely locked in his office.
Hermione jumped when he slammed the book shut and looked down at her own work to feign being busy but she saw her pretense was ruined when she caught sight of the dried quill nib and the spare blots on her parchment. She felt herself turn bright red, hoping Snape hadn't noticed her staring at him, but now she wasn't so sure since it was clear she had been staring completely enraptured for a while. She sighed heavily and put away her things for dinner. Today was the day the note wanted her to go to the bathroom. It was still weird, and she didn't know why, but she knew she would do so. Dinner was a tense affair, with Harry stabbing his food viciously and Ron trying to speak with her. But all Hermione could remember was what Harry told her a few days past about Ron's feelings.
She pushed things around her plate, taking a few nibbles now and then, waiting for the boys to leave first so they wouldn't wonder where she was going when she headed off in the opposite direction of her rooms. Finally, she rose, pulling her bag over her shoulder, then headed in that direction. There was already a commotion and Hermione pushed easily through the small crowd to where she could see through the bathroom doorway to where Harry and Malfoy were exchanging curses. She moved forward to stop them but before she got a word out she heard Harry cry a curse she had never heard before.
"Sectumsempra!"
Malfoy fell to the floor almost in slow motion as wounds opened up all over his body and he started bleeding, his wand out of reach. A stunned Harry appeared from behind a bathroom stall, stumbling sideways to the door as he stared at what he had done.
"Harry, move!" Hermione hissed, shoving him out of the way. She dashed across the floor to kneel beside Malfoy trying any healing spells she could think of, but nothing was working. Malfoy was gasping for and spasming, but he couldn't seem to look at her, trying to keep his gaze anywhere else but her and the growing audience. "C'mon." Hermione grumbled, trying some spells she had read about but never used. Still nothing.
"Such dark magic for one such as you, Mr. Potter."
Hermione inhaled sharply in relief at the seething tones of Snape and suddenly his boots where there in front of her on the other side of Malfoy's body. His knees folded gracefully as he kneeled beside Malfoy, his robe splayed out behind him in a magnificent black fan. His wand was out before she could blink, and he began waving it in a slow rhythm over Malfoy, chanting.
"Vulnera sanentur, vulnera sanentur, vulnera…"
He kept chanting and Hermione watched in awe as the blood separated from the water covering the floor and retraced its leaking path from where it had fled Malfoy's body. Her eyes were drawn to where the blood seemed to struggle and then finally draw itself out of her stockings and the edges of her skirt, still stained a light pink in places even as Malfoy's wounds stitched themselves together. Her eyes were drawn up to the man across from her when he finally stopped chanting and his gaze locked with hers.
…
Slightly less of a slow burn?
I would love to request the help of my readers finding a story. Ages ago I read a SS/HG fanfic about where Hermione was trapped in a dungeon (probably in Malfoy manor) and Severus came to read to her almost daily. I didn't favorite it back then because I didn't know how but I would like to read that story again and I was wondering if anyone knew of a story like this. Thanks!
I hope you are enjoying so far!